Gliese Chronicles - Sakcore Explored Ch. 01

The next day Jason and I talked before I told him I wanted to go out again by myself to the same area as before and make more observations of the AP's. He was agreeable, as he had decided to collect a few more plant specimens from an area we had gone to three days earlier. I hefted my backpack after putting my tool belt on and headed directly to the cluster of trees holding the phallic plants.

It took about half an hour and when I arrived there were five APs present—one individual of the smallest species already attached, the other four were the mid-sized species. I noticed these animals checked out a wider variety of phalluses of different colors and sizes. If two animals were interested in the same one they bumped one another hard in an attempt to dissuade the other from investigating further. Competition for the phallic plants was evident among the same species and closely among related species—interspecific competition.

I decided then to call them 'Phallic Assistance Plants', or PAPs for short, in relationship to the APs. Seemed an appropriate name as they were phallic and they assisted the APs in some fashion with their reproduction I suspected. There were four different color combinations of PAPs—the smallest were yellow with purple fluid, two mid-sized forms that were green with purple fluid, one form spotted, the other not, and finally, a black form that was the largest, these varied more in character, particularly in girth, than the others, and produced a clear liquid.

The change in the color of the fluid intrigued me and I sat down next to a black one and proceeded to stroke it until a puddle formed at the tip. I dipped a finger and tasted it—sweet without any hint of being tart. I had decided I was wasn't going to sample the plant further, then found myself getting warm and immediately put my mouth over the tip to get a better taste, swallowing the sweet nectar as it filled my mouth. I quickly removed my backpack and clothing as a hot ache appeared moving downward, knowing I had gone too far, but unable to stop. I undressed hastily, trying not to tear my shorts and shirt as I tried frantically to remove them—finally pulling my panties and bra off with a vengeance.

I straddled the low mound and pushed that large girth, black PAP into me with a sense of urgency. A wonderful stretched sensation and a hot tingle of pleasure engulfed me. I slowly settled myself downward, feeling fully stretched and full as the petals come across my buttocks and lower back pressing me down firmly. I felt the urge to move back and forth grow and acted accordingly. Then, the pulses started and the pleasure increased with warm fluid filling what space remained inside me—I closed my eyes and was taken away.

About two-minutes later excess fluid started flowing out as I felt myself tighten—seconds later, I orgasmed hard and long. I gasped and gave a low moan of pleasure and felt myself begin to relax. Then, I felt a strong penile pulse, I tightened again with another surge of fluid, followed by another orgasm. This time, so strong my entire body shook—I closed my eyes tightly as the white heat sealed my pussy tightly around it. Less than a minute later my vagina slowly relaxed and I went completely limp and gained my breath—as I did, the petals relaxed and fell away. I was free, though feeling a little faint.

I leaned forward on my hands and knees, pulling the glistening black phallus out and lay down next to it thinking it looked even larger than I thought it was when I had started. I smiled, twenty-five minutes of that thing being in me. My pubic hair was completely saturated—my buttocks and inner thighs glistened with wetness. I didn't want to move as I felt so calm and safe lying there on the luxuriant, soft, green carpet of moss.

It was only when an AP walked up to the phallus and gave it a good licking that I decided it was time to wash up and continue my data collection—well, data collection that didn't involve my anatomy. I dressed, gathered my equipment and tablet, and set about getting some real work done knowing the others would want to know why I was spending so much time away from the lab. They knew I was behind in my data entry and preliminary analysis by a few days already.

This time, I took two empty vials and filled them up at another black phallus thinking this would be better to use as it didn't leave a tell-tail stain. I was glad Jason hadn't noticed my purple labia the previous night, but I had made sure it was dark in our quarters just to be sure he didn't.

I completed my observations by counting the number of each phallus type, the number of each species of AP that used each type, and how long it took for a phallus' scrotum' to grow large again post-coitus. The mid-sized APs used both larger or smaller phalluses when they were bumped hard or blocked by a larger AP. There was certainly competition for the resource and I wondered again what possible benefit the relationship between animal and plants represented—mutualism was my best guess as I expected both benefited. Though commensalism was possible as one could benefit while the other neither benefited nor was harmed by the interaction.

