7 comments/ 41804 views/ 42 favorites An Intergalactic Mate Swap By: Et2bruttus Just on a quick note; this story is partially a spin-off of my other story "An Intergalactic Halloween." It's not a chapter 2 or a direct sequel, but it takes place in the sci-fi universe from that story. You don't HAVE to read that story in order to read and understand this one but the two stories do kind of complement each other so it might be worth reading anyway. I haven't decide if I'm going to do a chapter 2 for this yet; maybe if it's well received, I will. Oh, and this was also supposed to be a New Years story, but I was unable to get it out in time for New Year's Eve. It ended up being longer than I had anticipated so it took longer for me to finish. Anyways, enjoy, and please comment...it makes me giggle! Main Characters: Mike Sanborn- Human, Federation marine Liz Sanborn- his wife, Human, Federation marine Rajah Oc'thello- Kataaran (anthropomorphic tiger alien), Federation marine Akaya Oc'thello- his mate, Kataaran, Federation marine Characters from "An Intergalactic Halloween" that make a brief cameo appearance: Nick Meyers- Human, former Federation fleet engineer, now an ambassador Valhala Raahana- his girlfriend, Yvon (purple-skinned humanoid alien), ambassador in human space xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx "The shuttle will be landing in New York in about five minutes. Please ensure that your seatbacks and tray-tables are in their upright and locked position as we make our final descent to Earth. Thank You." All the passengers of the shuttle looked out of their side windows as the blue and green terrestrial planet came into view and grew larger and larger as the ship made its descent. All around them, an infinite ocean of stars and the deep, majestic void of space expanded out in all directions. Toward the center of the ship sat two humans dressed in the blue regalia of the Federation marines. On the left, closest to the window was a black-haired man with a muscled physique. His attentive brown eyes were gazing outwardly onto the approaching Earth, taking a relaxed breath from the solace of being able to return home after so long. Beside him sat a slender light-brown-haired human woman dressed in similar uniform colors. Her hair was tied back into a pony tail as per military regulation while her flawless face was both delicate-looking and yet hid a plethora of past experiences from her military duty behind her gleaming deep blue eyes. She, along with the man beside her, had the shoulder of her blue uniform tagged with a single stripe, indicating her as private first-class, as well as four letters: GASF (Galactic Alliance Systems Federation). She turned to the male soldier, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. He turned away from the window to look at her with a smile. "How do you feel, Mike?" she asked him sweetly, her hand moving from his arm to give his hand a gentle squeeze. He leaned across his seat to her and drew her to him. His face honed in on hers before their lips met in a gentle, loving kiss. Their smiling faces pulled back to look at each other while their hands continued to stay intertwined. "Glad to be home. And even more glad to have you back with me, Liz," he softly replied back to his wife, punctuating it with a kiss on her cheek. The two immediately fell into another loving, passionate kiss, oblivious to the flight attendants and other passengers walking up and down the row near them. When they disconnected from it, Liz laid her head onto her husband and compatriot's shoulder as they both stared out the window to the approaching Earth. "Michael, Elizabeth," a rich, thickly accented feminine voice spoke from across the row to Liz's right. Liz lifted her head from Mike's shoulder and the two spun around to look over at the source of the voice. In the middle row, across from Mike and Liz, were two more seated passengers adorned in the dress blues of the Federation marines. These two, also a male and female, were not humans like Mike and Liz. The uniforms of these soldiers were rather filled by two distinctly alien figures with physical features reminiscent of felines, or rather tigers in particular. The female tiger-marine on the left that had spoken out to the two of them had a slender build similar to Liz's although she was taller by a scant couple inches. Unlike Liz, her head of brown hair wasn't tied back into a pony tail but was trimmed down short enough that it was left flowing behind her unhindered. The felinoid female, although bipedal, had features blatantly similar to that of a tiger including a maw with whiskers and a pink button nose, paws, a bushy, waving tail, tapered ears, and finally, a rich fur coat across her entire body. Although striped like that of a tiger, the fur coating was dissimilar to the colors of the animals commonly found on Earth; instead of a coating of orange and white with black, she instead had a light brown coating that matched the hair on her head, along with black stripes lining her fur. The male beside her had many similar features but with a few differences. Like his human counterpart, Mike, he had a tall, muscled, defined build beneath his uniform and was about the same height as him. Instead of a brown coating similar to the tigress sitting beside him, he instead had the quintessential tiger exterior found on Earth's common Bengal Tigers; a vibrant orange and white fur coating with the intervals of black stripes lining his muscled build. He, like the tigress, had striking golden eyes complimentary to his race and even similar to the distant feral counterparts on Earth. Mike and Liz, who had turned to the two anthropomorphic tiger marines, nodded their heads at them. "Rajah, Akaya; you guys excited to be visiting our humble backwater mess for the first time?" Mike asked with a grin. The female tiger, Akaya, smirked, raising her eyebrows at him. "Backwater, surely you aren't serious? There's so much more excitement on Earth than back home on Kataara," she replied. "Exciting? Please. When we went with you guys to Kataara on our last furlough, we almost got mauled by that giant...gl-, what was it?" Liz asked the two tigers. "Glilox," the male tiger, Rajah, replied to them with a grin. "And yes, that may have been exhilarating, but I hear that Earth is the place to be during your New Year's Eve celebration," Rajah continued. "No argument there. I plan on getting soooo drunk that my dear wifey here is going to have to carry me home," Mike chuckled, giving a playful nibble on his wife's earlobe. Liz shoved him away jokingly in response. "Dream on, soldier, it's going to be the other way around and YOU are going to be the designated driver for tonight after me and Rajah and Akaya drink ourselves into a coma," his wife laughed, giving him a kiss on the cheek afterward. Mike gave a mock grimace, pretending to wipe the kiss from his cheek, causing Liz and their two felinoid compatriots to laugh at the display. Mike turned back toward Liz and the other two and said, "So, let's go over the details again; we start off by getting wasted and kicking it back tonight for New Year's Eve, tomorrow me and Liz take you guys on a grand tour of the big apple..." "Wait, we are going to visit a giant fruit?" Rajah interjected all of a sudden. Liz and Mike both grinned at each other. "No, Rajah, the 'big apple' is just a name we give for New York City," Mike replied. Rajah