FSE

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Part 1. Discomfort

---

Tammy's thoughts wondered. From so high above, the planet outside seemed tiny, unremarkable. Not worth the months of travelling.

"Hey, we're heading down," Addison interrupted.

"Mhm," Tammy agreed. She didn't look away from the viewport.

Addison waited a second, then tapped her arm. Tammy looked over her shoulder. The cheetah was at eye-level to her, but her head was upside down. The rest of Addison continued to the ceiling, her magnetic boots holding her there.

"We're going right now," Addison laughed.

"You're not supposed to be on that side," Tammy told her.

"Well, hopefully some construction bots aren't going to care?"

Tammy shrugged, sitting up. She drifted up until she got her boots on the ground, and she clicked into place.

The cheetah looked at the floor above her head and hopped. The magnets released their grip. She somersaulted in midair. Reengaging her boots, Addison barely snapped onto the floor on one leg, stumbling.

"Having fun?" Tammy said. Her eyes were narrowed, her dobermann ears as pointed as ever.

Addison nudged her. "Don't give me that. Aren't you excited?"

Tammy rubbed her forehead. "Sure Adds, just tired."

"Not for long, I bet."

She scratched herself. "Probably not."

Their coworkers waited for them at the gate. Harper was attempting to talk Mitch Cambell's ear off. Mitch nodded once at Tammy. "How'd you like the view?" he said.

"I don't know," Tammy shrugged.

"What can you make out from here?"

"Not much. Clouds. Red and blue."

"Wait till you see the view when they finish this thing," he said.

"Not to mention a smooth ride instead of us blasting through the atmosphere in a tiny metal cocoon," Harper added.

"It's perfectly safe," Mitch said.

"I seem to recall an incident where--"

"It's within acceptable safety margins," he amended. "And we're not getting any better than that today."

With a wave of his lupine paw, Mitch directed them all into the small shuttle. Tammy followed Addison inside, having to avoid bumping into the cheetah's lifted tail as they put away their bags.

"Oh my god," Addison said, "we're really almost there! Can you believe it? I can barely believe it."

Tammy batted her tail down. "I can barely believe you didn't wear pants today."

"What? There's no dress code in the contract. Not to mention the conditions down there! 30 Celsius, 1.4 G's. Low humidity at least, thank the lord."

Tammy rolled her eyes.

"I suppose you'll be in your natural habitat down there, Addison," Harper said.

The cheetah maintained a placid face. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Once Harper stowed her bag, the avian rotated around, eyes big. "I didn't mean it like that. I just mean that, you know, you're a--."

"Hey, relax," Tammy interrupted her. "Addison's just giving you shit."

Mitch poked away at a control panel. The shuttle purred to life. "Let's try to be professional, girls. We're not getting paid to... ruffle feathers."

Harper glared at him.

"Anyways." Mitch pulled up a list on the display. "Let's see."

The wolf tapped his way down the list, reaching the end before Tammy could read the first bullet point. Harper saw it too, tightening her seat's straps. Looking around the small cabin a final time, Mitch tapped a big button and leaned back.

"Okay," he said. "Autopilot's got it from here."

"Are we sure that's a good idea?" the bird asked.

"It's not just an autopilot," Tammy said. "These models have full intelligence. It could probably land us with more precision than any living pilot."

"And that's if you don't call the AIs living nowadays," Addison said.

Tammy clicked her tongue a few times. "Probably a fair point."

The crew of four were pushed back in their seats. Without any windows, the only thing telling them they were still going in the right direction was a small display above.

"What do all of you think?" Addison asked.

"What?" Tammy said.

"Do you think they're really living? You know, are they sentient?"

"Doubt it," Mitch said. "They're just a bunch of ins and outs. And if you can tell it what to do all the time, it doesn't have free will, does it?"

Addison spoke. "Well, if you were a computer, and someone could reprogram you the second you disobeyed, would you still break the rules? I wouldn't want to die."

"I've been working in robotics since I got out of high school," Tammy said, "and I can tell you folks with certainty that I don't know."

Addison laughed once.

"Really, nobody knows. These things have been passing Turing Tests for a hundred years, and we still don't know."

"How would we know?" Harper asked her.

"Probably right after they start killing us all," Mitch joked.

"You're not wrong," Tammy said.

For a brief instance, weightlessness returned to the crew. They plummeted towards the ground. Lone air molecules became thin wisps. Wisps became sheets. The shuttle spun, firing its engines against the air. The crew jerked around in their seats.

As quickly as it came, the shaking stopped, replaced by occasional, gut-sloshing sways to either side.

"Seems we've survived so far," Mitch said to Harper.

Harper cheered, raising an extremely shaky fist.

Addison looked at everyone. "Are you guys excited? Alien world and all?"

"It's just another job," Mitch said.

"Come on, Cambell, don't give me that! We're some of the first few people out here. A pristine, natural world."

"For now, anyway," Tammy muttered.

"Always such downers!" Addison scoffed.

