The Autumn War Vol. 01: Invasion

"Here's hoping this won't make all of Montgomery's margaritas taste like sweet and sour sauce from now on," he muttered as he upended the packet into it. Sticky was an understatement, the chunks of chicken breast sliding out along with globs of orange-yellow sauce. It smelled great, Jade apparently picking it up too, her antennae wiggling happily. He hit the button at the base of the blender, holding the lid down as it vibrated in his hands. After a few pulses, he had reduced the meal to a thick paste that didn't look too far away from Jade's honey in color and consistency.

"How's this?" he asked, Jade leaning closer to examine the concoction.

"Looks good," she replied. "Maybe not very appetizing to a human, but I have a taste for paste."

Evan produced a collapsible bowl, then poured the syrupy mixture out of the blender, sliding the resulting dish across the table towards her. She cupped it in her hands, raising it as though she was about to take a sniff of the wisps of steam that were rising from it. Instead, she brought her antennae down, waving them over it. The chitin plates that made up the lower portion of her face split open to reveal the flesh beneath, parting like a beak, her tongue-like proboscis snaking forth. The sight no longer bothered Evan - he had grown used to it by now. She plunged it into the bowl, taking a hesitant sip, Evan watching the subtle bulge travel up the fleshy tube. Her eyes lit up, and she took a few more sips, her antennae waving again.

"Hey, that's not bad at all!" she said as she raised the bowl a little higher. "I didn't even know my proboscis had this many taste buds."

"Don't fill up," Evan said, sifting through the remaining packets. "This is just the first course."

"What about you?" she asked. "Aren't you having anything?"

"Oh, right," he muttered as he fished out a packet for himself. "Maybe I'll have a little of what you have, and we can try the different menus together?"

"Alright," she replied cheerfully.

"Next up is pepperoni pizza," Evan continued. Jade waited for her vacuum-sealed square of pizza to cook excitedly, finishing off the rest of her sweet and sour chicken. It was the first time that he had seen her this animated. Her eyes were bright, and her antennae were waving as though caught in a breeze. This really must be a totally new experience for her.

When it was ready, he split the pizza in half, tossing one of the pieces into the blender.

"This is either going to be really gross or really good," he warned as he took a bite out of his share. Holding his pizza in his mouth, he pulsed the blender again, reducing its contents down to a fine powder. "Shit, it's too dry," he muttered. "Better add a little water."

When he got it to the right consistency, he poured it out into her now-empty bowl, Jade eyeing this dish a little more suspiciously. She gave it a sniff, or what passed for one, then took a drink. This time, she grimaced, slowly sliding the bowl away from her so as not to be too impolite.

"This one is, uh...a little more creative," she said as she took a drink from his canteen to cleanse her palate.

"Yeah, I guess not all food can be blended," he conceded as he took another bite out of his pizza. "Pizza is mostly about the contrasting textures, the doughy crust, the crisp pepperoni slices. Let's try something else. A dessert, maybe. Something fruity." He picked up a couple of smaller packets from the pile, reading off the labels. "Here we go, grape jelly," he said as he handed it to Jade. She examined it, then tore it open, bringing her moth-like antennae close once again. Inserting her proboscis directly into the packet, she took a sip, unhindered by the thicker consistency.

"I like this one!" she chimed as she took another long draw from the packet.

"I have several flavors of jelly here," Evan said, fanning out the packets like a hand of cards. "Apple, peach, blackcurrant, strawberry."

"These are all fruits from Earth, right?" she asked as she drank from her packet like it was a juice box. Once again, he noted that her speech was unhindered, Jade able to drink and talk at the same time like a ventriloquist. "Man, we should look into making jelly from some of the native plants on Jarilo. Maybe we could have some treats along with our rations."

"Oh, so now the honey isn't enough?" Evan joked. "I thought Jarilans were too efficient for treats?"

"It must be my human side talking," she replied, looking him up and down conspicuously. "I expect you to introduce me to all of the inefficiencies and excesses that I've been missing out on."

"Oh, don't worry, we'll get you back in touch with your heritage in no time."

