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

Thirty-Eight

"I wanted to spend some time alone with you, Ali."

Ali smiled. "That will be nice." Ardin walked up to Ali and kissed him.

After, he looked at Ali and grinned.

"You know, I love your cock as much as Tren does."

Ardin groped him as he grinned.

Ali was shocked. That was a lot!

"Really? I never knew."

"I am so happy we three get along so well."

Ali kissed Ardin again.

"Want to fool around while they are gone?" Ardin asked.

Ali grinned and walked to the cabin.

They lay down and began sucking each other. While Ardin sucked Ali, he ran his finger around Ali's hole. Ali groaned and came in Ardin's mouth. Ardin couldn't taste it, of course, and he regretted that. Ardin came a moment later. Then Ardin lay down on his back. He had Ali squat over him. He pulled Ali's butt down and began eating his ass while he licked his hole. Ali began stroking Ardin's cock. Ali's hole was wet. Ardin stiffened his tongue and pushed it into Ali. Ali moaned loudly. Ardin began fucking Ali with his tongue while he stroked Ali's cock. Soon he felt Ali's come hitting his belly as Ali shouted, "Ya hee!"

Ali lay down next to him.

"I had a Gorg lover named Eri. Eritus."

"I know."

"You are better looking, have a bigger cock, and are a much nicer person."

Ali ran a hand over Ardin's body.

"Thank you, my love."

"I haven't ever really told you how I feel, Ali. I want you to know, I love you, but I don't love you like a brother. I desire you. I lust after you."

Ardin wrapped his hand around Ali's erection.

"If I had never met Tren, I would have happily married you."

"Oh, Ardin!"

Ali kissed him again and put as much emotion into it as he could.

Ardin was considering something he had never done before. He was thinking of letting Ali fuck him. He knew it would make Ali happy. He could make it incredibly pleasurable for himself. After all, he could give himself one long continuous orgasm while Ali was inside him.

Ardin was afraid it would affect his relationship with Tren. Would Tren look at him the same way if he knew Ali was fucking both of them? He decided he couldn't risk it. His relationship with Tren was the most important thing in his life.

"Did you ever fuck Eri?"

"No. He would never let me."

Ali was considering the same thing Ardin was. He wanted to please Ardin. He was considering letting Ardin fuck him.

"If we do something, will you keep it from Tren?"

"I don't know. We aren't going to kill anyone, are we?"

Ali laughed. Then he sighed. He looked into Ardin's eyes.

"I love it when you fuck me with your tongue. I will let you fuck me."

"Oh, Ali! Are you sure?"

"Can you make your prick smaller?"

Ardin laughed.

"Yes, I can."

"Let's do it."

As they walked, Lis asked, "Have you given any thought to copying your mother's mind?"

"No. I hadn't! I haven't even thought about her. If we aren't with her to keep making new copies, it will become seriously out-of-date."

"You could invite her to travel with us."

"The ship is pretty small. I think we would be in each other's way with six of us."

"You can afford a much bigger ship."

"I can?" Tren laughed. "I have no idea what a ship costs. Actually, I have no idea how much money I have. Have I lost any through my investments?"

"No. You have made about thirty million from your investments. Since you haven't been spending any money I have it invested very conservatively."

"Wow!"

Tren was amazed. He had more money and he hadn't done anything at all!

"How much would a bigger ship cost?"

"You could get a really nice one for one hundred million."

Tren's mind was boggled. That was a lot of money! On the other hand, he had made a third of that from his investments, and he hadn't even had the money very long.

"It would be nice if we had an exercise room and maybe a swimming pool."

"Yes. I agree."

"And maybe a conservatory! I saw a video of one."

"Yes, a plant room can be a good place to relax, I am told."

"I really have no idea. I will have to take your word for it. Is a bigger ship a good idea?"

"Do you plan to make the ship your primary home?"

"Yes. I suppose I do. It has never occurred to me to buy a home. Maybe someday I will, but not now. I am planning to return to Aransas, but I don't know if I want to buy a home there. All our friends are at the port and living on the ship at the port makes more sense."

Lis nodded to him.

"Then I think a bigger ship is appropriate. Every billionaire should have a swimming pool."

Lis smiled at him and Tren chuckled.

Tren took Lis' hand and Lis' smile became even bigger.

"Keep in mind that you will be able to sell the Ardin."

"Oh, yeah!"

"Do you have any idea how much it is worth?"

"Oh, yes. It is one of your assets. I keep track of all of them. It is worth about twenty million."

"So I would only be using about fifty million of my original money."

"Yes."

"I am excited! I have always wanted a bigger spaceship!" Tren said, facetiously.

"Have you?"

Tren laughed.

"No! I have never even thought about having one, much less upgrading to a bigger one! I was a slave, Lis!"

"Your fortunes have definitely changed."

"That reminds me. Have you heard any news about the king? Are the babies all right?"

"They haven't been born yet, but both mothers are doing well."

"Oh, good."

"Do you think Jerallen will be upset if we sell the ship?"

"No. I doubt he will ever know. If he does, I am sure he will understand if you need a bigger ship. There are four of us on the ship. Jerallen was on it alone. Kerra didn't have a body and she still wanted a bigger ship."

"Yes, that's right."

"The ship is designed to be a two person pleasure yacht with room for occasional guests, not a permanent residence for four."

"I see."

"How many rooms would a ship like that have?"

"Do you mean cabins, or just any kind of room?"

Tren didn't know. He thought about it.

"I guess I mean how many people could live on it."

"At least eight. It would depend on many different factors. Are any sharing rooms? What kind of amenities should each cabin have? Actually, considering your lack of interest in luxuries, you could probably have twice that number."

"I think that is fine. I don't think I want more than eight people permanently living with me!"

"In a bigger ship, you would not notice them as much. After all, if they have their own cabins, and dining and entertainment areas, you might not see them very often."

Tren thought about Relf's ship, and he could understand that.

Lis decided to try something. He had been studying Human behavior, including sex. He put his arm around Tren's waist. Tren was obviously startled and Lis was afraid he had made a mistake. Then Tren looked at him and smiled.

They had arrived and Lis turned to enter a shop.

"How did you know about this shop?"

"I asked the police computer. He told me how to contact the city computer."

A female Gorg walked up to them.

"May I help you?"

"I need some basic clothes and shoes," Lis said.

Tren saw the clerk kept glancing at Lis's crotch. He grinned. There was a very attractive bulge there. He didn't blame her. He wondered if Lis wanted to have sex with her. He was shocked to realize he didn't like the idea. He didn't want to feel possessive about Lis. He had Ardin and Ali. He didn't need a third lover! Lis took Tren's hand and the Gorg noticed. Tren felt smugly pleased. I can't keep collecting lovers, he said to himself. Then he remembered Lis was family. He lived with them and he probably would for a very long time. It was different. He wasn't collecting him. He was with a member of his family. He looked at Lis who was watching the clerk. He wondered if Lis had a sense of humor.

The clerk waved a handheld over him to get Lis' size. Then she showed some items.

"Which do you like?" Lis asked.

Tren pointed at a couple of things.

When Lis pulled his shorts off to try on a pair of pants, Tren got hard when Lis's stiff cock bounced up. Lis noticed Tren's arousal. He was pleased.

Lis whispered to Tren, "Ardin designed my penis. I really love it!"

Tren laughed out loud and startled the clerk. Lis was very pleased.

Lis put the pants on carefully. He was not accustomed to dressing.

"Do you like them, Tren?"

"Yeah."

Tren picked out some shirts and Lis wanted to put one on. Tren watched Lis trying to figure out what to do with it.

"This is new to you," Tren said to him.

"Yes. I have never worn clothes before."

The female Gorg stared at them and Tren tried not to laugh.

The clerk then asked Lis to press his foot to a pad to get his foot size. She showed them some shoe styles. Tren picked a couple.

"They will be ready in about thirty minutes."

"Oh, you make them?"

"Yes. It doesn't cost more and they feel much better. But they have to dry before they can be worn. That wakes about thirty minutes. You can wait for them here, or there is a restaurant next door."

"Thanks."

"What race are you?" she asked as they were paying.

"Human."

"You look very much like Gorgs."

"Yes. I think so, too."

They left the store.

"Do you want to eat?" Lis asked him.

"No, but we can sit and talk."

Lis smiled at him. Lis had practiced smiling with Ardin and alone in front of the mirror and he hoped he was doing it right.

They walked into the restaurant and a waiter seated them.

"I will have a cup of hot coffee. It is a Human drink," Tren said.

"Nothing for me," Lis said.

The waiter walked away.

"Did you notice the clerk when you said you had never worn clothes before?"

Lis smiled.

"She thought it was odd. I thought about telling her I was a robot."

"She wouldn't have believed you."

Lis looked at Tren.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"That is amazing. I must really look biological."

"You do. Incredibly biological."

"Is that good?"

"I think so, but I'm not a robot."

Tren smiled at him.

"Can I ask you a personal question, Lis?"

"Yes."

"Did you want to have sex with that clerk? I think she wanted to have sex with you. You could do it, if you want."

"I would rather have sex with you, Ardin, and Ali. I care about you and we will be together. It is simpler. How do you feel about that?"