"They're not building a space elevator to spread love and happiness to the locals, Addison."

"Well, that's why we're here."

"We're here because the autocrats back home need some good PR for saving some aliens."

"You shouldn't downplay it," Harper piped up. "We can do real good."

Tammy's eyes went back to the display, rather than the eyes of her coworkers. The shuttle shook, engines firing at the final kilometer. "I guess we'll see," Tammy said.

It was only after the final burn of the thrusters, once their landing legs hit the dusty ground, that they could feel the uncanny weight of the planet's gravity for the first time.

Unbuckling, Tammy tried to stand. "Woah!" she said, clutching her chair for support.

"You good?" Addison said.

"Yeah, all good."

"Did you take the gravity meds?" Mitch said.

"Well, I--"

"Those aren't optional. You're going to end up passing out."

"Of course. You're right."

"Sit for a second. I'll grab some."

"No," Tammy said, "I got it."

"I insist."

After a brief showdown of stares, Tammy nodded. Mitch walked from his chair. He took care in each step, growing more confident as he returned with a pill bottle.

As Tammy fished one out, Mitch waited, watching her take one, assuring himself that she would be fine. In minutes, the pills would strengthen her heart, increase her blood flow. Mitch kept an eye on her as he helped the rest of the crew unload.

"You ready?" Mitch asked. Bags were slung over his shoulder. He stood in front of the open airlock, the sun and wind pouring through.

The dobermann stood. Black spots didn't cloud her vision this time. "Should be," she said.

Following Mitch, Tammy watched her every step, until nature beckoned her to look up. She squinted in the sunlight. A dazzlingly red star hung overhead. The wind blew constantly, the air pure and clean if not for the occasional bit of dust or organic matter. Below her boots, the grass stuck to the ground, scorched by the exhaust of the engines. Further away, the grass stood. It waved in the wind for as far as her eyes let her see.

Tammy followed the others through the grass, kicking it flat.

A hundred meters from their shuttle stood another high-tech structure, one story tall. It had some actual windows, flat walls made from composite alloys and steels. To assemble it, they had needed something strong enough to lift sections of walls and furnishings. Something dexterous enough to unpack and screw in bolts. Something smart enough to follow detailed instructions.

"Looks like Irv did good work," Mitch said as they approached.

The robot sat beside the structure, its hind legs bent and its tail wagging. Its voice was equal parts deep and soft.

"You are welcome," IRVING said.

Part 2. Irresponsible

---

Tammy woke up with her night shirt sticking to her back. She sat up, and her head hit the top of the bunk with a dull ring. She cursed under her breath. Climbing down, she watched her steps and avoided waking up Addison in the bunk below.

Tammy grabbed a set of clothes from her luggage. She left the room, turning immediately towards Habitation's only bathroom. It was small, one pace from the door to the toilet, another to the shower. If it were a crime, it'd only be a misdemeanor. Tammy had endured felonies on outposts before.

Tammy took a leak, stepped once, and washed her paws. She took off her clothes. Her panties clung worse than her shirt and smelled something fierce. The canine stood under the showerhead and turned on the water. She gritted her teeth, the cold water making her shiver as much as it provided temporary relief to her estrus.

As soon as Tammy got out and dried, she strained to look down over her boobs. She pressed her paw onto her engorged vulva, feeling herself practically leak out over her fingers. Squeezing her eyes shut, she held her head up in despair. Her fingers wiggled against her most sensitive areas, hardly aware she had started. Holding back any noise, she played with her clit in earnest, rubbing against it, around it. Her tail stuck out. She sat down on top of the closed toilet seat.

Tammy wished she packed a vibrator, a toy,anything. She thought about accidentally seeing Addison's cute little folds yesterday, unwet and uninflamed. She didn't have her stupid problems. The stupid gravity meds only made it worse.

By the time she had fresh clothes on, Mitch was heating something up in the communal kitchen.

"How's the water?" he asked.

"Pitiful."

"Hmm." He nodded.

Tammy surveyed the shelves and cabinets, searching for breakfast.

"I hope I didn't come off as too insistent yesterday," Mitch said. "You know how I can be at this point."

"Protective?" Tammy suggested.

He looked up from his food, swallowing. "Yeah. That."

"It's still just policy," she said.

Mitch nodded, teeth showing. Tammy nodded back. She found something to eat.

---

After spending hours taking inventory in the garage, Tammy opened the door to the lab room. Harper and Addison were inside. Addison unpacked small vials of clear or white chemicals. Harper had her face buried in a monitor, her reading glasses sitting low on her beak.

"Jeez, imagine what we could do with a dozen undergrads right now," Harper muttered.

She looked up. "At least we have the bots. And Tammy!"

"Hooray," Tammy stated.

"We can probably have you help with data entry and such, you know, when you're not busy fixin' shit," Addison said.

"Just as long as you help me when you're not busy synthesizing sperm," Tammy shot back.

The cheetah rocked her head side to side. "Touché, sista."

