"A Different Point of View"
by lori (the other one)

"Are you sure that this is absolutely necessary?"

"You dare to question the authority of the Obsidian Order?"

The young woman blanched gray and shook her head. "No, of 
course not. It's just that..."

"Yes?"

"Well, these humans are so colorless and flat-faced. How am I to 
make him believe that I'm sexually attracted to him when, in 
reality, I find him totally repugnant?"

The commander sighed deeply and closed his eyes, trying for some 
measure of control. Just what in the names of all that was holy was 
the Order turning out these days? Apparently agents incapable of 
understanding or following out the simplest of orders - make 
contact with any of the ranking officers on board Terek Nor, 
seduce him or her, then arrange for blackmail.  "Just close your 
eyes and think of the Empire," he replied. "Now go. The transport 
is waiting."

Galia boarded the transport still thinking of what the commander 
had said. Just think of the Empire indeed! Hah! He had it easy. She 
bet that he'd never been told to bed someone - something - so 
completely repulsive as a human. Just because one time - *one 
time* - a human had approached her and tried to do that  lip-
pressing thing with her, the Order thought that she'd be the perfect 
operative for this assignment. Well, that may be true in a way, she 
thought. She knew she was attractive. Desirable too if the string of 
broken hearts, arms, and heads she'd left at the Institute was any 
judge. But a human? She shuddered delicately.  It would call on 
every ounce of training she had to carry off this mission.

Several hours later when the transport finally docked at Terek Nor, 
Galia was in a slightly better frame of mind. Amazing what a few 
hours of sleep will do for you, she thought. First , report in. Then, 
find a human.  

Galia came through the airlock, twisting her head this way and that 
as if looking for someone. She cursed under her breath - there were 
so many people. And how to tell who was who, and which was 
which?  Galia drew in a breath and headed directly for a person she 
hoped was in charge. At least, they looked like they might be in 
charge - they were simply standing in the corridor, watching as the 
passengers disembarked.  Hesitantly Galia approached the person. 

Lt. Harvey Borman lounged against the corridor wall, trying to get 
his roiling emotions back under control. That had to be her - the 
Cardassian scientist he was supposed to seduce, then blackmail.  
How in God's name did Intelligence ever come up with these 
ideas? And why was he always the lucky slob who got to carry 
them out?  With an effort he managed to swallow his gorge as the 
woman approached. 

Galia stopped before the man, watching his face for a moment. She 
shuddered delicately - this one was worse than most! Flat, smooth 
face, no color or texture to his skin....horrible! "Excuse me?" she 
spoke softly. "Can you help me? I'm supposed to report in  but I 
don't know who to talk to."

Harvey swallowed again, schooling his features into what he hoped 
passed for bland indifference all the while praying he wouldn't 
vomit on the woman's shoes. All those ridges, the distended neck 
and, oh dear sweet heaven! Through the open vee of her tunic he 
could see where the scaly skin extended down to cover her breasts!  
No way, he thought in near panic. Star Fleet is just going to have to 
find another boy to carry out this scheme. Maybe that doctor - he 
seemed to be awful friendly with the Cardassians  on the station.  
To his utter shock and surprise however, he heard his own voice 
replying "Perhaps I can be of assistance?  I'm the special envoy to 
Deep Space Nine, perhaps I can smooth any rough spots in your 
visit here. And you are?"

"I'm Galia - one of the scientists sent to observe the wormhole?" 
she responded hesitantly, while mentally kicking herself. Try to be 
a little more hesitant why don't you, she thought harshly. Maybe 
this Terran worm didn't notice your revulsion right away. With 
something akin to horror she watched as his gaze roved over her 
face, then dipped lower to stare pointedly at her chest. She bit  her 
lip to keep from shrieking out loud. The commander was right  - 
these Terrans will try to bed anyone!

Consulting the PADD he held in his hand, Borman quickly located 
the level where any visiting scientists were housed. Holding out his 
arm for her, he offered to escort her to them. "Perhaps we could 
have dinner later?" he asked.

Galia agreed - after all, a special envoy should be of high enough 
rank to be useful for the Order's purpose. Maybe if I get drunk 
before dinner, she thought in near hysteria. Craning her neck this 
way and that, Galia caught sight of something so amazing she 
stopped short. There, standing in the doorway of a shop, was 
another Cardassian!  He was talking to a darker human so she 
could watch unobserved. Hmmm, she thought. A bit old but still in 
fine shape - sharply defined facial ridges, taut neck tendons and 
yes, she inhaled deeply, she could smell his scent all the way over 
here. Now if this had been the one the Order wanted bedded....  
With a small sigh, she turned back to Borman and indicated they 
could continue their journey.




Oh my stars! Galia almost shrieked out loud in frustration. That 
stupid envoy would be here any minute to take her to dinner and 
she was no where near ready! Maybe I shouldn't have had quite so 
many glasses of kanaar, she thought ruefully. But I needed 
*something* to fortify myself!  She'd tried on and rejected a half 
dozen outfits so far, each one for different reasons. That one was 
too staid, another was too dull. And no way was she going to wear 
that one! she shuddered, looking at the filmy pieces of silver cloth. 
*That* one revealed entirely too much of her figure for any Terran 
to be looking at!  

