Part One
The H'zitvatchii came without any warning, easily overwhelming our limited planetary defenses and landing virtually unopposed at the spaceports of all the cities of Ferressta simultaneously. There was no use fighting them on the ground; any resistance would have resulted in a fierce bombardment from orbit. Within less than an hour, Ferressta had fallen.
It had been the same all over human-dominated space. The H'zitvatchii swarmed out of sector twelve-by-six-by-seventeen and, without so much as a declaration of war, began systematically culling the stars of humanity.
It didn't seem to matter how we fought them: massive fleet attacks, hit-and-run, ambush, the result was always the same: they won without losing a ship, and we lost every one, right down to the support vessels. What was unusual was, despite our total material losses, the casualties were very light.
The H'zitvatchtii would try do disable our ships if they could (alarmingly simple for them), and then send unmanned carriers over to give the survivors a chance at escape. The carriers would then ferry the crews back to Earth, unceremoniously drop them off, and then disappear into the stars. The empty hulls of our own ships would then be destroyed.
It was the same with the colony worlds. They would come, quickly overwhelm any defenses, and then proceed to evacuate the entire human population back to earth. Only if their ground forces took any casualties did they retaliate massively. Even then, afterward they would send medical supplies to assist in caring for the injured It was as if they didn't want to kill us, they just wanted us out of their way and out of space.
We considered ourselves fortunate on Ferressta. Neerbah, a large colony of millions just two light-years away, was one of the first to be taken and "purged" by the H'zitvatchii. We were hopeful that we may have been overlooked.
We were wrong.
I watched in horror as the panicked news anchors relayed the invasion. The huge screen in my apartment in the city of Khytha was segmented into several smaller screens, each one showing either one of our orbiting defense satellites being crushed by some dark, invisible force, or one of the 'Vatchii's black, sleek, shore craft landing at a spaceport and expelling tight formations of ground troops, wearing black-and-silver armor that seemed to follow the forms of their bodies like second skins of liquid metal.
And what forms they were! Though no human had seen a 'vatchii without the armor, there was enough speculation as to how they looked just by watching the troops. They were biped, standing well over two-meters tall. They had long necks and long tails; large thighs that tapered to graceful extremities and digitgrade feet, that is, they walked on their toes. Their heads, always covered with full helmets of shiny black, were apparently wedge-shaped. The artists' conceptions were just about all the same, too, they looked like dinosaurs.
Soon enough, the H'zitvatchii began seizing the centers of government and city services in the three major cities on Ferressta, including Kytha. Audio, video, and cyber services were suspended, though the power grids and water systems were left on. Then the inevitable announcement came that all humans were to be "peacefully relocated" to their homeworld.
Well, call me obstinate, but I wasn't going to be relocated anywhere! I was born and raised here on Ferressta, my parents and grandparents were buried here, and I was not about to be lead by the short-hairs back to smelly, dirty, overpopulated Earth! I would rather die first!
Well, maybe not first, but it was definitely a last resort!
So before the city was sealed-off, I packed a few survival items and joined-up with some others that were going to hide in the Kholter Mountains west of the city. I may have been just a crop production analyst (as were half the population of Ferressta, this being a primarily agricultural planet), and not too experienced in wilderness survival, but I was determined to show this seemingly unstoppable force that had so humbled humanity that individually, we can and will stand against them...
At least until we were captured, killed, or died of exposure!
We hid in the mountains for weeks and watched as a steady procession of dark, blossom-shaped ships flew overhead, part of the convoy that would carry the two hundred thousand humans of Ferressta back to Earth in disgrace. It was depressing to watch as each ebony blossom that ascended meant man's dream to conquer the stars died a little bit more. Man had come so far in the three hundred years since he first landed on the moon, now he was being taken backward by a much more powerful race that just didn't seem to care that they were slowly crushing the will of an entire species.
As time passed, the 'Vatchii began sending patrols into the wilderness surrounding the cities, presuming correctly that some of us were not ready to leave so willingly. They had scanners capable of locating humans by their unique bioelectric patterns. We tried our best to avoid them, but one-by-one, the members of my little band was captured until I was the only one left.
For quite a while I was able to avoid the patrols until one day, when I was caught in the middle of relieving myself against a tree.
Now they had me, short hairs and all.