wrinkled his whiskers with a confused frown before nodding. "So as I was saying; we spend the first week taking in the sights of the U.S.A, Los Angeles, Texas, Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, the whole shebang," he continued. "And don't forget that you and I are going to take some time in there to visit our folks," Liz added. "Our parents will want to see us alive and in person after we just survived a sector rebellion light years away." They both nodded before their travel plans were interrupted by scaly green female flight attendant passing by with a cartload of beverages in tow. The female, a species known as the Galkron, turns toward both the two humans and the two Kataarans with a courteous smile across her green face. "Would you like a drink before we land?" the flight attendant asked. Mike and Liz nodded, kindly asking the flight attendant for a Bourbon each. Afterward, Akaya and Rajah requested a foreign Kataaran beverage each, all four of them thanking the attendant as she passed on. The took a few sips of their respective drinks as, outside the shuttle, a blazing light engulfed the ship as they began to break the Earth's atmosphere. Akaya reached over and gently squeezed Liz's arm to get her attention again. "So, as we were saying before, we will be visiting the African Savannah during the second week of furlough, correct?" Akaya asked with an eager smile across her striped face. Liz smiled and nodded along with Mike. "Yup, I know you guys are eager to visit your distant cousins," Mike joked to his two tiger-like compatriots. Rajah rolled his golden eyes, waving the other male marine off with his paw. "You've made that joke numerous times already," he sighed with a grin. "Nah nah, it's cool. Yes, we will be visiting Africa right after we hit the states, I swear," Mike replied. "Yeah, I hear they have a preserve that houses some of the last two-hundred African tigers alive in the world. It's definitely something worth seeing," Liz agreed. Mike nodded. "Yup, then we hit Europe, then the Middle East, Asia and finally we end up back in the U.S. for the last couple days of our glorious four-week furlough and I'd say that's a job well done," he concluded with a smile. Rajah smiled and raised his drink glass to the three of them. "I propose a toast to celebrate our furlough together," he pronounced to them in his elegant, accented voice. Mike, Akaya and Liz raised their glasses to him with smiled. Liz craned her head to whisper to Mike, "That's cute, he learned another Earth custom." The four chuckled in unison but continued to hold up their alcoholic beverages. "Here is a toast...to Earth, and the Federation...and here's to friends," Rajah said to them sincerely, giving a smile to Mike and Liz. Akaya nodded and looked over at them as well, meeting his smile and giving one of her own across her maw. Mike and Liz gave sincere smiles back, raising their glasses in response to his toast. "Amen to that. To friends," Mike said, nodding to them. The two humans and two Kataarans drank down in unison before leaning back in their chairs. Mike once again had his hand intertwined with that of his military spouse just as Akaya and her tiger mate held paws as the shuttle broke from the atmosphere. Below them, a huge body of water gave way to the large North American continent familiar to Mike and Liz but unfamiliar to Akaya and Rajah. The two tiger-like aliens looked out the window with anticipation and eagerness as they descended toward New York. After only a few more moments, the shuttle approached a sprawling metropolitan area before almost immediately coming to a smooth, easy halt upon a platform. Outside, other platforms of robotic machinery and workers of various species were busy loading and unloading other shuttles. After a few more moments of waiting, the overhead lights in the symbol of a seatbelt shut off and the various passengers aboard the shuttle immediately stood up to begin gathering their belongings from the overhead compartments. "This is your captain speaking, and we here at the Federation Mass Transit would like to formally welcome you to John F. Kennedy Intergalactic Spaceport. We hope you enjoy your stay here on Earth and hope you fly the galaxy with us again soon," a voice said over the loudspeaker, bidding them all farewell. Mike and Liz stretched out their muscles before they retrieved their single duffle bag each and Akaya and Rajah did the same. Afterward, they walked out through the doorway of the shuttle in single file as they were funneled out into the spaceport. As soon as they stepped off the chrome, oval-shaped shuttle, the platform gave way to a massive sprawling spaceport with the skyline of the New York metropolitan area looming over in the background. Swarms of travelers of various species scattered from place to place across the terminal, all of them going in and out of shuttles that would take them to other parts of Earth or the galaxy. In the center of the terminal, standing high and large enough for everyone to see, was a holographic wall of arrivals and departures for all the shuttles in the port. On one side of the chart was 'Interplanetary Destinations', signifying locations across Earth. Places familiar to both Mike and Liz including Orlando, Los Angeles, Beijing, Madrid, Moscow, Quebec, London and so on lined the chart, shifting and blinking every time a flight time changed. On the other side of the chart was a listing of 'Intergalactic Destinations', listing various sectors and planets within GASF space where members of the Federation's cooperating species could travel to. Mike found it funny that the latter part of the chart was really the only thing that distinguished this intergalactic spaceport from a traditional 21st century airport. Mike was walking in a trance beside his wife and their two Kataaran companions, staring up at the destinations chart looming over the terminal. He was so captivated by it for whatever reason that he accidentally bumped into a pair of passersbys making their way over from another shuttle platform. The collision caused him to drop his duffle bag as Liz, Akaya and Rajah spun around to observe the brief scuffle. "Oh, I'm sorry, my apologies," Mike said suddenly, reaching down to gather the fallen duffle bag of the person that he'd bumped into. "Yeah, likewise, I wasn't watching where I was walking, sorry too," the man, another human male replied back. Mike turned his gaze upward, handing the duffle bag back to the other man before his eyes widened in recognition of the one he'd bumped into. The other human, adorned in a casual long-sleeve shirt and jeans, also had curly brown hair, light complexion and green eyes, as well as a muscled, well-toned build that nearly matched Mike and Rajah. "Nick?" Mike uttered in recognition. "Nick Meyers, is that you?" The other man cocked his head and squinted slightly as he tried to recollect that familiar face. His eyebrows then rose as it came back to him. "Mike Sanborn? You-, what are you doing on Earth?" Nick suddenly asked, flabbergasted as he dropped the fallen bag that he'd been retrieving. Mike crossed his arms and frowned as he stared the other man up and down for a moment. "That's all you have to say to the man who pulled your ass out of the rubble?" the human marine laughed, immediately hooking his arm around Nick's neck and giving him a rather forceful noogie like an older brother would do to a younger