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A trip around the moon. That's all it was meant to be. That's all it was supposed to be.
The Excelsior 2 was the first crewed mission to the moon in over 50 years. The 4-member crew was going to make history. They were going to map out parts of the moon that had never been seen before, the side of the moon absorbed in darkness. It had been 5 days since launch, and the spacecraft was going to wrap around the shadow-filled side for only 40 minutes.
It was only meant to be 40 minutes.
The crew was in their positions, getting ready to record and photograph each crater and crevice of the moon's surface.
Hange, one of the mission specialists, positioned a special camera toward one of the small portholes facing the moon. They had gotten into position early, too eager to photograph the landscape. Their eyes frantically searched the moon's surface for anything out of the ordinary.
“It sure is beautiful, huh?” Moblit, the other mission specialist, floated towards Hange. The zero-g allowed him to simply glide through the small shuttle, making it easy to maneuver around the cramped space. He leaned against the porthole with Hange.
“Oh, it is, I've been waiting all my life for this!” Hange stated ecstatically.
“I think we all have!” Onyankopon, the pilot, agreed as he slid into his position near another port.
“Come on, no dilly dallying, we have history to make.” Erwin, the commander, shouted across the close quarters.
Hange snickered slightly. Erwin had always been the serious one, taking the most caution and calculation out of the group. During interviews, he would speak first, and he would make sure that what he said would be written in textbooks. He spoke with such determination and grit that it inspired so many back on Earth.
Hange turned their focus back to their camera, looking through the viewfinder, they saw the moon in all its glory. Each crater tells a story, each curve traces a path of history, each color slowly fading into the thick black blanket that covers the far side.
Hange couldn’t help but feel giddy, excitement bubbling through their body. They had waited for this moment all their life. A dream they’ve had for years is finally coming true. A smile couldn’t help but consume their face as they tried to hold the camera steady in their shaking hands. They were the first ambiguous person to be this far from Earth, everything they did would be an inspiration for people like them. They felt immense pride knowing that their every move was being treated with such admiration back on Earth.
The spacecraft hovered a safe 4,000 miles away from the surface. Onyankopon checked the navigation and flight path; everything was in order. They were in a perfect spot to collect data on the mapping of the far side of the moon.
Then, without warning, Hange noticed something out of the corner of their eye. Shifting their camera to focus on it, a twinge of fear struck them.
Something was approaching the ship.
At first, it looked like nothing, just a glimmering spec of dust floating through the void of space. But the closer it got, the bigger it became. It was traveling at such an immense speed that it seemed it could slice right through the Excelsior 2.
“Erwin? You need to see this.” Hange called out for their commander. Erwin took note and looked out the porthole as well. The unidentified object was now only a couple of thousand miles away.
“What is that?” Erwin questioned, looking through the camera, trying to get as much detail as he could.
The object was sleek in design, covered in a dark metal-like alloy. It admitted a slight blue hue, and it approached. It looked like a small satellite, but there were no satellites meant to orbit the moon.
At least no man-made ones.
Humans have been trying to send satellites to the moon for years, but unfortunately, nothing has been able to stick. They assumed it was due to the lower gravitational pull of the moon. Each time they sent a new one, it lost contact or needed to return prematurely before it could complete its mission.
Soon enough, the whole crew was looking at the object, searching for answers they’d never get. The ship’s proximity trackers started to pick up on the object, alerting the crew and mission control about its presence.
“Mission Control to Excelsior 2, we are picking up on something approaching the ship. Are you reading this, too?” The radio voice of a flight director back on earth echoed through the capsule.
“Yes, Mission Control, we are picking up on a foreign object approaching the ship rapidly,” Erwin responded.
“Are you able to get us a visual on it?”
There were video cameras placed all over the outside of the ship. There were no blind spots on Mission Control's side; if there was an object approaching, they would be able to see it.
“You don’t have visuals on it?”
“Negative, commander.”
Erwin's heart dropped slightly. If Mission Control couldn’t see it at this proximity, then there must be something else at play here. Erwin searched the control panel for the controls over the outside cameras. He calmly shifted one of the cameras directly at where the object was, and yet it picked up nothing but the darkness of the moon.
“Mission Control, something is interfering with the video signal. We are unable to get confirmed visuals on the object.” Erwin looked back out the window. It was definitely out there.
“Commander, it's decelerating,” Molbit called.
The object was nearing the ship in full view, only a couple of miles away. The crew watched in horror as it unfurled 4 long robotic tendons towards the ship. The slender arms reach for the Excelsior 2’s outer shell. It was smooth in design, a dimly glowing front hatch the only thing bulging out of the surface. It looked as organic as it did robotic. This wasn’t human.
The Excelsior 2’s proximity monitor buzzed desperately. Onyankopon tried to get to the navigation controls to steer them away from the approaching pod. The ship didn’t move; it couldn’t move as it was frozen in place.
“Mission Control, there is a foreign pod attempting to dock onto our ship. We are unable to move out of the way,” Erwin called through the comms.
There was no response.
“Mission Control, do you copy?”
Nothing but radio static filled the capsule.
The ship shook violently as the tendons of the pod attached to it. The lights on board slowly dimmed into darkness. The crew stationed themselves in the middle, unsure if there was going to be a breach of the walls.
Silence fell over the crew, nothing but the buzzing proximity sensor filling the air. A blue light shone through the cabin, and calculated lasers of light scanned the interior as one of the tendrils circled the ship. Counting, observing, monitoring.
“This is amazing…” Hange whispered.
“We’re all going to die, and that's what you have to say??” Moblit answered, stunned at his crewmembers' ignorance of the situation.
