Peabody and the Host

Peabody and the Host

By Vic James

vicjames2@hotmail.com

Copyright 2012 by Vic James

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One

Aracatal Lan sat in the pilot's chair on his family's ship the Delapilana. The opponent family, the despicable Aradin, were firing at them and he was dodging their weapons. They were dummy weapons which could possibly knock a small hole in the hull, but were not designed to do real damage. The ship's computer was handling offense. It had been programmed by their genius brother, Aracatal Ban. All Lan had to do was keep them from being hit and try to position their ship so that their own dummy weapons had a chance to register enough hits on the opponents' ship to give them a win.

The two families, Delapil and Aradin, had been enemies for many years. The planetary government, tired of the constant squabbling and petty violence between the families had decreed this battle. The winning family would be able to remain on their planet. The losing family would be forced to leave their colonial world of Tarsina, and move to another. His species, the Alaphin, had four colonial worlds as well as their home world.

Lan absently scratched his arm, moving the thick black hair out of the way to get to the skin. He had the ship flying a random pattern while he decided their next move. Despite the random shifts in position, their automated offense managed to get two hits on the Aradin. Well done, Ban, Lan thought. Lan then flew directly below the enemy ship and stayed a moment, to allow their weapons to lock on to them and then immediately flew over the enemy ship, slowing slightly until their computer fired again. He watched on the display as the missile hit the enemy ship. The missile hit their main weapons array. While he waited for their computer to choose a secondary target a missile shot out of the supposedly destroyed weapons array and struck them. The ship shook as an explosion took out their propulsion system.

I should have expected them to cheat! Lan thought. Their ship fired more weapons, scoring hits on the other ship's power, life support, and propulsion systems, but of course they weren't cheating so they were dummy weapons. Lan was engaging their secondary propulsion to get away when he saw another missile rising out of the technically destroyed enemy. Frup! Without thinking, Lan engaged the hyperdrive as the missile struck them. They left real space and entered the gray void.

Suddenly a wall of white light passed through him and the gray void turned solid white. The ship bounced and then there was a scream followed by an explosion. He covered his ears. Then they were in real space again.

He had the computer check which star system this was. Fortunately, they were above the plane of the system and the computer was able to identify all the planets. It didn't find a match to a known system. Frup! He had the computer check for habitable planets. There was one very habitable, planet three. Planet four had some air and signs of water. They came out of hyperspace very close to Four. The computer found signs of technology on Three.

He got on the ship's communication system and said "All brothers report to the bridge."

He viewed what the computer found on Three. He ran scans on the surface and subsurface of Four.

Then the power went off, along with the gravity and the lights. Lan pushed himself off the bridge. He needed to get to the power nexus at the end of this level of the ship. He could physically switch to batteries from there. He pushed against a wall in the dark and hit another wall. Then Lan reached out with his arms and tail. Nothing. He reached out in a different direction. Nothing. He kept trying and he felt something. He ran fingers over it. It was the light tube. That meant he was against the ceiling. He pushed himself along it using his tail, with his hands stretched out in front of him to keep from bumping his head. He ended up at the end of the level and felt for the door of the power controls. He pushed a little too hard and he was floating free in the dark. He cursed and tried to calculate what direction he was moving. He hit a wall and tried to grab something, but there was nothing there. Emergency lighting came on. Thank you, Ban, he thought. He saw he was very close to the power controls. Before he reached them, the gravity and lights came on. He fell to the deck. He sighed and walked back to the bridge.

Aracatal Lin felt the ship shudder. It was followed by an alarm and then an explosion. Frup! He thought. Could this possibly get any worse? he wondered. His brother Aracatel Ban ran into the clinic.

"Explosion! Next to Aracatal and Aracatal Ten! Hurry!" Aracatal Lin grabbed his emergency medical equipment and followed his brother. Suddenly the ship lurched as the ship entered hyperspace.

"Double frup! What does our brother think he is doing? We've automatically lost the battle by running!"

The ship lurched again. A bright wall of white light passed through them on its way out of the ship. Lin had no idea what that was. A shockwave knocked them to the deck followed by a shrieking sound that hurt his ears. Lin fell on his tail. That hurt! There was another explosion and then complete silence. They were no longer in motion. Lin stood up, but Ban was unmoving on the deck. Lin bent over and scanned Ban. It looked like he hit his head on the deck He parted the fur on Ban's head and saw a contusion. He was unconscious, probably concussed, but his vital signs were fine.

"Ban, can you hear me?"

"Umh. Go...help...Aracatal." Aracatal Lin rubbed a pain remover on Ban's ear and then on his own for his aching tail.

Aracatal Pon appeared as a door opened. He looked desolate.

"Lin, the room Aracatal and Ten were in was next to the explosion. They are both dead, crushed by a bulkhead. Is Ban dead, too?"

"No, brother. He hit his head, but he should be fine.

"Are you sure they are dead?" Lin asked him.

"Their upper torsos were crushed."

Lin closed his eyes. Aracatal, their beloved dead? Their beautiful host had been so full of life. It wasn't fair! The worst thing that should have happened would be for their extended family to be exiled. Lin shook his head. They couldn't mourn their beloved or their brother yet.

"All brothers report to the bridge," their brother Lan announced.

Lin and Pon walked to an elevator. It was non-functional. They took a ladder up to the level of the bridge. Halfway there, the ship lost power and gravity. They continued in darkness. It was easier with no gravity. When they thought they had reached the right level, they felt their way into the corridor, and they pulled themselves along the corridor in the dark. When they were almost at the bridge, the power returned. Suddenly the lights and gravity were on again and they fell to the deck. Something was very wrong. Lin wondered then if they were going to die.

When they arrived, Lan, the pilot was there with their brother Fon, and their youngest brother Mun. Mun was in tears.

"They launched two live missiles at us," Lan told them.

"What?" Lin asked. It was supposed to be a non-lethal battle.

"Apparently, Aradin cheat even when the government is watching," Lan said.

"How could they think they can get away with it? Everyone must have seen the explosions." Pon asked.

"At least they will be forced to move," Mun said.

"Ten brought Aracatal on board. Our pregnant host! I told him it was a mistake," Pon said.

"He brought Aracatal on board?" Lan asked. "That may be a very good thing."

"No, it isn't Lan," Pon said sorrowfully. "Aracatal and Ten both died in one of the explosions.'

Lan closed his eyes and shook his head. Aracatal dead? Beautiful Aracatal? How could it be? Lan closed his eyes and tried not to cry.

They were all silent for a moment.

"What happened after their missile hit us?" Fon asked.

Lan sighed and said, "They hit our propulsion system and the second missile was heading for our secondary propulsion system. I engaged the hyperdrive to get away. The hyperdrive exploded and we are back in normal space."

"How close are we to a system?" Pon asked.

"That is the one piece of luck we've had. We came out of hyperspace inside a system." Lan pointed to a wall on which the planets of the system appeared.

"How close are we to Tarsina?" Mun asked.

"We can forget about seeing Tarsina again. We are in a different galaxy."

"How did we manage that?" Lin asked.

"I have no idea. Something strange happened when the hyperdrive blew up. A white light seemed to be travelling through the ship. The gray void actually turned white. Then we appeared here," Lan told them.

"We saw the light pass through, too," Pon said.

"Planet three of this system is habitable and the computer picked up a great many radio signals originating there. There appears to be artificial lighting in some areas. We can assume there are inhabitants and they are technological to some degree. It is much warmer than any of our planets. The inhabitants might be another insect race that likes heat.

"We are in orbit around planet four." He enlarged the image of the planet. "It is uninhabited. It is a cold world, colder than Tarsina, with a thin atmosphere composed mostly of carbon dioxide. There is very little water on the surface and it is primarily frozen at the poles. However sensors indicate groundwater is present in several locations. Life on the surface would be hazardous. The atmosphere is thin and there is no magnetosphere to reduce solar radiation. However, I have located several underground caverns and the temperatures in the deeper ones are reasonably warm.

"We need to decide what to do. Do we land on Four or see who is living on Three?"

"Four," Lin said. "We can investigate the inhabitants of Three later."

"Four," Pon said.

"I say Three," Fon said.

"I don't know," Mun said. "Can the hyperdrive be repaired? Maybe the inhabitants of Three could help us fix it."

"The hyperdrive is gone. Physically. It took out a part of the ship with it." Lan told him.

"Four, then," Mun said.

"Lan, what is your choice?" Lin asked him.

"I choose Four."

"We have a clear majority," Pon said. "Fon, do you want a chance to persuade us?"

"No, I don't feel that strongly about it."

"Does anyone know what affect our coming out of hyperdrive inside a system will have?" Fon asked.

"I expect we shifted the orbits of some of the bodies in the system. There is a detritus zone between planets four and five. We came out above it. I am fairly certain we caused some of the orbits of the rocks to shift," Lan told him. "We may have also changed the orbit of Four slightly."

"That means some of them could impact Three and Four. That could devastate the inhabitants of Three if they have no defenses against impacts," Pon said.

Lin asked, "The shuttles still have weapons, correct?"

"Yes. They weren't removed," Lan told him.

"We can keep an eye on the rocks and destroy any that threaten Three or Four. Do you agree, brothers?" Lin asked.

"Yes," Lan said.

"Yes," said Fon.

"Yes. No one should die because of us," Mun said.

"Definitely," said Pon.

"I will see to Ban now." Lin left them.

Ban was fine and waiting for Lin in the clinic. Lin ran a more thorough scan, but found nothing. He told Ban all that had happened.

He and Ban looked at Four on a display.

"It could be worse, Lin," Ban told him.

"I suppose."

Ban continued, "I wonder what the inhabitants of Three are like?"

Lin wondered, too and said, "Maybe insects or reptilians."

"Frup! I hope they are nothing like the Var-tum. Four would be too cold to interest the Var-tum, anyway."

Ban left and Lin went to collect tissue samples of Aracatal and Ten. He put them in stasis to preserve the samples. Perhaps someday they could clone them. They had none of the equipment he needed on the ship, so he knew it would not be any time soon.

He gazed at their dead bodies, and he broke down and cried.

Two

Fifty Three Years Later

It was a day like any other since John Peabody's lover died. He got up and drank coffee. Then he stood in front of the bathroom mirror and decided whether he wanted to continue living. For now, he decided. He brushed his teeth and got dressed. There was nothing he wanted or needed to do, so he decided to take a walk. He put some peanuts in his pocket, then he locked his front door and looked up at the sky. It was cloudy, but didn't look like rain. He crossed the street in front of his house. Across from his house was a large city park. Peabody liked living next to a park. School was out and the park was filling up. He walked on the sidewalk alongside the park.

He stopped to visit a friend. It was a large sick pecan tree close to the sidewalk. He pressed his palm against the trunk. Hang in there old man, he thought. When Peabody fertilized the trees in his yard in the spring, he had pushed two fertilizer spikes in the ground around his friend, too. He couldn't tell if they were helping. He worried that if he died, no one would mourn the death of the old tree. The tree would get hauled off and ground up, as though one hundred and fifty years, or so, of living meant nothing.

He continued his walk. He passed his neighbor who was walking his dog. He said hello as he passed him.

He walked past the park and passed a clinic with a sign about the Healthy Living Initiative. That was a program to screen Americans for a variety of illnesses. Most people thought the government couldn't afford it, but the figures seemed to show it would pay for itself through lower medical costs by catching illnesses early. He considered going in to be tested. It would take up some of his empty day, but he kept walking.