"I am not sure. I feel very attracted to you."

Tren didn't mention that it was because Ardin had picked that form for that reason. That seemed wrong to Tren for some reason. He wasn't sure why. Then he thought maybe he knew why.

"It feels a little like I would be using you."

Lis thought about that.

"Because you are my employer?"

"Yes, I think so. I would wonder if we were having sex because you felt obligated."

Lis nodded.

"That wouldn't be the case. I want to have sex with you. I want us both to enjoy it."

Tren sighed.

"I think you are beautiful, but...you are not real."

Lis didn't know what to think of that.

"I am as real as Ardin. I plan to keep this appearance from now on. Won't it be real?"

Tren thought.

"I suppose it will. I think I feel that way now it's because it is so new."

Lis nodded.

"Yes, I understand. You still think of me as I was."

"Yes."

"That form was no more real than this. I only wore that form a few days. This is permanent, I think. That makes it more real, in a way."

"Yes, I guess you are right. Are you happy, Lis?"

"Yes, I am. That is something very new. I am happy because of you, Tren. It is because of you that I have this...life. I would never have called it that before, but I feel biological now. I will call it life. Do you know that it is pleasurable for me to touch you? Ardin created a remarkable program. He calls it Robotsex, but it should be called Robotlife."

Lis stroked his forearm.

"That was pleasurable."

He took Tren's hand.

"That was pleasurable. Do you have any idea how different that is for me? I actually have a sex drive now! Ardin designed it. At first, I thought it was disgusting. Pleasure programs are the equivalent of recreational drugs in biological beings. I had a low opinion of them. But Ardin showed me that when you are also giving pleasure to another, it is a very different thing. It is shared joy."

Tren was amazed. Lis was truly another person. A much happier person.

"I think Ardin will keep refining this program. He told me he is working on a method of simulating Human sleep, with dreams! I am confident he will succeed. Can you see that I appear to be breathing?"

"I hadn't noticed, but you do!"

"Ardin did that. He told me he is making all the sensations as close to his original body as he can. To me, that makes what I feel real. Do you see what I mean?"

"Yes, I do."

"I believe I will be Human one day. That day I will wake up and will be completely indistinguishable from a Human. I already look Human, on that day I will feel Human."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Yes, it is for me. I am happier than I was a mechanical. I have been one for over three hundred years. I want to be a Human for three hundred."

Tren nodded.

"Tren, by the time you die and you move into a robot body, I believe it will feel exactly like your biological body to you. Keep in mind that Ardin has only been working on it for a few days and he has already done this."

Lis pointed at his body.

Tren looked at the enthusiastic, happy, incredibly sexy man sitting across from him. He grinned at him.

"It is wonderful seeing you like this!"

"I think it is wonderful being like this."

They smiled at each other.

"I think Ardin can become quite wealthy from this program. When he has developed it a little more, I believe he should sell it to mechanicals. It could be marketed as a sort of vacation, as well as an alternate way of life. Become a Human for a month! See how biologicals live! It will make Humans famous. Maybe later, other races could be simulated. I think it will have universal appeal. Wouldn't you be curious to live like another species for a while? If you could become a Gorg any time you wished and could switch back and forth, wouldn't you want to try it?"

"Definitely. I think just about everyone would."

"That is how I feel. I think every mechanical would be curious to try it. Do you have any idea how many copies of the program could be sold? Billions, easily. Maybe trillions."

Tren shook his head.

"But wouldn't it only work with a Naldan body?"

Lis smiled at him.

"The Naldan body does many things. For the purposes of simulating biological beings, fixed form robot bodies could be used. As a matter of fact, we could sell Human-shaped bodies with the program. They would be much cheaper than Naldan, since they would be fixed form. Many robots own more than one body. But a lot of what Ardin's program is doing would work with many different bodies. He isn't utilizing shape-shifting at all. He is using robot senses, which are somewhat standardized and translating them into Human sensations. You already know that the orgasm portion doesn't require a penis."

Tren remembered sucking on Ardin's finger. He grinned and nodded.

"You are really thinking of going into business, aren't you?"

"Yes. I have never felt as passionate about anything before. Ardin says we are a family. It could be a family business."

Tren smiled.

"I like the idea."

The waiter brought his coffee and Tren sipped it.

"I have wondered what to do with my life. Travelling around and having sex all the time is nice, but I would like more. Accomplishing something would be a very good thing. Although this doesn't really involve me."

Lis nodded.

"But you are the most important person."

"Why?"

Lis smiled at him.

"It's your money."

Tren laughed.

"I forgot about that."

He grinned at Lis.

"I guess I am."

"It really would be a family business. All of us could have a role."

"I think your enthusiasm is rubbing off on me. I think we should do it. I really do. If it isn't a success, it doesn't really matter. I have more money that I could possibly need, especially since your investments can make up some losses."

"I am glad. I haven't mentioned it to Ardin yet. I wanted to know your opinion. To have sales really take off, we would need to produce bodies. We would have to build or buy a factory to manufacture them. Eralta on Aransas has bodies custom-built for him. I plan to ask him where it is done. If he has his own factory, maybe we can pay him to build them for us."

Tren sipped his coffee and looked around. The restaurant wasn't very busy. He saw one good looking male seated across the room. He smiled as he remembered sucking the two Gorgs, Sek and Sti, right on the street. That was a lot of fun.

He looked over at Lis. He was really very sexy. Ardin had really done well. He smiled at Lis.

"What are you thinking?" he asked Tren.

"I was thinking how attractive you are."

Lis smiled.

"I am very glad you think so, because I plan to keep this shape for a long time."

"Ardin made it especially for me. It is a gift. You gave me the body and Ardin the shape. I suppose I am sentimental about it."

"That's fine. You are very handsome. You know though, that not all Humans would necessarily agree."

"I only care what you, Ardin, and Ali think."

Tren put his hand on Lis' and squeezed it.

Tren finished his coffee.

"There is a ship dealer next to the port. Would you like to stop by and see what they have?"

"Sure! That sounds like fun!"

They got up and went back to the shop to pick up Lis' shoes. He put them on and the clerk asked if he liked them.

"They are fine. Thank you."

Thirty-Nine

They left and walked down the street. They passed a door that had an erect penis painted above it. Tren smiled and opened the door.

It was a sex shop. There were sex toys and a sex video was playing on a display. Tren was surprised to see there were two males in the video. He hadn't really thought about it, but he supposed there were male monosexual Gorgs. Since Ali and Geo both seemed to be bisexual, he assumed they all were.

A male Gorg asked if they needed help. Tren realized he was one of the actors in the video.

"You are a video star!" Tren said to him.

The Gorg laughed.

"I am. Soon every being in the Alliance will know of me!"

Tren laughed.

"And your penis!"

The Gorg laughed.

"I am Tren."

"I am Dek."

"This is my."

He looked at Lis. What was he? Family member sounded like a blood relative, and he was a robot with no blood!

"Lis."

He reached out for Lis' hand. Lis took it and stood next to him. Tren put his arm around Lis' waist. Dek smiled at them.

"I was just wondering about Gorg sexual practices. Considering how often I have had sex with Gorgs, you would think I would know, but I don't. I know a lot of males are bisexual, but are there male monosexuals?"

"Oh, yes. Absolutely. About twenty percent of the male population is monosexual. I am monosexual. About seventy-five percent is bisexual, with the rest only liking females. What race are you?"

"Human. We haven't been here long."

"If you are interested, there are many sex clubs catering to male monosexuals."

"I was at the Pistol the other night."

"That is mostly opportunistic sex."

"What does that mean?"

"The males will fuck anything that walks in the door."

Tren burst out laughing.

"That explains what happened when I walked in the door!"

Dek laughed.

"Did you have fun?"

"Oh, yes! I couldn't see all of it, but I was told I serviced twenty-four males."

"You aren't serious!"

"Yes. Twenty-two customers, my spouse, and the owner."

"Your spouse was with you? Is that Lis?"

"No. My spouse is Ali. He is a Gorg. Lis is my.boyfriend. Ali took me there. He used to work on the army base and his friends hang out there."

"Yes. Lots of soldiers there."

Lis was very pleased that Tren thought of him as his boyfriend. That was a romantic relationship. He wanted that, as well as sex.

"It was fun for a one-time thing, but it was too anonymous for me."

"Yes, I know what you mean. I prefer a little romance. Or at least a name!

"So you have a spouse and a boyfriend. I wish I did!"

"I have a husband, too."

Dek laughed.

"You don't need a sex club!"

Tren chuckled.

"No. Not really. I was just curious and Ali wanted to visit his friends. There is no reason to return."

"Ali is bisexual, then."

"Yes. We came here so he could divorce his wife. That's done."

"Are you bisexual, Lis?"

"I."

He didn't know!

"I think I will only be having sex with males. I have no desire to have sex with females."

Dek nodded.

Tren turned and watched the video. Dek was fucking another Gorg.

"Do you know that is the first time I've seen a Gorg get fucked."

"Oh, there are lots of males who love it. I enjoy it and I know several who go to the Pistol and service the entire clientele, like you did."