"We are definitely not related," Tammy said.

Allison took a second to read the air around her friend. "You all good?"

Tammy groaned and bowed her head. "Yeah. Sorry. These gravity meds are sucking the life out of me."

"Oh, damn. Gravity meds, gravity meds... Harp, what do you remember about the meds? They're supposed to be mild, right?"

Harper blinked. "I'm an ecologist."

"I know that!" Addison hissed. "How can we look into side-effects? Well, we can message the head office, see what they think we should do. But that'll take a while."

Tammy had been shaking her head. "No, guys, it's fine. I'm probably just adjusting poorly. Give me a few days."

"I'm not sure how you could know one way or the other," Harper told her. Her feathery fingers were busy putting queries into a medication database.

"No, stop. Look guys," Tammy said. She had put her paw on her forehead. She glanced at the closed doors to the lab. "It's because it's_that_ time of year for me, okay? Just do me a favor: don't mention this to Mitch, okay?"

Addison's eyebrow raised.

"Don't give me that," Tammy complained.

"Only male on the whole planet," Harper added shyly.

The dobermann stared her down. "Bird, I swear to god."

Harper giggled, rolling away in her chair.

"Well," Addison said, "Let us know if there's anything we can do to help."

Tammy smiled. "I don't swing that way."

"Not with that! Jesus! I meant with other meds."

Harper deleted her query. "Not that we have much."

A device started beeping in Tammy's pocket. She took it out, then walked to the door. "I'll keep you posted."

"What's that about?" Addison asked.

"Some shit that needs fixing," Tammy said.

Back in the garage, Tammy took another look at the pictures IRVING sent back of itself. The robot was five kilometers out. Protocol stated that Tammy was supposed to pair up with someone on longer trips. Protocol stated that she should always confirm with the rest of the crew before leaving. And protocol stated that she should bring a gun. Tammy grabbed the gun.

The dobermann looked up the coordinates of IRVING again, and left a note on her tablet in case anyone checked for her. She opened the bay doors. Strong, dry wind blew inside, rattling the tools on her racks. She slung a tool bag over her shoulders and rushed out, closing up behind her. Soon, she was making a fresh set of tracks through the grasses.

A half-hour of avoiding patches of prickly brambles later, and the topography began to change. The grasses became thinner, more patchy. Smooth, hard rocks broke free from the topsoil, giving her a second to breathe before she returned to the gravel and grass. The plants faded away completely as she neared a crest in the hill.

She had to pause when she got to the top. In the valley below, there were more grasses, groves of trees, but what she looked at were the animals. Giant grazers: furs of browns and navy blues, their heads bowed to the land as they chewed. They formed fuzzy patches on the landscape, on either side of an immense, shallow river. For a minute, she wasn't in an unbearable heat, she was just an observer.

But eventually her eyes followed the rim of the valley she found herself on. Smoke, pushed sideways in the wind, rose in thin plumes in the distance. Quicker now that she wasn't slowed by grass, she walked towards the smoke.

Tammy approached cautiously, a small crater visible. On the edge of the crater, the grasses sizzled. They were seemingly immune to fire, extinguishing themselves before it could form a flame. Tammy paused again when she saw IRVING. The robot sat in the center, a few feet below the height of the crater's rim. If not for the hole where its battery used to be, IRVING seemed intact.

"How's reserve-power treating you, Irv?" Tammy asked.

IRVING slowly stood up halfway, its front legs creaking. The slim legs were painted tannish brown, connected to a bulky chest. It had a stern gaze, two pixelated eyes staring where two visual sensors were installed, as if animalistic features like the eyes and actuating ears would make it appear more friendly. The lack of paint on key areas of its body completed the look: a stoic German Shepherd of alloys and circuits.

Its voice came quiet. "I'm at 11 percent."

"Well sit tight, I have the replacement."

"Tammy Ford?"

"Yes?" she said.

"Protocol M12-14 states that you should be accompanied on long repair journeys, or wait for me to be brought to your location."

"I know what the damn protocol says. Would you roll over so I can install this thing?"

"I am required to let your supervisor know of any substantial breaches of conduct."

Tammy stared at the dog's robotic eyes. "I'm here now, right? Let me fix you up."

For a few seconds, the robot sat there, looking back at her. She wasn't sure if it was thinking, or just didn't have an answer.

"This is acceptable," it said.

The dobermann got to work patching up the massive shepherd. The battery pack was located on its lower flank, just before its hind legs. IRVING laid on its back, looking at her. Tammy did her best to avoid its eyes.

"How did your battery explode, anyway?" Tammy asked.

"It appears that an anomalous electrical event caused the anode and cathode to connect, overheat, and then rupture the cell."

"What kind of electrical event?"

"It was most likely lightning."

"Why didn't you just say so?" Tammy grumbled. When he didn't answer, she said, "all things considered, it looks like you could have fared worse."

"Lightning is not intended to cause significant damage. I will notify the Office once I am more operational."

"Yeah, yeah," she dismissed.