He wasn't paying attention and he ended up at what he called 'The Intersection'. It was there thirteen months ago that his lover Robert and their dog Max died in a traffic accident. A teenager, now also dead, ran a red light at high speed. Peabody remembered hearing the sirens that afternoon and he remembered having a bad feeling. The bad feeling never went away. He stopped and closed his eyes, fighting back tears. Then he turned around and headed home.

He stopped in front of the clinic. He wasn't ready to face his empty house, so he walked into the clinic. Peabody didn't particularly care if he had unknown illnesses, he had plenty of known ones, but he thought it was a good program, especially for the poor. Plus anyone participating received ten dollars. There was a sign for the program over a desk. He walked up to the desk and said to a young woman sitting there "I'm here to be tested."

"If you'll please fill these out, we'll be able to get to you right away. You're the first one today," she smiled at him and he nodded back.

He completed the forms and handed them to her.

"Please follow me."

He followed her to an office. A man there took the forms from her.

"How are you doing today..." he looked at the form "...John?"

"Fine, thanks."

He sat and the man took the blood. Then he handed Peabody a form.

"Take this to the receptionist and she will pay you your ten dollars."

"Thanks."

He walked to the front and received the money. He was out of the clinic in ten minutes. Great! Now what? he thought.

The signal of a message from Earth woke Aracatal Lin. He listened to the message. Another human had been found. A human compatible enough to serve as their host.

They had been disappointed so often with the humans they found. He knew he shouldn't get his hopes up, but maybe this John Peabody was the one who could give them a future.

Lin knew they had been lucky. They were lucky to be trapped in a system with another intelligent species. If they had been stranded in an uninhabited system, they might as well have ended their lives. With only brothers, there would be no next generation and no motivation. If they chose not to end their lives, they would have sat in their ruined spaceship or underground cavern and died one by one of natural causes.

They were even luckier when they discovered that humans were compatible enough biologically to host their offspring. Not all of them could do it, but certain ones with the right blood levels of various things could. They had searched for one who was willing for years. They found many who were compatible but none who were willing to help them. Most of them didn't stay long enough to even be asked.

He found his brother Lan. "We need to go to Earth. Our lawyers have found another human."

Peabody walked back to the park and sat on a bench near his tree. He watched a group of kids play. He remembered his childhood. He hadn't had any friends. His parents said all the neighborhood kids were godless. They sent him to vacation bible school one summer and he'd met a boy, Tommy who became a friend. His parents hadn't approved of him either. Tommy's father had divorced his first wife. He remembered the gleam in his mother's eyes when she learned that bit of gossip. So long, Tommy.

He cringed thinking again of their reaction when he told them he was gay. He was sixteen. His parents sent him to be 'deprogrammed', as they put it, by a 'Christian' psychologist who specialized in making people hate themselves, although he called it 'bringing them back to Jesus'. Peabody had gone to three sessions with the man, who he named the psycho psych, before deciding to leave home at age seventeen. His parents screamed at him the whole time he was taking his things out of the house. He went to a GLBT crisis center and they put him in touch with a group who helped pay his rent until he graduated from high school.

He remembered the last words his father ever said to him: "You're a worthless piece of shit." His mother stopped screaming at Peabody long enough to scream at his father for using such foul language.

His mother's last words to him were "You'll be sorry!"

He never was sorry he left. He never saw his father again. He saw his mother at his father's funeral, but they didn't speak. Three years later, she died. Peabody read about her death in the newspaper. He laughed at the glowing words in the obituary. 'Doris Peabody, wife, mother, and homemaker was deeply loved by family and friends' it said. He was her only family and he'd never known her to keep a friend long. No one was good enough for her. Peabody was glad he had no siblings. He wasn't mentioned in the obituary, which he thought was odd since she was described as a mother. At least his parents hadn't made any other kids as miserable as they'd made him.

Peabody had trouble making friends even after he left home. He had never had friends and he was not sure what to say to people he met. He got stuck after 'Hello'. Also, to a certain degree, he was frightened of people. His parents had convinced him everyone was evil. It took years to get past that. Even so, the only time he was able to completely relax was when he drank.

As a reaction to his religious upbringing and the psycho psych, Peabody went through what Robert called a 'period of sexual exploration' and which Peabody called his slut days. He spent a lot of time at bathhouses having anonymous sex. His lack of social skills didn't matter there. Eventually, he started to tire of anonymity and then one day, he ran into to a guy he'd had sex with the night before. Peabody said hello to him and the guy completely ignored him. Peabody realized he didn't even know the guy's name. That convinced him he'd had enough emotionless sex.

Two months later, when he was twenty four, he met Robert at a grocery store. Robert flirted with him. He didn't know that. He was trying to figure out why a good looking guy was following him around the store pointing out cans of soup and acorn squash when Peabody came right out and asked him. Robert said "I'm flirting with you." Peabody apologized and said he'd never been a 'flirtee' before.

Peabody asked Robert what he did for a living. When Robert told him he was a psychologist, Peabody panicked and said he had to leave. Robert didn't give up and he convinced Peabody to have dinner with him. At dinner, Peabody told Robert everything. He looked in Robert's eyes and saw no condemnation, just acceptance. Peabody fell in love with Robert that evening and two months later they were living together.

Robert was also the one who named him. He'd been John before he met Robert. Robert told him he was too unique to go by a name like John. Peabody had liked that.

Robert had offered advice for overcoming his shyness. He made Peabody feel self-confident and that alone was a tremendous help. When Robert was around, Peabody felt himself capable of anything.

He told Robert about his slut days and Robert had told him it didn't matter, as long as he was monogamous with him. Peabody had every intention of being monogamous, so that was no problem. Robert pointed out that Peabody was comfortable having sex with strangers, but not talking to them. Once Peabody realized how odd that was, he found it easier to open up to people.

But things weren't always smooth. Despite insisting on his monogamy, Robert cheated on him while they were together. The worst part was it was someone Robert picked up in the same grocery store where the two of them met. Peabody actually saw it happen. He had pulled into the parking lot when he saw Robert and another man leaving the grocery store. He followed them and they went into an apartment complex. While he waited in the parking lot, Peabody's cell phone rang. Robert told him he had to work late. Peabody said, "OK." Thirty minutes later, Peabody knocked on the door of the apartment they entered. The other man answered the door in a pair of briefs.

"Tell Robert I hope the two of you will be very happy," he said to the man. Peabody turned around and went home. He began packing his things.

Robert came home and tried to explain. He cried. He said it was his ex. He promised to never do it again. He said he was so, so sorry.

"I'm sorry, too. I used to be happy."

"Peabody, I know you feel betrayed and I can't blame you. But I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Please forgive me." He remembered the look of complete despair on Robert's face. Peabody knew his mother would never forgive something like that. Once he realized that, he asked himself if he wanted to be the same kind of person. He remembered the people who were not allowed in his life growing up because they, or even their relatives were sinners. Peabody decided the right thing to do was forgive him. It took a while before he trusted Robert, especially at the grocery store, but he was very, very glad he forgave him. The happiest time of his life was after that.

Oh, Robert! Why didn't I go with you to the vet? We could have all died at the same time, Peabody thought. And wouldn't it have been fun to show up at the pearly gates, the three of us, asking if they allowed pets? Instead Peabody got left behind, completely alone.

He stopped answering the phone when friends called. A few showed up at the door, but he didn't answer it. Eventually, they gave up.

After Robert's death, his doctor had tried to convince him to see a psychologist. Peabody refused. His doctor then tried a series of antidepressants, but he had adverse reactions to all of them.

Peabody sighed. He looked down and noticed he had a visitor. It was a squirrel who had figured out Peabody had peanuts in his pocket. Actually, Peabody had peanuts in his pocket because of that particular squirrel. Peabody had named him Chester. He pulled one out of his pocket, leaned down, and extended his arm.

"Here you go, Chester."

The squirrel came very close, but wouldn't take the peanut from him. He dropped it on the ground and leaned back. Chester picked the peanut up and sat up and ate it. They watched each other. He finished the peanut and looked at Peabody expectantly. Peabody fed Chester every day.

Some kids ran by and the squirrel scrambled up a tree. After they were gone, he came back down and waited in front of Peabody. He sat up on his back legs with his paws crossed in front of him over his chest. That was why Peabody had named him Chester. Peabody put a couple of peanuts down on the ground and the squirrel grabbed one and ate it. Peabody noticed another squirrel was watching them from the trunk of a nearby tree. He tossed a peanut over to it and it ran to get it before running back up the tree to eat it.

Peabody leaned back on the bench. He looked up at his tree. From this angle he could see some new growth on it. Several branches had new growth. It looked like the tree wasn't giving up. He smiled for the first time in three days.

His cell phone rang and he saw it was the clinic.

"John Peabody."

"John, my name is Ralph Anderson. At your convenience, will you stop by the Eastside clinic? There is someone who would like to speak to you."

"OK. I'm close by. Thanks." He hung up.

He walked back to the clinic. He thought he knew what they were going to say. Peabody was in poor health. He suffered from polycythemia vera, a blood disease in which his body produced too many red blood cells. He also had only one kidney with only partial function. He had elevated levels of various chemicals in his blood. He expected to die from one of them and he usually thought that was a good thing.

He walked into the clinic and the young woman said "I'll get Mr. Anderson."

He came walking out and held out his hand.

"John Peabody, I'm Ralph Anderson. I'm the business manager for the clinic. Will you follow me?"

He walked into a small office where a laptop was set up.

"Please sit, John. This is a video conference. Click on the screen to start." Ralph sat in a chair next to him.

Peabody clicked. A face appeared on the laptop.

"John Peabody?"

"Yes."

"John, I represent a group that is interested in hiring you for a position. The job has some risks, but the pay is extraordinary. If you agree to work for them, you will sign a contract for five years and be paid one hundred million dollars. You will also be eligible for significant bonuses. If you have any interest in the proposition, a non-disclosure agreement must be signed. Are you willing to hear more?"

That was a lot of money and Peabody thought it wouldn't hurt to hear more. He was curious about what kind of job paid that much and why they were interested in him.

"Sure, I'll sign." Ralph handed him a form.

"You are agreeing not to voluntarily discuss the work or mention or imply the existence of the group offering it. If you do, you will be subject to penalties and/or prosecution."

"What about involuntarily discussing it?"

"There is no penalty. Only voluntary disclosures are prohibited."

"If I sign, I'm not accepting the job, am I?"

The man on the computer said "No. You will have dozens of agreements and releases to sign if you accept the position. This is an agreement not to disclose anything about the nature of the job or the group hiring."

He picked up a pen. Ralph pointed where to sign and he signed. It didn't matter that he couldn't repeat it. There was no longer anyone Peabody would tell. He had no lover, no family, and no friends.

The man on the computer asked "Do you have any dependents or pets?"

"No, not right now."

"Are you willing to travel to New York to hear more?"

"Sure. I don't have to buy the ticket, do I?"

"No. Can you be ready to leave for New York in two hours?"

"Yes, I suppose. How many clothes should I bring?"

"You only need to bring any prescriptions your condition requires and entertainment devices. Everything else will be provided. If you decide you are uninterested in the position, you will return home today. If you accept the position, you may choose not return home today. You will have a clothing allowance and will be able to purchase anything you wish. You will get much more information in New York. A vehicle will pick you up at your home in two hours.

