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Breakfast With the Enemy

Despite the circumstances of being held prisoner in the wreck of a spaceship in the middle of nowhere in Siberia, Abel slept like a log.

When he finally awoke, he found himself groggy and comfortably warm, so he opted to close his eyes and remain snug in his sleeping bag. It was tight, like the bag was embracing Abel’s body and he found himself being lulled back to sleep.

Something cold rubbed up against his cheek. Abel moaned contentedly as the smooth surface of the object nuzzled up against his skin. A breath of cool air brushed against Abel’s face.

Abel’s eyes opened with a start.

It was impossible to see but Abel felt it. Arms were wrapped tightly around his chest and his back was leaning up against something solid and breathing. If Abel still had any questions, they were answered by a wet tongue licking Abel’s cheek.

Lashar was spooning and nuzzling him.

Abel had a moment of dread at the thought that he might have been taken advantage of. His worst fears were eliminated though while attempting to gently roll the Lacertan back, he found that Lashar was up against a wall and could not move and that Abel was almost being pushed towards him.

The floor is uneven, Abel realized with a sigh of relief. I must have rolled into him.

With the worst out of his mind, Abel found himself more baffled than offended. He also had to admit that the Lacertan was a damn good snuggler and he felt almost protected in that moment from all the terrors of the world, but his brain wouldn’t let him forget that Lashar was from a hostile Empire and he was their prisoner. No matter how nice Lashar acted, nothing would change that.

Still, Abel adjusted his position and leaned against the Lacertan’s chest, I suppose I can attempt an escape later.

The door suddenly shrieked as it was wrenched open and morning light poured into the room. Abel squinted just after seeing a green Lacertan enter.

“Breakfast is read-” Asha said before cutting himself off and groaning. “Agent!”

Lashar suddenly shifted, tightening his grip on Abel like he was a stuffed animal and shouting, “Yes, Captain!”

“I think the human is having trouble breathing.”

Lashar suddenly released Abel, allowing the human to catch his breath, “Abel!? I’m sorry, I didn’t...”

“It’s fine,” Abel coughed and patted the floor as best as he could with his bound hands, “there’s a slope in the floor, I think I rolled into you while we slept.”

“Shit, shit, shit, I’m so sorry!” the black Lacertan got out of his sleeping bag. His nude body was on full display, showcasing a slim but solid chest. Abel tried but couldn’t get a glimpse of his genitals, they were well-hidden. “I really didn’t mean to do that! I’m sorry, I didn’t make you uncomfortable, did I?”

“You licked me,” Abel said, smiling a bit. It was more funny than anything.

“Shit, hold still,” Lashar cupped Abel by the chin and Asha passed him a medical pack. Lashar pulled out a swab that had a violet-colored goo on it. “Looks like your left cheek, right?”

“Yeah, what are yo-”

“Quiet.”

Lashar gently dabbed at the spot where he had licked Abel, smearing the goo around. It tingled and seemed to move about on Abel’s skin chaotically, as if following the trail of Lashar’s saliva.

“You didn’t swallow any, did you?” Lashar asked quietly.

“No.”

“Okay,” Lashar sighed, “if you touch your cheek in the next five minutes, don’t put your finger in your mouth.”

“What, are you venomous or something?”

“Uh, yeah,” Lashar coughed. “Digestive Venom implants in my glands. Turns people’s bowels into...you know what, maybe I shouldn’t describe what it does before breakfast, the crap I put on your cheek will dissolve it.”

“What about those times you darted your tongue at me?”

“I can control it while awake,” Lashar muttered and pointed at the streak of violet on Abel’s cheek. “But I just covered your cheek with enough venom to knock out an Omnidevourer.”

“Don’t surprise kiss a Lacertan, human,” Asha crossed his arms. “You might get more than you bargained for.”

“Says the lucky bastard with Eros-3 implants,” Lashar snorted and slapped Abel on the shoulder before standing up and stretching. There was a slit in the skin between his thighs, likely where the illusive Lacertan genitals were hidden away. “Give him a kiss sometime Abel, it’ll rock your world.”

“Just get the human ready for breakfast,” Asha hissed and spun around, his armored tail slapped against the hull of the ship as he went out of sight.