Tren watched Dek groan in the video and stop moving.

"Did you come inside him?"

"Oh, yeah!"

"In Human porn, the male always pull out so you can see the spunk."

"That can't be fun for the actor. Doesn't it interrupt the orgasm?"

"I don't know! You are the star I will take your word for it. Is that another actor or a friend?"

"A friend."

"You are very attractive. Are you married?"

"Yes. I have a husband. We own the shop together."

"So can I help you find anything? We have toys and supplies like lubricants."

"We don't really need anything. I was curious about the picture over the door. No. Wait. Is the video with you for sale?"

Dek smiled.

"Yes."

"I want a copy. Will you autograph the case?"

Dek grinned.

"I would love to!"

He went and got a copy. The text on the case was not A- speak. Tren assumed it was the Gorg language. Dek signed the case, they paid, and left.

When they were outside, Tren took Lis' hand. Lis smiled at him.

"Am I your boyfriend, Tren?"

"I suppose. I didn't know what to say. I guess you will probably be my spouse one day, if things work out and you want the position."

Tren grinned.

"That is, unless you recommend that I not marry you for financial reasons!"

Lis laughed.

"No. I recommend that you marry me. It's Ardin and Ali I don't think you should marry."

Tren laughed. Lis had a nice sense of humor.

They walked a while and Tren looked in shop windows.

"Did you really have sex with twenty-four males?"

"Yes."

Lis didn't say anything and Tren wondered what he was thinking. Finally, he asked.

"Does that matter to you?"

"I suppose it shouldn't."

"It is all right if it does. If I liked someone and he did it, I would have an opinion."

"You would?"

"Yes."

Tren chuckled.

"As a matter of fact, I would hate it."

"I believe I am jealous. They had sex with you and I haven't."

Tren nodded.

"Let's sit down."

There was a bench about a block away and they walked to it. They sat.

"It's different with you. I had a relationship with you and it wasn't romantic. I am having to adjust. I think Ardin is more adaptable than I am."

Tren took Lis' hand.

"I keep picturing you as you were when I first saw you. That Glissent seems to be very different from Lis. Do you understand?"

"Yes. Too many changes."

"Yes, too quickly. I am still adjusting."

Tren looked at Lis.

"I will say that sex with you is all I am thinking about."

Tren rubbed the lump in Lis' pants.

"I want that."

Lis smiled at him.

"I am really enjoying being alone with you. Ardin really does know me well. After all, he arranged for us to be alone together. You are very different from Ardin and Ali and I like that. Even though Ardin designed your appearance, you aren't acting like Ardin. I am glad. I would like it if the two of us could spend time alone together every day."

"I would like that very much."

Tren smiled at him and Lis felt something. He wondered if it was love. It was definitely new. Ardin had suggested putting his arm around Tren. He did it and Tren leaned against him. Then Tren rested his head on his shoulder and the feeling he had grew stronger.

"Do you think you will want to go back to the Pistol?"

"Definitely not. I have three handsome males at home. I tried it once. That was enough."

Tren was humorously scared he would find another lover. He could not handle another one!

Tren got up.

"Let's find a nice dark bar."

Lis wondered why Tren wanted a bar. Then he wondered if Tren wanted it dark to be romantic. He really needed to study more Human psychology.

"I will ask the city computer."

They were directed to one. They were seated in a corner. The bar was empty. Tren ordered a drink and a moment later, it appeared on the table.

"Why did you want a dark bar?"

"So I can do this."

Tren rubbed Lis' cock through his pants. It felt wonderful.

"I wish you still had Ardin's shorts on. I could have pulled it out."

"I will take them off. I just checked. Nudity is allowed in here."

Tren grinned.

"Good."

Lis tried to remove his shoes. He wasn't sure how!

"Will you help me with the shoes?"

"Of course!"

Tren got under the table. This was exciting! He pulled one off then the other. Lis stood and Tren pulled his pants down.

"Lift one leg."

Tren pulled them off it.

"Lift the other."

Finally they were off.

Tren sat back down, so Lis did, too. Tren scooted up next to him and wrapped his hand around Lis' cock. Lis moaned and that excited Tren. He looked around and saw no one paying attention. He bent over and swallowed Lis. Lis moaned again. He began sucking him while he stroked his balls. They were big, too! Lis was a beautiful man. Tren sucked until Lis ejaculated into his mouth. He was expecting the come to taste like Ardin's, but it didn't. It excited him that it was unique, like Lis. For some reason, that made Lis seem much more real to Tren. While he swallowed, he stroked Lis' balls. Finally, Lis' orgasm ended. He sat back up.

"How was it?"

"Wonderful!"

"We should do it all the time. What do you think?"

"I agree!"

Tren chuckled.

"Well, since you agree."

Tren bent down and sucked him again. Soon Lis came a second time.

Tren sat up. He wrapped his hand around Lis' stiff cock. It was dark and he couldn't see it well, but it felt wonderful in his hand. He stroked it while he looked around the bar.

"I like the way your spunk tastes."

"Good. It is vitamin fortified."

Tren laughed.

"What?"

"Ardin thought that with all three of us feeding it to you, you might eat less. He wants you to stay healthy. He noticed you didn't eat breakfast the morning after you went to the Pistol."

Tren laughed for a while.

"So it's good for me."

"Yes."

Lis watched Tren's hand while Tren stroked him. It felt unbelievably good. He felt like a completely different person. That worried him a little, but he was happier than he had ever been. Maybe different was a good thing. He thought about his career. He was still interested in his job and wanted to continue doing it. But if the king reassigned him, he would resign and remain with Tren, Ardin, and Ali, if they would let him.

He moaned as he came again. Tren swallowed his cock again. Lis stroked Tren's head as the pleasurable feelings washed over him.

Tren sat up, but rested his head on Lis. Lis closed his eyes. Wonderful! It was wonderful! Not only the sex, but having Tren close and knowing he wanted to be close to him made Lis happy.

"I can't suck you, yet. Ardin was afraid I would bite your cock. He said he is extremely fond of it."

Tren laughed.

"Yes, that would be bad."

"Ardin is going to teach me by having me suck him."

"Oh, he is?"

Tren felt jealous and a little angry. Then he remembered that Lis was family, like Ali. Ardin could have as many orgasms as he liked, so Lis would not be taking anything away from Tren. And it was true that Ardin wouldn't feel pain if Lis accidently bit him. Besides, while Ardin was teaching Lis, Tren could be with Ali, in Ali's arms, and that was wonderful, too. As a matter of fact, it would be a chance to be alone with Ardin if Ali and Lis started having sex.

"That's great, Lis. Ardin will be a good teacher."

"One thing I have noticed is that you have a slight chemical odor. Ardin doesn't. Will you mention that to Ardin?"

"Absolutely. That should be easy to correct."

Lis stroked Tren's chest. He thought about the odor issue. He searched through the Human Database to see if there was anything on the subject. He found it. There were analyses of several different Humans' body odors. That was good, because Lis didn't both of them to smell exactly the same. Lis programmed one into his internal synthesizer. He produced a small amount and caused it to be produced on one of his palms.

"See if you like this."

He held his hand up to Tren. Tren sniffed it.

"I can't smell anything."

Lis produced a little more. Tren sniffed.

"It smells like a woman."

"Oh."

He tried a different scent and produced it on his other hand. He held it up to Tren.

"Oh, yes. Much better."

"Does it smell like Ardin?"

"No. It smells like you."

Lis smiled. He produced a very small amount distributed over his entire body. Tren sniffed him.

"Perfect Lis. You are perfect!"

Lis put his hand on Tren's crotch and squeezed gently. Tren sighed.

"Will you let me stroke you?"

"Sure."

Tren pushed his shorts down. Lis wrapped his hand around Tren's cock. He started stroking it.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Yes."

He leaned over and kissed him. He had practiced with Ardin until he could do it well. Tren moaned as they kissed.

He continued stroking him and Tren groaned, "I'm going to come!"

Lis bent down and watched as he stroked him, Tren lifted his shirt so he wouldn't get it dirty. Tren moaned and Lis watched semen shoot out of his cock. There were four powerful spurts and then lesser ones. Finally it ended.

"That was nice."

Lis got up to get napkins. Tren watched his cock swung back and forth as he walked. That is mine! Tren thought.

He wiped Tren off.

"I just got a response from Eralta. Ardin wants to be able to taste and I thought Eralta might know."

"What did he say?"

"He has a program which simulates it. He wasn't sure how it would correspond to the Human sense. Aransans are vegetarians and Humans are not, so taste could be very different. He suggested modifying the program using foods of known characteristics, like sweet, salty, hot, and cold. I am sure Ardin will be able to make the changes. I couldn't. I have no idea what sweet or salty are like."

"You will!"

"I know! It is exciting to me. It will be an entirely new experience."

"Do we need to go to Aransas for the program?"

"No. He sent it."

"I have been meaning to mention it to Ardin, but keep forgetting. Will you ask him if the two of you can produce precome before your orgasms?"

"I just did. He says 'Of course!'"

"Wow!" Tren said, laughing. "Tell him I love him."

"He says he loves you."

