“When will we arrive?”“Thirty-six hours. We have a six-hour transit to the next jump site, so get your rest in now.”He grinned and summoned the other boxing unit. He slammed his fists against the unit and managed to ring up a respectable force reading. “Good. I don’t feel like resting.”His eyes were back to gold. She punched at her own boxing machine and sent the readouts spinning. “Why do your eyes change?”“Ah, well a Selna male has two modes. Each male is different, but in my family, there is one eye colour for daily activities and one for dealing with one’s mate.”“Why the difference?”“Different chemistry for sex. We can have sex pretty much indefinitely, but for breeding, we need to change gears. Having a mate flips that switch.”“Oh. I see.” She bit her lip. Breeding was not something her body was up for.He paused, “So, why are you unable to bear a child?”“I was born with osteogenesis imperfecta. It is brittle-bone disease and very little can be done to reduce the constant breakage that occurs at the slightest impact.”