"John, you will be paid twenty five thousand dollars for listening to the proposal. If you accept the position, you will receive an immediate payment of one million dollars. I emphasize you are under no other obligation other than the non-disclosure terms. Do you have any questions?"

"Is what I would be doing legal in this country?"

"You won't be breaking any laws. It is unusual and there are no applicable laws. However the Federal government might choose to get involved if you break the non-disclosure agreement."

"On my behalf?"

"No." Peabody frowned. That was very odd. It sounded like the government didn't want him discussing the job, either.

"OK. I guess I better get home and get ready."

Ralph ended the video.

Peabody walked out of the clinic and headed home. He passed his tree and patted the trunk as he walked by.

He walked in the door, still hearing Max's bark in his mind. He poured himself a glass of orange juice and sat in his recliner. He picked up a photo of the three of them, Robert, Max, and himself. He had cut himself out of the photo. He grew angry every time he saw his smiling face in the photo. It seemed so inappropriate for him to be smiling.

He fell asleep. Peabody didn't sleep well at night. His doctor wouldn't prescribe sleeping pills because of his depression. He dreamed that the receptionist at the clinic called to remind him that he had an appointment to see his parents when he died. He woke and realized he now had one very good reason to stay alive. He read a science fiction novel until his doorbell rang. When he opened the door, he saw a limo parked on the curb. A middle-aged man said "John Peabody?"

"Yes."

"I'll be driving you to the airport."

Peabody locked the front door behind him and walked to the limo. The driver held the door open for him.

"There is a full bar in the back. Feel free to have anything you would like."

Peabody sat and the driver closed his door. He knew he shouldn't drink because of the polycythemia, but he didn't care. He poured himself a rum and coke and sipped it. He tried to imagine what kind of job paid money like that. He really wasn't interested in a job. He had quit his job when he received Robert's life insurance money, but he was curious. He tried to think of the last time he had been curious about anything. It had been a while.

The limo stopped. Peabody looked out the window and saw they were at the small municipal airport. He finished his drink. The driver opened his door and Peabody got out of the car.

"I believe this is the man who will take you from here." The driver said as a man walked up to them.

"John Peabody?"

"Yes, that's me."

"My name is Bill Jackson. I will be flying you to New York. Do you have any luggage?"

"No."

"Follow me, please."

Peabody followed him into the airport. They didn't go through security and then they were outside. They walked up to a small private jet.

"After you," the pilot said. Peabody walked up the stairs into the jet. It was his first time in a private jet.

"Please sit anywhere you like," the pilot said, before walking to the front of the plane. All the seats were identical, so Peabody sat in the closest one. He was looking around when a woman walked up to him from the back of the plane.

"John Peabody?" she asked.

"That's me."

"I'm Sarah and I will be taking care of you this afternoon."

"Are you the stewardess?"

"Sort of. My husband and I charter this jet. He flies it and I do everything else," she said.

"Would you like a drink? We have a full bar." Peabody wondered if full bars came with the new job. He couldn't ever remember anyone saying that to him before. Now he'd heard it twice in one day.

"I'll have a rum and coke."

"Do you want a little one or a big one? We have big liquor bottles on our jet! Not those itty bitty ones." Peabody smiled at her.

"Can I have an entire can of coke?"

"You can have a two liter bottle!" He smiled again.

"If there is no possibility I will need to pilot the jet, I'll have a big one."

"Nope. I've got my pilot's license, too."

Sarah walked off to make his drink and brought it back to him.

"Are you hungry? I can make you lunch, or we have snacks."

"I haven't eaten."

"We've got fresh chicken, salmon, tilapia, salads, pasta. Do you have any requests?"

"What's your specialty?"

"I make a mean chicken alfredo."

"That sounds really good."

"Would you like garlic toast?"

"Sure."

Sarah walked off and Peabody leaned back. He drank half his drink. If he was going to have to talk to people, he needed the liquor.

This was very different, he thought. He was glad he'd gone in to the clinic. He had no idea why anyone wanted to offer him a job. He thought it must be something medical. After all, the offer had been made in a clinic. And he hadn't even listed his old job of the Better Living form. But why did it pay so much? he wondered. And why would the government not want him to mention it?

He sipped his drink and then he tilted his seat back. The food smelled good.

Sarah brought his lunch.

While he was eating, Peabody said, "This is very good, Sarah. You should cook for a living!"

"No. Bill and I have always wanted our own jet. Now we have one. After a few years of charters, we will be able to pay it off."

"Well, it's nice that you like your job."

"I love it! Sometimes we get jerks, but usually folks are nice."

"What are you going to be doing in New York?" she asked.

"You would think I would know the answer to that, but I don't. I don't know who will be talking to me or why they chose me. All I know is it's about a job."

"Well, you get a free plane ride out of it."

"Yes. I didn't have anything else to do."

Peabody had just finished eating when suddenly the plane tilted. Peabody reached out to grab Sarah's arm, but she caught herself.

"Are you OK?" he asked.

"Yes. It happens. Thank you for not spilling your drink!" Peabody laughed. He had finished it.

"Would you like another one?"

"Sure."

He and Sarah chatted. She was trying to get pregnant and he wished her luck. He certainly couldn't contribute to that conversation! She told him that she and her husband had been trying for five years. They were just about ready to adopt.

"Do you have any kids, John?"

"It's Peabody. No. I would be terrified I would be as bad at it as my parents were."

She laughed and said "Bill's parents are like that. I ignore everything that comes out of his mother's mouth.

"I'm convinced if you love your kids and respect them as people, you can be a good parent. That was my parents' philosophy. Besides, you and Bill already know what not to do!"

"Yes, but what about discipline? How do you know what's enough versus what's too much. My parents were very good at the 'too much'. I would be afraid I would take it to the other extreme. Anyway, I'm gay, so it's a moot point."

"Not necessarily. My little brother is gay and he and his partner are foster parents."

"Really?"

"Yup. Besides, I have excellent gaydar. I'm the one who pointed out gay men to him when he was coming out. So I already figured you were." Peabody smiled at her.

"So you should think about it. There are so many kids in the foster system. Everyone wants newborns, and the older ones have trouble getting adopted.

"Looks like we are going to land soon."

When they landed, Peabody hugged Sarah and promised to call if he needed a charter. He knew he would never need a charter plane flight.

Another limo was waiting. The driver escorted him to it. There was another bar and he made a small drink.

The limo drove for about forty five minutes. It stopped in front of an enormous brick building. It looked like it was three floors high, but it was hard to say because there were no windows. Peabody thought the brick made it look like a prison.

The driver opened the door and Peabody stepped out.

A man in a suit asked for his ID. Once he'd checked it, he said "My name is Abbott Mills. Please follow me." Peabody thought the lawyer was probably gay. He gave Peabody a thorough full body appraisal. He wasn't bad looking, but he wasn't Peabody's type. He was short and slightly round.

His ID was checked again at the door and then a wand was waved over his body. Then he was allowed to enter the building. As soon as he entered, a guard with a gun joined them. Peabody's foot caught on a floor tile and he almost fell. He was definitely feeling a buzz from the booze and his first thought was, Great! What will they think of me? Then he remembered he didn't care. He had no intention of applying for a job. Especially a job for five years!

Abbott walked into a conference room. There was a circular table, about twenty chairs, and two telephones.

"Please sit, Mr Peabody."

Peabody took a seat and Abbott picked up a phone.

"John Peabody is here and in room 123A." He hung up.

"It shouldn't be long, Mr Peabody."

Peabody noticed a white board on the wall that looked like it had never been used. Then he noticed everything looked brand new.

"Is this a new building?"

"It was built seven years ago."

"Are others being interviewed?" he asked.

"As far as I know you are the only one today."

The door opened and a man with two armed guards entered the room.

"John Peabody?" He stood up.

"Will you follow me?"

One armed guard walked on his left and the other on his right. They passed through a door that required the man and the two guards slide security badges through a scanner. Then he had to pass through a body scanner. After that, they entered another conference room identical to the first.

"Is this conference room better than the other one?" Peabody asked.

"This one is more secure."

He sat and the two armed guards stood on each side of him.

"I'm not armed, you know. I've been checked."

No one responded.

He looked around. One of the guards was good looking, but he had a wedding ring. Not that it mattered. He wasn't in the market for a boyfriend or even a one-time encounter. He'd waited about ten minutes when a buzzer sounded.

"Please come this way."

They got up and walked into another room. It was another conference room and someone was sitting at the table. The person was looking down, so Peabody couldn't see their face.

"Please be seated," the man said.

Three

Peabody sat and the person at the table looked up. He wasn't human, at least Peabody didn't think he was. He had prominent eyebrow ridges, a very wide flat nose, solid black eyes, narrow lips, and short black hair covered his face. Only the area below his eyes and around his nose had no hair. His ears were barely visible, but from what he could see, looked similar to human. They were dark brown like his nose and the skin under his eyes. He put his hands on the table, and Peabody could see the backs of them had thick black hair or fur on them. Peabody had seen pictures of humans that were as hairy as he was, but with the eyes and the strange nose, he didn't think this person was human. Peabody didn't think he was ugly, although he was sure a lot of people would. The eyes were a little strange, but Peabody thought he could pass for a cave man. Maybe a Neanderthal with a smashed nose and mutant eyes.

He was wearing a black long sleeve shirt. When Peabody looked at his chest, he realized he was big.

Lin looked at the human in amazement. Not only was he ideally compatible, the most biologically compatible human they'd come across, he was also very attractive. And he was gay, according to the forms he filled out for Better Living. The human was actually giving him an erection. It was a good thing he was sitting. He smiled to himself and remembered how homely he'd thought humans were the first time he saw one. But that was fifty years ago. He'd dealt with hundreds of humans in that time. Their ideal human was a gay male. After all, all members of their species had penises, although they could be considered ovipositors since they ejaculated an egg as well as sperm. None of them had vaginas. An Alaphin penis/ovipositor was almost identical to a human penis. He and his brothers had watched pornography of all sorts to learn how to please a human. They found that gay sex was almost identical to sex with their own species, so they liked it best. Lin thought John Peabody was better looking than any of the actors they had seen. The tail was going to be a problem. They decided to wait to show him that.

Peabody always assumed there must be other intelligent life in the universe. He wondered though why the general public did not know there were aliens on Earth and why they were revealing themselves to him. He had to admit that he was glad they had chosen him. He thought that this was by far the most interesting thing to ever happen to him. Not only that, he was being paid a lot to meet the alien.

Lin sat watching Peabody with his hands clasped in front of him. Peabody smiled at him and he smiled back. The alien had a lot of very white teeth. When he smiled his mouth got wider and pulled up slightly.

"Please be seated," the man he'd entered with said.

"This is Aracatal Lin. He is a guest on the planet and he has a proposition for you."

"My family has become stranded in your solar system. We have built an underground base on the planet Mars. It is well furnished and comfortable.

"We were fired on illegally in our system. While we were fleeing, an explosion completely destroyed our interstellar engine, trapping us in your system. We have ships that are fast enough for travel in this system, but they cannot sustain us on an interstellar journey. We lost one essential family member in the explosion. We are seeking a replacement. That is the job you are being offered. If you accept, you will live on Mars with us for as long as your contract specifies."

"I would be a contracted family member?" Peabody asked him.

"Yes. You will be a loved, contracted family member."

"Love is nice," he said. One of the guards chuckled.

"What would I do?"

"Ah. You are still interested?"

"Sure."

Lin smiled at him again before saying, "It involves reproduction of our species."

"How on Earth, or Mars, could I help you there?"

