FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

He was amongst the stars. There was no place he would rather be. Marcus knew he would not want to return back to Earth, but the experience had not been quite how he had imagined it. After their brief sojourn on the main observation deck, the humans were brought back to their quarantine rooms. Or, at least, they were told that had been what had happened. The room's layout had changed in their absence. Marcus couldn't quite be sure if the room had changed, or if they had been taken somewhere new and just their small amount of possessions had been moved.

Instead of the dozen pods that lined the walls, there were only six. They were all slightly larger than the sleeping pods they had used overnight. Large enough for two to sleep together. Not only that, but there were names above each of the pods. Two to a pod. They had been paired off; one male and one female to each. Their guide, the furaxi called Hiss, had not explained the new sleeping arrangements before she had left. The humans hadn't even noticed until five minutes after her departure. They had still been too dazed by the majestic sight of the stars from the observation deck.

There had been little explanation from the furaxi at all. If there was to be a period of integration, then they had not yet been informed how that was going to play out. Marcus struggled not to feel a little disappointed. He and the eleven other humans present were the furthest from Earth than any human had ever been, and by quite some distance too. He couldn't be sure exactly where they were, but they had long exited the influence of Sol, the home star of all humans.

Marcus had been paired with Ellen. The two had been awkward at first, and Marcus honestly didn't know what to say to her. No one really knew what to say. Without the focus of the furaxi's presence, they had fallen back into strangers again who didn't really know each other. Most of their time together had been strictly business. They had learned about the furaxi together; they had learned about the purpose of their task on Hyssansyr. Very little had been about their individual social lives. All Marcus knew about the others was that none had been quite the social drop out he had been.

Conversation had been patchy for a while. Marcus had slowly padded around the wide room, inspecting each of the pods. They were all sealed closed, and only one opened to his touch. The one with his and Ellen's name in the screen above. Thankfully for Marcus, the pod opened even with his fingerless mitts struggling to get a proper grip on the hinged lid. Inside the pods was largely the same as the individual ones, only slightly larger. There wouldn't be enough room to be completely apart. The occupants would need to be pressed close together. Marcus felt the ears on his helmet twitching slightly at the thought.

Even though Marcus was not physically with the other eleven of the group, he could still hear their voices as though he was stood right amongst them. Every time they spoke, their words were carried by the speakers in their helmets. At first, it had been somewhat distracting, but Marcus was slowly getting used to it.

Conversation murmured and bubbled through his helmet as Marcus continued to explore. There was no evidence of a door anywhere within the large room, but the furaxi largely seemed to travel between rooms through a series of portals. He had yet to properly see exactly how they controlled the portals, or even how such a technology was possible. The furaxi were so advanced compared to humanity that Marcus considered giving up trying to understand it and just call it magic.

Marcus's attention was caught by a sudden interruption in the quiet murmurs of conversation. Derek cut across everyone else as he rose to his feet. “When do you think they're going to feed us? I've been getting hungrier and hungrier for ages."

“Do they even eat?" Shinji asked. Even though Marcus could not see faces, or any noticeable gestures or features, he could still tell exactly which anonymous human was Shinji.

“Of course they eat," Marcus said, speaking before he could stop himself.

“Oh, you can still talk," Derek said, turning around to face Marcus. The strange, sightless eyes of his helmet stared right ahead. “I thought your speakers might have broken."

Marcus smiled, though he knew the helmet would not reflect such a motion. He did feel the ears on top of the helmet shift slightly, and the weight of his tail swish to one side. “Just didn't have anything worth saying," he said with a shrug. He pushed closed the pod door and moved across to join the others. “They do eat, though. They're omnivores like us, so I guess their planet has something akin to plants and animals like Earth does."

“How do you know that?" Derek challenged. He jabbed a finger towards Marcus. “They didn't teach us any of that on Earth."

Marcus looked around the eleven humans. “Didn't you read the material on those tablets in the pod? There was loads of cool stuff there."

“No," Derek retorted. He folded his arms across his chest. “I was too busy trying to get to my dick."

“Ugh, guys," Ellen said, turning away. Marcus was sure she had to be rolling her eyes beneath the helmet. “Can't you go five minutes without thinking about your dicks?"

“Most of us can," Alex said. One of the other guys in the group, he had not spoken much since their arrival on the furaxi ship. He scuffed his foot against the floor, with his rubbery second skin squeaking slightly with each movement. “Though I didn't look at the learning stuff last night either. Thought they might have started to teach us that today."

“I just thought it would be interesting to know," Marcus said. He shrugged again and frowned, confused that his companions wouldn't have shown that same drive and eagerness to absorb as much knowledge as possible. This was an entirely new species, with different customs and technologies, the likes of which humanity could barely process. Learning about all of that had been why they had been chosen.

A new sound distracted all twelve humans before their conversation could progress further. Derek continued to squirm a little, seemingly resisting an urge to grope around his crotch. His hands squeaked slightly as his fingers pressed into his thighs. A chiming beep had sounded in their ears. The voice of the furaxi Hiss followed just after.

“We are preparing food for you," she said. Even though the humans' suits were translating the furaxi's words for them, her voice had much more musical tone than had been apparent through the handheld translator she had first used. “We will also be preparing you to go through the hygiene procedures in your quarantine suits."

“How about letting us get our dicks out?" Derek called out. He turned around on the spot even though he had nowhere to look towards.

If Hiss could hear Derek, then she gave no indication of it. Her voice had gone quiet. Everyone remained in silence, except for the soft squeak of their skinsuits as someone lightly slapped Derek for his comment.

“Shut up, will you?" Joan hissed quietly.

“Why?" Derek protested, taking a couple of steps away from the others. “What's the problem?"

“We're meant to be the ones representing humans here," Ellen added, turning to face Derek with a jabbed finger in his direction. “We're not going to be making a good example of ourselves if you guys are thinking about your dicks the whole time."

