Interspecies Studies

Janna E. Putnam

Dr. Kines Mero

XenoBiol 1400-4

24 July 2991

Transferral of Consciousness for the Understanding of Reproductive Rituals in Xenobiologies

ABSTRACT

Many barriers remain in understanding the processes and rituals surrounding reproductive selection in non-human sapient lifeforms. However, Thanks to recent advances in Neural-software engineering, humans now have access to direct experience of xenobiological mating and reproductive rituals. Owing to the stark and very basic differences between neural biology of Humans (

Homo Sapien Sapien

) and our most similar convergently evolved cousins Galties (

Homo Sapien Xenus

), direct interspecies consciousness transferral has been impossible since the invention of the process (Mueller, 681). Recently, the Talius Minor Neuromechanics Laboratory introduced a solution to this obstacle when they successfully mapped and subsequently transcribed the entirety of the Galty neural system into readable code. In a groundbreaking project headed By Dr. Leo Ross and the Advanced Sapient Artificial intelligence (ASAI) 'Sogni di Volare', the TMN Laboratory has developed software 'Drivers' capable of interfacing human consciousness with that of the Galty species (Collins, 988).

-

Janna closed her eyes, leaning back in her seat. Her neck ached, and the dull throb was comforted almost none by the unforgiving headrest. Out the window to her right, she saw the sunrise creeping slowly across her destined planet, Gaia 4. The planet was as rich and green as her home planet of Earth, and the sunlight dragged across the planet's surface beneath her, a thin, convex line, sliding westward and turning the blackness of the planet's night time into a golden-yellow dawn. She longed to see it from the surface.

"Shuttle four, now boarding. Shuttle four, now boarding."

Janna couldn't help but frown as the voice sounded through the terminal speakers. Her orbital station had nineteen shuttles, and she was, naturally, the last in line. Shuttle four had taken twenty minutes to board. Irritated, she exited her thesis and sent a message.

[Almost planet side! Very excited to meet you. Does 'solution to this obstacle' sound okay? What do you think?]

Janna read and reread the message. She was intensely nervous about making a good impression on her new friend. After all, the Galty woman would soon be piloting Janna's body.

[No xD. Just say 'problem'. You're overthinking. Excited to meet you!]

Heart still fluttering with nerves, Janna read the message. Her eyes flicked to the name of the sender.

"Valuthetyu. Va-Loo-Thet-Yoo," Janna's mouth chewed the syllables like a tough wad of bubble gum. The woman's name was the one thing that a translation program couldn't put in plain English. Janna shook her head. "I hope you have a nickname," She muttered.

"Shuttle Five, boarding delayed. Please stand by."

Janna groaned, leaning uncomfortably against the unforgiving headrest.

-

Owing to their convergent evolutionary paths, the Galty species differs from Humans in only two major ways, biologically. Owing to the fraught evolutionary path of the human mandible, human orthodontic structures are, mildly stated, messy when compared to the near perfect dental structure that almost all Galty children are gifted with. Secondly, and more important to our purpose, the Galty reproductive system, both in function and tradition, vary wildly from the human paradigm (Boston 211).

On average, Galty women can bear between four and eight children per pregnancy, with a gestational period averaging one hundred and five (105) Solar days or sixty six (66) Boratian days. In addition, Galty mating rituals eschew the human standard of one male and one female in a reproductive pair, instead choosing to join one female to groups of males ranging in number between five and twenty.

-

Having finally caught her shuttle to the surface of Gaia 4, Janna hurried to the space port's rail station. She slipped through dense crowds, mostly human and some Galty. Sprinting into the carriage as the doors were shutting, Janna caught her breath aboard the Maglev train. From there, she made several connections, stumbling out onto a platform in downtown New Naples. The sun was unseasonably warm, forcing her to sweat as she trundled through the downtown crowds. With her mobile display in her hand, Janna obeyed articulated walking instructions to her destination.

One street down from Uncle Han's American Diner, Janna paused to check her appearance in a reflective window. Nearly one hundred and eighty centimeters tall, sporting a frumpy, ill-fitting blouse and sweaty, tangled blonde hair, Janna wasn't pleased with the mess she saw. Vainly, she combed her hair with her hands, hoping to correct the sweaty mess. She double checked both the address and her time, ensuring that she wasn't late. Seating herself, she selected a booth with a view of the city, enjoying the feeling of being back in atmosphere. She preferred to be planetside, and the recent sunrise reminded her of home.