"Our species has two sexes, like humans. Unlike humans, however, individuals like me and my brothers produce eggs and sperm. We implant our eggs and sperm in the other sex and they are gestated in their body."

"So the other sex is like a human female, except she doesn't produce eggs?"

"Not exactly. They are more like males, although they are impregnated."

"And you want me to replace that sex?"

"Yes."

"How is that possible? I have no uterus or anything else."

"Our hosts do not have them either. Our young attach themselves to an artery. The feed on blood as they grow. Not so much as to be dangerous to your health, but they would consume it. The young would develop in your body and be surgically extracted once they are old enough."

"Are many humans doing this for you?"

"No, we have none. None have made it to this point in the discussion."

"That's hard to believe."

"Why do you say that?"

"It's a lot of money."

"I think most humans find the idea of an alien developing inside their bodies terrifying. Three of the humans we found mentioned the movie Alien."

"The young won't explode out of my chest?" Peabody asked laughing. He could see Lin didn't find it funny.

"Are you familiar with my medical conditions?"

"Oh, yes. That is why you are here."

"I don't follow you."

"May I call you John?"

"I go by Peabody."

"Peabody, your blood has fairly high concentrations of calcium and phosphorus. These are essential for the offspring. Humans with normal levels would not be able to host an offspring. Your blood contains too many red blood cells. These will be consumed by the offspring; they are an important source of protein for them. The presence of the offspring will actually be beneficial to your health by lowering the levels of those minerals and your red blood cell count. You only have one kidney with partial function. The offspring will consume some of the other chemicals your kidney does not remove, removing some completely and breaking others down into less dangerous chemicals. Basically, the offspring will perform dialysis, removing dangerous chemicals which it needs but you do not."

"How long is gestation?"

"Six earth months."

"How many do you want?

"As many as you are willing to gestate."

"What is the implantation procedure?"

"Normally one has sex with the host."

"Who is the host?"

"The one gestating."

"Oh, me!"

"You seem remarkable unconcerned at the prospect. Is that because you have no interest in the job?"

Peabody thought about that. This was incredibly strange. What do you make of something like this? It's too bizarre to compare to anything else. On one hand, he had nothing tying him to Earth. Not a single friend, no family, no job. And he would like to see Mars. On the other hand, moving to Mars to incubate alien kids? That was not something he had ever hoped to do! The fact that they had lawyers drawing up agreements reassured him this would be in no way an alien abduction. After all, you don't need lawyers for that.

Being in a family-that would be nice. They were aliens, so it was unlikely they would be. This didn't really seem like a job, despite the talk of contracts and payment. Well, he thought. It would be a new life. He could definitely use one. It was scary, but the alien seemed sincere. But, sex? What does his penis look like? Does he even have one?

"I...I don't know about the sex. I mean, anatomically, are you.is it like human sex? I don't think you are disgusting or anything, but well..." Peabody trailed off nervously.

He interrupted me. "I understand. We have many similarities with humans. We also have differences. We have tails, for example. However, sex is certainly not required. Do you think you would consider having a fertilized egg implanted without sex?"

"Yes, I guess I would be willing to consider it."

He smiled at Peabody.

"What about medical care, food, living quarters, and entertainment on Mars?"

"I have a medical degree from Harvard. I am the family medic and your health is my primary concern.

"The food is whatever you want but preferably frozen. We do travel to Earth regularly, but it is a long way to travel for a head of lettuce."

"We are working on hydroponic vegetable gardens. They will be in production in a few months and can provide fresh Earth produce.

"As far as living quarters, they are comfortable by Earth standards. We used a five star hotel as a template for your quarters. I can take you to them in less than an hour."

"What? Do you mean the hotel you copied?"

"No, I meant the quarters on Mars."

"How is that possible?"

"Our ship can travel at twenty six percent of light speed."

"Wow! So if I want something..."

"You can send for it."

"I'm curious. How did your Harvard classmates react to your presence?"

"I attended classes remotely when I could. When I attended in person, I wore sunglasses and a wig."

Peabody laughed and quickly stopped himself. "Sorry. I shouldn't have laughed."

Lin smiled at Peabody and said, "It's all right. My brothers laughed, too. It was not a beehive wig as one of my brothers recommended."

Peabody laughed again.

"How many males are in the family?"

"Six."

"Would they each want me to gestate for them?"

"Yes. If you are willing, that would be ideal. We are in desperate need of young."

"What about entertainment? There probably isn't much to do on Mars."

"There are things to see. There are sand storms, underground caverns, and interesting geological formations. We will provide anything you desire in the way of music, books, movies, etc."

"Can I see the living quarters before deciding?"

"Are you willing to travel to Mars to see them?"

"I can't wait to go to Mars! Will I be the first human on Mars?"

"Yes, as far as I know."

"One more question: how hazardous is this job?"

"That is hard to say. There are dangers in space travel, dangers living on an inhospitable world like Mars, dangers of mechanical failure, medical dangers, and so on."

"So very dangerous?"

"No. I would say there is a small amount of danger from each of those. I believe you will be safer on Mars than on Earth. There are many different dangers on Earth, as I'm sure you know. You will definitely be healthier on Mars. If you cannot physically tolerate a developing offspring, the pregnancy will be terminated."

"When can we leave?"

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Peabody, I am tall for a human. Are you intimidated by height?"

"No, I don't think so."

Lin stood up.

"How tall are you?" Peabody asked.

"Six foot, eight inches. Does my height bother you?"

"No." Peabody thought not wearing a beehive was a smart move.

The man in the room said "Aracatal Lin, do you wish to have him sign any agreements before you leave?"

"No. That won't be necessary.

"Are you ready to depart, Peabody?"

"Sure."

"Follow me."

The two of them walked out of the room without the armed guards. He looked to see his tail, but evidently it was inside his pants.

As they walked, Peabody got a whiff of a spicy scent. He took another sniff and decided he liked a lot. He wondered if the alien was wearing cologne. They entered a large area in the center of the building that looked like a hangar, but was covered.

Lin's ship was in the center of the room. Peabody thought it was around fifty feet long. It was wedge shaped and dark grey. As he got closer, Peabody could see that it was glossy, like it was made of plastic.

"Do you need to use the restroom before we leave? There is one on the ship, but you may be more comfortable using one here."

"Yes, I think so."

Lin pointed were one was. He followed Peabody to the door, but didn't enter with him.

When Peabody finished, they walked up to the ship. An opening in the ship suddenly appeared and Lin showed Peabody to a seat. There were five rows of long seats on the ship separated by a center aisle. Peabody thought they were a little like bench seats in a car, but were much more comfortable. Lin pointed out how to get arm rests and controls to extend out of the seat. There was a button which made the seat conform to his body. There were a lot of lights and controls on the roof on what looked like extensible arms. There were also tubes running along the ceiling. There were controls or indicators scattered throughout the cabin. He saw bins at the back of the ship. In front was a wall of gray plastic with an opening, maybe for the pilot, Peabody thought.

The cabin seemed to be about twenty feet wide by thirty feet long. He assumed the engines took up most of the remainder. The walls and floor of the cabin were more gray plastic. There were squiggles on the walls that he assumed was their writing. There were no windows.

The door disappeared. The spicy fragrance was more intense in the ship. Peabody liked it a lot and it made him feel calmer.

"What is that smell?"

"Is it unpleasant?"

"No, not at all."

"It may be me. Do you want to find out?" He held out his arm and smiled. Peabody sniffed and got a little dizzy from it. It was definitely the alien.

"What is the name of your species?"

"The Alaphin."

"Does your family have a name?"

"Yes, Delapil."

"Do you all speak English?"

"Yes. We learned it when we established a base here in your country."

"Who is the pilot?"

"One of my brothers, Aracatal Lan."

Peabody noticed his hands for the first time.

"You have two thumbs!"

"Yes. The Alaphin think that two thumbs are necessary for intelligent life. You proved us wrong."

"Really, Aracatal Lin, I'm not that intelligent," Peabody said with a straight face.

He smiled and said "You seem intelligent and beautiful to me. And please call me Lin."

"Really? I'm surprised you don't find me ugly."

"Do you find me ugly?" Lin asked.

"No, I don't. The eyes are a little strange, but-" Peabody almost said they made him look like an Ewok. He decided not to call a six foot eight alien an Ewok. He might not like it.

"What about the fur?"

"That reminds me. Aren't you hot? I would think with all that fur."

"I'm burning up, Peabody. Would you mind if I took off the shirt?"

"No, I don't mind."

Lin stood and unbuttoned the shirt. He took it off and Peabody got a look at his body. Lin was very muscular. As Peabody expected, he was hairy, or furry. His entire upper torso was covered with hair. Peabody wanted to run his hands over the fur. He thought of petting Max.

"Do you call that hair or fur?" he asked him.

"Either. If we were human, it would be hair. But we aren't."

"You don't seem to have nipples."

"Even though we appear to be Earth mammals, we do not produce milk, so we don't have nipples. You'll notice that I don't have a navel either."

"Oh, yeah."

Lin sat down.

"Do you find the hair offensive? We can remove it, but grows back very quickly."

"No. It doesn't bother me. I've always liked hairy men. I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but I am gay."

"Yes, I know. We were hoping for a gay male. Estrogen would inhibit the growth of a child, and of course, males have less of it. Females with the correct blood chemistry anomalies might require a hysterectomy before they could host and that would be problematic for them with their preexisting medical issues. A heterosexual male would most likely not have been interested in breeding the natural way. With a heterosexual man, it would definitely have been a medical procedure. He would be unlikely to love any of us romantically. Humans always see us as males. That is one of the reasons I said you were perfect for our needs. Romance with the host strengthens a family. It binds all of us closer together."

"What do you mean by breeding the natural way?"

"You won't take offense?"

"No."

"In human words, it would be anal intercourse."

"Oh."

"Have you ever done it?"

Peabody tried not to laugh. "Yes, I have. Many times."

"Peabody, you asked if I found you ugly. Just the opposite. I hope you will not take offense, but I got excited when I first saw you."

"Happy excited?"

"No. You are very attractive. I'm sure I am not the first to tell you that."

"You are the first alien to say it," Peabody said, laughing. Then he felt a little uncomfortable. What am I getting myself into? he wondered. But what does it matter? he thought. Maybe it's just an interesting way to die, but at least I'll see Mars. He realized that he trusted Lin, he wasn't sure why.

"What about the others. Will they think I am ugly?"

"They will be doing anything to get your attention. Each of us wants an offspring badly."

"Would I be able to give birth to a new host?"

"Sadly, no."

"How are they born?"

"A host periodically produces one. Normally only a host can produce one."

"What happens after I can no longer gestate them?"

"We will try to delay that as long as possible by making you happy, healthy, and contented."

"Even if I remained with you the rest of my life, there's no third generation, is there?"

"We have plenty of tissue available that we could use to clone our original host. We don't have the equipment to grow a clone artificially. If you are willing to gestate a host, that will solve our problem. We would prefer to have non-host offspring first. A clone of the host would not be able to help us until reaching adulthood. Then we would have to wait until the young he birthed were old enough to help us.

"Peabody. I must ask you. Are you doing this for the money?"

He thought for a minute. "No. I haven't thought about money since I got off the jet. It sounds interesting. My life has been sad and I have been lonely. This sounds like joining your family. I don't know whether I will feel like a member of your family, but I like the idea of having a family."

"That is exactly what you will be doing. Do you have no family of your own?"