“The Captain is jealous,” Lashar crossed his arms and shook his head. “Logos would not approve, too bad he’s lightyears away.”

“Jealous?” Abel asked, rolling onto his front and attempting to push himself up to no avail. “What are you talking about?”

“I told you, all you have to do is ask and Asha’s down for a casual fuck, no strings attached. He’d never admit it, he’s gotta keep up the stern officer bit, but since Logos isn’t watching, well, you just give him a little push and you can learn a thing or two about Lacertan love-making.”

“That’s fine,” Abel gasped as he fell down onto his chest, having failed to use his tied hands to right himself. “Not that I’m not flattered but-”

“Not interested in fucking a space reptile?” Lashar peered back at Abel, his red eyes seeming to glow a bit despite the abundant sunlight. “I could have sworn I noticed you examining my genitals.”

Abel blushed and looked away. He let his curiosity get the better of him and now he felt ashamed. A whole lifetime of refusing to ever be subservient to a Regulian and now here he was, blushing and trying to catch a peek at the other imperial power in the galaxy’s package. What kind of rebel was he?

Don’t you want the Lacertans to think you’re some submissive captive vulnerable to a bit of intimate love-making? Is that not a path to escape?

That’s just an excuse! You didn’t even think about that when you were ogling his body. You’ve always been curious about the Lacertans, haven’t you?

You shameless, self-hating, species-traitor! Stein’s voice suddenly exploded in Abel’s head.

A cold hand touched Abel on the shoulder, scales sliding over a patch of naked skin.

“You’re so cute,” Lashar laughed and then grabbed Abel by the wrists, helping him up to his feet. The Lacertan was a full head taller than Abel, who looked down at the human with a cold and indifferent expression, making his soft voice seem all the more unusual. “I may have failed my exam on your species but I know you tend to be a bit indirect and shy about such matters but there’s no shame among us. Even Logos realizes it’s logical to expect some biological urges from his creation.”

Soft though his voice was, Abel still found himself quietened before the imposing form of the naked Lacertan, who could very easily overpower the human if he wanted.

“And if you do or don’t, I’m still interested in getting to know you better.”

“Look,” Abel gasped, finally catching his breath, “the Regulian Empire arrests anyone who so much as rubs off to a Lacertan. So even if I were interested, it would be a death sentence if anyone were to find out.”

Lashar scratched the side of his head, around his ear-hole, “I don’t see any of the Emperor’s goons here...”

Except me, I suppose…

“And Logos is far, far away...so who’s watching?” Lashar flicked his tail. “I grew up with Logos giving me daily lessons in logic and reason above all else inside my brain, and I’m the one who has to tell you to loosen up? Sheesh!”

Lashar suddenly grabbed Abel by the wrists and pulled out a knife. As soon as Abel felt a jolt of fear, the knife had flashed a bright blue and sliced through the zip-ties around his wrists.

“You’re gonna need both hands to eat!” Lashar laughed, tucking the dimming knife into a sheathe tied around his naked leg. “And again, Abel, sorry if it sounds like I’m pressuring you, it’s just how we are. If you want me to stop, just be direct and say no. That’s the Lacertan way.”

Lashar began strapping his clothes and armor to his body while Abel sat there and watched.

And said nothing.

Thunderous applause roared and a Lupiad covered from head to toe in greasy, black fur smiled towards the camera.

“Thank you, thank you, all! It’s 4:00 AM here in Nova Heryana and that means you’re either got up too early or you haven’t gone to bed yet!”

A roaring cackle of several species in unison echoed out from the audience, no doubt instructed to by an applause sign and were giving that particularly tepid joke a bit too much energy for believability.

“You’re in for a great show today, folks, but first!” the host picked up a cup from his brown office desk which he was seated at. “How about that recent batch of coffee we got in? I can see why the Duchess rationed it, she wants to protect our tastebuds!”

Once again, the crowd howled, literally in the case of a few Lupiads and Sirians.

“Our first guest tonight is someone you’re all quite familiar with. Long before the Regulians made contact with Earth, this retired rugby coach realized the truth about our foes, the Lacertans. His predictions were so accurate that he was arrested for violating the Information Act and only released on its repeal! Lets welcome Doctor John Isaacs!”

