Both Male and Female

Both Male and Female

     I was watching the bob of his Adam's apple when I realized that . . . he didn’t have a Throat Ball anymore. “I thought you were a male.”

     “Yes, I am a male,” said Cobbec. “Why did you ask me that?”

     “Because you don’t have a Throat Ball,” said Hia. “I thought all males had a Throat Ball.”

     “Most of them do,” said Cobbec. “But my Race doesn’t.”

     “What Race are you? I thought I saw one when you picked me up for our Outing together,” said Hia

     “You did,” said Cobbec. “I misspoke. What I meant to say is that we do have a Throat Ball. But it can come and go depending on who we are at the time.”

     “I don’t understand,” said Hia. “What did you mean by that?”

     “It means I am both male and female,” said Cobbec. “If I am a male I have a Throat Ball. And If I’m a female I don’t.”

     Hia was shocked by what she just heard. “I have been involved with a female for the last three months?”

     “No, you haven’t. When we are together I am all male,” said Cobbec.

     “I don’t know if I can be involved with someone like you,” said Hia. “I’ve got to think about this.” That was the last time he saw Hia.

<<<<*>>>>

     “That was four years ago,” said Cobbec. “I haven’t been involved with anyone since then.”

     “You haven’t had sex in four years! That would drive most people insane,” said Piale.

     “My Race is used to being alone,” said Cobbec. “I thought leaving my home planet of Unnia was something I needed to do.”

     “How did you get to be part of this crew? Why did you come to see me?” Piale was looking over some papers while she was talking to Cobbec.

     “For the last four years I have been transferring from one Post to another,” said Cobbec. “Something would happen. And I would ask for a transfer.”

     “What happened? I need to know everything if I am going to help you,” said Paile.

     “It was a lot of different reasons,” said Cobbec. “Sometimes it was work related. A lot of times it was fighting. My Race are fighters. But most of the time it was because I am both male and female.”

     “What do you consider yourself? Male or Female,” asked Paile.

     “I don’t understand,” said Cobbec. “What do you mean by that?”

     “Do you consider yourself a male or a female? You appear to be male most of the time,” said Paile. “Is that what you have chosen to be – a male.”

     “No, I haven’t. I am both male and female,” said Cobbec. “Some Unnians decide who they want to be. But most of us are both. I am both.”

     Paile looked at the papers in her hand again. She flipped back and forth between three of them several times. “What happened to get you transferred here?”

     “Do I really have to tell you? I don’t like to talk about things like that,” said Cobbec.

     “If you want my help you need to tell me what happened,” said Paile. “I can’t help you if I don’t know what you are doing here.”

     “Fine, I will tell you. It all started when a bunch of the guys at my last post thought I was different because I wasn’t involved with anyone,” said Cobbec. “So to shut them up I started seeing someone.”

     “I thought you said you hadn’t had sex in four years,” said Paile. “Now you are saying you have.”

     “No, I’m not saying that. Our involvement wasn’t like that,” said Cobbec.

     “The guys found about the no sex – didn’t they? What happened?”
Paile could see it in his face he didn’t want to tell her. “I really need to know what happened.”

     “When the guys found out they tried to kill me because I was different,” said Cobbec. “I had to defend myself. It was ten against one. They hurt me pretty bad. But not as bad as I hurt them. I killed them. That’s why it’s not in those papers.”

     “It’s also why you were transferred here this time,” said Paile. “This ship is for all the troublemakers in the Universe.”

     “I checked out my work duties first. Then my Sleeping Chamber,” said Cobbec. “And then I came to see you.”

     “You just got here today! You’re one of them that arrived a few hours ago,” said Paile. “Why did you come to see me. You have explained the transfer. But not your reason for being here.”

     “I’m here to talk to you about sex.” Cobbec had a lot of trouble saying that. He tried to say it several times. But finally he just said it.

     “What’s really going on here? First you said you haven’t had sex in four years,” said Paile. “Then you said you hadn’t at your last Post. And now you are saying you have.”

     “I never said I wasn’t having sex,” said Cobbec. “All I said was that I haven’t been involved with anyone. My Race learned a long time ago we were going to be alone in the Universe – sex wise. So we learned to pleasure ourselves.”

     “You have been having sex with yourself?” Paile was shocked. “Can you have a child with yourself too.”

     “That’s why I am here,” said Cobbec. “I’m about to have a child.”

     “Right now?” Paile looked at Cobbec. Then the papers again. “These papers don’t say anything about a child. And you don’t look like you are about to have one.”

     “I’m not about to have one in the next few minutes,” said Cobbec. It’s going to be several months before I have this one. But as soon as the crew find out about it both of us are as good as dead. I can’t fight the whole crew – especially under these circumstances. You’re the Mind Medic – what am I going to do?”

The End?