sibling. Liz, Akaya and Rajah all rolled their eyes at the display even as the slightly shorter man in casual clothing tried to avoid Mike's knuckles digging into his scalp. Mike grinned but then cast his gaze upward as he had only now taken notice of Nick's companion who was also grinning from ear to ear as she too watched the amateurish display take place. Beside Nick was a slender, violet-skinned woman, obviously an alien but with anatomy that wasn't entirely dissimilar from that of a human. She also had slightly pointy ears, striking red eyes, radiant silver hair that flowed to her shoulders and a slim form beneath her casual clothing. "Oh...hello, mam," Mike said to the purple-skinned woman, blushing with embarrassment after having just roughed up her travel companion even as his arm still had Nick's head locked in a hold. "Hey...Liz, want to get this creature off of me, please?" Nick laughed as he looked back at Mike's wife standing beside the tiger and tigress marines behind Mike. Mike smirked before finally giving Nike freedom to move his head again. Nick craned his neck, grinning at his former compatriot. "A warm welcome, as always, Private Sanborn," Nick chuckled. He then turned his gaze over to the purple woman standing sheepishly separated from the rest of the group. Nick gave her a knowing, kind smile before gently taking her hand in his and introducing her. "This is my girlfriend, Valhala Raahana," he said, pointing out the slender purple female. "And Val, these are PFC's Michael Sanborn and Elizabeth Jameson of the Federation marines," Nick said, introducing his girlfriend to Mike and Liz. Val gave a welcome smile, reaching out a slender purple hand and shaking hands with both Mike and Liz. "Pleased to meet you; I'm always glad to meet proud soldiers of the Federation, especially friends of my Nick," Val said to both of them with a kind smile. Mike and Liz nodded back to her with friendly smiles of their own. Liz then turned to Nick and said, "It's actually Elizabeth Sanborn now," she proudly stated. Nick's eyebrows rose as he looked at both of them. "You two are married now?! When did this happen and why did I not get an invitation to the wedding?" Nick gasped. Mike laughed. "Five months ago. We would've invited you but we didn't know how to contact you. You kind of fell off the face of the galaxy after you left the fleet. Anyway, the wedding happened while we were still in active duty so we didn't really make it a big thing anyway." Nick nodded before he looked past Mike and Liz to see the two other marines standing back. Nick had come into contact with the Kataarans before but this was the first time in a while that he'd met them in person. Mike took notice of this too and stepped aside to give the orange-striped tiger male and his brown-striped female counterpart room to be introduced into the picture. "These here are me and Liz's furry partners in crime, Rajah and Akaya Oc'thello. And this here is Nick Meyers, the man who can rework a blown transmitter with his eyes closed," Mike introduced them. Nick and Val pleasantly shook hands and paws with the two tiger-like aliens. Akaya smirked at Nick, saying in her rich accented voice, "That's a rather useful talent if I do say so myself." Nick rolled his eyes. "He exaggerates, as usual. Although I can probably rework a shuttle's air conditioning system with my eyes closed," he laughed. Nick and Val looked at the two humans and two Kataarans. "So, what brings you four here?" he asked. Mike and Liz shrugged. "We weren't about to miss the New Year's Eve hype, were we? The four of us are on a month-long furlough and we're going to make the most of it with a good old tour of Earth," Mike explained. "This is Rajah and Akaya's first time here so we're also showing them around our humble planet," Liz added. Mike nodded. "And you?" he asked Nick. Nick looked over at Val and smiled. "Well Val here is one of the Yvon ambassadors in human space and, as of two months ago, I am now the human ambassador for Yvon space. So, essentially we are going to be spending the next few months visiting each other's homeworlds together," he said as his hand and snaked into Val's to intertwine together. "Hey, congratulations Mr. Ambassador! I'm glad for both of you," Mike said to them. "What's the salary of an ambassador like?" Liz snorted. "Above your paygrade, that's for sure," she giggled. "We'll also be swinging in for the celebrations a bit while we're here too," Nick added. Val nodded. "Yes...Nick assures me that I have to be in Time's Square when the New Year's Eve countdown happens tonight," she laughed. "Indeed, everyone does like to gather to watch that ball drop. We humans have been doing every year for about two hundred years now," Mike laughed. Nick and Liz smirked in agreement. Mike then turned back to Nick and Val. "But anyway, you say you'll be sticking around the states for a few days like us? Maybe we can meet up somewhere and catch up, just like old times," Mike said An Intergalactic Mate Swap Nick looked at Val and they both smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that would be great. Is your number still the same?" Nick asked Mike. "Yup, same old," he replied. Nick nodded. "Alright well, maybe we can catch up again soon. Me and Val have to go check in to our hotel before we head out into the city later." Liz and Mike nodded. "Yeah, same. The four of us have a couple apartments already rented out in Upper Manhattan so we're going to check them out, maybe kick back a while until tonight," Liz explained. "Alright, well, take care, guys," Nick said, before turning toward the tiger and tigress, "And nice meeting you too." Mike, Liz, Rajah and Akaya waved and said their goodbyes to the human and violet-skinned alien girlfriend. "Take care of him for me, Val. Who knows when he may need to be saved from a falling satellite dish again," Mike chuckled. Nick rolled his eyes and smirked. "Very funny, Sanborn." They waved each other off one last time before Mike and his three companions slung their bags back over their shoulders and continued off in one direction of the bustling terminal while Nick and Val continued off in another. As they were walking away, Liz looked over her shoulder at Nick and Val with a smile. Nick had a slight limp in his step as he walked but his loving girlfriend was more than happy to maintain the pace and help him along when needed. She had her hand intertwined with her human lover's as they walked away. "Are you hungry yet? You know I'll let you at any time, baby," Nick said to Val, which Liz overheard. Val gave Nick a playful smack on the arm, saying, "Shhh, not here." The two hooked their arms around each other and their conversation faded off as they rounded a corner and were gone. Liz turned back to her husband and two companions. "They're a cute couple," Liz said to the three, smiling. Akaya nodded her striped muzzle at the human. "I agree. Anyone who claims that interspecies matings don't work can take a look at those two," she replied. Akaya and Rajah gave each other a quick knowing glance after that comment, smiling at each other oddly as if they knew something that Mike and Liz didn't. Mike looked at his wife with raised eyebrows for a brief second before shrugging and continuing on through the spaceport. As they continued on to security and the baggage claim beyond, Mike and Liz walked close to each other, the two humans both just glad to be