Anthropolgy I: Synchronization
Anthropology I: Synchronization
Part 1 (of 2 or 3)
A young anthropology student is asked to help study a race of aliens in a rather unusual manner.
With thanks to the contributor of the ideas for this series, who wishes to remain anonymous. You know who you are =).
U.E.S.M Department of Developing Species Observation & Research Base
Corona Borealis Beta, Planet II
There are many different ways for a human being to make their way in the galaxy. Men and women from Earth to the farthest colonies are employed as plumbers and technicians, teachers and police, scientists and poets, diplomats and politicians, engineers and psychologists, soldiers and even lawyers. Very few people looked forward to their new job as much as Samuel Zimmermann, however.
He was going to be paid to have sex with aliens.
At least, if he understood his boss correctly, that's what it sounded like.
"But... wait, hold on. Can you say that one more time? I think I might have... you want me to do *what* exactly? I thought I came to this planet to take notes and stuff!" Sam spoke to her, both scared and intrigued. He had already braced himself for a long, worthless and boring assignment for the United Earth Science Ministry's Department of Developing Species, writing papers on yet another group of barely-sentient savages that no one would read outside of his boss and his parents. The reality of the situation appeared to be quite different.
His boss- Dr. Lisa Amerik- gave him a patronizing look, one that she seemed to adopt with frightening ease for a woman of her youth. She had curly brown hair and soft, tan skin that reminded him of his last girlfriend. "Come now, I think you heard me correctly the first time. You do realize that field research is a very different beast from the droll academic work you are used to, yes? Not all of our work can be so detached and objective. At least, not in the protean stages."
Sam fidgeted in his chair uncomfortably. "Yes doctor, of course. But this is very... unconventional..."
"Unconventional? I would certainly hope so!" Dr. Amerik said, fixing her intense blue eyes on Sam. Even as she took a sip of coffee, her eyes never left his. "You are new to the Department of Developing Species, so let me be quite honest with you. Our work, by virtue of the fact we have to remain hidden from the subject population, is largely high-tech voyeurism and educated guesswork. We do the best we can of course, and some of our work is quite brilliant, but it is hardly what I would call a 'hard' science."
She frowned. "To be honest, if you were to replace the lot of us with some half-decent fiction writers, the 'research' produced would not suffer a noticeable lapse in quality. How can we do our work from such a physical and social distance? It is virtually impossible, as you might expect. What can satellite imaging and video footage taken from drones tell us of their economic activity, their philosophy, their religion? How can we explore the family unit, their political structure, their communal ties?"
"I thought that..." Sam began to inquire.
"Don't interrupt." She said, raising a single finger in denial. "I have this spiel memorized. As I was saying, it is not possible to do such research from an isolated research post or low planetary orbit. We need a means of interacting with the species in question without raising any social red flags or endangering our researcher, and if my new program is successful- which it will be- we have it. With the OIXC..."
"But how can..." Sam started to say, before being cut off once more.
Dr. Amerik continued, talking right over him. "...the Organically Interfaced Xeno-Clone. A fusion of quantum communication technology, artificial cloning, and direct consciousness telepresence... it is the culmination of decades of cooperative, cross-field research. It will let a human being do hands-on research with developing alien societies, all from a safe distance and without interfering with the culture itself. The ability to control a living alien, to see what it sees and feel what it feels! It is the perfect research tool!"
"And you want me to use it to have sex. With the aliens."
"Don't be so juvenile. How could you research a species and neglect their sexuality, partnering and reproduction? Besides, the aliens are about to enter their mating period and it offers us the best possible chance to ingratiate your OIXC with a minimum of fuss. They are going to be so overwhelmed by their sex drives that our ignorance about their culture and society should go unnoticed. You'll be in the perfect position to work on the, ah, more abstract portions of the research when it is over."
"How long is this trial going to be?" Sam asked cautiously, glad to be finally able to get a word in edgewise. "How does this clone-interface thing work anyway? Do I have to be 'inside' it at all times?"
"Should you agree to participate in this trial, the expected duration of the experiment will be one full solar cycle, which translates into roughly fourteen standard months. You only have to be online for a few hours each day, bearing in mind their days last about 30 standard hours. When you aren't plugged in to the OIXC, it is an independent, semi-autonomous, living, breathing creature. On autopilot, so to speak. Considering your questions are on work specifics, I'm assuming that you have already decided to participate? I know that you are new to the job and all of this must seem very strange, but you would be doing an invaluable service to the field of anthropology. "
It took Sam all of three seconds to make his decision. "I'll do it!" He said, unable to contain his enthusiasm.
"Excellent. I'm happy to have you on my team." Dr. Americk said, a small but genuine smile appearing on her stern face as she reached over and shook Sam's hand. "Twenty-seventh time's the charm, I suppose."
"Twenty-seventh what is the charm?" He asked, with a hint of concern.
"You're the twenty-seventh person I've asked to volunteer for the project and the first one to say yes. Believe it or not, most people are scared to inject alien DNA into their brain and hook their nervous system up to an experimental quantum-entanglement communications array. I don't suppose I can blame them for their reluctance, but I will commend you for your bravery. But let us leave all that aside for now; we are going to have a lot of preparatory work to do before next week..."
Sam gave a pained, wincing smile, but her words didn't change his mind one bit. He wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming up this whole interview from the back of his xeno-sociology classroom.
