An Intergalactic Mate Swap

After the two had taken a few more minutes to gather the two remaining bags, they turned back toward each other. Mike now wore a more serious guise as he gathered he and Liz's suitcases.

"Look...I need to talk this over with Liz in private, alright? I can't make a decision without her," he said.

Rajah nodded. "Of course. But...I just want you to know that, regardless of what you both decide, Akaya and I will respect your decision. We do hope that you'll accept, but if you don't then our friendship will remain just as it was and nothing will change," Rajah said, clasping Mike's shoulder.

Mike gave a nod and a sincere smile. "I know, Rajah. I appreciate that. I'll...we'll, get back to you by tonight with an answer," he said.

Rajah nodded and gathered his bags and suitcases just as Mike did his. Mike made a motion for the exit doors.

"Cmon; the girls are probably waiting for us," Mike said, leading him out the doors to the port.

They passed through the automatic doors which led them to a large circular landing platform where hovercars and taxis were landing to pick up and drop off people at the terminal. Off in the distance, more hovercars flew off into the towering metropolitan area and Manhattan beyond.

Mike spun around in both directions scanning for the two familiar women even as he bore the burden of four bags. Then, far off to the left near the edge of the circular ring, he saw the brown striped form of Akaya enthusiastically waving her paw in the air in their direction to catch their attention. Both she and Liz were standing by a yellow hovertaxi even as the driver honked the horn in an attempt to also catch their attention.

Mike and Rajah hurriedly scrambled over with all of their belongings as the taxi driver, an anthropomorphic wolf-like alien called a vithian, stepped out to help Mike and Rajah load the bags into the trunk. As they loaded the suitcases, Mike turned to Liz, who appeared to be looking up at the sky introspectively.

"Sorry we took so long. There was a problem getting our last suitcase, but we got it sorted out," Mike lied, withholding telling her about what Rajah had said, at least for the time being.

Liz idly nodded but was still looking away with a strange expression. Mike gently squeezed her arm to get her attention.

"You alright?" Mike asked his wife, concerned.

Liz quickly shook her head and looked back at him with a smile. "Yeah, yeah, fine. Just glad to be home is all. You ready to head for the apartment?"

Mike looked over at the cab driver who nodded back to him as he closed the trunk. "Uh, yup, ready," Mike replied.

The four entered the rather spacious interior of the hovertaxi before Mike gave the driver the address to their apartment complex in uptown Manhattan. The taxi lifted off the ground, rumbling slightly as the driver engaged the hover thrusters, making a smooth arc up into the air before following a steady line of other taxis and cars away from the spaceport and toward the city.

Inside the taxi the seating of the roomy interior was shaped like that of a semicircle, with Akaya and Rajah situated on one side near and window and Mike and Liz on the other side. The tiger and tigress were practically glued to the window; their buggy eyes shifted back and forth like two curious cats stalking birds and squirrels as they watched the activity taking place around the city above and beneath them. Mike and Liz occasionally interjected to explain the nature of their surroundings to their two visiting companions, however, for the most part they were both rather quiet as they sat in the taxi, both deep in thought.

Mike, looking over and seeing that his wife was being just as silent and ponder-some as he was, reached his hand out and caressed Liz's arm. She looked over at him and smiled, scooting herself over and laying her head down and snuggling into his shoulder even as their taxi zoomed past skyscrapers and other city buildings. Rajah and Akaya both saw the gesture and gave Mike a knowing smile each and a nod before they turned back toward the window and continued to look at the city's dazzling modern surroundings.

After a mostly-silent trip to upper Manhattan, the taxi came to a halt at their apartment complex. The building was rather elegant-looking; with a fresh new look and a sleeve white exterior that marked this building as recently-built. As the four stepped out of their taxi and the wolfish cabbie began unloading their bags, they stood there in awe and admiration of the building that they would be staying in for the next few days.

"Wow! It looks even nicer in person! Since when did we become royalty?" Liz said, eliciting laughs from Akaya and Rajah.

Mike smiled, helping the cabbie with the last two bags.

"Yeah, it cost us a pretty penny, but hey, you only live once right? We'll only be staying a few nights anyway so I thought we may as well kick back in style in celebration of our furlough," Mike said, grinning.