An automated waiter checked in on her promptly, but Janna declined to order. Her colleague would be here soon. She stared out the window at a time, enjoying the scenery, before she decided to use her time more practically. Display in hand, Janna practiced her pronunciation.

"Valuthetyu. Valuthetyu." She sounded the name slowly.

"That's me!" A high voice startled Janna.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry. I'm working on my pronunciation!" Janna apologized, standing from the booth.

An attractive Galty woman greeted Janna. The newcomer was tall and thin for a Galtian, even taller than Janna, with vivacious neon orange skin. Her thick black hair was short and straight with a left part, her bangs pinned back by a small orange clip.

"Janna, right?" The woman asked.

"Yes, wow that's right! Yes. Good pronunciation." Janna offered a hand, but Valuthetyu opted for a hug.

"Yeah, your name is super easy to pronounce. I've got you at a disadvantage! Just call me Lulu." She said, shaking Janna's hand. The pair seated themselves, and studied their menus while they conversed.

"How goes the progress with your report, Lulu?" Janna asked. Lulu scanned her menu hungrily.

"Oh, I haven't started yet. I thought I'd wait until... well, I thought I'd let you do it for me!" She laughed at her own joke, and Janna forced a laugh too.

"How's yours?" Lulu asked.

"Awful. I just used the phrase 'owing to' twice in two sentences."

"Hmmm, do they have a Galty menu here? I'd rather die than eat a hamburger." Lulu ignored Janna, waiving to their waiter, a wheeled automaton with a warming unit for a face.

"Do you have a Galty menu?" She asked.

"Unfortunately, no. I apologize for the inconvenience, madam. The fried pickles are very popular with Galty customers, if I might make a suggestion." The automaton replied.

"Sounds good," Lulu said.

"And for you, madam?" The waiter addressed Janna.

"Cheeseburger and french fries," She answered, laughing as Lulu stuck her tongue out in disgust. Once the waiter had removed their menus, the women spoke comfortably.

"So, down to business!" Lulu started, happy and excited, "I've got your hygiene list, I just have a few questions." She palmed her personal display, flicking through walls of text and reading.

"Brush teeth twice daily. Wash hair once every three days. Eat five small meals a day. Urinate between four and six times a day. Defecate once daily or every other day." She read out loud, drawing strange glances from nearby tables in the diner. Janna quickly cut in, wandering if all Galty women were so socially unaware.

"Yes, what's the problem?" She asked, her voice low.

"It's highly... specific. Mine," Lulu gestured broadly at her body, "Well, This thing kind of runs itself. You'll know, you know?" Lulu lowered her display. Janna took the opportunity to defend herself.

"Well, I monitored my bodily functions for several weeks to aggregate that data for you. It's something I thought you'd want."

Lulu wordlessly gaped at Janna, looking back and forth between her personal display and the human woman, grasping for something to say.

"... is it okay if I pee less or more often?" She finally asked.

"That should be fine," Janna said, "These numbers are just a suggestion."

Lulu released a pent-up breath.

"Oh, thank god," She gasped.

They sat silently again, both searching for something to talk about.

"I love your sk-..."

"You have lovely ha-..."

When both women tried to speak at the same time, Lulu giggled.

"You first," The orange woman smiled broadly, her skin tone deeply reflective of her bright personality. Janna nodded.

"I was going to say that I love your skin. Very pretty color." She motioned to Lulu's exposed arm.

"Really?" Lulu pinched herself, pulling a bit of neon flesh between her fingers, "I get mixed reviews from Galty people. One of my dads used to say I was his little traffic cone."

Janna's face wrinkled with confusion.

"Is that... affectionate?" She asked.

"Oh yeah. He's a great dad!" Lulu's smile pulled ever-presently across her face.

"Oh, of course. How many fathers do you have?" Janna asked.

"I have nine dads." Lulu said, "How about you?"

"Just one," Janna explained. Lulu's eyes widened briefly, but she nodded her head with understanding.

"Yeah, that's right, one male, one female. That's gonna be weird!" Lulu exclaimed.

"For both of us," Janna agreed, "I can't imagine pleasing nine men,"

"Well, they mostly please themselves. Oooh! Food's here."