He was going to get paid to have sex with aliens.
One Week Later...
"...or eight hours after you have slept. I would also recommend having something to eat and making use of the restroom before you hook in. Once you are plugged in you aren't going to be able to feel any sensation from your own body, none at all. No ferrous metal should be on your person when you enter the suspension pod. No alcohol or psychotropic drugs- other than what I give you, of course- should be in your system any time during the process, or..."
Dr. Americk continued in a brisk, concise tone as she led Sam towards the lab section of the research base. Sam heard her speak, but he wasn't hearing everything she had to say. His mind was already racing, fantasizing about the imminent interfacing process. The past week hadn't been easy for him; between the neural implants in his head and the DNA injections in his arms and legs, his entire body felt sore and abused, but his excitement had never wavered. He had devoured the briefing material provided, pouring over almost every detail of the alien culture they knew. Like she had said, a lot of it was conjecture and half-supported theories, but it was still incredibly fascinating. The degree of...
A sharp poke in the shoulder jolted Sam back to the present. "Pay attention!" Dr. Americk said forcefully, stopping them outside of the sealed lab door. "This is process is still experimental and all of the equipment is in the prototype stage at best! You are going to need to be aware of these idiosyncrasies and shortcomings, Mr. Zimmermann."
"Yes doctor!" Sam reflexively blurted.
Dr. Americk frowned, swiping a keycard over the door's scanner. "As I was saying, you need to be prepared for some difficulties in acclimating to the system. Synchronization with the clone is going to be serious work, and if there is anything we are short on it is time. The department is clamoring for results, and the alien's mating season is going to begin very shortly."
She opened the door and motioned him inward. Sam was immediately enthralled by the sight, having never been into Dr. Americk's guarded sanctum before. While the rest of the base was relatively tranquil, this place was abuzz with the hum and glow of high technology. People were working at a furious pace all around the long, vaulted room, busily wiring strange looking machines and liquid tanks together. There had to be at least a dozen holoprojectors in the room, each one displaying a partial genetic sequence in hyper-real colors.
Sam heard perfunctory greetings from a half-dozen other white coated doctors and senior technicians before being ushered into the laboratory proper. Most of them didn't look like they had slept very long (or well) for months. One of them- Dr. Li, Dr. Americk's partner- had a bad case of keyboard face. Dr. Americk had told him that they had been working hard on the project for over a year now, but had only just reached the prototype stages. For the first time, he felt a tiny pang of apprehension.
His concerns departed when he finally saw the xenoclones themselves. Six huge, clear vats holding a strange looking green fluid stood in the middle of a raised dais. Inside five of them were the clones, in various stages of maturation.
"Behold. Draconia Kurhahus Corona Borealis Beta. Or, as we refer to them colloquially, the 'Draconians'." Dr. Americk said, with a sweep of her hand. Sam couldn't tell if she was being melodramatic on purpose or accident. "Superficially of course, the creature resembles a bipedal, wingless humanoid 'dragon' about two and a half meters tall, but it is quite remarkable in a number of ways. For one, it is almost as intelligent as a human being, if one were to discount the effects of genetic modification. It is a sapient, sentient apex predator, yet infighting between in- and out- groups of the species is incredibly low. This is especially interesting given that..."
"...the species shows an extremely high degree of racial phenotypic variation?" Sam asked hopefully, finishing her sentence.
Dr. Americk smiled. She didn't seem to do it often, but Sam could tell that when she did she meant it. "Very astute. You are correct."
"It couldn't have been an accident you chose them for your program, doctor. It's a truly fascinating species." Sam said, trying not to sound too proud of himself. He had thrown himself into his work since accepting her offer, and was glad to see it had paid dividends.
"Yes. You see why I'm so excited about this project!" Dr. Americk said, giving a short laugh. "You know, when I did my doctoral thesis, it was on this species of barely-intelligent dog-sized slugs. They lived on a ball of ice orbiting a white dwarf in the middle of bloody nowhere. It took eight horrible, tedious months to finish, and at least seven of them were spent fantasizing about blowing that god-forsaken place into smithereens. You, my young pupil, have no idea how good you have it. You could have been piloting one of them!"
Sam was tempted to make a comment about how he was only six years younger than her and that she looked more like his last girlfriend than his last professor, but he bit his tongue.
"This one was created from genetic traits common to a jungle area of the planet. As you can see, the body fur is minimal, restricted only to the tailtip and portions of the head. Their scales are thick and hard, and they possess remarkable thermoregulation mechanisms to compensate for the heat. This one over here..." Dr. Amerik said, sliding her chair over to another suspension pod with a kick, "...is from one of the polar islands. Dense fur covers the entire body, and a leathery hide takes the place of the scales. You can't see it from this angle but they have a mane of hair along the back and head, and they also have longer, stronger talons than the other subtypes. We have observed countless variants. There is one that lives on a flat plain that has broad hooves instead of talons, and there is even one that can fly. Truly amazing."
Dr. Americk stood up and walked towards the middle pod. A teal-scaled draconian was within it. Unlike the others, it looked fully matured.
