THE TWILIGHT GALAXY MOTEL
CHAPTER 4
BY ARTHUR
AURTHORS NOTE:
PLEASE PROVIDE YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO THE NIFTY ARCHIVES SO THAT IT WILL REMAIN FREE FOR ALL TOO USE.
The next morning Thomas awoke with Manam wrapped tightly in his arms, he snuggled down closer and kissed his partner lightly on his bare neck, a soft hum came from the limp body half lying on his chest, Thomas gave a soft giggle and then, in a sleepy voice asked.
"So what do we do today, we can't just spend all our days in bed?"
"Why not?' Came the sleepy satisfied voice.
"Well my love, as much as I like being here with you, we have an Estate to run, and there must be a lot of work to be done?"
"Work? On an Estate? Did you put your Edu program in last night?"
"Uhm, I forgot, someone side tracked me." The giggle in Thomas's voice was obvious to Manam who then joined in with a chuckle.
"Ok, look you are now an Estate owner as you know, the Estate more or less looks after itself, that's why the Elders have so much time to do other good works for the people, the Banafil look after themselves as you have seen, all the plantings are watched over by the agri-droids, so what is left to do for work?"
"What about when the Banafil are having their offspring, don't we have to watch over them like back on Earth, uhm, Terra?"
"Have you ever seen a Banafil egg, they are huge, you wouldn't be able to lift one on your own."
"Egg? They lay an egg?"
"An egg, no they usually lay about 6-8, somehow all the females will lay at the same time, those that are in season early will hold back their eggs until all of them in the heard are fertile, then they lay them altogether in one single place, for the next month the adults stop feeding and surround the nest site to protect it from being raided, when the young are born, they first eat what's left of the shells and fluids, then join their adults in eating grass from then on, they grow very fast."
"So on the first laying we could have anywhere between 30-40 young?"
"Yes, if you want to enlarge your heard, as you should, you can buy new Banafil and add them once the originals have made their first laying, that way they will all lay the next one at the same time, if you introduced new stock while the first ones are holding eggs, they would wait until the new ones were ready to lay and this would slow down you heard growth.
"That seems like a lot of Banafil in a very short time?"
"Not really, remember they lay twice a year, now about 1/3 of the eggs will produce females so that will enlarge your heard as well, the rest of the small males are separated from the heard by the big male, he doesn't like competition, you send the droids out to push the young males further away and they feed until they are ready for sale, we very rarely sell females unless your heard gets too big for your Estate, of course you can just buy more land , that's how you enlarge your Estate."
"But wouldn't that mean I would have to find land further away from here, we would have to spend a lot of our time travelling to and fro?"
"No, of course not, how close do you think our closest neighbour is?"
"I don't know; I haven't seen any houses since we've been here?"
"That's because we are the only ones for many kilometres, your Estate was bought in a new area so you have plenty of land around you too expand, my Fathers Estate is about seventy kilometres to the north, he's the closest so you can see you have plenty of land to expand into when you want get more stock."
"This is hard for me to get my head around, on Earth the farms were small and close together, there were whole communities settled just around those farming communities and here there seems to be plenty of land but not a lot of people farming, why?"
"Not everyone wants to run an Estate, a large part of the people are concerned with support work for the Estates, it's the responsibility of the Estate owners to see that our major export needs are well tended as well as being more involved in doing other things for the betterment of the whole planet, in time it is hoped that you will be able to hold a very large Estate as you will then have a lot more time to take a place on the Council of Elders as befits your position as a Most Revered Loved One."
"Oh god, my love, there's just so much to learn."
"Yes but from tonight onwards, you are going to use the Edu-program every night until you have all you need to know, now, what's next?"
"Shower then breakfast, I have a lot to think on."
Manam slipped from the bed after one last hug and kiss, he was closely followed by Thomas who had no intention of letting Manam shower by himself.
As the two lovers were sitting in the first rays of the rising suns, Thomas looked at Manam, the boy seemed to shine with a soft glow as the first rays touched his soft skin.
"I've been thinking about what you said about going to offer to be a trainer, what should I do?"
"Well, I've watched you train each morning, is there anything else you know about that new fighting style?"
"Well yes, as part of my style I also took one called Kendo, but I don't see any swords here, I don't see how it would be any use to your troops."
"What are swords?" "Let me see, well those knives your troops carry, a sword is much longer and usually used with both hands."
"Knives? Oh you mean the Caana Blades, Hmmm, we have never thought about making them longer, can you make a picture of one, perhaps we could look at making them and then you could train the troops to use them?"
"I suppose I can try, what are the blades made of?"