Mike handed the cabbie the fare and a generous tip for helping with the suitcases. The cabbie gave a kind nod before taking off with his taxi, leaving the four off-duty marines to continue admiring the exterior of their opulent apartment building.

Rajah grinned, turning to the three companions, motioning with his head to enter. "Shall we?" he asked.

Akaya eagerly rushed up the steps, her tail swaying behind her with her excitement while she hefted her bags inside. Mike and Liz followed too albeit slightly slower as they were both in introspective thought about the day's events as they simultaneously remained transfixed on the building.

As they entered the four admired the perfect blending between elegant old-fashioned and state-of-the-art modern. The lobby looked like that of what an old English manor may look like, while having the modern amenities that they were used to ingrained perfectly, such as automatic doors, omni-generator lighting and high-speed elevators that carried its occupants up and down the building's twelve floors.

They brought their suitcases into the elevator, squeezing themselves inside to make room for each other as the automatic doors close behind them. During this time, Mike gulped as he realized that he was pressed precariously close up against none other than Akaya.

Akaya's tail swished with the close contact as Mike could have sworn he saw a wry grin form at the corner of the Kataaran's muzzle. He did his best to turn his attention somewhere else as her tiger-like tail swished and battered his leg even as he tried to ignore the pleasant scent radiating off of her from being pressed near her. Her ears twitched and she bit her lip as a scent filled her advanced nostrils from the attractive human male pressed near her: the faint scent of his rising pheromones.

Unbeknownst to him and Akaya, Liz herself found herself on the other side of the confining elevator pressed close to her muscular Kataaran comrade and her best friend's husband: Rajah. The male tiger appeared to also have his tail swaying back and forth as he was crammed along the wall beside a slender female human. As he snuck a brief glimpse out of the corner of his eye at her, he secretly swooned at her delightfully slim form and her flawless silky face that was pleasing to look at it. Meanwhile Liz tried to distance herself from the conflicting feelings suddenly boiling in her as she felt herself brushed up against an exotic but rather comfortable coating of soft orange fur.

Luckily, for all parties involved in this dualistic awkward elevator ride, the elevator immediately reached their floor and the doors drew open. A pair of garrkron parents and their young scaly green daughter and a human friend were waiting on the other side to use the elevator. They politely stepped aside for the four marines to gather their suitcases and bags to move them out first.

"Sorry, excuse me," they collectively said as they made their way out of the elevator, allowing the family to occupy it.

The four took bearings of the floor that they were on, all of them smoothing out their clothes or doing other mundane gestures to break their individual awkward feelings. Mike looked around the corridor, seeing the sign that directed them to their rooms.

"Cmon," he said, immediately leading them on down the corridor.

His eyes scanned the door numbers as the three others fell in step behind him.

"1121, 1122, ah here it is, 1123," Mike said as they reached the apartment. He drew out his room key and swiped it along the scanner as well as held out the palm of his hand against the adjacent DNA scanner for verification. "And you guys are in room 1125, right?"

"Yes," Rajah replied, he and Akaya walking past Mike and Liz to the next apartment down where they were to be situated.

The two Kataarans looked over at the two humans before they were about to step into their apartments.

"So...maybe we'll see you two later tonight?" Rajah asked them, emphasizing the question by sneaking a quick, knowing nod in Mike's direction.

Mike and Liz gave them kind smiles, nodding. "Yeah...maybe," Mike replied.

The tiger and tigress nodded. Akaya gave her mate a playful swat on his tail, urging him to move into the apartment. Akaya dragged their last suitcase into their room, shutting the door behind her.

Mike, who had been spending a few moments thinking to himself, shook his head all of a sudden as he opened the door to his and Liz's apartment. They were once again speechless as to the surprising sophistication of their apartment. The spacious living room that they walked into was state of the art and appeared to be fully equipped with two large luxury couches and the latest hologram projection television and even had a small fireplace in full blaze near the dining room.

"Holy damn. Anyone who says that money doesn't buy happiness is bullshitting big time," Mike laughed.

He pulled his and Liz's bags to their bedroom at the back of the apartment, once again transfixed by the sight of their luxury king-sized bed as he did. Meanwhile, Liz had walked into the kitchen, opening up the fridge to see it lined with a stockpile of various drinks, many of which were alcoholic. As she was taking stock of her generous surroundings in the kitchen, an audible ping suddenly went off, causing her to jolt in surprise.

