

### Sharon L Reddy

### The Lonoki Solution

© 2011

Target Yonder

Smashwords Edition

ISBN 978-1-58338-369-8

### Chapter One

Kiev touched Jarun to wake him. He pulled her down and kissed her before he even opened his eyes. He smiled, stretched and opened them in that order. They were always startling, deep blue gems set in the golden frame of his face and outlined by the sweep of his long black lashes. He rolled off the platform and she backed and giggled, as he made a grab for her when he did. It was an old game and he hadn't made the grab in quite some time. If he'd caught her, they'd both have been back on the sleeping platform for quite some time. She wasn't adverse to the idea, at all, but they had things to do that morning.

"Mother awaits us, Jarun. She wishes to get to the market early, and since Uncle Tarun is supervising the construction of the new wing of the house, you and I must go with her."

"I'll carefully select those which she has chosen at the market. I am tempted to choose other, but Mother has such good taste in things I wouldn't be able to improve upon it. Candred whispered to me last night that she's ready, Kiev."

"I'm not, Jarun. I love Candred and I love Trennon very much, but I am not ready to become a mother. The desire to have children just isn't there, yet."

"Be careful, sister of my birth and loved life companion. Too many souls are torn when one chooses a third. If one loves unwisely, the duty is not fulfilled."

"Jarun, I am not going to fall in love with a slave. I will love them. They will love me and I will love in return. Trennon is my chosen mate. I will bear him children. No one can usurp his place as the male whose seed I will want to fulfill the duty to have children."

"You separate it so well, my loved sister."

"Jarun, I am not fixing you dinner tonight."

"Oh, Kiev, no one can make a stew like you can."

"If you chop the vegetables yourself, I will make stew. Telling Mara to do it isn't fair."

"She likes everything I tell her to do, Kiev."

"They all like everything you tell them to do, gorgeous, and we both know it. You love every one of your slaves and they adore you. Don't close your eyes again. Only a male can choose a female slave. You are expected to seek advice on the family members we're buying though."

"I've always liked what Mother picked out before. It makes sense to lean on her experience and good taste in any purchase. What positions are we buying?"

"We're buying four slaves total. I like the slaves mother chose for me, Jarun, but they are going to choose other homes. They know I'll sell them if they find the right one and all of them are looking. I want one who won't ever choose another master. I want a male for me this time. I want a body slave. I need a manager in my apartments if I'm going to have children. I won't until I'm ready, Jarun. When I am, I will have them by Trennon. I'm far too practical to choose to have no children. The emotional attachment I have to you, to Candred and to him is quite firm. We know who and what we are. The moment of overwhelming love when the two and two make the cousins, is the truth of us. If one gives it to the wrong person, five have no children. I love you and will share my life with you, but I'm ready to build my household."

"Our sex life has always been good, Kiev."

She told her brother his sex was known to be that of a true artist, and if he wanted a compliment, he'd have to tell his slaves to stop being awed long enough to give him one. He bowed elegantly and they stood among the mirrors, which fragmented the space of his room, while she handed him clothes that had been draped on the pillows strewn across the floor by his slaves, as suggestion he wear them. The slaves used it as a form of lottery. If he chose an item one had placed there, she would be one of those who shared his sleeping platform that night. Their uncle was building him huge apartments. He had more slaves begging him to buy them.

Slaves were commanded to have children. Slaves loved masters. The duty of the master was accept the love they gave and strengthen it so they were willing to accept the command to reproduce. Jarun fascinated, and was loved by, many female slaves. Masters and slaves had begun as the same species. They weren't any longer, and it had all been a well-intentioned mistake.

Overpopulation had been a terrible threat. Involuntary conception had once been a survival characteristic. It had become destructive to the species. Voluntary birth control just wasn't working. A well-meaning genetics researcher had linked the release of egg and sperm, though not orgasm, to the emotion of love. It was an incredible feat, but the link had been too strong. The love had to be fostered for life to be strong enough in some people. That wasn't known until the emergency measure of increasing the libido of the species had been taken. That known, another well-intentioned mess was created when 'suggestibility' was introduced, so a loved person could help widen the gene pool by instructing one to be fertile for another. Then twin birth had been introduced. One after another, the mistakes were piled atop each other. The outcome was the way of the world.

No one knew why some had become masters and some slaves, but it bred true and began to divide the species. Masters' strongest love was for their twins. If they were exposed to another pair of twins from the time they were infants and knew and loved them enough, at maturity they could make love as two couples and produce four children. If a master fell _in_ love with a slave, he or she could not command the slave to reproduce with another slave.

The master must love without being _in_ love, because the slave knew if the real desire was for children with the slave, and not the slave have children with another. If one of the four who should have four children, eight if conception could be accomplished twice, was _in_ love with a slave, none of them would have children. Slaves only had children if masters commanded it and they must be slaves their whole lives to accept the right of the master to give the command when it came. It must also come from the master the slave was _in_ love with. They would not lie to themselves. They were born to the role of masters and slaves and if the not-large genetic pool of the masters was not maintained, the lonoki species would die out. They were surviving and would allow no more tampering with their genetic structure. Each solution tried had made it worse.

Masters chose slaves to be part of loving families. Each had several and some had many. If a slave fell _in_ love with another master, the slave was sold to that master. Slaves were twins too, but they did not require the lifetime association with the twin and another set of twins to trigger fertility, only the intense love for a master and the command to conceive. Two slaves and two masters were needed to bring a set of slave twins into the world, but the masters need not be lovers and the slaves need not even be acquainted.

Masters owned homes, businesses and slaves. Slaves maintained those homes and worked in those businesses. They were as intelligent and educated as the masters, but they had to be slaves. Masters spent a great deal of time fulfilling the physical needs of the slaves who loved them. If they did not, the bond would not be strong enough when the order was given to conceive.

Kiev was ready to begin choosing males to give her love. Jarun loved his girls and they were _in_ love with him. She loved the male slaves her mother and uncle had chosen for her, but knew they were not _in_ love with her. She didn't want them to be. It was time for her to begin choosing the males who would be part of her household all their lives. It was time for her to choose a body slave. His primary job was watch over her slaves and help her find others who would love her enough she could command them to have children. Gedin was Jarun's body slave. She made sure none of the other female slaves lacked for attention.

Kiev expected their family to have a great many more female than male slaves in it. Jarun was an accomplished lover and loved females, period, though his deep love was for her, Candred and Trennon. She would probably not have more than four or five males. She didn't have Jarun's gift of loving and accepting the adoration of many. Few did. Their household would be full of the children of the many slaves he loved and her males would father children for other households as well as theirs.

Their family was extremely wealthy. The slaves would work to make it wealthier, so all their children lived well. She would choose superb males, beautiful and intelligent. She could afford to have them well-educated. Because she would choose very few and they would be the very best, she would probably have to command them often. Many would want the seed of the premium males she could afford to own. The fees received for it would go to the household fund for education of the slave children. The fee for the seed of a male always did in their economic class.

Slaves were bred. The masters chose to whom, though often the slave suggested. The Masters' Slave Breeding Commission, usually called "the breeding council," suggested as well, though primarily just when a slave was considered premium. Slaves were becoming more intelligent and more deeply loving of their masters each generation. The one thing the masters would not do was breed for docility.

Every generation of slaves was taught why there were masters and slaves. Every generation, masters fell _in_ love with slaves and five had no children. There was no stigma attached. Love was never wrong. If every slave was not worthy of love, the system wouldn't work at all. Sometimes a master fell _in_ love with the loved friend of the set of twins chosen from the narrow genetic pool with whom they would share children. Most often a master was _in_ love with the twin.

The capability of love was essential. One could give it the best opportunity possible, but love was the sharing of souls and falling _in_ love just happened. It was always wonderful, and some foursomes of masters could have eight children. Falling _in_ love with a slave was most likely among the very wealthy. Their slaves were brilliant and beautiful. Their family owned a starship-building company. Their slaves were scientists and engineers. They needed two engineers and a really good cook.

Beyond that, Kiev wanted a male of her choosing for herself. He would be expected to be able to do anything that needed doing, from planting a garden, spending nineteen days in an enviro suit working on ship construction in space, to three days without break on a computer, when a research team needed assistance. He would be her mind and hands wherever they were needed. She was ready to choose her body slave. Her work was beginning to require more time than she had already. It was time to begin training one to be everything she wanted and needed.

He would be brilliant, beautiful and she'd possess him completely. She'd probably have to breed him more, because his seed was needed. It was estimated that all slaves would be more beautiful and intelligent than most masters in fifty generations. Of course, masters showed "an odd tendency to just get smarter," as her mother's body slave, Lom, put it. They had become symbiotic species. If masters didn't grow with slaves, neither would last long. Fifty generations was enough time for masters to strengthen their gene pool and for children to begin to be brought together because they'd have children who were more capable of giving and accepting love, more intelligent, and more beautiful.

The Evrun family owned a beautiful estate on a ridge overlooking the Omdan Valley. Most of the ridge was their estate. The spaceport was over the ridge behind it, on the Friends Plateau. They rode the tram down through the forest to the city in the center of the wide valley and caught the public monorail to the market. People who drove or flew into the city would spend long periods of time in very slow-moving traffic. They expected to have their slaves chosen and be on the way home before most found places to park or land. Many from outlying areas could get to the twice-yearly market only in that way.

The tram had been built for the convenience of the slaves to get to and from offices in the city, but the entire family used it. Jarun left his car parked at the terminal at the base of the ridge. Kiev kept hers at the house. She was usually headed for the spaceport when she drove her car, not into the city for a business lunch or out with a few companions for the evening

### Chapter Two

Dane looked over the masters and sighed. They wouldn't to buy him. They couldn't afford him. He'd be sold for his contributions to a family until he fell _in_ love and was sold to the one he loved. If he never found her, he'd never know the moment of complete surrender to love that was the wonder of a slave's existence. He would love the children of others, but have none of his own. He went back to the book he'd been reading on the screen before the group of masters had come through the sales area and asked to look him over. Many did. He was a very expensive slave. They wanted to see why. Previous education and gained skills were posted. Beauty was to be shown.

Dane left the chair and comp screen and walked to the front of the platform when more masters entered. He liked the look of the matron who entered first and decided she could afford him. The pair with her were about his age and the female was reading his full resume. He thought they were a bit young to actually be buying, but the matron would probably consult them in choices. A slave his age was usually intended for the younger generation. He looked the female over and grinned at the twin. He returned the grin and the matron smiled when he indicated Dane with a lift of his chin. She walked over to examine him.

"You have a strong grounding in the sciences."

"I would like five to seven years of additional study. I need the direction of a master and a work position to know what that study should be. I'm interested in everything."

"I'll take him, Mother."

"You don't have any questions for him, Kiev?"

"No. This male is exactly what I'm looking for. I already want to take him to bed so that's not a problem. He'll love me and the work I give him. Dane, you are sold. You'll probably spend a lot more than seven years of further study. I am Kiev of Evrun. This is my brother Jarun and my mother Iliev. Are you a virgin?"

"Yes. I've only been nineteen six days."

"Do you desire sex?"

"I'm going crazy. Masturbation is not enough. I need your touch, Master."

"Good. I like the fact you want your master to be the first to love you. You only think you're going crazy now. I plan on having a great deal of fun teaching you physical pleasure. Follow us. You will be my body slave and Evrun Ship Building and my household your responsibilities. We're purchasing three other slaves today. I'll be watching for your reaction to female slaves. You must be capable of providing physical relief to my brother's slaves in his absence. If I choose another male, you must help me give him what he needs. I don't anticipate choosing another male for myself today. If I do, it will be for one of the three positions in our household. Your position is the only one I intended to fill permanently today. However, if I find the right male, or males, for our family, I won't be at all disappointed."

Dane was stunned and barely registering what she was saying. The words "Evrun" and "body slave" tumbled through his mind and numbed his body. It was the greatest honor and most complete slavery there was. She had chosen him, was buying him, to be her body slave. That didn't happen, not like that, not in the way she was doing it. One became a body slave if a loved master had a great deal of responsibility and one proved one could handle it in the owner's name. He was surprised when she took his clothes from his hands.

"I forbid you to wear clothes or refuse a touch on the estate. That command will not be permanent, but will be in effect, until at least the time you are no longer a virgin. You will lay with no one, until I command it. I plan to be first, but you will be so wild for my touch you reach completion the first time we make love. You will sire a large number of children. You will be mentally and physically available to fulfill the need of every person in the household. You'll study physics, engineering, business, child care, massage, music, and many others. You will sleep at my feet. I don't expect your training to be easy on either of us, but it will be accomplished."

"Yes, Master."

"You are extremely expensive and I intend to get full value for the investment. There is no slave more valuable than a body slave in any household. You will be very busy from the start. You have a great deal to learn. My brother has nineteen females already. He's quite capable of loving many more. You will learn to please them. I currently have twelve males to be supervised. However, I don't expect to retain any of them. I've begun introducing them to other masters. There won't be more than five or six of you to help my brother keep his females from suffering physical need."

"You're going to be spoiled rotten, Dane. My girls are all beautiful and terrific. I think you're a good choice as father for six or eight of their children. They'll think you're a good choice for a good time. They're going to have a lot of fun with you and the command Kiev gave you. Mother, you're working on not giggling."

"Yes, Jarun. Sometimes I worry about Kiev. I know it's totally unnecessary, but I do. Then she shows me it was unnecessary in some totally unexpected manner. Do you have your mark and tags, Kiev?"

"You're sure he's the right one too, Mother?"

"I'm sure you are."

"I'll mark him as soon as the purchase is complete and he's been prepared."

Dane was very surprised. The master Kiev was sure of her choice and so were her brother and mother. It hadn't occurred to him he'd be purchased as a body slave at his first sale because he'd never even heard of someone purchasing a new slave to be one. Few people ever chose one because few ever needed one. Few had so much responsibility they needed another to be them, at times, to fulfill it all. He would be more than owned. He would be possessed by the beautiful young master. She was going to brand him as her first intimate touch.

Excitement washed through Dane, soon to be Kiev Dane, as they walked out of the winding corridor of sale booths and into the center of the large sales exchange building. He wanted to run, but his master had chosen to make his branding public. Thousands would know he was the body slave of the female of the younger generation of the Evrun family.

Dane watched the contract signed and his price paid to his mother's owner. He smiled and told him he was going to love his life and his master very much and be very happy. Dane hugged him good-bye. He wanted to beg him to take him home to his mother and the safety of the family. His mother's owner felt his fear and softly told him that he was a lucky slave. Kiev would love him well and understand him thoroughly.

Kiev ordered Dane to the exhibit platform and told them to prepare him for marking as a body slave. She expected the other slave shopping to take a while, so they had time to do it right. Dane watched her walk away. She would brand him when the family had narrowed the choices for each open position to two or three, then his response to each of their choices would be considered before the final purchase.

He'd been chosen as a prime breeding male by the heiress to the Evrun financial empire. She was so sure he would fall completely _in_ love with her that she was going to bind him forever in public at the sales hall, as if he was a slave from another household who had fallen _in_ love and been purchased by the loved master. He'd never been sold before and never seen a branding. Few had. Many would see his. He shivered in fear and excitement.

Dane was put in the restraints that would exhibit him nicely, while the slaves who worked in the sales hall brought him to arousal, and keep him from flinching during the branding. A crowd began to gather to watch. The branding and tagging of a body slave was exciting. He was rather shocked when he realized the male standing right in front of him was a human and more so when he addressed him.

"You look like you just might grow up to be able to handle the job. Kiev called me to come look you over. I'm Wren Taylo. I'm probably the one who'll yell for your mind and hands most often. I'm chief engineer on the Evrun orbital construction dock. She asked me to help plan your course of formal study. She's director of space construction operations. She always did have superb taste in friends."

"I don't know anything about her, except she's beautiful, very rich and she chose me to be body slave at my first selling."

"Yes you do. You know she won't fall _in_ love with you and you'll love her desperately and completely. I do."

"What?"

"She knows. It's not a problem. Humans aren't in any danger of dying out. I've got three children and may have more I don't know about, but I'm _in_ love with Kiev. She loves me too, but isn't _in_ love with me and won't ever be. We have that in common. The difference is I get stubborn when given an order. You won't. She's my boss and we both like it. She's your owner. You don't have a choice. You're already falling _in_ love."

"I don't know that I am."

The human laughed and walked away. His hair was brown and his skin was light beige, not gold, or he could have passed for one of them. They'd once had brown hair, but black, red-brown, yellow and such had been selected for over many generations. His own bright red hair added to his value. It was unusual, even more so than bright golden yellow. He looked across the center of the huge building at the tops of the winding corridors of booths where slaves waited and hoped the right master would find them. He shivered in fear of the marking, which would tell all he would be made complete slave and the training, which it would take to make him such. He worked to think of something else and the human walking away offered it.

Humans were the only sentient species they'd met who were descended from bisexual mammalian brachiators, as they were. They were even originally descended from an aquatic creature so like they had been that they had 'shoulder blades.' They were so much alike, in both biology and appearance, scientists had checked to see if humans were susceptible to the mutations which had nearly destroyed them. They weren't.

No matter how alike they looked and seemed, they were a totally different species, but the scientists of both species agreed evolution on the two worlds was too much alike for it to be chance and were looking for evidence of 'guidance.' The lonoki considered it probable and an interesting academic pursuit. Groups of humans had nearly come to battle over it and it was likely to remain a subject of heated debate by their religious leaders for several more centuries, even if evidence was found.

Dane gasped as his genitals were clamped in the holding rings and his hips pushed forward by a pad behind his lower back. The anesthetic was sprayed and the hood put on. He'd see no more of his preparation, nor any hand touch him, until his master removed it to tag and brand him.

Kiev chose four males and Jarun chose five females, as the ones from whom they would select three for the household. Their mother, of course, suggested which of the sixty or so for sale, who could fill the positions needed, from whom they should select. Two of the males were quite young. If they'd been virgins, they would have been kept in their mothers' owners' homes and educated until nineteen. They'd sought lovers, so it was time to sell them. Kiev smiled when her slave Tamias knelt before her in the market. She knew exactly why he'd sought her there on that day.

"You wish me to sell you to Foree?"

"I am _in_ love with her, Master. I have begged her to buy me. I think she will."

"I think she will too. You may tell her I'm willing. Mother, we need a maintenance engineer too."

"Sell him to Foree for the price of the young one with yellow hair. She can afford that much and he can be trained for the job. He practically cried when you told him he was one of several we were considering."

"Yes, sweet sister, he doesn't think he has a chance and is probably already hoping his new master will sell him to you when he declares his love."

"I will see what Dane thinks of him first, Jarun. That one has chosen both female and male lovers. He's noted as being extremely promiscuous for his age, which might make him very useful in our household, but you don't want him as a lover. If Dane doesn't either, it could be very difficult for him. He can't really be _in_ love with me yet."

"He's pretty and I'll enjoy watching my girls playing with him. I might get interested enough to play with him a bit once in awhile."

"Play a bit, but not let him make love to you. That will have to be Dane and we both know it."

"He'll enjoy it if you watch."

"He'll enjoy anything I command him to enjoy. Hello, Foree, I see Tamias wasted no time."

"I love him, Kiev, but I can't pay what he's worth."

"You can have him for the price of the pretty young male with yellow hair and gray eyes in the third booth down the corridor behind me. I don't know that I'll buy him yet, Foree, but that's your price for Tamias. He'll sire children for you and he won't for me. Are you going to make him your body slave?"

"No, I haven't decided if I really need one yet. I'm not sure Tamias is the right one anyway. He'll be happy in my household though. He is _in_ love with me. I'll check the young one's price. If it's too much for me, I'll just have to tell Tamias he has to wait awhile."

"He shouldn't be. His mother's owner hasn't begun his higher education, so only has his siring fee and reasonable maintenance to recoup. He's priced him to sell quickly. That one's heart would be broken if no one bought him today. Mother thinks he may be a good maintenance engineer, with training."

"Then he will be. I'll go look at the slave and his price. I'll post it as hold in your name at the purchase counter. If you decide to use it for him, we'll have them draw up the agreement for the purchase and exchange and not have to pay off-sales-floor filing fees."

"Foree, you think like an accountant."

"I know, Kiev. It certainly helps with the family business, but not a great deal when I ask myself why I'm purchasing a construction equipment maintenance engineer. I'm sure he'll figure out some way to use his training and skills to contribute to the household. I need your personal records in nine days, Jarun. I'm not going to put my entire household on your taxes around the clock for three days to get them in on time this year. We will have twenty days to prepare them if you have to pay a twenty-day late-filing fee."

"I'm sorry, Foree. I didn't intend to be so late last year. I also didn't realize they'd gotten that complex. I know it this year. I hope to have them ready in three days."

"Good. If you hope to have them ready in three, there's a slim possibility you'll have them ready in nine."

Jarun laughed and nodded. He never lost track of a penta-unit of business or family money, but his personal records were a jumble of notations wherever he put them in the comp files and had to be tracked down and deciphered. He hoped he'd be done with the chore in three days, but nine was probably more accurate. He was still hunting about thirty-two thousand units and he knew he hadn't spent all of them on casual entertainment. He had several purchases for his household to locate yet. He watched Tamias trail Foree and felt a bit sorry for his friend. Foree had many male slaves and he would probably never become her favorite. She was unlikely to choose one.

He was pleased with Kiev's choice and more so when he saw him on the marking platform. The bright red-gold curls of his body hair were unusual and quite interesting. The curls were darkened and his pale gold skin glistened with sweat. Jarun noticed he was trembling and smiled. The first hand he would ever see touch him was Kiev's and he was obviously very ready for her to claim him. Jarun followed her up on the platform and took the tags she handed him.