"They are made from Cannelian Crystals, the handles are made from the dried cartilage of the Lenl fish of Khaladasian Dama, it is 87% water and is where we get all our sea food from, the blades are charged once they are put into their scabbards which are made from Pirrip fish, it seems the Cannelian Crystal is somehow charged by a chemical or organic reaction with the Pirrip bone, we don't know how it happens but it does, once the blade is charged, it gets very hot and will cut through just about anything so dried Lenl fish cartilage acts as an insulator, did you notice that the troops that were training put their blades in a clear scabbard and not a black one?"
"No, not really."
"Well the clear scabbard is just a polymer compound so there's no reaction with the Crystal, their combat scabbards are kept separate so there's no mistakes when they are only training."
"Is there any chance I can get to see one up close, or where would I get enough of the Crystal to make a sword from?"
"Well I think it would be best to go to Khaladasian Seta, that's where they mine the Crystals, or we could just go to Khaladasian Pita where they actually make them, there you could describe what you wanted and they could try to make it for you."
"That sounds like a plan, so how do we get to Khaladasian Pita?"
"We can call the port and see if there's a Captain going that way or when there will be one, we go and ask him if he will take passengers and then agree on a price to carry us and off we go, we can stay at one of the resorts there and look around if you want too?"
"But what about the Estate while we're away?"
"What about it? The computer runs most of it and any time you need to be here it will send a transmission to you, my love, we don't need to be here all the time, that's why we have an Estate, so you can do other things but still have a good income once it is fully running."
Thomas still felt overwhelmed by all that had happened in such a short time but the thought of another space trip was also foremost in his mind, he had come to love being in space, there was only one thing left for him to find out about before he could actually leave .
"What about all those requests for my...semen, won't they want an answer quickly?"
"Of course not, none of the applicants would expect you too decide before you have had time to think it over or research their fitness for such an honour as to have your semen implanted, I would say they would not expect a decision before at least two weeks have passed, of course, by then you will also have many more requests to look over." Manam smiled as he watched the look of wonder on his lovers face.
"Computer?"
`Yes Sedat Kilroy?'
"Current number of requests for the Sebath's semen."
`The present requests now number 38, Sedat Kilroy.'
"Well my love, there you are, it has more than doubled in just two days but, don't worry about it, let's look at this trip to Pita, it will be like a Shakra holiday, we are entitled to have one you know."
"Shakra holiday, I suppose it is what we would call a Honey Moon."
"Really, Terra had a moon made of huni, funny, we never found it, was it very far away, what did you use the huni for?"
Thomas had a hard time trying to stop laughing as he looked at the serious face on Manam.
"My love, it's just an expression, I think it means something like having a special sweet holiday with your loved one, or something like that, I don't really know, do you have honey here, I haven't seem it and I've not seen any bees to make it?"
Manam got a very thoughtful look on his face, finally, after two or three minutes thinking, he smiled.
"I think we mean different things, it has taken me a while to work it out but when you said a huni was sweet it got me thinking, the huni we have here are a very dangerous reptile with strong venom, you sometimes find them in the highest mountains among the rocks but they are easy too see and you can easily avoid them, I don't think anyone here would want to have a joining ceremony holiday with them."
Both boys suddenly realised how they had got at cross purposes and laughed as they hugged each other.
With the aide of the house droids, the two boys were soon packed, the Ai had looked over all outgoing flights and found one that would take two passengers, it left in just over two hours so they had to hurry, once in the garage, Manam selected the fast two seater hover into which they placed their two bags, within a minute they were twenty metres above the ground and speeding towards the nearest cargo port, Manam had suggested they take some of their many gifted boxes of Skila in case they wanted to give a gift, Manam had told Thomas that the wine was very highly prized on all other planets.
Once at the port, the two boys, hands linked, walked up to the ship that had been selected to take them into space, at the hatch stood a young Khaladasian with bright red hair, his eyes were also red, Manam told Thomas he was from Khaladasian Sega, they were escorted to the bridge where the Captain awaited them, it was obvious that he also was a Sega.
"Brothers, I am Captain Sissal, may I know your names?"
Thomas saw that he was being looked over with a very critical eye, suddenly it must have dawned on the Captain who he was.
"Most Revered Loved One, please excuse me, I was not aware it was your person who required passage."
Thomas could only look at the Captain with a little embarrassment, even now, after all the time he had spent on Prime, he could still not get used to being spoken too as though he was some celebrity, luckily for him Manam took over.
"Captain, may I present Mirl Thomas Kilroy, Sebath of Davin and my Husband."
The Captain bowed low with both hands placed over his chest.
"Most Revered loved One, the honour to make your acquaintance is all mine, please accept my offer to be my guest on this voyage, I will have a suite set aside for you and your Sedat immediately, there is no need for discussion over the fare, it is our honour that you would travel with us."
"It would be our pleasure Captain; I believe you are first going to Pita which is where we wish to go." Manam replied.
"Then it shall be done, we can go back to Sega after Pita then on to Brana Minor."
