I feel suspended on that horizon between consciousness and the dream world. Re-living the sheer intensity of our coupling, the pain of his first contact, the ecstasy as I had drawn him into my very core, the exquisite sensation as his fluid, drawn through my body, brought life to the next generation. My consciousness struggled to bring me through from my dreams and memories; I awoke to the sound of a gentle melodic moaning. I, and the rest of the camp, had been waiting this dawning this for some time; the next two turns of the sun would be frantic as we marshalled our effort to support and encourage her through her initiation.
Everyone here? Ok, lets get started. Most of you know Dr. Joe Lublin, he leads the scientific team on this mission, he's going to tell you what we know, and what we expect to happen of the next couple of days; Joe over to you.
Right, we have been tracking this group for about two weeks; we anticipate a mating and we are here to document the event. Some basic facts; there is very little concrete information about the species. The planet contains nothing that we cannot obtain easier elsewhere so there have been no intensive species studies. We know that currently the smaller males outnumber the larger females by about ten to one. We also know that after the winter cycle the numbers are pretty much in balance. There is discussion in some circles that the males act as a food stock through the winter period but there is no conclusive evidence.
We know from the DNA micro probe analysis that the female group we are following contains eight distinct families. The science suggests incestuous coupling.
You can see from the projection, this is a shot taken yesterday; this group has 47 females of varying age and size. An adult female is roughly 3 x 2 standard units and a little over two units high not including the sensory pod. The pod contains the majority of the sense organs of the species, sight, smell, and touch. You have all seen the tentacle like things that snake in and out of the pod. We have recorded sound, it is not complicated enough to be speech, and we think they communicate telepathically. We know they feed using other tentacles around the edge of the carapace skirt; they seem to use some to liquefy food and others to ingest the goo. You have all noticed, I am sure, how the females feed the males about once every standard week. The males do not seem capable of feeding themselves. We are reasonably certain from monitoring that the same females service the same group of males; if we have time, we will set up some tracking studies. The males live as a separate herd away from the female group. I heard some of the females on board the platform are quite keen for that structure here!
We know nothing about gestation periods. I would guess that this is as late in the cycle as it's likely to get for a mating if the offspring are to born before the onset of the winter cycle. The young with the group we imagine were born in the previous mating cycle, that would equivalent to two years ago. Oh and we think they live for about 80 cycles.
The one we are interested in is the female in the centre of that group. We believe she has come into fertility and is probably aged 20+ cycles, that's roughly 35 standard years. You can see flaps forming a crest across along the top of her back. They all have the flaps but over the last few days her crest has increased dramatically in size and begun to take on a purplish hue, you can see it quite prominently against the iridescent colouring reflected off their shells. Back to you Commander.
Well if they are going to put a male up on top to fuck that extended fanny I want the camera team to record every second. Work out your camera angles, deployments, the whole shit. I do not want any malfunctions, excuses or cock up's, except down there. We have come a long way to record this and you get right. Ok, get busy.
My olfactory tentacles twitched and swayed collecting the scent of A'adgt's approaching spawning. Others are stirring, priming themselves for the task ahead. Several already heading to where A'adgt is nesting, joining the few that stayed with her through the twilight period.
It was many cycles since my initiation. I fulfilled my duty to the clan with a fine spawning that added four new females to our number. A'adgt is two generations below my line; her foundling came from my spawning. I felt a closer bond with A'adgt's initiation than with M'ndgt's earlier in the cycle. Better yet, I am to herd the males. I will be choosing A'adgt's initiation partner; an awesome responsibility bestowed on me by the clan. I knew she was ready to spawn, unless she rejected the partner I choose; that will result in a swift and ultimate penalty imposed by the clan, on both me, and potentially A'adgt.
Commander, you had better see this. We have serious action down there. They are grouping up around the target female.
Monika, can you go to a full screen projection. Focus in on the centre of the group; I want to see what's going on. Joe, tell me what were seeing. Are you recording this people? Get the audio feed on line.
I recalled my own initiation with a great deal of pleasure and contentment. I can feel even now the overwhelming presence of the male as he came into me and have often wished to recreate that exquisite sensation as I absorbed his offering. I cannot describe the pleasure I felt. Many of the female G'elt's, juveniles, unsure of the task ahead of them have asked me to explain how initiation feels. It is a feeling of the utmost oneness, a completion, a bringing together of two compatible souls to produce a new generation. Rapture does not even come close to describing the sensations that rippled through me during the coupling. How often I have regretted the single coupling principle of the clan, our land can only support a limited population.
Enough dreaming; there is work to be done. I had better join the others and organise A'adgt's initiation and the hunt.
I could barely see A'adgt for the commotion around her, her foundling - my daughter, naturally by her side. The folds running down her back had doubled in size during the twilight period forming a lipped crest; you could see the lips contracting as wave after wave of Mnt'l popped from between them into the air. The lips of her crest are coloured a violet hue with flashes of purple as Mnt'l fragrance exuded and drifted along her back into the breeze. It was Mnt'l that had coaxed so many of us into this morning, triggering our dreams of earlier couplings, spurring on our activity. When the lips glistened red, A'adgt would be ready.
Mnt'l fragrance reminds each of us foundlings of our own initiation, it restores that feeling of power, of oneness, the completeness that accompanies every successful coupling. It is a reminder of our debt to the clan and the contribution that only a female can make to the future of the clan. Initiations occur every other cycle and can be as intense for some of us as the real thing. Already I could see foundlings with distended folds. Some of the more recently initiated were clearly finding the situation difficult to deal with, their folds flashing purple and contracting as wave after wave of Mnt'l caressed their senses forcing them to relive the cathartic shock of their own coupling. The sound of the group was almost overwhelming and I had to shout to get their attention.
Can you hear that, Zeus, what is going on down there? Are the recorders on?
Naturally.
Well get back-ups, this lot are normally as quiet as mice, now they are suddenly having a fucking sing song. What the Zeus was that?
Vision tentacles swung as one in my direction. Oh, good, that got their attention. I informed the clan that there was serious work ahead. I delegated her foundling and two of A'adgt's sisters to shepherd her and to attend to her every need. A party will join me with the hunt. Elders take the young ones, the G'elt's, to a safe distance, the young males particularly must not witness what happens here. T'sdgt; you will be next for initiation in two cycles; you are to observe and learn. Stay here near to A'adgt, when the moment comes, your duty will be to assist with the placing of the male. T'sdgt's flaps flashed and rippled. Do not be afraid, it is part of the initiation. The male is always 'placed' by the next in line; call it a taster for things to come.