The Breeding Experiment

Author’s Note: This story takes place about 50,000 years ago, after Homo sapiens already existed but before all the other hominids went extinct. Some of my portrayals of prehistoric hominids may seem absurd to you, but if that’s the case, I invite you to check if your perceptions are accurate. Anthropology is a fast-evolving field and there are still many misconceptions floating around, especially among laypeople. I tried to make my depictions consistent with the known facts, though I may have inadvertently missed things (and of course there would still be disagreements based on different interpretations of the evidence).

 

***

 

A commotion arose within the encampment as the hunters were spotted making their way back to it. They had returned with a gazelle. There would be a feast tonight. In preparation, a bonfire was lit by the banks of the Great River. The young people began their celebratory singing and dancing while the elders prepared the drink of gratitude.

 

***

 

Far above in a camouflaged spaceship, the extraterrestrials observed through telescopes. This ship was commanded by the zipom. (Their name was an onomatopoeia of the sound they make when they fly and then land.) They had the appearance of flying puff balls the size of a human head, with eye stalks and a contraption like a helicopter propeller atop their heads.

The zipom were itching to capture a human–they’d be happy with any one of them–but Flenai insisted that they wait until an individual needed to be rescued.

Flenai was not a zipom. Her species was known as the chelinar, and her appearance approximated that of a harpy. She was also the main translator on board this research vessel, dubbed the Sahara Sentinel (SS). Flenai was an excellent fit for the role, because not only did she have a passion for studying newly intelligent species, her people’s long evolutionary history of creating and singing ever more complex songs gifted them with the unparalleled ability to pronounce a vast array of the sounds that many different species used in their languages. And she had a lot of seniority, given her long life of over a millennia (in Earth years).

 

***

 

Thalik was the last human to join the feast, so engrossed was he in finishing up his spear point.

Thalik worked primarily as a toolmaker while the other men hunted game or mined for chert cobbles. This was thanks to an accident to his leg from when he was a boy, causing him to require a cane to walk ever since. But at least crafting stone tools made good use of his arm and upper body strength. And he had invented a many new types of tools such that he was able to achieve high status despite his leg impediment. There was only one other person in the tribe who came close to being as skilled at stone toolmaking as he was, and that was his rival Hadu. Hadu was always trying to outdo him, and didn’t conceal his resentment of Thalik’s success.

There was only one cup of the gratitude drink left. It was on a rocky outcropping at the edge of the social group, on the far side away from the river. The people were now engrossed in listening to an elder’s storytelling, so no one noticed the shadowy figure step between them and the drink and pull something out from within his shawl. It was a small bone vial with a clear powder in it. He swiftly poured it into the drink and darted away.

The sun was setting. Thalik finally joined the others at the bonfire to eat the leftover meat while listening to the story with the others. When he had finished his food, his older sister Jayibeh brought him his gratitude drink. Thalik downed it in one gulp, not noticing anything strange about it.

As the night dragged on, Thalik found himself having a harder and harder time concentrating on the storytelling. He was becoming very tired, even though he was accustomed to going to sleep much later in the night. He announced that he’d be retiring early, and staggered toward his tent of reeds and leaves.

Though he was normally not a graceful walker on account of his bad leg, he was never this clumsy. And he didn’t know why he had such a headache. It was getting worse and worse. He was about five paces away from his tent when he collapsed, unconscious.

It was now time for the tribe to head back to camp. Jayibeh suddenly spotted Thalik collapsed on the ground and shouted to the others. Several people quickly rushed to his side. They turned him over, trying to feel for a pulse and breath, then turned their stricken faces to the rest of the tribe.

Thalik’s pulse, breathing, and bodily functions had slowed to undetectable levels. He had consumed what the zipom referred to as the poison of false death and fallen into a coma. Their bird’s-eye view allowed them to see Hadu stealing it from the women. At first the aliens weren’t too concerned. The herb had a variety of uses, and maybe he would use it for something innocuous. But, they had missed his stealthy motion of slipping it into Thalik’s drink, though they did see him approach up close to it. Now they were discussing amongst each other that he most likely added the poison at that time.

The humans had no cure for this poison. Thus, its victims never awoke, silently passing away later. And because of the lack of vital signs that could be detected without advanced technology, as far as the humans knew, the victims were dead upon becoming unconscious.

 

***

 

But the zipom detected Thalik’s weak vital signs, even from their faraway location. (They achieved this by beaming waves at him and comparing the return transmission to the original.) They also knew what Thalik’s tribe would do next absent outside intervention. His kin would spend tonight processing what just happened and grieving their loss. The next day they would bleed him out to help drain the poison out of him–the first step toward preparing his body for cannibalism.

“It’s time,” Flenai commanded. “We rescue him now.”

The SS descended and deactivated its camouflage.

Flenai broadcast a message in the humans’ tongue through a loudspeaker. “Greetings Earthlings. We are extraterrestrial beings with power beyond your comprehension, including the power to neutralize poison. We shall bring Thalik back to life and subsequently return him to you.”

A giant mechanical claw was lowered. The humans screamed and ran away as it descended toward Thalik, clamped around him, and brought him up into the open hatch at the underside of the SS. Then the spacecraft reactivated its camouflage.

 

***

 

The room that the hatch opened into was designed for chemical analysis and decontamination of anything that could reasonably compromise the health and proper functioning of the people already on board the spacecraft. Thalik passed the tests.

 

***

 

The zipom gazed with curiosity at their new specimen, never having seen him or any human this close up before. His toned arms were covered in tattoos. His bare chest was toned as well, and bronze like the rest of his skin. His black hair was intricately braided and beaded at the ends, and on his upper chest he wore a necklace of black beads interspersed with claws. Around his waist was fastened a beige hide which extended to a jagged hem above his knees.

The poison had left Thalik both unconscious and paralyzed. A zipom injected a medicine into him, then announced to the others that the human would likely recover awareness and the ability to move his face and neck before gaining voluntary control over the rest of his body. His reflexes would probably recover before his deliberate movements though. They would be testing that. They would also be doing additional experiments to find out if he also had any other ailments they could fix.

A team of zipom stripped Thalik naked. They would need to sample various areas on his skin.

Each zipom had a mouth which housed a long, thin tongue like a butterfly’s. The zipom had no arms or legs, instead relying on their tongues for manipulating the world (as well as sensing the chemical properties of things), and had killer immune systems to deal with any germs they encountered that way. Their bodies were able to convert just about anything they ingested into food for them.