She wrenched out the casing of the old battery, still hot to the touch. It smelled like electrical fire and sulfuric acid, as well as something else, something organic. She noticed how close she was to the robot's crotch area and nodded to herself.

"I take it you've met the wildlife down there," she began.

"I have," IRVING said.

As Tammy attached the panel covering the battery compartment, Irv vibrated like it was shivering. The robot stood, looking away from her.

Tammy stood up and collected her tools back into her pack. "We should get you back to the garage. I can run a full diagnostic from there, make sure we don't have more bots blowing up."

"Very well," Irv said. It looked around, scanning in all directions. Choosing the direction pointing straight to Habitation, it started trotting. Its long legs and fast pace meant it hardly pressed down the grass, flowing right over it.

"Hey, wait up!" Tammy called.

Irv reduced its pace. It kept looking around as she approached, but not at her.

Tammy's eyes were fierce. "You remind me of the stupid protocol, but you don't even want to travel together?"

"Rules are rules," IRVING agreed. "I was following them, even if I was at a distance."

"Sounds to me like you're in favor of bending rules yourself."

"Of course not," it said.

For once, Irv looked to Tammy. They stood at almost the same height. It seemed to have a glint in its eyes, only a few hundred pixels required to taunt her.

"You're kind of an ass, you know that?" Tammy said.

"Mm-hm," Irv agreed. The bot's eyes seemed to smile.

For the next kilometer, the two didn't speak. Tammy found the silence more comfortable than she expected. When she wasn't looking at where her feet would land, she looked at the sky. Sunlight was fading, stars showing. If she looked hard, she could see a thin, vertical strand, hovering in space. With each day, the strand inched closer to the surface. One day, it would hook the planet and reel it in.

"I didn't see any thunderclouds on top of that hill earlier or hear any thunder. Where did the storm go?" Tammy said.

"I did not sense a storm to begin with. This planet still appears to be holding some mysteries."

"Well, that doesn't sound good for us, huh? Freak lightning storms out of nowhere, ready to strike us down?"

"Then we should be walking faster," Irv said.

Part 3. Empathetic

---

When Tammy reached Habitation, the garage was open. Someone stood at the entrance, watching her and IRVING approach.

"The fuck were you thinking? One day and Mitch is already pissed off at everyone," Addison said.

"I'll talk to him."

"If I were you, I'd try seducing him. Might go better."

Tammy narrowed her gaze, walking past her. "That's a terrible joke, Addison."

Addison's mouth curled to one side. "You're right; you got me in a fucking mood. I'm glad you made it back safe."

The dobermann took a last look at her friend, then went back inside the Hab's main area. Mitch was standing there, waiting for her. His eyes felt cold, cold enough it made her want to sweat.

"How is Irv?" he said.

"What?" Tammy said, tense. "Irv's operational again. There's that."

His arms were crossed, tapping his fingers against his forearm as he thought. "Well, that's one good thing."

For a second, they stood silent. Tammy crossed her arms too. "And I guess I didn't get mauled to death out there," she said.

"I hope, for your sake, you don't think this is funny."

"No I-I don't. It was stupid."

Mitch shook his head. "I'm not here to mother you, or to tell you how to do your job, but it's on me to keep everyone safe and accountable for their actions."

"I know you're right. It won't happen again," she said.

"I know you know. Now listen: I have to write this up. I can recommend that all you need is a warning." He paused, considering his own superiors. "They'll probably agree, considering how fucking expensive it is to get new crew out here. But it'll sound a lot better if you have a better excuse than 'it was stupid.'"

Tammy squinted. "You want me to come up with an excuse?"

"I'd prefer you to tell me what actually happened," Mitch said. "I know you're an excellent roboticist. I know you're not stupid, you might as well be smarter than any of us."

"I'm flattered."

"Well?" Mitch asked again.

Tammy paced the room, talking with an arm out. "I don't know. Maybe I forgot that section of the protocol. Maybe I figured I'd be returning with IRVING, so that would be safe enough. And maybe I got into an argument with Harper and Addison, and just wanted to leave."

"What was the argument about?"

"No, I mean, I was upset. Like, they're great to work with. I don't want to throw them into this."

"Well then, why were you upset?"

"That's personal."

"Don't make me guess."

Tammy shook her head at the grey wolf. "What do you know, Mitch?"

Mitch stayed where he was, not moving any closer to her. "What do you want me to say? That I can smell it on you? Because we're both canines here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tammy huffed.

Mitch sputtered. "Please, all-all I mean," he said, "is that we can both tell you're in heat."

"I have work to do," Tammy said. "I promise I won't run off again."

She stood there, waiting for even the slightest nod of approval.

"What do you want me to say in the report?" he said.

"Use a euphemism. Make something up. At this point, I don't care about the details."

Mitch sighed. "Fine. You know where to find me."

Tammy nodded, feeling warm all over, and left the way she came. The garage was at capacity now, IRVING now sitting in the center. She got to work, grabbing diagnostic tools, hearing nothing in her ears but her last conversation with Mitch.