Derek spread his arms wide. “Oh yeah, because we're really looking like humans here, aren't we? Totally noble and dignified. I'd prefer to be completely naked rather than wear one of these ridiculous things."

“They're necessary," Shinji said. He folded his arms across his chest, leaning slightly on one leg. “Of course they're uncomfortable. I don't really like them either, but you heard them. It's quarantine. You never got told what happens to people who break quarantine?"

“They get to have fun while the rest feel foolish?" Derek asked. He tugged at his chest, stretching out the rubbery second skin, but not getting anywhere near close to breaking it.

“They die," Shinji said simply.

Joan slapped Derek around the back of the head again, though the helmet protected the enclosed human. “Stop being an idiot."

Before Derek had the chance to answer, a bright light started to shine through the room as one of the mysterious portals opened up. The dark shadow of a furaxi prowled through the portal, followed by three others. The aliens smiled their strange, forced smiles, but didn't indicate they had heard the conversation between the humans.

Marcus recognised Hiss at the front of the group. She spread her arms wide. “We would like to welcome you to our table for food. We have prepared a feast for you based on Earth cuisine. We hope you will appreciate it."

A quiet noise of frustration came from Derek, but the other humans all quickly drowned him out with their appreciation. Marcus hadn't realised until then just how hungry he felt, but then he hadn't eaten anything in close to twenty-four hours. He was surprised he didn't feel more ravenous than he was, and he wondered if the suit had something to do with that.

Hiss beckoned the humans towards the portal. Marcus was the first human to approach. The furaxi stepped aside to allow the humans through the bright light. Marcus shielded his eyes from the intense light, with the helmet visor not able to fully compensate for the brightness. Though the portals still unnerved him, Marcus was used to them enough to not hesitate as he stepped through.

A similar circular room revealed itself as the light faded around Marcus. Clean, sterile white walls rose up seamlessly from the floors, arching up to the curved ceiling which glowed with a constant white light. In the middle of the room rose a round table made of what looked suspiciously like wood. Amongst the alien aesthetic of the rest of the ship that Marcus had seen, the table looked disturbingly out of place. As did the plates of food on the table.

A banquet had been laid out for the humans and the furaxi already sat around the table. Eight furaxi were waiting for them, to add to the four on the other side of the portal. Twelve humans and twelve furaxi, sat around a table together.

The furaxi sat in alternating seats, with a space between each of them. As Marcus approached the table he noticed a name at most of the empty seats; one name for each of the twelve humans. Marcus found his seat next to one of the furaxi, and he nervously sat down by their side. There was no place name for the furaxi to his right, nor for the vacant seat to his left.

Marcus awkwardly took his seat. His fingerless mitts tugged at the chair, trying to pull it closer towards the table after he had sat down, but he couldn't get a proper grip. He remained an uncomfortable distance away from the table. He glanced up at the furaxi, who had barely even reacted to his presence.

“Excuse me, I don't want to bother you," Marcus said in a small voice, feeling nervous about addressing the furaxi. The alien looked down slowly. Its eyes were deep purple and opened wide, though Marcus could not be sure what sort of expression that was supposed to be. He held up one of his hands. “Uh, do you mind helping me a little? Just pushing the chair in?"

The furaxi smiled. It looked as awkward as any time Hiss smiled; a pulling up of its lips to bare the sharp teeth in its mouth. “It would be my pleasure," the furaxi said. The movement of its mouth did not match up to the words Marcus heard as the helmet of his suit automatically translated the alien speech. The alien pushed on the back of Marcus's chair, sliding him in towards the table until he was at the perfect position.

“Thank you," Marcus said, looking up to the furaxi. He tried to work out whether the furaxi was male or female, but he had not yet figured out any way the two sexes differed. If they even had two different sexes. Hiss had identified as female, but he didn't know how that translated into the furaxi's tongue and culture. “May I ask what your name is?"

The furaxi placed a hand on its chest. “My name is probably unintelligible to your ears and tongue, but you may call me Sess."

“And are you a, ahem…" Marcus cleared his throat and blushed deeply, regretting the question already. He had started blurting it out, so he knew he had to finish it. “You know. Male or female?"

The furaxi laughed in a surprisingly human reaction. It made a quiet, chuckling sound and partially covered its muzzle with a hand. “I am what your species would consider male, though our sexes don't quite line up in the way yours do."

“Oh," Marcus said. He rested his hands on the edge of the table. “What is the difference between you?"

The furaxi laughed again. His long ears flicked backwards. “That is not really a discussion for the table. Perhaps we can share some anatomy lessons more private sometime later."

Marcus was glad of the helmet hiding his face, as the furaxi would not be able to see the deep red of his face. He was sure there had to be some other way he was projecting his emotions though, as the alien chuckled quietly again. The human grabbed hold of his rubbery tail and pressed his fingerless mitts around the tip.

“Perhaps," he said, his voice hushed. He suddenly glanced up and looked around the table, unsure if any of the other humans had overhead the conversation. He wasn't sure how much privacy his conversation with Sess had been. None of them had commented, though Ellen had glanced in his direction from the other side of the table.

All of the seats had been filled. They alternated human to furaxi, with no one sat next to another member of their own species. Organic flesh was paired with the rubbery facsimiles the humans wore, looking almost like a children's costume. While none of the humans were clothed in anything but the suits, the furaxi were dressed in the light drapes of cloth over their arms and shoulders. They wore many different colours, with no two furaxi dressed the same.

Derek raised his hand. “Hey, so, uh. One problem. How are we meant to eat with these things on?" he asked, tapping his other hand against the partially elongated muzzle of his helmet.

Hiss rose to her feet. She spread her hands wide. “Your suits are well-designed for this, do not worry. Simply place the food against the muzzle of your helmet, and it will pass through into a sealed chamber, and then through to your mouth. Think of it like a quarantine chamber for your food, like an airlock. It maintains your isolation for the benefit of all, but also allows you an easy and simple way to eat."

