Aaron half lay his body over Pat, not moving his hard cock anymore as he felt Pete Cum inside him, "Morning Loves," he called out to Brian and Tommy as they entered the bedroom. Brian captured Aaron's lips causing him to go back to instant hardness, much to Pat's delight who started to rock back and forth on him once more.
Reading Brian's intention from his body language, Aaron lubed up the hard cock jutting from Brian's body as he started to thrust in and out of Pat, causing him to moan in pleasure. Moving him around as he kissed him, Aaron withdrew from Pat and replaced his hard cock with Brian's and grinned as he reached between the taught butt cheeks and found that Brian had already lubed himself in preparation. Slowly sinking all the way into Brian, Aaron looked over at Tommy and saw he had Pete pinned to the mattress. Sending Tommy an image of Pete on his back and underneath Pat so they could sixty nine as Tommy re-entered his lover he smiled as Tommy slid out of Pete and pulled him over into the position he suggested.
XX
He waited in front of the view screen for the connection to be established, contemplating what they had observed so far. "I greet thee, Nest Mother," Tidov bowed his head. Watching, he noticed the view screen widen so he could easily see the whole Ruling Council.
"What are your observations so far, Tidov," Tenef leaned forward slightly.
"So far we have examined two systems on route to the target system," Tidov brought his notes up on the monitor, "In the first system we dispatched a standard probe and within two point seven seconds of entering the system the energy signature we are investigating activated. One point two seconds later three hundred and ninety seven energy signatures of a higher order activated enclosing the system in a globular fashion, and our probe was destroyed. It was noted at the time that as the first energy signature went into standby mode the new energy signatures did not."
Amidi was concerned as she looked at the data that was being transmitted on a side channel, "This is troubling. Sensors were unable to get a clear data feed of what was used to destroy the probe."
"Agreed, and I ordered the Timur to enter warp and remove ourselves from the system. During the week's travel to the second system we targeted we rebuilt the probe to look like a standard piece of planetary debris," Tidov glanced at his notes. "The probe did make it further in system before being destroyed, and we received confirmation that this system has a life bearing planet," making a adjustment to the recording, "This system went on alert just like the first one, but allowed the probe to continue in the system for an additional four point seven seconds before it was destroyed."
Rorab looked at the data, "Fascinating. The defenses detected the intrusion, and within seconds determined the object was not of natural origin," pointing to the screen he looked around, "If this was a natural object it would not have deviated from the initial trajectory as it did at this point to continue towards the life bearing world."
Tidov was shocked and raised an eyebrow, "I had not taken that factor into my calculations when I planned the probe's course."
"I find it disturbing that both probes were destroyed by unknown means," Tenef stared at the screen, "Were long range scanners proven ineffective?"
"Correct," Tidov brought the data up on the screen, "collected data would allow for the theory that there is some type of masking generator around these two planetary systems. The probes and scanners detected a false set of data until they breached the systems boundaries."
"And your conclusions so far about this second system and the readings?" Amidi asked as she looked around to her fellow Guild Councilors.
"Definitive conclusions are not forthcoming, yet I find enough data supports the theory of an active colonization project," Rorab slowly concluded.
"I agree," Tidov interjected before sending the data he had uncovered after the second probe was launched, "It is further supported by the new data that was received on the next system we would visit if our schedule is not altered. This next system has gone from the same type of simple energy signals as the other two systems to energy outputs just under the danger system."
XX
"Good morning Ichiro," Aaron kissed him as he beamed up at him. Reaching for the offered picture Aaron wondered what surprising delight Ichiro had drawn now. His pictures were breathtaking and even his brother had agreed that now that he was out from under the oppressive thumb of his old life his work had gone to a whole new level.
Taking a look at the drawing Aaron was surprised at seeing a design of a bracelet from several different angles, and what looked like a dragon folding its wings protectively around a small boy who was kneeling with a smile on his face. "This is fantastic," Aaron pulled him into a hug and kissed him long enough to fully arouse him. Kneeling in front of him, Aaron quickly swallowed the hard cock and after a few minutes was rewarded with his offering. Holding the spent cock in his mouth Aaron watched as Ichiro panted and slowly came back to earth. Once he felt him start to go limp he gave one last lick before standing up and kissing him again. Pulling Ichiro tight against him Aaron steered him towards the food line. Releasing him so he could fill his plate, he waited until he had gone off with a smile on his face.
"What did Ichiro do all on his own that you rewarded him," Mark grinned as he handed Aaron an empty plate.
"He designed this for our children. He was broadcasting as he approached me this morning, afraid he had done something wrong by coming up with the design without being asked," Aaron handed over the design so he could fill his plate.
Mark looked at the design and his indrawn breath was loud enough to bring Pete over to look over his shoulder. Glancing at Pete he whispered, "Tell me Pete.tell me you can get the replicators to do this justice."
"I think so." Pete sounded distracted as he looked at the picture before spotting Derrick and gently taking the picture, "I'll be back in a little bit."
Aaron watched Pete walk over and whisper to Derrick before both of them left towards the replicator suite. He would tease them later he decided as he moved over to the table with the youngsters; all nine of them. After everyone had left last night only nine of the youngsters were left and they were all the youngest ones. Mostly they were around seven years old, along with a few who were age eight. Setting his plate down at the table he smiled at the shy and awed looks he was getting, "Good morning."
"Good morning, Prime," they chorused.
Shaking his head as he took a bite of his eggs, "I'm not going to yell at you, but the only time you should address me as Prime is if we are in a formal setting or asking me for something as the head of the Clan," smiling as he watched them think about it he added, "Also the only time I should be addressed as Majesty by any of you is if you are addressing me in court, or asking me for something only the King can give you."
"What do we call you, Sir?"
"Aaron," grinning Aaron felt for their thoughts and found surprise and fear there, "I promise no one will ever get into trouble for calling me by my name.well unless they are doing that so they can curse me," he laughed trying to put them at ease.
After a few minutes one of the youngsters looked up from his eggs, "What happens to us now?"
