(Inspired by and Based Upon "Contact" by Little White Mouse)
By The Preve
Thanks to Todger 65 for editing.
Author's note: This story was written years ago, so forgive some of the crude edges.
*****
Lt. Kate Sanders of the United Nations Interstellar Service, stood on the beach looking at the ocean. If not for her predicament's ambiguity, she would curse her luck. She was stranded . . . on a beautiful island. The planet wasn't unknown to the Service but it was off the beaten path. She had a distress beacon but it was doubtful anyone would hear it. "Of all the escape pods I had to pick the one with the faulty nav," she thought.
Earlier survey teams had found no major predators (except in the deep ocean and they never came near the shore). Most of the plants on the island were edible. There were few large animals except for some "deer" and large insects; plus nocturnal lemurs. It looked like she was stuck here awhile. "And I crashed right on the beach. Not a bad place to land," she thought.
The deep blue ocean beckoned. The beach was the most beautiful part of the island. "It's like I crashed in Greece. That ocean is just begging me for a swim." First things first, however; gather food, build a shelter. Kate performed the task in record speed. "The guys at the Academy would smack themselves with jealousy," she thought.
The lush inland forest was inviting but Kate knew she had plenty of time for exploration. She went back to the beach and stripped. "Maybe I'm being foolish," she thought. The survey reports were preliminary; no in-depth exploration but great potential for surprise. The clear sky, the placid water, and the warm weather, however, dulled her sense of safety. "This place is harmless," she thought. Kate did some stretching exercises before she swam, admiring her body as she went.
Kate wasn't drop dead gorgeous. She was pretty; five foot six with a demure cuteness many found irresistible. Her athletically toned body had perfectly round B-cups. Her dark, brown hair was bobbed to neck length. She sported a snub nose and prominent cheeks and chin. Her bee stung lips and broad mouth (which always seemed curled in an "I know a secret" smile) enhanced her cute image. Her eyes were brown buttons, twinkling with mischief. People thought she looked like a doll. "Dolly" was her call sign in the Service. Kate's cuteness belied her intelligence and she used both to her advantage. At twenty-five she was already a lieutenant.
Kate dove into the water and swam for an hour. She explored the beach to dry off before taking a short nap. As she stretched on the warm sand Kate thought, "This feels more like a vacation than a crisis. No wonder the resort Corporations are looking at this place. I almost hope nobody rescues me." She let the surf, the sand, and the soft breeze lull her to sleep.
******
Znxxx was a Keeper of Numbers, Third Segment, Agricultural Hive. He bumbled across the sand clicking his mandibles in exasperation. The First Keeper wanted an accurate count of Red Flower pollen for the annual inventory. Znxxx spent the last seven cycles in an exhaustive rush of counts and recounts. Just before he departed to present his report, his lifemate gave a him a clutch of eggs and said, "I want these eggs fertilized, pronto."
"But I have to give my report to the First Keeper," he complained.
"I don't care," she fumed. "Put them in your birthing pouch and take them with you. When you come back, I want to see larvae mister." Znxxx sighed and swallowed the eggs into his birthing pouch. "Nag, nag, nag," he thought.
The weight of the eggs slowed him down so he decided to take a short cut across The Sand by the Big Water. "I swear, I should have been born into the Digger caste. Diggers don't have to deal with this dung; and the Warriors, humph! The Warriors don't procreate at all. I feel like one of the Drones. I swear, my next lifecycle . . . hello. What's this?"
There was something lying on the sand. Znxxx's carapace clicked as he shuffled his segments and moved closer to investigate. "Great Moons, it's one of them!" It was a Big Hairless Fuzzie. At least that's what the Great Hive called them. They looked like the Little Fuzzies that inhabited their planet but with considerably less hair.
The Hive Collective weren't spacefarers but they knew of the other sentients. The Hive's relations with the Civilized Species were generally good. These creatures were new to the scene, however. They came to the planet from time to time with their strange instruments. Hive policy was to keep a watchful distance and put the Warhive on ready status; no sense in starting an unnecessary fracas.
Znxxx noted the crashed vehicle nearby; obviously this creature was stranded. It seemed to have discarded its coverings for some reason. It looked asleep. Znxxx was a Scholar as well as a Numbers Keeper. The Scholar in him could not pass up an opportunity to study Xeno anatomy.