Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2015 08:23:45 -0600
From: Vic James <vicjames2@hotmail.com>
Subject: Toward the Brightest Star Chapters 26 - 32
Toward the Brightest Star
Book One
By Vic James
Copyright 2013 by Vic James
All Rights Reserved
Second Edition
Revised and Expanded
vicjames2@hotmail.com
http://vicjames.com
Twenty-Six
Tren got up and followed Jerallen and the security agents
out of the room.
"Ardin is an AI?"
"Yes."
They walked out of the port building and they were scanned
again. Ali was getting a little tired of it. Did they really need
to rescan every five minutes?
They were stopped by a line of soldiers. Jerallen spoke and
they passed them through. They walked up to a beautiful ship.
"Wow! It's gorgeous!"
"Yes, it is. It's small but beautiful, like my wife."
They walked onboard.
"Kerra, this is Tren."
"Hello, Tren. Welcome to your ship."
Tren shook his head.
"Thank you, Kerra."
"I suppose Jerallen has told you about Ardin."
"Yes."
Tren was worried about one thing. What if Ardin didn't want
to be an AI?
"Do you like being an AI?"
"I love it, Tren."
He sighed with relief.
"Can I speak to him?"
"Yes, of course. I must warn you that his voice will not be
identical. The sound of a person's voice is the result of biology
and he doesn't have that anymore. No throat, no lungs. Do you
understand?"
"Yes, Kerra. That makes sense."
"Hello, baby! Did you miss me?"
The voice wasn't the same, but it wasn't too different.
"Ardin! It's you!"
"Yes. Kerra told me what happened. I had a feeling I wasn't
going to live to be an old man. My father died when he was about
my age."
"You told me last night that if you left me, to let Ali
comfort me. I think you knew."
"Maybe. But now I won't die. And we can be together. The
three of us, if Ali likes that idea."
"Yes, my friend. I like it very much."
"Ali is rich now," Tren told him.
"Really? Good for you, Ali!"
"Tren is much, much richer," Ali said.
"How much."
"Ten billion," Tren said.
"No! Really?"
"Yes."
"Ardin, I would like to show Tren and Ali the ship. Then my
wife and I will leave you to talk in private."
"Thank you, Jerallen."
"Tren, this is the living area."
Tren looked at the floor which was a beautiful multicolored
stone. The walls were silver metal with a pattern embossed in the
metal.
"Let me show you the cabins. There are only three, but they
are quite nice."
They opened a door and saw a very nice room. It was
beautifully decorated with several chairs, a small table, a large
bed, and a very luxurious washroom. The other cabin was decorated
a little differently, but was identical, otherwise. The third
cabin was a little smaller than the first two, but was still very
nice. He showed them the last room, which was a combination
lounge, dining, and entertainment room. He showed them two food
synthesizers which were inside a cabinet.
"You can press this-"
Jerallen pressed a button next to one of the food
synthesizers, and the floor opened and a table and chairs rose
out of it.
The ship also had two small cleaning robots which had four
arms each.
"What do you think?"
"It's absolutely beautiful. Thank you, Jerallen. Especially
for Ardin."
"You are welcome. You and Ardin did something tremendous for
us. You deserve it. The ship is not new, but it has been well
maintained. The robot the king has hired for you can arrange for
servicing and maintenance. With your permission, I will change
the name of the ship on the registries. Right now, it is the
Kerra. Would you like it to be called the Ardin?"
Tren grinned at Ali who nodded.
"Yes. That would be wonderful."
"Well, Kerra? Are you ready to go?"
"Jerallen, she is already in the storage cube in your
quarters on the king's ship."
"Thank you, Ardin.
"I wish all of you the greatest happiness."
"Thank you, Jerallen."
"Thank you."
He left and Tren sat down.
"This has been a weird day. What do you think, Ardin?"
Ardin chuckled.
"Yes, unusual."
Ardin paused.
"Tren are you sure you want me around?"
"I love you. Of course I do!"
"It's just that Kerra reminded me several times that I am
not Ardin. I am technically a newly born Free Machine. Ardin is
legally dead."
"Do you think that matters to me?"
"No, but I wanted to ask."
"If you are a newborn, are Ali and I your mommy and daddy?"
Tren asked him.
Ali and Ardin laughed.
"I better be the daddy!" Ali said.
Tren looked down and laughed out loud.
"What was that about?" Ali asked.
Tren pointed at his prick which was partway out of his
shorts again.
"It hurts to have it pulled up."
"I was laughing because with that thing visible, no one
would ever think of you as a mommy!"
"Oh." Ali laughed.
"Ardin...are you well, depressed about dying?"
"No. I'm sorry that you are suffering, but I always knew I
would die before you. This seems like a perfect solution to me. I
worried whether you would love me when I was old and you were
still young. Would you want to take care of me? How could I ever
cope if you left me? Now I don't have to worry about it. I will
always be the same age. I can't fuck you anymore, but I can watch
Ali fuck you and I have always enjoyed that."
Tren chuckled.
"I have, too," Ali said, grinning.
"I wish I did," Tren said.
"What?"
"I am kidding, Ali. You know how I feel about your beautiful
cock."
Ali put his arm around Tren and Tren leaned against him and
sighed.
Ardin was still struggling with one thing Kerra told him.
She said the original Ardin still existed in another universe,
otherwise known as the Afterlife. She said that although many
beings refused to believe it, a race called the Distaff had not
only proved that living beings possessed souls, but proved that
AIs and robots had souls, too. She tried to explain. She spoke of
minds as electrical configurations and how they extended
simultaneously into other universes. There were Ardins who
thought the same thoughts, but in other universes. How in one of
the universes, entropy did not exist and the configuration would
never break-down. Ardin had no idea what she was talking about.
He had to ask her what words like configuration and entropy and
simultaneously meant. And where were the other universes? One
thing she made clear: AI Ardin had a soul and biological Ardin
had a different soul. When Tren died-if AI Ardin chose to die,
too-Tren would have two Ardins in the Afterlife. Biological Ardin
and AI Ardin. Ardin wondered whether there might be a chance
there could be two Trens. Biological Tren and AI Tren. That way,
each Ardin would have a Tren in the Afterlife.
"We should live on the ship, Ali."
"Do you want me to live with you?"
"Yes. I want us to always be together. The three of us. We
should go to Gorga so you can get a divorce. Ardin, how do you
feel about Ali and me?"
"You should marry him, Tren. Isn't that the reason you want
him to get a divorce?"
Ali was surprised to hear that.
"You don't ever want to be on your own, do you?"
"No, Ardin. Never."
"There you are. I love Ali and I think you care for him more
than I do. You love Ali. I know you do."
"I...I don't know how I feel. Before, I tried to suppress
feeling that way about him because I love you so much and it made
me feel I was being untrue to you. But I would be terribly
depressed if Ali left."
"Do you love me, Tren?"
"I guess I must, Ali. I know I want to spend the rest of my
life with you."
"Ardin, do you mind if I kiss Tren?"
"No. You can fuck him. Tren, there is no use mourning me. I
am right here."
"I wish you were right here in your body."
"Well, I wish that, too. But if you keep crying and mourning
over my death, I am going to assume it was my body you loved."
"That's not true!"
"There's a freezer on the ship. You can have the body sent
here and look at it every day."
Tren gasped. It was pretty clear that Ardin didn't want him
mourning!
"I am Ardin! I am here!"
Ardin felt guilty, but he did not want his husband mourning
another man. Even if the other man was Ardin, too. He realized he
was extremely jealous of the other Ardin. He wasn't sure why. It
was strange. He wasn't jealous of Ali. He suddenly felt even more
guilty about what he had said to Tren about the body. Tren had
done nothing to deserve what he'd said. He had only been thinking
of his own feelings, not Tren's.
Ali pulled Tren onto his lap and pushed his tongue into his
mouth. Tren didn't respond for a moment. Then he realized that
Ardin wanted him to kiss Ali. He told Ali he could fuck him. They
kissed. Tren hugged Ali as tightly as Ali hugged him.
Afterwards, Tren asked, "Ardin, do you know how to fly the
ship?"
"Yes, it's easy. The ship already has a computer. It can
handle almost everything. Mostly I just tell it what I want it to
do. I also handle contacting ports about takeoffs and landings."
"After you get a divorce, we should go visit my mother."
Tren said. "Oh, wait. That will be very strange. 'Mom, this is my
husband the ship and this is my boyfriend'." Ali laughed.
"He could be your husband, if you wanted."
"No. You are."
"No, Tren. As much as I hate to admit it, your legal husband
died. You don't have to get a divorce."
