Chapter 3

By the wave of the golden space suit person’s hand, the display on the screen changed. Replacing the unintelligible text and graphs was an image of some sort of plant with two stumps as its root, a square light-brown stem, and a large reddish flower on top.

“This is… our target… the Qhestralsquksqhadhaets”, the golden space suit person declared.

A tense silence filled the room.

I then raised my hand to say, “I’m sorry, the what now?”

“The Qhestralsquksqhadhaets”, reiterated the golden space suit person.

“Kuhe-something?..” I tried pronouncing it.

The lion person grunted at my inability to say the creature’s name properly. Then, speaking in a distinctively feminine high voice, they said, “Are you sure we should bring this earthling with us?”

“Wait, you’re a girl?”, I reflexively asked her.

I did not expect this person to be female at all, given her appearance.

“Huh?! Of course, I am!” she barked, obviously annoyed. “What did you think I was?!”

“I’m sorry! It’s because you have a mane!”

I gave the first excuse that sprang to mind without thinking as I cowered at her intimidation. But, that just made her more angry.

“What do you mean? The mane is a sign of femininity!” she snarled.

The giant pillbug that was sitting beside her then stood up and came between me and the lion person. Then, in a high-pitched voice like a chipmunk’s, they said to the lion person, “Calm down.”

That stopped the lion person’s advance towards me, but that didn’t stop her seething.

“There is an earth creature that’s similar to your kind called the lion”, the giant pillbug continued to talk to the lion person. “He probably only mistook your gender because only the males of that species have manes.”

The lion person looked at the giant pillbug, then glared back at me before pointing a finger to say, “Females of my kind have manes, get that? Don’t make that mistake again.”

I fervently nodded my head in reply.

She then returned to her corner, but didn’t break eye contact with me. Because of that, I didn't notice the giant pillbug turning to talk to me until they spoke.

“Just so you know”, they said, grabbing my attention. “I’m also a girl.”

“I see”, I nervously replied.

She then returned to her place beside the muscular lion lady.

I haven’t really had time to think about the situation I’m in, but having this interaction has really made me feel I’ve been abducted by space aliens.

“Shall I… continue?” the golden space suit person asked the room.

Although, I had the weird feeling he was asking me so I answered, “Okay.”

He then pointed to the plant-like creature on the screen and said, “This is… the creature… we will be… filming… today.”

I raised my hand again.

“By ‘we’, does that include me? I haven’t agreed to any of this yet.”

The lion lady scoffed. Everybody in the room stared at me.

“We need… to ride… the momentum…”

“I get that”, I interrupted the golden space suit person. I already got the gist of what they wanted from me earlier. I continued, “But, what’s in it for me?”

“What… do you… mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. I’m pretty sure at least one of you knows the concept of currency.”

“Did you… not want to… create videos… of exotic… creatures? Is this… opportunity…not favorable… for you… already?”

“Wait, how did you know that?” I asked, a bit creeped out.

We’ve been observing you for the last twenty four earth hours, I suddenly hear an unfamiliar male voice say inside my head.

It definitely wasn’t my inner voice.

We came upon this information when you were conversing with your friend, the voice continued.

That gave me goosebumps. Not for them stalking me, but for having that voice inside my head.

I could hear the panic in my tone when I asked, “What is that voice talking inside my head?!”

Then, the lanky tank top man with extra long limbs raised his hand in reply.

Apologies, that was me, he said through a voice in my head again. I should have warned you, but my kind communicates through telepathy.

I calmed down after his admission, but I was dumbfounded when I noticed he had no mouth. There was something that looked like lips on his face, but it wasn’t opening when he talked so I’m not so sure now on what it is.

In any case, I meekly replied, “No problem.”

“To continue…” the golden space suit person interrupted.

I turned back to him to present my case.

“On Earth, there’s a difference in doing what you want to do to what other people want you to do.”

“And what would that be?” the lion lady asked sarcastically.

I ignored the tone, but answered anyway.

“The first one is your passion or interest. You’re willing to do everything it takes to perform or create because it is your passion. The second one is someone else’s passion or interest. Thus, you need to be given the proper motivation to invest the time and effort to do it regardless of the result.”

I paused, waiting for any of them to react.

When none of them did, I continued, “You see, saving endangered alien species is your passion, not mine.”

There was still silence in the room. It was only broken when the golden space suit person audibly sighed moments later.

“What is it… you want?” they asked.

“Money”, I immediately answered.

“We can’t offer you Earth money”, the pillbug lady countered. “We do not have them in the first place.”

“Is that right?” I chuckled. I had a feeling that was going to be the case. They were space aliens after all, but I thought there was no harm in trying. “Then, I want gold.”

We do not own precious metals either, the lanky tank top guy said.

“What about Goldy over there?” I asked, pointing to the golden space suit person.

“This… is dye… not actual… gold”, they replied.

“Then, gems? Precious stones? Antiques? Anything?!”

The four only looked at each other looking lost.

“If you’re not going to compensate me, then take me back where you found me”, I demanded.

“But… we are near… our destination… light years… away… from Earth.”

“I don’t care, take me back!”

The four of them looked at each other again.

“Let’s just throw him off the ship”, the lion lady suggested.

Apart from that horrible bathing experience they gave me, they haven’t treated me violently nor threatened me so I had the feeling I could make my own demands when they start talking business. I feared I may have pushed my luck too far upon hearing that comment. It was to my relief that the golden space suit person quickly told her, “Rejected.”

“Then, what do you suggest we do?” the lion lady asked Goldy.

Goldy then said to me, “We can… perform any other… requests… you may have.”

I stayed silent as I couldn’t think of anything.

“Perhaps… an experience… you cannot have… back on… your planet.”

Then, an idea came to me.

“I want to fondle alien boobs”, I declared.

The room went silent again. I could sense each of them looking at me puzzled.

“I think I’d be willing to go along with you guys if you set me up for that”, I continued. “So, if there’s some kind of shop that provides that kind of service on the way, I want to stop over there first. Oh, but I don’t want to hold just any alien breasts. I want something close to a human’s anatomy. But, maybe an alien kind with more than two boobs to be different, at least three…”

I then notice the golden space suit person come near me to say, “Follow me.”

We then wordlessly left the meeting room. They led me to some other room, still without speaking to me.

I thought the room was some sort of teleportation room. I thought they were going to take me to the place I requested.

But, once we were inside, they dimmed the lights and started undressing. Oddly, though, they did it without removing the helmet. However, they were able to take the top half of the space suit off, revealing a slender human-like upper body clad in a black long-sleeved spandex shirt. Furthermore, there was a modest bulging on the chest!

The sight of it got me excited in more ways than one!

Goldy then pulled up their shirt, revealing their naked skin, light grey in color, and a set of three boobies.

“Go… ahead”, they said.

“Huh?” I was still wrapping my head around the current situation.

“This is… your request… no? My kind… happen to have… three breasts.”

Then, it hit me.

“Geez, I didn’t realize you were a girl, too”, I said as my hands slowly approached the offering. I kind of wanted to see what kind of face Goldy was making, but, alas, the visor of the helmet got in the way. “I kind of feel bad now, but I’m not going to let this opportunity slip away.”

“Do not… fret”, Goldy said. “I am… male.”

“Say what?” I worriedly asked, hands now firmly against Goldy’s middle and right breasts.

“I am… male”, the golden space suit person repeated.