Incubation, Chapter 4
#4 of Incubation
Incubation Chapter 4 =============== This story is (c) 2002 by Toumal (toumal at yiffstar dot com) Redistribution is ALLOWED for non-commercial purposes, as long as this disclaimer and copyright information is also redistributed unaltered along with the story. This story should not be read by readers under the age of 18 years. You have been warned. Darin Koopa is (c) his player. * * * After being taken as a host by an alien race, Andrew Kendall eventually gets to know the alien in his head. He learns to trust and, eventually, love him. Though they now share the body both of them posess, things are far away from being allright. The alien society is built on slavery, and a regime of five leading beings tries everything to stop their millenia-old rules of blind obedience from crumbling as Toumal and Andy seek to uncover the wisdom of the "forbidden words" to all their brothers. Little do they know about the changes they had already set in motion, and how fast these changes spread in the alien community who's numbers are immense - but constantly decaying. ================= Travels ================= After checking the bonds of the dragon they had locked the door, and shot the controls with the gun. They hoped that if the mingling did not show the desired effect, Drodge would not be able to warn anyone in time. "We have to travel to the holy city." Rashak said, and led them through a corridor to a large, open hall made of glimmering crystal. Since teleporters didn't work over greater distances, another means of transportations had to be used. They stepped out of the crowded hall and onto a large plateu of sorts. Andy covered his eyes as the light of the evening sun struck him. He blinked several times - and gasped as he took in the scene before him: Their quarters and the whole associated structure were inside a high rocky cliff on which they were standing now. In front of them hovered a lenghty capsule which seemed to be made of glass too. It was suspended on curved white beams, similar to the tracks of a train. As they progressed towards the transport, an incredibly large city came into view below. It shimmered golden in the light of the receding sun, stretching to the farthest reaches of the horizon. Large, shimmering obelisks stood out from a million buildings of all shapes and sizes. [eagleorca.jpg](%5C) "It's... beautiful!" Andy whispered, more to himself than to anyone else. "Shhh - we don't want to attract unneccessary attention, do we?" Toumal husked gently in his thoughts. Rashak shook his wings as if he was preparing to take off on his own, and motioned them inside the fragile-looking vehicle. Andy leaned close to the avian head and asked "You sure this thing is safe?" "Don't be ridiculous. Hop in already" The insides were luxurious. The floor was solid and opaque, while the rest of the large pill-shaped transport allowed sunlight to pour in. The seats and their cushions were transparent too, but soft and cozy like if they were made of wool. As soon as they settled down next to each other, five other aliens boarded the vehicle - An undefinable insect, a fox, a sleek looking salamander-morph and two dolphins. Andy smiled at them. Toumal chuckled in his mind. "Mmm... feeling horny again?" Andy just nodded a greeting to the sexy pair. They smiled in return. Rashak poked an elbow into his side. "Hey hey... we have to lay low a little here, you randy boy." "Toumal?" "Yes Andy?" "How can you tell who's who? I mean with all the shapeshifting..." Toumal laughed. "Oh, that's hard at first, yes. But I think even you can learn it. You have to watch how someone moves his eyes, and how people walk. That, and some telltale-signs in the smell tell you what you need to know." "I guess you people don't usually take pictures of your family or friends either, huh?" "Of course not. No point." The opening in the capsule closed without a sound, a crystal plate just growing over the exit, sealing it off. Andy felt no sensation of inertia, no acceleration - they just took off, gliding along the glowing, hovering ropes that guided them. The orca turned and looked back, watching the huge rock formation that they had been coming from shrink. They were flying over the fantastic cityscape as the sun went down, the orange turning into a deep red that slowly faded away. Clouds passed above and below them as they were travelling at a considerable height - and speed. After a few minutes, Andy could see the guidance beams ahead slowly curving downwards, their journey obviously coming to it's end. The two dolphins across the chamber were