 

***

 

Thalik regained consciousness sooner than they had anticipated. He awoke to a very strange set of sensations. There were multiple bright lights in the air shaped like little suns, but what was around them didn’t appear to be sky. It seemed as though he might be in an enclosure. He was able to lift his head a bit to glance around, and saw what appeared to be smoothly polished walls surrounding him, studded with large glowing squares featuring strange markings upon them. He craned his head to gaze further down and saw… puffball creatures?! He now noticed that one of them was perched to the side of his head, and that it had just slid something wet and slimy into his ear. Thalik screamed and tried to take a swing at it but his arms wouldn’t budge. He then tried to move various other parts of his body, but none of them would move either.

After the initial shock wore off, he contemplated his situation. He was naked in a strange place with strange creatures doing strange things to his body. His dreams were never this vivid. He concluded that he must be hallucinating, though he didn’t recall having eaten any strange mushrooms. After trying to move various parts of his body, he discovered that he only seemed able to move his face and neck. He then noticed that other parts of his body still reacted involuntarily, as demonstrated when they jerked in response to light electrical zaps and a hammer to his knee. He noticed that the puffballs were using their tongues to hold these implements. So perhaps it was a tongue that was now swirling around his outer ear. He tried to ignore it, but then it switched back to ear-probing. The motions and sounds of the wet thrusting reminded him of sex. His cock stiffened, much to his chagrin. A puffball apparently took notice, and soon the others gathered around to see. They were now chattering animatedly amongst each other. A language? Thalik wondered.

When his erection subsided, a puffball seemed to issue a command and another one resumed licking Thalik’s skin, this time spending a lot of time on each area while very gradually moving its center of focus. None of its licking was effective at reviving Thalik’s erection. The puffball finally stopped and brought out the zapper. It delivered stronger shocks than before to various points on Thalik’s body. He jolted uncomfortably from zaps to his nipples and the undersides of his feet. Finally, a zap to his perineum made him shriek and instantly expel all of his semen. The last thing he was aware of before losing consciousness again was jagged moving lines on a wall square becoming erratic, alongside another frenzied commotion amongst the puffballs.

 

***

 

The zipom determined that the human would be safe from the poison’s effects for now, but symptoms might reemerge afterward so they would keep him onboard the SS and continue monitoring him 24/7 until he was conclusively healed.

 

***

 

Thalik was taken into a zoo enclosure where it was expected that he would likely feel more comfortable. It also wouldn’t be opened to the public until he had adjusted to his new living situation. But, it was constantly being videotaped and viewed by thousands of researchers.

Flenai decided that now would be a good time to pay him a visit.

When Thalik came to again, he noticed that he was in a lush, unfamiliar environment. He was able to seamlessly move his whole body, and–shocker –even his formerly lame leg! Then, noticing that the diffusion of light seemed a bit strange, he looked up and with dismay saw a false sun in a false sky again, and the memories came flooding back. He tried to remember what had happened before his weird hallucination.

He was startled out of his train of thought when Flenai alighted in front of him.

“My name is Flenai. I come in peace,” she said in his language.

Thalik gaped at the bird-woman. She had wings, a long tail, and a crest of feathers, which were gradated from white at the base to blue at the tips. The skin of her lower legs and talons were black, as were the delicate humanlike hands at the ends of her wings. She had blue hair that arced around the sides of her face to reach slightly below her chin. Her large eyes were the color of gold. And aside from the feathers of her wings, tail, and crest, she was covered in short fuzz. The front of her torso was white with blue specks, which were arranged in two concentric arcs on her upper chest like layered necklaces, and in four vertical lines crossing them. And she was wearing a strange contraption fastened around her waist (a stun gun, just in case she needed to use it against Thalik).

After staring at her for about a minute, Thalik blurted, “What are you?” A pause. “And where am I? What is the meaning of all of this?” He gestured all around him. “What is my purpose here?”

“You are not on Earth anymore. You are in a spaceship– a giant, floating home for us extraterrestrials. We rescued you after you consumed the poison of false death. Then, the zipom experimented on your body to figure out how to heal you. They even fixed your leg.”

She had been observing the operation and experiments via a live cam and mic. She was not only their translator but also the overseer of anthropology, so she had to make sure the zipom were doing their jobs according to protocol, and to give directions through the speaker if necessary.

Thalik asked, “Will I be able to rejoin my family and friends again? I hope they don’t think I’m dead.”

“Yes, soon. I’ve already communicated your situation to them.”

 

***

 

The next day Flenai had a surprise for Thalik. It was his sister Jayibeh! She was the only one of his kin brave enough to come on board. She ran to him and they embraced. The two of them had always been very close. She marveled at what Thalik could do now with his fixed leg, and Thalik discovered from her that Hadu had been badly shaken by the message that Flenai had broadcast when Thalik was rescued, and had confessed to his crime and was now exiled from the community.

 

***

 

After thoroughly exploring his new enclosure, Thalik wondered if there was any way he could be allowed to travel freely throughout the SS. He posed this question to Flenai.

She answered, “Well, it’s true that your atmospheric and temperature needs are roughly equivalent to that of the zipom and myself. But, if I’m to let you out, in order to keep the others comfortable, I would need to keep you on a leash, in addition to keeping my stun gun ready to paralyze you again if necessary.”

Thalik grimaced. He knew what leashes were. His people used them to lasso wild animals.

Noticing his hesitation, Flenai added, “If that sounds too unappealing, another way for you to see the rest of the SS would be for me to show you pictures. I can even show you moving pictures and recorded sounds.”

“What is this witchcraft?!”

“It’s science. I’ll teach you about it later.”

 

***

 

The zipom didn’t need to experiment on Thalik’s body anymore, at least for the time being. Now was a good opportunity to do experiments of a different nature–tests of his cognition. Flenai took it upon herself to become Thalik’s personal tutor.

The ship had by now moved into high orbit above earth.

“Would you like to look out the window and see for yourself?” Flenai asked him. She issued a command to the ship’s AI, and a hole opened in the wall of Thalik’s enclosure, revealing a vast window behind it. The entire sunlit side of Earth could be seen, with stars all around.

Thalik’s eyes widened. “Earth is a circle?!”

“Earth is a sphere. And its rotation is what causes day and night.”

“The Earth rotates?!”

He is so cute, Flenai thought. There’s so much he doesn’t know. It’s like teaching a toddler.

Flenai showed Thalik a 3D holographic projection of Earth that he could zoom in and out of.

He looked it over in fascination, then asked, “Where was I when you extraterrestrials picked me up?”

Flenai grabbed a laser pointer and pointed it at a spot in Northeast Africa. They zoomed in until Thalik recognized the landmarks. Then he looked for other places that he recognized.

