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Within The Stars

By Jay Stoat

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FurAffinity** :** https://www.furaffinity.net/user/jaystoat/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaystoat

The stars were new and unfamiliar. None of the constellations of Earth remained, leaving a truly alien and unfamiliar sight every time Marcus looked out the windows. Of course, there were reminders of the alien environment everywhere he looked. Even after so long amongst the stars, he still found it hard to believe that he was on a furaxi spaceship, further away from Earth than any human had ever even dreamed of going.

The cultural ambassadors of humanity would soon arrive at the furaxi homeworld. Twelve had been selected from Earth, though one had been removed from the detachment as he had been deemed unsuitable for the role they had to play. Humans had only ever visited one planet beyond their own in all their long evolutionary history. Mars had been colonised for a few decades, and now Marcus stood nervously as he waited to catch his first glimpse of Hyssansyr.

“You seem nervous."

A familiar voice, synthesised slightly through the automatic translator in Marcus's helmet, cut through the human's thoughts. Marcus glanced over his shoulder. He had not realised the furaxi Sess had been so close to him.

“I'm about to go to an alien planet so that I can act as a representative of my entire species," Marcus replied, his voice terse and tight even through the electronic translator. He could feel the long, slender tail at the back of his skintight suit curl up slightly. “I think it's only natural to be a little nervous. Weren't you, when you first came to Earth?"

Sess flicked his ear back and leaned on the handrails that ran around the edge of the viewing platform. The furaxi had not completely eschewed clothing, which Marcus had quickly learned was unusual for the alien species. They almost always walked through the ship completely nude. The human ambassadors usually wore thin veils like a sarong to protect their modesty – though they were also enclosed in their skintight rubbery suits to protect them from alien pathogens, and vice versa.

“I never landed on Earth. Our delegates who landed on your planet are still there. But even if I had, I could never compare with what you are experiencing," Sess said after a short pause. He gestured to the field of stars that surrounded the ship. “I have never known anything but being a part of an empire that has spanned thousands of star systems. I have seen your behaviour in other species though."

“Glad I'm not the only one feeling like this," Marcus replied quietly. He kept his eyes on the unfamiliar starscape. His mitted hands slowly moved down, awkwardly grabbing hold of the tip of his twitching tail. The additional limb still felt a little strange to his mind, but that unfamiliarity was quickly overridden by the distorted perception his suit gave him.

The addition of a tail was not the only thing the furaxi bodysuit had given him. Gender and sex was different amongst the alien species, and the suits of all eleven humans had adapted to that. Marcus didn't know if he would ever get used to the twin mounds on his chest; small breasts that had grown literally overnight. Though he knew they were merely a part of the suit he wore, they still felt perfectly real and natural. As did the small slit between his legs, keeping his hidden penis trapped within the constricting rubber. By furaxi standards, he was female. Marcus had not yet been able to fully process that, despite the suit helping him to adapt.

“You would not be here if we did not believe you were capable," Sess said. His long-fingered hands closed around the railing. Marcus was fully aware of his presence, but neither moved to touch the other. “All eleven of you have been chosen to represent your species, but also to learn about ours so that you can better teach the rest of humanity about us. Once we are done with you, you will be like any true-born furaxi."

“I hope we will live up to your expectations," Marcus said, feeling his synthetic ears curl down in a physical display of his concerns. “I'm scared of what might happen if we get it wrong."

“Why do you think that?" Sess asked, curling one ear back. Marcus could see the furaxi in the reflection in the glass, framed by the beautiful vista of stars.

“Because my life on Earth would feel dull in comparison to this," Marcus admitted. His tail flicked out of his weak grip and hung low between his legs. “Even if the galaxy was opened up to our species, it still wouldn't feel as fulfilling as though I was out here as one of the first humans to experience it all."

“You've taken on everything we have taught you so far," Sess said, drawing his mouth up in one of those strange smiles the furaxi had. Marcus still wasn't completely sure if they were trying to imitate the human expression, or if it was a natural expression for the furaxi. “I have no doubt that you will prove an exemplary example of your species."

“There's a first for everything I suppose," Marcus muttered to himself, forgetting for a moment that there was no privacy of voice within his helmet. The suit translated his voice at the usual volume, not taking into account his whispered words.

Sess made a noise that was akin to a laugh. “It appears we have more faith in you that you have for yourself." The furaxi turned and smiled again, then gestured towards the softly glowing portal at the far end of the observation deck. “But come. We must prepare for our arrival."

“Don't I get to see your planet from here?" Marcus asked, unable to tear his eyes away from the stars.

Sess shook his head. “Not just yet, no. We're still a long way from Hyssansyr in relative distance. About equivalent from Saturn to your homeworld."

Marcus scratched his head, rubbing his mitted hands over the smooth slope of his helmet. He frowned, feeling his ears curl forward. “Shouldn't that be really quick, though? I thought we were going FTL?"

The furaxi bared his fangs in his usual awkward smile. “No, not within the system. We're sublight now."

