Arthur

Pathos

On the planet Pathos, it is said that pleasure boys are made not born, Andre was the exception to the rule, his mother had been a pleasure girl when she was alive and his Father had been a deep space officer from the planet Kryton.

Andre's immaculate body and exceptional good looks came from his father, his pleasure talents came purely from his mother, when combined he was the most sought after and most expensive pleasure boy in the Capital city of Aragon, or anywhere else on Pathos.

Those that sought out the boy would come from only the wealthiest families or were very rich spacers, his fame and talents were the talk of every place that pleasure was wanted or craved, his name was even mentioned in hushed whispers as far away as the home Galaxy, a distance very few could traverse unless they were of the wealthiest families in the universe.

From the dark back alleys of the mining planets to the magnificent palaces and mansions of the rich, the name of Andre was spoken in hushed whispers, it was as though the boy was some type of god figure and not just a pleasure boy from the planet of Pathos, the fourth planet from the white sun of the Tanner Galaxy.

Pathos had always been a pleasure planet, it was known throughout the known universe for its ability to provide any form of pleasure one would like except for one thing, the pleasure act of Snuff, this was forbidden by law and any perpetrator would be liquidated immediately when found out.

Disease was unknown; many of the old venereal diseases had long ago been wiped out, even those that had been created by old world governments as a means of eradicating certain types of acts within their system.

On Pathos it was normal for some boys to be enhanced by either advanced robotics or other means of making them more desirable or to give them better skills, the average life span on Pathos was longer than on any other planet, no one had as yet discovered why this particular planet had such an influence on aging, it was one of those mysteries that had never been solved.

Andre could expect to look young for years longer than others from different planets, the year on Pathos was longer than on most other planets due to its very large size and slower rotation, there were only seven cities on the planet and, although these cities were massive by any standards, the way they had been designed hardly made any impression on the overall conditions of the planet itself, it was as though some deity was protecting this one planet.

Andre had been taught his skills by his mother from a very young age, he was taught the dance of Terrasan, a very difficult but exotic dance that could make even the most jaded of men react sexually to the lithe movements and seductive insinuations of the bodies movements, it had taken Andre nine years to perfect the dance until at the age of eleven he was touted as the finest Terrasan dancer ever trained.

Everything about Andre spoke of perfection, his slender body, long slender legs, sloe eyes, close cropped hair that was cut short unlike the longer ringlets fashionable in that day and age, the tips of his hair were tinted with cobalt blue and were the only enhancement he would allow, and his father's gene donation of burnished bronze skin reflected sun light until he appeared to glow in his own halo.

Along with his bronze skin his father had also endowed him with his large boyhood, it was said in many of the lower pleasure places that Andre could ride as well under the saddle as he could on top of it, for many hours each day he would be taught exercises in flexibility and other skills he would need to make his slim body desirable.

From the age of four Andre had been used to the thick feeling of various sizes of plugs in his small hole until he would be able to take the largest of men with only a little discomfort, if he were needed to ride 'on top' of the saddle, then he could ride a man without slowing down for more than an hour at a time, his deposits were copious and would seem at times, never ending.

His mother also taught him other skills, his numbers and letters he was told were the most important of all, it was the law on Pathos that any partnering for pleasure had to be under a signed contract, the breaking of that contract could bring penalties swiftly and sometimes aggressively from the law.

Andre had been trained by his mother until he was eleven years old, that was the age when a boy could go out to work legally, in the city of Sema it was well known that you could get very young boys and girls and, while it was frowned upon by the governors, it was allowed to continue as long as there was no trouble, there were those who did prefer very young ones and Pathos was a pleasure planet.

Andre's mother had not allowed him to start any younger than what the law allowed, she wanted her boy to be someone special and so she continued to train him when others of the same age were already out working, for Andre her wish was for him to be the best there ever was and that meant sacrificing income until he was of age.

The long hours of training and the continual need for providing for them both, soon took a toll on his mother and, at age twelve, just when he was starting to become known in most of the best places, his mother took ill, not from disease but from the sacrifices she had made for her little boy, there were times she would starve herself so the boy could eat and, as she grew older her charms were in less and less demand so the burden grew larger.

There were four types of pleasure houses on Pathos, there were the free lancers, those who had a small apartment or house where they conducted business, next were the lower class houses that hired personnel on an hourly basis which is where Andre's mother had worked, then there were the middle class houses, these had contracted personnel that were working for the house for a set time period on a set income from their work and then there were the very high class houses, these employed only the best of the best, they catered to the elite of society.

Andre's mother had told him time after time that he should always avoid working for others, if he trained hard and learnt all she could teach him then he would attract only the finest of customers and retain his independence from any house of pleasure, Andre loved his mother and set about learning all he could from her so that he would not have to work in the houses of others for only a percentage of what he earned, Andre would be an independent but one that would be desired by all but taken by only the best.

Before his first foray out into the world of pleasure, Andre sat with his ailing mother and worked on his contract, one that would keep him safe and, in time making him wealthy beyond the dreams of other pleasure boys, for more than two hours they worked on his contract until they could find no faults in it, he would carry a copy of the contract when he went to meet his suitors and they would have to sign it and abide by its conditions before he would go with them for their satisfaction.

While Andre could have gone out at age eleven, his mother held him back a little longer, for more than six months she continued to train him in the arts of tact, charm, manners and seduction, she bought for him only the finest in clothes to wear even though she now had little more than three sets of clothes for herself.

When his mother thought he was now ready for the world of pleasure, she escorted him outside and through the streets, making sure he made no eye contact with anyone as they walked along, it was a strategy that was to hold him in good stead for many years, she told him that he must appear to be untouchable by all and sundry, that he was just too far above any of them except for the richest, to this end she directed him towards the best part of the city where he was allowed to walk around by her side.

For Andre it was a great adventure and, even though he had been told and trained for just this event, it still brought his body to a new tingling sensation, his small sharp ears soon picked up the whispered comments and his eyes saw the unspoken desire as he walked past the multitudes in the city centre, each person trying for one more look at the slender boy who moved like a walking dream among them.

Andre had been trained to hide his large endowment by means of tucking himself underneath and leaving only a hint of what delights lay hidden there, his form fitting clothes left little to the imagination as far as his lithe body went but his real asset remained hidden from the ogling eyes in the city centre.

It was noticeable that those boys who had been artificially enhanced were also looking at the dream boy as he walked through the masses, enhanced boys could be spotted if you knew what to look for and every one on Pathos knew what the signs were, the enhanced boys moved slightly differently as though they were trying to fit into their bodies but, natural boys like Andre moved with a certain grace and understanding of their natural bodies, they were desired above all others but were very rare in these days.

Following his mother's instructions, Andre kept his glance slightly downward so that he did not make eye contact with anyone, it was an illusion to make him even more desirable than he already was and, by the whispered comments he was hearing, it was working a treat, even other pleasure boys wanted to do things with this new boy.

When they came to the centre of the huge plaza where all of the best of society were known to congregate or show off their latest fashions or partners, Andre's mother made him sit on an empty bench placed under a huge tree where small birds flittered in and out of the branches while they twittered and chirped in the warm and sunny day.

His mother sat beside him and brought out a parcel of food to eat as their lunch while the masses walked and talked around them, the present conversation seemed to be about Andre and who he was and why he was there, most could be heard wondering why a boy from the lower part of the city was brought here when he could have been taken into any lower class house of pleasure.

They had all seen by his mother's clothes that they were not from the better part of the city but this seemed to be ignored by his silently watching mother as they both ate their minimal lunch and looked at no one or took notice of the comments around them, even in this most modern age there was still an undercurrent of class division although it was never talked about out loud or in public.

It was more than hour before a man got up the courage to approach the pair on the bench, the cause of his hesitance was soon explained when he asked.

"Excuse me mother, but is your boy of age?"

"Yes Sir, he is."

"Ah, well I thought he was a little young to be available for pleasure but if he is of age then I would enquire the conditions of his contract."

Andre's mother looked up at the man, he was in his middle years for the planet and looked to be well dressed in the finest clothes, his added jewellery told of wealth and position, she turned to her son.

"Andre, would you offer a contract to this gentleman?"

Andre looked up at the man although he had already scrutinised the man under his eye lids while his mother talked to him, following his mother's instructions for just this sort of situation, Andre stood up and smiled at the wealthy man, he saw the man gulp as he saw the full body for the first time up close, already there was a faint sheen of sweat on the man's upper lip as his eyes drank in the beauty before him.

"Sir, what would you desire from me?"

"I would like to taste your charms for an hour or two?"

"I'm sorry Sir my minimum contract is for a full 28 hour day."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I did not know there were any boys that had long time contracts when they were so young, may I ask what your conditions are?"