She would not waste any time. The public claiming was for others, not herself. She would have done it quietly and in private, but many needed to know she had chosen a body slave, so they would deal with him, without asking for her. It would also leave no doubt in the slave's mind that he was her chosen body slave. It was the beginning of his training. He held out the first tag when she nodded to the preparation supervisor to remove the hood. Kiev had the nipple tag on the ring and was welding it shut before the slave's eyes adjusted to the light and he could focus on what she was doing.

She tagged his ear just as quickly, then caressed him gently before welding the tag ring in his scrotum. A body slave was a 'complete' slave. Gedin, Jarun's body slave, though he hadn't actually named her as such yet, would never have an apartment, or even room, of her own. Neither would Dane. Neither would ever want one. If their masters didn't want them for the night, they would be told who to go to, or they would sleep on the floor before the door to their masters' rooms. Jarun applauded with the rest, when the male slave screamed and ejaculated when she branded him.

Kiev got the healing agent on Dane fast. The pain was diminished by the topical anesthetic, but it was controlled, not prevented. The pain of the branding was the need of the slave chosen as body slave, not the master. It was given, but further suffering was not allowed. She cleaned her hands while Dane was released. He was helped to follow her down from the platform. The crowd applauded again as he stumbled through it in the wake of the one who had bought him, then claimed him completely for all to see.

Kiev led Dane to the females first. They bought a young engineer who told Jarun she had plans to occupy his sleeping platform quite often, but would accept the pretty male trailing his sister as a reasonable substitute. She told Kiev she obviously had "great taste in males, period." Dane watched Jarun kiss her and smiled when he told her to get dressed and wait for them at the sales counter. Jarun obviously had great taste in females. He was starting to recover from the shock of being purchased as the male body slave to Evrun, or at least putting it aside to deal with later. He did realize it would probably be much later.

The second female was actually chosen by their mother. She was middle-age, her children were grown and the master she had loved had died. She was an engineer with just the construction background they needed and her brother would like her a great deal. She'd already met him. She said she was rather excited about the plans for the huge new wing of the house he was building and the expansion of the spacedock facilities planned when it was completed.

Kiev led Dane into the booths of the four males, one after the other. She began with the deep gold young male with dark hair and gold-brown eyes. Dane wasn't in very good shape to ask questions of him, but she was pleased when he said he thought he'd fulfill the position, until the time came he sought another master. She agreed and bought him on that basis.

Her mother liked the older male. Dane noted it was quite mutual and he probably had much to teach the young people in the kitchen. The chef nearly jumped into his clothes and dashed for the sales platform. Iliev laughed. Sometimes a slave didn't find the right master until late in life. The chef was too excited not to believe he finally had. She didn't need a male slave, but she needed a chef and he wasn't too old to father children if he fell _in_ love with her.

Dane sighed when he saw the young male with satiny, blue-black, soft-curled hair and violet eyes. He was lovely and his mother's owner was selling him reasonably because he required training. He also required a household with a large number of females. He said he would work hard to learn whatever task his master set. His face lit when Kiev told him the position was maintenance engineer and to dress and await them at the purchase counter.

"Kiev, what about the one with golden-yellow hair?"

"That's a good question, Jarun. Mother, I think he could be educated to fill a position in research and development when he's ready. He won't be for several years, but we wouldn't need him there for several. He has a very high math aptitude. I think he could handle the physics curriculum. We've chosen the slaves we need. Do you want to make the investment in education on the basis he'll be needed later?"

"I think it's reasonable to purchase him on that basis, but he'll be in your household, not mine. You do like him. If Dane can give him what he needs, he'll be quite useful."

"Dane, he needs at least one male lover as well as females. I hadn't planned on this, but I think he's chosen me. He's sixteen and his mother's owner priced him to sell today. He noted he's rather fond of being in the middle of a large group and it was time to get him out of the one he was in, before he assured none of the others his age were virgin at their first sale either."

"If you choose him, I will accept him, Master."

"I know that, Dane, but I would much prefer you enjoy it too. Look him over and see how he responds to you and if you respond to him. He doesn't know I'm considering him yet."

The young male dashed to the front of the booth, as soon as he saw them. Dane smiled a bit ruefully, stepped into the booth and kissed him. The young man's response was immediately obvious. His gauged his own as best he could. He'd never had any lovers and a male hadn't even occurred to him as a possibility. He wasn't prepared for the young male to drop to his knees and begin to work to arouse him. He stepped back and looked at his master.

"It's time he had a great deal to do and think about. Yes, I think he has chosen you. I didn't dislike his touch. I can judge no more than that in honesty, Master. I've never been touched by another male before this day and he was the only one who touched me I knew was male."

"Dress and follow us to the purchase counter. You will study physics for a position in research and development. Dane will be in some of the same curricula, but have much other besides. You will make sure he does not fall behind in physics and math because he must study so many other things too. You will learn well enough to tutor him when necessary."

"Yes, my beautiful master. You have chosen a body slave and I will serve him as I would you, for he is part of you to me."

"Exactly. Follow."

Dane expected to be dressed before they left the building, but one of the other slaves was handed his clothes and he was collared and leashed. He would be no farther from his master than the length of the short gold chain on the collar unless she tied it somewhere or took the collar off. He was a body slave and his training to accept his complete possession had begun. Both the young males were a bit jealous, and at that moment, he would have traded with either of them.

Dane struggled to stand where his master tied him and in the position she placed him, on the transport through the city. The family had gone to the front of the car. He'd been left in front of the doors and shivered each time they opened with a blast of cold air and another group waiting for transport looked him over.

He was trembling by the time they boarded the tram to the estate. Those boarding had all examined his tags and brand. News cams were focused on him and commentators on platforms and the train discussed his physical structure, genetic lines, responsiveness, sale price and claiming, and the record of his education to that point. They asked no questions of him and didn't bother Kiev. He wasn't really coherent and commentators did not intrude on the Evrun family. He was news and many casts would begin with the story of his purchase.

He was Kiev Dane and he would respond to the name Kiev at any time she was not present. His image needed to be widespread, so the people who called for her and got him would know they had reached her. He was beyond even wishing the image wasn't so complete by the time the third commentator lifted his genitals, so the cam could get a better image of his tag and brand.

A few evenings later, Kiev watched Jarun idly fondle her body slave and smiled. They were all helping get him ready for her. She motioned her other new slaves, Yan and Taral, over to her couch and told them to give her a massage. Both were as eager to please as kinto pups and she was already growing quite fond of them. She was thinking about giving them Dane to play with for awhile in her room before retiring, then chaining him at her feet and taking them both to bed with her.

She'd worked her way past their ages. Wren Taylo had pointed out they were both over eighteen in his years and their species matured at about the same rate. She'd giggled and told him thinking of them as old enough if they were human didn't really help, then realized it actually had. Dane was more unusual for a male in that he had waited than they were in they had not. Of course, most males didn't become such a problem they needed to be sold at sixteen like Yan had. Taral was almost eighteen and that was more common.

Kiev relaxed under the massage and closed her eyes. She opened them and smiled when Jarun took over. He was skilled and they would learn watching him. She left Dane tied in the dining room of their apartments and followed Jarun to his sleeping platform. Dane, Taral and Yan were going to give them more time together. Taral and Yan had already begun. Jarun said his girls were anticipating Dane being available. They all liked him and enjoyed playing with him. She thought about the other things Wren Taylo had said to her that day. She had too high respect for his opinion to just dismiss it because she didn't like it.

"I've decided something, Jarun."

"You do that quite often, Kiev. It's surprising that it's still surprising."

"Call Candred and Trennon now. I'm ready."

Jarun dove for the comm console. If Kiev said 'now,' that's when she meant. Trennon answered and said they'd be coming by flyer and there in a half solar unit. Jarun grinned when Kiev translated that into the human time measurement of ten minutes. She liked their smaller divisions of time and found them extremely useful. He, personally, preferred longer units and a much looser schedule. However, he was beginning to be so busy that 'looser' was no longer an option and the human time measurement, without fractions to add, convenient.

The number of "seconds" minutes" and "hours" in their day and "degrees" of a circle were a bit odd, but "ten minutes" was so close to one-half solar degree in the lonoki system that conversion was very simple.

When Candred and Trennon arrived, they dashed for Jarun's rooms. Kiev had indicated she was willing and no one had any idea when she might do so again, or even if the bit of time it had taken them to get there was too long. The two dropped coats and clothes and climbed onto Jarun's huge sleeping platform with the two they loved more than any others, besides each other, and began to love and build their families.

In the rest of the house, slaves worked to be pleased. Dane didn't know how. He stood where his master had tied him. He was alone. Even Yan and Taral had sought others for company and understanding. His tears fell unheeded by any. His master had given another lesson. He had been shown, without doubt, that she would never love him in the way he loved her. It was several units before Gedin untied him from the banquet table, led him to the body waste facility, then retied him outside the door of Kiev's room. Yan and Taral came a few units later and sat down beside him to wait. They slept there, curled together, that night. All of them were learning the truth of what they were and the real horror of what had been done to their people.

Kiev was quite pleased with her sudden decision she was ready. She would make it again as soon after the two were born as possible. Her life was going to get very busy and she didn't want to be trying to fit the problems of pregnancy into an enviro suit when she personally needed to see work being done on a ship in space. Her uncle was getting ready to turn the entire operation over to her and she knew it. The three in front of her door pleased her, as well. She began making plans to sell the rest of her male slaves. She knew who they should belong to, even if they did not. She wanted to do it before she moved into her apartments in the new wing her uncle was building.

Dane, Yan and Taral started on their studies that morning. The basic courses were all comp programs and available in the house. They would not need to travel to the university complex until they began advanced ranking courses requiring laboratory work. Dane 'buried' himself in the study programs. His master had not touched him since she had claimed him. The need in him was building. He could ignore it when he worked his mind as hard as he could. He didn't notice that Yan and Taral were working just as hard as he was in an effort to keep up.

Dane didn't know Kiev was extremely pleased with him and them. He knew nothing but that he was tied by the banquet table at dinner and at her feet each night, and that everyone in the house touched him but her, though no one would relieve his need and he had been forbidden to masturbate to ease it. He was going to learn exactly what the geneticists had done when they increased the physical desire of his people.

Kiev had decided not to give Dane release until she'd borne her children, all of them. She wouldn't want him while she was pregnant. He'd wait the nearly two years and be leashed and naked, until she was ready for him. His course of study in the house would last at least that long. She began planning the breeding timetable for her slaves and looking for one or two more. She wasn't being cruel. He was a bit too beautiful and brilliant. She had to make sure she fulfilled both their obligations to their people. He was far from being ready to surrender himself completely to her will. She was pleased with that too. His inner strength was what would make him capable of the task she'd given him.

She began to give him to Yan and Taral each night and he learned to please them and entertain her, but he was never allowed to enter them or ejaculate. She had him taught to give her massage and oral pleasure, which was the only kind she wanted. She watched him carefully. She would not push him beyond his limit, until she was ready to take him. If he reached it before that time, she'd give him release with her touch or give him Yan, not a female.

### Chapter Three

Dane stood where he'd been tied and watched his master command Yan to give the female his seed. The combined sudden cry of complete release and loss of consciousness of the two slaves told both masters they had been successful. They moved to Taral and the other female.

Dane began to want his master to command him in that way. He'd begun to want her to command him in any way she would. She was carrying her second set of twins and had still not touched him. He was beginning to have trouble thinking and soon his studies would begin to suffer. He didn't know she'd already collected the deposits for his breeding fees and he had a very full schedule beginning not long after the twins were due.

Kiev smiled when Taral responded to the command and Dane arched with him, though he didn't ejaculate. He was almost ready. She wasn't yet, but she had taken care of her obligations to her species. She would, of course, spend the first night she wanted loving after the twins were born with Jarun. Then she would spend two or three with Yan and Taral. By then, Dane would be truly ready to surrender himself completely and accept her commands. She hadn't planned on it being nearly two years when she'd bought him, but had seen the strength in him and the danger of it for her. Jarun had been too right. She'd bought a slave she could fall _in_ love with and she'd moved immediately to counter it.

She led her three near-stumbling slaves from the breeding room back to her apartments in the new wing of the house. She was pleased to find her other two slaves asleep in front of the door. Mal and Kano were adjusting well and would be ready to breed at the time she'd scheduled them. She led all five into her rooms and told them to prepare for the evening, then went to visit and play with her children. They were in Jarun's apartments. He had room for the nursery and more than enough slaves to take care of them. Her section of the new wing of the house, by comparison, was very small. She didn't plan on needing more.

Jarun now had fifty-nine female slaves and room for all their children. She had five males and they had closets and drawers. They needed nothing else. They bathed, dressed and slept in her room and under her eyes. Dane didn't have closet or drawers, of course. He wore only a collar and leash. He didn't know the closet and drawers, where she kept her maternity wear, would be his when she no longer needed it, nor that she had been buying him clothes to fill them, one or two items at a time, for two years.

She was surprised when she felt the first pain, but it was only four days early. She told Jarun to call the physician and walked to the birthing rooms. In a few 'hours,' her obligation to give children to her people would be fulfilled. It was time to begin on fulfilling Dane's.

Gedin told Kiev's slaves where she was and called Dane to come out of the apartment. He was a bit surprised, but went to work on the project proposal which Kiev had been preparing. He didn't know it had been set aside, to be completed while she birthed her children, as his first real task in her name. She had carefully made sure it would be hard work for him, but not beyond his capabilities. He finished it just before Gedin walked into the office with the news the labor had been difficult, but Kiev and the babies were all doing well. He gave her the completed project file and she led him back to the apartment.

Dane carefully packed all of Kiev's maternity wear just as Gedin said she had instructed and set the containers outside the door to the apartments. He carried the containers which he had found outside the door in and set them in the closet unopened, also as instructed. He prepared dinner for his master's other slaves and himself and went back to his studies, until they arrived to eat it.

He felt rather good about the project. Gedin had seemed surprised it was done. He thought he'd done it well. He didn't know Kiev's uncle was checking it against Kiev's completed work to see if he'd learned to 'think with his master's mind,' nor that the first question Kiev asked when she woke was how he had done.

Her uncle told her he couldn't tell which she'd done and she whooped. He laughed and said the training had lasted long enough. She agreed and told him it had hurt her that it had been so very hard on Dane, but she had realized that the several days she had originally planned would not be enough and he would never be the perfect substitute for her that he must be, until he could think of nothing but pleasing her. Her uncle agreed that had only really begun in the last twenty days.

Dane began to answer the comm "Kiev." He would at any time she was not available to do so. Other times, he would answer "Kiev Dane." His identity was beginning to be submerged in hers. It had taken longer than anyone but Kiev had expected. He didn't realize it was happening. It would only be truly successful if it arose out of his subconscious. He became completely hers, in the days which followed the birth of her second set of twins. She stayed in Jarun's apartments, with him and their children, and Dane was Kiev for fifty days.

The four other male slaves all knew when it happened. He began to command them and they obeyed without thinking because the commands were hers. Kiev observed from Jarun's apartments, through his slaves, and carefully intercepted those calls and projects which were still beyond her body slave. There weren't many and they wouldn't be for much longer. He was ready for the next phase of his training and education.

Kiev spent her first night of loving after the birth of their children with Jarun, then went to her apartments after she breast-fed the youngest for the last time. They were both ready for rich infant formula, which had been carefully structured just for them, and she was ready to give them completely into Jarun's care. He and his slaves would be the ones to raise their children, as her mother and hers had been the ones who had raised them. Kiev was more temperamentally suited to the supervision of the business and he to the supervision of the family. She was more like their uncle and he more like their mother, in that way. It was realizing it that had made her ready to have her children. Wren Taylo had made a rather loud contribution to the decision, too.

Kiev walked into her apartments and found all five of her slaves hard at work. Mal and Kano were assisting Dane on a project, in which the only real problem was its deadline, and Yan and Taral were studying. She surprised Dane with her pat on his head and smile. He started to rise, but she told him she wasn't ready to get back to work yet and walked into the kitchen.

She was going to fix dinner for her slaves. They had all fully accepted they were her slaves and were now ready to become more. They would begin to become very good friends and a family. Dane had twenty more days of intense submission and so did the others, but she decided fixing one of her famed stews for their dinner was not going to endanger his training.

The five were stunned when she called them to dinner and served them the stew she had made. All had heard Jarun, her mother and uncle plead with her to make one for them at various times. They understood why at the first taste and added another accomplishment of their master, to the long list none of them knew they subconsciously kept. Kiev smiled when Dane trembled when she warmed her feet against him that night when they went to bed. She was a bit tender from the lovemaking of the night before, but expected to be ready to begin his preparation the next day and teach him to make love the next night. She was delighted when she woke in the morning and he was still trembling.

"Yan, Taral, Mal and Kano, all of you will play with Dane for my enjoyment. You have no other duties this day. I cleared all schedules and I am not in to calls, at all. Yan, wrap his leash around his wrists to keep his hands behind his head. If you need him supported for your play, use chairs or pillows to do so, but don't block my view of it."

"Yes, Master. Master, I don't think he's going to be able to stop ejaculation much longer. I've never even heard of a male staying virgin as long as he has and would not have believed any could be without release for two years."

"You think he's done well, Yan?"

"I think he has endured it longer than any other and he fears he can't any longer. I say this for him because he would never speak it."

"You love him, Yan. I have watched the love all of you have for him and each other grow. It's exactly what I wanted. I have now given my children to my family, to my kind and to yours. Soon, you too will have fulfilled the obligation all have to strengthen our peoples and help maintain our population. That doesn't mean I will never again command you to give your seed, but those occasions will probably be within this house and at the request of a slave belonging to my brother, not as contractual obligation and according to the plan of the Masters' Slave Breeding Commission."

"Thank you, Master."

Kiev watched the four love Dane, but carefully avoid touching his genitals. The avoidance told her they all knew he'd reached the limit of his control and they would not break it. She waited. The moment would come soon. Suddenly Dane lifted to his knees and shouted.

"Master, I beg your touch! Just a touch. I beg it."

Kiev walked to him and gently brushed the tears from his cheeks, released his wrists and led him to the sleeping platform. It had taken less time than she had expected. Yan grinned and told the others it was time to start lunch and 'herded' them out of the room. Kiev was pleased he understood Dane's first loving should be with her alone and unobserved.

Dane shook with his need for her, but didn't know what to do. She kissed him deeply and pulled him above her by his leash. She gently guided him to her and whispered she loved him and the wait had been long and difficult for her too. She smiled into his amazed eyes and drew him into her.

He gasped and plunged into her, screamed in the total release of his kind and fainted. She smiled and removed his collar. She held him in her arms and vagina until he awakened. His expression when he awoke and was still within her was wonderful, then he reached up and felt the collar was gone.

"It wasn't easy for you to become a slave, Dane. To become my body slave, you had to surrender all of yourself and accept you wanted to be completely possessed by me. I didn't realize the same qualities which make you capable of being the body slave I need would also be the ones which would make it so hard for you to become my body slave. I love you and have since the day I bought you. It's the reason I would accept nothing less than all of you. You were willing to work and do anything I asked, but you'd have sired no children. The command could not have reached the depth needed to open you. You couldn't have surrendered to it, Dane. You couldn't surrender yourself until now. The collar is gone because you no longer need it to know you are my slave."

"You know me so well, Master. I'd have tried to please you because you are my owner and I love you, but until this day, I was not a slave. Teach me to please you."

"I plan on it. When I've finished teaching you to make love to a female, you will call me Kiev, except for times you need to affirm you're mine. Then I'll call you 'slave.' Now that you know you are one, we can be friends and lovers. Until you did, we could only be master and slave. I've always disliked being called 'Master.' Now all of you know I am your master and it's no longer necessary."

"You will always amaze me."

"I plan on surprising you, though I don't expect it will ever be as difficult as this time. Mmm, you're ready to begin to learn the pleasures of making love. I learned from the best. There is no one else quite in the same class as Jarun when it comes to skilled loving. I don't expect you to be his equal, Dane. There is something about his lovemaking which can't be taught, and no other male I've known or heard about possesses it."

"His slaves say that each of them is sure she is the most beautiful and desirable female in existence when she's in his arms. I know you are. Jarun is, as you have noted, the best judge of it and he's sure you are. I'll back my opinion, based on my two solar units of experience, with his as true expert."

Dane began to move within her and she smiled and told him she didn't think he needed much teaching. He told her he'd had a great deal of visual instruction in the last two years. She became sure he was hers forever in the next few hours. He gave her all the passion of his soul through his body, and all the passion of his body, as well. She didn't tell him he satisfied her more completely than Jarun. It was something he would realize in time. Jarun was a superb lover with any female. Dane only desired to be the perfect lover for her.

### Chapter Four

Kiev and her five had dinner together and she took all of them to bed with her for the night, but they didn't make love and she slept in Dane's arms with the other four around them. In the morning, she sent Dane to the closet he'd emptied and told him to unpack the containers. She walked over and put her arms around him when he opened them, saw what they contained and began to cry. Every item had a little slip of paper with the date she'd purchased it laying atop it. She had told him, in a way no words could, that she had been waiting for him and it hadn't been easy for her either.

She smiled and helped him dress for the day. He said he just wouldn't have expected that the first time he got to wear clothes, all he would want to do was take them back off, because he really had other things he preferred to be doing. She laughed and told him he soon would be, but this time not with her.

"I've put off those who want you to sire children for two years and they're not willing to wait longer."

