Jackson Kez - Space Diplomat Ch. 02

"Oh?" Jackson perked up at the last part. "Anything catch your eye?"

Vera smiled, trying and failing to hide the rush of red in her cheeks. "I'll just keep that a secret for now," she stared at him, her golden eyes twinkling. "Ask me something else. Anything."

"If it's not too personal," Jackson said, "can I ask why the Sela tend toward feminine bodies?"

Vera laughed and flashed him a bright smile, "I was wondering when we'd get there. It's the most common question from other species, you know." She sighed and shrugged. "Unfortunately, I have no idea. Sela philosophers have been asking the same question for as long as there have been Sela philosophers. The historical record of early Sela forms is very limited, we don't exactly leave fossils behind like solid creatures do, and since we're the only gelatinous sentients we know of, it's hard to find patterns."

"What do you think?" Jackson asked.

"Well," Vera said, pausing. She pondered for a moment before answering, but the silence felt comfortable. Easy. "Most species with sexual dimorphism associate the feminine with creation and birth, so my personal theory is that a feminine body resonates better with us because we're constantly re-creating ourselves. Additionally, any Sela is capable of siring offspring. Same reason why when we're using a gendered language, we pick female pronouns. It just feels right." She shrugged again. "But it's only a theory." Vera glanced over to the sushi bar. "Take Olla, her trueform looks like the guy from that Earth documentary, Jiro Dreams of Sushi."

Jackson clapped his hands together. "I knew it!" he said, probably too loudly.

Olla's voice boomed from behind the sushi bar, "My ears are burning, you'd better knock off the gossip before I get over there with your food!" She hoisted two large plates and stepped out from behind the counter, approaching the table.

Vera put a finger to her lips. "Shhh, play it cool." Then she turned to Olla and continued, "We weren't gossiping about you, I was just giving Jackson a very important history lesson."

Olla carefully placed a plate in front of Jackson and the other in front of Vera. "It's not my business either way, I just make the food." She leaned over to Jackson and said in a stage whisper that Vera could definitely hear. "Be nice to her, she's my best customer." Vera just rolled her eyes. Olla clapped Jackson on the shoulder, "Enjoy! Let me know if you need anything else."

"Thanks Olla," Jackson said. He sized up the sushi. It looked good. Great, even. He became acutely aware of how hungry he really was. He also glanced over at Vera's plate and saw it had three cubes on it, about 2 inches per side each and totally uniform in color and texture. One was white, another green, the last one a pinkish orange. Vera smiled at him, waiting for him to ask.

"Okay," Jackson said, feigning annoyance. He couldn't resist a chance to tease her back a little bit. "I'll take the bait. Tell me about the cubes."

Vera giggled. "You're so curious, I like it." She smiled at him for a second before continuing. "It's about sensory differentiation, or lack thereof. As you know, Mr. Monoform, you have special organs for sight, sound, taste, and so on. You can't watch a movie with your feet, and you can't enjoy food if you put it in your ear."

"Very weird examples, but please go on." Jackson said, popping a piece of the Pacifica roll into his mouth. "Mmm, this is so good," he mumbled, not even caring he was talking with a mouthful of sushi.

"Olla is the best," Vera said, then straightened her posture and resumed her in-depth explanation of Sela biology. "Sela don't have sensory differentiation, every part of us is capable of perceiving every sensory input." She winked at him. "These peepers are just for show," she said, then blew him a kiss. "And so is this mouth."

Jackson stopped eating and knitted his brow, considering this new information. "So you can see and hear... everything? Like 360 degrees, all around you, all the time?"

With the biggest smile yet, Vera practically cackled. "Monoforms are so fun! I love watching your brain process this radical new way of life." She reached out and patted his forearm twice. "Yes, Jackson, but think of it this way. You can hear everything around you, right? You can't close your ears like you can with your eyes."

"Sure." Another piece of sushi went into Jackson's mouth, the dragon roll this time. Still amazing.

"And it's not overwhelming because your brain is constantly filtering out stuff it considers irrelevant. Background noise. The Sela can do that for all our senses, which is why we aren't constantly grossed out from tasting the floor."

Jackson almost gagged on a piece of vegetable tempura. "Sorry, what? You taste everything all the time too?"