“Sounds complicated to me," Derek muttered to himself, though his voice was broadcast around the table by his helmet. None of the furaxi commented on his sullen words, though some of the humans did shuffle awkwardly.

Hiss continued on as though Derek had not spoken. She gestured around the table. “We have prepared a feast based on your usual human cuisine. Our ingredients are not the same as yours, but our technology has allowed us to ensure that there should be little difference between this and what you would find on your table at home."

“But I don't see the instant noodles," Alex joked, laughing as he spoke. All of the humans joined in, while the furaxi glanced amongst themselves. Tails were swished in a manner Marcus could probably describe as confusion.

“This must be a human joke," Sess said, addressing Hiss. “I do not think it is for us to understand."

“Ah, it would take too long to explain," Alex said with a shrug.

Alisha cut in before anyone else could speak. “They're a common, cheap food. They taste awful, but they don't need any skills to make."

“Don't always have time to cook something fancy," Alex replied. The ears of his suit leaned forward. “Are we able to start eating, or is there some other custom to go through first?"

Hiss lowered her head slightly. “You may eat."

For eleven of the humans, that was all the permission they needed. For the first time, Marcus's eyes moved down to focus on the banquet prepared for them. He could see roast meats, salads, trays of vegetables, and even a mound of hot chips. Various condiments and sauces were places around the table. Hiss was right. The banquet looked exactly like what he would expect on Earth, and the olfactory senses in his helmet tantalised him.

Marcus had just one problem. Without any fingers on his suit, he couldn't grasp any of the serving spoons or tongs, let alone the cutlery he would need to use afterwards. Neither of the furaxi at his sides looked willing to offer any assistance as they began to help themselves to the food on the table.

Feeling flustered and confused, Marcus tried to wrap his fingerless mitts around one of the serving spoons, but it just clattered down to the table again. He huffed quietly, before looking up to Sess again. “Sorry, I'm being a bother again. Do you mind helping me?" he asked, blushing a little more beneath his suit. He could hear a couple of snickers coming from the humans around the table, but he wasn't sure who was making the sounds. He thought he recognised Derek's voice amongst them.

The moment Marcus asked, the furaxi leaned across and nodded. The alien's eyes brightened, and the same eerie smile spread across his face. Marcus got the impression Sess had been waiting for the request. “Of course. What would you like?"

Marcus wanted some of everything. With Sess's help, his plate was filled up with a variety of meats and vegetables. Now that the food was in front of him, he felt ravenous. After asking for assistance again, Marcus was helped in feeding too. Sess cut up the food and placed a small chunk against the tip of the suit's muzzle. As Hiss had promised, a small chamber opened up to take the food, and it was slowly passed through to Marcus's waiting mouth.

The texture of the food was undoubtedly roast beef. The furaxi had been able to mimic that perfectly, even though the meat he ate had probably never been anywhere near a cow. That was not what it tasted like. He looked up to stare around the other humans, who had all stopped eating and were staring at their plates. “It tastes like chicken."

“What did you have?"

“The beef."

“I just had the broccoli."

“I only had a sip of orange juice."

“And they all tasted like chicken?"

Hiss rose to her feet and looked around the table. The furaxi were happily eating. It was only the humans who had stopped. “Is everything alright?"

“It all tastes like chicken," Ellen said, gesturing down to her plate. She poked her fork at the pile of broccoli and carrots she had piled up.

“Is it not meant to?" Hiss asked. Her ears flicked as her head tilted to the right. “I thought that was a common Earth expression, that everything tastes like chicken. We worked so hard to get that flavour right."

Marcus laughed to himself and shook his head. “No, that's not quite what that expression means. It's not meant to be taken literally," he said, looking up to Hiss, who slowly sat back down in her seat. “It's more meant to be that unfamiliar meats often taste like chicken. Not everything."

“Oh," Hiss said. She sounded crestfallen. “Well, if you didn't want to keep eating, we can arrange something else."

“No," Marcus said quickly. “It's fine. We don't mind, do we?" He wished he could glare around the room, catching the eyes of every human and making sure they agreed with him. He didn't want to upset their furaxi hosts.

“Yeah, I suppose," Ellen said. She prodded at her vegetables again and shovelled another mouthful into the muzzle of her suit. Marcus watched in curiosity as the small hatch opened up around the area of the mouth. The suits were remarkable creations, he had to admit.

One by one, the rest of the humans all started to eat again. Derek was the last. “Hate chicken," he muttered quietly, though his words were broadcast clearly into the ears of all the humans present.

With Sess's help, Marcus slowly got through his meal. Everything was the perfect texture. The beef had been cooked excellently, and the vegetables had the perfect crunch to them; not too soft, but not too hard either. The drinks provided had been cooled to the right temperature. It was just that everything tasted like chicken. The flavour and texture did not mesh together at all.

All the same, Marcus continued to eat. He did not want to offend his hosts, and he doubted Sess would let him stop until his plate had been finished. The furaxi alternated between feeding himself and the helpless human.

Though conversation did ripple around the table, most of it was casual. There were no probing questions from either species towards the other. Mealtimes were not the time to learn more about each other intimately. Sess asked Marcus a few questions about what he had done on Earth, but that had been the extent of the questioning.

Marcus felt embarrassed talking about his past. As far as he knew, all eleven of the other humans had been successful at what they had achieved. They had been rich and influential in various fields. Marcus had not. His degree had been useless from almost the moment the furaxi had arrived on their doorstep. There was no need for terraforming projects on Mars now that the furaxi had shared their technology with humanity.

Marcus tried not to sound too bitter about that. He did not want the furaxi to think that maybe he was not worthy for the program after all. He wondered if it were possible that they could send him home, even when this far out from Earth and the Sol System. That was something he did not want to test. He would be on his best behaviour and push his fellow humans to do the same. Their future depended on it.