“Oh," Marcus said. He stepped away from the windows, but still couldn't quite bring his eyes away from the stars. He had not yet seen the nearest star, the sun around which Hyssansyr orbited. His ears flicked again as he finally managed to look up to the gangly alien. “How does all of that work anyway? All the FTL?"

Sess giggled and lightly rested his hand on Marcus's shoulder. “I honestly wouldn't know. You might as well tell me how all Terran medicine works. I know it's something to do with bending the path of light, but that's about all I could tell you."

Marcus nodded. He was disappointed that Sess wasn't able to say what powered the FTL tech, but he was also aware that he would likely not understand any of it anyway. That was technology humanity was still a long way from unlocking on their own. With a sigh, Marcus turned himself away from the observation deck, allowing Sess to lead him through the portal and into the circular room that had been the home of the humans for their journey through the stars. Even now, Marcus wasn't sure how the portal technology worked. Like the FTL engines, he doubted he would understand the explanations, so he did not ask Sess about them.

Ten other humans gathered around in the indented circle in the middle of the room. They were the remaining chosen to represent humanity, although they did not look too human inside their quarantine suits. Many of them clearly displayed the same nervousness that Marcus felt. The curl of their ears and twitch of their tails hid none of their emotions.

One other furaxi was also present. Along with Sess, Hiss had been one of their most important teachers, guiding them around their altered forms and imparting the wisdom of the furaxi. She had also been the one to explain how the furaxi lived, and the expectations placed upon the eleven humans by both species. Continued cooperation between the two species depended on how well they could integrate into furaxi society.

“Are we almost ready?" Ellen asked. He stood in the middle of the other humans. Like many of the humans, Ellen had changed in his perceived gender as a result of the suits they wore. Even though Marcus knew Ellen had definitively been female when he had stepped onto the furaxi ship, Marcus could no longer think of him as anything but male. The disconnect between memory and present sometimes gave Marcus a bit of a headache, so he tried not to think about it too much.

“Almost," Hiss said, pressing her hands together and standing by Sess's side. Marcus was gently encouraged with a push to his back to join his fellow humans in the shallow incline. He stood between Ellen and Shinji, looking up at the two furaxi. “You will soon be taken to the surface, where there shall be a gathering of many furaxi. There will be interviews."

“From who?" Ellen asked, raising his hand a moment after speaking, as though asking permission to speak had been an afterthought.

Hiss twitched her muzzle into a brief smile. “This first one will be with reporters. You will meet our leaders later."

“Are you saying," Ellen continued, speaking loudly, “that you have media? You have journalists like we do? Newspapers?"

“Of course we do," Sess said with a smirk. His tail flicked at the tip. “Any civilised place will eventually develop a way to process and spread information. Society cannot be unified without it, so yes, we have news. And you will be the talk of the entire federation for a while. It is getting rare to welcome a new species into the federation."

“Why is that?" Shinji asked.

“Because many of those who we started to monitor are either already within the federation, or still a long way from developing the technology needed," Hiss explained. She clasped her fingers together. “Humanity could well be the last species welcomed in our lifetimes."

Marcus flicked up his ears, grasping clumsily for his tail to hold it close to his side. He had so quickly come to accept the thought that there was a federation of aliens spread across the galaxy that he had not yet considered that there were other species just like humanity, still finding their way forwards. He felt a little shiver run down his back. He was almost disappointed to think that he might not get the chance to be on the other side, to welcome another species into the wonder of learning they are not alone in the galaxy.

Sess was speaking, and Marcus shook his head quickly to clear his thoughts and return his focus to the furaxi in front of him. “We shall do most of the talking. There will be questions directed to you all. There may well be questions you find strange, as many of the furaxi will not be familiar with your culture and customs."

“I've been asked dumb questions plenty of time on Earth," Ellen said with a laugh. He placed his hands on his hips, half turning to face the rest of the group. “Let's not embarrass ourselves on day one, if we can."

“We can try our best," Kylie said, also laughing as she spoke. Her ears both pricked up. “None of us want to end up like Derek."

“No," Joan said tersely. She took a step back, moving closer to the centre of the room. “We've come too far to just get thrown into cryo and shipped back to Earth."

“We have every belief that you will represent your species with honour," Hiss said, spreading her arms wide and beckoning the humans closer. “Come with me and we can prepare you for your first steps on a truly alien world."

The furaxi stepped through a portal that opened up behind her, leading the furaxi through to a part of the ship Marcus did not think he recognised. It was difficult to tell. Most of the ship looked much like the rest, with little to differentiate the many different rooms. They were all circular with the little depression in the middle. All were lit with the same soft lighting that never seemed to come from a particular source.

“Did anyone else actually go to Mars?" Shinji asked as the humans started to move after Hiss. Sess remained, waiting for the humans to pass through the portal after the other furaxi.