“Yes! We have made contact with another intelligent species!” Hange couldn’t help but feel the same buzz of excitement they had before. Sure, they might be in imminent peril, but they had done something no other human had done before, and they couldn’t help a sense of pure excitement.
The pod stopped scanning the ship, plunging the crew into a deep darkness. They held their breath, hoping it would become uninterested and leave. The pod docked onto the top of the ship, carving a small hole into the hull, allowing a small drone probe to invade the cabin.
It looked like a teardrop, a large circular screen displaying symbols they couldn't understand. Then it started to produce a vapor, filling the ship with a toxic gas.
Every member of the crew felt their heart drop. Their minds were racing, trying to comprehend the situation they found themselves in. Erwin started trying to break the device, trying to shut down the effects, covering any vents, and releasing the gas.
“Try not to inhale it,” Molbit hurriedly shouted as he tried to get to the storage of emergency supplies. Everyone in the crew covered their mouths, trying not to inhale the foreign gas.
Hange’s heart began to race, in fear? of curiosity? Maybe a sinister mix of both. They tried to handle their emotions the best they could, but their excitement couldn’t be watered down. They couldn't contain their pure glee of simply being docked by an alien species. They needed to know more, even if it killed them.
Their attempts to try and stay conscious slowly fell apart, their lungs slowly grasping at straws trying to inhale the little amount of oxygen left in the shuttle. No matter how much they struggled, no matter how much they held their breath soon they all fell unconscious. Their bodies fall limp in the spaceship, slowly drifting through the zero gravity.
The pod had completed its mission and slowly started bringing the shuttle down to the moon's surface.
———————————————————
Humans. They weren’t supposed to come back. They weren’t supposed to be here. They weren’t supposed to know of your existence.
Your species has created a base of observation on the Earth's only moon. A colony of the highest elites, scientists, soldiers, and doctors. All there for a purpose to observe the carbon-based life forms that call themselves humans. Humans were interesting; their problems were mere entertainment. Everyone saw them as pathetic; they weren’t supposed to make it this far. They weren’t meant to leave their habitat, their home, their planet. Humans didn’t know of the thousands of you that found refuge on the other side of their moon, and it was meant to stay that way. After all, why would they ever try to leave the place where they had everything?
Though many thought they were unimportant and unintelligent, you saw them slightly differently. You were a human scientist; your whole life had been dedicated to studying them. What their day-to-day life was, how they interacted, how their body worked. Weeks went by of your people circling their planet as you watched in delight as they would carve one another open for “healing” . It was all too fascinating. You were one of the few who realized the possibilities of a group of humans being so close that you might actually be able to interact with one, touch one, study them.
You were trying to hold in your excitement as you watched them scramble to assemble a floating eyesore they called a rocket. Their desperate attempts at trying to escape the Earth's atmosphere. It was like watching babies learn to walk. It was pathetic.
Your people had 5 days after watching the humans launch into orbit to figure out how to handle it. Many thought they would just run out of oxygen before they could get here; there was no real worry for these mindless creatures. They were oh so wrong. You knew this. You had sat in on intelligence meetings, a group of the few highest beings of the colony. You represented the science guild, and you were head of the human study program. Your input was crucial during this meeting, the meeting where your people would figure out what to do with the impending threat of the human spacecraft.
“I don’t believe they’ll make it.” One laughed. He, like many others, downplayed the threat of humans knowing of your existence. “Do you seriously expect us to believe that those things are intelligent enough to get to us? Utterly preposterous.”
“They have made it here before; what makes you believe they won't again?” Another pointed out.
“They have no plans to touch down; we simply just obliterate them when they wrap around.” A third offered.
“Taking the lives of these humans would be unnecessary.” You broke your silence. You wouldn’t let your people ruin your one chance to discover more about these humans. They were fascinatingly simple-minded creatures, but you were drawn to them. “I propose that we force them to dock and we study their behavior.”
“You know as much as the rest of us, their behavior is erratic, unstable, and violent. We let them run around here like a bunch of vile beasts. We'll have an invasion of them.”
“Humans reproduce slowly; there is no imminent threat of a hostile takeover.” You countered. Your voice slowly swelled with emotions the more you spoke about your passion. “Their biology is incredibly similar to ours, what if we can learn how to counter our most dangerous diseases through their body? We can use them as tests for vaccines and medicines. We could also learn why they have come to prevent more from coming ever again. We can learn so much from these humans, it would be useless to just exterminate a valuable resource.”
“You do have a point,” The highest being of your colony spoke, your king, his voice cutting through the room. “But how do you suppose we force them to dock? They won’t be too keen on doing it themselves if we say please.”
“We send a utility pod with a gas probe, put them to sleep, restrain them, then study them.” You shrugged.
“You’ll lead the extraction then?”
“Yes, your majesty.”
“Good.” He chuckled. “Then we go with your plan. If their biology can support us, then I see no reason to at least try. But if this goes awry, it’ll be your head.”
“Yes, your majesty.” Your heart came up to your throat. Humans were unintelligent; it would be easy to just use them for study. You had nothing to worry about.
———————————————————
Hange’s brain was fuzzy, their mind slowly awaking. They registered the feeling of cold metal on their back, wrists, and ankles. Their eyes snapping open, it made little to no difference. The room they were in was plunged in darkness, they couldn’t see anything. The darkness suffocated them as they tried their best to get a handle on what was going on.
They closed their eyes to focus on their other senses. They could hear muffled voices through the echoey chambered halls. The sounds of footsteps are constantly running by. The smell of cold stagnant air fills their lungs with each breath. They could breathe. They had no oxygen mask, and yet they could breathe as if they were back on earth.
Their brains were trying to rationalise where they were, but more importantly, who had put them there.