Flenai decided he’d had enough of that for now and zoomed out again.

She explained, “You can browse through this model Earth as much as you want in your spare time when I’m not around. There’s something else that I want to show you now. Remember when I told you before that Earth is a sphere? As you can see, I was simplifying. The Earth can be more accurately described as an oblate spheroid, as it is flatter toward the poles. And see this line projecting through them? It represents the axis that the earth turns on. Notice that we have the directions oriented the same way that your people orient your maps: up represents east, right represents south, etc. Of course, there isn’t any objective truth about this or any other orientation, as there is no reason to think of any direction as being higher than any other. Not to mention there’s also no true up or down in space away from gravitational forces. Any such orientation is equally invalid in space.”

Flenai then showed him a diagram of the solar system, with the poles of earth still at the sides so that the solar system was oriented like a vertical disc.

Thalik smiled and added, “My people orient the directions this way because the sun appears to rise from its east, thus east seems more sublime and worthy of ‘looking up’ to.”

“Yes, I know.”

Thalik was awed by the size of the sun relative to earth and curious about the other planets and moons. But after Flenai told him that there was no life on them, he soon redirected his focus to other parts of Earth, some very exotic to him. He asked her, “What’s all the white stuff covering vast swaths of Earth?”

“Ice. It’s very cold in those places.”

“Can people live there?”

“They can, but it’s difficult.”

“Do people live there?”

“Yes, but even they tend to avoid the permafrost regions.”

Thalik could hardly contain his excitement. “Are they humans like me?”

Flenai paused. “Well… I don’t know if I’d call them the same species as yourself, exactly.”

“What do you mean?”

She took a deep breath. “Being of the same species is most often defined as being able to breed with one another and produce viable offspring–and actually doing so in practice to a significant degree. But we don’t know yet if that is possible in this case. How about I just show you what they look like?”

She pulled up a projection of humanlike being–a stocky male with a low, sloping forehead, long cranium, massive browridges, sickly pale skin, unkempt hair, and a long, thick beard. He was wearing a tunic of thick brown fur tied together with rope, and boots made of similar material. And he was brandishing a spear.

Thalik stared at the hominid’s features in fascination, then his eyes drifted to the spear. Ever the weaponsmith, he asked, “What material is that spear made of? It looks like an elephant’s tusk, except it is curved quite strangely.”

“It is the tusk of a wooly mammoth, though this one’s tip has been sharpened to a point.” She then brought up a projection of a wooly mammoth.

“Are there any of these people or mammoths on board this flying place?”

“We do not have mammoths here at this moment: a spaceship is not a good place to house large animals over the long term. As for the humanoids–in this case Neanderthals–we do have two on board–a mother and her child. Speaking of which, the zipom would love to try breeding you with the Neanderthal woman as an experiment.”

Flenai showed him a hologram of the Neanderthal woman on board.

Thalik scoffed. “I’d rather mate with an extraterrestrial than that pale-skinned whatever-you-called-it.”

“For your information, their light skin helps them absorb more health benefit from the sunlight, which is especially important in their dim habitat.”

“Are there no other types of humanoids that the zipom have considered for this breeding experiment?”

“The only other type we have on board is a pygmy. We have no desire to mate you with her or any other females of her kind because they are too tiny to be anatomically compatible for sex with you, let alone to give birth to a hybrid baby.”

“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 how she knew so much. She was beautiful too, in that exotic way of hers. 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 consequences 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 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 sky, complete with shifting clouds and a moving, glowing sun that cast shadows. 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.

Through the gaps in the fence, he could see two humanoids 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 just give them pre-made meals directly, we wanted to show the audience how Neanderthals prepare food in the wild. In the wild, they 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. 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 glittered 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 adult approaching until she was right there in front of him. He then saw that 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, freshwater pearls on either side. Her face was dotted with freckles. The Neanderthal woman picked up her child, then fixed her hazel eyes back to 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 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 came up with 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 annual trade expeditions, in 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 some of the specialized projectile weapons he was known for amongst his people. Koth and Zugma were fascinated. They had never seen anything like them before. They tested them on various targets in their now-shared 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. A woman’s status is determined largely by her prowess at hunting.”

 

***

 

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

Zugma eyed Thalik ravenously, confessing, “I’ve been without a mate for too long.”

Thalik asked Flenai, “And I suppose that if I mate with her, the zipom will be observing us the whole time right?”

“That’s right.”

“Will you be watching us too?”

“I don’t see why not, 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, Thalik 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 entire 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 the general public throughout the galaxy, to raise awareness of this breeding project and thus generate revenue to fund further research.

Soon Zugma was pregnant. Just about everyone onboard the SS was excited. The fetus was screened for any deformities and other 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 initially told the zipom that the tutoring was to test their cognition, it really was much more than that. Not only had she bonded with the three a lot, it would be such a waste for them 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 intelligent 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 ton of calories and potentially causing the cost of food to be a significant drain on the individual’s resources. Sure, some species managed to subvert this pattern via genetic engineering or other artificial brain enhancements, or just by granting especially great social status to the most innovative individuals, but there were also many that did not, for whatever reason.

 

***

 

Now the hominid exhibit was open to the general public, and the halls became crowded with throngs of visitors from all over the galaxy.

As Zugma’s pregnancy progressed and 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 throughout 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 once 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 pay a visit to the Floresian hominid. Unlike the Neanderthals, these were obviously a different 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 easy 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. Flenai was only able to rescue the smallest, a little girl at the time, while her family was devoured by the rats. She snatched the girl up in her talons, flew her to safety, and nursed her back to health. Flenai learned from the girl 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 in order for her weight to be light enough for flight. 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 reflected the 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, as visitors would be coming from all over the galaxy.

Because of these hominids’ 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, as well as taking a dip in the water several times a week. They 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 were never very clean either.

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

On Flenai’s instruction, they stripped naked and stepped into the pond within their exhibit. Flenai took out a bar of natural soap that wouldn’t contaminate their little habitat and demonstrated how to use it by rubbing it all over Koth’s upper body. She then instructed him to step out of the water and spread the soap residues over the rest of his body, not missing a spot. She then handed the soap to Zugma and told her and Thalik to take turns and then wash their clothes as well.

 

***

 

On the day of the celebration, the halls around the exhibit were more crowded than Thalik had ever seen them. Despite the aliens’ 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 phones 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 the tiny woman to the ground. She had barely touched the floor when she bounded straight toward Thalik. She placed her hand on his knee and then reached 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 the pygmy 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 so much 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 restore health and stave off aging in whomever ate them. (How often such people would need to continue consuming them to maintain these effects depended upon the individual’s species and age.) Flenai herself never even tried them before because her species never aged anyway, and so it had been much more worthwhile thus far to sell them to others instead of satisfying her curiosity directly.

