Birds of Prey - Bisexual Edition

Maza flashed a feathery greeting, the alien bowing its head and returning the gesture. Jaeger lurched backwards in alarm as it extended its two massive tentacles, the feathers within exploding outwards. Its headdress was huge, probably a third larger than Maza's. Not only were the plumes vibrant and colorful, but they were decorated with peacock-like patterning and branching quills. It looked heavy, and he found himself wondering how the creature could even keep its head up.

"Relax, it's just a male," Coza whispered to him. "A cute one at that..."

Apparently, the male was some kind of secretary, and he directed the group towards one of several automatic doors to either side of the counter. When they opened, Jaeger saw that they were cylindrical elevators, small and cramped by human standards but large enough to fit maybe ten Valbarans. Of course, they did everything as a flock, and so things like elevators would need to be larger to accommodate so many of them.

They stepped inside, and the elevator began to rise silently, only the feeling of acceleration giving it away. More magnetic technology, the aliens seemed to use it for everything. It was a good thing that his phone was shielded or the memory would have been scrambled a dozen times by now. Suddenly, a flash of light illuminated the dingy capsule from behind him, and he turned to see windows racing by. The rear wall was made of transparent material. Jaeger looked out on the city as the elevator shot upwards at alarming speed, able to see some of the balconies on the adjacent skyscrapers from above now, like tiny gardens cloaked in green and purple leaves. There were a few natives milling about on them, relaxing or peering over the edges. They really did take to heights, there wasn't a guard rail in sight.

He felt himself grow lighter as the elevator decelerated, coming to a stop at their desired floor. The doors opened, and the group stepped out onto a carpeted surface, Baker and Jaeger having to duck to avoid hitting their heads on the door frame. The corridor that they were standing in was small too, Jaeger could feel his head brushing against the ceiling, and it was barely wide enough to let two humans pass each other. This must be how Borealans felt walking around in human facilities.

There were more doors lining the whitewashed walls, and one of them slid open, another male stepping out with a tablet computer of some sort clasped in his two-fingered hand. He was wearing a form-fitting jumpsuit, not dissimilar from those worn by the military and the air force, but this one was a pale green in color. Jaeger was surprised to see that his figure was not so different from that of the females, he had the same large thighs and wide hips, along with a short torso and narrow shoulders. This one wasn't wearing any decorations, perhaps because of his job. He seemed to be some kind of medical professional judging by the unidentifiable tools that were dangling from his belt. He looked up at them, flashing his massive, ornate headdress in greeting and bowing his head in deference. They were certainly submissive.

"This way, please."

He led them down the hallway, bobbing along in the strange way that his kind did, and Jaeger chatted with Maza as he walked along beside her.

"So what's the deal with the males? These are the first that I've seen. I don't think there were even any of them on the street, at least that I noticed."

"There were a few," she replied. "But males are less numerous than females, and they tend to do work that keeps them inside."

"Like what?" Jaeger asked, "and what do you mean by them being less numerous?" He had known that there was some gender imbalance in Valbaran society, but not to this extent.

"Based on the population of your carrier, I'm going to assume that there are as many male Earth'nay born as females, correct?"

"Just about, yeah. I think it's slightly skewed in favor of women, but not by a lot."

"On Val'ba'ra, there is one male born for around every eight females," she explained. "It is possible to induce a male birth through medical means, but since most families want female heirs, it doesn't make much of an impact."

"And that's normal for your kind?" Jaeger asked skeptically.

"It's perfectly natural."

"How does that dynamic impact your relationships? Your courtship? Surely that would mean that seven out of every eight Valbarans can't find a mate? How is that sustainable?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, cocking her head as she looked up at him.

"If there's only one male for every eight females, how do the other seven find mates and reproduce?"

Her feathers puffed up in a shade of yellow. He was starting to recognize their feather patterns now, able to read them better, and he was fairly certain that yellow meant excitement or surprise.

"Earth'nay each have one mate? Is that what you're saying?"

"Is...that not the case for you?"

"How decadent," she muttered with a flutter of pink plumes. "Imagine having enough males to fill a bedchamber..."