"This is the subtype you will be using; it is from an island near the equator. It possesses a number of adaptations that make it ideally suited for an amphibious existence. Extended lung capacity, fin-like flaps between the claws and talons, clear eye lenses, a longer, more powerful tail... and a genital slit instead of a sheathe for the storage of reproductive organs. It should be perfectly suited for the coastal community near this base, the one we want you to infiltrate. I dare say they will find it irresistible. "
Sam stood in awe. The idea that a single species could adapt itself so well to so many different environments and still be able to crossbreed- sans genetic modification- was incredible.
"So, what do the females look like?" Sam asked, walking in front of the tube holding the arctic Draconian, more than a touch of envy in his voice. Its 'equipment' was massive; completely limp the sheathed member was a staggering 25 centimeters.
Dr. Americk gave a short laugh before answering. "Hah! Mr. Zimmerman, that *is* a female of the species."
"Wh-what!?" Sam stammered.
"Didn't you read that part of your briefing? Did you just assume that they were like us?" Dr. Americk chided. "No, actually its quite interesting. Both genders posses a penis-like structure. The males produce sperm, and once every year the females produce eggs. The females actually implant the eggs inside a special internal pouch that the males posses, and the eggs are then fertilized by other males and held internally until viable. The species is naturally bisexual; reproduction is impossible without at least one partner of each gender- and the norm is closer to eight or ten. We have theorized that this incredible sexual promiscuity is likely the source of their genetic diversity."
Sam wanted to bang his head against the wall. He had deliberately avoided the section of his briefing that dealt with sex, letting his imagination run wild. He loved sweet, expectant anticipation and he always had. When he was younger, he had always waited to open the biggest Christmas present last; he deliberately let his friends keep him in the dark about surprise parties. This was entirely different kind of surprise, however.
"You have to be kidding me!" Sam said, still reeling with disappointment. "So the girls... do the guys? And the guys do the guys?"
"Yes. Now stop being childish. When you're operating the clone you're going to feel like an alien. I'm sure everything will come naturally and feel quite good. And if it doesn't; too bad! You are here to do research, not get your rocks off... although you will probably have to do quite a bit of that to ingratiate yourself with the locals. I frankly don't care whether you like it or not."
"That's okay. I... uh, I just need a little time." Sam said, lying. He felt like he was going to need a *lot* of time to get comfortable with that concept.
"Well, I hate to say this again but time is the one thing that we don't have at the moment. We need to get you synched up to your clone today. If everything goes well though, we can send you out immediately."
Sam looked on the teal-scaled Draconian, feeling pensive. It was sleek and powerful, impressive even in torpor. It wasn't hard to imagine the streamlined figure cutting its way through water like a torpedo. From everything that he had been told, it wasn't going to be like a piloting a shuttle or driving a car; that body was going to be his, for all intents and purposes. He was going to feel everything it felt, hear everything it heard and see everything that it saw, and yet be completely safe back here inside the base.
"Okay. Let's do it." He said, unable to resist grinning.
It took about half an hour to complete the final preparations, which included giving him five more injections and making him drink about a gallon of electrolyte replacement fluids. Sam stepped into the clear suspension tank that was going to hold his body while his mind wandered, feeling nervous anticipation and wonder more than fear or anxiety. They strapped a respirator to his face, and put a bulky, metallic helmet on over his head. It made his brain felt like it was inside a microwave until a technician gave him a sheepish apology and re-calibrated it properly. They sealed the tank, and a cold, thick fluid began to fill the tank, creeping its way upward.
When the suspension fluid had gone up past his head, he heard his earpiece crackle to life.
"Alright, audio looks good... video good... begin recording. We're going to begin the synchronization process now." Dr. Americk said, with unabashed excitement. Through the thick, translucent suspension fluid, Sam thought he could see her smiling. "Sam, all you have to do is relax, and think happy thoughts."
Everyone get clear of the tank, five meters minimum!" Dr. Li's voice cut in, beginning a countdown. "Ten, nine, eight, seven..."
Sam closed his eyes tightly. His skin was tingling, like a powerful current was running through it. A great feeling of unease began welling up inside his stomach.
"...six, five, four..."
His body felt like it was half-asleep, disconnected. He couldn't move his fingers or toes, and for a half a second he panicked when he realized he couldn't breathe either. He heard a soft rush of air into his lungs, as the life support mechanisms in the suspension tank activated and took over breathing for him.
"...three, two, one..."
What if the life support failed? He'd never even know it until he died! Sam struggled to free his mind from the anxiety and uncertainty assaulting him, focusing as best he could on the task at hand. He had to trust Dr. Americk and her people, had to hope that they had done their jobs well...
"...zero!" Dr. Li said, finish the countdown.
A brilliant flash of white-hot light hit Sam, flowing over his mind like a tidal wave. His thoughts felt frozen; they wouldn't move, no matter how hard he tried to push them. The sense of disorientation was profound.
His whole body had disappeared in a flash, and his mind was rushing to understand the new senses and feelings flooding into it. His eyes kept twitching, trying to blink despite his lack of eyelids. His breathing felt wrong; it was deep but slow. Desultory sensations crept it from his arms and legs- feeling familiar but different- and his tail- feeling very much new and exotic.
(Can you hear me?) Dr. Americk said, her voice strangely disembodied. It felt more like a second set of thoughts in his head than a series of sounds. (I'm broadcasting over the same transmission pattern as your mind; we should be able to communicate over it with complete security.)
(Yes, I can hear you.) Sam said back, after some effort.