An elderly human walked on stage waving to the crowd who welcomed him like a superstar. There was a glimmer of manic energy in his eyes as he looked over the crowd which persisted when he sat down on a chair beside the host.

“Thank you, Sigur, thank you,” John stood up and embraced the host. The two sniffed each other’s necks politely before John returned to his seat.

“So, John, I’m sure you get asked this a lot but...” Sigur tapped his claws on his desk, “...ten years in prison? What was that like?”

“Well, Sigur, you can read about it in my book, ‘A Delayed Prophecy,’ but I can safely say that I enjoyed my time mining for uranium on Mars and was treated exceptionally well by the authorities.”

“Even so, well, I know I’d be questioning my loyalty a little bit if I were in your shoes! All you did was tell the truth, that there were reptilian infiltrators on Earth, and well, off to prison you went!”

The audience chortled.

“Not for a moment!” John laughed. “The moment I was arrested under the Information Act I felt vindicated that the communications I intercepted were real and the Regulian authorities were acting in humanity’s best interest!”

“Just to confirm what I’ve heard, the communications you received, you said you intercepted them with mercury tooth fillings?”

John smiled, showing off teeth that were more black than white, “Before I became a coach I played rugby and it’s not a very good sport for dental health. My dentist tried to insist on giving me ceramic fillings but I didn’t want that toxic filth in my blood.”

“Amazing!”

“Look at this asshole!” a Vulpeculan on the other side of the break room sneered at the television, nudging a Sirian with a heavy face. “Guess being a fucking lunatic makes you a hero of the Empire!”

Brolath lashed his tail. The wait for Rorgh had made him very irritable and hearing the two workers disrespect the Empire was not making him feel any more at ease.

A low growl began to rumble in Brolath’s throat but a tap on his shoulder caused him to break it off and spin around. Leon was standing there with a dirty martini in his hands, offering it.

“Libations, my lion?”

Brolath’s hackles lowered as he took the glass from the human, “Where did you get that?”

Leon sat atop Brolath’s lap, resting his head against the Regulian’s chest, “I followed some slaves to the Duchess’ kitchen and then her personal lounge where I proceeded to help myself.”

The martini was briny and sharp with the taste of gin. Brolath licked his lips as he lowered the glass, noticing that the Duchess’ name was engraved in the crystal in Traditional Regulian, “Sounds like you were trespassing.”

“You’d be surprised how many people assume a human with their head lowered is just another slave,” Leon chuckled, twirling a lock of Brolath’s mane around his finger. “No one asked any questions.”

Brolath pressed his nose into the human’s head and began slowly sniffing him.

“By the way, I spotted our good friend Rorgh while I was sneaking ab-”

The door creaked loudly, interrupting Leon. Brolath caught something spicy breezing along the air and turned towards the door. Rorgh stood in the doorway, sheepishly looking at the ground.

“Adjunct! What took so lo-” Brolath sniffed the air, tracing the intoxicating scent towards Rorgh. There was no doubt about it, it was the smell of Lupiad seminal fluids and musk.

Even the two workers in the room picked up on it, their fur rising up on ends as they quickly began to whisper amongst themselves.

Leon looked around the room, brows furrowed in confusion, “What’s going on?”

“Duchess Yora...” Rorgh sighed, “...has asked me to become her consort and I accepted.”

“Oh my god, Rorgh!” Leon leaped off of Brolath, skipped over and hugged Rorgh. “Congratulations!”

A tinge of jealously broke Brolath’s shock but he whispered in his mind that it was just Leon being friendly.

He didn’t want to cause another fight between them.

“Adjunct, I...” Brolath remained on the seat, finding it difficult to raise his head, “...I don’t know what to say.”

As Leon broke away from Rorgh, the two workers quietly crept out of the room, no doubt to start spreading gossip on the Extranet.

“It was an opportunity to raise myself up in society. I couldn’t pass it up.”

“I always thought you had a bright future in the Guard,” Brolath twiddled his claws. “I was going to recommend you to be promoted.”