The furaxi bade the humans to remain sitting when the last of their meal was finished. Most of the food had been eaten, with only a few leftovers remaining. The furaxi had eaten much more than the humans had. They had then started work on clearing the tables, leaving the humans to themselves for a few minutes.

“That was unpleasant," Derek muttered quietly. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest, ignoring the furaxi who leaned across him to pick up a plate.

“It wasn't too bad," Shinji replied. He stacked up a couple of empty plates for a furaxi to take. “Once I got used to the flavour, I didn't really mind it so much."

“Ugh, speak for yourself," Derek said sullenly. He was the only human who didn't move at all as the furaxi cleaned up.

Furaxi hands pushed down on human shoulders to prevent them from standing, but eleven humans at least stacked plates and cutlery together to make it easier for the furaxi. Even Marcus tried, though he could only push utensils around, as he could not get a proper grip on anything. None of the furaxi complained at his ineffectualness.

Once everything was tidied away and the table was clean, each furaxi held their hand out to take hold of one human. As far as Marcus could tell, each furaxi was the same as who had been sitting next to the right of the human. He had Sess again. Derek grumbled beneath his breath as Hiss took hold of his hand.

“After our meals we always attend to our hygiene and biological needs," Sess explained as he led Marcus towards a portal that opened up at the far end of the room. A few of the human and furaxi pairs passed through the bright light. “Yours suits have been designed to do the same."

“Wait, you mean…?" Marcus started to say, before trailing off awkwardly. He wasn't sure he liked the insinuations behind Sess's words, but he knew there wasn't any option for it. Biology could not be fully repressed, no matter the technology level the furaxi had at their disposal. Like he had been with food, Marcus had not even thought about his biological needs since putting on the suit. Now that he was made aware of it, he realised his body was starting to protest at how long it had been.

Individual pods lined around the next room, which was again different to any of the others Marcus had been to. He briefly wondered how many rooms there were on the ship. He had not yet seen the size of the ship from the outside, and nor was he even aware of how many furaxi made up the crew.

The human's attention was then directed to the small pods. A small chrome seat was in the middle of the pod, with a small round indentation on the surface. The circle looked like it opened up, but Marcus couldn't determine the exact function. There was nothing else inside the pod at all.

“Take a seat and everything will be handled for you," Sess said. He held the pod door open for Marcus.

All around Marcus, he could see his fellow humans slipping inside their various pods. They moved apprehensively. Even without seeing their faces he could tell that. Helmet ears drooped and tails tucked low. Their shoulders were hunched, and in Derek's case, he had to be pushed inside the pod by Hiss.

Marcus sat down, facing the open door of the pod. Sess nodded his head once and stepped back. The door swung closed with a gentle click. A soft white glow suffused through the pod.

Nothing happened for a few moments. Marcus had not been told there was something he needed to do, but he got the feeling he might have missed something. Perhaps there was a button he had to press, or lever to pull. He could see nothing, but he remained seated.

Sudden pressure gripped around Marcus's thighs. He could see nothing that held him in place, but he felt like he had been glued down to the seat. His legs could still move, but he could not lift up from the chrome seat at all. A cool breeze teased around his buttocks, though the suit remained tight around his skin. The indent in the seat opened partially, but before Marcus could react, he felt a tight pressure against his ass.

The pressure increased, and he could feel the sphincter of his anus stretching around the foreign intrusion. He let out a small gasp and whimper as the rigid metallic object pushed up into him. He grunted and huffed, a little confused about what was happening. His distraction was so great that he didn't even notice the pressure on his cock until it was too late. Mercifully, that intrusion was smaller, but he still felt his urethra stretched to an uncomfortable degree as a thin, long rod slid down into him.

Already feeling distinctly uncomfortable, Marcus tried to press down on his crotch with his mitted hands, trying to push out the insertion, but without any success. Then the heat began. Marcus felt like he was burning from the inside. He squirmed and struggled, but was completely pinned down by the pair of thick tubes and the pressure on his thighs. His feet squirmed, and his hands pressed down on his belly. He gritted his teeth and swore loudly as the temperature seemed to increase.

Then it was done. The heat faded to nothing and the insertions were rapidly withdrawn. Marcus yelped in surprise as he felt emptied by their absence, before realising that his biological needs had also been tended to. The pressure over his thighs released, allowing Marcus to stumble up to his feet again. He felt uneasy, and the tail on his suit hung low between his legs.

The door opened, and Sess stood tall in front of him again. “Feel better?"

“I don't know," Marcus replied hesitantly. He honestly didn't know how he felt. His stomach was still full from food, and his bowels and bladder had been emptied, but the lingering discomfort of the twin tubes still disturbed him slightly.

“The first time is always difficult," Sess said, holding out his hand to encourage Marcus out of the small pod. The human allowed himself to be shepherded away. He caught sight of his human companions. All of them looked to be shuffling awkwardly, having been put through the same process.

Derek pushed away Hiss and staggered off to the middle of the room, well away from the pods. “Ugh. What the hell was that?"

Hiss ignored the complaining human. She spread her hands wide and looked around the group of humans and furaxi. “We have no further activities for your day, but we do have the first of our education sessions in twelve of your earth hours. We recommend you socialise together and sleep so you are refreshed for your education."

“Sounds wonderful," Derek muttered. Marcus could not tell whether the other human was being sarcastic or not.

Hiss continued as though she hadn't heard the human at all. Her obliviousness to Derek's words made Marcus suspect that she actually could not hear him. He felt his helmet's ears flick.

A portal opened up again, and the humans were shepherded through. This time, the furaxi did not follow them. Only Hiss came through, and Marcus soon found himself back in the room with the sleeping pods around the edge. The portal did not close behind the humans; Marcus could still hear the quiet static crackle that it made.

Hiss opened her arms wide. “I trust your bodies are now satisfied. We will be keeping a regular routine of this now until we reach Hyssansyr. If there were no questions, then I will depart and leave you to bond amongst yourselves."