"Captain there's no need to make your journey longer by doubling back; we can wait while you carry out your business on Sega."
"Oh no Sedat, that would be most inhospitable of me, the Most Revered Loved Ones needs must come first, we will go to Pita first, now if you would follow my son, he will take you to our suite, perhaps you will both join me for a meal after we take off?"
"The pleasure would be all ours Captain, and thank you for your generous hospitality; we will never forget it and it will be known of by the Elders."
The Captain bowed low again and then the boys followed the young Khaladasian out of the bridge and along a narrow passage until they came to an open door, the suite inside was quite large for a cargo ship, it was obvious to both boys that this was the personal living quarters of the Captain, the boys felt a tinge of guilt at taking the Captains private quarters, at the same time Manam knew that they could not refuse the generous offer as it would be seen to be an insult.
There was no need to use the stasis beds as the trip would only take four days, the boys spent a lot of time with the Captain on the bridge, Thomas was not going to miss the opportunity to see live space, the bridge was like a quiet office, everyone knew what they were doing and the need for orders was very limited, the two boys went from station to station and watching over the shoulder of the technicians as they went about their business, to Thomas's eyes everything looked new and excited him no end.
Their meals were taken with the Captain and his two sons and they talked a lot about the way of the cargo captain and listened to many of the stories the Captain told him, both of his time as a cargo Captain and before, when he was young, as a junior officer in the Khaladasian fleet, too Thomas it all seemed surreal, the thought that he was out here in wild space and being treated as a special personage almost gave him goose bumps.
Khaladasian Pita was a grey looking planet from space, as the boys watched it coming closer; Thomas asked Manam what else the planets people produced for the empire.
"They are the artisans for the empire, they have no resources that can be used but they are the finest of workers in Cannelian Crystals, Lenl cartilage, Pirrip horn and Plasteel, everything that needs to be made for the other planets is made here, the planet is almost pure Krine rock which burns hot enough for them to use for smelting and working with Crystal."
The ship came to rest in its docking rings, Thomas was surprised to see that even the buildings were cut from the Krine rock, it was almost as though the city had sprung from the rock of the planet, he had been expecting to see clouds of dark smoke filling the air but, much to his surprise the air was clean and pure, there was no smell of heavy industry as there would be on Earth.
At the hatch of the ship, Thomas turned and presented the Captain with one case of the Wine as Manam thanked him for his hospitality.
"Captain, the Sebath would like you too have this case of Skila as a token of our thanks for your generous hospitality, we sincerely hope that we can meet again."
The Captain stood with his mouth open as Thomas placed the case in his hands, the Captain wondered if the Most Revered Loved One understood the value of his gift, on any planet he could sell a single bottle for more than twice what the fare would have been for both boys, he found it difficult to get his voice to work, it was an enormous gift, he felt he had too refuse, it wasn't right to accept such generosity.
"Sebath, Sedat, I can't accept such a valuable gift for just a short hop to Pita, it wouldn't be right."
"Captain, you made me very happy to be able to join you on the bridge, it has been one of my greatest wishes to go into space and, apart from the trip here from Terra, of which most of the time was spent in stasis, this has been the first time I could really see what was going on, for me the wine is just a small way to thank you for such a great time, besides I have plenty at home so I want you too keep it and enjoy it with your fine sons." Thomas answered.
"Thank you Most Revered Loved One, I will treasure every sip, it will be kept onboard for special occasions and never sold to others."
The two boys shook hands with the Captain one more time and left with their luggage on a grav lift platform, on these worlds you did not have to carry baggage, there were always plenty of luggage platforms to put it on, you then just used a short handle to pull it along behind you.
The boys had had the AI book them into a hotel close to the port, it took no time for them to find it and book in, again, they were greeted with bows by the staff and shown quickly to the suite at the top of the hotel where they could look out over the large city without anything to block their view, Thomas could see for kilometres in every direction.
While Manam put away their few clothes, Thomas sat and began to make a drawing of a Katana, he put in as much detail as he could remember of the one he had owned back on Earth, that one was not all that special as his family could only afford a basic weapon for him but it did have a fancy pommel although it was made of cheap metals and inlays.
After a long and leisurely lunch, Manam took the lead and, after making sure he had his directions right, the two boys walked out of the hotel and turned towards the business district on the edge of the city, Manam had got the address of one of the finest blade makers on Pita, he had come with the highest regards of the Hotel manager.
It took the two boys no more than half an hours leisurely stroll to find the street where all the blade workers were doing business, the street was a hive of activity but in a quiet way, shop fronts showed the blades in small displays and behind the front of the shops, the men worked in open airy courtyards.