A ripple of answers spread through the ten humans. No one had gone to Mars. Marcus had hoped to do so after his degree had been completed, but that had all changed when the furaxi had arrived. His skills to terraform the red planet were not longer needed, and the opportunity had slipped through his fingers. Now an even greater one had been presented to him. Hyssansyr waited for him.

***

The human delegation was not given the opportunity to see Hyssansyr from orbit. Instead, they were dressed in the light, flowing sarongs that the furaxi appeared to favour, when they wore anything at all. Hiss and Sess wore nothing but for a couple of leather-like straps around their wrists and hips, given them a couple of satchels to place items in.

Once the humans were dressed, though Marcus did not feel like his modesty was particularly well protected beneath the sarongs, they were given a final lesson in what to expect on the surface. Though it was impossible to do so anyway, they were warned about the potential of removing their suits. The air on Hyssansyr was not the same as Terra. With a little adaptation, humans would be able to breathe the air, but not right away. They were also warned from travelling alone. Each human would get a furaxi guardian – Marcus was pleased that his preference of being partnered with Sess was granted – for their own guidance and protection. Hiss did not clarify what they needed protection for. None of the humans queried her on it. Her tone was enough to impress on them the importance of what she said.

Finally, after what seemed like far too long, Hiss was given the signal that the ship was in position above Hyssansyr. The time had come to descend to the surface. There were no shuttles to take them. Like everything with the furaxi, a bright circular light shone from the side of the room as a portal opened. Hiss stood beside the portal. The soft light shone off her fur. Her eyes gleamed.

“This is it," she said gently. “This is the moment you have been waiting for. This is the moment humanity has been waiting for ever since you first turned your eyes to the sky and saw the stars. You did not understand them then, but now you do. Now you are within those stars. Amongst them. Which of you will go first?"

No one spoke. Marcus's throat was dry at the thought of what was about to happen. The reality of everything came crashing down through his mind, filling him with awestruck terror. His chest felt constricted, making every breath a challenge. But no one else spoke. He stepped forward, his legs shaking. “I'll go first."

Hiss and Sess bowed their heads. The other humans stepped out of the way, allowing Marcus to move forward to the teleport ring. He almost tripped over his tail, which hung low and limp between his legs.

“When you step through here, you will be on Hyssansyr," Sess explained, also standing aside so there was nothing but empty air between Marcus and the portal. “Our people have been warned not to overwhelm you, but there will be a crowd waiting. It may take a moment to adjust."

“Should I say something?" Marcus asked. One ear perked up, but the other remained flat to his head.

“Wait for us all first," Hiss said.

Marcus shook his head. “No, I meant now. The first human always says something. One small step for man. That sort of thing."

Hiss nodded. She glanced across to Sess. “Should you like to do so, then you have a little time, but we don't want to keep them waiting for long."

Marcus opened his mouth. He furrowed his brow. He had not thought anything about this. Up until that moment he had not even considered what he might say when stepping onto an alien world for the first time. The only words that went through his head were those long ago immortalised with the first steps on the moon, but he could not just repeat those. His shoulders slumped. “I can't think of anything."

Another voice helped him out. Shinji spoke. “We're like children on their first day of school," he said, bringing a small round of chuckles from the humans. “We are not the great explorers who first stood on the moon and Mars. We are being led this time. We are here to listen and to learn."

“Wise words indeed," Hiss said. She smiled and gestured to the portal. “But now, please. You should come through."

Marcus squared his shoulders and took a step forward. The light from the glowing portal shone off his rubbery skin suit. His mitted hands toyed with his tail for a moment, then he moved into the light. “One small step indeed," he said quietly, but he didn't know if the other humans heard him. They were all gone and Marcus took his first step on an alien world.

The first thing to strike him was the temperature of the air. It was warmer than he expected, like a hot summer day on Earth. The light was bright, almost uncomfortably so even with the visor of his helmet protecting his eyes. The air, as it filtered through his helmet, gained a strange tang. Slowly, Marcus's attention drifted out. He got the impression of shadowy buildings stretching out towards the pristine blue sky, but he did not look beyond the crowd of furaxi waiting close by.

Around fifty of the aliens had gathered in the open plaza that was situated in the centre of a large city. The sky was almost a perfect pristine blue without any clouds to blemish the uniform colour. Tall skyscrapers pierced the blue, rising taller than anything Marcus had seen on Earth. They were all of a similar design, almost akin to a pyramid. Wide bases tapering to impossibly small points over a kilometre above the dazzled human's head. A hushed silence filled the plaza, though there was plenty of noise coming from the city that wrapped around the small open space.

One by one, the other humans all emerged from the circular portal behind Marcus, pushing him forward that little bit more to ensure there was room for everyone. The furaxi crew came through with the humans. There was one furaxi for each human, with one spare. Many of the gathered furaxi spoke idly amongst themselves, but the voices were too quiet and indistinct even for Marcus's helmet translators to pick up. The human struggled to stop himself from hyperventilating. He was not standing on Earth. The planet around him was Hyssansyr.