The zipom were especially motivated to keep her extremely comfortable such 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, as she did every night after work. She had a new message.

It was from her husband.

 

***

 

Thalik chipped more pieces off the stone he held, his brow furrowed in concentration.

“What are you making?” asked Koth.

“A sculpture of Flenai,” Thalik replied.

“Who is that for?”

“Myself.”

“Can you make one for me too?”

“Sure.”

“And me!” added Zugma.

“Fine.”

 

***

 

Flenai read her husband’s message:

My beloved Flenai,

I heard about the birth of little Betai and saw the photos too. She is so cute! You must be proud. I wish I could have come to visit for the celebration, but who I mainly want to visit is you. It’s been so long. Lover’s Day is coming up. Maybe we can do something special.

Best wishes, your husband.

Flenai had not met with her husband Chiran in quite a while (about two Earth years). Chiran was living in a satellite stationed over Siberia. It was also a research vessel, but Chiran himself was not an anthropologist. He was a musician–both a singer and a composer. He used a computer to create musical scores which he often added his own voice as an accompaniment to, as well as doing separate music gigs by commission.

He and Flenai were close, even when they were physically very far. He was often inspired by the music of the indigenous cultures she had encountered and sent him recordings of. He often incorporated them into his own works, but with a more cosmopolitan twist. He made sure to always credit the native musicians who inspired him if he could find out who they were. And, if they desired it, he even helped them promote their work to the wider, interstellar public by helping them set up websites and patron subscription pages.

The Interstellar Federation had assigned Flenai and Chiran to marry based on an algorithm which factored in their genetic data and answers to a lengthy questionnaire. The primary goal was for them to produce as many healthy and fertile offspring as possible. This was because despite their indefinite lifespans and theoretical ability to produce very many offspring, the chelinar had been critically endangered due to the utmost comfort they required for laying eggs. Chronic stress would cause the egg to be reabsorbed into the female’s body, or laid prematurely if it was too late-term for reabsorption. Even raising a chick would almost inevitably create enough stress to prevent laying additional eggs until the chick became fully grown (after about thirty Earth years). To stave off extinction, and to eventually increase the supply of life-extending eggs for public consumption, the Interstellar Federation had set up a breeding program and given very generous subsidies to the subjects–more than enough to compensate for the opportunity cost of the participating chelinar not selling their unfertilized eggs instead, as well as for the projected deflation in egg prices due to the increased quantity from their progeny laying eggs in the future. The government provided more than enough subsidies to ensure that the subjects could live very comfortably, which meant that Flenai and Chiran didn’t have to do any work that they wouldn’t have wanted to do anyway just for personal fulfillment. Their fertilized eggs were then adopted by members of other species to raise as their own so that the chelinar could continue laying eggs. Flenai and Chiran had produced thousands of children this way, hundreds of thousands of grandchildren, over a million great-grandchildren, and so on. They didn’t bother to keep track.

They eventually tired of this lifestyle though, and of being together so much of the time. Their lives had become very stagnant. They wanted to live for themselves, and now that many of their progeny were breeding, there was less pressure for themselves to continue doing so. They got more involved in their separate passions, and also spent more time visiting their children because they couldn’t help being concerned about how they were doing. When Flenai observed the relationships between her biological children and their adoptive parents, she was touched by how such strong bonds of love and nurturance could form across different species. This was what motivated her to study and tutor members of newly sapient species such as humans. And to foster such love between not only species with shared ancestry, but also between species that originated in separate planets, gave her immense fulfillment.

And though both she and Chiran were free to pursue other lovers–and always had been– they were both so absorbed with breeding together and then later their careers that they didn’t bother to.

Flenai wrote back to Chiran:

My beloved Chiran,

You are free to come whenever it’s convenient for you. In any case, I have a special present in mind to send you for Lover’s Day. I just know you’ll love it.

Best wishes, Flenai.

 

***

 

Zugma was producing more milk than Betai wanted, so Flenai procured a breast pump, plus a small refrigerator to store the excess amount. They chose a spot within the hominid exhibit to tuck it where it would be less noticeable to visitors from the hallways.

“We would also like to borrow some of your milk to study,” Flenai added.

“Go ahead,” Zugma replied.

Flenai thought about the possibilities. If she and the zipom could find lucrative uses for Zugma’s milk, maybe they could have Zugma continue to use the breast pump so that she could continue lactating even after Betai and any future babies were weaned. But would Zugma’s body be able to comfortably breastfeed for so long? It wouldn’t hurt to at least try until Zugma decided to stop.

There were trillions of people across the Interstellar Federation who were obsessed with trying the latest exotic foods. Neanderthal milk was exactly the sort of thing they would go for, at least if it passed the safety tests, but processing could take care of any health risks while still maintaining as much of the original flavor and texture as possible. Any lost aspects could also be replicated using additives.

 

***

 

“So how did the testing go?” Zugma asked Flenai.

“Excellent. Your milk is very nutritious. And with minimal processing, we can even make it edible for someone like me.”

“Do you intend to try it?”

“I don’t see why not.”

Thalik was jolted into alertness. “What is this perversion?! There are so many things wrong with what you just said. I don’t even know where to start!”

Flenai sighed and rolled her eyes. She had an idea of where this was going.

“OK let me try,” said Thalik. He took a breath. “First of all, I have never heard of any species that drinks the milk of a different species, let alone extraterrestrials drinking the milk of a terrestrial. Secondly, milk is for babies! Not adults. The few times when adults of my clan tried to drink milk, the Earth Goddess punished those perverts by giving them horrible indigestion, leading to bouts of flatulence and diarrhea.”

Flenai replied in a cool, patient voice. “What you’re describing sounds to me like lactose intolerance–lactose is a sugar in milk, by the way. My guess is that all or nearly all the adults in your tribe are lactose intolerant. But if you’d like, we can filter the lactose out, or even modify your genome to make you capable of digesting it.”

“Ugh. No thanks,” Thalik replied.

“Aren’t you at least a little bit curious? Much of the cuisine that exists across the galaxy is dairy-based. You’re missing out on a lot!”

“It still seems so unnatural. But… I suppose I could try a little taste for you, if you insist.” He looked away from her.