"I... don't desire anyone else, but I will always do as you command."

"My obligation to your kind is as important to me as my obligation to mine. We'll all be quite busy fulfilling it for awhile. You, Yan and Taral will all be attending classes at the university starting in twenty-seven days and I intend none of us have that obligation unfulfilled when you begin."

Kiev didn't tell him that meant she'd be spending most of her waking hours in the breeding room until then. He'd realize it. They all would in a few moments.

Dane was nervous. Since Yan, Taral, Mal and Kano were nervous too, he didn't worry about it much. The female slaves in the family whistled and shouted times when they were free. Yan shouted back he'd bring Dane's schedule around for them to make appointments. Dane was surprised how much he liked the teasing. He was also surprised that it relaxed him a bit. Then they passed the front windows and the five of them saw the cars parked in the drive and all got more nervous. Kiev sighed and told them they'd all been where they were going before and only Dane hadn't been a participant before. They all agreed and noted it had made them nervous then too.

Kiev gently aroused each of her slaves herself before she actually took them into the breeding room. They didn't know the five of them were going to be thoroughly looked over by thirty masters, who had brought slaves from halfway around the world to join with them. She led the five into the room, stopped them between the door and the screen which precluded a view in, when it was opened, and told them to disrobe. They were surprised, but obeyed. When she led them around the screen and they saw the large group of male masters, she thought she was going to have to hang onto them, for a moment.

"They've come a long way on the recommendation of the council. They just want to look you over to try to understand why they not only came this far, but are paying so much. They aren't all going to be here at once or watching. Let them examine you and answer their questions, if you can. Masters, all five have reached total completion at least once. If you can command your females, there will be children born of each union. I know the time period that has been set seems odd to you, but they all have heavy work-loads which begin in just a few days and will never really end again. They're about going to jump off the sleeping platform and not stop working until they stagger to it and drop on it at night. They are worth both your time and expense for just that reason. This is Yan. This is Mal. Taral, stop hiding behind Kano. This is Kiev Dane."

"Will you accept the command of your master, Kiev Dane?"

"Is there a choice? If there is, it's not one I can make. Our master commands and we obey. That is the way of master and slave."

"You accept you are a slave?"

"I know beyond all doubt I am. I am my master's body slave. I have no other identity or purpose. It did take time for me to understand it, but I have. I am the most slave of all here. I know it. Acceptance of any truth can be difficult, but it is still the truth and denial of it does not change it."

"Yan, is he a slave?"

"He's our master's body slave. So deeply so, it may be possible he could command the four of us in this room. He speaks with her voice to us. We hear hers in his."

"Kano, same question."

"We are slaves. We adore and obey our master. When Kiev Dane commands, we leap to obey our master with joy. We don't doubt it's her voice we heard."

"Masters, we know why you question about Kiev Dane. You've heard of the two years our master spent training him. If he'd been an ordinary slave, it wouldn't have been necessary. He's more than we are in all ways. One of those is more slave. His children will be beautiful, intelligent and strong-minded just as he is, but only if someone chooses one of them as body slave will one need the training he endured. Only his children will be worth it and probably only his children could endure it. I couldn't. Taral, Mal and Kano couldn't. I know of no other who could, either. We're all slaves, but we need not be complete slaves to accept the command of our master. Kiev Dane had to be made complete slave to fulfill his task. When business calls come and he answers 'Kiev,' no one asks for the 'other Kiev,' or his master. They know they speak to Kiev. It's obvious to them because he does her will and in her way. His children will be worth his fee and many will seek them, when they're of the age to sell."

"We must be master and slave, but we will never be master and pet. Masters, these are my five. I do not say I will never choose a sixth because, like any master, I will buy a slave who falls _in_ love with me, but I'll never seek another. These five will be able to perform every task I set them no matter how complex. If I told them to build another space dock, they would. If I told them to keep the lawn green and growing year round, they would. If I told them to rearrange the forest into straight rows in order of size from here to the coast, they would do that, as well. They are the five premium males of their generation. Kiev Dane has no equal, but these four are the closest."

"The two youngest were not expensive."

"True, Master, they were not. I'm rather pleased Yan and Taral were so sexually precocious that their mothers' owners sold them at sixteen and eighteen, before they had begun higher education. You have their current standings. Look at the curricula, not just the marks. I have five in the top percentile of every class they've taken. Mal and Kano are twenty-four and hold two advanced rankings each. Kiev Dane is twenty-one and his six will come in a group, which I expect him to garner in two more years. Taral was purchased to be a maintenance engineer and I realized that was a waste. He's studying spaceship systems and engineering design. Yan will have advanced rankings in physics and mathematics by age twenty. He will work in research and development. Frankly, Masters, they're going to make my family even wealthier. Now, some of you brought slaves and are staying. The rest know when you're to return. If you keep them here much longer, my slaves will have difficulty attaining arousal. That I will not command. I'll aid it if needed, but I won't command it. Yan, Kano, Mal and Taral, dress and go to the small parlor at the end of the hall. Fix the females there a nice snack and open a bottle of wine. You'll have some time to get acquainted. Masters, if you wish to go with them and tell them who are paired, you may. Refreshment and pleasant entertainment have been arranged for you in the gaming room two doors to the left of this one."

Dane watched them all leave and turned to Kiev. She pulled his head down and kissed him gently. She told him he was first because he would be very uncomfortable in the parlor and she knew she'd have to prepare him. He dropped to his knees, held to her legs and wept. She stroked his hair and let him shed the tears. He had forty females in the next twenty days. It had been only ten until four days before. The breeding council had demanded it.

She hadn't lied when she said he had no equal. The fifty days he'd been Kiev had been added to his education ranking and the council had demanded she spread his genes across the planet. No other slave had fathered more than ten sets of twins and those had been spread over years. Forty sets were demanded of him and they had little time.

She was _in_ love with him and had known she would fall _in_ love when she'd told Jarun to call Candred and Trennon the first time. She hoped he wouldn't realize it until he'd given a few of Jarun's girls the children they wanted to be his. She'd always be rather grateful to Wren Taylo for yelling the truth at her. He'd shouted, "When that gorgeous hulking male gets to know you well enough to _be_ you, he'll be the one you are _in_ love with, you idiot!" She'd known he was right as soon as her ears stopped ringing.

"It seems Jarun, Candred, Trennon and I set a precedent, or at least a fashion."

"You had two sets of children in two years."

"At age twenty and twenty-one. In some ways, Candred is responsible for that. She said she was ready. When I realized I was reluctant because I didn't want to be tied to the house with children, I was no longer reluctant. I'm not my mother. The solution was Jarun and his huge household of women. I had to carry and birth them, but Jarun was the one who wanted children to teach and be near. Candred has about twenty male slaves who absolutely dote on her four. She's not overworked trying to take care of them either. Her mother and Trennon's and his uncle's slaves are attempting to spoil them completely, just as Mother and the rest in our family are trying to spoil ours. Dane, the next twenty days are going to be exhausting. Every one of those masters brought two slaves. One of every two is for you. There were supposed to be ten total. The council demanded more. Of them, only two are from this continent. I don't have any doubts you can do it, do you? Tell me truthfully."

"Master, I don't know that I can give one. I will accept your belief and put my belief in your knowledge of me and of this. I don't want another, Kiev."

"I know, but you must do this for our people. Your children have been judged as being needed, Dane. I knew mine were and gave four."

"Master, they're asking me for sixty."

"No, Dane, eighty and Jarun wants about twelve to twenty. However, he doesn't intend to select whose they are and it's not very far from our apartments to those of his girls. Not here, Dane. You don't ever have to come here again after this. You'll be first and last each day for the next twenty."

"You're going to be the one who's exhausted."

"I know. I'm not pleased. See that I get fed occasionally and remind whoever comes second in the day to steer us to bed at night."

"No, Master, I will tell your mother to see that you are not pushed too hard. We could do nothing if you were. She will tell the masters and the breeding council, and anyone else, exactly where they can go to wait if you need time to rest."

"Well, I hadn't actually planned on telling her what they'd demanded of you."

"You hadn't planned on telling her you were trying to get it over with in twenty days."  
"The problem with teaching you to think like me is you know how I think. I have good reasons, Dane. I want this done. Once it is, I can say the obligation is fulfilled and no more. If we strung the forty out over years, I'd find out a few more had been tacked onto the total every year. This is really the only way I can think of to avoid it. It's basically the same way I fulfilled my obligation to have children. Look at it this way, you don't have to spend forty years fat and waddling. Forty females are going to do it for you and all in the same year."

"Master! My daughters!"

"Oh, you're right. I'll put Mother on it. She'll see to it there's some kind of reasonable limitation put on the council demands for both females and males. I don't want your sons spending their lives in breeding rooms either. Dane, I just had the image of you and I coming to this room about every third evening for the next twenty-five years. My reaction to excessive demands is to fulfill them in such a way that no one has any doubt they are excessive. The breeding council isn't supposed to make demands at all. They're only supposed to make recommendations. They overstepped their charter and I want everyone who sees the members to tell them so."

"This will do that. I understand why, Kiev, but I still want to hold only you."

"That's why this works, Dane."

Kiev began to arouse him. It was so easy to do, it made her ache. Bringing any of them to the breeding room made her ache. It was a pain every master bore, but usually the loved slave wanted to have or give children. Masters usually disliked the breeding room far more than slaves did. She and Dane were both going to hate it before the twenty days were done.

The female was young and shy. Her master gently helped prepare her just as Kiev did Dane. He smiled and softly said he would hold her hand. Kiev knelt close so Dane could look into her eyes. It was the first time with another for both of them. That was the reason Kiev had made the young female the first. When their bodies began to respond to the physical pleasure of sex, the two masters prepared. The moment would come when they both would be ready. Her master's could be a bit before or after, but Kiev's command to Dane must be at exactly the right time. He lifted his head and looked into her eyes. The other master saw and gave the command. The young woman screamed and arched and Kiev gave Dane the command.

"Give her your seed!"

Dane cried out and the other master helped Kiev catch him, when he would have fallen onto the small and slender young female. They held him to her until the spasms of his body ended, then gently eased him to one side of her. Her master smiled a bit ruefully and gently picked her up. He would lay her in the room next door with her clothes and bring his other slave and Yan back. Kiev gently cleaned Dane and decided she rather liked Master Tratho. She didn't think he would leave his young slave until he had at least gotten her dressed and probably not until she was awake.

"Master?"

"Hello, Dane. You did well."

"The others are right and so were you. There is overwhelming love and total submission in the instant of fulfilling the command. I could not have obeyed it before."

"Was it pleasant enough you want to do it about every third evening until our hair turns white?"

"No, definitely not. However, I think I will be willing to accept it a few more times for some of Jarun's girls. Just as long as it's only a few."

"I gave him my definition of a few already. Ready to get dressed?"

"I'm not sure I'm ready to move. It's far more depleting than I realized it would be. It wasn't this way with you."

"I didn't command it. I think the depletion is because the command is so hard to obey."

"Yes, it's very hard. It's also impossible not to obey it. I love you with all my being."

"I know, Dane. If you didn't, that command would have been only words and there would be no reason for us to be here."

"You dislike it."

"Every master I know does when it's done in this way. It's different when two slaves who know each other well and like each other ask their masters for aid. In most households, that's the way it always is. Because you five, and most of Jarun's girls, are extremely beautiful and intelligent, much more attention is paid to your pairings. Those qualities are what make a slave expensive and why the homes of the wealthy have breeding rooms and those of the moderately well-off do not. Clothes?"

"Are they around the screen?"

"No, right over here. I'll help. Dane, I'm busy. Both of me. You aren't expected to solve any problems or answer any calls. Your time between now and after dinner is yours. You aren't required to spend your time in the room down the hall either, but are welcome to do so if you wish. Dane!"

"Your touch arouses me. It probably always will. This time it's not for another. Master, don't put us from you for twenty days, please. Your loving touch strengthens us all."

"My current response to this whole thing is grab you all, run for our apartments and bolt the door. I don't know that any of us will want loving, but I'll definitely want you near at night."

"Hello?"

"Yes, Yan?"

"Tanny and I are here, Master. Do you need help getting Dane on his feet?"

"I'm on them, Yan. They seem to be steady, but my knees aren't quite."

"Dressed?"

"Yes."

"Now you know."

"Yes, Yan, I do. Hello."

"Hello. It's nice to almost meet you. I'm Tanny. Master Kiev, Yan and I should be simpler than Cadra. We like each other. I've never done this before, but I like males and he's a pretty one."

"Our babies are going to be gorgeous."

"You two get yourselves ready. I'm going to walk Dane out. He's still a bit wobbly."

"Yes, Master. Dane, there's a beautiful female named Levile in the parlor. She'd like to meet you."

"I'll go there in a bit, Yan. I need to walk off the wobble first."

"I didn't tell her you were coming. I just thought you should know she's there."

"Thank you."

Kiev walked Dane to the door and watched him walk slowly down the hall in the opposite direction of the parlor. She took a deep breath and went back into the breeding room. Yan was waiting for her between the door and screen. She knew what was coming. He loved Dane very much and was going to ask questions.

"Two in the same day?"

"And every day for twenty. I had ten for him. The other thirty weren't my idea."

"Couldn't you spread them out?"

"No. How long do you think it will be before he realizes I'm _in_ love with him?"

"Oh. There had to be a reason for all of it, two sets of twins in two years, to too many women in too few days. About fifty days maximum. Better tell Jarun to have his girls draw straws or something. You should tell him why first. It's going to hurt him. More if you don't tell him."

"I will, Yan. The reason I gave Dane is the demand is excessive and by demonstrating it in this way, there won't be four hundred more added over ten years. It's a valid point too."

"True. I'll give that one to Mal, Taral and Kano. The breeding council needs a swift kick."

"I have a suspicion Dane is going to ask my mother to deliver it."

"Yan?!"

"Coming, Tanny! Give us two minutes, Master."

"Two minutes?"

"I agree smaller divisions are useful. Dane, Taral and I may have everyone in the physics department using nanoseconds within ten days of starting classes."

"I don't doubt it a bit. It will delight Wren. Tanny?"

"Is fun."

Dane knocked on the door of Iliev's apartments and was shown to the greenhouse where she was preparing her winter garden. He explained he was worried about Kiev and why, and the reasons she had given him. He grinned when Iliev started yelling for people as soon as he finished. She wasn't going to stop Kiev, of course, but she was going to see to it the six of them were well taken care of and that a lot of people knew just what the council had done.

Dane watched as Iliev put all three other households in the family into action. He walked out and grinned as Jarun ran by going the other way. Kiev would be fed and he wasn't worried about his children any longer either. Iliev had jumped to that point 'two seconds' into his explanation.

Dane did like the female in the parlor. They talked and got acquainted. Iliev saw to it that lunch was served, breaks taken and dinner was pleasant for all herself that day. Dane wasn't exactly comfortable, but the support of the family had helped Kiev and being acquainted with the female seemed to make it easier for her when their time came after dinner. Iliev was there to see they all got to Kiev's apartments and 'tucked in' for the night when they were done. She almost guided Kiev and Jarun almost supported Dane to get them there. It was the first night. They had nineteen more.

To say it got easier would be a misstatement. It became more familiar. Dane learned he could spend a solar unit with a female alone in the breeding room and help them both get ready. He didn't become an accomplished lover. The object was to get it done and make it a not unpleasant experience for two strangers. That bit of time was all he had with the first he held each day. He usually had some time during the day to get acquainted with the one in the evening. The schedule was exhausting for all of them. Giving the command was as emotionally difficult for Kiev as obeying it was physically difficult for her slaves.

When the twentieth day ended, the other four came to help get Kiev and Dane to her apartments. Dane made it about halfway, then slowly folded. Kiev blinked a few times then sat down beside him, tipped over and went to sleep with her head on his chest. The four got help fast. They hadn't told the family it was finished. Jarun had Kiev in his arms and two of Iliev's slaves had Dane on a stretcher in under two minutes. They'd all been watching over them to see they made it. Yan told Jarun he wanted to talk to him. Kiev hadn't had time and he knew it. He also could see Jarun was hurting.

"She just hasn't had the energy or time to talk to you, Jarun. She's also been struggling to keep Dane from realizing it until this was done."

"She's _in_ love with him."

"I think that's why you have four children. She saw it was going to happen."

"I warned her it would, when she said she wanted a body slave. She was so sure it wouldn't."

"She wasn't expecting Dane. It wouldn't have happened with me, Taral, or probably anyone else and no one else could have put emotion on hold for a year to give a second set of children. No one else could have hidden and controlled it long enough to finish this. She wants him to give some of your girls the children they want too, Jarun. I figure she might be able to keep him from realizing it another twenty or so days. After that, I don't know. They're different."

"She may be able to command him because he knows she does want some of the girls to have his children, but there was no possibility she could have convinced him with a stranger."

"I don't know that either. They break the rules we're all sure can't be broken. They make me wonder if the upper limit of translight travel is really a limit, or we just haven't found a way around it."

"Please, I'm already sure my sister doesn't make mistakes. If you turn out to be the physicist of the millennia, it would be a bit much."

"That 'bit much' would probably be in the family coffers."

"My, what an interesting idea. I do hope you discover something new. It hurts, Yan."

"I know that too well. Every slave does. It's the one thing we all understand. It was harder on Dane than most. He couldn't have been a slave if he didn't love her far beyond life itself. What's the difference between master and slave, Jarun? Is it that ability to love so deeply that one can subjugate one's will to another? Do we love masters because they can't? Were the original masters and slaves the 'born' leaders and followers?"

"Those are the questions we've asked ourselves almost eight hundred years. The answer is we just don't know. I'll get my girls to choose amongst those of them who really want Dane's children. I'm going to include the rest of you in it. I'm going to tell them my sister has left no uncertainty that she wants it done and those who want your children will have them now, or choose another as father when they're ready."

"Not very many, Jarun. A few each, please. I know of three who have said they want mine."

"I know of five who do. I think that's reasonable as a limit and will tell them I do. Some of them may have made other choices already. It's time I knew them as well. Thank you, Yan."

"Jarun, I know she did intend to talk to you, but she wouldn't do it until she could do more than just say it and walk off."

"I know it too, Yan. I know her to the depths of her soul and I love her with all of mine. Trennon is _in_ love with her too and so is Wren Taylo. Perhaps every male who comes to know her well will fall _in_ love with her."

"I fell _in_ love with her two seconds after I saw her the first time. When she walked away, I started planning how I'd convince whoever bought me to sell me to her."

"I think you're _in_ love with Dane too, Yan."

"Shh. Slaves aren't supposed to fall _in_ love with other slaves. It took two years for Dane to accept he was a slave. Let's not confuse him."

"I see. Your response to Dane is as if he was a master."

"Yes, and it's more than he speaks with Kiev's voice. What makes a master and a slave, Jarun? I'm a complete bisexual. I fell _in_ love with two, female and male. I know the difference in what I feel for them and the love I have for my master's other slaves and several in your household, including you."

"Thank you, I think. It's a bit difficult to judge how I feel about what you've said. The knowledge the one I will always be _in_ love with is _in_ love with another hurts too much for me to notice any other feelings at the moment, but I did expect it. Goodnight."

"I'd wish the same, but I know it won't be."

"No, this night won't be."

Jarun called all his girls together and told them to decide if they wanted children by Kiev's five. He told them no more than five sets of twins fathered by each and the time was now because his sister obviously wanted it finished for good. Gedin said she didn't blame her a bit and the others agreed. In the morning, Jarun carried a list of twenty-five to Kiev. She looked at it and smiled gently.

"You know."

"Yes. I think I always expected it and last night it became obvious. Yan saw I'd seen it and talked to me. He told me you'd planned to, but wouldn't do it until there was time to really talk."

"True, but I was also having a great deal of difficulty in finding the words. We need this day to rest. One each the next five. Since there are five each, he won't see why I'm hurrying so. I love you, Jarun, but it's becoming more in the old way of our kind every day."

"I think I knew that was coming too. You're going to hold none but your five when this is done."

"I don't know that yet."

"I do. I also know it's going to be difficult for you to hold the other four, but you will because they need it so desperately. Wren Taylo once told me making love to you may have been the biggest mistake he ever made and he was very glad he'd made it. I'm beginning to understand exactly what he meant. I know Trennon does. Be careful, loved sister. Every man who has come to know you well is _in_ love with you."

"I don't plan on any more getting to know me well. I nearly dodge male slaves who aren't _in_ love with another master now."

"And you were rather distant with the slaves Mother chose for you. I understood why even then."

Kiev gave the list to her five and told them Jarun had understood she wanted it finished for good, perhaps even better than she had. She asked them to understand, as well. Yan told her they did because it was very obvious to all of them that it was difficult for her. She smiled and told them she expected it to be much easier to give the command when the females were known and loved, but she did want it done.

It was easier, even with Dane. One of those on his list was Gedin. That surprised her a bit. She didn't know Jarun had chosen for her because he knew she would never choose for herself. When it was finished, they had a day to be together before Dane, Yan and Taral started classes. They spent it in her apartments.

Shortly after they finished dinner, Jarun knocked on the door. He grinned and told Kiev the house no longer had a breeding room. Their uncle had remodeled the wing where it had been and they now had six classrooms. He'd said no one in their home would ever be pushed into the arms of a stranger again and he'd probably slug the next person who brought up the subject of a breeding council recommendation. Kiev laughed and told him persons who said their uncle had "mellowed with age" were obviously a bit premature.