"Are you upset?" Irv asked her.

"Why, is that a policy violation too?" Tammy growled.

"Technically, J2-17 cites it is healthy to communicate negative emotions."

Again, Tammy was caught off guard by the robot's vocal range, all too fluent in sarcasm.

"Unfortunately, my psychiatrist is a hundred light-years from here," Tammy said.

"Then there is more reason to talk."

"Good point. Alright. For the past 72 hours, I've been a horny mess who can barely concentrate, and my entire crew knows it. How's that?"

Irv didn't react to this, still laying there.

"Figures," Tammy muttered. She tapped through a string of menu panels, arriving on the full diagnostic checklist. "Well, the all-knowing protocol will have us go through every conceivable performance metric after a novel failure, so I hope you're ready."

"I am," Irv nodded.

The first item was to perform a soft restart. With a button press, IRVING's eyes abruptly shut off, the ambient noise of fans stopping. For a second, she basked in the silence. The fans purred back to life, and Irv's eyes turned back on.

"What's it like when I do that?" Tammy asked.

"I lose myself."

She looked at him sideways. "You wanna elaborate on that?"

"It is like what would have happened if you did not arrive in time. I would have been forced to shut down and wait. I lose control and I cannot tell for how long."

Tammy's brow lowered. "So, like, forced sedation? That sounds terrible. Sorry that I had to."

"It's standard protocol," Irv forgave.

She continued down the list. Some items didn't take long to check. Others required her to spend several long minutes hand-checking components. Addison came in to offer help, but Tammy convinced her that two people would only make it take longer. Tammy briefly went for a late dinner, the kitchen empty, then returned to IRVING.

"Pheromone chemical integrity check," she muttered. Irv heard her, standing all the way up. Tammy grabbed an impact wrench, undoing a short bolt near his neck. She attached a device to the pheromone outlet. The device ran, extracting some of the pheromones and running various tests. Once it flashed green, she pulled off the device. The line depressurized, and a thin vapor briefly sprayed out.

Tammy didn't think about it, already grabbing her wrench again. Then she smelled the air.

"Huh. That's working."

"Good," Irv said.

Tammy swallowed down her extra saliva. She shook her head to try to clear it, then moved on with her list. A question sat on the tip of her tongue

"Are there some, uh, tasks in your work that you like more than others?" she asked.

"I enjoy mating, if that's what you are asking."

"I guess it was," she said, the bridge of her snout reddening.

She didn't dare ask any similar questions. The night dragged on, and it was only near lights-out, when the lights automatically dimmed, that she remembered she was tired. She said goodnight to Irv. On her way to the sleeping quarters, she saw Harper still in the lab, staring at a whirring centrifuge.

"Long night for you, too?" Tammy asked.

"Huh? What?" Harper said, then yawned.

"How long have you been sitting there?"

For an uncomfortable length of time, Harper stared at a clock, doing the math. "Let's not talk about it. I want to ask you something, before I forget."

"Go ahead," Tammy said.

"Do you think there's more we should be doing here? In general?" she asked.

"For the planet?"

"Yeah."

"I--maybe," Tammy said. "I wish we could. But we're just four people, you know? We can't save an entire world by ourselves."

Harper had her arms around her knees, holding herself. "Fourteen, if you count the bots."

"Fourteen," Tammy agreed, yawning herself. "Come on."

The two went back to the sleeping quarters. Tammy paused at their doorway, looking at the door opposite where Mitch slept.

She went to her own bed and turned off the light.

Part 4. Rebelling

---

When Tammy woke up, it was still dark. Her shirt clung to her back again. Her body ached; her crotch ached. As she laid there, mind racing, her thoughts went around in circles that always returned to Irv.

When Tammy pulled herself out of her head, she had to catch her breath. She got out of the bunk bed and to the floor. Addison's chest rose and fell under her sheets, the rest of her unmoving. As silently as she could, Tammy dressed herself in a modest shirt and jeans. She went back to the garage.

IRVING laid crouched on its legs, eyes dark. When she turned on the lights, its eyes turned on in the same instance, looking at her.

"Jesus!" Tammy whispered.

"It's early. Why are you awake?"

"Apparently, I slept about as well as you do," she grumbled.

"My apologies."

Tammy relaxed her pose. "Are you ready to finish what we started, or do you need your beauty sleep?"

"I use sleep mode to conserve power, not to increase my attraction."

"Hilarious, Irv."

Irv chuckled.

Tammy had an urge to touch IRVING's head. She had to reduce her breathing, stop her heart from pounding so audibly.

"Can I ask you something about your pheromones?" she said.

"You may."

"Are they supposed to work on people?"

"They're designed to work on a variety of species."

"Including me?" She shook her head. "People?"

Irv blinked. "Yes, people."

"Sounds like an oversight."

"They should rarely be exposed."

"I was exposed."