They heard an air lock system activated, followed by the shuffling of 4-foot steps. They still couldn’t see anything. Unsure if it was a single 4-legged creature, or two 2-legged creatures.
“Who's there?” Their voice rang out in the darkness, but they got no response.
Hange could feel cold, sharp hands tracing every part of their body. 4 hands. The digits were long and slender as they traced over each appendage. Hange’s body shook underneath them; the feeling was strange. Their arms and legs pushed against restraints as they tried to break away from the stranger's grasp. They gasped at the contact, their body shivering uncontrollably against the touch.
“Stop that!” They cried out.
Another start of the airlock caused the 4 hands to quickly retract from them. You entered the room to study your next subject. You had been making your rounds to the passengers of the ship; this one was your 3rd. This one was different from the others because it was the only biologically female of the group. You were excited to get such an array of humans to study.
“What have I told you about touching it like that?” You spoke out in your natural tongue, but Hange couldn’t understand you. “You have no proper sanitization.”
The two younger apprentices who were assigned to help with your studies looked at you worriedly. They were almost as foolish as a human. It irked you that your talents were being taught to this new batch of idiotic children.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” One stuttered out. Her hands were shaking above the human’s.
“Yes, yes, sorry ma’am.” The other followed suit.
“Go get disinfected and hope to the gods you have not contracted a disease from the specimen.” You hurried the two out.
The human had been strapped to an operating table, restricting its movement, allowing you to easily access everything. You had each human dressed in a nanotech gown, allowing you to open access to the skin at any moment while also keeping their fragile body warm.
“Hello?” Hange called out to you. “Who’s there?”
Could it not see you towering over it? You leaned in front of its face, your eyes studying how its face reacted. With each breath you let out, their eyes flickered shut for a moment. Its face contorted in worry and fear, but underneath, there was a twinge of excitement. A slight discoloration of the skin occurred, its blood vessels in its skin dilating, causing a slight red hue to take over its cheeks.
“I can feel you breathing on me. If you’re going to eat me, just do it.” Hange shuddered under the feeling of your warm breath on their ear.
Humans do not have any nutritional benefits. I would have no purpose to consume you.” You spoke in its dialect, hoping for it to calm down and allow you to start your study.
“You spoke my language!” Hange shouted enthusiastically. “How do you know English? Did you extract it from my brain? If you touch me, do you just get the knowledge? Did you learn it through a study program? Did you-?”
“I learned it years ago; it's a part of any basic academic program.” You cut it off before its tiny little mind ran away from it.
“That’s incredible! How long have you guys been here? How old are you? How long have you-”
“You ask a lot of questions.” You cut it off again. You partially regretted communicating with it in the first place.
“I do! I am a scientist, it is what I do!” Hange smiled.
“A scientist?” You questioned. You knew humans had scientists, but you were unaware of why they would send one into the depths of space. Any trip into the further galaxy was only dedicated strictly for soldiers looking for expansion; if they needed scientists, they would be made on the land designated.
“Yes, a scientist, I try to explain unexplainable things. I research the natural and unnatural world and try to make sense of it. Do you have something like that?”
“Of course, I am a scientist,” You stated. It started rambling out more questions you didn’t pay attention to, you needed to set up your materials to conduct simple ligament, circulatory, and respiratory tests. You waved your hand above its face; it wore what you could assume was an optical assistance device; they were extremely simple compared to the ones from your colony. You brushed some of its hair out of its face. It stopped talking.
Your hands were slender and warm against Hange’s face; they weren’t expecting the sudden touch. Your hand was more delicate with them compared to the 4 prior. Their breath hitched the more you moved their head around, you were gently tracing the muscles behind their ear. You were worried you would break such a delicate thing. Their body trembled against your fingertips; their skin was smooth and soft. You traced over their lower jaw, taking in every detail of their face.
“Can you see me?” You questioned, its pupils were huge, clearly not used to the darkness. Your people have been able to see in the dark; it was necessary if you were going to live on this side of the moon.
“Nope, I’m blinder than a bat,” Hange chuckled slightly.
“Bats are not blind; that phrase has no meaning. Bats are able to see in pitch darkness better than humans.” Humans were incredibly incompetent, clearly unable to understand their own planet's animals. It was slightly irksome to know that your knowledge was dumbed down to talk to humans. Humans were delightfully adorable, but were terrible at holding an intellectual conversation.
“It’s a saying,” Hange sighed.
“It’s saying what?”
“No, no, no, it's like an expression. Just to prove a point.”
“Odd.” You noted down the odd linguistics of natural human speech. Reaching onto the side table, you grabbed a small medical flashlight. “I’m going to shine a light into your eye. If you function correctly, your pupil should react in response.”
“If I function correctly?” Hange repeated.
“That is what I said, if you don’t react, you could be defective.”
“Defective?” They repeated, slightly stunned at your casual demeaning message.
“Are you having trouble hearing me?” You worried slightly that this specimen was someone of the slower class of humans. Just your luck, the one human sent to space was a faulty one.
“No, I can hear you clearly,” Hange responded. “I’m just a little confused about your wording of certain things.”
Shining the light into their eyes caused them to constrict. The light slightly reflected off their glasses. Hange wasn’t able to get any better view of their capture. Their eyes squinted against the harsh light.
“My wording is perfect; I have made no mistakes in what I have said to you.”
“Oh, I see,” Hange mentally noted that you were a very literal being. It was honestly entertaining, though slightly annoying. Your species seemed to be very intellectual. As Hange lay there looking up into the large, vast darkness of the room, their mind began to wander about what you looked like. Perhaps you were a vicious beast with long, sharp teeth, or maybe a lanky, snouted being. It was frustrating that they couldn’t see you, but they understood your body may not be able to handle such intense light like theirs.
