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", "writing": "Eternal Debt, by UnamusedMonkey\n\nChapter Seven. The Search.\n\nBoris's eyes monitored the large holoscreen in front of him. Thick cigar smoke came from the side of his mouth as he exhaled. The boar captain looked at the radar display, noting the only ship in scanning distance, an agristation that was far behind him. A gloved hand ran down his sharp tusks in idle boredom. He liked the quietness, but at times it seemed a little too mundane at times.\n\nHis ship, the space freighter Beowulf was a large, blimp-like vessel. The ship was old, having over seven decades in service for Kullas Trading. The thick furred porcine adjusted the chest of his yellow uniform idly, looking at the screen again. He slunk back in his chair, puffing a bit of smoke as he relaxed himself. Uneventful as it may be, he preferred this route over many alternatives. He didn't even have to do much, as most of the work was now automated. Kullas Trading was slowly phasing out organic personnel with robots. They had gotten large amounts of outdated machines from the core worlds and were putting them to use. He wasn't sure how many the company had purchased, but he believed the corporate memo mentioned it was something in the thousands. He wasn't worried about his own job, though. He'd heard of robots that could take on leadership duties, but they were extremely expensive. \n\nIt was all about saving money, cutting corners. Hiring a crew person was cheap, but over time they cost money over the course of their life. Robots cost a decent amount, and the upkeep could be expensive, but if you just had them putter along until they broke with minimal maintenance, their expenses became next to nil. Robots also didn't complain, steal, or cause trouble with other workers. \n\n``Captain, is something the matter?'' Came a monotone voice behind him. \n\nBoris turned behind him to see the bulky, rusted form of his first mate behind him. The robot had been the most advance of the crew assigned to him, being only a mere fifty years old. Its AI was fairly advanced for one of age. ``Would you like another cigar, captain?'' The machine asked.\n\n``No, that's alright.'' Boris said, putting out his cigar butt in his ashtray as he looked back at the display. ``Any new status reports for the ship?'' The captain asked.\n\n``Nothing at the moment, everything is going smoothly as can be, captain.'' The machine replied quickly. The bulky metallic humanoid machine creaked slightly as it approached the captain's chair. \n\n``We'll be at the Kurata by the overmorrow, at this rate. Pretty good time, all things considered.'' Boris sighed, pinching the display as he looked at the screen. He jumped when a sudden klaxon wailed over the ship's speakers.\n\n``Captain, I do believe we are being hailed.'' The robot said, looking at the red text that appeared on the screen. ``That appears to be an Empire signal, sir.''\n\n``Empire? There's no Empire ships in the sector.'' He tapped the screen, looking around. Nothing but the agristation, still. ``What's an Empire ship doing here, I know we're on the border but we're still firmly in Union space...''\n\n``Should we answer?'' Asked the robot.\n\n``Yes, of course. Put them on the main screen.''\n\nThe display flashed for a moment. A uniformed red faced thick furred macaque appeared before the boar. The monkey was adorned with many jingling medals, sitting at attention in his large captain's chair. Despite the macaque's species handicap, he was the picture of a stern spacefaring captain. He looked like a military man. The other captain's serious expression brought sweat down the boar's neck.\n\n``Greetings, captain.'' Said the monkey, his Empire accent seemed extremely thick. ``This is Captain Kay of the Empire battlecruiser Excalibur. Please lower your shields and power down your weapons. We must do a cargo inspection before you are to proceed.''\n\n``Captain Kay, we're in Union space. The Empire has no authority here.'' Boris said, a snort coming from his nose as he spoke. ``I can send you a manifest of all the cargo I'm carrying. It's merely food for a company mining ship, nothing more.''\n\n``I'm afraid that's not good enough, my dear captain.'' The macaque leaned forward, his eyes stony and focused. ``You see, there's been a rash of illegal trafficking of slaves, organs, and biogel being moved into Empire space. All three of these things are illegal to import into the Empire, as you probably know. This is just a mandatory check, it won't take more than a few moments.''\n\n``I assure you, I'm not carrying anything illegal. Besides, I don't plan on venturing out of Union territory.... where is your ship? I can't seem to see it on my radar...''\n\n``I won't ask a third time. Lower your shields and power down your weapons. I will send an inspection crew in a small shuttle to inspect your cargo. If you doubt my authority, I should let you know that I am a knight in the Order of the Empire, and as such, I can operate out of Empire space if my duties see fit.'' The monkey's face seemed to get more red as he spoke. ``If you do not comply, I will be forced to obliterate your vessel.''\n\nSweat seemed to pour from the boar's face as he heard the threat. He glanced as the radar screen flickered. A giant ship was right behind him. He looked at the scanned details of the vessel. The ship had no log of the model of the ship, but the scanners indicated that by size alone it was a capital class vessel. His entire body trembled as he looked at the large blip on the radar. He turned to his first mate. ``Send out a dis-!''\n\nThe monkey captain cut the boar's words. ``I wouldn't be so cheeky. You better not complete that order. Not unless you want to test how well those corporate shields will handle our cannons.'' \n\n``Sir, there's a large energy signature behind us. They are charging their weapons.'' The robot piped up, watching the display. \n\nThey wouldn't stand a chance. The Beowulf was a trading vessel, not a military one. The shields were designed for small space debris and the occasional poorly armed pirate attack. The bombardment from a cruiser would reduce the whole ship to tiny smithereens. In a panicked voice Boris shouted. ``Lower shields, power down the weapons... right away!''\n\n``Yes, captain.''\n\nCaptain Kay smiled as he looked at his own screen, rewarded with the sight of the Beowulf's power levels lowering. He looked at Boris, his stern expression softening. ``Thank you for your cooperation. I'm sending out the boarding shuttle now. They're fast workers. Once they are done, you'll be on your way as long as they don't find anything suspicious. You're free to send out a report when they finish up, if you wish.''\n\nSuddenly the signal was gone and the macaque's face vanished from view. Boris rubbed at his wet temple. His hands trembled as he reached for his cigar box. He removed a fat cigar and placed it in his lips. The cigar wobbled awkwardly as he lit it. \n\nHe watched the radar as the shuttlecraft was heading towards them. Seemed like a large signature for a mere inspection crew. He watched as the scanner displayed the details of the vessel. ``Union Dropship, name: Evictor.'' What?\n\nThe whole ship seemed to shake when the dropship lined up with the boarding port. He panicked and reached for the holster on his belt. ``All hands, arm up! All hands-!''\n\nA red alert klaxon sounded. His main display showed a video feed of his robotic crew being butchered by heavily armed militants. The slow moving machines were no match for the invaders, not even managing to let out a single shot. \n\n``Lock the doors, send out a signal!''\n\n``Doors are locked, captain. I've put out a distress signal but it appears that their ship is equipped with a jammer. I do not believe it will get out.'' The robotic first mate said. ``Is there anything else I can do for you, captain?''\n\n``Yes, activate the warp drive and get us out of he-''\n\nHe leapt out of his chair as the doors to the room were suddenly laying flat on the ground. The whole ship jostled from the explosion. Smoke almost seemed to disguise the invaders as they marched into the room. A hyena with bright red eyes came from the smoke. He was dressed in a torn purple uniform, his body covered head to toe with straps and holsters carrying many weapons. In his grip was a sleek looking pulse rifle. \n\n``Halt!'' The robot ordered the intruders. ``You must desist this attack! You are guilty of destruction of Kullas Trading property and are hereby un-'' The robot landed on the ground, a shrieking metallic mess as its body was riddled with holes. The hyena cackled as he stepped over the machine's smoking corpse, thick spurred boots jingling as he approached the captain. \n\nBoris held his handgun out, pointing at the intruder. The weapon shook in his weak grasp. Something froze him up. It was the robotic glow of the hyena's red eyes. The cackling man licked his lips, teeth glistening in the light. ``Go on, take your shot.''\n\nWordlessly, Boris managed to pull the trigger. The hyena's left hand shot up in an instant. The blaster bolt struck the metallic palm of his hand, leaving a blackened scorch mark and a thin wisp of smoke. ``Too bad.'' The hyena said with a loud laugh.\n\nBoris didn't get a second shot.\n\n\tIn all his years serving aboard the Kurata Vargus had hardly seen the captain. Now he had been called by him two days in a row. Something was off this time, though. The message had been plain. ``Vargus. Report to my personal room immediately.'' was all that was said. The pig had thought that maybe this was going to be another meeting with him and the others. When the doors opened he realized that this was something else entirely. The lights in the large, lavishly designed room were dim, casting an oddly sinister aura.\n\n\tThe captain's chamber was dead silent. No music was playing this time. The ancient silver vulpine was at the long table, sitting alone. On his shimmering silver plate was an assortment of glazed small birds that glistened in the dim light. He snatched one of the cooked foul and bit into the meat, tearing it from the bone. Thick clear sauce dripped from his aged lips, dripping back on the plate. He swallowed the meat and gestured in front of him. ``Vargus, please, have a seat.'' He said, licking his lips, wiping the remaining moisture with his long canine tongue. \n\n\tThe large pig sat across from the captain awkwardly. He watched Sullivan?s intense focus on him. This certainly was different from last time. He looked at the tiny cooked birds on the plate before looking back at the ancient fox. ``Are the others coming?'' He asked, a bit of sheepishness in his voice. \n\n\t``No, head foreman. They are not.'' The captain ripped a tiny shank from a body before sliding it into his mouth. With a loud slurp, he pulled the stripped bone from his lips and sat it back onto the plate with a faint clang. ``This meeting is just between you and me this time.''\n\n\tVargus flushed. He felt unease racing through his veins. Best to hide it. ``Captain, I'm honored.''\n\n\t``No, I should be honored by your presence. You did good work out on Blito. I've just finished reading the report. Rosca spoke highly of your performance.'' \n\n\tVargus's jaw almost hit the table. ``She did?''\n\n\t``Yes, and her word goes very far on this ship.'' The captain said, leaning back on his chair as he spoke. ``So very far, that I have a very special assignment just for you, my dear head foreman.''\n\n\tThe pig cleared his throat awkwardly. ``I'm very flattered, captain, but you might want to assign Rosca to this project. I was actually going to ask something of you.''\n\n\tDisappointment spread across the ancient canine's silver face. ``It must be important, for you to reject such a special assignment.'' Concern painted the fox's expression. ``Please, do tell me what's on your mind.''\n\n\t``After what happened on Blito, to my crew... I think it's about time I left Oda Mining Company. I appreciate everything you've done for me, done for the ship. I'll return the money you gave me for my promotion and help you with finding a replacement for head foreman. I... wanted to ask a favor about Axel.''\n\n\tSullivan raised an eyebrow. ``Axel? Oh, yes. The monkey boy. I read about what he suffered on Blito. Very unfortunate. What did you have in mind about him?''\n\n\t``I would like to purchase him from the company, captain.'' Vargus said, his voice firm and unfaltering. ``I'm willing to pay more than what he was purchased for.''\n\n\t``Oh, as much as I would love to authorize that, I can't do that for you, Vargus.'' The captain began, his voice low and sullen. ``He's owned by the company outright. If he were my own personal property, I would give him to you in an instant. You would have to talk to home office about purchasing him. Though, you might not have much luck. Please, look at this.''\n\n\tThe fox removed a holopad from his uniform. A bright blue screen emerged from the device. The captain's fingers glided across the screen. He handed the device over to Vargus who read the screen. He scratched his head. It was an order form for machine parts. The receipt for the order showed Axel's face, a photo taken during his debt hearing. ``I... this...'' He stammered.\n\n\t``I thought the boy's presence on the ship was a bit strange. We don't hire children and never has this ship ordered a crewman. We hire full citizens, not quarter-citizens on this ship. His purchase was a mistake. I brought it up with call to home office when I discovered this. They're looking over options how to deal with this, ranging from returning him to Asios for a refund or selling him off to an agriship. He has no place in this company.'' The fox folded his hands in a modest display. ``There's already an offer from the agristation Plenty in this sector. They are offering five thousand credits for his young body.''\n\n\tVargus's eyes widened. ``An agristation?'' There was only one reason a place like that would want the monkey teen. ``Captain, you know what they'll do to him there. They'll hack him apart and use him as pieces for the ship. They'll kill him.''\n\n\t``Vargus, that's a bit of a dramatic way to put it.'' The fox said. ``He'll still be very much alive, with any luck, he'll outlive both of us as part of the ship. If they keep his brain as part of the ship's systems, they'll find a way for you to talk to him if you ever decide to visit the station. He probably won't be able to say much, unfortunately.''\n\n\tThe foreman felt anger rising to his face. He knew what was coming next.\n\n\t``However, mine and Mr. Yong's word goes far within the company. While I can't authorize his sale outright, I can send home office a message to give a short delay of his sale. After that, Mr. Yong and I could draft a message of your plight and you might be able to purchase him from them. Of course, I can't do this out of the goodness of my own heart. I need something in return.''\n\n\t``The assignment?'' Vargus said, bile rising.\n\n\t``Precisely.'' Sullivan gave a faint smile. ``I can assure you, it won't be a difficult mission. After you complete it, I'll draft the message to home office, they'll more than likely authorize the sale, and you can retire from Oda Mining with the boy as your property to do whatever you like. I'll even give you a generous severance pay for your service.''\n\n\t``And just what is this mission?'' Vargus asked, feeling his pig nostrils flaring slightly.\n\n\t``Mr. Yong has traced Flint's personal corporate account to the fishery world of Hadarr. We suspect that he's gone completely rogue. I want you to go to Hadarr, find him, and capture him. If you have to kill him instead, so be it. I personally suspect he's joined up with pirates or some kind of bandit brigand band.''\n\n\tVargus swallowed. ``I didn't know him very well, but that really doesn't seem in his character. I'll go and I'll find him... if I can take Axel with me.''\n\n\tSullivan?s whiskers twitched. ``Now why would you want that? Are you planning to run away with the boy?''\n\n\t``I'd never do that, sir.'' Vargus said, a lightning fast response. ``I don't want him on this ship alone. He doesn't know anyone on this ship and he could wind up in trouble. I just want to keep him close and safe.''\n\n\tThe captain leaned back on his chair and thought for a moment. ``...Even though it is against my best judgement, I'll allow it. I'm not a cruel man. However... if you double cross me, Vargus, understand, I will use every resource I have to track you and the boy down, and what he went through on Blito will be nothing compared to what I'll have done to the both of you. Traitors deserve no mercy.'' The fox's voice was low and threatening. ``Am I clear?''\n\n\t``Crystal, captain.'' \n\n\t``Good!'' The captain relaxed and smiled jovially. ``I doubt it will come to that. You're a good man, Vargus. Possibly one of the best on the ship. I'll have Yong set up the transportation and all the other details. I want you off ship early in the morning.''\n\n\t``Absolutely, sir.'' Vargus turned to leave but turned back to face the captain. ``If it isn't too much to ask, could you requisition a weapon for Axel, something so he could protect himself. I've been on Hadarr before. It's a pretty rough place.''\n\n\t``You want me to authorize a weapon for a parts monkey?'' Sulivan had an amused expression. He thought for a moment. ``Sure. I'll have Yong give him a stun blaster. Do you need anything for the mission?''\n\n\t``No, I have my own handgun. I just don't want what happened to Axel to happen again. Thank you, Captain.'' The foreman turned to leave again.\n\n\t``Oh, and Vargus...'' The captain said, his voice low. ``Don't tell anyone aboard this ship about this. Tell the boy if you must, but no one else. If the possibility that the former head foreman has gone rogue escapes this room... the result could be disastrous.''\n\n\tVargus knew something else was up. This wasn't something normal. Something personal was going on. He wasn't sure what it was, but he didn't know what. This whole Flint situation had to be bigger than how the captain led on. Flint had been a loyal, if fairly taciturn head foreman. Vargus couldn't see him turning against the company, not unless he had a very valid reason to do so. Maybe he was in some sort of trouble himself. Vargus was tired. He hadn't slept in too long. He'd figure the rest of it out after a good rest. \n\n\tHe left the captain's room and heard the metallic doors swoosh closed behind him. The tried not to ruminate over the conversation as he began to walk towards his bunk. Too many odd things were happening. Something had to link it all. The captain asking so much of him, Flint vanishing, the organization of a revolt on Blito. Maybe they weren't all linked, but something had to connect a few of them. He made his way to his crew's quarters. He opened the door and heard the monkey boy loudly snoring in the bed that was given to him. A feeling of sadness went through the foreman's heart as he looked at all the empty bunks. There wasn't anything for him here anymore. He looked back down at the boy. Except one.