Matar seemed to realise the issue and simply wiped off all the contents from the closest table, beckoning me to sit on the only empty chair. I shrugged and took my seat, waiting for him to join me. He kept standing though, his tail knocking on the floor as if he was nervous. He pressed some buttons on the computer thingy he had on his wrist.
"She's here, klatting get to the canteen now," he snapped at whoever he was talking to.
"On my way."
That was the captain's voice if I wasn't mistaken.
"He's prepared food for you. I hope it'll be what you imagined."
I frowned at him. "I didn't imagine anything. It's not like I planned to be abducted. I guess I should be happy you're feeding me at all."
"Of course we're feeding you," he replied, clearly offended at the thought of letting me starve. "It's what good abductors do. We're going to look after you from now on. Whatever you want, just tell us and we'll make sure you get it."
"Really? Whatever I want?"
He grimaced. "Within reason. If you want a lavva fruit or a tribitt, that's doable. If you want a bigger spaceship or a weapon of mass destruction, it would be less likely that we can fulfil your wish."
"What's a tribitt? My translator didn't get that one."
"A furry, long-eared animal that many Kardarians keep as pets, especially females. They're fluffy and quite intelligent but also very mischievous. I'm not sure what our Captain would say about having a pet on the Jade though."
I grinned. "I want one."
Matar looked as if he regretted this conversation. "You need to ask Xil-"
"Ask me what?"
The captain had entered the canteen without me noticing. I whirled around and took in his broad, muscular form. During the probing, I'd been kind of out of it, but now I took the chance to look at him properly. His head was bald, just like that of the other two, but strange ochre patches made it look less bare. The same mottled jaguar pattern he had all over his body - I remembered when he'd torn open his shirt to show me. The skin on his face and scalp was smooth, like that of a human, no scales like on his chest. Of the three men, he was the most human-looking, if you ignored his bright yellow skin colour, his scales and his dark orange eyes that didn't have lashes.
His dark blue uniform had silver stripes along his arms and legs, only highlighting how his bulk stretched the fabric. Why did they have a uniform when this ship wasn't military? And they were only three guys living on the Jade, so it didn't make sense to me. Maybe some weird alien tradition, just like their desire to probe humans.
"She wants a tribitt," Matar sighed.
To my surprise, Xil shrugged. "Then we shall get one. We should reach Kepler Two in about a week, so until then, we can make a list of everything Trish needs." He gave me a warm smile and held out a metal box. "For you."
Was he giving me a present? These aliens were so weird. Half of the time I didn't know if they were serious or if this was just some kind of twisted game. Maybe they were toying with me, waiting until I felt safe only to pull the floor from under my feet and show me their true, monstrous natures. I mean, what kind of alien gave the woman he'd abducted a gift?
I sat it down on the table and carefully opened the lid, half expecting poisonous scorpions or other lethal critters ready to sting me. But no. Inside was a grid made of something that looked like shimmering plastic, separating the box into thirty-two compartments, each of them filled with some kind of food. At least I thought it was food.
The portions were tiny, the size of half of my thumb. Xil had taken finger food to a new level. Some of them didn't even constitute one bite. How small did he think my mouth was?
One compartment contained a single blue leaf. Was that even edible? Next to it was something that looked like a bright pink mealworm. No thanks. Some of the things were clearly meat, while others could have been meat, plant, or something in between. Nothing looked familiar at all. I supposed they hadn't used their stop on Earth to restock.
"Do you like it?" Xil asked. He was watching me intently, clearly eager to get a reaction out of me. It was almost adorable, having this big, dangerous alien begging for my approval.
"Is that how you eat?"
His enthusiasm turned into confusion. "No. We eat proper portions. Isn't this what human males give their females when they want to seduce them?"
Why would I want-
"Chocolates." I started laughing. "This is what a box of chocolates looks like. Now I get it."