Putting his fork down Aaron considered how to best tell them what they wanted to know, "That is a very good question. Today you will be scheduled to take your placement tests so we know where you stand academically. Over the next week you have your bedrooms to decorate, making them reflect what you want them to look like. Then, after living with us for a week, if you want, we will become your fathers and you will become sons of the Clan." He smiled sadly as he tasted their emotions and found he had not settled their fear at all. "I want all of you to look at me, please," he told them gently, "When we brought you here last night we were prepared to bring you into our family forever. There were thirty of you and we," Aaron waved his arm behind him to his lovers, "all of us, were willing to bring every single one of you into our family as our sons. Now some of you we brought home were lucky enough to actually have family alive still, and they left us to be with their families. And some of those left were searched out for the Beastmaster clan, and they will have new lives and homes doing what they love. All of you will have new homes with us; we are going to give you the options of being our sons or joining us as a son of the Clan."
Aaron smiled as they tried to figure out what he meant, "Being a son of the Clan is something different than just being raised as one of our sons. We will love you the same no matter what you decide, but being a son of the Clan means we will change your DNA slightly. DNA is the stuff that tells your body what color hair you have, or how tall you grow." He tried to keep it simple for now, "But either way you're going to be raised as part of our family." Aaron relaxed slightly when he felt them relax even though they were still confused; at least the fear went away.
Seeing most of them had finished what was on their plates, Aaron smiled, "You can go up and get more. We always make enough so you can eat until you are full," Standing up with his empty plate he smiled again as they hesitated, "Come on, you can get more. I'm going to get some more."
Aaron sighed internally as he watched them eye the steam table and quickly look around to see that everyone was eating and that some of them had gone up for seconds. Brushing up against their minds gently, Aaron surprised them, "Mind to mind you can never lie. Listen to me tell you, here and now, you will always be able to eat as much as you want. You will never go hungry again."
Taking in the wide eyed stares directed his way Aaron motioned for them to follow him, and after he got to the steam table, he made a point of putting eggs and sausage on each of their plates before nudging them down the line towards the rest of the food. A smile plastered on his face while inwardly he wanted to cry with how they had been treated.
Feeling thin arms surround him from behind Aaron leaned back into the hug, "Morning Kenny, I should have known you would pick up on how I'm feeling."
"Yep," Kenny held on and giggled when Aaron twirled him around and kissed him. His giggle turned into a moan as one of his lovers showed him his love. Being let go he swayed for a moment as he looked down and saw how hard he was, "Damn." he whispered as he moved away.
Grinning, Aaron moved back to the table with the youngsters, saw their incredulous looks and chuckled, "You probably were raised that being around someone without any clothes on was wrong, but you all are sitting here naked without it bothering you. One of the things you will probably see is all of us showing our love in a physical way from time to time. At no time will any of us ever touch you that way; you are going to be raised as our sons and we will not have sex with our sons. And, from time to time, you are going to catch us having sex. We will not yell at you for watching, but I think, until you are older, you won't have any real need to sneak in and watch us. When you are older though you will know what to do from sneaking in and watching us, "Aaron smiled, "How to be gentle lovers to you partners, and what and how to show your love to that someone special."
Secure that they had taken to heart what he told them Aaron finished his breakfast. Once they had finished up he grinned at them, "Alright, we will ease you into the house rules. For the most part they are common sense. Most of us take turns cooking each morning, except me. I do most of the dinners, though we do have Shoji, that would be Ichiro's brother, cook lunch and dinner twice a week. We all pitch in and help clean the kitchen. If you watch the guys as they go in to wash their own dishes they grab any empty steam table pans and wash it at the same time..lets go wash our dishes and then I'll tell you some of the other rules as I show you the house." Aaron stood and led them to the kitchen and kissed Brian as he passed him.
Showing them where to wash their dishes and put them to dry Aaron hugged them and kissed each of their foreheads as they finished. Moving to the front Aaron led them out of the kitchen through the back door and down the steps, "This is the gathering pit, it's a place we can relax or work on joint projects, the large plasma has also been used to watch movies." Pointing to the large arch across from the kitchen he smiled, "my bedroom is right there. You've probably already noticed that there are metal plates near the door of your rooms; if that is the room you really want place you hand on it and push it hard. When the tingling stops you name will be on the plate and that is now your room."
"I think all of your rooms look the same but it will be easy to make them different, more of a reflection of what inspires you," Aaron grinned as he led them into his bedroom. "Mine has this huge library at one end."
They had stopped and were staring at the biggest bed they had ever seen before, "How many people can you get in that thing?"
Chuckling Aaron looked at the staring faces, "I think there has been a couple nights that all of us ended up sleeping in the bed, "Aaron shrugged and grinned evilly. Moving over he picked up the closest youngster and set him on top of the bed, "Give it a try". Seeing him stiffen in fear, Aaron grinned as he stepped up on the bed and grabbed on to him then start to jump up and down.
The other youngsters stared at them in fear for several moment before they jumped as they felt hands lift them from the floor and place them on the bed. Quickly looking around, they smiled shyly at seeing the rest of the Clan grinning at them and motioning for them to join in the fun. After a few tentative starts all nine of the youngsters were jumping up and down on the bed grinning. Jumping back Aaron sat down on several of the pillows and watched them have fun. Once they got it out of their system Aaron looked at them, "Your first step in having fun; no screams, no yells and no punishment."
As they sat down and stared at him he lowered his voice, "Even if you would happen to do something wrong we are not going to scream and yell at you, not on purpose. We might yell if you are going to do something that will hurt you or others, but for simple things we will sit down with you and tell you why what you did was wrong and work from there." Sliding off the side of the bed Aaron motioned for them to follow him, "let's take a peek at some of the other empty rooms so you can get an idea of what we can decorate your rooms to look like."
Sipping his juice, Aaron watched the youngsters move over to the work stations Foma had asked they build. He told them he thought in the beginning, having the youngsters do their tutor work in a group setting would be less of a reminder of how they used to be raised. Seeing things were well in hand he glanced at the clock and left the youngsters wing to go back into the main house, mind turning over the way Foma seemed to shine when he was taking care of the younger ones. He would have to keep an eye on him to see if he fit in just as well with the rest of his lovers, maybe take him horseback riding one morning to get to know him better.
Spotting Aaron walk out of the children's wing Pete smiled and grabbed the box where he had placed the new bracelets he and Derrick had designed. One style for the youngsters, and a special one Derrick had him create for Ichiro. Kissing Aaron when he got close he placed the box in his hands, "Derrick had me create the second one. He felt we should present it to Ichiro, so he feels like he truly belongs to us."