"Good afternoon, Elizabeth Sanborn. I'm the room's artificial intelligence here to take care of your domestic needs during your stay. Will you be needing anything, Liz?" a feminine robotic voice addressed her from the kitchen.

Mike came into the room with a grin as he noticed that his wife was rather taken aback by this.

"Oh...right, I probably should have mentioned that the room came equipped with an AI when I rented it," Mike laughed.

"If my presence here will be a disruption, I can go into sleep mode," the AI interjected.

Mike waved his hands in no general direction at the ceiling. "No, it's alright. But uh, may we have a few steaks readied and prepared for tonight."

"Of course, Michael. Will you and Mrs. Sanborn be staying in for New Year's Eve?"

He gulped as Rajah's unprecedented proposition suddenly came to mind. His thoughts too also dwelled on the brief moment of awkward tension in the elevator with Akaya.

"Err...we aren't sure yet. We'll get back to you on that though," he idly replied to the AI.

The AI complied with the order for New York-style steaks to be prepared before it dismissed itself. Liz was nonchalantly fiddling with some of the silverware in the kitchen. When she noticed Mike's eyes on her, she quickly feigned a smile in his direction. Mike looked away and his legs shook again with the awkwardness.

"So um...nice apartment, right?" he asked in a vain effort to main conversation.

"Mmm," Liz simply replied.

Mike tried to think of something to come up with or even focus his mind on at the moment, but all he could think about was what Rajah had told him at JFK. It then occurred to him that he still had to talk this ordeal over with Liz; that way there was no secrets and everything would be out on the table. With a silence hanging over the apartment, he finally decided that now would be a good time as ever to talk to her about this supposed Kataaran mating ritual that Rajah and Akaya wanted both of them to be involved in.

Coincidentally, just as Mike had croaked open his mouth to break the awkward silence and say what had to be said, Liz began to speak almost simultaneously.

"There's something I need to tell you."

"I think we need to have a talk."

Both spouses froze up, looking at each other with immense surprise.

"Go on," Mike said.

Liz shook her head, sitting herself down on the couch beside him. "No, you go first," she insisted.

Mike took a deep breath and nodded.

"Alright...it's about Rajah and Akaya," Mike began, looking at Liz's reaction as he did. She blinked a few times in response.

"What about them?" she asked.

He took another deep breath before continuing. "Well, I think I know why they were acting strange today at the spaceport. Rajah told me that he and Akaya have neglected to take part in some sort of sacred Kataaran ritual and, if they don't undergo it during their adulthood, then they will basically be shunned by their family and the rest of their people. But...you should know that their solution to this problem...involves us," Mike explained.

Mike looked at her face to see how she was taking this. She blushed, biting her lip as she avoided his gaze.

Mie eyebrows rose as a placid but curious expression crossed his face.

"Liz...do you know something already?" he asked in a somewhat fatherly, scolding tone.

She slowly turned back toward him and sheepishly nodded. "Yes. Akaya told me everything today at the spaceport, while we were outside hailing a taxi," she replied.

Mike's eyes lit up. "That's when Rajah told me, when we were inside at the baggage claim!" he exclaimed.

Liz looked surprised to hear this too, thinking that it had been an isolated conversation between just herself and her Kataaran friend. It made sense to both of them now though; the awkward silence during the taxi ride and later in the elevator. They'd both been told about Rajah and Akaya's dilemma separately.

"Wow, can you believe this? Those sneaky devils!" Mike laughed all of a sudden and Liz followed suit, even despite the implications of what they were discussing. Mike then became serious again as he reconciled his conversation with Rajah, now understanding what it meant now that Liz knew about it as well.

"So...Akaya told you then that um...you and Rajah...and me and Akaya?" he tenderly asked, gulping as he did.

Liz nodded. "She did," she replied, looking down at the floor. "I also asked her if there were any other way or any other unmarried friends that she and Rajah could do this with. But, she assured me that we were the only ones that they felt comfortable doing this with. That we were the only ones that they would trust enough to open themselves up to like that."