"Yes Sir, I am trained in dance and titillation as well as being able to fulfil any of your desires, at this stage I am also a virgin and, as you are well aware, that is a onetime thing and so for my first time it will not be cheap, for my first time the rate is based on whether you require me for a top or bottom boy?"

"I see; I would require you for a bottom boy."

"Then the rate for my first time would be 1,000 credits per hour with no limit on the number of times you may use penetration over the 28 hours."

"A thousand credits is very steep, not even the most desired of boys here asks for that."

"Are they genuine and natural virgins, Sir?"

"I guess you have a point there, it is a little more than I would have thought about, will you give me time to think this over, and it's a very delicate time just now."

"As you wish Sir, we will be here for one more hour if you wish to return."

"Thank you, perhaps we will meet again."

Andre smiled widely at the man then sat back down beside his mother, she laid an arm over his shoulders to let him know he had done things just right and she was proud of him even though the man had for the moment turned down the offer, they both watched as the man returned to a round table where others were seated, after he sat down the man began to whisper and the others looked stunned as he related the exchange.

All six pairs of eyes of the men at the table turned to once again to scrutinise the young boy sitting with his mother, soon they were all chattering and giving the pair quick glances as they tried to work out if they should really try such young and innocent looking charms, these men were not lacking in wealth, it was only the unexpected terms of a young boy's contract that had caught them off guard.

For twenty minutes Andre sat on the bench with his mother, under the cover of his eye lids he watched the six men talk and look, the faintest of smiles came to his soft tender lips as he tried to guess what they were talking about, their animated gestures leaving little doubt in his own mind what they wanted to do but were unsure if he would be worth the high price asked.

Another of the men finally got up and came towards where they sat, he was a little younger but even better dressed and was showing the jewellery of a high placed government official, his approach was open and direct, this man had made up his mind about Andre and there would be little doubt as to his intentions for the novice young boy.

"Good afternoon, mother, I would talk with your boy about his contract."

"Andre, this man wishes to discuss your contract, is that agreeable with you?"

"Yes mother."

Andre stood up and faced the man, there was a slim smile on the man's lips as he saw the virginal beauty standing before him, his libido took a big hit and he knew he had to have this boy regardless of cost and terms, he would see if the boy was really well trained by the end of the contract time.

"I would see your contract if that is agreeable?"

Andre reached into his slim shoulder bag for a copy of the contract and then handed it to the man, after he read each and every word on the contract he turned to Andre's mother.

"You must have a very good lawyer; this contract is the most comprehensive I have ever seen for a pleasure boy."

"The contract was drawn up by Andre himself, he is a truly remarkable boy and you would be doing well to accept him."

"I see only one thing missing, that is the possibility of an extension to the time if all goes well."

"I would be glad to discuss that as a separate extra if that came about and renegotiate the cost."

"That sounds fair to me, would you be prepared to accompany me right now after we sign the contract?"

"After signing I would be at your command Sir."

The man took the contract and gave it a final reading then signed it and gave it to Andre's mother for safe keeping, Andre was now an official pleasure boy, albeit a very expensive one and the next 28 hours would reveal all for the man and his friends, if he was as good as his mother had trained him to be this would be the start of something great for the boy.

Andre sidled up to the man and saw him press a button on his communicator, within a minute the soft hiss of an air car pulled up beside them, the driver jumped out and opened the rear door for Andre and the young man, even he was made breathless when he saw the beauty of Andre, as he closed the rear door, Andre saw the drivers hand shaking, he smiled to himself, his mother's hard work and lessons were now justified.

The air car sped swiftly and silently out of the city square and turned towards the high hills of the very rich on the outskirts of the commercial centre, Andre let his eyes wander over the new sights he was seeing for the first but most definitely not the last time.

"So Andre, this is your first adventure into pleasure?" the man asked.

"Yes Sir, it will be my pleasure to give you my virginity, I hope you will be fully satisfied with my efforts."

"Call me Leon, and yes, I am sure I will be happy, it is such a long time since I have had the pleasure of a true virgin and one that is not enhanced only adds to the pleasure."

"Thank you Sir."

"Tell me Andre, would you be amenable to a little extra pleasure beyond the contract?"

"It is not the way of contracts to be broken Sir."

"Leon; please, well I was thinking that we may amend the contract and of course that would mean a renegotiation of price or is your mother the only one that can do that?"

"No… Leon, I do all of my own negotiations, what were you think of as an adjustment?"

"My son has just turned fourteen and is also still a virgin, he shows definite signs of being a bottom boy, he wanted to join the pleasure boys of the city but my position makes that impossible for him to do; I was thinking that after I have sampled your own delights you would spend time with him and take his virginity, that is if you are inclined to be a top boy?"

"I am sure we can negotiate such a thing, but it is only fair that I inform you that he may not be able to take me in that way."

Leon looked down at Andre's groin, there was little sign of much of a bulge so he smiled and replied.

"Oh, I'm sure he will be able to take care of a young boy like you, if all goes well I might even have something else for you to consider but that is for after our contractual arrangements have been concluded."

Before Andre could reply, the air car pulled up before a set of large bronze coloured gates, the symbol in the centre of the gates caught Andre's attention, while he did not know of the man, Leon, he knew what that symbol stood for, Andre was in the presence of one of the City Council, as there were only eleven Councillors Andre now realised he was going into the home of one of the top elite of the city, his blood warmed and his young boyhood jerked as it tried to free itself of the position it was placed in.

Andre had cracked the top of the ladder on his first attempt, he now knew he had to perform at his best if he wanted to maintain and rise above everyone else on the planet of pleasure, beside him Leon spoke with a smile in his voice.

"So now you have guessed, how does it feel to have your virginity taken by one of the top families in the city?"

"I feel very honoured that you would consider me Councillor."

"The honour is all mine Andre, in all my years in the city I don't think I have ever seen such perfection in a pleasure boy, I only hope that tomorrow when the contract expires that we can go further than you would think possible but, first I have to taste and devour your ample charms, your contract says you can dance, which of those will you perform for me first?"

"Why for you Councillor, only the best, the Terrasan."

"The Terrasan, aren't you a little young to be able to perform such a complicated dance, it takes even the best years to perfect it?"

"Then I will have to work harder for your satisfaction Leon."

"The Terrasan, yes you will have your work cut out to perform that to my satisfaction, but, if you do somehow give me a great performance, I will add a bonus of five thousand credits to your fee."

Andre looked at the smiling face of Leon, it looked as though the Councillor thought his bonus money safe.

"I shall do my best for you Leon, if you think it is worthy of a bonus then who am I to say no."

"You are aware that as a Councillor I have seen the best dancers over the years, I even had the pleasure to watch and partake of the finest of them all, Gratham Loid, we watched him bring a room of twenty five men to fulfilment just with his interpretation of the Terrasan."

"I do not think I am in that class Leon but I shall try my best to bring you satisfaction with my attempt; will you have others to join you this evening?"

"No, for this your first time it will be just you and I, for your price I want to be the only person to enjoy it, of course we may be interrupted by my son but he knows better than to try to win your charms away from me, would that be within the scope of the contract for him to watch you dance?"

"Yes Leon, I feel it is well within the contractual arrangements for him to watch but nothing further."

By this time the air car had driven up the long winding driveway to stop in front of a huge building that was more palace than house, on the steps stood two young men in the latest form of dress for servants, one came down and opened the car door for his employer to get out, Andre heard a quickly indrawn breath when he stepped from the back of the car, it looked as though even the servants liked what they saw.

The second servant watched Andre move up the wide steps at the side of his employer, he could not believe the vision of perfection that was walking beside the Councillor, quickly he went to the large metal doors to open them for the pair, Andre had never seen anything like the wealth and grandeur that now surrounded him as he walked through the huge doors, their steps echoing on the marble tiles in the massive entrance hall.

Leon led Andre through to a large room that was obviously made as a pleasure room, everything that one would like to have around them for pleasure was built into the room, large comfortable lounges, small side tables, a large real wooden floor for dancers and a sound array mounted on the wall, there was also a wall to wall vision screen for titillating movies, everything that could be used to enhance the experience of pleasure was in the room.

Leon pointed to a door at the side of the large room.

"There is the ablution room for you to prepare, do you have a suit for your dance?"

"Yes, I have it in my satchel."

"Good, I look forward to seeing it on you, I'm going to dress and then we can start; say, ten minutes?"

"As you wish Leon, I will be ready for your call."

"I will start the music of the Terrasan for you to enter; I am looking forward to seeing your skills."

"I hope you are not disappointed."

"So am I young man, so am I."

Andre went into the room to get ready, everything he would need to clean himself both outside and inside was in the room and of the highest quality, Andre began his preparations, first he used the long hose and nozzle to clean himself inside even though he had done it at home, this was not the time to make any mistakes.

