The Encampment

Loc: U34F, Quadrant B-2, Ulysses Sector

Mission Day: 12

Time: 0932

The compound is all bare bones right now. An outer perimeter consisting of barbed wire and metal posts serves as a simple yet effective demarcation between civilisation and the xeno wilderness beyond. Expeditionary forces from the Earthsphere, a collection of colonies loyal to the homeworld, are here to engage in diplomatic contact with a pre-FTL civilisation. The resident inhabitants only underwent their own industrial revolution some thirty terrestrial years ago. Initial contact has already been established and methods of communicating are open to them. But as the Earthsphere expeditionaries settle in, they are blissfully unaware of what bizarre and transformative dangers exist on this strange world.

There are two multi-story buildings at the centre which dominate the compound. They rise up with antennas and satellite dishes springing up from their peaks like metal plant life crawling up it. One of these buildings functions as a commons and accommodation all in one structure for the expeditionaries. The other is utilitarian with two landing pads jutting out from its penultimate floor and housing a vehicle bay on the ground floor; there is also an operations centre of sorts existing somewhere near the centre. Apart from these two facilities there are a smattering of smaller prefabs and shelters erected to keep the occasional rain storm off of supplies and equipment yet to be unpacked. Some of the expeditionaries are roaming the compound, whilst others are either inside or on guard patrolling the perimeter.

Two of the Earthsphere expeditionaries are looking over one of the unpacked crates together. Cornel is a black scaled, hermaphroditic dragon-taur with a bionic left arm and very little attachment in their purpose here. The only reason shi is really here in the first place is for the sake of hir partner, both of the professional and romantic variety, Alexander van Grant, or just Alex for short. Alex is also a hermaphrodite like Cornel, though posses shi possesses other differences such as hir being a white furred feline terran with only the two legs and less than half the overall body mass as the often imposing Cornel. But more importantly than their physical differences is that Alex does care about their being here, as shi majored in xenological studies and has been itching at the chance to meet advanced alien life for awhile now. But just now the two are in a little disagreement in regards to something Cornel proposed they do during their break today.

"Come on Alex, loosen up a little." Cornel mockingly begs hir partner.

"I am loose enough already!" Alex fumes and pushes the dragon's bionic left arm away. Shi then blushes as the cat realises hir own phrasing. "I mean, it's umm..."

"Romantic?" Cornel offers as instead of hir arm shi adds one of hir black wings around the feline, its dark blue membrane brushing against the cat's snow white fur tickling it a little.

"I was going to say foolish actually." Alex replies in an unamused tone and shrugs out from underneath the reptile's protection.

"There is a whole world out there. Full of crazy things I'm sure. I thought you wanted to find new and fascinating aliens to prod and poke. Better than going crazy in the compound all day, everyday."

Alex sighs and swivels on hir paws with a huff, waving a finger at Cornel as shi fumes.

"Yes, but only by the book! I don't want to wind up with chest bursters and who knows what out there violating my body!" Of course hir objections are hardly evidence based. To the best of their initial survey of the whole planet it seems to possess a fairly Earth-like ecosystem, giving one point to the morphic field hypothesis. However they were forced to, by request of the dominant government of the aliens, to place their outpost quite remotely out of the way of their actual urban sprawls; out there it is all jungle.

"Fine, fine, if you don't want to go out that's alright. Just a suggestion is all." Cornel coos, huddling up to place both arms around the feline and pull hir into a warm embrace. Their chests press against one another snugly as the dragon lands small kisses across Alex's forehead. "So, want to go back to inventory?"

***

Loc: Mess Hall

Mission Day: 12

Time: 1210

The flavoured protein slab is still warm and more than a little sticky after the re-heat. Cornel manages to cut off a slice and stabs it with hir utensil before lifting it up to start chewing. It's jelly-like in many ways, except has more integrity refusing to break apart on the first bite or chew. Such is the way food is until they can establish the AAU, or Accelerated Agriculture Unit. They are still missing engineered seed stores as they were pushed back until next month. Thankfully something about reptilian palettes makes the compact protein rations bland in taste and texture. It is not something Cornel enjoys eating of course but at least there is nothing bitter or outright repulsive about it for hir. Alex on the other hand is not quite as tolerant of the rations acerbic taste on hir feline tongue. Hir whiskers spread as hir face wrinkles up in less than happy expressions.