 

***

 

Thalik was inspired to learn a lot more about health and biology. And after learning about the biology of reproduction, he could never look at eggs the same way again. In the past, he found nothing strange about eating animal eggs, but now that he knew they were the female equivalent of sperm, consuming them now seemed very sexual to him.

He wondered if Flenai laid eggs, and if she did, what they were like. Were they strange but sweet, like herself?

 

***

 

Flenai retired to her living quarters. Her place was small and cozy, filled with soft furnishings, houseplants, and crafts made by her past students who’d gifted them to her. Some of the designs were indigenous, some more cosmopolitan. She also had a small water fountain because she appreciated its aesthetic and the soothing water sounds.

The time had come. She was due to lay an egg. She seated herself over her padded nest and pushed. The egg was fairly large so it wasn’t going to come out immediately. She squeezed, contracting her abdomen and arching her back. As she felt the egg slowly sliding down her sensitive canal, her juices seeped out around the egg, moistening the downy feathers that enveloped her pussy. She brought her fingers to it, rubbing her juices all over her engorged clit and labia. She sighed contentedly. This time, she wanted to prolong the experience. Once the egg slid down almost to its exit, Flenai reached her fingers inside and shoved it back up. She continued masturbating like this for about an hour, her frequent breaks to catch her breath preventing her pussy from getting desensitized. Finally, with a cry, she climaxed as she felt her egg finally stretch through and tumble out with her sticky fluids.

The egg had a shell that was white with blue and black specks and streaks of varying sizes. Flenai picked it up and ran it under the faucet, then dried it with a towel. She took out a small, embellished box specifically designed for eggs such as hers, with foam padding inside as cushioning. She gently placed the egg inside, affixed a note to the outside, and carried it out to the mailbox for outbound parcels.

 

***

 

Lover’s Day wasn’t strictly speaking only dedicated to romantic love. It was commonly recognized in the predominant interstellar culture that many types of love were important: intimacy, affection, infatuation, companionship, and compassion. Thus, people gave Lover’s Day presents to anyone they cared about who was important in their lives.

The hominids had learned about the major holidays celebrated throughout the Interstellar Federation, and were excited about what to give and what they wanted to receive. Thalik made various little sculptures: one of Koth to give to Koth, one of Zugma to give to Zugma, and one of Flenai to give to Flenai. Koth had drawn pictures of Zugma, Thalik, and Flenai to give to each of them, and Zugma had woven new clothes for all of them. Flenai had given them their presents early (a sewing machine for Zugma, drawing implements for Koth, and a modern stone carving set for Thalik) and taught them how to use them so that they had plenty of time make their own gifts before Lover’s Day.

Thalik couldn’t help wondering if Flenai had a lover to celebrate with.

“So do you have any special plans for today?” he asked, as casually as he could.

“Other than exchanging gifts, today will basically be a normal day for me.”

Thalik was somewhat relieved, but pressed on. “Who else are you exchanging gifts with? You’ve told me so little about your life.”

“Well, people who I love, of course, such as family.”

“Who specifically?”

Flenai mentioned her husband, parents, siblings, and close friends, and the gifts she sent to each of them.

“I see,” said Thalik, the dejection evident in his voice.

After a pause, he added, “Have you opened any gifts from them yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Please tell me what you get.”

“Sure.”

Suddenly Flenai heard a notification from her phone. It was a message from Chiran.

“Here is your present,” it said. “I hope you like it.”

The present was an audio file.

“What is it?” Thalik asked, peering over to get a look.

“We’ll find out.”

She played the audio, and out came one of the most ethereal voices in the entire galaxy. The song was beautiful, complex, dynamic, and full of longing. Zugma and Koth stopped what they were doing to gather around, entranced.

It mostly just sounds very exotic to me, Thalik thought. But I can see how it could be interpreted as romantic.

The song ended.

“Was that your husband singing?”

“Yes.”

 

***

 

Flenai had installed a virtual assistant into the exhibit and taught the hominids the proper voice commands for getting it to do various things. Thalik kept asking it to play Chiran’s singing, which Flenai found strange.

The first thing Thalik did was listen to Chiran’s Lover’s Day song again. Then he played many of his other songs. At first he just listened, his brow furrowed in concentration. Then after Flenai left, he tried imitating some of the singing himself. When Koth noticed, he got excited and tried it too.

One day, they were so engrossed in this practice that they didn’t notice Flenai return. She watched them quizzically and waited until they were done before she asked, “Having fun?”

“When did you get here!?” Thalik screamed.

“I’ve been here a while. I’m impressed by your singing. You must have been practicing this for quite some time.”

“Thanks.” Thalik mumbled.

“Any particular reason why?”

“I just wanted a novel challenge. I’m definitely not practicing for how to woo you the way your husband has. That would be ridiculous!”

Zugma snickered at him.

Flenai was now looking at Thalik with a strange expression on her face.

Thalik felt his face flush and hoped his dark skin would mask it. He turned away from them.

After their tutoring session had ended and Flenai left, Zugma approached Thalik. “You seem to be getting more and more obsessed with Flenai. Could you by any chance love her as more than just a mentor?”

“What are you talking about?!” Thalik sputtered.

“Please don’t feel that you have to hide this from me. It doesn’t bother me, except that this must be a huge burden on you. You shouldn’t have to bear it alone.”

“Really?! Thank you! You’re amazing.” Thalik exhaled, feeling that a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

“I wish you the best of luck in wooing her.”

 

***

 

Flenai had already taught the hominids how to speak and read Vezjop, the official language of the Interstellar Federation. They’d quickly picked up on it, as it was an artificially constructed language that was designed to be very simple and straightforward (for the sake of the vast population across the galaxy that had to learn it). Flenai had then given Thalik, Zugma, and Koth a tablet PC and set up internet for them.

Thalik used it to look up Flenai. He read her bio and all the other publicly available info he could find on her. He was shocked at how old she was, but in retrospect it made sense considering that she knew so much. He was also stunned about the breeding program she’d participated in for so much of her life and all the progeny she had, and about the “eggs of immortality.” Flenai seemed almost like a divine being.

Through this, Thalik also ended up learning about her husband. He was amazed to discover that Chiran was a famous idol and composer. Then he saw his picture. Chiran was beautiful, just like his voice. And he also seemed to be a very sweet person, based on how he conducted his work.

Thalik then focused on learning everything he could about the chelinar, including their biology, culture, and history.

The chelinar varied in their coloration, hairstyles, and pattern of specks. Apparently no two looked alike. And regarding their sexual biology and mating practices, they had intercourse in much the same way that humans did, and in a variety of positions. Their genitals were shaped and sized similarly to humans’ too. Thalik had never been able to see Flenai’s because hers were always hidden behind her downy feathers. He wondered what hers in particular looked like.