Next he made sure his body glowed with a thin film of body oil from a small vial he found on a shelf, next was his hair, once he was happy with that he pulled out his silken smock for the Terrasan, it was a body suit that covered him from shoulder to groin, around the lower part were a number of thin tassels that could be pulled off one at a time to finally reveal his boyhood underneath.

The rest of the body suit was made of small panels that could be removed one by one to reveal his slender body a small piece at a time, it was made of the finest silk that could be bought, his mother had had it made especially for him and had cost her all her earnings for a full week, some five thousand credits, a fortune for people in their situation.

The suit was also cobalt blue to match his tinted hair, the only other enhancement Andre's mother had done for him was the medical removal of all of his body hair follicles, that also had cost her dear but it meant he would never grow any hair except for what could be seen on his head and eyebrows, when he heard the first few strains of the music for the Terrasan he moved to the door, one last check and he began his entrance.

Councillor Leon was seated on one of the lounges, he was dressed for the indoors and delights of a pleasure boy, his clothes were much like an old fashioned surplus that came down to his knees, his thick strong legs showing below that, the short sleeves showed strong arms that had a light dusting of blonde hairs, his chest pushed out the front of the surplus, Andre could see power and muscle in the man's solid frame.

There was little that did not attract Andre to the Councillor, as a first time contract he could not have chosen wiser, in his own head he decided he would make his dance of the Terrasan the best he had ever done, he had to make his mother proud of all the sacrifices she had made for his future, Andre began the first movements of the dance as he came through the wide door.

The Terrasan was a dance like no other, the foot and hand movements were set in stone and were very difficult to master but that was only a small part of the whole, the true brilliance of the dance was how the dancer interpreted the music with his body, the body movements had to blend in perfect harmony with the hand and foot movements and at the same time titillate the spectators.

Some dancers mastered the hand and foot movements but did not have the body follow them, others had the sinuous body movements but lacked the talent needed with the hands and feet, in all of the city's history there had only been four true exponents of the Terrasan, the finest being Gratham Loid.

Most of his dancing life, Andre had watched and even tried to copy the dance of Gratham Loid, he had spent hours just on perfecting one hand movement, in all he had spent years to gain what he hoped was perfection, his mother had told him he was the best she had ever seen but now it was time to prove it to one of those who had actually seen the legend Gratham Loid alive and for real.

The dance was more complicated by the need to make his body move sinuously to the under beat of the music while his hands and feet moved to the higher pitch and very complicated sounds of the cords, the under beat was made by use of six sets of drums, all of different timbres, the higher cords were played by both stringed and key based instruments, the room filled with the sound sometimes slow and at other times fast, the tempo could change at the most difficult times and took great skill to follow and still be able to interpret one's own steps and body movements.

As he danced almost in a blissful state of trance, Andre saw that Leon was sipping from a tall glass of green liquid; there was no doubting that it was filled with Nefagrene, a liquor to make a man more virile and lasting in the sexual act, already Andre could see a dampness in the front of the loose surplus Leon was wearing and he had only been dancing for a little more than five minutes, the full dance of the Terrasan took nearly an hour.

Andre danced in a semi trance, the only way to make it to the state of perfection required of the best dancers, after nearly twenty minutes he saw Leon lean over and push a small button at the end of the lounge, Andre barely noticed that the damp spot in front of Leon's surplus was now very wet, Andre ignored the sound of a door opening on one side of the room and soft patter of bare feet crossing the wooden floor.

When next he opened his eyes and took in the view before him, he saw a young teen lying on the lounge with his father, the boy's mouth was agape and his tight fitting long trousers showed a very wet spot at the crutch as his small hands shook with tension as they rubbed his thin thighs back and forth, Andre let a small smile come to his lips as he increased his body movements to the faster beat of the loud music.

At the half hour he began to remove the thin tassels one by one, as he came close to the two watchers, he would lay one on each of the two, sometimes on their heads, sometimes fully on their groins, each was placed to increase the titillation, the two watchers were now spell bound, their faces red with desire, their bodies showing the signs of early ejaculations.

When it came time for his many small panels to be removed, he would come close to them and his sinuous body would gyrate close to them as they reached out and removed a panel, one by one they disappeared until he stood before them with only the smallest of thin bikini briefs covering his charms, it was now that Leon saw what the small boy had hidden inside that small silken pouch.

As the last notes of the music closed towards the end of the dance, Andre's body glowed with the thin sheen of perspiration as he went into a wide splits performed slowly until his groin was flat on the floor and the substantial bulge was pushed forward for inspection of the watchers, he then threw his arms wide and behind him as he lay down on the floor and lifted his legs high in a wide V as a promise of what was to come, it was the final figure of the dance.

The large room was in total silence as the music died, there was only the heavy breathing of father and son to mar the stillness and quiet of the room as Andre pulled in breathes, using every bit of control he had to make it seem as though the long dance had not taken everything out of him.

Leon and his son were awestruck at the performance of such a young boy, it was at that moment that Leon made a decision that would change forever the life of Andre if the boy agreed but for now there was the matter of seeing if the boy could perform as well in bed as he did on the dance floor, the 28 thousand credits he had contracted for was the highest price ever asked of him.

While the money was really a miniscule part of his overall wealth, it was still a steep amount to pay for a pleasure boy but if the dance was anything to go by, it would be cheap to be the man that took the boys one treasured item, his virginity; Leon gestured for his son to leave the room and then pressed another button on the lounge, from the rear wall slid a large soft looking bed.

The bed was covered in silk sheets and the head board held two small cabinets, inside were all the aids he needed for pleasuring a boy, including an ample supply of lubricants and he had a feeling the smallness of the boy's hips would need plenty of that, even if he had been trained from a very young age, Leon was renowned among his friends as being on the large side of normal.

Leon took a towel to dry off his four emissions, had it not been for his intake of the drink Nefagrene, he had 27 hours of pleasure time left with the boy and he was not about to waste any of it, the boy would know full well that he had lost his virginity by the time Leon was finished, it showed the possibility of being an exciting and fulfilling 27 hours.

After drying himself of the four emissions, Leon called Andre to stand in front of him, the boy rose from the floor and walked smoothly to stand between the thick strong thighs of Leon, the heady smell of semen filled the space around the two as Leon looked over the slender body with the thin film of sweat making him seem ethereal.

By this time Leon had discarded the now wet and used surplus and sat naked before the boy, his large manhood still showed it was capable of action as Leon lent forward and pulled the minute g-string from the slender hips, the boy's more than ample boyhood dropped to show its full size which was very quickly becoming erect.

Leon smiled to himself, his son was going to get more than he bargained for with this young boy, the bronze skin of Andre only went to enhance the vision of sheer beauty that the dance had prepared Leon for, his own manhood now stood hard and proud as he ran his hands up and down the soft and glowing bronze skin, his hand slipped down to encircle the now rigid boyhood, it was far bigger and thicker than he would ever have thought a boy of his size could have been born with.

"Come and sit on my lap as we talk, there are some things we need to say before I take your little treasure."

Andre smiled openly and quickly jumped up until his narrow cheeks were nestled close to the throbbing manhood that stood hard and waiting for his virginal hole, the heat coming from the large manhood could be felt against his slender buns, Andre wriggled until he had that large shaft trapped well and truly between his narrow buns, now he was ready to talk.

"Firstly, my son wants to make a contract with you once we are done, if you can handle that after tonight, next, I have to tell you that even the great Gratham Loid could not compete with you on the dance floor, I have never in all my life seen the Terrasan danced with such perfection and creativity, I'm going to increase your bonus to ten thousand credits as long as you are willing to let me keep the disc I made of you dancing, it will not be sold but will be shown only to those friends of mine that would truly appreciate your efforts, if you say no then I will give it to you to destroy."

Leon waited for Andre to take it all in, when he saw the boy nod he continued.

"If you give my son a contract tomorrow, I want to then offer you a permanent place in my ministry, it comes with many benefits and will require you to continue your life as a pleasure boy but will give you advantages that no other pleasure boy could dream of but we will talk more on that after you have completed your contracts, I mention it only so that you have time to think it all over."

Again Andre nodded his understanding and Leon continued on.

"My son wanted me to ask you one question, as you know most boys at the age of eleven on Pathos can start to ejaculate, are you able to do that yet?"

"Yes, I have been able to ejaculate for three weeks now."

"Good, and do you know how many times you will be able to satisfy my son Aldred?"

"I am not sure as yet, he will be my first, and I can ejaculate seven times by masturbation before requiring a rest of one hour."

"Next and last question, would you require Aldred to fill a contract of 28 hours and what would be the charge for it?"

"This is not what I have given any thought to but, I feel it is only fair that you should receive some consideration as both he and I will be a first time for his contract, perhaps I can make it for just four hours at a cost of three hundred credits per hour."

"That seems very reasonable, I have told him that he must pay out of his own account and that seems a very generous offer to me; now time for me to attend to that small virgin place of yours, are you ready to be ridden like never before?"