"I can't believe we still need to eat this shlock." The snow white cat fumes and pushes away hir tray, only half of the offending food having been consumed.

"It's a shame we can't trust the native fauna and flora for our nutritional needs eh?" Cornel is a little amuse, though shi is trying not to show it as that might inspire some ire from hir partner.

"Actually there are some, well, I guess we can call them plants. But they are more like fungi in some ways." Alex starts to say and goes on, rattling about details that Cornel really never has and never will care about. Maybe it is hir penance, or just the cat distracting hirself from the bitter aftertaste. Regardless the dragon feels forced to interrupt.

"So why don't we just eat... err... that fungus stuff then?"

"Because it's not sanctioned for safe consumption. Rigorous test need to be made, there could be pathogens and unknown toxins. Only a preliminary analysis has been conducted at this point." Alex replies, offering an in to something Cornel very much wants.

"You're a xenobiologist right? Why don't you conduct these tests?" Cornel thinks shi is asking this innocently enough, but the change in the white cat's expression indicates otherwise.

"I know what you're getting at and no!" Alex's tone is serious, yet the attitude only makes hir cuter in the dragon's eyes.

"Why not? Come on..." Cornel coos a little and reaches out to start stroking one of the feline's tiny paws. "I want to explore outside the compound and you want to get something other than gelatinous protein cubes. It's a win-win situation." The logic is sound, or so the black drake thinks. And even though Alex still looks irritated by the suggestion, there is a glimmer as the gears in hir head are turning, pondering the possibility.

Technically they can go outside the compound whenever they like, within reason of course. As qualified expeditionaries they can survey the land, collect samples and then return to base for study. That is all provided the pair follow proper protocol every step of the way. Curiously the biggest problem with expeditions like this is that of finding the courage to regularly wander out into the unknown. It seems easy enough when you're in an all-terrain vehicle or a hypersonic spaceplane soaring over the alien landscape, but to get knee deep in the xeno-environs? That takes a special kind of fearless, or crazy, depending on who you ask. As such the higher ups try to encourage those who want to do something more, beyond their pre-defined function on the team, but few volunteers ever emerge. All Cornel and Alex have to do is ask and they will receive a permit to use one of the vehicles and head out to collect said "plant" samples. But the risks are also theirs to accept, all responsibility being to the individuals. They might be government employees, but this kind of thing can get expensive in compensation to the deceased's families, to say nothing of if they survive and are faced with the medical bills.

"Okay, we can go tomorrow. But we're taking precautions." Alex says and tries hir best to ignore the smirk on Cornel's face.

***

The Hunt

Loc: Vehicle Bay

Mission Day: 13

Time: 0817

The precautions Alex had mentioned the previous day are myriad. To start off with the vehicle that has been prepped is less like the usual all-range buggy and more like an armoured half-track. Despite this it has nothing in the way of armament, though Alex has procured some personal firearms and handing one over to Cornel now. Shi looks at the plasma pistol that looks less like a firearm and more like an arc welder with a fat grip and a thin barrel. Checking the case base of the firearm shi see its charge indicator, it is reading 100%, enough for over ten thousand rounds if shi remembers hir training right. Cornel looks back up and sees Alex is around the back of the vehicle, stowing away some sample collecting equipment along with a satchel full of flexi-plastic packaged food protein; a range of flavours.

"Exciting isn't it?" Cornel says as shi opens the half-track's right side door and climbs up inside. The dragon-taur immediately goes for the driver's seat, and it adjusts to hir particular physiology, shifting further back in the vehicle and new extensions, much like footrests, rising up from the vehicle's floor to allow hir to sit down comfortably.

"Lets just not go too far away from the facility, alright?" Alex says apprehensively as shi too climbs into the vehicle on the other side from the dragon.

Cornel's talons hovers over the control on the dashboard that will start the machine. Looking over to the white furred feline shi shares a look which shi hopes say that everything will be alright, there is nothing to fear. Alex smiles thinly back and turns to look dead ahead outside the windshield. The talon makes contact depressing the physical switch and the machine springs into life underneath them. Holographic displays light up the inside of the vehicle like a Christmas tree. There is a stack of graphene supercapacitors that are providing the power for the vehicle. The collective charge they hold is so immense that they would have to run the vehicle at full power for days before they would deplete.