Lulu reached into the warming unit as their waiter approached, snatching at the plate of fried pickles. With a yelp, she dropped the hot plate, just as the waiter cautioned her:

"Plates in the warning unit should be handled with care: Current temperature: eighty-five degrees."

Wincing with pain, Lulu fished an ice cube out of her water glass. Janna retrieved both food plates utilizing a napkin as a hot pad, and Lulu pressed her finger into the ice with a look of relief.

"That's gonna hurt for a couple of days," Janna said dryly.

"Yeah, it's not a big deal...Oh!" A look of realization and then cheeky impunity fell across Lulu's face.

"Oops. Heh, sorry." Lulu said. Janna laughed.

"It's fine. Let's eat!"

As they enjoyed their meal, Janna noticed Lulu sneaking glances across the table. Their eyes met more than once, and on the third session of eye contact, Janna felt compelled to ask.

"Is there something on my face?" She smiled, trying to be as friendly as possible. Lulu shook her head.

"No. Um, actually, I just can't stop myself. You're literally the prettiest human girl I've ever seen," She said. Lulu was definitely not shy.

"Oh! Thanks. You're very pretty too," Janna replied, friendly and smiling.

-

Due to the unusual mating ritual undertaken by the Galty, male genitalia of the species differ from human males in a number of minor, but notable ways. Galty males develop testes over a much longer period of pubescence, spanning eight to twelve Solar years.

In Galty males, several components of semen production are quantitatively improved over humans. Seminal vesicles, ejaculatory ducts, the prostate gland's peripheral and central zones, and in particular the epididymis of Galty males are significantly increased in size and volume over their human counterparts (Reed 55). As a result, the capacity for semen production and delivery is significantly increased over their Earthling counterparts. A human male ejaculates between two and five milliliters of seminal fluid per insemination. By comparison, Galty males will average twenty times this quantity of fluid, delivering as much as one hundred milliliters per ejaculation. In addition, their massive increase in quantity of seminal fluid per ejaculation, Galty males have a significantly reduced refractory period over human males, meaning sexual sessions can include two or more ejaculations per male (Reed 61).

-

Janna read and reread the lines of her paper, scouring for any typo. Her hands were shaking with nerves as she typed, stopping several times to tuck her frigid fingers beneath her armpits for warmth. Her left foot bounced endlessly, creating a sore spot as it bumped against the leg of her chair. Her mind raced with an endless list of tasks that needed to be completed, not least of which was her paper. This was the most prestigious opportunity of study she had ever been afforded, and Janna could not stomach the idea of missing even one detail of the journey she was set to undertake. Beside her, Lulu played a mobile game where a frog ate flies to grow larger.

"I wish I was as calm as you," Janna said, watching the Galty woman's orange fingers lazily tap sprites. Lulu had painted her nails black to match her hair, and added cute little flowers on each finger.

"I'm cool as a short-period comet," Lulu replied casually, eyes still fixed on her game. Janna frowned. The statement was likely an idiom in the Galty language. Idioms and euphemisms gave the universal translators unending difficulty.

Janna powered down her display, eyes roaming around the interior of the building. The Talius Minor Neuromechanics Laboratory was similar to other high-end office buildings. The lobby was all glass and steel and plastic, towering overhead in an endlessly criss-crossing series of staircases and elevator tubes which disappeared into the heights of the structure. An elegant sculpture of a human brain, constructed from steel-gray wire, occupied a water fixture in the center. They waited on chairs in a spacious reception area, minutes early for their appointment. Janna waited anxiously. Lulu waited in a manner that would generously be called disinterest by more charitable observers.

Following a length of time that was equally unbearable to both women, they were greeted by a smiling man in a pressed suit. An nearby elevator toned gently as it opened, and he grinned, holding his arms wide in welcome.

"I suppose it wouldn't be rude to assume which of you is Valuthetyu?" He laughed at his own joke, and pronounced her name with some struggle. Galty names were difficult for humans. The man offered a handshake to Lulu, a charming smile irrevocably pulled across his handsome face. He spoke with a thick Australian accent and wore a clean, close cropped blonde beard. "I hope you weren't waiting long, Janna?" He asked, shaking her hand in turn.

"No! Not long at all," Janna stood, excitement and apprehension leaking from her nervous smile.

"No, you're on time, we were just an hour early," Lulu added with an eye roll, "Janna wanted to camp out to make sure we were on time."