Tren started to say something and then started crying again.
Ardin felt helpless. He didn't know what to do. He'd made Tren
cry.
"I'm sorry, baby. I should learn when not to talk. Dying
always makes me talk too much."
Tren opened his mouth to respond and then started laughing.
Ali began laughing, too.
"That's better. Tren, we are all having to get our minds
around what has happened. I apologize for what I said about the
body."
"Oh, Ardin. You are right. In a way, I was mourning your
body. It was half of you. I just need to keep remembering that I
still have the best half."
"Oh, baby! I love you!"
"I love you, and I always will."
They sat in silence.
"Would you even want to marry me, Ali?"
"My love, there is nothing that would make me happier."
Tren smiled at him and stroked his cheek.
"You know, the king thinks your death is connected with his
wife's pregnancy," Tren said.
"Yes, that was my impression, also," Ali added.
"I doubt it. My father died at the same age. I am not a bit
surprised that I died. But maybe you should point out that his
new baby is worth more than ten billion."
"Oh, yes. I will run out of money soon with only ten
billion. I don't even know what a billion is."
"It is a thousand million," Ali told him. "So you have as
much money as ten thousand millionaires."
Tren's mind was boggled.
"Poor Ali. You only have one little million. I have ten
thousand times more than you."
Ali grinned.
"I know. It is very sad. I will make you buy everything."
Tren and Ardin laughed.
"Ali can be your paid escort!"
Ali laughed and said, "I always did want to be a whore!"
"Me, too!" Tren said.
"Imagine! Females paying me to fuck them! I would be willing
to work long hours!"
Ardin laughed.
"Yuck! They couldn't pay me enough, those females!" Tren
said.
They sat around in a much lighter atmosphere.
Twenty-Seven
"Tren, a robot would like to be admitted."
"That's fine."
The hatch opened and a robot walked into the ship.
"My name is Glissent. The king has hired me to help you with
a variety of things."
Glissent looked a little like an Eosophin, but his surface
was covered with a silver and brown geometrical pattern.
"I am pleased to meet you. I am Tren and this is Ali."
The robot nodded.
"The king said you could do a great many things. Is that
usual? Most of the robots I have met only do one thing."
"No. I am an over-achiever," Glissent said.
Tren laughed.
"Fortunately, I did not have to learn all the things I know
the way biological people do."
"Wow. That is interesting. Are you a Free Machine?"
"Yes, I am. The Eosophins only create Free Machines. They
don't believe in slavery."
"What is the connection with slavery?"
"When most races create AIs and robots, they require a
period of servitude to pay for their creation. The AI or robot is
legally a slave."
"I didn't know that. I suppose I should have. My stepfather
is a robot."
"That is unusual," Glissent said.
"Yes. He is a wonderful person. I miss him. It's odd that he
never mentioned it."
"Perhaps he was never a slave. Or perhaps it was so long
ago, it no longer seems important. The period of servitude is
very short in many cases. If he served for a few months hundreds
of years ago, it may be irrelevant to him now."
"I will have to ask when I see him.
"I forgot to introduce you to my husband. Ardin is the
ship."
"Hello, Glissent."
"I thought your spouse died," Glissent said.
"Glissent, I am a copy of his spouse's mind."
"I see. Yes, that makes sense. Since your mother had a robot
for a spouse, an AI for a spouse is not so different."
"I hadn't thought of it that way. Is it possible to marry an
AI?"
"Yes, but what would be the point?"
Tren frowned.
"Love would be the point."
"Would you love him more?"
Tren thought about it. This was all too strange. What was
the point of marrying?
"No. I suppose not."
Tren looked at Ali and saw he seemed sad. He remembered that
Ali wanted to marry him. He supposed he felt rejected.
"Ali, if I married Ardin, it would be because he really is
my husband. Not because I don't want you. When I think about it,
maybe we should have a threesome. Having two wonderful husbands
would be twice as nice."
Ali smiled at him.
"Glissent, is the king paying your salary?"
"Yes."
"I am paying Ardin?"
"I don't know. Do you wish to pay him a salary as pilot?"
"If he is a Free Machine, shouldn't I? Otherwise, I am
treating him like a slave."
"Yes, of course. I will arrange it. I assume you want to pay
him more than the normal salary."
"Yes. I have no idea of what is normal. I have only been
wealthy for minutes."
Tren thought about it. It seemed wrong that he was a
billionaire and Ardin had nothing. Even though he was a different
Ardin, they still loved each other.
"I would like to give ten million credits to Ardin."
"Baby, you don't need to do that!"
"I know, Ardin. I want to do it."
Glissent looked at him. After a few seconds, he asked, "Are
you certain?"
"Yes."
Tren looked at Ali who nodded and smiled.
"I am very certain."
"Very well. Let me verify that Ardin is registered legally
as an AI. Yes." Glissent paused. "It is done. The amount has been
transferred. Ardin, you now have ten million credits. Do you
still wish to pilot the ship?"
"Yes. This is my family, Glissent."
Glissent nodded.
"What are your plans? Do you plan to remain on Aransas?"
"No. We will go to Gorga. Ali needs to obtain a divorce."
"She will be entitled legally to part of the gift the king
gave you, Aligaron. If you wish to avoid that, I can request the
king postpone the gift."
"No. I would rather we divorce on friendly terms and this
might help."
Glissent nodded.
"If you are planning to give money to Ali. Do not do so
until after the divorce. Otherwise his wife will expect part of
it."
"Yes, I understand."
"Baby, you need to free your mother."
"Oh! I forgot! My mother is a slave! Do we need to go there
to free her?" Tren asked Glissent.
"Where is she and what is her name?"
"Louise Drake. She is on Nargo."
"I am searching the Alliance databases."
Ali and Tren watched Glissent.
"Her price is two hundred and thirty seven thousand credits.
She must be highly regarded."
"Please free her and a give her one million credits."
Glissent nodded.
"Do you wish to send a message?"
"Yes. Here it is: 'Hi, Mom. I decided being a slave was not
for me. It only lasted a day before I was fired and freed." Ardin
laughed. "I decided to become extremely wealthy instead. I know
you expected that, but you might have told me how much. I can
give you more money. Let me know how much you would like. I have
a gorgeous spouse named Ardin, also a former slave, who died a
few hours ago and is now an AI. I'm living on Aransas at Prime
Port. I have a ship, the Ardin, and we will visit soon. Say hello
to Trig. Love, Tren.' Is that too confusing, Ardin?"
"Well, it's the truth."
"Yes, it is. Go ahead, Glissent."
"I have sent the message."
Tren sighed.
"I'm tired. I think I will lie down. Ali, do you want to
come?"
"Tren, before you go, can you tell me what you expect from
your investments?"
Tren had no idea what he meant.
"I have investments?"
"Yes. There are various ways to put your wealth towards
creating more. Some people invest cautiously and others are
bolder. Bolder investments normally produce more money, but there
is the possibility of loss."
"It's like gambling, Tren," Ali said.
"I don't know!"
"Well, do you feel you need a large amount of money
available easily at all times?"
"What is a large amount?"
"Over two hundred million."
"No. I don't think I will need two hundred million, ever!
Just do whatever you think is best. If you feel bold, go for it.
Just make sure there is enough for us to live off if we lose. I
trust you. If we lose on an investment, it isn't like I had to
work hard for the money! I am pretty certain I have way more
money than I will ever need. I'm still glad we got our room and
food for free in the port!"
Ali laughed.
"Thank you."
Ali got up and took Tren's hand. They walked to one of the
cabins.
"I think I like this one a little better."
"They are both beautiful."
Tren pulled his shirt off and got in bed. Ali got behind
Tren and Tren backed up against Ali. Ali wrapped his arms around
Tren.
"That's nice, Ali. I hope we can sleep like this all the
time."
Tren missed Ardin's arms, but at least Ardin was still with
him.
Tren stroked the long hair on Ali's arm.
"We will, my love. I have wanted to do this."
Tren felt warm and safe. He could feel Ali's erection
pressing against him. It made him feel wanted, as well. He fell
asleep quickly.
Ardin watched them. He had hoped they would have sex. He
knew Tren was grieving the loss of the other Ardin and he didn't
like that. He told himself not to be jealous of him, but it
didn't seem like he was listening.
He thought about Glissent, too. He had never given much
thought to robots before. The idea that they were beings with
souls was a strange one to him. He didn't even know he had a
soul. Now he had two, in a way.
