Chapter 3

We awoke from Hyber-sleep about 10 days out from Orlana and as we got closer I marveled at the home world of my love. The atmosphere was greener in tint than Earth and Solara explained that this was due to higher oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. We explained to our children that this was the world that their mother was born on and that there would be more 'people' like the ship's crew for them to see.

Orlana: star spectral G3IV; Mean orbit 1.20AU; Mean Dia. 16400 Km; gravity .93; Year-15 mos.; Month-34 days; atmosphere-25% Oxygen - .1% Carbon Dioxide – 70% Nitrogen – trace elements include elevated methane but not lethal to Humans. Average life span: 250 yrs. All measurements based Earth normal.

We landed at the capital city, Nirtone, and were lead to the port offices and quarantine. After a quick check we were taken to a hospital for complete physicals and a complete work up of 'ME'. I was a complete mystery to the Orlanans and they had no clue as to who or even what I was.

With Solara's translation work I managed to tell my story to the local authorities and the doctors. For the next 14 days they examined me with everything they had, some of which looked slightly familiar and some that were so strange that they could have come from a sci-fi movie. They DNA tested Solara, me and the children and when they came back with the results we were more than shocked.

It seems that the doctors found that both races shared more than 98% of DNA. The only major differences were those that gave the Orlanans their wings, feathers and eye location; Dominant genetics. My differences were as listed plus external genitalia versus cloaca. All the children tested healthy and with mothers dominant DNA they would have her characteristics. They also found that most of our offspring would be female and only with special intervention would we be able to have males; or so we all thought. Over the next few days we managed to be able to spend some private time together just us and the 'girls'.

One day about a month after landing we were allowed to go outside and I finally got to see the planet of my darling's birth. It was magnificent, much like Earth in the tropics. Not jungle but green everywhere. That is when we ran into trouble, I can't fly, and there were no ground level entrances to any buildings anywhere. Except the port and hospital. All of the homes were built in trees and it took over a month, with help, to construct a flyer to assist me in getting around. Thank you Capt. Natining.

The day after getting my flyer Solara took me to her parent's home and I can honestly say I have never received a welcome like this one. Her father, Torlan, took me by the hand and showed me around their house and introduced me as his 'SON'. It wasn't until later that evening that I understood what that meant. After dinner that night all the 'men' got together and with Solara translating I got the whole story.

Solara's brother that was killed in the crash was the only male, his brother having been killed in an accident when 13 years old, in my Father-in-law's family that was of breeding age and with him gone there was "NO MALE HEIR." We talked for hours and it finally came down to two options and in both it would be up to Solara to decide. Solara and I could have a medical intervention to insure male offspring or I could be mated to one of her older sisters so as to possibly produce male heirs. As I was thinking I remembered some of what I was taught as a child in Sunday school about oldest son's wives with no male heir and the duties of the younger brother/brother-in-law. No thank you!