These answers would require additional investigation as these animals appeared to be the largest herbivores in this biome so they were representative of the highest trophic level. This assumed they weren't being predated by another life form—something I hadn't observed. I couldn't assume it didn't happen just because I hadn't seen it yet—an absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

I packed my gear and started back to the lab thinking about the dynamics of our work group. We each had our specialties and our preliminary reconnaissance missions sometimes made for strange bedfellows, though I disliked that term, especially after the last few weeks. Hianne and Kira were competent and hard-working, so in that respect, I didn't have a problem with them.

Jason and I had worked with exploration teams together before we married almost two years ago—so we knew the culture. There was one unwritten rule that bothered me this time—when a mixed male/female crew were in the field for extended periods of time females could ask for, and expect to receive, attention from any male they approached if the sex ratio was skewed. I had never taken advantage of this rule—but I knew it happened as several of my female colleagues had revealed their exploits months after their missions had ended and the results their team's findings published.

Names were never revealed as was the custom, but it didn't take a genius to inspect the report for the names of the mission participants and winnow the potential pairings down—it was better when the women kept their mouths shut. But when you saw a single male with three or four women...well...you didn't need to be a rocket scientist as the old saying went. That was one reason we included a male droid on the mission, or at least that was why I had lobbied for one—Hianne and Kira would be able to share him.

In the past, these arrangements were entirely between unmarried individuals with their activities conducted discretely. Hianne, was now the exception, as she had approached Jason, hinting that sex with Robb, while useful, was not as good as a human male. Jason had listened, but not committed to her—reminding her he was married.

He had told me this two weeks prior when she first broached the subject. Jason and I had met on our very first mission four years ago to a little explored moon and we had grown closer as we served on two more missions together over the next two years. We had fallen in love and wanted to complete at least one more mission before we slowed down and became more sedentary in the pursuit of our careers. This was now the second mission since we married and was almost certain to be our last with a small team.

I could tell Jason was troubled, and frankly, I was too. I didn't feel I should have to share him with anyone else, he was mine—every single, firm, elongated centimeter of him where it mattered most to the other women. I hoped my gift of the AP's sweet semen, if used with Robb, would it be enough to ward off her interest in Jason—if not, there was going to be a real problem.

I watched Cela walk back to her station and resume work. It irked me more now than it had before. I couldn't help it, she was married to him now. She honestly thought giving me a vial of sensation enhancing fluid to use with Robb was the best way to keep me from demanding my right to male company. She might have him and consider him released from custom; but it hadn't been discussed or agreed to by the four of us before we left on this mission.

All I had to do was watch Jason, see his smile, and hear his laugh, and know I wanted to feel his breath on my neck, his lips on mine, and then hear his panting as he lay on top of me at the end of a hot, steamy, session in bed. Memories came to me and my arousal grew—there were secrets, words not spoken, between the two of us.

But I knew the secrets were not only mine, Kira had her own. She hadn't been as careful as I had been in hiding her past activity while on other missions. Yes, Kira, had ambitions and I saw the lust in her eyes and knew—Robb was not her only desire.

Two days later, after having used the Purple Passion once with Robb, I had given half of the vial to Kira, suggesting she should give it a try to avoid irritating Cela for the good of the mission. If Kira was competition, I was going to take care of that in an expedient manner. The wonderful sensations that viscous liquid produced when a few drops were on a penis—it gave sex a real punch—maybe enough to convince Kira all she needed was Robb. Of course, that was exactly what Cela hoped from me.

Kira pretended not to know what I was talking about—she was a sweet, cute, hot bodied brunette, and the shortest of us women. She wasn't as physically attractive as many women, but she had a great personality that seemed to attract men—one of the reasons she found mission work to her liking I suspected. I also knew she had custom on her side and she had used it to full advantage in the past. In that respect, we were similar, but I wasn't about to be duped by her—I wasn't that dumb, blonde or not. We had another two months before we were due to arrive back on Ettera. That was enough time to enjoy the full benefit of this away mission, and I fully intended to make the best use of it if I needed to.

