by SJ Sanders
Sara blanched and looked so panicked that Vidok couldn’t hold in the small chuckle. Realizing she had been duped Sara’s lips curved good-naturedly. “Well done you alpak’s ass.”
Vidok’s lips twitched. “Sara, Ladox has been a bad influence on you.”
“Nonsense,” called over Ladox. “Everyone knows that I am the ideal role-model for mates and younglings alike! Everyone should leave their mate with me. Ouf! Trish now that was mean. Did you sharpen your elbow lately mate because I almost felt that.”
The amused male grunts and female snickers at Ladox’s antics increased as Sara observed thoughtfully, “I wonder how a woman would shove an egg out of her hoo-ha.”
Vidok was relieved when they finally caught sight of the Shady Lady Tavern, a small sign advertised that they had the best females in the twenty sectors. Vidok exchanged a shrug with Borax, and even Ladox looked as confused as the other males. Noting this, their females snorted with amusement.
“Looks like the oldest profession is alive and well in the universe. Figured it couldn’t have been just an earth-thing,” Trish drawled, winking at Ladox.
Sara blushed and cleared throat, “Guys, it is just an advertisement for hookers.”
“What is a hook-hore?” asked Ladox, peering intently at the sign.
“Not a damn thing you need to know about,” Trish glared at her mate.
“A hooker is another name for a prostitute.” At the blank stares, Sara turned brighter red. “A female who sells sexual service to males.”
Irido looked askance at his mate. “Females do this?”
Ellie turned red enough to match Sara. “Sure put me on the spot,” she muttered. “I don’t know anything from personal experience, but some do. Either they choose to sell their services themselves, but more often they work for someone else.”
Sara, ever curious, asks “You don’t have females who do this?”
Borax shook his head in surprise, all the other males following suite.
“Wow,” Trish said as Sara seemed to be working out all kinds of implications in her head.
“That is so fascinating,” Sara said as they entered the tavern, the males a bit hesitantly clutching their females close while entering a den where males buy females. “I wonder how it is related to the social structure of the VaDorok. Why, I could most write a boo--what in the world?”
Sara froze and Vidok glanced to where she was looking. Momentarily he was distracted by the shocking sight of nude females of all colors, sizes and textures. He didn’t feel desire for them, but it was difficult to not look. It was just not a sight one would see on Dorok.
While the VaDorok were sexually free, one would never see them engaging sexually in front of others, or fully exposed, outside of the presence of witnesses during the rare mating challenge. Here, not only did females wander around talking to males with their sexes and breasts exposed, several were on their knees sucking cocks, or being fucked. Some up against the wall, others in various position on chairs and tables. But that was not what Sara was staring at, though she couldn’t have missed it given the high color rising in her cheeks.
His eyes trailed in the direction she was looking and saw what caught her attention. A’Jular and a dark silver male were in the processing of trying to pry a pale blue male out of the grip of a very large, very angry female. Her lower body was a mass of writhing tentacles, two of which were trying to choke the pale Edoka.
As Sara gaped at the scene in front of them, Trish slammed her hands on her hips, “And these are the guys who are supposed to help us?”
With a horrible sucking sound, the male was finally pried from the female’s grip and sent sprawling. A’Jular pulled him away while the silver male offered credits to the enraged female. With a snarl she accepted the offer and stormed away.
A’Jular hauled the male up beside Vidok. “I swear E’budar, if you weren’t our nest-brother I would choke you myself. You are a damned fool to think you could cheat a Gida.”
“You said the tentacle lady is a Gida?” Sara asked, looking around and doubtlessly seeing several more of the species. “There sure are a lot of them in here,” she observed with interest.
E’budar grinned at her. “The Gida come from a very matriarchal society. They don’t mate, instead they keep breeding males shared by the community. Of course space stations are a great place to encounter such lusty females because they go into the sex trade business to make their fortunes before returning home wealthy.”