"What's chocolates?" Matar asked. He looked just as downtrodden and disappointed as Xil. I felt sorry for them and tried to contain my laughter. It was hard though. This was hilarious.
"Chocolate is a sweet deliciousness made from cocoa beans. You can get it in all shapes and forms, but if you go on a date, the guy might give the woman a box of chocolates. Small, expensive ones with different fillings." I looked down at the box. They'd kind of got the concept...except that they'd used normal food instead of chocolate. I couldn't help but smile at Xil. "You did well, it's almost the same. Thank you."
A grin lit up his face and his cheeks turned a darker yellow. An alien blush, how very sweet. I was starting to realise that there was something sweet and cuddly inside those big, burly men.
"Try them," Matar encouraged me. "That red piece is grilled oro steak, a delicacy from our home planet."
It didn't look like it had been grilled or cooked in any way. It was bloody. Or maybe that was a sauce. I told myself it was red gravy and gingerly took the piece of meat. I gave it a cautious sniff, but it actually smelled quite nice, like peri-peri chicken.
I wasn't a picky person. If you were poor, you ate whatever you found, even if it was out of date, dirty or come from shady sources. This was alien food, however. There may be harmful substances in there. Germs my body wasn't used to.
"Havel has made sure it's all safe for you to eat," Matar reassured as if he could read my mind. Maybe he could. I didn't know anything about their species.
"Where is he?" I asked to stall for time. As appetising as the meat smelled, as disgusting did it look as it oozed with red fluid.
"Practicing," Xil replied, then pursed his lips. "Ignore I said that. It's a surprise."
That sounded ominous. A drop of liquid fell from the piece of meat, landing on a white disk that looked like a tiny pancake. It immediately turned a disgusting shade of orange.
"That's strange," Matar muttered. "Must be some kind of chemical reaction." He took the mini pancake and gave it a sniff. "Do you mind if I taste this, female?"
"My name is Trish. And go ahead."
He bit off a tiny piece, leaving teeth marks on the disk. His teeth were triangular. Weird. But not the weirdest thing I'd seen since waking up on this spaceship.
"Still tastes good. Those are some of my favourites."
He put the half-finished pancake back in its place in the box. Eating something someone else had bitten into didn't seem to be against their etiquette. A pancake with blood and alien spittle. Just what I'd always dreamed off. Still, it looked more appetising than the meat I was still holding.
I squeezed my eyes shut and almost threw the piece of meat into my mouth. It was chewy as if it had been cooked for too long, but it didn't taste bad. The spices were different from anything I'd ever eaten before, but definitely edible. This wouldn't become my favourite food though. The aftertaste was strangely sour, making me wish for something sweet. Maybe that pancake?
I took it, not hesitating this time.
I gagged as soon as its flavour registered. It tasted like puke. I spit it out, catching it in my hand. At least I hadn't thrown up all over the box. That should count for something.
"Not to your taste?" Xil chuckled, not seeming to be offended. "Try some of the plants. Havel said humans must eat a lot of plants. Something about mini vitas."
"Vitamins." I grinned. "What would you recommend?"
He pointed at a ball of cooked leaves that reminded me of spinach. It was even green. That seemed safe.
Still, it took some force of will to nibble on it. The nibble turned into happy chewing as flavours of cinnamon and caramel caressed my tongue. Now this was what I'd expect a suitor to give me. If all their vegetables tasted this good, I was going to become a vegetarian.
"Do you have more of that?" I asked as soon as I'd reluctantly swallowed that amazingness.
Xil nodded. "I can make you an entire bowl. But first, you need to go with Matar. Havel is ready." He pointed at his wrist computer as if that meant anything to me.
What were they going to do next? More probing? Likely, if Havel was involved. He was deeply passionate about it. He'd even asked me questions about how I'd found the probing while he'd cleaned me, but I couldn't quite remember what I'd answered. It was all a bit of a blur.