“I know, you would have done everything you could,” Rorgh closed his eyes. “But I’d just be moved around to serve as Adjunct for another Captain.”

“Absolutely not!” Brolath balled his fist. “If I have to go to Proclath himself and beg, I’ll get you rewarded. Hell, I’ll speak to the Emperor, he’s always been...”

The Emperor is dead.

Proclath is indifferent at best to your existence.

Who are you trying to fool?

“I’m sorry, Captain,” Rorgh’s ears lowered. “But we’re not all equal in the eyes of the Empire. Some of us have to seek different paths to succeed and I think I can get used to being a member of the idle-rich nobility.”

“You’ve been the best Adjunct I’ve ever had.”

Rorgh placed his paw on Brolath’s shoulder.

“I’m still going to finish this case with you.”

“You two settled up?”

The Duchess was standing proudly in the doorway with her gray flightsuit and chrome chest-plate. Despite her serious demeanor, her tail swished behind her and confidently announced her and Rorgh’s combined scents. She strode in and quickly nuzzled the back of Rorgh’s next and rubbed his rear, just above his tail.

A part of Brolath’s mind still didn’t believe Rorgh had gotten such a social upgrade in such a short time but the sight of the Duchess feeling him up eliminated any doubt.

“Pardon me, your Grace,” Brolath stood up and bowed, along with Leon doing the same. “It was a pleasant but very sudden surprise to hear.”

Yora’s nose twitched, “Good. It’s time to move out.”

“Pardon?”

“We’ve got a lead, I’ll explain on the way. Get on over to the lift-copter port, both of you, and bring that human with you,” Yora’s nose twitched again. “I don’t want anymore crystal-ware stolen while I’m away.”

Leon stuck his tongue out as the Duchess linked her arm with Rorgh’s and pulled her new consort away.

As the door shut, leaving Brolath alone with Leon, the human spoke.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a job quite like this.”

Once fully dressed, Abel was led out of the wreck and into the dim morning light. The sun had only just peaked over the mass of trees in the east, casting an orange glow over the cloudy sky.

“Hey Logos!” Lashar shouted into the air. “Can you give me a weather report on Earth?”

The Lacertan shook his head and clicked his tongue, “The greatest technological mind in the galaxy and he can’t even keep us connected after a little spaceship crash! We grew up being able to just ask and get any piece of knowledge in the universe and now we can’t even get a damned weather forecast!”

“I can’t imagine the Extranet has connection here either.”

“It’s been warm and humid since we landed but Earth is so unpredictable with its seasons. Logos will hopefully fix that one day.”

“It’s summer right now, the hottest season,” Abel curled his lips. “It will start to get colder.”

“How cold?”

“Far below the freezing point of water.”

Lashar stopped and looked off in the distance, towards the trees.

“How long do we have?”

“A few months, most likely. I’m not familiar with Siberia but it has a reputation for being as cold as it gets.”

“I’m guessing...” Lashar blinked, “...too cold for you to keep me warm?”

Abel shook his head.

“It will be too cold for warmbloods even, especially with these clothes.”

Lashar flicked his tongue on the air.

“Well, lets not worry about impending doom, shall we?” Lashar darted his tongue again. “Can’t you smell it?”

Abel sniffed, catching the smell of smoke and roasted meat. As they rounded the crash, Abel saw a massive elk carcass hanging from a tree, blood freely draining from it. Asha was roasting its leg on a spit across a roaring fire.

Taas still sat by the campfire, completely nude. White scales lined his fat belly and they glistened along with the red ones lining the rest of his skin. He was still utterly transfixed on the symbols he drew in the dirt.

“Morning, Commander,” Lashar nodded.

“Oh...” Taas slowly blinked, tilting his narrow face towards Abel, “...you’ve captured a human?”

“Yes sir, last night.”

“Good, good,” Taas nodded and turned back to his symbols. “I was worried we would run out of food.”

Abel felt a jolt in his spine and Lashar immediately pressed his snout up against Abel’s ear and whispered, “We don’t eat humans. Just ignore him.”

“A little hard to ignore that,” Abel hissed back.

“He hasn’t taken to losing contact with Logos well. It’s like losing family.”