In her unique position as driver, Cornel feels around for two sets of controls underneath her four feet. Not only is the seat especially adjusted for hir, but there are specialised controls for taurs which permit them to control acceleration, braking and steering whilst leaving their two arms free for manipulating other controls. Shi finds them and hooks her talons as sandle-like straps fit into place between the digitigrade toes. Now that shi has control Cornel starts to accelerate the transport and the half-track moves under the impetus of the vehicle's actuators. As they are still in the compound Cornel also makes sure the vehicle is artificially generating an "engine noise" as its actual propulsion system is far too quiet and runs the risk of sneaking up on someone walking by.

After a minute of navigating the compound they now reach the exit gate and Cornel cuts the sound as shi pulls up by the guard house. A single, incredibly bored man of a canid terran ancestry looks up from his tablet to see the transport. The herm dragon waves with hir cybernetic right arm and smiles innocently as if shi is just going out to the store. His furry grey brow furrows over as he looks confused and slightly annoyed after being disturbed from whatever he was just doing on his tablet. The guard gestures with one paw and the facing window of the guard house displays a comms request. In the vehicle Cornel sees the receiving prompt come up on the bullet proof window on the driver's side door. Shi accepts it and the voice of the guard can be heard on the transport's audio system.

"State your purpose for exiting the compound please."

"We're conducting a survey for anything edible in the surrounding environs." Cornel explains and smiles, though the guard is no longer looking over at hir from the guard house.

"Names."

"Cornel and Alexander van Grant. We're part of Sigma House."

"No official notice of your survey, but the serial code of your vehicle is registered for departure. Can you sign this liability waiver please?" Just as the guard finishes asking for their signatures another piece of GUI guff pops up on the windshield in front of both Cornel and Alex.

"I'm already regretting agreeing to this." Alex says with a sigh but signs off on the waiver, as does Cornel.

"_Thank you and bring back something sweet for me will ya?"_Cornel is about to reply to that before the comm link cuts off with a trill sound signing off.

"Come on! Lets go a'hunting!"

***

Loc: 26 Kilometres From Base

Mission Day: 13

Time: 1012

One of the first things that the expeditionaries brought with them to the surface of the planet were a detachment of robotic construction drones. Fourteen of them were sent out almost a week before now to clear paths into the surrounding forest. According to their initial agreement with the native civilisation this entire forest is free for their use in establishing themselves as it was primal and not intended for any form of development by themselves. Although unsure at this stage why the aliens would gladly give up such a large amount of territory so soon, the Earthsphere authorities deemed it worth exploring and clearing out a sizeable plot or two during the course of the expedition's mission. After all, if everything goes well they might want to establish a full blown colony whilst the locals are slowly assimilated into being a part of terran civilisation.

It is down a path cleared by one of these construction drones that Cornel has been driving the vehicle along. The suspension system is working especially hard to compensate for the not entirely even ground underneath it. This is because of the nature of the hastened path making to achieve such a long route. Their forerunner machine cuts or otherwise smashes down any natural obstacles in its way before using a kinetic thumper and low heat to make a compact and even surface on which vehicles can travel. Unfortunately though to make this much progress the machine has probably been instructed to not spend too long on smoothing out the bumps and pits.

"You okay?" Cornel asks hir passenger.

"Not really." Alex bemoans with hir head tucked down between hir legs. It is not a safe position to be in if they were to veer off and crash into something, but it is probably the only thing keeping hir from losing the liquid lunch from breakfast.

"Maybe we should stop and take a look outside. We don't need to catch up with the drone to make a start." Cornel says whilst peering at the outside.

"I guess so." Alex sounds disinterested, as if shi is bored.