"Oh, you shoulda told me!" The man cried, "I've got a full kit in my office for backpacking. It's my second favorite thing in the world, behind poking around in brains."

"Pardon my coworker's rudeness," A voice called from the front shirt pocket of the bearded man, addressing both women, "Unfortunately, I have to keep him on the payroll to press buttons and turn screws. I am Sogni di Volare, and the man who forgot to introduce himself is Dr. Jim Ross. You may call me Dream, and you may call him any four letter word that comes to mind. We're very pleased you reached out to us, Janna."

Inadvertently, Janna spoke to the small, spherical speaker clipped to Dr. Ross's shirt pocket when responding to the A.I., but quickly caught herself. Sogni di Volare had no physical body, and could be spoken to without any eye-contact.

"I'm so excited you received my request, Dream. It's an honor to be considered so early in the process." She said.

"You shoulda seen the building when we did the first one," Dr. Ross cut in, "Wall to wall reporters, cameras in our face. You're lucky to be number... seven, I think."

Janna and Lulu followed Dr. Ross and Dream to an elevator. As the lift took them higher into the building, Lulu nudged Janna and gave her a wink.

-

The female Galty also differ in a few minor ways from their human counterparts. As Galty fertilization does not typically involve sexual penetration, Galty females have evolved several traits which set them apart from their human counterparts.

Galty females are nearly 90% less likely to achieve orgasm through vaginal stimulation. Due to the non-penetrative nature of Galty sex, the primary reproductive reward system in Galty females is two fold: Clitoral stimulation and skin contact with semen.

Clitoral stimulation varies little from human females, and is used to achieve orgasm in homosexual relationships, solo masturbation, and importantly to our purpose, in the reproductive ritual.

More interestingly, Galty females almost unanimously report feelings of intense sexual pleasure and an enjoyable, stimulating sensation from skin contact with semen (Reed 90). Consuming semen, smearing seminal fluid across the body, and manually inserting seminal fluid into orifices are common staples of the Galty reproductive ritual. Coupled with a near non-existent pleasure from direct vaginal penetration, these factors give rise to the unique, beautiful, and powerful act of Galty reproduction.

-

Every test imaginable had to be run on the two women prior to their procedure. Dr. Ross and Dream spent two hours with the women, running them through tests of memory, problem solving, and cognition, as well as physical tests of their health, endurance, and fitness.

Janna felt considerable pride at her performance. In every cognitive category, she outperformed Lulu by a wide margin. The young Galty woman had near zero short-term memory retention and simply couldn't focus well enough to complete any complex problem solving. Conversely, Janna was setting records that even Dream hadn't seen from a human. Following the tests, they were led to a large, open laboratory, with bright lights and a team of assembled assistants.

-

"Is that comfortable?" Dream asked, vibrating from Dr. Ross's jacket pocket.

"Not really," Lulu's quiet words echoed through the sterile medical room.

"Good. It's not supposed to be," Dr. Ross joked with a smile.

Janna was secured into a safety harness which wrapped her torso with ribs of hardened ceramic. A cage-like structure held her head in place, forcing her to peer about the room with eye movement alone. She lay against a near vertical wall, entrapped in a sarcophagus of metal and plastic. Beside her, Lulu was being locked into a similar device.

"I think I'd feel better if you explained it one more time," Lulu's voice was squeaky and soft. In a reversal of their earlier attitudes, Lulu was now the nervous one. Janna had memorized the procedure front to back, and so calmly waited to begin.

"Did we already do the vacuum joke, Dr. Ross?" Dream asked.

"Be my guest," Dr. Ross answered his A.I. companion while turning a knob, loosening a restraint on Lulu's temple.

"We've got a strong handheld vacuum. We'll suck your brain out through your nose and dump it in your friend's head," Dream's delivery was completely straight, and Janna giggled.

"Actually Dream, Dr. Ross, could I have a go?" she asked, "I think I understand the procedure quite well, for a layman."

"Please," Dr. Ross answered.

Janna was more nervous about explaining the procedure in front of the two foremost experts in the subject than she was about undergoing the procedure itself. With a steadying breath, she began:

-

When a human moves their arm, a complex series of electrical signals are called upon which begins with a neuron firing in the brain, and ends with an electrical pulse in the muscle causing it to contract, mechanically shifting the limb. This process is well understood, and is relatively simple to manipulate with modern science. The study of these signals and the mechanisms they influence is referred to as Neuromechanics.