Opening the lid to the box Aaron saw the two different designs. Taking the one out that was exactly like the one Ichiro drew he was pleased with the detail, "This is remarkable. That you were able to reproduce the detail just like Ichiro put in his drawing is fantastic." Placing it back in the box he thought about how to modify it so it was like the Clan medallions. If the youngsters were going to be true sons of the Clan then they would need to be modified, replacing their mothers' DNA.
Picking up the one with a round medallion on top Aaron sucked his breath in loudly. Looking at his smiling lover he looked back at the bracelet; the round medallion showed a teen who was aroused kneeling down on one knee holding up a chain from the neck of his collar as if offering it to the dragon he was kneeling in front of, "The symbolism.WOW.!" Closing the box, Aaron held onto the bracelet and ported the box to his desk before hugging Pete and kissing him, "I think he will be very pleased with this."
Thinking about Xon he looked up at the second floor when he felt him in his office, knowing Ichiro was in his room doing his tutor work. Aaron grinned, "I think we will interrupt Ichiro's tutor session," Aaron grinned at Pete who was looking at him with a glint and grin, "Xon, would you please meet me in Ichiro's room?"
Pete followed Aaron as he walked into Ichiro's room and, being the first time he had gone in the room, saw the art studio on the other side of the bed. Aaron really did make each room special for each of them, just like Damien's room had a music studio in the space behind his bed.
Xon walked in with a raised eyebrow about the time Ichiro noticed them and placed his session on hold, "You have need of me Aaron?"
Aaron held the bracelet out so Xon could see the face and grinned as Xon's eyebrows practically disappeared in surprise, "I think Ichiro has been missing something, and it is time to remedy that." Smiling gently at the nervous teen Aaron motioned him over, "Come here Ichiro, I promise it is nothing bad. I have a gift for you."
Once the nervous teen made it over Aaron had to reach out and lift his chin gently so he would look at him, "Let me show you what you mean to us Ichiro." Showing him the face of the bracelet he noticed the confusion turn to tears and all of them felt the longing when Ichiro realized what was on that bracelet. Leaning forward Aaron captured Ichiro's lips and kissed him gently. The gentleness turned to passion, then to lust, causing him to moan out in pleasure as he went instantly hard and aroused. "Kneel before me Ichiro. Kneel and receive the symbol that shows the universe you are ours, for now and all time."
Dropping to his knee, like the image on the bracelet that had been burned into his mind after seeing it for the first time, Ichiro held up his hands as if offering a chain to Aaron, just like the symbol on the bracelet.
Smiling, Aaron nodded and snapped the bracelet around Ichiro's right wrist before pulling Xon over and kissing him in a way to make him as horny as possible. After a minute of kissing Xon, putting everything he could into the kiss Aaron stepped back and saw he was successful, Xon was not only aroused but lost in the need to have sex. Hearing the snick of the lube bottle being opened Aaron grinned as Pete went behind Xon and started to lube Ichiro up. Looking back at Ichiro, who was gazing at his wrist, Aaron pulled him to his feet gently and kissed him again, as he felt Pete lube him up before moving over to stretch Ichiro.
Once Ichiro was properly stretched Pete turned the moaning teen so he was facing Xon and help guide Aaron inside him. Once Aaron was thrusting in and out Pete pushed Xon close and then put some pressure on his shoulders so he was kneeling in front of Ichiro. He didn't have to guide Xon's head forward as he quickly did his best to swallow all of Ichiro in one go.
Donny found them a few minutes later, as Ichiro loudly groaned out his climax, and whispered to Pete, "Did I come at a bad time.though Aaron knew I was coming over about now."
Laughing, Pete looked at Donny and noticed he had gone hard in his leather and wondered if it hurt. "You know Ichiro is a submissive right?" seeing Donny nod his head, "Derrick and I thought that Ichiro felt something was missing in his life, so we came up with the design of the bracelet he is now wearing. Aaron put it on a few minutes ago, if you want a closer look go for it.why the hell aren't you in pain being so hard in that leather?"
Really wanting a closer look, Donny whispered out as he walked closer, "I designed them to have flexibility in the crotch. Got hard once in leather and it hurt, so we played around with a lot of designs before getting it right." Catching sight of the bracelet on Ichiro's wrist he was stunned by the image on the face of the bracelet's face and moved back as Aaron stiffened slightly and softly moaned out that he was cumming. Damn, he really needed to get off now after seeing this. Watching as Xon stood up and Pete moved behind him to control how fast Xon entered into Ichiro, he saw Xon slide inside Ichiro and felt a hand touch his leather pants and open them up. Glancing back he noticed it was Aaron and leaned back into his body.
Freeing Donny's hardness, Aaron whispered into his ear as he leaned into him, "Go ahead and stroke until you cum." Rubbing his face alongside Donny's he was curious at how much he could cum. After all, soon they would be having sex and creating a son together to cement the new clan. Grinning as Donny's breathing became more erratic, Aaron watched as the first volley shot from the end of a very hard cock and hit the floor several feet away. Holding Donny tightly as he lost his balance as he saw Xon stiffen as Ichiro filled Pete's mouth.
Waiting until Donny was steady on his feet, Aaron used the damp towel he had ported over to gently clean Donny before placing him back inside his leather pants and buttoning them up. Steering Donny out of the bedroom, after using the washcloth to clean himself up, Aaron led him into his bedroom and started to get dressed. "So are we going to be porting all over the world in a little while; and how many pups were you thinking of getting?"
Staring at Aaron as he dressed Donny realized he had been asked a question and grinned as he picked up Aaron's over robes to hand to him and noticed the shield generators built in like he had built into his clan's leather outfits. "No, I put the word out, several days ago actually, to several of the big breeders that we were interested in buying pups, and maybe breeding stock. I told them we would port them and their dogs to Elswick. As far as how many; well, there are going to be several of the smaller toy breeds and their breeders there. I liked the idea of keeping the teams to three species. Plus I think it's time to get our own breeding stock, it will make it easier on us."
"That it will," Aaron smiled as he placed the crown on his head before taking the robes from Donny with thanks, "Alrighty, I'm ready. So who from your clan will be there?"
"All the new recruits, including those from last night that we took home from here," Donny stood and accepted the kiss from Aaron to his check with a grin. "All told, I think there will be about thirty seven looking for a pup; Damien and Bruce should already be there, Ru and Matt are waiting for us out in the garden, and Corry and Running Bear are bringing the recruits over."