Coza and Ayau began to whisper to one another, no doubt sharing Maza's sentiment, flashing their feathers and snickering. Tacka seemed more embarrassed by the idea, and Xico was listening intently, probably more interested in the social dynamics than in the prospect of a harem.

"No," he said, struggling to explain. "One male mates with one female, that's it. Or at least, that's how it's supposed to happen, but traditionally humans are monogamous. Mono, it means we take one mate."

"Oh," she said with a roll of her eyes, "I should have guessed. Earth'nay don't live in flocks, your relationships with your friends and coworkers are selective, impermanent. On Val'ba'ra, a flock of females will take a single male mate between them."

"Really?" Jaeger asked. This time it was his turn to be surprised. "So what, the whole flock has to decide on a match, and then they all..."

"Without going into too much detail, yes. That male becomes part of their flock, and they will continue to reproduce with him on a permanent basis."

"I don't know if I should be jealous, or if I should feel sorry for the little guys," Baker said as he nudged Jaeger with his elbow.

"So if male Valbarans become part of the female's flock, why haven't I seen any males until now?" Jaeger continued. "Wouldn't most flocks have a male in tow?"

"They wouldn't bring their male to work with them," Maza laughed, "imagine how that would go!"

"A male can't be a soldier or a laborer, there are no male pilots or male Ensi," Coza added with a chuckle.

"Why not?" Jaeger asked.

"Because they're just not suited to that kind of work," Maza explained. "They're smaller than females, weaker, more emotional. They're fragile, unsuited to any physically demanding work, really."

"Their place is in the home, raising young and caring for the flock," Coza said with a flurry of agreement. "They usually take care of household chores, cooking and cleaning, things like that."

"So they're like...house husbands? But what about this guy here, and the secretary downstairs? Aren't they working?"

"Yes," Maza replied with a feather display that Jaeger had come to associate with shrugging, "but these are jobs more suited to a male. This boy, for example, is a nurse. It's a nurturing role, he assists the doctors and cares for patients. A male can make a fine nurse, a teacher, perhaps a receptionist or a waiter. Besides, letting them work alongside the females would be dangerous. We can't throw male lives away on the front lines, or let them work perilous construction jobs. In terms of numbers, females are downright expendable in comparison."

"They would be too weak to qualify for military service regardless," Coza said, "they wouldn't meet the physical requirements."

Jaeger found it hard to conceal his shock. It seemed sexist from his perspective, downright archaic for a spacefaring species, and yet he didn't know enough about their culture to make such sweeping judgments. They might well be correct, the males certainly seemed smaller and more lightly built, which could mean that they were markedly weaker. If they were less competent and more emotional was harder to say, but he suspected that those attitudes might be more a result of the Valbaran's desire to protect their limited number of reproductive partners than anything to do with their performance. If there was indeed only one male for every eight females, then losing one to a workplace accident would be a severe blow to the gene pool.

"What about these ones?" he asked, gesturing to the male that was leading them along the corridor. "Are their flocks working somewhere else?"

"They're probably not joined to a flock yet," Maza replied.

"So they live on their own?"

"They usually live with their family until they find a flock, or on occasion alone, yes. That's more of a modern trend, they want a little independence before they become a member of a flock."

"So how do Valbarans court?" Jaeger asked, "do they date like humans?"

Maza thought for a moment, then turned her head on her flexible neck, whispering to her flock conspiratorially. They talked in hushed voices, no doubt so that their guide couldn't overhear them, then she turned back to Jaeger with a grin on her face.

"Perhaps we can show you. After the appointment, of course. I think you'll find it very interesting."

They arrived at their destination, and the male led them in through another automatic door, the only thing that differentiated them was alien script that Jaeger couldn't read. Inside was a room that very much resembled a doctor's office. It was just as whitewashed as everywhere else, but here the floor was comprised of bare construction material rather than carpet, like the kitchen in Maza's domed house. There were countertops strewn with various tools and instruments that Jaeger couldn't identify, devices bolted to the walls that must be medical in nature, along with monitors that were currently displaying alien text and what could only be surgical information. There was a raised bed in the middle of the room that was covered in green material, clearly for performing examinations, and standing beside it were three female Valbarans wearing green jumpsuits like that of the male.