Ahead of Marcus, he could see Derek start to raise his hand. Then Shinji swatted Derek's hand down.

Hiss moved through the crowd of humans, placing her hands gently on shoulders as she moved by. When her smooth palm pressed down on Marcus's shoulder, he felt a strange tingle of desire shiver down his back. He felt his cheeks surprisingly blush. Then the contact was removed, and the furaxi didn't even look down at him. She stepped into the portal and left. The bright disc of light faded moments later.

“Well that was the worst experience of my life," Derek growled. He paced back and forth through the bowl-like concave in the middle of the circular room. His suit's tail thrashed from side to side. He punched his right hand into his left palm a couple of times. “What other sick procedures are we going to have to go through?"

“It's all necessary," Ellen said with a sigh. She moved away from Derek and folded her arms across her chest. “You just have to accept it for now. Think of what we're doing. We're going to another planet. Another star. That's worth a little inconvenience."

“Is it?" Derek barked. He jabbed a finger towards Ellen. “All their technology and they can't even make it so we're not wearing these ridiculous suits? I don't buy it at all. They're up to something."

“Nonsense," Alex said with a laugh. He approached Derek and slapped his hand on the other male's back. Hand and back squeaked softly as they made contact.

Derek shuddered and fell silent for a moment, before stumbling forward a couple of steps. He whirled around quickly, his tail raised slightly from the base. “What the fuck was that?"

“What was what?" Alex asked. He tilted his head to the side and stepped forward, but Derek remained out of reach.

Derek didn't answer at first. He batted his closed fist into his palm again. “I don't know. For a moment it felt like you touched my dick. Only not quite. I dunno. It's hard to explain."

Almost immediately, most of the humans paired off to try and replicate the reaction from Derek. They patted at each other's backs, rubbing their hands gently over their partner's rubbery skinsuit. Those being rubbed gasped and shivered.

Distracted by watching his companions, Marcus did not notice someone approaching him from behind. The first he realised of it, hands were already at his back. Like when Hiss had touched him, he felt electric tingles running down his spine. That only increased when the hands at his back started to move, rubbing and kneading like the paws of a cat. He let out an involuntary moan. Derek had been right. He felt like someone was rubbing his dick, but his shaft remained locked tightly away in the constricting sheath at his crotch. And yet, there was something unusual about it, something that he couldn't explain. The pleasure seemed to sink deeper and spread further through his body than the crotch-focused sensations that came from his cock.

He turned around to see Ellen. Her hands drifted across his chest, and another ripple of pleasure tingled through Marcus. That one was more familiar. “That felt different," he gasped. He swallowed nervously, unsure what the implications of that touch had been.

“How so?" Ellen asked. She tilted her head to the side slightly, mimicking the motion he had seen in the furaxi. For the first time, he got a close up, proper look at her in the suit. His eyes had always been careful to slide away from the others to protect their modesty. Now though, he had no choice but to look at her. Like him, her body was completely smooth and covered by the rubbery suit. Her breasts showed no sign of any nipples, and there was no blemish or marking down her belly. Instead of a sheath and bulge at her crotch, there was a small crevasse that gave away the position of her vagina.

“It just felt like… here," Marcus said, stumbling slightly over his words as his cheeks reddened. He realised that he could just show Ellen, rather than trying to awkwardly explain the sensation. He reached out tentatively with his fingerless mitts. They were not be able to grab anything properly, but he could still slide his hands down her belly and back without too much effort.

Ellen obliged him. She let Marcus rub gently over her belly, and then her back. She shivered and groaned softly from the touch, with her own hands moving up to lightly press against her breasts. “Damn, it doesn't seem to work when I do it," she muttered quietly. An ear flicked back on her helmet, and her tail had been raised high. “Do you mind if you, uh… keep going?"

“Feels good, doesn't it?" Marcus said. He grinned inside his helmet and felt the ears perk up. His tail was raised too, but he couldn't be sure just what had caused it to lift up so high.

Another voice came through his helmet. Derek muttered to himself, stood away from everyone else. “This is ridiculous." He stormed away to one of the pods and closed himself inside. No further words could be heard from him. No one approached him, not even Catherine, who had been the one paired with him in the pod.

Marcus and Ellen exchanged rubs, swapping back and forth as they worked out just what sort of sensations they were feeling. They exchanged quiet words between each other, but most of the sounds in the room came solely from the gentle squeaks of their rubbery suits sliding against each other.

Slowly, Marcus came to associate two different and distinct feelings from the close contact. His back and belly sent separate sensations through his body. His back was deeper, more intimate a feeling, while the hands on his front gave a sharper sense of pleasure, but one that faded away sooner after the contact was broken.

The contact to his front was familiar, though Ellen claimed she recognised the touch to her back more. Couple by couple, the humans retreated back to their pods to sleep and to enjoy the comfort of their pleasure in private. Ellen and Marcus were the last to leave the empty room. They quickly discovered that lying next to each other triggered the pleasure sensors in their suit constantly, and that lying back-to-belly made them both feel good. In the tight confines of the shared pod, there wasn't any other way for them to sleep anyway.

A brief squabble had formed about which positions they would lie in. Marcus soon capitulated and Ellen pressed her belly against his back. Both shuddered as pleasure rippled through them, enhanced by the prolonged contact. The muzzle of Ellen's helmet pressed into the crook of his shoulders, and her arms wrapped around his body to take hold of his hands.

Endorphins pumped through Marcus's body as he lay with his eyes closed. Inside the pod, he could hear nothing of the other humans through his helmet. His senses encompassed a familiar range, being that just inside the pod. The only sounds to reach his ears was the soft breathing of two humans and the squeak of their skinsuits rubbing against each other. Ellen grinding softly against him, maintaining the contact between them but always keeping it moving.