Arm across Donny's shoulders as they left the living area Aaron smiled and waved at Matt and Ru, "How about the cat side of things? We will need to get some more at some point. Are you going to stick to panthers or go for something else?" Pulling Ru and Matt into a hug and kissing their cheeks, Aaron ported all of them and their pups to Centauri station as Donny answered.
"We were thinking; well, is it possible to create a new type of cat? One that is more to what we want and need, like a hybrid? The panthers are okay, but even the teams working with them would prefer something a little more intelligent and less hostile to others. That's why, out of the fifteen people that want to work with cats, we only have two that actually have them; and only the one we brought with us last night is really safe to be around others without watching him every second. It is probably because he is so young," Donny explained as they appeared in Aaron's office on Sol Station.
Looking at Donny Aaron ported them to the Elswick security office. Letting go he went to the refrigerator and pulled two of the donuts out of the container and munched on one, "If I remember correctly we did not alter them much except to make them easier to control. Let's let those teams go do some genetic mapping on the species of cats available and we'll see what we can do. Have them get a list of the traits the cats need to have, and what traits in the ones they are working with right now are unacceptable. Maybe we can do something without having to build an entire new species from the ground up." Leading the way out of the security office Aaron spied Friedrich gesturing to several people and grinned, he had not been spotted yet, "So Donny, where is this viewing going to happen?"
"On the soccer field between the brig and the playground," Donny spotted the head of Aaron's security and grinned, "You're not going to tell him you're here, are you?"
Chuckling softly Aaron changed direction so they were going around the old naval hospital from the other side, "Nope, let him find me if he wants to mother hen me."
Laughing, Donny grinned at Ru and Matt as he sent Dante ahead of them to check that the coast was clear.
Aaron spotted the group of breeders with Newfoundlands off to the side and watched them for a moment as they seemed confused at why no one was approaching them. Walking over he smiled, "Hello," catching out the corner of his eye several of the recruits moving towards him, they wanted him to go first it seemed. Hiding his sigh, he nodded as they looked at him in shock before bowing and curtseying.
"Begging your pardon, your Majesty, but we be slightly confused. None of the lads seem to want to look at our pups," one of the breeders finally got the courage up to ask.
Chuckling, Aaron sat down after stepping over the side of the pen, "That is because of the mistaken belief I should have first pick," seeing their shocked and pleased looks Aaron motioned the others to come in. "Alight you guys, come on in and sit down like I am. I'm going to show you a trick in helping pick out the right pup, so spread out." Seeing that everyone had done as he asked, he looked up to the quizzical faces of the breeders, "We're telepathic and choosing a proper pup is slightly different for us." Glancing around and noticing the hopeful stares from the recruits Aaron grinned.
"First thing you want to do is to sit down like we are. Then, as the pups are gathered in one area, you want to send your mind out as if you were searching for contact with someone you know, but this time don't picture anything in your mind. Just think of finding a friend and the pups will do the rest. Once one comes to you then link with their mind, otherwise you might end up with more than one," Seeing one of the recruits scrunching up his face he smiled, "Above all relax."
Seeing them relax Aaron motioned for the breeders to release the pups and let his own mind search for connections, grinning as several of the pups took off running and tackling recruits. Going back to searching with his mind, thinking about protecting the youngsters as he did so, Aaron was pleased when several of the adult dogs moved towards him along with four pups. Grinning as he was surrounded by eager pups and three adults who curled up around him, Aaron laughed as he heard a "Hey now." from behind him and laughed as one of the recruits was tackled by one of the pups from the other areas."
Hearing the angry shouts from behind him Aaron stood up and, as one, the seven Newfie's that had bonded with him growled out in warning, freezing everyone around as they barred their teeth. Glaring at the man who practically fell over trying to stop, Aaron skimmed his mind as Donny ran up while every bonded Beastmaster dog suddenly encircled the man with teeth exposed, daring him to move.
"A man that would so easily abuse the animals in his care would garner a further look at his treatment of his children." From his prompt Aaron found the thought of the man's son being locked up in the kennel back at his farm, and the seven Newfie's growled in anger again as they picked up on Aaron anger, shocking the breeders. Looking at Donny, Aaron stood up as the two alpha females ducked so their heads were under his hands as they stood up, "Beastmaster.take a team and rescue the boy that man locked in a cage so he could come here this morning, and rescue his animals also." Eyes moving to Friedrich, "Turn it over to the locals for prosecution. If they do not, or will not prosecute him, then he is ours."
Donny, hearing the anger in Aaron's voice, looked at the man before wading through the dogs and grabbed the information from his mind, not being gentle, digging deep. Finding horrors hidden in there, Donny acted as if he was going to pick something up off the ground and using all of his body and kinetics hit the man under the chin, sending him flying through the air to land on his back. "Prime.this one falls under our jurisdiction for his crimes against humanity and his son."
Aaron looked at the man before nodding at the information Donny sent his way, "Friedrich!" he said as he took the imager out of his pocket with one of the crystals.
Looking at the man, Friedrich snapped to attention as he saw what was in Aaron's hand, "Right away, your Majesty.Bruce, assemble a five man squad to go with the Beastmasters." Calming down once Friedrich removed the man, he got butted from behind, "Hey now." laughing Aaron turned back to pay attention to the large male and linked his mind with his lightly and got the picture of another female, "Does this one have a mate near whelping?"
Scratching him between the ears Aaron smiled at the woman who moved forward with a curious expression on her face.
"Yes, your Majesty, I'm not sure how you know." her eyes widened as she put the clues together. "Glory be, I always said they were smarter than we gave them credit for," she whispered as she looked between the dog and his majesty. "I wish I had your abilities it must be grand."
"Yes they are, and can be . He is wanting his mate; and it is not so much words or concepts we share as images. It is up to me to figure out their meaning," Aaron smiled as he moved over. "All seven of these, of course, will be paid for by my clan. The others will be paid for by the Beastmaster clan."
"Of course, your Majesty. His mate was near whelping, probably in the next day or two, and I did not want to upset her. She is the last I need to find a good home for as I am getting on in years, and without my husband to help out, I'm just going to keep my old lady Brandi around to keep me company in our declining years." She smiled, "I suspect I have found her home then."
"You have, and Damien will help retrieve her shortly as our way of travel shouldn't upset her at all," Aaron smiled as he laid a hand on Titus's head and told him to search out Damien and Lady and herd them back. Laughing as Titus launched himself over the small fence he motioned Running Bear over and explained a different way for the recruits to search for their future bonded while he finished up by signing the chits from the excited breeders, "The security office of course will exchange these for cash, I hope you were told that?"