"No. I have no one. If I did, I probably wouldn't consider the job."

"Peabody, how do you feel about us? You said you didn't think I was ugly, but do you think of me as an animal? Do you find the fur repulsive? Many humans have. The other compatible humans were horrified at the thought of helping us have young."

Peabody looked at him carefully before saying, "No, not at all. I think you are...strange, but not unattractive. I suppose I think of you as a very exotic human. The only things which seem strange are your eyes and they don't really bother me. The idea of sex doesn't repulse me, but if you are anatomically different, it might."

"I could show you."

"You probably are still hot, aren't you. I mean you just took your shirt off. You can take your pants off."

"Before I remove them, I want to remind you that we have tails."

"I remember."

"It is different that the tails of Earth animals."

"How so?"

Lin stood and pulled off his shoes. Peabody noticed them for the first time. He had wide feet with very long toes. Lin then pulled his pants down and off. He stood up and his stiff prick flew up against his belly.

"Whoa!"

"It's not too different, is it?"

"No."

Peabody stared at it. It was big, but not science fiction big. He guessed it must be about ten inches long. It was also, fat; almost as big around as a can of soda. The skin was dark brown. There didn't seem to be a foreskin. The head was not as distinct from the shaft as it was on a human penis. It was more like a hint of one. It looked like a slightly unusual human penis to Peabody.

Lin was pleased by Peabody's reaction to his penis. He and his brothers had decided to call their ovipositors penises. Apparently on Earth ovipositors were primarily found on insects. Lin noticed that Peabody became erect looking at it. He clearly liked it. He had an eager expression on his face. Peabody pulled his eyes away from it and asked, "Do you normally wear clothes?"

"Not indoors. On our home world they were worn for ceremonies and outdoors when it is very cold. If you are uncomfortable, we can wear pants. Short pants would be preferred. The problem is we are comfortable at cooler temperatures than most humans. Seventy degrees Fahrenheit, which is the temperature in the shuttle, and the base on Mars is very warm to us. We normally heat our own homes to about fifty degrees Fahrenheit."

"Can I see your tail?"

Here it was, Lin thought. At least they had taken off and he couldn't run away. He clinched his fifth hand tightly in the hope it would look less alien and turned around.

"Holy shit!" Peabody said. It looked like a third arm to him. It grew off the spine, further away from the butt than it would be on an Earth animal. He saw a strange lump at the end of it. He looked at it. It looked like a hand! "Is that a hand? You have three hands?" Yikes! That's kind of creepy, he thought.

Lin closed his eyes. He could feel rejection coming. He didn't want to see it.

Peabody looked at him and even though he was alien, Peabody could recognize despair on his face. He's alien, Peabody told himself. It isn't his fault he isn't human.

"We have five hands."

Peabody looked at his feet again. Yes, they looked like larger hands.

Lin asked, with his eyes still closed, "Peabody, now that you have seen me, are you still willing to consider helping us?"

"Sit, please." Lin sat.

"Let me think for a minute."

"Of course."

They are aliens, he told himself. If they had three kidneys, would you be freaked out? But those aren't kidneys. He will have other differences. Will you only worry about the visible ones? They need your help Peabody. You know now why no one else wanted to help them. Even if they made it past the similarities to the movie Alien, they would freak at the five hands. You just have to decide if you want to try to help them.

Lin was happy that Peabody was giving this thought. He wasn't rejecting them outright. Maybe he is the one, he thought.

Peabody wondered where they put their tails when they sat. He looked and saw it was pointing up and was flat against his back. The thumbs on the hand were around his neck. Because of the black hair on his back and on the arm, it was easy to miss.

"To be perfectly honest, the whole thing scares me. I can tell you that the idea of helping you appeals to me."

"Peabody, please be honest. Are you bothered by the hands and the tail?"

"Yes. I shouldn't be. You aren't human, after all. It would be extremely odd if you were identical with humans. I am going to try to accept them as a part of you. Some parts seem very human and some parts don't.

"I've always liked science fiction and the opportunity to go to Mars is practically irresistible. I have always wanted to meet an alien. Despite the fact that I would like to help you, I do not know enough to make any kind of commitment. What is living on Mars like? What is the rest of the family like? Will they all like me? Will I like all them? If I am unable or unwilling to have sex, will that cause an unpleasant amount of tension? I know nothing about your people. Will I be able to adapt? I don't know your customs. I don't want to offend through ignorance."

"You don't need to worry about that. If you did do something contrary to our customs, we would recognize that you have different customs. We would not be offended at all."

"That's a relief. When are we leaving?"

"We are already on our way."

"Really? Are we in space yet?"

"We are in Earth's upper atmosphere. We cannot travel at high speed until we are out of the atmosphere."

"It's a shame there are no windows."

"There are. Do you wish to see out?"

"I'm not sure. I'm afraid of heights. Maybe when we are in space."

"Certainly."

"Could we go by the moon? I would love to see it up close."

"Of course. It will delay our journey a little. Is that all right?"

"It's fine with me. I'm not in a hurry."

Lin spoke to the pilot in his language and the pilot responded.

"We are near the moon. Would you like to see out?"

"Yes! Thanks!"

The pilot said something else and Lin smiled at Peabody.

Peabody asked "What is it?"

"Aracatal Lan, that's Lan to the family, loves piloting here in your solar system. He can do whatever he wants. In our home system, a change of course would have to be approved and we would have to sit and wait hours until we received approval. Lan said he just made a U turn to the moon." Peabody laughed.

The right side of the ship became transparent and suddenly Peabody could see the moon. They were in orbit around it. There was no mistaking the light gray surface and the craters. Peabody gazed at it eagerly. The surface of the moon flowed past them for a few minutes. Then they moved around to the dark side and there wasn't much to see.

"That's enough. Let's go to Mars." Peabody said.

Lin spoke to the Lan and the moon disappeared. The wall became gray plastic again.

He tentatively reached out and took Lin's hand. It felt nice and warm.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome. Mars is much more interesting though."

"I believe you. I just couldn't pass up an opportunity like that to see the moon."

"We travel to Earth frequently. You can see the moon any time you wish."

Peabody shook his head. This was so unbelievable, he thought. Not the alien part; he had assumed intelligent aliens existed. But to him, his involvement was unbelievable. He thought his life was pointless and he himself useless, but suddenly he could be important, if he could take them at their word. He knew there were hundreds if not thousands of people on Earth who would give everything they owned to be in his position. He was travelling to Mars and being offered a chance to live there. He would have the chance to make a difference, at least to these people. That was something he had never experienced, but he liked the idea. But no doubt about it, it was scary. He wondered if he needed to worry about humanity. Would they ever be in danger because of the aliens? Of course, he wouldn't be able to provide many.

"Lin, I am concerned about one thing. I don't know if there is any point in asking, because you might not admit it even if it is true. How will your plans affect the human race? What happens when there are enough of you to take over Earth?"

"I understand your concern. Actually, our concern is the exact opposite. What happens when humans are ready to expand to other planets. Will they accept that Mars is ours? Or will they decide Mars is big enough for all of us and six aliens don't need a whole planet? Humans will out reproduce us and take over."

That made perfect sense to Peabody. He could see that happening. It had happened on Earth to some aboriginals.

Lin continued, "We get along very well with humans. We have an agreement in place with your government that allows you to voluntarily help us. Believe me, we had to prove our intentions to convince them to allow it." Peabody was reassured.

He breathed in Lin's scent. It was almost irresistible to him. It calmed him and made him smile.

He looked at Lin's face and saw he was smiling. He stroked the fur on the back of his hand and then turned it over. The palm looked much like his, but the skin was a darker color. There was no fur on his palm. The skin was very soft. His nails were short and the ends were more round like a dog's. The nails were dark brown and the ends were rounded and not sharp. The extra thumb was definitely odd. There was one on each side of his hand. He felt Lin's arm. The fur on it looked about an inch to an inch and a half long. He glanced at Lin's erection. It was wet. Peabody wanted to touch it.

"Your fur is very soft."

"I'm glad you like it."

"You seem warm. What is your normal temperature?"

"About one hundred and four Fahrenheit."

"Can I see your tail?"

Lin extended his tail and took Peabody's hand with it.

"Do you have full dexterity with this hand?"

"Yes." Lin extended his fingers on his fifth hand and then crossed his fingers. That made Peabody smile.

"Is it an extension of your spine or another arm?"

"It is a little like both. It has more joints than our arms but fewer than Earth animals have in their tails. The extra joints make it more flexible than our arms."

Peabody looked down at Lin's erection again. Sex would probably not be a problem, he decided. He was glad their penises looked human.

"You've said I would be a member of your family. What kind of relationship would I have with you?"

"My dearest hope is that we will be lovers. However the gestation can be merely a medical procedure if that is your wish." Peabody wasn't sure being romantic lovers was a possibility, but he supposed it could be. He was certainly willing to consider it as a medical procedure.

"I have trouble imagining having six lovers. The prospect makes me uneasy. It's difficult enough to maintain just one relationship. Also, in my entire life there has been only one person I loved. I have no idea whether I can even be your lover."

"You can do whatever you want. If you only wish to mate with one of us or none of us, at least our family will have children. That is much better than none at all. Please do not worry."

Peabody took a deep breath and Lin's smell relaxed him.

"Do all humans think you smell as good as I do?"

"No one has ever mentioned it to me."

"You are smiling. Are you happy? I was watching you on cameras and you seemed...indifferent."

Peabody thought about that. The amazing thing was he was happy. Regardless of how very weird and scary all this was, he wouldn't have wanted to miss it for anything. He felt like he had thrown off all the weight he'd been carrying. He didn't realize he was carrying any until it was gone. A few hours ago he had wondered if he should commit suicide. Now he was on his way to Mars and possibly a very exciting future.

"If there is one thing this is not, it is boring. But yes, Aracatal Lin. For the first time in a long time, I am happy. I'm nervous and more than a little scared, but I am very glad I'm here. I am actually not as scared as I think I should be. Your scent seems to calm me."

"I am so pleased to hear it. Really, there is nothing to fear except possibly going insane from signing all the forms the lawyers will give you. I have seen them. If you like you can spend a day or two getting to know us, or we can return to Earth immediately after you meet us. It will be your decision."

Peabody smiled and said "OK."

"Can we look out again? Can you make the wall transparent again?"

Lin spoke in his language and the gray plastic on both sides of the ship disappeared. Peabody looked down and could see space below them as well, but there were cables running under the floor which blocked some of the view. Peabody thought it was like the most incredible planetarium show he'd ever seen.

"Is your acrophobia bothering you?"

"You are a doctor!"

He laughed and said "Yes, I am." Peabody thought his laugh sounded a little like barking.

"No. It's not bothering me.

"It's magnificent!"

Peabody looked out for a while. There were so many stars! He was used to seeing only the brightest stars in the city sky.

"Where is the Milky Way?"

He pointed.

"Go ahead and turn it off, will you? It's starting to feel a little overwhelming."

The ship walls appeared again.

"Why Mars?"

"Why do we live there?"

"Yes."

"We entered your system very close to Mars. This ship is one of our shuttles. We have two. As I said earlier, they can only travel in system since they cannot hold enough food and water to get us to another star."

"Did you consider living on Earth?"

"No. It is occupied and we would never feel safe there. There are too many nations and groups who could threaten us. Also, it is a little too warm for us."

"Tell me about the others. Are your parents here? I mean non- host parent."

Peabody thought Lin looked sad. "No, they remained on our home world."