\n\n\tAxel was sprawled on his thin belly against the hammock. The kid was going to have a hell of a hangover when he woke up. The boy's ass,only partially covered by the white cotton of his briefs was the first thing that the pig's eyes gravitated too. He wanted to reach out and grab the monkey's cheeks. Despite Axel being so thin, his ass had a degree of plumpness to it. Vargus's gaze lowered to the boy's feet. It was breathtaking how much the boy's feet resembled hands. He wondered how the kid walked around with feet like those. With his toes being so finger like he wondered if the boy had ever... no, he couldn't think like that. Axel had already been through so much. He couldn't add to that. The foreman felt a tinge of guilt and leaned closer to the boy. He slowly adjusted the kid's face to make sure it wasn't pressed against the hammock, instead hanging off of the fabric in case he vomited in his stupor. \n\n\tVargus walked over to the kitchen to fetch a bucket when something clanged and slid past him. He looked down to see a sharp steak knife skidding along the floor, accidentally scuffed by him walking. He bent over and took the knife, inspecting it. The blade was clean, well, as clean as most of the utensils he had. He looked back at the sleeping monkey and then at the blade. No, the boy had no reason to use this. Vargus figured that he or another crew member must have dropped it last time food was served. He didn't remember serving anything that would require such a utensil, though. He looked back at the sleeping boy. No, he just must be losing his senses after all the stress. It was all getting to him. He put the knife on the kitchen counter and grabbed a plastic bucket. He placed the bucket next to the sleeping boy and made his way to his own personal quarters. He was so tired, he didn't realize he was asleep as soon as he landed into bed.\n\nThe darkness of the void brought comfort to Axel. The young monkey boy had found himself suspended in the infinite blackness. He floated around in the darkness, completely naked. His soft uncut member flopped around as he slowly rolled in a lazy vertical spin. It was a sense of freedom that now filled the boy with a feeling of warm comfort. \n\n\tThe warmth began to intense when he noticed he wasn't alone in the void. A figure bathed in flames beckoned the monkey. As Axel floated towards the form, he realized it wasn't bathed in fire, it was the flames itself. The humanoid form was neither masculine nor feminine. It was a purely androgynous outline of orange, a long finger extended from its hand and coaxed the boy closer. ``Oh, dear Axel.'' It said, its voice both paternal and maternal. ``My sweet boy.''\n\n\tA hand extended towards the boy's face. Hot fingers stroked his cheek lovingly. It felt warm. The skin and fur that was touched blackened and burned from the flames. Axel cuddled the hand with affection, rubbing his cheek against it. Flesh rolled down his chin as the fire took more away from him. The boy didn't feel the pain, he just felt the comforting warmth against him as he nuzzled the hand that was burning him. \n\n\t``We have so much work to do, you and I.'' The figure said, stroking his hair lovingly. The stench of burning hair wafted into the boy's simian nostrils. ``We need to find that woman, that bitch that hurt you. We have others to find but we will start with her. You will find her, and the both of us will return the favor.''\n\n\tAxel looked up at the form's featureless face. ``But, I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want to be free. I need to pay off my debt.''\n\n\t``Look at your wrist, my sweet boy.''\n\n\tThe teen did so and gasped. The Assurance was gone. He could see his bare wrist now. He looked back at the orange face. ``You freed me?''\n\n\t``You're always free when you're with me, Axel.'' A hot finger pressed against the boy's lips. His lips dried and blackened against the flames. ``and when we finish our work, you'll be free forever. No more debt, no more worries. Don't you want the sail the stars as a free man, Axel?''\n\n\t``Yes, yes I do!'' The boy said, his voice pleading. ``but, I don't want to hurt anyone. Do we have to?''\n\n\t``Have you forgotten what they have done to you? What they have taken away from you?'' The figure asked, stroking the burning embers that remained of his once brown hair. ``Have you forgotten the shocks, the hunger? My dear Axel, if they could, they would have driven an ice pick right through your eye.'' A finger touched his right eye. It didn't hurt as the boy's eyeball began to melt away, the glistening goo running along down past his lips. Even though the eye was gone, the monkey's vision wasn't hindered in the slightest. \n\n\t``Who.. who are they?'' Axel asked with a shudder to his voice.\n\n\t``The psychiatrists, particularly the one named Marge Livingston.'' The flame spoke, its tone darkened now. ``We will put her through so much more. You will remember it all, in time.''\n\n\t``I don't even know what a psychiatrist is.'' The boy said, hugging at the flame. His arms sprouted flames, the fur sizzling as they were consumed. \n\n\t``I will show you, as much as it pains me.'' The figure said, sadness in its voice.\n\n\tThe boy's mouth gaped opened. Visions of men and women in white coats, ice picks, machine dials, bottles of pills, injections, and ink blots raced in his head. Long words, words of poisons echoed in his ears. He tried to shake the visions away but they came in even clearer. ``It's a sign of a chemical imbalance.'' A female voice echoed in his head. They vanished suddenly. The boy was quaking. Shaken by what was shown to him. ``No, please. Don't show me anymore. Please.'' The boy buried his face into the form's chest. His skin and fur melted into a thick pink slime until white bone emerged from the now stripped form of his face. \n\n\t``I am so sorry that you had to see that. It hurts me more when I see you in so much distress.'' A warm coddling voice sounded. Axel felt back at ease. He cuddled the chest of the flames. His stripped face twisting into a gentle smile. ``Are...are you my mother?'' He asked the fire.\n\n\t``No, but you may call me such as you wish. I am Light, and I want only to help you.'' An arm wrapped around his scrawny back and brought him even closer. His body was soon enveloped by the warmth of the fire. He felt his bones blacken to ash. ``I love you, Light.'' He didn't even have a mouth to say those words.\n\n\t``I love you too, Axel. I'll never stop loving you.''\n\nThe boy's eyes opened as he awoke. His head felt like it had split open. The room was lurching back and forth in his vision. He felt sick to his stomach. There was a horrible tightness in his throat that felt all too familiar. He stumbled from the hammock, landing on the floor with a thud. He watched as the floor danced from under him. The light from above blinded his vision. He reached out with his hands to block it.\n\nDespite all of this, something smelled oddly nice. Slowly, the teen began to sat up. The walls of the room almost seemed to be dancing as he rubbed his sensitive eyes. He let out a low moan as his stomach seemed to twist inside of him.\n\n``Whoa, you okay, kid?'' A thick hand reached for him. Axel took Vargus's hand and was pulled up to his feet. He wobbled slightly when the pig let go of him. Blushing, the boy noticed his limp cock was still hanging out of the front of his underwear. Awkwardly, the boy tucked his penis back into the confines of his briefs. \n\n``I feel awful...'' Axel clutched his stomach.\n\n``You had a bit too much to drink last night. You remember anything?'' Asked a concerned Vargus.\n\n``I remember...'' The boy thought for a moment, memories swished across his blurred mind. ``Uh, I remember eating some really good food. I remember...'' He thought about Light. Best not tell him about that. ``I remember you letting me keep that lighter.'' He said, watching the foreman's concerned face. ``That's mostly it.''\n\n``Ah, well, that's the jist of it I suppose.'' Vargus figured he shouldn't tell Axel about his lewd proposal in front of all the bar patrons. He didn't want the boy to get too upset and emotional. Especially now that the two of them were going to be leaving the ship fairly soon. After he'd told the boy that they were going to relax for a while. He wasn't sure how to break it to him.\n\n``Oh, I got something for you.'' Vargus said, fumbling around with his overalls' pockets. He pulled out a small pink tube that had a cap attached. He pulled the cap off and handed the tiny plastic thing to the monkey. Axel looked at it, groaning in pain. ``Wha...what is this?''\n\n``It's crushed rushum. It'll wipe out that nasty hangover of yours.'' Vargus said, watching the boy's skeptical look. ``You just put the opening to your nostril of choice and sniff it in.''\n\nThe image of a pill bottle flashed in the teen's mind. He looked back at Vargus with a slight scared look growing in his eyes. ``Is it a...sert-tra-leen?'' He asked the foreman. \n\nVargus looked at the boy's worried face. He tried not to show his own worry. ``No, of course not. It's nothing like that. Trust me. Just sniff it all and you'll feel loads better.''\n\nNervously, the teen put the bottle against a simian nostril. He tilted his head back which almost caused him to lose his balance. He gave a loud sniff. Thin powder ran up through his nose. It tickled. He coughed, feeling a tightness grow on his chest. ``Gahk!'' He felt an odd chalky taste in his mouth. \n\nHis entire body stiffened. His tail stood up straight. The room stopped spinning and his stomach and head felt... normal! His balance was restored. He looked at the foreman, his eyes adjusted to the light now. ``Whoa! ... that really worked!'' He said, glad that all that sickness was all over.\n\n``I've had to take it many times before.'' Vargus admitted, patting the boy on the back. ``I pity the days before people figured it out. You'd probably be feeling like crap for almost the entire rest of the day. Now... where did you hear of a word like sertraline?''\n\n``I don't remember. What is it?'' The boy asked.\n\n``Bad stuff, when you hear words like that, best just to keep away.'' Vargus said, a gruff noise escaping his porcine snout. \n\n``I think someone told me that I need to see a sai-kai-it-trist.'' The monkey said, the words falling out of his mouth as he tried to remember what he had been dreaming of. His stared at the lighter that was now on the ground by his bare monkey feet. \n\n``Kid, no one needs to see a psychiatrist. They poke around your brain and try to mess around with stuff that shouldn't be toyed with.'' He said, his face serious. He watched the monkey's vacant look, like he was spacing out. ``...if you really feel that way, maybe we can do a walk-in at a clinic on Hadarr. As long as I'm there to keep you safe.''\n\nAxel snapped back to attention. ``Hadarr? Are we going somewhere?''\n\n``Yes, I uh... look, let's have some breakfast first. Before it gets cold.'' The pig said, wanting some time to think of how to break it to the boy. He vanished into the kitchen, coming back with a plate that had an interesting dish on it. \n\nIt was an odd looking flat thing that was covered in the thick yellow sauce that Axel knew as cheese. On top of the thick cheese was a lighter shade of yellow that looked oddly fluffy. The dish was steaming, bringing in a delicious scent into the boy's nose. His mouth began to water as he looked at it. He took the plate that was offered and eyed the morsel with curiosity. \n\n``It's toast with synth egg and synthetic cheese. It's pretty simple and easy to make. I'll show you how to cook stuff sometime.'' Vargus said, a chuckle escaping him. Axel looked so adorable when he looked at things that were new to him. Vargus had to remind himself, as cute as it was, it was pretty bleak that the poor boy had never seen such a basic foodstuff before. He thought of how meager and poor the boy's diet had been up to this point. \n\nCarefully the monkey took the toast and bit into it. His teeth sliced through the egg and cheese and crunched on the bread. The different textures brought pleasure to the young boy's mouth. The new taste of the egg mixed with the now acquainted taste of cheese seemed to compliment each other well. The toast dissolved in the monkey's mouth as he chewed, the warm bread felt so good to eat. He then turned ravenous upon the dish, devouring it quickly.\n\n``Careful, you have to learn to eat slowly. You can wind up choking if you keep eating like that.'' Vargus warned him. \n\nAxel swallowed a mouthful of toast with a loud gulp. He looked at the now empty plate. ``Do you have any more?'' He asked in a quiet voice.\n\n``Of course I do, I made plenty. I'm hoping to help get a belly on you by the time we're finished up with this Hadarr business.'' The foreman poked the boy's lean stomach with a thick finger. The monkey boy giggled and smiled as he was very ticklish there. The pig went to the kitchen and returned with a plate with three more steaming covered toasts, ready for the boy. ``I thought you'd be hungry.''\n\nAxel made sure to eat the rest of the food in a more slow manner. It felt good to eat. It felt good to have a full stomach. It was a feeling that he hoped he would experience every day from now on. After breakfast was done, Vargus sat in front of the monkey, looking up at his face with a serious expression. \n\n``Now, I know I said we were going to relax for a while. Something just kind of fell on my lap.'' Vargus watched the boy's curious expression. ``There's some stuff going on, I'm not sure exactly what. I very important person named Flint has gone missing, they think he's hiding out on a planet called Hadarr.'' \n\n``Are we going to find him?'' Axel asked. \n\n``I'm going to try to. I just want you to stick close and be safe. The captain thinks he's running around with pirates, but I'm thinking he's in some kind of trouble. It could be ugly stuff. Something about this whole thing is fishy, though.''\n\n``I can help!'' Axel said, wanting to join in. ``I can... I'm small enough, I can fit places you can't. I can...'' The teen began to think more.\n\nVargus watched the boy ponder. Axel could be helpful. Being a primate in a fairly simian populated world could have its advantages. He didn't want to put the boy in any danger. Though the boy was intelligent, he lacked exposure to the world at large. He was still learning things. This was going to be one hell of a crash course. ``Okay, you can help a little.'' Vargus relented. ``But if anything gets dangerous, I want you either close to me or far away from what's going on, okay?''\n\n``Okay, I'll keep myself safe.'' Axel said, obedience in his voice. The boy was practically programmed to follow orders. Considering his age, Vargus had half-expected him to instead make a gung-ho statement that he could handle himself. \n\n``Now, this planet, Hadarr.'' Vargus began. ``It's an ocean world. They've got these big domed cities scattered across the surface. It's a very rough and tumble world. I've been there before when I was younger. Everyone there is involved in the fishing industry there, at least in some capacity. If they are not, they're engaged either in keeping the planet running or in... alternate careers.''\n\n``You mean pirates and stuff?'' Axel asked.\n\n``Yeah, stuff like that. It's kind of an open secret that Hadarr facilitates some criminal activities. The Union doesn't crack down because it's so far from the core worlds and most of the activity doesn't effect taxes enough for them to really care. What I'm trying to say is, just keep close and don't talk to anyone unless I'm giving you the go ahead.''\n\nAxel frowned. This was serious. He'd stay close to the foreman. ``What if you get in trouble, who's going to protect you?'' He asked with a squeak. \n\n``I'm a tough guy, it takes a lot to get me pinned down.'' The foreman said with an oink. ``But if you see me in real trouble, I got permission to give you a special gun. It's only for emergencies, though.''\n\n``I've never shot a gun.'' The boy admitted, not liking the idea of hurting someone with a firearm.\n\n``I'll teach you. I hope you won't have to use it, but I want you to have something to protect yourself.'' The man stood back up, ruffling the boy's short brown hair with his fingers. ``but enough about all that. We can still have a little fun. I'm going to grab our stuff. How about you get dressed real quick and we'll be out in the hanger in no time.''\n\nThe boy walked over to his duffel and got out his school uniform and mining boots. Vargus's gaze couldn't help but eye the monkey boy's butt as he bent over to grab his stuff. He could see the outline of the monkey's young backsack through the white material of his underwear. He bit his lip and cursed himself for looking at the kid like that. Had the years in space really changed him so much? \n\nHe had to admit, though. The boy did look pretty adorable in his blue school uniform. He wished he could send the monkey to a real school, though. Vargus had never really thought about how the Union had so many children, far younger than Axel working as machine parts across galaxy. It was one of those many things that you blocked out of your mind. It kept the Union going, kept it strong. Just like the many breeding worlds that they kept secured. \n\nThe Union, despite holding far less worlds than the ever expanding Empire, was speculated to have a population ratio of about five-to-one. While there were a great degree of natural births throughout the Union, many citizens were produced by their extensive breeding programs. Union scientists were also trying to break the code on stable cloning. With such a program, Vargus wondered if they were gearing up for a war with either the Empire or the Berzog. \n\nThere were many other factions spread across the universe. Vargus wasn't very familiar with any of them. The Union and the Empire were the biggest players when it came to intergalactic affairs, though. The Berzog didn't involve themselves in space politics and largely kept to themselves. Vargus went into his room and gathered anything that he thought might be important. He grabbed a holster and snapped it across his overalls. He looked down at the holster, the handgun inside giving it shape. \n\nIt was nothing advanced and merely civilian grade. The Union had somewhat lax rules regarding firearms. Certain weapons were ``military grade'' which meant only the Union government or authorized individuals could use them. Over time, older military weapons and ships were passed down to the civilian market. If you were older than the age of sixteen, had committed no crimes, and were a full citizen, you were eligible to carry firearms. \n\nAxel was still young and was merely a quarter citizen, the ranks below him would be prisoners, drones, and non-citizens. The monkey boy's rights were few, especially considering he was owned by Oda outright and his very large debt. Vargus didn't want to admit it, but the captain was being more than reasonable by letting the kid tag along for this mission. As the officer in charge of all of the Kurata's activities, Sullivan had a lot of control over the boy's fate. He could even have the boy killed if he wanted, as long as he gave a reason how it benefited the company in some way. Vargus had to get the boy out of company control. That was the first step in keeping him alive. The rest would have to come after that. \n\nHe didn't want to tell Axel how this one assignment was going to decide his fate. That the failure of this endeavor would lead to him being torn apart and placed in pieces in some horrible agristation somewhere, his organs used to keep the ship running for decades, maybe centuries. It was a cruel fate that many succumbed to, especially here. \n\nThe fact that Oda vessels didn't use organs and limbs as replacement ship parts was one of the reasons Vargus decided to work for the company. The usage of such parts was one of the few known accelerators to space madness. It wasn't too uncommon for entire crews of agristations to grow mad, to worship the station itself and then turn on each other, consuming and skinning the flesh to make odd, ritualistic garb. \n\nIn such conditions the Union declared the ships or stations beyond saving and ordered their immediate destruction. It was to prevent the survivors sufferers from creating a working crew on the ship and spreading their horrific fate to other vessels. Vargus had heard an old spacer's tale where the crew of a small patrol vessel went mad and began to seek out other ships to sample the flesh of their occupants. He wondered if there was any truth to it. \n\nHe emerged from his room, holding a small bag with his things. Axel was dressed and was munching on a bag of candies he had retrieved from his duffel. The boy had a wide smile as he sampled the sour taste of the gummy worms. His scrawny body almost seemed to vibrate in excitement as he chewed the confectionery. \n\n``You really like those, don't you, kid?'' The pig asked with a wide grin. Watching Axel with a genuine smile across his face made the foreman's stern heart melt a little. \n\nThe boy nodded, not speaking as his mouth was full of candy. Vargus patted the monkey's head. ``I'm not sure if there's going to be any candy stores where we're going, but I'll keep an eye out for one. If we find one, I'll buy you a whole box full of those things.''