The pleasure was not orgasmic; not quite. There was no sudden peak in pleasure and sensation, but a constant level that never went away. Locked away in the tight sheath, his cock did stiffen a little, but the discomfort meant his erection did not linger for too long. Despite there being no climax, Marcus found himself calmed and satisfied. Feeling the soft rise and fall of Ellen's chest against his back, Marcus closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off into a satisfied sleep.

***

Hiss had promised a regular routine for the humans, and she had come through on that. Marcus couldn't quite be sure of the exact timing, but four days had passed. Or, at least, four times the humans had gone back into their pods to sleep. The days were filled with educational lessons about the furaxi and the other species that inhabited the civilised parts of the galaxy. That had been followed by a meal with the same dozen furaxi, and then the unpleasant necessity of purging their biological waste. Finally, the humans had been left alone to socialise and sleep.

The names on the pods had changed each night. No one stayed with the same partner for two consecutive nights. The two sexes were not always kept apart. Males were paired with other males. Females were paired together. For the first night, Marcus had taken the position at the rear of the pod, pressing his belly against the back of Shinji.

Though he had slept restfully, the experience had not been as enjoyable as Marcus had hoped. The rise and fall of pleasure had been much more insistent and urgent. His cock had stiffened several times in the night, though neither he nor Shinji had commented on that. His arousal felt unsated the following morning, and it had taken all of his willpower not to rub his fingerless hand over his crotch. Every night since, Marcus had slept with someone at his back.

Slowly, Marcus had come to associate two very different styles of pleasure with the different positions. Thoughts nagged at the back of his mind, but he never had the courage to ask the furaxi for confirmation. There was no information on the research panels they had been provided with in the pods.

Marcus's theory was that the front of their body was male, and the backs were female. He didn't know how such a thing worked biologically on the furaxi, but the suits were modelled in such a way for a reason. He confided his theory with Ellen, but she just laughed and shook her head.

Only one voice complained about the passing days. Derek continued to grumble and growl, but he never addressed his concerns to the furaxi. They continued to ignore him completely when he spoke negatively. It was only the humans who seemed able to hear his near-constant whining.

That all changed on the fifth day. The humans were gathered together with Hiss and a couple of other furaxi, who were teaching them about the history of Hyssansyr and the furaxi species. Derek had been pacing around for most of the lesson, ignoring almost everything that Hiss had to say. Finally, he threw his hands into the air and turned on the furaxi.

“What's the point of all of this?" Derek cried out.

For the first time in several days, Hiss looked directly at Derek. Her eyes narrowed, and the tip of her tail quivered. “The point is to ensure mutual understanding," she said slowly. Her hands twitched at her side. “I understand that this process may be difficult for some. If you feel you are unable to continue with this, then please do speak up now."

“I just want you to be honest with us," Derek said. A bit of a growl came into his voice as he stared right at Hiss, though it was hard to tell just where his eyes were looking with the still, expressionless face of his helmet. “We're not here for integration. We're just lab rats for you to run sick experiments on."

Hiss did not say anything. None of the humans dared to fill in the silence. Derek's chest rose and fell as he breathed heavily.

Finally, Hiss spoke. She lifted her head and looked directly at Derek. “It is clear we have made a mistake. Would you please follow Yreh, thank you."

The furaxi known as Yreh stepped forward to take hold of Derek's hand. The human resisted at first. “No, wait. Where are you taking me?"

“We will remove your suit," Yreh said. He did not loosen his grip at all as he began to pull Derek way from his companions. The human started to follow after Yreh.

Hiss clasped her hands together. “There are often some who can not adapt to what is necessary," she said, directing her focus more towards the eleven humans who would be remaining. “Do not think negatively on this. Humans are not the only ones who show signs of resistance towards change and discomfort. One out of twelve is actually better than most species manage."

“Remove my suit?" Derek asked, speaking as though he had not heard Hiss at all. “Fucking fina-"

The sounds of Derek's words cut away so abruptly that Marcus had to look around in alarm. He could see the suited human just behind him, still following Yreh. The speakers of his suit must have been switched off.

“Where are you taking him?" Marcus asked, turning back towards Hiss.

Hiss bowed her head. “He is to be returned to Earth. No harm will come to him, and there will be no negative repercussions at all. He is simply unfit for this program, and he will not be required to see out the duration."

“Any of us could do that? Just leave?" Shinji asked, raising his hand into the air like a student desperate to ask a question of the teacher.

“Should you wish it," Hiss said. She paused a moment and looked around the group of eleven humans. “Do any others wish that? To return to Earth and forsake the wonders ahead?"

No one spoke. A few humans shuffled awkwardly, but none seemed committed enough to follow after Derek. Several seconds passed by and everything remained quiet. A bright light shone on the walls as a portal opened up. Marcus knew without looking that Derek would be gone. Sent back to Earth. He felt a prickle of second-hand shame crawl up the back of his neck. He wished the furaxi had not seen that; he felt like humanity would be lessened in their eyes if humans did not act together and as one.

Of course, Marcus knew the furaxi would already be aware of the fact that humans rarely worked together. All of history proved that humans needed little opportunity to have a go at each other's throats. Only the last fifty years had been mostly free of conflict on Earth. Before that was an entire history of war and separation. The furaxi would be aware of that already, so Marcus didn't know what he hoped to hide.

Hiss pulled her lips back in her awkward smile. “Good. I had hoped for that. Should all eleven of you make it through to the end of the quarantine, then that would be my highest success rate of all new species to the galactic community."

“What was the worst?" Ellen asked in a hushed tone.

Hiss's tail tucked down low, with only the tip quivering. “The exexcil. A species from the star you call Polaris. Not a single one of their first delegation made it through quarantine."

“We will not be like them," Marcus promised. He looked around his companions. Eleven humans now, but he was sure they were all feeling the same sense of renewed determination to succeed. They had to be even better now, to counter how Derek had been kicked off the program.

“The reward for succeeding will be worth it, I promise you," Hiss said.

