If I hear one more insincere platitude about how honored they are to meet one of the illustrious Ancestor’s crew, I do believe that I will shoot someone. I can’t believe we wasted almost a week here listening to this garbage. Ma’ctor walked down the hall, a small gloom cloud shading his light blue fur of his face. So intent was he on getting back to the ship and avoiding anyone that he didn’t notice when Raa joined him.

"What’s wrong?"

Ma’ctor jumped in surprise. "Raa. Nothing."

"Yeah, that’s why people are running out of your way. What’s wrong?"

"They lie." Ma’ctor stated.

"And?" Raa tried not to laugh.

"They lie so much?"

Raa gave a small laugh and stopped Ma’ctor, "Of course they do. The only time they tell the truth is when it will benefit them. Did no one tell you the three ways of lies? First, tell a lie so convincingly it must be true. Second, tell the truth but in a way so incredible that it must be a lie. Or third, tell a mix of both.

"We lie like second nature, because it is second nature. We keep what we know a secret and what others want to know we keep or sell at a price. What lie are they telling you now?"

" ‘I am so pleased to be honored with a visit by one of the illustrious Ancestor’s crew.’ "

"Well they are, Ma’ctor. If they can get others to see them as connected with you, your friend, your colleague, then they must be connected to the Ancestor. It’s just a way of making all the necessary connections. We don’t want the largest set of connections. We want the smallest and tightest. Think about if I have 100 connections but I have to go through 6 levels to reach an advisor to the head of the pride, what kind of influence do I have? My point would be diluted. If I have 10 connections but only have to go through 1 level, well then... is it not more likely that she will hear what I need to say clearer?"

"I see. So they want me to introduce them to Dylan, whereafter they will dump me and sink their spikes into Dylan?"

"Sort of but they won’t dump you, in case they need you again."

"Thanks..." Ma’ctor started walking again. "Raa?"

"Yes?"

"Is there any way to track slaves? Even if you don’t know who owned them?"

"Perhaps, if they were skilled enough. Often we build databases of other pride’s best slaves. Breeding is important as you know. If let’s say Gryphon has a mechanical genius and we breed them to another mechanical genius. Out of five kids we get two with mechanical genius. We breed those two with others. Out of five we get 3. Same thing over and over until we get 9 out of 10 kids with Mechanical ability. What about the rejects? Sometimes we sell them, so a slave tree is needed so we know. We do have an index for that. Why?"

"I need to find out about a slave... about 10 maybe 15 years ago. Called Chrome."

"I can tell you about him." Raa offered.

"How do you know this Raa. If you are a clone then... you didn’t grow up knowing this." Ma’ctor asked amazed.

"Well easy. Jacks can transfer a lot of different information. Like maybe even part of a download of someone." Raa stated, his brown eyes distant.

"What did they do to you?"

"Nothing. I’m a clone, it doesn’t matter."

"You’re a person, it does matter. We love you, Dylan’s in love with you."

"Ahh... anyway about Chrome. You must understand that Nietzscheans are methodical. Of course we keep databases of slaves, to make breeding easier of course. If we have a mechanical genius... well part of it isin the genes. So we would breed him with another mechanical genius. Say 2 out of five kids are mechanical geniuses. Well we take note of all factors of the women he was breeded to and weed out two or three factors that seemed to bring out the mechanical genius. Then those are breeded to other mechanical geniuses that fit the profile. Say this generation it’s 3 out of five... then it’s continued until it’s 5 out of 5. This is the way we breed slaves. Sometimes though a wild talent sometimes pops up. The wild talent often proves to be better and of more use than the bred talent. Perhaps because when a person seeks to use a wild talent they learn, usually because it’s necessary, to use it in innovative and unique ways."

"So they are less structured... Chrome was a wild talent." Ma’ctor smiled.

"Yes, he was and as far as anyone knows, still is. We don’t know where he is. See... about some twenty plus years ago, a young boy was born in a refugee camp on Earth. Often this camp was raided by members of the Pride Cobra. They would steal the best and brightest. Among those was Chrome. But he was tricky, he managed to get away or so he thought. He was being herded to stow away on a particular freighter. He did and the man sold him to Cobra to clear his debts.