When they found the man suggested to them, Thomas saw he was quite old and yet his hands moved with the grace of long practice as he worked on a crystal to form a new blade with what Thomas thought was a thin metal rod that emitted a bright blue pulse, at the end of the rod there was a thin hollow tube that led to a round metal ball close to his side, on the top of the ball was a small trapdoor, Thomas watched as the blue pulse began to fade and the man took up a small piece of grey stone without looking and dropped it into the trapdoor, the rod lit up again with a strong pulse once more and he continued working.
The two boys stood and watched the man work until they were noticed, the elderly man looked up and started as he saw who his visitors were, Manam had brought a small brown case with them that he had bought at the Hotel shop, inside it were two bottle of wine as a gift for the man if he accepted the work, in a voice stringer than the boys would have thought the elderly man had, they were greeted formally.
"Most Revered Loved One and partner, please accept the hospitality of my humble workshop, if there is anything I can do for you please ask and it will be my pleasure to fulfil your wishes."
Manam answered the old man.
"Father Dassan, the Hotel manager told us you were the finest worker of Caana Blades in the city, my Sebath would like you to make a special one for him."
"I will certainly do my best to fulfil the Most Revered Loved Ones needs Sedat; do you have a drawing of what you would like?"
Thomas took out the drawing of the Katana and gave it too the old man, he watched as the man looked at it from all directions, finally he looked up at the boys.
"This is a most unusual concept in blades, what is its length, Most Revered Loved One?"
Thomas sat on a small stool close to the man and began to explain what it was and how thick the blade as well as how long it should be, he also pointed out that the handle should be long enough to hold with both hands but balanced correctly so it could also be used single handed, it took half an hour to go over all the specifications but at the end of that time the old man said he would attempt to make on for him.
For the next hour, the old man took measurements and weights that Thomas could hold in one then in both hands, he was very particular in his measurements, finally he asked Thomas if he wanted the hilt to be decorated and if he also wanted any patterns on the blade, finally, after everything had been measured, the old man then asked if they wanted the scabbard to be decorated as well as he would have to have it made outside his shop, he explained that he was a blade maker and the scabbards and hilts were made by others but he would get only the finest craftsmen to do it for him.
Thomas explained what he would like and asked if it was too much to do, when told it was little trouble for a Most Revered Loved One and that the other two craftsmen would want to do it as a new challenge to their abilities, Dassan told Thomas it was indeed a new idea and, should the military decide it was a good weapon to have then the men would make many credits from supplying the new weapons, this one, Dassan told them, would be a gift to the Most Revered Loved One for the honour of being chosen to produce the first of its kind.
Thomas once again felt the heat of embarrassment rise on his cheeks; he was still finding it hard to accept all these gifts even though he had been warned by Manam that it would happen.
"May I ask how long it will take to make a Katana like that Dassan?" Thomas asked.
"Two days and you may come and look at it before we do the final work on it, I will have both my apprentices work around the clock to make sure it is ready, once the initial blade is formed, the two other makers will know what they will need for the hilt and scabbard, it should only be two more days after that to completion, Most Revered Loved One."
Thomas took the small brown case from Manam and laid it on the small round table they had been talking over.
"I would like to offer this gift for the three of you in appreciation for your trying to do this for me; I hope you will accept it as a mark of my esteem." Thomas told the old man.
Dassan opened the case and saw the two bottle of Skila lying inside, his mouth dropped open and he looked up at the two boys almost with a tear in his eyes, gently he ran a rough finger over the bottles as though they were a religious artefact.
"Most Revered Loved One, how can I ever accept such a gift, this is too much, each of these bottles is almost worth a kings ransom on Pita, one would pay for your blade many times over, it's too much for a humble blade worker."
"Dassan, if you can make me the blade as we described, every bottle on my estate would be worth it."
"In that case, Most Revered Loved One, you will have the finest blade ever made on Khaladasian Pita or anywhere else in the system, of that I swear to you."
Thomas smiled at the sincerity on the man's face and gave him a small bow as he rose from the stool.
"In that case Dassan, I am sure it will be of the finest quality and workmanship, we will come back in two days to see how you are getting on."
"The rough blade will be ready for you Most Revered loved One, my word to that." Dassan said as he bowed low to the two boys.
Thomas and Manam left Dassan to get on with his work, as they came back into the bright sunlight, Thomas asked if they made jewellery on Pita as well, Manam did not know what he meant by jewellery but, after a quick description, Manam told Thomas it was called accessories on Khaladasian Prime, it was also used in trade with planets that had no craftsmen of their own to make it.
The two boys wandered around for another hour before they found the street that made jewellery, it was then a matter of finding someone who would make what Thomas wanted, after a few measurements and of course the usual offer of gifting it, the boys went to find a place to eat and have a long cold drink, it had been so far a very busy day, the jewellery would be finished in two hours as the man had said he would set all four of his employees into producing them, all that remained now was for the boys to use the time too look around a little more and, after taking ownership of the jewellery, returning to their Hotel room.