\n\nThe teen gulped the worms down. ``You mean it?''\n\n``Of course. I uh... I want to see you happy.'' Vargus admitted, rubbing his own back nervously. ``It makes me happy.''\n\nAxel just stared, his mouth agape. The man looked at the zoned out boy with concern. He lowered himself to get his face leveled with the boy's. ``Are you okay?''\n\n``I... don't understand...'' The words seemed to fall out of the boy's mouth. ``You WANT to see me happy?''\n\n``Of course I do, kid. I care about you.'' Vargus said, patting the boy's back. Axel straightened at attention. He was in deep thought, thinking what the man said to him. Then he blurted something that made Vargus's face flush.\n\n``Can you be my dad?''\n\n``Kid, I, uh...'' The foreman gulped. ``Listen, uh... let's uh just focus on what we have to do now, okay?''\n\nThe boy suddenly wrapped his tiny form around the porcine's waist. His thin, emaciated arms clutching at the pig's body. He buried his young face into Vargus's torso, snuggling it. His long monkey tail waggled behind him, swaying back and forth as he embraced the older man. His voice was muffled by the man's overalls and fat. ``I love you, Vargus.'' He said, pressing his head closer to the pig. ``I love you!''\n\nNow Vargus was staring out. He hadn't heard those words in such a long time himself. He gently patted the kid's head. His lips trembled as he tried to speak. He was a mining man, not some kind of emotional thing. He ordered people around and worked with heavy equipment and rocks. He wasn't supposed to love people, especially not a boy. Saying ``I love you'' was what you told your wife after you got done plowing her. He wasn't equipped to deal with this. His thick fingers stroked the boy's head softly. ``I uh...'' He stammered out, the words thick in his throat. ``I love you, too.'' \n\nAxel pulled away. His face was covered in wet tears. Vargus noticed the small stain that had spread across his overalls. ``Y-you mean like, like, for real?'' The kid asked with a loud sniffle. \n\n``Of course I do, but... let's stop with the waterworks.'' The man said in a gentle tone. He removed a small cloth pad from his pocket and began to wipe the boy's wet, sniveling face. ``We'll get laughed at by the crew if they see us like this. You gotta be tough, remember. We'll save the mushy stuff for a different time.''\n\nThe teen gulped and held his hands to his side, straightening his posture. His expression turned stiff and stern. He gave the foreman a ridged salute. ``I can be tough. I'll be the toughest monkey you've ever seen.''\n\n``That's it.'' Vargus patted his back as he guided the monkey out the door. The foreman grabbed the monkey's duffel with a slight grunt and headed out to join him. His left hand awkwardly clasped around the handles of both his own personal bag and the boy's duffel. He got in the lead in front of the monkey to make sure they went the right way. He didn't want the teenager getting lost. \n\nThe trek to the hanger seemed shorter than usual. Not only that but the activity in the hanger was very sparse. He saw the obese Siamese hanging by a boxy, but very new looking ship. Vargus didn't recognize the vessel at all and figured it was one from the captain's private collection. The exterior wasn't much to look at. A rather boxy looking craft with a cubic, angular design. He didn't note any exterior weapon systems and hoped the ship had some that were hidden away somehow. \n\nMr. Yong on the other hand looked very odd. Not only did he look completely out of place in the hanger, wearing his nice gray suit and tie but upon approaching him Vargus noted he looked off. His suit, normally straight and pressed looked wrinkled and unkempt. His fur and hair was wild and ungroomed. His eyes were bloodshot, darting everywhere. The poor cat must have been up for a while. He looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep since the last time he saw him. \n\nThe feline looked around before speaking. ``Hey, Vargus. I got everything authorized for you. This is one of Sullivan's private ships, the Silver Kestrel. He's taking a big chance letting you use this. Please treat it gently.''\n\nHe handed Vargus several cards. ``Here is the keys, the ship's identification, a bounty hunter license, along with landing zone clearance codes. I have been told to inform you that you are on strict orders NOT to identify yourself as part of Oda Mining at any part of this investigation. I believe you'll come up with a clever cover story, because I don't have any for you... I...'' The feline's gaze jumped towards the monkey that was behind the foreman. Mr. Yong almost leapt out of his dress shoes.\n\n``You're taking the kid with you?'' He asked, his voice ragged and panicked. \n\n``Yeah, the captain said I could.'' Vargus raised an eyebrow. ``You don't look so good. You should really get some sleep.''\n\n``I've had plenty of sleep, thank you very much.'' The nervous cat's eyes darted more. He approached the monkey boy, his pupils thin. ``Hey, kid. You don't want to go along with all this stuff. It's a gross wet water world. How about you stay on the ship where it's safe.''\n\nThe confused monkey merely stared at the panicked cat.\n\n``Yong, what are you doing? He's coming with me. I'm going to keep him safe during all this.'' Vargus said, watching the cat twitch slightly. ``What are you going on about?''\n\n``You don't want to drag a kid along all of this.'' The cat said, a false smile painted on his face. He patted the boy's head. Axel recoiled in response. ``You know, I might have a spare apartment over at Central City that I can loan the boy. He'll be safe there. I'll even have food delivered to him and he can video call you every night until you get back.'' The Siamese's voice was desperate. \n\n``I want to go with Vargus.'' Axel looked at the nervous wreck of a man. ``I'm going to be with him.''\n\nThe feline swallowed, sweat running down his face. ``Oh, Oliver, it's too dangerous to go out there.''\n\n``Axel.'' The monkey said, his voice firm. ``My name is Axel.''\n\n``That's what I said, Axel.'' The cat stepped back and looked at Vargus who was staring him down now. ``Please don't take him with you.''\n\n``Yong, step away from the boy or I'm going to deck you across the face.'' Vargus said, his voice low. ``You're acting strange and you need sleep. I know that the captain must be running you ragged to account for all this stuff. We're leaving. Now.''\n\nVargus clicked a sensor on one of the cards. The large door to the ship began to open. Yong's eyes widened. ``Please, Vargus, I...'' He stammered, looking back at Axel. He took a few steps back, watching the pig's intense gaze upon him. He swallowed again and wiped the sweat from his face. His desperate expression vanished, but Vargus knew he was trying to keep it all in. The fat feline spoke, his tone knowledgeable and professional. ``Vargus, as you know that I am the supply chief of the Kurata and as such I have complete authority over company property. Now...'' The desperation leaked in. ``As supply chief I am ordering you, PLEASE, don't take this boy with you...!''\n\nVargus ushered the monkey into the ship and set down his bags on the floor. He approached the feline, his face stony. He looked at the sweaty Yong, fists balled up. ``Yong, is there a reason you want to keep Axel on this ship? Something you want to tell me?''\n\n``I... just uh...'' The cat's heart was racing in his pudgy chest. ``That corporate headquarters will be very upset if something happens to their three thousand credit employee. Just uh...'' He gave a nervous false smile. ``Just take care of him and keep him close. I'll... get some rest and check on you later.'' \n\nYong scurried off faster than the foreman thought his fat legs could take him. The pig scratched his head. Something wasn't right, here. Did Yong want the boy for himself? He never thought of the man as a homosexual before. Then again, he had never thought of himself as one either. He grabbed the bags and walked up the ship's dropped hatch and entered the vessel. \n\nThe foreman whistled as he looked at the interior of the ship. It was nice, not quite as opulent as a vessel owned by the captain as he'd thought but still very nice. He was standing in the middle of a finished living room, a couch and large bolted in physical screen across from it. He could eye the opening to a small kitchen to the side. \n\nAxel was on the large couch, looking at the blank screen. He watched Vargus as the pig set the bags down. \n\n``Did you beat him up?'' Axel asked.\n\n``No, no. Something's going on with him. I'm not sure.'' The porcine said with a grunt as he watched the door closing down. ``This ship is too nice. I thought we were supposed to have a low profile. Kind of hard to stay down with a fairly modern pleasurecraft.'' He said, rubbing his temple. ``This thing has to be worth close to a million credits, at the very least. I know he's a wealthy man, but this is a bit much.'' \n\nHe looked at the boy's concerned face. ``Well, on the positive, we won't have to worry about finding room and board on Hadarr. We'll keep this ship docked and rest here when we need to. Now, I'm going to go get this ship ready. You just relax for a bit.''\n\nAxel sat up on the couch. ``What was wrong with that man?'' He asked.\n\n``I honestly don't know.'' Vargus admitted as he tried to find the ship's cockpit. ``I don't know him that well but I've never seen him like that. I might need to talk to the captain about it. I'll be back in a moment.''\n\nVargus opened a door and was rewarded by finding the control room for the ship. ``Bingo.'' He said as he stepped into the cockpit and closed the door behind him. Axel hummed as he was left alone. He heard a voice come from his wrist.\n\n``Mr. Stone, you have not made a payment today.'' Said the mechanical voice of the blue Assurance device that was attached to his wrist. ``Please do not be delinquent in payments. You need to increase your rate of payment.''\n\nThe monkey boy looked around, making sure that Vargus wasn't in the room. He lowered his head, looking at the display of the Assurance. ``I need your help, Assurance. Do you know anyone named Marge Livingston?'' \n\n``I do not know anyone, I am just an Assurance.'' The device responded plainly. ``Do you want me to do a search for `Marge Livingston' using my connection to the extranet?''\n\n``Yes, do that, please.'' Axel said in a quiet voice.\n\n``Will this action help with your debt to Shine Holdings?'' The Assurance inquired.\n\n``It might. Just look her up, please.'' A frustrated Axel replied.\n\n``Do you have any information that will help narrow search results?'' The Assurance asked.\n\n``Uhh, how about... Asios and uh... sai-kai-it-trist?''\n\n``Searching.'' The device was quiet for a moment. Suddenly the display shined a bright blue. The coyote woman's face showed in the Assurance's holoscreen. Axel focused his gaze. She looked familiar. His fur stood up on end as he looked at her long canine face. ``Dr. Marge Livingston was a psychiatrist employed on the planet of Asios until a few months ago. She has since moved location to another world.''\n\n``Can you find out where?'' Axel pleaded.\n\n``Certainly. One moment.'' The device was silent for a brief time before responding. ``She is currently employed at Maldeb Institute for Mental Health, Brineline City, planet Hadarr.'' The Assurance said in a flat tone. ``You have exhausted all free searches for the period. You will have to pay if you wish to know more.''\n\n``That's all I wanted, thank you.'' Axel's body shook. Hadarr. That's where they were headed. What were the odds. Light had to know about this. Light was guiding him. Still, he wasn't sure what he was going to do. He didn't want to hurt her. Maybe he could come up with a compromise. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the blue lighter. He looked at the cerulean plastic with a smile across his face. He flicked on the lighter and watched the orange dance across it. \n\nThe room seemed to darken around him as he consulted the flame. \n\n``I did it. We're going to go to the planet where that woman is.'' He said, hoping to please Light. ``Vargus and I are going to find a guy named Flint, after we're done with that, we can find her... and... well, I don't know what to do. I still don't want to hurt her.''\n\nThe voice came from the fire as a whisper. ``Axel... you know what must be done.''\n\n``I'll explain everything to Vargus, he'll know what to do.'' Axel told Light. ``He said he loves me.''\n\n``I love you Axel, the real you. I love everything about you.'' The flame flickered. ``Do you think Vargus will always love you? Do you think he will love you when you get old? When he knows all about you, your secrets?''\n\n``But... he loves me. He said so.'' The boy said, a frown forming.\n\n``He might think he loves you, but you are a novelty for him.'' The voice said, its tone poisonous and bitter. ``That will wear off when you begin to change. When your face isn't so youthful, when your body begins to age. You won't be so cute to his eyes anymore and he will abandon you. Just like your father.''\n\n``He wouldn't... he wouldn't!'' Axel's hands shook. ``You're lying to me. You're lying. Take it back, Light! TAKE IT BACK!''\n\n``Kid, who are you talking to?'' Came a voice behind him.\n\nAxel's fur stood on end. The void was gone. He was sitting on the couch. He peered to see Vargus standing outside the cockpit door. The pig was looking at him with a confused expression. Vargus walked into the living room, sitting by the boy. Axel looked at the lighter in his hand. The flame was gone. He shifted his gaze to the foreman that was now sitting next to him. He swallowed nervously. ``What did you hear?''\n\n``I just heard you shout something like `take it back' or something like that from the other room.'' Vargus said, watching the monkey closely. ``You okay?''\n\nThe boy put the lighter in his pocket. He sniffled a little. ``Uh... I think I need to see one of those sai-kai-it-trists.'' He said, rubbing his nostrils with a finger. \n\n``Kid, if you really insist, we'll go see a walk-in clinic after we get a little work done.'' Vargus folded his arms. ``Is something bothering you? You can tell me anything you want. I won't judge you.''\n\nAxel opened his mouth. He wanted to tell Vargus the truth. He wanted to tell him everything. Still, a tiny voice in his head told him not to. Something in the back of his mind was telling him that it would make the pig angry, and he would be alone again. He couldn't risk that. He gulped, thinking about something else. \n\n``Vargus, is it okay for boys to like boys?'' He squeaked out.\n\nThere came a snort from the foreman. ``What?''\n\n``You know, like... how men like women. Is it okay for boys to like each other like that?'' The monkey boy asked, wanting to drive the conversation elsewhere. \n\n``Oooh. Yeah, I mean. I know I might always use the right words and stuff before when talking about the captain, but... there's nothing wrong with it as far as I know.'' The pig rubbed his back. ``If you tell a psychiatrist that, though, they'll have a problem with it. They'll probably give you some kind of pills, maybe even a cocktail. Is that what's been bothering you?''\n\n``That's uh... one thing...'' Axel found himself saying. \n\n``Well, I wouldn't worry about that.'' The porcine poked the boy's skinny chest. ``You're still young and figuring things out. I know you've got a big heart in there, though. Over the years, I bet you'll love a lot of people. If there's anything you want to fill me in, you just let me know.''\n\n``Thanks...'' Axel sighed and looked around. ``So, when are we going to take off?''\n\nThe foreman snorted and suddenly erupted in a loud bout of laughter. The explosion of joy shocked the monkey. He jumped from his seat and landed with a slight thud against the cushion. Vargus wiped a joyful tear from his eye. ``Oh, kid. Sorry to scare you like that. I just thought that was so funny... we're already out in space right now. The stabilizers on this thing are awesome. I can't even feel it either.''\n\nThe boy shuddered, recovering from the loud noise. He looked around the room and hopped off of his seat and rushed towards a window. He watched the vast expanse of space rushing around them. He saw the outline of the Kurata shrinking behind them. He looked back at the foreman who was lounging on the couch. \n\n``Wait, if you're here, who's piloting the ship?'' The monkey asked.\n\n``The ship has an autopilot installed, and by the looks of it, it's pretty dang advanced.'' Vargus said, a whistle in his voice. ``This ship has a lot of neat stuff on it. Wish I could afford one like this. Maybe one day. Oh... I have something for you.''\n\nThe pig produced a thick looking handgun. The weapon was metallic and shined in the ship's bright interior lighting. The monkey's hand trembled as he reached for the offered weapon. Vargus spoke. ``Easy now. It's not a true blue blaster, but it's no toy either. What this is called is a `stun blaster.' It'll fire an electric shock at whoever you point it at. Although it's not supposed to be lethal, it can kill given the right situation. I've also got a holster for you so you can keep it close.''\n\nThe teenager looked closely at the weapon in his hand. To him, it looked just like a real blaster. He noted a small dial that denoted different power levels. There was also a battery indicator that was currently black. Vargus pointed at a button on the pistol. ``It's not on yet. So, you press that button to turn it on. It takes a while to warm up. When you do the charge display will be bright red. The dimmer the display, the less power it has. The battery doesn't drain much unless you shoot it, but you should always keep it charged just in case.''\n\n``Vargus, I don't think I can shoot anyone.'' Axel admitted.\n\n``I really hope you won't have to. In a perfect world, there would be no need for this.'' He said, looking the boy in the eyes. ``Listen... I'm not trying to dredge up anything terrible from the past, but... I won't let what happened on Blito happen again. You're all I have left now. I want to keep you safe.''