I left the weird food box on the table and followed Matar to a circular column at the other end of the room.
He pressed his hand against what looked like smooth bronze metal and it rotated until an opening appeared. The inside of the column was lit up with fluorescent blue lights.
Matar stepped inside and again put his hand on the wall before realising that I hadn't followed him.
"It's the elevator," he explained with a smirk. "It'll take us upstairs."
"It's very small."
His tail waggled. Like a happy dog's. "Yes. It is. We'll have to stand very close."
"Can't we go one after the other?"
"No, it's not programmed to your biosignature yet. The captain can do that later, but we don't have time. Come on. I won't hurt you."
Strangely enough, that hadn't been my worry. That scared me a little. I should have been afraid of him, of all three aliens, but I wasn't. I just didn't want to be pressed against him, feeling all those muscles...
Or maybe I did want to. But I shouldn't. It was a bad idea.
With a sigh, I stepped into the elevator, pointedly turning my back to Matar. I left a few inches between us, but sighed again when I realised the column doors couldn't close like that. I shuffled back, careful to avoid touching him, but he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against his chest.
The doors slid close and with them, any chance of getting out of his embrace. His hands were tight on my hips, holding me in place. His chest was hard against me while something even harder pressed into my lower back. Heat shot into my core, making me just as aroused as he was. Fuck. This wasn't happening. I couldn't be horny.
I wriggled against him, but he didn't let go of me. No, he groaned, clearly pleased I'd rubbed his cock. Unintentionally. Totally unintentionally.
Luckily, the door opened again, revealing an unfamiliar corridor. I hadn't even felt the elevator moving, but to be honest, I had been a little distracted by Matar's erection. Did he have one or two cocks? I knew Xil had two but I couldn't remember if Matar had mentioned how many he had. I snorted. What a strange world in which a girl would have to find out how many dicks her partner had.
Matar reluctantly let me go and I jumped forward, putting several feet of space between us. It was safer that way.
"Come, this way." He pushed past me, not trying to touch me. I was both relieved and disappointed. I hurried after him until we got to two massive double doors, looking much thicker than any I'd seen before. Matar typed something into his wrist communicator and the doors slid open. A blast of warm, smelly air hit me at the same time as my ears were assaulted by the noise of a rocket launch. Well, not quite as loud, but it almost made me want to cover my ears.
"One moment, I thought he'd switched them off," Matar muttered and continued pressing buttons. I took the time to peek into the room. Lots of pipes, wires, lights, and cables surrounded six large columns similar to the one the elevator had been housed in. In the centre of the circular room was a glass ball filled with a flickering green flame. I had no idea what any of it was, but it didn't need a genius to figure out this was the engine room.
With a hiss, the noise stopped, leaving only blissful silence.
"Ten minutes," he announced. "Then I have to turn them on again."
I had no idea why he'd even turned them off. I hadn't asked him to show me the engines. I wasn't good with electronics even on Earth and I bet these machines were a lot more advanced than anything I'd find back home, even on the spaceport. I'd never been inside a human-made spaceship, but I doubted it was anything like this one.
Matar put a hand on the small of my back, gently pushing me into the room. I let him, revelling at how good his touch felt. I became aware of the heat between my legs once more. What was this alien doing to me?
When we got to the green flame, the metal floor gave way to a grate, revealing the room beneath us. And down there stood Havel and Xil, looking up with grins on their faces.
"What's going on?" I asked Matar, but he didn't reply. His hand was still on my back. I should've stepped back from him, but my legs didn't move.
Something nudged my leg. I looked down only to find his tail possessively curling around my knee.
"Your tail is touching me," I whispered.
"So it is."
"Why is it doing that?"
"Sometimes it's hard to control it. Many, many generations ago, all Kardarians had tails. They were like an extra limb and we could use them as such. Now, only some of us are still born with tails and those who do have lost the ability to fully control their tails. With some practice, it's possible to get rudimentary control, but when I don't concentrate on it, it sometimes takes on a life of its own."