Andre giggled as he lifted up until his body was perched above the hard rampant manhood.

"As you wish Leon and as I have never been ridden before, you will set the bench mark for future contracts."

Leon laughed as he gripped the slender boy's hips, while he had been talking he had already lubed his shaft and was now rubbing copious quantities of lube on the smooth virginal hole of his intended pleasure boy, with little effort, Leon lifted then began to lower the willing boy down onto his ready and waiting shaft, the first contact with the hot flesh of the boy made him groan with anticipation.

Leon felt the tightness against his throbbing shaft, slowly he pushed the light weight boy gently down until he felt the tight sphincter start to give, the look on the boy's face had not changed from the wide smile he had started with, as he pushed further in the boy's face changed a little as he realised just how much still had to go in.

Andre felt himself being stretched beyond anything he had been trained with, the first time he had seen the full size of Leon he knew he would be tested to the maximum, losing his virginity was going to be a very big adventure that he was not likely to forget,

The entry seemed to go on forever as more and more of the thick hard shaft entered his small tight hole until he felt he could take no more but he did, it was only two more inches but they were thick and stretched his small narrow hole to its widest, he now felt as though someone had pushed a large tree into him but at the same time it was a rather satisfying feeling.

Andre could not get over the fact he had actually taken every inch of Leon's large thick shaft but he also knew that this was only the beginning, by the time his contract time was up he knew he was going to be well used but at least Leon seemed to take it slowly and with consideration of the boy's size and lack of previous experience.

It was more than four hours before Leon stopped to rest, with the help of the Nefagrene he had been able to fill Andre time and time again until now he had a copious amount of fresh semen running freely from his well stretched and used hole, when Leon pulled out to take a rest Andre felt he had been deserted and his hole was lacking in that feeling of being filled and rubbed in so many ways.

As Leon slipped from his well used and dripping hole, Andre looked down at his own stomach, he seemed to be covered in a thin film of clear semen, he did not even realise he had been brought to fruition many times by the expert actions of Leon's long workout of his virginal hole, even his pleasure button felt as though it had been worn thin by the long continued action of Leon's thick manhood.

Leon looked down at the well used and happy young boy, he had been brought to a standard of satisfaction that he had not had since he was a young teenager and a long night of pleasure seemed to never end but, as he grew older it had waned as all men do with age but, this young boy had lit something deep inside him and he felt like a young boy once again, he was thankful now that the contract had been for a full day.

Leon got up and carried Andre in his arms to the adjoining ablution room, they would wash and play in there then rest for a while, the new experience for Andre had only just started, when the showering and pampering was finished, Leon used a hidden communicator to call for food and drink which was delivered very shortly afterwards, the two sat side by side on one of the many lounges and fed each other from the large platters of food brought in for them by the two servants.

For the remaining time of his contract, Andre found himself pounded from all directions, he even found out that Leon knew even more strange positions than his mother did and he used them all, had it not been for his training, Andre would have given up long ago but he kept in mind he was a pleasure boy and had to build a reputation so he could succeed.

Leon worked the boy hard but not brutally, he gave him time to recover and to eat, he also introduced Andre to new things like an enema using Leon's hot urine then carrying him to the evacuator and watching as the boy's slender belly was emptied and then back to the bed for more action, Leon was not a brutal man but he did need to see how far the boy could go if he was to make him the offer he was thinking of doing.

It was close to the end of the contract time when Leon finally called a halt, every inch of Andre's body had been used in one way or another, his continuous ejaculations from the pressure put on his prostate by the continual rubbing and angles by Leon had left him breathless more than once, there was now an hour left of the contract and Leon had called a halt to the physical side of the meeting.

There was now time for rest and relaxation, Andre was sent into the ablutions room to give him a chance to refresh himself, Leon even had one of the latest pieces of equipment for cleaning his hole, it was a long metal rod that came up through the floor of the shower, it had small holes drilled into the top, Andre had only to squat over it and lower himself down onto the rod, once he was seated well down on the rod it would start to wash him with warm soapy water then rinse with more warm, at the end of the cycle he was just as clean inside as out.

It looked like a home movie as Andre sat at the small table with Leon and ate a hot meal brought in by the servants, Andre did not miss the envious looks of the two young men as they lay the food out for the two, Andre took note that he had been given a small glass of the green tinted Nefagrene, Leon smiled at him when he saw Andre's raised eyebrows.

"I thought you may need a little for your next contract, I would not want my son to think he was not looked after."

Andre smiled back and took a sip of the sweet coppery tasting liquor, he felt it buzz in his blood and began to feel the instant heating of his blood, even after all the work out he had just gone through, the Nefagrene gave him a renewed feeling of lust, exactly what it was designed for.

Both sat at the table in silk gowns, Andre's was a little large for him but would still do well enough for the length of time he would be in it, as they sat and talked, Leon pushed a button on the lounge seat closest to him, within a few minutes his son Aldred came into the room and sat by his Father and began to also eat.

"So Aldred, what do you think of our little friend Andre, would you like a contract with him?"

"Yes Father but do you think he will be big enough to do it right?"

"There is something you must learn Aldred, sometimes big surprises come in small packages, I am positive that Andre can fulfil your dreams, more than once I might add, now ask Andre nicely if he will let you have his contract and then do what I told you about pleasure contracts."

Aldred turned to Andre and asked.

"Andre, would I be able to see your contract?"

"What is it you would wish of me Master Aldred?"

Andre watched as Aldred blushed and dropped his eyes for a second to gain courage for the reply.

"I would like you to be my first top boy; I think I can take you but not a full grown man."

"I see, and how long would you like the contract for?"

"What would you suggest, as you know this is my first time to negotiate for a pleasure contract?"

"Your Father has been most generous with me so I will offer a contract for four hours at 300 credits per hour, I will guarantee that you will have at least four orgasms, if this does not occur then the contract is not fulfilled on my part and there will be no charge for my services, are these conditions agreeable to you?"

Aldred looked over at his Father who nodded slightly and then sat back as the papers were pulled out of Andre's satchel for signing and alteration, when all was complete, Leon nodded to his son and then watched the two boys disappear through another door to go to the newly renovated pleasure room that now belonged to Aldred, Leon had a true weakness for his son and his needs.

After the boys had disappeared into Aldred's room, Leon went to a wall panel and pushed a button, the panel moved aside and revealed a very large disc screen, he then touched a small icon at the base of the screen and a full view of the new room appeared just as the two boys walked into it from the outside passage, Leon switched off the recorder and then sat down to watch how good Andre really was when he was on top.

The position he had in mind for the talented boy would require that he could perform in both positions, he really had little doubt the boy was good enough but he had to have final proof, he watched as Andre started to ease Aldred's early nervousness, even after only the first few minutes, Leon knew he had picked a winner, he watched as the younger Andre played Aldred's body like a finely tuned instrument.

Aldred was not much of a bigger build than Andre but the difference in experience and training was huge, as Aldred was the son of a Councillor he would never be allowed to become a pleasure boy but he did want the attention of other men; he had been held back by his Father until the right boy came along and now he had the right boy.

Leon refused to leave the screen for the full four hours, Andre's performance did not disappoint him in the least, he had Aldred crying and screaming with pleasure for the whole time, it even amused Leon when he saw the look on Aldred's face as he saw Andre's boyhood for the first time, it was a big surprise in a small package, something Aldred would never forget.

Andre felt wrung out as he completed Aldred's contract, he had now performed for over thirty two hours and, even though he had had rests during that time it was still an exhausting process, Aldred lay under him in a state of total contentment, it had been far more than he thought it would be and Andre had fulfilled every dream he had ever had.

After spending time to clean himself, Andre returned to the same room where Leon waited for him, the view screen had disappeared back into the wall space, and Leon was now dressed more formally, as Andre entered he signalled for him to follow.

The two left the pleasure room and Leon led the way further into the house until they came to another wide wooden door, a sure sign of wealth, wood was very scarce on Pathos and was only used by the very wealthy.

Behind the door was a large office complete with all manner of communications equipment, far more than in any ordinary home. Leon directed Andre to a comfortable looking chair in front of the huge desk.

After seating himself behind the desk, Leon looked up and smiled at Andre with reassurance.

"I must tell you Andre that I have never in all my life seen such a boy as you, you have good manners, you dance like an angel and your skills in bed are beyond any normal pleasure boy, now, as you saw I am a member of the Council but I am also far more than that, do you know much about politics?"

"No Leon, as you know I am only twelve and I will never be in a position where politics will make a difference to my life as a pleasure boy."

"A good honest answer, now what would you say if I told you I have a position for you?"

"For me? But what could I do, I'm not even faintly familiar with the workings of government."

