Xanthon

"It's intriguing that they are both sexes..." Xanthon moved closer to the cage, his elongated forelimbs nearly touching the glass.

"It is. You have to be careful with them though. They have a tendency to breed. Luckily, their gestation period is quite long. About seven or eight or nine months or so. It shouldn't be a problem."

"Yes... yes, I have read about this," Xanthon said, "...and no genetic alteration?"

"None. Born in captivity. Raised in their traditional fashion."

"Which means?"

"Well," the shop owner shrugged, "which means, after birth, children are raised by their mothers. Suckled as infants. It is all very hormonal."

"And what of the male of the species?"

The shop owner laughed, "The male isn't around long. In this species, the female is often left to tend to the young. Males are selected for strength and endurance but seldom for longevity. It increases the male's reproductive success to remain promiscuous."

"Interesting..."

"It is..." the shop owner agreed.

"Okay, you sold me. I'll take one."

"Only one, Mr. Xanthon? You'll surely not want to miss out on the reproductive and birthing cycles. They are rather extraordinary."

"No... no, " Xanthon responded, "Only one today. How about that small child? This one here. With the blonde hair."

"Excellent choice! You will have to sign a waiver for him. He is still very young. And he'll have to be removed from his mother, you understand."

"I have the credentials."

"Step over here then, please, Mr. Xanthon, while I find the necessary documents. And might I ask what you plan to do with the human child?"

"I intend to raise him," Xanthon said, matter-of-factly.

"Interesting..."

Xanthon had always wanted a human. The Selast of Talon 5 seemed to be all the rage these days, but he was of the simple sort and preferred to keep things simple. The questions he had asked the shop owner were customary of his kind. In his culture, it was polite to probe, even when you had all the answers. Xanthon had already known about gestation periods and reproductive cycles. He had known that there was an intimacy, driven by a particular hormone, that occurred between mother and child. And he had also known that any separation, once a child began to develop, could be quite painful to them both. He had chosen what had appeared to be the youngest of the human children. The child couldn't have been more than four or five. He would have preferred much younger, but his funds were limited and the time to wait for another allotment was unbearably long. It could be said that Xanthon was being impatient, far too impatient for his kind. But his journey here had been one of the most exciting of his life. And he had found a male! He couldn't have hoped for more! In Trillion society, gender was seldom an issue. A Trillion might live as a male or female but most chose neither. Trillions are a self-replicating species, after all, and most took a certain satisfaction and apathetic pride in their indifference. Xanthon, however, was different.

At least, he felt different.

A slight whimpering could be heard beyond the glass. It didn't last long. The separation was quick and immediate. Efficient, as is customary. He would have liked to have watched the event, but dark, linen curtains had been drawn to hide the observatory. He found it odd that in a world of energy shields and plasma windows, glass had been used. However, he imagined it provided a vintage and historical element to the shop. Despite their enthusiasm for progress, the humans of Earth had remained an unsophisticated species in E.Y. 2014. It made perfect sense to display them as such.

"Everything is in order, Mr. Xanthon," the shop owner said, oblivious to the goings on at other end of the room. "How would you like the child transported? Or will you be doing it yourself?"

"Well, I did intend on visiting the northern ice sheets before I leave Terra. Would it be possible for delivery? We'll say... three days hence?"

"Earth days, you mean?"

"Yes, that would be fine."