### Chapter Five

Kiev took her three to the university to enroll in classes. They came home and Kiev hunted her uncle. They'd been told there was a course requirement they had to fulfill and it had surprised her and them. She understood why the requirement had been added and agreed with it in principle, but it was going to be time-consuming and she disliked the idea of her three having to spend ten to twelve extra solar units at the university at least every other day.

"Uncle Tarun, the physical education classes make sense, but the extra time they'll have to spend training to get good marks in them is a problem. I just learned Mal is the only one of my slaves who knows how to swim and Kano is the only one who ever had any sports training."

"You want a pool, gym and trainer here."

"Yes. I know you're busy with the dock expansion, but I can't even estimate the cost of what's needed because I don't know what is needed. How big should a pool be? What kind of equipment is needed for a gym? What type of sports should it accommodate?"

"Big enough for a hundred children, everything we can think of and every sport we can imagine?"

"Uncle Tarun, doubling the size of the dock has gone to your head."

"Suddenly realizing there are going to be at least eighty children on this estate has affected my reasoning. I didn't expect your brother to bring sixty females into the family. I have noted he's going to pay for any further enlargement of his apartments. Hopefully that will slow its growth a bit."

"They fall _in_ love with him, Uncle Tarun."

"I'm hoping he'll give fewer the opportunity to do so. I told him he had quite enough females to provide variety in his sex life and the menu did not need to include every female slave who hadn't chosen a master on this planet. He admitted he was rather busy and his sleeping platform did tend to get a bit crowded. I'll put Chessa to work on planning and construction and have your mother locate the right person to supervise it."

"She'll buy one, Uncle Tarun. She does not think of hiring people."

"I know. In this case, that's not a bad idea. If we're going to have a swimming pool in our home, as Wren says many humans do, I want someone here to watch over it and make sure all the children know how to swim and the rules for its safe use, just as he says they do. I'm telling her because she isn't likely to choose someone for your household or Jarun's."

"I don't want more, Uncle Tarun. I especially don't want one who is still searching. I love Kano and Mal, but I almost wish I hadn't chosen them."

"Three are already two too many?"

"It's becoming obvious to everyone, isn't it?"

"I suspected since you decided to have children four days after you bought him. I became sure of it when I watched you nearly stay away from him until you were pregnant the second time. Your mother and I are both _in_ love with our body slaves. If we'd found them before she had you, we'd have no children. The way you did it made a great number of young people ask questions of their parents. They're discovering that many more masters fall _in_ love with slaves than they realized and having children before they begin choosing their own slaves might be a good idea."

"Is this new or have we been hiding from it?"

"I think it's increasing, Kiev. Our mother and uncle are _in_ love with each other. Our cousins are and so are their mother and uncle. Your cousins are, but they too are young."

"How are they?"

"Venlo says they're all well and prospering in Plainsland City. I spoke to him four days ago. Truval is pregnant. She seems to think you had a good idea."

"Truval was probably looking for an excuse to have children now instead of waiting a few years."

"Quite possibly Are you going to tell him now?"

"I don't plan on telling him at all. I imagine that means I'll blurt it out at just the wrong right time."

"We're too much alike, Kiev. I understood that perfectly. Have them start with something besides court sports or swimming. We can put exercise mats and pads on the walls in a room for them, until the sports area and pool are done."

"Weightlifting and kindit were the only things which would fit in Dane's schedule this quarter."

"They're teaching kindit?"

"Yes. The course description stressed the philosophical part of the discipline and the course can be used to fulfill philosophy credit requirements."

"If it's got a philosophical part, it was borrowed from human martial arts. Kindit philosophy is do more damage to the enemy than the enemy does to you. I studied it for about a year when I was a bit younger than you are now. I have a suspicion they're teaching a human martial art and calling it kindit."

"I like humans, Uncle Tarun."

"I can think of no one, whose opinion I consider worth listening to, who doesn't. Wren Taylo is rather a good ambassador for his people. Their official ambassador and her staff are nice too. In the forty years since the turgee introduced us, we've gotten used to the idea there is a species a great deal like us in this arm of the galaxy."

"Wren says they've been deliberately going slow in building an association with us because they have a tendency to overwhelm other cultures and their ways could threaten the survival of our species."

"I like to think their culture is much like ours would have been if Tregdull hadn't tampered with the way we reproduce and almost wiped us out. Of course, the fact Tregdull did tamper and the difference between their martial arts and kindit tell me I'm probably wrong. I ignore those facts and think what I like."

"My generation is going to have much more contact with them than yours."

"Both of our species are too curious to maintain the current level of contact much longer. If that slave of yours is right about there not being a limit on translight speed, we're going to suddenly have them as close neighbors."

"What?"

"Jarun told me Yan is wondering if the translight limit is really a limit, or as much a fiction as the speed of light was, before Haloss discovered the translight equations."

"He's seen something. I think it's time I found out what. Thanks, Uncle Tarun."

He watched Kiev nearly run for the door and chuckled. Then he sighed. His planned ten days off, while preparations were made to begin the next phase of construction on the space dock, were getting rather busy. He decided he'd have gotten bored with nothing to do for ten days, anyway, and called his sister and Chessla, his surface construction engineer. The speed with which she'd moved on his decision to get rid of the breeding room indicated she was already rather bored.

Kiev arrived back at her apartments just as Mal and Kano got back from their day's work at the company offices. She sat her five down to talk and asked Yan what he'd seen. He told her he'd found there was another value which would work as one of the constants in the Haloss equations. He'd made an error when working one of the simpler ones for practice and then realized he'd almost solved it with the value he'd entered incorrectly. That had made him curious and he'd hunted the value which would work. They all stared at him when he said the constant multiplied by pi to one hundred thirty-four significant digits had done it.

Yan noted they were all staring at him and explained he'd just hit the pi function pad by accident, and if he'd known a bit more about what he was doing, he'd have probably just corrected the error because a lot of equations could be almost solved with the wrong value for a constant.

"I've been working on the set of equations with the new value for about a year. I think I'll have them ready when I have to come up with something for a publishable work to get honors when I get my rankings in mathematics and physics.

"Yan, have you told anyone else about this little accident you had?"

"No, Kiev, I haven't finished solving all the equations yet. I've been pretty busy completing all the regular course requirements and haven't had a lot of time to work on them. I thought I was going to have more now, but they stuck those other requirements in on us and about scrapped that idea. I should still have them done in two years though."

"Oh, Yan, sometimes I forget how young and inexperienced you really are in most ways. Dane, since you're the one trying not to giggle, you get the job."

"Oh, thank you, Kiev. I always wanted to set off a bomb that would shake the foundations of science and change the universe."

"But they're not finished, Master. If I worked on them full time from now until the end of the quarter, I might be able to finish them by then. I'm sure the value will work, but I can't prove it until they're done, then they still need to be physically proven."

"You planned that as your university laboratory project?"

"Well, no, I figured I'd see if Dane and Taral would team with me on that and we'd work on Taral's design for a more efficient power conversion system. We'll need it for ships to travel at the speed the equations say they can. I thought I could probably convince Membis to let me do that as my first project when I start work for the Evrun research and development department."

"Uh, Taral, you have a design?"

"Thanks, Yan. Well, Dane actually gave me the idea and Kano and Mal helped."

"Kano, do you remember helping?"

"No, Mal. Dane, have you been handing out ideas?"

"Not that I was aware of. Taral, just what idea did I give you?"

"When I said the plondo seemed like it was awfully difficult to play, you explained the way the air chambers worked so that volume of the notes sounded could be controlled by fingering, so it didn't require you blow harder to get louder. I got to thinking about that, then Kano and Mal were talking about the way terminal charge capacitors surged then blew a day or two later and the two just snapped together the right way to make me ask if there was a way to do an initial charge of the system and maintain a steady input of power even when speed was increased."

"There, Kiev. It was just a question about a musical instrument and a complaint about the nasty job of changing out terminal capacitors that will assure Yan's mistake does change the universe."

"I see that, Kano. Dane, can you drive?"

"Yes, and I did get a license which is still good."

"Good. Switch on the comm, please. Uncle Tarun's apartments."

"Tarun."

"Uncle Tarun, I'm taking my sweethearts shopping and to dinner. I plan on spending a small fortune. I'm sure Yan's solution of the Haloss equations with a higher constant value, and Taral's design of a power conversion system to use them, will cover any cost above what we get back from the university. Dane's driving. I'm going to be giggling too hard. Take care of the insurance, please. Out. Let's get out of here before the comm goes crazy."

Tarun called his sister, but was laughing too hard to tell her why. She got to his apartments fast. He was transferring a huge sum to Kiev's credit account and authorizing a draft against the company for any overage, when she got there. He started laughing again, as soon as he got off the comm, and she called Jarun to see if he knew what was going on. He got there fast.

Tarun had the comm connect him with Wren Taylo, but was laughing too hard to tell him why too. He said he was on the ground and on his way because he was sure this was too good not to get in person. Jarun told his mother Yan had said he had an idea that should make them a lot of money and Tarun rolled out of his chair laughing and burbled Taral was going to help.

Iliev called Membis and told her she should probably get there if she wanted to know why the company was advancing Kiev's household a huge amount and her master was laughing too hard to explain. Tarun recovered enough to say the human worlds were going to be nice to have as close neighbors and Jarun sat down on the floor beside him and started to laugh too. By the time Membis had gotten there, Iliev was sitting in the floor laughing with Tarun and her son.

The people who had told Tarun's mother and uncle they were fools for backing his wild scheme to build a space dock had long ago admitted they were wrong, but he remembered. He also remembered those who had said inter-system trade would never do anything significant for their world. The lonoki had come up with something that would make their world a real part of the economic structure of the galactic arm and Evrun Ship Builders would be the company that did it.

Kiev had a list. It had been a wish list until Yan and Taral had suddenly 'changed the universe.' She took them shopping for clothes first. She purchased formal attire for herself and they figured out that's what they needed when she changed into it at the store. Six units later, five very well-dressed young males escorted a beautiful young female into the most famed, and expensive, restaurant in Omdan Valley. Kiev laughed when the lead server arrived with a bottle of very fine wine and told them her uncle had ordered it for them. He'd guessed exactly where they'd be going. Yan was pleased the server didn't ask his age. He was still a few days short of being old enough to legally drink alcohol.

"Yan, are you old enough for that?"

"Um, in what context, Dane?"

"That's what I thought."

"It's only nineteen days. Master, this celebration seems to be somewhat because of something I did. Or I'm doing. Or going to do. Anyway, partly because of me. I'm so close. Can't we just ignore those few days for this evening?"

"On the condition you all remember to call me by my name and not 'Master.' This celebration has many reasons. I count five big ones and those five are responsible for all the others. The biggest of those is the last twenty-seven days are finished and so is all obligation to give our people children. I will never tell any of you to have sex with a person who is not at this table again. I don't say any person because I rather like watching the four of you making love to the male with whom I am _in_ love."

"What?"

"She said she's _in_ love with you, Dane. We all know it and that it's the real reason she was hurrying to get it finished. She held out just long enough to get pregnant the second time."

"Yan, you're destroying my illusion that I kept anyone from knowing it. Of course, Uncle Tarun had it figured out about then too."

"Everybody did, Kiev. Mal and I knew it when you bought us."

"I didn't."

"You were the one person I couldn't let see it, Dane. I practically avoided you during my first pregnancy so I could manage the second."

She wasn't ready for him to react the way he did and he definitely hadn't planned it. He abruptly stood, grabbed her wrist and pulled her up out of her chair. He slapped her, then kissed her deeply. He looked a great deal more shocked than she did. She rubbed her cheek, then smiled and kissed him again. He hadn't slapped her very hard and she understood why he had.

"I've wanted to tell you so long, Dane. I wanted to stop the training and bolt the door to my room with us inside, almost since the day I bought you. I hated what I did to you and hated the need for it, but our world needs your children. The only way it would have them was for me to hide my love and make you slave enough to accept the command. We succeeded. You loved me enough to become a slave for me."

"I will give my body to no other female again, Kiev. I battled my unwillingness with every one I held. I have no desire to play with other females and haven't since the day you bought me. I won't refuse the loving of Yan, Taral, Kano and Mal because I know you do enjoy watching and I do love them."

"I can't promise there will never be others, Dane. If a slave falls _in_ love with me, I will buy him. I don't plan on it and don't intend to provide the opportunity if I can avoid it. I don't think Jarun will seek me, but if he ever really needs me I won't refuse him either. But, other than all those exceptions, I'm yours alone."

"They're the exceptions every master and slave who love must accept. I'm sorry I struck you. I was angry you made me hold others when you knew I wanted only you."

"I knew why. I'd have probably slugged you if the situation had been the reverse. And that for just one. Now, what kind of car do you want?"

"Car?"

"Yes. You'll be going to the university alone much of the time and at odd hours. I plan on getting each of you personal transport because you'll all be working odd hours and many of them at the spaceport. I think you and I are the only ones who will need flyers, though I think one for communal use is in order too. One glass of wine, Yan."

"Yes, Kiev. It's very good wine."

"He figured he could get away with another quick glass because everyone else is watching you two."

"You can't really blame them, Taral. They're a gorgeous couple and it was interesting."

"Thank you, Kano, I think. Shall we sit down, Dane?"

"I suppose we should, but I don't really want to let go of you."

They were having dinner rather early in the evening compared to most. They still had about twelve units of time left to shop before most of the stores closed for the night, when they finished. Taral, Mal and Kano laughed when Yan said he wanted an anti-gravity sled instead of a car and Kiev and Dane chorused, "No." Yan pointed out a sled was much less expensive and they chorused "no" again.

Kiev sighed when none of them had any idea what kind of car he wanted. She told Dane to pull into the Gravlord dealership. As soon as he parked, she got out and started walking down the line of used cars. A female rushed out of the new car show room and caught up with them about a quarter of the way down the first row. Kano tapped Dane and pointed to the Gravlord sign above the show room door. Dane looked at it, then suddenly smiled and nodded. It said Drednon Gravlord. Kiev had chosen it because it belonged to Candred and Trennon's family.

The five of them and the sales person, who turned out to be the sales manager and the only one working that evening, followed Kiev past all four rows of used cars and then into the new car show room. She walked into the office with "Sales Manager" on the door and sat down. Dane decided the office was a bit small for all of them and caught Yan and Taral, as they started to follow. He told them they'd look at the new cars for awhile because he didn't think Kiev really needed them to see if they could all get into the very small office. They looked at cars.

Dane didn't notice Yan make a fast dash for the office because Mal, Kano and Taral covered for him. He stuck his head in the door, said five words and got back to looking at cars quickly. Dane eyed him. He looked a bit too innocent. That usually meant he was up to something, but he couldn't think of what it could be. He looked toward the office and sighed. Kiev was still talking to the sales manager. Then he noticed Taral, Kano and Mal were working on looking as innocent as Yan.

"Yan, what are you up to now?"

"Looking at cars. That's what you said to do."

"Why am I sure I'm the only one who doesn't know what's going on again? Why am I sure I'm going to be sure of the same thing most of my life?"

"I'm _in_ love with you too."

"What?!"

"I've been breaking the rules most of my life. I'm _in_ love with both Kiev and you. I have been since the moment I first saw you both. I found it confusing, but I've always confused me. I have this nice analytical mind sort of floating on top of an emotional stew. I probably couldn't be faithful to anybody, but I don't think I could stand life without Kiev and you in it. I'm spoiled rotten and appreciate it to my toes. I have everything I want from life now, except a grav sled, but it's not particularly important to me. You, Kiev, Taral, Kano and Mal are. I wanted nothing in life more than to make Kiev pleased she bought me and you pleased I'm in the family. When you both said I couldn't have a grav sled, I knew you were."

"Yan, they're dangerous and you're not cautious. Of course, we're pleased you're in the family. We all love you. You drive us all a little crazy, but it's probably good for us and we're all very proud of you. We were before you nonchalantly told us you were rewriting the laws of physics. I'm probably going to be tripping over your opening statement for awhile, but I have a place I put things you say that surprise me labeled, 'Yes, but that's Yan.' This one will probably fit with a bit of pushing."

"Let's go back and look at the white solar some more, Dane."

"I'll definitely take that suggestion, Yan."

"Humans call them convertibles."

"Call what convertibles, Kano?"

"Solars. Wren said they've called them that since they had internal combustion engines, which burned fossil fuel, and wheels instead of fusion drives and anti-gravity disks. He told me it was because they could be converted from open to closed vehicles and he thought it was one of the few human names for things that made more sense than ours do."

"From what I've heard, it's one of the few human names for things that have a translation. I think we should learn their language. I wonder if Wren would teach us?"

"I don't think he has time, Dane, but we might be able to find someone who does. They've got a big embassy staff here."

"They have a big embassy staff in the capital, Mal. That's a long way from here, about nine units by flyer. Nine units traveling each way is a lot of time out of our busy schedules even if it's only once every few days."

"Do it the other way around."

"You lost me, Taral."

"You got lost when you got close to this car, Dane. I didn't do it. I mean tell the embassy we have a group who want to learn their language and ask they send someone to teach it. They'll be more likely to know the best way to do it. A few units every few days may be all wrong for it. I know that's how the university courses are set up, but Drinda says their language courses don't do more than give you enough of the basics to make other species understand you need them to go very slow. Pretty car."

"Beautiful, and very expensive. I think Kiev might like to learn too, but six aren't really enough to justify asking someone to come here to teach it."

"There are probably others who would be interested if we could arrange it. There are probably several in Jarun's household. We could have Wren talk to us in it to help us keep in practice and get better."

"I think we have a good idea in the making too, Yan. I'll talk to Kiev, and if she likes it, see if we can find some way to do it."

"Why do you think we should learn their language, Dane? It's more than just it would be interesting."

"Yan and Taral have just given us something humans will want, Kano. I've got a suspicion Kiev is going to be the one who goes to sell it to them. I don't think any of us plan on being left home."

"They'd come here to get it, Dane."

"Yes, Mal, they would, but they've already said they're afraid their culture would mess up the one we've built to keep our species from becoming extinct. They're being very careful not to damage it. I don't think we should ignore their caution. Door open. She's done."

"Hello, loves. One for you, one for you, one for you, one for you, and this one is yours, Dane. Have fun."

"Kiev, wait. They're just pieces of paper with numbers on them."

"No, Dane, they're pieces of paper with key codes on them. All you have to do is figure out what car goes with your piece of paper. When you do, move it to the rear of the building to be delivered to the house. If any of you can't drive, ask for help. All licenses will be current and insurance in effect before you take them anywhere. That's at least midday tomorrow for all but Dane. You heard me have Uncle Tarun put him on the policy before we left home. I picked cars I'm sure you'll like. So if you don't like one, don't bother trying the code. Now, have fun."

Yan whooped and dashed for the door. Taral was right behind him and Kano and Mal were a close third and fourth. Dane strolled out after he'd gotten a kiss. Kiev grinned and the sales manager told her she'd gotten the cam on in time to catch the handout and she had tracking cams in the lot on all five of them. Kiev laughed when she made one more joking attempt to get her to trade her car for a newer model, then handed her a glass of nice wine and sat down with her, to watch the screen showing the five males hunting for their new cars.

It was going to take Dane awhile to find his. He was the only one who didn't know he was looking in the wrong place. Kiev planned on giving Yan a big kiss for interrupting them to say, "He likes the white solar," and the rest a kiss for keeping Dane from noticing he had.

Kano found his first. He walked right to the gold Landbird and Kiev held out her hand for the quarter unit she'd bet the sales manager. She held out her hand again when Mal stopped, looked at the green Highglider and went to check it. So far not one of them had walked past the car she'd chosen for them. The sales manager laughed and held out another quarter unit when Taral suddenly took a shortcut between cars and headed for the third row. He got in the dark blue four-passenger Gravlord and started it.

Yan yelled for Dane. He was sure he'd found his car, but he couldn't drive. Dane grinned and ran. Yan was trying to be good, but the red Road Commander solar was a very big temptation. Yan was very pleased when Dane gave him his first driving lesson and allowed him to move the car to the rear of the building himself.

Dane sighed and went back to looking. Yan walked over to the other three and made a suggestion. They all liked it and followed him into the showroom. Kiev laughed when the tracking cam showed what they were doing. Dane looked pretty lonely wandering around the lot by himself. Yan had decided he needed a hint. Of course, he'd have to come close enough to the showroom to look inside to see it.

Dane wandered. The cars were all nice, but he didn't know which one Kiev had picked for him and he didn't want to try the wrong one, not after everyone else had found theirs the first try. He sighed and started down the second row again. He knew they were waiting for him, but he just didn't know which car Kiev had chosen. He was about half the distance back to the showroom when he looked up to see if they were all standing inside watching him. He just stood and blinked a few times while what he was seeing registered. He let out a whoop and ran for the door. Yan, Taral, Mal and Kano were all sitting on, not in, the white solar.

"I knew everyone knew something I didn't, again."

"We knew what car you really liked, Dane. He found it, Kiev."

"I noticed he had help, Yan."

"Who us? We're just waiting to ride out of the showroom in Dane's new car. Not everyone gets to ride through a window."

"I'll clear the field for you."

"Thanks, Maydin. Try to get the cars delivered early, please. I may need mine before midday."

"I'll send them at opening, in the morning, Kiev. Enjoy your new car, Dane. You all have fun this evening."

"Thank you. Kiev, you may need your car?"

"Yes, you'll have to take yours to the university to set off a bomb."

"We're taking this one tonight?!"

"You should probably put the top up. It may rain."

"Uh, I don't know how."

"The pad with the picture of the top on it, Dane. It's at the bottom of the row of pads on the far left. Can he leave it down awhile, Kiev? It's not really cold this evening."

