Alien Assignment Ch 03 1

I was relieved that Delaney was human. I'd been expecting to have another alien for a boss, but if Delaney was overseeing this whole Outer situation, maybe things wouldn't be so bad.

All things considered, she looked quite healthy. Her face had a glow to it, although perhaps that was just sweat from working so hard. Her curly brown hair was pulled into a low, loose braid draped across one shoulder, with a few pieces framing her face. She looked to be in her late thirties.

"What kind of work will we be doing?" asked Keldin. "Where will we be staying?" His voice was nearly trembling with forced patience, I could tell.

Delaney's lips quirked up into an almost teasing sort of smile. "Follow me. I'll show you."

Delaney nodded her head, inviting us to follow her to a small metal shed. It was rusty and decrepit, not giving me much hope for whatever was inside. Delaney wrenched open the door and pulled out two gas masks. They looked well-worn.

"Here," she said, tossing them to us. "These should fit you just fine. The straps are adjustable."

"What about our housing?" I cut in, holding up my bag. "Our things?"

Delaney nodded. "Yes, of course. We're getting there." As she walked ahead of us, she looked over her shoulder at me and asked where I was from in the States.

"New York. The suburbs of NYC."

"Nice. I'm from North Dakota myself. Never made it to NYC unfortunately."

We walked through the forest, the colorful trees swaying around us. The smell was different than anything I had ever smelled before. It wasn't earthy, per se, but not unpleasant. It was a strange warm scent like the last remnants of a fire, mixed with a faint floral note.

I could feel Keldin's eyes on me, and when I looked at him, he mouthed, "You okay?"

I nodded and put a smile on my face. The gas mask had made me anxious, obviously, but I was just grateful Keldin was here with me.

"Here we are," said Delaney in a sing-song tone.

We had reached a clearing where several shed-like structures formed a semi-circle among the trees. Beyond them, I could see more rows of sheds, and I wondered how many people (and aliens) lived here. The sheds themselves didn't seem so bad, although they were small and seemed old. They were wooden with slanted roofs, covered partially in what looked like orange moss. They reminded me of something I might see at a campground back on Earth.

"Will we be sharing one of these?" I asked cautiously, motioning between me and Keldin.

Delaney nodded. "Yup. They're not much, but they'll do. I figured I'd give you an hour or so to get situated, and then I'll show you where you'll work."

My heart dropped to my stomach. Keldin's hand reached out and squeezed my shoulder. I looked over at him to see him give me one subtle, reassuring nod.

Delaney took us over to a shed in the second row, opened the door, and stretched out her arm so we could enter. I was shocked by the quality of the space once inside. The place was much larger than it appeared from the outside, with a bed nearly twice the size of the one back in Keldin's cell.

A small kitchenette offered a two-burner stove and a fridge, with several cabinets over top of a tiny sink. There was a table and two chairs pushed up against a round, dirty window, and I actually found the place almost... charming.

I dropped my bag on the floor and went over to a wardrobe that was next to the bed. It was empty inside with a few shelves that contained extra blankets and pillows and what looked like work clothes.

"Will you fit?" I asked Keldin, motioning at the bed.

Delaney smiled and cut in. "These beds are specially sized. You'll fit." Her eyes wandered across Keldin's tall frame. "And the bathroom," she said, "is a shared space outside. Let me show you."

I was a bit nervous about the bathroom situation. I pictured me having to use a disgusting outhouse for the rest of my life, but the facilities were actually quite nice. The building was more modern than the cabins themselves, with two separate male and female areas. The shower stalls were large and clean, and my anxiety about having to go outside to use the facilities quickly faded. It was only a few steps away from the cabin.

"I assume you haven't eaten breakfast?" asked Delaney, as we returned to the cabin. Keldin and I both shook our heads, and she gave an exasperated sigh. "I expected as much. Of course they wouldn't feed you first. Let me go get some food for you. Then we'll finish the tour."

She left the cabin, and Keldin and I sat down at the small kitchen table. The morning light came through the window and nearly glinted off his orange horns. His eyes found mine.

"It's not so bad?" he ventured, both a question and a statement.

I smiled. "I'm actually impressed. I thought we'd be living in much worse conditions. But we still don't know the work situation, so maybe we should wait and see before we get too excited."