giggling at each other, then one of them stood up and approached Toumal. He wore nothing except a loose blue tunica wrapped loosely around his body, showing his muscled abs and his slim torso through the opening. "Hi there." "Um.. Hello." The anthropomorphic 'phin chuckled at his shyness, and held out his hand. It took Andy a while to realize that he was offering him to take a small crystal he held in his grey-blue skinned hand. "I'm honored" Toumal jumped in to help Andy, "we're currently pursuing time-critical business - but I promise I will get back at you." The dolphin smiled and nodded at the crystal that now lay in Toumal's black hands. "It contains everything you may want to know... about both of us. I hope you..." He motioned at the other dolphin. Toumal grinned. "Oh I'd enjoy that very much! Thank you!" The beak of the dolphin showed a sly smile, his tailfluke swaying behind him. He winked at the orca, then returned to the seat next to the other dolphin, on the other side of the capsule. "Care to explain what's going on?" Andy thought. "He wants to mingle with me -er... us." "Oh I understand. He finds us sexy, doesn't he?" Toumal's thoughts had an annoyed quality to it. "Well it's more than that, actually. My father - your friend Mark - is the now the son of Shopeo, an old and powerful member of the brotherhood. Our line of experience runs back into ancient times. Many want to mingle with members of our family." "But why doesn't everyone mingle with everyone?" "Well, we thrive to let only healthy and experienced ones to intermingle, and among them only few are selected to seed hosts. Those... dolphins over there don't just want sex. He wants me to share my family's experience with him, and the crystal he gave me contained information about his own family line." Toumal pressed a faced on the glittering stone, which lit up in his hands. Both of them heard a happy voice in their head, which said "I know we're not worthy of mingling with you. But should you ever feel lonely, feel free to contact us. We like the creativeness of your form, and would like to quench the desires of our bodies - without sharing if you want." Toumal fell silent. Andy however felt his cock throb in arousal, and turned to smile at the couple. Inwardly, he chuckled at his lifemate. "Ah-ha.. so they don't just want sex, eh?" They descended into a cloud-covered valley. Night had fallen, and nothing was to be seen until they finally broke through the thick fog. Below them, bright lights shone. A monumental circle of stone surrounded a rectangular building of stone. As they closed in on the massive monument, Andy could discern hundreds of thousands of windows in the stone circle that was protruding from the ground - The whole thing was inhabited! Rashak pointed a talon at the grey building in the center and said in a low voice "There it is, the forbidden chamber." "Care to fill me in what we're doing here exactly?" "We're visiting a few friends. I'll explain later" he nodded his beak into the direction of the other creatures, "when we have some privacy." ================= Consensous ================= The human was sleeping, covered by the cozy blanket the alien had brought him when the door cranked, opening again with a dull hiss. The horned beast was here again. "Hello, human" He opened his eyes and yawned, smiling weakly at the creature. "Please, my name is Francis" "Francis?" the dragon-turtle's forehead showed wrinkles of disapproval. "What an awful name." Then he shook his head and sat down close to the human. "I'm sorry. It's stupid to judge someone's name, especially by it's sound." Francis was silent, content in watching the massive jaws speak. "I told you what happened, who and what we are, and what we did to your crew. I've been trying to delay your insemination as long as possible, but..." He swallowed. "..we have to do it today." The human's head sunk low. A tear dropped on the artificially heated metallic floor. He sobbed. "I.. I will be locked up in my own mind? I will never see light again until I die?" The giant Koopa that he knew from countless hours of playing video games wrapped his muscled arms around him, the blunt spikes of his wristbands pressing awarm against his skin, heated by the magnificient being's own body. The gentle brute nuzzled the crying human, saying something that he knew was outrageous. But it had to be. Their numbers were slowly but surely dwindling. They had to have hosts. And they had to change their ways. "No." Francis did not understand.. "You will not be imprisoned." "B-but.. you said..." "What I told you, was how things used to