He was also taken aback when he learned that despite male and female chelinar being about the same size and forming strong pair bonds, the chelinar almost never enforced monogamy and felt no need to limit their romantic love to one partner or hide their extramarital affairs. They seemed to be very laid-back in general. Flenai herself was certainly very cool and collected. Thalik wasn’t sure how he felt about their free attitude toward love and sex. On the one hand he was excited that this meant Flenai might be attainable to him, but he wondered if he could ever be OK about her having other lovers, even if he could become fine with Chiran specifically. He needed some time to process this.

He watched a lot of porn videos featuring various chelinar having sex. Sometimes he watched these with Zugma as foreplay for their own lovemaking. They also watched videos in which the chelinar women laid eggs. Thalik especially liked the ones that provided a close-up view of the egg squeezing its way out as the chelinar woman pushed it further out with each heaving breath. The women in the videos seemed to enjoy the process a lot, as they often masturbated or had foreplay prior to the event. The most common position seemed to be of the egg-layer sitting on her partner’s lap while the partner sat cross-legged. They would embrace each other, often with lots of kissing, nuzzling, and caressing until the egg was released into the space between the partner’s legs.

After looking into the science behind it, Thalik learned that laying eggs was nearly always an orgasmic experience for the chelinar, that arousal and affection facilitated the labor contractions, and that the contractions then fed back into those emotions.

 

***

 

Thalik and Zugma decided that they would approach Flenai to ask about her “eggs of immortality.” Surely it was reasonable for them to want to extend their lives.

“So we learned about your life-extending eggs,” Zugma broached as soon as Flenai met them again.

Thalik continued for her. “Is there anything we can do to earn some of these eggs for ourselves?”

Flenai had expected them to ask this someday.

“I may be able to provide some to you later, but you’re still young and don’t have much need for any yet.”

“But I’m very curious now. Can’t I just have a little taste?” Thalik pleaded.

“I suppose that could be arranged.” She paused to think it over. “That reminds me. If you’re willing to participate in experiments that could potentially harm your body, we can provide you such an egg to heal you, if this treatment would be the most practical solution.”

Thalik’s hopes rose, along with some fears. “What kinds of experiments?”

“The zipom want to test your physical endurance, especially when you’re sleep-deprived. Don’t worry though. We will be monitoring your vital signs the whole time. I won’t allow them to do anything that could be fatal or cause permanent damage.”

Thalik laughed. “That’s all?”

“Yes, but I’ll give you some time to think it over anyway.”

 

***

 

As Flenai made her way home, she thought more about the life-extending eggs–and about death.

Thalik’s people had… interesting spiritual beliefs about death. Though they did believe in an afterlife of sorts, they believed that they couldn’t guarantee a good one, and they didn’t believe that there would be no final, permanent death of consciousness–they were agnostic about that. Their beliefs could be considered a type of weak panpsychism–panprotopsychism to be exact, including the belief that sentience is additive–that minds are composed of the smaller cumulative sentiences of their constituent parts. This has led to some rather gruesome, but understandable, funerary practices.

Thalik’s people believed that upon death, the deceased individual’s sentience would become fragmented into a vast number of tiny–and for the time being–unconscious particles. If these particles then became part of other life forms (such as through ingestion), some of them could become part of those creatures’ brains (and especially the brains of their growing fetuses) and then share unified consciousness with them. Because of this fragmentation into multiple sentient and non-sentient pieces, what had previously been the mind of a human and given new conscious experiences would experience multiple first-person perspectives that are unaware of each other. (Building off of that, it could be suggested that we are already experiencing the entire sentience of the universe, but the parts of us thinking and speaking through our isolated bodies are unaware of it.)

Flenai found it quite impressive that a band of hunter-gatherers intuited their way to a belief system that even many top philosophers of the Interstellar Federation espoused. It was easy enough to figure out that the brain was the seat of the mind. Thoughts certainly felt like they took place behind the eyes. This was especially apparent when thinking too hard caused a headache. Plus, severe head injury could completely change a person’s nature. But, panpsychism was a whole different story. It was a potential solution to the Hard Problem Of Consciousness, and it also fit the smooth continuity between simple life and what is commonly thought of as sentient life. At no point in evolutionary history does it seem obvious that consciousness suddenly emerged. Even if you define it as originating in the first brain, at what point does a ganglion become a brain? And at what point do connected nerves become a ganglion? It is also more parsimonious to infer that the rest of the matter in the universe is not fundamentally different from conscious beings (just different by circumstance of their current wiring, or lack thereof).

As for what seemed necessary for any type of conscious experience (present in people or purely hypothetical), it seemed to first require the ability to perceive sensory experiences (sensory input from outside could then potentially be co-opted into imagination and other thoughts if the wiring for such internal interpretation is present in that mind too, creating new types of conscious experience). These thoughts all seemed to require a corresponding pattern of brain activity (whether biological or artificial), activity which the tiniest particles of matter alone do not possess. However, this would not imply a fundamental difference between conscious beings and inanimate matter. Rather than saying that the latter have no inner experiences, it’s less misleading to say that their inner experiences happen to be blank because of lack of input and connections. Surely people would also have no consciousnesses if their brains never received any sensory input or information originally derived from sensory input.

 

***

 

Thalik had hoped that upon his death, his brain would be consumed by a pregnant woman who had good prospects ahead for her unborn child. But, he was also hoping to live for a long time. Even if Zugma outlived him, she would most likely be too old by then to be pregnant. Maybe he could have a daughter or granddaughter of his do it? Or a more distant relative back on Earth? Maybe even… Flenai? His heart skipped a beat at the thought of a part of him becoming her baby.

He asked Flenai about her and the zipoms’ spiritual beliefs and funerary practices.

“We just recycle our bodies back into the ecosystem,” was her answer.

“You don’t try to ensure that it gets recycled directly into another person?”

“There are some of us who care about that, but for the most part it is not done because of health risks, especially regarding consumption of the brain and nervous system. Evolution generally does not favor cannibalism.”

“But don’t you have the technology to ensure that it can be done safely?”

“Yes, but many of us are still attached to doing things the more natural way, because there’s still a lot that science doesn’t know. What’s so bad about your dead brain being eaten by worms, maggots, and bacteria instead? Are you sure that your revulsion to this concept is not based on your anthropocentric bias? You don’t know what it’s like to be them.”

“Well, what does the known science have to say?”

“Their experiences are relatively simple, but generally speaking, they are well-adapted to the lives they lead, both physically and psychologically.”