"I just thought of something. It isn't really important, but it might be fun. He could simulate a buzz when you drink alcoholic beverages."

Lis paused.

"Ardin thinks that is a great idea. He says he will work on it."

Tren snuggled closer to Lis and wrapped his arm around him. Lis smiled.

"Is Ali feeling all right?"

"I suppose he must. He said he and Ali were having sex."

Tren only felt the slightest pang of jealousy. Then it was gone.

Tren ran his hand over the hair on Lis' arm.

"That feels very nice."

"I agree. You are very beautiful Lis. I wish you weren't wearing that shirt."

Tren moved over and lifted Lis' shirt off him. When it was off, Tren ran his hand over Lis' muscular, hairy chest. He pulled on a nipple and Lis moaned. He bent down and sucked on it and then bit it, lightly.

"That feels wonderful!"

Tren squeezed one of his biceps and then began licking it. Lis moaned again. It felt very pleasurable. Tren began stroking Lis' cock while he licked him.

A minute later, Lis said, "I am going to come!"

Tren swallowed his cock and bobbed twice on it when Lis' come began spurting into his mouth. Tren swallowed his warm, thick cream. What a way to take vitamins, he thought. He planned to take them anally soon!

Tren sat up and wiped his mouth. He looked at Lis' cock. It was still hard. He ran a finger along one of the veins on it and Lis moaned.

"I take it back. You are very real, Lis. Very beautiful and very real."

"You make me feel alive, Tren. It feels incredible!"

Tren was very content. He had Ardin, Ali, and Lis. Each of them was incredibly sexy and they all seemed to like him! He wasn't exactly sure why. He knew he had faults. Jealousy was a major one.

It was funny. An hour ago, he had wondered if he would be able to love Lis. Now it seemed inevitable. Maybe he did already. Was he flightly? He wondered if he just loved easily. He had loved Relf after knowing him less time than Lis. He hugged Lis tightly.

"Would you mind if we went back to the sex shop?"

"No. Of course not."

Lis really hoped it wasn't because Tren wanted to have sex with Dek. If Tren wanted more sex, he wanted to provide it.

Lis got dressed. He saw Tren watching him intently.

"What are you thinking?"

"How much I want you."

"You do?"

"Yes. I was also thinking how much better you look naked."

"I was afraid we were going to the sex shop so you could have sex with Dek."

"No. You'll see."

Tren grinned at him and he smiled at Tren.

"I don't mind not wearing clothes. They are not really necessary. Would it be possible for me to go without them on the ship?"

"It's fine with me. Better than fine."

Lis smiled.

They left the bar and walked back to Dek's shop.

Forty

Ardin and Ali were both very frustrated. It had not gone well. Ardin spent almost an hour stretching Ali slowly to take his cock, which was shrunk to half its normal size. Ali still complained it hurt. He shrunk his cock more. It now resembled a writing pen! From the expression on Ali's face, you would think he had rammed a cock the size of Ali's in his hole! Ardin knew for a fact that his cock was narrowed than his tongue was when Ardin tongue fucked Ali, and Ali loved that!

Ardin lay down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. He was ready to give up.

"Well, we tried."

"Are you giving up?" Ali asked him.

"If I shrink my cock any more it will be invisible. Look at it!"

Ali bent over. Ardin was right! It was tiny! He didn't understand. It had hurt. He hadn't imagined it. Or had he?

"It's narrower than my finger and you didn't complain when I pushed it into you. I had two fingers in you."

"I don't understand."

Ali sighed.

"It has to be something mental. Don't worry about it. I don't think Tren would be happy if I started fucking you. Maybe it just isn't meant to be."

Ali was disappointed, but even more relieved.

"Welcome back," Dek said to them.

"I thought of something I would like. Do you have sexy clothes?"

"Yes. For you?"

"No, for Lis."

"Let me show you what we have on the display. Lis, would you mind undressing?"

Lis started to remove his shirt. Tren helped him. Tren pulled off his shoes and then pulled down his pants. Lis stepped out of them.

"Do you want to see how things will look when he is hard?"

"Yes, I suppose so."

Tren stroked Lis until he was stiff. Then he bent down and licked Lis' erection. Lis moaned and Tren grinned at him.

Tren walked behind Lis and admired his back. He ran his hands over him. Lis closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation. Tren walked over to Dek.

"Lis, if you will stand there, I can show Tren how various items would look on you." Lis nodded.

Dek motioned Tren to a display. It showed Lis, naked.

"I will show you groin enhancers first." The image on the display changes to Lis wearing a pouch over his cock and balls. Several styles in several colors appeared on him. They spent a while looking at many different items. Tren thought most of them just looked silly, but thought maybe they looked better on Gorgs.

"Oh. I really like that." It was a vest which accentuated Lis' chest.

"Here are the colors."

"I think the brown looks good."

"That is thirty-two credits."

"The money doesn't matter."

"I wish I could say that!"

"But you are a star, Dek! I own your movie!"

Dek laughed.

"Even stars of my magnitude have to watch our credits!" he said, making Tren laugh.

"Do you want to see some items which go with the vest?"

"Sure."

"Oh! That for sure!"

It was a semi-transparent pouch that was the same color as the vest.

"What is it?" Lis asked.

"It's hard to describe. You will have it on soon, Lis. Not for long, though, I think."

Dek laughed.

"I would rather not wear clothes."

"Lis, these aren't clothes in the sense of what you took off. These accentuate your sexuality," Dek told him. "Believe me, you look incredibly good in them."

"I won't be able to keep my hands or my mouth off you, Lis. If you think that is a good thing, you will like them," Tren said, grinning.

Lis smiled.

"I do."

"What species are you?" Dek asked.

"Human."

"You look amazingly like Gorgs. I know a male who has a prick that looks almost exactly like Lis'."

"I know. We could be related. We are very sexually compatible, too."

"As those twenty-four males at the Pistol would agree!" Dek added.

"Right!"

"Do you want anything for yourself?"

"I can't think of anything."

"Let me show you something."

Dek brought up pants on his display.

"These have a fold in the rear. If you pull on a cord in the pocket, they do this-" Tren laughed as a hole appeared in the seat of the pants. "So if you happen to be in line for something and an interested male is standing close behind you."

Tren laughed.

"I would settle for an unsuspecting male!"

"Good point! Either will work! Do you want to show them to Lis, so he will understand the plan?"

Lis looked at the display.

"Is the hole for defecation?"

"Ugh. No, it is for insemination."

Lis frowned.

"You could fuck me without me removing my pants," Tren said. "You could fuck me in public and people might not even realize you were doing it, since I would be wearing pants."

"I am in favor of anything that helps me fuck you."

Dek laughed.

"I like that answer!"

Tren got a pair of long pants and shorts.

Dek's store had a machine that manufactured the items on demand. It was like the one Relf had on his ship. They paid and left the shop.

"How much does a clothes machine like that cost?"

"Not much. Quite a bit less than a food synthesizer."

"We should get one."

"I will order one and have it delivered to the ship."

"Thanks. I can't wait to see you in your clothes. Then I get to take them off you!"

Lis laughed.

"We could save time and go straight to having sex!"

"No. It will be fun. You will see. You look incredible in them. I don't know if you could tell, but Dek got very hard while watching you. He was rubbing himself. He definitely wanted you. I would not be a bit surprised if he isn't masturbating right now thinking about you."

Lis was shocked. Dek wasn't even a Human!

"Am I that attractive?"

"You are very sexy. You aren't classically handsome, but you ooze sexuality. For people like me, and I guess Dek, you are that attractive."

"Do you want to look at ships now?"

"Yes!"

Tren took Lis' hand. Lis smiled at him. This was the best day of his existence. It was the first full day of his life.

As they walked, Tren said, "Tell me about your life before you met us."

"You mean my existence as a mechanical?"

Lis smiled at Tren.

"My life began with you."

Tren smiled back at him and squeezed his hand.

"I was manufactured at the Sigglest factory on Lopa. Sigglest is the largest manufacturer of robots in the Eosophin empire. When I became aware, I was given a list of professions and jobs. I was given two weeks to learn about them and choose one."

"I think I would take longer than that."

"Well, remember we don't sleep and we really don't read. We acquire knowledge electronically. It is transferred and then it is there in our memories, complete."

"I don't understand what you mean."

"Have you ever read a work of fiction?"

"Oh, yes. I loved romantic space adventures as a child."

"Imagine a long story. It could be added to my memory in a tiny fraction of a second. From that point on, the entire work is in my memory and I know every word of the story."

"Oh, I see. First it is not there. Then it is there, the entire story."

"Yes. By the way, it doesn't seem to be working for Ardin the same way. He has to read things that are in his memory, like the manual to his body. We don't know why yet. It doesn't seem to bother him."

Tren smiled.

"He likes to read."

"Two weeks is plenty of time."

"What did you choose?"

"I decided to be a doctor. I worked at a hospital on Dilopa for thirty-one years. I grew to dislike the job. Too many patients did not cooperate and died on me."

Tren chuckled.

"That would bother me, too."