A sentient tail? I had a hard time believing that. Maybe he simply wanted an excuse to touch me.
I didn't get a chance to interrogate him further. Beneath us, Xil and Havel opened their mouths and began to howl in unison. It sounded like they were in agony. Were they being attacked? Their howls turned louder and louder, tearing at my heartstrings.
"Help them!" I shouted at Matar, panic freezing my mind and body.
"You want me to join them?"
He didn't sound worried at all. Just confused.
"Do something!" I cried, unable to take their pained yowling much longer.
In an instant, his hands were on my hips again and he spun me around. Before I knew what was happening, his lips were on mine.
The Mating Habits of Humans
Havel
"It's working!" I shouted jubilantly, breaking the song.
Xil stopped too, looking up with a surprised expression. He hadn't expected our singing to be this effective either.
Above us, Matar and Trish were kissing. She was wrapped in his arms, her lips on his. My cock twitched with jealousy. It should have been me up there. I was the one who'd successfully probed her. It was me who'd introduced her to our abduction skills. I remembered how it had felt to slide the probe inside her, imagining that it was my cock...
"I can't believe that worked," Xil muttered. "I would have bet against it. Why did our singing make her kiss him? Shouldn't she come running to kiss us?"
We watched as their kiss turned more and more passionate. Xil's jealousy was almost palpable, or maybe I was projecting my own onto him.
"Let's go," I growled after a few minutes. "At least this might mean that she'll be ready for the next stage."
Xil's frown lessened. "Mating."
"Kissing is a good step towards that. I was worried humans might not be into kissing, but it looks like they love it as much as Kardarians. Let's hope they love to fuck even more."
The probing had shown that she was compatible with us. She would need some time to adjust, but she'd be able to take us. Maybe even Xil's two cocks at once. Luckily, they were one above the other and not next to each other like with some other alien species. That would have made finding a position awkward, but like this, he could rut her from behind in true Kardarian fashion.
"Have you prepared a room?" I asked as we left Matar and Trish alone.
"Yes, I did that after I made her food. She didn't like most of it, by the way. We'll need to experiment some more."
<
br /> "That was to be expected. Her palate will be used to some vastly different things. It's a pity we couldn't find more human recipes for our replicator."
He shrugged. "She'll just have to get used to it. But yes, the room is ready. I had the bots build a bed large enough for all of us. I also prepared some underclothes with holes in. Now you just have to select some videos of human couples to watch. I don't know if Kardarian couples work, so let's not risk it."
I nodded. "I've got some videos I found during the early research phase when we started to consider humans. I'm sure one of them will work."
I didn't mention that I'd watched them many, many times, and not for strictly academic reasons. Watching humans fuck was hot. I understood why human couples might watch that together, although I didn't understand why they ate plant seeds while doing so. I wanted to kiss her and then maybe replicate some of the positions, not eat. Well, maybe eat her... I'd tried some of the juices that had leaked out of her. The taste had almost made me come by itself. I ached to taste her once again.
No plant seeds for her. Definitely not. There were going to be no distractions that could stand in the way of our mating.
I followed Xil into the room he'd prepared. It was one of the storage rooms, but he'd managed to turn it into a cosy space by adding soft lights and fabrics. I'd never taken him for an interior designer, but I had to admit he'd done a stellar job, especially in the short time he'd had.
My comms beeped and as soon as I saw who the message was from, I activated the holo screen so that Xil could see it too.
"Professor Katila's marked our assignment already," I told him, my voice shaking a tiny bit. I wanted to do well, but had we done enough to pass?
"It's not the probing grade," I said after opening the attachment. "It's for the abduction itself."
"I don't want to look," Xil admitted. "Just tell me if we passed or not."
"Choosing on physiology alone lacked insight... needed assistance from teacher... good choice of abductee... initial speech overwhelming..."
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