“Ohhh,” Sara’s eyes widened with a certain spark that made Vidok uncomfortable. She turned direction and began to head back into the belly of the tavern. “Let me just talk to a few of them, I have so many questions--”
Vidok snatched his mate off her feet with a sigh of amused exasperation. There was his busy little mate again. He really had to watch this one. She was liable to let her curiosity to run away with her.
“So how exactly did you cheat her enough to make the Gida that mad?” A’Jular asked warily.
E’budar combed through his hair, straightening it with his clawed fingers, and grinned wickedly, “Well it was a fun time while it lasted. Gida females sure know how to work a male’s body with all of those tentacles. So I penetrated her accidentally, it was but for a moment and she thought I should pay extra than what we agreed on. I begged to differ.”
The silver male caught up and cuffed his brother on the back of the head, “We ended up still paying for it, and then some for the offense. Lets get out of here. You have caused enough trouble.”
He smiled politely as they filed out. “I am Sha’melor. A’Jular tells me that this is your first time for any of you on the Intergalactic Space Station. We are happy to escort you to the clinic. Then we can show you where your assigned quarters are as they are near ours.” He stared briefly with interest at the human females, but moved his eyes away before any of the Va Dorok could decide to take offense.
E’budar wasn’t anywhere near as subtle and seemed to be fascinated with Trish’s dark red hair. Ladox, despite being the more easy-going among the VaDorok, immediately began to growl threateningly at the male.
Sha’melor snatched his brother to the side, “Do not make me have to save your ass again,” he snapped.
E’budar gave Ladox a friendly smile, “No harm meant. I would never move in on a mated female. That would get you killed on Edokora,” he gave Ladox and the other VaDorok a long look, “and I imagine on Dorok as well.”
“Broken limbs and ruined face at least,” Trish stated flatly, leaning into her mate’s propitiatory arms.
Vidok protectively tightened his arms around Sara as they walked out, so to not give any male the idea that there was the slightest possibility that she was unmated and available.
E’budar grinned, “That is awfully lenient and forgiving of you. Charitable even.”
“Foolishness,” A’Jular grunted. Sha’melor grunted in agreement.
Vidok smirked as Ladox merely grinned, his good humor that easily restored, “Well broken bones are the starting point anyway.”
E’budar let out a sharp laugh and slapped the male on the arm companionably. “Fair enough! This way to the clinic. Gods know I have been there often enough, I could lead you there blindfolded.”
“That’s the damn truth,” A’Jular muttered. Sha’melor sighed in agreement. Vidok chuckled. He suspected that the younger Edoka caused more than his fair share of headaches for their clan.
***
Sara looked around the clinic they were herded into. It had the same blank, white pristine look of the Agraak lab. She worried that some of the women, especially Katie, would start reacting badly to it, but so far so good. The only incident was due to a bright yellow-feathered nurse who tried to get the males to remain in the waiting room while she led the women into the back where they would be seen individually by their assigned doctors. This was, naturally, met with utter failure of epic proportions.
After a good amount of growling, snarling and a f
ew verbal threats, not the least of which was Vidok threatening to remove the limb of anyone who touched his mate without him present, the medical staff yielded and sent the women back to their own private exam rooms. Each accompanied by a very grumpy VaDorok male. Sara rubbed her hand soothingly down Vidok’s arm, the fur still bristling.
She wondered if the Council knew they arrived yet. She suspected they did. A’Jular probably reported their arrival. If nothing else, the VaDorok stuck out like a sore thumb. She had wanted to laugh when they first arrived and saw the way the large, white VaDorok males had towered over most of the other species. The other aliens had wisely given the males a wide berth while they made their way through the space station.
Now Vidok was crouched beside the, almost universal to her mind, doctor’s examination chair where Sara reclined. His wide hand stroked her hair as he muttered indiscernible words under his breath. He looked distinctly uncomfortable and on edge. Sara wondered how much of it was the space station in general, and how much of it was the fact that they would be in a small room with a strange male. She wagered it was about fifty-fifty. Maybe a bit higher on the side of the strange male .