As Ali lay there, he wondered about his future. He was
wealthy now and his mate would soon be someone who not only loved
him, but lusted intensely after him. His adolescent thoughts of
what marriage would be like: as much sex as he wanted, could soon
become true. He had a lot of sex with Tren, before he was his.
With them together every minute of every day he had no idea how
much sex they would have. After all, there was nothing else to do
on a ship in space, and they both enjoyed sex. But how long would
it continue? Would Tren eventually lose interest? He doubted it.
Luckily just being himself seemed to arouse Tren enormously. He
had a feeling that if his prick was anywhere near Tren's mouth,
his lips would soon be wrapped around it. If only his wife felt
the same. He realized he would probably not be fucking any more
females. That was fine. No female he had ever fucked had been a
tenth as excited or as eager as Tren. Being wanted had become a
drug for Ali. He loved feeling desirable and sexy.
His prick had become painfully hard. It was also leaking. He
pulled slightly away from Tren and stroked his prick.
"Save it for Tren," Ardin told him, softly.
"I haven't come in days!"
"Were you saving yourself for Tren?"
"Yes. I knew how excited he would be."
"Think of your wife and your job."
Ali did and his prick softened. He chuckled.
"Thanks. It worked."
He snuggled closer to Tren and closed his eyes.
Tren woke about an hour later and remembered what had
happened.
"Ardin?"
"Yes, baby?"
"I wanted to make sure you are still there."
"I plan to stay with you, baby. I love you just as much now
as I did. That is a lot."
Tren smiled.
"I love you, too."
"I'll miss your pretty cock."
"I know. You have Ali's though and we both know how much you
love it."
"It was your heart I loved and I can still hear it. You had
a beautiful body, but that isn't why I fell in love with you."
"Oh, baby. I love you so much."
Ali got up.
"Are you hungry? I am."
"Yes, I am."
They walked to the lounge and saw Glissent there. They
looked at the list of foods on the food synthesizer.
"No Human food. Glissent do you know how to get it added?"
"Yes, I will arrange it. Are you planning to live on the
ship?"
"Yes, I suppose. What do you think, Ali?"
"It's nicer than either of our rooms. Why not?"
"Why don't the two of you bring your things from the port?
By the time you return, the Human and Gorg food databases should
be in the synthesizer."
They left the ship and walked back to the port building. Ara
was inside and he waved at them. He ran up to them.
"How are you, Tren? We are all so sorry about Ardin!"
"Thank you, Ara. It is strange, but I still have him. The
king had a copy of his mind and he is now the AI in a ship the
Eosophins gave me."
"Oh, like Opportunity!"
"What is that?"
"It is a company in town. It scans your mind and can place
it into a robot brain."
"I would guess it is the same thing. It feels like I should
be mourning him, but it's difficult to do that when you are
talking to him!"
"Well, mourning never did anyone any good, the living or the
dead; so I wouldn't worry about it. I am happy he is still with
you.
"I just heard from the king's representative that they are
leaving in less than an hour. They have given the port employees
an enormous bonus for inconveniencing us. Each of us is receiving
five hundred thousand credits, even the ones who were evacuated!
You are going to be very popular! You will also receive that
since you and Ardin are employees. There is also the fee for
closing the port to distribute, so there will be more to come."
"Oh! I'm so happy for you. You and Esta are millionaires!"
"I know! We are so excited! We decided we will have a family
right away.
"Ali, I am sorry, but you are not an employee."
"It is fine. The king gave me a million for comforting Tren.
I told him it wasn't necessary, but he insisted."
"I am glad for you. Living here with us, you feel like
family."
Ali was surprised. He didn't think the Aransans even noticed
him.
"Thank you, Ara."
"I assume the king gave you a lot. Will you tell me?"
"Yes. He gave me ten billion."
"What?"
Tren laughed.
"I think I probably said that to him. I didn't even know
what a billion was. Ali explained it to me."
"That is truly amazing! I am so happy for you. I don't think
I am going to tell anyone. That kind of money can make people do
strange things. Do you know what I mean?"
"Yes. I do," Ali said.
"I don't. What do you mean?" Tren asked.
"Thieves, liars, cheats, blackmailers, kidnappers; the list
is long, and all of them would be very interested," Ali said.
"He is right, Tren. I would keep the amount ambiguous except
around really close friends. You may tell someone with a big
mouth and they may discuss it in a bar where someone desperate
for money is listening."
Tren sighed.
"I understand now."
"What do you plan to do? Will you stay on Aransas?"
"We are going to Gorga and then to Nargo, where my mother
lives. I don't where we will go after that. We will be back,
though. The happiest time of my life was here and all my friends
besides Ali live here."
"I am glad."
"Do the AIs get part of the bonus?"
"Yes. They are as excited as the rest of us. No port
employee makes much money."
"I will see you later."
Ara walked back towards his office.
"Let's get our things, baby," Ali said.
"Am I your baby?"
"Yes, you are."
Tren smiled at him.
"I'm glad."
"If you are a good boy, I will let you look at my prick
later."
"As long as you wear those shorts, I can see it whenever I
like. But how good would I have to be to suck it?"
"Very, very good!"
"I will be!"
They both laughed.
They got Tren's things from his room. He had all the clothes
he had gotten from Relf. He wondered how Relf was doing. He hoped
Relf and his ex were happy. He looked at Ardin's clothes. He
didn't need them anymore, but he was not going to throw them
away. He packed them, too. He walked into the washroom and picked
up the tooth cleaner. He started crying. Ali walked into the
washroom and held him.
"Everything will be fine. Only Ardin's body died. He is
still with you."
"I know. But he will never hold me again."
"I will hold you for him."
Tren sniffed and wiped his eyes. "Thank you, Ali."
Tren carried one of his bags and Ali carried the other. They
went to Ali's room to get his things.
Twenty-Eight
Erant told Ardin about Opportunity. He could have his mind
transferred to a robot brain. He could also have a copy of his
mind put into a robot brain, which would mean there would be two
of him. He didn't particularly like that idea. He also wasn't
sure he wanted to be a robot. There were advantages to being
mobile and advantages to residing in a large computer. But a name
popped up in his mind. Relf. Now that he was basically invisible,
would Tren consider reuniting with Relf? He did not want that. He
decided to contact Galf and ask how Relf and Draf were doing.
Maybe they were happy. But that worry helped him decide that he
needed a body. Relf would have no interest in Ali's happiness,
and Ali was his closest friend, next to Tren. Relf coming back
would be bad for both he and Ali.
After the port communications with the rest of the planet
were restored, he sent the message to Galf and contacted
Opportunity.
A voice said, "Opportunity. Are you prepared? This is
Eralta."
"Hello, my name is Ardin. I am an AI who was
originally...um, alive. I died yesterday. I am living in a ship's
computer right now. I wanted to get information about being in a
robot body."
"I see. How did your mind get copied?"
"A brain scan done by the Eosophins."
"Interesting. I am unaware of their technique. I will
definitely investigate.
"Do you have all your memories, Ardin? Where you were born,
your spouse's name, etc?"
"Yes."
"While it is a fairly straightforward process on Aransans,
we have never tried it on any other races. My process copies a
living Aransan's memories and stores them until needed into a
computer. We then transfer the memories from storage into a robot
brain. We do not copy or attempt to duplicate the cognitive part
of the Aransan's mind. The robot brain handles the cognitive
part, and as a result, the transferred individual is usually
intellectually superior to the original."
"I have noticed I seem smarter than I was before."
"Something similar is probably occurring. I have used the
process on myself. My biological body died a little over five A-
years ago. I know I am now intellectually superior. I can perform
complex mathematical calculations with no effort at all, even
when thinking about something else.
"Since you are already in a computer, I believe our process
will work for you. You would electrically transfer from one to
the other. It will take a while to learn how to fully control the
body."
"Is there any danger?"
"No. There are integrity checks which occur during the
transfer to ensure the dataset in the robot brain is identical to
the original. No one would be willing to pay for the procedure if
we could not guarantee it would work."
"What would the body look like?"
"We have Aransan bodies in stock."
"I was Human."
"Oh, you were one of the Humans at the port?"
"Yes."
"We hadn't heard you had died. You are famous, Ardin. I
didn't place the name at first."
"Why am I famous?"
"Everyone who works at the port is now wealthy because of
you."
"I didn't know that."
"Oh, yes. Several are now millionaires."
"That is great!"
"How did you die?"
"I don't know. From what I heard, I died in my sleep. The
copy was made before then."
"Yes, of course.
"We don't stock bodies that look Human. However we do stock
Naldan bodies. Those are expensive, but are capable of changing
shape. We have four customers who use Naldan bodies. They shift
between Aransan and other forms. In a Naldan body, you could look
as you did originally."