The two rings Thomas had ordered proved to be works of art, the maker had put everything he knew into producing what the Most Revered Loved One wanted and it had succeeded, Thomas was delighted with the end results, when they returned to the Hotel, Thomas very solemnly placed one ring on Manam's finger and the other on his own, he then told Manam that as long as those rings were on their fingers, Thomas would honour and Love Manam.
Manam had tears rolling down his face as he listened to Thomas's words, as Thomas finished speaking, Manam wrapped all four of his arms around his Mirl and cried into his shoulder, it seemed to Manam that he had just received the gift of all gifts, too return his love to Thomas, he took him by the hand and led him up onto the roof of the Hotel to watch the sunset for which Pita was justly famous.
Thomas had never seen anything like it, the smaller yellow sun sank a few minutes before the bright white one, the yellow sun painted the evening sky in colours of gold and fiery red, then, as the yellow sun sank below the horizon, the evening sky lit up with the most intense violets and blues he could imagine, it was a pyrotechnic display he could not even believe although it was right in front of his eyes, he pulled Manam closer and lay his head on the Khaladasians shoulder as the sky faded to a deep dark blue of night, only the faint twinkle of the far off stars lit the peaceful scene on the roof top.
That night, after a sumptuous dinner of seafood and half a bottle of one of their Skila, Thomas's love making was the most intense and long lasting that they had so far had, Manam had even felt his second `Boy Button' being excited by Thomas's wish to delve as deep inside Manam's body as he could, Manam had not told Thomas how Khaladasian boys were put together although Thomas had the Edu-program to teach him, not everything was on it, to the Khaladasian there were just some things that did not need teaching, like all boys have two prostates, one close to their entry and the other deeper inside which was the one that created the Ova for breeding once the boy was old enough, Manam thanked his lucky stars that he still had two more years before producing his first Ova although, at the same time he would not have minded having his Thomas's babies right now but his body was not yet ready.
When the two boys awoke in the morning, Thomas could still feel the after effects of the four bites from Manam last night, the last of the endorphins were still in his body as he pulled his eyes open, there was only one way for him to clean his system, he smiled as he rolled over on top of Manam's waiting body with the advice to Manam not too bite him this time or they would never leave the bed.
For the next half hour the two boys were lost in the throws of passion, Manam's fangs dripped endorphins as he felt Thomas reach new depths inside him, all Manam could do was swallow the excess endorphins and pray for the best as Thomas struck his second boy button over and over again with his deep penetrating strokes, while his upper pair of arms held tightly to Thomas, his second pair held his own legs back as far as he could get them, this new position gave Thomas the right angle to penetrate as deep as anyone could get.
Finally Thomas felt the impending explosion, his feelings were so heightened that he thought he would be physically pulled into Manam's body as he thrust hard for the last time and, with a loud yell and then almost the feeling of tears running down his cheeks, he felt his groin explode, it was the most intense orgasm he had ever felt and it seemed to go on forever.
Manam felt the stiffening of Thomas's body and his own, now filled with his leaking endorphins, began to tingle and then itch but a nice itch, almost like a tickle, within his body Manam felt the heat of Thomas emission, it filled him and at the same time warmed him to his core, the tickling itch got progressively more noticeable as Thomas ejaculated deep inside him, suddenly Manam opened his eyes as realisation hit him.
`No, it can't be, I have two more years to go yet, there's no way I could produce them now.'
Thomas finally was able to se the world around him, he didn't know that an orgasm could be so intense, with blurred eyes he looked into the face of Manam, it was then he saw his Sedat's strange look.
"What is it, are you ok, you...you look worried, did I do something wrong my love?"
"No, no, my Sebath, it's just I have never felt like this but, I think we have to go to the Fertility Dome, we need to check on something."
Thomas, not knowing too much about Khaladasian physiology except for the little he had picked up from the Edu-program could only smile at his lover, whatever Manam wanted he could have, they wrapped their arms tightly around each other and slipped into a light doze after their torrid love making, both Thomas and Manam had never felt anything like this time.
After a leisurely breakfast, Manam led Thomas to the nearest Fertility Dome, they were quickly shown through to an Elder and then, after the usual greetings and questions about home planet and age, the Elder sent Manam off with one of his nurses, Thomas was led through to a waiting area where he could relax, not really an option as he did not really know why they were even here as Manam had kept his lips sealed the whole time.
Thomas sat and waited, he hoped his lover was not hurt or in any danger, finally the Elder appeared minus Manam, sitting across from Thomas, the Elder looked deeply into the boy's eyes and then, very slowly, his lips widened into a slight smile.
"Most Revered Loved One, your Sedat is pregnant, we don't quite understand how this could be because he should not be able to produce Ova for another two years, however, He has two fully formed Ova, as far as we can tell they are both healthy, now do you know about our physiology as far as fertility goes?"