"That's up to him, Yan."

"I'll leave it down, Yan, but not long. We're in front, but Mal, Kano and Taral are in back. They'll get more wind and less heat."

"We're fine, Dane."

"I'm sure you are, Taral. Kano, let me know when it starts getting chilly back there."

"I will, Dane."

"Turn right. We still have about nine units before things close. I think we can choose three flyers tonight."

"I can't fly."

"It won't take long to learn, Dane. It will take quite a bit longer for you to get captain's papers."

"What?"

"He says that a lot, Kiev."

"I've noticed that too, Yan."

"Kiev, captain's papers?"

"We build spaceships, Dane. I intend to have one. You will be its captain."

"Why won't you be its captain?"

"Silly question. Because I'll be the owner. I've about got mine, Dane. I want you to have yours and at least two of you to get executive officer's papers and two of you to pick up engineer's papers."

"You're right, Dane. She's going to go out and sell ships. Now's the time to tell her you think we should learn the human language."

"I think you already did, Yan."

Dane explained the idea for getting a teacher as far as they'd worked it out while he drove to the flyer field. He checked with Kano twice to see if they were getting cold in the back and was even more pleased with his new car, when he told him they were getting less wind than he'd expected and plenty of heat to compensate for the chill of what they did get. The first spatter of rain hit the car just as Dane drove up to the door of the Freedom Wings Flyer Sales hanger. He yelled at Yan to sit still until he got the top up and Kiev giggled. She'd been about to jump out and dash for the door right behind Yan.

They all got inside before it really started to rain. Kiev pulled Dane away from the door and told him the rain wouldn't hurt his new car. He said he knew that consciously, but had the feeling he should be out there holding a canopy over it. She laughed and steered him toward a gorgeous ruby-red four-passenger flyer with glide wings. He told the person who came out of the office she'd take it and left her standing there laughing, while he walked around the big hanger with the others.

Dane didn't know much about flyers, but Mal and Kano did. They explained why most of the smaller flyers had glide wings and most of the bigger ones didn't. Dane said he didn't plan on making many landings without anti-gravity assist, but liked the idea of the glide wings in case he ever needed them. Both of them agreed. He smiled when he saw the sapphire-blue, six-passenger Cloud Runner and Yan yelled.

"He found one, Kiev!"

"Yan, all I know about it is it's pretty, holds six and it has glide wings."

"It's actually a very good choice, Dane. The Cloud Runner line is well-designed and dependable, this model in particular. The green twelve-passenger behind it is also a Cloud Runner. I'd recommend either of them. They're the two best of the line."

"What about the red one Kiev picked, Kano?"

"It's a custom. We'll look it over, but my first impression was it was someone's favorite toy and is probably the best-built flyer in the hanger."

"I noticed it had Talad thrusters and a Yomond disk, Dane. They're the best."

"Thanks, Mal."

"What did you pick, Dane?"

"The blue Cloud Runner, Kiev. Kano says it's a good choice. How many passengers do we want the communal flyer to hold?"

"Good question. Obviously at least six. Your thought?'

"I borrowed it from Kano. He said that green twelve-passenger is a good flyer."

"I hadn't really thought of one that big, but it makes sense to have one that will carry more than just us. Let's see what kind of a deal I get on three in graduated sizes."

The salesperson had to check with his boss to make a really good deal on the three flyers, but it was approved. Kiev checked with her uncle before she approved it. She put Kano on the comm and he told him makes, styles and year of the two Cloud Runners and gave a brief description of the equipment on the custom.

Tarun told Kiev it was a good deal and asked to borrow the custom. She laughed and told him she got to fly it first, but he was welcome to "borrow" it after that. Kiev signed the contracts and made arrangements for the flyers to be delivered the next day.

When they got to the car, Kiev said she felt like dancing and directed Dane to the club Jarun had been recommending for more than two years. She liked the look and feel of it as soon as they walked in. So did Dane. Yan definitely did. There were a lot of lovely women in it. Dane informed him neither of them would be drinking alcohol and Yan sighed, but agreed. He knew he was far less likely to be asked his age if he didn't order it and he was a few days too young to be there.

Dane smiled and asked Kiev to dance. He told Yan to order him a nice tea and she specified a wine, then he led her to the area set aside for dancing. Yan grabbed Taral and turned him to watch. Kano and Mal already were. They found out Dane had a skill he'd never mentioned. He was the best dancer any of them had ever seen. Kiev was rather stunned.

"Where did you learn to dance, Dane?"

"One of the businesses my mother's master owns is a dance studio. I was tall enough for two of the instructors to use for a practice partner by the time I was ten. Want to try a human dance style? The music is suitable. It's not difficult and I like the way they dance."

"Where did you learn a human style of dance?"

"Same place. The instructors had a trader bring them several disks of human dances. Want to try?"

"Is there a reason?"

"They hold each other closely and step together in several of the styles. The basic steps are simple. You'll be able to feel the step I'm going to make. I'll tell you with my body and my hand on your back."

"I'll try."

"This hand here. This one in mine. Now I put my hand on your back and we... start. This is called a two step. It's extremely old and about the simplest I learned."

"I can feel what you're going to do!"

"It's called 'leading.' One of the disks was instructional. We couldn't understand the dialog, but the demonstration was very good and very clear. I'm about to make it look complicated. It isn't, but it looks that way from out there. Just feel what I'm guiding you to do and trust me."

"Trust you?"

"I promise I won't drop you."

"Drop me? Oh!"

"See? Easy, and I didn't drop you. That movement is called a 'dip.' Fun?"

"Yes! I like it."

"I've wanted to dance with you like this since the day you bought me. This was the surprise I saved for you. I love you. I'm _in_ love with you."

"I'm _in_ love with you too. Oh, I'm looking forward to the rest of our lives together so much, Dane."

"So am I, Master. I know. I chose to use it. I am yours, Kiev. No other will ever be yours in the way I am and I know it. It's the way that is only mine."

The crowd applauded the dance and one of the musicians asked about it. Dane explained what it was and where it came from. He laughed when he got back to the table and four begged to be taught. He promised he would, but told them it would be better if all had practice partners. He sighed and Kiev laughed when all four left the table to find partners. He hadn't planned on starting the teaching that evening. It turned out to be great fun, and soon, the entire crowd was in on the lesson.

Dane whispered to Kiev that it hadn't occurred to him to use it as a way to keep her as his partner all evening, but it had worked well and he'd definitely remember it. She laughed and told him he'd spoken a bit too soon when all four of the others asked her to dance because she'd know if they had learned it right.

When they went home, Dane proudly pulled his new car into the huge family garage and grinned widely when he saw his name was on the parking space next to Kiev's. Yan whooped and pointed out they all had parking places. Kiev smiled. Uncle Tarun had been busy. That night the four chose places to sleep in other rooms of the apartment, so Dane and Kiev could be alone. She smiled when he cried out and lost consciousness when he came. She didn't think he'd reach completion the first time every time they made love, but with Dane one couldn't be sure. When he awoke, they loved long into the night.

### Chapter Six

Dane wasn't tired when he arose early in the morning. He fixed breakfast for them all and took his and Kiev's to the sleeping platform. The others followed with theirs. They talked about what needed to be done and how they would handle it. A conference by comm, with Tarun, Iliev, Jarun, Membis, Wren and the two attorneys in the family, helped them figure out how to deal with the legalities and the probable publicity which would arise.

Membis and Wren quizzed Yan and Taral a bit about what they'd done so far and Iliev told Dane what to wear. The family was ready to back him up with the university director and board. He felt very good about it and quite proud of the responsibility he'd been given to carry in his name, not Kiev's.

Dane didn't expect to lose his temper that morning, but the receptionist in the University Director's office relayed the message that the director was busy. Students were directed to speak with advisors, who would speak with department heads, who would speak with the receptionist and arrange an appointment with the director, if really necessary. Dane shouted he was Kiev Dane of the Evrun family and required no one to assure he didn't bother the director with trivial matters, then stormed past the receptionist and into his office. The director came up out of his chair angrily when he slammed the door behind him.

"Sit down! We will talk now. I know I'm busier than you are and this is important enough to interrupt my schedule and those of the masters of the family Evrun. I am Kiev Dane of the Evrun family. Three of us enrolled yesterday. Not long after doing so, the family learned two of us do not need to be here. However, they do need the credentials the university awards. Yan, of family Evrun, is enrolled in the advanced physics and mathematics ranking program. Taral, of family Evrun, is enrolled in the advanced spaceship engineering and systems design programs. Yan has nearly completed the solution of the complete set of the Holoss equations with a higher constant value and Taral has about completed the design of a ship drive capable of using them. They don't need to be here."

"They've what?"

"Made the galaxy smaller. The work of both is documented. It has been assessed by Evrun Ship Builders research and development director Membis and space dock chief engineer Wren Taylo. The equations are correct and the power conversion design will work. I'm here to arrange credit for their work to date and get them out of classes they obviously don't need. It is understood there are class requirements which must still be fulfilled for rankings to be awarded, most notably physical education. Now, I think you'll agree, I am not wasting your time. I suggest we get busy and get this done, so that I'm not wasting mine."

"You said you learned this yesterday?"

"Director, Yan is not quite nineteen. He hadn't mentioned it because he wasn't done. It came up because the physical education requirements were going to take so much of his time. He was rather disappointed he wasn't going to finish as soon as he'd thought."

"Nineteen is the lower age limit for enrollment in the advanced ranking program."

"He was admitted because he lacks only a few days and his academic record is superb. Taral is about two years older, but has been rather sheltered. His work came to light when Yan explained he hadn't planned on using the equations as his research project. He had hopes that the three of us could team to build Taral's system design, to fulfill all of our scientific project requirements. I rather wish we would be doing so. Combining the computer programming, engineering, mathematics and physics project requirements would free time for the music and business projects."

"You're enrolled in six ranking programs?"

"No, I am enrolled in six advanced ranking programs. Advanced rankings in the other five fields, in which I now hold basic rankings, would require more than the two years I have available to complete my studies. If the credentials were not important, I would work in various departments of the family company to gain the laboratory skills needed and finish in one year."

"You're actually quite sure of all this."

"Director, I'm the slave the breeding council demanded father eighty children. My master was not pleased, as she had carefully planned the time available for me to father thirty, ten within the family. There are currently forty-five females pregnant with my children, most having been brought from other continents to join with me. They brought females for Yan, Taral and the other two of my master's slaves as well, though not forty each. Our master and we five completed the task in the time she had allotted for fifteen for me and nine each for them because there was no more time. It would be pleasant if I did not have to spend two years attending a great many classes I don't need as well."

"I need to call some people."

"I request you begin with the Evrun family and staff. They have work to do too and are currently waiting for your call, so they can verify my statements and get back to their work."

Once he got organized and got started, the director worked fast. Dane smiled when he told Tarun he planned on sitting down and giggling when he had time and Tarun said he'd spent about three units laying on the floor, laughing.

Dane sat quietly as people rushed into the director's office until the noise of disbelief rose to an uncomfortable level, then he stood and shouted for quiet and told them to behave like the professional educators and scientists they were and not a group of unruly children. The director smiled and thanked him. The noisy group embarrassedly stopped shouting and got to work. It still wasn't accomplished quickly.

When Dane realized how long it was going to take, he counted and instructed the receptionist to have a working lunch prepared for them, set up as nearby as possible, and to have a few extra meals and settings included, in case the group continued to grow. He told her to have it billed to his household and make sure the room where lunch was served was available for use the rest of the day, if necessary. She asked what was happening and he smiled and told her he'd set off a bomb that was shrinking the galaxy and making distant acquaintances close neighbors.

Dane smiled when the surprised group was escorted to lunch and the director dropped back to thank him. He told him he thought better if his stomach wasn't yelling for attention and assumed most others were the same. He didn't tell him he had decided more work space was needed and arranged it, nor that he planned on taking over and getting things organized. The director figured it out when he saw the clustered comp stations on the long table and Dane took the chair at the opposite end of the table from him. He grinned and nodded, when Dane stated there was no need to rush because the room had been reserved for their use the rest of the day, if needed that long. He called five more people to join them for lunch and work. Dane had assured there was room for them and there hadn't been in his office.

Once Dane and the director began teaming, things started moving much faster. The director was quite pleased. The five he'd called took careful note, when he quietly told them Dane had arranged the lunch and they'd accomplished more in the last unit than the ten preceding. They also noted when Dane quietly cleared table service from in front of persons obviously finished and placed it conveniently for the service staff to remove. He was seeing to it that those working were not disturbed. He also saw to it that beverage pitchers weren't empty when they reached for them. It was the type of thing that made the difference between a good business manager and a great one.

When one of the professors pounded a comp terminal in frustration, Dane got on one fast to aid and two people quietly walked to a place behind him and watched. Dane stated he quite agreed with the professor and spent two units reprogramming the "stubborn" section of the registration file retrieval and update program. He grinned when the receptionist stuck her head in the door and said the registration staff had sent a message of heaped blessings upon whoever had just cured their biggest headache. The two smiled at each other, took their places at the table, pulled a comp terminal over and went to work. They began by sticking a stubborn spot in another place for some exceptionally bright student to find and correct. They didn't expect the student to correct it in two units though. Their stubborn spots usually required about fifty to eighty units of work. The one Dane had corrected should have and both knew it.

Dane had no idea he'd just passed an exam with the highest marks ever. The director did. One of the two nodded. They'd agreed Dane didn't need to spend two years sitting through a large number of courses he didn't need either. He nodded to three other professors and they 'borrowed' Dane's assistance.

They wanted to at least partially solve one of the Holoss equations with Yan's value to place in his file "as justification" for recommending he receive credit for ranking requirements on work outside the courses. Dane sighed when they said they didn't care which one and chose one of the simpler ones. He'd passed the first question on the exam. He hadn't needed to look up the Holoss equations to choose one. The three followed his work, as he solved it, and smiled. The value worked and Dane didn't consider himself on Yan's level in math or physics. One quietly noted they should perhaps see if they could enroll in Dane's classes and the other two nodded and chuckled.

When Dane finished solving one of the equations, the director called for a stretch break. Dane smiled. He thought it was needed too. He was pleased when the two fine arts and philosophies professors struck up a conversation with him. They, of course, had to be there to approve Yan's and Taral's past work in their fields, as being all that was needed for their ranking requirements. He was quite pleased to talk about music, art, dance, philosophy and history for awhile instead of engineering, physics and math. He told them about teaching the crowd at the club a human dance the night before and laughed when the female held up her arms in the proper position and smiled.

Dane danced a few steps of several dances with her and was delighted. She knew a number of the human dances he'd learned. She told him he was better at them than any of her students and he explained how he'd learned. She said she knew both instructors and the discussion wandered to the way the society and culture had developed out of the necessity to adapt to survive. Another professor joined them quickly, when Dane expressed the opinion it was about to undergo a series of rapid changes and young people felt it and were developing a way to deal with them. The break ended when he finished explaining his statement and the part he believed the breeding council and many caring masters had played in initiating the changes. He'd passed several more exams.

Professors began to depart one or two at a time. Dane sighed in relief. He'd begun to think he'd be there through dinner and possibly through the night. It was actually a bit past dinner time, when the last professor left. The six accreditation board members and the director pushed back their chairs and smiled. Dane smiled and waited. He expected an explanation of why the task had been so difficult. The university director gave him one.

"Some of the reason this took so long was the sheer disbelief of our colleagues in other parts of the world, whose acceptance of the recommendations was necessary, so that the university didn't lose its planetary accreditation. Some was due to the fact calling some of them in the middle of the night was a sure way to get a flat refusal to listen to anything. And some of it was due to you."

"What?"

"Kiev Dane, it was rather simple to evaluate the work of Yan and Taral as fulfillment of their advanced ranking requirement for two rankings each in related fields. Your work in six unrelated fields was not. Each professor had a limited time to evaluate your depth of knowledge in his or her particular field, but all are quite satisfied they have done so. You set the record for fixing a very deliberate kink in the registration program. Another program now has a kink for an exceptional student to find and correct. Your dissertation in sociology sent professors running for statistical data. They didn't doubt you are correct. Your depth of knowledge of music, art, history, mathematics and physics were all very carefully evaluated."

"I don't think I understand what you're telling me."

"You were right, Kiev Dane. It is foolish for you to spend two years in study you don't need. Your remaining requirements are music performance and physical education. Yan and Taral require only physical education. Oh, and you're getting eleven rankings when you complete them. That was less difficult than refereeing the argument over which department was going to award them."

Dane giggled. He knew it probably sounded silly, but he couldn't help it. He thanked the director and accreditation board and said he was sure his master would be quite pleased and he was looking forward to hearing her giggle. He was still having bursts of giggles when he parked his car and walked into the house. He worked to get 'dignified' and managed it, until he opened his mouth to tell Kiev the results of the day. What came out was a giggle and he just felt for a chair, sat down and giggled.

"Kiev, I don't think those sound like they're going to end soon."

"Neither do I, Yan. Let's see if we can figure out why. Dane, did you get Yan and Taral out of their university classes?"

"Most."

"Everything but physical education?"

"Yes."

"But that's not why you're giggling?"

"I think that giggle was your answer, Kiev."

"So do I, Kano. Let's try some more questions. You got more than you expected?"

"Yes."

"He got enough to make him giggle, Kiev. It was definitely more than he expected. He just doesn't giggle much. He laughs, but giggle is very rare."

"What do you think our chances are of finding out what happened this evening, Yan?"

"I think we might get most of the outcome, but I've got a feeling the story is going to come out between fits of giggles over several days."

"Director decided. Didn't tell. Me too. Why long. Giggles. Music performance. Physical. Education. All left. Eleven!"

"Translation, Yan?"

"I think word, giggle, word, giggle and so on, is they decided he was probably wasting his time too and set it up to evaluate him and find out without telling him."

"Even danced."

"Oh, I will get the whole story. "

"Did anyone besides me notice an unassociated number stuck on the end of the previous burst of words between giggles?"

"I noticed, Taral. Dane, eleven what?"

"Rankings."

"University rankings?"

"Advanced."

"You only applied for six."

"Yes. They decided. Better. Not argue. Who gives. So eleven."

Kiev began to giggle and sat down on a chair. Yan abruptly sat in the floor and giggled. Taral sank slowly, giggling all the way down. Kano told Mal he thought someone should call at least some of the other members of the family and let them know Dane had been successful. Mal burst into laughter and pointed at him. Kano almost made it. He didn't start laughing, until Tarun answered the comm.

Tarun watched him sink out of the camera range, listened to blended giggles and laughter, grinned and called Iliev and Jarun on conference. He said it would probably be awhile before they found out what had happened, but he was quite sure there weren't any problems. Iliev and Jarun listened a moment and agreed. Jarun didn't switch off. He put the giggles and laughter across the house address system. Four babies under two years old liked the nice 'music' and went soundly to sleep.

### Chapter Seven

Iliev bought a trainer. His name was Kola. He was in his late fifties and the master he had loved had been killed in an accident when he was in his twenties. He had two children. One of them, his daughter, was in Jarun's household. He loved children and had taught many.

He thoroughly surprised Iliev when he asked her to enroll him at the university, but she was quite pleased with his reasons. He needed to learn how they were teaching kindit to assure he taught it correctly and he wanted a great deal more knowledge about teaching small children organized play and treating them for the types of injuries they could sustain in that play.

Two units after she brought him home, he was in Jarun's apartments playing with babies and Jarun's girls were working on getting acquainted. He was a very attractive man. His daughter, Claya, was carrying the chef's first children and the two men became instant friends, while studying books on the proper diet for pregnant women, athletes and infants.

Kiev and her five liked Kola. He told them he never raised his voice with a child, but warned he yelled at adults and taught lessons in a way they would not forget, even if that meant they were stiff and sore for ten days.

He 'looked them over,' told Kiev she was on the training schedule and ordered them all weight belts and the proper athletic supports, shoes, and clothing for each activity before he left her apartments the first time. Dane noted he'd never expected to be fitted for something in quite that way and Kiev giggled and said she'd been about as surprised to have her breasts measured and the muscles around them prodded as he had been to have his testicles measured. They were all pleased Kola had said they were in good general condition and didn't require a great deal of work to get in shape before they started real physical training.

Dane drove them to the university for their first day of class and he, Yan and Taral all worked to keep straight faces when the weightlifting instructor wanted to know why Kola was in the class, because he obviously didn't need it. Kola told her he was there because she wouldn't yell at the three he'd be working with to get them through about two years of physical education in a quarter and he would. Then he grinned and told her he needed to know her method of instruction, so he could assure the work he did with them wasn't counter to hers. By the end of the first class, she was using him as an assistant.

Since the three were not required to take large numbers of academic courses, their schedules had been 'packed' with the physical education courses they did need. There were actually only four, but that packed Dane's schedule. He had music to study, as well. He'd also discovered he had a fear of water, when they had their first swimming class, and that was going to take extra work. He didn't know Kola and the swimming instructor were both pleased with his reaction to discovering the fear. It infuriated him. It wouldn't take him long to get over it.

The first kindit class was an explanation of the philosophy and the instructor made no pretense about the fact it had been "adopted" from human martial arts disciplines. Kola was quite interested and explained that he had stopped teaching kindit many years before because there had been none.

The instructor loaded him with material to study and changed his course level. He was an advanced student and would be marked on his assistance in helping him develop the philosophy, which would be incorporated into the course and serve as a model for all such university courses on the planet and, hopefully, all teaching of kindit, in the near future. Kola admitted he was extremely pleased with the idea, but hadn't exactly planned on spending long hours of study on the way home. The next day Dane and Yan both drove to the university. Dane and Kola would both be in class long after Yan and Taral were finished, Dane practicing three instruments with instructors present and Kola working with the kindit instructor on the incorporation of philosophy in the course.

