Worlds Apart Pt. 02

"You can tell me to get lost if you just want to enjoy your drinks in peace," Harry continued, "but I'd be interested to know what brings you two to Jarilo."

"You're with the Navy, right? Liz asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Yeah, but I'm not askin' in any official capacity," the man replied as he leaned back in his chair. "Just makin' conversation. We don't get many new faces out here."

Jamie wasn't sure how much he wanted to discuss the details of their medical procedures with this stranger, but Harry seemed friendly, and they were here to kill time. Besides, the presence of the Krell intrigued him. He had never seen one up close like this before. The giant reptile was just watching them with a pair of beady, yellow eyes, its large nostrils flaring with every breath.

"We're here with the UAS," he replied.

"Oh, you're a couple of scientists, then?" Harry asked.

"Not exactly," Jamie continued. He gave Liz a glance, silently asking her permission, and she nodded her head. "We're here to undergo an experimental medical procedure."

"Let me guess, somethin' related to genetics?" Harry asked. "That's what the Jarilans do best."

"We're having a baby," Liz said bluntly.

A low rumbling sound emanated from the Krell, shaking Jamie's bones like he was sitting on top of a sub-woofer. Harry's face split into a grin, and he turned to nudge his giant companion with his elbow.

"Hear that, big guy? I told you it was only a matter of time, didn't I?"

"That doesn't come as a surprise to you?" Jamie asked.

"Me and BJ are bodyguards for the Jarilan Ambassador," he explained, pausing to take a drink from his frothing pint glass. "She has a lot of human DNA in her."

The Krell rumbled something that didn't even sound like speech to Jamie, Harry's face starting to redden. He turned to give the creature a jab, his elbow sinking into the reptile's pudgy underside.

"You're lucky nobody 'round here can understand you," he whispered, turning back to the confused pair as the Krell huffed with what might be laughter. "So, yeah, the Jarilans have been experimentin' with blendin' human and Betelgeusian DNA for some time. If they can splice those species, why not others?"

"We've seen the Ambassador on newscasts," Liz added, "she was part of the reason we came here. I could tell just from looking at her that she was a product of gene splicing."

"Yeah, the Queen tailored her appearance specifically to appeal to humans," Harry replied. "She's a born ambassador, quite literally designed to bridge the gap between humans and Jarilans."

"Why does she need bodyguards?" Jamie wondered. "Liz, your parents were diplomats, and I don't remember them ever needing that kind of protection."

"The assassination attempts that Walker mentioned," she reminded him, Jamie nodding his head.

"Oh yeah, he did mention something about that..."

"There were several attempts on her life," Harry explained. "I'm not at liberty to discuss the details unless I want a team of Ninnies payin' me a visit, but the Admiralty has ordered that she be escorted whenever she's outside the hive."

"What about inside?" Jamie asked.

"There's no safer place to be than inside the hive," Harry continued. "It's deep enough to act as a bunker, which is the reason the Navy can't just wipe out Bugs with orbital bombardment, and it's full of single-minded soldiers who you'd have to fight through to reach a VIP. Entire Marine battalions have a hard enough time pullin' that off. An old buddy of mine tried that play during the Kruger war, lost dozens of guys, and most of his limbs for his trouble."

"I imagine that a Krell would make for an excellent bodyguard," Liz said, appraising the scaly alien. "What about you?"

"I'm just your average Marine," he replied with a shrug, taking another sip of his drink. "The Ambassador and I have a good workin' relationship, I'll put it that way. This is huge, though," he added as he directed the conversation back to them. "The Ambassador is gonna want to hear about this. It's another great opportunity to show how valuable the Jarilans are. Not just to the Navy, either, but to civvies too. She's all about findin' ways to improve their rep on the Galactic stage."

"I can imagine how hard that must be," Liz said, taking a very conservative sip from her own glass. Borealans didn't metabolize alcohol the same way that humans did, and even a couple of beers was enough to floor them. "We've been surprised by how much the colonists and the Jarilans are getting along. Before we arrived, we heard talk of Naval blockades and military bases. I expected the hive to be cordoned-off and boxed in by a huge defensive perimeter of barbed wire, armed patrols, and sentry turrets. Instead, we've seen Warriors converted into farming equipment and Drones supervising human children. It's nothing like what I imagined."