Now for the kicker. Thalik took a deep breath. “And what about a person eating a person from a different species?”

“That should generally be safe for a species that’s adapted to eat meat, though many people still find that to be too objectifying for their tastes, or just find dead people to be especially disturbing and thus gruesome.”

“What do you think? Could you ever eat the brain of a human?”

“We are already scavengers. That would not be strange for us.”

Thalik laughed. “So are you going to eat me if I die before you?”

“Sure, if you specify it in your will. It would be my honor.” She smiled. Then, inferring his thoughts, she leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “I’d even be willing to freeze you until I have a newly fertilized egg growing in me, then eat your brain and name my baby after you. Of course, I would be devastated if you were to die before me, but doing these would make your death a little more bearable.”

“Really?!” Face flushed, Thalik held his hands over his heart.

She clasped the sides of his face, pulled him to her, and kissed his forehead.

His eyes widened and breath caught. Had she ever even touched him before? Taking advantage of the situation, he hugged her to him and gave her a return kiss on her forehead.

Now it was Flenai’s turn to be started, but she remained in place and awkwardly wrapped her arm-wings around him.

Suddenly, Thalik bent down, hooking his arm under her knees and picking her up. He carried her to the tree and sat down, leaning his back against it and seating Flenai on his lap. He cradled her with one arm while caressing the side of her face with his free hand and smiled as he gazed into her eyes.

 

***

 

It was time for Flenai to interview the hominids about their experiences onboard the SS.

She assured them, “Your answers will be kept strictly confidential. Only I will know, so please be completely honest. I won’t be offended.”

When it was Thalik’s turn, he answered, “It’s been exhilarating to experience such a drastic change and to learn so much in a relatively short period of time. I also love my new family, as well as being able to occasionally meet with my kin from Earth. But, I do wish I had more freedom to travel as I please in other parts of this spaceship–and without a leash.”

“You will soon enough. Where do you especially want to go?”

“Well,” he looked away. “I would like to accompany you sometimes when you’re not in here with us, and I’m especially curious about visiting where you live.”

“Understandable. I think I can arrange that. Is there anything else you would like?”

He took a deep breath. “Well yes, but my other main wishes have more to do with you than with the SS and its policies.”

“Oh?” She perked up. “Please tell me anyway.”

He looked her straight in the eye. He wasn’t going to delay any longer. This was probably the best opening he could hope for. “I want you to continue mentoring me until the end of my days. I want to not have to hide anything from you. I want to wake up every morning in your embrace, and I want our bodies to become one. I love you, Flenai.”

Flenai stood frozen in place, staring at him with wide open eyes. Finally, she continued in a soft voice, “So you are not at all concerned about my husband?”

“I’m long past that. I’m even fine now about you taking on any additional lover you might want, because I trust your judgment about who is worthy of you.”

“Wow,” she whispered. “That’s quite admirable of you, Thalik.”

 

***

 

Thalik went through with the endurance experiments, and now they were finally over. As expected, they had made him extremely lethargic. He couldn’t even bathe himself now, so the zipom gave him a sponge bath to clean off his sweat. And Flenai concluded that although he could heal on his own after several days, he had earned her healing egg. She instructed the zipom to wheel him into her home. She had a surprise for him.

Thalik was unconscious upon arrival. They laid him down on Flenai’s queen-sized bed and she pulled a blanket over him, tucking him in. Then all the zipom left. They had other tasks to do.

As soon as Flenai finished taking a shower, it was time for her to retire for bed as well. She had only that one bed in her home though. She climbed in with Thalik, wrapping her arms and legs around him. After all, he had confessed to wanting to wake up in her embrace.

 

***

 

Thalik dreamed that he was lying on soft earth in a cave behind a waterfall, his head pressed into the curve of Flenai’s neck, her slow, deep breaths bringing his own breathing in sync with hers.

He slowly opened his eyes to find himself in an unfamiliar place. He appeared to be in a constructed home, with dark walls, hanging plants, and a variety of strange crafts/artworks. He could still hear the sound of falling water, which apparently emanated from a small fountain across the room. Rays of light were streaming in through the glass window.

Am I still dreaming? he wondered. He turned his head and saw–

Flenai?!

She was embracing him, just like in his dream. But this felt too vivid to be a dream. His heart raced. Why was she here? Where was this place? What should he do? Wake her to find out? Or savor the moment?

“Good morning Thalik,” she murmured into his hair. “You slept quite a lot. Do you feel well-rested?”

“What’s going on?”

“You fell unconscious at the end of your experiments and were wheeled here at my request. This is my home.”

“Oh thank you so much!” He embraced her and kissed her all over her face.

She giggled. “You seem to have recovered much of your energy, but you must still try to rest. Your muscles still have a lot of healing to do.”

“Huh. Now that you mention it, I’m still very sore. I must have been too excited about being here with you to notice it before.”

She smiled. “I have something for that. Let me get it for you.”

She reached into the drawer of the bedside table and pulled out a vial. “This is for me to rub into your sore muscles.”

She got up and pulled the blanket off of Thalik. Then, turning her attention back to the vial, she twisted off the cap, releasing a sage-like scent that infused the room. She dripped a few drops onto her palm and rubbed her hands together.

She slathered the oil over Thalik’s shoulders and upper arms, admiring how it glistened against his bronze skin. She then delicately traced the outlines of his tattoos, causing his skin to form goosebumps. She then proceeded to knead his shoulders and arms, firmly but gently.

Thalik sighed contentedly. “That feels so good.”

When she was finished with that area, she took the vial again and dripped its oil directly onto his chest, then set it down and used both her hands to slather the oil over Thalik’s upper body, the hard nubs of his nipples massaging her palms as she in turn massaged his pecs.

She added more drops to her palm, then brought her hands to his feet, pinching and twisting each toe and kneading the balls of his feet, then his heels, then his ankles. She then proceeded to slather more oil across his calf muscles and kneaded each calf.

It was time for her to work on his thighs. She added more oil to her palms and reached her hands up his waistcloth. Thalik tensed for just a moment, but soon relaxed again under Flenai’s ministrations as she kneaded his lower thighs, slowly working her way up. She seated herself in front of him for a better angle.

Thalik felt his cock twitch and fill with blood, pressing up against the constricting fabric of his waistcloth.

Flenai smirked. “I see that you have yet another part of your body that wants attention. At the very least, I should remove the constriction to make you more comfortable.”

Thalik blushed and turned his head away as she unfastened his waistcloth. It was true that she had already seen him naked and in intimate situations many times already, but those times she herself wasn’t in view. He felt especially vulnerable now that she was up close and personal with him while he was naked and still very weak from the endurance experiments.