There is dense foliage looming either side of the half-track. Organisms that are this planet's version of trees tower over them, creating canopy's above that manage to keep ample shade over them even after the robotic drone having made a five metre wide valley in the middle from before. Cornel bring the transport to a halt and turns on the parking brakes. Shi hoists hir rifle up and over hir shoulder, its strap gripping in between hir breasts. One last look outside and a quick check on the transport's thermics and the dragon taur opens the door on hir side. The air that pour in smells and tastes raw. Some of this is probably due to the drone having torn apart plenty of plants that lie dead or dying underneath them, but there are also smells that are similar to pollen and other such airborne artefacts you get when near a large mass of life.

"Woah, it really is another world out here." Cornel comments as shi takes in the strange smell and even stranger sights outside of the transport.

"Duh. Just don't touch anything with your bare claws." Alex warns hir partner as shi also gets out. Instead of the heavy armament the cat is wearing a backpack with scientific equipment in and only a pistol on hir hip.

Both the dragon taur and the anthro cat are wearing combat fatigues which incorporate a range of medical monitors and automated drug dispensers in case of being wounded. But the most important part of their equipment for defence is a small round metal pouch on their belts that serves as a personal force field generator. The idea is that if they are in danger they can use it to erect a protective shell of energy around themselves, though the devices have a finite energy reserve. Cornel does not bother to engage the locks on the vehicle, as even if the natives were to come out this far and be interested in taking it they would never be able to get the machine to work for them.

As they both start to walk off the makeshift path and in between the alien trees both are unable to contain their wonder. Although the "trees" have green foliage for photosynthesis like back on Earth, instead of bark for their trunks they have a spongy cream-yellow material that hardens in a specific area when it is touched by anything applying any meaningful force. This observation compounded with vines hanging overhead that look more like tendrils of something makes Alex all the more nervous about this place. After they are almost out of sight of the half-track they discover something that looks promising for food. It looks like a man sized pine cone that has fallen down and created its own impact crater in the undergrowth. Oddly though when looking up Alex does not see any fruit being produced by the section of "trees" in this area, making hir wonder just where it came from. Cornel though is looking hungry, as there are yellow splines on the outside of the object making it look a bit like a bunch of bananas.

"Wait whilst I check it." Alex tells Cornel and kneels down to take something that looks like a cattle prod out from hir backpack.

Shi looks at the grip a presses a button making a small three dimensional hologram pop out of it. It shivers and distorts as a wind picks up and Alex turns hir back to the direction of the gust until shi can select a specific test for the device to run. With hir analyser in paw the cat turns back to face the strange organic matter. Alex points the operational end of the device at it and depresses a trigger that causes it to extend a probing prong. The machine is actually a very specialised piece of equipment that is made to inject a series of probes, some of them nanoscale, that spreads in the target matter and transmits a wealth of data back to the device.

As the prong pokes the man sized yellow pine cone it shakes a little and the injection vector seems to contract like a sphincter growing taut. Alex changes the positioning of hir feet, as if getting ready to run in the opposite direction but the aline pine cone does not seem interested in doing anything more. Cornel is standing only a metre behind Alex, rifle drawn and tightening hir grip on it. Alex pulls hir analyser away from the object and looks back at Cornel whilst waiting for the results to get in. The dragon smiles back briefly, but shi can tell that fun attitude from before has quickly dissipated into something very different. It was hir idea to come out here, but maybe only now does Cornel realise what danger shi has potentially put not merely hirself, but hir lover in. They know nothing about this planet's ecosystem yet, and that is what makes it more dangerous, all their terran born instincts are suspect here.

"Maybe i-" Cornel begins to say something but is brought short by something flickering in the corner of hir eye. Shi immediately turns hir thermics back on and the look on hir face tells Alex everything.

They are not exactly insects, but rather some kind of endoskeleton organism with insectoid features. They stand on four legs whilst having another set of four appendages at the front of an inverted section of their grey skinned bodies; not totally unlike a taur then. Their red beady eyes, of which there are several, are arranged in two parallel rows along elongated heads. At the end of each creature's head is something like an anteater's mouth, tapering off with a narrow wedge. But unlike an anteater these mouths end with a sharp beak and an array of what can only be described as slender purple tentacles. These and other features of the native organisms make them look like something dreamt by a Lovecraftian inspired terran. As Cornel sees them lurking from the undergrowth mere metres away the first thing shi does is freeze. However, as shi stands there hir mind is racing about what to do next. Fight or flight? The prevailing thought however is to do both.

