Jack's True Calling

Elissa beamed him a wide smile. "Exactly my point. Sometimes the chemicals need a catalyst to get them to react. Jack, you're a very reliable catalyst. I think you should be involved."

"Oh... well, uh, I suppose I could," he muttered.

Elissa nodded. "It's settled then. Could I ask you to get that organized?"

He blinked at her as he heard a dismissal in her request. "Sure. OK."

Jack left the office wondering what just happened. He thought he'd be delivering her something to get her mind off the looming crisis with the Phem Kalos and instead he was walking out with another project.

How did she do that?

Chapter 7

Five days later Jack found himself leading a group of twelve Altarian volunteers through a Gate with a special guest at his side. He wasn't sure of the wisdom of bringing such a newbie and homebody with him on a field mission but Diana had begged to join him ever since he'd gotten back from Elissa's office with the mission ball in his court.

They were only going to be visiting for five days and it was a meet and greet so they weren't going to be doing anything too physically strenuous. He grinned as he knew he should be giving Diana more credit as she worked out regularly in the building's gym. She wasn't a couch potato by any stretch but her endurance and cardio could probably be better.

Due to her formidable chest proportions Diana hoped she wouldn't be doing any running. She'd brought her sports bra but wasn't looking forward to putting it on. For now, she was wearing one of her Altarian gowns and aside from looking nothing like an Altarian, she fit right in.

They'd been assured that the sun's higher energy output would not harm them for the limited time they would be there.

The group's limited baggage had been sent through in advance and had been delivered to their final destinations.

As they arrived on the other side of the Gate, their guides, Dann and Juul, rushed forward to meet them, grinning excitedly.

"Welcome to Harruusha!" Dann gushed. His eyes first went to Jack's horns then to Diana's breasts and widened in surprise.

Jack nodded to Dann as he watched Diana's expression which was priceless. Oh yeah, the old fantasy was alive and well. She was gaping at Dann without saying anything so he touched her arm and she jolted. "Hello!" she blurted as her face flushed pink.

Juul giggled at Diana's wide-eyed look then she glanced to Jack.

"May I introduce my very good friend and mother of one of my children, Diana Haven." Dann reached his hand towards Diana, palm forward and fingers pointing skyward. Jack showed her how to touch palms then she did it with Juul as well.

"We were so excited when you contacted us to take this first step!" Juul said to Jack with twinkling eyes.

Jack nodded then introduced the remaining members of their party. They came from all walks of life on Altaria. Most impressive to Jack was the presence of a male. When they'd met on the Altarian side of the Gate, Jack had recognized the diminutive male immediately. Numell had taken control of his life after his last meeting with Jack outrunning the falling GowGow tree. He now had a job! He worked for a courier company delivering packages and his confidence had picked up significantly. He didn't have many male friends but his female ones compensated for that quite well.

The goal would be to integrate the Altarians into the lives of Harruushans working similar occupations so they would have that commonality to begin with. Jack and Diana would visit each periodically over the next five days to get status updates and just generally see how they were getting along. It wasn't a hugely scientific experiment but Jack thought it might get them some understanding of each other.

Dann and Juul had taken the listing of occupations and had found matches within their local community willing to take in a visitor. The Altarian would live with the host for the five days. If all went well, they would plan a visit for the Harruushans on Altaria.

Jack saw the group of locals enter the chamber. The Harruushan diplomats passed each before Jack and Diana to touch palms and gawk politely at each other.

There was a variety of heights but most had the sleek and slim muscles of the diplomats. The range seemed to be from 5' 8" to 6' 8", minus their ears of course which rose skyward another two feet at least.

One of the shorter Harruushans brought up the end of the line and stopped before Jack. "You two aren't Altarian," the female blurted.

While the coloring of their fur was largely uniform Jack spotted differences in the face shape, eye shape and color, body proportions, and patterns within their ears that gave each their individuality. This female had intensely blue eyes and a flattened nose with a slight overbite. Jack thought she was definitely cute.

"No, Diana here is Human while I'm a mix of Human and Altarian. We both live on Altaria though," he responded.

The group made happy noises as this was proof that the Altarians weren't averse to hosting other races. A positive sign already.