“I thought you said you couldn’t see.” You responded.
Satisfied with the eyes' reaction, you retracted the light from their eyes. Setting the flashlight down and looking back through the safety airlock. Those two apprentices were nowhere to be seen. The room had no windows; glass would be a safety hazard around such unstable specimens. You had installed light fixtures throughout the lab just for the comfort of the specimens.
Though your vision was made for zero light, your body was able to adapt quickly to new environments, and nothing you couldn’t handle. If the sun were to explode, your species would just grow warmer for itself; if you were to plunge into the depths of hell, your species would grow colder. It was simple: you survive. It was endearing to see a species like humans that couldn’t handle basic things like their own sun. It was humorous to know some humans will burn against their own sun rays; it was pathetic, but in an oddly charming way.
“I don't believe those two will return.” You sighed in annoyance. The two that were going to shape your future were now nowhere to be seen, which brought a slight anger to your voice. “Youth.”
“Who were they?” Hange asked cheerfully.
“Orin and Gortash, two students from the academy.” You walked to the other side of the room, reaching for the light switch. “I am going to activate the lights so you can be more comfortable. Would that be adequate?”
“Oh, sure! What does this said academy teach? Is the curriculum hard?”
The lights blinded both of you momentarily; your eyes were extremely sensitive, the stinging burning through your retinas. You hissed in pain as you forced yourself to stare into the lights; your body would remove the inadequate cells and replace them with higher-functioning ones. The pain would only last a moment, then disappear in a matter of seconds.
“Holy shit..” Hange’s eyes focused quicker than yours. You were enormous, tall, and terrifying. Your arms were long and toned, your body proportions were foreign to them. Your hands were slender with sharp, well-kept talons. Everything about you seemed tame and calculated, like you were genetically built for perfection. Your ears were pointed and tall, your teeth were sharp and deadly, and you had a tail that swished behind you curiously. Hange was nothing, but in awe at you, you were the most unworldly amazing spectacle they had ever seen. They watched you recalibrate yourself and whispered, “You’re marvelous."
You blinked the pain away as your new eyes focused on the specimen in this new light. It lay on its back, covered merely by the nanotech suit, its hair was dark auburn and was pulled back into a messy knot. Its mouth lay open, and its eyes were wide and staring right at you. Its arms and legs were still restrained on the operating table, its chest rising and falling heavily. Its eyes were looking over you; it was studying your appearance. Its face was unreadable to you.
Was your hair messy? Did you forget to iron your lab coat? Did you forget to grab something? You quickly looked over yourself; everything was in order. You looked professional and clean, so why did it look at you like that? Then you thought more, why did you care about this..things..opinions of you. You were a higher being. It didn’t matter.
“What?” You questioned sternly.
“Nothing, I just haven’t seen anything like you before.”
“You should get used to it then, I will be here for a while.” You approached the specimen, looking over its body in the new light. It was toned for a human; each muscle was pushed to its limits. You laid your hand on its chest, feeling its heart beat through your fingertips. Your eyes search around its features, calculating every spot, marking them in your mind. Its heartbeat was abnormally fast; the other 2 specimens you had already tested had heartbeats around 80 beats a minute. But this one had a heartbeat of around 100. “Are you ill?”
Hange didn’t respond; they just felt your hand on their chest. Your long, slender fingers covered most of their chest; your palm could probably cover their face on its own. Your hand was warm and welcoming. Their minds were buzzing with pure euphoria; your hand was massive compared to theirs. You as a whole were stunning to them; you were a magnificent being. Their mind needed closure on how your species functioned, what economy you had in place, and what social structures existed. They wanted to know everything about your marvelous species, and they needed to know it now.
“Hey, PR-T,” You waved your other hand over the glassy eyes of the specimen. “Are you ill?”
“No, no I'm not.” Hange said quickly. They were now keenly aware of your proximity. Each pattern on your skin is bouncing out to them, hypnotizing them with your beauty. “Will it be just you here? With me?”
“Most likely,” You retracted your hand, the spot where you held on Hange’s chest slowly falling cold.
“Wait, what did you call me?” Hange is now picking up on the strange cereal code like the name you gave them.
“PR-T, Prob Recovery Three,” You answered as you slid a monitor out from the wall to record the data you collected on it.
“My name’s Hange,” Hange offered their name to you politely. You nodded in acknowledgement and put it into the log. A not-so-comfortable silence fell over the two of you as Hange waited for you to respond. “This is normally where you tell me your name.”
“Classified. Names are a formality you do not have clearance to.” Was this specimen trying to get closer to you? The other two were not nearly as chatty as this one. It seems to be more kind-hearted than you had initially thought. It was clearly trying to create some sort of bond with you; maybe you should cut it some slack. After all, they're only human.
You moved away from the monitor and began to conduct your respiratory tests. You brought your ear up to the specimen's chest. Your ears were highly sensitive and would be able to pick up any abnormalities in your breathing.
“What if I called you Rocky?” You could feel Hange chuckle through their chest.
“That is not my name.” You lifted your head and stared into their eyes. You were slightly curious about their need to give you a name. Your eyes were dark and deliberate. Hange was caught off guard by your sudden change in demeanor.
“It’s a reference,” Hange smiled. “From a movie.”
This human was strangely alluring to you; their naivety to this situation was somewhat charming. They were different from the other two humans; they were clearly the most capable of bending to your will. You were powerful; they were meek. A sickening feeling started to pool in your stomach. Maybe something was just different about this one, this human; they seem somewhat intelligent. Their curiosity mirrored your own, and it strung a cord in you. They spent years studying space and what was out there, while you spent years studying humans and how they work. Now you were both face to face with the thing that fills your sleepless nights, fills the towers of papers in your office, and fuels the questions that you spent your life answering.