"Weren't you listening? I just went over this!" Vera could only pretend to be annoyed for a few seconds before her sunny disposition reasserted itself. "But yeah, if we wanted to, we could taste anything. This is why we shapeshift ourselves to look clothed instead of wearing actual outfits, because the constant sensory input from it rubbing all over us is..." Vera turned slightly more purple. "Distracting."

This was getting really interesting, and Vera doing most of the talking meant Jackson had plenty of time to eat. "So is that why you wear shoes?"

"Sort of," Vera put her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand, resting on it as she spoke. "It's more of a convenience thing, actually. Modern life involves traveling on a lot of different surfaces. Artificial, natural, smooth, rough, warm, cold, and so on. It can be really disorienting if we're walking around a lot and we keep reacting to fresh stimuli, so wearing shoes keeps at least that part of it consistent. I like it because it helps me focus."

"Kind of like when I put on my favorite shirt before a difficult negotiation," Jackson said, before finishing off the dragon roll.

"You'll have to show me which shirt is your favorite," Vera said.

With a sly grin, Jackson replied, "I'd love to." He let it hang in the air for a moment, just enjoying the moment of connection between them. Then he had to ask. "Okay, so the cubes?"

"I was getting there!" Vera picked up chopsticks and plucked off one corner of the green cube. It separated easily, almost like a block of tofu in its consistency. She gestured to the little blob clutched in the chopsticks, and it jiggled slightly. "Most monoforms have nerves in their mouth that pick up on temperature and texture, it's part of taste but it's also not, you know?"

Jackson nodded, halfway through stuffing more vegetable tempura in his face.

"Well we don't have that, and we don't really have teeth either. My pearly pinks are just for show," Vera said, giving Jackson a full smile. "We dissolve our food, and it's not fast. So if I were to eat some of that sushi you have there..."

Jackson slid his plate closer to himself, worried she was going to try it.

Vera rolled her eyes. "Okay, don't try to share food with Jackson, got it. The point I was making is that if I were to eat something really solid like that, it would break up into chunks and float around in my body for hours, if not days. I'm sure you can guess why that's bad, no one wants to see bits of fish and rice drifting around in my face while we're talking."

"Yeah," Jackson said, talking with his mouth full again. "Like if I had a window in my stomach. Not the best look."

"You would know, I suppose," Vera said, raising her eyebrows in mock judgment. She leaned forward and put the piece of cube into her mouth, closing her lips around it. "Mm. Amazing as always." Jackson could see the faint outline of the food through her lips, but it dissolved rapidly, vanishing in a few seconds. She opened her mouth, sticking her tongue out. "See? All gone!" Vera giggled, closing her mouth and licking her lips.

Jackson couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to kiss her. Probably soft and warm, maybe wet. Maybe also... delicious? "Wow. I can see what you mean," he said, obviously preoccupied with his thoughts.

"Right?" Vera grabbed another piece of the green cube, eating it along with a piece of the white one in quick succession. "Sometimes it's nice to digest a fancy dessert over an entire evening, but the food cubes are the perfect consistency for us to process them quickly, so they're what we eat in mixed company."

By now Jackson had finished most of his meal, and Vera had barely touched hers. "Maybe I should talk about something for a while so you have a chance to eat," he said.

Vera looked down, a bit surprised. "I guess you liked it," she said, seeing his empty plate. "And sure, that sounds nice." She looked back up at him and smiled warmly. Vera grabbed another piece of food and stopped just short of taking a bite. "We've been talking about big concepts for a while," she said, "why don't you tell me about yourself."

"Also known as my least favorite question during a job interview," Jackson said, trying to buy time while he figured out where to start.

Vera grinned at him, eating a few more pieces of her food as she waited for him to start. She didn't seem to be in any particular rush. She crossed her legs under the table and the tip of her foot brushed Jackson's calf. Vera didn't react at all, leaving it up to Jackson to decide if that was an accident or not.

"Well, I'm a diplomat, as you know." He gave Vera a second to nod and she indulged him. "I think," Jackson continued, "communication is the one thing that we'll never automate. Technology can't replicate the skill of bridging gaps and finding connections when everyone has already written off a peaceful solution. "

"It sounds like it's important to you that your life has a purpose," Vera said. Her foot tapped his leg again. Definitely not an accident.

"Most humans feel that way, I think. We're wired to want to be unique, to be irreplaceable." Jackson leaned forward, smirking. "I also think you knew that already."