back home with each other. Their hands entwined together and they simply smiled and gazed at each other even as they winded their way through the humans and aliens alike that shuffled around them. At one point both Mike and Liz cast their gazes behind them to look at Akaya and Rajah. They too had been walking close together as dedicated mates would, but they also appeared to be debating something with each other as they walked. Akaya had leaned over to whisper into Rajah's ear as the two seemed to be looking at their human friends ahead of them. Only when they took notice of Mike and Liz looking back at them incredulously did they cease their hushed conversation and pretend like nothing had happened. Liz turned back toward Mike with a slight frown. "Have you noticed that they've been acting a bit strange since the shuttle flight? I keep noticing them having hushed conversations with each other, like they're hiding something from us," she whispered to Mike. He shrugged. "Cmon, we've been friends with Rajah and Akaya for longer than you and I can remember. They wouldn't deliberately hide something from us. It could be they're nervous about being on Earth for the first time." His eyes then lit up as an idea came to him. "Or, could be that they have some sort of New Year's surprise planned for us tonight. I bet that's what it is; maybe they are actually hiding something from us like you said," he laughed. They continued on for another few minutes until they arrived at the baggage claim. Liz spun around and abruptly shoved her duffle into her husband's arms with a smirk. "You're on suitcase duty. I'm going to head outside and see if I can find us a hovertaxi to the apartment," Liz said. Mike nodded in acceptance before Akaya and Rajah looked at each other a moment. Akaya ran up after her friend as she was walking toward the exit doors. "Liz, may I come with you?" Akaya asked, propping her paw up on the female human's shoulder. Liz looked at her a moment and shrugged. "Sure, why not?" Mike and Rajah looked on as their wives made their way out the exit doors before they turned to face the baggage claim. Mike looked at his comrade who was idly tapping the claws of his feet (Kataarans wore no shoes) on the conveyor belt of the baggage claim. "So, how you find Earth? I mean I know we haven't left the spaceport yet but how so far?" Mike asked Rajah. Rajah wrinkled his whiskers and looked around at his surroundings, rubbing the back of his neck. "Quite a lot of people. Kataara isn't nearly this populated. It's something to get used to," he replied. Mike nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it probably is a lot to adjust to at first. I spent my childhood growing up in this city before I moved out to the colonies so I'm used to it. Don't worry though, the whole planet isn't like this. We'll be visiting less populated areas in a few days," he assured his friend. Rajah shook his head. "No, no, I'm not worried. It's because Kataara had such a small population that me and Akaya joined the marines to visit other places and meet new people. It's fascinating to see so many people in one area," he replied eagerly. Mike laughed at the other marine. "You'll definitely fit in with New York then. And just wait until we visit China." By now the bags had started flowing down the baggage claim for the shuttle passengers to begin retrieving them. Mike and Rajah however were at the very end of the baggage claim away from everyone else; therefore they'd probably have to wait some time before they could retrieve all four suitcases. Mike turned back toward Rajah, who appeared to be twiddling his paws as if he were nervous about something. After a few more moments of the awkward silence, Mike finally decided to press him about it. "Rajah," he said, causing the tiger to look over at him. "Is there anything you need to get off your chest, bud? I couldn't help but notice that you and Akaya seemed to be in a heated discussion about something." Rajah gulped and looked down at the conveyor belt. "Unless, you'd rather not talk about it," Mike then said. Rajah then shook his head, replying, "No, in fact I really need to 'get this off my chest' as you put it," he said, turning to the human. Mike gulped, readying himself for what might be said to him now. Rajah looked around to make sure no one was near enough to eavesdrop before he began. "First off, let me just say that me and Akaya are both grateful that you brought us with you on this furlough, we're both very honored to be visiting your homeworld." Mike smiled. "No problem, man. I told you before, we're glad to have you here with us. That's what friends are for." Rajah nodded. "It really does mean a lot to us though. Still, recent circumstances have me...dwelling on things. Me and Akaya both," he continued. Mike frowned. "What things? And what recent circumstances?" Rajah took a deep breath to calm himself before going on. "Well...as you may have figured out a long time ago, Akaya and I aren't very much involved with many of the more dogmatic traditions of our own people. It's yet another reason for us leaving Kataara and joining the marines. Don't get me wrong, we are proud of our species, but we just consider some of our more rigid customs to be a bit of a hindrance," he explained. Mike nodded with a smirk. "I can understand that. Me and Liz have never been ones for the religions of our own species either." Rajah nodded. "But, as much as we try to avoid a lot of those customs, we do have to adhere to them to a certain degree. And I fear that one of the most important customs of our species has finally caught up with us after all these years." "What is it?" Mike asked. "It's a ritual called Sahaia. Essentially, at least once in a Kataaran's lifetime, one must undergo a social experience of sorts with another sentient being. Early in our people's history, this started off as a way of strengthening bonds amongst clan members. Now though in recent centuries, as Kataara has run low on resources and we've had to resort to diplomacy with the other races to attain a livelihood, Sahaia has become far more than that. Now, at least once in our life, we Kataarans must have a bonding social experience with a member of another species, in order to be considered a fully contributing member to Kataaran civilization," Rajah thoroughly explained. Mike took this all in before he slowly nodded. "Well that's good, because isn't that what you're doing now? You and Akaya are bonding with me and Liz by visiting our homeworld and spending time with us, right?" Rajah rubbed that back of his neck again and let out a brief laugh. "Yes...err, well, there's a little more to it than that. The ritual I mean." Mike frowned and his eyebrows rose. "What does Sahaia actually involve?" Rajah frowned and his pointed ears drooped with embarrassment. "This is where it becomes terribly...awkward for me," Rajah said with dejection. "Come on dude, you can tell me. We've been in combat together; after all that you shouldn't be afraid to tell me about some ritual," Mike chuckled. Rajah looked back up at him. "Promise me you won't be angry. And give me some time to explain myself before you jump to conclusions." Mike looked at him with a rather nervous frown before he slowly nodded. "Ok, I promise." Rajah stared at him intently before he nodded and continued. "Very well; Sahaia, as I said, involves a social experience shared with a member of another