The doctors greeted them with a feather display, which the flock returned, the male bowing his head and standing to the side as they entered. The doctors immediately set upon Jaeger and Baker, circling the humans as they examined them with unknown handheld instruments, chirping and warbling to one another in their native tongue.

"Uh, Maza?" Jaeger asked as one of the women took his hand and began to count his fingers.

"My apologies," Maza said, "they're excited. It's the first time that they've seen an alien up close."

One of the doctors stepped back, her yellow headdress collapsing into its sheaths as she composed herself.

"Forgive us, Earth'nay, but you are simply remarkable." She flashed some kind of scanner at him, Jaeger blinking to clear his eyes as she examined the readout. "The pupils remain round even when exposed to bright lights!"

"My name is Lieutenant Jaeger," he said, trying to get her attention. "And this is Baker," he added, his friend waving at her.

"Yes, yes, you are the pair of Earth'nay who came from the alien carrier. We have been awaiting your arrival anxiously ever since Maza'xol'natuih arranged this appointment. To think that we might be some of the first physicians to examine you..."

She aimed some kind of red laser pointer at him, then took notes on her handheld computer, tapping away with her gloved fingers. She barked something at her companions, one of whom produced a cup-shaped device that she then pressed against Baker's chest.

"Maybe we should slow things down a little," Maza suggested, "I think you're frightening them."

The doctor called her two companions away, but they kept their unblinking eyes fixed on the two humans eagerly.

"My name is Doctor Matla'xau'tack, my flock and I are the head physicians at this facility."

"Just the three of you?" Baker asked.

"Our counterparts are regrettably indisposed, we do have a hospital to run, after all. Still, the three of us should be more than sufficient to perform the examinations. Shall we begin?"

"Hold on," Jaeger said, raising his hands. "What examinations, exactly?"

"Oh, nothing too invasive. We merely want to collect data on your species' physiology, and Maza'xol'natuih has informed us that a mutual exchange of medical information might be agreeable to you?"

"Yeah, that's what we had in mind. We're as curious about you as you are about us. I've seen some...strange things while I've been here that I'd like to get my head around."

"Good, good. You are male, correct?"

"Last time I checked," Baker replied.

"Yes, we're male," Jaeger clarified as he gave his friend a stop fucking around look.

"What a shame that we won't be able to examine a female too. Oh well. Please take a seat on the examination table, and we can begin."

"No, not you," she said as Jaeger followed Baker over to the table. "We would like to perform a more private examination on you, if you will permit it. It would be inappropriate for a female to perform such an examination of course, and so our nurse will provide assistance. Yaotl'mal'atzi, please take Lieutenant Jaeger into the adjacent room."

"Yeah, alright," Jaeger replied as the male hurried over to him. He looked over his shoulder at Baker as the nurse led him towards a side door, the three doctors crowding around his friend as he sat on the table, pointing all kinds of alien instruments at him. He was surprised that no alien probing jokes passed his lips, but Baker looked about as white as when he had eaten the insect candy bar.

The little male guided him through into a smaller, but similarly furnished room, sealing the door behind them. There was a second examination table, and so Jaeger sat down on it, the supports creaking worryingly under his exaggerated weight.

Yaotl, that was his name, made his way over to an adjacent countertop and lifted some kind of medical device. He kept his back to Jaeger, as if frightened of him, or embarrassed. He had the same basic body type as Maza, albeit of smaller stature and with less muscle, the round thighs and wide hips seemed to be common to both genders. The pale green jumpsuit that he was wearing left little to the imagination. Jaeger wondered idly if the Valbarans had a concept of sexy nurses and if this qualified, the females certainly seemed to prefer loose fitting clothing when they dressed casually. It was hard to see this creature as a male, his figure was so feminine and his mannerisms so...submissive.

The male turned to face him, and Jaeger noted that while he lacked the elaborate jewelry that the secretary in the lobby had been wearing, he was sporting the same dark eye shadow. It was painted onto the fine scales around his eyes, accentuating their striking violet color.

