The Breeding Experiment

"Interesting. So where are these pygmies from?"

"The island of Flores in Indonesia." Flenai pointed at it on the map.

***

As the days became months, Thalik and Flenai grew closer and closer. Flenai was the source of most of the exciting new things he was learning, and he admired that she knew so much. She was beautiful too, in her own exotic way. He was hurt that she was encouraging him to mate with the Neanderthal, but he was also conflicted about the perverse feelings he had for Flenai. She was an extraterrestrial. It was against the natural order. What would even happen if he tried to mate with her? Would it be physically dangerous for one or both of them? He was too embarrassed to ask, at least directly.

He posed a question to her. "What would happen if I was too unlike the Neanderthal to successfully breed with her but tried to anyway? Could there be any negative repercussions beyond not being able to make viable offspring?"

"There is no reason for us to think so, and we've done a lot of breeding experiments of this sort, in which we weren't sure if the individuals should be classed as the same species. As long as the reproductive anatomy is compatible, neither is harboring transmittable diseases, and both participants are willing, there is little cause for concern."

"The zipom seem very uninhibited. I wonder if any of them have even experimented with breeding species from different planets."

"There isn't nearly as much scientific reason to do so, though of course that doesn't stop adventurous individuals from trying it."

"And what have been the results of that?"

"It varies a lot. Life forms are very diverse in how they handle it. But protocol requires that when individuals from different planets are brought into contact, including here on the SS, that we always screen them for potential pathogens. We kill any that could endanger anyone else and that aren't important for the individual's own health, and vaccinate the other residents against pathogens that we can't eliminate. This is extremely effective. Theoretically, you could even have sex with me or any of the zipom without there being any negative health consequences for any of us."

"That's very reassuring to know," replied Thalik, trying to sound sarcastic. But he was relieved.

***

Thalik agreed to meet the Neanderthals. He was brought to a sectioned-off part of the Neanderthal enclosure, which was separated from the other side by a sturdy fence. The enclosure was a dome with an inner surface of a backlit screen designed to look like the sky, complete with shifting clouds and a brighter, moving sun. The backlit screen also changed color to match the time of day or night, and there were vents in the walls for artificial breezes to randomly blow through. The temperature was a bit chilly to Thalik but not uncomfortably so. He had dressed warmly, as Flenai had recommended.

Through the gaps in the fence, he could see the two humanoid figures seated in front of the opening to a cave--an adult and a juvenile huddled around a fire and roasting what appeared to be a massive leg of meat.

Flenai explained, "We have been scavenging newly dead animals from the wild and feeding them to our zoo creatures. And though we could have just given them pre-made meals directly, in the wild, Neanderthals make fires by hand and cook their food, so we wanted them to demonstrate these behaviors to the spectators."

As Thalik got closer, he noticed that the Neanderthals were vocalizing to one another. He strained to make out the sounds of their language, if you could call it that. It seemed to consist mostly of grunts, growls, and shrieks.

"Is that their language? Do they even have a language?!" Thalik asked, bewildered. It was completely unlike any languages he had heard from the other human populations his tribe had encountered during migrations.

"Yes. The anatomy of their throats is rather different from that of your kind, rendering them incapable of making many of the vocalizations that you can make. But, they make do with what they've got."

Suddenly, the juvenile spotted Thalik and pointed at him while shrieking in excitement, then bounded over to the fence. This Neanderthal appeared to be about 3 or 4 years old, with milky white skin, hair as blond as flax, and bluish-gray eyes that shimmered in reflection of the surrounding lights. These eyes reminded Thalik of a cool, rippling stream over a rocky riverbed.

Absorbed in scrutinizing the child's features, Thalik was oblivious to the mother approaching until she was right there in front of him. She had hair the color of rust, tied in an updo with feathers poking out (like a spike halo). She wore small curved bones as piercings through her nostrils and ears, and a necklace with a scallop shell pendant and three irregularly-shaped pearls on either side. Her face was dotted with freckles. The Neanderthal woman picked up her child, then fixed her hazel eyes back on Thalik and uttered something to him.