They have been spotted.

Cornel barely has time to shout for Alex to run whilst bringing the dangerous end of hir rifle to bear. But the way that the creatures move, fast and erratically veering from side to side, makes them surprisingly difficult to hit. The most shocking thing however is the sound that the creatures make. It is somewhere between a wail and a howl, with a shrill chirping that follows the cry. Alex spins around and drops the analyser. Working even faster than Cornel on the situation the cat realises that hir only chance is to draw hir weapon, shoot, and hope. Anarchy is bearing down but somehow with their combined firepower they are able to take out the vanguards with Alex taking a kneeling firing position near the strange "pine cone" whilst Cornel continues to fire into the hoard whilst standing tall in true warrior fashion, unflinching and unwilling to abandon hir lover or hir nerves.

"Where the hell did these things come from?!" Alex exclaims.

"I don't know, but we need to get out of here." Cornel says as the strange creatures stop and crawl back, keeping their distance as their eyes can still be seen in the distance.

But all too late the pair realise that the aliens are not retreating, but only giving space, as the "pine cone" starts to pulsate. It makes loud, gurgling sounds and Alex only just starts to turn away from it before the thing opens up like a flower and throws something in the direction of the feline. Shi screams and trips, falling down in hir confusion. Cornel is horrified to see that something pale coloured, tentacled and grotesquely pulsating has attached itself to the front of Alex's body and face. Tendrils are quickly inserting themselves into any and every orifices it can find, slipping down underneath hir fatigues in their pursuit of easy access points. They feel cold to the touch as they slither and slide up and inside of Alex, cutting off hir voice and pinning hir arms and legs down to the ground. The central mass seems to be growing larger and larger across the white cat's chest and almost half of Alex's body is now obscured by the writhing mess.

Cornel runs over to Alex with hir weapon in hand, wondering just what shi can do. Considerations for the multi-legged creatures still watching from the undergrowth escape hir mind as Cornel frets over the way Alex's body is slowly struggling less and less. Shi could try to shoot the parasite at an angle, but even if shi missed hitting Alex, it might only cause other problems. Cornel now remembers that shi can just use hir cybernetic arm, so shi slings the rifle back over hir back and reaches down with the robotic appendage from hir right shoulder. The strong alloy comprising the digits dig into the fleshy bulk of the parasite as Cornel disengages the safeties used to prevent hir from crushing someone's hand or the like. With hir four legs providing amazing anchorage shi yanks as hard as shi can on the mass. The dragon's front legs hold down Alex from an untainted section of hir body so that shi does not simply pick up both of them. For a moment there the parasites looks like it is starting to lift off from Alex's body. But this meagre progress is interrupted as Cornel feels something fall onto hir back.

A second parasite has just fallen from above and onto the dragon behind hir wings. Most likely hanging from a tree branch many metres overhead so that it was obscured by the leaves. Panicked for a third time Cornel let's go of the first parasite as shi tries to swing hir metal arm around and knock the "pincone" off as it sprouts tentacles just like the first. A shiver making, cold feeling runs up hir spine and into the base of hir skull just a split second before hir metal arm makes contact with the organism and Cornel knows that shi is already too late. What happens next is beyond anything either the adventurous Cornel nor the cautious Alex could have ever anticipated. But as the multi-legged aliens watch and wait for tentacle sprouting "pine cones" to finish with the duo, this fresh hell is not going to stop here.

The Bounty

Loc: Guard House

Mission Day: 14

Time: 2045

Earlier today the canine guard who had allowed Cornel and Alex passage to go outside was grilled by his superior, but not relieved of his duty. He is reclining in his chair now, thinking about what is going to happen next. They are all exactly two weeks into the expedition and only now are the powers that be gearing up to send manned teams out to explore. The disappearance of Cornel and Alex from the previous day has accelerated these plans in the vain hope of finding what happened to them. But they have already reached the conclusion that they are long gone after the transponders on their bodies and the vehicle disappeared at 1032 hours yesterday morning. There is also the matter of the nascent civilisation here and that they are expecting some sort of envoy in the third week.