Over the next hour or so, they went through all the different dishes, Evan ensuring that she was able to sample the widest range of flavors possible. As he had expected, she favored the sweeter foods, but even the ones that she hated kept them both entertained. By the end of it, he wasn't sure how he was ever going to get the blender clean again.

"You want to get something to drink?" Evan asked once she was finished. "I was gonna say that you might want to wash your meal down, but it was already liquid, so..."

"I could go for a drink," she replied, setting her empty bowl aside. "Didn't you trade your alcohol rations for that blender, though?"

"Doesn't have to be today's ration," he said with a smile, rising from his seat.

***

The mechanical arm behind the bar placed Jade's glass of peach schnapps on the counter in front of her, her proboscis winding between the floating ice cubes as she took a long sip. Evan lifted his own drink to his lips, downing a healthy mouthful, feeling the spirit warm his belly as it settled there. A little liquid courage might help to steady his nerves right now. He had spent so long hanging out with Jade, and nothing had changed between them save for how they chose to define their relationship, so where was this tension coming from?

"So, what do you want to do next?" he asked. "I didn't really have anything planned besides the blender thing. There's not a lot to do on an assault carrier. Want to play more darts? A videogame, maybe?"

"Relax," she chuckled, reaching over to pat his thigh with a lower hand as she held her drink in the upper pair. "You don't have to entertain me - I'm here to spend time with you. The blender was a cute idea though," she chuckled, her laughter making Evan's heart flutter. She leaned closer to kiss his cheek, a flash of unexpected desire coursing through him like a lightning bolt as her soft lips met his skin. As he took in a sharp breath, his head began to swim, and her expressive eyes were all that he could focus on. They drew him in, her long lashes batting as she cocked her head at him.

Evan didn't consider himself a lecherous man, and in the handful of relationships that he'd had, he had always tried to take things slow. He wasn't like Hernandez - it took Evan time to connect with people. Yet, something about Jade was making him feel things he hadn't felt since he was a frustrated teenager. He was a live wire, his very blood seeming to boil in his veins, electricity coursing across his skin. He hadn't had nearly enough drinks to be drunk yet, so what the hell was happening to him?

As he allowed himself to breathe again, he realized what it was. It was her scent. Jade had always smelled nice, something akin to a flowery perfume or a scented body wash radiating from her whenever she was close. It wasn't unexpected - likely a deliberate move by the Queen to make her more appealing to humans. The natural aromas of the Bugs that he had encountered on the battlefield hadn't exactly been pleasant, which was understandable for creatures that communicated primarily through pheromones.

Something about it was different now, however. He had first felt this way the night before, when they had almost kissed in the observation room, and again during their encounter in the bathroom. It was more than just nerves, more than desire - it was chemical. The odor that she exuded was unmistakably that of a woman, something that he wouldn't even have known how to describe until now. That scent dredged up intimate memories from deep within the recesses of his mind, flashes of sweat-drenched skin shining as tangled bodies writhed, the half-remembered taste of a spurned lover's kiss. There was something primal piggybacking on her scent, like a pirate signal riding on a carrier wave.

"What's up?" she asked, snapping him out of his trance.

"N-nothing," he replied, struggling to drive the intrusive thoughts from his mind. If he concentrated, he found that he could suppress them, but they came thick and fast each time her perfume wafted over to him. "You, uh...want another drink?"

"You don't have to get me drunk, you know," she chuckled as she set her empty glass back down on the bar. The robotic arm quickly swooped down and removed it, placing it out of view beneath the counter. She leaned over to give him a nudge with her elbow, bringing another swell of that maddening scent with her like a fragrant breeze. "I think we're past the point where I need to be convinced of anything."

"Last night," he began, Jade's antennae wiggling curiously at the abrupt change of subject. "You told me that you could taste my pheromones, that you couldn't help it. What did you mean by that, exactly? I was...too distracted to ask at the time."

She seemed a little flustered, settling back into her seat, the faux-leather padding creaking beneath her as she adjusted her weight. Before replying, she tapped at the touch panel that was floating nearby on its gimbal, the robotic arm springing into action with an electrical whine.

"I think I'll have that drink after all," she said, chuckling in a way that seemed more nervous than jovial. She waited for the arm to fill a fresh glass, then took a sip. "So, you know that Betelgeusians communicate through pheromones," she said as she glanced over at him.