Flenai translated. "She says her name is Zugma and this is her son Koth."

***

Flenai explained that Zugma and Koth came from a band of Neanderthals that was starving and resorting to cannibalism. Zugma had already lost her mate that way when a group of enemy Neanderthals attacked. The zipom had rescued the boy from meeting the same fate, and brought along his mother so as to not separate them, and to protect her from the possibility of being killed for meat later as well.

As Thalik listened to more of Zugma and Koth's language, he realized that it was more phonetically complex than how it had initially sounded to him. He doubted that his throat would be capable of making many of their sounds either. And though Flenai was a fine translator, as the days and weeks passed, Thalik and the Neanderthals created a pidgin language to communicate more directly, which included a lot of hand signs.

Zugma revealed that she was an inventor too. Her people had often suffered severe injuries from hunting, and after experimenting with a variety of treatments, she discovered that some substances could prevent or minimize infection if applied to the open wounds. So successful were these innovations that her group started trading the medicines to neighboring bands of Neanderthals during their trade expeditions, to exchange for goods such as jewelry, pigments, and carved figurines. Zugma was especially fond of trading for seashell and crystal jewelry, whereas Koth especially liked the golden eagle figurines.

Soon the dividing fence was removed and Thalik moved in permanently with the Neanderthals.

Thalik used some of the rock and wood in their enclosure to make specialized projectile weapons. Koth and Zugma were fascinated. They had never seen anything like them before. They tested them on various targets in their enclosure, with impressive results. Koth insisted on learning how to make some himself, and Thalik happily obliged.

For fun and exercise, they often occupied their time throwing spears at moving targets the zipom had installed in their enclosure. Thalik was excited to practice hunting, never having been up to it back on Earth because of his leg problem. It was more difficult for him than it looked, however. He still had a lot to learn. Zugma was much better at it than he was. He remarked about how strange it was that the woman was even practicing hunting at all, as opposed to doing a womanly task such as gathering edible vegetation.

Flenai explained, "In her native habitat there are little to no suitable plants to gather, so both the men and the women hunt."

***

One day, Flenai created an opportunity to be alone with Thalik and Zugma by enlisting a zipom to babysit Koth. Flenai casually broached the subject of mating.

Zugma eyed Thalik ravenously, confessing, "I've been without a mate for too long."

Thalik asked Flenai, "And supposing that I mate with her, the zipom will be observing us the whole time, right?"

"That's right."

"Will you be watching us too?"

"Yes, unless you'd prefer me not to."

"Give me some time to think about that."

***

Thalik decided to go ahead with the interbreeding experiment (with Flenai watching and taking notes). After all, he owed the extraterrestrials for saving his life and healing his leg, so it was only fair that he allow them to conduct further experiments on him (and to eventually exhibit him to the public). And Zugma was a nice lady. They got along well.

As Zugma stripped off her clothes, Thalik was struck by how thickly muscled her body was. Her arms were about as thick as his legs! He gulped as she approached, a predatory look in her eyes. She pushed him roughly to the ground, pinning him down with one massive arm while using her other to rip off his clothes. They would need to be repaired later, but he soon lost that train of thought when Zugma mounted him and began their wild lovemaking.

Flenai observed from a nearby outcropping, pleased that she had made a successful match. All the while, cameras spaced throughout the enclosure recorded the mating from a dozen different angles. These would be watched not only by anthropology researchers and students, but also by members of the general public throughout the galaxy, to raise awareness of this breeding project and thus generate revenue to fund further research. Thalik and Zugma agreed to this.

Soon Zugma was pregnant. The fetus was screened for any deformities and genetic problems. It seemed to be perfectly healthy and likely to survive not just to birth but also perhaps well into adulthood.