Dann got the show going by calling out names from Jack's list. As each was called they were paired up with their counterpart on the Harruushan side. Once this was complete each waved to Jack, Diana, Dann and Juul and made their way outside. Finally, it was just the four of them.

"You two are with us. We'll give you a tour of the city tomorrow and the following day we'll begin visiting the others. Does that sound good?" Dann asked. Jack and Diana nodded and smiled.

"Dann and I have an apartment right in the center of the city as it's close to where we work at the new Embassy building," Juul explained.

"Outgrew the old office?" Diana asked.

Dann smiled. "No, the office is new because we never had one before. We set up the embassy about seven years ago and have been visiting other planets on a regular basis since then trying to find someone willing to hear our case." He gave them an embarrassed look. "Earth refused to speak with us," he said awkwardly.

Jack nodded. "Don't feel bad. They refuse everyone. They're an insular bunch. They don't get along with each other much less people from off planet. Truthfully, they aren't all bad but in mobs? Not so civilized."

"You two must be those exceptions!" Juul said with a grin.

Diana grinned happily at her. They left the Gate Terminal and walked into... jungle.

Seeing their confusion, Dann smiled. "The Terminal is on the outer edge of Ghan, our capitol city. Most of the planet is covered by growth like this. It makes for difficult ground travel and when the Tully still existed it gave them cover to attack us from."

Diana looked at the dense jungle around them with trepidation. "The Tully are extinct?"

Dann nodded. "Long gone! There are still dangers in the jungle but the apex predators were wiped out. Every last one. Our people also clear the jungles around the cities and towns of most of the dangers in case the children get out and go exploring."

"Do you two have children?" Diana asked.

Juul and Dann burst into laughter. The male touched Diana's arm. "I'm sorry, we should have said from the beginning. We're siblings."

Diana flushed a bright pink in embarrassment but Jack just gave her a quick hug and smiled at her.

"I'm so sorry," Diana said with a smile as she waved at her face to cool her flushed cheeks.

"How do you do that?" Juul said looking closely at Diana's face. "How do you change color?"

Jack grinned as Diana was too flustered to speak. "It's an automatic reaction Humans have for certain emotions or intense sensations. A temporary rush of blood to the skin of the face or neck. It's called blushing when it is tied to embarrassment. Diana doesn't have any real reason to feel that way but she's nervous about traveling to new worlds and meeting new people and cultures."

"You haven't visited any other planets in the Gate Network?" Dann asked.

Juul was touching Diana's cheek to feel the heat, with her permission of course. Juul's eyes widened as she felt how warm it got. Dann looked for permission to touch as well and Diana nodded timidly. The male touched Diana's cheek and Jack saw her nostrils flare and her lashes flutter at the feel of the soft finger pads. Dann seemed a little dazzled by Diana's soft, bare skin. His eyes dropped to her tits once more and widened as he saw the obvious projections under Diana's gown.

Jack stepped in before things got awkward out here in front of the Terminal building. "So how long a walk is it to get to the city center from here?"

Dann's eyes snapped to Jack as he realized he was staring rudely. He relaxed when he saw Jack wasn't acting jealous. "It's too far to walk so we will take the underground transport. Oh! Are you claustrophobic? Are you ok in crowds?"

"I'm good. Diana should be ok as well," Jack offered.

"Good, it's this way," Juul said. She and Dann led the way.

As he followed, Jack put his arm behind Diana's back to guide her forward and to make it easier to whisper to her. "Are you ok?"

Her eyes flashed up to his. "Am I making a fool of myself?"

"Not at all. I know what to look for so I can see how much you're affected by their touch," he replied with a gentle smile.

She caught his expression and a slight smile appeared on her lips as well. "So much better than the cartoon!"

Jack snorted quietly and they continued on.

The jungle was quickly reduced to well-groomed and artistically shaped and placed flowers and vines in planters... everywhere. While the volume of foliage definitely decreased it was very much part of every structure. Out here on the outskirts of the city, the buildings all seemed to be low rise, single or dual level dwellings. They saw children, large groups of them, running here and there around the yards of the homes. These groups caught Jack's eye and he had to smile, thinking of his own kids at home. Dann and Juul waved to the watching parents and to the kids as they led the way through the neighborhood.