(Good. Start with baby steps; I want you to walk outside of the suspension tank. Take it nice and easy...)
Sam slowly, hesitantly stepped forward onto the cool, metal floor of the lab, bits of nutrient-fluid dripping down his body and down the nearby gutters. For a brief second, he caught a glimpse of his own real body, floating peacefully in the control tank next to him and he felt a panic well up in his heart. He had one mind but two bodies; it was utterly and completely mad! He stumbled on his own tail, almost falling over.
(Careful! Are you feeling alright?) The voice in his head called out. (It is going to take some time to get used to that body. Try and suppress any human instincts that you have; rely on what your body is telling you and your training. Your clone still has a brain of its own, if not a mind.)
She was right; he could feel reflexes and instincts just under the surface of his mind, present but subtle.
(Okay, I think I've got it.) He thought-spoke.
(Good. Let's do a systems check. Move around, get a feel for the body. Try some exercises.) Dr. Americk responded
He dropped to the ground and did a slow, experimental push-up, then quickly did five one-handed push-ups with a little bit of exertion. His claws and talons scratched along the floor and his tail sort of hung there uselessly, but he was able to control the body effortlessly. His frame was powerful, built out of hard, lean muscle. When he stood back up, he noticed that he was at least a head taller than every human present. Sam did a standing jump, his powerful legs propelling him almost high enough to touch one of the hanging holoprojectors.
"Well, reflexes seem to be in order!" Dr. Americk said, this time in person. She had left her control station and was looking upon Sam with barely-concealed wonder. "Try talking."
Sam spoke, trying to say 'okay'. He could feel the word form in his mind, feel himself try and speak it, but a sharp and guttural series of noise escaped his muzzle. He knew that they meant 'okay' in the alien tongue, knew that his words or thoughts had somehow gone through a translation program, but it still felt tremendously strange.
"What did he say? Anyone have a translator active?" Dr. Americk said, asking Sam and then her team.
"He said 'okay'!" A headphoned technician said.
"Excellent." She said, clapping her hands together and gesturing for him to toss his translator to her. She quickly put it on, the bulky headset mussing her curly hair. "Say something else."
"This is the coolest thing I have ever done in my life." Sam said, feeling up and down his smooth, scaled body, exploring it with child-like wonder.
"Is it now?" Dr. Americk said, almost as impressed. "Dr. Li, how is synchronization?"
"It is... it's perfect." Dr. Li said, looking puzzled. "Must be an error with the monitoring equipment. I wouldn't expect to see 100% synchronization between identical twins, let alone entirely different species. We should probably..."
"...get started immediately and capitalize on our good fortune!" Dr. Americk said, interrupting him. "Get a shuttle ready, make sure it has optical camouflage. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to do science!"
Dr. Li frowned, but the rest of the OIXC crew let out a mighty cheer at her words. They had been waiting for this a long time.
54 Kilometers from Base, Northern Coast of Continent
"...and you're going to have to improvise as best as you can; whatever information you get firsthand is going to likely be more reliable than our research. Think of your feet and trust your instincts Sam!" Dr. Americk shouted over the din of the transport's engines. "Just keep in mind, this project needs a stirring success to justify the budget to the bureaucrats back on Earth. Don't screw up!"
Sam felt uncomfortable, squished inside a seat meant for a human in his alien body, but the physical discomfort was nothing compared to how nervous he was about his mission. It didn't help that his boss kept nervously switching back and forth between encouragement and castigation as she tried to motivate him. Oddly enough, this was going to be his first time setting foot on the surface of the planet. It wasn't that they weren't allowed to go outside; they had to take certain security precautions of course, but it was permitted. He simply didn't have much of an interest in his work until Dr. Americk recruited him for this project. Everything he saw looked and so much more... natural... through his new eyes. Conversely, walking though the base with the draconian's body felt positively disconcerting, especially given that all the research staff and technicians stood there gawking at him as he departed.
"Here, you had better put this on..." Dr. Americk said, handing him a huge, rugged brownish robe. It had a cloak and hood attached to it, and looked like it had seen considerable use.
"Found this a few weeks back. Can't have you walking around naked, can we? At least, not yet." She said, with a short laugh. Sam got the unpleasant feeling that she found his sexual apprehension amusing.
After not much longer, the transport stopped in a small clearing, surrounded by monstrously tall flower-like plants.
Dr. Americk gave him a hard, friendly slap on the back. "Okay Sam, here we are! Your destination is going to be about three kilometers to the northwest, but this is as far as we can take you without risking detection.
"Goodbye, doctor. I'll do my best!" Sam growled back, hopping out of the transport before it even touched ground.
"I'll see you back at base. Well, part of you, at least!" She responded with a laugh. "You know, we're really going to need to develop some sort of third-person vocabulary for this project..."
Dr. Americk waved goodbye, and the pilot gave him a thumbs-up. Sam felt the hot exhaust from the craft's thrusters against his scales for a second, and then it disappeared as its camouflage systems reactivated.
For a minute, he stood in the clearing, doing nothing but drink in his surroundings and breathe deeply the sweet, fresh air. It didn't have the artificial, sugary sweetness that processed air did; it was natural, softer. Except for a small hint of ozone in the air from the transport's departure, it was utterly pristine. Sam hadn't noticed how powerful his sense of smell had become inside the sterility of the lab, but now that he was outdoors it quickly occupied his attention. He was so absorbed in his newly-enhanced sense that he nearly tripped over a fat, rocky caterpillar-like creature crawling through the tall grass around him. It waved its antennae at him in a funny, annoyed gesture that made Sam laugh.