As he ponders on these matters, the guard is oblivious to something slithering up to the perimeter. Creatures best described as oversized anacondas with arms come out of the black. Like mythical nagas they rise start to lift the first half of their bodies up as they near the fenced off walls. Their heads have rows of eyes, but around them are flaps of leopard patterned skin like petals. From underneath these "petals" are glands which start to seep an invisible but potent pheromone, along with a couple of other airborne substances. They drift over the perimeter silently before the automated systems notice the cold blooded creatures slithering up outside.

The guard is alerted by loud and obnoxious sound before the automated security system springs open holograms in front of his tablet, and on the personal device itself. He sits up to see a live feed from the perimeter defences showing the naga-like creatures. Their countenances with those rows of beady red eyes and bizarre skin petals make him freeze up for a second. All the while the automated system is tracking them. Though they system is unsure whether they are actually hostile or not with no recognisable weapons. Instead a prompt is asking the guard whether the turrets should be brought online or not. Yet, in this short window of time the pheromones the creatures are billowing out from behind their petals has drifted to where the guard is sitting.

His eyes begin to glaze over. The strange molecule has a rapid effect as it comes into direct contact with his brain via absorption through the capillaries in his nose. Within seconds he can feel something wash over him. It is warm and encompassing like a gush of warm air. His body falls limp and he looks up at the ceiling inside the guard room, whining to himself as his loins burn with a longing. His cock has risen up from out of its sheath and is pressing against the fabric of his uniform pants, not just needing but demanding attention from someone. Though he has no comprehension of what is happening to him, the canine knows that he has to let those things inside. He straightens up again as he undoes his trouser fly with one paw, and the other waves to dismiss the prompt. By the time he has his dick in hand the guard is opening the gates for the compound's perimeter, and something far more imposing than the naga creatures emerges from the forest, along with their entourage of inverted endoskeletal insect-dogs.

"Looks like they are ready for us." The creature previously known as Cornel psionically says to hir companion.

The dragon taur's body has been totally transformed, yet still retains a semblance of its former self. Instead of four legs shi now has four pairs of eight legs, all to support the vastly increased bulk of hir body. Hir wings have been changed to incorporate the pheromone secreting glands that the naga creatures use from their petals. Hir upper torso is completely covered with a strange, semi-exoskeleton, perforated in places by what almost look like nascent ancillary appendages or sensory organs. But the most dramatic part about hir new body is hir face. The white horns shi previously sported have been fused in a tall, concave disc, and underneath an enlarged cranium. Hir snout has a couple of more external fangs, a bit like a sabre tooth cat might have had, and a tongue that never goes back inside of hir face as it tastes the air for the scent of warm bodies. Because of this shi no longer really talks directly, but instead uses the psionic presence hir transformation has afforded hir. And last but not least, hir tail has now fused with armour plates, a bit like an allosaur, with a bulbous club on the end; once again being support by the new eight legged design of hir horizontal torso. Overall shi has massively expanded in size by nearly double and leaves footprints more akin to dinosaur impressions underfoot.

"I'm bored. Can we get on with this?" The also now reborn Alex asks.

The cat's metamorphosis was even more dramatic than the dragon's, though shi has retained hir capacity for verbal communication. Taller at around three metres, leaner with sinewy muscles, and with possessing bosom that looks like it has taken a scaly armour all of its own with hir teats still bare. It is as if part body is in piecemeal clad in these clay coloured scales, whilst the rest has retained some of its natural furry nature. Hir head has several curious distinctions, the most subtle of which are eyes that glow red. Instead of the classic triangle ears of a cat, Alex now has two ears that look more like those belonging to a bat, with a grilled texture. Hir legs are oddly stilted, and it gives the impression of pegs being stuck into the ground below as shi walks. And long hir back are an array of "petals" similar to the ones on the naga creatures, arrange almost like wings though obviously not possessing the surface area nor muscle to be used as such.

For both of the transformed hermaphroditic terrans, their new bodies feel stronger, faster and generally with more vitality than they have ever known before. Though they do not yet understand it, this new biology draws its strength from a variety of sources, including a form of photosynthesis which was crucial in the incubation period. But it is the combination of the psionic connection with the strange beasts of the forest and their subservience that gives them true power here. For some esoteric reason these creatures have a desire to assimilate the biological essence of the terran expeditionaries. Whether it is some desire to improve themselves, or just a primal instinct, neither Cornel nor Alexander truly know. However they have been chosen as the vanguards of the other terrans' becoming similar to, yet subservient, to themselves.