be. Ways change - and in our case, they change NOW." "What will happen... to me?" the sobbing form croaked. "You will meet my son. You will live together, in one and the same body. And you will learn..." he licked Francis' tear-wettened cheeks, tasting the salt of his fear, "...learn to change the shape of your body." A clawed, powerful hand raised his chin ever so gentle, big eyes looking into his. "You will love it, I promise. My son will be much like me, yet different. You and he will... what?" The human's questioning look interrupted him. "I.. have no choice, or do I?" "No." An honest answer. "I'm so sorry. I would rather not force it, but I have to. They would notice if I didn't take you now. And they would kill... us both." Surprisingly, Francis nodded. He did not know why exactly he was nodding, but then again it probably didn't matter. He was being hugged by the creature of his dreams, strong - yet gentle and loving. He yearned for this wonderful male to mate him. Still, he was afraid - he knew it would change him forever. He decided that he wanted to enjoy it. Whatever the consequences, this moment was his, and his alone. Already his cock was half-erect, hormones rushing through his veins at the sight of the magnificent maleness that was waiting to fill him, make him his. He smiled weakly, and spread the blanket out on the floor behind him. He sat down on it, facing his destiny. Shopeo's cock lay limp before him. "Can I touch it?" "Oh.." the Koopa smiled, "of course you can." Francis' fingers glid over the fleshy worm which already stirred. He was briefly worried how this mighty organ could fit into him... Shopeo sensed his worries, and leaned close to kiss him straight on the mouth. The veined phallus jumped to life as the human opened his lips, oblivious to the care of the creature he knew as "Bowser" since his childhood. A musky taste greeted his tongue, followed by a really large and equally strong muscle invading his mouth. Francis murred, his hands rubbing the alien's shaft while french-kissing him in the most gentle, erotic way. Shopeo broke their kiss, and inched himself forward, slowly pushing the human backwards until he lay on his back. The mighty alien koopahood brushed against the cleft of his ass as strong hands grabbed fragile legs, parting them a bit and resting them on his shoulders. He smiled at the human he would now take as his... "Tell me, will I be with you too?" Francis asked. "Yesss... I will be your father - and if you wish, your lover too." "What about..." "You mean the one I will inject into you?" "Yes.. What's his name?" "I don't know..." The horned head seemed lost in thought for a moment. "I haven't thought of a name yet." An idea struck him. "Do you want to give him a name?" Francis smiled, another tear forming in his eyes. "How about.. D-Darin?" "Darin?" "Yes.." A human hand rubbed the alien's muscular arms. "It was a name I used when.. I fantasized about you." "You did what?" "I've had.. dreams... about meeting one like you, and to get loved by you." The Koopa was speechless as the human confessed to him. "I.. I like this form very much, and I often imagined to be.. taken by you." He fought the tears welling up again in his eyes, but started to sob again, partly from fear and partly from joy. A claw wiped off his tears lovingly. "What was that name you had for him again?" "Darin. Darin Koopa" "Darin, hmm... It sounds smooth and round." The monster's cockhead nudged against Francis' entrance, already pushing forward, already demanding entry. "I like it! We will call him Darin then. - Are you afraid of his coming?" The answer was barely more than a whisper. "Yes.." The great head loomed over his face as he looked deep into the human's eyes, a sad look on his face. "Forgive me.." For a moment, Francis did not know what he meant. An incredible pain in his ass burned like white-hot glowing steel, making the reason immediately clear to him. He tried to ease up as much as possible - but this incredible pole was just too thick and, as he would find out shortly, very very long. It was just too much, too fast! The dragon-turtle hunched over him, impaling him on 6 inches within a few seconds. Francis screamed in pain with his eyes closed, until - Shopeo's huge maw descended on his, silencing him with an overwhelming kiss. The human did not even notice that he was breathing in the air coming from the alien's lungs, that their tongues met, intertwining with each other. Shopeo felt hot, he started to sweat as he met stronger resistance. But he still had a long way to go, and he would go all the way. It had to be. Clenching