"Yeah, that's the whole reason the Coalition brought you guys out here," Evan replied.

"Jarilans can speak, obviously," she continued as she took another sip from her drink. "We wouldn't be very good at interacting with humans if we couldn't. But, we also retain the ability to communicate using pheromones. We're all born bilingual, in a sense. Our Betelgeusian ancestors would signal emotions and give commands through secreting chemicals, and not always in a way that was conscious. Some pheromones can be almost...overriding, making you feel sensations or emotions. Imagine..." She trailed off, reaching a finger into her glass to toy with the floating ice cubes as she considered how best to explain the concept. "Imagine if the mess hall was signposted with pheromones rather than, well, a sign. Imagine that catching its scent not only informed you of its location, but also made you hungry. Imagine if someone was angry, but rather than reading it on their face or in their tone, you felt a little of their anger. That's kind of how our pheromones work. They trigger emotions, sometimes memories, feelings."

"You're all empaths, in a way," Evan interjected. "You feel what other Jarilans feel, but in a strictly chemical sense."

"Well, not just other Jarilans," she added as she gave him another sideways glance. "To answer your question - because I'm part human, so are my pheromones. Humans are animals just like any other. You're ruled by chemical reactions and hormones, and you signal each other in subconscious ways. Human pheromones are very weak, and you're never consciously aware of them, but they're there. When you consider that my sense of smell is thousands of times more sensitive than yours, you can start to see why I can't help but pick them up."

"And...can it go both ways?" Evan added, Jade blinking back at him in surprise. "My nose is thousands of times less sensitive than your antennae, but your pheromones are thousands of times more potent than mine, right? Would it be possible for a human to sense a Jarilan's pheromones?"

"Are you saying that you can pick mine up?" she whispered, glancing around the bar conspiratorially. "They told us that humans might be able to, but I've never had it happen before!"

"Is it a big deal?" Evan asked, confused by her reaction.

"What's it like?" she asked, her eyes bright with curiosity. "What does it make you feel?"

"I, uh..." He reached up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly, feeling his face start to burn. "Nothing that I could describe in polite conversation."

"It doesn't bother you?" she asked hesitantly, her antennae starting to droop. "I was worried that you might interpret it as a form of mind control - so many people think we have some kind of psychic hive-mind - or that you might see it as a violation of privacy. I don't do any of it on purpose, it's just how I'm built. I can no more switch it off than you could choose to stop hearing."

"Not at all," Evan said with a sigh of relief, Jade perking up again. "I thought I was going crazy for a minute there. Every time I'm close to you, I feel like I'm tipsy. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since last night."

"I can taste your attraction to me," she added, lowering her voice so that the patrons playing pool at the other end of the room wouldn't overhear them. Her prior confidence returned now, her tone taking on a salacious quality that sent a pleasant shiver coursing up his spine. "It's in your sweat, it's on your skin. Every time you look at me, you exude desire out of your pores. What are we doing wasting time?" she continued, those emerald eyes fixed on him. "Our vehicle could be repaired by morning. Who knows what might happen during our next deployment. You're attracted to me, I'm attracted to you - we both know it. Let's do something about it!"

"Whoa, slow down," Evan stammered as he raised his hands defensively.

"S-sorry," she said, interrupting him before he could continue. "Am I moving too fast? I've never done this before, I don't know how this is supposed to go."

"I just meant, are we even compatible?" he continued.

"Oh yeah, we're compatible," she cooed.

"Did you look it up?"

She giggled, mimicking the human gesture of covering her mouth with her hand, despite the fact that it wouldn't have any effect.

"I didn't need to look it up. When I told you that the Queen designed us to interact with humans, I meant it in more ways than just speech. We've all had the talk at one point or another."

"With who?" Evan demanded, his head swimming at the prospect.

"Hollyhock tells some of us, and they tell the rest," she explained as she gradually leaned closer to him. "She's an ambassador - it's her job to know about human-Jarilan relations."

The nearer she got, the more that maddening perfume invaded his senses, Jade doing it deliberately now that he'd given her carte blanche. It made it hard to think straight, the one-two punch of her words and her scent dizzying him.