Hiss stood forward and spread her arms wide to the crowd. At once, all the attention from the furaxi turned to her and every conversation fell into silence without a single other word spoken. “We come from the star once known as Tassty, known locally as Sol, with eleven representatives of the local developing species. They are humans, and they make their first steps amongst our enlightened and technologically advanced society today."

Marcus swallowed and licked his lips. He was hyper aware of his ears and tail. Normally he would be able to hide his emotions with an expressionless face, but he doubted he was managing the same effect in front of the furaxi. He was sure every single one of them could see his fear and worry.

“We will have a little time for you to ask questions about the representatives from the Sol System," Hiss continued, slowly turning her head to look around the fifty furaxi. Her hands moved a lot with her words. “First, we have a quick recording from the planet of Earth. A message of greeting for us all."

Marcus flicked an ear in surprise. He had not known anyone from Earth had prepared a message to give to the furaxi, but as he thought about it, he was not surprised. Of course the governing body would not have wanted twelve random humans to be the first to address an alien planet. Especially not humans who were not diplomats on Earth.

Hiss lifted her right arm, swiping her left hand over her outstretched wrist. She wore a thin metal band over her wrist, which lit up in response to her movement. A holographic projection emerged from the light, clearly displaying the head and shoulders of Director Alnwick, the head of the Furaxi Collaboration Committee back on Earth. He had been the human who had told Marcus he would be departing his home planet.

Director Alnwick's projected face looked out to the furaxi crowd, though his voice was clear as he spoke. The human language, not translated through Marcus's helmet, sounded odd. It had been so long since he had heard unfiltered English that he almost thought he didn't understand the words.

“I would like to be the first human to say hello to what I hope will become our cousins from across the stars," Director Alnwick said. Little of his body could be seen in the holographic projection, but already after spending time with the furaxi, Marcus thought the formal suit and tie the director wore looked like he was significantly overdressed. “The people we have sent will be the first of our delegations. They have been chosen to represent a wide variety of who we are as a species, and I truly hope they will put our best foot forward. I look forward to hearing their success, and to open dialogue between our two great species."

The recording ended and the projection switched off. Hiss flicked her ears as she lowered her arm. “These humans have been taught some of our ways, but they will still be ignorant to many things. They have proven themselves to be willing learners. It is my hope that they will help bring their species into our federation."

Sess rested his hand on Marcus's shoulder, slightly dislodging the light sarong that the human still kept draped around his body. He felt naked in front of the furaxi, even though none of them wore as much as he did. None of the gathered aliens wore anything more than Hiss and Sess.

After a brief pause, Hiss continued her speech to the interested onlookers. “Should you have any questions for these humans, I am sure they will be happy to answer, but do remember that there will be plenty more opportunities to get to know human culture over the coming days."

One furaxi raised their hand, close to the front of the crowd. Marcus was not able to tell whether they were male or female. Even after so long with the furaxi crew on the journey from Earth, he still was not confident in identifying the two sexes, especially given what he knew about how they formed.

“Why do you hide your bodies?" the furaxi in the crowd asked. A rumbled murmur spread through the other furaxi, with a few nodding heads and perked ears indicating their agreement with the question.

Marcus flicked his ears back. He brushed one hand over the light sarong, which was almost thin enough to be completely transparent. It did so little for his modesty, yet he was still one of the most dressed present. He scuffed his foot and looked around, before becoming aware that none of the humans seemed prepared to answer the question.

“I couldn't tell you the reason that started it," Marcus said, speaking hesitantly as he struggled to find the right volume for his voice. He wasn't sure how much his helmet and automated translator would project his words. “We have been a species that has struggled with concepts like modesty and shame ever since we first learned how to communicate."

The furaxi who had asked the question wrinkled their muzzle. They didn't appear too satisfied with the answer but asked no further questions about it. Marcus wasn't sure how else he could have answered. There was no reason why humans wore clothing, other than that was the acceptable way for millennia.

“Is it true you only have one natural satellite?" a second furaxi asked.

“Uh, yeah," Marcus said, blinking in surprise at the question. His tail curled slightly as he glanced up, but he couldn't see any moon in the brightly lit sky. “Don't you?"

“We have four," the second speaker replied, crossing their arms and puffing out their chest, as though taking personal pride for Hyssansyr's superior count of moons.

Before Marcus could say anything, another question came at the humans. He didn't see where this one came from, turning his head too slowly. “Why do you have so many companion animals?"

Marcus had to smile at that, even though he doubted the expression would be properly reflected in his ears. “Humans have always had companions. We always communicated with them, even if they weren't sapient. But as long as we have been human, we have had pets. Sometimes they have helped us, other times they have just been for company."

Ellen stepped forward, moving away from his furaxi guardian. “That is why humans will fit in with your federation. We have always, as a collective, always wanted a true companion species to be equals with. That's why we've always had so many stories about alien cooperation. We've wanted this."