"I decided to change professions. Once a replacement was available, I became the navigator on three different mining space ships. I did that for forty-seven years. While I was doing that, I also learned about ship maintenance and repairs. I changed professions again and became a financial advisor. I liked that. I gambled with other people's money and almost always won. They liked that."

"I am sure of that!"

"Did you gamble with your own money?"

"No. I often thought about it, but I really had no use for wealth. There was nothing I wanted to buy and I had enough to travel, which was the only time I spent any of my money. I always planned to continue working, since I had no desire to be idle."

"I know what you mean. If you are happy without it, why change anything? You might stop being happy."

Lis looked at Tren.

"That is exactly how I felt. If I increased my wealth, it wouldn't make me happier and it was always possible I could lose what I had. That would make me unhappy."

"I did that for sixty-nine years. After that, I worked in various jobs in those careers. I worked as a doctor again. I managed to save the life of a member of the royal family who was badly injured in an accident and was awarded an honor. Then I was a navigator on a cruise ship for ten years. After that I worked for the member of the royal family whose life I saved as his financial advisor. While I was doing that, the person I worked for, Duke Eligen, was kidnapped. I was very unhappy that I could not assist in his rescue. After he was rescued, I studied self- defense, criminal psychology, law, and police procedures. The Duke died of natural causes last year. He was one hundred and twenty eight, so there was very little I could do about it. I thought about changing to law enforcement as a career, but decided against it. The king knew of me through the Duke and his representative requested my services for you."

As Tren listened, he felt more and more insignificant. He was ignorant and had no skills. He was only wealthy because of Ardin's semen. It wasn't even his own semen that helped the king have kids! He had accomplished nothing and was nobody. He was suddenly very tired and he needed to see Ardin. He needed Ardin badly. He closed his eyes and tried to keep tears out of his eyes.

As Lis told Tren of his past, he noticed Tren was walking slower and slower. Finally Tren stopped all together and stared at the ground. He had no idea what was wrong. Lis looked at the ground, but it looked like ordinary pavement to him. While he looked at Tren, he saw a drop of water fall from him and hit the ground. He wondered what it was. Sweat or tears seemed the most likely possibilities, but there was no reason for either.

"Tren?"

Tren didn't answer and Lis became alarmed.

He tilted Tren's head up. He saw a look of such despair on Tren's face that he was shocked. He took Tren in his arms.

"Tren? What has happened? Are you ill? Are you in pain?"

Tren didn't reply. He noticed Tren's arms hung limply at his sides.

"Please, Tren! What is wrong?"

He picked Tren up and carried him to a bench in front of a shop. He laid him on it, but Tren sat up. He could see via infrared that Tren's body temperature was normal.

"Are you in pain? I will take you to a hospital."

"No."

Lis sat next to him. He took Tren's hand. Tren pulled it away. Lis felt disoriented. His vision went dark briefly. He started making a strange sound or trying to speak, but all that Tren heard was "ki, ki, ki, ki." Tren stared at him. Lis started shaking and Tren became alarmed.

"Lis! Lis!" He took Lis' hand and stroked it. Lis stopped shaking and looked at Tren. Tren had no idea what had happened, but he was pretty sure he had caused it.

"Are you all right, Lis?"

"What happened to you, Tren?"

Tren looked down at the ground again. He felt Lis shake again and he looked at him. The shaking stopped. He realized he was hurting Lis and he needed to stop.

"Lis, I am nothing. Nobody. I am completely unimportant and completely worthless. I only have money because Ardin helped someone else get pregnant. It was a biological fluke. You are only here because of that."

Lis heard the words, but had trouble understanding them.

"You aren't worthless. Why would you think that? No one is worthless."

"Let's say my worth is incredibly low, then."

"I don't agree. What made you say that? Have you always felt you were worthless? I don't understand."

Tren sighed.

"You have done so much. Accomplished so much. I am nothing by comparison. I have accomplished absolutely nothing."

"You are young. Your life is just beginning. I am hundreds of years older than you. Tren, I told you how I learn. It is an electronic transfer of data. Do you think I worked hard to learn what I did? I didn't."

He had seen Tren sitting on Ardin's lap. He decided to pull him onto his. Tren smiled at him, so he was glad he did it.

"Tren, Targen is king because of a biological fluke. He was born. That is all he had to do to become king."

Tren looked at Lis. That was true. He had never thought of it that way.

"Is he worthless because he didn't struggle or earn the right to become king?"

"No."

"I agree."

"Many powerful and important people are only that because of who their parents are, and that is a sort of biological fluke."

"I guess that is true."

"I am not sure how you measure importance, but one way to measure it is how you impact the lives of others. From what I know of you, you have powerfully and positively impacted several beings lives. You have made Ardin, Ali, and me very happy. You made many people on Aransas happy. They love you there! Is happiness unimportant?"

"I guess not."

"Speaking as someone who has just found it, I think it is very important. And I would imagine you have made other people happy as well. I am absolutely certain you will make others happy in the future. If that is all you ever accomplish, every one of us will think it was enough."

Tren rested his head on Lis' shoulder.

"I love you, Lis."

Lis closed his eyes. He knew he would never be happier than he was at that moment.

"I love you, too, Tren. I think I always will."

They sat there for several minutes.

"Do you feel better?"

"I feel great, Lis!"

After a few minutes, Lis asked, "Does my age bother you?"

"No. I like older men. And don't say you will die before me, either!"

"What?"

"Ardin used to tell me he was much older than me and that he would die before me. He used to get me all upset talking like that."

"Well, he did die."

"Yes, for an hour!"

Lis laughed.

"Well, I guess dying for only an hour is not worth getting too upset over."

"No, it isn't."

He got off Lis' lap. He smiled at him and took his hand. Lis got up and they walked back to Atrides port.

"Why did you accept the job from the king? What made it appeal to you?"

"It was so different from anything I had done. Plus I could use several of my skills on the same job. I was excited." Lis paused. "Then I started to think you didn't like me."

"What?"

"You hardly ever said anything to me."

Tren thought.

"I didn't know what to say. I think I was intimidated. You were the king's representative. I was nobody." Tren smiled at Lis. "At least I thought I was nobody."

"Is that what it was? I am glad."

Ardin listened to the message from Galf.

"It's been six weeks, and so far Draf has been remarkably tolerable. He was publically humiliated in a truly magnificent way by the Grev he took up with after Relf. He was called a middle-aged toddler in front of thousands of Grev over a loud speaker. I am trying to locate a recording."

Ardin chuckled.

"Rittel and I thought that described him perfectly-before. There hasn't been one tantrum yet, though. If he acts up, Rittel and I plan to be overheard by him talking about Tren. If that doesn't work, I have photos of Relf and Tren, obviously in love, and will leave them for Draf to `find'. Relf says Draf is calming down because he is getting older. Maybe it's true, or else being publicly shamed did it. He does act much less childish, and I have had several perfectly normal conversations with him-something that was inconceivable before. Whatever the reason for the new Draf, all of us on the Stellar Drift are grateful. I don't know if Tren will be happy or not about this, but I am sure you will be. Relf is very happy. I think of you often, Ardin. I hope you and Tren are happy. Maybe one day, I will be. End."

Ardin smiled. He was sure Galf would meet the right person. He hoped it would be soon. Maybe seeing his brother settled would motivate him to find his own romance.

Forty-One

The ship dealer was across the street from the port. They walked into the door of ES, Limited. Tren was disappointed that there weren't ships all over. He knew real ones wouldn't fit, but there could be something! It could be a carpet dealership!

"May I help you?" A male Gorg asked them.

"We are in the market for a ship," Lis said.

"Air, water, or space?"

"Space. We want something luxurious and big."

The Gorg smiled. Another Gorg walked up to them.

"Luxurious and big! My two favorite words! Hello, I am Erilarigon, the owner. Will you follow me to my office? I will show you what we have and what we can get for you."

They followed him to a luxurious office. He pointed at chairs and they sat.

"Erilarigon, this is Tren and I am Lis."

"Please call me Eri."

"Tren is in the market for a ship. It will be his residence. We have an EO P77 now. We want something bigger and more suited for a primary residence. Something for up to eight permanent residents."

"I see."

Tren saw a photo on his desk. The Gorg in the photo looked very familiar. Then he recognized him.

"Look, Lis. It's Geo!"

Eri looked at Tren.

"You know Geo?"

"Oh, yes! He was on our ship yesterday! He is a wonderful person."

"I think so. He is my nephew, my sister's son."

Tren didn't think he should mention what he and Geo had done in his ship!

A holographic display of eight ships appeared to hover over Eri's desk. Tren smiled. This was more like it!

"Let us see the Strigga first," Lis said.

Erilarigon pulled the image in front of him and the others disappeared. The image grew in size and the hull became transparent.

"It has a Lizimuth engine. There are ten cabins, four of which are double-sized. There is a formal dining area, a formal living area, a gymnasium, a pet room, a pool, two entertainment rooms, one of which has a stage. It has a large fully-equipped kitchen as well as four food synthesizers. This area on top is an observation dome. Would you like to do a walk-through?"

"How much?" Lis asked.

"Furnished or unfurnished?"

"Furnished."

"One hundred and eight million."

"Before we do a walk-through, let me see the EO 9."