Mike frowned but nodded. "I can't say I blame them; I mean, sure it's pretty strange because we're friends, but I guess from their perspective they'd rather do this with someone familiar than just pick up two random strangers from off the street," Mike replied.

Liz cocked her head at him. "So...you're okay with this?"

He quickly shook his head. "No, I didn't say I was okay with it. I'm just trying to understand their situation. I can't help but feel bad for them at least. What if our government told us that we'd be exiled if we didn't have an affair with two strangers?"

She nodded. "That's true. I guess they do feel like they've been put on the spot by their people and their family, and all for the sake of some trust mating ritual."

They sat in silence for a few moments as Liz looked with concern into her husband's puzzled face.

"How does the idea of this...wife swap make you feel, just out of curiosity, Mike?" she asked him.

He looked up into her face. "Honestly, it really tears me up inside. I really do care for Rajah and Akaya a lot. They are our best friends, they've always had our backs through thick and thin, we've been through a lot together with them. There's hardly anything I wouldn't do for them. But...my love for you outweighs any devotion I have for them. The thought of...having sex with another woman, and the thought of seeing you with another man, even if they are our friends...it...I...I'm not a fan of the thought," Mike sincerely stated.

She smiled warmly, hearing the complete and sincere honesty in his voice as he professed his devotion for her. She reached out and clasped his hand as they smiled at each other.

"So...it's settled then? We tell them that we don't accept?" Mike asked her.

Liz stopped smiling and her face drooped slightly at that. As Mike was rising from the couch to make for the door, she suddenly stopped him.

"Wait...Mike."

He spun back around to look at her. She rubbed her arm uncomfortably as if she was slightly pained by what she was about to say.

He did a double take as he registered her expression. "Wait a minute...you aren't considering it, are you? But I thought you were the one that asked...?"

"I know what I asked," she replied, "Because I wanted your assurances that if we were to do this, it wouldn't change anything between us. Our marriage I mean."

His eyes widened in surprise. "So you...want to do this?" he asked.

She gave a half nod. "For Rajah and Akaya, for their sake. It's not fair for them to become labeled outcasts over this. Besides, now that they've already put this into our heads, I feel like things would almost be weirder between us IF we didn't go through with it at this point," she explained.

Mike listened silently but nodded from the logic of what she'd said.

"Sure, I don't fully take pleasure in the thought of us having sex with different people. Part of me still wants to turn down their proposal flat. But then I thought...it's not really infidelity if all four of us are doing it, right?" she asked.

Mike shrugged. "No, I suppose it isn't. Cheating is when one partner deceives the other behind their back. It's one-sided. But, if all of us are doing it...then it's not cheating. It's...it's..." he struggled to find the right word. "Sharing," he concluded, hoping she wouldn't be deterred from this comment.

"That's what I was thinking too. And they are our friends too, it's not like we'd be whoring ourselves out to strangers or anything. I don't think it's as strange to them either. Kataarans are naturally more sociable than humans are. It only makes sense that they would be a little more open about their sexual relations. If they are, then why shouldn't we be too?" she added.

He nodded with a grin, blushing as he realizing that he was actually becoming slightly aroused at the prospect that they were really considering going through with this.

He inched himself closer to her on the couch so that they were inches away from each other. He reached up and stroked her arm slightly.

"Don't be mad at me, but...isn't a small part of you kinda...turned on by this too?" he asked her softly. Before she could answer, he quickly added, "I mean, I meant everything that I said about feeling uncomfortable having sex with someone else, but...isn't part of you a bit exciting with the idea too?"

To his surprise, she actually flashed him a naught grin and nodded at him vigorously. "Yeah. I was afraid to say something because I didn't want to sound like...freakish. But, yeah, I have to admit that part of me does get a bit excited by the thought. I mean...I do wonder how Kataarans look, you know, exposed..." she whispered giddily with a smirk.

"Right? And their fur; you've gotta wonder how that feels while you're," he gulped, "Going at it," he laughed.

"And their tails too. It's kinda kinky, right?" she added with a laugh. She then rolled her eyes and slammed her head back against the soft couch. "God Mike, what the hell is wrong with us? These are our best friends for god's sake! Are we some kind of freaks or something? Fantasizing about Kataarans," she groaned.