There is a gleeful look in Cornel's eyes as shi now advances on the compound. The xeno-nagas and xeno-dogs follow at the front and the rear like a guard detail. Alex looks surprised, for as much as the retained anthropomorphic features of hir face allow, as the guard from yesterday is standing at the open gates to greet them. But Cornel already knew that the guard would be here, as shi had already linked to him in psionic domination. His eyes are glazed over as the vanguard of their group run or slither on past him. Cornel goes in a straight line for the guard, desiring to make him something special for hirself. He waits with a silent obedience until shi reaches him and Alex follows hir partner with mild intrigue.

"Isn't that the guy from earlier?" Alex asks.

"Yes it is. Do you want to keep him?" Cornel asks without taking hir

"What do you mean?"

Cornel decides it is better to show Alex what shi has learned from hir psionic link to the wider legions out there. Shi calls up one of the dog creatures that is carrying a smaller version of the "pine cones" from before. It waist as Cornel reaches down and scoops it up. There is a moment as the xeno-dragontaur looks at seed and communes with it. Shi then looks at the canine guard and beckons him to come closer. As he does so shi holds out the "pine cone" and it shakes before bursting forth, ejecting alien organic matter onto the guard. For a moment he looks like he is about to snap out of the psionic domination as he looks surprised and about to panic, but Cornel quickly reasserts hirself and he calmly accepts the transformative substance.

In the course of mere moments the guard is radically altered. He inherits features similar to Cornel and Alex, but most importantly of all he is no longer a he. The ex-guard, who Cornel has decided shall henceforth be named Alice, has the feminine figure of a "bimbo bitch" in her mid twenties, plus enhancements the alien biology provides. Alex rolls hir eyes as Cornel has the reborn Alice assume a position on all fours. It seems immature and asinine to hir, but the xeno-cat still watches as Cornel gets hard and walks on over the presenting thrall. Alice waits until shi can feel the turgid member swinging up from between Cornel's aft shins. Shi cries out in pain as the head pushes into her vagina, the vulva lips parting for the very first time. Even before hir transformation Cornel always enjoyed the idea of doing this to someone totally subservient to them.

A short but sweet exercise in dominance is now conducted, as Cornel lays into the enthralled Alice with all of hir strength. The screams underneath hir are easy enough to ignore as the inches of hir spear penetrate and tear open the xeno-canine's sex. It is a brutal display out in the open, but one that Alex can not deny is finding irresistibly alluring. Hir own phallus has slithered out of its sheath and throbs into life, appearing more like a prehensile organ that one might see on a cetacean instead of a feline one that shi had originally possessed. A few seconds later and now Alex joins hir lover, embracing hir as their breasts rub up against each other. Cornel lavishes those weird bat ears with hir long and slippery new tongue. Whilst at the same time, trapped underneath and under control, Alice reaches out to greet the xeno-cat's extended organ as it twitches and curves underneath the forefront of Cornel's body. Shi grasps at it and does her best to service it orally and manually.

Both Cornel and Alex reach climax in quick succession as their feelings and thoughts cascade and crash onto one another via their physical and psychic link. Their bodies shiver and convulse as even stranger feelings assault their senses. The cries they emit are somewhere between what they were and something else, something more, with vibrations that are not all audible to classically terran anthro hearing ranges. As this occurs their strangely viscous and coloured semen erupts from either organ and poor little Alice feels herself going numb around her vagina and her face as the semen is respectively injected and painted inside and across her body. As they come down from their emotional and physical highs both of the enhanced herms smile and look to see the xeno-canine has become entirely paralysed.

"There's new." Cornel muses.

"We'll have to do some repeated tests to see how the effect works..." Alex says with a lewd smile.