Several more furaxi hands went up. Marcus smiled to himself in his helmet as he took a step back, closer to Sess. Ellen fielded most of the questions from then, with Shinji also taking a few that focused more on the science and engineering that humanity had achieved. Marcus lost track of how long the questions lasted. Many questions were odd and drew some laughs from the humans, but they did their best to answer them all. None of the furaxi spoke over each other, asking their questions one at a time, though Marcus could never see how the speakers were able to organise themselves.

Eventually, Hiss came to the front and lifted both arms in the air. The crowd of furaxi fell into silence to listen to her. “These humans shall be walking amongst us for the foreseeable future. They are here to learn our ways and to act as a link between our species and theirs. They will not be our diplomatic connection, but they will still play a crucial role in the time to come. Treat them with the respect and honour as you would any citizen of our federation."

Hiss turned to the eleven humans behind her. “On behalf of all furaxi, welcome to Hyssansyr. Let me take you to your residence, which shall be your home for as long as you live on our planet. Come, and let me show you the way."

Hiss led the way through the crowd, which parted to allow them through. Marcus walked beside Sess as they approached the city, which rose tall all around them. The human didn't know what to focus on. Were it not for the aliens who walked the streets, Marcus might have confused the buildings for a new city on Earth with an exotic aesthetic. The gleaming buildings were made of metal and glass, rising into thin spires that towered far taller than any human-made structure Marcus had ever seen.

A large convey of interested furaxi followed those who had come from Earth. Hiss led the way, walking along the side of a road that had no vehicles. Apart from using their feet, Marcus could see no way of rapid travel. He was about to ask Hess about that, when he remembered that they only ever used portals to travel around the ship. Perhaps the same was true on the ground.

The answer came not long after. Though Marcus's attention was largely on the furaxi, his eyes did fall on one of the aliens emerging from a ring of yellow light on the far side of the street, situated at the base of one of the many monstrous buildings. The portal closed just behind the furaxi, whose own attention quickly turned to the parade of humans.

Marcus had to resist the urge to ask Sess questions. So much caught his attention and tugged at his curiosity, but he did not want to annoy his furaxi companion. There would be time to learn all he wanted to know.

Hiss led the small group to the base of one of the many skyscrapers. Marcus could see nothing particularly unique or different about this one. There were no doors at the bottom, and the entire structure appeared to be made of something akin to glass. He placed his hand on the building. It felt warm to the touch, though the human couldn't determine if that was because of the sunlight beaming down from the clear sky, or if there was some internal heating mechanism.

“Your homes will be here, in the centre of the city," Hiss explained, pausing for a moment to turn and face the humans. Her hand touched against the side of the building, pressing with a couple of fingers. A portal opened up, bright and yellow. Marcus shielded his eyes as he tried to look into the circle, but he could see nothing through the teleportation ring. “We have furnished your rooms so that they are Earth-like. We hope we have not made any mistakes this time. Your homes were not as complicated as your food."

“I'm sure it will be just fine," Ellen said. His ears flicked back, displaying his emotions when Marcus could not see his face. An excited murmur spread through the rest of the human delegation, eager to see what the furaxi had prepared for them.

Marcus had not yet worked out just how the portals worked. He had not seen what Hiss had touched to activate it, nor how to control where it went. His tail swished slowly from side to side as he tried to work it out, but it was something far beyond his comprehension.

Hiss stepped through the portal. One at a time, the humans and furaxi companions followed behind her. Marcus was one of the last to pass through, with only Sess, Shinji, and his furaxi companion still outside when he stepped up to the portal.

For a brief moment, Marcus felt disoriented and confused as he stepped through the light. He knew he was moving, but he did not know where or how far, until suddenly he emerged into regular light once more. He gasped in surprise as he looked around, feeling like he had come through into a standard Earth apartment. A high ceiling towered above his head, with clean white walls. In a circular alcove that took up most of the centre of the room was a set of loungers and sofas, with a glass table in the middle. Wide windows let in a lot of light on the opposite end of the room, overlooking the city. They were a long way up.

Marcus's breath was taken away as he slowly walked around the large room. Patterns like black thread wound up the walls to meet on the ceiling. They appeared to be some form of artistic display, but Marcus's helmet provided no translation if words were present. There was plenty of space, even for eleven humans and eleven furaxi; he was not yet sure what was going to happen with the spare furaxi, given Derek was likely back on Earth already.

The suited human stood by the window, looking out across the city. From so high up he could see that there was a pattern to the buildings. Unlike on Earth, where many cities were organised in a four-sided grid system, the furaxi appeared to favour a hexagonal approach. The city stretched out as far as Marcus could see, with occasional parklands to break up the endless sea of buildings. The plant life he could see in the parks bared little resemblance to any trees on Earth. They were green, but they were more like slender vines as opposed to wooded trees.

The sun, which Marcus recalled was called Surass, touched close to the horizon, starting to spread waves of red through the blue sky. Marcus longed to get a closer look at the landscape, but Hiss had started talking again. The human turned around to face her, in the middle of the centre depression.