"How do you learn how to change shapes?"
"It comes with a very detailed manual. Naldans are bipeds,
so it looks vaguely Human already. If you simply want to look
like your old body, we can pre-program it for you. Then you can
learn how to change into other shapes at your leisure."
"Would the body be hard metal?"
"No. It might not be the same softness as your original, but
will do a good job matching the original. It won't be cold,
either. You can adjust the temperature of the outer surface. Cold
skin signifies death in most races."
"How much would a Naldan body cost?"
"One point eight million credits."
"That's a lot!"
"Yes, I know. You can get the body cheaper on Nalda. We are
only a reseller and we don't order enough to get a significant
discount."
"What else would I need?"
"Do you wish to live only in the robot, or do you wish to
travel back and forth into the ship?"
"Back and forth, I think."
"We will need to install hardware in the ship that will
connect the ship's computer to the robot. It will allow you to
transfer back and forth at will. There are ways to do it
wirelessly, but it is very slow. It can take two hours to
transfer. I would not recommend it."
"How much would that cost?"
"Parts and labor, about point four million credits."
"So a little over two million total?"
"Yes."
"Are there any other charges?"
"Would you like to have backups and new scans?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"If you are somehow destroyed, you would have a copy of your
mind elsewhere. If your ship explodes in space, and the only
copies of you are on the ship, you are gone forever. The
Eosophins may keep a copy, but who knows for how long? And would
they activate it? Their copy of you will become out of date,
anyway. When we have a copy of you, we automatically activate it
in the event of your death. If you can afford it, I would
recommend regular scans, so your memories are current in the
event of death or deactivation. These should be transmitted to
our secure storage for protection."
"So the backups would have current memories?"
"Yes."
"I think I would like backups. How much?"
"We can install the hardware for the computer for about one
hundred thousand credits. The hardware will be separate from the
ship's computer, in case the ship's computer is damaged. If you
would also like your backups stored by us, by that I mean not on
your ship, I can include hardware to transmit them to our
computers. That would run about two hundred thousand credits.
"I might as well do that, too. I would like to have scans of
my spouse, Tren, and also our friend Aligaron. Is that possible?"
"That would be more expensive. Five hundred thousand
credits. However you could use the same hardware for backing them
up. If you have the money, and you are happy in your current
state, I would recommend a scan of your spouse at the very least.
What good is immortality if you can't share it with your spouse?"
"Very true. I think I want it all."
"Excellent. I will come up with a combined price. The total
will be lower than all the individual costs I mentioned. Let's
see... I think two point six million. Of course, if your transfer
to a robot brain is not successful and you remain in the
computer, we will not be charging you anything."
"Fine. When could you do it?"
"Right away. The port is still closed, but we heard it is
reopening very soon."
"Yes. All the Eosophins have left the landing field and are
back in their ships."
"We have everything we need here at the shop. It is only a
few minutes to the port. Do you want to do it today?"
"Yes, I think so."
"I will get everything ready. Once the port opens, I will be
right there. Can you get photos of yourself to us? I can have the
body pre-programmed."
"I don't have any. Wait. Trigorn has some of both of us. I
am the one with black hair."
"He is right across the street!"
"Yes. I remember seeing your shop when we had our photos
taken."
"What about genitalia?"
"What?"
"Sex organs."
"He has photos of us having sex. Will the body have hair?"
"Oh, yes. Furred beings wouldn't like it if it didn't. We
should be able to tell the hair width from Trigorn's photos.
"What is the name of the ship?"
"The Ardin."
"Well, that's easy!"
Twenty-Nine
When they had finished gathering Ali's things, Tren asked
"Why don't we eat in here?"
"That's a good idea."
"What would you like to eat?"
Tren looked at Ali's prominent erection. "Uh."
Ali laughed.
"Are you hungry, baby? Do you want daddy to give you
something to eat?"
Tren whimpered and Ali laughed again.
"I will be right back."
Ali walked into his washroom with one of his cases and
closed the door.
Tren undressed. He wondered if he should do this so soon
after Ardin died, but he remembered what Ara said. "Mourning
never did anyone any good." He thought that was probably true.
Plus Ardin was still around.
He decided to ask Ardin.
"Erant, can you contact Ardin?"
"Yes. Hold."
"Hi, baby. What's up?"
"Ardin, I was thinking of-"
He couldn't say it. It seemed wrong.
"Were you thinking of with Ali?"
Tren laughed.
"You know me too well."
"I know you just the right amount. Go for it. Ali told me he
hasn't had sex since you saw him last. His balls might explode.
Take pity on him."
They both laughed.
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
"Bye."
Tren wondered what Ali was doing. He sat on a chair stroking
himself while he waited for his...lover. That was what he was.
Ali had been promoted! Tren smiled.
Ali walked out of the washroom in a uniform.
"Oh, fuck! I didn't think you could look any hotter!" Tren
said to him.
The tight tan-colored uniform showed off every one of his
muscles. The short sleeves looked like they were about to burst
open from the size of Ali's biceps. His huge stiff prick was
covered, but very prominently displayed in his tight uniform
pants, as were his balls.
"It's my army uniform."
"You must have had an awful lot of sex in the army. I would
have paid money to look at you! And a lot more to lick every bit
of you."
"No. I didn't. I wish you had been there to keep me happy!"
"Boy, you would have kept me happy!"
While Ali stared at Tren, he opened his pants and pulled out
his prick. He walked over to Tren and pulled Tren's face to his
crotch.
"Suck!" he ordered him.
Tren whimpered and did just that. It wasn't long before Ali
screamed and filled Tren's mouth with his spunk. Tren swallowed
and swallowed. It kept coming! Ardin was right! They might have
burst! He couldn't swallow all of it and some ran down Tren's
chest. Tren continued sucking and after a while, he pulled off
and pressed his face into Ali's crotch. He sniffed.
"I love the way you smell, Ali. It's incredible! Let me eat
your ass!"
Ali moaned and turned around. He could smell his come all
over Tren and his prick throbbed and started bouncing.
Tren pulled his pants down and admired the view.
"Damn, you have a beautiful ass!"
Tren pulled his muscular, hairy cheeks apart and began
lapping at his hole. Ali moaned and groaned as Tren pleasured
him. Tren stabbed at his hole while he stroked Ali's cock. Tren's
tongue slipped into him. Ali shouted and spun around. He pushed
his spurting prick into Tren's mouth.
Ali pulled his still stiff prick out of Tren's mouth. Tren
grinned and wiped his mouth.
Panting, Ali said, "Damnation! Tren. That was fantastic!"
He collapsed onto a chair and pulled Tren to him.
"I love you, baby."
"I love you, Ali."
Tren watched tears form in Ali's eyes.
"Don't cry. I'll suck you again very soon. I promise!"
Ali laughed.
"Will you let me fuck you?"
"Are you kidding? I want you to breed me at both ends as
often as possible!"
Ali moaned.
"That is a lot!"
Tren wrapped his hand around Ali's cock and stroked it.
"I'm down to only one of these. You are going to have to
work twice as hard, and come twice as often to make up."
Tren laughed at Ali's expression.
Tren ran his hands over Ali while Ali grinned at him. Ali
gently pushed Tren off him and he got up and unpacked his tube of
relaxant.
On the comm, they heard, "This is Ara. The Eosophins have
left and the port is now reopened."
"Do you mind if we eat...food before you fuck me?"
Ali sighed and Tren laughed.
"You just came twice!"
"I was hoping for four or five. I haven't come since I saw
you last and I was getting desperate."
"I know. Ardin told me. How about if we eat while I sit on
your lap with your prick inside me?"
Ali grinned.
"I will bounce up and down occasionally so you don't forget
I'm there."
"It sounds perfect!"
They ate and Ali knew he would never forget the meal. They
fed each other and true to Tren's word, he bounced while they
ate. Ali came while Tren was licking food off Ali's lips.
Afterwards, they sat on Ali's sofa. Ali sat blissfully with
his legs spread while his lover admired his prick. Tren had wiped
it off and was planting kisses on it.
Tren sat up and laughed.
"What is it, baby?"
"I was remembering the day we met. You said you would show
me a splendid example of a prick."
"I remember. I also remember the look of lust that appeared
on your face."
"I didn't say it at the time, but what I thought was, it was
the most perfect cock I had ever seen. Splendid seemed a poor
description."
Ali pulled him to him and they kissed.
"Why didn't you say it?"
"I didn't want to hurt Ardin's feelings."