Marcus knew he did not need any reward beyond the mere experience. He appreciated that the furaxi tempted them with one, but he needed nothing. The furaxi may have ruined his career prospects with their simple arrival, but they had now changed his life for the better again. He had everything he needed.

***

No one even mentioned Derek. Amongst the humans and furaxi it was like he had never even been present on the spaceship. He had never set foot off Earth. The furaxi didn't bring him up, and so Marcus was happy enough to forget about him as well.

Some routines needed change. With one less human, there was now an odd number of them when usually they were paired off. The daily meal and following events passed by as usual; there was just one extra furaxi at the table than humans, but it was at the end of the day when things changed. As had become a routine amongst the humans, they checked to see who was paired up with who for that night. With one short, one person was always going to miss out on a partner for that night. Marcus's heart dropped when he realised that would be him. Even after so short a time, he had grown used to sleeping with another – either embracing or being embraced. There was no room in a pod for three people, despite a couple of offers. Marcus shook his head and approached his lone pod in disappointment, his tail tucked between his legs.

Marcus placed his hand on the pod and opened the door. Everyone else had already slipped inside theirs, leaving the room empty and quiet behind him. The lights had already darkened, leaving the circular room in a dark gloom that even the enhanced senses of his helmet couldn't fully penetrate.

Marcus couldn't help but think more on Derek. He wondered how soon he would be back on Earth, and what he might say about the program, about the quarantine they had been forced to endure. The tip of his suit's tail swished. He could only hope that Derek didn't speak ill of the furaxi, lest he whip up some opposition to what the aliens were doing.

He hesitated. He didn't step inside the pod. Instead, his eyes glanced back towards the darkened room. Someone needed to warn the furaxi, just in case they made a mistake and sent Derek back too soon. He pushed the pod door closed again and took a couple of steps towards the middle of the darkened room. Unfortunately, he knew no way of controlling the portals the furaxi used to step between rooms.

Movement caught Marcus's eye. He glanced up towards the pod next to his. Shinji and Alex were in there together, according to the names above. At first, Marcus wasn't sure what movement had attracted his attention, but then he saw it. Shadows moved across the front of the pod. Shadows that slowly dispersed to reveal the suited humans inside.

Marcus froze. He took a step back and averted his eyes, but after a few moments he looked up again. Neither of the other males seemed to realise that he could see them. They didn't react at all to the transparency of their pod. Slowly, Marcus looked around to the other pods. One by one, they all changed to a transparent mode too. Even Marcus's empty pod. He swallowed nervously. From the inside, they had always remained dark and opaque.

Nervously, Marcus began to approach his empty pod. He placed his mitted hand on the door and pulled it open. He could not see through the door from the inside, but from the outside it still appeared completely transparent. “What the hell…"

He pushed the door closed. It clicked shut with a quiet hiss. The door didn't respond to his touch again, refusing to open no matter how much he pressed his hands against the side panels. He couldn't get a grip on the small latch, but the door usually opened just to the touch. He swore quietly beneath his breath. He was locked out of the pod, with no way in.

Swearing quietly to himself, Marcus turned away from the pod. He would be sleeping out in the middle of the circular room, where there was nowhere soft to lie down. At least the room was warm.

Before Marcus could react, a bright light filled the room as a portal opened up. Marcus shrank back, pressing himself against the transparent side of his empty pod, knowing that there was nowhere to hide at all. His helmet's ears curled down in worry. The dark shadow of a furaxi started to step through the portal. Had the aliens always come in and observed the humans while they slept?

The furaxi hesitated. They stepped back and the light of the portal quickly disappeared, leaving Marcus alone in the room once more. The alien must have seen him outside his pod.

Panic began to spread through Marcus's mind. Was he going to end up with Derek? Had he disobeyed some unspoken rule that the humans should all be inside their pods? He didn't want to go back to Earth. He had his place at last amongst the stars. He turned around and tried to open his pod again, but it refused to yield to his hands.

Light filled the room again, casting shadows against the gleaming transparent panelling on the front of the pod. One voice echoed through Marcus's helmet. Hiss spoke to him, though her words did not sound harsh. The automatic translator was usually good at detecting emotion in speech. “Why are you not in your sleeping pod?"

Marcus slowly turned around as the portal closed. Hiss was by herself.

“I felt lonely," Marcus said, bowing his head slightly. He could feel his suit's tail tuck low between his legs. He felt almost ashamed to be admitting such a thing. Most of his adult life had been spent alone, but now he was getting uncomfortable after just a few days with close contact at night.

“I understand that humans can be reluctant sometimes to show their social behaviours?" Hiss said, nodding slowly. She held her hands out, and her long, slender fingers closed around Marcus's fingerless hands. “Perhaps it was a mistake to leave one of you alone tonight after encouraging your social behaviours again."

“Yeah, I…" Marcus paused. He glanced back and frowned. The pods were all transparent, and he knew now that some of the furaxi may well have been inside the room to observe the humans as they slept. A cold sensation ran down his back. “Derek was right, wasn't he? We are being tested and observed, like an experiment. The exexcil failed their tests, didn't they? They never achieved full status within the galaxy."

Hiss did not protest the accusations. She merely rubbed lightly over Marcus's wrists with her hands enclosed around his. “All species must be found suitable to take their place in the galactic community. We have told you this. Humans must be put through the same tests, but not all of these are the obvious ones."

“Why us?" Marcus asked, sweeping his hand to indicate his sleeping companions. “None of us are special, not really. Some of the others are rich or successful, but I'm not even that."

“It is because you are not special that you were chosen," Hiss replied. She let go of Marcus's hands and took a step back. She turned around and activated a portal, bathing herself in light. It was then that Marcus realised that she was no longer wearing her usual drapes of fabric. She wore nothing at all, but her body appeared as smooth and featureless as the humans in their suits. No sexual features were obvious at all. Her words distracted him from her body. “Come with me. Let me show you something."

