My Pa continued. “I can’t have you take him.”

“Afraid he’s got no choice. He took the test of his own free will, then took their money. If you’ll excuse the expression, it’s time for him to man up.” He breathed in deep. “Standard policy is to change and then interact for thirty days. At the end, if you don’t like it, they’ll change you back.”

My head jerked up “They will?”

Henry clasped his hands behind his back. “The Volardi want mates for life, not just breeding stock.” He grinned. “How many men get to experience birth?” He winked. “If it doesn’t work out, well you had an experience that’s unique.”

I stared back. “No matter what, I want to be here in thirty days. Can I come back?”

“Yeah... you can come back.” He held his palm up and grinned. “Scout’s honor. Trust me.”

***

Chapter Eight

PETER

I can stand up for myself but against the combined power of the Volardi and my government? Not so much. Hell, even Becky beat me a few times, and she was just a girl. Henry let me say my goodbyes. My Pa mumbled a few words of encouragement like ‘Stay Strong’. Most men... including myself – weren’t big on talking. Even my sis was subdued. This was a prime time to tease me, but she stayed quiet. Although, knowing her, it was to look good for Pa.

Henry walked me over to a silver wishbone-shaped car with two ‘wheels’ in the front and a single center one in the back. Lines of glowing orange went down the middle of each wheel while the ‘cockpit’ was grey glass. Henry gestured, and the top ‘melted’ open. I stepped into it, then sat on a seat too big for me, within a mostly featureless white interior. Instead of the normal petals and dashboard, I saw nothing interesting. At least at first.

White ‘metal’ grew out of the car and then formed into a rectangular steering wheel. Likewise, soft foam grew from the seats, and molded against my back and legs. Henry’s voice was crisp. “Volardi Ship Delta.”

He looked over and grinned. “Don’t lose your lunch.”

“Why would I?”

A red glowing field ‘popped’ over us both before he could answer. It was like swimming in water that didn’t make you wet. I took an instinctive breath out of panic and realized I could still breathe. Henry’s voice distorted through the red liquid. “Relax kid. You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

I stayed in the bubble while the blue-white sky around us gradually darkened to black. The car spun slowly, and I looked down or up. Guess it depends on your perspective to Earth. Blue and white with a shadow of black against a shimmery star field. My eyes squinted, and I saw what I thought was Tennessee.

I remember when I was younger, I wanted to go into space.

Looks like I made it. Yay me.

The car angled again and a silver, crystalline station came into view against the sea of black. I’d seen it before on the Internet, but it still didn’t prepare me for the weirdness. It was like somebody took apart all the gears inside a watch and arranged them into a giant ‘ball’. I saw arcs of metal that moved without being attached to anything. A disco ball structure was in the middle, while something that reminded me of a chandelier hovered to the side. All around were bits of silver and white that darted back and forth at high speeds.