Keldin nodded. I wanted to touch him. I wanted to talk with him. I felt emotionally exhausted from everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. My mind was still reeling from the sex we had had, at odds with the nerves in my stomach about my new job assignment. It was all so complicated.

Delaney returned with a bit of fruit and bread. We scarfed it down while she stood next to us.

"So what have you heard about what we do here at the Outer?"

Keldin wiped the back of his hand across his lips. "Hard labor. I imagine we'll be doing hard labor."

"Digging fungus? Hauling rocks?" I said. "Honestly, I have no idea."

Delaney made an amused huffing sound. "Yeah, something like that. Your work suits are in the bottom of that wardrobe. Why don't you two take a few minutes to finish up? I'll come back for you."

When she left, Keldin and I just looked at each other. He slid his hand across the table, taking mine in his. But he wasn't looking at me anymore. He was looking out the window.

"What is it?"

"Something feels weird here."

"In what way?"

Keldin shook his head and pushed back his chair, getting to his feet. "I can't explain it."

I knew what he meant. There was something Delaney wasn't telling us.

I walked over to the wardrobe to get our work clothes. I had to laugh as Keldin pulled his jumpsuit on. He looked like a mechanic with horns, and it was actually very cute.

He scowled at me. "Lily."

"Keldin." I forced a very serious expression onto my face, still stifling a laugh.

He sat on the edge of the bed, so I sat next to him.

"I'm sorry I got you into this," I said quietly, not looking at Keldin as he turned his head sharply to look at me. "I feel like you're here because of--"

"No." Keldin grabbed my chin and forced me to meet his gaze. "It was only a matter of time before they shipped me out. And honestly, it's probably for the best."

"And you can live here? You can live in this cabin? With me? You haven't had a roommate in a long time, I bet."

"No, that's true. But it was lonely in there. I was lonely."

His words tugged at my heartstrings. "Yeah. Yeah, I bet you were."

He leaned in and kissed me quickly, making a soft moaning sound as he did so. Emotion welled up inside me. How had I ever thought I was going to be this alien's sex slave? How had I ever thought he was going to be cruel?

When Delaney returned, Keldin and I were already both on our feet, anxious and impatient. With our gas-mask devices in our hands, we followed Delaney through the cabin area and into the trees. It would never cease to amaze me how different this world was, like a Dr. Seuss book come to life.

"No, you never get used to seeing the turquoise trees," said Delaney, answering my unspoken questions. She gave me a kind smile.

"Trees are only green on Earth, right?" asked Keldin.

"Yes. Green and brown, although some of them have flowers."

"Don't forget autumn leaves," said Delaney. "The leaves change colors in autumn."

We walked on for a few minutes, up a small path that was well-worn.

"Almost at the worksite," said Delaney. "You'll want to mask up." She pulled her own mask over her face.

Keldin and I obeyed her. I hated the feeling of the mask on my face. It was heavy and smelled dusty, although it was better than the alternative of breathing in whatever fungus was in the air.

I could hear the sound of people getting closer. I listened for the metal clangs of shovels or machinery, but it never came.

In fact, I could make out the sound of laughter.

The sound of my breathing filled my ears as we came out from the trees. What I saw astounded me in a way I didn't expect.

There were no workers. There was no manual labor happening at all. I was looking at a crystal clear river running along the border between the trees and the desolate fungal area. Several people and aliens were bathing, while others were reading and lounging by the water.

Delaney looked at me and Keldin. "You can take off your masks. We're past the cameras."

Slowly, I removed my mask and took a deep breath.

"What is all of this?" Keldin demanded.

"Let's sit down somewhere," said Delaney. She had a look on her face like she was excited to give us the good news. "I'll explain everything."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, I was still trying to process it all. The fungal area had long since dried out and stopped spreading, at least as far as the eye could see. But according to Delaney, the powers that be weren't aware of it. So every day, everyone dressed in their work clothes and passed through the initial "check-in" cameras to appease the station supervisors on the off-chance they happened to look at the video feed. Then they headed to the outskirts of the Outer and enjoyed their days.

"So there's no work?" I asked for clarity.