“You are an interesting one, aren’t you?” You hand-trace over their features, your sharp talons tickling their face. “Of all humans, why send you to the moon?”
“Because I’m a capable scientist who has trained for years to become their best self for this mission.”
“Curious. You seem impulsive, chatty, and foolish. You seemed all too giddy to be in the presence of a higher being; you have no manners.” Your hand retracted from their face as you stood up tall, trying to look menacing to them.
“Is it foolish to be excited to discover a higher being like yourself? Maybe I just wish to study you as much as you wish to study me, we are both scientists after all.”
It was trying to create a common ground between the two of you, and the problem was that it was working. You felt your stomach twinge; their curiosity mirrored your own. Each question they asked you was out of a pure need for knowledge. You saw some of yourself in this being; you were slowly becoming ensnared in their web.
This was dangerous territory; if you didn’t find anything useful in them, it would cost you everything. You needed to continue your tests before you would find yourself nauseatingly compassionate for them.
“I need you to stand. I will retract your restraints so you can. You will die if you do not do as I say, understand?”
“Yes, ma’am,” They mimicked the appearances they heard before. The aching twang returned to your chest. You tried your best to ignore it; if they continued like this, it would be dire. You need to finish this quickly before they continue down this road.
The restraints became open, the cold metal slipping away from Hange’s skin. They sat up and gently massaged the tender skin on their wrists.
“Stand.” You commanded.
Hange obliged, their feet swinging over the table and gently hitting the ground. They stood tall, but to you they looked minuscule. You were twice their height, towering over them. Hange wasn’t the tallest human, but they weren’t short either.
They looked up to you like you were a powerful monument. They were slightly nervous standing in front of you, seeing the height difference. They were very honed in on staring at you, studying how your body naturally moved. How your tail swished behind you curiously, how your ears twitched to every sound, and how your eyes never left theirs. Their bodies were getting used to the feeling of gravity again; being in space for almost a week was something the human body couldn’t handle that well. They tested walking like they were a toddler walking for the first time, relearning how to take each step. Each step felt heavier than it should; the moon's surface was supposed to be only a minuscule part of the gravity they were used to back at home.
“This isn’t the moon's gravity, is it?”
“No, we have artificially recreated the earth's natural gravitational pull to suit the needs of your body,” You stated bluntly and guided them to the side of the room. Watching how they walked, on foot in front of the other. They were clumsy, almost stepping on their own foot a couple of times. “I need you to walk from this side of the room to the other.”
“Right,” They started slowly, taking each step deliberately, making sure not to mess up or miss a step. Their eyes glued to their feet and the floor, their legs were slightly wobbly from being used to zero gravity. They tried their best, but you noticed how every couple of steps, they would stumble slightly. “Can I ask you something, Rocky?”
“Yes, but that is still not my name.” You noted down how they were slowly getting the hang of walking with gravity again, and the mobility was slowly gaining skill once more.
“What are you planning on doing with us?” Hange asked when they got to the other side of the room.
“Classified.” You stated bluntly.
“Really?” Hange asked disappointedly, leaning against the wall for support. They stumbled slightly when they tried to lean on it.
“Yes, I said you could ask me something. That never guaranteed an answer.”
“How about,” they thought for a moment as they pushed off the wall to head back to you. Each foot is slightly stronger now, and they were able to keep a stable pace without tripping or falling. “How do you breathe in here with me with no respiratory support? The moon's atmosphere is mostly made up of helium and neon, which are completely different elements from the oxygen I need.”
“Simple, when I wish to leave my body will destroy the oxygen-based system and then rebuild to a helium-based system.” You stated.
Hange paused slightly, looking at you in slight horror and then with pure amazement. It was exhilarating to learn about you and your species. Their body were consumed with pure glee as they ran up to you.
“That is incredible! How fast does it work? Does it hurt? Can I watch?”
Hange’s mind was racing over species capable of almost instant voluntary evolution. The implications of how much excess building supplies would need to be in your body to continue to rebuild tissues entirely. The curiosity slowly consumed them; they needed to know more. They wanted to know everything about you.
“It works as fast as a couple of seconds or as slow as a couple of hours. It hurts immensely, and now you can’t.” You noted down how they were able to up their pace, clearly showing signs of their recovery from zero gravity. When you looked back up from your handheld monitor, they showed a look of pure disappointment. “What is the purpose of your face?”
“Why can’t I watch?” Hange seemed to pout slightly.
“Why would you want to? It's a horrifying experience to witness.”
“Isn’t everything?”
You sighed slightly. This human was breaking you down. You knew this was a bad idea, but something about their curiosity was so charming.
“Please, can you show me? Is there something you can quickly do right now?” Their persistence was sickening, and yet you couldn’t help but cave slightly; this human's ability to wear you down was becoming ever so slightly annoying.
“I warned you, okay?” You needed to come up with something that could be easily replaced, something easily expendable too. A limb would take too long, breaking a bone would be hard to prove its improvements, and skin healing would be basic.
“Okay.” Hange stared at you with such admiration and concentration that it made your face slowly warm. They shook with excitement, pure and utter glee, while looking at you. It made your stomach twist and turn in ways you never thought were possible. You knew this was wrong, but something about it made you want it even more. You wanted their eyes on you; you wanted them to look at you like you were something special.
Then an idea popped into your head, the quickest healing appendage of your body, your tongue.