“This is where you will stay when you are not sharing culture," Hiss explained. She had the attention of everyone present. Even the other furaxi remained silent and looked towards her. “For the time being, you will be locked out of free access to the city, but with your chosen companion there will be no other restrictions placed on you."

“Will we be seeing any of your leaders or rulers?" Alex asked. His ears perked back and Marcus could easily imagine the grin on his hidden face.

Hiss shook her head. “You are not intended to lead diplomatic relations between our species. It is unlikely that you will be directly introduced to our council just yet, unless they specifically invite you," she explained, eliciting a few disappointed sighs from the humans. “I expect you will primarily be utilised by humanity to guide and shape any diplomatic visitors we have to Hyssansyr."

“It should be important to note," a second furaxi said, who Marcus had never been introduced to, “that while you are on Hyssansyr, you are still under the jurisdiction of Earth. You are humans, not furaxi. You are under their control, not ours."

Hiss nodded at her companion's words. “This is true, yes. We can not demand anything of you that goes beyond the orders and instructions you were given by the Furaxi Collaboration Committee. We can request things of you, but your allegiance should still be to them."

Joan lifted one hand, plucking at her rubbery skinsuit with the other. “And when is it that we're able to get out of these?"

Hiss bared her sharp teeth in a smile. “We expect that may still be at least a few weeks away. Not only do we need to protect you and ourselves from any pathogens, but we also need to prepare your bodies for our air. You will also need to continue your studies in our language. There will be situations where you will not have a translator at your disposal. You will need to have a passable proficiency in our language if you wish to adequately perform your roles."

There was a lot to learn. Marcus swished his tail, idly grabbing at the tip with his smooth, fingerless hands. The skinsuit had become almost natural for him since it had been first put on, but he was looking forward to feeling the air against his true skin again. He also couldn't wait until he could gain the use of his fingers again. He understood the reason why the furaxi had chosen one human to have a simulated disability, so humanity could be tested on how they treat those less fortunate than the able-bodied, but it was tiring that his hands couldn't have been restored once the test had been completed.

Hiss continued her explanation of their quarters. “In this room, we have access to all the learning information you need, plus communication facilities so you can catch up on any Earth news. We do ask that you limit direct communication to Earth until your training program is complete, but as we said before, we have little authority to prevent this should you feel it is necessary."

The furaxi paused again for a moment, looking around the room as though expecting questions or clarifications from the humans, but all remained silent. Her thin lips pulled back again to expose her teeth. “The bedroom and kitchen are both through the corridor there. There are no portals to restrict your movement inside your residence. You may move freely. I trust you will find this all comfortable."

“It's better than what I had on Earth," Marcus said with a laugh. His words were met with a ripple of agreement from many of the others, though a couple did not join in. Shinji scuffed his foot and turned to the window, his tail and ears lowered slightly as though displaying embarrassment.

“You have had a long and exhausting time," Hiss said, not directly acknowledging Marcus's comment. “You should all retreat with your chosen companion and rest for the night. The days are slightly longer here than you are perhaps used to, and you will need all of your energy as we rise before dawn tomorrow. There is so much to be done."

Though Marcus did not feel at all tired, he was in fact energised by the knowledge that he stood on an alien world, he accepted Hiss's logic. He was not on Hyssansyr for a holiday or a relaxing break. There was a lot of work to continue their learning on the furaxi culture, acting as a bridge to unite the aliens with humanity. The pressure of the situation had not yet weighed on Marcus's shoulders, but he was aware of the responsibility looming over him.

Pair by pair, the humans and furaxi filtered down the corridor leading from the open living room. Sess held onto Marcus's hand as he moved, with the human still staring around in wide-eyed wonder. Everything about the room was remarkable, and the human could have spent hours on his back just staring up at the ceiling. Instead, Marcus allowed himself to be led through by Sess.

The narrow corridor opened to another large room, also without a door to block entry. A second room branched off to the right, but none of the furaxi or humans deviated from their path. Marcus quickly glanced into the other room, seeing what appeared to be a kitchen. There were certainly lots of structures that could have been cupboards, and implements that looked like ovens. The human's attention was quickly taken away by the other room.

Like the one in the spaceship, the dormitory was open and wide. Instead of a circular room, this one was square, but otherwise did not differ much. Sleeping pods were built into the walls. There were twelve of them in total, spaced evenly around three of the four walls. None of the pods were labelled, and the group of humans claimed one for themselves.

Marcus claimed the pod almost directly in front of the open doorway. Functionally, the pods looked identical to those they had slept in on the journey across the stars, though a little wider. When he opened the door, he could see that the bed lay horizontally, rather than the vertical beds he had been used to on the ship. He flicked his ears and glanced back at Sess, who hovered close behind him. “No one way glass on these?" he asked, smirking beneath the confines of his helmet.

“Not on these," Sess replied. The tips of his ears folded over. “We have no more need to study you now. Our only purpose is to teach you."