"Could you return if your ship could be repaired?"

"It can't be repaired. The engine is completely gone."

"Can Mars support many of you?"

"Oh, yes. It has water and air, even if the air is very thin. The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere allows us to extract breathable oxygen. We plan to modify the climate and atmosphere eventually. That will make surface living possible."

"And there are only six of you?"

"Yes. Do you understand your importance now? Six can do very little."

"But I have what; a maximum of forty years to live? That gives an absolute maximum of eighty offspring. And let's face it, I will almost certainly die before I am seventy three. My health is not great. One doctor recommended I create a will when I was twenty."

Peabody looked at Lin and saw his eyes were closed.

"What is it?"

He opened them and said "You are actually considering spending the rest of your life with us?"

"I don't really know at this point. I was just pointing out my limited ability to help you."

"I can help you live much longer than that if you will let me. Our species' medical knowledge far surpasses your own. I have an Earth medical degree, so I know this. Doubling your lifespan would be relatively simple. The gravity on Mars is much lower than Earth's. This alone will lengthen your life. We can discuss the various methods of extending your life. These include organ replacement, DNA repair, and even brain transplantation into a clone. Not all of these are possible presently, but they will be. I plan to devote most of my time to ensuring your physical well- being."

He thought about that. Watching his kids (his!) terraform a planet! It was so bizarre! And yet it also sounded...fun.

"It sounds great, Aracatal Lin, I mean Lin."

He squeezed Peabody's hand gently.

"Peabody, does my touch make you feel uneasy? If so, I will avoid it."

"No. It feels nice."

He whispered "This is a terribly inappropriate request, but we will be on Mars soon. If you decide to join us, will you consider having my child first?"

Peabody could hear the pilot growling and spitting. He guessed it was inappropriate!

He whispered back "OK. I will consider it."

Lin leaned over and rubbed his cheek against Peabody's. It took him by surprise, but Peabody was surprised how pleasant he found it to be.

Lan, the pilot, had been watching the human on a display. Frup! He fumed to himself when he heard Lin. At least he had studied human cooking. He might be able to impress the human with it.

"How did the host die?"

"There was an explosion on the ship. The host and one of our brothers died."

"Was the host a female?"

"No, the host was a male. Hosts produce non-viable sperm but not eggs. They are more male than we are are since we produce eggs. None of us have a vagina in the human sense.

Peabody asked "How long until we arrive?"

"Are you eager or afraid?"

"Both, I think."

He rubbed his cheek against Peabody's again. It intensified his scent and that calmed Peabody.

"You never told me how long to Mars."

"About eight minutes."

Peabody started to get nervous. Lin took his hand and stroked it. He decided to think of something else.

"Do eggs and sperm both travel out of your penis?"

"Yes. When we have an orgasm, our ejaculate contains both. They mix as they are ejected. Many sperm and a single egg are included."

"How long have you lived on Mars?"

"Fifty three years. We have spent most of the time building our living quarters. With only six of us, there is a limit to what we can do. Once the quarters were built we began looking for a host."

"Why can't one of the brothers serve as host?"

"Our bodies contain too much estrogen and we do not produce enough red blood cells. Also, we would not want to mate with a brother, even if it was possible.

"Are you comfortable with me as your personal medic?"

"I hadn't given it much thought. I suppose I must be."

"Do all of you share the same two parents the way human brothers do?"

"We all shared the same host. However we have three different parents."

"I don't know what you mean."

"If you become a host for me, I am the parent."

"Yes, I understand that."

"Well I share the same parent and host with one of our brothers. Other brothers had different parents."

"So you aren't related by blood to some of your brothers?"

"Our parents are related to each other but they are not siblings. My brothers and I were gestated by the same host. Our brotherhood comes from the connection to the host. We were all raised together as well."

"If I were to have your child and you donate the sperm and the egg, won't the child be identical to you?"

"Yes. Practically identical. Among our own people, it is common for two parents to ejaculate simultaneously into a host. This allows sperm from one to fertilize an egg from the other. The egg is slightly more permeable to sperm from another individual. This raises the chances of cross fertilization."

"Would the host become pregnant with twins?"

"Frequently. We have recognized all along that humans would likely find that repugnant and because of our size, it is physically nearly impossible. Hosts of our own species have physical adaptations for mating and to support our offspring that humans do not have, so twins or even triplets are not physically stressful to them."

"In humans, inbreeding causes problems. Do you have to worry about that?"

"No. Our genome has been cleaned, as I'm sure humans' will be eventually. There are no dangerous recessive genes in our genome. Do you know what a genome is?"

"Yes. All your genes, right?"

"Yes."

"And what are your ages?"

"I am one hundred and eighteen Earth years old."

"Really? You look very good for your age!" Peabody was shocked.

"I am still young." He shocked him again.

Peabody began thinking of the money they were offering. "If I stay, I won't have any use for the money you were going to pay, will I?"

"Why do you say that?"

"What would I buy on Mars?"

"You can always go shopping on Earth."

"That just doesn't sound right. 'I live on Mars, but I do all my shopping on Earth.'"

"Where do you think we shop?"

"How do you get money?"

"We sell technology?"

"Do you have enough money?"

"More than we need. Most of it is invested on Earth. Some of our plans for Mars will be expensive. We will use the money then. We still have plenty of technology to sell, so we should have more than enough. We live much, much more comfortably than we would if we were in an uninhabited system. We sell technology to Earth and we buy equipment from humans that would be difficult to fabricate from raw materials with just six of us. We do hope to mine Mars eventually, and we will be able to buy mining and smelting equipment from Earth. The governments we deal with seem pleased by the arrangement. We also supply scientific data to Earth about Mars and the nearest asteroids for free."

"You said you worry about humans trying to take Mars from you."

"Yes. As humans have advanced technologically, it worries us more and more. It is one reason we haven't started altering the atmosphere and climate. Once surface living on Mars is possible, it will be much more attractive to humans."

"What can you do about it?"

"We could threaten to attack Earth. We really don't want to do that. We have good relations with humans. If there are ever enough of us, we hope to non-lethally prevent them from landing."

Four

The pilot spoke to Lin.

"We are in orbit around Mars. Would you like to see it?"

"Definitely!'

The left side of the ship became invisible and Mars filled the view. Peabody thought it wasn't as attractive as Earth from orbit which he'd seen in photos, but it was a lot more impressive than the moon.

"Is that the Valles Marineris?" He said pointing at the enormous canyon.

"Yes, it is."

"Do you live near it?"

"No."

Peabody watched the planet zoom by for several minutes.

"I'm through sightseeing."

The wall became visible and Lin spoke to the pilot.

When Peabody had quit his job a few months earlier, he planned to travel using the money he got from Robert's life insurance. The two of them always planned to travel, but he got the money and had no enthusiasm for it. But he was finally travelling. He wished Robert was there, but if he had still been alive, he knew he wouldn't have been interested in Lin's offer.

Not long after, the pilot called out "We are home."

"You look very nervous, Peabody. Remember, we need you much more than you need us. We are at your service." He rubbed his cheek against Peabody's.

"Now, please stand up slowly."

He did and he lifted off the ground.

"The gravity on Mars is about thirty seven percent of Earth's. You should adjust quickly, but try to avoid sudden moves until you do."

The door opened and they were in a corridor. They walked off the shuttle and Peabody bounced a little at first. He saw Aracatal Lan for the first time. Peabody thought he looked exactly like Lin. He was wearing pants but no shirt.

"I hope this doesn't offend you, but how do I tell you apart?"

Lan said, "Just remember, I'm the cute one." Peabody laughed and Lan smiled at him. Oh, he is beautiful, Lan thought.

Lin stood next to Lan and asked, "Can you see that Lan's eyes are farther apart?"

"Yes. Now I can see it." Peabody also saw that Lan was about two inches taller than Lin.

"Don't worry about it, Peabody. We had the same trouble when we first contacted humans. We could only tell which ones had different color skins," Lan told him.

"Thank you, Aracatal Lan," Peabody said to him and smiled.

"Please call me Lan."

"I'm Peabody."

"We all know," Lan said, then added "Good news travels fast, is the saying, I think.

"Would you mind if I took off these pants?"

"No. Not at all."

Lan wasn't wearing shoes...or gloves. He stepped out of his pants. Then he stood up.

"Oh.my.god!" Peabody said before he stopped himself. Lan was bigger. It was one of the largest dicks he'd ever seen and he had seen a lot! Peabody was terribly embarrassed by his outburst. He put his face in his hands.

Lan leaned over and whispered, "It's OK. Now you know how to tell us apart." Peabody started laughing. He looked at both of them and they both looked like they were trying not to laugh.

"OK. I am going to try not to embarrass myself again today."

The low gravity made him feel euphoric. Their good humor about his comment left him feeling surprisingly comfortable around them. Was it their scent? Or was it because he knew they needed him? He wondered. They did need him though, and that was a very nice feeling. And didn't Lin tell him the only thing he needed to worry about was the paperwork? He started to wonder what it would be like to have sex with someone with five hands.

As they walked down the corridor, he noticed that they kept their tails up against their backs when they walked.

The walls looked like polished rock. "Is this natural rock?" he asked pointing to a wall.

"Yes. It is attractive, isn't it? We used lasers to cut the rock and then applied a sealant over it to ensure it is air- tight. The sealant should also prevent the rock from fracturing in the event of a marsquake."

"Yes, it's very attractive."

Peabody thought about the word 'marsquake'. It was true, he realized, they wouldn't be 'earth' quakes. He was really on Mars!

The corridor floor was also rock, but it was slightly textured. The low gravity required Peabody to concentrate on walking. He found his steps were too forceful when he wasn't paying attention and made him lose his balance. He found it a little difficult to regain his balance when he lost it.

The corridor began sloping down. It made walking even more complicated. The corridor dead-ended at an open elevator. They got on it and descended for several minutes through solid rock. The elevator was lit, but Peabody was glad he was not claustrophobic. They stopped and got off. They walked down another corridor and passed through a heavy door which Peabody guessed was an airlock for holding in air. Then they came to a gray wall like the walls on the shuttle. Aracatal Lan pressed a button next to them and an opening appeared. Peabody saw that like the door on the shuttle, it didn't seem to slide up, down, or sideways. It just appeared; first there was no door, then there was a door.

"How does the door work? It doesn't seem to open."

Lan told him, "The wall opens at the center of the doorway and the opening enlarges. It only takes a few milliseconds, so it is not visible to you."

Peabody walked into an enormous room. He thought it was quite a bit larger than his house. There was expensive looking furniture including a sofa, a love seat, two recliners, several chairs, a king size bed with a beautiful carved headboard, another bed, a large dining table, end tables, coffee tables, and a desk. There was abstract art on the walls. One wall held an enormous flat screen TV. Part of the wall to his right was gray plastic. The others looked like polished stone. The stone had attractive patterns in it. He looked up at the ceiling. It was odd. The entire surface glowed white. There were no visible lights.

Peabody found it was a little weird walking on the thick beige carpeting in low gravity.

"On the far left is the kitchen and access to the brothers' rooms. The door on the right leads to the bathroom. The other doors are closets and storage areas." Lin said.

"Walls that descend from the ceiling can separate the space into living room, entertainment room, dining room, and bedroom." He demonstrated by lowering a couple of walls, removing those areas from view. "The walls are capable of looking like any material you choose."

"Do you like it?" The two brothers looked at him intently.