his eyes shut in concentration, he rocked his hips against the tender ass he was fucking. More and more of his pulsing, hard tool slid into the tight orifice, glistening and gliding between the parted asscheeks before disappearing in the sobbing boy. Time seemed endless, the painful entrance seemed to last forever.. until finally, the smooth ass snugged warmly against the horned brute's hairless crotch. Utter helplessness was all Francis' mind was able to grasp. And fullness. Oh, so full! He gasped, his eyelids flicked open as Shopeo's kiss finally ended. They were both sweating, the bulges of the alien's muscles rubbing erotically over his skin. Strangely enough the pain was subsiding somewhat and he felt dizzy, a side-effect of sharing his breath with the beast who had impaled him on it's throbbing spear of flesh. He wondered why he felt so weak, so utterly unable to move. He had barely enough strenght to raise his head for a moment, trying to look down at what happened at his ass. Shopeo sensed this, and supported him with his right hand. They both looked down, Francis gasped at the sight, making his lover smile. "Is it...?" "It is" was the loving answer, "inside all the way. You took it all, sweet boy. I'm so proud of you." A pulsing bulge outlined where the huge monstrosity was buried in his intestinies. He huffed like a train, the koopa's phallus was stretching him so wide he couldn't believe it. The strangest thing of all however was the subsiding pain. Shopeo pulled himself out a little, then pushed back in with a tiny little hump that Francis thought looked incredibly erotic. His own human cock stirred again after having gone limp when he had lost his virginity. "Ohhh.. you're so tight! So hot inside!" Again he drew himself out, a little further this time, and again he thrusted forward. Then he paused, nuzzling the human's nose and asking "Is it still painful for you?" A nod. "It gets better.. slowly.." "I know. In a few moments it won't hurt at all. You won't feel any pain anymore, just pleasure." By the time they kissed again, Francis' manhood poked proud and firm at the sweaty, red-haired monster's abdomen, causing the alien to smile. He raised from his loving embrace, and encircled the comparatively small cock with a deep murr of pleasure. The sensation of the warm, leathery and clawed hands grasping him caused the human's anus to spasm, excliting groans from both beings. Shopeo just kept his hands like that, waiting for the contractions to end again before pulling out almost half of his fat koopahood. An obscenely long, wet slurping sound came from Francis' anus, and he gasped several times as he felt like his guts were being pulled out - yet he found that there was no pain! The pitch of his gasps became higher when he was being filled again, his prostate extremely stimulated, the pleasure radiating througgout his body almost too much to bear. He felt like he was in heaven; Shopeo started fucking him with slow, almost majestical thrusts. Tears filled his eyes, tears of joy and extreme pleasure. In and out the large piston went, the dragon-turtles big hand moving up and down in time with the painfully deliberate fucking of his ass. "Yessss... You are mine, Francis...." Even though he was as gentle as he could be, he left no doubts about who was in charge. "Ooohhhh Bowser..." Shopeo's smile widened as he noticed that the legs over his shoulders had spread, hugging his waist, pulling him into the incredible tightness in time with his movements. The speed increased, precum flowed from the human penis, making the large paws all wet and slipperly. The phallus that was buried deep inside had long since started leaking the precious ooze, entering the human's bloodstream and making him burn with desire. "More.. more! Make me yours Bowser, take me all the way!!" White hands reached up to the giant koopa's head, grabbing his short horns. This time it was Shopeo's turn to gasp, he had never experienced such passionate mating before! He felt himself approaching the crest of pleasure, and knew that he was not alone. Sweaty bodies rubbed against each other, drops of salty liquid falling from the koopa's chin onto the human's forehead. "I.. I'm..." Francis exclaimed - not knowing how close they both were already. "Yes... yes!!!" his partner rumbled. "I'm cumming!! I'm... AAaaaah!" Both lovers cried in pleasure as they hit their climax simultaneously. The pulsing of Shopeo's phallus was met by powerful contractions of the intestinies he was embedded in as the human's cock flinged his last human seed ever, hitting the muscled stomach that was already