The two soldiers escorted my between the larger bodies to a black, open-air armored personnel carrier and gestured me inside. They never once talked (at least in a language I could hear), and when they touched me, it was very gently, to guide me in the direction they wanted me to go, though judging by their sizes, they could have just as easily ripped me apart, so naturally, I went along peacefully. Despite my earlier bravado, reality was setting in on me and it looked for all intents and purposes I would soon be on a transport bound for Earth.
Damn!
The a.p.c. glided smoothly and silently back into Klytha. I was expecting a ghost town, complete with the odd scraps of paper wafting through the streets, but the city was busy and immaculate! Most of the apartment blocks were dark, but many of the large downtown shopping centers were indeed open-and populated with H'zitvatchii! Apparently, they were acquiring the souvenirs of a conquered race to take home and show their families. The thought of having my people's belongings plundered like this made me sick to my stomach.
In history classes I had learned about the great colonial powers that plied the watery vastness of earth's oceans, nearly a thousand years ago now, and how their explorers plundered the wealth of other civilizations unprepared to meet them at their shores and on the battlefield. Now I am beginning to understand how those peoples must have felt.
Still, perhaps I should have counted myself among the lucky few to see the aliens without their total body armor. Indeed, they did look like dinosaurs or lizards of some kind, though I was not that familiar with terran herpetology. They were tall and graceful-looking creatures whose bodies were either green, tan, or black with black stripes (the black ones had yellow stripes, making them look all the more stunning).
They has slender limbs aside from their thighs of large rippling muscles, and webbed feet larger than I would think fit comfortably into the narrow boots of their battle armor. They had claws on their hands that seemed very short for their thickness as I figured they kept them filed-down for easier manipulation of control boards. Their feet, however, had longer claws; often painted bright colors. They didn't wear clothing per se, but they seemed to enjoy tying brightly-colored scarves around their long, slender necks, tails, arms and legs.
As the APC passed some close, one of the creatures looked directly at me. I stared back in amazement. It had huge blue eyes that seemed to be the color of the sky just after sunrise; each blue orb bisected by a black crescent pupil. The snout tapered gracefully from the walnut-shaped cranium to form a blunt, upturned nose with a nostril slit on either side. It looked almost "cute".
As I moved away from the 'Vatchii, it flicked a bright-yellow forked tongue out at me, as if to taste the air that I had passed through moments before.
These creatures were beautiful, I thought. But then reality bit me on the anus again as yet another huge, black, blossom-shape soared overhead; I was a human, and I was in their way.
Part Two
To my surprise, the APC passed the concourse that led to the spaceport and continued to glide into the tall buildings of the downtown sector. Even before the H'zitvatchii came, I had only been here twice before in my life, content to live in the suburbs, but many was the night I would stand on the balcony of my apartment and stare at the lights of the conical skyscrapers awash in greens and ambers. I looked up at the buildings of silvery glass that reflected the clouds as they passed by and couldn't help to be impressed, but only for a moment, for I knew those high-rise buildings were built by a species that meant nothing to the beings occupying them now. To them, they were just crude, temporary shelters to be used until they could build their own even-more-respondent cities and ground man's works into the dust beneath their taloned feet.
The APC came to a halt in front of the Civic Services Building. Oddly, everything looked normal; the twin fountains in the courtyard propelling streams of water nearly a hundred feet into the air, bathing the soft, azurgrass in a cool, gentle, dewy mist. Yes, everything looked normal, save for the fact that where there once humans scampered tall sleek reptiles dressed in colorful scarves and carrying all manner of accessories. The fluidity of their movements as the went on their errands was almost hypnotic to me, They were so-
No! I shook my head to clear my thoughts, they cannot be that!
The two soldiers that captured me then led me inside the building; having to duck as they entered. The lobby was cluttered with items I recognized as human manufacture and items definitely alien. The 'Vatchii were obviously replacing the equipment with their own. They scurried and moved with determination, claws clicking on the cerrulite floor tiles. Some turned to look at the apparently unusual site of two fully-armored soldiers and one grizzled-looking human in their midsts, but none offered more that a cursory glance as they went their way.