species. However, the social experience in question is one of an...intimate nature," Rajah said before cringing after the words left his maw. Mike froze up and his eyes grew larger with lethargic understanding. "You...mean?" Rajah nodded as they both made the same connection. "Yes...a Kataaran must mate with a member of another species." Mike was practically speechless at hearing this. "Every Kataaran is expected to do this? How does that even work?" he gasped. "Please understand that the ritual is meant to be an acceptance and trust ritual. After all, it takes a great deal of trust for one person to expose themselves physically and emotionally to another being. It's not merely a...what is the human term, 'one night fling.' Becoming friends with the other species of the Federation has become an essential part of our culture; without it, our entire way of life may have well crumbled without the support of our alliance with humans and galkrons and vithians and all the other Federation races. Sahaia is merely a way of bonding with friends of another species and extending our gratitude that we value their friendship and cooperation," Rajah said. Mike nodded before a revelation hit him like a flying brick. His eyebrows rose and he looked at Rajah with a frown. "You've got to be kidding me...you don't mean, you and me...and THAT! We're both married and friends and..." Rajah's laughing drowned out his outburst. He waved his hands to put Mike's argument to a halt. "It's not like that, Michael. I didn't mean that you and I would be doing it," he laughed. Mike relaxed and wiped a sweat from his brow. He then laughed too, thinking of how foolish he'd been by thinking that. "Phew, that's a relief," he chuckled. Rajah frowned again though. "You were partially correct in one regard though. The fact that Akaya and I are already mated does complicate Sahaia for us. Ordinarily, a Kataaran would undergo this mating ritual in their adolescence and prior to mateship in order to prevent infidelity and mistrust between mates. However, me and Akaya have foolishly pushed this ritual off for too long and now we really have a problem on our hands. We love and cherish each other with all of our hearts and souls. The last thing we would want to do is deceive the other for the sake of this ritual." Mike frowned with concern. "What happens if you go your adulthood without performing Sahaia?" Rajah shrugged. "Akaya and I will basically become pariahs of our own species. Some Kataarans who have forsaken the ritual have been permanently exiled from Kataara as a result. They are considered dead weight in our people's diplomatic relations with the Federation, since they are not willing to sacrifice for the sake of friendship. Ordinarily this wouldn't be an issue in our case because we haven't been back home on Kataara in years. But...permanent exile is something else entirely. The thought of never being able to visit family on our own homeworld because of this ritual is something neither of us relish," he grimly stated. "Exile? That's pretty harsh, and all because of some supposed mating ritual!" Mike said. Rajah nodded. "Some think so as well. However, our people take the ritual very seriously. To partake in this ritual means that you have cast off your selfish shackles and have opened yourself up to friendship with another being fully and completely. It's actually, in a way, the lifeblood of our entire culture as we know it today." Mike nodded with understanding. "I see. So, what are you two going to do? If you're already married, how will this work?" Rajah shook his head to himself. "We...have a solution in mind already. Me and Akaya have both agreed that we will both not pick up a random person each to fulfill our commitment with. That is not trust and that is not a true bonded friendship. We have both decided that, in order to fulfill Sahaia, we will both bond with close friends...friends who we would trust our lives with." Mike sat back and once again felt his cheeks redden with embarrassment as the situation finally dawned on him, as well as a full understanding of how he and Liz factored into this. "Mike; Akaya and I need your help. We need you and Liz's help with this. We don't want to be ousted by our own people because we are considered noncontributory to our species' well-being. So...what I am asking of you, the burden that I ask of you personally...is to mate with Akaya. As shocking as this will sound to you, I need you to open yourself up and have sex with my mate," Rajah concluded. Mike was still at a loss for words. He looked around to see if anyone had overheard them. It was then that he realized that most of the people had already left the baggage claim and that they hadn't even retrieved their suitcases yet. He couldn't believe this. His best friend had essentially just asked him to have sex with his wife, and a member of another species at that. But then it just hit him: Liz. Surely that meant that Liz had to come into this somehow. He turned back toward Rajah and gulped. "And...Liz?" Rajah bit his lip and rubbed his arm. "Mike...I'm sorry...I don't know what to say. Please know that Akaya and I don't take pleasure in laying this burden on you." "Liz would be your mate for Sahaia, wouldn't she? This is what you're proposing: a wifeswap. Am I right?" Mike asked in all seriousness. Rajah looked him in the eye briefly and sheepishly nodded. "It is." Mike shook his head, flabbergasted at what he'd been told over the past few minutes. "Rajah...I don't know what to say...I," his voice trailed off. Rajah shook his head. "Forget it. Me and Akaya will find another way. We should never have forced this pressure on you, especially after you welcomed us onto your planet and everything. Please forgive me and forget that I ever mentioned this. If you so wish, we can go back to the way things were before and never bring this affair up again." Rajah frowned sorrowfully and picked up his suitcase as it passed by the conveyor belt. Just as he reached out for the next one, he heard Mike softly curse under his breath and turn back toward him. "Rajah," he said. Rajah looked back up at his human friend with glistening eyes. Mike didn't look angry but actually appeared to have understanding on his face. "Look...I still can't believe what you've told me...but...something else that just occurred to me is that, you and Akaya truly do love each other. He looked into his tiger-like, striped face and asked, "You do love her don't you?" Rajah didn't even have to hesitate to answer that. "With every fiber of my being. She is my love, my life; I'd do anything for her," Rajah affirmed shamelessly. Mike nodded, hearing the truthfulness in his voice. "I feel the same way about Liz. She is literally my entire life. I'd be lost without her in my life. I'm just as faithfully devoted to her as you are with Akaya," he said. Rajah nodded. "Yes, you're right. I've yet to see a couple as utterly devoted to each other as you and Liz are with each other." "Which brings me to my next point; as long as I am in love with my wife and you are in love with yours, then...what is really the problem with this? You don't see this coming between our marriages or friendships, do you?" Mike asked Rajah. Rajah immediately shook his head. "No, absolutely not. This will never come between the bonds that we have for our mates. And I assure you that this can just be a one-time ritual and after that, everything can fall