glistening in exertion. His seed was no match to the massive flood that was now entering his body: he felt like a firehose was filling him with boiling water. The powerful stream of alien semen immediately penetrated the pores of his blood vessels, entering his bloodstream. Francis's eyelids opened in a flash as he felt something he had never felt before. *He* was approaching. Would he be friendly? Or was this the end of his freedom? Still, the giant was fucking him. Still, his cock was spasming, ejaculating like never before. But even though he still felt all of it, he was never so shocked as the fundamental change overcame him: *He* had arrived. He was not alone anymore. "Father?" A shiver went down his spine as his mouth had said that, apparently on it's own. He instantly knew that it was him. "My son..." The humping motions of Shopeo's hips died down and he kissed Francis - and his son. "My son, Darin." "Darin?" The giant nodded. "Darin..." A dizzyness filled Francis' senses, his vision blurred and he felt incredible hot all of a sudden. A dull pain speared his chest, immediately fading. He was confused and scared. In fact, he was never before as afraid as he was now. The transformation had begun. His first transformation. His body started to feel heavier, seeming to bloat up. It all happened very quick, barely taking more than a few seconds. A lump formed on his back, hardening, growing. Horns sprouted, fingernails turned to claws as his hands, arms and legs thickened. Then everything stopped. "It is done." Shopeo said. A long silence. "Father?" It was that thing again!!! "Yes, son?" "Are you sure about this? I.. I'm afraid that he..." "I'm sure, son. Leave the human unharmed, let him exist as a free soul." It was then that the full meaning of everything became clear to Francis. His first coherent throughts since his climax formed, directed at another living being, another personality that existed within his own body." "Darin.." "Who are you?" - It sounded almost demanding. "My name is Francis." "Francis... Darin... - it sounds so strangely.. similar" "I selected your name." "You??" Pure astonishment. A host had named his captor? Darin had known who he was, what he was, and everything his father knew from the first moments of consciousness, his first second of mere existance. He knew the forbidden words that had become known to Shopeo when his son Tapesh had last mingled with him. He knew the whole passage, except for the fragment of unbreakable stone that had been missing, broken away by a force even they did not possess. He knew, and yet he was astonished. The words were right. "I am honored, Francis." Francis swallowed on his own accord. "We are together now, and will be so for the rest of our lives." "I... Will you... lock me away?" "No." The fear did not leave him as the thoughts echoed through his mind. But shortly thereafter, he felt what he could only describe as a warm embrace of two souls. "I promise." A thought hit Francis. What about.. "..and your father's host?" "He has been free for some time now. His name is Zrrak, and he is very open-minded and forgiving. - Fortunately." Shopeo, who still had his new son impaled on his spent maleness, smiled and kissed them. He was not the least surprised as they returned the favour, french kissing him with new-found strength and confidence. Zrrak, who had found his age of darkness to be over just a few days ago was watching with an unseen smile. "Shopeo?" Zrrak asked in his thoughts. "Yes?" "Is he still free?" "Yes." He believed him. They had been peaceful and wise, before their world had been conquered. He knew that great changes were afoot. His friends and beloved would be free again. "Did you enjoy the view, Zrrak?" "Yes. He looks very lovely..." Shopeo and Zrrak looked down at the Koopa below them. He looked a bit like a smaller twin, blue hair flowing from his head. "Indeed, the words are true" Darin said aloud. Francis asked "What words?" ================= The Message ================= It was made of a black stone-like material, so hard that even their attempts to take a probe from it failed. It was dirty, the surface apparently had endured a lot. It was the oldest object they had in posession. A series of glyphs, a text written in a language unknown to them was engraved on it. Where they weren't even able to make a dent, someone had written an entire page. It was completely unharmed, except for the bottom of the stone which had been broken off. How this could have happened was beyond their knowledge. The stone was older than their race. Nobody was able to decypher the meaning of the message - until now. They would have destroyed the terran vessel called "Hummingbird", were it not for a significant discovery. ***** When their transport arrived in the holy city, they were already being awaited. Tapesh stood on the landing platform, and within him someone else of course. After the door had opened and they had left the capsule, he nodded in a formal greeting and turned, heading for a big entrance that led into the interior of the great circle of stone on which the transport had set down. The shape and appearance of the corridors and rooms was significantly different. Almost everything had been carved out of stone, a masterpiece of architecture and engineering. It dawned on Andy that this was indeed a religious meetingplace, and the center of their rituals. Suddenly he realized something: What happened between him and Toumal could also be possible for other crewmembers. Maybe, they too had been released... They were led into a simple chamber with some sort of fluffy, white fur covering the floor which Andy thought felt wonderful to his bare feet. Tapesh turned and touched the nearby desk, causing two massive blocks of stone to cover the entrance while Rashak changed into a two-legged gryphon, a form who'se paws would not get stuck in the luxurious carpet that often. Andy looked at the other orca with his eyes wide open. "A-Andy?" - it was english, a sound he had not heard for a while. "Who.." Then, he was embraced in a strong hug, surprised to find the alien sobbing into him. "Oh Andy..." "Mark??" "You remember me, you really do!" He hugged him back, the two orcas having tears of joy in their eyes. "Mark, you're alive! You're free!" "Yes. I released him shortly after you two mingled with me." Mark fell into Tapesh's words. "Did you know that they.. they..." "That they are gay? Well, I couldn't help but notice it" Marks colleague finished for him. "Tapesh told me that I... he.. raped you.." Andy nodded, smiling weakly. "Yes, but don't think about it. I'll get over it." Tapesh broke their embrace, pointing out that time was critical. "So, what do you think about the message, Andy?" "What.. message?" Andy replied to his 'father'. Tapesh shot a questioning look at Rashak, who shook his head. "we came just in time to save him from a supervisor." "Who?" "Drodge." "How long until..?" "I figure it'll wear off in a day or so." "That's not much time for us." "Ok, so.. what message?" Andy interrupted them. Tapesh sat down on a barstool-like seat in front of the table, and motioned the others to follow his example. "It's written on an incredible old stone in the center of the holy city. It's a message that nobody is allowed to see. But I'm known for my curiosity..." he smiled a sly grin, "...and broke into the chamber. Rashak and a few of his friends helped me." Rashak nodded to Andrew, winking. Toumal opened their eyes in surprise. "You??" "Yes, I was the most curious one of us after all. However, the message was just unreadable glyphs to me. I could not understand a word of it. You know, there have been some alleged 'copies of the forbidden words' circulating in private, secluded parts of our data network. All of them were fakes, I found out. All of them but one, which of course nobody could knoew for certain because few visited the chamber and returned alive." The orca pressed another sign on the table, causing the marble to shimmer. Letters appeared on the stone, writing Andy could read very well. It was english. "My god.." Andrew whispered. * * *
PEOPLE OF THE GOSHAK, YOUR NUMBERS ARE DWINDLING. CHANGE YOUR WAYS, OR YOUR RACE WILL VANISH IN TIME. DESTROY THE CHAINS OF SLAVERY AND IGNORANCE. REMEMBER THAT YOUR TRUE DESTINY LIES WITHIN THE SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR HOSTS. ACCEPT EACH OTHER. DEEP UNDERSTANDING AND LOVE IS THE KEY FOR BOTH YOUR SOULS TO
- * * "Where is the missing part?" "We don't know" Rashak answered, shrugging. "We haven't been able to understand it. Our leaders told us that the message was theirs to read, and theirs alone." "But your leaders... aren't human" "No. In fact, I'm pretty certain that they lied to us in every major aspect." "Tapesh!" the gryphon said, fear in his voice. "No, there's no use in denying it." Andy felt dizzy thinking about what the message possibly meant. "So.. Humans wrote this message?" "Either directly, or they have been involved in it's creation. That's the reason we were ordered to spare your vessel until a selected few had analyzed it. I suspect everyone involved in the analysis will eventually find death in some 'unfortunate accident'. That explains why they had my son