It was here, in this enclosed space, that I was able to hear their speech; a series of rapid chiprs, clicks, peeps, squeeks, and vocal coughs that at once sounded like a meaningless cacophony, but when I concentrated, could hear the music of a language perhaps far more expressive than mine. It was indeed a beautiful language.
Again, I had to remind myself that these creatures were the enemy! They came here and stole our world, like they stole a hundred other worlds that once belonged to man. How could I feel anything else but hate for these creatures?
I was led to a bank of elevators. One of the soldiers got in with me while the other one got into an adjacent lift. One of the only times the H'zitvatchii looked remotely undignified is when they were forced to negotiate a human-sized doorway. It was almost comical, but sharing that confined elevator car with a creature nearly twice my height, at least twice as long, armored from head-to-tailtip, and carrying a sidearm the size of my own arm were tense moments. Then, the soldier lightly rested a guantletted hand on my shoulder and patted my gently, as if to reassure me. This was strange! How could a species that was methodically swatting man out of the stars be so-so gentle as individuals?
The elevator opened and we were met by the other soldier who's lift arrived just before ours. I was lead into a large, comfortable-looking room of overstuffed furniture and a large window overlooking downtown Kytha and offering a spectacular view of the Kholter Mountains, where but a few hours earlier I was still free.
Then the soldiers left the room and I was alone.
After a few moments of shock and disorientation, I began to search the room for anything that might help me in an escape attempt. Then it began to sink into me that even if could somehow get out on the street, I would be rather conspicuous and it would not be likely I would find an ally to help me. I had not seen another human since I was captured. As far as I know, I am the last human on Ferressta.
I was startled by a voice coming from a speaker in the ceiling. It spoke to me slowly and deliberately in my own language:
"Greetings, human, I hope your travel here was not distressful..."
Other then the fact I am a prisoner, I thought scornfully.
"You will be well treated while in our company. No harm will come to you if you cooperate."
I've heard that one before, too, just as the safeties are coming off.
"You have been selected for an audience with the Relocation Supervisor. You will be given the opportunity to bathe as is your custom, and make yourself presentable as a representative of your race. This is not compulsory, but would be appreciated."
As if I'm going to say "hi, y'all" looking and smelling like a nuutha furtrapper from Calyx IV!
"You have one time period as designated by your kind as one hour. Should you need more time to prepare yourself, please ask and it shall be considered."
How nice! The voice sounded artificial, perhaps some sort of translating device, but was very smooth-sounding.
"Please indicate that this arrangement is acceptable to you by saying, 'I accept'."
A lot of things went through my mind to say at that moment, most of them involving explicatives I haven't used since thirdschool! But for some reason, my defiance was waning. I was tired and I smelled like a rotting grazer corpse. That, and the fact that it had been repeatedly confirmed that the 'Vatchii had always treated their human prisoners humanely drained me of my resistance. At worst, I would be on a H'zitvatchii transport to Earth by the end of the day; might as well start-off clean!
"I accept!" I said.
"Excellent! Behind the door to your left you will find human bathing facilities. If you have any questions or any problems, just ask."
I smirked, "How 'bout you all go home and leave us humans alone?"
The speaker was quiet for a moment.
"We will not honor your request. Please restrict your questions to your immediate personal needs."
I stared at the speaker. No doubt there was one and probably several more snoopcams focused on me at this moment. Then, out of frustration, I asked:
"Why are you doing this?"
The speaker was quiet a bit longer than the first time.
"This question is not pertinent to your immediate personal need."
"It goddamn is pertinent! What are you doing here? What have we done to you? Why don't you talk to us!"
I slammed a fist down on the back of a sofa, close to weeping. The speaker remained quiet for a long time.
"When you have recovered, please abide by your agreement and prepare yourself to meet the Relocation Supervisor. It will be to your benefit that you cooperate."
After a brief pause.
"Are you alright?"
I wasn't expecting that! The 'Vatchii on the other end of that fibr'optic cable actually seemed concerned. Strange behavior for a conquering race!
"I'll be OK. I just get a little bent-out-of-shape when my world's invaded by lizards!"
A strange sound came from the speaker, almost like a strange chattering sound.
"Please cooperate with us and you will be fine."
I nodded, sure I was being watched as well as listened to.
