This Side of Paradise - Part 4

“I did love you George, I guess I still do,” Holts said tracing Stone's nipple. “It was painful when you left, but I understood.” Holts fingertips circled the caked cum that was on his chest. “There was still a lot ahead of us, we were so young then.”

Stone didn't say anything. He closed his eyes and nuzzled closer to Holts, smelling his skin and triggering more memories of the past. For a brief second he regretted his decision sleeping with Holts, but that second passed quickly. This was the only place he felt truly comfortable, next to Greg Holts, in his arms. And he needed that. He needed the feeling of having someone take care of him, at least for the moment.

“Commander Stone.”

Greg Stone shook his head and cursed quietly. He had been daydreaming again. This almost never happen to him before. He was brought up to be unperturbed by emotions, unruffled by feelings. In fact, his father had taught him that feelings of any kind are a distraction. Later in life, as a cadet, he mastered the ability to put his mission first and everything else, second. Or at least he thought he had.

Stone turned to see Lieutenant Howie Nester running towards him. The young officer was out of breath and his flushed face showed a mixture of bewilderment and excitement.

“Calm down Nester,” Stone said standing up. “What is it?”

“You need to see this sir.”

Without saying another word Stone picked up his gear, checked his Onyx and followed Nester. They walked up a slope thick with foliage and after a few more paces Nester crouched down behind a bush and signaled to Stone to do the same. Nester parted the shrubs and Stone leaned in to look. Stone realized that they were at the edge of a hill and there was a good fifteen-foot drop beyond that. Below them were pieces of rock and some large boulders before reaching the sea. The ocean spanned on for a couple of kilometers ending at a beach in the distance. Stone looked at Nester quizzically and the lieutenant pointed. It took Stone a few seconds before he saw what it was that got Nester so excited.

Headed towards them, just below the surface of the water were three dark shapes swimming very fast. At first glace they looked to be almost gliding through the greenish liquid mass. And suddenly, they jumped out of waves, flipped and dived back into the sea. This reminded Stone of the long-extinct sea animals that lived in Earth's oceans. He remembered watching video footage of whales leaping in and out of water in almost the same way.

But what Stone saw didn't resemble whales at all. In fact, they were humanoid. As the three continued their jumping, Stone got a better look at them and his eyes widened.

“Mermaids?” Stone said looking over at the lieutenant, mirroring his amazement.

“Mer-men, more like.” said Nester smiling.

...

Captain Hunt walked into the conference room and noticed that everyone was already seated. Commander Holts and Lieutenant Commander Frask were chatting with their guests eagerly and they both stood when they saw the captain.

“Captain,” said the first officer gesturing to the four aliens at the table. “These are our guests the Yusei - Ambassador Bolak, his chief of staff Manduk and his aides.” Hunt nodded and smiled as he looked at every individual at the table.

“Captain Hunt, it is an honor to meet you,” said Bolak as Hunt sat down at the head of the table. “We used to be space explorers, and our culture is built on meeting new people.”

“Used to?” asked Hunt.

“Yes, but although we don't search the galaxy for friends anymore, it is always a pleasure to welcome visitors from distant worlds at our doorstep.”

“Diplomats, and politicians,” thought Hunt who remained smiling. “They can always avoid answering questions and make it seem as if they have.” He decided to let it drop. After all, this was their first meeting with the Yusei.

“And where is your home planet ambassador?”

“Jelai is the fifth planet from our sun,” said Bolak. “We travel our system constantly picking up what we need. In fact, there are two other habitable planets here. Commander Holts was telling us of your predicament and we would be honored to help you colonize one of these planets and make it your new home.” Hunt smiled. “I'm sure you're already considering Julan if you've sent down a survey team.”

“Hardly ambassador, we're merely doing some preliminary exploration,” said Hunt.

“Manduk was just telling us of their customs,” Holts said, changing the subject so as not to tell Bolak too much about their mission on the planet below. He poured himself and Manduk a glass of ale. “The Yusei have a tradition when they meet new people.”

“Yes, indeed we do,” said Manduk beaming from ear to ear. “It is our custom to prepare a feast for our guests, to show them our delicacies. And since our way of life is represented in our cuisine, sitting down for a meal with new friends will promote better understanding and stronger bonds.”

“How wonderful,” answered Hunt. At the corner of his eye he saw Holts leaning over trying to catch his eye.

“Yes, and captain, apparently their custom requires them to bring the meal and serve it at their new friends' premises,” Holts said emphasizing the last word and regretting using this as a topic change.

Hunt knew that security was a major concern for Holts. Allowing people to board the ship would represent some degree of risk, but Hunt felt that it would be worth it if it was just a matter of implementing a few more security measures. They desperately needed allies if they are going to find themselves a new home.

“Commander Holts will make the necessary preparations to see to that ,” said Hunt, ignoring the silent protest on Holts' face.

…

The three mermen that Stone and Nesper were observing were coming up on the boulders below them. As they pushed themselves up on the flat rocks that were half-submerged in water, Stone finally had a full view of the creatures.

They were very much like the mythical mermaids of Earth. Their upper bodies were reddish and well-muscled. And from Stone's vantage point, they seemed to be completely hairless with a smooth oily layer of skin that glistened under the sun. The lower parts of their body was a darker hue and the smooth skin continued on narrowing to a tail.

“They might be amphibious,” said Nesper as he took images and scanned the creatures with the Onyx on his wrist. “They seem to be coming up for the heat.”

“Can you tell body temp from here?” asked Stone. Nesper shook his head. “Then we'd need to get closer.”

“I wonder if they are sentient,” said Nesper reviewing the data on his Onyx. “Or more importantly, friendly.”

“I guess we'll find out,” Stone said and proceeded to carefully climb down the hill to the rocks below.