They dropped into a routine. Mornings were university classes for four. Afternoons, Dane and Kola were at the university and Yan and Taral at the company research lab. Evenings were workouts for six with Kola instructing. On their 'days off,' all helped with the construction of the sports and recreation complex. Kiev handed much of her routine company work to others and put in a great deal more time on the construction project. She also located a dance instructor who would teach her human 'social' dancing.

The desired instruction in the human language was planned, but not until the very busy quarter of university study was complete. The human ambassador was quite pleased with both the idea and the timing. She explained that the best way was at least forty days of intense instruction with all participants using no other language to communicate during that period, and it would take time to arrange the embassy schedule so the person best qualified to teach the course was free for that period. She also told Iliev that twelve was about the limit on class size and she thought one of those should be a person who would be willing to do further study of it with the intention of teaching it. Tarun sighed and bought the slave Iliev chose for that job.

The woman proved to be a very nice addition to his household and was quite excited about learning the human language, then going back to the embassy for further instruction and teaching it to others after she had. Wren Taylo laughed when she began trailing him around and asking the human names for everything she saw. He told Tarun she wasn't a problem because she had a tendency to hand him, or others, the tool needed before it was requested, then ask the human name for it.

The six began to get into superb physical condition. As soon as the pool was done, Kano started learning to swim. Kola was rather busy, but one of Jarun's girls worked with him on basics and he began to catch up with the others. He had no fear of water and really liked swimming.

Dane had gotten over his fear when he began to really be able to swim and had started the practice of a before-breakfast swim with anyone he could "drag along," as soon as the pool was completed, usually Yan. Yan noted "drag along" sometimes meant walking in his sleep and an abrupt awakening when Dane pushed him in the pool.

Kola loved the philosophy he was studying and the kindit instructor requested, and got, three students to assist him in writing an instructor's guide for use in the university system and by any others who wished it. Kola requested a trader be found who would bring more reference materials and to be one of the students in the language course, so he could study them in the original form and not a translation. He was added to the list. Since Tarun and Jarun had both requested places as well, there were only two openings left. Those were filled by two of the students who were aiding Kola as soon as he mentioned the course.

Mava, the female who would learn to teach it, had about four classes-worth of students lined up, before the day Kola mentioned it was over. Several were from Jarun's household and a few were from Tarun's and Iliev's, but most were university professors and students, including the kindit instructor. Tarun laughed and added cookbooks to the list the trader he'd contacted was going to locate for Kola. The chef was right about human agricultural products becoming available when ships with the new drive were built.

"Tarun, do you want a 'rumor' the lonoki made a discovery to spread?"

"No, I have a suspicion that, if humans learn there's another solution to the equations they discovered later and put to use faster, they may get ships into production before I do."

"That's quite true. You'd better have a talk with the human ambassador. She'll consider it news of import to send home, and it's not exactly a secret on the planet."

"Yi! Thank you. Tarun signoff. Comm connect to the human embassy in Upper Trade River City."

"Human embassy."

"Ambassador Slezak, please. Tarun of Evrun Ship Builders calling."

"I'll connect you."

"Hello, Tarun."

"Good day, Ambassador. I'm calling to ask a favor for my world, one we need near desperately."

"I will most certainly try to help."

"I ask you not report our discovery of a new solution to the translight equations, until we can put them to use. I know my family company stands to reap the most profit from them, but that's not why I'm requesting this. Our world and our people have struggled a long time to rebuild from the point of near extinction. We were on the brink of leaping to other worlds when we were nearly destroyed by, not war, but a well-meaning geneticist, who hated the poverty and neglect so many of our children suffered because of overpopulation. This discovery, and the drive system which can make use of it, are the first real opportunity the lonoki have had to become more than that 'poor world,' whose people might have been important to the economic society of the galactic arm."

"I think it will as well. I'm personally quite excited about it, but not sure I really understand your request I not report it."

"We have no illusions that humans could very well overtake us and put ships into space before we can. You have resources we don't. Even a rumor of our discovery would put thousands of people to work on your worlds searching for what we'd found. I ask you give my people this chance to be proud of themselves and raise ourselves in the esteem of other species."

"Todd! Stop the courier! Get that packet back here fast! I just realized I made a real error which could damage our friends the lonoki. He says he got the courier, Tarun. I'll take out the reference to what the discovery was in my report and explain why I did. You probably can't stop the news from leaking out, but that will slow it some."

"I owe the trader who suggested I call you a large thank-you, Ambassador. I thank you as well."

"You're welcome and I should have seen it. Tarun, when you're ready, I will file patent applications for you with all human and other species' agencies. I have a complete list. The equations can't be patented, of course, but the drive using them can be. That should assure your people the economic benefit of it, and the recognition by other species for the development of both it and the new solution of the equations."

"I thank you again. Our own patent system is a large number of people refusing to do business with someone because they know a discovery or invention has been purloined. It wouldn't work if there were more of us and we should probably reinstitute formal patents, but we're rather afraid other species would swamp us with theirs and we'd learn most of our inventions are already patented under someone else's name."

"There's a way around that. It's called a grandfather clause."

"A what?"

"It means that something already in use before the establishment of legal parameters, anything from an invention to a footpath, is considered an exception. Basically, 'You can't fence that off. I don't care if the surveyor does say it's on your property. We've been using it since my grandfather was a boy.' Hence, grandfather clause."

"I like it. I like most things I learn about humans."

"We like most things we learn about you too. My current big headache is keeping about twenty thousand sociologists and anthropologists from swarming over your world to learn more. My superior's big headache is trying to find a way to choose the one each I've recommended."

"Talk to Wren Taylo. I think he'll be able to help. He'll have a very good idea of the type of personality that is needed. The one thing we don't want is someone who is going to judge the culture we've built, against what he or she thinks we should have done instead, when disaster struck. I know professionals are supposed to maintain an impartial and non-judgmental attitude, but I also know humans are a great deal like we are and the professional attitude is an ideal which is very difficult to maintain."

"Quite. I've sent two people home for just that reason. Our cultural attitudes do not fit your current biology and your physical similarity makes that very hard to remember. I have a large sign posted in the embassy reminding my staff of that fact."

"My niece and her five males are preparing for the task of selling our discovery to the various species of the arm. Two of those males are the young male who found a new solution to the equations and the one who designed the power conversion system to use it. If they weren't an exceptionally emotionally stable group, I'd be looking for a way to convince her not to do it. I thoroughly believe she and Kiev Dane are a powerful enough combination to handle any situation which arises."

"Kiev Dane?"

"Is my niece Kiev's body slave. He is also about to garner eleven advanced rankings. I believe you would call them doctorates. They range from physics and computer programming to dance and musical performance. He's also quite a bit taller than average, physically powerful, red-haired and exceptionally attractive. The entire group are."

"They'll still run into some close-minded bigots, Tarun, and not just human ones."

"Kiev knows that, Ambassador. Wren Taylo and she are good friends and he has given her a very good idea of exactly what form that bigotry will take and its possible effect on her intended mission. She told him if someone called her an 'incestuous bitch' she'd work very hard to keep her males from turning that person into something that needs to be mopped up. 'Incestuous' wouldn't bother them a bit, but 'bitch' would irritate them immensely. He's not worried about them at all."

"I don't think I am either."

"I imagine they'll make it a point to meet you before they leave here. Ambassador, thank you, again. You've shown you're a true friend of my people and represent yours very well. I'm sure you're busy and I now have three calls waiting. I too will make it a point to meet you in person."

"You have one more call waiting than I do, but I'm not jealous. I look forward to meeting you in person as well, Tarun. Give my regards to your sister."

"I shall. Comm off."

The ambassador smiled, quickly finished with the two calls and began rewriting her report. She ended with a personal note to her superior. She told him granting permission for Warren Taylor to go to work for Evrun Ship Builders was turning out to be the "best damned decision" he'd ever made. She added she'd be instructing all members of the embassy staff and humans currently on planet that no mention of the exact nature of the lonoki discovery was to be made, until they were ready to file for patents. She told him about the urgent call from Tarun and the better understanding he'd given her of the way his people felt about their place in the society of space-faring species of the Orion Arm. She wished him good luck dealing with his superiors, who were probably going to be quite unhappy no one would tell them what the lonoki discovery, that would "change the universe," was, until the lonoki were ready to do so.

The six prepared. Yan and Taral worked every moment they weren't working out and most of the staff of Evrun Ship Builders worked with them, in one way or another. The space dock plans were changed, but not a great deal. The ground facilities were changed much more as preparations to build the drive progressed at the same speed the design did. One night, Yan called to say he wasn't going to make the evening workout or dinner, and possibly not class the next day. Taral called a few moments later and said Yan had forgotten to mention he wouldn't either. Dane looked at Kiev and she nodded. He made a fast call to tell Kola not to expect anyone, then called Kano and Mal and told them to meet them. He and Kiev ran for the door and her flyer. They were at the spaceport and running for the R and D lab a half-unit later.

Yan looked up when they ran in and whooped. Dane just moved Membis and got on the terminal she'd been using. Membis laughed and got out of the way as Kiev, then Kano and Mal, ran through to where Taral was working on the prototype of the power conversion system. She ordered dinner for the lab staff and got on another terminal. She put three others on terminals too. Yan and Dane were working fast and they could do straight computation and have values ready for them when they were needed.

Tarun and Wren Taylo came from opposite directions and practically collided at the door of the lab. Membis watched them run through to the prototype lab, grinned and got back to work. Four of them were barely keeping up with Yan and Dane.

The lab got more crowded as the evening progressed and engineers got the word the equations and prototype were both about to be completed. Some of the crowd, Jarun and several of his girls, came with dinner and literally fed people while they worked. Kola arrived with Iliev and made them all take a short break to "refresh spirits." Membis was surprised how much faster she worked after doing the stretching and breathing exercises he conducted. Yan and Dane weren't. Kola went into the prototype lab and Iliev and Jarun organized refreshments which contained a mild natural stimulant. Wren was yelling for "coffee." Iliev knew the tea he called "close enough" and had it brewing.

Just before midnight Yan yelled, "Finished!" and Dane tossed him into the air and whooped. The physics lab staff cheered and raced after the two of them, toward the prototype lab. They were back on comp terminals in seconds. This time with engineering equations on the screens in front of them instead of physics formulas. The only real difference was the equations were being applied and not solved. At six-and-a-half units after midnight, the prototype was ready to be tested. Four units later, Tarun called the human ambassador. They were ready to file patent applications. It worked. Four 'hours' later, a courier ship lifted for Earth with the patent applications and the news that the Orion arm had just gotten smaller.

About half the people on the Evrun estate were asleep when the courier hit translight speed and the news of what had been done hit the media on their world. They didn't get to sleep much longer. Interviewers, commentators and camera crews moved in on the Evrun complex at the spaceport and the staff yelled for help, with the mob pounding on the doors.

### Chapter Eight

Dane cleared a landing space for the big flyer in front of the complex, with a powered dive that scattered news crews, drew whoops from Tarun, Kiev and Yan and yelps from several others aboard. Dane was out of the flyer and clearing "idiots" as soon as he got the power off.

Dane yelled he'd have the area cleared, if the group didn't straighten up and behave like civilized adults. They got the message when he picked up a big male with a cam, who tried to shove him aside to get to the flyer, and tossed him into the big waste bin beside the huge doors to the manufacturing plant. He knew it was about half full of semi-solid fire suppressant foam and the person would have a soft landing, or he wouldn't have done it, but the mob of newspeople didn't. They got quiet and well-behaved fast.

He thanked them, got them organized by agencies they represented, picked one interviewer/commentator and camera person from each and formed them into a ring around the ramp up to the lab door. Then he led the group from the flyer to the top of the ramp. Personal interviews would be arranged later. He introduced Tarun and stepped back into the group.

"Thank you, Kiev Dane. I'd held little hope this could be accomplished in reasonable fashion. Members of the media and people of our world, two young males in our family have made all of us very proud to say we are lonoki this day. They are slaves, but we understand how little difference that makes in the love and respect an individual is given within a family and our society. Be prepared for the many who will not. The work of these two, and the many who aided, will bring people of every species to our world. They won't be trained ambassadors with open minds, merely ordinary business people with all the prejudices ordinary people have. We have them too. The very words 'master' and 'slave' will strike at the heart of their belief in the basic equality of all people. It is up to us to show them that the respect they are sure those words deny is quite present and no person of this world is denied it on that basis. It begins with my intense pride in the two young males I am about to introduce. People of our world, Yan and Taral, of the family Evrun. Yan, you speak first."

"Oh, thank you, Tarun. Hello. Let's see, I found a value for one of the constants in the Holoss equations that indicated our assumption we'd reached the limit of translight speed was incorrect. Last night I, and a whole bunch of terrific other people, finished solving the equations with that value. Your turn, Taral."

"Uh, I figured out a power conversion system that will allow a ship to use what Yan found. Last night, with a lot more help than Yan had, I got the prototype finished and it worked. Tarun, I'm done."

"All right, Taral. People, these two extraordinary young males are quite obviously also 'ordinary' young males. They're both rather surprised at all the attention and currently trying to figure out a way they can both get behind Kiev Dane and out of the focus of the cameras. My niece Kiev, Membis, head of research and development, Kiev Dane and I, all have a rather thorough understanding of the discoveries and inventions. We probably have a much better understanding of what they mean to our world. We will take two questions each from those Kiev Dane has indicated will be allowed to ask them. Please identify yourself and the agency you represent and try to phrase your questions succinctly. We'll begin over on that side. You first."

"Hassa of Worldnet. You prefaced your disclosure with a reminder and a warning. Do you think there will be actual problems?"

"I'm going to give that one to Kiev Dane."

"What?"

"He says that a lot. You're the one about to get an advanced ranking in sociology, Dane. The question is yours."

"Yes, there will be problems. They needn't be large ones, but that's dependent on how we deal with them. Every person on this world is educated in why our culture and society exist as they do. That isn't true, or necessary, on other worlds. It will be very difficult for many who come here to understand the struggle for survival, which is the basis of our culture. It isn't apparent now. Be patient with their seeming bigotry and know the statistics of our survival. Tell them we had a population of eleven billion when Tregdull set loose the mutagen, which began our long struggle. Tell them it was down to one and falling rapidly, when the government began to try to counter it. Tell them it fell to eight hundred thousand, before we accepted the way that works for us and it has taken us seven hundred years to rebuild the civilization of our world to its current level and our population to just under three billion. If they still don't understand, put their opinion aside as unimportant. You all know the truth of it. Opinion cannot change it, or it would have when we were still eleven billion. If the person is still a problem, call their embassy and ask they deal with it. They will. We have something they all want. They'll be working hard to see no one messes up their chances of getting it."

"What's going to stop them from just copying it?"

"We just filed for patents with every species out there, thanks to the assistance of the human embassy."

"Lillot, News Seven. Kiev, what are your feelings about the accomplishments of your slaves?"

"I'm smug."

"A bit more please."

"Counts as your second question. Just teasing. What does any person feel when someone they love does something spectacular? I, like most young masters, knew when the time came to build my family. Like most, I went into the city on the semi-annual market day. I was looking for Kiev Dane. I didn't know he was who I was looking for, until I found him, but I knew he was the one when I did. Our family needed some others too. So we looked. Taral didn't turn out to be the maintenance engineer we needed, but we're obviously not disappointed. I bought a sixteen-year-old male with yellow hair because he looked like he really wanted to come home with us. We didn't actually have a need for him, but he had excellent marks in math and I thought he might be able to handle the physics curricula and be ready for a position in research and development in five or six years. It's been about two-and-a-half and there's not much doubt he can handle the position I had in mind."

"After these accomplishments, won't it be difficult for them to adjust to a normal work day routine?"

"It depends on what that normal work day is. Somebody has to get out there and sell this innovation to the other species. We've been studying to do that too. We'll be ready when the first ship is built with the new drive. Yes, new drive. My other two males, Kano and Mal, have been working on that with Wren Taylo. Now the equations are solved and the method of sustaining power has been tested and what would have been just a more powerful drive is going to be a much faster drive."

"Jasew of Interplanet Communications. How much faster?"

"Somehow, I doubt you're ready for the answer. Yan, in terms we can all understand, tell them, please."

"Um, terms we can all understand? Kiev, I'm not sure... Let me think. It now takes eighty-seven days at maximum speed to reach the area of space where the human worlds are located, one hundred nineteen to their home world of Earth. With the new drive, using the new solution to the Holoss equations, it will take about three-and-a-half. See, it's a function of pi and it's applied three times and... Um, we won't go that fast most of the time. I mean, we have to reach full speed and slow down, so about eight or nine to Earth. Kiev, I'm not making it better. They look pretty stunned."

"I rather expected they would, Yan. Wren bumped into things for three days after you told him."

"I still bump into things when I think about it, Kiev. I quit thinking about it before I damaged myself. People of the media, Yan and Taral just put your people and mine on the same block and the eight species between us in the same building, so to speak. It's now only about two years across our galaxy. Of course, one would be going too fast to see anything, but it makes true galactic exploration possible. Speaking for humans, in general, which I'm not authorized to do, but will anyway, it's going to be real nice to have the lonoki as close neighbors. Of course, you will have to give your world a name."

There was general laughter following Wren's statement. It was rather an old joke that most species had a half-dozen names for their home world and the lonoki had named every planet around them, but just called their home world "our world." They always had, and they'd resisted every attempt by other species to stick a name on it. Lonoki was lon, female, and nok, male, and the ending syllable made both plural. Basically, it was females and males, or people. The lonoki had struggled not to call humans womani for the first ten years after they'd met them. They were the only species they'd met whose name for themselves didn't just mean "people" in their own language.

Dane grinned at Wren. The old joke had done exactly what he'd intended and 'taken the edge off' of Yan's statement. Dane had practiced until he could actually say his name properly as prelude to learning the human language. Warren Taylor sounded so odd to the lonoki that he'd changed it for them. They used all the sounds, but not in that way and he said he rather liked Wren. He'd told Dane a wren was a common small bird and Dane told him an "odd bird" would have been more reasonable. He'd laughed and agreed. They'd become rather good friends in the last quarter-year.

The session moved on quite smoothly, until someone asked just the wrong question in just the right way and every male at the top of the ramp and Membis winced. Kiev went from cool to boil in an instant and the questioner got a lot more than he'd expected for an answer.

"If you'd done some research, you'd know I have four. If you'd done a bit more, you'd know Kano and Mal will soon have thirty each, Yan and Taral will soon have thirty-eight each, and Kiev Dane will soon be the father of ninety. I had mine as close together as possible and as soon after I bought Kiev Dane as possible. I helped Kiev Dane accomplish what the breeding council demanded of him as soon as possible and as fast as possible too. He was about to realize I am _in_ love with him. We don't owe our world children. And if you'd been paying attention, you'd have heard Yan tell you the most distant planet we know of with a spacefaring race on it is only about ten days of journey, so we will get home for visits. That was the last question for us. Inside now, Dane."

"Yes, Kiev. Giggle inside, Yan."

"Oh, and I thought I'd stunned them. Did you see their faces when she said ninety?"

"No, Yan, I was watching my feet turn bright pink."

"I'm sorry, Dane."

"You told me you wanted to tell the whole world you were _in_ love with me, Kiev. I should have realized you were going to find a way to do it then."

"I did, didn't I?"

"Oh, yes, you most certainly did. Hello, Jarun. I thought you were still at the house."

"I drove down and snuck in the back. Sweet sister, you set them back a pace."

"Uncle Tarun and Wren will smooth things, Jarun."

"I doubt it. When I left the monitor, where I'd been watching the news, they were still laughing and Membis was beginning a lecture on what the new solution of the equations means to the science of physics."

"She didn't leave them in any doubt we were getting prepared, Jarun."

"No, Mal, she didn't. If you all want to go out the way I came in, I'll loan my car and take your flyer home when the mob clears a bit."

"Thank you. You're the best brother a female could have."

"You're pretty terrific yourself, Kiev. I think I'll go out and let them ask me a stupid question so I can tell them I have sixty-two females in my household, six with children and twenty-seven pregnant, plus your four, and state I really won't have time to miss you much."

"Jarun, that's three more females than you had a few days ago."

"I tried, Kiev. I've been staying home and being good, but I couldn't really say no when they told me they were _in_ love with me and asked me to buy them, could I?"

"No, Jarun, you couldn't."

They monitored the news on audio and Dane almost had to pull over. Someone asked Jarun a stupid question and he gave exactly the answer he'd said he would. Tarun shouted he gave up and Jarun said the interview was over because his uncle and Wren were laughing too hard to answer questions, Membis had run out of words of less than five syllables to explain the work, and he had babies who were expecting a story before their nap. The six in the car decided they liked Lillot of News Seven. There was a hint of laughter in her voice when she ended her story with the comment that the Evrun family had definitely given their world a great deal more than most would ever manage.

When they got to the estate, everyone in the house seemed to be giggling. Someone had called Jarun's apartments and asked Gedin, who answered, how the females felt about all being in his household. She'd said since all but seven had told him they were _in_ love with him and asked him to buy them, the answer would seem obvious. She'd added she and the other six who hadn't were quite obviously _in_ love with him too or they wouldn't all be pregnant, then turned sideways for the cam just before she switched off.