The door chimed softly and she called out "Come" without 
thinking, still staring at the piles of discarded clothing. 

Harvey entered the room, expecting to see Galia dressed and 
waiting for him. A quick glance around the room showed him that 
that wasn't the case - clothes lay in piles and she stood next to the 
bed, wearing nothing but a translucent robe. "Uh, if you're not 
ready yet, I can come back later."

Galia shrieked, whirling around and dropping the glass she held. "I 
didn't hear you come in; I'm almost ready, just sit down I'll be out 
in a moment have some kanaar." Grabbing up the first thing her 
fingers clutched, she turned and darted into the small refresher. 
Good way to make an impression, she thought sourly. Babble 
uncontrollably. With a sigh she shook out the dress she'd grabbed, 
then bit back another groan. It figures - the silver dress!

Harvey was perched nervously on the edge of a chair when Galia 
came back into the room. Now it was his turn to stifle a groan  - the 
dress she was wearing (or more accurately *not* wearing) would 
have looked fantastic on any human female but on the 
Cardassian.... The folds of cloth clung here and draped there, 
revealing flashes of anatomy that he thought would be better left 
covered.  But still, he had a mission to carry out. "Shall we go? I 
have a special table reserved for us at Quark's."



Dinner was a bizarre affair - long stretches of silence occasionally 
broken by brief snatches of conversation. They did find a couple of 
points of agreement - most notable their complete agreement on 
the Klingon species - but tension pervaded the atmosphere 
surrounding the table until the sir was thick with it. Finally Harvey 
had to speak. "If you're done, I'll walk you back to your quarters 
now."

Galia gave a silent sigh of relief; dinner had been a excruciating 
affair. Not only was the food nauseating - they *cooked* their 
meats!, but she'd kept noticing the Ferengi bartender looking  their 
way then nudging the Cardassian she'd spotted before. If word of 
this  ever got out.... well, she couldn't exactly tell everyone that she 
was working under orders, now could she? 

In silence the pair walked back to the visitor's quarters, each lost in 
their own thoughts.  Harvey, thanking whatever beings were 
watching over him that, at least he'd hidden the holorecorder earlier 
and maybe could finish this up tonight,while Galia concentrated on 
her general misery and just exactly how was she supposed to make 
this human think she wanted to bed him?

They paused at the door while Galia fumbled with the lock. 
"Ummm... would you like to come in for a glass of kanaar? Or 
something?", she asked.

Harvey tried to put on a pleased expression - he'd really rather 
walk naked into a vat of stinging Aldebarien nettles but orders 
were orders.  "Sure - we can continue where we left off at dinner."  
At Galia's puzzled glance, he hastily added "Or think of something 
else to do."

"Well, make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back."  She slipped 
into the refresher and leaned against the wall. Oh my stars, she 
thought, he must want the sex now. Quickly she slipped off her 
dress and into her robe, pausing briefly to gulp down a couple of 
anti-nausea pills. With a brief glance in the mirror and a quick 
spritz of perfume, she was ready for whatever would happen next.

Harvey used his free time to advantage, activating the holorecorder 
and making certain it was still aligned with the bed. No sense in 
having to go through this twice, he thought, slipping off his jacket 
and ordering the lights down.  At the sound of the door sliding 
open, he turned to see Galia poised in the doorway, the light from 
behind her illuminating her figure briefly. He got a quick 
impression of slender hips and long legs before the door slid shut 
again, cutting off the view. Maybe, with the lights down, this won't 
be too bad. He drew in a breath and almost gagged. What was that 
smell? Fish? Where was it coming from?  With dawning horror he 
realized that the fish smell was coming from Galia - she must have 
put on the equivalent of Cardassian perfume. Maybe I can hold my 
breath, he thought, his stomach starting to turn over.

Galia moved closer - all the files she'd seen showed humans 
beginning their mating ritual by that silly lip-pressing routine; that 
seemed to be a good place to start.  Obligingly, Harvey stood still 
as a statue while she raised up on tiptoe to mash her lips on top of 
his and reached around to vigorously massage the base of his 
spine. Nothing. She might as well have been rubbing a wall for all 
the response she got. Confused, she pulled back. "Is there 
something wrong?"

"That depends; what were you trying to do?"

"I was trying to do that lip pressing thing with you. The one that 
humans do to signal each other that they want to mate."

"I see. And that's what you want to do? Mate?"  At Galia's 
affirmative nod, Harvey went on. "In that case, could you first do 
me a favor? Please go wash off the perfume you put on - the scent 
really doesn't agree with me."

Galia looked hurt but went to do asked he'd asked.  After all, an 
intelligence agent was not supposed to let ego get in the way of 
completing a mission. Harvey used the brief interlude to quickly 
strip off the rest of clothes and run mentally through some of the 
more exotic sexual encounters he'd had. A faint twitch in his nether 
regions rewarded him and he began to have some hope that 
everything would work out.