"Not really, only a little I learnt from the Edu-programs and I did not really take a lot of notice as I did not think it was relevant to me or what I could do."
"Well then let me give you the short version so you will understand what has happened to your Sedat. Khaladasian boys can only produce Ova when they reach a certain age, somehow, your Sedat has jumped the gun a little, we don't know how but we think it may be something to do with being with you, now, all Khaladasian males when they are fully mature, produce two Ova once every five years, normally one is fertilized and the other is discarded, it is more than one thousand years since we had a case of both being fertilized."
Thomas could only nod his head as he listened to the Elder.
"Now what has happened in the case of your Sedat; is that he has not only produced his Ova two years early but, both of them have been fertilized."
"Twins, we're going to have twins, my god how am I going to look after two boys at the same time?"
"No Mirl Kilroy, you are not having twins, what is happening this very minute is that both the Ova are already dividing, if all goes well you and the Sedat will be having quads, at this early stage we can't tell what their eventual body will be but you will have time to return to Prime before the Ova have to be taken out and placed in a womb, about ten days I think you still have, congratulations Most Revered Loved One, you have produced the first multiple births in the Khaladasian system in over a thousand years."
Thomas could feel his mouth agape and his lips flapping as he tried to get his breath, he and Manam were having quads, four little boys running around the house.
`Oh my god how will I look after them, what do I know about babies, oh shit now I'm right in it, how do I learn to look after four little kids.'
The Elder could almost read Thomas's thoughts as he watched the young boy take in the news, with a gentle touch on Thomas's shoulder, the Elder spoke.
"I know these are your first but don't worry, everything you need to know can easily be taught by the Edu-program, you'll see, those little ones will be the delight of your days."
Thomas looked into the wise face of the Elder.
"Are you sure, I mean on Earth this sort of thing happenes but not quads."
"Most Revered Loved One, on any planet in the Khaladasian system you would receive all and any help you needed or wanted, but don't worry, your reactions are quite normal for a first time father, you have the most amazing start to your family line, believe me, this will go down as an historical event in the annals of Khaladasian history, I am so fortunate to be the one that was first consulted, you have made me a very happy man."
Thomas could only sit there in stunned silence as the news sank in, he was to be a daddy not once, but four times over, this would have looked real good in the news back on Earth, he could almost visualise the headlines.
`YOUNG TEEN PRODUCES QUADS, MIRACLE BABIES BIRTHED BY ALIEN BOY'
`Yes mum would be real happy about that, and the guys at school would be lining up to give me the bash.'
At last the Elders words got through into Thomas's dazed mind.
"We need to keep the Sedat here for another day until the end of the dividing, just too make sure the Ova are safe, once that is done he can leave and rejoin you for the trip back to Prime."
"So he has to stay here, he can't come back to the Hotel with me?"
"Yes, it's only for today, just so we can keep watch on the quads, we don't want anything to happen to them while they are dividing and I am sure you don't as well."
"Yes, yes of course, can I see my love first, does he know about having to stay for the rest of the day and tomorrow morning?"
"Oh yes he fully understands what is going on, one other thing if I may be so bold?"
"Yes oh course." Thomas said still a little distracted by the news.
"May I have your permission to inform my colleagues about this momentous event?"
"Yes of course you may, now can I see my Sedat please?"
"Thank you Most Revered Loved One; and yes come this way."
Thomas was led through a passageway and into a bright room with windows looking out onto a garden, in the raised bed lay Manam with a beaming smile on his face, the bed cover had been lowered to show his body as far down as his lower waist, his show of happiness projected onto Thomas and broke out into a huge smile of his own.
"Well my love, four is going to be fun." Manam said with a huge smile.
"Yeah, it's still trying to sink in, do you think we will be able to look after them, I mean we are both just kids ourselves and one would be hard enough, but four?"
"Oh don't worry my love, one or four, they are going to be spoilt rotten by everyone that they meet, including the main members of our family, now are you going to be ok alone for today?"
"I don't know, I have to go and see the blade maker so that will take some time, I suppose if we can have a vid-com connection we can talk to each other for company until you are out of here."
"Yes, we can do that, I'm really so happy that this has happened, do you realise this is the start of our family, we are going to have so many sons, I'm so proud of you my love."
"Well you are doing all the work now, love, I better leave and let you rest, I'll go and look after the other stuff so we can leave soon and go home, we still have to find a transporter back to Prime."
"You can leave that for now, there's no hurry we have plenty of time, do you want to know what is going to happen after we get home?"
"Yes, tell me?"
"Well, if you look down my tummy, you can see a small lump forming, that's my Folupa, when the Ova are ready to be transferred to the artificial womb, the four Ova will come out of there, they are collected and transferred into the womb and stay there for four months until they form properly, at two months, they are given Edu-programs via Sonics, they will look about the same as a Terran baby at one year, after another two months they will be ready to leave the womb, they will then be about the same as a Terran baby of two years, they will be able to walk and talk, remember that the Khaladasian grow very fast for the first five years then slow down, I know they are going to be the sweetest boys on Prime."