***

Now that Thalik had gotten more caught up from his one-on-one tutoring, Flenai was now tutoring him and Zugma together, and sometimes with Koth as well. And though she had initially told the zipom that the tutoring was to test their cognition, it really was much more than that. It would be such a waste for these people to live only as zoo animals. Beings of their cognitive caliber should be receiving state-of-the-art education. Who knew what they could accomplish if given the proper nurturance? Flenai had also briefly considered putting Koth in school with the extraterrestrials, but she was worried that they would taunt him for being from an "uncivilized" species. After all, no Neanderthal had ever been in school before. Some of his teachers might also argue that it was unnatural for him--that his kind hadn't evolved to go to school and that Koth ought to be returned to a tundra on Earth to terrorize the local mammoth population with his fellow Neanderthals. But he didn't want to go back. He had bonded with Flenai and become attached to his life here, and so had Zugma, and Thalik.

Many of Koth's extraterrestrial peers would probably just be jealous of his massive Neanderthal brain. It was a pattern among sapient species that following the development of language, biological evolution then trended toward less and less brainpower per individual. After all, individuals didn't need to be as smart when they could more effectively rely on the collective intelligence of others. This was especially likely to be true if their total connected population was large and the amount of information transfer was great, a scenario exacerbated by writing, internet, and mass communication in general. Plus, large brains are costly to maintain, requiring a vastly disproportionate share of the body's calories and potentially causing the cost of food to be a major drain on the individual's resources. Sure, some species managed to subvert this pattern via genetic engineering or other artificial brain enhancements, or even just by granting especially great social status to the most innovative individuals, but there were also many species that did not, for whatever reason.

***

Now the exhibit was open to the general public, and the halls were soon crowded with throngs of visitors.

When Zugma's pregnancy progressed to where she was no longer able to be as physically active, she spent a lot of time sitting and making crafts. Thalik still enjoyed the target practice, and he also spent a lot of time playing with Koth. They often played hide-and-seek and wrestled and tickled one another, Koth's bell-like laughter echoing through much of the zoo and warming the hearts of those who heard it. Zugma was pleased that Koth was able to experience having a father figure again. Koth barely remembered his deceased, biological father, and soon began addressing Thalik as "Pa."

In the evenings, the three of them spent hours creating and telling stories to each other.

***

It was now time for Flenai to visit the Floresian hominid. Unlike the Neanderthals, the Floresians were clearly a separate species from Homo sapiens. These presumed descendents of a band of Homo erectuses that had constructed crude seafaring vessels to reach the island of Flores had found themselves in a jungle habitat much like that of their ape forebears, and as such, had reverted back to several ancient adaptations such as small size for easy maneuvering between densely-spaced trees, a high-stepping gait for ease of climbing, relatively long arms for greater range when swinging from trees, and short legs for easier ducking beneath low branches.

Flenai had been on an Earth-based mission surveying the scene when she noticed a group of pygmy hominids being attacked by a mob of giant rats. She was only able to rescue the smallest, a little girl at the time, while the others were devoured by the rats. Flenai snatched the girl up in her talons, flew her to safety, and nursed her back to health. The girl revealed that her name was Myang-Sra. They had lived together ever since. And even though Myang-Sra was fully-grown now, Flenai still sometimes flew her around in the giant atrium of the SS or on any suitable planets they stopped at.

(Flenai had a delicate bone structure so that her weight was light enough for flight. And though her body wasn't as aerodynamic as a full-fledged bird's, her people also did a lot of upright walking, so their bodies were a compromise between the two modes of locomotion. Her native planet also had much less gravity than Earth, so flight was easier.)

***

Soon Zugma and Thalik's baby girl was born. She had tan skin, brown eyes, and wavy dark hair. They named her Betai.

Flenai told them that it would be a good idea to bathe in preparation for the celebration.