"Please disrobe," Yaotl said, his vibrant feathers fluttering in shades of pink and blue. They really were magnificent, so much larger and more ornate than those of the females. He did as the nurse asked, standing up and pulling down the zipper on his blue uniform, shrugging out of the upper half of his overalls. It was relieving to be rid of the heavy garment, the white shirt that he wore beneath was stained with sweat. He kicked off his boots and then stepped out of the lower half, tugging off his shirt until he was wearing only his briefs.

The alien looked him up and down, his feathers extending from their sheaths and flushing deep shades of red and pink. Jaeger couldn't tell whether it was curiosity, fear, or something else. Beads of perspiration slid slowly down his chest and stomach, Yaotl tracking them with his eyes as they traced the contours of Jaeger's body, his reptilian pupils expanding into circles.

"You may...retain those..." he said as he gestured to the briefs. It seemed that his grasp of English was a little worse than that of the other Valbarans that Jaeger had interacted with. Perhaps he had been given less time to practice, not expecting to ever encounter one of the alien visitors.

"So...what are you examining, exactly?" Jaeger asked as he watched the little alien fumble with his medical implement. It looked like some kind of hand-held scanner, shaped vaguely like the multimeters that he sometimes saw the engineers using.

"I am to document your physiology," it replied in its high-pitched voice. "It would be...inappropriate for the females to assist."

"I've been examined by plenty of female doctors and medics," he replied with a shrug, "it doesn't bother me. But if that's what you want to do, go ahead. Do you need me to do anything?"

"No, just...sit please."

Yaotl ran the scanner up and down Jaeger's body, standing a few feet away from him, struggling to reach his torso. The little creature was scarcely four and a half feet tall.

"You can get closer," Jaeger suggested, "I don't bite."

The alien seemed conflicted, glancing at the door for a moment and loosing a flurry of blue feathers, perhaps worried about what his superiors would say if he didn't collect enough data. There was a long pause as he seemed to consider, then he took a few tentative steps forwards, reaching up high to get a scan of Jaeger's head. It still seemed to be too far away, and Jaeger became frustrated, reaching down suddenly to lift the little Valbaran. He flashed his headdress in shades of pink and yellow as Jaeger hooked his hands under the alien's arms, shocked by the sudden movement, the feathers slowly collapsing back down as Jaeger deposited him on the table beside him.

Now Yaotl could reach, averting his eyes as he completed his scan. Maza and her ilk always maintained steady eye contact, they practically stared into his soul to the point that it made him feel uncomfortable, but this male did the opposite. His eyelids fluttered, he kept blinking, and he wouldn't meet Jaeger's gaze. It made him appear submissive, cowed. Was that how Jaeger appeared when he lost his staring contests with Maza?

"I must take...measurements," the alien said, setting the device down and retrieving a round object from his belt. Jaeger was amused to see that it was basically a tape measure, the alien pulling a line of flexible material from one end. He placed it against Jaeger's neck, trailing it down to the elastic waistband of his shorts. The accumulated perspiration of the day made his skin slippery, and he could feel the alien's small, gloved hands as they brushed over his abdominal muscles.

The nurse made a note of the measurement, then asked Jaeger to stand. The alien remained on the table as Jaeger stood beside it, putting the two at about head height to one another. Jaeger noted that the Valbaran smelled like the flower that Maza had put in his hair earlier that day, was he wearing perfume?

Yaotl extended his arms wide, trying to get the tape measure around Jaeger's chest, which was almost twice the width of the creature's narrow shoulders. He had to get closer, brushing up against Jaeger with his light green suit, the material like rubber or plastic. Now practically hugging the human, his feathers emerged from their sheaths, plumes in shades of purple and pink tickling Jaeger's nose. He could feel the alien's breath on his chest, he seemed to be breathing rapidly, but Jaeger didn't know enough about their biology to say for sure.

After getting his measurement, the nurse retreated a little, accidentally meeting Jaeger's gaze for the first time and quickly looking down and away.

"P-please raise your arm, I need to measure...circumference..." he mumbled.

Jaeger did as he was asked, flexing his bicep when he saw that the alien wanted to wrap the measuring device around it. He wasn't exactly a bodybuilder, he didn't spend much more time in the gym than UNN regulations required of him, but the muscle was as large as the alien's head. With trembling hands, Yaotl wrapped the tape measure around it, quickly pulling away once the deed was done.