"Well to clear things up a little for you, I am in charge of security for the whole of Pathos, my full title is Director of Security, I would like you to join my team to keep Pathos safe and secure, you would remain as a pleasure boy, that would be your cover and is what you are best at, if you agree to join us there will be a lot of very special benefits for you."

"But why me, I am unknown."

"That is the best part of it all; because you are unknown you will be trusted with things no other boy might be able to learn."

"So you want me to be a spy?"

"Well that's one name for it but the benefits will far outweigh the disadvantages, we will give you special training to keep you safe and while you may think Pathos is safe, I have to tell you that there are those who would like to rule over us, did you know that the planets income per year for pleasure boys alone, far exceeds that of other planets, add the girls to that mix and we are a very wealthy planet, many would like to control that income."

"But what could I do, I'm only a pleasure boy and a new and inexperienced one at that."

"That is precisely your charm and your advantage as I have said before; do you want to know the benefits?"

Andre could only nod his head in silence, the offer had taken his ability to speak away from him.

"Firstly you will be given a penthouse apartment in the fourth quadrant."

Andre could not stop the gasp of surprise, the fourth quadrant was second only to the wealthiest of people.

"You will also be given the title to the apartment so you own it outright but you must never tell others how you came by it, we will make up a story to cover that for you, next you will receive a monthly retainer of 10,000 credits, when you go on an assignment you will be paid extra as well as being able to keep any credits you make as a pleasure boy under contract."

Leon waited while all this sank into the mind of the young boy before he continued.

"We will also pay for a few enhancements for you, they are nothing to do with improving your body, that can't be done with you as you are already perfection itself, they will be a means of communication with us, you will also be given a few things to keep you safe just in case things turn a little bad, we will also provide you with an account at Matterhays Emporium for you to get whatever new clothes you would like and any furnishings for your apartment, the account will be sent to us each month for payment and will not come out of your retainer."

"Excuse me Leon, what is a retainer?"

"Ah yes, sorry I should have explained it, I am used to dealing with adults, you are the first ever boy to be asked to join us, a retainer is a sum of credits paid to you so that you are always available for us to call on, even if it means you have to cancel a contract you have already made with someone for that time, it means we have priority on your time when needed."

"Thank you."

"Now if you agree then we can start today, we have a penthouse available already and it will only take an hour to sort out the rest, if you agree then you will want to collect your mother and perhaps do some shopping on the way over to move in, now what do you say?"

Andre sat there not knowing what to say, his mind was filled with the last thirty two hours, in that time he had performed the Terrasan like he had never done before, he had had his virginity taken by a master of the art of sexual bliss, he had been a top for a sweet little bottom boy and now he was being offered a guaranteed income, his own home and security for life.

"All I can say is thank you Leon, I accept your offer, what do I do now?"

Leon pressed some buttons on his desk top, in an instant computer screens and other aides appeared through the top of the desk as Leon pushed a small white card with writing on it towards Andre.

"Place your right hand on your chest and repeat the words on the card while you look into the camera lens."

Andre lifted his head and saw a small camera lens close to his face, taking the card in one hand he read it through silently then looked back up at the camera lens.

"I Andre; a pleasure boy of the seventh quadrant hereby swear to keep all the secrets entrusted to me by the Director of Security of the Government of Pathos, I swear to obey all the laws, rules and duties of the Government of Pathos and to fulfil all requests made by the Director, I also swear to keep all information and operations secret under penalty of death."

Andre looked up at the serious face of Leon.

"Good boy, welcome to the Department of Security, your code name will be 'Lightfoot' only you and I will know your real name within the department, this recording will be kept here in my personal files and no one else will ever see it, now next thing, if you want to go and talk with Aldred for a few minutes I have things to set in motion so you can start your new life."

Leon rose to shake hands with his newest and youngest recruit before turning back to his desk to start everything in motion, he had been waiting for over two years to find just the right boy for this job and not only had he found the right boy but the boy had turned out to be far more than he ever thought he would find, Leon began making calls.

Andre had been talking with Aldred for no more than ten minutes about their shared experience in the pleasure room when Leon came in, he gestured for Aldred to leave him alone with Andre, the boy shook hands with his first pleasure boy and left, Leon turned to Andre.

"Well young man, as of this minute you are officially employed by the Government of Pathos, I have had a car and driver assigned to you permanently, he will also be your body guard when you are on assignment, he will take you shopping and to go and get your mother, by the time you have done all that your new apartment will be ready, there will be a young man there so you can tell him how you want it decorated, all of your credits have been deposited in a new account for you at the Central Bank."

Leon handed over a small card.

"This is your account details, I want you to take a few days to get settled then I will have you picked up, tell your mother you are going away on a special holiday for two weeks, if she needs anything while you are away you are to give her this card, it has my number on it, she can tell me what she wants and I will fix it for her while you are in training."

Andre tried to keep up with the long list of to-do's as best he could; finally Leon smiled at him and patted him on the back.

"When you get back I will have a contract for you, I showed one of my friends your dance and he wants to book you for a special party in three weeks time, I told him you were very exclusive and also very expensive, it made little difference to him, he said he will pay any price to watch you dance like that again in person, I hope you don't mind but I set your contract price at twenty thousand credits for the one hour dance, if you wish to join in any other activities then it is up to you, is that alright with you?"

"Uhm… yes I think so but why would he pay so much, there are plenty of boys who can dance the Terrasan and for a lot less credits than that."

"Yes, that's true, there are many but there is only one that can dance the Terrasan better than Gratham Loid, even he could see that, don't worry about the money, he has even more than I do and he readily agreed to the price, now why don't you get going, your car is waiting outside, I will see you when you get back from your training and other extras."

"I don't quite know what to say Leon, all I can think of is Thank you but it hardly seems enough."

"There's no thanks needed Andre, I'm sure in the years to come you will repay me many times over, in fact I'm sure you will."

Leon shook his hand then called for one of the servants to show Andre to his car which turned out to be another surprise, waiting at the bottom of the flight of steps was a long sleek looking blue car, it looked as though it could easily seat ten people and the drivers compartment could hold another four, it was the latest version of the Jentra Air Car, the best of the best, his once lowly life had turned right around, it was the first step into a world of fame and fortune, as yet he did not know it would also turn out to be one of the most dangerous.

The driver met him at the rear door of the long shiny car; he saluted then opened the door for Andre.

"Good afternoon Sir, my name is Conrad, if there is anything you need please ask, now where would you like to go first?"

"Uhm… thank you Conrad, my name is Andre, could we go and get my mother first please, she is in the seventh quadrant, I'll give you the street and block number when we get there."

"There is no need Sir, I have all the information from my file, if you would like to just sit back and relax, there are light snacks and drinks in the back for you, if you wish to have a nap I will wake you when we arrive at your mother's accommodation block."

"Uhm… thank you again Conrad."

"No Sir I should be thanking you for getting me out of that office and into the field, it's my pleasure to be of help."

Andre got into the huge car and sat in the wide real leather seat, the soft hum of the drive could barely be heard as the car moved out away from the house and then turned down the long driveway towards the far off gates, Andre could not resist looking into the small bar fridge and then into the food bar, there were both hot and cold snacks ready for him.

Andre sighed; there was no way he could have envisioned that his life would turn around so quickly or so dramatically, to think that only yesterday morning he was a inexperienced pleasure boy going out for his first contract and now, he was a full time spy and pleasure boy for the Security Service of the Government, he chuckled to himself, his mother was going to have kittens when this car pulled up and he got out of it.

While he helped himself to a few light snacks, Andre looked at the back of Conrad, the man looked to be in his early twenties, he was well built but not overly bulky, it was easy to tell he was well trained in fitness what else he could do would remain unknown until it was needed, Andre got a naughty thought and wondered how Conrad would perform with a pleasure boy, perhaps he only liked pleasure girls, Andre would have to ask him one day.

Andre must have dozed off as it was the sound of a voice close to his ear that made him open his eyes, Conrad was talking to him through the intercom.

"We are nearly there Master Andre; I thought I should wake you now so you can get ready."

"Uhm… ah… thank you again Conrad, I must have dozed off, it's been a long night and day."

"I'm sure it was Master Andre."

Even in his partially sleepy mind Andre could hear the almost chuckle in Conrad's voice.

After the clean and fresh wide boulevards of the first quadrant his own narrow lanes of the seventh looked dirty and somewhat dingy, as they turned into lane 668 and drove along until they came to the common block number K404, Conrad brought the car to a silent halt and quickly got out to open the rear door for Andre.

"I'll wait here for you and your mother Master Andre, if there is anything in your home you wish taken to your new apartment let me know and I will have people over here to pack it all for you, if you are going shopping then it will be delivered while we are away."

"Thank you again Conrad, I think that would be a good idea, my apartment number is."

"Yes I have that; CZ1502 that's right isn't it?"

"Uhm… yes, thank you, I won't be long."