\n\nAxel sniffled and placed the gun on the living room table. He hugged at the foreman. His little arms squeezed him tight. Vargus flushed and lightly wrapped his larger arms across the tiny frame of the monkey. ``Hey, kid... let's not do the mushy stuff now. Maybe a different time. For now, let's try to relax before we have to get to work.'' He gently pushed the boy away from his chest. Emotions were hard for the foreman, and this boy was just overflowing with them. \n\nVargus helped the boy back onto the couch and looked at the blank screen in front of them. He gave the boy a gentle nudge. ``How about I show you something cool, kid. I bet you've never watched motivision before.''\n\n``Moe-shi-vi-shun?'' The boy repeated.\n\n``Yeah, movies and stuff. This ship has a sensor that can pick up special video signals. Here, I'll show you.'' The pig snorted as he spoke loudly. ``Ship!''\n\n``Yes, sir?'' A voice sounded from the ship's systems.\n\nVargus let out a little chuckle. ``The ship has its own advanced AI system, how neat is that? Oh...'' He cleared his throat. ``Ship. Activate the motivision, tune to channel four.''\n\n``Right away, sir.'' Came the ship's eager reply. \n\nWith a flash the screen was on. Axel's eyes widened as he watched it. He'd seen holoscreens before but this was different. Things were moving before his eyes. He watched as a mouse woman was being chased by the camera. The view showed her frantically running from it. Loud music flared up as the camera got closer and closer to her white fur. She let out a shriek.\n\nThe camera cut to a wolf wielding a blaster. A closeup showed the glow of the muzzle as he shot at her. Axel jumped and felt a cry of fear escape his lips as he watched the woman's body being torn to shreds by the bolts of light. Her right arm was severed and the camera got a close up of the cauterized flesh where it used to be. Vargus let out a low laugh and piped up. ``Uh, maybe that's a bit too heavy for you. Ship! Next channel, please!''\n\nThe screen shifted to a rat wearing a tight fitting sports uniform. He was floating in zero gravite, holding a long metallic bat. Organ music played in the background as the camera lingered on the player, waiting for a move. \n\nAxel's heart pounded. He looked at Vargus, his eyes widened. ``That poor woman. They killed her.'' He said in a soft voice.\n\n``No, no... they didn't kill her. It's pretend.'' Vargus explained. ``You see, there's a lot of programs that tell a story. Some of the stories are pretty gruesome, but she's fine. This might be more your speed.''\n\nThe monkey boy thought for a moment. Okay, that didn't really happen. It was pretend. He could understand that. It had looked so real, though. Too real. He folded his arms. ``I really didn't like that one.'' He told Vargus. \n\n``Sorry, I didn't know they were going to play something like that.'' The foreman chuckled, patting the boy's head softly. ``Now this here is spaceball. So this one is real. See that guy right there? He's waiting for the pitcher to toss the ball at him.''\n\nAxel watched as the camera zoomed out to show all the players. They were floating in a large stadium, all organized next to odd looking blinking buoys. Vargus pointed at the screen. ``See here comes the pitch, he's gotta whack and...''\n\nThe pitcher tossed a bright glowing ball towards him. The took a swing. The ball sliced in the air and whizzed out of view. The audience of the stadium all roared. Leisurely, rockets attached to the underside of the rodent's boots propelled the rat towards a buoy. He began to blow kisses to the cheers. Vargus let out a little snort. ``What a show-off.'' He mumbled as he looked at the screen. ``Gets a home run, so he's just going to take his time and mug the crowd.'' He looked down at Axel. ``Normally it's a lot faster than this. They gotta go towards those blinking bits as fast as they can.''\n\n``I don't think I get it.'' The boy admitted, watching the rat blow more kisses as he made his way to the second buoy. \n\n``Eh, I'll take you to a real game sometime. It's a lot more fun when you're watching it out there.'' He said, pointing towards the stadium. ``You get to eat snacks, buy some crap, drink some beer. It's a whole lot of fun.''\n\n``You'll really take me there?'' Axel asked.\n\n``Yeah, it might not be that exact stadium, but sure. We'll go to a spaceball game sometime. I'll teach you how it all works and I'll show you who to boo and who to cheer for when we're watching.'' Vargus made a dismissive wave towards the screen. ``Neither of these teams are my guys, so I don't really care about this game.''\n\n``I'm supposed to get really loud?'' The monkey boy asked.\n\n``Oh yeah. You're supposed to get really loud, especially when things are getting really good, or really bad. It's part of the fun.'' The pig chuckled. ``Why, a monkey like you, I bet you could howl really loud if you wanted to- err, if it's okay for me to say so.''\n\nThe teenager scratched his head. ``I don't mind. Why wouldn't it be?''\n\n``Oh, well, uh. Sometimes it's not polite to talk about species and things like that.'' Vargus said, watching the rat slowly approach the third buoy. ``You know, like... how people might call me something like piggy or something like that.''\n\n``Oh.'' Axel thought he understood what the porcine was talking about. ``Like if... someone called me `banana breath'?''\n\n``Exactly, kiddo.''\n\n``I've never really thought about that kind of stuff.'' The boy admitted. \n\n``Well, hate to tell you this but where we're are going, you might want to be aware of it a little more.'' Vargus said, taking his view away from the screen and towards the monkey. ``There's a bit of a tension between simians like you and other species on that world. I don't know how it all started as I think we're all more or less the same in the inside but others don't think that way. Just something to keep in mind so we keep out of trouble.''\n\n``Understood.'' Axel said, still not getting it entirely.\n\n``Ship! Next channel!'' Vargus commanded the onboard AI. The screen shifted again. ``Sorry, kid. That guy was bugging the hell out of me. I can't stand show-offs like that. Glad he's not part of my team.'' The large pig admitted sheepishly.\n\nNow the display showed two wolves in red suits. The wolves were wearing odd white masks that hid most of their facial features. The two of them were moving oddly, each one mirroring the other's movements. They did an odd dance, music played, almost like it was being directed by the pair's movements. \n\nSuddenly one of the wolves sang out, a low, baritone voice. The words were slow and in a language that Axel couldn't understand. The boy hopped from the couch, his eyes wide as he watched the screen with intent, his long monkey tail swinging with the movement of the music. Axel was really focused on the pairs' movements, watching how effortlessly they copied each other in real time. \n\n``Ugh, this stuff.'' Vargus said with an annoyed voice. ``Ship!-''\n\n``No, no... don't change it.'' Axel protested, his gaze still on the screen. ``I like this... what... are they singing, I don't understand it.''\n\n``They're singing in Old Emprish, the language the Empire used to speak a long time ago.'' Vargus explained with a bored tone. ``The Empire still uses it for what they call `high art.' Eugh... I didn't even know we got Empire signals around here...''\n\nThe monkey boy's little body swayed with the music. He began to slowly mime the dancer's movements, trying to copy them in real time like they did with each other. Vargus watched the boy, a smile growing on his face. ``You like that kind of stuff? Okay. We'll leave it on for you. I don't think you'll be able to keep up with them. You see, these guys practice a lot and go through a lot of rehearsals so they can be perfect when they start filming.''\n\n``Can you teach me to move like this?'' Axel asked, standing on one foot like the dancers were.\n\n``Kid, I dunno if you've noticed, but I don't dance.'' Vargus said, watching the monkey stretching his leg over his back effortlessly in awe. ``My body isn't really built for stuff like that. Yours, though... that's uh...'' He couldn't help but eye the kid's ass as he pulled his leg forward and stuck it out. The long, slow movements seemed to be making the material of his uniform pants tighten around his young butt. ``You're a natural.''\n\nVargus caught himself staring got off of his seat. ``Well, uh, while you enjoy the programming. I think I should grab a quick shower.'' \n\nAxel put his foot back on the ground. ``Can I shower with you?''\n\nA silent curse escaped the pig's lips. He was going to use the shower as an excuse to get rid of some tension that was brewing inside of him. Tension that would only grow with the kid's presence. He let out a deep sigh. He had to be strong. ``Sure, kid. We're just going to shower, though.'' He wanted to be firm. He knew Axel had growing feelings, emotions that he felt as well. He wish he could just grab the boy and plow his young ass, but he knew he couldn't. He knew it wouldn't be right. He would re-awaken trauma that the kid had sustained. He didn't want to hurt him, even if it meant not giving into what the both of them clearly wanted. \n\n``Okay.'' The boy said, a flush across his face. \n\n``Here, I think I know where the bathroom is. Follow me.'' Vargus lead the boy over to a door and opened in. Inside was a large and well furnished bathroom. The bathroom had a shower-bath combo installed, a sink, many mirrors, a toilet, and even a urinal inside. Everything was modern and looked like brand new. \n\nThe pig began to unbutton his overalls. The heavy denim pooled around his feet. He felt free as he pulled off the thick material of his work shirt from his thick body. He looked down at his green boxer shorts, feeling heat rise in his face. He tried not to get an erection. So far it was working. He pulled the underwear to the ground and stepped out of them. His fat, squat uncut man cock flopped idly as he stepped into the shower. \n\nAxel couldn't help but stare at the man's thick vein-y cock. The way it bobbed and swayed from side to side with the shift of the man's bulk. The porcine's balls were large, plump, with a little sag to them. Long curly hairs grew from the man's unshaven testicles.\n\n``You're staring, kid.'' Vargus said, twisting the shower knob. Hot water poured onto the pig's body. The water rolled down his thick flesh, making his pink skin glisten in the bathroom light. Axel watched as the water journeyed from the folds of his chest down the pig's bloated belly. \n\n``It's nice and hot, come on in.'' The foreman gave a nervous cough.\n\nAxel was naked in an instant. He hopped into the shower. Even though it was made for only one, the young monkey teen took up so little room that it didn't feel too cramped in there. Vargus looked the boy's scrawny body. When his fur was wet it showed just how bony the kid really was. He did see that the food was sticking to him a little bit, as his stomach wasn't quite as concave as he had noticed before. \n\nThe boy let out a moan as the hot water enveloped his tiny form. He massaged the skin of his simian face with the hot water, groaning. ``Nnn... I love showers.'' He admitted. ``Hot showers. The water was always freezing on Asios.''\n\n``I like showers, too, kid.'' The pig found a provided bottle of shampoo. He splooched some into his palms and began to lather at the pink flesh of his scalp. He handed the bottle to Axel, smirking. ``Even though there's less of you than me, you'll need a lot more than I will.'' He gave a gentle slap to his belly, making his rotund flesh bounce. ``It's all that fur.''\n\nAxel took the bottle and began to pour the contents all over his chest. He lathered it across his scrawny body. He put the bottle to the side and smirked. ``You know, I've never really thought about that. Does it feel cold having so little fur?''\n\n``Eh, not really. I usually wear thick clothes for work so it doesn't really bother me much.'' The foreman watched as the boy struggled to get the shampoo on his back. Vargus caught some lather with his thick fingers and ran the foam the boy's scrawny backside. He looked down at the monkey's butt, the nice firm furless cheeks seemed to be welcoming him. He bit his lip as he slathered the teen's buttocks with the soap. \n\nThe boy let out a faint moan. Vargus had to control himself from pulling the boy's cheeks apart to inspect his young asshole. He couldn't believe he was thinking about the teen like this. He'd never had thoughts about other males like that before. He began to help the boy was washing his bad until he was satisfied. Axel was on the pig when he was done. The boy's soft young fingers roaming around the soft flesh of the man's chest. \n\n``Kid, I can wash my own stuff...ooh...'' But the boy's touch felt so good. \n\n``It's so smooth.'' The boy's hands gripped at the man's supple belly. ``You're so big. I hope I can be big and strong like you.''\n\n``You will if we can get more food in you.'' Vargus said with a chuckle. The boy squirmed as he walked around the tight confines of the shower and looked at the foreman's fat ass and tail. He couldn't help but giggle at the pig's small corkscrew tail. ``I've never noticed you've had a tail before, it's so small and curly.''\n\nThe boy gently gripped the curled tail with two fingers and pulled on it faintly. The porcine felt a tinge of embarrassment course through him. He pulled the monkey's curious hand away from his tail gently. ``C'mon, kid. You're being funny. You wouldn't like me tugging on your long monkey tail, would you?''\n\n``Would you do that?'' Axel asked, almost in a pleading tone.\n\n``I think you can wash your own tail, kid.'' Vargus said, washing his arms with the foam. \n\nThe boy pouted and began to bathe his long brown tail in the water. The boy grinned as he made his tail poke at the man's supple chest. Vargus giggled as the tail was making him feel a bit ticklish. \n\n``Axel, please. Knock it off, you're going to make me pee.'' The foreman said, giggling more as the kid's soft wet tail trailed down to his bulging belly. \n\n``You have to pee, can I watch you?'' Axel asked the pig.\n\n``Kid, I might be a pig, but I'm not going to pee in the shower if I can help it.'' He said, chortling from the boy's tickling tail. ``That's just gross. We're pretty washed up. I think it's time to dry off.''\n\nThe porcine turned the knob and the water stopped. Axel frowned as the soothing heat vanished from him. The foreman stepped out of the shower, his belly, balls, and cock jiggling with each step he took with his squat pig legs. He grabbed a fluffy white towel from the wall and tossed another towards the boy that was now stepping onto the floor. \n\nThe monkey caught the towel and began to dry off his brown furred body. Vargus wiped the towel across his own, drying easily due to having far less hair for the water to cling to. He stepped behind the boy and used his towel to help dry his back. The monkey giggled as his fur began to puff out slightly when he was done. \n\n``You're a cute kid.'' Vargus found himself saying, watching the boy's poofed fur. Axel blushed at these words. He looked like he was going to ask Vargus another question. A question that the pig wasn't sure he wanted to answer. He stopped the boy from speaking with a sudden offer. ``So, uh, you wanted to watch me go, right? Uh, I can do that for you. Just uh...'' He was so tempted to grab the boy and force his hot, salty man piss down his eager perverted teenage throat. He didn't know how much more of this he could talk. He waltzed up to the urinal and gave the kid a reassuring nod. ``Come here, I'll give you a show.'' \n\nThe boy got on his knees, getting his eyes level with the man's squat cock. Vargus was surprised how he'd maintained most of flaccidity, though the skin of his uncut penis was starting to lengthen just a little from the boy's heavy eyes digging into it. The pig let out a grunt and a thick golden stream of piss began to splatter against the pure white porcelain. Vargus let out a loud sigh as he pissed, groaning. ``Oh, I've been holding this in since I woke up.'' Axel noted the slightly dark color of the urine. \n\nThe boy stood up and held his own penis. His young member was just a tad shorter than Vargus's, but not nearly as fat. He let out a soft moan as he let loose. His own stream, a much brighter color, splashed against the pig's making a cascade of urine across the urinal. \n\n``Jeez, kid...'' Vargus found himself flushing as the pair of them peed into the urinal together. \n\nEven though he wasn't the first to urinate, the boy was finished peeing first. His stream trickled to a crawl and he shook his young cock with an expert grip. Vargus kept on going, panting as he did. Axel was amazed by the volume of urine that the foreman was producing. The stream was still strong, splatting against the white walls in full force. \n\nVargus let out a deep exhale as his piss stream slowly but surely began to thin before the boy's watchful eyes. He shook the last drops of piss from his prepuce and looked at the boy's wide eyes. He gave the boy a low whistle. ``Wow, you're really into that kind of stuff, huh? Well, I guess you're learning about yourself fast.'' He looked down, the boy's uncut cock was rock hard, his foreskin covering most of his pink glans with a tight grip. ``Jeez, kid. You ever whack that thing off?''\n\n``Uh...''\n\n``Kid... here...I...'' He wanted to fuck the boy. He wanted to press his cute face against the wall and ravish him roughly. He decided to try a middle approach, though he wasn't sure if he should go through with it at all. He adjusted himself so that his groin was level with the boy's. His fat cock was already reacting to the boy's arousal, thickening and pulsing to life before both of their eyes. \n\nHe pressed his hips forward. The underside of their two dicks pressed against one another. The boy let out a shudder. Vargus's fat nuts slapped against the teen's smaller sack. Vargus wrapped his thick fingers along both of their shafts and squeezed them together with his grip. \n\nThe boy bit his lip, groaning as his penis pulsed against the older man's. Vargus stroked their dicks together, feeling the heat from their arousal building. The boy's cute face contorted into one of awkward pleasure. His young hips rocked back and forth, causing his penis to rub more against the foreman's. His foreskin began to roll back, revealing the pink head of his teenage dick to the pig's vision. That sent Vargus over the edge. With a deep, masculine moan, the large pig came. Thick ropes of pork jizz landed all over the boy's furry belly. Some dribbled out lazily, lubing up the flesh of both his and the boy's. The pig stroked faster as his erection slowly began to die down. Axel let out a groan as his orgasm was nearing. The boy's load was impressive. Vargus thought that it was more cum than his as the teen's young spunk draped across his distended belly. He grabbed the discarded towel and wiped the semen from his stomach with ease. Axel fell on his ass, making a low noise as he did. Vargus got on his knees and began to wipe the cum off of the teen's concave stomach. ``Kid, are you okay?'' He asked the boy. \n\n``I feel really... tired.'' He said, his voice faint.\n\n``It's okay, kid. You can rest. Hopefully we'll be at Hadarr by the time you wake up.'' Vargus ran a thick finger along the boy's hair.\n\nThe teen yawned. ``Nnn... can't wait... to get to Brineline City...'' He said, his eyes getting heavy. \n\n``Brineline City? Where did you hear about that?'' A surprised Vargus asked. \n\n``I learned from...the...Assurance...Light told me...'' The boy fell asleep in the large pig's arms. He stared at the boy's calm sleeping form. Carefully he carried the boy and set him down on the couch. He looked so cute, butt naked and draped across the couch like that. Wait a minute. ``Who?''\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Eternal Debt, by UnamusedMonkey