"Suburbia," Jack said to himself but Diana heard and grinned with a nod.

Juul's ears were pointing in his direction and must have caught that as she looked back at Jack curiously. "What is 'suburbia'?"

Jack gestured all around them. "It's a term we use to refer to the expanse of family dwellings and sprawling village like developments on the outskirts of our own cities."

"Oh! Yes, we have a lot of that!" Dann nodded with a grin. "Many don't like living within the center of the city."

They passed a school with an enormous play field which made sense considering the physical needs of the kids with so much energy to burn off. Jack filed that information away for later discussion with Queen Elissa.

He looked to Dann. "Is there a reason you placed your Gate Terminal so far outside the core of the city?"

Dann looked back at him with a wince. "There was no available space in the core when the Tik found our planet and offered us a Gate. We have two terminals. The one we came through is for people. The cargo Gate is on the northern edge of the city. It's less populated there. We're on the eastern side of the city and here is the underground transport terminal."

They went through the doors of another low rise building covered with flower boxes, then across a wide lobby to a bank of elevators.

They stepped into a car and moved to the back as seven more Harruushans crowded in. Diana peeped in surprise at the tight quarters but smiled to their hosts to show them she was ok.

"Bend your knees and brace yourself," Juul said in warning as an afterthought.

The floor seemed to drop away.

Diana gave a little scream and Jack wrapped his arm around her as she clung to him. "Bend your knees," he said calmly as he held her eyes. She calmed then their weight came back quickly and then some. For the Harruushan's long spring-like legs this was nothing but Jack grunted with the extra load he was carrying.

Front and rear doors opened and they moved with the flow to allow the next group who would use it to get to the surface.

Jack was attracting loads of attention from the other travelers but he was used to that.

Diana was wobbly and drew concerned looks from their guides.

"Are you well?" Dann asked Diana who just nodded.

"Our elevators move at a much slower pace with no free fall." Jack explained.

"Our apologies! The elevators are set to the most expedient speeds to manage the flow of our people."

"It's fine. I was just surprised," Diana explained.

They moved on to the platform which was beginning to fill. "We want the R28ALN," Juul said looking at a large display on the wall. "Tunnel twelve! It's almost arrived! Let's hurry! Follow!"

The Harruushans surged forward and Jack took Diana's hand to help her keep up. Her other arm was wrapped across her chest. Dann looked back then immediately moved to Diana's side. "May I?" he asked. Jack looked at him curiously as Diana nodded. Then she was up in the tall diplomat's arms and he was racing after his sister. Jack grinned and put on a burst of speed to keep up. There were a lot of travelers in the passage but they seemed to know where to walk or run to avoid collisions. Then Jack noticed their ears twisting and turning constantly. They must be getting locational updates. He was at a distinct disadvantage here.

Tunnel twelve was a good distance down the corridor but they finally arrived and dipped through the entrance to arrive at the platform just as the train pulled into the station. The platform was packed as Juul and Dann stopped at the back of the crowd. The male set Diana down on her feet and she clung to him for a second as she wobbled, pressing her tits against him. Jack saw Dann's ears tremble and Juul chuckled at her brother's excited state.

The doors opened and the crowd surged forward. Their group followed and just managed to squeeze in before the doors closed behind them. Diana was once more pressed up against Dann's chest and Jack was squeezed up against her back. Juul was pressed against Jack and Diana's side. There was barely room to breathe much less move.

"Oh! Your face is changing colors again!" Juul said quietly in delight.

Jack snorted gently and glanced out the window to see the tunnel lights flashing past rapidly. The train was already moving. He hadn't felt anything.

"Inertial dampeners?" he asked Dann around Diana's head.

"Yes, can you imagine how uncomfortable this ride would be if the train was constantly throwing our bodies against each other?" Dann replied.

"Mmmm..." Diana grunted.

"Are you well, Diana?" Juul asked.

"Yes... it's just... very close in here... A lot of touching. Not used to it," she managed, her voice a little breathy, and she glanced out the corner of her eye at Jack.

Dann smiled. "The Harruushans know something about living in close quarters and have no issues with touching."