"True, but I like hearing you explain it." Vera finished the last of her food and set her chopsticks down. She had eaten quickly. Or maybe she hadn't ordered a lot of food. There was no way to know. One of her feet was moving slowly back and forth and Jackson scooted his leg forward so she bumped into him again. No reaction from Vera.

"You're pretty familiar with humans." Jackson didn't move his leg and neither did Vera. At least, not until she started sliding her foot up his leg. Her face stayed almost completely neutral, with only a slight smile giving away how much she was enjoying this.

"Not as familiar as I'd like to be." Vera bit her lower lip, just slightly.

It was enough to send all kinds of ideas racing through Jackson's mind. His face was getting warm. Hot, even. Was she really implying what he thought she was implying? They'd been flirting a little. Well, flirting a lot. And she was drop dead gorgeous. He shifted in his seat, his cock stiffening slightly. "I'd be happy to help you get... more familiar," he said. "Maybe you should ask some specific questions."

"Maybe we should I should show you to your quarters, Mr. Kez," she said, her tone professional, the implication anything but.

"I think that would be perfect, Vera. There's a lot of hard work to do."

"I hope so," Vera replied. Holding eye contact for a few seconds before she pushed her chair back and stood up. "Olla?" Vera called out, prompting the Sela chef to lean around one of the display cases. "Thanks for a great meal," Vera said, "Everything was perfect."

"Anything for my best customer," Olla called back. She saw him reaching for his plate to pick it up and interrupted him. "Don't worry about the cleanup, Mr. Kez! I'll take care of things. I expect you have some pressing matters to attend to."

"Thanks, Olla," Jackson said, watching Vera lead the way toward the door. She definitely had more of a spring in her step. He stopped at the sushi bar and said, "I'll try to make time to come back, but I also want to try every restaurant I can here—"

Olla cut him off, waving her hands. She leaned over the counter and said quietly, "If Vera invites you to come home with her, that should be the only thing on your mind." Then she laughed, hearty and loud.

Jackson could only nod. He pivoted on the spot back toward Vera, seeing her cheeks were now a warm purple color. She held the door open for him, then bit her lower lip again and tilted her head, indicating where they should go. Jackson stepped through and the door swung shut behind him. Vera walked so close to him they bumped into each other a couple times, but it didn't feel like a collision, it felt like comfort. Closeness. Warmth. And excitement.

She led Jackson to what looked like a small cottage with a garden, the two of them had only walked a couple of blocks but the environment had changed from mimicking a bustling downtown to a perfect copy of a quiet rural landscape. Behind him, Jackson saw the city streets, but in every other direction it looked like rolling hills and tall, beautiful trees. It felt like a cozy summer night with warm air and plenty of light to see by. No sign of any of the bugs that made his nights back on Earth less than idyllic, just clear and calm. And with a beautiful woman.

"Like it?" Vera said, "I suggested this place to the council after reading your file from the Stellar Alliance. I believe it said you like quiet, nature, and lots of space. Things that are in short supply for a traveling diplomat."

"It's perfect," Jackson said, looking over the cottage. The garden had fresh fruits and berries growing on impossibly small bushes that had to be genetically engineered, or maybe concealed food replicators. Either way, Jackson was pretty sure bananas didn't grow on bushes. The building itself had a single story, and what looked like a wood exterior, with horizontally arranged planks. It was probably something synthetic that just looked like wood, but Jackson had to admit the Sela had done a great job with the facsimile. The wood of the walls was a calming very light blue, while the carved planks that framed the roof were painted a smooth and clean white. Darker colored blue shingles comprised the roofing, and a brick chimney extended up from the right side. A series of large windows in the walls revealed a cozy den with a fireplace, two couches, a small table for eating, and a few doors leading to other rooms.

Vera had been very patient while Jackson marveled at his accommodations, but when she took a step over next to him and wrapped her arms around one of his, he knew it was time to make a move. The soft, smooth feel of her arms wasn't quite the same as that of her dress, despite both being a part of her. The dress had just a little roughness to it, like cloth, and he could feel the curve of her breasts pressing on his arm. She looked up at him, her golden eyes glowing slightly in the evening shadow. She pulled herself in closer, leaning into his torso, and he stared into her eyes. She was beautiful.

Jackson opened his mouth to say something nice to Vera but she reached up with one hand and put a finger to his lips. She was so warm, and maybe... sweet? "You can flatter me later, Jackson."