Another ship appeared over Eri's desk. This ship was triangular in shape, while the one before was oval-shaped.

"The EO 9 has eight cabins. It has a Delter Seven engine and Morkly ports for air travel. It has two dining rooms, a living room, a gymnasium, a pool, a pet room, a kitchen, one entertainment room, and what the manufacturer calls a nature room. It is a natural ecosystem that includes plants and animals. Small animals, of course."

"Wow!"

Tren thought that sounded really interesting! Lis turned and smiled at him.

"What kind of plants and animals?"

"You can pick from a variety. I can show you some of the options in a walk-through."

"How much is the EO 9 furnished?"

"One hundred and twenty million."

Tren winced at the price. Lis thought Eri was charging about five million too much. However it was considered extremely boorish to complain over prices when one had the kind of wealth Tren had. After all, Tren could buy ten of them and still be incredibly wealthy.

"It sounds like you want to see the EO 9," Lis said to Tren.

Tren turned to Lis and angled his head so Eri couldn't see him.

He mouthed, "Can we afford it?"

Lis smiled and nodded.

"Yes. Let's look at it."

"Let's go next door," Eri said, standing.

They left his office and walked into a large empty room across from his office. Suddenly they were inside the ship.

"Wow! What happened?"

"This is a hologram like the one over my desk. It's just bigger," Eri said.

"This is so exciting!" Tren said.

Eri chuckled.

"Will you be financing it?"

"No. We will pay cash."

Eri's eyes widened. That was a lot of cash! If they had that much in cash, how much did they have altogether? He wondered what Geo could tell him about them.

They walked through the living area. Tren thought it was very beautiful. There was a lot of dark wood, which he found appealing. They walked from the living area to the master cabin. It was disorienting when the room changed around them. Tren thought the cabin and its washroom were nice, but the things Eri told them, like the kind of faucets in the washroom, did not interest him.

"I am glad it has a toilet," Tren said.

Eri burst out laughing.

"It has several! That way there won't be long lines waiting for one!"

Tren laughed.

"That is good!"

It had a tub which was almost a swimming pool. It appeared to be about three meters across.

"I take it you are interested in nature, Tren," Eri said.

"Yes."

"Let me show you this."

Eri keyed something on a handheld and the walls of the master cabin appeared to be enormous video displays. First he showed a beach with waves washing up onto it.

"You can have sounds or silence."

Eri keyed something else, and the view changed to a scene from space. Tren looked around and saw galaxies and even two nebulas. It was very weird seeing the cabin's furniture in space.

"Wow! This is as good as an observation room."

"Yes. You can show the space outside of the ship using cameras, of course. You can even include the floor and the ceiling in the display. Watch this."

All the furniture disappeared. All Tren could see was the three of them suspended in space.

"How does it do that?"

"I don't know." Eri said, shaking his head. "The furniture is still there. You can sit on it. You can use the washroom." He grinned. "You have to be careful using the toilet, though."

Tren laughed.

"Oops! I missed it completely!" he said, laughing.

Tren wanted this ship!

Eri changed the display to a forest scene.

"It's beautiful!" Tren said.

"Look up."

Tren looked up into the branches of trees and plants. He saw a flying creature perched in a tree. Eri keyed something and the floor appeared to be the ground in the forest. Tren turned around. He could see the cabin door, but everything else appeared to be forest. Eri turned on the sound, and they could hear the wind rustling the tree leaves and then the call of some sort of animal.

"I want it!" Tren shouted.

Eri and Lis laughed.

"Watch this!"

Eri changed something and trees appeared inside the room. They rose up out of the floor and extended into the sky. Tren walked around one tree trunk and shook his head. "They are holograms, but you can see how realistic it makes the scene look."

Eri changed the view. They were standing in the midst of ruins made of stone on some world. There was a large green and orange planet visible in a pink sky. The sun was low in the sky and it was large and red. He saw something on it. He looked closely and he could see it was a black circular shape, maybe a planet passing in front of the sun. In the distance you could see an ocean with foam-topped waves. It wasn't a static scene. He could see the movement of the waves.

"How many views are available?" Tren asked.

Eri looked at his handheld.

"Ninety-one."

Eri changed the scene again and they appeared to be underwater. Tren looked around. He decided it looked more like aquariums on each wall. There were plants swaying slowly in the water. A moment later, something large swam by. Tren didn't get a good look at it, though.

Tren shook his head. He could travel without leaving bed!

"Let me show you the rest of the ship."

They left the master cabin and walked down a hall. This involved walking to a doorway and turning, since they were really in a single room.

"This is the nature room. I will have it display some of the possibilities, one after another," Eri said.

As they watched, it turned into a garden. About half the room was a pool of water with a bridge over it. There were things swimming in the pool. There was a bench for sitting along one wall. The display changed into a brightly lit arid scene with sand, a few plants, and a few reptilian looking things sitting on rocks. Next it was like the conservatory he had seen in a video. There were large plants with a walkway running through them. He saw something brightly colored fly in front of them. In the next one, the room was full of water with dozens of different creatures. There was a partially transparent walkway above it, with chairs where you could sit and watch the animals.

Lis watched Tren's face. He couldn't read everything on it yet, but the huge smile was obvious. He took Tren's hand and Tren grinned at him.

Tren mouthed, "I love it," to him.

Lis already knew that!

"Is it possible to change them, if you get tired of one?"

"Oh, absolutely. I am certain most owners do that."

They left the nature room and saw the other parts of the ship.

"What is a pet room?"

"I will show you."

It was an empty room.

Tren chuckled.

"There is plenty of room for the pet."

"Yes, there is. The room is configurable with cages, flooring, food and water dispensers, a treadmill and wheels for exercise, etc. These are all built into the walls. Keep in mind how many different kinds of pets there are."

"Oh, that's right. Some people keep fish."

"Exactly. The room supports the easily maintained kinds of pets. If you have a cold-room aquarium for methane breathers, you are out of luck."

Next Eri showed them the engine. Tren stared at it and wondered how it worked. Tren was glad that Lis seemed to understand everything Eri said about the various things on the ship. It was all gibberish to him.

They finally left the 'ship' and walked back to Eri's office. Lis asked to speak to Tren privately. Eri nodded and left the office. He called Geo.

"You seemed to really like the EO 9."

"I really madly love the EO 9!"

"It's made by Eosophins. The king's family, the Kugralls, own most of the company."

"Really? That is appropriate, I think. I have to say, I know nothing about ships."

"You know you like it. I mean love it," Lis said, smiling.

"Do you think it is a good ship?"

"Yes. The Kugralls wouldn't make bad ones. It would be bad for their image."

Tren laughed. Then he realized it was true.

"I like everything I saw. Does it have a good engine?"

"Oh, yes.

"Do you recall that the king made you a Peer of the Realm?"

"Yes, but I have no idea what that is. It's not someone who pees in the Realm, is it?"

Lis laughed.

"Yes. You have the king's permission. You can use any toilet in the Eosophin empire!"

"And the ship has a toilet! It all fits!"

Eri called his nephew.

"Hello, Geo."

"Hello, Eri. What is new?"

"I have a customer here named Tren."

"Oh, yes! I saw him yesterday."

"Is he a friend?"

"Yes. I would say so. I don't know him well, but I like him very much."

"He is talking about spending one hundred million in cash."

"I know he has a ship. His spouse Ali told me Tren and his husband did a service for the Eosophin king."

"What race are they?"

"Humans"

Eosophins and Humans. Hmm.

"How is.the female?" Eri asked his nephew.

Geo laughed.

"Which female?"

"The one you married."

"Oh. I suppose she is well. I moved out."

"You did? When?"

Geo paused.

"Yesterday. After I saw Tren."

"Interesting. How good a friend is Tren?"

Geo sighed.

"If he wasn't married, I would have loved to marry him. I didn't know he was wealthy."

"Very interesting! I need to get back to them. Thanks, Geo."

"Bye."

"Shall we buy it?" Lis asked.

"Do you think we should ask Ardin and Ali?"

Lis paused.

"I just asked. Ardin says if you like it, buy it. As the captain, he thinks he deserves a bigger ship." Tren laughed. "He also pointed out that it is your money and you should spend it however you please. He is sure he and Ali will love any ship that has you on it."

Tren smiled.

"We were talking about a business earlier, a family business. Will I have enough for both the business and the ship?"

"Absolutely. I would tell you if you didn't. Do you remember when we met, I asked you if you wanted to make any major purchases?"

"Oh, yeah. Over two hundred million, you said."

"This isn't a major purchase for you. You have that much in cash."

"That is so unreal!"

Tren glanced down at Lis' crotch.

"It's so beautiful!"

"Yes, it is a beautiful ship."

"No, I meant your incredible penis."

Lis laughed.

Then he said, "I agree! It is wonderful! And I am very, very glad you like it."

Tren grinned at him and then sighed.

"What are you thinking?"

"This is the day I fell in love with you."

Lis smiled and closed his eyes.

Tren leaned over and whispered, "I want to make you come fifteen more times today. At least!" Lis grinned. "We will be doing it for my health. All those vitamins will be good for me!"

Lis laughed.