"We have made a lot of progress," Harry said with a nod. "New colonists tend to be suspicious at first, but they soon warm up to the critters once they realize how helpful they can be. If a group of Workers offers to help dig a well for you or clear some land for your farm, you don't have the luxury of tellin' them to go pound sand. Just tellin' people what's happenin' here isn't enough, they have to see it, they have to benefit from it themselves."

"So...you think that what we're doing will help?" Jamie asked.

"Big-time," Harry replied. "Different species bein' able to have kids will dominate the newscasts for weeks. It'll be good press for the Jarries."

The Krell rumbled again, leaning in to nudge Harry's cheek with his long snout. The Marine batted him away, looking flustered, clearing his throat as he continued.

"I can introduce you guys to her when you're done drinkin', if you're not busy. I'm sure she'd want to meet you."

"Sure," Liz said, "we'd like that. We're actually just killing time right now while we wait for some results from the lab."

"Great!" Harry replied. "Until then...do either of you guys play?"

He snapped his fingers, the Krell producing a deck of cards on command from seemingly nowhere, fanning them out with his many fingers. As Jamie watched, the reptile performed another sleight of hand trick, the cards vanishing again.

"I can hold my own at Poker," Jamie replied, Harry grinning across the table at him.

"How about a friendly game? No bets necessary."

"Alright," he replied, the Krell producing another huffing vocalization that reminded him of quiet chuckling as he lay the deck on the table.

***

"Fold," Jamie grumbled, tossing his cards onto the table. Blackjack huffed in what might be triumph, reaching out with his seven-fingered hands, collecting the pile of sugar packets that they'd been using in lieu of chips.

There were now several empty glasses on the table, they had been playing for a good few hours. Jamie had a bit of a buzz going, as did Harry, but the two aliens were a different story. Blackjack had drunk more than both of them combined. He lifted the aluminum cans in his jaws, piercing them with his teeth, and gulping down the contents. Probably due to his size, it seemed impossible for him to become inebriated. Then again, would Jamie even be able to tell if the great creature was drunk or sober?

Liz had been carefully managing her intake, but she had still gotten tipsier than he had seen her in a while. There wasn't much to do other than drink. She couldn't even play with her phone due to the lack of reception. She wasn't much of a card player herself, so she merely watched the three of them fumble through their games, snickering into her glass as Jamie became more and more frustrated. It was very apparent that Blackjack was cheating, but he didn't have the stones to call out the two-ton, armored behemoth. Besides, he was kind of impressed by the creature's ability to slip cards into the deck despite his complete absence of sleeves.

"Another round?" Harry asked, drinking down the last mouthful of his beer.

"Of cards, or of drinks?" Jamie asked.

"How about both?" the Marine chuckled.

"Nah, I think we should probably get back soon. If Liz drinks anymore, I'm not going to be able to carry her back to the prefab."

"Fair enough," Harry said, rising from his seat unsteadily. "I guess it's getting pretty late, and I don't much like walking around in the forest after dark. If you need help getting Liz back, I can have BJ help out. He could probably bench-press her."

"I'm not that drunk," the Borealan replied, the way that she was slurring her speech suggesting otherwise.

"Alright," Harry said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'll see you guys tomorrow, then. We'll take you down to see the Ambassador."

"See you," Jamie replied, waving him off as he left the table. Blackjack rumbled what might have been a goodbye, the tone of his voice so deep that Jamie could feel it shaking his bones, the reptile plodding along behind his companion. Jamie watched them leave the bar, then turned his attention to Liz as she extended her long, barbed tongue into her glass in search of the last few drops of amber liquid.

"Well, that was fun," Jamie said. "It was nice to talk to some interesting people."

"He's fucking that Bug, you know," Liz blurted.

"K-keep your voice down," Jamie said, turning to glance around the bar. Fortunately, most of the patrons had left, and there was nobody in earshot. Only the UAS scientist remained, now leaning in to whisper to the settler who she had been talking to, the way that she was smiling at him suggesting that they would probably be leaving together.