Sam wandered north, towards where he knew the coastline began. He could easily follow it down to the settlement proper, wherever that was. As he walked on through the undergrowth of the alien forest, his snout began to pick up on more interesting scents. Sam could smell two things in the air: meat being cooked, and something else... something alluring. It was intoxicating, so powerful that he felt dizzy. Instinctively, Sam knew that it meant that other males were present, and very close. The pheromone-laced musk caused a strange rush of information into his mind; he immediately sensed three distinct musks in the air. Sam took a deep breath, trying to sort them out, tease out the details. Two were adult males, and one of them was a younger adult male. One of the adults and the young one were closely related, likely brothers. All three of them were sexually ripe, and advertising their desire. Sam suddenly realized with some unease that his own body was giving off the very same musk. His slit and his tail-hole both itched terribly with unfamiliar need. Almost reflexively, his claws had gone down to his crotch. His internal testicles were so swollen that he could feel them bulging outward.
It took a great deal of effort to re-focus his thoughts on the moment at hand, and not hide somewhere and masturbate, but Sam managed it. Dr. Americk had told him about the mating season and what it did to the aliens, but actually experiencing it firsthand was a completely different matter altogether. He slowly crept up to the edge of the small, grassy cliff overlooking the coast, his nose leading him onward. As he crested it, his eyes caught sight of a blazing fire near the water's edge, and three moving shapes...
It was them! The aliens!
They had lain out a great net full of a plump looking blue fish, which they were cooking on the nearby fire. Two of them- with grey, smooth scales- were splashing around in the water playfully, as an azure-scaled Draconian watched them from nearby. Every so often, one of the grey draconians would pull a flailing fish out of the water and toss it towards land. The greys bore a striking resemblance to one another in more than just hue; they had to be related. Overall, they looked an awful lot like Sam did, except that they had plump sheaths instead of a genital slit, and they had short horns where his head was bare.
Sam noticed with some discomfort that the male draconians all seemed to be aroused. Every once in a while they would pause their work to kiss one another, or grab at each other's proud, protruding sheathes. Three discarded sets of robes lay by the fire.
Sam was more nervous that he had ever been in his entire life. His mouth felt wet, his heart was pounding in his chest. This was it! The first contact between human beings and these strange draconians; the first face-to-face interaction between an OIXC clone and the real thing! The importance of the moment weighed upon him like a tangible force. What if he said the wrong thing and they turned hostile? What if there was a flaw in the clone and they saw his true nature? What if his translator bugged? So much could go wrong!
Sam forced himself to concentrate, focusing on the moment at hand. The whole OIXC project was riding on him now; he couldn't screw this up! He had to do this as best he could, had to improvise...
Sam awkwardly slid down the grassy cliff feet first, hoping that no one saw his clumsy descent. Brushing the sand off his scales, he slowly approached the group. They seemed completely oblivious to his presence, too busy with their work and teasing foreplay to notice him until he was a scant half-dozen meters away. Only then did they turn toward him, but they looked as if his arrival had been expected. Each of them had friendly, welcoming smiles that promised something much more. They looked like they were waiting for him to speak.
Sam felt tension in every muscle of his body. Here he was; at the moment of truth...
"Hello." He finally spoke, with far more confidence than he felt.
"Hmmm... what have we here?" The older grey Draconian said, his voice dripping with sultry intonation as he rubbed his swelling sheathe. "What is this? Another pilgrim?"
"Y-yes! I am a pilgrim from a far-off land, come for the mating festival, of course. It is my highest honor to come to your glorious village. Please accept my most sincere thanks in advance for your hospitality!" Sam said, bowing low to the ground in what he hoped was a respectful gesture. It was amazing how low you could bow with a tail to counterbalance your weight.
The three of them burst out laughing at him.
"Haha! By the gods, we're fishers not priestesses!" The older grey one said, still laughing hard. "What, do you always greet each others like that where you're from?"
"Such formality! I don't suppose you kiss each other's talons too?" The blue-scaled Draconian added with a chuckle.
"Yes! Er... I mean, no!" Sam said, flustered. It felt like he was blushing, but he wasn't sure. He involuntarily curled his tail around his left leg in a nervous gesture, which drew another chuckle from the natives.
"Well, greetings to you too! I believe that introductions are in order. My name is Taim, and this is my friend Sehk and his younger brother, Sehkran." The blue-scaled draconian said, warmly. "What is your name, pilgrim?"
"Uh... Sam... I mean...!" Sam felt another small panic attack hit him. He couldn't use his real name!
"Your name is Uhsam?" The smaller one- Sehkran?- asked.
"No! That is my tribe's name, I mean!" Sam said, struggling valiantly to stay coherent. "My name is, uh... Usari!"
"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you Usari, and welcome to our humble village." Taim said, smiling. "You had better go register with the priestess The village is just down the coast, another one thousand five hundred and sixty four point two one meters or so."
Sam was temporarily set aback, before he realized that his translation program was converting distances to metrics automatically, and that they didn't round very nicely. He was going to have to memorize their units of measurement later.