Laughing at the unspoken question Aaron nodded, "Yes, you can frame the chits so that people know I bought some of your pups." Moving so he could let his seven out of the pen, Aaron moved around chatting with some of the other breeders, and the families and siblings of some of the patients, who were thrilled to be around the puppies. In fact several of the people were making arrangements to buy some of the left over pups.
Giggling as he was being escorted over to Aaron, Damien pointed to Titus who was holding his robe in his mouth as he pranced back, "You called, Love?" Leaning forward, he whispered after kissing Aaron, "You better make sure they know not to lead us around by the dangling bit being nudists and all."
Laughing, Aaron scratched Titus and mentally praised him. "I'm sure they won't do that to you. I would like you to go over and bring back Titus's mate. He can lead you to the woman who is selling them to us, she needs to be ported back to the compound. She is nearing whelping so she was not brought with him as a candidate, though the breeder does want to sell her as she is getting on in years and wants to make sure her dogs go to good homes."
Donny and Matt looked around as they appeared near the outskirts of a small town. He motioned for Dante to search as he lightly linked and realized there were a lot more animals than just dogs on this small farm. Walking closer to the kennels they heard sounds of banging and then several surprised cuss words over the loud barking and hurried over as their guards fanned out.
Backing away from the two dogs he looked over at the place where he set his vet bag down and cringed. He should have kept it closer, but after seeing the boy locked in the cage with the dog humping him he was frantic to get the lock off. Now seeing the two large pups snarling silently at him he backed up and saw another one enter the kennel. Before he could not back away any further, hands searching for a weapon to defend himself with, he was surprised when he heard a whistle and all three dogs sat down and stopped moving. Spotting two strapping young lads wearing some weird leather clothing he sighed, "Please, we need to get the padlock off the kennel before that brute gets around to raping the boy again.Who are you?"
Staring at the man a moment Donny used kinetics to break the lock and, as soon as he started to open the door, the dog in the kennel rushed towards him. Ooljee sprang, intercepting him and snapping the dog's neck with one well practiced shake. Sighing in regret Donny called out, "Bruce, you need to come in here. Ooljee was forced to take a life and he needs comforting" Motioning for Matt to see to the injured teen Donny skimmed the man's mind and found out he was the local vet, a new vet and this was his first day.
"I am Donny Scram.Leader of the Beastmaster clan, from the Empire of Altare.Dante return," Donny said as he held out a hand and linked lightly with Dante showing him how pleased he was with him.
"Donny, he needs a trauma station," Matt looked up as he called Spike back to him. Spike tried to lick the teen's face to wake him up, whining when he did not get any reaction.
Nodding, Donny watched the team port out as Bruce knelt next to Ooljee and linked to him with his mind. What to do with all the animals? Some of them were beyond salvaging it felt like. Glancing at the vet who was still backed up in the corner he smiled, "Sorry about that. It is more than safe for you to come out. Dante won't hurt you. We met the teen's father at Elswick. He had brought several pups with him for our consideration and did something stupid which brought him to our attention. I suspect by now he has been executed for his crimes," Donny shrugged.
Sighing as he looked in the pens, he shook his head saddened by what he was seeing, "Most of these dogs will have to be put down." Moving to several pens with pups in them he shuddered at their conditions, "You see we decided if someone would treat their animals as badly as he did at the showing, they might just treat their children as bad. So we dug into his mind and found a cesspool. We'll have to find new homes for the rest of the animals out there. If it was not for the fact he trained the dogs here to be mean and aggressive we would take them in ourselves; luckily some are salvageable."
"This is going to be a nightmare. I don't think I have enough drugs with me to ease their passing," Mike sighed, "this is not the way I wanted my first day to go. All I wanted was to join one of the colonies but they don't want untried veterinarians."
Donny looked up and noticed how young he looked, "Why not? Are you telling me they turned you down? Something is wrong with that; I don't think Aaron would do something like that."
"Nah, it was my proctors; well that and the government who hired me," Mike sighed as he looked at the growling animals. He did not have enough drugs with him; he would have to call in for backup. They probably would shoot the dogs, and more than likely they would die suffering.
"You're wrong on many counts," Donny looked at the young man and asked "Are you gay? Or at least not unwilling to be around gay people? If so I could recommend you for several spots; the one I am thinking of though needs a gay person to fill."
Mike blinked before stepping back in shock, "Well I."
"I'm not trying to put you on the spot here," Donny looked at Bruce who had finally stood up, "We're going to have to give grace to all the males in here, and half the females are in bad shape and it might be better if they were given grace also.they're suffering, Bruce, and I don't think healing them will help."
Bruce looked around the kennels and sighed as he felt the pain and suffering and the rage coming from the animals, "I'll get my people in here to do it; that way the teams are not around as they are put down." Moving to the cages with the pups and females in them he sighed, "This is no way to treat any creature, let alone a whelping female; there is not enough room in those cages. How the hell did he get invited to Elswick anyway?"
"I expect bribes. I found out he had not had an inspection in years when I took over the route, and when I heard he was going to be gone today I planned on a surprise inspection," Mike moved over to his bag and closed it up, "To tell the truth I am not sure if I'm gay or not, I've not put much thought into it. I had one disastrous experience when I was younger and locked that part away. In school, well, since I was there under a scholarship, I did not have time to do anything but study. I daren't taken the chance of losing the scholarship for poor grades."
Motioning the vet out of the barn Donny pulled out the scanner, "Do you mind if I run a scan on you? If you're interested in one of the colonies, or maybe something more challenging, the scan will let me tell you your options."
Intrigued by the device Mike shrugged, "Go right ahead, it does not look invasive. Do I have to do something." stopping after putting his bag into the truck Mike looked at Donny and the leather outfit, "Wait a minute.you introduced yourself as coming from the Beastmaster clan; what and who are Beastmasters? Is that anything like the movies?"
Activating the scanner Donny grinned, "Yes, just like the movies; the Beastmaster clan does search and rescue, exploration, animal conservation and restocking of species by use of artificial wombs because of our ability to make embryos, and a lot more. I'm looking for a couple of vets actually that would be willing to join my clan; if not join then at least work for us, but I prefer them to be part of my clan."