"Of course. You are right. Thank you for telling me, though.
Do you know what I remember?"
"What?"
"Telling myself what an idiot I was to let you leave my
room. If I had rubbed my prick over your lips, I bet you would
have sucked me a couple more times."
"You are right. When I left, I almost turned around and went
back to your room. I thought maybe he will have to leave and I
will never have another chance to suck it."
"And then we had that next day! I will remember that for the
rest of my life! But then we didn't have as much sex. I always
wondered why."
"I started to feel guilty. I was afraid of wanting you more
than Ardin. He was my lover and my best friend, and later my
husband. That wouldn't have been fair to him. Do you know what I
mean?"
"Yes, baby. I understand completely."
Tren wrapped his hand around Ali's prick and Ali sighed.
"Do you want to fuck me again?"
He picked Tren up and carried him to his bed. Tren pulled
his legs up and Ali got between his legs. He slid very slowly
into his lover. Tren pulled his face to his and they kissed while
he fucked him.
Glissent let the Aransan into the ship. He noticed slight
discrepancies between this one and the others he had seen.
"I have a body for Ardin. Can I load it through here?"
"Yes."
"A body?"
Ardin explained what he was doing to Glissent.
"Are you a robot?" Glissent asked him.
Eralta was pleased. A robot wasn't certain he was a robot.
"Yes. This is a custom made body. I have them manufactured.
I have tried to make it indistinguishable from a biological
Aransas. What made you suspect?"
"Electrical signals seemed slightly different. The
conductivity of the exoskeleton seems to vary a little between
Aransans, so I was not certain they actually were different. Then
I detected EM radiation, but no implants that could produce it."
"You didn't try radar?"
"I thought that might be considered rude. It is an amazing
body."
"Thank you."
Another robot carried Ardin's body into the ship.
"Wow!" Ardin said. "It looks great!"
"Yes. Trigorn had incredibly detailed photos of your body.
It made it very simple. I must warn you, Ardin, that you will
need to learn how to use the body. Even I had to do it."
"I understand."
Glissent couldn't help being interested.
"You used to be biological?" Glissent asked.
"Yes. I did something similar to what we hope to do with
Ardin."
"I believe this is the first time I have heard of this
situation. I wonder if Jerallen is aware he could do this with
his wife."
"Let's see if I can learn to use the body, first," Ardin
said to him.
"Yes, definitely. This is turning out to be a much more
interesting job that I thought. Do you mind my asking how much
the body was? I may want to get a shape-shifting body at some
point. It could be very useful," Glissent said.
"They run about one point four million on Nalda for one this
size. We are selling them here for one point eight million,"
Eralta told him.
"Quite expensive."
"Yes."
"Ardin, we didn't discuss this, so I hope you realize this
isn't real hair. It isn't going to grow. If you cut it, it's
gone. The hair is plas that has been applied to the surface. It
is possible to simulate hair using the shape-shifting ability,
but I read what was involved, and it would have taken me a while
to program it. I thought you are probably in a hurry, so I did
this. The plas hair can be removed with the solvent `trist' if
you wish to try shifting hair."
"That's fine. I have no plans to change shape in the near
future. I may not ever want a different shape."
"Ardin, I may be able to assist you with gaining control of
the body," Glissent told him.
"Thanks. I may need it."
Eralta began making the connections to the ship computer
with the help of another robot.
"Ardin, have you considered the possibilities, sexually?
>From what I have read and overheard, many biological males wish
their penises were larger," Glissent said.
Ardin laughed.
"That is true!"
Ali fucked Tren twice. Then port employees came looking for
Tren, both about Ardin and to thank him for their bonus. Ali kept
his arm around Tren the whole time. He was pleased to feel Tren
lean into him. Leta and Shista were now millionaires, as were Ara
and Esta. All of them were happy to hear that Ardin was still
around. They all wanted to thank him, too.
Thirty
Tren and Ali walked back to the ship. Tren walked into the
ship, saw Ardin sitting in a chair and fainted.
Ali stared at Ardin before picking Tren up.
"What? Who? How? It isn't frozen, is it?"
"No. I made certain the body temperature was correct. Hello,
Ali."
"You were dead!"
"I'm a robot."
"Wow! This is wonderful!"
"I hope Tren thinks so."
"Of course he will!"
"I still haven't learned how to control the body. If I slump
over, Glissent will have to pick me up again."
Ali laughed.
"I can help."
"Thanks, buddy."
"You look so real?"
"I am real, I'm just not alive."
"Legally you are alive. AIs and robots are classified as a
type of life," Glissent added.
Ali stroked Tren's cheek.
Tren opened his eyes. Ali smiled at him.
"Do you feel better?"
"I saw..."
"I know. Ardin has a body again."
Tren looked at Ardin sitting in a chair.
"How?"
"It's a robot body, baby," Ardin said. "I haven't learned
how to control it yet, but Glissent is going to help me."
"It's incredible, Ardin! It really is the three of us
again!"
"Just don't expect much for a while. Just making my lips
move is difficult. I know my voice still sounds different, but
hopefully I can correct that soon."
Tren walked over and held Ardin's hand.
"It's warm!"
"Yes, I know!"
"And you are immortal!"
"Yes, I guess I am."
"Will everything work?"
Ardin laughed.
"Yes, I will be able to fuck you and you can suck my cock."
Tren laughed.
"You know me well!"
"Of course. I am your husband! Or I was."
"I will have to marry you again."
"And Ali. He should be your husband, too."
"Yes. You are right."
"May I make a suggestion?" Glissent asked.
"Yes, Glissent."
"Skip the marriages. It creates a lot of financial liability
and complications. If you want your mates to have money, give it
to them."
"That makes sense," Ali said. "As long as I have your love,
that is enough for me."
"Ardin already was my spouse."
"I know, but when you die, Tren, all your money would belong
to Ardin, leaving nothing to you should you wish to follow the
same path Ardin has taken."
"That's right," Ardin said. "I am happy being your mate,
Tren."
"As am I," Ali said.
"Yes, it makes sense, I suppose."
"Tren, I know how you feel, but your feelings are based on
us being the same kind of life. Once the three of us are all
robots, we can change things, if we want."
"How hard is it to control the body, Ardin?"
"It isn't really hard, it's just different and I don't know
how. Glissent thinks it will take about a week. Some things like
erections might take longer."
"You should work on important things like that first!" Tren
said, laughing.
"I'm sure Ali can keep you happy until then."
"Will you have a sex drive, Ardin?" Ali asked.
"I don't know. Glissent?"
"No. I don't think you will. You may enjoy pleasing Tren and
Ali, but sex urges are hormonal, I believe, and you no longer
have hormones."
"I would think being a computer, you could control that,"
Ali said.
"I think the people at Opportunity might be able to tell you
more. I am sure transferred Aransans have wondered the same
thing."
"Good idea, Glissent."
"When do we head for Gorg?" Ardin asked.
Tren looked at Ali.
"I suppose we should get it done soon."
"You do want a divorce, don't you?" Tren asked him.
"Oh, yes. I dread the confrontation, though."
"Do you think your spouse will try to prevent it?
"No. I think her father will."
"Why? Are you that good an employee?"
"No. My spouse's father owed my father a favor. That is how
he repaid it."
"Is there anything he can do to prevent it?"
"He could tell her not to agree to it."
"Can you do it without his knowing?"
"Possibly. That might be a good idea. If my spouse is
willing to do it quietly, we might be off-planet by the time he
finds out. I will send her a message."
"I will unpack while you do that."
"How much does my voice bother you?" Ardin asked.
"It doesn't bother me. You died. I am not surprised you
sound a little different."
Ardin laughed.
"Then I won't worry about that right now. Baby, I am going
to move back into the computer for a while."
"Yes, my handsome, dead husband."
"Not everybody can look this good when they are dead."
"I am absolutely certain of that!"
Glissent snapped a cable around Ardin's wrist for the
transfer.
Tren took his cases to their cabin. He unpacked and realized
he had Ardin's clothes. They would be needed, after all!
He was admiring some of the artwork in the cabin when Ali
walked in.
"I have sent the message."
"Oh, good."
"I think I will lie down."
Ali pulled his pants off and lay on his back. He began
stroking his prick while he looked at his mate.
"That looks like fun!"
"I'm told it tastes good, too."
He ran a finger over the head. Tren moaned and Ali laughed.
Tren pulled his pants off and got in bed. He lay next to Ali.
"You are so handsome, Ali."
"Thank you, baby. I think you are beautiful, too."