"There aren't that many vitamins in it."

"That means you will need to ejaculate in me many times, doesn't it? That way I will be sure to get enough vitamins."

"I believe your logic is undeniable."

"Do you know if I will absorb them better if you administer them orally or anally?"

"I do not know, but as a doctor, I feel obligated to find out."

Tren rubbed Lis' cock.

"There are two things I want right now. The ship and your cock."

"I am afraid you will have to wait longer for the ship."

Tren grinned at him. Tren got up and put his chair in front of the door. He knelt in front of Lis and rubbed his mound. Lis moaned.

"I can't wait for this."

"You don't have to wait. Please don't wait."

Lis unfastened his pants and pulled his cock out of his pants. His penis was large and it did not come out easily.

Tren admired it briefly before swallowed it.

Eri checked his handheld. There was a camera in his office and he saw Tren was sucking Lis. He grinned. He thought Lis had a very nice prick. He wished he was sucking it. His young lover had moved out two weeks ago and Eri missed him. He needed to find someone his own age, but they all seemed to be married.

This was the second time he caught a couple having sex in his office. He loved a free show! The other couple had been a male and a female. He still enjoyed watching, though. It was too bad he couldn't hear them. He decided to put a sofa in his office. It might encourage this sort of thing!

He wondered what Geo was doing on Tren's ship. And what he had done!

Lis groaned as he ejaculated into Tren's mouth. Tren stood and Lis laughed when he saw Tren's expression. He was the one who had the orgasm, but Tren was grinning like he had. Tren must have enjoyed it almost as much as he had. He couldn't wait to start giving Tren orgasms.

Lis looked at his penis before he put it back in his pants.

"I love it," he said to Tren, pointing at it.

"We both do!"

Tren moved his chair back and sat down.

"You know, we should get the clothes machine for the new ship. There is no point in putting it on the old."

"Yes. That is true." He paused. "There is another thing which might be useful for the business. That is a chemical analyzer."

"What would it do?"

"It could analyze things like semen, tears, body odor, and saliva. We might not want all the robots to be identical in those respects."

"Yes. That is very true. Being identical is not natural, and it would be easy to make each one slightly different, don't you think?

"Yes. Once we have analyzed a number of samples, we can identify the differences and then come up with a randomization of the differences so everyone is unique."

"Let's get one."

"How will the robots without Naldan bodies manufacture those things?"

"To get the full effect, they will need a body that can provide it. Many already have bodies that can do everything but produce those things. They probably won't care that they can't. After all, what good is semen to them? If you didn't enjoy mine, I would stop producing it. We can sell bodies that do everything. I thought we might rent them, too."

"That's a good idea. Be someone else on your vacation."

"Exactly."

"Are we going to have a female version?"

"Ardin and I talked about it. He doesn't know what life for a female is like. He has no idea if orgasms feel the same."

"I don't think it matters. If it is different, it is still very pleasurable and only a Human female would know the difference. And they can't run the program, so they won't be complaining."

Eri knocked on his door.

"Come in."

He entered his office.

"We will take it," Lis said. "The EO 9."

"Excellent!"

"Tren is a Peer of the Eosophin Realm. He is entitled to a fifteen percent discount."

"Very well."

Eri showed them some decoration choices. Tren liked the first one he saw. He wondered if that was good. Should he be picky?

"Do you think I should look at more, though?"

"The manufacturer puts the one they think is best first. There is no point in putting the one they think most people will like as the twentieth one."

"That makes sense."

Tren noticed that Eri was looking at him oddly. Then Eri moved his finger below his lip. Tren didn't know what that meant. Then he felt something cool on his chin. He wiped it and looked at it. It was some of Lis' come.

He was so embarrassed, he wanted to crawl out of the room.

"I didn't know Humans could change color," Eri said.

Lis looked at Tren.

"Your skin is red."

Tren wanted to crawl away! Then he realized that Eri wouldn't know what it is. He decided to pretend it was nothing.

"I guess it was something I ate."

Eri looked like he was trying not to laugh and then he gave up and laughed loudly. He laughed so hard he was having trouble breathing. Lis looked very confused. He had no idea what was happening. He hadn't seen Tren wipe it off his chin.

Tren had no idea why Eri was laughing.

Finally, Eri said, "I hope you don't mind, but there are cameras all over. Security, you know."

Tren was embarrassed all over again.

"Please, Tren. This is not the first time it happened. I decided while I was waiting to put a sofa in here for my customers. It may be different where you are from, but on Gorga, we are fairly casual about sex. If anything, I was envious."

Lis understood now, but he wondered why Tren was embarrassed. They had sex in public twice and it didn't bother him. First in the bar and then in the sex shop in front of Dek. He didn't have an orgasm in the sex shop. But Tren stroked him and even licked his cock. He decided he would ask later.

"Geo is very casual about sex, too."

Tren turned red again and Eri smiled.

"If you had anything at all to do with getting him away from his wife, I am in your debt. Have you met her?"

"No."

"She is an incredible snob. She told me her family lineage the first time I met her. She talked for fifteen minutes about it without noticing I did not have the slightest interest in her pedigree. After that she launched into amusing things she had done as a child. The cute things she said when she was four. Then she told me about her favorite hair care products. I finally asked her if we could please talk about something besides her!"

Tren laughed.

"And Geo didn't even like her!"

"Why did he marry her?"

"To make his father happy. Evidently Geo's father and her father had arranged the whole thing when they were born. Some business arrangement."

"That's terrible!"

"His father is not going to be happy. He doesn't allow people to disagree with him."

"I really want Geo to be happy. He deserves it."

Eri smiled at him.

"Thank you."

"Do you know which nature room environment you would like? As I said, you can always change it later, although you will have to go to the manufacturer. I can send you a complete list to view at your leisure."

"That would be good."

Eri checked his handheld.

"It can be here in ten days if you send me your selection for the nature room today. Otherwise it will depend on how long it takes you to make your selection."

"I should know today, although I have fifteen other things to do today."

Lis laughed.

"Please enter your ID."

Eri handed Lis the handheld.

Tren watched Lis enter something. He waited and entered something else.

"Eri, this may take a few minutes. Will you show Tren the nature room themes again?"

"Of course."

Tren wondered what Lis was doing. Was he paying? He decided that must be it.

Eri picked up another handheld and he and Tren walked over to the other room.

"How do we keep the plants and animals alive?"

"There is a dedicated robot which takes care of them."

"He will be an employee?"

"No. A computer controls him. It doesn't have self- awareness, just programming."

"Oh."

"Will you be selling your ship?"

"Yes."

"I would be interested in purchasing it myself. For my own use, I mean. The P77's are very highly regarded." He smiled. "I can't pay cash, though."

"It is nice. It is a little small for four. We live on it."

"Yes, I can understand that."

"Are Humans affiliated with Eosopha?"

Eri was fishing, but he was curious.

"I don't know. No one ever mentioned it."

"What is a Peer of the Realm?"

Tren laughed.

"You would think I would know that, wouldn't you? I asked Lis if it was someone who was authorized to pee in the Realm. That's why I mentioned the toilet in the ship."

Eri laughed out loud.

"Does Lis know a lot about Eosophins?"

"Yes, he used to work for them."

Tren was reluctant to tell Eri Lis was an Eosophin Free Machine. He wasn't sure why.

"The king told me I was a Peer of the Realm. He didn't tell me what it was. No one ever said anything. I suppose all Eosophins know. I could look it up, I guess. But since I have no plans to go to an Eosophin world, it didn't seem important. Fifteen percent off is important, though!"

"Yes. That is a nice amount of money."

Eri showed Tren all the available scenes. Tren saw one he really liked. It looked like a garden he had seen on Nargo when he was young. It had a grassy area in the middle with flowers and short trees around the edges. There was a small pool of water and water plants were blooming in it. There was a really cute furry animal sitting on a stone wall. It seemed to be watching him. He saw two small flying creatures with red feathers fly up into a tree. The grassy area was big enough for a picnic. One of his earliest memories was having a picnic with his mother. He really liked the idea of a picnic in space!

"Are the animals alive?"

"Oh, yes! It wouldn't be much of a nature room if any of it was artificial."

"That's true. On the other hand, most of my favorite people are robots, so I guess I shouldn't worry about it."

Eri didn't know what to make of that!

"Geo isn't a robot."

"Oh! He lied to me!"

Eri laughed out loud, again.

"Geo thinks highly of you."

"I think Geo is wonderful. I think if I spent much time around him, I would fall in love. But I have two and a half spouses now."

Eri laughed.

Tren thought Eri was cute. He could see a sizeable lump in his pants and he wouldn't mind seeing it. From the way Eri was looking at him, he was sure he would show it to him. He had enough males, though!

"How large is the nature room?"

Eri looked at his handheld.

"It is twelve meters by ten meters."

Tren looked down and saw a small green something walking on whatever kind of plant was growing on the ground. When he looked close, it didn't look like grass. He grinned. He loved this room!

"Do you like Gorga?"

"Mostly. A mad military officer took control of my spouse's brain yesterday and tried make him kill a judge."

Eri burst out laughing.

"No. Really. That is why Geo came."