Delaney shrugged. "Not entirely. We do still maintain the area and monitor the fungus for growth." But mostly we do this --" and she motioned to the area around us, where even more people had waded into the river. "The actual work doesn't take long at all, unless something crazy happens. Like, we had a mudslide a couple of months ago. Took us awhile to clean it up."

"How long has it been like this?" asked Keldin, sounding incredulous.

I watched him survey the area and wondered if he was looking for Kara. I couldn't blame him.

People and aliens seemed to stretch along the tree line as far as the eye could see. I hadn't realized so many had been sent to the Outer.

"The last two years," said Delaney. "When I got here, there was still fungus growing for the first six months or so. But it was slow growth, and we realized it wasn't nearly as bad as everyone made it out to be. Now, it's stopped completely. There doesn't seem to be any threat anymore."

"And you're not worried that they'll find out?" said Keldin, his concerned scowl deepening. "What if they come out here and discover the truth?"

Delaney waved a casual hand in the air. "We've got our own cameras set up in case any of the station leaders come investigating. We'll throw on our work suits and look busy. And even if they did come all the way here, they have no idea what to look for." Her eyes turned to scan the dried area beyond the river.

She told us about the weekly shipments of food that were flown in and said she'd help sign us up for our own delivery. Then she walked us up a separate path that took us to what looked like a little makeshift town. Several huts and booths formed a semi-circle, and the structures looked handmade. Big tree branches swooped over top of them, with colorful leaves slowly dropping onto the ground below. The center area was flattened and cleared out, and several people were strolling along, not a care in the world. A blonde human was giggling as she held onto the teal arm of an Omikin male.

"This is our 'town square.'" Delaney beamed. "We barter and sell handcrafted items or various other goods. That's Iz," she said, pointing to a rough-looking Barbonis leaning against the front counter of his wooden stall. "He brings things back from his travels. Artifacts and such. They're not always interesting items, but sometimes he finds some gems."

"Wait," Keldin interjected, holding up a hand. "You can... leave?"

Delaney sputtered out a laugh. "Did you think we were held hostage here?"

At the same time, Keldin and I both said, "YES."

We exchanged a glance, eyebrows raised. It's clear we didn't know nearly as much about this place as we thought we did. I felt immensely relieved. Things didn't seem so bad out here. In fact, they seemed downright GOOD.

"I don't know if we're SUPPOSED to leave. If the higher-ups know, they don't say anything. Iz has a couple of friends with ships who come by a few times a month. It's not like we're fenced in."

"It's just, we always thought it was really rough out here," I said, following Delaney back to the river area. "They always made it sound so bad."

Delaney sighed. "Sounds about right. They love talking a big game about how scary the Outer is, and maybe at one point, it was. But now it's just a place to send people so the station doesn't have to house them. They don't really care that much what goes on, from what I've gathered. They don't even pay for our food anymore. We have connections with a distributor and Iz helped make a deal with them."

I glanced over at Keldin, expecting him to have more questions, when I noticed the look on his face. His eyes were fixed on someone in the distance, and before I even focused in on the target at the end of his gaze, I knew who it was.

Kara was quite pretty, even from a distance. She had long red hair and a huge smile. She was kicking off her work boots and wading into the water with another human woman and a female alien.

"Oh, shit, do you know Kara?" asked Delaney, eyes wide. "I think she did mention she used to date an alien. Sorry if that's a sore spot. Okay, I'll stop talking now."

Keldin shook his head as if to clear it and looked over at me. I watched his lips twitch into a sad attempt at a smile. "Lily, I don't want this to worry you."

Delaney cleared her throat. "I think I'm going to make myself scarce. Stay around here, and I'll come find you at the end of the day. We just need to get into our work suits to pass by the cameras at the perimeter."

She walked away, leaving me standing with my arms crossed over my chest, trying not to panic. Keldin took a step closer and uncrossed my arms.

"Kara is not in my life anymore."

"I know."

Keldin sighed. "Lily, I--"

But before he could finish his sentence, Kara was blurting out his name and walking quickly across the reddish-orange ground in our direction.

"Keldin, hi!" she said, when she was only feet from us. "Oh my God! What the hell are you--oh, sorry, I'm Kara!" She stuck out her hand for me to shake.

"Lily." I gave her a polite smile. She was around my age and even prettier up close.

"What did you do?" asked Kara, eyeing Keldin up and down. "Wow, you look exactly the same."