Watching the sixth cluster line turn green Donny grinned, "Well, we're not finished yet but I think I would be safe offering you a spot in my clan if you want it. So far you are at least bi and the scan is not over yet. If you've seen anything on the television about our medical technology you will love how the technology is just as advanced for our veterinary services; and if you like working with animals you will love how we can do things only dreamed off in those shows." Seeing seven of eight lines green and the scan was over Donny smiled, "I am willing to give you an offer to become part of our people and gain our abilities; or you can move to one of the colony worlds and be a vet, it's up to you."
Donny turned to face the barn with sadness as several crates of dogs and their pups were brought out for transport before Bruce and Ooljee came out as the rest of the security team moved in. He knew the dogs in there were about to be given grace.
Bowing his head as Bruce stopped next to them he sang softly.
Hear our humble song, as we give grace, for our four footed friends. Especially for those who are suffering;
for any that are hunted or lost or deserted or frightened or hungry;
for all that must be given the final grace that is death.
Mike stopped to listen to the words softly chanted as he realized what the young man meant now when he said they would have to be given grace. Hearing the barking still he started for the barn, but was stopped by a hand on his arm by the older guy.
"They felt no pain; my men placed them in a deep sleep and then stopped their hearts quickly and painlessly using our gifts." Bruce sighed as Donny finished and he placed a hand on the lad's shoulder, "Beastmaster, we are finished here for now. When the teen is healed we can come back and get any of his belongings he wants." Tilting his head to the side as he looked up Bruce nodded, "Aaron has ordered us to go home. Well he wants you to stop by the compound first before going home, I think he wants to make sure your okay."
Donny nodded as Dante butted his leg and he reached down and scratched his ears. Sighing as he gave one last look at the barn and the cages that were being ported out, he stood straight and looked at Mike, "Mike, if you want to join us say so; if you want to join the colonies I'll make it happen.If you need time to think about it?"
Shaking his head, "No I don't need time. I am more than willing to jump at this chance," Mike looked at the animals, "I will need several days before I am ready; to pack and to let my boss know I'm leaving."
"Bruce, would you give Mike the contact information he will need so he can get his stuff ported out?" Removing a card from his pocket Donny handed it to Mike, "This is how you can get a hold of me and my clan. Let me know when you are ready and I'll make sure we come get you. and thank you. I think you will enjoy the challenge you are about to undertake," Smiling Donny waved and ported up to Sol Station leaving Bruce to finish.
Fifteen minutes later Donny was sobbing in Aaron's arms as he wept for the cruelty he saw and experienced. Lightly linking with Donny, Aaron slowly solidified the link and helped the young man deal with what he had seen and had to do. "You did good, Donny," Aaron finally told him after breaking the link and then he kissed his forehead gently.
Donny smiled and hugged Aaron back; catching movement out of the corner of his eye he noticed one of the dogs Aaron had picked out strolling into the med bay, "That's strange."
Grinning, Aaron looked where Donny was, "Not really; that's Titus the alpha male. His mate is in the med bay, and she's due to deliver sometime tomorrow afternoon according to the scans. I developed a new way to alter the dogs; it takes a little longer as they spend the night sleeping on the special bio-beds on the floor. It probably adds about a full day to the treatment to alter them but in the long run it is better for them as Titus's mate is so close to whelping."
"I think I found a vet," Donny moved over to where Dante lay watching the sun move across the ground. "He agreed to join us after I scanned him and found he has seven of the eight clusters, but if you would do the resequencing personally, I think there might be something medically wrong with his genetics. He says he has no drive; whether that is from the bad experience or not, I didn't want to dig to deep, but he seems excited about joining us.Oh, and he said something about the Canadian government saying who can and can't apply for immigration to one of the colonies. He was told he couldn't apply because he did not have enough experience as a vet and was shunted into a government job."
"I'll have Victoria look into it. Even though they have their own government they still look to the crown for guidance. She should be the one to slap them down," Aaron made a mental note to send her an email.
Donny stared at Aaron for a moment, "Back at Elswick when you got angry all the dogs responded to your emotions. The seven new dogs especially, the ones you brought here for your Clan.is there.I mean can you.?"
"There is a simple answer to that, Donny. I'm a prime, and I was lightly linked with the Newfie's when I picked up on the hostility coming from that man and his intentions. They picked up on the image I picked up in his brain of him hurting his son; they are extremely protective of children. If I had not controlled them they probably would have ripped his throat out." Aaron looked at Donny, "I think you will agree that Dante is more than when you first got him. All the linking the two of you are doing mind to mind is increasing his intelligence. If we used the old sci-fi intelligence scale, with us being at the top with a rating of ten, the dogs before we altered them would be around a five. After we modified them, and you've worked with them, they are going to be around an eight. I have a feeling they will evolve from there over time. It stands to reason they would."
Gazing at Dante Donny decided Aaron was probably right, "I should get back so the others know what happened to me." Grinning Donny moved over and kissed Aaron's cheek one more time, "I will get with the clan and we will design on paper the perfect cat for our teams, then I'll stop by so you can see what we have to do to get there. It might take a week or so until we get all the scans and genetic mapping done."
"Whenever you're ready Donny, don't rush it. We have time," Aaron smiled as Donny ported out. Turning he glanced at the time and he still had several hours before he had to think about supper, a trip to Pete's moon base should take up the time he thought as he moved over to the gestalt point and ported out.
Looking around the command center after arriving Aaron noticed Pete had been busy. The old center had become just a gestalt point, it opened up to what looked like Joe and Chris's office area and off the other side a big sign had been erected. He chuckled as he read the Warning:
WARNING
ENTERING RESTRICTED AREA
SUSPEND YOUR BELIEF
LEAVE REALITY AT THE DOOR
UBER GEEKS AT WORK
Walking through the arch he spotted Richard and Andrew sitting across from Pete and Xon. "I have to know who put the sign above your door; it is way too funny," Aaron laughed.
Giggling Pete motioned Aaron over, "Chris did that. He came in here once to ask me something. After seeing the experiment I was working on he mumbled something, after turning pale, and the next thing I knew that was above the door.he said something about full disclosure was needed for people that came and visited me."
Laughing Aaron moved over to the table with a grin on his face. Glancing down at the display built into the table the laughter stopped and the grin left his face, "When did this come in?"
A little taken aback at the sudden mood shift Pete looked at the terminal and pointed to the time stamps, "The second one came in last night; the first one five days ago. I thought it was a glitch in the system that I needed to track down and fix.what's wrong?"