After two days I felt I had done what I could to derail Hianne's interest in Jason by offering a viable alternative. But I was sure she would continue to explore her options—women of our ilk just didn't give up that easily.

I decided take some of the pressure off of Jason by not leaving him alone with Hianne and Kira as it wasn't helping him or myself. Of course, it would be even better if Jason and I went together and I'd make sure we did that more often too. But, I had another motive for inviting the women to join me for the day. If the phallic plants had drawn me in, perhaps it would be the same for them. It was worth a try, I really had little to lose and much more to gain by having their sexual needs satisfied by a plant. I didn't see Kira as much of a problem, she seemed to use Robb as she needed and never seemed to be all that interested in Jason.

I was surprised they agreed so readily to join me, and Jason was pleased I would not be alone. He made us promise to make sure we all stayed close together and made sure we all had our communicators with us. It took about half an hour of brisk walking to reach the cluster of trees and the clearing inside that held the varied, colorful, phallic plants. I watched their faces as their eyes went wide, then their laughter as they looked at each other once the concentration of plants was visible.

Hianne pointed and laughed, "Look, a penis garden."

Kira snickered, "Yeah, that's the first thing that would come into YOUR mind."

Hianne looked at her with a frown, "Okay, what is it that came into your mind then?"

Kira, laughed, "Cock garden."

"Same difference!" Hianne shot back as she strode purposely forward to examine one at close range.

The she turned to look at me, "Are these okay to touch?"

"They're harmless, the APs use them as part of their reproductive cycle. That's why I wanted both of you to see how they work—you may have some insights as to why they use them."

There was one small AP present at the time and they watched as it approached a phallus, gave it a few licks, then it moved on, apparently not satisfied. They followed it to the next phallus and watched as it licked a few times and a small amount of liquid oozed onto the tip. Then, the AP opened its mouth, took the phallus in after having stroked it a few times. Satisfied, it pulled off, licking excess juice from its lips, then proceeded to position itself over the phallus as it rose up on its legs. The rear-most appendages closed around the phallus to position it and it backed onto to it as the petals rose up slowly to hold the shell in place. That was the part I hadn't seen the first time, so I was caught off-guard as a consequence.

"That's incredible!" Kira said with growing excitement as she watched the AP move back and forth slightly.

"Listen, the two of you can stay and watch while I go and gather some other data. By the way, the pink and green dicks produce a purple fluid. I'd stay away from the large black ones for right now. I need to check them out a bit closer after I get this other work done."

"Don't worry, we'll be careful. You're sure they safe?" Hianne asked.

"Safer than a man with a penis of the same dimensions," I said with a laugh as I walked away.

I walked far enough away to conceal myself and watched as each of them wandered among the PAPs and before long Kira knelt down and proceeded to do as I had done—take a taste. Then I watched as she placed her mouth over the tip; Hianne followed almost simultaneously while on the far side of the cluster. Within three minutes they were both taking their clothes off—that initial dose had a tremendous effect on ramping up desire—it wasn't just me affected that way.

I was sure it was the amount ingested when my mouth filled completely with the sweet fluid and I swallowed it all. The fact it acted in a matter of minutes was surprising to me now that I was an observer and not actively engaged. I waited until both of them had dressed after washing off and then stood talking to each other. I walked slowly towards them as if I were completely unaware of what had transpired.

I was still walking up when Hianne walked to a green spotted PAP, stroked it a few times until the fluid appeared and then gently stroked and squeezed until a copious amount appeared as she filled a large vial.

She looked at me with a smile. "I think it's a good idea to take a sample back for additional study. These plants are really interesting, but I do have a hypothesis for why the animals use them—it feels good for them. It seems to me there was co-evolution involved as no other explanation makes sense. Have you excavated around one of the plants yet to see what the root structure is like?"

