Binary Love (18+)

Stranger In A Strange Land

The shuttle was cramped, filled to the brim with fresh workers that were ready to start their five day shift. As they entered the atmosphere, everyone became quiet to listen to the the soft groan of metal. One by one, people began to strap themselves into their seat, or double check their fastenings.

Nova was tucked into a corner of the shuttle, overshadowed by her much larger companions. From the beginning of the journey she had made sure she was ready, cramming on her helmet and meticulously checking that her space suit was in working order. She now watched the others silently, her fingers gripping onto her harness until her knuckles ached. 

When they hit the first kinetic force entry barrier, she couldn't help but release a sharp yelp of discomfort. She had lived in space for the vast majority of her life, and had very rarely visited any planets, so had forgotten what atmospheric entry felt like on a small shuttle.

Luckily, it was over quickly. Once the difficult part of the descent was over, the shuttle smoothly coasted towards the main research base on the surface, the white buildings standing out against the clay coloured ground.

It was almost like a small village, made up of multiple domes that were connected with walkways. The overall structure was littered with solar panels and small wind turbines, powering all the technology inside. She could see various exploration vehicles parked neatly outside, inputted into their charging docks. Even though the land was not lush with greenery yet, the sky was beautiful, framing the three moons that hung low on the horizon. 

She could see why they had named it Arcadia.

Harou was sitting beside her, looking at the window as if hurtling from space was a mildly fun ride. He turned to face her, once he felt the weight of her gaze on him.

"As soon as we land we'll head for the tunnels. They'll be clear while they're changing shifts, so we should be able to search them without bringing too much attention." The deep timbre of his voice was dulled over the radio, removing some of the gravelly texture that was common to most lupus. 

"Understood, Sir." The ryujin to her right replied. His voice held a slight vibration to it - very similar to a soft croak from a frog.

Although most of his body was covered, Nova could see his face, and colouration, through the visor of his helmet. He had smooth black skin, dotted with vibrant yellow spots, kept moist by a mister embedded into the suit. The ryujin were amphibians, and needed to regularly get wet to stay healthy. 

The males always had the most beautiful patterns. Their skin was also glandular, often secreting potent aphrodisiacs to attract a mate, which made them highly sought after in the sex trade. Nova had often received custom ryujin order requests, as she was one of the few that could synthesise a chemical similar to their pheromones. It was not nearly as intense, but even a watered down version was apparently enough. Berkley had told her that once, in the Gamma Quadrant, several males had been used as a catalyst for a giant orgy. The tale had triggered a wave of interest, and was hence why they became so popular.

Nova's staring had caught his attention, and with a wink, he returned what he had believed to be interest. An intense croak echoed in her earpiece, signalling an offer. Ryujin males were known for being very free with their affections, likely stemming from having to compete during their mating seasons. Feeling a blush rise to her cheeks, Nova hastily looked away, flustered by the situation.

"Leave her alone, Itsuki. She's not interested." Harou's command was followed by a chuckle, obviously not too concerned with the man's behaviour. Nova supposed that if he felt like the ryujin would be a bother, he wouldn't have trusted him enough to bring him along. Sure enough, Isuki gave her more space, not at all bothered by being turned away.