"I've never felt this way before," she continued, hooking both of her right arms around his left as she pressed close. He could feel the soft, fluffy ruff of fur around her neck brushing against his shoulder through his clothes, her feathery antennae tickling his face. Her voice was softer now, almost pleading. "If you're able to sense my pheromones, then I don't need to tell you how badly I want this."

This was his chance. All he had to do now was follow the advice that Hernandez had given him and not overthink things, not mess this up.

"My place or yours?" he asked.

"That doesn't make a lot of sense, considering we're bunking in the same quarters," she giggled.

"Oh, right," he mumbled, silently cursing himself.

"Actually, where can we go to be alone for a few hours?" she wondered, Evan feeling something soft press up against his bicep through the scant fabric of her tank top. A few hours? His head was spinning again.

"I wonder where Hernandez and Tatzi went," he mused, trying to focus as her perfume enveloped him.

"I could find out," she suggested, gesturing to her wiggling antennae.

"You can do that?" he chuckled.

"I'm a sniffer dog, right? I bet whatever closet they locked themselves in is full of their pheromones."

"I have another idea," he continued, daring to lean a little closer to whisper to her. "We could take a sleeping bag into the observation room. I doubt that anyone will stumble on us in there - not unless the port engine gets taken out."

"I like the sound of that," she cooed. "We can make our own private love nest." She slid down off her seat, pulling him along with surprising strength as he quickly downed the last of his drink. "Come on! I want to make the most of what time we have."

CHAPTER 18: ALL'S FAIR

They hurried back to their quarters, finding that what members of their team were still there were sleeping. Quietly, his hands trembling due to nerves and excitement, Evan opened his locker and pulled out his sleeping bag. He pulled the pillows from his and Jade's bunks, tossing them to her, his companion catching them in her four arms.

The pair made their way through the carrier's winding hallways like they were on their way to commit a crime, giddily checking around corners to make sure that no officers were patrolling the corridors so late. They weren't doing anything that was against regulations as far as they knew, but they didn't want to have to explain why they were sneaking around the ship with handfuls of bedding in the middle of the night shift.

Evan knew exactly where he was going, leading Jade back to the secluded room. Once again, the door slid open with a touch of the panel, the two slipping inside before closing it behind them.

"Can you lock it?" Jade asked as Evan fiddled with the display, his sleeping bag tucked under one arm.

"Nah, looks like that would require an access code."

"Oh well," she chimed. "I guess we'll just have to keep quiet, then, won't we?"

He turned around to see her standing there, framed by the light that was bleeding in through the narrow window behind her. For the first time, he allowed himself to admire her unreservedly, to drink in the contours of her alien body without fear of how she or others might react. Maybe it was the fact that he was only now allowing himself to see her in this light, or maybe it was something to do with the pheromones, but her feminine features leapt out at him more than ever.

From the moment that he had seen her walking over from her dropship on Kerguela's surface, he had noted her oddly human traits. Now that he knew more about her heritage, about her purpose, she seemed almost to have been sculpted specifically to please the male eye. There was nothing coincidental about the way that her thorax armor pinched her narrow waist like a corset, nothing accidental about the way that her hips flared out into a fertile hourglass. Her thighs were thick and inviting, tapering into willowy, digitigrade legs. Her two-toed feet were like the dainty hooves of a deer, Jade balancing on them with all the grace of a ballerina. There was nothing clumsy about her, nothing unnecessary, her form somehow honed into a thing of both beauty and efficiency by her Queen's unfathomable intelligence. Once again, he marveled at how her tank top made it look like she was nude from the waist down. Even though her skirt was protecting her modesty, her inner thighs could still be glimpsed between its hanging plates, left conspicuously exposed. The skin there was waxy, shiny, catching the light like a buffed car. Her body was still a mystery to him - he had no idea where her armor ended and her natural figure began, but he was only moments away from figuring that out for himself.

"I guess my worries about being too alien for your tastes were unfounded," she said, cocking her hips in a way that only exaggerated her curves. "This isn't a museum, y'know. You can look with your hands if you want to..."