He got the hint. Jackson walked Vera up to the front door and reached out with his right arm, the one not currently wrapped up in a gelatinous embrace. He grabbed the handle and opened the door, stepping across the threshold with Vera next to him. As soon as they entered the cottage proper the noise outside died away. There hadn't been much of it, but the cottage was especially insulated. The door closed behind them automatically and Vera looked up at him, her eyes bright and her chest hot against his skin.

With their height difference, Jackson had to lean down a little as he moved in to kiss Vera. He felt her stand up on her tiptoes, moving up to meet him. Their lips touched. She was so soft, every part of her like silk. His hands clutched at her, needing her as close as possible. Vera's lips had a hint of wetness, and a little more give than human lips. He pressed into her urgently, and felt her hands grabbing at the back of his shirt as she returned the kiss. Her tongue slid into his mouth and he grunted, deep and primal. She had a sweet taste, but it was subtle. Not overpowering, and very welcome. As they kissed, they explored each other. Hands sliding over every part save the most explicit. Vera's hands moved down Jackson's sides and across his stomach, stopping just short of caressing his hardening cock. He wanted her to grab it. He wanted her to take his cock out and use her hot, warm mouth on him. He wanted to do so much more to her.

Her smooth tongue slid across his as she pulled it back and broke the kiss. He wasn't sure if she needed to come up for air, but he definitely did. His hands ran up her back and through her hair, feeling the weight and flow of the gelatinous strands. Very different from human hair, but even softer, and as he tousled it, he caught a faint scent of perfume. Impossible to place beyond calling it floral, utterly alien and completely alluring, just like Vera. He leaned in to kiss her again but she had other ideas.

"Bedroom is this way," Vera said. Grabbing both of his hands with hers and walking back toward one of the doors. She nudged it open with one foot and pulled Jackson toward the large bed in the middle of the room. It was circular, covered in a puffy quilt with interlaced sea green and blue threads in spiral patterns, and there were at least half a dozen pillows.

Vera let go of his hands as they reached the bed and she gracefully dropped backwards onto it, her legs hanging off the edge. Jackson didn't need an invitation to follow her, lowering himself over Vera and kissing her again. He held himself up with one hand, his other hand sliding beneath her to her upper back. He pulled her closer as they kissed, pressing her chest into his. Vera moaned softly. She put her hands on Jackson's back and traced long lines up and down, her touch starting light and getting firmer with each pass.

"Is this your favorite shirt?" Vera asked.

"Maybe after tonight it will be."

Vera lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. "You're a real flirt, Mr. Kez."

Then Vera pulled him in, and their bodies fully met. Even through his clothes and Vera's faux dress, he could feel her warmth and the raw need in her every movement. The heat and the pressure brought his already stirring cock the rest of the way to full hardness, and he pushed his hips forward, grinding against her. She moaned again, tightening her legs. Jackson felt her body shift slightly, becoming more supple, more pliable, and definitely warmer. He pushed himself up with both arms, looking down at her. There was no dress now, no illusion of cloth concealing Vera's curves.

Jackson's gaze traced long, slow arcs across her bright pink body, taking it all in. Her hair was wild and unkempt now, and her lips seemed even more full, changing color slightly with a hint of purple to them. Her eyes practically glowed, twin golden ovals shining in the dark. He wasn't ashamed to admit his eyes went to her chest next, staring at her large, curvaceous breasts. Each had a stiff, dark pink nipple with a perfectly circular areola around it. They were impossibly perky for their size, or at least impossible for a human, and Jackson shifted his weight to one arm again so he could grab one of her breasts, squeezing it softly.

Vera let out a deep hum of satisfaction. "Oh, you can be a lot rougher than that," she said. Bucking her hips up and grinding herself on him, rubbing his cock through his pants. "You can put your whole weight on me, Jackson, I can take it."

That was invitation enough, and Jackson squeezed harder. He felt the surface of her breast give slightly. They were soft and warm, like the rest of her, and while at first he was worried his hand was going to sink right into her or that he might hurt her, it was clear she could handle a lot. She wanted a lot. But first, Jackson's rock hard dick was making his pants feel far too tight. He pushed himself up onto his knees, then off the bed, standing over Vera's splayed out beauty. He pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it to the floor, enjoying the way Vera's golden eyes flicked up and down over him. She noticed his expression and bit her lower lip, swaying very slightly from side to side and crossing her arms in front of herself to accentuate her breasts. Jackson couldn't imagine anything more seductive.