The Joining

In an isolated system, in neutral territory a small, unarmed, Terran scout vehicle drifted alone. Captain Andrea Simmons started to sweep the area with sensors, for lack of anything else to do. There was little else to do other than wait for... what ever was that waited for her.

In the beginning Mankind had spread to the stars using the Schleckston jump drive and found nothing. For some time it seemed worthless to even go. Mining was cheaper in Sol system and no prospective colonies had been found. Most systems were just like the one Andrea was in now, empty except for the primary star and some asteroids. But the exploring spirit still survived so scout ships continued to explore the new frontier anyway.

Then Terran scouts first encountered their first spacefaring race (infact the only life found beyond Earth), the Hrelk. The first contacts seemed hopeful. Although no communication could be made at first, no hostile action was made. For two years Terran and Hrelk ships met at their frontier, each cautiously examining the other, trying not to give too much away about themselves in the process.

The Hrelk seemed very different. No visuals of their crew had been made due to communication interface problems. For some reason they didn't seem to send visual images and didn't ask for any in return. Several people had suggested they were telepathic and rarely used radio for communications at all, but this wouldn't explain all the problems the Terrans had in talking to them.

Their ships seemed to be completely alien in nature, no metal in them at all. Terran scientists had difficulty understanding how they even managed to transmit or receive radio messages.. Sensors showed them to be fusion powered but that was about all that could be gleaned in the first few encounters, before disaster struck.

No-one quite knew what it was that sparked them off, but in the middle of one of many attempts to learn more of their language (and for the Hrelk to attempt learn ours) there was a break in communications and the Hrelk ships opened fire.

The first interstellar war had begun.

To begin with it looked as if the Hrelk would easily win. Every time Terran ships encountered them, the Hrelk ended victorious. They seemed to posses incredibly powerful weaponry. Their energy weapons delivered blows comparable to nuclear blasts. They also could easily shoot down incoming missiles making normal strike craft useless.

After six months, in which repeated attempts to call a truce were answered with only an angry call for vengance which no-one really understood, the Terrans finally won an engagement.

They had built a gun which focussed the plasma from a nuclear blast into a beam to be projected towards an enemy with devastating force. Terran ships were still not quite as powerful as the Hrelk, and the new weapons were risky, sometimes the nuclear containment failed spectacularly, but they could now defend themselves.

The next two years were bloody ones. Although Terran scientist and engineers repeatedly came up with new weapons and defences, so did the Hrelk. It was looking bad, until a Terran scout found the Hrelk homeworld.

The Terrans knew that even if they could attack the Hrelk's planet and destroy their population their remaining space forces would still win the war. It was a no win scenario. So the Terrans staged a 'demonstration' to get the Hrelk's attention. They sent one warship to the Hrelk homeworld and destroyed an uninhabited island before jumping out of the system again. The next time Terran and Hrelk ships met the Terrans tried to open communications once again. This time the Hrelk were ready to listen.

The Talks went on for over two months while a cease fire was upheld. They had considerable problems due to the continual lack of language information on either side. It seemed that the way the Hrelk thought was basically different in nature from Terrans and this slowed matters considerably. Also the Hrelk still refused to meet in person and all communications had to be held over radio.

Soon a picture emerged. It seemed that the Hrelk would only end the conflict if there was some sort of symbolic 'joining' of the two people. After considerable problems with translation of the specific terms the Hrelk used, the Terrans realised they wanted a marraige between a Terran and a Hrelk. Suddenly the tension eased. If it could be solved by such a simple act then surely the war would soon be over.

However language problems beset the Terrans attempts to agree to the deal. Eventually they resorted to delivering pictures of candidates for the 'partnership' by scouts sent to the Hrelk fleet (visual radio communications were still not being received by the Hrelk for some reason) and eventually they agreed on one Andrea Simmons and arranged the rendevous and what would be entailed.

Although, again, not all of the message was understood it seemed that Andrea would meet and 'join' with a Hrelk by the name of C-Chanlick and then 'reside' with him from then on. It seemed that that would be the end of the matter and Terran and Hrelk forces would agree to borders and, hopefully, the war would be over.

So here she was. Drifting, waiting for a Hrelk ship to come with her 'husband' to join with her. The translators had warned her that, as far as they could understand the deal, she would probably never see another human again. However there were many problems in the translators that had not been worked out and they couldn't be sure.

Terran scientists could not understand how the Hrelk could hope to know if they could mate with a human as neither side knew anything about the other's biology. In fact the Terrans had never even seen what a Hrelk looked like, although they knew their rough size and a few other minor details from examining the burnt wreckage of their ships. No bodies had been recovered in the war as the Terran weapons tended to vaporise them, if not the whole ship they were in as well.

