Chapter 6 Tristan
It's been nearly a month since I crashed on Tenelor, the planet of the Thallan.
I've been basically the pet and science experiment of this one Thallan, Varn'lac, since then.
Not that I ever intend to tell him, but it's been some of the most fun and relaxing time I've ever had in my life.
He's always very open to telling me what he's working on, and the experiments often involve or end in sex.
Wrapped in a fluffy robe—because this entire planet is constantly a bit too cold—I make my way to the lab.
It's pretty normal for Varn'lac to work late or get up early.
He gets more wrapped up in his research than I did with mine.
The only times I would get this absorbed was when stopping work might mean catastrophic engine failure.
"Varn'lac?" I call into the lab. I don't see him in here. I walk around to see if he's asleep at his computer or something. Wouldn't be the first time. For how big and predatory he seemed when I met him, he's actually just a giant dork. He's not here. This is weird.
"I said: Get the off of my property!" That's Varn'lac's voice. I've never heard him yell before, no matter how hard I've tried to get under his skin. I creep towards the door that connects the lab to the outside.
"You promised me an omega, Noramselin!" The second voice is deep and feral. More so than Varn'lac's.
"I promised I would sell you one if I found one matched to you."
I crack the door to get a look at who Varn'lac's talking to.
Despite his bigger, deeper voice, the other Thallan is actually smaller than Varn'lac by almost a whole foot.
He's got the same blue-grey skin, but it's a little lighter than Varn'lac's, and his eyes are more orange than yellow.
Much like when I first met Varn'lac, this one is shirtless with only a pair of brown pants on.
Is this just how Thallan dress? I guess it might be easier with all the tentacles.
Varn'lac has his lab coat on, but he doesn't wear a shirt otherwise either.
The orange eyes of the other Thallan fall on me, despite the fact that I've only barely cracked the door. "You do have an unsold omega here!" He tries to push past Varn'lac and my blood runs cold.
Varn'lac grabs the other guy's arm and throws him back away from the door. "That one's match has been found, and it is not you."
"I don't care about a match! I want an omega! Every alpha in my circle has one except me. I don't need a match, just an omega! Sell me that one!" He tries to push past Varn'lac again.
Varn'lac throws him back hard enough that he lands on his ass. I stifle a laugh. "If that's your attitude, Bart'ken, then I suggest you seek the services of a different hunter. But I will not let you lay your hands on that omega, or any omega I turn that you are not matched with."
"I should report you to the council!" The other guy gets back up to continue arguing. I can see his hover-car parked near the garage. If he's going to be an ass, I can make him pay.
I shut the door and head toward the garage.
I can still vaguely hear the shouting, but only from the other guy.
Varn'lac isn't shouting anymore, and something about that is even more terrifying.
I find a few tools and slip out of the side door of the garage and make my way to the asshole's hover car.
I glance over to where the arguing is happening. The asshole is focused on Varn'lac. I slip under the car and pull the cooling component out. Without it, the hover car will overheat before he reaches the city, but far enough from here to not be a problem for Varn'lac.
I slip out and back into the garage before the arguing is over. It takes another few exchanges before the asshole leaves. I meet up with Varn'lac in the lab. He looks angrier than I've ever seen him. His shoulders relax slightly when he looks at me though.
"What did you do?" he asks.
I'm struggling to suppress my smile, trying to look innocent. "I don't know what you're talking about."
He crosses his arms, a pointy-toothed smile spreading across his face. "Then what's in your pocket?"
I pull the small cooling component out of my robe pocket. "Oh this? Just that asshole's cooling component. I figured his car should be as overheated as he is."
Varn'lac laughs, the rest of the tension seeming to melt away.
It's as wild and feral a sound as always, but I've grown to like it, and it's a way better sound than when he was shouting.
"You're significantly more trouble than you look.
Really, I'm doing Bart'ken a favour by not letting him have you. "
"I'd be worried about him getting any omega, matched or not." I glance down. I don't really want to get involved in the shadier side of his business, but I can't imagine any omega being treated well by Bart'ken.
Varn'lac sighs. "I know. The only assurance I can offer is that I will not sell him an omega that isn't a match, and I can put out a notice to other omega hunters. A matched omega however will change him."
"How can you be so sure about that?"
He smiles. "Personal experience. And data." He grabs a nearby tablet, opening one of the study libraries, and hands it to me. The data definitely supports what he's talking about. Both in reports of behaviour and in measurements of hormone levels. Omegas soften alphas to a measurable degree.
"The data is reassuring," I admit. "I'm still not really on-board with all of you forcing humans into being omegas and selling them to other alphas. It's all really shady."
He shrugs. "It's a living."
"You're brilliant, I don't get why you do this.
" I keep scrolling through the different Thallan physiology studies and data.
I haven't seen this information before. Apparently the reason his touch feels cold to me is that Thallan base body temperature is several degrees cooler than humans' due to the colder environment they evolved in.
"It's important to my culture."
I look up from the tablet. "Did you ever consider asking?"
He frowns at me. "Would you have agreed?"
"All of my needs met, no concerns about money or the pirate gang, hot alien who fucks me better than I've ever been fucked in my life…
it would have been a longer conversation given the circumstances, but yeah, I'd have probably agreed once you'd explained it.
" It's a good deal for most people. They could probably set up actual systems and contracts and things to be able to do it officially and legally, and get more volunteers than they expect.
"I've never considered that…" He taps his sharp chin for a moment.
"I think you'd get more people wanting to be omegas than you get from random ship crashes and lost travellers, and you could potentially do it legally and stuff.
" I shrug, returning my attention to the study I was reading about Thallan tentacles.
Alphas have four tentacles, betas have two, and omegas had none.
"I have some contacts on the council. I'll see if that's something we can get started."
"Good. With that sorted, this says your tentacles can emit low levels of electricity?" I look up from the tablet again.
He laughs. "That's a sharp change of subject, but yes." He reaches a tentacle towards my hand and I feel the tingling zap of electricity.
"That… that has possibilities." My face gets hot thinking about it.
All four of Varn'lac's yellow eyes widen for a moment.
Then a wide smile breaks across his face.
"Is that so? Certainly opens up new avenues of testing.
" He closes the distance and pulls the tie of my robe open.
Two of his tentacles slide along my skin under my robe.
They're cold and slimy and the touch is making the fire in my core flare up.
The tentacle wrapping round my chest discharges a mild shock.
"Oh fuck.." I grip the front of Varn'lac's lab coat to stay upright as heat tears through my body in response to the shock.
The one wound around my leg discharges next and I'm already shaking.
I knew I'd enjoy it, but this is more intense than I expected.
Suddenly his tentacles pull away from me. "This is dangerous. I'm already heated from that argument, and the sounds and faces you're making are making me want to break you."
"So break me." The words leave my mouth before my brain has caught up. I don't want to take it back though.
"You don't know what you're saying. I have work to do." He turns on his heel and goes to his computer.
Fuck. I'm so horny now. I close my robe over my overheated skin and erect cock. I take the tablet with me as I go back to the bedroom. At least I can keep reading these studies until he's gotten over himself enough to fuck me.