The Pets Keepers ch2
#2 of The Pets Keepers (Abandoned)
This was a spinoff of my beloved pet series which I could only complete three parts of before I lost interest. They roughly corespond to the first three chapters of The Beloved Pet.
Posted to DA on 7/8/08
"Preparations"
I love my job. I get to spend a lot of time with interesting creatures. Centurans, Terran's, Banares, and our most recent addition, the Akai, who have just made the jump from hunter gathers to an agrarian civilization. Of course our trackers are forbidden from taking large numbers of the Akai as that would disrupt the breeding population, so they are a rare find. I find all of them interesting; the Centauran's, whose wolf-like form has given them the nickname, "Little brothers of the Arc"; the Terran's, who evolved from primates and inherited their progenitors resourcefulness; the Banares, with their sleek feline forms; and of course the rodent-like Akai, because of their rarity. Despite this, I find Terran's the most interesting by virtue of the fact that they lack many of the natural advantages of the species we deal in. With out fur and claws, they became resourceful out of necessity, and were quick to create clothing and weaponry. They will make a fine addition to the empire once their civilization has matured.
Most don't stay longer than a month, however some have been here over a year. Unlike dealers of common or captive bred pets, deliveries for us are infrequent and follow no regular schedule. Most pass through and are adopted without much time or interest on my part. That changed with this Terran. He was brought in by one of our finest tracker teams, who had been shadowing him for over a month before they had an opportunity to take him. After a subject is delivered we conduct a through entry physical on then. This one is average as Tehran's go, slightly above average height and average build, which we will enhance through the use of nano machines. Looking at his eyes I notice something interesting, contact lenses. Gently removing them I analyze their shape. He's myopic in both eyes and slightly astigmatic in the left eye; the nano machines will make quick work of this. Conducting a full body scan I notice there are some obstructions in his circulatory system, however, his resting heart rate suggests that he does a lot of cardiovascular exercise. The rest of his organs are in reasonably good shape, and will only require minor attention. Having programed a dose of nanites, I use a hypo-spray to transdermaly infuse them into his carotid artery. Even if he was awake he would not feel a thing. With all this done I place his limp slumbering form in the nearest unoccupied cage and raise the force field. For some reason, I cannot help having interests in this one beyond his being a temporary ward. I find myself spending much time staring at his sleeping form and trying to be present when he wakes while also looking to my other charges.
After about 17 hours he finally stirs from his slumber. I'll let him take in his surroundings before I welcome him; I'll also give him some food as well. Using the replicator, I teleport into his cage a plate filled with, what to him look like ordinary bread sticks. However they can recreate the taste of their consumers favorite food through a special enzyme that reacts with saliva. They also contain the nutritional value of a full meal as well as all the nutrients the consumer needs. This is the standard meal given to our subjects. Of course all the species we sell are omnivorous so if we know that the subject likes meat we'll give them a similar concoction that looks like a steak. While he is eating I decide to introduce myself. At first he doesn't see me but once he does I have his full attention. He is visibly terrified by my Silgri form, and considering that his species has not made contact with any extraterrestrial cultures I cannot blame him for feeing this way. I say to him in a warm tone "I'm glad to see your awake and enjoying your food." This does little to ease his discontent, so I leave him to analyze his surroundings. If he stays long, I will try to earn his trust.
In order to ensure the good health of our subjects, we give them physicals on a weekly basis for the first two months and every other week after that. This process of course is of great interest to my temporary pet. Having been here for a week, it's his turn. I Wait until he is seated and then flood the cage with sedative gas. Once he is out cold I remove him and place him on the nearest exam table. Judging by his looks the nanites have done their job; He's in much better shape then when we received him , and definitely ready to be put up for adoption. With this done I return him before the sedative wears off. More than likely he'll think that he just dozed off.
As time passes I notice that he has been speaking with a centuran next-door, a common occurrence. With little else to do in their cages, it's no surprise that they try to communicate with each other. So I graciously allow the two to speak face to face on several occasions, an act which seems to earn the Terran's trust. While he is still cautious around me, he is no longer paralyzed with fear when I'm around.