Sara leaned back into the chair with an impatient sigh. She hated waiting on doctors. Finally the door slid open and a male moved through. Didn’t walk--glided in. Sara blinked as her brain worked to process what she was seeing. Other than the tentacle lady, Sara had seen mostly bipedal aliens on the space station.
The doctor had no legs whatsoever. Taking in his upper torso alone he almost looked like a muddy human, if one could ignore his living hair that occasionally whipped around him like tentacles. And his large, rounded ruby eyes which were distinctly unhuman in shape and color. But it was his lower torso that was distinctive. Rather than legs, his lower body terminated into a long serpentine tail.
Sara tilted her head in awe. She was vaguely aware of him introducing himself as Doctor Vadal.
Kinda like a male Medusa--a la Clash of the Titans, but with hair more like thin tentacles rather than snakes. And I am not turning to stone which is a plus.
His voice carried well despite its soft rasp. “The Intergalactic Council is asking for a full work up on your pregnancy Sara, so just be patient and we will have this done quickly and painlessly.” He offered her a kindly smile. Sara instantly relaxed. Odd appearance aside, he seemed to be even tempered and non threatening. Even Vidok, though ever on the alert, seemed to mellow a bit.
In short order the doctor started pulling out medical devices that were as about as alien and futuristic as it got. Strange scanners, small metal cubes, various swaths and bands of shiny fabrics. He first wrapped a shiny band around her arm.
“Taking your vitals,” he explained, anticipating her question.
She nearly jumped out of her skin though when Doctor Vadal took a metal cube and set in directly over the inside of her arm. Vidok rumbled but remained still, watching. A tiny pinch and the cube fills instantly with a portion of blood. Without a word the doctor plucked it back up and set it into a storage unit. Pushing a large red button, he turned away to pick up a curved scanner that he immediately began to run over her belly.
The band around her arm beeped, and he glanced up to read the glowing script that scrawled across it. With his free hand he plugged in the information on a small hand-held device.
“Vitals good and within normal ranges for human gestation.”
“How do you know whats normal for human gestation?” she queried.
His laughter was low and pleasant.“When we heard we have breeding human females coming to us to examine, we naturally recovered all information we could get from your planet.”
“Of course,” she said, blushing.
No shit Sara, of course they aren’t going to jump in blind here.
“Blood looks good. No signs of irregularities or disease.”
Feeling it her best opportunity, Sara asked, “I understand that the Agraak are an egg laying species. Since you are aware of human reproduction and gestation, how exactly would that work with a human reproductive system?”
Doctor Vadal gave her a long look of consideration, “Well,” he said as he swept the scanner. “Many species are egg laying. The Edoka, my species--the Vori. This is actually one of the things that we had hoped the Agraak would have shared with us, but they are refusing to share their research. If they are successfully reproducing there is a good chance that either the fetus is modifying to a live birth gestation, or, more likely given the genetic dominance of the non-human species, the human ovum adapts and develops a soft shell layer like our own females. In which case the females would bear eggs in which the young would continue to develop.”
He smiled at Sara’s horrified look, “Don’t look so alarmed. It would differ slightly among species. Among the Vori the female gestation is within two months, the eggs pass easier than a live birth infant, and the infant matures for the remaining five months in the shell of the egg. Infants emerge using a tiny horn on their brow that falls off within days of hatching.”
Sara’s eyes widened, and she discovered she had leaned in to eagerly capture every word of what he shared. “Fascinating!”
The scanner beeped in his hand and his eyebrows raised with interest.“Gestation is normal. The young are both healthy and growing well within regular range for VaDorok. Although I have never heard of multiple births being normative for that species.”
Sara’s brain stuttered to a full stop, kicking in only when she heard the happy purr from her mate as he yanked her up of the chair, into his arms.