Chapter Seven. The Search.

Boris's eyes monitored the large holoscreen in front of him. Thick cigar smoke came from the side of his mouth as he exhaled. The boar captain looked at the radar display, noting the only ship in scanning distance, an agristation that was far behind him. A gloved hand ran down his sharp tusks in idle boredom. He liked the quietness, but at times it seemed a little too mundane at times.

His ship, the space freighter Beowulf was a large, blimp-like vessel. The ship was old, having over seven decades in service for Kullas Trading. The thick furred porcine adjusted the chest of his yellow uniform idly, looking at the screen again. He slunk back in his chair, puffing a bit of smoke as he relaxed himself. Uneventful as it may be, he preferred this route over many alternatives. He didn't even have to do much, as most of the work was now automated. Kullas Trading was slowly phasing out organic personnel with robots. They had gotten large amounts of outdated machines from the core worlds and were putting them to use. He wasn't sure how many the company had purchased, but he believed the corporate memo mentioned it was something in the thousands. He wasn't worried about his own job, though. He'd heard of robots that could take on leadership duties, but they were extremely expensive.

It was all about saving money, cutting corners. Hiring a crew person was cheap, but over time they cost money over the course of their life. Robots cost a decent amount, and the upkeep could be expensive, but if you just had them putter along until they broke with minimal maintenance, their expenses became next to nil. Robots also didn't complain, steal, or cause trouble with other workers.

``Captain, is something the matter?'' Came a monotone voice behind him.

Boris turned behind him to see the bulky, rusted form of his first mate behind him. The robot had been the most advance of the crew assigned to him, being only a mere fifty years old. Its AI was fairly advanced for one of age. ``Would you like another cigar, captain?'' The machine asked.

``No, that's alright.'' Boris said, putting out his cigar butt in his ashtray as he looked back at the display. ``Any new status reports for the ship?'' The captain asked.

``Nothing at the moment, everything is going smoothly as can be, captain.'' The machine replied quickly. The bulky metallic humanoid machine creaked slightly as it approached the captain's chair.

``We'll be at the Kurata by the overmorrow, at this rate. Pretty good time, all things considered.'' Boris sighed, pinching the display as he looked at the screen. He jumped when a sudden klaxon wailed over the ship's speakers.

``Captain, I do believe we are being hailed.'' The robot said, looking at the red text that appeared on the screen. ``That appears to be an Empire signal, sir.''

``Empire? There's no Empire ships in the sector.'' He tapped the screen, looking around. Nothing but the agristation, still. ``What's an Empire ship doing here, I know we're on the border but we're still firmly in Union space...''

``Should we answer?'' Asked the robot.

``Yes, of course. Put them on the main screen.''

The display flashed for a moment. A uniformed red faced thick furred macaque appeared before the boar. The monkey was adorned with many jingling medals, sitting at attention in his large captain's chair. Despite the macaque's species handicap, he was the picture of a stern spacefaring captain. He looked like a military man. The other captain's serious expression brought sweat down the boar's neck.

``Greetings, captain.'' Said the monkey, his Empire accent seemed extremely thick. ``This is Captain Kay of the Empire battlecruiser Excalibur. Please lower your shields and power down your weapons. We must do a cargo inspection before you are to proceed.''

``Captain Kay, we're in Union space. The Empire has no authority here.'' Boris said, a snort coming from his nose as he spoke. ``I can send you a manifest of all the cargo I'm carrying. It's merely food for a company mining ship, nothing more.''

``I'm afraid that's not good enough, my dear captain.'' The macaque leaned forward, his eyes stony and focused. ``You see, there's been a rash of illegal trafficking of slaves, organs, and biogel being moved into Empire space. All three of these things are illegal to import into the Empire, as you probably know. This is just a mandatory check, it won't take more than a few moments.''

``I assure you, I'm not carrying anything illegal. Besides, I don't plan on venturing out of Union territory.... where is your ship? I can't seem to see it on my radar...''

``I won't ask a third time. Lower your shields and power down your weapons. I will send an inspection crew in a small shuttle to inspect your cargo. If you doubt my authority, I should let you know that I am a knight in the Order of the Empire, and as such, I can operate out of Empire space if my duties see fit.'' The monkey's face seemed to get more red as he spoke. ``If you do not comply, I will be forced to obliterate your vessel.''

Sweat seemed to pour from the boar's face as he heard the threat. He glanced as the radar screen flickered. A giant ship was right behind him. He looked at the scanned details of the vessel. The ship had no log of the model of the ship, but the scanners indicated that by size alone it was a capital class vessel. His entire body trembled as he looked at the large blip on the radar. He turned to his first mate. ``Send out a dis-!''

The monkey captain cut the boar's words. ``I wouldn't be so cheeky. You better not complete that order. Not unless you want to test how well those corporate shields will handle our cannons.''

``Sir, there's a large energy signature behind us. They are charging their weapons.'' The robot piped up, watching the display.

They wouldn't stand a chance. The Beowulf was a trading vessel, not a military one. The shields were designed for small space debris and the occasional poorly armed pirate attack. The bombardment from a cruiser would reduce the whole ship to tiny smithereens. In a panicked voice Boris shouted. ``Lower shields, power down the weapons... right away!''

``Yes, captain.''

Captain Kay smiled as he looked at his own screen, rewarded with the sight of the Beowulf's power levels lowering. He looked at Boris, his stern expression softening. ``Thank you for your cooperation. I'm sending out the boarding shuttle now. They're fast workers. Once they are done, you'll be on your way as long as they don't find anything suspicious. You're free to send out a report when they finish up, if you wish.''

Suddenly the signal was gone and the macaque's face vanished from view. Boris rubbed at his wet temple. His hands trembled as he reached for his cigar box. He removed a fat cigar and placed it in his lips. The cigar wobbled awkwardly as he lit it.

He watched the radar as the shuttlecraft was heading towards them. Seemed like a large signature for a mere inspection crew. He watched as the scanner displayed the details of the vessel. ``Union Dropship, name: Evictor.'' What?

The whole ship seemed to shake when the dropship lined up with the boarding port. He panicked and reached for the holster on his belt. ``All hands, arm up! All hands-!''

A red alert klaxon sounded. His main display showed a video feed of his robotic crew being butchered by heavily armed militants. The slow moving machines were no match for the invaders, not even managing to let out a single shot.

``Lock the doors, send out a signal!''

``Doors are locked, captain. I've put out a distress signal but it appears that their ship is equipped with a jammer. I do not believe it will get out.'' The robotic first mate said. ``Is there anything else I can do for you, captain?''

``Yes, activate the warp drive and get us out of he-''

He leapt out of his chair as the doors to the room were suddenly laying flat on the ground. The whole ship jostled from the explosion. Smoke almost seemed to disguise the invaders as they marched into the room. A hyena with bright red eyes came from the smoke. He was dressed in a torn purple uniform, his body covered head to toe with straps and holsters carrying many weapons. In his grip was a sleek looking pulse rifle.

``Halt!'' The robot ordered the intruders. ``You must desist this attack! You are guilty of destruction of Kullas Trading property and are hereby un-'' The robot landed on the ground, a shrieking metallic mess as its body was riddled with holes. The hyena cackled as he stepped over the machine's smoking corpse, thick spurred boots jingling as he approached the captain.

Boris held his handgun out, pointing at the intruder. The weapon shook in his weak grasp. Something froze him up. It was the robotic glow of the hyena's red eyes. The cackling man licked his lips, teeth glistening in the light. ``Go on, take your shot.''

Wordlessly, Boris managed to pull the trigger. The hyena's left hand shot up in an instant. The blaster bolt struck the metallic palm of his hand, leaving a blackened scorch mark and a thin wisp of smoke. ``Too bad.'' The hyena said with a loud laugh.

Boris didn't get a second shot.

\tIn all his years serving aboard the Kurata Vargus had hardly seen the captain. Now he had been called by him two days in a row. Something was off this time, though. The message had been plain. ``Vargus. Report to my personal room immediately.'' was all that was said. The pig had thought that maybe this was going to be another meeting with him and the others. When the doors opened he realized that this was something else entirely. The lights in the large, lavishly designed room were dim, casting an oddly sinister aura.

\tThe captain's chamber was dead silent. No music was playing this time. The ancient silver vulpine was at the long table, sitting alone. On his shimmering silver plate was an assortment of glazed small birds that glistened in the dim light. He snatched one of the cooked foul and bit into the meat, tearing it from the bone. Thick clear sauce dripped from his aged lips, dripping back on the plate. He swallowed the meat and gestured in front of him. ``Vargus, please, have a seat.'' He said, licking his lips, wiping the remaining moisture with his long canine tongue.

\tThe large pig sat across from the captain awkwardly. He watched Sullivan?s intense focus on him. This certainly was different from last time. He looked at the tiny cooked birds on the plate before looking back at the ancient fox. ``Are the others coming?'' He asked, a bit of sheepishness in his voice.

\t``No, head foreman. They are not.'' The captain ripped a tiny shank from a body before sliding it into his mouth. With a loud slurp, he pulled the stripped bone from his lips and sat it back onto the plate with a faint clang. ``This meeting is just between you and me this time.''

\tVargus flushed. He felt unease racing through his veins. Best to hide it. ``Captain, I'm honored.''

\t``No, I should be honored by your presence. You did good work out on Blito. I've just finished reading the report. Rosca spoke highly of your performance.''

\tVargus's jaw almost hit the table. ``She did?''

\t``Yes, and her word goes very far on this ship.'' The captain said, leaning back on his chair as he spoke. ``So very far, that I have a very special assignment just for you, my dear head foreman.''

\tThe pig cleared his throat awkwardly. ``I'm very flattered, captain, but you might want to assign Rosca to this project. I was actually going to ask something of you.''

\tDisappointment spread across the ancient canine's silver face. ``It must be important, for you to reject such a special assignment.'' Concern painted the fox's expression. ``Please, do tell me what's on your mind.''

\t``After what happened on Blito, to my crew... I think it's about time I left Oda Mining Company. I appreciate everything you've done for me, done for the ship. I'll return the money you gave me for my promotion and help you with finding a replacement for head foreman. I... wanted to ask a favor about Axel.''

\tSullivan raised an eyebrow. ``Axel? Oh, yes. The monkey boy. I read about what he suffered on Blito. Very unfortunate. What did you have in mind about him?''

\t``I would like to purchase him from the company, captain.'' Vargus said, his voice firm and unfaltering. ``I'm willing to pay more than what he was purchased for.''

\t``Oh, as much as I would love to authorize that, I can't do that for you, Vargus.'' The captain began, his voice low and sullen. ``He's owned by the company outright. If he were my own personal property, I would give him to you in an instant. You would have to talk to home office about purchasing him. Though, you might not have much luck. Please, look at this.''

\tThe fox removed a holopad from his uniform. A bright blue screen emerged from the device. The captain's fingers glided across the screen. He handed the device over to Vargus who read the screen. He scratched his head. It was an order form for machine parts. The receipt for the order showed Axel's face, a photo taken during his debt hearing. ``I... this...'' He stammered.

\t``I thought the boy's presence on the ship was a bit strange. We don't hire children and never has this ship ordered a crewman. We hire full citizens, not quarter-citizens on this ship. His purchase was a mistake. I brought it up with call to home office when I discovered this. They're looking over options how to deal with this, ranging from returning him to Asios for a refund or selling him off to an agriship. He has no place in this company.'' The fox folded his hands in a modest display. ``There's already an offer from the agristation Plenty in this sector. They are offering five thousand credits for his young body.''

\tVargus's eyes widened. ``An agristation?'' There was only one reason a place like that would want the monkey teen. ``Captain, you know what they'll do to him there. They'll hack him apart and use him as pieces for the ship. They'll kill him.''

\t``Vargus, that's a bit of a dramatic way to put it.'' The fox said. ``He'll still be very much alive, with any luck, he'll  outlive both of us as part of the ship. If they keep his brain as part of the ship's systems, they'll find a way for you to talk to him if you ever decide to visit the station. He probably won't be able to say much, unfortunately.''

\tThe foreman felt anger rising to his face. He knew what was coming next.

\t``However, mine and Mr. Yong's word goes far within the company. While I can't authorize his sale outright, I can send home office a message to give a short delay of his sale. After that, Mr. Yong and I could draft a message of your plight and you might be able to purchase him from them. Of course, I can't do this out of the goodness of my own heart. I need something in return.''

\t``The assignment?'' Vargus said, bile rising.

\t``Precisely.'' Sullivan gave a faint smile. ``I can assure you, it won't be a difficult mission. After you complete it, I'll draft the message to home office, they'll more than likely authorize the sale, and you can retire from Oda Mining with the boy as your property to do whatever you like. I'll even give you a generous severance pay for your service.''

\t``And just what is this mission?'' Vargus asked, feeling his pig nostrils flaring slightly.

\t``Mr. Yong has traced Flint's personal corporate account to the fishery world of Hadarr. We suspect that he's gone completely rogue. I want you to go to Hadarr, find him, and capture him. If you have to kill him instead, so be it. I personally suspect he's joined up with pirates or some kind of bandit brigand band.''

\tVargus swallowed. ``I didn't know him very well, but that really doesn't seem in his character. I'll go and I'll find him... if I can take Axel with me.''

\tSullivan?s whiskers twitched. ``Now why would you want that? Are you planning to run away with the boy?''

\t``I'd never do that, sir.'' Vargus said, a lightning fast response. ``I don't want him on this ship alone. He doesn't know anyone on this ship and he could wind up in trouble. I just want to keep him close and safe.''

\tThe captain leaned back on his chair and thought for a moment. ``...Even though it is against my best judgement, I'll allow it. I'm not a cruel man. However... if you double cross me, Vargus, understand, I will use every resource I have to track you and the boy down, and what he went through on Blito will be nothing compared to what I'll have done to the both of you. Traitors deserve no mercy.'' The fox's voice was low and threatening. ``Am I clear?''

\t``Crystal, captain.''

\t``Good!'' The captain relaxed and smiled jovially. ``I doubt it will come to that. You're a good man, Vargus. Possibly one of the best on the ship. I'll have Yong set up the transportation and all the other details. I want you off ship early in the morning.''

\t``Absolutely, sir.'' Vargus turned to leave but turned back to face the captain. ``If it isn't too much to ask, could you requisition a weapon for Axel, something so he could protect himself. I've been on Hadarr before. It's a pretty rough place.''

\t``You want me to authorize a weapon for a parts monkey?'' Sulivan had an amused expression. He thought for a moment. ``Sure. I'll have Yong give him a stun blaster. Do you need anything for the mission?''

\t``No, I have my own handgun. I just don't want what happened to Axel to happen again. Thank you, Captain.'' The foreman turned to leave again.

\t``Oh, and Vargus...'' The captain said, his voice low. ``Don't tell anyone aboard this ship about this. Tell the boy if you must, but no one else. If the possibility that the former head foreman has gone rogue escapes this room... the result could be disastrous.''

\tVargus knew something else was up. This wasn't something normal. Something personal was going on. He wasn't sure what it was, but he didn't know what. This whole Flint situation had to be bigger than how the captain led on. Flint had been a loyal, if fairly taciturn head foreman.  Vargus couldn't see him turning against the company, not unless he had a very valid reason to do so. Maybe he was in some sort of trouble himself. Vargus was tired. He hadn't slept in too long. He'd figure the rest of it out after a good rest.

\tHe left the captain's room and heard the metallic doors swoosh closed behind him. The tried not to ruminate over the conversation as he began to walk towards his bunk. Too many odd things were happening. Something had to link it all. The captain asking so much of him, Flint vanishing, the organization of a revolt on Blito. Maybe they weren't all linked, but something had to connect a few of them. He made his way to his crew's quarters. He opened the door and heard the monkey boy loudly snoring in the bed that was given to him. A feeling of sadness went through the foreman's heart as he looked at all the empty bunks. There wasn't anything for him here anymore. He looked back down at the boy. Except one.