These things all went through Andrea's mind as she absently watched the sensor screens. She also thought about her parents and friends who she would likely never see again. She had actually volunteered for this, to 'save humanity' from extinction, she'd been told. But the actuality of this was only now beginning to really get through her.

Suddenly there was a flash in front of her ship and there was a Hrelk vessel. She'd never seen this type before, there didn't seem to be any weaponry on it but it was large, over 150 meters long.

The spherical craft hung there in space motionless. She had to give them credit for navigation, the ship had jumped in within 200m of her and at virtually zero relative velocity. That took considerable computing power. As she watched a hatch opened onto what appeared to be a flight-bay large enough for her small scout craft to fit inside.

No radio communication. She'd been told not to expect any, or to attempt to contact them either. With a sigh of resignation she manoeuvred her craft inside the bay, extended the landing gear and felt the tug of an artificial gravity field gently pull the scout down to a landing.

Soon the bay doors closed and her sensors said there was a breathable atmosphere out there.

"At least we know they breath oxygen" She said, almost startling her self with her own voice in the stillness. She realised she hadn't spoken for over two days, since she'd left the Naval base at Epsilon.

As she got out of the acceleration web (Her craft was too small to be fitted with grav systems) she instinctively reached to ready her pistol, only to remember that no weapons were allowed here as her hand closed on her empty holster. She had put her holster on with the rest of her flight suit automatically. Now she'd never need it again. She unbuckled the holster and put in the ship's locker and then opened the main hatch.

From examining wreckages Terrans had gathered that Hrelk ships were ceramic in nature but looking at the inside of the bay Andrea thought it looked like nothing so much as a the inside of a plastic bubble. There were no corners anywhere. The bay was roughly rectangular in shape but all the edges flowed into each other in smooth curves giving an almost organic look to it.

As she looked around a door folded out of the previously solid looking wall and disappeared into the surroundings leaving a circular opening leading into a tube way.

Slowly she walked to the opening and down the passage. If it hadn't been for the artificial gravity she wouldn't have been able to tell which way was up in this tube. It was completely cylindrical and featureless although it seemed to curve slightly to the right as it went on. Eventually she saw a more pronounced bend in the tunnel up ahead. As she approached she saw it led into a chamber to the right. As she turned the corner she saw the Hrelk.

It's appearance caught her by surprise. It resembled nothing so much as a giant snake with three finger-like tendrils on the end of it's tail. It's skin seemed more fleshy than scaly at first sight and was cream coloured. It was 'sitting' in front of an opening leading to further tube ways to other parts of the ship. It was curled around so it was difficult to make out exactly how long it was but she guessed it was about thirty feet long and it's head was easily bigger than hers, and twice as long.

Whilst she had been looking at the Hrelk, it had been looking at her. As Andrea looked at it's face she got the distinct impression it was more female than male and wondered if there had been some terrible mix-up in communications.

*No, you are perfect to join*

Andrea jumped slightly. That had not been spoken, the Hrelk didn't know enough English to speak that coherently. Then she realised, It must be telepathy.

*Yes, perhaps this should have been done earlier but The All were worried over a meeting. There could be ... complications. You could have found weaknesses in us.*

She started to try to answer in kind but realised she felt far better if at least one of them was actually talking out loud. She guessed it could read the meaning behind her words.

"We wouldn't try something like that, we want an end to this war, that's why I'm here" she said whilst trying to avoid fidgeting in her nervousness.

She suddenly got a feeling of compassion, she supposed transmitted by the Hrelk, was this C-Chanlick?

*Yes, I am K-shanlichk. We are alone here. None will disturb us until we return home.* slowly K-shanlichk started to undulate towards Andrea. *After we are joined*

Suddenly she began to have doubts again, remembering what the scientists were worried about before, about the incompatibility of alien lifeforms.

She felt a mix of emotions and what seemed like a sigh from K-shanlichk. *You do not understand, but your people are right. Our kind are very different from yours and the mechanism you have considered would not work between our species. Do not worry all will be clear*

As K-shanlichk (Andrea now couldn't help but think of it as a 'her') approached her she instinctively backed away and almost fell over when her legs hit something. She turned around and there was a flat extension seemingly extruded from the wall. It melded smoothly where it touched the wall, about a foot off the floor, but was perfectly flat for the rest of it's eight foot of length. It looked like nothing so much as a bed.

She prodded it and it was soft and yielding unlike the wall material it resembled. When she turned back she was startled by K-shanlichk's face scarcely an inch in front of her smiling slightly. 'Does a smile mean the same to them' she thought and got a wave of warm feelings in response from her 'mate'

*You should remove your coverings if we are to continue* the thought came.

She hesitated and then realised she had resigned herself to this long ago. Slowly she unsealed the flight suit began to peal it off. It was awkward at the best of times but with a smiling snake inches away from her it was very difficult indeed. When she had peeled the upper part away and was trying to remove the pants K-shanlichk's attention slowly dropped. Her gaze travelled down Andrea's revealed body, seemingly taking in all of it. Her shoulders, her breasts, her arms, her hands, her waist, her hips, all were scrutinised by the smiling creature. When Andrea had removed the suit and her undergarments K-shanlichk looked her in the eye once again.