"It's very nice. I think I could be happy here. What is outside the rooms though? Staying in here all day, every day could get dull. Especially after a while."

"We have a gymnasium, a swimming pool, and access to an illuminated Martian cavern which has breathable air. There is a movie room where we can watch movies. We also have the work areas which are extensive. These include the medical facilities, the air and water processing plants, energy production, etc. Rooms for other purposes can be added whenever you wish. We have artificial gravity in your rooms. It is not turned on now, of course. It shuts off automatically when the rooms are empty. That will help prevent you from entering the room and falling due to the sudden increase in weight. Would you like us to turn it on?"

"No, I'm enjoying Martian gravity right now."

Peabody saw Lan looking at him very intently. He thought Lan looked like a walking wet dream, with that enormous erection. He had trouble not looking at it. "It's very nice, Lan. I think I'm going to give it a try."

"Really? You'll stay?" Lan asked eagerly.

"Yes. I'm willing to try. I like you and your brother. I think I will be happier here than on Earth. I can't promise anything yet, but yes, I will try."

They both closed their eyes.

"When do I meet the other brothers?"

"Do you want to rest first?" Lin asked me.

"No, I'm not tired. I want to meet the other brothers. I want to know what they are like."

"Let's go." They headed through the door on the left. To his left, Peabody saw the kitchen which seemed to be very well equipped. There was another table to his right. They passed beyond it and entered what he assumed was the movie room. It had auditorium style seating with twenty or thirty seats. The walls there were cloth covered.

"These doors lead to our rooms," Lin said as they walked past several doors. Straight ahead, Peabody saw the hall ended about fifty feet in front of them. He saw a ladder attached to the wall there. Lin opened a door before they reached it and they entered a small room with a table. The other four brothers were already seated. Lin pulled out a chair for Peabody. He sat down and Lin sat on his right. Lan sat on his left. He thought about the conference room on Earth where two armed guards sat on either side of him. He preferred this! The room smelled strongly of them and Peabody found the scent very appealing. He was surprised to find himself completely relaxed. He thought their scent relaxed him even better than an anti-anxiety drug he'd been prescribed once.

He looked at the four brothers sitting across from him. With them lined up like that, he could see small differences in their noses, eyes, and mouths.

The brothers could not believe their luck. They had been searching for years for someone who could give them a future. They felt that without offspring, they might as well die now on this barren rock. Peabody was apparently unconcerned about being on another planet surrounded by aliens. He seemed curious, friendly, and interested.

"This is John Peabody. He is willing to consider being our host. It is our job, of course to make him happy. He is a kind and loving person and our children could not luckier to have him as host.

"Peabody, the brother on the far left is Aracatal Pon, Pon to you. He is over air and water processing."

He smiled at Peabody and said "Welcome, John Peabody. I am at your service. If you ever need anything, please let me know. We are all extremely grateful you are considering helping us."

"Peabody, the brother next to him is Aracatal Ban, Ban. He is over energy production. He is our resident genius. Our home wouldn't be nearly as comfortable if he was not with us."

"We are very happy you are here. I hope we can make you happy." Peabody smiled.

"Thank you," he said.

"The next brother is Aracatal Fon, Fon. He is our medical backup and he is over facilities."

"Thank you for coming. I hope we can convince you to be our host, Peabody."

"You are welcome."

"You have met Lan, the pilot. He is over shuttle maintenance, as well."

"Since you are the pilot, if I want a candy bar, I come see you?"

Lin laughed and translated. Then they all laughed. And they kept at it. Their laughs all sounded a little like barking to Peabody, the same as Lin's.

Peabody looked at Lin and saw he was laughing as hard as the others. It really wasn't that funny, Peabody thought.

"What is so funny?" he asked him.

"Please do not be offended, but 'candy bar' is slang on our planet for an erect penis. We actually have similar candy, so the translation is the same. By the way, Lan will be delighted to oblige!" Peabody was embarrassed, but decided it was funny. And he thought it certainly made them seem human.

He laughed too. "I think I want it." He closed his eyes and put his face in his hands. He hadn't meant to say it out loud.

While the others tried not to laugh, Lan whispered in his ear, "Please do not be embarrassed. You are with friends."

Peabody looked at him and smiled. Lan hoped to give it to him soon!

Lin said "The last brother is Aracatal Mun, Mun. He is over food production and purchasing."

"You are very attractive, Peabody," he said. "I hope we can make you happy here. If you think of anything that might help, please let me know. You are the most important person on the planet."

"Thank you."

Lin whispered to Peabody "Have you changed your mind now that you've met all of us?" He hadn't. He knew he had nothing to return to and felt he could always change his mind if he didn't like it.

He said to the brothers "I want to thank you for your warm welcome. As you probably know, I know absolutely nothing about being a host. It scares me. But I think I would like to try being your host. Knowing so little about it, I have no idea if I will change my mind. But I will try. I hope you, or maybe we can have a large and very happy family." They all stood up and barked. Peabody thought they all looked ecstatic. He guessed they already were a happy family.

Lin stood and said in English and then in their language "I am Peabody Lin of the Peabody Host."

Lan stood and repeated it, followed by each of the brothers.

Peabody began to really feel how important he was to them and he was a little scared and overwhelmed. He decided he would do his best. If that wasn't enough, there was nothing he could do about it.

Peabody thought it was odd, but he felt very much at ease with the six aliens. The unease he felt around humans was missing. The parts that worried him were the gestation and birth. He thought it was ironic that he felt more comfortable in this conference room than he had in the conference room on Earth. Of course on Earth there were guns next to me, he thought. Complete strangers with guns. And he was unhappy. Here he felt safe and wanted. Really wanted.

At that moment, Peabody decided he really wanted to live. He didn't think he would ever question again whether he wanted to live or die. I want this to work, he thought. I want a family, even if they are horny aliens and I want to live as long as I can. He smiled thinking of how much he'd changed in a single day.

"Do you want to go back to your room?" Lin asked him.

"Yes, I think so. Will you come with me?"

"That would make me very happy, Peabody."

Peabody stood up and Lin took his hand.

"Oh, you don't need to dress for me," he told them. "This is your home and you should be comfortable." Peabody smiled as they all cheered.

They walked back to Peabody's rooms. When they closed the door, Lin asked "Do you want to see something beautiful?"

"It's not your penis again, is it?" Peabody realized he really must feel relaxed if he felt like joking.

Lin laughed and said "That's not what I meant, but thank you! I meant something else."

"Wall down. Lights off," he said.

The lights went off and the gray plastic wall became transparent. Peabody could see the illuminated cavern Lin had mentioned earlier. Lin took his hand and they walked over to the wall. That was a good thing because Peabody couldn't see the furniture.

Peabody thought it was very beautiful. "Is that water dripping down the walls?" he asked.

"Yes."

"I thought Mars was too cold for liquid water."

"We are underground. The temperature is just above the freezing point of water in the cavern. There is quite a bit of liquid water around us. It is one of the reasons we chose this spot."

There were small lights scattered around the cavern. Reflections of light off the dripping water on the cave walls made it appear magical. The walls were sparkling with tiny dots of light. Occasionally there would be a brighter flash of light.

"You are right! It is spectacular!"

He stared at it for a few minutes.

"Have you discovered any life, native life, I mean on Mars?"

"We found a fossil we believe was a plant when we were building our home. It is possible life still exists. As you may know, humans believe Mars was once warmer and wetter. What we have found seems to confirm it. We don't have the personnel to go looking for life or fossils. That will be something else for our children to do. We have checked the caverns in the area as we mapped them. We have found nothing."

"Can you see the cavern from your rooms?"

"No. We wanted you to have some sort of view from your room. We are underground, so this is the best we could do."

"It is stunning."

He looked for several minutes before asking "Turn the lights back on, will you?"

The lights came back on. He sat on the sofa and Lin sat down as well. Peabody noticed he still had an erection.

"Lin, are your penises always erect?"

"No."

"Oh." Well, that answered that.

"None of us have had sex for over fifty years."

"Oh, my! I'm so sorry! No wonder!"

"Are you hungry, Peabody? Or would you like something to drink?"

"Do you have any wine, Aracatal Lin?"

"You have plenty of wine!" he told him. "Do you have a preference?"

"Red would be nice."

"I am Peabody Lin now, for as long as you are willing to be our host. Aracatal was the name of our last host. But please call me Lin."

"Why do you take the host's name?"

"Our families are based around the host. If a host accepts one of us, we change our name. We leave our old family and join a new one. Homes are always owned by the host."

That was a lot to think about, Peabody thought. He decided he didn't need to worry about it right now. Having sex and giving birth was a much bigger deal.

Lin got up and walked to the kitchen. A couple of minutes later he returned with a glass and handed it to him. Peabody sipped it. He thought it was excellent.

"This is wonderful. Do you drink wine?"

"We can't tolerate alcohol. Small amounts make us nauseous. Large amounts are fatal."

"Oh."

"Do you wish to return to Earth for anything?"

"No. I can't think of anything right now."

"Let me show you how to use the TV."

Peabody smiled and said "I don't suppose we have cable."

"No, but we have lots of movies, TV shows, concerts, operas, and documentaries. You can also see the surface. We have many cameras on the surface."

Lin turned on the TV and showed him how to select shows and movies. There were thousands.

Lin showed him how to bring up a map of Mars. The area they lived in was marked. The map showed the locations of cameras. Peabody saw there were a lot and they were all over the planet. Even at the poles. There were two hundred and ninety seven of them.

"Dust storms are common and you will be able to view them. Some dust storms are very large and even global. You'll be able to see the same storm on many cameras. The cameras also collect temperatures, seismic readings, humidity, and air pressure readings. We will need that information when selecting additional sites for the colony. We will want to build where it is safest. This will help us pick the best spots.

"Would you like more wine?"

"Yes, thanks. It is excellent."

"There's no point in bringing cheap wine all this way." He refilled his glass.

Peabody watched one of the Martian poles from the camera there while he sipped my wine. He was starting to get a little buzz. He looked at the programs on the TV. No Weather Channel, he thought. He finished his wine and Lin refilled it.

He thought about what he wanted to do. He wasn't sure. Do you want to go back to Earth and your empty house? No. Do you want to stay here? For now. What will you do here? He wasn't sure. It occurred to him, that if he made a commitment, he wouldn't have to worry about it. If he had sex and got pregnant (strange as that was), he would definitely be staying here a while. You already decided you want to help them. Peabody realized he was hard.

He looked at Lin's erection. He wanted to reach out and hold it.

Lin knew Peabody was interested, but he didn't know what to do. The alcohol was bad for Peabody, but he probably needed it considering his circumstances. He didn't want to pressure him, but he longed for his touch.

If you drink any more wine, you may do something you later regret, Peabody told himself. This is a decision to make when you are sober.

"Are you hungry, Peabody?"

"A little."

"Let me call Lan. He is the best cook."

"Comm. Get Lan."

"Lan, here."

"Lan, Peabody is a little hungry..."

"I will be there in a moment."

About two seconds later, Lan appeared.

"What would you like?"

"I have no idea what you have."

"We have just about everything. Would you like a meal or a snack?"

"A snack."

"How about an appetizer? I can make fried mushrooms, fried cheese sticks, cheese stuffed jalape¤os, or just about anything."

"The mushrooms sound good."

"I will get started on them."

Lan headed for the kitchen and Peabody followed him. Peabody sat down at a table and Lin sat next to him.

"Would you like more wine or something else to drink?"