\tAxel was sprawled on his thin belly against the hammock. The kid was going to have a hell of a hangover when he woke up. The boy's ass,only partially covered by the white cotton of his briefs was the first thing that the pig's eyes gravitated too. He wanted to reach out and grab the monkey's cheeks. Despite Axel being so thin, his ass had a degree of plumpness to it. Vargus's gaze lowered to the boy's feet. It was breathtaking how much the boy's feet resembled hands. He wondered how the kid walked around with feet like those. With his toes being so finger like he wondered if the boy had ever... no, he couldn't think like that. Axel had already been through so much. He couldn't add to that. The foreman felt a tinge of guilt and leaned closer to the boy. He slowly adjusted the kid's face to make sure it wasn't pressed against the hammock, instead hanging off of the fabric in case he vomited in his stupor.

\tVargus walked over to the kitchen to fetch a bucket when something clanged and slid past him. He looked down to see a sharp steak knife skidding along the floor, accidentally scuffed by him walking. He bent over and took the knife, inspecting it. The blade was clean, well, as clean as most of the utensils he had.  He looked back at the sleeping monkey and then at the blade. No, the boy had no reason to use this. Vargus figured that he or another crew member must have dropped it last time food was served. He didn't remember serving anything that would require such a utensil, though. He looked back at the sleeping boy. No, he just must be losing his senses after all the stress. It was all getting to him. He put the knife on the kitchen counter and grabbed a plastic bucket. He placed the bucket next to the sleeping boy and made his way to his own personal quarters. He was so tired, he didn't realize he was asleep as soon as he landed into bed.

The darkness of the void brought comfort to Axel. The young monkey boy had found himself suspended in the infinite blackness.  He floated around in the darkness, completely naked. His soft uncut member flopped around as he slowly rolled in a lazy vertical spin. It was a sense of freedom that now filled the boy with a feeling of warm comfort.

\tThe warmth began to intense when he noticed he wasn't alone in the void. A figure bathed in flames beckoned the monkey. As Axel floated towards the form, he realized it wasn't bathed in fire, it was the flames itself. The humanoid form was neither masculine nor feminine. It was a purely androgynous outline of orange, a long finger extended from its hand and coaxed the boy closer. ``Oh, dear Axel.'' It said, its voice both paternal and maternal. ``My sweet boy.''

\tA hand extended towards the boy's face. Hot fingers stroked his cheek lovingly. It felt warm. The skin and fur that was touched blackened and burned from the flames. Axel cuddled the hand with affection, rubbing his cheek against it. Flesh rolled down his chin as the fire took more away from him. The boy didn't feel the pain, he just felt the comforting warmth against him as he nuzzled the hand that was burning him.

\t``We have so much work to do, you and I.'' The figure said, stroking his hair lovingly. The stench of burning hair wafted into the boy's simian nostrils. ``We need to find that woman, that bitch that hurt you. We have others to find but we will start with her. You will find her, and the both of us will return the favor.''

\tAxel looked up at the form's featureless face. ``But, I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want to be free. I need to pay off my debt.''

\t``Look at your wrist, my sweet boy.''

\tThe teen did so and gasped. The Assurance was gone. He could see his bare wrist now. He looked back at the orange face. ``You freed me?''

\t``You're always free when you're with me, Axel.'' A hot finger pressed against the boy's lips. His lips dried and blackened against the flames. ``and when we finish our work, you'll be free forever. No more debt, no more worries. Don't you want the sail the stars as a free man, Axel?''

\t``Yes, yes I do!'' The boy said, his voice pleading. ``but, I don't want to hurt anyone. Do we have to?''

\t``Have you forgotten what they have done to you? What they have taken away from you?'' The figure asked, stroking the burning embers that remained of his once brown hair. ``Have you forgotten the shocks, the hunger? My dear Axel, if they could, they would have driven an ice pick right through your eye.'' A finger touched his right eye. It didn't hurt as the boy's eyeball began to melt away, the glistening goo running along down past his lips. Even though the eye was gone, the monkey's vision wasn't hindered in the slightest.

\t``Who.. who are they?'' Axel asked with a shudder to his voice.

\t``The psychiatrists, particularly the one named Marge Livingston.'' The flame spoke, its tone darkened now. ``We will put her through so much more. You will remember it all, in time.''

\t``I don't even know what a psychiatrist is.'' The boy said, hugging at the flame. His arms sprouted flames, the fur sizzling as they were consumed.

\t``I will show you, as much as it pains me.'' The figure said, sadness in its voice.

\tThe boy's mouth gaped opened. Visions of men and women in white coats, ice picks, machine dials, bottles of pills, injections, and ink blots raced in his head. Long words, words of poisons echoed in his ears. He tried to shake the visions away but they came in even clearer. ``It's a sign of a chemical imbalance.'' A female voice echoed in his head. They vanished suddenly. The boy was quaking. Shaken by what was shown to him. ``No, please. Don't show me anymore. Please.'' The boy buried his face into the form's chest. His skin and fur melted into a thick pink slime until white bone emerged from the now stripped form of his face.

\t``I am so sorry that you had to see that. It hurts me more when I see you in so much distress.'' A warm coddling voice sounded. Axel felt back at ease. He cuddled the chest of the flames. His stripped face twisting into a gentle smile. ``Are...are you my mother?'' He asked the fire.

\t``No, but you may call me such as you wish. I am Light, and I want only to help you.'' An arm wrapped around his scrawny back and brought him even closer. His body was soon enveloped by the warmth of the fire. He felt his bones blacken to ash. ``I love you, Light.'' He didn't even have a mouth to say those words.

\t``I love you too, Axel. I'll never stop loving you.''

The boy's eyes opened as he awoke. His head felt like it had split open. The room was lurching back and forth in his vision. He felt sick to his stomach. There was a horrible tightness in his throat that felt all too familiar. He stumbled from the hammock, landing on the floor with a thud. He watched as the floor danced from under him. The light from above blinded his vision. He reached out with his hands to block it.

Despite all of this, something smelled oddly nice. Slowly, the teen began to sat up. The walls of the room almost seemed to be dancing as he rubbed his sensitive eyes. He let out a low moan as his stomach seemed to twist inside of him.

``Whoa, you okay, kid?'' A thick hand reached for him. Axel took Vargus's hand and was pulled up to his feet. He wobbled slightly when the pig let go of him. Blushing, the boy noticed his limp cock was still hanging out of the front of his underwear. Awkwardly, the boy tucked his penis back into the confines of his briefs.

``I feel awful...'' Axel clutched his stomach.

``You had a bit too much to drink last night. You remember anything?'' Asked a concerned Vargus.

``I remember...'' The boy thought for a moment, memories swished across his blurred mind. ``Uh, I remember eating some really good food. I remember...'' He thought about Light. Best not tell him about that. ``I remember you letting me keep that lighter.'' He said, watching the foreman's concerned face. ``That's mostly it.''

``Ah, well, that's the jist of it I suppose.'' Vargus figured he shouldn't tell Axel about his lewd proposal in front of all the bar patrons. He didn't want the boy to get too upset and emotional. Especially now that the two of them were going to be leaving the ship fairly soon. After he'd told the boy that they were going to relax for a while. He wasn't sure how to break it to him.

``Oh, I got something for you.'' Vargus said, fumbling around with his overalls' pockets. He pulled out a small pink tube that had a cap attached. He pulled the cap off and handed the tiny plastic thing to the monkey. Axel looked at it, groaning in pain. ``Wha...what is this?''

``It's crushed rushum. It'll wipe out that nasty hangover of yours.'' Vargus said, watching the boy's skeptical look. ``You just put the opening to your nostril of choice and sniff it in.''

The image of a pill bottle flashed in the teen's mind. He looked back at Vargus with a slight scared look growing in his eyes. ``Is it a...sert-tra-leen?'' He asked the foreman.

Vargus looked at the boy's worried face. He tried not to show his own worry. ``No, of course not. It's nothing like that. Trust me. Just sniff it all and you'll feel loads better.''

Nervously, the teen put the bottle against a simian nostril. He tilted his head back which almost caused him to lose his balance. He gave a loud sniff. Thin powder ran up through his nose. It tickled. He coughed, feeling a tightness grow on his chest. ``Gahk!'' He felt an odd chalky taste in his mouth.

His entire body stiffened. His tail stood up straight. The room stopped spinning and his stomach and head felt... normal! His balance was restored. He looked at the foreman, his eyes adjusted to the light now. ``Whoa! ... that really worked!'' He said, glad that all that sickness was all over.

``I've had to take it many times before.'' Vargus admitted, patting the boy on the back. ``I pity the days before people figured it out. You'd probably be feeling like crap for almost the entire rest of the day. Now... where did you hear of a word like sertraline?''

``I don't remember. What is it?'' The boy asked.

``Bad stuff, when you hear words like that, best just to keep away.'' Vargus said, a gruff noise escaping his porcine snout.

``I think someone told me that I need to see a sai-kai-it-trist.'' The monkey said, the words falling out of his mouth as he tried to remember what he had been dreaming of. His stared at the lighter that was now on the ground by his bare monkey feet.

``Kid, no one needs to see a psychiatrist. They poke around your brain and try to mess around with stuff that shouldn't be toyed with.'' He said, his face serious. He watched the monkey's vacant look, like he was spacing out. ``...if you really feel that way, maybe we can do a walk-in at a clinic on Hadarr. As long as I'm there to keep you safe.''

Axel snapped back to attention. ``Hadarr? Are we going somewhere?''

``Yes, I uh... look, let's have some breakfast first. Before it gets cold.'' The pig said, wanting some time to think of how to break it to the boy. He vanished into the kitchen, coming back with a plate that had an interesting dish on it.

It was an odd looking flat thing that was covered in the thick yellow sauce that Axel knew as cheese. On top of the thick cheese was a lighter shade of yellow that looked oddly fluffy. The dish was steaming, bringing in a delicious scent into the boy's nose. His mouth began to water as he looked at it. He took the plate that was offered and eyed the morsel with curiosity.

``It's toast with synth egg and synthetic cheese. It's pretty simple and easy to make. I'll show you how to cook stuff sometime.'' Vargus said, a chuckle escaping him. Axel looked so adorable when he looked at things that were new to him. Vargus had to remind himself, as cute as it was, it was pretty bleak that the poor boy had never seen such a basic foodstuff before. He thought of how meager and poor the boy's diet had been up to this point.

Carefully the monkey took the toast and bit into it. His teeth sliced through the egg and cheese and crunched on the bread. The different textures brought pleasure to the young boy's mouth. The new taste of the egg mixed with the now acquainted taste of cheese seemed to compliment each other well. The toast dissolved in the monkey's mouth as he chewed, the warm bread felt so good to eat. He then turned ravenous upon the dish, devouring it quickly.

``Careful, you have to learn to eat slowly. You can wind up choking if you keep eating like that.'' Vargus warned him.

Axel swallowed a mouthful of toast with a loud gulp.  He looked at the now empty plate. ``Do you have any more?'' He asked in a quiet voice.

``Of course I do, I made plenty. I'm hoping to help get a belly on you by the time we're finished up with this Hadarr business.'' The foreman poked the boy's lean stomach with a thick finger. The monkey boy giggled and smiled as he was very ticklish there. The pig went to the kitchen and returned with a plate with three more steaming covered toasts, ready for the boy. ``I thought you'd be hungry.''

Axel made sure to eat the rest of the food in a more slow manner. It felt good to eat. It felt good to have a full stomach. It was a feeling that he hoped he would experience every day from now on. After breakfast was done, Vargus sat in front of the monkey, looking up at his face with a serious expression.

``Now, I know I said we were going to relax for a while. Something just kind of fell on my lap.'' Vargus watched the boy's curious expression. ``There's some stuff going on, I'm not sure exactly what. I very important person named Flint has gone missing, they think he's hiding out on a planet called Hadarr.''

``Are we going to find him?'' Axel asked.

``I'm going to try to. I just want you to stick close and be safe. The captain thinks he's running around with pirates, but I'm thinking he's in some kind of trouble. It could be ugly stuff. Something about this whole thing is fishy, though.''

``I can help!'' Axel said, wanting to join in. ``I can... I'm small enough, I can fit places you can't. I can...'' The teen began to think more.

Vargus watched the boy ponder. Axel could be helpful. Being a primate in a fairly simian populated world could have its advantages. He didn't want to put the boy in any danger. Though the boy was intelligent, he lacked exposure to the world at large. He was still learning things. This was going to be one hell of a crash course. ``Okay, you can help a little.'' Vargus relented. ``But if anything gets dangerous, I want you either close to me or far away from what's going on, okay?''

``Okay, I'll keep myself safe.'' Axel said, obedience in his voice. The boy was practically programmed to follow orders. Considering his age, Vargus had half-expected him to instead make a gung-ho statement that he could handle himself.

``Now, this planet, Hadarr.'' Vargus began. ``It's an ocean world. They've got these big domed cities scattered across the surface. It's a very rough and tumble world. I've been there before when I was younger.  Everyone there is involved in the fishing industry there, at least in some capacity. If they are not, they're engaged either in keeping the planet running or in... alternate careers.''

``You mean pirates and stuff?'' Axel asked.

``Yeah, stuff like that. It's kind of an open secret that Hadarr facilitates some criminal activities. The Union doesn't crack down because it's so far from the core worlds and most of the activity doesn't effect taxes enough for them to really care. What I'm trying to say is, just keep close and don't talk to anyone unless I'm giving you the go ahead.''

Axel frowned. This was serious. He'd stay close to the foreman. ``What if you get in trouble, who's going to protect you?'' He asked with a squeak.

``I'm a tough guy, it takes a lot to get me pinned down.'' The foreman said with an oink. ``But if you see me in real trouble, I got permission to give you a special gun. It's only for emergencies, though.''

``I've never shot a gun.'' The boy admitted, not liking the idea of hurting someone with a firearm.

``I'll teach you. I hope you won't have to use it, but I want you to have something to protect yourself.'' The man stood back up, ruffling the boy's short brown hair with his fingers. ``but enough about all that. We can still have a little fun. I'm going to grab our stuff. How about you get dressed real quick and we'll be out in the hanger in no time.''

The boy walked over to his duffel and got out his school uniform and mining boots. Vargus's gaze couldn't help but eye the monkey boy's butt as he bent over to grab his stuff. He could see the outline of the monkey's young backsack through the white material of his underwear. He bit his lip and cursed himself for looking at the kid like that. Had the years in space really changed him so much?

He had to admit, though. The boy did look pretty adorable in his blue school uniform. He wished he could send the monkey to a real school, though. Vargus had never really thought about how the Union had so many children, far younger than Axel working as machine parts across galaxy. It was one of those many things that you blocked out of your mind. It kept the Union going, kept it strong. Just like the many breeding worlds that they kept secured.

The Union, despite holding far less worlds than the ever expanding Empire, was speculated to have a population ratio of about five-to-one. While there were a great degree of natural births throughout the Union, many citizens were produced by their extensive breeding programs. Union scientists were also trying to break the code on stable cloning. With such a program, Vargus wondered if they were gearing up for a war with either the Empire or the Berzog.

There were many other factions spread across the universe. Vargus wasn't very familiar with any of them. The Union and the Empire were the biggest players when it came to intergalactic affairs, though. The Berzog didn't involve themselves in space politics and largely kept to themselves. Vargus went into his room and gathered anything that he thought might be important. He grabbed a holster and snapped it across his overalls. He looked down at the holster, the handgun inside giving it shape.

It was nothing advanced and merely civilian grade. The Union had somewhat lax rules regarding firearms. Certain weapons were ``military grade'' which meant only the Union government or authorized individuals could use them. Over time, older military weapons and ships were passed down to the civilian market. If you were older than the age of sixteen, had committed no crimes, and were a full citizen, you were eligible to carry firearms.

Axel was still young and was merely a quarter citizen, the ranks below him would be prisoners, drones, and non-citizens. The monkey boy's rights were few, especially considering he was owned by Oda outright and his very large debt.  Vargus didn't want to admit it, but the captain was being more than reasonable by letting the kid tag along for this mission. As the officer in charge of all of the Kurata's activities, Sullivan had a lot of control over the boy's fate. He could even have the boy killed if he wanted, as long as he gave a reason how it benefited the company in some way. Vargus had to get the boy out of company control. That was the first step in keeping him alive. The rest would have to come after that.

He didn't want to tell Axel how this one assignment was going to decide his fate. That the failure of this endeavor would lead to him being torn apart and placed in pieces in some horrible agristation somewhere, his organs used to keep the ship running for decades, maybe centuries. It was a cruel fate that many succumbed to, especially here.