You stuck out your tongue, the long, slender, sleek appendage draping over your mouth. You took a deep breath, closed your eyes, and promptly bit right through it. The appendage fell to the floor, slowly disappearing into nothing but dust. The iron taste of your blood filled your mouth, your deep blue blood slowly leaking onto your pure white lab coat. The sting of pain slowly travels back into your throat. Your tongue started to regrow itself, the organic web forming a new appendage for you, longer, thinner, better. When it was completely rebuilt, you maneuvered in the air skillfully and retracted it into your mouth.
You opened your eyes to see a completely stunned Hange. Their mouths were open slightly, eyes wide and full of glee, a dust of pink on their cheeks. Of course, Hange had never seen anything like that before. The way you stood there calmly was highly impressive. A million questions rang through their heads. How did you remain so calm? Do you have a high pain tolerance? How does regeneration work on a cellular level? It couldn’t just be created from nothing, so where is it coming from? They were stunned by your calm nature over this whole thing, as if you had done it a thousand times.
You had done it a thousand times, and that's why Hange staring at you like you were a god was so intriguing. You felt a pang in your chest as you looked at them, though to your people, they saw you as normal. This little human saw you as something way more. It was a glorious, if not confusing, feeling.
“You’re a strange one.” You sighed.
“That was amazing!” Hange shouted. You felt your heart skip slightly. This was a basic practice among your people.
Why did they find it so impressive?
Something inside you twisted you wanted them to see more of you, find you more interesting, the pride inside of you wished for them to be amazed by your specific perfection.
“Is there anything else you wish to know?” You hesitantly asked.
“Everything!” Hange immediately closed the gap between the two of you. Their hands roam all over your body, feeling your arms and chest through your lab coat. Their hands were warm against your arms. “Have you done this with every part of your body? How often are you able to do this? Does everyone do this, or is it just a you thing?”
“Not every part, as often as I need, and it's everyone's thing.” Your body slowly shifted under their hands, shuddering at each touch. Why were you letting them do this? They were a lower being; you should push them off you and punish them for even thinking of coming in contact with you. And yet you stood there letting their hands maneuver methodically over your body as they asked you a million questions that fell on deaf ears. Your mind was fuzzy and dizzy. How was this human doing this?
“The patterns on your skin,” Their hands traced your arm patterns, each finger dedicated to a different line drawn in your skin. “Do they cover your whole body?”
“Yes, they do.”
Hange’s hands didn’t leave your arm; the feeling of their fingers tingling up your arm. You could feel your breathing becoming unsteady and desperate. Their heart beat grew quicker as their eyes focused on you. You were incredible. They looked up to you like you were the most beautiful thing in the galaxy. You could feel a sudden shared neediness emerge between the two of you. You tried your best to flick any impure thoughts out of your mind as you retracted your arm from their hand. The cold air is now sweeping to fill the gap between the two of you.
“Please return to the operating table. We have more tests to run.” You coughed slightly and walked over towards the operating table.
Hange laid down on the table, the cold metal stinging their back. They were slightly disappointed they weren’t able to conduct any of their own research on you. They had done dozens of papers on whether there was life on other planets, and little did they know the Earth had been so close to it for so long.
“Would I be able to examine you when you are finished examining me?” Hange asked, their curiosity of the inner workings of your body.
“Possibly,” You leaned down next to the operating table so you could be on their level. Your hands traced over their body once more, this time with more underlying tenderness. Your hands traced up their arms and chest, feeling their muscles twitch when you found a particularly sensitive spot. The feeling of the nanosuit obstructs the feeling of your hands on their skin. “You are built differently from the other humans on your ship, biologically female. Correct?”
“Correct,” Hange shuddered under the feeling of your hands.
The nano suit withdrew over their arms, showing their skin to you. The cold air of the room causes goosebumps to emerge on their skin. The feeling of the rough bumps under your fingertips as you traced their arm. Each muscle and bone jumped out to your hand as you felt their arm. Each of their bones was in place, and your fingers tracing the length of their arm caused them to shudder slightly under the contact. It was like a massage, your hands were thorough and soft, and they could feel their body slowly start to un-tense from everything. They were melting into your touch.
The nanosuit then withdrew further, revealing their bare chest to the room. Hange moved their arm quickly away from your hands to cover their chest. Sitting upright, staring at you, in stunned silence for a moment. You just blinked at them, like a deer in headlights.
“What the fuck!” They yelled, their face burning a bright red.
“What?” You were slightly startled by their sudden movement. Human nudity was highly normalised in the media, so why were they being so put off by this?
“A little warning would be nice; most people ask before revealing another's chest. Consent and stuff.” Hange stuttered, their face burning a bright red.
“Oh, I apologize, I am not accustomed to your human social practices.” You cleared your throat. You were slightly ashamed of your behavior; you had studied years of human sociology. “May I reveal and study your breasts?”
Hange didn’t say anything, just sat there baffled by your bluntness. You hadn’t thought you said anything wrong; you had done what they asked. They knew you had no ill intentions and only wished to further your knowledge of the human body. They didn’t want to interfere with your study because they knew the frustrations of when Molbit would do that back on Earth. But a little heads up would’ve been nice.
“Just carefully,” Hange sighed. This was for science after all. Hange moved their arms away as they lay back down onto the table.
“I’m aware that human breasts are extremely sensitive, I simply want to test it myself.” You admitted, as your hands returned to their body.
Your hands were warm and soft as they traced over Hange’s ribs, tracing every bone, making sure they were in place. You could feel their breathing becoming slightly more shaky. They shifted slightly into your hands. You were careful, your hands softly feeling their skin. You could feel their heart beating quickening when you got closer to their breasts.