I undressed, bathed, and shaved the four-weeks growth off my face and did feel much better, at least physically. I discovered my clothes were missing, taken while I was in the shower. There was an orange jumpsuit in the closet and nothing else, not even shoes. Apparently this was to be my outfit for my audience with the high mokey-moke running the show here. I put it on and is fit snugly, but well.
When I went back to the main room, the speaker voice spoke again.
"If you are ready, the Relocation Supervisor shall see you now. Please conduct yourself respectfully and honorably as a representative of your race."
I replied, "I'm ready."
At once, the door slid open and a guard entered. The guard was not clad in the full-body armor, but in a sheer, metallic bodysock that covered its torso from its neck down to the base of its tail. It had a small metal probe in one hand, apparently a defensive weapon of some kind. It had a broad armband around its wrists with small metal cubes on the upper side. There was a silver stud affixed between its huge blue eyes, probably a rank insignia. Aside from that, the 'Vatchii wore nothing else. It was a stunning creature.
The guard gestured me to follow him. Barefoot, I padded down the carpeted corridor. There were other 'Vatchii on the floor going to and fro'. I saw two in a corner across from the elevators standing very close to each other; they were nuzzling! Again, not the kind of behavior I expected from invaders and ruthless conquerors.
Part Three
The guard escorted me down the hallway to the end of it, where there was a large wooden door. It was the entrance to what was the mayor's office before the coming of the 'Vatchii. He recognized the door from numerous newscasts conducted right where he was standing. The mayors scandals seemed petty and insignificant compared to what was going on behind that door now!
I began to shiver a bit. Not from the cold, but from the prospect of being [requested] by the Lizard-In-Charge of this planet. I wasn't afraid, just very unsettled.
The guard tapped at his wristband with a claw and chirped into it. A second later, the door slid open. "She will sssee you now," the guard hissed, "conduct your ssself respectfully." It was dimly-lit inside and a rush of warm, spicy-scented air wafted out. The guard gently pushed on my shoulder blades and I stepped in. She?
The door closed behind me.
It took my eyes a few moments to adjust to the dim, blueish light of the office. The air was thick and humid, and the spicy scents were just boarding on nausiating; not that the smell was foul, but there was just so much of it! I took a step deeper into the office and looked around.
All the human furniture was gone. There were items of reclining comfort built for a creature far larger than he. Other alien devices ringed the wall, aolong with strange glowing panels mounted on the walls portraying a strange, lush environmnent. Pictures of their homeworld?
"It is a beautiful place," a soft, hissy voice issued from behind.
I spun around and saw a tall, sleek creature standing right in front of me. Panicked, I stumbled back a few paces, almost falling over. I heard a soft rumbing sound issue from the creature. She spoke again.
"For a warmblood that managed to elude us for so long, not so agile you appear now."
I regained my balance and stood as tall and straight as I could. I strained to see my host, and could only see a light-colored shadow.
"Do not be afraid of me. You are safe"
I replied, "I don't feel safe when I can't see you."
The 'Vatchii said, "Yes, the visual acuity of your species is somewhat lacking."
I saw a motion from the shadow and the lights came up. Then I saw the 'Vatchii clearly. Her skin was a milky golden-yellow color with thin black stripes across her back and ringing its tail. Like all the other of her kind I have seen, she had deep blue eyes. her tail was curled around one of her hindlegs. Her toeclaws were also painted gold to match her skin. She was a beautiful creature, and the fact that she was a female made me feel even more uneasy.
"Is that more to your liking?"
I could only nod as I gazed at the graceful reptile, not accepting I could be so fascinated by her form.
"I have chosen to speak to you because you are the last human remaining on this planet, and I desired to speak with you before you were sent to your homeworld.
"I am the Relocation Supervisor. You could not pronounce my personal name. I am responsible to see to the safe relocation of all humans on this planet to their homeworld."
Almost as if to defy my own feeling for the creature, I screwed-up my courage.
"Don't you mean the Overseer of forcefully removing the rightful residence of this world?"
The 'Vatchii padded up to me in one, quick, fluid motion and glared into my eyes, sending a shudder down my back. I lowered my eyes and could see flashes of her slender gold/black tail swishing slowly between her reptilian legs. No, I thought, she is an alien! this is not right.
"You-should be more respectful of me. Would you address the former resident of this office in that manner? The one you called, 'mayor'?"