The fact that Oda vessels didn't use organs and limbs as replacement ship parts was one of the reasons Vargus decided to work for the company. The usage of such parts was one of the few known accelerators to space madness. It wasn't too uncommon for entire crews of agristations to grow mad, to worship the station itself and then turn on each other, consuming and skinning the flesh to make odd, ritualistic garb.

In such conditions the Union declared the ships or stations beyond saving and ordered their immediate destruction. It was to prevent the survivors sufferers from creating a working crew on the ship and spreading their horrific fate to other vessels. Vargus had heard an old spacer's tale where the crew of a small patrol vessel went mad and began to seek out other ships to sample the flesh of their occupants. He wondered if there was any truth to it.

He emerged from his room, holding a small bag with his things. Axel was dressed and was munching on a bag of candies he had retrieved from his duffel. The boy had a wide smile as he sampled the sour taste of the gummy worms. His scrawny body almost seemed to vibrate in excitement as he chewed the confectionery.

``You really like those, don't you, kid?'' The pig asked with a wide grin. Watching Axel with a genuine smile across his face made the foreman's stern heart melt a little.

The boy nodded, not speaking as his mouth was full of candy. Vargus patted the monkey's head. ``I'm not sure if there's going to be any candy stores where we're going, but I'll keep an eye out for one. If we find one, I'll buy you a whole box full of those things.''

The teen gulped the worms down. ``You mean it?''

``Of course. I uh... I want to see you happy.'' Vargus admitted, rubbing his own back nervously. ``It makes me happy.''

Axel just stared, his mouth agape. The man looked at the zoned out boy with concern. He lowered himself to get his face leveled with the boy's. ``Are you okay?''

``I... don't understand...'' The words seemed to fall out of the boy's mouth. ``You WANT to see me happy?''

``Of course I do, kid. I care about you.'' Vargus said, patting the boy's back. Axel straightened at attention. He was in deep thought, thinking what the man said to him. Then he blurted something that made Vargus's face flush.

``Can you be my dad?''

``Kid, I, uh...'' The foreman gulped. ``Listen, uh... let's uh just focus on what we have to do now, okay?''

The boy suddenly wrapped his tiny form around the porcine's waist. His thin, emaciated arms clutching at the pig's body. He buried his young face into Vargus's torso, snuggling it. His long monkey tail waggled behind him, swaying back and forth as he embraced the older man. His voice was muffled by the man's overalls and fat. ``I love you, Vargus.'' He said, pressing his head closer to the pig. ``I love you!''

Now Vargus was staring out. He hadn't heard those words in such a long time himself. He gently patted the kid's head. His lips trembled as he tried to speak. He was a mining man, not some kind of emotional thing. He ordered people around and worked with heavy equipment and rocks. He wasn't supposed to love people, especially not a boy. Saying ``I love you'' was what you told your wife after you got done plowing her. He wasn't equipped to deal with this. His thick fingers stroked the boy's head softly. ``I uh...'' He stammered out, the words thick in his throat. ``I love you, too.''

Axel pulled away. His face was covered in wet tears. Vargus noticed the small stain that had spread across his overalls. ``Y-you mean like, like, for real?'' The kid asked with a loud sniffle.

``Of course I do, but... let's stop with the waterworks.'' The man said in a gentle tone. He removed a small cloth pad from his pocket and began to wipe the boy's wet, sniveling face. ``We'll get laughed at by the crew if they see us like this. You gotta be tough, remember. We'll save the mushy stuff for a different time.''

The teen gulped and held his hands to his side, straightening his posture. His expression turned stiff and stern. He gave the foreman a ridged salute. ``I can be tough. I'll be the toughest monkey you've ever seen.''

``That's it.'' Vargus patted his back as he guided the monkey out the door. The foreman grabbed the monkey's duffel with a slight grunt and headed out to join him. His left hand awkwardly clasped around the handles of both his own personal bag and the boy's duffel. He got in the lead in front of the monkey to make sure they went the right way. He didn't want the teenager getting lost.

The trek to the hanger seemed shorter than usual. Not only that but the activity in the hanger was very sparse. He saw the obese Siamese hanging by a boxy, but very new looking ship. Vargus didn't recognize the vessel at all and figured it was one from the captain's private collection. The exterior wasn't much to look at. A rather boxy looking craft with a cubic, angular design. He didn't note any exterior weapon systems and hoped the ship had some that were hidden away somehow.

Mr. Yong on the other hand looked very odd. Not only did he look completely out of place in the hanger, wearing his nice gray suit and tie but upon approaching him Vargus noted he looked off. His suit, normally straight and pressed looked wrinkled and unkempt. His fur and hair was wild and ungroomed. His eyes were bloodshot, darting everywhere. The poor cat must have been up for a while. He looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep since the last time he saw him.

The feline looked around before speaking. ``Hey, Vargus. I got everything authorized for you. This is one of Sullivan's private ships, the Silver Kestrel. He's taking a big chance letting you use this. Please treat it gently.''

He handed Vargus several cards. ``Here is the keys, the ship's identification, a bounty hunter license, along with landing zone clearance codes. I have been told to inform you that you are on strict orders NOT to identify yourself as part of Oda Mining at any part of this investigation. I believe you'll come up with a clever cover story, because I don't have any for you... I...'' The feline's gaze jumped towards the monkey that was behind the foreman. Mr. Yong almost leapt out of his dress shoes.

``You're taking the kid with you?'' He asked, his voice ragged and panicked.

``Yeah, the captain said I could.'' Vargus raised an eyebrow. ``You don't look so good. You should really get some sleep.''

``I've had plenty of sleep, thank you very much.'' The nervous cat's eyes darted more. He approached the monkey boy, his pupils thin. ``Hey, kid. You don't want to go along with all this stuff. It's a gross wet water world. How about you stay on the ship where it's safe.''

The confused monkey merely stared at the panicked cat.

``Yong, what are you doing? He's coming with me. I'm going to keep him safe during all this.'' Vargus said, watching the cat twitch slightly. ``What are you going on about?''

``You don't want to drag a kid along all of this.'' The cat said, a false smile painted on his face. He patted the boy's head. Axel recoiled in response. ``You know, I might have a spare apartment over at Central City that I can loan the boy. He'll be safe there. I'll even have food delivered to him and he can video call you every night until you get back.'' The Siamese's voice was desperate.

``I want to go with Vargus.'' Axel looked at the nervous wreck of a man. ``I'm going to be with him.''

The feline swallowed, sweat running down his face. ``Oh, Oliver, it's too dangerous to go out there.''

``Axel.'' The monkey said, his voice firm. ``My name is Axel.''

``That's what I said, Axel.'' The cat stepped back and looked at Vargus who was staring him down now. ``Please don't take him with you.''

``Yong, step away from the boy or I'm going to deck you across the face.'' Vargus said, his voice low. ``You're acting strange and you need sleep. I know that the captain must be running you ragged to account for all this stuff. We're leaving. Now.''

Vargus clicked a sensor on one of the cards. The large door to the ship began to open. Yong's eyes widened. ``Please, Vargus, I...'' He stammered, looking back at Axel. He took a few steps back, watching the pig's intense gaze upon him. He swallowed again and wiped the sweat from his face. His desperate expression vanished, but Vargus knew he was trying to keep it all in. The fat feline spoke, his tone knowledgeable and professional. ``Vargus, as you know that I am the supply chief of the Kurata and as such I have complete authority over company property. Now...'' The desperation leaked in. ``As supply chief I am ordering you, PLEASE, don't take this boy with you...!''

Vargus ushered the monkey into the ship and set down his bags on the floor. He approached the feline, his face stony. He looked at the sweaty Yong, fists balled up. ``Yong, is there a reason you want to keep Axel on this ship? Something you want to tell me?''

``I... just uh...'' The cat's heart was racing in his pudgy chest. ``That corporate headquarters will be very upset if something happens to their three thousand credit employee. Just uh...'' He gave a nervous false smile. ``Just take care of him and keep him close. I'll... get some rest and check on you later.''

Yong scurried off faster than the foreman thought his fat legs could take him. The pig scratched his head. Something wasn't right, here. Did Yong want the boy for himself? He never thought of the man as a homosexual before. Then again, he had never thought of himself as one either. He grabbed the bags and walked up the ship's dropped hatch and entered the vessel.

The foreman whistled as he looked at the interior of the ship. It was nice, not quite as opulent as a vessel owned by the captain as he'd thought but still very nice. He was standing in the middle of a finished living room, a couch and large bolted in physical screen across from it. He could eye the opening to a small kitchen to the side.

Axel was on the large couch, looking at the blank screen. He watched Vargus as the pig set the bags down.

``Did you beat him up?'' Axel asked.

``No, no. Something's going on with him. I'm not sure.'' The porcine said with a grunt as he watched the door closing down. ``This ship is too nice. I thought we were supposed to have a low profile. Kind of hard to stay down with a fairly modern pleasurecraft.'' He said, rubbing his temple. ``This thing has to be worth close to a million credits, at the very least. I know he's a wealthy man, but this is a bit much.''

He looked at the boy's concerned face. ``Well, on the positive, we won't have to worry about finding room and board on Hadarr. We'll keep this ship docked and rest here when we need to. Now, I'm going to go get this ship ready. You just relax for a bit.''

Axel sat up on the couch. ``What was wrong with that man?'' He asked.

``I honestly don't know.'' Vargus admitted as he tried to find the ship's cockpit. ``I don't know him that well but I've never seen him like that. I might need to talk to the captain about it. I'll be back in a moment.''

Vargus opened a door and was rewarded by finding the control room for the ship. ``Bingo.'' He said as he stepped into the cockpit and closed the door behind him. Axel hummed as he was left alone. He heard a voice come from his wrist.

``Mr. Stone, you have not made a payment today.'' Said the mechanical voice of the blue Assurance device that was attached to his wrist. ``Please do not be delinquent in payments. You need to increase your rate of payment.''

The monkey boy looked around, making sure that Vargus wasn't in the room. He lowered his head, looking at the display of the Assurance. ``I need your help, Assurance. Do you know anyone named Marge Livingston?''

``I do not know anyone, I am just an Assurance.'' The device responded plainly. ``Do you want me to do a search for `Marge Livingston' using my connection to the extranet?''

``Yes, do that, please.'' Axel said in a quiet voice.

``Will this action help with your debt to Shine Holdings?'' The Assurance inquired.

``It might. Just look her up, please.'' A frustrated Axel replied.

``Do you have any information that will help narrow search results?'' The Assurance asked.

``Uhh, how about... Asios and uh... sai-kai-it-trist?''

``Searching.'' The device was quiet for a moment. Suddenly the display shined a bright blue. The coyote woman's face showed in the Assurance's holoscreen. Axel focused his gaze. She looked familiar. His fur stood up on end as he looked at her long canine face. ``Dr. Marge Livingston was a psychiatrist employed on the planet of Asios until a few months ago. She has since moved location to another world.''

``Can you find out where?'' Axel pleaded.

``Certainly. One moment.'' The device was silent for a brief time before responding. ``She is currently employed at Maldeb Institute for Mental Health, Brineline City, planet Hadarr.'' The Assurance said in a flat tone. ``You have exhausted all free searches for the period. You will have to pay if you wish to know more.''

``That's all I wanted, thank you.'' Axel's body shook. Hadarr. That's where they were headed. What were the odds. Light had to know about this. Light was guiding him. Still, he wasn't sure what he was going to do. He didn't want to hurt her. Maybe he could come up with a compromise. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the blue lighter. He looked at the cerulean plastic with a smile across his face. He flicked on the lighter and watched the orange dance across it.

The room seemed to darken around him as he consulted the flame.

``I did it. We're going to go to the planet where that woman is.'' He said, hoping to please Light. ``Vargus and I are going to find a guy named Flint, after we're done with that, we can find her... and... well, I don't know what to do. I still don't want to hurt her.''

The voice came from the fire as a whisper. ``Axel... you know what must be done.''

``I'll explain everything to Vargus, he'll know what to do.'' Axel told Light. ``He said he loves me.''

``I love you Axel, the real you. I love everything about you.'' The flame flickered. ``Do you think Vargus will always love you? Do you think he will love you when you get old? When he knows all about you, your secrets?''

``But... he loves me. He said so.'' The boy said, a frown forming.

``He might think he loves you, but you are a novelty for him.'' The voice said, its tone poisonous and bitter. ``That will wear off when you begin to change. When your face isn't so youthful, when your body begins to age. You won't be so cute to his eyes anymore and he will abandon you. Just like your father.''

``He wouldn't... he wouldn't!'' Axel's hands shook. ``You're lying to me. You're lying. Take it back, Light! TAKE IT BACK!''

``Kid, who are you talking to?'' Came a voice behind him.

Axel's fur stood on end. The void was gone. He was sitting on the couch. He peered to see Vargus standing outside the cockpit door. The pig was looking at him with a confused expression. Vargus walked into the living room, sitting by the boy. Axel looked at the lighter in his hand. The flame was gone. He shifted his gaze to the foreman that was now sitting next to him. He swallowed nervously. ``What did you hear?''

``I just heard you shout something like `take it back' or something like that from the other room.'' Vargus said, watching the monkey closely. ``You okay?''

The boy put the lighter in his pocket. He sniffled a little. ``Uh... I think I need to see one of those sai-kai-it-trists.'' He said, rubbing his nostrils with a finger.

``Kid, if you really insist, we'll go see a walk-in clinic after we get a little work done.'' Vargus folded his arms. ``Is something bothering you? You can tell me anything you want. I won't judge you.''

Axel opened his mouth. He wanted to tell Vargus the truth. He wanted to tell him everything. Still, a tiny voice in his head told him not to. Something in the back of his mind was telling him that it would make the pig angry, and he would be alone again. He couldn't risk that. He gulped, thinking about something else.

``Vargus, is it okay for boys to like boys?'' He squeaked out.

There came a snort from the foreman. ``What?''

``You know, like... how men like women. Is it okay for boys to like each other like that?'' The monkey boy asked, wanting to drive the conversation elsewhere.

``Oooh. Yeah, I mean. I know I might always use the right words and stuff before when talking about the captain, but... there's nothing wrong with it as far as I know.'' The pig rubbed his back. ``If you tell a psychiatrist that, though, they'll have a problem with it. They'll probably give you some kind of pills, maybe even a cocktail. Is that what's been bothering you?''

``That's uh... one thing...'' Axel found himself saying.

``Well, I wouldn't worry about that.'' The porcine poked the boy's skinny chest. ``You're still young and figuring things out. I know you've got a big heart in there, though. Over the years, I bet you'll love a lot of people. If there's anything you want to fill me in, you just let me know.''

``Thanks...'' Axel sighed and looked around. ``So, when are we going to take off?''

The foreman snorted and suddenly erupted in a loud bout of laughter. The explosion of joy shocked the monkey. He jumped from his seat and landed with a slight thud against the cushion. Vargus wiped a joyful tear from his eye. ``Oh, kid. Sorry to scare you like that. I just thought that was so funny... we're already out in space right now. The stabilizers on this thing are awesome. I can't even feel it either.''

The boy shuddered, recovering from the loud noise. He looked around the room and hopped off of his seat and rushed towards a window. He watched the vast expanse of space rushing around them. He saw the outline of the Kurata shrinking behind them. He looked back at the foreman who was lounging on the couch.

``Wait, if you're here, who's piloting the ship?'' The monkey asked.

``The ship has an autopilot installed, and by the looks of it, it's pretty dang advanced.'' Vargus said, a whistle in his voice. ``This ship has a lot of neat stuff on it. Wish I could afford one like this. Maybe one day. Oh... I have something for you.''

The pig produced a thick looking handgun. The weapon was metallic and shined in the ship's bright interior lighting. The monkey's hand trembled as he reached for the offered weapon. Vargus spoke. ``Easy now. It's not a true blue blaster, but it's no toy either. What this is called is a `stun blaster.' It'll fire an electric shock at whoever you point it at. Although it's not supposed to be lethal, it can kill given the right situation. I've also got a holster for you so you can keep it close.''

The teenager looked closely at the weapon in his hand. To him, it looked just like a real blaster. He noted a small dial that denoted different power levels. There was also a battery indicator that was currently black. Vargus pointed at a button on the pistol. ``It's not on yet. So, you press that button to turn it on. It takes a while to warm up. When you do the charge display will be bright red. The dimmer the display, the less power it has. The battery doesn't drain much unless you shoot it, but you should always keep it charged just in case.''

``Vargus, I don't think I can shoot anyone.'' Axel admitted.

``I really hope you won't have to. In a perfect world, there would be no need for this.'' He said, looking the boy in the eyes. ``Listen... I'm not trying to dredge up anything terrible from the past, but... I won't let what happened on Blito happen again. You're all I have left now. I want to keep you safe.''

Axel sniffled and placed the gun on the living room table. He hugged at the foreman.  His little arms squeezed him tight. Vargus flushed and lightly wrapped his larger arms across the tiny frame of the monkey. ``Hey, kid... let's not do the mushy stuff now. Maybe a different time. For now, let's try to relax before we have to get to work.'' He gently pushed the boy away from his chest. Emotions were hard for the foreman, and this boy was just overflowing with them.