“I...” Abel shook his head and sighed, “...that’s not a normal reaction.”

“Nothing is normal about us, I suppose,” Lashar shrugged and sat down on log, patting on it for Abel to join him. “But you humans are weird to us.”

Abel sat down, the log was cool and damp, which was more than a little uncomfortable, “How so?”

“You sweat like a swamp, your genitals are exposed to the elements, you feed your young with some kind of discharge from your chest,” Lashar took out another black cigarette before pausing and slipping it away again. “But I’m not repulsed, we’re all different, you know?”

Asha took out a knife and just like the one Lashar had used, the blade glowed blue before he cut through the roast leg like butter and let thin slices land in a metal tray.

“Human,” Asha barked, “you want me to put some of my venom on it to spice it up?”

“He’s hitting on you and being direct even for a Lacertan. If you say no, he won’t be offended, he’s just trying to figure you out,” Lashar whispered.

“No thanks,” Abel shook his head at the green Lacertan as he approached and handed Abel the tray.

Asha flared his nostrils and flicked his tongue before returning to the roast and carving a few more slices off.

“He’s intrigued and more interested in hooking up.”

Fuck, Abel thought as his heart began to thump. The constant hovering around about sexual desire from his captors was getting a bit terrifying even if they seemed to have no interest in mistreating him.

Still, Abel did not give Lashar an ultimatum. He did not feel too afraid to ask, for he was still at their mercy no matter what, but he felt just curious enough about Lacertan social behavior that he wanted to give them full reign to behave as they would.

They are both very exotic, aren’t they?

In an attempt to distract himself from further irrational thoughts, Abel picked up a slice of elk leg and ate it. It was very gamey, almost a bit too much for Abel’s taste, but considering it was cooked by space lizards with no salt or pepper, it was about as good as it could get.

Asha passed Lashar a tray of meat as well as a plastic pouch that had steam coming out of it. Lashar slit open the pouch with one of his claws and dumped a pile of some tiny, perfectly round grains covering in a thick black sauce onto the meat.

“Don’t get jealous,” said Asha, “that’s Grain-143 and it’s designed by Logos to maximize Lacertan nutrition and also toxicity for non-Lacertans.”

“Really, Abel,” Lashar waved a spoon around, “we want to be decent hosts, just our food isn’t so great for humans. Asha hunted that elk down just for you.”

“Really?” Abel looked over at the green Lacertan, who was back at the spit with his knife.

“Gotta feed the prisoner,” Asha grumbled.

“I couldn’t help but notice that you gave me the first serving.”

“Prisoner showed signs of deficiency in iron and we could not guarantee he had adequate caloric intake,” Asha spoke about Abel as if he was recording a report. “Priority was feeding him and ensuring his health before us, whose nutrition was optimal and accounted for.”

“Translation: the Captain wants to get inside your pants,” Lashar interjected.

Abel shocked himself by laughing. The Lacertans were more alien than the Regulians but in some way it had translated to humanity in a more comforting way. A Regulian would have given the captive the last scraps of the food and if they were interested in fucking, they simply would have taken the captive or forced them to submit in exchange for better rations.

As stiff and blunt as their attempts at hitting on him were, it was oddly bashful the way Asha gifted him food and attempted to rationalize it logically. Like a shy teenager gifting a gift to someone he had a crush on but couldn’t spit out the words.

There was similarities to Regulians as well, of course, aside from them being the leading species in a galactic powerhouse. While Lashar was eating, he covered up his mouth with his hand, much the same way as Regulian culture dictates for polite eating. When one has a muzzle it is otherwise very difficult not to show off your half-chewed food while eating and the Lacertans had a similar taboo about it, clearly.

The Regulians would have its citizens believe the Lacertans were a hive-mind, each one nothing more than a drone of Logos. Perhaps Abel was getting the wrong picture, seeing three Lacertans cut off from Logos, but it seemed like Logos was just another dictator enforcing absolute influence over day to day life, not unlike the Regulian Emperor and his lords.

Fitting since they told me the Regulians created Logos.

Perhaps in a better world, they could have all learned to respect each other’s differences and sat around a campfire like this, ideally not as captives but as friends.

Maybe one day...