When Galia returned to the room, she was startled to see Harvey 
standing by the bed nude. Her first thought, upon looking over his 
form was dismay - he was so small! Smaller than any of the 
humans she'd seen in the files and definitely smaller than any 
Cardassian she'd been with. Maybe he'll get bigger, she thought 
hopefully.  But all the hair on his body! Touching that mat would 
be like running her hands over a carpet!

Hesitantly she came to stand before him and allowed Harvey to 
push off her robe so that she stood nude before him. She kept her 
eyes trained on that member of his anatomy that was the prize 
while he examined her. After all, she knew she had nothing to be 
ashamed of!  

Harvey pulled her close into an embrace, dipping his head to 
capture her lips. Stiff! - it was like kissing a board! Patiently he 
tried to kiss her mouth into some semblance of pliability but it 
seemed that the more he tried, the tighter her mouth became. 
Sighing, he moved on to kiss and nibble on her neck ridges instead. 
Here he was rewarded with a loosening of her muscles as she 
leaned into the embrace.  He felt her arms creep around him to 
again begin massaging the base of his spine. Curious, he thought, 
but it didn't feel bad and he pulled her tighter against him, grinding 
his pelvis against hers for a moment.

Galia moaned slightly as Harvey's hip pressed into her secondary 
sexual plexus briefly. Not enough for good stimulation, but enough 
to send a flash of arousal through her.  Now what is he doing, she 
thought as she felt his lips leave her neck to move down her torso. 
Oh my stars! What is he? He was! He was licking and sucking on 
her milk glands! As if there was any feeling there - any fool knew 
that the glands had no nerves. After all, how could you feed the 
children if it hurt?  Startled, she tried to push away, inadvertently 
grinding her hips lightly into his pelvic region. A sudden twitch 
made her jump back completely, breathing hard. His member 
*was* bigger - still pitifully small in comparison to what she was 
used to but definitely bigger. Maybe if she touched it, it would get 
bigger yet.

Harvey groaned as he felt  a small hand clasp around his member 
and squeeze lightly. He'd been wrong when he thought that this 
would be an impossible mission to complete - apparently ole One-
Eyed Zeke didn't care who the other party was, as long as he got to 
have some fun. And fun was what he was having now, with the 
gentle tugging and squeezing going on. He felt himself get even 
harder and Zeke twitched in anticipation. Enough fooling around 
now; time to get down to some serious work!

He pushed Galia back onto the bed, nudging her thighs apart with 
his knee.  He was ready, was she? Stroking gently but firmly, he 
ran his hands down her body and across her abdomen. She 
stiffened slightly as he brushed over the secondary plexus again, 
her thighs opening wider as if of their own volition. With a small 
satisfied grin, Harvey pushed apart her thighs completely and 
entered her. What the? He was reminded instantly of flying a 
shuttle into a cavernous hanger - plenty of room to spare. 

Galia almost sobbed in frustration. She'd been right; not only was 
he too small to reach the primary pleasure center, he didn't even fill 
her completely. And to think that all of the other men she'd been 
with had complained that she was too tight!  With a growl, she 
shoved Harvey off of her. Maybe if she rubbed it some more ... She 
grabbed his member and yanked.

Harvey let out a strangled scream and pushed Galia away. "What 
are you trying to do?" he yelled. "Pull it off?"

This let loose all the frustration and fear that she'd been holding in. 
"I'm trying to get you big enough so that we can mate properly!" 
Galia yelled back. "As it is now, I might as well be making love to 
myself for all the good you do!"

He was momentarily struck speechless. "Bigger? I'll have you 
know that I've never had any complaints before! And speaking of 
big, honey you're big enough for two of me in there! And you're 
cold as a fish!"

"What?" Galia screamed and leapt off the bed. "Here" she yelled, 
"take your clothes and get out! I don' know how anyone thought 
that this would work. Repulsive humans!"

"Gladly! And the same goes for me - damn scaly Cardassians!" 
Harvey said, pulling on his clothes angrily. 

Galia sank back onto the bed as Harvey stormed out. Now came 
the awful task of informing command about the failure of her 
mission.  Mentally she began to compose a message -

To: Command, Obsidian Order
Subject: Status of Mission number 032549YX3

It is my sad duty to report the failure of my mission. While I was 
partially successful in the attempt to seduce a human male, their 
sexual practices are so bizarre as to make completion impossible. 
Their sexual organs are entirely unsuited to the task, and complex 
and ever changing mating rituals make a union between our two 
species doomed to almost certain failure. I await further orders.


On another level of the station, Harvey was composing a similar 
message -

To: Star Fleet Intelligence Command
Subject: Operation Panty

Sirs:  It is my sad duty to report the failure of my mission 
regarding Operation Panty. Sexual relations between the species 
concerned in the aforementioned mission has to be deemed an 
impossibility.  Size of equipment and status of same has no relation 
on the success or failure of said mission. Incomplete or missing 
reports as to the physical measurements and specifications  of one 
of the species involved could be considered a contributing factor in 
failure. Please advise as to disposition of this mission.

The End