The Flesh

Loc: Exterior of Tower-01

Mission Day: 14

Time: 2152

The creatures soldier on with the invisible pheromone vapour assisting them in finding and capturing people who are slow on the uptake of what is happening. Those that the pheromones are unable to reach are promptly identified and ratted out, usually by the sounds of metal dissolving acid or serrated teeth slicing through partitions. Cornel's consciousness has such remarkable control that all of the alien lifeforms know how to subdue the terran expeditionaries without casualties. A bloodless invasion of the facility, and now dozens upon dozens of anthro terrans have been captured and are in various stages of their evolutionary assimilation into the hive mind. All of the exterior buildings of the compound have been secured and now all that remains in the central fixture of the two core prefabs.

"I think I've found something new for you to study later Alex." Cornel tells hir companion.

"Oh? What could that be?" Alex asks as they stand in the pheromones together, which have thickened into a light fog now.

"Watch the skies." Shi sends cryptically and Alex looks quizzically at the xeno-dragontaur before looking up.

Dark shadows flitter about above the pheromone fog. Dark, winged creatures with oddly articulated bodies, as if they have two separate backbones that hinge against one another, and each with their own pair of wings, an adaptation that allows for better agility in flight. They begin to swarm around the towers, circling around the top floor. Meanwhile a detachment of the xeon-flyers are carrying a cluster of "pine cones". As they bring it to the two towers, a couple of the flyers sacrifice themselves by beginning a powerful endothermic creation inside their bodies whilst clinging to the exterior. A series of detonations occur, with dust and rubble raining down as Cornel adjust hir wings to shield hirself. After breaching the towers the "pine cones" are quickly introduced, along with more of the flyers who quickly shapeshift into xeno-dogs.

Using hir psionic connection with hir soldiers Cornel can see the terrans running in terror. Some quickly create makeshift barricades on the flowers underneath. However the "pine cones" release more of the pheromone fog, bringing more and more of the terrans under their control. By the time the xeno-dogs starts to make their way down the levels, people are already surrendering themselves to become assimilated and have their bodies altered to serve the dominant mind here, which happens to be Cornel's. The doors to the tower open and the xeno-dragon and xeno-cat step inside as terrans greet them with that same glazed over expression as the guard and those after him.

Speaking of the guard, Alice is walking besides Cornel, a bit like a personal attendant. Shi wonders about getting a leash for her, but really the psychic link is stronger than anything material. Both Cornel and Alex oversee as the terrans are rounded up, some of them being taurs like Cornel of mammalian and avian varieties. First they are stripped of their clothes and possessions, then one by one they are introduced to a mutagenic "pine cones". Each species has a shared pattern for their transformation, but every individual is subtly unique. Some have larger teeth than others, more scales, less scales, taller, fatter, etc. The most interesting transformations are those of the birds. What is produced each time is more like a distinct species of dinosaur with scrawny yet brightly coloured feathers and long balancing rudder tails.

"What do we do once everyone in the facility has been processed?" Alex asks whilst sitting on a table in the mess. Poking lazily at a tray with the protein gloop left uneaten in it.

"There's a whole planet out there. It's a good time to expand the franchise." Cornel announces as the first of the new drones crawl, shuffle and run out of the compound.

The Coda

Loc: Unknown

The voices coalesce into something loud and magnificent. A harmonious sound like an orchestra in perfect unison. This is the first time Cornel has slept since hir radical and alien changes. One of the advantages of hir new body is the capacity to not require sleep for extended periods, but ultimately shi does still sleep but this is an entirely new experience. With hir new psionic links to thousands, no, millions of other minds and with the number still growing, shi feels a little overwhelmed. It is a lucid dream at least, shi knows the feelings, images and words are of those enslaved minds.

Cornel feels as though shi is riding above a maelstrom, the waves churning and crashing underneath hir. Yet shi remains calm, steady and at the centre as if in the eye of the storm. Thoughts shift this way and that, colliding into one another to shatter apart into smaller concepts and voices. flying off in different directions. Yet, out of this chaos, there is a feeling or more accurately a desire coalescing from a larger view. From hir vaunted status as a legate of the xeno swarm Cornel can see it, or rather shi can feel its impressions upon hir own psyche.

MORE. It says. THRALLS. NEED MORE THRALLS. Cornel feels a twinge of panic as the collective consciousness seems to talk directly to hir. GO. ACQUIRE MORE!