"Thank you, thank you very much. It was a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Taim! Now, I guess I'll be on my way there..." Sam said, hoping to end the encounter before something really awkward happened.
"Woah there, hold on traveler!" The elder grey said, grabbing the sleeve of Sam's robe. "You aren't going to just leave here without an exchange of pleasantries, are you? I know you're in a hurry, but this is the mating festival, after all!"
"Uh, pleasantries?" Sam tried to protest, feeling incredibly uncomfortable as his clone-body and human-mind clashed. Judging by the three proud erections on the three draconians, he had a pretty good idea of what sort of 'pleasantries' they wanted to exchange. "No, no thank you! I don't have sex with other males."
Instantly, silence fell over the group of Draconians. They stared at him with open, unbelieving shock.
"What did you say?" Sehk growled at him, with suspicion more than anger.
Son of a bitch! Why did you say that!? Sam thought. His mind raced as he tried to think of something to say that would placate them. Recover! Think like an alien!
Suddenly, Taim started laughing riotously. "Haha! Oh, it appears that the mysterious stranger is quite the joker! Doesn't have sex with males!? I haven't heard anything that funny in months!"
The rest of the group joined in, relaxing as they laughed.
"Where are you from, traveler? The desert? Your sense of humor is so dry!" The elder grey asked, giggling at his own stupid joke.
"Actually, I'm from space." Sam deadpanned. The other males burst into another round of laughter upon hearing this. Sam joined them, laughing with relief more than anything.
"Well, welcome to our world!" Taim said, with playful sarcasm. "You know, you don't have to act so coy with us; we know it is your first mating pilgrimage. You can't hide those glossy scales and innocent eyes from us. Nor should you! But don't let formalities and traditions get in the way of having a little fun first, eh?"
"Shouldn't we get him off to the priestesses first? Won't they be mad if he's late to-oof!" Sehkrahn stumbled, as an elbow from his brother caught him in the stomach.
"Oh, don't worry about my little brother; he's just scared. This is his first mating season too; he's never been with a girl before!" Sehk said, shaking his brother's shoulders playfully.
"I-I'm not frightened!" The small male stammered. "It's just... I don't know what to do, how to act..."
Taim cut in, trying to calm him. "Oh, don't worry; it isn't that much different from being with another male. Coupling with a female is as natural as can be! I'm sure both of you will do just fine."
"It's just like having a nice, hard cock inside you, except you get something extra special too. And I know how much you like that..." Sehk told his brother, giving him a lewd but brotherly smile. "And besides, once it's done you get to breed with all of the other males you could possibly want to!"
Their talking had inflamed Sam's imagination, arousing the alien parts of his mind unbearably. Sam shook his head, trying to abjure the lusty, bestial thoughts filling it, but for every fantasy he banished two more appeared. The others seemed to notice.
"What's this? I think our brave little pilgrim is ready to play..." Taim said, after exchanging a quick kiss with Sehk.
"Oh, come on! Get that robe off!" Sehk said, as the three natives playfully tugged at Sam's one-piece garment. Sam weakly attempted to hold in on his body, but his heart simply wasn't in his defense. He could smell their arousal, so powerful that it blocked out all other scents in the air. He could feel his penis hardening inside his body, eager and ready. Sam might not have ever wanted to get intimate with another male, but his body didn't agree with him one bit. His mouth watered at the thought of a thick, hard draconian cock filling it, shooting hot seed down his throat...
He stopped his struggling. Not long afterward, he was disrobed by the energetic draconians. For some reason though, they had stopped their work and were staring at Sam.
"Wow. What is that?" Sehkrahn asked, eyes locked on Sam's bare slit.
"That is a genital slit, brother. It seems our new friend here is from an island tribe. Isn't that right Usari?" Sehk queried.
Sam nodded, not sure if he should feel proud or embarrassed at the moment.
"It keeps your penis nice and safe and out of the way when you are swimming." Taim added, with a touch of envy. "The females are going to be fighting over your tail-hole, traveler."
"That is so cool. I want one!" Sehkrahn said, pressing a clawtip against it. The alien youth licked his muzzle and looked up at Sam with pleading eyes. "Would you mind if I... tried it?"
"G-go ahead!" Sam couldn't have refused if his very life depended upon it. He almost bit his tongue clean off in his haste to give consent, the thought of impending sex making his scales tingle with anticipation.
Sehkran leaned forward and planted a kiss against his cheek, licking against it before he withdrew his mouth. He started to work his way down south, planting eager kisses along Sam's entire front as he approached his hard, swelling slit. Sehkran pressed his muzzle against it, and the draconian youth's long, flexible tongue shot inside Sam's slit, exploring it. Sam felt hot pleasure soak through him as his member began to emerge from its home for the first time. It stiffened as quick as it came out of the tense slit, only to be sucked straight into Sehkran's waiting muzzle.
Taim and Sehk watched them begin, their own eyes clouding with lust as they prepared to join in.
Sehk walked behind his busy brother, lifting his tail up and off to the side. He licked the young dragon's horns and neck as his claws spread his ass cheeks apart and positioned his hard member, before thrusting himself inward. Sam felt the mouth on his member give a lust-filled moan, and immediately the pressure on his penis increased dramatically.