Hands tracing commands on the terminal Aaron pulled up real time video from the first system, and went backwards from the time the intrusion defense went online. "The system defenses would not have become active if this had come into the system alone," Aaron pointed at the obvious manufactured probe.
Xon reached out and stopped Aaron from moving, touched the image and tapped it several times increasing the magnification, "This is a blend of both Kathat and Ophikoch designs."
Andrew stared at the terminal for a moment before picking up a rod from some weird project Pete had been working on. Placing it on the table, he lined up the first system with the second and zoomed out so a star map of the empire was shown on the table top.
Watching Andrew intently Aaron was slightly curious on why Andrew put a straight edge on the table, and then, as he saw the map blink out so he could see all his holdings, he saw what he was thinking. If the ship, if it was the same ship, stayed true to a course to Earth they would pass two more systems, before reaching earth and only one of them was empty at the moment. "Xon, those RS series ships; if you paired them up how quickly could they build a step off station?"
Xon, eyes not leaving the terminal display, entered the coordinates of Katha'. A blinking red light was added to the map at a point past Andrew's rod, and it was in line with the intrusions. "It will take two of them thirty hours to complete a step off station. If this dimensions Kathat are at the same technological level as the ones from the dimension you rescued me from then warp three point four is their maximum capacity."
Placing a finger on Sigma Alpha Seven Aaron looked at Xon, "I want all four of the RS ships here. Once the station is built and functional spilt them up, and I want a station at every outer system of our empire. Then work your way back; follow the trail the unknowns left. That way we have a gestalt path to travel easily."
Thinking out loud, "Ophikoch and Kathat hybrid; those two cultures were at opposite ends of each other, at least those in the movies. But if they merged." Aaron sighed as he traced a command on the terminal, "Joe, Chris I need both of you in Pete's lab please." Changing the display so it showed Xon's shipyard, Aaron stared at the display for a moment. The four ships he was building had been moved to the upper repair docks and new keels were halfway finished in the bottom four spaces. "How quickly can you get those four vessels finished if you use the RS series ships?"
Xon pulled up the data on the progress, not sure what Aaron was thinking, "I could have each of those finished in four hours."
Hearing the sounds of running Aaron glanced over his shoulder and saw not only the two he called but Otto and Master Zheng, the Shaolin in charge of their security forces rush in. "Xon, if you would get those four vessels finished as quickly as you can then send the RS ships to Sigma Alpha Seven. If the unidentified vessel shows up as expected," glancing at the distances between stars he quickly calculated, "in six days, I want a command step off station in place. Then go with my original request of building the stations. We have more than enough people to man them, I think."
Feeling Xon's unease Aaron smiled, "All we have so far is a visual of a hybrid design that you recognize as Ophikoch and Kathat. That does not mean that it is the Kathat or Ophikoch that created it in this dimension. All it means is it is a hybrid from an unknown source." Sensing Xon was feeling more assured he smiled, "That is where those ships come in; I want them finished and crewed. Three of them will be patrolling Sigma Alpha Seven, in case our unknown visitor stops by; the other one will be escorting you on one of Pete's Star Scouts so you can quietly visit the Kathat home system and download their database, specifically their history."
Looking at Pete, "Which brings me to you my wonderful sexy geek. How many of those Star Scouts have you finished and where are they hiding?" Aaron smiled as he saw the concern overriding Pete's excitement.
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"Um." Pete brought up the moon docks and the cavern he built to hold the finished scouts, "I have twenty three finished and ready to be crewed, and they are coming off the line at the rate of one every six hours now.But I only programmed the system to build forty eight of them."
"Don't stop building them, remove the limitation of forty eight from the system, if we end up with too many we can always recycle them." Aaron looked at Chris and Joe, "I am hoping for a peaceful first contact, but I am preparing for the worst. If the invaders happen to be another race that subjugated the Kathat then we need to be prepared." Aaron stared at Joe and Chris, "Crews, gentleman! All twenty three of those ships need to be crewed, and on their way to each of our systems to check on them until the stations have been built in the patrolled system. Start with the furthest ones in the empire and move in as each ship comes off the line. If you don't have enough crews then park an empty one in the center of the system and tie them into the system defense net and port a crew to the vessel if the system defenses go live."
Looking up at the plasma of the shipyards Aaron smiled as the last of the RS ships showed up and hovered above the almost completed ships. "Xon, I want you to take one of the scouts and your new cruiser as soon as it is finished. Andrew, I want you to be on that cruiser as a representative of the Clan." Sensing the shock, fear and pride coming from Andrew he smiled, "this is a simple in and out mission. Go in, take the data as quickly as you can, and get out. If they are Kathat then they can detect warp drive signatures so don't take any chances. In fact keep those wonderful new shields of Xon's up at all times. I think they will mask all energy signatures if I read the report right, and make sure you go in black."
"If the computers are like the ones you are used to how long will it take to do a dump to our systems?" Aaron looked at Xon as he asked while Otto was talking quietly in over his communicator.
"To get their history and tech base for their ships? Four hours if I wish to remain undetected," Xon thought about the best way to do what was being asked.
"So if the ships are done in four hours," Aaron thought out loud, "and we load both ships heavy on gestalt teams it will take at the most an hour to get there, four hours and then the four or five ports back, which gets you back by morning." Aaron looked at Xon and then Andrew, "You both will leave after supper, so that means around seven tonight. Once you are at the Kathat system you have no more than four hours before you leave, no matter what you have or have not copied," Aaron stared at Xon until he nodded and then Andrew who was already nodding.
Hugging Xon, Aaron smiled, "If we find the Kathat in this dimension are close enough to those who you spent all those years with we will make first contact with that ship as it gets to Sigma Alpha Seven. I will rely on you, Xon, to tell me how comfortable you are with the differences between the two. Now if the ship we think is intruding in our area of space is not Kathat we will revisit the situation. For now I don't want to create too much trouble over a perceived possible threat."
"Any questions?" Aaron was pleased by the silence, and to tell the truth slightly excited over first contact. He just hoped it was the Kathat and they were like the books and movies, and mostly peaceful.
"Can we shadow the unknown vessel just to make sure it is going where we think it is?" Otto asked as he moved back to the table, "it only makes sense to keep an eye on the ship."