"It was so obvious," Liz continued, setting down her empty glass. "Good working relationship, my tail. When I asked him how they met, he said that he was guarding her when she was basically under house arrest," she chuckled drunkenly. "Let me tell you something about the Jarilans," she continued, wagging a clawed finger at him across the table. "Those pheromones they put out? Humans aren't conscious of them, your noses are too dull, but they're still influencing your behavior without you realizing it. That Drone, Bluejay, he was kicking out ten times the pheromones that you do when we're doing the nasty. That female you were gawking at when we were with Walker? Same deal. You were being hotboxed by girl perfume, and you didn't even know it. Axillary steroids," she added, pausing to hiccup. "Secreted through the sweat in humans. Who knows how the Bugs do it..."

"So, you're saying you deduced that they were a couple based on that alone?"

"Also, the fact that the aforementioned girl perfume was all over him," she giggled. "He smelled like he was up to his eyeballs in it."

"That's one way to generate a positive reaction, I guess," Jamie mused. "If you have access to the human genome, then you know exactly what buttons to push, which pheromones will give you an edge."
"Just a little spritz of eau-de-human, and suddenly, that five-foot insect is looking a lot friendlier."

"Let's get you home before you pass out," Jamie said. "I'd have to hire out one of those Warriors to carry you back to the prefab."

Liz snickered drunkenly, rising to her feet, swaying a little as she followed behind him. They made their way out into the street, Jamie pausing to glance up at the dark sky.

"Holy crap, look at that," he muttered. Liz stopped beside him, following his gaze. He had never seen the night sky like this before. There was barely any civilization on this planet -- no skyscrapers, no traffic, no streetlamps. The absence of light pollution made the stars shine so brightly, the dense, brilliant stream of light that was the Milky Way streaking its way above the treetops. Jamie had seen the depths of space, but it had always seemed oddly sterile to him when he had gazed out of the Magellan's windows. This was like something straight out of a painting, surreal in its perfection, a million tiny points of light twinkling against the velvet-black backdrop.

"Pretty," Liz said, whistling her approval.

There was enough light bleeding out onto the streets from the windows of the prefabs to see by, so they were able to find their way back, Jamie steadying Liz as he helped her up the metal steps. She bonked her head on the low doorframe on her way inside, hissing at it before ducking under the obstacle.

"I can't remember the last time you got this wasted," Jamie chuckled, watching her struggle with her hated boots. "You're usually not much of a drinker."

"I am not wasted," she protested, almost falling over as she succeeded in removing one of her shoes. "I have a pleasant buzz going."

"Want me to help you into bed?" he asked, watching her shrug off her leather jacket. She tossed it onto the couch, then started on her sweatpants, dancing on the spot as she struggled to get them past her butt. Her tail slid through a little slot just below the elastic waistband as she tugged them down, revealing the short shorts that she wore beneath, her underwear riding up to expose the beginnings of her pert cheeks. She bent over to pick up her pants, Jamie admiring the sight as she bundled them up, discarding them beside her jacket.

"Who said anything 'bout goin' to bed?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at him. She walked over to the dining table unsteadily, which was at human-height, like all of the furniture in the prefab. Its metal frame creaked as she sat down on top of it, its edge pressing into the meat of her thick thighs. "You promised to help me burn off my heat," she said, parting her legs in invitation. "Or did you forget?"

She leaned back on the table, her claws scraping against the bare metal, Jamie's eyes drawn to her chest as her breasts wobbled beneath her tank top. She almost never wore a bra, but being in gravity this low made it a non-issue for her. His gaze wandered up to her cleavage, her dusky skin contrasting with the white cotton, the sight making his cock throb against the confines of his underwear.

Liz lifted the hem of her top a little, flashing her washboard abs, knowing full well how much he admired her physique. Her muscles carved deep channels into her otherwise flat belly, perfectly sculpted, tightening beautifully as she flexed. He could see the trio of faded scars that ran across her stomach, a memento from her time on Borealis.

"Come get it," she mumbled, slurring her words as she grinned at him. She held up her furry fingers to make a V, pushing her prehensile tongue between them, miming what she wanted him to do to her. Jamie tried and failed to stifle his laughter. On the rare occasions that she actually drank enough to become inebriated, her usual eloquence all but vanished, and she regressed to a more uninhibited state that he liked to think was closer to the behavior of the average Borealan.

"Yes, my Alpha," he replied with an exaggerated bow.

