Free Genus: Unknown Adaptation by Kaitlyn O'Connor Page B

mating males exchanged questioning looks that made him uneasy, however.
    "The show's over," one of the mating males growled, a challenge in his voice. "As you can see, we don't have any of the women backstage."
    Noo nodded as he had seen them do and turned around, urging Dae and Rak out before him. They paused when they had covered about half the distance between the room where the human males were changing skins and the other room where the mating females were. The images in their minds were not clear. I still do not know how they breed. Did either of you catch anything?
    I did not try, Rak responded uncomfortably. I thought you would search their minds for the information.
    Noo sent him a look of disgust and turned to Dae. Did you capture anything?

    Nothing clear, Dae said evasively. Only more of the humping.
    Noo's lips tightened. Well, they have members. Clearly they are designed to stick them in to the females and pump their seed inside! They cannot be that different from the females our clan has mated with. They will have a hole to receive! We will figure it out, he finished decisively.
    We are going to attempt a mating now, Rak asked uneasily when Noo strode decisively toward the door once more?
    Noo flicked an impatient glance at him. Of course! She is ready to mate or she would not be here!
    Yes, but …. She will not like this face and she will not want to take me as a mate!
    We already discussed that, Dae pointed out dismissively.
    And I am still not satisfied! Rak snapped.
    Noo halted as they reached the door. He may have a point, he said thoughtfully. Well, not actually a point in that, but it puts me in mind of an important thing that I had not considered.
    What point?
    If we use a face that she recognizes, she will expect us to be that human. Rak cannot use that face.
    You took yours from that guard that is here, Dae pointed out.
    And you took yours from that guard on the space station. We cannot use any of these faces.
    What faces are we to use, then?
    Noo thought it over. I think we must use our own.
    She will certainly recognize those when she has seen them every day for more than an Earth year, Dae objected.
    Noo sent him a look. Those are not our faces! Those are only the forms we took to make them not afraid of us.
    Our real faces, you mean, Rak said doubtfully? But … they are not human faces. She is more likely to be afraid, it seems to me, than to agree to a mating.
    Noo uttered an irritated huff. They are not very different from human faces. We must have human bodies and human skin. They will appear to be human faces to her with human skin!
    Yes! Very ugly human faces, Rak muttered.
     

Chapter Four
    "Oh my god! Don't look now, but I think those transvestites are headed our way!"
    Kate whipped a look around and spied the three tall, brawny males headed toward them. "Fuck! I made eye contact with the one in front!" she whispered, looking away quickly.
    "I told you not to look, damn it!"
    "You really think that's them?"
    "Did you see anybody else built like that?"
    "Are they still headed this way?"
    "I'm not going to look! They'll take it as encouragement!" Sissy flicked a quick look out of the corner of her eye. "Shit! They are! Let's duck into the lady's room!"
    Kate jolted out of her seat and looked around a little wildly. "Where is it?"
    Sissy grabbed her arm and started hauling her through the throng in the other direction. "I don't know.
    We'll find it."
    "Actually, the one in front was kind of good looking."
    "They're transvestites!"
    "So? They're straight, you know. Why would they approach us if they weren't?"
    "I don't care if they are. I can't get 'in' to men that like to dress like women."
    Kate considered it. "Good point. It's a damned shame that that one is way better looking than anything else I've seen tonight."
    "I wouldn't call him handsome. His face is too angular."
    "Well, I would!"
    "Attractive, not handsome."
    Kate decided it wasn't worth arguing about. They finally spotted the