When your hands finally reached and cupped their breasts in your hands, they let out a gentle whimper. The sound startled you, and you paused your movements as you stared at them. Your ears flicked in the air, like a cat, listening to their now staggered breathing. The more you moved your hands, the more sounds they made, and the more it delighted you. A hunger grew in your stomach, a need to continue.
Hange shifted at the feeling of your hands over their chest. It felt amazing, your warm hands compared to the cold metal below them. One of your hands could cover their whole chest, and yet both your hands were gently exploring their chest. Your hands were delicate but thorough, massaging their chest as you searched for any imperfections. Your thumb accidentally brushed over their nipple, causing them to buck slightly into your touch. They craved more contact. They were stunned by how soft you were. You had been much more aggressive with their arms. It was slightly aggravating that now they wanted you to be more aggressive, so you backed off.
“You know you don’t have to be so soft with me,” Hange stuttered slightly. “I’m not going to break.”
“You said to be careful, thus I'm being careful.”
“Here, see,” Hange pushed your hands closer to their chest, the pressure sending shocks through their body. They let out a shaky moan, they tried to enclose in their mouth, your ear flicking in response. You enjoyed the sound they would make, the mix of pleasure and need in their desperate voice churned your stomach. “I’m not as fragile as you think.”
“Right.” You said quietly. Hunger for this human is slowly consuming you from the inside out. You wished to hear their noises, feel their body shake beneath you; you wanted them more and more each moment that passed. You knew it was risky to continue, but you claimed it was for science.
Your thumb brushed against their nipples again, and they grew erect against the cold and pressure of your finger. Hange laid their head back and let out another whimper. Soft and breathy.
It finally made you snap, and a deep desire for their taste grew to its breaking point. You could feel Hange’s heart beat through your fingertips, quick, desperate, needy. Your heart beat matched theirs, the silent need aching through your chest. Suddenly, a sick thought popped into your head.
Hange lay their will a million thoughts rushing through their own head, were they really going to let you do this? It felt wrong, but at the same time, it felt so good. They would be the first human to allow an alien to explore their body, and that excitement made it worth their while. They were broken out of their thoughts by the feeling of something slick and warm sliding across their skin. Wet trails paint lines over them.
Your tongue traced up their abdomen to their chest. The appendage was new to you as much as it was to them. It was long, smooth, and slick. You were able to control it with ease, slithering over their breasts. Their body shuddered under you, the feeling of your tongue sending sparks through their skin. They whimpered slightly, the sound soft and delicate.
“..fuck..” They whispered, trying to hold back any sound that might escape their mouth involuntarily.
You wanted more, you needed more. Their sounds, their taste, and their feel were all too addictive. It was all too intoxicating. Your mouth enclosed their nipple as your tongue ran around the circumference. Hange’s hand enclosed your hair, pushing you closer into them. The feeling of your mouth on them, causing them to moan out, the sound was delectable. In this empty room, the sounds echoed and amplified.
“Why..are you..doing that?” Hange shakingly spoke. You relinquished your mouth from their chest with a satisfying pop. Your chest heaving with desire, your mouth hung open above them. Your eyes stared into their soul as you caught your breath.
“Do you wish me to stop?” You said between breaths.
“No,” Hange said slightly quicker than they wanted. Their chest shakingly rising and falling, each breath they took was full of neediness. “I just want to know what benefits doing this gives you.”
“Your body seems to be more sensitive than ours, so I simply want to see by exactly how much.” You leaned back away from their body and towered over them. It was a half lie; humans were more fragile and sensitive than you, but that wasn’t the whole reason. Something inside you deeply wished to taste them more.
Your hand traced lightly down their sides, to their hips, and then to their thighs. Their body twitched the more you went down. The light touch of your hands sent waves of pleasure down Hange’s body, heat pooling in their lower stomach.
“I could tell you where I'm the most sensitive,” Hange chuckled slightly. They tried their best to lie still for you, but no longer being restrained, they were finding themself moving into your touch more.
“Oh my dear, I already know where you are.” Your hand traced up their thigh, and their body immediately responded by bucking slightly into your hand. “You humans are predictable little things.”
Your hand rested on Hange’s abdomen as you leaned over them. Your eyes were dark with desire, and a slight smirk appeared on your face. Hange looked at you, stunned and quiet, their eyes studying your hand, your breath, your eyes. They looked at you with such neediness it was almost adorable. You tilted your head slightly as you inched closer to them; they blinked hidden messages to you.
“Now, would you like to continue?” Your hand slowly inched its way back down to their thighs; you could feel their body twitch under the touch.
“W-wont someone hear?” Hange stammered slightly; they were trying their best to stay strong, but each moment caused their defenses to crumble. You were delighted to see their helpless attempts at keeping what little control they had.
“Then you'll have to be quiet,” You whispered in their ear, your voice low and sultry. They whimpered slightly at your proximity, the heat from your words causing their stomach to twist and turn. Their hearts were practically beating out of their chest; you could hear it even without your head on their chest.
You slowly started to make your way down their body, feeling each and every inch of their revealed skin. You took your time finding your way down. You mentally noted every part of their body that was slightly more sensitive than the rest; their hips, their stomach, and the inside of their thighs seemed to be the most sensitive spots.
You slid between their thighs, pulling them to the edge of the table and putting their legs over your shoulders. You positioned yourself perfectly in front of them. The nano suit fully retracted from their body, revealing their soaked heat to you. Hange shuddered at the sudden cold air. You looked like a hungry beast getting ready to devour their first meal in years. Your eyes never leave theirs, staring at them through their glasses. Your mouth hung open, your breath brushing against their wetness. Your hands wrapped around their hips, digging into their bones hungrily.