"Yeah, I wanna be the Alpha tonight," she giggled, patting her thigh as he approached. She curled her tail around his forearm once he was in reach, tugging him closer, making him stumble. He planted his face in her chest as he lost his balance, sinking into the depths of her cleavage, the impact making her breasts quiver around his head like mounds of gelatin. He heard her muffled laughter as she trapped him in a hug, pressing him deeper, the familiar scent of her body wash lighting a fire in his belly. Her skin was like silk against his cheeks, the warmth of her massive body permeating him, his hands settling about her wide hips.

He felt her bury her nose in his hair, enjoying the pheromones that she had mentioned back in the bar, no doubt.

"You always smell so good," she muttered. "I like it when you grow your hair out, there's more to hold onto..."

She took a handful, the welcome sting of her gentle tugging sending a pleasant shiver down his spine, Liz pulling him out of her bosom. Before he could speak a word, she filled his mouth with her tongue, her drunken clumsiness making his erection strain against his pants. Her usual practiced skill was entirely absent, her strokes greedy, all pretense of modesty abandoned.

The tapered tip of her organ teased the roof of his mouth, glancing his inner cheeks, so agile that she could have probably written her name there. She was feeding him more of her slippery coils than he was accustomed to, her tongue spiraling around his own as though trying to wrestle it into submission, but he didn't mind. In fact, he was starting to think that he should get her drunk more often...

Jamie leaned into her embrace, his erection pressing against her crotch, separated from her by only a few scant layers of fabric. He could feel the warmth of her loins, even though their clothes, her soft thighs cradling him as they tightened around his waist. He sank his hands into them, Liz gasping into his mouth as he took cruel handfuls of her doughy flesh, her steely muscles rising up from beneath it as she tensed. One of his hands wandered up the leg of her shorts, his fingertips brushing her velvet skin, roaming towards her butt. He cupped her cheek, letting its soft fat fill his palm, spilling between his fingers with the consistency of molten plastic. He could bury his fingers up to the knuckle, more firm tissue greeting him as she flexed.

Their sordid kiss dragged on, a strand of saliva escaping their lips to drape itself across her chest, sliding down between her breasts. Jamie could feel her hunger in every flurry, Liz pouring her desire for him into each ravenous stroke, her tongue moving inside his mouth as though it had a life all its own. Sparks flew in his head as its slick, hot surface slid along the lining of his cheeks, tickling the back of his throat.

Fortunately, she still had sense enough to remember his limitations, pulling away with a lurid smack to let him take a breath.

"Sometimes, I wanna kiss you until our lips get chapped," she muttered as she watched him catch his breath. "H-hang on," she added, the table creaking as she pulled back.

"What're you doing?" Jamie asked, watching as she reached for one of the nearby cupboards.

"I thought I saw it when I was rooting around...yeah!"

She withdrew a jar of amber liquid, Jamie wondering if she had found more homebrew booze for a second, but the label read honey. She struggled with the cap for a moment, unsealing it with a hiss, a giddy smile brightening her red face as she peered into the container.

"They have bees here?" Jamie wondered.

"Not likely, this shit never goes bad," she mumbled. "They ship it all over the Galaxy."

She extended her long tongue and upended the jar, Jamie watching as she caught a syrupy glob of the substance. As she drew it back into her mouth, she eased him closer, her smile taking on a mischievous quality.

They locked lips again, the sweet flavor of honey pricking his taste buds as she passed it off to him, rolling the viscous substance around inside his mouth. The blend of warm saliva and cool honey set his head spinning, its rich taste making his mouth water, its sticky consistency gluing their tongues together. It added a new layer of sensation to an already lascivious act, Liz pricking his cheeks with her claws as she cradled his burning face in her furry hands, the low moans that she let slip between the sticky flurries making his heart skip like a broken record.

She released him, watching Jamie swallow the mouthful of honey, seeming to take a kind of lecherous pleasure in it.

"I got some dessert for you," she giggled, almost losing her balance as she leaned further back. She tried to lift her tank top, but it kept falling back down. Frustrated, she set the jar down on the table beside her and tugged off her top. Her heavy breasts fell free of what little support they had, clapping against her torso, bouncing gently as they settled. No matter how many times Jamie saw them, he could never get over their size. They were almost as large as Liz's head, which was itself bigger than a human equivalent, her boobs the volume of beach balls. They would have been disproportionate on a human woman, but they were perfectly at home on her stout frame.