Marcus flicked his tail as he looked back around the square room. His fellow humans were clambering inside the pods with their furaxi companions. All ten of them had chosen their furaxi based on the sex of their suits or, at least in the case of Adam, the sex she desired to have with her suit. She was the only one who had struggled to adapt to what the suit had chosen for her, even if it had been based on her own actions. Marcus knew that, like Adam, the other humans looked on him as female now. The small mounds on his chest reminded Marcus of that, even if he didn't refer to himself as feminine. His ears flicked as he glanced back at Sess.

“Do you mind if I, uh… if we do things the other way around?" Marcus asked hesitantly. He rested his mitted hand on the edge of the pod, pushing it further open so both human and furaxi could get in together. There was just about enough room inside the pod for them to stand on either side of the soft bed.

“You wish to be behind me?" Sess asked, angling his head to the side. “Are you not content with your current appearance?"

“I'm not sure," Marcus replied, scuffing his foot on the floor. He didn't quite manage to meet Sess's eye. “I just don't know what the other way feels like. Not properly. I don't know if I'm meant to be like this or not."

Sess purred gently, resting his hand on Marcus's shoulder. “I am willing to try for you. After all, we are here to make sure you get a full range of furaxi experiences." His eyes gleamed brightly as he leaned in to lightly nuzzle Marcus on the neck. The human trembled, his resolve almost crumbling and turning his sensitive back towards the alien, but he held still. The furaxi bared his fangs and twisted around Marcus, stepping into the sleeping pod. “Why don't you get out of those concealing clothes and join me?"

Marcus couldn't help but laugh. He would never have called the light sarong draped over his body to be concealing. All the same, he shrugged himself out of his clothes and pulled the pod door closed behind him, which shut with a satisfying click. The interior lights of the pod were more than enough to see by, and Marcus settled into the unfamiliar position just behind Sess. The furaxi's fur was soft as it pressed into Marcus's chest and belly, the low mounds of his breasts compressed slightly.

A prickle of sensation tingled over Marcus's body in response to the contact. His breath hitched slightly as his arms enclosed around the furaxi. A rumbling purr vibrated from the furaxi, but Marcus did not feel the overwhelming white noise of sensation that he had experienced with touches to his back.

Trapped deep within his skinsuit, Marcus's penis twitched in response to the new stimulation, but he felt a long way from erection. The sensation was less a blissful wave of pleasure and more an uncomfortable prickle that rose and fell in moments of overstimulation. The human breathed quickly as he tried to control his movements in time with the changing levels, but he could determine no strict pattern in the feeling.

“Did you want to swap again?" Sess asked, turning his head slightly to glance back at the human. His hands rested on top of Marcus's mitts.

Marcus shook his head and grunted softly. He wiggled his hips and tried to get into a more comfortable position. It didn't help much. His chest still prickled uncomfortably, and that seemed to exasperate the lack of sensation to his back.

The human tried to imitate the movements he recalled from Sess in their previous couplings. The furaxi responded with soft chirps of pleasure and gratitude, purring loudly and pressing back into the contact. Sess's hands clenched a little tighter around Marcus's, holding the human in place.

Marcus trembled as Sess's tail lightly brushed over the base of his spine. His body clenched as he leaned his head against the furaxi's shoulders. Sess had used his muzzle and tongue to add to the pleasure given to Marcus, but the human could not return that favour. The alien seemed to appreciate the light touch from the tip of his artificial muzzle, even if he could not lap his tongue through Sess's soft fur.

The human had to resist the urge to thrust forward with his hips. Not only was his cock firmly trapped, pointing down and back within the restrictive layers of his suit, but that was not what caused pleasure amongst the furaxi. Instead, he forced himself to slowly undulate his body, letting out whimpering huffs at the diminished sensation between his legs, as well as the uncomfortable prickles over his belly.

Though true erections were denied to him with the suit, lying with Sess behind him had never failed to bring Marcus to orgasm. This night was utterly different. He never felt close to that release, no matter how much he pressed against the furaxi. His small breasts felt nice pushed into the furaxi's back, but he could not get the right position to feel just as good between his legs. No matter how much he rubbed himself against Sess, the relief he craved never once came.

The pleasured whimpers from the furaxi eventually faded into silence, soon to be replaced by the gentle sounds of heavy breathing as Sess slipped into sleep. Still feeling unsatisfied, Marcus forced himself to stop his movement and settle down behind the furaxi. He struggled to work out where exactly to place his head as he lay in the strange, upright bed favoured by the aliens.

Eventually, Marcus was able to get comfortable. Despite the insistent need that lingered between his legs, he tightened his arms around Sess's sides and closed his eyes. His thoughts turned forward to the days that were to come. This was when the hard work would truly begin.

Despite the weight of pressure that gradually increased on his shoulders, Marcus's mind began to drift towards sleep. His mitted hands occasionally twitched and tightened against Sess, who mumbled and murmured in his sleep, leaning back into the human.

Marcus dreamed of Earth, but not the one that he remembered. There was something different about it, but in his dreaming state he could never work out what. His tail moved constantly in the cool air, with the familiar sunlight of the sun shining directly on his fur.