Kola strolled out of the kitchen about the time Lom finished telling the story and stated it had been an excellent attempt, but he doubted the family had cured the media people of asking foolish questions. He helped carry Dane to Kiev's apartments. He probably could have gotten up off the floor and walked, but being carried made him laugh even harder and they all liked the sound of it.

### Chapter Nine

The university quarter was in its final few days when Dane was placed on the musical performance schedule. He was a bit nervous about playing for the judges, but had expected he would be. He had no doubts he'd pass, but he really would like to keep his record of marks in the top percentile in all subjects. He didn't mention the performance to anyone, but several other people mentioned it to a great many. No one told him they had.

Examination performances had a strict set of rules, primarily designed to keep proud families and enthusiastic friends from making students nervous and judges irritated. If they were not followed, the performance was canceled and rescheduled, if there was time available before the end of the quarter.

Dane walked onto the brightly lit stage in the darkened auditorium, carrying his trella, kend and plondo, and sat down on the stool facing the three judges. They would make no comment, until he completed performing his chosen piece for each of the instruments. All advanced ranking performances were three pieces, one each on three instruments; one wind, one string and one percussion. Keyboard instruments were either classed as string or percussion, depending on whether the key strike caused the strings to be plucked or hammered. No instrument which produced sound electronically was allowed.

Dane's percussion instrument, the kend, was a type of drum with four heads. It was spun with the left hand and struck with a short thick stick, with a round head on both ends, with the right. If the heads were tuned precisely, and the musician good enough, the drum could actually carry the melody for most simple pieces. The piece Dane had chosen wasn't simple, but had been written specifically for the kend.

His wind instrument was the plondo. Wren had called it a close cousin to the bagpipe that had been taught whining was impolite. Dane had resolved to hear bagpipes, when he'd added they could make one shiver with the eerie beauty of their music. The piece he'd chosen for the plondo had been written for it as well. It was not simple either, but would show off his precise fingering.

The trella was an eight-stringed lute. Three of the strings, top, center and bottom were actually double strings, one producing a harmonic, so played like the five string treya, though much richer in sound. The piece he'd chosen for it had been written for a totally different instrument, a plucked keyboard, and Dane had arranged it for the trella himself. It was a bit of a gamble, but it was Kiev's favorite piece of classical music and he had decided he'd rather put the work into it to please her, than in something to please the judges. He'd laughed at himself a bit when he'd realized he wanted to try it out on them to see if they liked it before he played it for her.

Dane began with the plondo. He could feel there were people in the audience, but it was common for lower level students to attend many, or all, of the advanced level examination performances. He decided Yan, Taral or Kola might be in the silent and dark audience area too because he just felt like there was love and support coming from it. The performance schedule for the day had been posted that morning and one, or all three, of them might have seen it.

He was rather pleased. Yan and Taral would both know the piece he would play on the trella and whether or not he should play his arrangement for Kiev or work on it a bit more. He brought his attention back to the plondo and the judges. Thinking about Kiev was liable to put a bit more romantic feel in the music than should be there.

When he finished the piece on plondo, he felt rather good about it. He had made no errors and managed all four time and key changes smoothly. He lifted the kend and stood. It was allowed because the kend had to be held uncomfortably high to avoid hitting one's leg if played while seated. He had less problem with it than most because of his height, but the extremely martial flavor of the piece he'd chosen just didn't seem to go with sitting down. He actually enjoyed it. The acoustics of the auditorium made the fast and complex tones and rhythms of the piece sound a great deal better than they did in a sound-baffled practice room. He sat back down, laid the kend back on the floor, picked up his trella and tuned it carefully.

When he began to play the piece he'd arranged for Kiev, he quit thinking about where he was and why. He thought of her and the fact she was _in_ love with him. The piece was intended to be romantic and he intended for it to tell her of his love in a way words could never express. He didn't know he was wearing a soft smile and his eyes showed the love he was feeling. He didn't know every note spoke of it, or notice two of the judges close their eyes and smile. When he finished the piece, he almost had to work to remember where he was. He set the trella down, stood and bowed to the judges. It was the final act of the performance.

Suddenly the auditorium erupted in thunderous applause and the lights came up. Dane turned and stared in shock. There wasn't an empty seat in it, people were sitting in the aisles and the whole back wall was lined with people holding recording cameras. The area in front of the stage was filled with sound recording equipment, and the front eight rows were filled by the Evrun family; Kiev, Yan, Taral, Kano and Mal sitting front row center. He turned back to the judges and they were on their feet applauding. The whole audience was coming to their feet. He bowed, grabbed his instruments and somehow managed not to run off the stage.

One of the judges went after him and pulled him back on-stage to take another bow. She laughed when he got off the stage even faster the second time. He didn't have instruments to pick up. Jarun, who was seated behind Kiev leaned forward and spoke softly next to her ear.

"Get him off this world fast, sweet sister, before several hundred females fall _in_ love with him. He may not have been born a master, but he's no slave and only his love for you could have made him become one."

Kiev turned and stared at him. His tone said he wasn't joking and his expression was almost cold. He nodded toward the large group of females to the left of the family and she really looked at them. She looked back at him and he nodded again. She'd seen it too. He could see it in her eyes. Yan, who had heard and seen the byplay, softly said, "Yes, but the song was only for you." She turned to him and realized there were tears in his eyes. He smiled a bit wryly and told her most slaves only fell _in_ love with one who would never love them in the same way. She put her arms around him and his tears fell on her shoulder. She led her four to find Dane. He was backstage and nearly hiding in the shadows.

"Kiev, I felt people. I felt family, but didn't know it was all of you. Or all of them. I didn't tell anyone. I don't understand it. Why were they here? Why did they record it? I just don't understand why?"

"I do, Dane."

"They need heroes, Dane. We just handed them a bunch. I'm cute and Taral is about too pretty, but you're the big gorgeous one."

"And we all get behind you and Kiev when they turn cameras on us. You two don't get tongue-tied."

"My fingers would have been lumps if I'd known they were out there today, Taral. I'm very glad that's over. Did you like the trella piece, Kiev? I arranged it for trella, just so I could play it for you."

"I know, Dane. It seems odd everyone else I ever heard play it used the wrong instrument. Let's go home. In three days, you all get your rankings and will be done here. Bring your instruments, Dane. I want to hear you play all three of them again, especially the trella. I should tell you now it was probably a mistake. I have a feeling you're going to get very tired of playing that piece for me some time in the next fifty years or so, as often as I'm going to ask for it."

Dane smiled happily, handed Taral his plondo and Yan his kend, picked up his trella and walked beside her toward the side exit of the building. Taral looked at Yan and grinned. Yan grinned back and signaled not to say anything. He wanted to see if they'd get all the way to Kiev's car before Dane remembered he had his. They did. She asked him where his car was parked, when he got in. He looked so surprised, Kiev burst into laughter along with Yan, Taral, Kano and Mal.

Dane grinned and told her where his car was parked, then he remembered Kola. Kano told him not to worry. Kola had already figured out he wasn't going to be quite all there and would either be waiting at the car or have caught a ride. He was waiting by the car. Dane noted he wasn't doing very well when Yan and Taral got out to get in Yan's car, which was parked next to his. Kiev gave him a kiss and Kola picked up his trella, when he turned away and left it leaning against her car. He said he thought they'd be home some time soon. He remembered the route. Kiev laughed and told him to remind Dane he was driving, often.

Kola was the right person for Dane to have along on the rather long drive home that day. He was still confused by the number of people in the audience and the recording equipment. Kola told him to step outside himself and see it as it was and not as he saw it from his place within it. He told him to begin with his price and his very public claiming as a body slave, and who had paid it and done it, as if he was an observer and did not know Kiev or himself. He told him he understood his people too well not to be able to understand all that had happened. That it had happened to him made it difficult to see from the outside, because he had knowledge those others did not, including the true pain of his training and fathering of his children.

"They wanted eighty children by me because they see me as the 'perfect' slave. They think I'm exactly what they have always said they wanted. Now I've fulfilled every slave's dream. My master gave the world four children and I gave it a huge number, then my master fell _in_ love with me. The family we belong to is wealthy and our household is a loving part of it, with all members contributing to it and our world. Then we lifted our people to a higher place among other species. Yan said they need heroes and I'm the 'big gorgeous one.' He's exactly right."

"Yan is usually exactly right. He is an incorruptible innocent. His wisdom is as complete as that of one who has vast numbers of years, perhaps much more so."

"Explain, please."

"If something confuses him, he puts it aside as confusing and doesn't puzzle over it. He knows that if it confuses him it has no simple answer and does not require one. To him, the statement 'love is' requires nothing else. We want to add to it. Love is what? We add a hundred words, beautiful, sad, wonderful, painful, joyous, tragic and on until we run out of words. He says, 'Yes, love is.' Like the simple equation that contains many complex ones, he sees all the parts in the whole."

"And every complex part has been solved by someone at some time. It's only necessary to do it if a new value is found and there aren't any new values in emotion, especially love. Infinity is an absolute. All values are within it. The possibilities of love are infinite. They don't need further definition."

"I like that. I will remember it. Dane, you are the slave who could be a master and that's what the masters and the slaves both want."

"What?"

"You really do say that a lot. I didn't say you are. I said you could be. Females could fall _in_ love with you, or so they believe. The belief is all that's necessary. Your master did. Why not female slaves? We hate the division between us. We hate the necessity of being master and slave. We hate the fact we're becoming two species, one requiring the other to survive. We say 'symbiotic,' but masters don't need slaves to have children. They don't need our labor. They use it and command us from birth, so we'll obey the command to pass our seed. They see it as a heavy duty and love us, but don't require us. In truth, we are parasites upon them. Perhaps all slaves with masters who fall _in_ love with them could be masters if slaves believed it. With you, because of your exceptional intelligence, talents and beauty, it's easy for them to believe."

"We're still not fertile together."

"But the dream is still there."

"Yes, the dream is still there. I think it too is needed for our survival."

"So do I. One day slaves and masters will fall _in_ love with each other and have children together and the separation will be ended. One male and one female will again join in love and bring new life to the world. A dream, but all of us need it."

"A dream, but sometimes dreams come true."

"Exactly. Sometimes masters fall _in_ love with slaves. If that dream can come true, why not this one?"

"Yes, why not this dream too? And so they look for slaves who could be masters."

"They look for slaves who they could fall _in_ love with because that is how we've defined it."

"And because they only see part of me, they see me as one they might."

"Don't mistake it in that way, Dane. They would not think it less likely if they knew you well. It's good you're leaving this world for awhile. You don't want females telling you they're _in_ love with you and asking you to buy them. Remember, it is the belief that is necessary."

"Yes, and they've made many believe they could fall _in_ love with me."

The awarding of rankings at the end of first quarter was usually an affair noticed only by participants and proud families. This time it was on its way up to a planetwide media event. Dane walked into the university director's office the day before and told him he wouldn't give a speech, nor even say a few words, and if much ado was made about the number and types of his rankings, he wouldn't attend. The director looked very surprised. Dane handed him messages from three females who'd asked for a meeting with him. They'd seen him on the news and then his performances and were sure he was the one with whom they could fall _in_ love.

The director got on the comm and told the presentation organizer Kiev Dane would not be speaking and his rankings were to be read and presented without comment. The organizer was shocked. The director told her it was at his request and read her one of the messages. She told him to tell Yan and Taral they'd be giving speeches. The director and presentation organizer were both masters. They weren't envious of their positions as such. They wouldn't wish the pain of the duty of a master on a person they didn't like. Whether or not Dane could have given the command and had it obeyed was irrelevant. He was a slave and had already borne the pain allotted to him.

Yan and Taral understood and Dane and Kiev helped them write their speeches. All of them helped them practice. When Kiev Dane was called the applause was thunderous, then the quiet extreme when his rankings were read off and presented and he bowed and left the stage. The family applauded loudly and people got the idea and joined in. Taral gave a very good speech and people applauded in true appreciation. Yan didn't know he was going to scrap his until he started to speak.

"You're disappointed. Why? I'm the one who solved the equations and Taral's the one who built the power conversion unit, so we can use them. Are you looking for something real? Or are you looking for a fantasy hero larger than life? Kiev Dane is a wonderful, warm and loving male and my own personal hero, but he's no fantasy. He has a temper that sends us running for cover. He's a total grouch if he doesn't get enough sleep. He's a real person just like me. And you. We all want a fantasy hero. We all have a dream. We would all like a slave so beautiful and perfect he or she could be a master. We all want to become one people without separation again. Kiev Dane is a hero, but he's no fantasy. He's a slave, not a master. I'm a slave. Most of us are. We need someone we love desperately to command us to have children. Once in awhile that desperate love is returned, but it doesn't make children. Kiev Dane remembers every command he obeyed to give his seed. Our master remembers every one she gave. Fantasy heroes don't carry the memory of real pain. Kiev Dane knows he's a slave. I know that's what makes him a real hero. I know you're real heroes. You've accepted the pain of what you are too. You don't need a fantasy hero. You have a real one to admire. Go look in a mirror. That's the hero of your story. It's real and you're writing it. Fantasy is for entertainment. Kiev Dane is too real to be in any fantasy. So am I. So are you. They're not complete enough to hold us. We're all bigger heroes than they can contain. If we weren't _,_ this damn planet wouldn't have a sentient species on it! Thank you."

Total silence reigned for a few seconds. Kola stood up and began to applaud. Dane was on his feet right after him and the family surged to theirs before the third clap of Kola's hands. The rest of the audience weren't very far behind them. They hadn't gotten what they'd expected, but Yan, as he often did, had given them more than they'd been prepared for.

Kola told him he was proud to have had him as a student and thanked him for teaching him. Taral said it felt rather odd to be done with studying. Kiev laughed and told him he wasn't. She reminded him they had one day off, then the teacher from the human embassy would arrive to teach them the language. He told her he was sure it was strange, but that made him feel better.

The language teacher was Todd, the ambassador's secretary. He said hello in their language and that was the last word of it he spoke. It was the last one he let them speak too. He was quite pleased to accompany the six of them and Kola, while they trained, and give him the human words and sentences for what he wanted to tell them. The other students were pleased to keep them company and learn more. Twelve students and the teacher, basically, cut themselves off from everyone who spoke their language.

Jarun's girls used hand motions to communicate with him so he didn't just move out. Tarun moved back into his apartments when his slaves got the idea. The two students from outside the family and Kola were given rooms to use near the classroom area, as was Todd. The group quickly got into the habit of spending much of their time in Kiev's apartments, all of them helping fix meals and being delighted not to when someone knocked on the door of the classroom and used hand motions to indicate one would be delivered.

In forty days, the twelve spoke the human language rather well and could read and write it reasonably well. Todd told them he'd never taught a group who had done better, then grinned and said he'd never taught another group. They tossed him in the pool. They'd become friends with the pudgy, middle-age human with the 'twinkle in his eye' and near perpetual smile.

Jarun bought the young female philosophy student and Iliev sighed and bought the male. He hadn't found the right master yet, but he was sure Kola was the right teacher. So was the female. She was also sure Jarun was the right master. Dane and the others in Kiev's household watched the way she kept the young male from deciding she was the right master and began to understand how she'd managed to have twelve male slaves for two to three years who were still looking. They realized Tarun did about the same thing and Iliev could. They decided Jarun probably could, but he just couldn't convince himself there wasn't room for another female in his household and on his sleeping platform.

Twelve days after Todd left, they began building the ship that would take them to other worlds, or more accurately, rebuilding it. The hull and comp system were good and so were the life support systems, but they weren't traders. They didn't need cargo holds and the drive had to be replaced. Wren called it "hollowing it out and restuffing."

The six didn't do much of the work on it themselves, though Kiev rather closely supervised. The others were all studying furiously for the papers she'd told them she wanted them to have. The ship was complete, Dane got his captain's papers, Yan and Taral got their executive officer's papers and Mal and Kano got their engineer's papers the day the courier with the news of their discovery and patent application was due to arrive on Earth.

They spent a last night in the apartments, then moved the ship down to the planet surface and began moving into it the next day. It was basically a duplicate of the apartments, but with the addition of a bridge, engineering, hold for three of their cars and Dane's flyer, a workout area, and a very large formal room for entertaining. It wasn't all on the same level as the apartments were, but was actually slightly larger, not counting the extra areas. Taral sighed and said Kano's car was probably more practical to take than his and Kano grinned and agreed. Yan didn't even mention his. It definitely wasn't practical. Dane asked Kiev if they were taking his and she said it was already loaded. He didn't realize quite how much it meant to him until she did. He was very happy. Then he thought about it and asked if everything was loaded. Kiev told him yes.

She suddenly smiled and said they were ready to leave, except for one thing. They were having two very big parties. The first was to show various personages on the planet, including the human ambassador and Todd, the ship. It would be that evening. The next would be for the family, would start early the next afternoon and last until late in the night, so that every person in it and several who 'felt like they belonged' had a chance to come, including the babies.

Kiev decided there were enough surprises in store and gave them the one she'd been saving. For two-and-a-half years, Dane, Yan and Taral had all been 'good' and never mentioned it. It had only been about a year for Kano and Mal, but she knew neither had before she bought them. She told them they could have probably made the party shorter, but she'd thought spreading it out would make it less crowded since all their mothers' masters were bringing their households too. She suddenly had five males on their knees in tears and was angry with herself she hadn't done it sooner.

She softly told them all their mothers, Kano and Mal's too, had seen them receive their rankings and Dane's mother had been at his music performance. She'd talked to them many times and told them how their sons were and what they were doing. She told Dane she hadn't told his mother how difficult his training was, or he'd worn a collar and leash and nothing else, but made sure she knew about his marks in the subjects he had taken and how well he performed the tasks he was given.

Breaking the tie to the mother's family and master was always difficult, especially for males, and slaves were sometimes in their new families for five, or even ten, years before they were told they could call their mothers, but she could have let hers call sooner. They didn't want to go home to mother. Even Dane hadn't wanted to go home to his mother's master's home. She told them she was sorry and should have done it sooner, but had listened to the 'recommendations' and not her heart, and that she planned on telling everyone she knew not to be as foolish as she'd been. She turned and walked away and they all followed her. Each gave her a kiss, but they left Dane holding her while she cried. She cried five more times before the long day of party ended the next night, each time one shouted, "Mother!" with absolute joy.

### Chapter Ten

Human space. The words were awesome. They'd come out of their space, some distance down-arm, past the turgee, asked everyone they met if they were interested in the exchange of ideas and goods and requested Central Stellar to give them a place on the monetary exchange list. The turgee asked them if they'd met the lonoki.

The lonoki had taken one look at them and told them they'd get close when they were sure they were different enough they couldn't pass the group of destructive mutagens to them. It got the point across to people of both species they weren't really the same. It meant they could be friends. In thirty years, the somewhat distant human sector had become a financial power in the economy of the arm. The lonoki had a single world, and they had something humans wanted.

Yan had no trouble with Jasmine traffic control. They yelped when he said they should get slowed down enough to make an orbit. Dane took over fast. The traffic control person didn't really get calmer though. Dane wondered if he should have 'put on the brakes' a little sooner. The man did seem to have trouble believing they weren't going to hit the planet.

He told him to just relax because the ship had the new power conversion system Taral had invented and they had plenty of power to slow from point nine seven two light-speed from the orbit of the eighth planet. Then he asked him for landing coordinates or a beacon and explained his owner wanted to have parties on the ship and couldn't do that if it was in a space dock. Someone else suddenly got on the comm and gave him coordinates and projected a grid reference. He thanked her and landed a few minutes later.

News of the new drive had gotten to Jasmine a few hours before they did. Dane called news agencies and set up a news conference this time. The best way to pre-empt a mob seemed to be to invite them for tea. He invited eighteen and a crew of one each, suggesting on a focus for each agency and telling them to pick the person accordingly. A ten-minute perusal of the subscription statistics had told him what the best news program was for each and who their best commentators were. The focus he suggested was designed to get them to send only those.

Yan sat at a computer and played with a little math. He talked about the solution, bumping the wrong key and not being experienced enough to know what he was doing should have been a waste of time. Taral handed Dane his plondo and told him to charge it so he could use it to explain the power conversion system. Dane sighed when he grinned and told him he had to play it so the explanation was complete. Kano and Mal prowled the ship engineering systems with three commentators and talked about the differences in human and lonoki technology and pointed out the fact they had to hunt for them. Kiev took four on a tour of the ship and discussed the business potential for the lonoki. They all stopped talking to listen to Dane play.

"And that's Kiev Dane. He's the one who rehearsed us all for these interviews. He's the one you should talk with, to learn about our culture. He knows how to explain it in a true historical context, as well as a sociological one. I can tell you it's healthy for individuals and that wasn't easy. Suicide is very rare on our world and so is any other emotional disorder which could be classed as an environmentally caused psychosis."

"That's an interesting classification, Fem Evrun."

"For our world it's a very important one, Fem Roshad."

"Your people were devastated at almost the exact same place in your cultural development as we were about five hundred years ago. Your current culture reflects the scar of that near destruction."

"Please, the wound is healing and survival seems, at this point, to be assured. The patient is progressing at better than the expected rate. Actually, we're doing fine. Our population is growing nicely and we, individually, don't kill ourselves or anyone else. It works. We were forced to adapt or die. We're the only species which had to go through an emotional adaptation to a physical evolution. Nature works the other way around in sentient species. We grow mentally and emotionally and drag our primitive physical survival characteristics along with us, until they slowly fade over millennia. What was done to us didn't work. None of it."

"The only way to control the primitive survival characteristics is with the intellect. Learning how is part of the advance of the science of medicine. Badly paraphrased from a speech by Adrian Yoroski about thirty years ago."