The sucking on his member felt so good, Sam hadn't noticed that Taim was behind him until he felt a clawtip on his shoulder. Taim began licking the nape of Sam's smooth, scaled neck with his powerful tongue, while his hands started to rub Sam's lower back. The aliens hands quickly moved farther down, massaging his scaled ass with tender firmness. A part of Sam wanted to protest, but he knew on an instinctual level that it was going to feel good... and by god it did. The feeling was indescribable; Sam cried out involuntarily and gave a great shudder as a single claw penetrated his virgin-tight ring. Sam had never felt anything like it before; there very little about the experience his human mind could relate to. Every part of his body under the tail was so sensitive, from his smooth, hard ass to his taut tail-hole. Even a soft, teasing rub around his pucker was enough to make his knees go weak with pleasure, and his hole felt slippery as natural lubricant dripped from it. There was no doubt about it: the males of this species were meant to be bred. The sensations coming from his sensitive ass were only magnified by the muzzle vigorously sucking on his huge member. Sam felt a constant, steady stream of precum flow from him, which was dripping all down Sehkrahn's face and his own thighs despite the young draconian's best efforts to drink it all down.
Sam felt the clawtip withdraw itself from his ass with a wet pop, and then something much bigger replaced it near his entrance. With a savage thrust- but one that his tail-hole was more than able to take- Sam felt Taim sheathe half his hot cock into him. The draconian gripped his shoulders and began to pull himself farther in, hilting his member in Sam with a contented hiss. After spending a few wonderful seconds to relish the wet, tight heat surrounding his member, Taim withdrew himself until only the tip was left inside Sam, before once again re-hilting himself aggressively. Sweet, burning pleasure radiated from Sam's ass throughout his whole body, each pounding thrust making his eyes water and loins burn. It was as if every part of his depths were more sensitive than a human's prostate. Sam gasped as a sudden explosion of pleasure shot out from deep inside his ass, his whole body shuddering and shaking with the orgasm. Right as he began to climax, he could feel his ass clench down upon the thick member inside it, locking it inside and rhythmically, forcefully gripping it until Taim came as well. Sam felt a surge of alien seed rocket into him, filling his guts with tingling, intense pleasure that heightened his own orgasm to a level he never thought possible. He roared, a deep and inhuman roar that almost scared him.
It felt like his orgasm would never end. Sam fired blast after blast of hot, slimey cum right into the waiting maw of Sehkran, bits of it splattering onto his snout and even ricocheting onto Sehk's chest, as he continued to mount his younger brother. Sehkran moaned out, sucking the hot seed down as it filled his muzzle. The sight of his younger brother so eagerly drinking down cum sent Sehk over his own edge, roaring as he filled the smooth ass gripping his cock with a torrent of spunk.
The four draconians fell into a messy heap on the ground, tongues eagerly cleaning spare fluids from each other's bodies. Sehk pounced on his older brother, sharing a deep, cum-filled kiss with him and raising his tail high. Taim looked on the sight with unabashed lust, but gave Sam a magnanimous smile instead.
"Go on, you're the guest here, after all..." He said, licking his muzzle.
Sam didn't need to be told twice. His alien member had already re-hardened, eager to seed the tender ass in front of it. He wrapped his hands around Sehkrahn's chest, careful not to interfere with the kissing brothers, and slowly pushed himself inside the slick hole. It was already well lubricated with his brother's seed, tight and full of hot, squishy cum. Sehkrahn moaned into Sehk's maw as his ass was again taken, and Sam moaned out as his cock felt unbelievable pleasure from the young draconian's anal passage.
Sehkran scooted his way forward, driven on by lust-driven thrusts from Sam until his cock poked its way into his brother's muzzle. Sehk began sucking hard on his younger brother, while Sam felt a wet, hot tongue lap at his ass. Taim had worked his way under his tail, licking his own spent seed off Sam's ass and out of his dripping tailhole. It was more than Sam could take; he came again, filling the willing tail-hole under him with such force that he could feel his internal testes convulse and shake, see them pumping up and down under his scales. Sam noticed when he and Sehk came to climax, they did so strangely in synch; the receiving draconian's ass locking him into position as he filled it with his essence. It was the most erotic sensation Sam had ever felt; his legs almost failed him such was the pleasure. He had to hold onto Sehkran's tail to balance himself as he finished depositing his cum under it.
Once again, the four aliens fell onto each other, the grassy sand under them dark and sticky with spilled seed. Sam's heart was pounding, his breathing fast and shallow. The whole beachfront smelled wonderfully of virile maleness.
"See? I told you we could be very hospitable." Sehk said, licking a stray strand of cum into his mouth from his snout.
Sam smiled. "Indeed you did. I'm sure my people will be most pleased when I return to them."
"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. The mating festival hasn't even started yet, after all!" Sehk said back, with a rumbling laugh. "Speaking of which, we had better finish our fishing. I'm sure Taim and I can handle it on our own, if you and my brother want to play a little more..."
"Sure!"
"Yes!"
The two younger draconians responded, simultaneously.