"It's a long story."

"Causing chaos, I assume."

I watched as Kara interlaced her fingers and cupped her hands underneath her belly. I realized then the soft slope of pregnancy, and I looked up just in time to see Keldin register it as well.

"Yes, I'm pregnant." Kara chuckled. "I met a guy. James. He's from London," she said, looking at me. "If you had told me ten years ago that I would one day be pregnant on a foreign planet surrounded by aliens, I would have said you were crazy."

Kara took us up the shore of the river a bit and introduced us to James. He was a good-looking guy who seemed nice enough. His abduction story was unique in that the drugs or medicine hadn't fully worked, so he was mostly awake through the entire experience. It sounded harrowing, and Keldin kept making fists of anger while James talked about it.

I reached out to gently pat his hands and arms, and Kara watched as I did so. We shared a glance, and I swear I felt an understanding between us. Things had changed. For all of us. And now I was taking over where her role had been, while Kara had moved on in her own way.

Keldin put his arm around me, and I hadn't felt so weightless since the day I'd been beamed up into the sky, abducted by aliens.

* * *

When Keldin and I got back to our new home that evening, we had more things from Delaney. There were swimsuits and robes for us both, along with a big box of food. When Keldin opened the cooler, he found a bottle of Moxie, wrapped with a ribbon.

"Wow, it's like we've just closed on a home," I said, snickering.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." I nodded at the Moxie. "Shall we?"

Keldin opened it up and took a swig before realizing we had proper glasses now. He pulled two out from the cabinets and filled them both.

We sat down at the table, listening to the sounds from outside. People were going back and forth from the shower facilities, talking and laughing. I heard the faint sounds of some sort of animal that I couldn't identify.

"Was it weird seeing Kara?" I ventured.

"A little bit. I was... relieved that she is doing well, of course. Happy that she's found a mate." Keldin took a long drink. "I thought it would feel stranger than it did."

"It was nice to meet her. She seems really nice."

I meant it, too. She reminded me of the type of woman I would have befriended back on Earth. But I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to raise a baby in this sort of place. I had never wanted kids, even before my abduction, but the thought of having one here on Corinox was especially terrifying.

Ever since Delaney had mentioned they had access to a ship, I wondered what it would be like to explore more of the galaxy. I really had no idea how far away the other planets were or if it was even a possibility to move around. It had never occurred to me that travel would ever be an option, and the thought both excited and scared me.

Keldin pushed back his chair and stood up. "Should we take showers?"

The shower stalls were small but clean. I lathered myself up with the herbal-smelling soap and wrapped my robe around me. I met Keldin back in our cabin, where he was already stretched out on the bed in just his pants. He sat up when I walked in.

"Are you tired from our long day?" he asked.

The tone in his voice made a shiver roll down my spine. "Not too tired."

"Same here."

I crossed the room slowly, untying the robe as I went. Keldin swung his legs over the side of the bed and inhaled sharply as I let the robe slide off of my naked body.

"Lily," he said in a low voice. "I need you."

I looked down to see that his cock was already hard and pressing up against his pants. I stood in between Keldin's legs and let him kiss my stomach for a bit until I finally dropped down to my knees.

I pulled off his pants, still in awe at the sheer size of his cock.

"Do you have any idea how obsessed I am with this?" I said, looking up at Keldin as I took his cock in my hand. "And how good it makes me feel?"

"Really?" Keldin's golden eyes seemed to glaze over as I stroked him. "Fuck, that feels good."

I loved the way he shuddered as I slowly wrapped my tongue over the thick cock head before lowering my face down his shaft. My lips ran down the bumps that lined his cock, and my pussy throbbed remembering how good it had felt to have him inside me. I felt nearly feral at the thought.

Keldin's moans got louder as I sucked him more enthusiastically. I was both exhausted and thrilled by our first day at the Outer. I knew it was too soon, but I could picture myself here. I could picture myself here with Keldin. I felt like I had lucked out with everything, even though it had just been one day.

Before I could register what was happening, Keldin was picking me up and tossing me onto the bed. It bounced and creaked below me, and I was worried we had broken it, but I didn't care. Keldin was overcome by some sort of wild energy, and I certainly wasn't going to stop him.