Flenai stared openly at his cock. “Hmm. I wonder what I should use to massage it.” She got up onto her knees and spread them apart, revealing the fluids dripping from her pussy. She inched forward.

“Yes… please…” Thalik whispered hoarsely, eyes wide and fixed on her downy wetness.

“This will certainly help me lay my egg for you,” she said as she lowered herself over the underside of his cock. Slowly, she slid her pussy along the length of it, then alternated sliding Thalik’s cock along each side of her folds, rubbing her juices over the entire shaft. Finally, she rested her weight on him and, hands on his chest, began thrusting her hips back and forth along the length of his reclining cock.

After a while, she clasped his hands, propped them up over his elbows, and leaned forward. “I’m going to need your help for this next part. You see, my egg isn’t quite due yet–the egg itself is complete but the shell hasn’t started forming yet. Fortunately though, human saliva has just the right mix of ingredients to induce premature labor in me. All I need is to get your saliva on my pussy and rub it inside.”

Thalik smiled. “Allow me to handle that,” he said as he pulled her body toward his mouth.

Once she was hovering just a few inches above his face, he spread her pussy apart, getting a good view of her pink lips and dripping entrance. With a swift motion, he pulled her down to his mouth and ravenously slurped down her juices, savoring their salty taste and aroma. His hand went to his cock, which he began stroking furiously.

Flenai smiled down at him. “This isn’t quite what I’d asked you to do, but it’s just as well that you’re sucking out my juices. It’ll help your saliva better penetrate the walls.”

Once he had sucked out enough, Flenai lifted herself off of him. Thalik stuck his index and middle fingers into his mouth under his tongue. Once he had coated them with spit, he brought them back out and spread her pussy again with his free hand, then pushed his saliva-coated fingers inside, circling her walls. He now focused intently on their texture, imagining what they would feel like around his cock. Unconsciously, he began stroking his cock again with his other hand.

With a bit of effort, he was able to reach his fingertips to her cervix. He traced around the outer rim, then brought a finger to the center and gently pressed into the opening, stretching it ever so slightly. He then wiggled his finger in circles, gradually stretching it more and more.

“Oh yes… keep doing that.” Flenai rasped.

Thalik continued until he felt something firm press down into the opening. This must be the egg, he thought. Flenai’s breathing became faster and heavier and her body shook as Thalik felt her walls contract. He drew his fingers down a bit to give the egg more space to come out, pushing his fingers out against the edges of her pulsating walls as they released more slippery fluids. He lowered his hand whenever he felt the egg touch his fingertips until, with a sharp exhale, Flenai gave a final, forceful push, plopping the egg down onto Thalik’s waiting palm.

Trembling, he withdrew his hand to take a look at it. It was a gooey but compact white blob (about the size and shape of a golf ball). As if by instinct, he drew it up to his face and pushed the whole thing into his mouth.

Thalik bit down into it. It was sweet, with a nutty-tasting filling. His gooey hand went back to his cock as he closed his eyes and chewed the egg into a paste. Flenai descended back toward his hips and pushed his hand away to grab the base of his shaft, pointing it straight up as she lowered her pussy. She took her time descending until at last Thalik’s cock was completely engulfed. She clasped his hands again, propping them up over his elbows as she began bouncing up and down on his hips.

Thalik gripped Flenai’s hands tightly as she pounded her cervix hard against his cock and her walls squeezed around him like a vice. He was still savoring her egg, its sticky bulk filling his mouth like a gag. After a few minutes of this, he felt himself getting close. He tore his hands away from Flenai’s to grip her hips instead, holding her in place as he thrust upward at rapid speed. He arched his back and convulsed as he felt his cum erupt in several bursts up into Flenai’s tiny womb.

At last, he let go of her twitching body and she collapsed on top of him, her ear resting against his neck as he loudly gulped down her egg. Still catching his breath, he wrapped his arms around her and gently caressed her hair.

“Thank you so much,” he whispered. “This is the best day of my life. I love you, Flenai.” He kissed her temple.

She lifted her head to look him in the eye. “It was my pleasure… and I love you too.” She brought her lips down to his mouth and poked her tongue inside, tasting remnants of her egg as she explored every crevice.

This stuff tastes divine, she thought. No wonder so many people get addicted to it. I wonder if Thalik will too. Well, I’d be happy to feed my future eggs to him.

 

***

 

Within a few hours, Thalik’s soreness was reduced to an imperceptible level and his energy was back to normal.

“So do you have any plans for what you’ll do with your next egg?”

“Well, one idea that occurred to me was that we could make a soup out of my scrambled egg, Zugma’s refined milk, and your semen, and then the three of us could drink it together.”

“That sounds wonderful! Zugma has been an excellent mother to Betai and Koth and has been very supportive of me as well, so she certainly deserves to try your egg. Also… I have sometimes wished that I could nourish you from my body as well.”

“Well, technically you already are. The SS is self-sustaining, recycling all the wastes produced in it into nutrients to feed the plants, which are then used to feed the people.”

“Well that’s something.” Thalik conceded.

“Of course, going through this whole ecological process means it’s not quite as intimate. I’m looking forward to consuming your essence directly.” She flashed a smile at him.

 

***

 

The next month, Flenai, Thalik, and Zugma sampled the sweet and creamy soup that they made together from their bodies. Some of the zipom and other extraterrestrials were curious and wanted to try as well, so in later months the three of them made more to sell. The dish became a huge hit on board the SS, and news of it spread across the galaxy.

Zugma and Thalik made several more babies, all of whom were adopted away to Jayibeh. The tribe was planning to migrate north anyway, so having lighter-skinned members would be a boon for them.

Koth was becoming a man, with the rugged features and bone-crushing strength his people were known for. Now he won every time he wrestled against Thalik and had soon gotten bored of that pastime. He now enjoyed prancing around with the pygmy woman seated on his shoulders as she held onto his blond mane (which she had braided into reins).

When Betai reached schooling age, she was transferred to a boarding school within the heart of the Interstellar Federation, where she was exposed to a wide variety of species and cultures, and where she continued her schooling until she was ready to enter the workforce. She often kept in touch with her family through social media and visited them every so often. She excelled in both school and work. The accomplishments of her, her family, and Flenai succeeded in legally establishing humans (and Neanderthals) as people of the Interstellar Federation. And though some humans chose to continue their traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyles, there was widespread exchange of culture and ideas, resulting in major advancements not only for the humans but even for the extraterrestrials.