Ali rolled on top of Tren and pushed his tongue in his
mouth. Tren wrapped his arms around his lover as they kissed. Ali
pulled away and began licking Tren's face. Tren sighed happily.
After licking his face, he licked his neck and then his chest.
"I shouldn't be this happy when my spouse died a few hours
ago."
"Your spouse wants you to be this happy," Ardin said.
"Thank you, handsome, dead spouse."
"You are very welcome, baby."
Ali kissed Tren again before straddling him and offering him
his cock. Tren ran his hands over it.
"I can't believe it's mine!"
"It has been yours since we met. Do you know that since I
met you, I only think of you when I stroke myself? I used to
think about my wife. You are far, far sexier to me."
Tren smiled at him. Then he took the head in his mouth and
began sucking.
"Yes, baby. Suck it. Make me feed you again." Tren moaned
and intensified his efforts.
Thirty-One
Two days later, they had said goodbye to their friends at
the port and lifted off for Gorg. The trip would take nine days.
Tren sat with Ardin in the living area watching him wiggle
his fingers.
"This is exciting, Ardin!"
"Not really. Walking will be exciting,"
"You will get there. You can turn your head now, too."
"I know. It's too slow, though."
"Am I pushing you too hard?"
"No, baby. I want it at least as much as you do. I just want
it to be faster! As soon as I can lift my arm, I can hold you on
my lap."
"I have spent some of the happiest times of my life there,"
Tren said, smiling.
"I know. Me, too."
"I'm still amazed that you look as good as you do. You look
exactly the same."
"I know. And I will always look like this."
Tren had a thought.
"I won't, though. I will get old."
"I know. You will die, and then you will be young again."
"Will it bother you when I am old?"
"No. Of course not. It will be temporary, after all. And
speaking of that, I purchased the equipment to scan both you and
Ali. We should do it periodically so your copies stay current. We
also need to get good pictures of Ali's body for his robot."
"I can take those," Glissent said.
Glissent took detailed photos of Ali, including his penis,
both soft and fully erect. Glissent then scanned Tren's and Ali's
brains using the equipment from Opportunity.
The next day, Ardin lifted his right arm. Later in the day,
he lifted his left arm. They all cheered, even Glissent.
"I think I would like to contact Jerallen and tell him now.
He could have his Kerra back in a body."
"Yes, please do, Glissent. He is the reason we have Ardin
back. I wonder why he was not aware of Opportunity or a company
like it that was able to do this."
"Tren, I was told the process had only been used on
Aransans. It is fairly new. I am the first non-Aransan," Ardin
said.
"Jerallen will be delighted."
Just before they entered the first wormhole, they got a
reply from Jerallen. Glissent read it to them.
"Kerra and I don't know how to thank you. Until we think of
something better, we have purchased Naldan bodies for Tren and
Aligaron. They will be delivered to Prime Port in approximately
three weeks. Thank you from both of us."
"Well, we are all set then, except for Glissent," Ardin
said.
"He already has a body."
"But he doesn't have a shape-shifting body. If he did, he
could teach us how to change forms. I also think it could be
helpful to shift forms when he is acting as a bodyguard."
"Is that true, Glissent?"
"Yes. I hadn't thought of it as a job aide, but it would be
useful. I cannot afford one, however."
"Go ahead and buy one. I will pay," Tren said.
"It is expensive."
"Do you plan to stay with us for a while?"
"Yes. The contract with the king does not have an end date."
"Then I will pay. You will be practically family," Tren
said.
"He is family. He lives with us," Ardin added.
"Maybe we should go back to Aransas and get the body before
we go to Gorga. How much help would it be?" Tren asked.
"Glissent could help me with my body," Ardin said.
"Ali, would a delay be a problem?" Tren asked.
"No, baby. I am not in a hurry. I dread going home."
"Let's head back, Ardin."
"I am changing course."
They landed on Aransas and when they walked into the port
building, a group of Aransans cheered.
Ara and Esta walked up to them. "Welcome friends! We all
wanted to say thank you for making many of us wealthy and all of
us wealthier."
"Thank you. It is good to be home, but we won't be staying
long this time. We had to go shopping and what better place than
Prime City?" Tren said.
It was met with cheers from the Aransans.
"Ardin now has a robot body, but he doesn't have full
control of it yet."
"That is wonderful! And that is due to a company on your
home world of Aransas!" Ara said.
"It is!"
"Aligaron, have you adopted Aransas as your home?" Esta
asked.
"Yes, indeed. My home is wherever Tren and Ardin are. They
are my family and their home is my home."
Tren nodded at him.
Ara quietly asked Tren, "What do you want to do with Ardin's
body?"
"How is it stored?" Glissent asked.
"It is frozen," Ara replied.
"Were any tissue samples taken?"
"Erant, can you answer that?"
"Yes," the AI said. "That is standard practice with Aransan
autopsies."
"Good. We need a copy of his genome."
"I will take care of that. The port charges a fee for that."
"We will pay." Glissent turned to Tren and said, "At some
point you might wish Ardin to have a biological body. I don't
know if it is technically possible to do that now, but it could
be someday."
"Yes, Glissent. That is a very good idea. Erant, I will
pay."
"I will transmit it to the ship when it is completed."
"Thank you, Erant."
After being thanked profusely by the port employees, which
made Tren uncomfortable, Ali, Tren, and Glissent walked into the
city. Tren stopped at Trigorn's to purchase the other photos
Trigorn had taken of Ardin and Tren. Trigorn ended up taking
pictures of Tren and Ali, posing and having sex.
"Can you video us having sex?" Ali asked.
"Of course."
Tren sucked him and then Ali fucked him. Ali pulled out of
him and came on his face.
Ali was delighted when he saw the final photos. He stared at
one picture for a while.
"You really love me, Tren. It is so obvious in this
picture."
"Is that one with your spunk dripping off my face?"
Ali laughed.
"No."
"I do, Ali. I love you very much."
"I have sometimes wondered if it was me or my prick you
love."
Tren grinned at him.
"It was just your prick, at first. Then I fell in love with
you."
They bought all of them.
They went into Opportunity. Eralta, the owner, was delighted
to see them. He asked how Ardin was doing with his body.
"He is making progress, but it is slow."
"Yes. It is different from his original body."
"Glissent here is interested in a Naldan body. Do you have
any still in stock?" Tren asked
"Yes, we have one."
"I have a P38R brain. Will it fit properly?"
"We would recommend switching to C38C. Central Robotics'
brains have been tested extensively in Naldan bodies and they
support more connections. Yours may work, if you wish to try it."
"The C38Cs are very nice."
"Yes. They support more simultaneous connections. Central
Robotics claims they can process fifty data feeds at a time."
"Do you have any idea how much they run?"
"Oh, yes. We sell them. It is the model we recommend to our
Aransan customers. We offer them at a significant discount. It
runs six hundred twenty-seven thousand credits. The cost for the
brain and body is one point eight million credits. It is the same
price we offered Ardin. He is using a C38C." Glissent stood there
quietly.
Tren asked, "Would the brain assist with your duties for
us?"
"I would love to say yes, but I am capable of that with my
own brain."
"Would the brain make shape-shifting easier?" Tren asked
Eralta.
"Yes. We can pre-program fixed shapes into it before
Glissent transfers. That is what we did with Ardin. The Human
shape is pre-programmed and he can shift back into it without any
effort at all."
"Glissent, I will pay. You really need to help Ardin and it
will be easier if you are using the same equipment, won't it?"
"Yes, I suppose it would be."
"The king isn't paying you to help Ardin. I am happy to
offer this in payment. Is it dangerous swapping brains?"
"No." Eralta and Glissent said.
"Unlike with biological creatures, it is an electronic
transfer. As long as the new brain has at least the capacity of
the old, there is no risk," Glissent told him.
"Since you are basically paying all my bills for the next
two years, I would like to throw in something extra," Eralta
said. "I will pre-program a variety of forms into the brain at no
cost. I will do it for your brain, as well as Ardin's. There is a
code to access each form. You speak the code to yourself and the
body reconfigures itself. Let me demonstrate." Eralta lay on the
ground and slowly changed into an Eosophin before their eyes. The
process took several minutes. The Aransan shape was very
different from the Eosophin. He stood up and Tren thought he was
indistinguishable from a biological Eosophin.
"That is incredible!"
"Yes. It uses a great deal of power, but it is truly
amazing.
"Tren, I do not know if Ardin told you, but the hair on his
body is plas. I purchased the hardware and software to pre-
program the brains after I delivered Ardin's body to him. Once he
has this upgrade, he will no longer need the plas hair. It will
be handled by the body automatically. I have been testing his
form on myself, trying to get the hair pattern and density right.