Thomas could only hold his lovers hand and try to take in this quick education about his coming boys, finally it was time to leave as much as he wanted to stay he still had to finish what they came for, with a last smile of pride and a gentle kiss, Thomas gave a last wave and walked from the room, he then left the Fertility Dome and began to look for the blade makers shop once again, he still had to do the final fitting and corrections of the new Katana.
Thomas found the small workshop with little trouble, the old man was waiting with a smile on his face as Thomas walked in, and he gave a low bow and called his eldest son to meet Thomas.
"Most Revered Loved One; this is my eldest Dasik he is going to be doing the engraving on the blade if you would be so kind as to advise him on what you would like."
The teenage looking young man bowed even lower and smiled at Thomas as his father brought out a long thin blade, the tang was still quite long and, when Thomas took hold of the unfinished blade, he could feel it was unbalanced, as Dassan began to watch Thomas hold the clear composite temporary handle, he lit his plasma cutter and began to make thin shavings off both ends until Thomas was satisfied with the feel and balance.
Once the balancing had been done, Dassan turned to his vid-com and made two calls while Thomas sat with Dasik and talked over what he would like engraved on the blade, Thomas finally settled for a story of life and death that Dasik had suggested was an old legend of Khaladasian.
A few minutes later, as Thomas and the old blade maker sat talking, a middle aged pair came in and then Dassan rose to introduce them to Thomas.
"Most Revered Loved One, this is Deerin, he is making your hilt, he would like to measure it for balance and ask you how to bind it and, this is Damadan, he is making your scabbard and would like to know what designs should be on it."
For the next hour, Thomas sat with the men and discussed how things should be made and embellished, there was a lot of in-depth discussion on what the right materials should be used for the cross hatching on the handle and which was the best way to do the engraving, all in all it was a good two hours before everything was settled and Thomas had the distinct feeling he was going to love his hand made Katana, even though it was not an original Japanese or Korean one.
Thomas arrived back at the Hotel to much bowing and smiles from the staff, while in itself it was not unusual to receive the bows from the Hotel staff, this time it seemed to be a little more than before, Thomas smiled back at all the greetings and went to his room to call his six friends, he thought he had better tell them about what had happened over his soon too arrive sons.
After setting up a conference call with all six of them to save time, Thomas told them about his news, much to his surprise they all just smiled and then Noah just said.
"Yes, we know already, it's been on all the system wide news broadcasts, congratulations, Daddy."
Six laughing faces looked at Thomas over the vid-com, this now sent Thomas into a state of shock, it had only been hours since he himself had been told, how the hell had the whole Khaladasian system found out, for the next ten minutes the friends laughed and joked about Thomas now being a daddy to four boys, as it finally sank in and the others were signing off, there was a faint knock at his door, when he opened the door the Manager was standing there with a wide smile on his face.
"Congratulations Most revered Loved One, There are some Empire Officers wishing to meet you, I have told them to stay in the lounge as you were making a call, do you wish me to guide you to them, they seemed to be very impatient?"
Thomas looked at his clothing to make sure he was at least presentable, looking back up to the Manager he smiled and nodded, closing his door he followed the Manager down in the elevator to the lounge floor, seconds after the door opened, Thomas was looking at four very tall Khaladasian officers in full formal dress, each one showed gold bars on their collars that Thomas barely understood but knew they were quite high ranking, he waited for them too talk first.
"Most Revered Loved One Mirl Thomas Kilroy Sebath of Davin, we are here on behalf of the Council of Elders to inform you that from this moment on you are under the protection of the Empire Guards, when you wish to leave this planet there will be an Empire cruiser at your disposal, your Sedat is now being guarded by a Section of Empire Guards and another Section will be positioned at your door for your safety, if you have any requests please do not hesitate to contact either myself or any of these three Command Officers, we are your humble servants, Most Revered Loved One."
The Officer along with the other three, bowed low and crossed their arms over the chests in the salute of the Khaladasian armed forces, Thomas could only gape at the four men, he knew that the Empire Guards were the elite of the armed forces, to have them attached to watching over Manam and himself seemed rather extreme, Thomas decided to ask the Officer why this was needed when they were so well protected just by being in the Khaladasian system.
The Officer then went on to explain that because of the system wide news broadcast of Thomas's multiple birth, and the Bunalkar will hear of it soon enough and then they may try to take him and the Sedat for themselves or to ransom for a planet or two.
"It is only being cautious Most Revered Loved One; the Elder Council is not taking any chances on such a great event as this."