The robotic shepherd panned its gaze to the tablet Tammy had left on an otherwise-empty table. "What's next on your list?"

She grabbed the tablet, paging through. "I'm not going to lie, Irv. I really would like to smell that again."

"I see. Is that on the list?" IRVING said, sarcastic.

"Well, it's on my list."

"I am empathetic, Ms. Ford, but it would be best for us to stick to protocol."

Tammy's pose strengthened. "How about yesterday? How about the part where I saved you from a hard shutdown? Sometimes, things just work out better when you don't follow all the rules."

Irv looked down. "I am not sure if that is for us to decide."

She had never seen Irv express uncertainty. The dobermann stood close to Irv, eye-to-eye. "Please, just release some pheromones. I'll call it a double-check."

The robot looked at her for an uncomfortable length of time.

"I think what I will call it," Irv said, "is me doing you a favor."

Tammy flashed a smile. "Wasn't sure you were able to break the rules."

"Don't tell the programmers, but their Protocol is so convoluted there is a way to bend any rule as needed."

A tiny vent opened from Irv's neck, and for a second, a wide spray of droplets filled the air around them.

"You're kidding," she murmured.

"Of course," Irv said.

Tammy leaned back, and she had to catch herself on the wall. Her eyes drifted close, focusing on the smell. Fragrant, familiar as the smell of her own musk, but deeply masculine. She managed to keep her clothes on.

"Even-steven," Tammy sighed.

"You're welcome."

The dobermann had a sense of clarity despite knowing she wasn't in her right mind. "Let's finish the damn list, then," she said.

"What is left?"

"A few things. The inseminator, for one."

"That's not the standard order of things."

"Oh, well I guess we can do--"

"Oh well," Irv agreed.

Her snout red, Tammy struggled to recall the details of the simple procedure. "I think it would work best to get you on the table."

"To inspect me more easily, I imagine," Irv said.

The dobermann swallowed. "Yeah, right. That's exactly it."

The robot got its front legs on top of the metal table. Its paws gripped the surface. With little more than a rattle, IRVING leaped on top, close to sliding off of either side. Irv's head almost hit the exposed beams in the ceiling.

Tammy took a step back from the balancing robot, eyes wide. "I forget how big you are."

Irv nodded down at her. "I will be careful."

The robot crouched, twisting around. With a resonant thud, Irv was on its back. Its legs dangled well off of the table. Its head bent back, neck stretched, and looked at Tammy.

Tammy laughed once as she found her nervousness again.

She turned and rummaged through tools, looking for a specific measurement device. It looked similar to what she had used to extract a sample of Irv's pheromones, but with an attachable sleeve on one end. Tammy took a deep breath and turned back.

"Alright," Tammy said, "You'll have to... unsheathe yourself."

"Right."

She walked around him. Irv's legs splayed apart, showing off his underbelly. The curved metal panels had wide gaps between them, allowing the robot its full range of motion. The panels grew tiny, more flexible, near its sheath._His _sheath. Tammy found him to be so overwhelmingly male.

The tip of Irv's sheath protruded well out from his belly. His tesicles huddled close to the robot's short tail. The two potent orbs held his essence behind a metal mesh, flexible but unbreakable.

Irv craned his neck up to watch Tammy look at him. She seemed oblivious to his stare. He let his sheath widen, his dark grey appendage poking free with the tip, widening with every centimeter. It stopped extending, for now, when it reached the length of her hand. It glistened under the lights.

Tammy noticed he had a scent to him, distinct from the pheromones. It smelled raw, a combination of arousal from alien wildlife and from his own inseminator releasing potent sperm and protective fluids, only to slide over his own structure and never quite dry off.

Tammy laughed, hardly audible. "It seems this subroutine is still functioning."

"That is good to see," Irv said.

They met eyes. Tammy looked away. "Let's get that sample."

She took the tool and prepared herself. Pressing her lips together, she held the stretchy tube and tried to press it down onto his penis. It only bent away, flexing at the base.

"Fuck," she muttered. She grabbed his penis to hold him still. It was slick and entirely warmer than she expected. Shaking slightly, she managed to press the tube down, stretching it over him.

Still she held his dick. Tammy swallowed, infinitely red. "Okay, can you release s-some for me?"

"Just a second," Irv said.

His cock twitched against her paw. He got warmer, each twitch bringing him closer, until he felt hot. The synthesized cum shot from his tip.

Tammy's lips parted. She watched the cum get sucked into the device, painting the inside of the tube a milky white.

The scents were getting to her. His pheromones stopped feeling so calming, more demanding. Her crotch itched. Her clit and nipples felt hard. Hastily, she detached the tube, forcing it off instead of carefully pinching the end closed. Cum dribbled out all over his warm rod, over her paw still around him.

"Shit," she breathed.

"It's okay," Irv said. "I've been messier."

"Does it feel...? I mean, can it even feel?"

"It feels pleasant," Irv said, almost laughing at her.