Would you like to see it?"
"Oh, yes!"
They watched as his Eosophin form changed into Ardin. The
transformation was much faster than the one from his Aransan form
to an Eosophin. Suddenly, Ardin was standing with them. Tren
looked excitedly at Ali who seemed amazed, too.
"I want to kiss you. It must be a good likeness!"
Eralta connected a cable to his hand. "Power low," he said.
"I should have plugged in before I did the second change."
"Are there Gorg forms available?" Tren asked. "Eventually,
Ali will be joining us in robot bodies."
"Yes."
"I think I want a robot body," Tren said.
"Enjoy your biological body while you can. You will have a
robot body for millennia. You will miss it, eventually."
"I can also give him a variation in his body like this."
They watched as Ardin's prick became stiff.
"Oh, my. I think I love you, Eralta!" Tren said.
Ali laughed.
"Is there any way to help him control the body?"
"Yes and no. I could pre-program motions into it, such as
walking. He wouldn't control it like natural walking, though. He
could tell it to start and to stop."
"No. I don't think that would be good. He might forget to
tell it to stop and walk into a wall."
"Learning to control it is just tedious. I hold classes for
the newly transformed. It takes time to master the body. Most can
fully control it in a week."
Eralta had the body brought from the back. The new brain was
already in the case. He inserted a cable at the back of
Glissent's head and attached it to the back of the new body. An
orange light began flashing on the cable. They stood and watched.
"It won't take long," Eralta told them. "Do you wish to bring
Ardin here? If not, I can come to your ship to program him."
"Please come to the ship."
Tren whispered in Ali's ear, "I can have Ardin transform
into you and have sex with two of you at the same time!"
"You wouldn't know what to do with two big, beautiful Gorg
pricks."
"Liar!" Tren said, laughing.
A blue light flashed on the cable. The eyes on the Naldan
body opened.
"Is that you, Glissent?"
"Yeeooues. Yeous. Yes."
He lifted one arm, then the other. He turned his head and
looked up and down. Then he stood up.
"Let me pre-program the shapes."
Eralta connected another cable to the Naldan body. The other
end of it connected behind the counter in the shop. After a
minute, he unplugged the cable.
"The code phrase to bring up the shapes is 'A bountiful
list'. Say it to yourself."
"I see the menu."
"The code for each shape appears below it. Let me plug you
into power and you can test it."
Eralta pulled another cable from behind the counter and
connected it to a hand on the new body.
Tren and Ali watched as Glissent changed into an Eosophin.
Eralta brought a mirror to him.
"This is fantastic!" Glissent said.
"Yes, it really is. What shape do you think you would like
to have? For every day use, I mean."
"I like this one. I will try the others, though." Glissent
said to Eralta, "My vision is improved. The optics are superior,
as well."
"I am glad you are pleased."
Glissent turned to Tren.
"I have spent my entire life around Eosophins. I am more
pleased than I expected that I am no longer physically different
from them. However, would you prefer me in a Human shape?"
"No, although having two Ardins sounds fantastic!" Tren
said. "I like that shape, too. Pick which ever you like, although
a Ristit might slime the ship."
Ali laughed.
"I will make it a point to avoid that."
"That reminds me. How do the Naldans bodies deal with bodily
fluids, like saliva?"
"They use water, normally. If specific types of fluid are
required, like mucous for a Ristit, there is a small synthesizer,
as well as storage areas for the fluids in the abdomen."
"Will you be keeping your old body?" Eralta asked him.
"I suppose a spare could be useful."
"I will bring it to the ship when I come to program Ardin."
"Thank you."
They left the shop. They passed the bar where they had met
Ali.
"Do you want to stop for a drink...of some kind?" Ali asked
him.
Tren laughed, but said, "Let's wait until Ardin can come
with us."
Ali smiled and nodded.
"How is that body powered, Glissent?"
"The same way as my old body. A small nuclear generator and
batteries."
Tren took Ali's hand as they walked back to the port.
When they got back to the ship, they told Ardin what they
had learned and Glissent shifted into Ardin's shape.
"Holy fuck!"
"It's amazing, isn't it? No more plas hair, either."
"That's great!"
"Glissent have you mastered the...umh...alternate shape?"
The cock on Glissent-Ardin grew hard.
"Double fuck!"
Tren and Ali laughed.
"Eralta told us there is a synthesizer in your abdomen which
can produce bodily fluids," Tren told Ardin.
"Great! So I can produce...tears."
Tren, Ali, and Ardin laughed.
"I think I will take a nap," Tren said.
"I will take one with you."
He and Ali went to their cabin. Tren pulled off his shirt
and hugged Ali.
"I don't know if I have told you today, but I love you."
"I love you, baby."
As they kissed, Tren pulled Ali's shorts off.
"No nap?"
Tren knelt.
"I'm a bit hungry."
"Eat your snack, baby."
He took his lover's erection in his hands and admired it for
a moment before taking him in his mouth. Ali tilted his head back
and sighed as he was pleasured. Several minutes later, he had a
powerful orgasm and yelled, "Ya hee!" as he filled Tren's mouth.
Afterwards, they got in bed and Ali pulled Tren to him. Tren
snuggled back against him. Ali licked behind Tren's ear and then
they both fell asleep.
Ardin checked the Human database and found several chemical
breakdowns of different Humans' semen. He programmed all of them
into his abdominal synthesizer. He also programmed saliva and
tears. He thought about programming sweat, but he didn't want
someone else's sweat on his body. He wondered if there was a way
to program his old body's sweat. He asked Erant who analyzed
video of them in their room in the port. He identified a spot on
one wall where a drop of Ardin's sweat was flung. He also
identified a drop of his dried semen on one of the chairs. He
asked Ardin whether he wanted that.
"Absolutely! Tren will love it!"
"I believe I can give isolate your body odor from Tren's.
Would you like me to do that and analyze its composition?"
"Yes. Anything like that would be great. Even my urine. I
don't think I will ever need it, but you never know."
"I don't think I can recover that. I do have an idea,
though. Using your DNA, it should be possible to create a virtual
body in the computer. The body could be grown, virtually and the
chemical makeup of those things in the virtual model should be
identical to those of your physical body."
"That sounds like a great deal of work."
"It would be."
"Let's try to do it the easiest way for now. If Tren
mentions wanting anything else, we can try that."
He had a robot take scrapings and analyzed them. He sent
Ardin the chemical analyses. Based on the size of the drops, he
told Ardin how much water to add. He also sent the breakdown of
the odor he identified as Ardin's.
"I don't know how to thank you, Erant."
"We all got a large bonus because of you and Tren. You've
made hundreds of people happy. No thanks are needed."
Ardin wondered whether he could experience orgasms in the
robot body. He contacted Eralta and asked him. Eralta provided
him with a program he could run which could simulate an Aransan
orgasm. He explained how to have a program trigger automatically
when there was friction on his penis. He also suggested checking
the ARD, or Alliance Robot Database for more programs. Ardin
downloaded it and found it was full of sensory programs developed
by Free Machines. There were thousands of pleasure programs. He
ran one of them and was delighted. Unlike natural orgasms, these
could be run as often as you wished.
He studied his body's instruction manual to learn how to
route fluids to different parts of his body. It was surprisingly
easy. Much easier than walking! While reading, he learned his
body could extract water from air through condensers. He also
learned the synthesizer inside him required chemical refills. He
ordered a twenty year supply from Eralta since they were very
inexpensive. He could actually produce food for Tren using his
synthesizer. That amazed him.
He plugged himself into a power port and ran through some of
the pre-programmed shapes. He realized he couldn't see himself
and he couldn't walk to a mirror. He could move his arms and legs
a little and turn his head, but he couldn't walk yet. He turned
himself into a Gorg and then transferred himself back into the
computer to look at his body. He thought he was an attractive
Gorg.
They left Aransas and headed to Gorga. Ardin spent a couple
of hours a day gaining control of his body. In the computer, he
had access to internal and external cameras around the ship and
access to all the information in the computer. Being in the body
was limiting, especially since he couldn't walk. He knew he
needed to spend more time mastering the body, but he figured
there was no hurry.
Tren and Ali spent hours a day having sex, while Ardin
encouraged them. Tren was determined to be able to take Ali's
cock in the ass without relaxant.
"Ali, you will just have to keep fucking me until I can do
it."
"Oh, that is a shame, but I will do anything for you, baby."
They both laughed.
Tren used less and less relaxant until two days from Gorga,
Ali got in without any. Ali groaned loudly as he pushed into
Tren.