Thomas finally was able to return to his lonely room, outside the full section of guards halted and took up position while Thomas went to make a call to Manam, while they did not talk a great deal, for both of them it was enough just to look into each others face as they lay on their beds until they finally drifted off to sleep, the Vid-com still on so they could see each other when the awoke.
In the morning, Thomas awoke to the picture of Manam's peaceful sleeping face: it wouldn't be long now until they could be together again and in each others arms, Thomas felt lost without Manam close to him even thought he well understood why it had too be this way. After a long hot shower, Thomas went down for breakfast instead of staying in his room, he didn't want to be alone any more and the crowd in the general dining room made him feel a little better, even though he had to accept all the bows and congratulations of everyone in there.
Accompanied by his section of guards who were all fully armed and alert, he made his slow way to the Fertility Dome, from then on it was only a matter of half an hour before Manam flew into his waiting arms and covered him with hot kisses, Thomas was not even aware of all the people and guards around them as he hugged Manam as close as he could get him, he felt happy once again, the parting, although only for a little over a day, had been more than he wanted to remember.
Thomas and Manam spent most of the day in their room, well guarded by the now two Sections of guards; Thomas would run his fingers over the larger bump of Manam's Folupa it was about two inches above the thin slit of skin that covered Manam's penis which would project from his body when he was erect, Khaladasians did not have navels or nipples so the Folupa bump was even more strange to Thomas, he could not see how the Ova would come out as there was no hole or slit for them to do so, Manam explained that as the time approached for the Ova to come, the bump would form a thin slit and the Ova would exit through this, he would feel no pain only a slight tightness then the bump would disappear over night.
That night was spent cuddling and kissing, Thomas did not want to put the Ova in any danger by going further, as much as his libido wanted too, they finally cuddled into each other and fell asleep, the next day should see the finishing of his new katana and they could leave for home, it had been a very exciting week for them both.
Manam told the guard Commander where they were going and then they wanted to head for Prime immediately afterwards, the first Section went ahead to make the workshop secure, the others surrounded the two boys and escorted them to Dassan's workshop, once there, the boys saw all four of the artisans were waiting for them, on the long wide bench sat his new blade and scabbards.
Thomas looked at them in wonder, the craftsmanship was way beyond what he thought could be managed, as he went to the bench, old Dassan told him all about the new blade as the guards looked on with awe showing in their normally stoic faces.
"Most Revered Loved One, I hope you will find this new blade suits your purpose, as you can see, the engraving tells the story of your family, my son had to do some quick alterations when we saw the news broadcast but it has turned out well, the engraving was done with the Sennit Milk from the Karomma vine, it is able to produce the best and finest engraving."
Thomas looked at the work on the blade, on one side was a very accurate representation of his own face and shoulders, on the other was that of Manam, from both of them led a thin vine with small leaves leading to a small child, it continued in this vein for the full length of the blade on both sides, the engraving was as thin as a hair and glowed a soft mauve, next, Deerin explained the hilt too him, the cross hatching had been complimented with fine gold inlays, the cloth of the cross hatching was not like the shark skin used in Japan but was a fibre from some plant that was very much like it, the boss of the handle was also engraved with a gold filigree that depicted a scene of battle so fine it was hard to make out.
Next came Damadan with the two scabbards, one was the plain clear synthetic that stopped the Crystal from being charged when he was just practising, the other was a master piece, the horn was finely carved with scenes of battles and also images of animals, it was done in a silvery metal and then the whole scabbard was polished until Thomas could almost see his face reflected in it.
Looking at the exquisite workmanship, Thomas found it hard to keep a tear from falling, he had never even dreamed of owning such a beautiful piece of weaponry, slowly he lifted the clear scabbard and drew the blade, the mauve engraving reflected the light as though it was alive, the balance was perfect and he could easily use it with either one or both hands, the clear Crystal blade had a shine all its own.
"Would you like to try it?" Dassan asked; when Thomas nodded, Dassan got a large thick block of Plasteel and placed it in a vice, Damadan offered the black scabbard to Thomas to charge the blade.
Thomas slid the blade into the scabbard and felt the heat warm his hand as the reaction took place, withdrawing the blade took Thomas by surprise, the blade glowed with power and the fine engraving shone and seemed to move along the blade as he took a couple of practise swings, finally he stood before the seemingly thick and solid block of Plasteel, he knew that this could easily break a good blade if there were any weaknesses and that Plasteel could withstand even heavy pulse cannons, sending a quick prayer to whomever was listening, Thomas aimed and swung, the blade sheered through the thick Plasteel as though it was only butter, the cut was smooth and clean and the Katana did not even vibrate in his hands, it was perfect.
Thomas returned the blade to the clear scabbard where it immediately lost is charge after many thank you's and hugs, Thomas and Manam left with their guards and were taken immediately to the port where the Cruiser waited for them.
TBC.
Arctart65@vodafone.co.nz