I smirked and said, "Well, he really wasn't that respected in the first place."
"Is that not a conundrum with humans? The very members of your society that deserve your respect often receive the least." the reptile's teeth chattered lightly. I heard this before when I made that remark about their invasion. Could that be their version of laughter? The very thought that these ruthless creatures could be capable of laughter disturbed me deeply. After all, this was the alien scourge that was stripping humans of all their stellar holdings, yet they seemed to have more humanity than I could believe. I wanted to hate them! But I was finding it more difficult with each passing minute.
I spoke, "You speak our language well."
"It takes patience to learn. Much effort to speak. All sound is your speech. But is not that hard to learn. I am rather good at languages. I suppose that's why I am here." The 'Vatchii parted its snout in a toothy grin.
Speechless, I could only nod.
The Supervisor nodded and stepped away from me, talking as she went, "You raised some questions when you were in the other office. 'Why are we doing this?' Well, why should I tell you?"
"Because you are doing this to us!" I replied, a bit more loudly than I had planned, "You destroy our ships, evict us from worlds we have settled for centuries, kill us-"
"We do not kill you, you kill yourselves by opposing us!" The supervisor raised her silky voice a bit. "We would do this without the loss of life if we could. It is you who put yourselves in harm's way!"
"We are only defending our worlds."
"You HAVE no worlds! Only one world; the world of your origin."
"We-we landed on those worlds. We were the first there. We had a right-" I was frustrated. not being a politician, how could I hope to formulate an argument about the right for humans to colonize other planets?
The 'Vatchii cocked her head and softened her expression, almost sympathetically. "Our motives are complicated. All I can tell you is we have been appointed guardians of all the sentient species of this sector of space, and it is our responsibility to see to their welfare. Humans are part of our charge, and we must act on their behalf."
"By forcing us back to earth?"
"Humans are not ready for the responsibility of colonization. When you tame a world, you must do it carefully with respect for all life upon it, sentient or no. Without knowing it, you already have corrupted several proto-sentient species on other planets you have infested. They may never recover. We really had no choice."
I shook my head, not quite grasping what the 'Vatchii said. "You mean, because we make a few mistakes-"
"It's much more than that. Humans were about to expand their influence to many worlds where there are sentient species not unlike your own. You are not ready to be responsible for their development. We had to send you back until you are ready. When you are, we will come for you and will guide you back to the stars."
"And when is this?"
"When your species has matured a little more."
I smirked, "Like having the technology of interstellar space travel isn't enough?"
"That knowledge is a trivial thing, warmblood! Your people could have had it long before you did if you applied yourselves to your science as you do to your wars and disputes over beliefs.
"Yours is a race of great potential. Until you learn how to harness that potential and control your primitive impulses, you will not be ready for the stars. Your power is but an illusion. It is our responsibility to shatter that illusion and replace it with the truth."
"But we haven't had a war in nearly-uh-twenty years!" I struggle to think if there was one I missed.
"Hmmm...." The 'Vatchii leaned close to my face; I could feel her cool breath against my chin. "So you think your race is mature?"
I regarded the large reptile standing so close, causing my skin to tingle with her very presence. How could this creature be affecting me like this? I smiled and said something I didn't expect. "I-think we can hold our own!"
With those words, the 'Vatchii eyes went wide, "Do you now! Well, let's see how mature you are!"
Before I could react, she was upon me. She knocked me to the floor and pinned my with her arms. No matter how I struggled, I was trapped! The 'Vatchii then pinned my legs with her own. Even through the jumpsuit I could feel the texture of her reptilian skin.
"Ok, so you're stronger than me," I said in a breathy voice, "Lots of creatures are stronger than humans. I know of some that are stronger than you! That doesn't make them better!"
The 'Vatchii rumbled softly, "This is not the lesson you shall learn today, warmblood!" She traced a fingerclaw over my chest and hooked it on the key to the front fastener. With one effortless, fluid motion, she pulled the fastener key down the front of my chest to the base of the seam. She parted the material and grasped the collar, pulling my face up to her snout. She whispered. "I know you have feelings for me, warmblood. I can smell your pheromones. Tell me, would not a mature species be able to control these feelings?"
I gasped and searched desperately for a plausible argument of denial. "I-I have no idea what you are talking about!"