Sam lost track of time. He began to forget what it was like to have soft flesh and skin instead of a hard, scaled hide, he forgot what human speech sounded like or why anyone wouldn't want a thick cock up their ass as often as possible. He wondered how he ever got along without a tail, or what it felt like to blink. Every time his member felt sated and withdrew back into its slit, Sehkran would sneak up on him and tongue it back into the open. It became a game; the energetic grey draconian chased Sam around, while Sam teasingly ran and hid from him before finally letting him taste his seed again. Once or twice, Sam would surprise him by flipping him onto his side into a sixty-nine, happy to drink the alien's sweet essence as well. The young draconian's grey scales were practically coated with Sam's seed before they finally stopped, collapsing near the cooking fire in complete and utter exhaustion. Sam stared into the crackling blaze, feeling mesmerized by it as he lay deep in thought. His mind felt sluggish and heavy with a sexual fog, even though every last drop of seed had already been coaxed from his body.
(Sam?) A voice called out inside Sam's head. Dr. Americk sounded concerned.
(What? Uh, mission accomplished! I've, ah, met with some of the locals...) He thought-spoke back to her.
(That's very well and good, but it's been nearly six hours since we synched you. We need to bring you back; just stay calm and relax. Your body is going to fall asleep and you're going to wake up back in the base.)
"Not now, I'm busy..." Sam mumbled to himself, suddenly feeling quite tired. Had he said that out loud?
"What was that?" Sehkrah asked from below him, still cleaning spent sexual fluids off Sam's thighs with his skilled tongue. "Usari?"
"I don't wanna... go... yet..." He said in a whisper, body relaxing as he drifted off to sleep.
"He looks like he needs some rest; his journey must have been very tiresome." Sehk said, draping a blanket over Sam/Usari's sleeping body. "Don't worry, I'm sure Taim and I can carry him back with us once we're done cooking."
Sam awoke floating in the suspension tank, back in his own body. His brain felt like a bowl of oatmeal, completely worn out from the mental strain of operating his xenoclone. He was even too tired to feel embarrassed that he had sullied the clear suspension fluid with great clouds of milky-white cum.
Dr. Americk's voice came from his headset, crisp and clear. "Mr. Zimmermann? Sam? How are you feeling?"
"Glughhhrnngh." He gurgled, before remembering he was immersed in fluid.
"Uh, please nod if you feel well or shake your head if you feel ill."
Sam thought for a second before nodding.
It took a while for the technicians to extricate him from the suspension tank, and when they finally did he was so tired that Dr. Americk told him to take the night off and file his report tomorrow.
Real night was rare on the planet due to the twin stars it orbited, but the observation base- like a ship in deep space- maintained an Earth-like cycle of artificial day and night. Sam finally drifted off to sleep after squirming uncomfortably in his bed for an hour. He kept trying to lean on a tail that he didn't have, and he kept forgetting to close his eyes. His mind wandered into dreams, fantasizing about what the coming days might hold for him, and for 'Usari'.
Later That Night...
"Dr. Li? What are you saying?" Dr. Americk asked, as she sat slumped in her office chair. A glass of celebratory wine sat on her desk, mostly untouched. Most of the others were still partying, flush with pride after the first successful OIXC trial. Early reports they had sent back to Earth had been received with considerable enthusiasm.
"I'm saying that his brain patterns didn't fully normalize after we pulled him out. There is probably something wrong with the damned monitoring equipment, but to be safe we should halt our testing until we find out why."
"Your concerns have been noted, doctor." Dr. Americk went to the door of her office and shut it and locked it. "But damnit, you know as well as I do that we can't stop! We're far over-budget and a year late on this project, and if we have one more delay there's a chance that the science ministry is going to pull the plug on everything. Everything!"
"I know that, Lisa! I of all people know that! This project isn't just your baby; all of us have put our hearts and souls into it!" Dr. Li said, his voice rising with exasperation. "But the readings we're getting are way outside of safe limits, and we've only sent the kid out once!"
"What are the odds of something bad happening, and how bad could it be?" Dr. Americk said, giving a great sigh. Having to make calls like this was why she hated being in charge.
Dr. Li rubbed his sore temples for a second and thought. "Seventy-thirty, in our favor. Best case, we can't re-synchronize him with the clone and have to find a new controller. Worst case scenario, we lose patter differentiation between him and the clone, in which case we can no longer unplug him. If that happens and we take him out of the machine, he'd go into a permanent, irrecoverable coma. He would have to stay plugged into the OIXC for the rest of his life, or until we discover the fundamental nature of consciousness."
Dr. Lisa Americk took a minute to think over what her subordinate had said before responding to him. "Those are... acceptable risks. We stay on schedule, but keep me informed of any new developments."
Back on the Beach...
He awoke.
He felt unbelievably tired, like he had never been awake before in his life. Vague memories of strange, fleshy aliens and bright lights drifted though his mind like clouds, forming and dissipating well beyond his reach.
Who was he? He didn't even know his name. Somehow though, he knew what a name was and that it was a good thing to have one. He knew how to talk, but he didn't know how he knew that.
"Usari? Dinner is ready... are you feeling alright? You look frightened..." A voice called out from near him. Was Usari his name? He knew that the person calling him was his friend, and that his friend's name was Sekrahn. He could smell cooked fish, and he knew that it was good to eat. A good thing too, because he was starving. What had he been doing? It must have been incredibly strenuous.
Uncertainly, he stood up from the sandy ground and walked towards the crackling fire. The name Usari would do, for now.
For some reason he couldn't stop thinking of another name, one that sounded utterly ridiculous yet somehow appropriate. Somehow his, yet not his.
Sam.
Continued in: Anthropology II: Field Research (http://sofurry.com/page/118088/)