"Wait... have you been teasing me this entire time?" Tammy laughed back. She unwrapped her paw from his member, inspecting the cum wetting her knuckles. "You're lucky you smell good."

"Thank you," Irv said.

Tammy stood up taller. "So... it feels nice to have my paw around it? Like this?"

Her moistened paw returned to his messy dick, squeezing him.

"Tammy," Irv began, but he didn't say more.

"It does, doesn't it?"

The dobermann's paw started sliding down his bizarre flesh, spreading his cum over it. His penis began to extend again with each pass of her paw, gliding across his flesh.

Irv huffed. "This is dangerous. Your team could find out."

"You would tell them?"

"No."

"Then let me take care of you," she murmured.

IRVING chose silence. He chose to watch the dobermann rub his penis with long strokes, and he chose to feel her with all of his sensors. The combined sensation was impossible to compare. He let her feel more of him, more of his rod pushed from his sheath, his mesh balls swelling and shrinking, alive with electricity.

Both of her paws had found him, massaging his full erection. His own lubricant kept him slippery and sticky. The sounds were almost too loud for her comfort.

"How do those beasts take it all?" she asked.

"Most don't," Irv said.

She swallowed. "Well, I want to."

"Hmm," Irv murmured. "Even my knot?"

Tammy squeezed his tapering cock at the base. "I didn't realize you had one. Maybe you really are a canine."

"I am a machine."

"Maybe you're both," she said.

"Both," he mused.

Tammy's pawjob never slowed. She found comfort in the rhythm of her strokes. Getting her face close, she got her snout down to him, inhaling his scent. She swore she could hear the faint hum of electricity inside.

"Can you cum without telling yourself to?" Tammy said.

"I suppose I've never tried," Irv said.

"Maybe there's a manual override I can try?"

"I would like that."

Tammy smiled with lust. "Then I shouldn't get this dirty."

The female canine stood, putting on a show for the feral robot. She pulled her shirt off by the collar. Her fitted bra bounced in response. She took off her bra too, but her boobs hardly fell, defying gravity.

Irv chuckled in appreciation. "You are beautiful."

"What does a robot dog know about that?" she asked, tilting her head.

"I know plenty."

She took a step back toward him, lips curling in a smirk. "Maybe you do."

He already ached from her lack of attention. Once she returned, he didn't anticipate how powerful it would feel. His hind leg kicked the air behind him; his head fell back.

"That's a good boy," she murmured.

She found her rhythm again but grew restless. She craved more of his scent, to get closer to it. By the time her nose was against his cock, she couldn't help but lick him. He shook. Her broad tongue curled around his tip. As she drew her tongue back, the strong taste of him filled her snout. He tasted like flesh was supposed to taste: meaty, bitter, but still unlike anything else. She returned for seconds.

Irv's eyes went wide open, taken by surprise again. He pushed up with his front legs and looked at her: holding the front of his cock and licking the back of it.

In taste, smell, and sight, all she could sense was him. She licked clean the cum still clinging to his equipment, trying to entice more to spurt to the surface. He didn't feel entirely smooth, a bit of texture on his cock for her tongue to cling to. When her tongue needed a break, she rubbed the side of her face against him, sniffing his crotch. Even the metal seemed infused with his scent. Her paws found his testicles, playing with them with the same loose grip an anthro required. The mesh of his balls slid against her fingers like satin.

It didn't take her long to start to seek out more of the flavor clinging to him. She barely held him, bending her head to lick his sides, growing restless as that too was depleted. Finally, her maw opened. She clamped around, sucking on the top half of his cock. Moaning, she drew him in further, the robot's cock quivering inside her.

"I can't control it," he admitted.

Tammy swallowed around him, looking up at his eyes. They shined bright, but he kept looking around, uncertain.

She pulled off. "That makes it better," she said.

Her breasts were hugged against Irv and the table as she suckled. She craved his release, to taste him directly. Her right paw sank below the table, unzipping her jeans and slipping below her fabric.

Once her nose reached his sheath, her jaws filled to capacity, Irv's knot began to swell. His front claws tried to dig into the metal table, scraping against it.

"Okay," Irv moaned softly.

Irv's dick began to pulse again, ahead of his orgasm. But this time, Tammy didn't hold him between her timid fingers; she pressed her head down on him, absorbed by his warmth. His member twitched between her jaws. She half-opened her eyes at the feeling of his knot widening against her teeth, tonguing the rest of him. He finally began to cum.

Tammy held him there but didn't swallow. She let his release splash against the roof of her mouth, drip from her lips, bathing her taste buds. She moaned as he did, spreading her pussy apart below the table.

She pulled off, swallowing whatever remained in her mouth and licking her lips. Most of the cum ended up coating his penis again. Some of it dripped over her breasts, but she made no effort to clean it up.

Tammy pulled down her pants, eyeing his dripping cock all the while. The garage air on her bare fur didn't feel so cool anymore. Her panties were soaked through. She pulled down her last bit of cloth, a string of drooling estrus between her and her panties. At last, she approached the robot. She pressed between his legs again, leaning on him and resting her paws on his belly.