“Two, Sarah! It is indeed unheard of among the VaDorok. Truly we are blessed,” Vidok purred in delight, dropping kisses all over her head in between nuzzles.
Well that explains why I feel like I am the size of an alpak.
Thanks mom for passing along the fraternal twins tendency in our family.
Doctor Vadal’s smile widened at her mate’s obvious enthusiasm, and likely some humor at her mind numbing shock. “Yes, a male and a female. And they should be due right on time with regular VaDorok gestation.”
He pressed on a small pad on the scanner and a holographic light shot up, showing two tiny forms curled up together, the male’s tail curled protectively around his sister. Sara tilted her head back to look up at her mate. He was grinning broadly and his silver eyes shone with happiness and love as he stared at the sight of their babies.
She nudged him playfully with her elbow.“So about that bet, looks like we are both right.”
Vidok chuckled deeply and leaned down to nuzzle his cheek against her own, fervently whispering his thanks to the gods.
She pursed her lips together in a moue. “I still get to name the girl.”
Vidok smiled down at her as he ran his fingers through her dark golden hair, enjoying the way she leaned into the strokes. He brush his lips across hers and whispered, “We will see ulukska.”
Sara gave him a sassy grin, because they both knew she was going to be the one naming their daughter.
Doctor Vadal smiled kindly, a hint of longing in his eyes as he watched them.“The gods favor you,” he said softly. “My people, the Vori, are dancing the blade’s edge of extinction.” His eyes lingered briefly on Sara before dimming with sadness. “ It is rare for a clutch to be properly fertilized, and the majority never hatch. Only an eighth of the surviving young are female.”
He put away the rest of his equipment before laying his hand on her rounded stomach. Vidok was not happy with it, but Sara’s heart went out to him. She suspected that Vidok felt similarly since he remained quiet, acknowledging that the doctor meant no disrespect towards either of them.
“Humanity,” Doctor Vadal murmured, “brings my people hope. Successful bearing of your young may mean my species and many others have a chance to see their own young.”
His red eyes narrowed, “This is why it is such a high insult that the Agraak ignore not only the Council, but our home world’s communications. Our species are close in reproduct
ive needs and have never been able to breed with other species before. We can’t even crossbreed with each other. It is criminal to keep their findings to themselves.
“Don’t be mistaken, for all the kindness that my people, the Vori, possess, quite unlike the Agraak and not even as aggressive as the Edoka, if we are given the opportunity to secure human females we will.”
He lifted his shoulders in an unapologetic shrug. “We will hide them away in our nests and savagely protect them. Vora is a dense jungle world. You cannot find the Vori if we do not want to be found, and we do not hesitate to kill anyone who approach our nests unwelcome if you are unlucky enough to be able to find one. We live by a code of honor though, so you don’t have to worry about us trying to stealing you,” he winked at her.
With a final gentle pat, Doctor Vadal left the exam room, tapping on his hand-held device. Likely making final observations and notes for the Council.
Vidok didn’t bother putting Sara down. In fact, Sara suspected that Vidok was going to keep a tight hold on her for whatever remaining time they were stuck in the space station. If her mate was protective before, she knew he was going to be even more so knowing that she was carrying, not one, but two VaDorok babies.
All the VaDorok males were in good cheer when Sara and Vidok joined them. The women were flushed with pleasure and the males were beaming and stroking their mates’ bellies. Borax, the only male in the group without a pregnant female to attend to, had remained in the room with the Edoka. Now he watched all the activity with a pleased smile. Seeing Vidok, Borax embraced him.
“Everyone is reporting healthy younglings all around. How went Sara’s examination?”
Vidok’s face split into a proud grin, “Sara and the young are healthy. With the sun festival we will be greeting a son and a daughter.”
Borax’s eyes widened, and then his smile too. “A blessing! That makes then seven females and five males due to arrive with height of the sun. Never have I seen a year with so many females born!”