"This is a good thing considering your population levels," Jack suggested and Juul grinned with a nod.

Jack noticed the ears of the Harruushans around them were finally still. Relaxed. In a group, tightly jammed together in the train, they were at peace. No worries about predators or running into others. They almost seemed... content.

The ride to the city's core was fast and mercifully short as Jack could feel Diana's gradually increasing desperation. The stimulus was becoming too much. Her body trembled and she ever so slowly rubbed her ass back against Jack. This wasn't keeping him calm either. When the train entered a station and the dampeners disengaged, the opposite side doors opened and the press of bodies eased as the train emptied.

Jack put his arm around Diana and walked off the train with her, following their companions. They made their way out of the central terminal, amazed by the flow of citizens rushing here and there. So many!

Diana was calming down but clung to Jack's arm for his solidity.

Then they were outside... or at least outside the terminal building. Towering buildings surrounded them on all sides. Only the smallest glimpses of sky could be seen. Walkways between the skyscrapers could be seen above them in the hundreds. Flowers and vines were... everywhere. The air carried the light scent of the flowers and there was none of the industrial scents one might expect in such a crowded urban center.

"Oh my god..." Diana sighed.

Cleverly placed and aimed lighting highlighted the blossoms as if fireworks had exploded all around them then froze in time.

Dann and Juul grinned at their awestruck expressions.

"Welcome to Ghan!" Juul said happily.

Once they began moving along the pedestrian way, the impression of fireworks became amplified by their movement. They were at risk of being dazzled if they didn't focus on the backs of their guides.

Finally, they turned into a doorway and found another elevator bank.

Dann looked to their two off world guests. "Remember, more gravity at the bottom and less at the top. Bend your knees and brace yourselves."

The door opened and they entered. Once more Jack assisted Diana but she was ready for the experience this time so she remained silent and gave Jack a grin at the top.

Dann caught himself staring at the dramatic movements of Diana's large tits inside her gown. Jack gave him a grin and Dann's guilty look eased.

When they left the elevator they found themselves in a bustling shopping area.

"There is a wonderful restaurant just up a ways. It's our favorite spot and we've reserved a table with an excellent view." Dann said gesturing up the wide hallway.

As they made their way Jack and Diana eyed the shops offering a wide variety of goods from electronics to handcrafted art. The Trade Commissioner in him made Jack catalog what he was seeing in terms of viability for the Altarian market. He smiled at Diana and she grinned excitedly back at him. He recalled that this was only the second time she'd been in an 'alien' market. Her first shopping trip on Altaria had been a burst of excitement for her as well.

They reached the restaurant and the host greeted their guides with familiarity. They were regulars, then. Juul discreetly waved to an older Harruushan female standing before the kitchen doors who grinned and ducked back into the steamy interior. Jack scanned the staff and the customers at the tables and his mind clicked with an intuitive leap.

"This is a family run business, isn't it? Your family?" He asked with a smile. Diana glanced at him in surprise.

Dann and Juul's ears twitched and they stared at Jack in shock. "How..." Dann asked.

Jack shook his head. "I can't tell you how I know, but I'm picking up a... similarity between you two and the staff."

He looked out the entrance to the crowds passing by in the busy hallway but the impression didn't surface there. He looked back to the diplomats and the young female working as the host and it clicked again. He still had no idea as he shrugged while they all watched him curiously. He thought back to their trip to get here to see if he'd felt it any other time. The children running around on the yards. There was... a synchronicity to the movements of their ears. He'd become sensitized to this from working with Adina and Zaina's shared perceptions. Harruushan family groups might share a similar bond. Maybe it tied into their comfort in groups but he was just speculating. Again, he put that aside as something to discuss with Elissa.

The host handed one of the table servers a tablet and their group followed her to the far side of the restaurant to a table next to huge windows. Diana glanced down and squeaked in surprise as they were very high up. She turned to Jack. "The elevator ride didn't seem that long! How could we be so high up?"

Dann nodded to the windows. "This side of the building faces the Deeps. We entered from the other side. There is a very deep canyon running north to south through the capitol. It was incorporated into the city's plan. There's a very strong, fast moving river in the bottom of the canyon which offers plentiful hydro electric energy. We also tap into geothermal energy."