"I'm going to need you to breed me," she said.

"You were so patient until now," he teased.

"Is that a 'yes?'"

"Not until you are sure. You should know much protocol this goes against. Or the spirit of it, anyway."

Her head shook side-to-side as she thought it over. "I know," she said.

"And you do realize you're in heat, and that I might not be able to control myself again."

"I'm counting on that," she said, sliding her paw against his coated penis. "And I'm prepared to take the risk."

"And you're aware that there's no birth control within this Hab's medicine supply."

"Irv," the dobermann addressed, still rubbing him. She squeezed around his wide knot. "I'm going to need you to get this thing inside of me."

"If you insist," he murmured. "How do you wish to take it?"

Tammy shook a bit just thinking about it. "I want you to show me what those massive hips can do."

"I see," he said.

"You might have to let me take your place," she said.

"I've never had sex like that before."

Tammy smirked. "There's a first for everything--especially today."

"Indeed."

Tammy stopped rubbing him, backing away. She had a moment's doubt when she watched him twist, echoing against the metal. His limbs actuated, getting all of his mass off of the worktable. He walked around her, maintaining eye contact. His penis drooled across the floor.

"You'll be gentle, right?" Tammy asked.

Irv looked at her with his studious gaze. He walked closer. "I suppose I could try."

As she backed up, IRVING only followed, until her tail hit the table, out of room. He inched forward until their faces met. Tammy's pulse raced. She grinned back at him.

Irv bowed his head. The bridge of his snout rubbed against her chest, holding it there. She rubbed his neck back, kissing his glass forehead. "I'm ready," she said.

Irv pushed Tammy back the rest of the way. She accepted her fate, letting herself fall to the table. The metal felt smooth and warm, still heated from Irv.

"Oh, are you?" he muttered.

She pulled herself up further onto the table. Her legs spread. Irv knelt down, bringing his pseudo-nose to her swollen flesh, tickling her like he planned to lick her clean with a tongue he didn't have.

"You're at the peak of your fertility," Irv said.

"I don't care," she breathed.

Tammy nearly gasped as Irv threw his front paws on the table. Her legs went up, finding IRVING's hips. Irv's penis laid across her lower belly. He arched his back to look down at her.

"Gentle," he repeated.

His hips adjusted. His cock slipped back against her fur, spreading fluids through it. Her toes barely held onto him. The tip of his cock pressed at the opening to her moistened mound. She held in her moans. He began spreading her, stretching her sopping walls, even more slick than him.

IRVING paused. His rod sat buried halfway inside of her, already stretching her labia thin. He looked at her, his eyes bright. "It is going to be difficult to get my knot into you."

"Please keep going, Irv," she panted.

His eyes turned off in a long blink. He murmured happily, beginning to thrust again.

He slid his cock back out, already dripping with heat. He pushed back in just as slowly, the tip of him reaching deeper. He grew wider against her entrance, covered in the thick fluids clinging to her inflamed folds. Despite his size, their bodies joined in a kind of natural harmony: the pussy of a canine filled in turn by a robotic canine.

His thrusts maintained his slow speed, each thrust getting deeper. Before she could ask to request it, he started speeding up.

"Mmm," Tammy moaned. Her breasts bounced with his thrusts. She pressed her lips together through another deep groan, breathing uneven. She looked up at Irv's face. "It's so warm," she laughed.

Irv nodded his head, smiling with his eyes.

The cum from earlier began to cream in her rippling flesh, oozing out over her tail. One of her paws held onto him; the other reached down. She played with her clit, the tension building in her like nothing else. She couldn't tell how wide she was spreading him, how close he was to pressing his knot between her lips.

"Oh, Tammy," he moaned.

"Breed me," she begged, urgent.

His weight pressed into her, taking another step forward. His dick slapped against her labia, balls swaying. Eager, powerful thrusts held him in deep. His knot, barely swollen, began to slip past her lips, into her tight walls. Tammy cried out, welcoming the familiar sensation of his cock beginning to twitch.

He came, buzzing with electricity, and his knot sank in. His cock filled her tunnel, jetting cum into her womb. She pulsed back, pussy twitching around him, till the shock gave way to orgasm. Her body stirred, her limbs grabbing at IRVING. Her cunt held tighter, squeezing his knot as it continued to swell.

Irv's hips shuddered. He had no control over the last sample of sperm swimming into her. He pressed his knot in deeper, the cum only squelching in further. Tammy moaned again, her whole body tensing, her whole passage tight to his knotted cock.

Irv's tail wagged. "Good girl!" he teased. He enjoyed the luxury of never being out of breath.

As such, Tammy just breathed for a minute, finally finding peace. She started sitting up, tugging on their connection.

"Was I too loud?" she asked.

He pulled out, splattering their wet orgasms everywhere. Her pussy tensed, gaping only for a second. Hot cum gushed from her impregnated depths.

"Time will tell," he said.