Toward the Brightest Star

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."