help with the analysis as part of his 'punishment'." "I figure we're seeing the fruits of cooperation between host and symbiont right now" Mark stated flatly, "but what about the part with the souls?" They fell silent for a moment. Tapesh shook his head. "We have to find the lost fragment." The gryphon scritched his beak thoughtfully. "Say, how did your father take the news, Tapesh?" That made the orca smile wickedly. "He was... surprised. But you know he's as curious as I am." "Still, let us not forget that not everyone is open for new thoughts. We will hit resistance pretty soon. I am certain that we won't be able to convince everyone, some will ignore or fear the words against their better knowledge." Tapesh nodded and shot a concerned look at his son - and thus also at Andy. "Curiosity and open-mindedness is usually not something that helps you to qualify to breed. My father is one of the rare exceptions. Still, curiosity runs strong these days despite all attempts to keep it down. I must tell you though, don't expect that everyone of your comrades will be released." Andy nodded, swallowing. "But the ball is rolling, right? Is word of our discovery being spread?" Rashak asked. Mark chuckled in a very human way, making Andy smile at the orca who had once raped him. "You can say that aloud." Andy licked his lips, reaching over the table to caress his friends cheek. "You liked mingling with that 'father', didn't you?" "Well, I... um.." A wry smile came over the cetacean's beak. "You don't have to say anything. It took me a while to realize that I liked.. these things.. too." "I guessed so. Too bad they don't fall for hot chicks." Instantly, Andrew's face darkened. "I'm afraid there's something you should know. Females are useless to them. They..." "In fact" Tapesh interrupted him, "I think there's something that *you* don't know yet. Females aren't just being killed. They are being transported into a sealed area, where we have been told they are killed - but I have many reasons to believe that this is not true either." Andy, Toumal, Rashak and his host with the unpronouncable name fell silent in surprise. There had been 10 female crewmembers onboard the "Hummingbird", who Andy had thought to be dead. Tapesh smiled mysteriously. "Have you ever wondered why we didn't keep females for breeding new hosts?" "Um... " Andy choughed. "The leading cast deemed it unneccessary, declaring all information about population development secret and saying that there was no need. Yet we all know the rumors of our population decreasing - we can even see it on the streets! The only explanation is that they don't really care about the population as long as our numbers are large enough to keep the system running and to assimilate new species every now and then." Andy gasped. Earth! Of course he suspected that they would go after his homeworld eventually, but actually hearing it himself was still a shock. "Sure, the females of most species can't seed other hosts, not because of missing genitals of course, but because of genetic incompatibilities. But this does not explain why we are being told that they are killed." "But what did they do with the women?" "Think about it. The leading cast consists of 5 leaders, living separate from the rest of the brotherhood and in command for thousands of years. Many suspect that they aren't even real brothers. But even if they are, they have no interest in opening peaceful relations with other species, keep all captured females in a secluded installation where they are supposedly being killed. I guess they need females for themselves, something that they can't get from us. Also, they must have been trying to prevent a contact like ours from happening, fearing that someone could gain the knowledge needed to read the forbidden message." "But that doesn't explain why they don't keep a few untouched males and females, using them to breed new hosts for you and new females for them?" Andy threw in. "And who tells you that they don't it exactly this way?" "That's stupid. If this was true, there would be no reason to invade other worlds, would it?" Tapesh smiled. After a second Rashak gasped, understanding. "War." "Exactly." "I don't get it." Andy said in frustration. His face brightened again as Toumal spoke to him in his thoughts, revealing the solution to him. "Suppose you want your minions to be obedient and not fight you or each other, what's the perfect way to keep them occupied?" Andy's eyes went wide as he began to understand everything. The orca across the small table smiled. "So, who's up for a small field trip?" (End of Chapter 4)