"No, I hadn't gotten to that point yet. I was thinking the petals represent the other major portion of the plant."

We set about excavating a small area adjacent to a small phallus and as we pulled the moss-like covering back we found an extensive system of small roots that grew larger as they approached the mound holding the phallus, scrotum-like structure, and a dense patch of thin rootlets directly below the area occupied by an AP when it was engaged with the phallus. By the time we finished our inspection and returned everything as closely as possible to its original condition I was unsure what it all meant.

What was evident, however, was that the moss covering the entire area was part of the plants—the phallus and scrotum were simply the parts involved in attracting the APs. The reason? It had to have something to do with the dense patch of rootlets that could possibly absorb liquids from the APs. I had a hunch as to what that might be.

Kira had taken small samples of the patch, the soil inside and outside of it, and multiple samples of the soil beneath the moss-like covering two meters away from the mound for preliminary analysis. We were talking about next steps when I noticed both their tongues showed a tint of purple. Was there a reason two species had a purple-colored fluid and the other clear? Outside of the fact the larger black phalli had tasted sweeter than the other two forms the mass spec hadn't shown a difference in composition—only the presence of the pigment was different.

Between the black phallus and Jason, I was completely satisfied in terms of my needs. Jason had been wonderful in his attention to me last night—it was in his arms that both my emotional and physical needs were met. Once we were engaged to be married, I came to view human love as more than physical pleasure and good feelings, a change for me.

I wasn't a hopeless romantic by any stretch of the imagination. I had enjoyed enough men to know the physical pleasure sex provided was reward enough. However, my feelings regarding the value of sex changed after I had fallen in love with Jason. That once purely physical act, now had another whole layer attached to it that magnified its importance. I had read and thought I understood the concept of pair-bonding in humans. I saw it then as a manifestation of relationship building between a man and a woman—but it wasn't until I was really emotionally bound to Jason that I understood it for what it really was—it was meant to prepare for having and raising children.

As we walked back to the ship I understood Kira and Hianne didn't view their relationship with Jason the same way I did. Their view was contractual, much as when a man is dating a woman at first—if you give me this, I will give you that. As long as it was mutual and honest that arrangement worked fine—at least it had for me. But, I was now the odd woman out, my relationship was not contractual—it was as an equal—sharing and giving to meet each other's needs and expectations while being vulnerable and trusting.

Two days later we left the ship in the Air Cushioned Vehicle, or ACV, to explore farther into the savannah than we had previously gone on foot. The density of trees per hectare decreased, though many of them were larger in terms of their canopy spread, with no significant change in height. I spotted what appeared to be a slightly bleached AP shell and asked Kira to turn the ACV around so we could inspect it.

We stepped off of the ACV to find a large AP sitting fully on the ground, its eyes missing and a hole in the top of the carapace about twenty centimeters in diameter. As I inspected the carcass I placed my nose near the opening and pulled back at the stench hit my nostrils, it was still rotting, so it hadn't been dead too long. As the four of us looked for further clues a dim shadow passed over us, then seconds later, another, and I quickly turned my gaze upward.

I stood in awe as a huge flying creature soared overhead at about two hundred meters, it had to have at least a twenty meter wingspan—it was huge. I followed its path as it circled and came back towards us into the light breeze and found it was part of a flock of about a dozen others, several of them slightly smaller.

"What do you think, fifteen, maybe twenty meter span?" Jason asked.

"My guess was about twenty. Did any of you see or hear them coming?"

"No, they just seemed to come out of nowhere." Kira responded, the others nodded.

I decided I should get the camera out to record the sighting for study later and headed for the ACV, climbing in I grabbed my camera and started shooting video rather than stills. The first thing that came to mind was that these things were scavengers, like the vultures of Earth. I zoomed the telephone lens to capture several of the creatures in the distance to document their slow, undulating wings, and was about to turn my attention to the animal near us when I heard a loud, piercing scream.