*You are perfect...* there was a pause as a distant look came over her reptilian features and Andrea felt a tickling sensation in her head. *perhaps this would help* and she leaned over kissing Andrea full on the lips.

Andrea was startled by this and fell over backwards onto the bed bringing K-shanlichk on top of her, still kissing her. Although Hrelk lips seemed more flexible than a snake's, they did not seem well adapted to kissing, but still Andrea had to admit she was enjoying the attempt. Then something touched her between her legs. she twisted her head and glanced down whilst still kissing her partner and saw one of the three thick tendrils on the end of K-shanlichk's tail touching her gently.

She sighed and wrapped her arms around K-shanlichk hugging her as she felt the gentle probing. It had been a long time since she had slept with anyone, the war had seen to that, and now she longed for it, whoever it was doing it. As she had that thought K-shanlichk suddenly pushed. Two tendrils were quickly embedded inside her whilst the third buried itself up her rear.

"Mmmph!" she managed to cry as she felt the tendrils fill her. She closed her eyes, broke the kiss, and hugged her lover closer. K-shanlichk responded by curling her neck all the way around Andrea's head, gently nuzzling her whilst she started to move her tendrils. The Motion soon had Andrea crying out and bucking against the thick cylindrical body above her. She wrapped her legs around K-shanlichk to get a better grip and rubbed herself up and down whilst the tendrils continued their motion inside her.

Eventually she couldn't hold back and clutched tightly to K-shanlichk as she came. As the feelings swelled in her she felt what was almost an echo of those feelings. She realised that K-shanlichk could feel everything she had felt during their coupling and she could see the joy on the alien face. Their peoples were not so disparate after all.

Slowly K-shanlichk disentangled herself from Andrea's sweaty, exhausted form.

*I am glad this was shared. The feelings were a glorious memory to hold*

Andrea managed to prop herself up on her elbows. "And I hope we will have many more such memories K-shanlichk."

K-shanlichk looked at her oddly for a moment then leaned over and began to slide slowly over Andrea's body, her head tickling as it brushed between her breasts and on down her belly.

*I am afraid you still do not understand. But you are right, just not in the way you imagine.*

By this time she had worked her way down to Andrea's feet. Her tail tendrils scooped under her waist and gently turned Andrea over onto her chest. Andrea waited for their caresses else where, but that did not happen. Instead she felt a tickling on her feet. As she tipped her head back to look she saw K-shanlick at her feet with her mouth open, her thick and very un-snake like tongue licking her feet.

"Mmmm... lovely" Andrea sighed and closed her eyes and rested her head on her hands. Slowly she felt K-shanlcihk's tongue lick all over her feet and then start to travel up the front of her shins. Then she could feel her toes pressing into the back of her partner's mouth as it gently closed over both feet.

It felt very odd having both her feet held tightly in K-shanlick's mouth as the tongue continued to slide over them.

Then K-shanlichk swallowed.

Andrea was dragged backwards about six inches at once as her feet disappeared down the Hrelk's tight throat.

"What are you doing?" Andrea cried and tried to pull her legs free, with no success.

*I said you did not understand. Our earlier pleasuring had nothing to do with the joining, I merely felt you needed it. Relax, this will be over soon.*

Andrea was stunned by this shift but continued to struggle as K-shanlichk gulped again. She gasped out loud as the rippling sensation travelled quickly up her lower legs. The alien's mouth was now at her knees and K-shanlichk quickly swallowed a third time taking her knees inside too.

"Stop, why are you doing this I..ooff!" she stammered as a forth gulp drew Andrea further in "... I thought we were friends. Aaaah!" A fifth brought K-shanlichk's nose up onto Andrea's backside. The sensations as the throat muscles ripples over her legs was glorious, but she realised that if she couldn't stop this she'd never feel anything else ever again.

*Please, trust me. I promise you will enjoy this, and will survive.*

Andrea looked over her shoulder down at K-shanlichk who had stopped at her hips. She looked somewhat comical with her nose poking out between Andrea's buttocks. She seemed sincere, and frankly there wasn't anything Andrea could do anyway. K-shanlichk's mouth was gripping her tightly around her legs and she couldn't move at all. Even if she didn't believe what K-shanlcihk was 'saying' she realised that this was after all what would stop the Terran - Hrelk war.

After a few moments she made her decision

"Go on, as long as it ends the bloodshed. Oooh!" She cried as, as soon as she had agreed, K-shanlichk swallowed deeply once more taking almost all Andrea's legs in her throat and pushing her jaws further around her. After the rippling wave had subsided she looked down. Andrea couldn't see how K-shanlichk could fit her hips in between those jaws, it looked as though they were already stretched tight. Then there was an audible pop and tightness around her hips lessened as the jaws parted.