He did not remember the dream when he woke.

***

Marcus barely had a moment for himself over the next couple of weeks. The days melded together. Even the extra hours in each rotation of Hyssansyr seemed inadequate to cover all they needed to do. The humans were moved from place to place, learning and witnessing ever more of furaxi culture. Not only did they learn more of the language, but they also got to experience some of the more mundane aspects of furaxi life. They even got to sit in and watch a sporting event taking place just outside the centre of the city. Marcus found it to be almost like rugby, but without anything that substituted for a ball. He didn't entirely understand the rules, but he enjoyed the spectacle nonetheless.

Sess was rarely away from Marcus. He was a constant calm voice to help explain anything the human did not immediately understand, and the furaxi always seemed to know just what to say whenever Marcus got overwhelmed. Neither spoke about Marcus's struggles in their pod that first night, though Marcus had tried twice more to sleep behind the furaxi.

Slowly, Marcus felt like he was beginning to understand the furaxi way of life. The nuance of their language still eluded him, though he was pleased with the progress he made. The eleven humans even got to meet a few representatives of the other species that made up the galactic federation, though Marcus was glad that there was no talk of learning their cultures as well.

Even the suits had come to no longer feel quite so restrictive. Marcus almost couldn't imagine what it would be like without his tail to balance him, or the ears on top of his head to display his emotions. His fingerless hands still proved to be an annoyance, but with Sess's help he didn't feel too disadvantaged.

Most nights, the humans returned to their accommodation high in the capital city. They did not have much time to relax, but most of that was spent catching up on any Earth news that had filtered across the great distance between the stars.

Marcus had been able to convince Sess to stay out for longer. During the day, they had visited a forest on the edge of the city. Long ago, the forest had been a sacred location for a religion that had gradually lost power and dominion over the furaxi as their scientific endeavours had advanced. While there, the humans had been taught about that ancient religion and how it had continued to shape furaxi culture even now. It had been through their religion that the furaxi had grown to shun clothing, seeing the covering of their bodies as unnatural and deceitful. Marcus had found it all fascinating, but that had not been the reason he had wanted to remain after darkness had fallen.

The human lay on the ground with his hands behind his head. Sess lay by his side, their tails lightly entwined. Away from the bright lights of the city, the stars were out in force. Thousands of pinpricks of light dotted the sky, marking out an unfamiliar pattern. None of the Earth constellations remained, with the stars all viewed from a completely new angle. That, more than anything else Marcus had seen or experienced, made him realise just how far away from home he was.

“Where is Earth?" Marcus mused quietly to himself. He hadn't intended the question to be anything but rhetorical, but Sess answered him anyway.

The furaxi lifted his arm and pointed to a faint star in the centre of the sky. “Right there. We have always known the star as Tassty, which means the great eye." Sess's finger traced a small pattern through the stars. “Just like you, we made pictures out of the stars. Tassty was the eye of the noble hunter, who chased his prey forever across the sky."

“We had a hunter constellation as well," Marcus said, his voice still quiet as he looked to the faint star. Up until this journey, his entire life had been orbiting that star, with the planet not even visible from such a distance. “He was called Orion. His prey was always just in front of him."

“For all our differences, we have so much in common," Sess said. He turned his head to look at the human. His nose twitched and his ears drooped slightly. “It is such a shame it must soon come to an end."

“An end?" Marcus asked. He lifted himself up, resting on his elbows. “What do you mean?"

Sess sighed gently. “Hiss was to be telling you all tomorrow. We received an express message from our diplomatic delegation, warning us of a coming demand from your Furaxi Collaboration Committee. Apparently, they are dissatisfied with the progress the diplomatic delegation has been making, and have considered our efforts to be little more than a token gesture," the furaxi said, a growl in his voice.

Marcus sat up fully, his eyes torn away from the beauty of the stars. He swallowed, his mouth dry. “What does that mean for us? Us humans?"

“For the eleven of you?" Sess asked, tilting his head.

“No, to all of us," Marcus said, gesturing his hand to the twinkling star of Sol. “To everyone back there. If the FCC doesn't want to work with you, will we be a pariah in the galaxy? What was the one you told us about before… the exexcil? Would we be like those?"

Sess bared his fangs. “I do not know the answer to that, yet. All I know is that things may not proceed as we had originally planned."

Marcus stared down at his fingerless hands and the skinsuit he still wore, designed to look like one of the furaxi. Everything about the suit felt perfectly natural to him now. He no longer thought about his tail or ears like they were not a normal part of him. He held his helmeted head in his hands. “I'll have to go home, won't I?"

“It is expected that you may be recalled, yes," Sess said. He put his hand on Marcus's shoulder.

The human said the only word that came to mind. The only word that could fully emphasise and portray the anger and despair he felt about the prospect of returning to Earth. Just one word that had experienced a versatile history throughout almost all of Earth's history.

“Fuck."