back to the way it was, if you and Liz so wish." Mike nodded as he still reconciled this entire situation with an open mind. Truly he found Akaya to be attractive, even despite the obvious differences between their species. Still though, the thought of actually mating with one was...daunting. Not to mention of course, the thought of his beloved wife doing the same with his best friend was... He didn't know what it was. With a little more optimism, Mike's mouth spread into a grin. "So...Rajah, what do you think of Liz?" he asked. Rajah's eyes widened as he raised his hands as if to defend himself. "Mike, please...I meant no offense. I swear that I would never want to come between the two of you! I have the utmost respect for you and Liz!" he gasped. Mike chuckled. "Relax, Rajah. It was a sincere question. What do you really think about Liz?" Rajah relaxed when he realized that Mike wasn't angry, but was rather asking him out of all honesty. He sighed and said. "She's a very good friend, an honest person at heart, very intelligent and strong. I dare say that I don't know of another female that I'd more depend on, besides Akaya of course," Rajah replied. Mike smiled and his eyebrows rose. He leaned and close and whispered. "Is that all? Surely you must think something else of her." Rajah gulped and looked away in embarrassment, the fur of his cheeks standing up on end, almost like a human would blush. "Well...alright, I must admit that...she is quite slender and with a very pleasing face...and soft skin," Rajah sheepishly said. Mike couldn't help but burst out laughing after this. "Oh this is rich, Rajah! You totally have the hots for my wife!" he joked. Rajah shook his head quickly. "No I don't! I was merely pointing out her positive attributes!" he defended himself. Mike gave a mock nod. "Uh huh...sure," he joked. Rajah laughed along with him. "Well, if it's any consolation, Akaya has told me several times that she is actually quite attracted to you." Now Mike shut up and gulped as he was put under the spotlight. "She...is?" he croaked. Rajah nodded, crossing his arms and grinning. "That's right. She told me that she would have mated with you in a heartbeat if she wasn't already mated with me," he said with all honesty. Mike blushed, picking up his conveniently-passing suitcase to ease his awkwardness. "Geez Rajah," he replied shyly. An Intergalactic Mate Swap After the two had taken a few more minutes to gather the two remaining bags, they turned back toward each other. Mike now wore a more serious guise as he gathered he and Liz's suitcases. "Look...I need to talk this over with Liz in private, alright? I can't make a decision without her," he said. Rajah nodded. "Of course. But...I just want you to know that, regardless of what you both decide, Akaya and I will respect your decision. We do hope that you'll accept, but if you don't then our friendship will remain just as it was and nothing will change," Rajah said, clasping Mike's shoulder. Mike gave a nod and a sincere smile. "I know, Rajah. I appreciate that. I'll...we'll, get back to you by tonight with an answer," he said. Rajah nodded and gathered his bags and suitcases just as Mike did his. Mike made a motion for the exit doors. "Cmon; the girls are probably waiting for us," Mike said, leading him out the doors to the port. They passed through the automatic doors which led them to a large circular landing platform where hovercars and taxis were landing to pick up and drop off people at the terminal. Off in the distance, more hovercars flew off into the towering metropolitan area and Manhattan beyond. Mike spun around in both directions scanning for the two familiar women even as he bore the burden of four bags. Then, far off to the left near the edge of the circular ring, he saw the brown striped form of Akaya enthusiastically waving her paw in the air in their direction to catch their attention. Both she and Liz were standing by a yellow hovertaxi even as the driver honked the horn in an attempt to also catch their attention. Mike and Rajah hurriedly scrambled over with all of their belongings as the taxi driver, an anthropomorphic wolf-like alien called a vithian, stepped out to help Mike and Rajah load the bags into the trunk. As they loaded the suitcases, Mike turned to Liz, who appeared to be looking up at the sky introspectively. "Sorry we took so long. There was a problem getting our last suitcase, but we got it sorted out," Mike lied, withholding telling her about what Rajah had said, at least for the time being. Liz idly nodded but was still looking away with a strange expression. Mike gently squeezed her arm to get her attention. "You alright?" Mike asked his wife, concerned. Liz quickly shook her head and looked back at him with a smile. "Yeah, yeah, fine. Just glad to be home is all. You ready to head for the apartment?" Mike looked over at the cab driver who nodded back to him as he closed the trunk. "Uh, yup, ready," Mike replied. The four entered the rather spacious interior of the hovertaxi before Mike gave the driver the address to their apartment complex in uptown Manhattan. The taxi lifted off the ground, rumbling slightly as the driver engaged the hover thrusters, making a smooth arc up into the air before following a steady line of other taxis and cars away from the spaceport and toward the city. Inside the taxi the seating of the roomy interior was shaped like that of a semicircle, with Akaya and Rajah situated on one side near and window and Mike and Liz on the other side. The tiger and tigress were practically glued to the window; their buggy eyes shifted back and forth like two curious cats stalking birds and squirrels as they watched the activity taking place around the city above and beneath them. Mike and Liz occasionally interjected to explain the nature of their surroundings to their two visiting companions, however, for the most part they were both rather quiet as they sat in the taxi, both deep in thought. Mike, looking over and seeing that his wife was being just as silent and ponder-some as he was, reached his hand out and caressed Liz's arm. She looked over at him and smiled, scooting herself over and laying her head down and snuggling into his shoulder even as their taxi zoomed past skyscrapers and other city buildings. Rajah and Akaya both saw the gesture and gave Mike a knowing smile each and a nod before they turned back toward the window and continued to look at the city's dazzling modern surroundings. After a mostly-silent trip to upper Manhattan, the taxi came to a halt at their apartment complex. The building was rather elegant-looking; with a fresh new look and a sleeve white exterior that marked this building as recently-built. As the four stepped out of their taxi and the wolfish cabbie began unloading their bags, they stood there in awe and admiration of the building that they would be staying in for the next few days. "Wow! It looks even nicer in person! Since when did we become royalty?" Liz said, eliciting laughs from Akaya and Rajah. Mike smiled, helping the cabbie with the last two bags. "Yeah, it cost us a pretty penny, but hey, you only live once right? We'll only be staying a few nights anyway so I thought we may as well kick back in style in celebration of our furlough," Mike said, grinning. Mike handed the cabbie the fare and a generous tip for helping with the suitcases. The cabbie gave a kind nod before taking off with his