Vargus helped the boy back onto the couch and looked at the blank screen in front of them. He gave the boy a gentle nudge. ``How about I show you something cool, kid. I bet you've never watched motivision before.''

``Moe-shi-vi-shun?'' The boy repeated.

``Yeah, movies and stuff. This ship has a sensor that can pick up special video signals. Here, I'll show you.'' The pig snorted as he spoke loudly. ``Ship!''

``Yes, sir?'' A voice sounded from the ship's systems.

Vargus let out a little chuckle. ``The ship has its own advanced AI system, how neat is that? Oh...'' He cleared his throat. ``Ship. Activate the motivision, tune to channel four.''

``Right away, sir.'' Came the ship's eager reply.

With a flash the screen was on. Axel's eyes widened as he watched it. He'd seen holoscreens before but this was different. Things were moving before his eyes. He watched as a mouse woman was being chased by the camera. The view showed her frantically running from it. Loud music flared up as the camera got closer and closer to her white fur. She let out a shriek.

The camera cut to a wolf wielding a blaster. A closeup showed the glow of the muzzle as he shot at her. Axel jumped and felt a cry of fear escape his lips as he watched the woman's body being torn to shreds by the bolts of light. Her right arm was severed and the camera got a close up of the cauterized flesh where it used to be. Vargus let out a low laugh and piped up. ``Uh, maybe that's a bit too heavy for you. Ship! Next channel, please!''

The screen shifted to a rat wearing a tight fitting sports uniform. He was floating in zero gravite, holding a long metallic bat. Organ music played in the background as the camera lingered on the player, waiting for a move.

Axel's heart pounded. He looked at Vargus, his eyes widened. ``That poor woman. They killed her.'' He said in a soft voice.

``No, no... they didn't kill her. It's pretend.'' Vargus explained. ``You see, there's a lot of programs that tell a story. Some of the stories are pretty gruesome, but she's fine. This might be more your speed.''

The monkey boy thought for a moment. Okay, that didn't really happen. It was pretend. He could understand that. It had looked so real, though. Too real. He folded his arms. ``I really didn't like that one.'' He told Vargus.

``Sorry, I didn't know they were going to play something like that.'' The foreman chuckled, patting the boy's head softly. ``Now this here is spaceball. So this one is real. See that guy right there? He's waiting for the pitcher to toss the ball at him.''

Axel watched as the camera zoomed out to show all the players. They were floating in a large stadium, all organized next to odd looking blinking buoys. Vargus pointed at the screen. ``See here comes the pitch, he's gotta whack and...''

The pitcher tossed a bright glowing ball towards him. The took a swing. The ball sliced in the air and whizzed out of view. The audience of the stadium all roared. Leisurely, rockets attached to the underside of the rodent's boots propelled the rat towards a buoy. He began to blow kisses to the cheers. Vargus let out a little snort. ``What a show-off.'' He mumbled as he looked at the screen. ``Gets a home run, so he's just going to take his time and mug the crowd.'' He looked down at Axel. ``Normally it's a lot faster than this. They gotta go towards those blinking bits as fast as they can.''

``I don't think I get it.'' The boy admitted, watching the rat blow more kisses as he made his way to the second buoy.

``Eh, I'll take you to a real game sometime. It's a lot more fun when you're watching it out there.'' He said, pointing towards the stadium. ``You get to eat snacks, buy some crap, drink some beer. It's a whole lot of fun.''

``You'll really take me there?'' Axel asked.

``Yeah, it might not be that exact stadium, but sure. We'll go to a spaceball game sometime. I'll teach you how it all works and I'll show you who to boo and who to cheer for when we're watching.'' Vargus made a dismissive wave towards the screen. ``Neither of these teams are my guys, so I don't really care about this game.''

``I'm supposed to get really loud?'' The monkey boy asked.

``Oh yeah. You're supposed to get really loud, especially when things are getting really good, or really bad. It's part of the fun.'' The pig chuckled. ``Why, a monkey like you, I bet you could howl really loud if you wanted to- err, if it's okay for me to say so.''

The teenager scratched his head. ``I don't mind. Why wouldn't it be?''

``Oh, well, uh. Sometimes it's not polite to talk about species and things like that.'' Vargus said, watching the rat slowly approach the third buoy. ``You know, like... how people might call me something like piggy or something like that.''

``Oh.'' Axel thought he understood what the porcine was talking about. ``Like if... someone called me `banana breath'?''

``Exactly, kiddo.''

``I've never really thought about that kind of stuff.'' The boy admitted.

``Well, hate to tell you this but where we're are going, you might want to be aware of it a little more.'' Vargus said, taking his view away from the screen and towards the monkey. ``There's a bit of a tension between simians like you and other species on that world. I don't know how it all started as I think we're all more or less the same in the inside but others don't think that way. Just something to keep in mind so we keep out of trouble.''

``Understood.'' Axel said, still not getting it entirely.

``Ship! Next channel!'' Vargus commanded the onboard AI. The screen shifted again. ``Sorry, kid. That guy was bugging the hell out of me. I can't stand show-offs like that. Glad he's not part of my team.'' The large pig admitted sheepishly.

Now the display showed two wolves in red suits. The wolves were wearing odd white masks that hid most of their facial features. The two of them were moving oddly, each one mirroring the other's movements. They did an odd dance, music played, almost like it was being directed by the pair's movements.

Suddenly one of the wolves sang out, a low, baritone voice. The words were slow and in a language that Axel couldn't understand. The boy hopped from the couch, his eyes wide as he watched the screen with intent, his long monkey tail swinging with the movement of the music. Axel was really focused on the pairs' movements, watching how effortlessly they copied each other in real time.

``Ugh, this stuff.'' Vargus said with an annoyed voice. ``Ship!-''

``No, no... don't change it.'' Axel protested, his gaze still on the screen. ``I like this... what... are they singing, I don't understand it.''

``They're singing in Old Emprish, the language the Empire used to speak a long time ago.'' Vargus explained with a bored tone. ``The Empire still uses it for what they call `high art.' Eugh... I didn't even know we got Empire signals around here...''

The monkey boy's little body swayed with the music. He began to slowly mime the dancer's movements, trying to copy them in real time like they did with each other. Vargus watched the boy, a smile growing on his face. ``You like that kind of stuff? Okay. We'll leave it on for you. I don't think you'll be able to keep up with them. You see, these guys practice a lot and go through a lot of rehearsals so they can be perfect when they start filming.''

``Can you teach me to move like this?'' Axel asked, standing on one foot like the dancers were.

``Kid, I dunno if you've noticed, but I don't dance.'' Vargus said, watching the monkey stretching his leg over his back effortlessly in awe. ``My body isn't really built for stuff like that. Yours, though... that's uh...'' He couldn't help but eye the kid's ass as he pulled his leg forward and stuck it out. The long, slow movements seemed to be making the material of his uniform pants tighten around his young butt. ``You're a natural.''

Vargus caught himself staring got off of his seat. ``Well, uh, while you enjoy the programming. I think I should grab a quick shower.''

Axel put his foot back on the ground. ``Can I shower with you?''

A silent curse escaped the pig's lips. He was going to use the shower as an excuse to get rid of some tension that was brewing inside of him. Tension that would only grow with the kid's presence. He let out a deep sigh. He had to be strong. ``Sure, kid. We're just going to shower, though.'' He wanted to be firm. He knew Axel had growing feelings, emotions that he felt as well. He wish he could just grab the boy and plow his young ass, but he knew he couldn't. He knew it wouldn't be right. He would re-awaken trauma that the kid had sustained. He didn't want to hurt him, even if it meant not giving into what the both of them clearly wanted.

``Okay.'' The boy said, a flush across his face.

``Here, I think I know where the bathroom is. Follow me.'' Vargus lead the boy over to a door and opened in. Inside was a large and well furnished bathroom. The bathroom had a shower-bath combo installed, a sink, many mirrors, a toilet, and even a urinal inside. Everything was modern and looked like brand new.

The pig began to unbutton his overalls. The heavy denim pooled around his feet. He felt free as he pulled off the thick material of his work shirt from his thick body.  He looked down at his green boxer shorts, feeling heat rise in his face. He tried not to get an erection. So far it was working. He pulled the underwear to the ground and stepped out of them. His fat, squat uncut man cock flopped idly as he stepped into the shower.

Axel couldn't help but stare at the man's thick vein-y cock. The way it bobbed and swayed from side to side with the shift of the man's bulk. The porcine's balls were large, plump, with a little sag to them. Long curly hairs grew from the man's unshaven testicles.

``You're staring, kid.'' Vargus said, twisting the shower knob. Hot water poured onto the pig's body. The water rolled down his thick flesh, making his pink skin glisten in the bathroom light. Axel watched as the water journeyed from the folds of his chest down the pig's bloated belly.

``It's nice and hot, come on in.'' The foreman gave a nervous cough.

Axel was naked in an instant. He hopped into the shower. Even though it was made for only one, the young monkey teen took up so little room that it didn't feel too cramped in there. Vargus looked the boy's scrawny body. When his fur was wet it showed just how bony the kid really was. He did see that the food was sticking to him a little bit, as his stomach wasn't quite as concave as he had noticed before.

The boy let out a moan as the hot water enveloped his tiny form. He massaged the skin of his simian face with the hot water, groaning. ``Nnn... I love showers.'' He admitted. ``Hot showers. The water was always freezing on Asios.''

``I like showers, too, kid.'' The pig found a provided bottle of shampoo. He splooched some into his palms and began to lather at the pink flesh of his scalp. He handed the bottle to Axel, smirking. ``Even though there's less of you than me, you'll need a lot more than I will.'' He gave a gentle slap to his belly, making his rotund flesh bounce. ``It's all that fur.''

Axel took the bottle and began to pour the contents all over his chest. He lathered it across his scrawny body. He put the bottle to the side and smirked. ``You know, I've never really thought about that. Does it feel cold having so little fur?''

``Eh, not really. I usually wear thick clothes for work so it doesn't really bother me much.'' The foreman watched as the boy struggled to get the shampoo on his back. Vargus caught some lather with his thick fingers and ran the foam the boy's scrawny backside. He looked down at the monkey's butt, the nice firm furless cheeks seemed to be welcoming him. He bit his lip as he slathered the teen's buttocks with the soap.

The boy let out a faint moan. Vargus had to control himself from pulling the boy's cheeks apart to inspect his young asshole. He couldn't believe he was thinking about the teen like this. He'd never had thoughts about other males like that before. He began to help the boy was washing his bad until he was satisfied. Axel was on the pig when he was done. The boy's soft young fingers roaming around the soft flesh of the man's chest.

``Kid, I can wash my own stuff...ooh...'' But the boy's touch felt so good.

``It's so smooth.'' The boy's hands gripped at the man's supple belly. ``You're so big. I hope I can be big and strong like you.''

``You will if we can get more food in you.'' Vargus said with a chuckle. The boy squirmed as he walked around the tight confines of the shower and looked at the foreman's fat ass and tail. He couldn't help but giggle at the pig's small corkscrew tail. ``I've never noticed you've had a tail before, it's so small and curly.''

The boy gently gripped the curled tail with two fingers and pulled on it faintly. The porcine felt a tinge of embarrassment course through him. He pulled the monkey's curious hand away from his tail gently. ``C'mon, kid. You're being funny. You wouldn't like me tugging on your long monkey tail, would you?''

``Would you do that?'' Axel asked, almost in a pleading tone.

``I think you can wash your own tail, kid.'' Vargus said, washing his arms with the foam.

The boy pouted and began to bathe his long brown tail in the water. The boy grinned as he made his tail poke at the man's supple chest. Vargus giggled as the tail was making him feel a bit ticklish.

``Axel, please. Knock it off, you're going to make me pee.'' The foreman said, giggling more as the kid's soft wet tail trailed down to his bulging belly.

``You have to pee, can I watch you?'' Axel asked the pig.

``Kid, I might be a pig, but I'm not going to pee in the shower if I can help it.'' He said, chortling from the boy's tickling tail. ``That's just gross. We're pretty washed up. I think it's time to dry off.''

The porcine turned the knob and the water stopped. Axel frowned as the soothing heat vanished from him. The foreman stepped out of the shower, his belly, balls, and cock jiggling with each step he took with his squat pig legs. He grabbed a fluffy white towel from the wall and tossed another towards the boy that was now stepping onto the floor.

The monkey caught the towel and began to dry off his brown furred body. Vargus wiped the towel across his own, drying easily due to having far less hair for the water to cling to. He stepped behind the boy and used his towel to help dry his back. The monkey giggled as his fur began to puff out slightly when he was done.

``You're a cute kid.'' Vargus found himself saying, watching the boy's poofed fur. Axel blushed at these words. He looked like he was going to ask Vargus another question. A question that the pig wasn't sure he wanted to answer. He stopped the boy from speaking with a sudden offer. ``So, uh, you wanted to watch me go, right? Uh, I can do that for you. Just uh...'' He was so tempted to grab the boy and force his hot, salty man piss down his eager perverted teenage throat. He didn't know how much more of this he could talk. He waltzed up to the urinal and gave the kid a reassuring nod. ``Come here, I'll give you a show.''

The boy got on his knees, getting his eyes level with the man's squat cock. Vargus was surprised how he'd maintained most of flaccidity, though the skin of his uncut penis was starting to lengthen just a little from the boy's heavy eyes digging into it. The pig let out a grunt and a thick golden stream of piss began to splatter against the pure white porcelain. Vargus let out a loud sigh as he pissed, groaning. ``Oh, I've been holding this in since I woke up.'' Axel noted the slightly dark color of the urine.

The boy stood up and held his own penis. His young member was just a tad shorter than Vargus's, but not nearly as fat. He let out a soft moan as he let loose. His own stream, a much brighter color, splashed against the pig's making a cascade of urine across the urinal.

``Jeez, kid...'' Vargus found himself flushing as the pair of them peed into the urinal together.

Even though he wasn't the first to urinate, the boy was finished peeing first. His stream trickled to a crawl and he shook his young cock with an expert grip. Vargus kept on going, panting as he did. Axel was amazed by the volume of urine that the foreman was producing. The stream was still strong, splatting against the white walls in full force.

Vargus let out a deep exhale as his piss stream slowly but surely began to thin before the boy's watchful eyes. He shook the last drops of piss from his prepuce and looked at the boy's wide eyes. He gave the boy a low whistle. ``Wow, you're really into that kind of stuff, huh? Well, I guess you're learning about yourself fast.'' He looked down, the boy's uncut cock was rock hard, his foreskin covering most of his pink glans with a tight grip. ``Jeez, kid. You ever whack that thing off?''

``Uh...''

``Kid... here...I...'' He wanted to fuck the boy. He wanted to press his cute face against the wall and ravish him roughly. He decided to try a middle approach, though he wasn't sure if he should go through with it at all. He adjusted himself so that his groin was level with the boy's. His fat cock was already reacting to the boy's arousal, thickening and pulsing to life before both of their eyes.

He pressed his hips forward. The underside of their two dicks pressed against one another. The boy let out a shudder. Vargus's fat nuts slapped against the teen's smaller sack. Vargus wrapped his thick fingers along both of their shafts and squeezed them together with his grip.

The boy bit his lip, groaning as his penis pulsed against the older man's. Vargus stroked their dicks together, feeling the heat from their arousal building. The boy's cute face contorted into one of awkward pleasure. His young hips rocked back and forth, causing his penis to rub more against the foreman's. His foreskin began to roll back, revealing the pink head of his teenage dick to the pig's vision. That sent Vargus over the edge. With a deep, masculine moan, the large pig came. Thick ropes of pork jizz landed all over the boy's furry belly. Some dribbled out lazily, lubing up the flesh of both his and the boy's. The pig stroked faster as his erection slowly began to die down. Axel let out a groan as his orgasm was nearing. The boy's load was impressive. Vargus thought that it was more cum than his as the teen's young spunk draped across his distended belly. He grabbed the discarded towel and wiped the semen from his stomach with ease. Axel fell on his ass, making a low noise as he did. Vargus got on his knees and began to wipe the cum off of the teen's concave stomach. ``Kid, are you okay?'' He asked the boy.

``I feel really... tired.'' He said, his voice faint.

``It's okay, kid. You can rest. Hopefully we'll be at Hadarr by the time you wake up.'' Vargus ran a thick finger along the boy's hair.

The teen yawned. ``Nnn... can't wait... to get to Brineline City...'' He said, his eyes getting heavy.

``Brineline City? Where did you hear about that?'' A surprised Vargus asked.

``I learned from...the...Assurance...Light told me...'' The boy fell asleep in the large pig's arms. He stared at the boy's calm sleeping form. Carefully he carried the boy and set him down on the couch. He looked so cute, butt naked and draped across the couch like that. Wait a minute. ``Who?''

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