"Take as long as you like Master Andre, for the next three days you are on holiday so there's no hurry."

Andre smiled and turned towards the stairs, he knew the elevator would not be working, it hadn't for more than two years, the steady climb up fifteen flights began, these same stairs had been responsible for his outstanding fitness so they were of little problem now, he wondered where his new apartment would be, the fourth quadrant was one of the upper areas but it was also very big, as far as he knew they might be tucked away at the back of some big tower block.

As Andre stepped out onto the landing on his floor he saw his mother leaning on the railing and looking down into the lane, as Andre got closer his mother turned around, he suddenly saw how ill she looked, he had not noticed before as he saw her every day but now he had been away for a day and a half he could see how worn and ill she really was, Andre ran up and hugged her tightly.

"So it all went well my little boy?"

"Oh yes mother, far better than you could ever dream of."

"He must have been a nice man to have his driver bring you home, how much did he pay for the contract?"

"A lot and his son paid too but the car is mine and so is the driver, now you have to get anything you want to take with you we are going to our new apartment."

"Wait, wait, what's all this about, you can't have earned enough for all that sort of thing?"

"I'll tell you everything in the car, first we are going shopping and then to our new apartment, I'll tell you everything on the way."

"Young man you will tell me everything right now or I'm not moving an inch."

Andre watched as his mother crossed her arms and looked down at him, Andre knew that look and finally relented, he took his mother's arm and turned her towards their old home after he had glanced down at the car far below, it was surrounded by a large number of the block residents all ogling the gleaming new car and the solid looking driver standing beside it.

Once inside Andre set about telling his mother all about his night out, she could only sit with her mouth agape as he told here everything that had happened although he kept his new work for the Government to himself just as he had promised, he told her only that he had been given a permanent position with one of Leon's businesses.

Finally he brought the story of his first day as a pleasure boy to an end, his mother sat stunned at what her little boy had accomplished in just one day, it was as though everything she had ever wished for had come home all at the same time, she sighed heavily then smiled at Andre.

"I am so proud of you Andre, you have done far better than I ever hoped, now what's all this about the car and a new apartment?"

"Leon said they came with the new job, the apartment has been put in my name so no matter what happens it will always be ours as well as the car but the driver is paid by the company but he will stay on as mine and to help around the apartment."

"My, my, I never thought the day would come, well young man, now that you are the head of the house, what's next?"

"Next is you grab everything you want to take right now and we go shopping, the rest of the place will be packed up for us and waiting at the apartment when we have finished shopping."

His mother smiled at him and then ruffled the blue tinted hair, rising from the chair she took hold of her small hand bag in which she kept the old dance instruction book, looked around the place that had been their home for so long and then stepped towards the door, all the little mementos could be packed along with the few items they still had, at last it was time to leave the seventh quadrant, a wish she had held for so long.

Andre took his mother's arm and walked side by side with her down the fifteen flights, towards the last of the stairs he noticed that his mother was starting to wheeze and puff a little, not a good sign but the excitement of the day pushed everything else aside for the moment as Andre lead her to where Conrad held open the rear door.

Conrad smiled at Andre's mother and said.

"Good afternoon mother, I hope you like your new apartment, if there is anything you need please just ask me."

His mother smiled at Conrad but Andre could see she was sicker than he thought as she climbed into the back of the car, Andre followed but now he had a concerned look on his face as Conrad closed the door and went to the drivers compartment, within seconds they had lifted off and were heading back into the city centre, next stop, Matterhays Emporium, it was time to stretch some of that account he had.

The shopping took his mother by surprise, it seemed that after the initial problem at the door with one of the shop assistant, everything after that went like clockwork, the other attendants could not do enough for the two new customers, the one that had tried to stop them from entering was now trying to find another job.

When they had arrived, Conrad had gone in with them to make sure they would be looked after and to verify Andre's account, it had all started right at the door, as they stepped through Andre and his mother were met by one of the shop attendants, he took one look at their dress and turned a cold look on them.

"I'm sorry, I think you are in the wrong shop, perhaps you would like to go down to the sixth or seventh quadrant, this is Matterhays Emporium, it is for the elite of the city, I'm sorry you must leave."

It was at this stage that Conrad spoke up; his voice was heavy with authority and was in a tone that would brook no trouble.

"Get me the floor manager right now."

"I am the floor manager Sir."

"Then get the CEO here pronto."

"I'm sorry sir he does not come down onto the shop floor."

"Call him and tell him that Master Andre from the Department of Security is here and wants to meet him in person."

At the mention of the Department of Security, the floor manager went pale, it was only now he realised who and what he was dealing with but he also knew it was too late for him to make amends, he turned from the trio and called on his communicator, it took less than two minutes for the CEO to arrive in a rush, a group of five assistants close on his heels.

"Yes who are you Sir?"

"I am the appointed driver for Master Andre, he has an account here and has been refused entry, it is to be corrected now or we will take this to the head of the Department of Security; Councillor Leon Sadan."

The CEO looked at one of his assistants and was soon told that a new account under the name of Master Andre had been set up only this morning and had a credit balance of 100,000 credits, the CEO almost went into a low bow as he saw the results of the enquiry, with barely a glance at the floor manager he said to another of his assistants.

"See that this employee is given what he is due and then fire him, effective immediately; Master Andre, please accept my deepest apologies for this error of judgement, we at Matterhays are at your disposal, would you like us to nominate a personal assistant to you and your mother to assist in your shopping?"

"Thank you Sir; that would be very helpful."

Andre looked up at Conrad, the man had a wide smile on his face as he turned to go back to the car to wait, a young man in his late teens arrived, after a short whispered conversation with the CEO, the young man smiled at Andre and his mother and asked them.

"Where would you like to go first Sir?"

"I think clothes for my mother and I first, as yet I don't know what we will need for our apartment, perhaps you have a card so I can call later and you can put it together and have it delivered?"

"That will be no trouble at all Sir, clothes are this way Sir, I will let you look through them while I take your mother to the ladies department, I have a sister working there who will be only too glad to assist her."

"Thank you, what's your name?"

"Gillian Sir."

"Thank you again Gillian, I hope we can do more business with you, do you have a card I can take with me?"

"Yes Sir."

Gillian reached into his smart dark one piece suit and handed Andre a small embossed card with his name and number on it.

"There we are Sir, anything you need at any time of the day or night just call me, I can always be reached on that number, it is my personal number and not the store number."

"Thank you Gillian, now where are those clothes?"

For more than two hours Andre and his mother shopped, it was almost the first time they had had really new clothes, everything was nicely parcelled up for them and a junior assistant was told to carry all the bags out to the waiting car.

With the first blast over and done with, Andre and his mother left with a feeling of having overspent there allowance but they did not care, it had been such a good feeling to be able to spend freely and without worry about the next meal, Conrad was waiting at the rear door for them, he had a wide smile on his face as they came up.

"Looks like you had fun, ready to see your apartment now?"

"Yes please Conrad, I can't wait."

"Right Master Andre, hop in and let's go."

"You don't have to call me Master all the time you know, just call me Andre."

"Ok Andre, but only when we are alone."

"Well I suppose that will have to do, right, now where is that apartment?"

"It's on Gow Road at the top of the hill, I think you will like it, it looks out over the lake, there are only three tiers of apartments under you so your view is not restricted, Councillor Sadan looks after his best people."

The drive from the city took nearly an hour, they were soon approaching what Andre knew was a very exclusive area of quadrant four, the first sight of their new home took his breath away and his mother began to sob with happiness.

The top tier of the apartment block was right at the top of the hill overlooking the Ganz Lake, the penthouse sat above the other tiers and back a little, there was nowhere that anyone could look into the apartment. When they arrived at the main door, they saw that it was not a number of penthouses but one single unit, their penthouse was the entire top tier of the building.

Andre and his mother could not speak as Conrad opened the rear door for them.

"Welcome to your new home Andre."

Andre's legs would not move, his whole body seemed to have lost any strength and he could only sit in the car and look at the massive building that he and his mother were to make their home in, to his eyes, Andre thought they had been given a hotel, it was so large and he had no idea how he was to make use of all the space.

There was a fine but small entry garden that lead up to a pair of large, double wide polished steel doors, the front of the building was of white stone and there were small windows spaced along and up and down the facade for internal light, Andre was almost scared to go inside, he had little doubt there would be more surprises in there.

As Andre helped his mother from the car, the sound of the large doors sliding back into the walls caught his attention, he turned to see a young man of similar build to Conrad standing in the doorway, the man had a small card in his hand and stepped forward.

"Welcome to your home Master Lightfoot, if you will just come to the side so we can enter your hand print on the touch pad over here then we can go inside and you can tell me how you would like your apartment to be furnished."

Andre followed the young man to the side of the doorway, on one block of white stone was a plain metal square, the young man slid the small card into a slot and stepped back.