"Does it hurt? Is it too tight?"
"No, baby. It's fantastic! It's the tightest hole I have
ever fucked."
Ali didn't last long, but he stayed stiff, so he just
continued fucking through his second and third orgasms.
"You will need to fuck me a lot to keep me loose, but I
still want you to feed me. Will you mind having more orgasms each
day?"
"As long as it's for a very good cause, like more orgasms
for me," Ali replied.
They both laughed.
That night they fell asleep while Ali's cock was still
inside Tren. When Ali pulled it out, Tren, woke.
"Leave it in, will you?"
"Sure, baby."
"I think I want to sleep with you inside me every night.
It's a wonderful feeling being in your arms and having you inside
me."
"I love it, too. I just hope your ass closes after it's been
in their all night."
"I didn't think of that."
Thirty-Two
They landed at Atrides Port on Gorga in the late afternoon.
"I want to introduce you to my friends. Do you feel like
going to the Pistol?"
"What is it?"
"It's a sex club. It's next to the army base. My friends and
I went there all the time before I left the army."
"Are there a lot of females there?"
"No. Sometimes they hire a female whore, but there are
usually enough males who want the soldiers to fuck them, that it
isn't necessary. Sometimes a female will show up, too, but not
often."
"Sure! It sounds fun. Ardin, do you want to go?"
"Funny!"
Ardin still couldn't walk.
"I can push you around in a wheeled chair. I will just
explain that ever since you died, you have been unable to walk."
Ardin chuckled.
"Have fun with Ali, Tren."
Ardin saw Tren was disappointed. Damn! He needed to learn to
walk!
"It will be cool tonight, so you should wear long pants,"
Ali told Tren.
"And I thought you were going to keep me warm!"
They walked off the ship and through the port. This was the
fourth planet Tren had seen. He noticed there were a lot of
flowering plants. Everything had flowers, including the trees and
the plants covering the ground. The sky was a pale blue and the
air was cool, but not cold. Since Gorgs were hairy, it made sense
the planet would be cool or cold. Tren thought it was a nice
change from Aransas, which was quite warm all the time. He looked
at the sky and then the ground. He realized the flowers were the
same color as the sky. The buildings looked like cubes of all
sizes stacked on top of each other, with flowering vines growing
on the outside of many.
Tren saw several gorgeous males. Ali pointed out various
spots, but Tren was watching bulging groins. He saw one very
attractive Gorg who smirked at him when he saw Tren looking at
his crotch. He grabbed his very large bulge and grinned at Tren.
Tren watched him get hard. Ali kept walking, but Tren stopped. He
remembered what Ardin had said to him about Gorgs.
"Hi, my name is Tren."
The Gorg walked up to him.
"I'm Sek."
"Can I see it?"
The Gorg grinned and pulled his pants down.
"You like it?"
"It's beautiful!"
He looked at Sek who was grinning at him.
"I imagine it tastes as good as it looks."
He said softly into Tren's ear, "I don't want you to just
imagine it. Do you?"
Tren grinned.
"I would much rather know for certain."
He pulled Tren into a doorway and Tren knelt and took him
into his mouth.
Tren heard Ali chuckle as he sucked Sek.
"I am Ali."
"I am Sek. Is Tren with you?"
"Yes, he is my mate."
"He is good. He must get a lot of practice."
"Yes, he practices constantly!"
"You lucky, lucky fellow!"
"Can anyone see us?" Tren asked.
"Tren, you should wonder that before you start sucking, but
no," Ali said as Sek chuckled.
Ali looked around to make sure no one was watching them.
Tren sucked on Sek's large balls briefly before swallowing
him again. A couple of minutes later, Tren stroked the shaft with
both hands while he sucked on the head. Sek began moaning.
"Is it all right if I feed your mate my load?"
"He will be disappointed if you don't."
"I am going to make him happy, then. I haven't had sex in
several days. My balls ache."
Sek groaned loudly and attracted the attention of another
male walking near them. The male smiled at Ali.
"Is he getting serviced?"
"Yes."
"Can I get some? I am so fucking horny I can't stand it."
Sek grunted as his come shot into Tren's mouth. Tren
swallowed spurt after spurt, but it just kept coming. Tren
caressed his balls as he came and Sek groaned loudly.
"Keep your voice down! I want a turn!" the other Gorg said.
"I am Ali."
"My name is Sti."
Sti rubbed himself as he tried to watch the other Gorg get
sucked.
Sek pulled his cock out of Tren's mouth. Tren squeezed the
last drops of spunk out of his cock and licked them off it. Sek
pulled his pants up.
Tren looked up and saw another male grinning at him. Tren
looked at his crotch and saw he was erect. He rubbed the cock.
"You are big!"
"Do you like big ones?"
"I love them!"
Sti grinned and Tren pulled Sti's pants down.
"Oh, it's nice!"
Sti groaned as Tren peeled back his foreskin and licked the
head. Then he swallowed him. While he sucked, he reached out to
Ali's crotch and rubbed his cock. Ali pulled it out of the leg of
his shorts and Tren stroked Ali while he sucked Sti. Sek pushed
his pants back down and Tren wrapped his other hand around Sek.
He stroked Ali and Sek while he sucked Sti. A few minutes later,
Sti groaned and filled Tren's mouth with his spunk. Sti sighed
with relief. He pulled his prick out of Tren's mouth.
"I am going to shoot again," Sek said.
Tren swallowed his prick and Sek groaned as he immediately
ejaculated again.
When Tren finished, he stood and pulled Sti's pants back up.
Sti put his hand on Tren's shoulder.
"Thank you. That was great! I wish I could stick around, but
I am late."
"I loved it, too!"
"I have to go, too. Thanks, Tren. You just made my day!" Sek
said as he walked away.
"I love this planet!" Tren yelled.
Ali and Sek laughed.
"The planet loves you!"
Ali and Tren continued walking.
"How far is it?"
"About twenty minutes on foot. Would you rather take a cab?
I've got to warn you, they are automated and there won't be a
driver to suck."
"Ha, ha! There's always you. But walking is fine. It's nice
to stretch my legs."
"I agree. We've been on the ship for a while."
Tren took Ali's hand and Ali bent over and kissed him.
"How cold does it get here?"
"This is winter, and it's usually like this, but we
sometimes have freezes. It snowed here four years ago. That was
the first time I saw snow."
"It didn't bother you, did it?"
"The snow?"
"No. Sek and Sti?"
"No, of course not. We are on our way to a sex club to do
that to several other males. If I wanted to keep you to myself, I
wouldn't take you to a sex club! I thought about fucking you
while you were sucking them, but someone needed to keep a
lookout."
On a street they passed, Tren saw a Gorg accompanied by, he
thought, a Human.
He ran up to them.
"Hey!"
They stopped and looked at him.
"I'm Tren. Do you live here on Gorga?" he asked the Human.
Tren thought he looked a couple years younger than him.
"Yes. He is my slave," the Gorg said.
"I used to be a slave. Where are you from?" Tren asked the
Human.
"Mercy."
"I've never heard of it. Is it in the Alliance?"
"No. It's a shit hole."
Tren laughed.
"Like my home planet."
Ali walked up to them. He introduced himself to the Gorg.
"I am Ali and this is my mate, Tren."
"Why would you want a Human mate?"
"Because he's sexy, sweet, and I love him."
Tren took Ali's hand and grinned at him.
"My name is Lel."
"Let's go," the other Gorg said to the Human.
"How often will I see another Human? Are you in that big a
hurry? Honestly Dem!"
"Do you live here, Tren?" Lel asked.
The other Gorg looked irritated.
"No. My ship just arrived a couple of hours ago."
"Are there other Humans here, Lel?"
"Not that I've seen."
The Gorg grabbed his arm and pulled him with him. He
shrugged at Tren and they walked past them.
Lel turned around and yelled, "I hope I see you again!"
Tren waved and they continued walking.
They finally got to the Pistol.
"You look nervous, baby."
"I've never been in a sex club before. What if your friends
don't like me?"
"There is no chance of that. Sek and Sti weren't standing
around hoping someone would suck them like the males in the
Pistol."
Ali grinned at him.
"If you are afraid someone doesn't like you, suck his prick
and he will love you, I promise. They love anyone who wants sex.
Remember, if you see a prick you like, you can just start
stroking it or sucking it. No one is in a sex club hoping not to
have sex."
"What if they only like females?"
"No sane person is going to turn down sex in the hope that
they will see a willing female later. It's much better to have
sex now and hope for more later."