Eri stared at him.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. His name was Luregos. I forgot the judge's name."

"Oh! Him! There was a report on the news! He kidnapped someone. That was your spouse?"

"Yes, Ali. He is dead and Ali is fine. Luregos used a neural controller. I had never heard of them, but evidently they take over completely."

"Yes, they do. They didn't mention that on the news. He is all right?"

"Yes."

"I am surprised you like Gorga at all."

"Well, Ali is from here and I have met many Gorgs. I like every one of them, especially Geo."

You should meet Geo's father, Eri thought. That was one Gorg Tren would not like.

They walked back to Eri's office. Lis handed Eri his handheld.

Eri looked at it.

"You paid?"

"Yes."

"Tren tells me he is selling his P77."

"Yes. We are asking twenty million."

"How old is it?"

"Ten A-years. It has the original engine."

Eri thought about it. That was exact market value.

"I would only be willing to pay nineteen."

Lis looked at Tren. Lis knew better than he did! Then Tren nodded his head. He liked Eri and he was Geo's uncle.

"Very well. Nineteen."

"Will you be staying on Gorga?"

Lis looked at Tren.

"Yes. There is no point going somewhere only to return in ten days," Tren said.

"We are in berth GA21. Would you like to see the ship?" Lis asked.

"Absolutely."

They left Eri's shop and walked to the ship. Tren had his arm around Lis. Lis was very happy. When the two of them had left the ship to go shopping, Lis had the impression Tren was not delighted to be alone with him. What a change! Tren cared for him and even lusted after him. He looked at Tren.

Tren mouthed, "Fifteen."

Lis frowned and then he remembered what Tren meant and laughed.

They arrived at the ship.

"Will you excuse us for a moment before we go in?" Tren asked Eri.

"Certainly."

Tren took Lis' hand and walked out of Eri's hearing.

"Can we get away somewhere together today? Just the two of us? I want our first time to be special. I don't want Ardin and Ali in the next room. I don't want our first time to be a group activity, either."

"We have already had sex. It won't be our first time."

"I was hoping you would fuck me."

"Oh. Yes. I want to do that."

Lis asked the city computer about romantic hotels.

"We can get a hotel room. How would that be? The city computer mentioned one that sounded nice."

"That's great!"

Tren took Lis' hand. They walked back to Eri and boarded the ship.

"Why don't you show the ship to Eri. I know very little about it," Tren said to Lis.

Lis smiled and nodded.

Tren sat next to Ardin in the living area.

"We bought a ship!"

"That's great!"

"It is very nice and it was only one hundred and twenty million."

Ardin's mouth opened.

"It should be incredibly nice for that price!"

"Well, it is and it has a furry animal in it!"

Ardin laughed.

"Seriously. It is wonderful. This ship is too small for all of us. The new one has a gym, a pool, a nature room with plants and flowers and a furry animal. It has video screens on the walls, ceiling, and floor of the master cabin. You can set it to display scenes of places or just the view from outside the ship. Eri set it to show a scene from a forest that was just beautiful."

"That sounds great.

"How did things go with Lis?"

"Fantastic. I may be falling in love with him."

"May?"

"Well, probably. That isn't bad, is it?"

"No, baby. I wouldn't have tried to make him attractive to you if I was hoping that wouldn't happen. I told you how lonely he was."

"How do you think Ali will feel about it?"

"He may not love it, but I know you can keep all of us happy. Lis cares about Ali and I think they will grow to love each other. I hope so, anyway."

"I want the first time Lis fucks me to be special. We are going to a hotel. You won't be hurt, will you?"

Ardin took Tren into his arms. He kissed him. Then he stroked Tren's cheek. Tren looked into Ardin's beautiful eyes and sighed. Tren was pretty sure that was a 'no'.

"So did you and Ali have sex?"

Ardin closed his eyes and Tren asked, "What?"

"I told him I loved him and he was so touched, he told me I could fuck him."

Tren sat up.

"No!"

"It was awful! He whined and complained. I shrunk my cock to this size."

Ardin pointed down and Tren watched it shrink and almost disappear.

"He said I was splitting him open. `Please stop! I can't take it!'"

Tren laughed out loud. "Well, I am not surprised. He always seemed very opposed to the idea. I guess his body wouldn't allow what his mouth had promised.

"Anyway, I will let you fuck me. But only if your cock goes back to its original size."

"I believe you."

"Lis and I have been talking about selling your Robotlife program. I am excited about us having a business."

"He believes we can sell a lot of copies."

"And robot bodies!"

Tren thought for a moment.

"There are suddenly going to be a lot more Humans in the Alliance. Since we will be manufacturing them, you and I will be their mommy and daddy."

"I'm the daddy!"

"I know."

Tren kissed him.

"Every race who doesn't know about us is going to learn. Every mechanical is going to know a lot about us."

"That is true. I hadn't thought about that." Ardin thought about it. "Lis told me he thought most mechanicals would want to buy a copy. He says there are over two trillion of them in the Alliance and more outside the Alliance."

"What is a trillion?"

"A thousand billion."

Tren shook his head.

"That is a lot of money. If we charged only one credit per copy, it is an enormous amount."

"Yes. And we would charge more than one credit. But we aren't going to sell that many. We might still make a lot."

"It is hard to believe you look the way you do and are so smart, too."

"Oh! You mean you love me for my looks!"

"No. I told you. I love you for your heart."

Tren put his hand on Ardin's chest. Tren kissed him again.

"That Gorg who is buying our ship is Geo's uncle."

"Really? How did you find him?"

"He owns the ship dealership next to the port. We are buying the ship from him."

Lis and Eri came back into the living area.

"Eri, this is my husband Ardin."

"I am glad to meet you."

"Tren said you are Geo's uncle."

"Yes. Geo is my sister's son."

"Both Tren and I like Geo a lot."

"Yes. He is a good person." Eri smiled. "He told me he left his wife yesterday. I am glad. I never liked her. Maybe he is switching to males."

"He was certainly enthusiastic," Ardin said.

"Was he?"

Eri grinned.

"A Gorg was telling me that about twenty percent of Gorg males are monosexual," Tren told Ardin.

"Yes. That is true," Eri said. "Geo's father is one of a small number who believe it is wrong for a male to have sex with another male. Personally I always thought it was the other way around."

Ardin and Tren laughed.

Tren looked at Lis' crotch and saw he was hard. He looked up at Lis who was smiling at him.

"Tren, Eri and I are going outside to see the engine. After that we can leave," Lis said.

"Good! I am ready!"

They left the ship and Tren went and got the video he had bought.

"We found a sex shop. The owner is in this video. I thought he was good looking."

Ardin pulled Tren close.

"Good. We can watch it while I fuck you."

"Oh! Definitely!

"Where is Ali?"

"He is with his ex and her fianc‚. They are talking about the sale of their house. He said he would probably eat with them."

"Oh, that is nice. I am glad no one was hurt in the divorce."

"Me, too."

Tren decided to suck Ardin before he and Lis left. He licked the head and a little fluid bubbled out of Ardin's cock.

"Precome!"

"Yes!"

"I remember you wiping it on my lips the day we met. That should be disgusting, but I loved it!"

Ardin chuckled.

"I remember too. It was the best day and the worst day of my life."

"Why?"

"I met you and I lost you."

"But the story has a happy ending."

"Yes, it does."

Tren bent back down and licked it off the head. Ardin had programmed it so that rubbing or licking the head caused it to be produced. He rubbed the head of his prick on Tren's face which caused a lot of it to be produced. He grinned at Tren's expression. His baby was happy!

"I want to see my come dripping down your face."

"Yes, Ardin! I want that!"

"You belong to me, Tren. I told you that once before. Never forget it. I allow you to have sex with Ali and Lis, but you are mine."

"Believe me, Ardin, that is exactly how I want it. Being yours is the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me. It is much more wonderful than the money from the king. I was deliriously happy with you and our free room at Prime Port. I think I would be deliriously happy anywhere with you."

"If I told you that you could no longer have sex with Lis or Ali, what would you do?"

"I would spend a lot more time having sex with you."

"Good answer!"

Tren grinned at him.

"Do you want me to stop? Ali will be hurt."

"No. I want everyone to be happy. I want you to make Lis as happy as you make Ali and me. We need him, you know. Neither of us knows anything about ships, or the Alliance, or money. I know you can make him happy. As long as you belong to me, and we both know it, I don't mind you having sex with others. If Ali doesn't like it, I will talk to him. You know as well as I do how much love Ali has in him. I think he will be fine."

Ardin stroked himself while he looked at Tren's expectant face. The precome was lubricating his cock and made stroking himself more pleasurable. He groaned as a stream of come shot out of his prick and hit Tren's lips.

"Bull's eye!" Ardin shouted.

Tren laughed.

"I have perfect aim now!"

Tren laughed as Ardin's spunk landed on him.

Eri and Lis walked back into the ship and Eri watched open- mouthed as streams of spunk hit Tren's face. He had no idea Humans produced so much spunk! Of course, he knew nothing about Humans. Who did?

"The floors in the EO 9 are self-cleaning," Eri said to them.

They all burst out laughing.