"Cold water would be nice."

Lan got a bottle of water and a glass. He poured the water into it and handed it to him.

"Peabody, would you prefer that we not use our fifth hand around you? If it makes you uncomfortable, please tell us."

"No. I know you have it. Actually, I am a little curious."

"If you change your mind, don't be afraid to tell us."

"OK."

Lan got to work and Peabody watched him for a while and then turned to Lin.

"How do you feel?" Lin asked.

Peabody giggled. Oh, you have had too much to drink, he told himself.

"Sorry about that. I have had doctors ask me that for years. I tell them I feel fine, they look at my lab results and ask, 'Are you sure?' I feel fine. A little tipsy; I've had enough wine.

"What's it like on your planet?"

Lin said, "Where to start? It's nothing like Earth. We came from a colony world, so the first family would be like Earth royalty, except that there are a great many of them. There is only one government and it consists of members of the first family."

"Climate wise, it is cold compared to Earth, but warmer than Mars. Our home world is a planet, but the colonial world where we were born is a moon of a gas giant."

"How cold is it?"

"It varies wildly. The gas giant is in an elliptical orbit. When the planet is the farthest to the sun, the high temperature can be only minus fifty degrees Fahrenheit. When it is closest to the sun, the temperature can reach ninety degrees."

Peabody shook his head and smiled. He was with aliens from another galaxy!

"What do you do for fun?"

"Races and sex. Foot races and races in vehicles of all types. We spend more time having recreational sex than most humans do.

"I have observed that humans often seem embarrassed about sex, even when it is with a mate."

"I don't know if that is true about most humans. I was always self-conscious about sex because my parents taught me it was wrong to have sex with another man, and that was the only kind I wanted."

"Surely they wanted you to be happy."

"I can honestly say that I never felt they were interested in that. Just the opposite, in fact."

"That is very odd."

"That is a nice word to describe them. I don't usually use nice words to describe them," he said, laughing. "We didn't get along. I left home as soon as I was able. The last thing my father ever said to me was, 'You're a worthless piece of shit.'" Peabody looked at Lin who was staring at him with his mouth open. He looked at Lan who looked the same. Oh lord, you've given them too much information, he thought. He looked at his glass of water.

"And yet you were willing to travel to travel to another planet, to help people you don't know have children. I hope I never see him. I'm not sure I could control myself," Lan said.

"He died a few years ago, Lan."

"That is a shame."

Peabody laughed and said, "Thanks."

Peabody smiled at Lan. Such a simple thing-Peabody's smile, Lan thought, and yet it made him so happy, he felt like yelling. Peabody was so different from Aracatal. Peabody was fun and sweet. Two things that were not part of Aracatal's personality. Of course, Aracatal was gorgeous and so, so sexy. But Peabody was beautiful, too. Once they decided to look for a human host, all the brothers had immersed themselves in human culture by watching movies and TV shows. They had all learned to appreciate the appearance of humans. After all, they looked a lot like Alaphin.

"Does your mother love you?" Lin asked.

"No. But she's dead, too."

"Is there...is there anyone on Earth who loves you?" Lin asked. Peabody looked at his glass again and Lin could feel the pain in his heart from across the table.

Peabody looked at Lin and saw tears running down his face. They might look odd, but they are nicer than most of the humans I've met, he thought.

Lin asked questions about the medical care he had been receiving on Earth. "Did you bring your prescriptions?"

"No."

"We will go pick them up later," Lin said.

Peabody thought how odd it was that it was easier for them to go to another planet than it would have been for him to go cross- country.

Lan brought a plate of mushrooms and set it down on the table. He handed Peabody and Lin forks. He sat down with them.

He waited for them to cool down, and then Peabody stabbed one and put it in his mouth. It was delicious.

"Oh, Lan. This is really good!"

Lan smiled at him and said, "Thank you."

Lin and Lan both had some, too.

Peabody ate a few more and said, "I think it's a good thing you have a gym!"

Finally he had enough. "Will you show me the gym?"

"Let's go!"

They walked out the door to the brother's quarters. They passed them and went to the ladder in the wall where the corridor ended.

"The gym is above us. We will go first." They climbed the ladder and passed through some kind of soft seal in the ceiling.

"What is that?" he asked.

"It is a kind of airlock. It prevents air loss in one level from affecting other levels."

They walked down a hall to the gym. "The gym has Earth gravity, so walk in and stop until you adjust to it."

He walked in and felt himself get heavier. It didn't take long to adjust.

The gym looked perfectly normal with human exercise equipment. There were treadmills, elliptical trainers, stair steppers, and weight benches.

"Let's go back."

They walked back to his quarters and he sat on the sofa. Lin sat on his right and Lan on his left.

He looked at their cocks. He was no longer feeling as drunk. You like them, you want them and they want you.

"Lin, what is involved getting pregnant?"

"There are several ways. Sexual, as I told you before. Or one of us could masturbate and the fluid could be mechanically squirted inside you. Or we could masturbate and wait for the egg to be fertilized. Then the fertilized egg could be placed in a specific spot on an artery using a scope."

Are you sure? he asked himself. I don't want to return to my old life. It wasn't really a life.

"I want to have your child, Lin."

"Oh, Peabody! You do not need to rush into it."

"I have nothing at all on Earth. I want something here. Do you understand?"

Lan said, "Here you have people who will love you, Peabody."

"I believe you, Lan. That is what I want.

"Lin, this morning I almost decided to commit suicide. This is less drastic."

Lin and Lan both laughed.

"Yes, it is. It is very difficult to undo a suicide."

"Besides, even if I am absolutely miserable pregnant, I will still know I am accomplishing something. On Earth I have nothing to show for my misery."

"Peabody, are you sure?"

"Yes, Lin. If I get sick, you will remove it, right?"

"Yes, absolutely.

"Peabody, I know you want Lan's candy bar. Do you want his baby first?"

"Lin, your cock is smaller. I think it will fit easier."

Peabody got undressed and got on the bed. He lay on his back looking at both of them. Lan got a bottle of lube out of the bedside table.

"I didn't know there was lube on Mars," Peabody said with a grin.

"There is plenty of lube on Mars," Lan said.

Lan got on the bed and squirted some onto his fingers.

"Peabody, I have had sex with a human, so I will stretch you, if that is all right."

"Of course, Lan. I do want you inside me."

"Thank you, beautiful."

"Lin, I'll take care of stretching him. Why don't you kiss Peabody?"

Peabody felt one of Lan's fingers slide into him.

"Our teeth are much sharper than yours. I can put my tongue in your mouth, but I wouldn't advise you putting your tongue in one of ours," Lin said before kissing him. Peabody ran his hands over Lin's body.

Peabody groaned as Lan pushed two fingers into him. He moaned against Lin's mouth.

Lan had fingers from his fifth hand inside Peabody. He stroked Peabody's cock with his first hand and he ran his second hand over Peabody's body.

Lin pulled on Peabody's nipples. Peabody tried to reach for Lin's prick. "Do you want it, my love?"

"Yes!"

"It is yours!" He brought it to Peabody and Peabody took it into his mouth and began sucking. He thought Lin tasted wonderful. His skin tasted spicy. Lin made a curious barking noise as Peabody sucked him. He began to taste something sweet. He assumed it was precome.

Lin had never been sucked before. Aracatal's teeth would have shredded his prick, had Aracatal even wanted to do it. It felt as wonderful as Lan had described.

Peabody felt a third finger go into him and their hands were all over him.

"He's ready, Lin."

"Are you still sure you want this, Peabody?"

"Yes, Lin."

Peabody watched as Lin squirted lube on his erection and then placed himself between Peabody's legs. He pressed his dick against Peabody's hole and pushed. Peabody pushed, too, and it slid into him. Peabody moaned.

"Did I hurt you?" Lin asked.

"A little. It has been a long time."

"May I kiss you, Peabody?" Lan asked him.

"Yes, Lan."

Lan pressed his mouth to Peabody's and he pushed his tongue into his mouth. Lan ran his tongue along the sides of Peabody's tongue, before he began stroking the length of Peabody's tongue with his own. Peabody moaned and wrapped his arms around Lan's neck.

Lin began slowly thrusting into Peabody.

Peabody pulled away from Lan and reached for his cock.

"Do you want me, too, Peabody?"

"Yes, Lan. I want to eat that beautiful candy bar."

Lan straddled him and lowered his candy to Peabody's mouth.

Peabody took the head in his mouth. It was big and he was afraid his teeth would scratch it. Lan kept pushing it in, though. Once he had about half of it in Peabody's mouth, he began thrusting.

There were several hands on his cock and balls and his nipples were being worked as well. It felt unbelievable.

Peabody reached between Lan's legs and felt his balls. Lan moaned and a very sweet taste filled Peabody's mouth. Lan's candy, Peabody thought.

He stroked the part of the shaft that wouldn't fit in his mouth and Lan moaned more. Lin was also moaning and still making slow strokes into Peabody.

"I'm close, beautiful. Our come is sweet."

Peabody began stroking the shaft faster and Lan froze as a single, powerful spurt of come entered Peabody's mouth. He made a soft barking sound as he came. It sounded similar to their laugh.

It was sweet, Peabody thought as he swallowed. He liked it and planned to have more!

Peabody looked up at Lan and smiled at him. That was the moment that Lan fell in love with Peabody. Lin fell in love when his beautiful Peabody agreed to have his child not long after he meeting him.

Then Lin held still and made the same barking sound as he came inside Peabody.

Both Lin and Lan quickly became soft. So much for always being erect, Peabody thought. He noticed their penises retreated under the longer fur in their crotches when they were not erect.

Lin laid down on one side of him and Lan on the other.

"I love you, Peabody," Lin said. Peabody smiled at him and leaned over to kiss him.

"I love you, too, beautiful," Lan said. Then he added, "And now it's your turn."

Lin and Lan both began licking him. While one would lick his erection, the other would lick his balls. Their hands roamed over him, caressing, pinching, pulling. Peabody began moaning. After a while, Lan pushed Peabody's legs in the air and began lapping at his hole while Lin licked the head of his dick and stroked the shaft. Peabody groaned and came. His come hit his face and he laughed.

His two lovers licked him clean and then began it all over again. After he came a second time, he said, "No more, right now."

"How come you didn't get hard again? Is it because I'm human?"

"Oh, no! Peabody, we can only get an erection when an egg is available. Like humans, we produce many more sperm than eggs. We only produce an egg every day or two."

"I need to get something from the clinic," Lin said. He got out of bed and walked away.

Lan pulled Peabody into his arms and kissed him. Peabody felt a finger enter him while Lan's hands held him.

"Do you like that, my love?"

"Yes. A fifth hand is very pleasurable."

"It can be."

Lan kissed him while finger fucking him. Lan could feel Peabody was hard again. He had done that. He felt for Peabody's prostate. Peabody moaned and Lan knew he had found it.

"Is that pleasurable?"

"Yes, Lan." Peabody chuckled.

"What is it?"

"I have a feeling a human lover would be a disappointment now." He grinned at Lan. "Not enough hands."

"Peabody, I would like to check your blood." Lan pulled away.

Lin took Peabody's hand and ran a scanner over it.

"Thank you, Peabody."

Peabody ran his hands over Lan's chest. He felt the muscles and the soft fur. Lan moaned. He pressed his face to Lan's chest and sniffed. It made his dick throb. He stroked the fur on his cheek. Lan closed his eyes and smiled.

If you enjoy it, let me know and I will continue it.