“May I?” You questioned, your voice was sultry and low. You wanted to devour them right then and there and take what was yours, but you held back. A part of you wished to do this so that they would enjoy it; you wished for them to be comfortable.
They gave you a faint nod as they looked at you, their eyes desperate and needy. They wanted your touch; the feeling of your hands around their hips wasn’t enough for them. They needed to feel your tongue inside them. It may have been forward of them to think like that, but they didn’t care; nothing about this situation seemed to be conventional right now.
“Words.” You demanded.
“Yes, yes, please.” They begged slightly; their voice was shaking. A sly smile tugged on the ends of your lips as you licked up their thighs. Tasting their need for you, the closer you get to their heat. Their thighs shuddered around your head the more you moved, their breaths were heavy and laced with soft whimpers. Hanges’s hand reached down to you, finding a comfortable spot within your hair. “Fuck…”
Your tongue swiped up their folds, the taste consuming your mind. It was unlike anything you had ever had and you were immediately hooked, the crave of their taste grew the more you toyed with them. One of your hands reaching back up to their sensitive nipples to play with it, they relinquished oh so delectable sounds.Your tongue searched furiously in their folds, tasting, searching, and loving every moment. Your tongue circled their entrance, their hips bucking into your face. The more you didn't give them what they wanted the more desperate and angry they became.
“You’re..hng..such a tease.” They managed to say between heavy breaths and held back moans. Their hand tried to push your head closer to what they wanted, but you didn’t move. Your body froze as you looked straight into their core being. A tinge of fear made its way through their body as you stared at them. You looked angry. Your eyebrows furrowed, eyes half lidded, and eyes dark with lust. You leaned back slightly, your tongue leaving their heat, and they let out a slight, fearful whimper.
Your eyes didn’t leave theirs.
You just stared.
“Please..” Hange whimpered, their voice needy, soft, and sweet. You didn’t need to say anything; they broke immediately. You smiled at how easily their spirit could be broken at the introduction of pleasure.
You went back down, your tongue resuming its position and moving rhythmically up and down their folds. Hange bit their cheek trying not to let any sounds escape their mouth. Until your tongue circling their entrance once more, they couldn’t hold back as much whimpers and moans emerging from their chest as they leaned their head back. Then you slightly slipped part of your tongue into them, and their body ached around you. Their thighs pushing against your head, their hand entangled in your hair. Their breath hitched as you felt their walls push against your tongue.
You could taste their desire and need for you to go deeper, but you didn't. You stayed still, taking in their taste, and you could feel yourself slowly losing control. You were aching for their taste more and more. It was becoming difficult not to plunge into them and devour every taste they could give you.
“Please..” Hange’s voice was soft; you would’ve missed it if you weren’t careful. Their voice was half desperate gasps for air and a deep neediness to continue, "Please…go deeper.”
You didn’t need to be told twice, your tongue plunging deeper into them. You could feel everything, the way their heart beat skipped, the way their legs would twitch, and the way their inner walls would move around your muscle. Your tongue moved softly at first, exploring the new area, leaving no spot untouched. It folded over itself, twisting, turning, searching for the perfect spot.
Hange was a mess, their body arching into you; your hands had to keep a hard grip to make sure they wouldn’t move away from you. Their moans became breathy and shaking the more you continued. The pleasure slowly building in their stomach, Hange’s head fell back as the world fell apart around them. They didn’t care that they were getting eaten out by an alien from the moon; all they cared about was keeping you there.
You were able to find a spot that made them twitch even more; their body stiffened when you hit it. You had found your treasure, and you were going to abuse the hell out of it. It pulled them out of their thoughts and right into your hands, their body building up tighter the more you pushed against them.
“Fuck..ngh..ri-right there,” Hange moaned, their voice was strained and weak.
Your hands gripped them tighter, pushing you closer into them. You started to focus on that spot, the bundle of sensitive nerves becoming your main focus point. Your tongue slithers and folds into the spot. You could feel them winding up for a release around you. You felt Hange contract around you one more time, their thighs pushing against your head as they came. Waves of pleasure flood through their body, their walls pulsating around you, tightening and releasing in beats around you. Their legs began to shake around you as they bucked their hips one more time. Their body tensing and shaking as they slowly let their thighs relax around you. You moved only slightly to help ride them through the high.
You removed your tongue, making sure you lapped up everything you could, swallowing their wetness as you leaned back. Their legs were trying to close around you as you gently removed yourself from in between them; their breath was shaky as they tried to catch their breath.
“Are you alright?” You gently asked as you brushed their hair that stuck to their slightly sweaty face. They nodded and leaned into the touch of your hand. You were gentle with them; you didn’t wish to break them further than you already had. Their breath was slow and deep; you could see they were exhausted. They weren’t used to that level of stimulant. You cursed yourself slightly for getting carried away; you would have to wait to conduct any more studies until they fully recovered.
You stood and started to move towards the door, you would need to leave them in here until they were able to be recovered. You still had one more human to study too, but your mind wouldn’t be in the best place to conduct meaningful research. As you motioned to the door Hange's hand reached for yours, stopping you in your step. You turned back to them, leaning down to their level.
“Please, don’t go, I still need to study you, Rocky.” They said meekly, they were exhausted, and yet their drive for knowledge was still pushing them.
“Axel” You stated blankly.
They tilted their head in confusion.
“My name, you had asked for it earlier, it's Axel.” You gently kissed their cheek as you released your hand from theirs. “I’ll make sure no one else comes in here. I can also get something more comfortable for you to lie on.”
You walked to the airlock door, turning once to look back. Hange’s mouth hung slightly open as a soft, gentle snore escaped. They were out cold.
“I’ll be back soon, I promise.”