taxi, leaving the four off-duty marines to continue admiring the exterior of their opulent apartment building. Rajah grinned, turning to the three companions, motioning with his head to enter. "Shall we?" he asked. Akaya eagerly rushed up the steps, her tail swaying behind her with her excitement while she hefted her bags inside. Mike and Liz followed too albeit slightly slower as they were both in introspective thought about the day's events as they simultaneously remained transfixed on the building. As they entered the four admired the perfect blending between elegant old-fashioned and state-of-the-art modern. The lobby looked like that of what an old English manor may look like, while having the modern amenities that they were used to ingrained perfectly, such as automatic doors, omni-generator lighting and high-speed elevators that carried its occupants up and down the building's twelve floors. They brought their suitcases into the elevator, squeezing themselves inside to make room for each other as the automatic doors close behind them. During this time, Mike gulped as he realized that he was pressed precariously close up against none other than Akaya. Akaya's tail swished with the close contact as Mike could have sworn he saw a wry grin form at the corner of the Kataaran's muzzle. He did his best to turn his attention somewhere else as her tiger-like tail swished and battered his leg even as he tried to ignore the pleasant scent radiating off of her from being pressed near her. Her ears twitched and she bit her lip as a scent filled her advanced nostrils from the attractive human male pressed near her: the faint scent of his rising pheromones. Unbeknownst to him and Akaya, Liz herself found herself on the other side of the confining elevator pressed close to her muscular Kataaran comrade and her best friend's husband: Rajah. The male tiger appeared to also have his tail swaying back and forth as he was crammed along the wall beside a slender female human. As he snuck a brief glimpse out of the corner of his eye at her, he secretly swooned at her delightfully slim form and her flawless silky face that was pleasing to look at it. Meanwhile Liz tried to distance herself from the conflicting feelings suddenly boiling in her as she felt herself brushed up against an exotic but rather comfortable coating of soft orange fur. Luckily, for all parties involved in this dualistic awkward elevator ride, the elevator immediately reached their floor and the doors drew open. A pair of garrkron parents and their young scaly green daughter and a human friend were waiting on the other side to use the elevator. They politely stepped aside for the four marines to gather their suitcases and bags to move them out first. "Sorry, excuse me," they collectively said as they made their way out of the elevator, allowing the family to occupy it. The four took bearings of the floor that they were on, all of them smoothing out their clothes or doing other mundane gestures to break their individual awkward feelings. Mike looked around the corridor, seeing the sign that directed them to their rooms. "Cmon," he said, immediately leading them on down the corridor. His eyes scanned the door numbers as the three others fell in step behind him. "1121, 1122, ah here it is, 1123," Mike said as they reached the apartment. He drew out his room key and swiped it along the scanner as well as held out the palm of his hand against the adjacent DNA scanner for verification. "And you guys are in room 1125, right?" "Yes," Rajah replied, he and Akaya walking past Mike and Liz to the next apartment down where they were to be situated. The two Kataarans looked over at the two humans before they were about to step into their apartments. "So...maybe we'll see you two later tonight?" Rajah asked them, emphasizing the question by sneaking a quick, knowing nod in Mike's direction. Mike and Liz gave them kind smiles, nodding. "Yeah...maybe," Mike replied. The tiger and tigress nodded. Akaya gave her mate a playful swat on his tail, urging him to move into the apartment. Akaya dragged their last suitcase into their room, shutting the door behind her. Mike, who had been spending a few moments thinking to himself, shook his head all of a sudden as he opened the door to his and Liz's apartment. They were once again speechless as to the surprising sophistication of their apartment. The spacious living room that they walked into was state of the art and appeared to be fully equipped with two large luxury couches and the latest hologram projection television and even had a small fireplace in full blaze near the dining room. "Holy damn. Anyone who says that money doesn't buy happiness is bullshitting big time," Mike laughed. He pulled his and Liz's bags to their bedroom at the back of the apartment, once again transfixed by the sight of their luxury king-sized bed as he did. Meanwhile, Liz had walked into the kitchen, opening up the fridge to see it lined with a stockpile of various drinks, many of which were alcoholic. As she was taking stock of her generous surroundings in the kitchen, an audible ping suddenly went off, causing her to jolt in surprise. "Good afternoon, Elizabeth Sanborn. I'm the room's artificial intelligence here to take care of your domestic needs during your stay. Will you be needing anything, Liz?" a feminine robotic voice addressed her from the kitchen. Mike came into the room with a grin as he noticed that his wife was rather taken aback by this. "Oh...right, I probably should have mentioned that the room came equipped with an AI when I rented it," Mike laughed. "If my presence here will be a disruption, I can go into sleep mode," the AI interjected. Mike waved his hands in no general direction at the ceiling. "No, it's alright. But uh, may we have a few steaks readied and prepared for tonight." "Of course, Michael. Will you and Mrs. Sanborn be staying in for New Year's Eve?" He gulped as Rajah's unprecedented proposition suddenly came to mind. His thoughts too also dwelled on the brief moment of awkward tension in the elevator with Akaya. "Err...we aren't sure yet. We'll get back to you on that though," he idly replied to the AI. The AI complied with the order for New York-style steaks to be prepared before it dismissed itself. Liz was nonchalantly fiddling with some of the silverware in the kitchen. When she noticed Mike's eyes on her, she quickly feigned a smile in his direction. Mike looked away and his legs shook again with the awkwardness. "So um...nice apartment, right?" he asked in a vain effort to main conversation. "Mmm," Liz simply replied. Mike tried to think of something to come up with or even focus his mind on at the moment, but all he could think about was what Rajah had told him at JFK. It then occurred to him that he still had to talk this ordeal over with Liz; that way there was no secrets and everything would be out on the table. With a silence hanging over the apartment, he finally decided that now would be a good time as ever to talk to her about this supposed Kataaran mating ritual that Rajah and Akaya wanted both of them to be involved in. Coincidentally, just as Mike had croaked open his mouth to break the awkward silence and say what had to be said, Liz began to speak almost simultaneously. "There's something I need to tell you." "I think we need to have a talk." Both spouses froze up, looking at each other with immense surprise. "Go on," Mike