***
Thirty minutes after the Xalanite ship landed, the seven of us—myself, Leigh, Ann, Timber, John, Marcus, and the pilot, a young Xalanite woman named H’rran—strapped on our safety devices as the ship launched.
Leigh kept her eyes squeezed shut for the first few seconds, her hand gripping mine tightly. When she opened first one eye, then the other, a look of surprise crossed her features.
“It’s … smooth. Smoother than I expected.”
“What would you expect from a flying vessel?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“Well, like, planes can get turbulence. The takeoffs and landings are choppy. This is … nice. Pleasant, even. Smoother than ground transport.”
I blinked at her, confused. “Of course it is smoother than ground transport. Your ground is rough and has many uneven spots. The air is smooth, and with the proper inertialadjustments, we can move through the air without this turbulence.” I frowned. “Are your planes truly that dangerous?”
Timber waved a dismissive hand. “Air travel is statistically safer than ground travel here on Earth, so most of us don’t worry about it.”
“You consider that safe?” I found it hard to believe.
“Statistically. Fewer airplanes crash than cars.”
I scoffed at their limited human technologies. “Xalanite air vessels are much safer. No turbulence.”
Leigh snorted out a laugh. “You mean like yours that crashed?”
H’rran’s shoulders shook with mirth. “She has you there,b’kin.”
“What’s ab’kin?”
That was right; we had not yet injected Leigh with nanites, instead opting to wait until we were certain the Timber and Ann’s mates were safe. “It is like … like a brother. But we are not related. A … How do the humans say, Director?”
“Brothers in arms.”
“Yes! We have fought together. Shared combat experiences.”
I noticed that Leigh’s gaze had rarely left H’rran since she had started to relax on the short flight. She seemed intrigued, and once it was safe to disconnect the safety devices, I took her on a private tour of the ship. As soon as we were alone, I asked if anything about H’rran made her uncomfortable.
“It’s nothing important. It’s just … Do all Xalanite women have that many?” she whispered in a hushed tone.
“That many what?”
Leigh clamped a hand over my mouth and gestured for me to be quiet. “You know! Her … her tits.”
The last two words were barely audible. When I finally comprehended them, I belted out with laughter. “A Xalanitewoman with only two teats would be considered disabled on my planet,” I said. “Of course she has many.”
“Shh!” She looked around, but we were alone. “It’s just … I only have two. How can that be enough for you?”
Was she expressing insecurity? That was unlike Leigh. “I have never been with a Xalanite woman. Why would I need any more than your two? I have two hands; it seems better this way. Besides, other than needing multiple teats for feeding young litters of infants more efficiently, Xalanite teats are not functional. They are not considered sexual organs. Some of our men enjoy touching them, yes, but why would I bother? The women do not experience pleasure from their stimulation. Not like you. I would rather know that I am pleasing you by touching your tea—your hooters.”
“How does she get anything done with all those in the way? Like, how can she reach all the controls for the ship?”
“She has arms.”
Leigh grunted with frustration. “Look, maybe it’s just that you’re a guy, but these things—” she placed her palms on her hooters and wiggled them “—get in the way. There are some activities that are more difficult for women because these suckers are bouncing all over the damn place. How does she manage withfour?”
I shrug. “She learns. She adapts. She does not know what it is like to have less.”
She hugged her chest with both arms, which lifted her hooters quite nicely. “Are you sure it doesn’t bother you that I only have two? You’re not going to regret choosing me later on when you grow tired of only having two boobs to play with?”
I checked the corridor of the ship to ensure that we were alone. No one had followed us.