"If you and your mother would kindly place your hand on the scanner it will register you so that you will be the only ones that can enter."

"I want Conrad to have access as well."

Andre noticed his mother giving him a strange look when the young man called him Lightfoot, damn it now he would have to try to explain it to her without breaking his word to keep things secret.

Andre, his mother and Conrad all pressed their right hand on the metal plate, there was a small 'ding' and the young man withdrew the card and gave it to Andre.

"I would put this in a safe place Master Lightfoot, it is the only other way to enter your home, there are no copies so you, your mother and driver are the only ones that now have access; if you will follow me inside perhaps we can begin on the furnishings."

The entryway lead straight into the main living room, as expected it was huge to Andre's eyes, the entire front wall was thick glass panes and looked out unobstructed on the Ganz Lake, the only hint he had of any other homes were the faint outlines of the lower roof tops.

The room was furnished with only minimal pieces but even they looked to be of top quality, the young man then lead them through to the kitchen which was a master piece of modern luxury, every piece of cooking technology was evident, next came the gymnasium and training room followed by a large dining room.

The showing of the penthouse had taken away what little breath he had left, there were three enormous bedrooms with their own personal ensuites, the bedroom he selected for himself also looked out over the lake and was almost larger than their whole old apartment, Andre could only stand there speechless, he had never dreamed that places like this even existed.

Andre saw that his mother was wilting under the strain of the long and exciting day, calling a halt to the inspection, he lead her back to the lounge and sat her in a comfortable looking arm chair, once there he also sat in another chair by her side.

"What do you think, mother?"

"Oh Andre, I don't know what to think or say, are we really going to live here?"

"Yes mother, or so it seems, now what are we going to do, I don't know anything about furniture or decorating a home?"

"If I may interrupt Master Lightfoot." The young man asked.

"Yes, yes, please do."

"I have been told that you are soon to go on vacation, perhaps myself and your mother can work on this while you are away, there is enough here for the next few days and it will give you both time to look around and settle in."

"That sounds like a good idea, what do you say mother?"

"Yes, that would be good, I just need a little time to get used to all this and have a small rest, I'm feeling a bit tired just now, it's been quite a day."

"Very good Madam, I'll leave my card with Master Lightfoot and you can call me when you are ready, is there anything else Master Lightfoot?"

Andre reached into his pocket and got out the card for the young teen at the store.

"This is the person you will contact at Matterhays; he is to make all the arrangements for what my mother selects, I want him to have the commission."

"Very good Master Lightfoot, it will be done as you ask; now I will leave you to move in and will await your mother's call."

Andre noticed that the young man had not spoken his name but also thought perhaps he was not meant to know it, when the young man had left he looked up at Conrad.

"Can you help me take mother to her room; I think she needs some rest."

"Not before you tell me what this Lightfoot business is all about."

Andre watched as his now very tired mother crossed her arms again, he knew what that meant, she was not moving until he came clean, Andre glanced at Conrad but he just shrugged his shoulders and waited for Andre to get himself out of the predicament.

"Uhm… well… it's sort of like this mother, Councillor Leon has this thing about special names for his people and that's the one he gave me for when I'm out working."

"Uhuh… and that's all you're going to tell me?"

"Well I did make a promise to him."

"Alright, after all, you are the man of the house now so I suppose it will have to do… for now, but some time you will tell me everything, I don't want you doing things that are against the law."

"I won't mother, I promise."

"Alright then, now help me into the bedroom, I need a little rest, it's been a big day for all of us."

Andre walked beside his mother as Conrad helped her to get to the bedroom and lie down, once she was comfortable they left her to rest and went back into the lounge. Even after the long two days he had had, Andre was still too hyped up to sleep, he sat back in the large soft chair and rested his head back as he thought about all that had happened, it was five hours later when Conrad shook his shoulder to wake up and eat.

Andre could not believe his luck, all that remained now was for him to learn everything he had to so he could fulfil his contract with Leon and the Government, as yet he did not have the faintest clue what he was going to be expected to do but it had to be better than what his future held as a lowly pleasure boy looking for contracts.

After a late dinner, Conrad adjourned to his own small apartment at the far end of the penthouse, Andre went to his new large bedroom, he tried to get a feel for it, it was so large he could still not get his head around the fact it all belonged to him, finally, as the need for sleep came over him in a rush that a full belly helped along, Andre stripped naked and collapsed into the majestic bed and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

When he awoke late into the morning on his second day of being a home owner, Andre went to look in on his mother, she lay in her bed looking even more frail and ill than the previous day, Andre was now really worried about her, calling for Conrad he asked about medical help for her, within seconds, Conrad was on his communicator and only thirty minutes later a health crew was there.

After the health crew looked over his mother, the senior of them pulled Andre aside.

"It does not look good Sir, she is very undernourished and this has led to some of her vitals breaking down, all we can do is take her to the hospital and look after her until her time comes, if she stays here with you I cannot promise she will see out the rest of the week."

Andre could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, he had never thought that his mother was so ill that she had little time left, the realisation hit him hard and he collapsed onto a nearby chair, tears began to fill his eyes as he thought of all that his mother had sacrificed for his future and now she was going to die because of those same sacrifices.

Suddenly a large hand was placed on his shoulder, looking up he saw the face of Conrad looking down at him with sadness.

"Andre, you have to do what you think is right, this is something no one else can decided for you, as your mother told you, you are now the man of the house so you have to decide."

Andre sniffled and gave a deep and heartfelt sigh, he had to do what was best for his mother.

"Thank you, yes I think you must take her to hospital, please do everything you can for her, I will be in tonight to see her once she is settled."

"Which hospital would you prefer Sir?"

Conrad interrupted and gave the man a card.

"This is where you are to take her, they will be ready by the time you get there and are expecting her, all your fees are to be charged to this account."

Conrad gave the man another card.

"Thank you, is she still conscious, I'm sure she would want to see her son first?"

"No, I'm sorry she is still passed out, we will make her comfortable and take her to the hospital, perhaps it is best that she sleeps for now."

Conrad hugged Andre close as the men went in to load his mother on the trolley for transport, this was going to be a hard day for such a young boy, one that had always been so dependent on his mother for his decisions, Conrad stayed close to Andre as the trolley was wheeled out, Andre broke into stronger sobs as he saw his mother taken away in such a state, he hugged closer to Conrad, he felt his bright new life had just been torn away.

"Conrad, what should I do now?"

"Now we go to see your mother settled then we see what we will see."

Andre went to his room and dressed in better clothes, there seemed to be no shortage of them now that he had spent a day shopping, when he was nicely dressed he went down in the private elevator with Conrad and got in his car, thirty minutes later they were at the gates of a private hospital, entry was by card only which Conrad took from the glove box and pushed into the waiting slot, next thing they were parking close to the main doors.

Andre followed Conrad as he lead them through four floors until they came to a private room, outside the door were five Doctors, all seemed very involved in looking through a file folder, the looks on their faces did not help Andre's feeling of dread.

The oldest of the Doctors looked around and saw Andre, whispering to the others he left them and came towards the boy, when he was standing in front of Andre he held out his hand, Andre took the hand and gave it a single shake as was the form for a first meeting.

"Sir, I'm very sorry but your mother is in far worse shape than at first thought, we have done all the tests we can do and the prognosis is not good, I think you should prepare yourself for her loss, we think she may not last out the night, do you feel up to going to see her?"

Andre could only nod his head, how could she have deteriorated so quickly, Andre felt Conrad's comforting hand grasp his shoulder then walk beside him as the Doctor lead the way to the private room, the first sight of his very ill mother only caused more tears to flow down his cheeks, he looked down at the thin sallow face, his mother's eyes were dark and sunken even further than before, the tears increased.

Andre reached out and took the slack hand in his own; even he could feel the waxiness of the skin as he held her hand, his mother's eyes flickered open and she tried her best to smile at her little boy, she had done everything she had set out to do and now she could rest, he was well prepared, had a good and wealthy sponsor and was on his way, she sighed and gripped his hand as best she could.

Andre could not believe she had slipped into this condition so quickly, he felt he still needed her, he was not old enough to look after himself, even though now he was in a better position than any pleasure boy had ever been but it looked as though it was all ready to fall apart, without his mother to advise him he would be walking on thin ice.

Somehow his mother could almost read what he was thinking, gripping his slender hand as tight as she could manage, she forced herself to speak, she well knew she had little time left, the last two weeks she had been living on pure adrenaline so he would be ready for the world outside before her time came, giving Andre a warm smile she said.

"Baby, you can do it, it's your time now, you know everything you need to know, remember, be the best pleasure boy you can be, try to be the best that has ever been seen on Pathos, even if you don't succeed at least try for it, I'm very proud of you my little boy but now it's your time, always remember I love you and will always be watching over you."