The now dislocated jaws yawned wider than seemed possible giving Andrea a long view down her back into the gaping maw she was disappearing into. She could see most of her thighs inside the mouth down where they were held by those strong throat muscles. Then K-shanlichk gulped once more and she plummeted backwards again. This time she kept looking over her shoulder and watched as the mouth closed and folded gently over her hips. She could see the ripple of muscle pass down K-shanlichk's neck as it drew her in and she closed her eyes as the rippling travelled down her legs again.

At this point K-shanlichk shifted herself up onto the bed, hefting Andrea bodily into the air, She kept Andrea upright with her tail which held her gently under her right arm. When she had settled her serpentine form on the bed with Andrea still upright, she carefully released her tail's hold, and Andrea felt K-shanlichks tongue begin to probe up between her legs.

Soon it found the entrance and she gasped as it's thickness slid deeply into her moist cleft. She reached down and grasped the distended jaws around her, hugging them to her as K-shanlichk pleasured her once again.

*I could not resist one last experience, forgive me*

"Ooh, aaah! G..Gladly! OOOH!" Andrea replied in between gasps.

As the tongue continued it's motion Andrea felt K-shanlichk's throat muscles contract rhythmically around her, gently sucking her thighs. It was glorious, and no doubt K-shanlichk was getting as much from this as she was.

Then just as she was about to peak, K-shanlichk gulped strongly again and she felt herself shoot down that throat further, the tight sensations sending her over the edge into a glorious orgasm as K-shanlichk's tongue flipped out of her. K-shanlichk held her gently, waiting until she had recovered before continuing without a 'word'.

The next swallow pulled her in far enough that her breasts were nudged by K-shanlichk's lower jaw. Then she felt a touch as the tail gently grasped her right arm. K-shanlichk yawned her mouth wide again and placed Andrea's hand in her mouth alongside the torso that was already held tightly, and pressed it in down her throat. Andrea didn't protest and pushed her left arm in on her own. She got the mental equivalent of a warm smile as she felt K-shanlichk gulp again.

The widened jaws closed over her chest, the lower jaws pressing over her breasts tightly. The constriction was now over her entire body except her head and the feelings were wonderful. Then another gulp and she plummeted down another ten inches, the throat closing tightly around her breasts and K-shanlichk's lower lip pressing up against her face which was now half inside the mouth.

'To think those lips were kissing me a few minutes ago, and now they're eating me' she thought but was interrupted by another, deep, and final swallow which seemed to go on and on as she was compressed, massaged and pulled deep inside. She tipped her head back and got a last look outside as K-shanlichk's mouth closed and the throat irised shut above her as she was squeezed down inside.

Soon she came to a stop, held tightly, and feeling a sense of completeness that she realised must come from K-shanlichk. She was now running out of air as the walls began to press tightly in on her, especially around her head. The feelings swelled and seemed more somehow, she began to see images, sense some disconnected meanings and purposes. It was very confusing, but the meal had been very pleasant. Wait, what was she thinking? She was the meal, wasn't she?

Over the next few minutes she felt her mind pressed with all the thoughts and memories of K-shanlichk as the throat pressed tighter around her body. There didn't seem to be any stomach acids and the pressure surprisingly didn't hurt. She didn't feel her bones cracking despite the continually stronger and stronger pressure. Eventually she passed out from lack of air, trying to desperately make sense of all this.

* * *

When she awoke everything was spinning and she was numb. She could feel something nearby, but it seemed to be waiting for something. Slowly she managed to open her eyes. To begin with the image was blurry and out of focus. After a few minutes she managed to make out the room on board the Hrelk's ship... where she'd been eaten! What was going on?

She eventually felt some feeling beginning to return to her body and duly slid off the bed and slithered over to the wall. She nudged a control before she realised what she was doing and was rewarded with a small bowl extending from the wall filled with water. She leaned back startled and looked down at herself. She was a Hrelk!

As she tried to recover she 'felt' laughter nearby and soon sensations flooded in as K-shanlichk made herself known.

*Yes we are joined now. I will let you get used to our body, it will help as we merge, no don't be afraid. Our minds will soon be one as we become more attuned to each other, this is what the joining is all about. Soon we will be of both Hrelk and Terran mind. Then we will be able to understand one another better, and perhaps avoid another war.*

Andrea was stunned, and somewhat frightened. She didn't understand really but slowly realised that it was for the best. She eventually decided there was nothing she could do and tried to get used to her new body.

Over the next few days K-shanlichk guided her through the experience as they literally 'joined'. Soon the first Hrelk ambassador to Terra, K-shandrea, was ready, and determined with all her mind not to let a war start again!

06.06.09