Marcus reached out to take Hiss's hand again and stepped through the portal after her. After the familiar flash of bright light that briefly disorientated him, the human found himself on the observation deck. The stars dazzled him, as they always did. The spread of the galaxy around the ship was something that could never be replicated on Earth. Something nagged in the back of Marcus's mind about the display, but he couldn't quite place it.

The deck was empty, but for Hiss and Marcus. The furaxi moved forward to lean against the transparent wall that encircled the little bubble of safety in the seemingly endless infinity of space. “The galaxy is a beautiful place," Hiss said. She looked down at Marcus directly, ignoring the expanse of stars that had enraptured the human. “But it is also fragile. Hyssansyr is the centre of the galaxy because the furaxi put in the effort of ensuring the peace. On Earth you have what's called a jigsaw puzzle, do you not?"

Marcus nodded. He forced himself to pay close attention to Hiss's words. “We do, yeah."

“The galaxy is like that jigsaw puzzle. Everything must fit together perfectly, but every time you finish you are given a new piece. You must make that one fit now. And then another. And another. Always adding new pieces to your ever-expanding galaxy."

“If one of those pieces don't fit, the whole thing falls apart," Marcus said.

Hiss nodded and smiled. “I am glad you understand, though it is not always so bleak. That which does not fit can be moulded. That which breaks can be remade, but the cost of doing so can be too great to imagine. We wish never to plunge the galaxy into such darkness again. That is why we must test every new species. They must be aware that they are being tested, but not how. Your species chose eleven representatives they believed would best portray humanity. We chose the twelfth."

Marcus grimaced. “Who chose Derek?"

Hiss pulled her lips back from her teeth. “Humans did," she said simply. She reached out to place a hand on Marcus's chest. “I chose you. I didn't want someone rich. I didn't want someone successful. I needed someone smart and ordinary. You were the last graduate of the terraforming studies program before our arrival. You were to be a part of humanity's future that was no longer necessary."

“Me? You chose me?" Marcus asked. His head spun. On Earth, he had never been aware of anyone taking a personal interest in him. The knowledge that an alien creature had known of him was baffling. He took a couple of deep breaths to compose himself, then looked out to the stars. “And you've been testing us ever since we got onto the ship?"

“Even before then," Hiss admitted. She turned to look out to the expanse of stars. “I would not normally say this before the end of the tests, but every dozen representatives always has one other who is tested further. In this case, it is you."

Marcus held his hands up. “My fingers. That was deliberate, wasn't it?" he asked. “You could fix this any time you wanted."

“Fix, no. That was not a lie. You are right in assuming it was deliberate," Hiss said. Her tail swished behind her. “One of the tests is to see what a species will do when one of their number is weakened or hindered in some way, like you have been with your hands. Not only have your fellow humans assisted you where possible, but you have also not been hesitant to ask for aid even from us. This is exactly what we had been hoping for."

Marcus remained silent. He wasn't sure how to fully process his thoughts. A small part of him was hurt by the deception, but at the same time, he also understood the reasons for it. He was glad that he had been able to come up with the right reactions to impress the furaxi. There was a reason for the frustration of his imperfect suit.

The human suddenly laughed. He realised what was unusual about the stars. He tilted his head to one side to make sure. “The stars are the same as the first night, just upside down," he said, trying to point. “We aren't travelling anywhere. We're just rotating in place."

Hiss flicked her ears forward. “Of course. We're in a designated quarantine zone, well clear of any trade lines or hyperlane exits," she said, as though that fully explained everything. “We will continue on to Hyssansyr when your quarantine is complete."

“Oh," Marcus said, a little disappointed. He had briefly wondered if that had been another test. “How long will that be?"

“Until we are satisfied that humanity can be trusted in the galactic community," Hiss explained. She looked out to the stars again. “It is my opinion that you are progressing faster than most. Should there be no further upsets, like with Derek, then perhaps you will be just another of your Earthen weeks."

“And Derek? What will happen to him?"

Hiss shrugged her shoulders. “He has been placed in cryro for the time being. Once your tests have been complete, he will be sent back on the first ship back to Earth. He will not be a representative of your species, but he will face no punishment from us. We will recommend to your diplomats on Earth not to administer any punishments for his failures to complete our tests."

“I'm glad he won't be punished. He was just uncomfortable with a lot of this," Marcus said, patting his hand against his chest. “He wasn't bad. He just didn't understand why this was all important. I suppose he was right, in a way. Just for the wrong reasons."

Hiss placed her hand on Marcus's shoulder. Together, the two stared out into the field of stars. Hiss pointed with her other hand towards a cluster of brightness towards the centre of the galaxy. “Right there. That's where Hyssansyr is."

“And where is Earth?" Marcus asked. He couldn't see the star humans referred to as the Sun. The only Sun. The only star humans had ever known intimately.

Hiss moved her hand halfway across the galaxy and pointed towards a small, insignificant patch of sky that was almost dark. “Almost on the edge. That's why it took so long to find you."

Marcus could think of only one thing to say. “Wow."

Hiss chuckled softly to herself. Her fingers slowly traced between Marcus's shoulders, making him shiver with the strange sexual tension the suits instilled in him. The fuaxi's movements had to be deliberate. Marcus was sure of that.

Before the human could comment on it, the alien spoke again. She didn't look down at Marcus. Her eyes remained fixed on the distant light of Sol. “I think you humans are going to be just fine out here. There are some species we meet who just seemed to have been born for it. Humanity is the same. You were born to travel beyond the stars. Beyond the galaxy."

“Beyond them?" Marcus gasped. Being amongst them was incredible enough. “What's beyond them?"

“That is still yet to be discovered."

Marcus's mind swirled with a thousand questions. He was honoured to have been given a place to stand amongst the stars. Knowing the true purpose of his presence only fuelled that. The possibility of more felt like a carrot being dangled in front of him on behalf of his entire species. Perhaps it was another test. Perhaps it was simply the truth. Humanity loved to explore.

Perhaps their place was beyond the stars.