[WP] Not alien aliens

[novius]

They are not alien aliens.

This was both an invigorating and sobering thought, all rolled into one.

Were the Loroi as different as the Orgus or - gods beware - the Umiak, blunders and misunderstandings could easily be dismissed because of racial and cultural differences, but as it is now, he could be walking through a veritable minefield, blindfolded.

It isn't a problem that they are different, it's more a problem that they are that similar to us. They express mirth, distrust, anger and elation much the same as a human does. I've seen Beryl laughing over what she perceived to be a joke... but what counts as a joke is not quite the same as it is with us.

Alex sighed, earning himself yet another glance from Beryl, the expression on her face a mixture of curiosity and concern.

And again I look in her face and see an expression a human would make in the same situation. And, to top it off, she was very quick to discern the reason of my trepidation, the idea of me disrobing in front of these two ladies. And her shoving Talon away and turning around to give me some privacy shows me that she actually cares... even if she looked eager to sneak another peek at me.

She's witty. She's intelligent, almost scarily so, caring and funny. And, the more primitive part of his brain cut in, she is quite a looker, all things considered. And quite fine with the idea of connecting to me on a personal level. Either she's hell of an actress... or, in another place, other time, she'd be considered prime dating material.

But as it is now, I simply might have a severe case of Stockholm syndrome.

Alex tugged at the collar of the thermal lining. It very much felt like it's a unisex model, made out of some sort of memory mesh that would mold itself to fit equally on a female and a male form, but it appears that it takes its sweet time to do so... As it is now, it felt a bit constricting in some places and overly roomy in others.

"Can you explain this selan to me? I did say I've already seen you naked, but you were still uncomfortable with the idea..." Beryl asked, having shuffled closer to him, well into his private space.

"It's... reserved for people who are very much acquainted with each other. As in, having intimate relations. Or for emergencies, or if the situation simply doesn't allow for privacy."

Beryl blinked, trying to process his words, as Alex pressed on.

"You don't like to be touched? You asked me for permission to touch me, for that experiment of yours, before hell broke loose. I think... yes, that would compare."

"Oh. I see", Beryl nodded, "we have sanzai, and touch enhances it. It's our idea of intimacy, and ... being unclad in the presence of others is yours, because you don't have sanzai, then?" She half-asked, half stated.

"Yeah... sounds about right." Alex relented. And now I'm asking myself whether her little experiment was purely for science or if she had a personal interest in it, he thought to himself.

To make matters worse, Alex had no idea how he should react if she really has that kind of interest in him. The sane choice would be to gently rebuke her... But for all I know, they could have a culture where a male is not supposed to say 'no' to a female. Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Beryl's concerned look didn't help to make things any easier.

[Onaiom]

T-Series getting smarter and smarter every day.

Great work, Novius !

[Krulle]

Hello,
I am your fan after reading this.
Keep up the good work.
Best Regard

While the post is spam, I do agree that the OP is worthy of applause.

I like it, thank you, novius.

[sunphoenix]

Great Work fella.. as always... Entertained and eager for next post!

[novius]

Alex woke up after a bout of fitful sleep, trying to get his bearings.

The situation looked unchanged. The shuttle is still powered down to its barest essentials, and even with the thermal lining it got rather uncomfortably cold, way beyond the usual chilly he came to associate with Loroi environment. Except...

except for the sleeping form of a certain white-haired space elf huddled up in front of him, shielding his body from the cold.

Rather, me shielding her from the cold. I'm sure when I fell asleep she was lying down for a bit just across the room. When did she...?, Alex puzzled.

Given how mindful Loroi seem to be of personal space, he definitely found her behavior to be ... rather forward.

Though, on the bridge, when this ... Mizol? ... doubted my motives, she deliberately went into my private space as well. Textbook intimidation tactics. Well, textbook for humans it is.

Yet another tally mark counting towards the similarities between Loroi and humans. Alex shook his head.

Just what is more unbelievable? Either these Loroi do have extensive information about humans and human psychology to set up an elaborate stage play, all the way down to the 'good elf, bad elf' spiel, in order to make me trust that little one here, perhaps even have her try to seduce me... or our species are really that similar. Or maybe a mixture of both.

Alex shook his head, the motion prompting a stir in Beryl's form.

And then there is there telepathy. 'Sanzai', they call it. Who would have known that psionics are a real thing? And frickin' telekinesis? I've seen lots of crazy stuff, but this here definitely takes the cake. Their sanzai, that could be mimicked with brain implants and whatnot, but ... no. Beryl said she could sense other minds. But of course, that could be a lie as well. But to what end? No... it wasn't a lie. This red-haired harridan. She shoved me into the lift wall without laying a finger on me, just by looking at me, and I ... did sense ... her presence. Twice now. So... want it or not, this is the real deal here. No fake floors, no smoke and mirrors, but real honest-to-god supernatural abilities.

"Alex? What are you thinking?", Beryl's voice brought him back to the present.

He smiled. "That it could be a strange thing for you to ask. Aren't you... uh... used to know what others are thinking?"

Her breath hitched. Was she trying to suppress a giggle? "It doesn't work that way. We can sense other minds, to a certain degree, but we usually don't hear each other's thoughts, especially when different species are concerned. You, though... it is as if you're not there. It's unsettling."

"I'm just thinking... what is the chance of parallel evolution? For two species to evolve along such similar lines, that we do even share many mannerisms? I mean... I've heard you laughing, I've heard Stillstorm laughing, I've seen in your face that you didn't completely buy Talon's explanation about what shaking hands means with us humans - and that's just a few examples. Barring your face, skin color and ears you wouldn't even look out of place on Earth."

Alex omitted the other half of the explanation. Stating his distrust would not go over too well. And saying that Loroi look very much like creatures out of mythology and fantasy might be even much worse.

Now he was sure. Alex felt her tensing up for a fraction of a second. Much like he hit a sore spot with his question.

"This is something we're interested in as well. And it was the reason why Stillstorm doesn't really trust you - she might still think that you're a shell trick."

"She, along with that redhead harpy who'd surely like to turn me into a pretzel at the first opportunity." Alex groused.

"Redhead...? Oh. You mean Teidar Pallan Fireblade? I can't speak for her, but I guess she thinks you to be sort of an upstart. Males have no business on warships, and here you are, in a place you're not supposed to be, in her worldview. Much like a diral youngling playing dress up with a warrior's armor. And... Teidar are distrustful by nature." Beryl explained.

"Well, as long as we stay out of each other's sight, she and I could get along quite fine." Alex harrumphed.

Well, this is quite a bit of information. She did say that the ratio of female to male births are at about eight to one, and now she says that males are barred from pursuing military careers. So there's definitely a gender bias in their society...

And, in addition, she pretty much assumed that I'm the same as a Loroi, having to mate sooner or later, and even offered to make arrangements. Had the situation been reversed, a human officer would not have even broached the topic until it would have become a medical emergency.

Beryl's voice interrupted his thoughts, again. "And I've shooed Talon 'out of sight', too, because you were visibly uncomfortable with her watching you change. Would you ... rather had me leave as well?"

Alex groaned inwardly. And again, with full throttle back into the minefield.

[Onaiom]

Still with us Novius? This fic is looking pretty solid. I hope you still have some ideas for the next parts.