said. Liz shook her head, sitting herself down on the couch beside him. "No, you go first," she insisted. Mike took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright...it's about Rajah and Akaya," Mike began, looking at Liz's reaction as he did. She blinked a few times in response. "What about them?" she asked. He took another deep breath before continuing. "Well, I think I know why they were acting strange today at the spaceport. Rajah told me that he and Akaya have neglected to take part in some sort of sacred Kataaran ritual and, if they don't undergo it during their adulthood, then they will basically be shunned by their family and the rest of their people. But...you should know that their solution to this problem...involves us," Mike explained. Mike looked at her face to see how she was taking this. She blushed, biting her lip as she avoided his gaze. Mie eyebrows rose as a placid but curious expression crossed his face. "Liz...do you know something already?" he asked in a somewhat fatherly, scolding tone. She slowly turned back toward him and sheepishly nodded. "Yes. Akaya told me everything today at the spaceport, while we were outside hailing a taxi," she replied. Mike's eyes lit up. "That's when Rajah told me, when we were inside at the baggage claim!" he exclaimed. Liz looked surprised to hear this too, thinking that it had been an isolated conversation between just herself and her Kataaran friend. It made sense to both of them now though; the awkward silence during the taxi ride and later in the elevator. They'd both been told about Rajah and Akaya's dilemma separately. "Wow, can you believe this? Those sneaky devils!" Mike laughed all of a sudden and Liz followed suit, even despite the implications of what they were discussing. Mike then became serious again as he reconciled his conversation with Rajah, now understanding what it meant now that Liz knew about it as well. "So...Akaya told you then that um...you and Rajah...and me and Akaya?" he tenderly asked, gulping as he did. Liz nodded. "She did," she replied, looking down at the floor. "I also asked her if there were any other way or any other unmarried friends that she and Rajah could do this with. But, she assured me that we were the only ones that they felt comfortable doing this with. That we were the only ones that they would trust enough to open themselves up to like that." Mike frowned but nodded. "I can't say I blame them; I mean, sure it's pretty strange because we're friends, but I guess from their perspective they'd rather do this with someone familiar than just pick up two random strangers from off the street," Mike replied. Liz cocked her head at him. "So...you're okay with this?" He quickly shook his head. "No, I didn't say I was okay with it. I'm just trying to understand their situation. I can't help but feel bad for them at least. What if our government told us that we'd be exiled if we didn't have an affair with two strangers?" She nodded. "That's true. I guess they do feel like they've been put on the spot by their people and their family, and all for the sake of some trust mating ritual." They sat in silence for a few moments as Liz looked with concern into her husband's puzzled face. "How does the idea of this...wife swap make you feel, just out of curiosity, Mike?" she asked him. He looked up into her face. "Honestly, it really tears me up inside. I really do care for Rajah and Akaya a lot. They are our best friends, they've always had our backs through thick and thin, we've been through a lot together with them. There's hardly anything I wouldn't do for them. But...my love for you outweighs any devotion I have for them. The thought of...having sex with another woman, and the thought of seeing you with another man, even if they are our friends...it...I...I'm not a fan of the thought," Mike sincerely stated. She smiled warmly, hearing the complete and sincere honesty in his voice as he professed his devotion for her. She reached out and clasped his hand as they smiled at each other. "So...it's settled then? We tell them that we don't accept?" Mike asked her. Liz stopped smiling and her face drooped slightly at that. As Mike was rising from the couch to make for the door, she suddenly stopped him. "Wait...Mike." He spun back around to look at her. She rubbed her arm uncomfortably as if she was slightly pained by what she was about to say. He did a double take as he registered her expression. "Wait a minute...you aren't considering it, are you? But I thought you were the one that asked...?" "I know what I asked," she replied, "Because I wanted your assurances that if we were to do this, it wouldn't change anything between us. Our marriage I mean." His eyes widened in surprise. "So you...want to do this?" he asked. She gave a half nod. "For Rajah and Akaya, for their sake. It's not fair for them to become labeled outcasts over this. Besides, now that they've already put this into our heads, I feel like things would almost be weirder between us IF we didn't go through with it at this point," she explained. Mike listened silently but nodded from the logic of what she'd said. "Sure, I don't fully take pleasure in the thought of us having sex with different people. Part of me still wants to turn down their proposal flat. But then I thought...it's not really infidelity if all four of us are doing it, right?" she asked. Mike shrugged. "No, I suppose it isn't. Cheating is when one partner deceives the other behind their back. It's one-sided. But, if all of us are doing it...then it's not cheating. It's...it's..." he struggled to find the right word. "Sharing," he concluded, hoping she wouldn't be deterred from this comment. "That's what I was thinking too. And they are our friends too, it's not like we'd be whoring ourselves out to strangers or anything. I don't think it's as strange to them either. Kataarans are naturally more sociable than humans are. It only makes sense that they would be a little more open about their sexual relations. If they are, then why shouldn't we be too?" she added. He nodded with a grin, blushing as he realizing that he was actually becoming slightly aroused at the prospect that they were really considering going through with this. He inched himself closer to her on the couch so that they were inches away from each other. He reached up and stroked her arm slightly. "Don't be mad at me, but...isn't a small part of you kinda...turned on by this too?" he asked her softly. Before she could answer, he quickly added, "I mean, I meant everything that I said about feeling uncomfortable having sex with someone else, but...isn't part of you a bit exciting with the idea too?" To his surprise, she actually flashed him a naught grin and nodded at him vigorously. "Yeah. I was afraid to say something because I didn't want to sound like...freakish. But, yeah, I have to admit that part of me does get a bit excited by the thought. I mean...I do wonder how Kataarans look, you know, exposed..." she whispered giddily with a smirk. "Right? And their fur; you've gotta wonder how that feels while you're," he gulped, "Going at it," he laughed. "And their tails too. It's kinda kinky, right?" she added with a laugh. She then rolled her eyes and slammed her head back against the soft couch. "God Mike, what the hell is wrong with us? These are our best friends for god's sake! Are we some kind of freaks or something? Fantasizing about Kataarans," she groaned.