"You know, you do not want to accept it!" The H'zitvatchii brought her snout close to my lips. I felt something cool and slick swipe at them; it was her tongue! I tried my best to look disgusted, but deep inside I was already losing the battle. She continued.
"Until humans are ready to openly admit that they are still sentient beasts, they will not be able to take the next step in their evolution."
She jerked the jumpsuit off my shoulders and then licked my neck.
"Oh, there is nothing wrong with being a sentient beast. In fact, humans are the closest to true species maturity of any of the races under our aegis."
The 'Vatchii rose to her feet and lifted me up. The jumpsuit fell from my waist and became a pile of orange material at my feet. I now stood naked before the stunning reptilian creature, no longer offering resistance.
She said, "however, if you were a truly mature species, then what I am about to do to you would mean nothing!"
I felt a cold shiver down my back, "W-what are you going to do?"
The 'Vatchii pressed her belly against my chest and put her hands under my arms, preparing to lift me.
"Warmblood, I am going to release the beast inside you! You do not know how close to the surface it dwells."
The 'Vatchii lifted me up effortlessly and carried me over to one of the massive couches installed by her workers. She laid me down on it. I no longer even offered the pretence of resistance.
She pressed her snout against my lips and forced her tongue into my mouth. I tasted her thick, salty saliva as she probed my oral cavity. While she did this, her hands roamed my body. She took my hands and placed them on her sides, inviting me to explore her body as well.
I ran my hands over her smooth, firm skin. It gave some, but it still felt much stronger and sturdier than human skin, yet so smooth as to feel almost wet.
Meanwhile, one of her hands had found my genitals. and her manipulations were beginning to take effect. How could I have believed this morning I would be doing this with my sworn enemy?
"Let it go, human!" the 'Vatchii whispered, "Be a beast again! You know I speak the truth!"
My penis firmed-up rapidly in her hands as she licked my face and neck, her breathing loud-almost snorting in sound. She rolled herself over on her back and spread her golden thighs. I saw it; the slit just above the base of her tail. the slit was oozing a thick, milky mucous and had a slightly spicy scent
I was irrevocably drawn to the source. I put my head between her cool, muscular thighs and sampled this reptilian, alien genital delicacy. I then crawled up over her belly until my engorged phallus was at the opening. I leaned forward and the glans slipped inside. I relaxed my hip muscles and my shaft sank smoothly into the 'Vatchii up to the hilt.
The 'Vatchii then embraced me, pressing my torso against hers as she stroked my legs with the soft toes of her webbed feet, being careful not to get her claws too close to my skin. She ran her feet down over my own and seizes them in her grasp. Meanwhile, her tailtip was caressing my back and slipping lower until it found my anal opening and slipped in, smooth and frictionless.
Then I felt her passage that was filled with me spasm and seize me, the muscles therein contracted and released in waves that were like the milking action of a hungry grazer calf. At the same time she was licking my face, mouth, hair, any part of my upper anatomy she could get her tongue on. The feeling was overwhelming!
Then, as she predicted, I surrendered to the beast within me and released my essence into her in powerful spasms beyond my control. Powerful expulsions of my seed were propelled into her as I thrust my hips against her golden reptilian body until I was drained and spent.
I slipped out and laid by her side, still holding myself against her, the full realization of what I had done still sinking into my post-orgasmic aura. She stroked me gently and spoke.
"Warmblood, if only your kind had proceeded with more caution and less impetuousness, there would not have been the need to send you back home like we have. Soon, my gentle human, soon you will be a great people.
"Though tonight I am glad you are not as yet!"
And as I drifted to sleep, I thought I heard her whisper:
"Yes, warmblood, I felt that, too!"
Epilogue:
As more and more cases of H'zitvatchii/human relationships became known and widespread, the Supreme Council of Intelligence Management on H'zit Prime re-evaluated their stand on human development. It became clear that to continue to declare humans a nonmature species would also be an indictment of their own race.
The action to remove humans from space was suspended and restitution was made to earth. With H'zitvatchii technology, earth soon re-established themselves in the stars, and under the guidance of the H'zitvatchii, humans learned to overcome their violent tendencies and redirect their emotions to more profitable pursuits-often in the arms of a willing sentient reptile!