"If you can do it undetected I don't see why not. If you are detected, or they stop, contact me immediately and I'll have Xon port over so he can make first contact in their native language. Unless, of course, they are not Kathat.I'm making some pretty big assumptions here," Aaron pointed out. "Master Zhen, have one of your people take charge of the scout Otto wants to send out. I want calm and cool minds in charge. Make sure the people you choose are all class two paths."
Seeing Otto was going to say something Aaron shook his head, "Sorry Otto but I want your people to man those command ships Xon built. The scouts are just that, scouts; in and out quickly. Those command cruisers are warships and that is where I want my military people." Getting a nod back from the man Aaron looked at Joe, "The Reliant is really not doing anything in earth orbit; not that one of the scouts can't do just as well. I want the Reliant to visit Banard for now." Finger paused over the flashing square that would post this to the system so all his people could see what had happened, Aaron smiled. "This is exciting and yet terrifying. It could be the peaceful contact we wish or it could be bumpy but I think we have all the bases covered." Finger touching the blinking light the past half hour was transferred to the system so everyone could watch.
Aaron smiled as Richard hugged Andrew a little longer than the others. He heard him whisper, "I expect you back to wake me in the morning, Love.Don't.Don't take any chances!"
Moving over Aaron hugged Richard close, "They will be fine. At the first sign of trouble they can port out. I think you and Ichiro will be spending the night with me." Glancing at Andrew and Xon who had hugged and kissed everyone including the curious youngsters, he waited until they were standing in front of him once more. "I expect both of you to be crawling into my bed in six hours from now.Ride like the winds, Loves, and don't get hurt!" Accepting one last kiss, Aaron moved Richard towards the recreations pit and sat down. "For now we can watch what happens on the plasmas. If everything is going smoothly I'll shag your arse until you pass out in pleasure; to pass the time, of course."
Giggling, Richard sat back against Aaron's chest and looked at the screen; he knew eventually the day would come where Andrew did something dangerous. He had hoped he would be ready by then, but now, facing it, he thought he was not really ready if the butterflies in his stomach were anything to judge by.
It had taken twenty five minutes to make it into orbit around Katha'. Xon contemplated once more the differences between Alteran technology and the Confederation he grew up around. He imagined Aaron could make the trip in one port, and if truth be told, now that they had a sentinel watching the outer system they could make the trip in three ports, just under ten minutes. With Confederation technology it would take almost two weeks at high warp. Nodding to no one in particular he ported the SE110 to the planet's surface and directed it to the research section of the Kathat science guild hall. So far the visual feed was showing a familiar script that he had little trouble reading.
Finding an unused station at the research center Xon directed the SE110 to hover under the desk, spliced it into the data stream of the Kathat network and logged in under an older set of security protocols without trouble. Setting the controls to download a complete mainframe backup he smiled as he found he could do so in under three hours. Glancing at the pickup, "I'm in.We can be gone in three hours time unless something happens to change the schedule. I'm initiating the secondary SE110 and directing it to the Guild Council chambers to monitor the happenings there."
After a careful insertion Xon looked around the chambers and saw several of the Ruling Councilors hard at work. Listening in he translated their conversation.
"Logic tells me that the Timur should not approach the next system as planned, but should instead divert to the target system as soon as possible with utmost caution," Tenef looked up from his contemplations.
"Elucidate your findings, Tenef," Amidi looked up as she turned her chair so she could see his face.
"After further study, and long range astrometry, I have concluded from the available data that our intrusion is known. Whether it is by an automatic defense system, or there is an intelligence behind it is unknown at this time. Continued intrusions into what the data conveys as colony, or probable colony sites, could be taken as hostile." Tenef waited for Amidi to make further comment.
"We cannot afford a conflict with a race that has this type of technology, even through misunderstanding," Amidi finally admitted, "What are the recommendations we should consider?"
"We should send an ambassador to the Timur and prepare for first contact. Until the ambassador meets with the Timur it should halt its advance. The Talvath can transport Ambassador Sesek to the Timur. Once Sesek is on board it can continue on its mission. The Talvath can meet with the Timur in four days at warp four point nine," Tenef concluded.
Xon was surprised as the female pulled up a star map that accurately identified each of their systems; he was curious on how they found them and then noticed it, "Somehow they are able to trace the energy signatures our fusion generators give off. As they have no idea we are in orbit, or near the system, the shields must work correctly in masking the signature. The question is, do we mask all our installations? If we do so they will make the logical conclusion we have tapped their communications and take steps."
"Logic dictates when security urges caution and diplomacy we should not ignore the warning. Send the message to have the Timur halt all forward progress. Also have them stop all long range scans and wait for the Talvath to transfer Sesek before continuing," Amidi finally decided.
Xon concentrated on getting the co-ordinates of where the Timur would hold station waiting for the Talvath, knowing Aaron he would want to institute first contact there. Having recorded the co-ordinates he sat back as the Talvath received its orders, and Sesek acknowledged the request to depart. Checking the data stream he nodded as it was proceeding faster than expected, and realized he had tapped into the normal daily system backup. They would be out of here shortly. Gazing up at the plasma Xon smiled at Andrew, "Soon, Love. I tapped the system at the best time; during its daily backup. We shall be able to return to Prime before Aaron has a chance to tire Richard out, and we shall have our chance to help him out."
Andrew smiled at Xon's message. As he looked around the command deck he was relieved that everything seemed to be going quietly so far.
Aaron grinned as he looked at the youngsters who were staring in excitement at the plasma at seeing real live living and breathing Kathat. "I know for the most part I plan to let you set your own bedtimes, but I think as soon as Xon and Andrew start back you might want to go to bed. After all, as long as you do well in your studies, I will leave bedtimes and such totally up to you. But right now it is later than you are normally still up."
Getting nods of agreement and pleased expressions back, Aaron turned to face the plasma once more before pulling his communicator down and activating it, "Joe, are you still up.?" Laughing as he shook his head, "I didn't think you would leave the office to tell the truth. Xon was right in thinking he will be making first contact Friday. I want to set up a show of force where the Kathat are waiting to meet the Talvath. We'll send all four cruiser to the area along with a dozen or so scouts. Once the two ships meet we will port the Reliant in and make first contact, or Xon will. If things go smoothly he can escort them to Tau Ceti Station and we will sit down for a meeting. Right, talk to you tomorrow then." Looking back at the plasma Aaron grinned as he noticed the scout appear next to Andrew's ship before both of them ported back towards home.