Chapter 3. Ministerial visit
April 6th, 2027.
The previous days were spent in consolidating positions and getting used to some
of the 'modern' innovations the Erliks had never seen. Electricity for lighting
and heat although the fur clad Erliks didn't need heat and little of their food
was cooked. They mainly ate salads. Through the wonders, to them, of television
they all saw the horror and devastation caused by the suppression cushion. Even
if the Erliks didn't realise quite the significance of their arrival, they had
compassion for the suffering. Penny was able to phone Martin and he arranged for
her to broadcast in audio and put the Erliks viewpoint if she could get Jacob to
agree. With a great deal of difficulty she was able to do this but it meant
spending a long time trying to explain the concept of broadcasting and then
trying to get the Erlik's views on their stay on Earth. They were homeless now
as their planet had been hit by a huge asteroid just wanted land to grow what
they needed. The Pterodens had rescued them and found them this place on Earth
to settle. It was the Pterodens technology that brought them here and was
keeping them safe from bombing and shooting.
"Can we contact Steirnon?" Penny asked but Jacob had no idea how to get in
touch. Although they could only show a still picture of Penny in the corner of
the screen, the TV broadcast went out. She tried to explain the Erliks views and
they fact it was the Pterodens that controlled the suppressing field surrounding
the world. "If you are receiving this Steirnon will you please get in touch with
me," she appealed, not knowing if he was still within range of the transmission
or had moved to distant galaxies.
In just a few days, Penny had become almost indispensable to Jacob and was
acting more like his personal assistant than a subservient female. It was the
implant that made all the difference. She could easily communicate with him
although her intonations marked her as a foreigner to the Erliks and she had a
natural ability to talk easily and persuasively with the rest of Britain. Jacob
had the sense to allow her to do this and while he could more or less understand
what went on, had difficulty in pronouncing the words fluently. Penny though was
definitely subservient when he wanted to mate although it was now only about
once a day since the arrival of the three girls. She began to wonder if she was
pregnant. He period was only a few days late but it gave her cause for concern.
Through Martin she had a phone call from Reggie Sopwith the Prime Minister. He
got straight to the point. "Miss Leggorn, are you able to influence the head of
the Erliks?"
"No, not really. I can talk to them. I can put a point of view provided it
doesn't seem aggressive. If it does I get a hiding."
"Can you get them to meet a delegation from us to see if we can come to some
arrangement over land and the so called suppression cushion?"
"One moment, Prime Minister." Penny consulted Jacob who seemed busy with
something else and waved her away. "Sorry, he's busy at the moment. Can you give
me a contact number so I can get back to you later. If I ask again now, I'll end
up over his knee and then he'll never agree to meet anyone from your side."
Penny waited until he had again mated the three girls and then took her for good
measure. He was always more relaxed after he'd mated several times in a row. It
took a little while and all her skills but in the end he agreed but limited the
number to three.
Next day, sailors in a small craft rowed three ministers in dark suits topped
incongruously by fluorescent lifejackets. The meeting was a disaster. The
ministers made demands for immediate withdrawal of the Erliks without giving
anything in return and hinting at war if they did not accede. Jacob was angry.
Penny was angry. She phoned the P.M. and told him in no uncertain terms what she
thought of the so called negotiators. "I will do what I can for both sides," she
said vehemently, "But you must be prepared to actually negotiate and be able to
give a little, especially on this question of land. They seem very skilled at
growing crops and have skills that we don't have. They could be an asset. I know
the feelings of outrage out there but that was the Pterodens technology and had
their warning been heeded few lives would have been lost. I know the feelings of
outrage the people who have been forced to flee their homes on this island and I
want to see them back but for you just to demand the Erliks just up and go is
untenable. They have no where to go and no means of getting there."
April 8th 2027
World wide chaos still reigned. In every country, people demanded their
governments do something about the suppression cushion but the governments were
powerless. Markets crashed. People either couldn't get to work or there was no
work because it required machinery to run.
Penny awoke to find herself again in the Pteroden space ship. Like the first
time her neck was sore. "Oh no! What have they done now?"
Steirnon, the beautiful lizard-like creature who was head of the Pterodens
answered her question. "We've put in another implant. You'll now be able to
communicate directly with us in our language, not only audio but visually too.
We know things went badly for many earthlings. Things which our technology
didn't foresee. We wanted just to protect the Erliks and give them somewhere to
live. We did not appreciate the significance of April 1st to you, nor did we
expect our warnings to go unheeded. And the Earth infrastructure too is far more
complex than we had been led to believe from our space surveys."
"Is there anyway you can keep the Erliks safe and lift the suppression cushion?"
asked Penny surprised that she was speaking in a high singing voice.
"We can partially lift it and just cover the island and about a 100 kilometres
around it, if that will help."
"That would free most of the world but still cover London and the whole of the
English Channel. Can that be reduced still further?"
"Of course, but the area is circular."
"When can it be done?"
"Now if you like."
Penny thought for a few moments. "I think from an Erlik point of view it would
be a better bargaining strategy if we used it to gain promises from the British
Prime Minister. You say I can communicate with you directly now, without having
to be abducted to here?"
"Yes, you just tune your thoughts to me and I will appear in your mind."
"And you will reduce the suppression cushion when I ask?"
"Certainly."
Penny put her arms around the scaly creature and hugged it to her. The scales
were smooth and dry and felt more like silk against her skin. Surprising her as
Steirnon had never shown any emotion, he clasped her to him. The surprise was
heightened when something hard pressed against her stomach. "A lizard cock?" she
wondered. Indeed it was. Smooth and pointed it had emerged from complete
concealment to stand proudly from between his legs.