Because of their healthy diets and relatively natural lifestyles, their bodies didn't tend to get colonized by bad bacteria that would cause foul body odor or even bad breath, but their skin and hair did nonetheless tend to accumulate sweat residues and dirt, which, when they became bothersome, were removed by scrubbing or brushing, and by swimming several times per week. These particular hominids also made toothpicks and floss to clean food residues and plaque from their teeth after every meal. Not using soap also meant that their bodies didn't produce excess oil to compensate. As a result of all this, they were never too dirty but never very clean either.

For the celebration though, extraterrestrials would be inspecting them very closely--touching their hair, sniffing them, etc. Flenai wanted the hominids to seem extra civilized to help convince the visitors that these were people.

They stripped naked and stepped into the pond within their exhibit. Flenai brought three bars of natural soap that wouldn't contaminate their little habitat and demonstrated how to use it by rubbing it over Koth's upper body. She then instructed him to step out of the water and spread the soap over the rest of his body, not missing a spot. She then handed the remaining two bars to Zugma and Thalik and told them to wash their clothes too, after they were done washing their bodies.

***

On the day of the celebration, the halls around the exhibit were more crowded than Thalik had ever seen them before. There were aliens from all over the galaxy. And despite their widely varying body morphologies and clothing styles, he recognized that they were all exquisitely dressed.

He sat down to face the visitors, lounging with his legs spaced apart, utterly indifferent about the fact that he was flashing his gonads at them. Several extraterrestrials clustered in front, craning their bodies, necks, and/or eye stalks to get a better look. No reason to be shy about this around them, Thalik thought. After all, they're not humans. One of the spectators then shone a flashlight up Thalik's skirt, and several others took out their cameras and snapped photos.

Thalik suddenly noticed something unexpected. A human girl? He scrutinized her, then stood up and came closer for a better look. She was a dark-complexioned humanoid about the same size as Koth, but with the approximate proportions of a woman. She was clinging to Flenai's side, with her legs wrapped around her waist and arms around her shoulders, wearing green sashes with gold-embroidered hems, and a gold diadem studded with green gems.

This must be the Indonesian pygmy woman Flenai told me about, he thought.

She stared back at him.

Now it was time for her and Flenai to come into the exhibit with them. Flenai gently lowered her to the ground. The Floresian pygmy never took her eyes off Thalik and immediately approached him, placing her hand on his knee and then reaching up to feel his waistcloth.

She's not shy at all, Thalik thought with amusement.

Suddenly, she yanked at his waistcloth, pulling it down to his ankles and exposing his genitals once again. She and the onlookers laughed uproariously, then she quickly scampered up his body and onto the tree limb that hung right above his head, then up to the tallest boughs far out of his reach.

Startled by her sudden actions, Thalik barely registered the now-frenzied snapping of photos. He swore at the monkey girl for inconveniencing him, even though he doubted she could understand his language. She laughed and hooted wildly at him in her high-pitched voice as Thalik fumbled to put his waistcloth back on. If he didn't put it on immediately, Flenai would be mad at him.

***

After the zoo's closing hours, Thalik's kin were brought on board to visit. They marveled at the new baby, and at Zugma and Koth's exotic looks.

Jayibeh apparently had still been unable to conceive a child of her own. She asked that if Thalik produced more babies, if she could take some of them back to Earth to raise as her own--after they had been weaned of course. Thalik and Zugma agreed.

***

The hominid exhibit was raking in enough money that Flenai realized she might not need to sell every egg she laid anymore. She laid an egg about once every Earth month and sold them to fund her anthropology research. They were expensive, as they had the power to fix various health ailments, including staving off aging in whomever ate them. (How often such people would need to continue consuming them to maintain these effects depended on the individual's species and age.)

The zipom were especially motivated to keep her extremely comfortable so that she would continue to lay the eggs. (The precondition of her psychological comfort was an evolutionary adaptation to ensure that she would only produce new life if environmental conditions were favorable.) The comfort the zipom provided for her included cushy living quarters, the highest-quality food and drink, and other state-of-the-art amenities.

Flenai retired to her living quarters to check her computer. She had a new message.

It was from her husband.