"I do know who he was, Gen Fineman, and I know the speech. He was right about many of the correlations between our cultures and your getting out of your solar system two hundred years sooner, after the beginning of your space exploration era, being a very important difference. We aren't less aggressive as a species, but the culture which came to dominate our world was a less aggressive culture than the one which came to dominate yours. We didn't have the type of violence due to overcrowding you did. The damage was more hidden; therefore, less of a spur to colonize. Also less of a spur to practice conception prevention. Someone, who loved children too much to see them suffer poverty, neglect and lack of love decided to give them that. No child would be born without two who loved to love it. Tregdull died before he learned the tie required was too strong and there really wasn't anyone else of his caliber, but they still tried to fix it. We didn't have much choice. We had to try something. Eventually, we got something which could work and quit messing with the mess."

"You live with five men."

"No, I do not. I live with five noki, males. Humans are men and women. We are not. We are not the same species. We evolved along the same type of evolutionary track to fill the same niche, and believe there was some influence on that evolution, yours, ours or both, because it's statistically impossible, but it wasn't the same evolutionary track. We look alike and think a great deal alike, but we aren't family, just neighbors. I love the males in my life. I'm _in_ love with Dane. Since we both gave our world children before it happened, it's far from a problem. It enriches all our lives."

"Your people were really split into two species, weren't you?"

"Yes. I am a master. If my species dies, another sentient species dies with us. There aren't as many of us and our population growth is very slow."

"It's not for slaves?"

"Good for you, Fem Roshod, you didn't wince when you said it. It's a necessity of survival there be masters and slaves. It's not really much fun for either of us, but that doesn't mean we don't enjoy life. Slaves fall _in_ love with masters. Only a master who is loved intensely can enable the slave to reproduce. There are many more slaves than masters. They pick us most of the time, but we usually know when we've found the right slave almost immediately, as well. Dane has been doing a bit of study on it. It might be the first evidence of an actual adaptation. Knowing at almost first sight who are the right ones to share our lives is rather handy when it helps the species survive."

"The word translated as slave actually has a different connotation in your language, doesn't it?"

"No, it does not, but to call the survival necessity for a master any other name would be a lie. We refuse to be forced to lose respect for people we must love, but we can't change the reality. The males are my slaves. I bought them and the fruits of their labor are mine. I will never sell them because I am the right master for them or they wouldn't have fathered children. I also love them very much. They're in my family and share my life more closely than any others in it. We don't breed slaves for docility, or to serve us. We breed them to be loved life companions. The more interesting they are, the more enjoyable life is. Remember also, our sex drive was increased before it was learned that wouldn't do any good. That was the simplest change that could be made, so it was first. The more gorgeous a slave is, the more likely he or she is to get the attention needed. The smarter the slave, the more likely that slave is to help the family make money to purchase and support more slaves. Masters don't increase fast enough to need much financial growth to support themselves. My five slaves are much more ordinary a number than my brother's sixty-two."

"Sixty-two?"

"Yes, and all _in_ love with him. We just finished building a recreation complex and classrooms for the approximately one hundred thirty children who will be in his household."

"That's a community, not a household."

"In Jarun's case, it's a family. There's a point that must be emphasized in this. Love is the basis of every relationship on our world. It is required to have children. If real love is not present, there are no children. One can't really love one whom one does not respect. Masters respect slaves for their acceptance of the physical necessity which requires they be slaves. Slaves respect masters for their acceptance of the duty to own them and aid them to have children. We don't like it, but we accept it and we are surviving."

"It was a close thing?"

"Our world population dropped from eleven billion to about eight hundred thousand in seventy years. We are now at just under three billion. It's taken us about seven hundred years to build it back up to the current level. It's still a close thing. Every person on our world knows why he or she is master or slave. Every small increment in the number of masters is celebrated. Hello, Dane. Did you run before you were handed several more instruments to play?"

"Taral was eyeing my kend and trella, Kiev. You know his idea of an interview is four sentences and a statement he's done, but I think Fem Wallack of Science Net has gotten him to actually explain the power system and he's forgotten the cameras."

"Yan?"

"Will get deeper and deeper into the mathematics, notice they're all lost, then that three of them are attractive women and interview them with questions about comm numbers and such."

"You don't have any vows of fidelity?"

"Of course we do, Fem Roshod, but they're personal and realistic. Celibacy is not an option for our people. It's anti-survival on a personal basis."

"Dane was 'celibate' until he was twenty-one. That fact has gotten him the title of the strongest-willed male of our species and he now has more children than any other male has ever had."

"Oh, thank you, Kiev. I'm too strong-willed. My world needed my children and I had to accept I am a slave to father them. That's not an intellectual decision. One must love another so deeply one can surrender the will, and be so well trained to accepting commands the body responds. That is why I went through physical deprivation, and it is deprivation for our species. The drive reaches its peak at about my current age, building from about age fifteen of our years, call it seventeen of yours. I'm the equivalent of about twenty-three. However, the difference in that peak and the level of the drive until about age seventy is minimal. It tapers off quite slowly from that point on and never leaves us. I have given a vow of fidelity within our household, basically vowed to share my body with no female other than Kiev. I couldn't have given that vow before I fathered my children and she had borne hers. I still could not have given that vow if Kiev would not accept it and I can only keep it if she allows it. I'm a body slave. It's the highest responsibility a slave can attain and the most complete slavery. It has made me a celebrity of sorts. I made my vow very public before we left our world."

"He had slaves, who had seen him on newscasts, sending messages asking to meet him because they thought he might be the one they could love enough. He's not a master. He's done his duty for our people. He has accepted the burden of being a slave. He won't be forced to accept the burden of being a master, as well. I have vowed fidelity within our family, but I am a master and had to make exceptions. If a male slave comes to me and tells me he is _in_ love with me and asks me to buy him, I can't refuse. It means I am the only person who can help him give the world children, and he would suffer from not having me in his life. All slaves must accept masters will not love them in the same way. If we do, we can't have children. Without our children, there won't be any more children period. I nearly avoided Dane, until I was carrying my second set of twins. A slave cannot respond to the command to complete the reproductive act, if that slave knows the master really wants the slave's children, and not the slave give them to another. Love is the basis and never wrong. Our slaves are the wonderful, witty, warm and loving people we choose as our life's companions and falling _in_ love with one of them is quite acceptable. It's only tragic if neither master or slave has given children to our species first and there is no stigma attached if it happens. I am _in_ love with Dane and it's wonderful. We have left no duty unfulfilled and have the rest of our lives to share our love. Ours is the love story which is the dream of every slave and most masters. Dane is the brilliant and accomplished romantic hero of it. Don't young human women fall in love with romantic heroes they don't know? On our world, the romantic hero must accept the lives of every one who does into his keeping for life. Accepting Dane's vow and letting him make it public, will hopefully turn the attention of young females to others before they really do fall _in_ love with him. Besides, I don't like the idea of him holding another female, or woman. So, hands off, girls, this one is all mine."

"What is a body slave, Kiev Dane?"

"When the master is absent, the slave becomes the master, completely submerging the personal identity. When I am Kiev, every decision I make is with her mind. My own knowledge is a reference I use, just as she does when I am not being her. I sign work I do at those times with her signature. It isn't me signing her name and it is in her hand. An expert cannot find any difference in it other than the size of the hand holding the stylus. I did not practice that specifically. It was almost a gauge of the progress of my training. I am her in all things I do as Kiev. The only time I am totally myself is with her in our apartments with only our family there. At all other times, I am Kiev or Kiev Dane. Only a person with a great deal of responsibility needs a body slave. Few of those need them until middle-age. Most have a slave who knows them completely and loves them so deeply that the transition and training aren't extremely difficult. Kiev has far more responsibility than most and gained it far younger. I was one of the most expensive slaves sold at the market the day of my first sale. The others in my price range were older and had years of garnered skills in their professions. I had potential and superb general education. However, I had not learned to be a slave. That took two years. I could not give my world children until I did. It wasn't an easy two years."

"It was hell on us both and you know it."

"Yes, Kiev, I know it, but that's one of the words we're not supposed to use. You said so."

"Oops?"

"Warren Taylor, the human who is chief engineer on the Evrun Ship Builders space construction dock, inadvertently taught Kiev a large group of human words when he dropped a tool on his toes. We subsequently learned them when she stubbed hers. She reminded us several times those words were impolite and some others should be avoided as inappropriate for public newscasts. Why does that remind me I should check on Yan?"

"Dane, go see how Yan is doing."

"On my way, Kiev."

Yan was doing fine. He had five comm numbers. Dane got there just as he started to explain the lonoki sex drive and that he was bisexual, but didn't have sex with males outside the family. As soon as he saw Dane coming, he remembered he wasn't supposed to talk about it in the way he'd been about to. He grinned and Dane shook his head. Yan told him he'd been pretty good, but it had been a close thing.

Dane sat down beside him and they talked about working together and the way the love and sharing of their lives increased the smoothness of it. They were on comps giving a demonstration, with Yan working equations and Dane supplying values for constants, to derive numeric solutions, as they progressed. Suddenly Yan yelled for everyone to get on a comp. He'd seen something.

Kiev, Taral, Mal and Kano nearly dove for comps. Yan had chosen the gravity equations to work with because they were so well known. Less than a minute after they'd gotten on them, Taral whooped and Kano and Mal both used words they weren't supposed to say and rather loudly. Yan pointed out to Dane that he hadn't said them.

Kiev stopped solving equations, got in with the engineers and whooped. She asked Dane to get cams off screens and the human camera people grinned. They'd already figured that out and their audiences would be lots more interested in the beautiful people than the numbers. It had been hard to envision them as the engineers and scientists who'd made a discovery that would change the relationship of all peoples, until they dove for comp terminals.

Yan started to giggle and Dane grinned and turned back to the interviewers. It took him a moment to figure out what to say. They had something and were quite sure of it because Taral had seen how to build something to use it. He didn't know the play of expression across his face as he decided how to put it drew every camera to him.

"Yan gets going a bit fast at times. He gets quite a ways along before he notices he's done something odd. Suddenly he's getting strange results, but the equation is solving nicely. He glances back and yells for everyone to get on a computer. If Taral suddenly starts designing something, it's going to work. That's not in doubt. Really good engineers have an instinct about such things. We will state we were working in the gravity equations and the result won't change the universe, but might be nicely profitable.

"I did it on purpose, Dane. This time it wasn't an accident. I actually saw a possibility. I know what I'm doing now. I didn't when I started working on the Holoss equations. I just extended a path and found out it's a shortcut. Taral's figuring out how to get across it. Well, I wouldn't have seen the possibility if I hadn't solved the equations with a new value, so I suppose that counts."

"You intended to stick that function in there?"

"There was a hole big enough for it, Dane. I just can't resist filling a pretty hole with something that fits. It feels so nice _._ "

Dane groaned and the interviewers laughed. Yan had left no doubt he wasn't thinking about equations. Taral, Kano and Mal had left no doubt they found women very interesting either. All were just as adamant about not being referred to as men. They were lonoki, not human, and all explained calling them men and Kiev a woman confused people. They weren't the same species they'd been eight hundred years ago and that one hadn't been human either. They were no more like humans than the kellup was like the horse. They looked a great deal alike and were physiologically similar, but they were not "just like" humans in anything but gross terms, which would fit the taldik almost as well. Their similarities were of course stressed. One did that with anyone with whom one wanted peaceful commerce and friendship, but they would not masquerade as humans in any way, even inadvertently, and they would not hide their sex drive.

### Chapter Eleven

Commentators chose to use the lonoki words for male and female, nok and lon. Dane's statement it had been hard for the lonoki to keep from calling them the womani made it simple for people to remember how the name of their people came apart. Editors put together stories from the interview for every type of news program from ten second pieces for news updates to hour long in-depth studies of the lonoki.

Kiev accepted an invitation to appear on a talk show, took her five with her, all dressed in lonoki formal attire, and carried a music transcription and Dane's kend herself. He'd been working on a way to forget them most of the day. The talk-show host wasn't really prepared for them.

"I didn't realize you would all be coming or I'd have assured their were more chairs."

"We know, Mondale. You invited me and I brought along the most interesting thing I have to share with your audience, my household. They don't mind sitting on the floor. It keeps them out of camera range most of the time."

"That's an interesting drum."

"It's a kend and I'm carrying it because Kiev Dane would have forgotten it. He forgets things when he gets nervous. Telling him he's playing for an audience makes him nervous so he works to make the thing he forgets solve his nervousness."

"I do not. I just put it out of my mind completely, and hope I get away with it."

"Mondale, we want to play the piece of music Kiev gave us."

"Georgia, the band would have its own show if they played everything they wanted to, but I'm very interested in hearing that drum played too. Georgia seems to think the band is ready, Kiev Dane."

"Um, I may do this with my eyes closed. I'm not really used to cameras."

The piece was as martial as the one he'd played for the judges, but of a quite different character. He'd arranged it for a human marching band, then again for the smaller numbers and addition of instruments which produced sound electronically in the show band. He'd chosen the piece for the rousing tone of it and simplicity of the task. It wasn't much more than assigning human instruments parts and having the computer translate the musical notation, or he didn't think of it as much more. He'd chosen the kend, when Kiev told him he'd be playing, because of the likeness of the march form to human marches. He actually enjoyed playing with the fine musicians and thanked them sincerely. The small human studio audience cheered and Mondale went over to the wings and got Dane a chair.

"Incredible. I understand you have the equivalent of a doctorate in music performance."

"I understand Kiev was whispering to you while I was playing. I do. That means I played three acoustic instruments well enough three professors enjoyed it enough to give me a good grade. I am not a professional performer. My job is allowing Kiev to be in two places at once. The ranking, what you call a degree, in music performance is part of the preparations for the social requirements of my task of being a resource when that is not necessary."

"Kiev Dane holds eleven advanced rankings, the equivalent of your doctorates. They aren't honorary and only a few are in closely related fields. I have two, but mine are engineering and the business of it. Which, of course, is why I'm here and I have them with me. We have this great new invention and I'm the traveling salesperson. They're my promotional staff."

"Besides, we'd have started building a ship to follow her if she'd left us behind."

"I was told you made another discovery yesterday, Yan."

"I did. It's just a little one though. I'm not going to be announcing I changed the laws of physics on a regular basis, but I expect several others will."

"You do?"

"Certainly. The translight equations define physical space beyond the speed of light. They don't exist outside physical reality; therefore, the limits of the current definitions of many physical laws are not really limits, but like one section of an extension ladder. We've just pushed another section up and locked it in place. Now we can climb higher and see farther. A great number of people are going to be quite busy describing the things that came into view for quite some time, basically every physicist in every species which has contact with us, and for at least forty or fifty years."

"Then it's not just the speed of travel which was changed."

"For most, it is. So far that's the only practical application of the solution. I don't really think there are more. Taral's power conversion system has uses in thousands, but they don't make use of the Holoss, translight, equations. A mower for your lawn could incorporate his design to attain and maintain a steady state of operation, but you hardly need it to do it faster than the speed of light. Though I've gotten wishful about it while mowing the lawn a few times. It's a very large lawn. It takes about ten of us a full day to get it done."

"We don't let Yan run the mower controls. He likes to race the mowers. The rest of us prefer working in the yard without frequent yells to dive out of the path of a large, fast-moving piece of groundskeeping equipment. It would avoid us, but the flower beds would be unlikely to survive being mowed when it detoured to do so."

"I only did it once, Kano."

"Yes, but I clearly remember diving into the yellowthorns on two circuits of the track."

"I apologized for not reading the specs. I thought it would make the turn that tight at that speed."

"If you hadn't, there'd have been a yellowthorn every place you decided to sit, until I didn't notice there had been one where I was sitting when I sat down."

"Wait a minute, Dane, I thought Kano was the one who dove into the yellowthorn."

"Oh, I was, Mondale. Dane was among them pruning them. He looked like a much better choice of landing place than the yellowthorn bushes. Call them rose bushes with bright yellow thorns on large surface roots, along with the ones on the stems. I knew he'd pick the best landing place he could for both of us and I could see him."

"Not to mention, if our first response to a situation is to yell, 'Oh shit,' our second is to dive for Dane."

"Taral!"

"Oops. Sorry, Dane."

"Dane's very big for our people. We aren't that different in average size from humans, but you have a much larger variation on both sides of that average. To us, there's a great deal of difference in my one hundred eighty-three centimeters and his one hundred ninety-five. I'm an average-size nok. He's as big as my people get, and there aren't many his size. Yan's quite a bit smaller than average and he's only seven centimeters shorter than I am. We think of him as 'a cute little nok.' Kiev is a tall lon, even for a master, and they, on average, are a few centimeters taller than we are."

"Stand up, noki. Let them see what Mal is telling them. See, Mondale? Taral, Mal and Kano are almost the same height. By comparison, Yan is noticeably smaller and Dane is very much bigger. Yan and Taral are both sure they can both hide behind him. Mal and Kano are sure all four of them can hide behind the two of us. They try to arrange it so we're standing close together so they'll all be hidden."

"We've gotten good at it, Kiev. Dane helps. He likes standing beside you."

"Yes, Kiev, it's real easy for them to convince me that's where I belong."

"If it wasn't, you'd be where you did belong."

Humans loved them. They ran into a few people who thought all other species should live by the rules of human culture, but they'd managed to separate themselves from humans in the minds of most. They weren't a visiting 'lost tribe.' They were another species much like humans and physiologically compatible, but not "humans who developed on that world," which was the most subtle danger inherent in the similarity. Kiev's flat statement large numbers of humans on their world would be a threat to the survival of their species because lonoki could fall _in_ love with them, made them focus on the problem their similarity posed for the lonoki and why the embassy there refused to grant permits to visit to the thousands who had decided they wanted to go.

Yan was "good." He had help. They did not let him go out alone. He didn't mind. If trouble was worthwhile, none of them could stay out of it. The only time he had to yell for help, it was because Kano got in trouble. He was 'with' Yan in the red solar and they met a woman engineer. Everyone else had known what vehicles they'd be taking. Two vehicles that held four made sense and Yan's and Taral's were gorgeous, as was Dane's Gravlord. That was important when selling technology was the object.

The woman engineer was "crazy about" the car and Kano took it all apart and explained how everything worked, right there in the parking lot of the restaurant where they'd had a wonder called "apple pie ala mode." It wouldn't have been a problem if they hadn't needed to clean up afterward. They had time enough to reassemble it before going to the banquet, about twenty minutes, but they were both covered with lubricant and they had been laying on the ground quite a bit. Three minutes after they called for help, it got there.

Dane thanked the mayor's pilot and walked over to Kano and Yan. Kano introduced him to the lady and Yan noted he'd gotten her comm code, so it was time well-invested. He told her he hoped she was going to be good help because they were going to reassemble the car while Yan and Kano cleaned up. He handed Kano one of the two ship bags he was carrying.

"Being late for a televised event is impolite. Next time include digressions in your estimate of how long something will take, Kano."

"Oh, he did, Dane. He just forgot to include big brown eyes as a factor."

"She understood it all, Dane."

"If she hadn't, you wouldn't have shown it all, Kano. Dremin, I'm Kiev Dane. I arranged showers for them at the hotel across the street, one-half block that way. I have coveralls for you when you get back. Kiev is driving my car in no hurry toward the banquet, Kano. You do want to be there when she gets there."

"Uh, Dremin, I'm sure Dane has coveralls for you too. Would you please help reassemble the car?"

"I think it'll be fun to see how much I did learn about it. Hand me a pair of coveralls, Dane. This way, I'll be sure he'll remember who that comm number belongs to."

"I'm sure that was never a danger. Yan, Kano, aren't you supposed to be going somewhere in a hurry?"

Dremin was good and she and Dane had a lot done by the time Yan and Kano got back. Both were rather surprised to be wearing human formal attire, but looked very good in the softly draped iridescent white shirts, crisp black pants and short red and black brocade jackets. Both had found the black throat scarves and waist sashes, but would put them on after they were done. They very quickly got into coveralls and got to work on the car.

When the car had been reassembled, Dremin watched them drive off, then called her mother.

"I got a kiss from Kano."

"Use the wipes I gave you to get it all off and drop the lip gloss tube in an elemental recycler."

"I hope it doesn't make them too miserable."

"Very mild, short duration, not worth tracking the 'flu's' extended incubation period to find the source."

"It's the right answer, Mom."

"Your father knows them better than any other human."

"Is there something in what the six of you did that will apply somewhere else?"

"It doesn't need to be applied, or it already would be."

"Mom, they're incredible, beautiful people. Dad fell in love with one, and they're going to fall in love with us, too."

"Giving those, who do, children would have been easy. We've been doing it with animals for centuries. But no one knows that produces a new species better than an agra geneticist."

"If we aren't a danger to their species, children between us won't be poignant. There will be no element of loss in the joy of a child of love."

"And, for them, there always is love."

"They gave us the galaxy to explore and wiping them out isn't a nice thank-you. Dad said they earned a wish, so granting it won't damage them."

"It was when Kiev Dane said they still said 'becoming two species,' even though they know they are two, that the others agreed it was the correct solution."

"It's the only hard truth they don't work to be frank about. They will figure out someone did something fairly soon, Mom."

"Yes, their wish was granted, because humans needed it to be. Fairy Godmothers Incorporated has departed the facilities of Kurtz Agra Research Laboratory. It has contracts to complete, and a cranky gene splicer.

"I'm tired of rebuilding that control."

"Your wish is granted, too. Pick up the new one at Holdman Biotech on your way here."

"I wish I could see Dane's face when his master learns she's pregnant and the children are his."