Sex with creatures was now almost normal for the erstwhile newsreader so she
asked, "Do you want to?"
What could almost be mistaken for a smile appeared on Steirnon's face. "Yes," he
replied, "It is not often I get stimulated enough to see it. We're not like the
Erliks who do it many times a day. For us it is for special occasions." Carrying
her in the weightless atmosphere he took her to a room and requested she grip
two handrails to hold herself from floating. "The gravity chamber and the hold
we had for the Erliks has gone back to base and there is no gravity on this
command unit. This is how we have to do it with the female Pterodens."
Holding tightly on the handrails, Penny opened her legs as Steirnon clasped her
closely around the body and entered. His prick was smooth and dry but slippery
as if coated with a non stick coating. Penny was wet enough for both anyway and
soon he was using very quick but deep thrusts into her. It was like nothing she
had experienced before. His body didn't move only his cock. A vibrating,
thrusting piston that brought her quickly to two climaxes.
April 9th, 2027.
"Prime Minister I would like to arrange a public broadcast with you to negotiate
how we can arrange a settlement. And I do mean negotiate not like those idiot
ministers who thought they could just demand a settlement."
"What can you offer in return?"
"If I get the right public assurances, I may well get at least a partial lifting
of the suppression cushion, but there has to be safeguards." Penny and the Prime
Minister agreed on Portsmouth as the venue and have full media coverage. Sailors
from the naval garrison rowed her and Jacob over and the P.M. arrived by
electric train and horse drawn carriage until recently more commonly used for
society weddings.
Jacob wore his ceremonial sword belt complete with broad sword and two daggers.
Otherwise there was only his fur covering. It was the first time the world had
more than fleeting glimpses of an Erlik. Penny had already warned the Prime
Minister against any handshaking rituals. Penny immediately changed the venue
from the local town hall to the quayside alongside the still well preserved 18th
century sailing man of war, the Victory. She also limited the P.M.'s delegation
to one. Martin was there amongst all the other film crews and Penny was able to
give him a hug and share a few words before Jacob started to look upset.
"Miss Leggorn," the P.M. began.
"Penny, please. And I hope I may call you Reggie. We want these talks to be
friendly and ......"
"Productive. First I need to know what real influence you have over these
people? And secondly, can you get the suppression cushion lifted? Thirdly can
you remove these Erliks elsewhere?" Penny translated to make sure Jacob knew.
Jacob slowly replied, "We listen to what she says and if we believe it is for
our good we act on it. We have to stay on Earth. We have no where to go."
"You can get the Pterodens to take you elsewhere." Reggie countered.
"No," Penny interjected. The cargo unit the Pterodens brought them in has
returned to base, I am told it is several galaxies away. Only the small command
unit is within range. They are picking up this broadcast now."
"Sounds like it is all make believe. Science fiction."
"It may seem like fiction to you Reggie, but it is a ghastly reality and one we
all have to come to terms with now. For the good of everyone. They cannot go
away. You will have difficulty in forcing them out...." Reggie tried to
interrupt. He didn't want her taking up too much air time.
"Miss Leggorn, Penny can you get the suppression field lifted? Yes or no?"
"One moment, I wish to contact Steirnon, the head of the command unit." Penny
then proceeded to talk in a peculiar high voice.
"I have asked the suppression cushion be temporarily lifted from over
Australasia. I am sure news of it will come through in seconds." It did.
"Tell the Aussies not to go mad, it is only temporary at the moment pending some
agreement here. It is just to prove to you that I do have some influence.
However, if Steirnon believes it is not in the best interest of the Erliks, he
will not do it. I have to convince him. In return for lifting the cushion, we
want a safe area of good farm land of about 100 square kilometres in area. The
Isle of Wight was convenient from a protection point of view but not for
farming."
"What else would we get? Would the slaves be returned?"
Penny consulted with Jacob. "We will allow any male islanders that wish to go to
the mainland safe passage to Ryde if you can arrange boats to take them."
"And the women?"
"That is more difficult. They are being integrated into the family units and are
being bred. As yet they do not know it they can produce offspring."
"You mean they are being raped!"
"To the Erliks it is mating but I wouldn't be surprised if we get a decent area
of land we could come to an arrangement over the ladies. Once they have become
used to an Erlik male, some of the woman may not wish to return to human men.
Look, Reggie, this is going round and round in circles. I will offer to try and
get the suppression cushion lifted except for a hundred kilometre radius around
the Island. That will give the world a chance to start recovery and because
London and the channel will still be under the blanket, it will give you a
better incentive to work out where to allow the Erliks to live and farm."
"Cut the cameras! Get them!" Reggie started to move quickly back. Not quickly
enough though. Jacob bounded in two great leaps and picked the man up and with a
dagger held in his tail pushed it to the P.M.'s throat. Penny rushed to Jacob's
side as men armed with spears and bows began to surround them.
"Is this still going out live Martin?" Martin acknowledged it was. "Good, keep
filming. It's another government double cross." She then spoke in the high pitch
language and then turned to the cameras. "This man," pointing to Reggie, "Has
deceived us all. Now the suppression cushion will not be lifted until we can
negotiate with some one we can trust. The cushion once again covers the whole
world. If I and Jacob are harmed the cushion will stay in place for ever."
Cameramen surrounded the trio. All trying to film and get sound bites. The
special forces team didn't have a chance to get near them and with the head of
government held hostage, they were stymied. He was released when Jacob and Penny
were returned to the island.
Pressure from other world governments who would have been freed from the cushion
had not the capture of Penny gone wrong, forced Reggie Sopwith's resignation. A
coalition government was sworn in and a state of emergency declared.