"Next we need to talk about Frederic du Valle. He was a scientist. He was a mechanist. He developed a very special jack, like the port that Harper has. This port was unique because if installed into a young mind, one which had not settled down into it’s adult pattern, then it would allow it’s user to access the portion of human mind that is usually left dormant. Human use about 15-20% percent of their brain capacity. Nietzscheans manage to use up to 28% but no more and we won’t breed to up our usage. It’s dangerous. It causes mental problem with accessing the world. They get too much information from the world, too much to process. They go catatonic. We don’t need a race of catatonic and autistic people."

Ma’ctor shuddered at the thought of what too much information could do. "So this jack wasn’t very useful was it?"

"No, it was very useful, because it merely stored information in the unused portions. The jack allowed the person to access it at their best speed but not so fast that it would overload their neural pathways. It’s basically a database and retrieval system. So they can cram so much info that would normally lead a person into a breakdown, but not with the jack, cause it could be stored in an unused sector.

"du Valle, managed to kill himself shortly afterwards, he hated Nietzscheans. After he implanted Chrome with the jack. Chrome soon escaped and no one has heard of him since. Why? Why are you so interested?"

"Chrome may be alive still?"

"Of course, he’d only be about 25 maybe younger. Why?!"

"When we came... a Nietzschean stood watching us. Tall, he was sort of bronze but he had ship pallor under his bronze skin. He was watching Tyr and Harper... he smiled when Harper walked past. He said... ‘Very soon, Chrome... Harper’. I think he wants Harper back. I don’t know if Harper remembers the time cause he doesn’t talk about it. I don’t want to worry Dylan if I’m wrong. You can’t say anything. Not until I know for fact. But if Harper is Chrome..."

Raa stared at him and leaned back against the wall. Shaking his head, he slipped down the wall to sit on the floor.

* * *

Raa sat on the bed, watching Dylan sleep. If Harper is Chrome, no wonder he managed to kill a thousand fighters. I love them... I don’t know why but the crew is mine in a way. Part of being Dylan’s lover huh?

Raa leaned down and pulled the dark crimson colored sheets from the body of his lover. Dylan’s tanned form lay on the sheets, cold he reached for the sheet and turned over. Raa reached over and pulled his man onto his back. Slowly Raa kissed down the midline. Lips caressing, tugging on the tangled dark blond thatch of hair that stretched from the middle of Dylan’s chest. Lips tickled down to his navel, Raa ran his tongue over and around, dipping into the well of his navel. He tastes like light, like thick cream... no, more like that drink he gave me. Thick cream with just a bit of coffee powder. My taste of Dylan.

Raa smiled and kissed his way further down, burrowing his nose in the warm curls that surrounded Dylan’s cock. It half lay there, warm and thick, slightly rising. Taking a deep breath, Raa lifted his head and with one gulp took all the cock in. He felt it spring to life in his mouth, smiling around the thick long cock in his mouth, Raa used his tongue to lick and lave it. Dylan sat up and looked at Raa, with his ate the cream look, and fell back onto the pillow. "Gavain!"

Dylan reached down and ran his hands through Raa’s long dark hair. Wrapping his fingers in some of the longer strands he tugged his man’s head up. Raa let the cock fall out of his mouth.

"Yes?" Raa smiled.

"I... love you."

"I know, mate." Raa took Dylan back into his mouth again and sucked him hard. Wrapping one hand around his hip to keep Dylan from bucking into his mouth, Raa licked the tip of one finger. Slipping the other hand under Dylan, he gently pushed, gently prodded the small tucker. Pressing the pad in, he gently teased the hole. Slowly he pushed it in until he could feel that bump of joy. The nub of pleasure. A few quick strokes and he was drinking down Dylan.

Dylan back, exhausted and sweating, opening his arms, he stared down at his lover. Raa took the cock out of his mouth and cleaned it with some soft gentle licks, laying it back down and patting it, he crawled up the bed until he lay in Dylan’s arms and on his chest. Dylan wrapped his arms about Raa. "Thank you."

"Hmmm I enjoyed it." Raa said as he nuzzled into Dylan neck.

"Sleep now, love you."

Raa gently slipped asleep, for the first time sure that he was someone.

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