For Andre it was almost as though his mother was just waiting for this time, as he held tightly to her hand he heard a deep long sigh escape from her lips, she shuddered for a few seconds and then he felt the warmth leaving her hands and her eyes closed as her head tilted to one side, as she stopped moving all sorts of alarms began to beep and ring, within seconds there were medical staff running through the door and trying to usher him outside.

Andre felt the strong hands of Conrad guiding him away to the waiting room, as he did so Conrad pulled his communicator from his pocket and made some calls.

It took no more than a few minutes before the same elderly Doctor walked up to Andre, the look on his face said it all, Andre now knew he was along, the tears flowed harder and he could not hear a word the Doctor was sating, he felt to devastated to even try to make sense of it all, Conrad took over and Andre was left alone with his agony.

It was two days later when Andre next saw his mother's body, she had been prepared by an expert and looked as though she was just taking a rest, the service was short but meaningful and as he watched her body taken away for cremation, he turned and buried his head in Conrad's chest, there seemed to be no way to turn off the tears.

The next day Andre got a call from the Councillor, after giving his condolences the Councillor told Andre they had postponed his training until he felt better, Andre told him not too, he needed to keep busy and as soon as his mother's ashes arrived he would be ready to leave for the camp, Conrad watched as the small thin boy pulled himself up to his full height and seemed to glow with a new strength and determination, the boy had guts he thought to himself.

Andre's mother's ashes arrived that afternoon, once he had shed the last tears he promised himself to ever shed again, he set about packing a small bag for the trip to the camp the next morning.

When the sun rose on the next day, Andre thought they would be travelling by car, instead, when he got to the parking area, he saw a three man hover jet just setting down on the fresh green lawn, he was eventually to learn that agency people only moved and were supplied with the best of equipment, the flight to the training ground took the jet two hours and that was at a speed Andre could not even guess at.

The camp turned out to be placed on an island far out in the ocean between the two major land masses of Pathos, it was a very large island situated close to the equator where it was like an oven on high during the day and an oven on medium during the night, it also seemed to rain in buckets for two or three hours every other day, it was torrential for the time it fell but then would stop as suddenly as it had started, it was a new experience for the small city boy.

When he stepped from the jet he was met by an older man, the man took one look at the small thin boy and shrugged his shoulders before saying.

"Fuck, are we getting this desperate?"

Conrad was quick to step in.

"This is Captain Lightfoot, he is under the protection of the Councillor, see that he is treated properly or your head will be on the block, he is to get his own quarters and be treated as though he was an officer of high rank, you will assign a cadet to see to his needs, I will be staying here as well."

"And who are you, this is my facility, we're not here to cow-tow to prissy little pleasure boys."

Conrad did not answer the man he just took out his communicator and dialled a number, it took less than a second to get a connection, everyone within ear shot heard him speak to the disembodied voice on the other end of the connection.

"Councillor, we have a problem with the commanding officer of the facility, he seems to not want Captain Lightfoot here… yes Sir… very good Sir… thank you Sir."

Conrad replaced his communicator in his pocket then turned to the officer.

"Where is your 2^nd In Command?"

"In the office where he should be."

"Call him here now by order of the Councillor."

The Senior Officer did not look happy as he talked into a shoulder mounted communicator, but within two minutes a younger officer was seen running towards them, when he came up to the small group Conrad turned to him.

"By the Order of the Councillor for Security, Leon Sadan, you will take full command of this facility and escort this officer to a place of detention; he is to receive no visitors until Councillor Sadan has approved it."

The younger officer looked as though he had just been punched in the face but managed to stutter out a prompt "Yes Sir, is there anything else Sir?"

"Yes, you will assign a young cadet to take care of Captain Lightfoot; I believe he is expected at the medical office right now."

"Yes Sir, I shall attend to it immediately Sir."

While Andre was trying to see if Conrad had made a mistake, the younger officer started giving orders to other personnel that were close by, within moments Andre had a young teen by his side and the older officer was being escorted away, no one was ever to see him again, the younger officer suddenly found himself with a promotion that gave him two more stripes on his epaulet.

Andre and Conrad followed the young cadet, he looked to be about fifteen and wore a single white stripe on his shoulder epaulets to denote his junior officer status, Andre wanted to ask Conrad about the fictitious rank he had given the man before but did not get a chance before they stepped into the medical centre.

Waiting for him were four male doctors and a male nurse, they all had a stunned look on their faces as the three walked in, they had been told that a new recruit for the ministry would be arriving but had expected the usual adult and not a small boy that looked very much like one of the pleasure boys from the capital.

Conrad took over immediately.

"Doctors, this is Captain Lightfoot, you have the list for the procedures?"

"Ahm, yes but we were expecting an adult, this is just a young boy, will he be able to control the equipment?" asked the elder of the doctors.

"That's why he is here to be trained, now, cadet, what is your name?"

"Junior Cadet Simmas Sir."

"Well Cadet Simmas, you will go to the Captain's quarters and make them ready for when he leaves the medical centre, you will inspect his uniforms and make sure he has everything he ever needs including his weapons and clothing, as of this minute you are assigned to watch over him, anything he needs you will get for him, you will be permanently assigned until he leaves, any questions?"

"No Sir, I'll get to his quarters now Sir."

Once the cadet had disappeared, Conrad looked at the doctors.

"How long will it take before he can leave?"

"Three days Sir."

"Good Take care of him he is under the personal orders of Councillor Sadan, I'll be back to collect him once he is done."

Conrad left the medical centre and Andre was left in the hands of the strangers, he only hoped he would still be in one piece after they finished with him, the older doctor now smiled at him.

"Are you ready for this young man?"

"I don't know what 'this' is yet but I suppose I have to be now."

"Good, good, now come this way we have everything ready for you."

Andre followed the group of five into another room, this one had a chair and a small narrow bed along with a small wardrobe, the doctor then asked him which was his dominant hand, after telling him it was his right and the doctor inspected both his hands for himself, he was told to strip and lay down on the bed, the last thing he remembered was the clear mask being placed over his mouth, from then on there was only a comfortable warm darkness.

Andre awoke with a start, he almost immediately began to panic, he could now only see out of one eye, the other was covered with something, both his hands and feet felt a little numb and there was a soft background hissing in his head, suddenly the familiar voice of Conrad came through the soft hissing.

"Hey it's Ok, everything went well you just have to adjust to the extras now, stay calm it's all Ok."

Andre looked to his right and saw the familiar face, Conrad looked calm so Andre began to settle down.

"What did they do to me?"

"It's all good stuff, you just need one more day and then you'll be back to normal then we can start your training, are you hungry?"

"Yes I'm famished, it's like I haven't eaten for days."

"You haven't, it's been three days since the procedure, wait and I'll call for the cadet to find you something."

Andre relaxed back onto the pillows, he was now not so sure he had made the right decision, what if they had ruined his ability to dance the Terrasan or even worse, had made it impossible for him to be a pleasure boy any more, before the panic could set in once again, Conrad returned with the cadet carrying a large tray of food, Andre's need for food overtook anymore worries he had.

Andre spent one more night in the medical centre before the doctors began to remove the pressure bandages from his hands and feet, after it was all done he was allowed to go to his new quarters, as usual they turned out to be far better than he would have expected of a military camp, everything he would need was set out for him by the cadet.

His uniform was the normal grey one piece, on the epaulets were the two gold embroidered bars of a captain and over the breast was his new name and a number, Cpt. Lightfoot on the right and 0001120 on the left, he still did not know why he was a Captain.

The cadet brought in a tray of food for Andre and Conrad sat in a chair opposite as the boy began to wolf down the food, Andre's hands and feet still tingled a little but at least they had feeling, the soft hissing was still in his head but the blackness of his left eye was still a worry to him.

When he had finished eating, Andre looked over at Conrad who had been sitting silently while the boy ate.

"What have they done too me, I'm blind in my left eye and my head is all fuzzy?"

"Firstly you are not blind, you have a patch over your eye to protect it from the light, we can take it off soon, the hissing in your head can easily be turned off and, as for the rest of you, I think you will be pleasantly surprised, from this day on you will never have to be afraid of anyone again, over the next two weeks we are going to train you to use all those special things the doctors gave you."

"Ok but why can't I see, if I can't see then I can't dance?"

"Alright Captain Lightfoot, then let's start with your eyes, I'm going to turn down the room lighting until you get used to the difference you now have, just a moment; Cadet Simmas!"

"Yes Sir?"

"There is no need for you to see or hear any of this, it is all classified so you can leave, we will call when you can return, until then you will keep all personnel away from the Captain's quarters."

"Yes Sir, Very good Sir."

The cadet saluted and left the quarters, the walls, unknown to Andre were soundproofed so there was no way for anyone to overhear what was about to be disclosed, after dimming the internal lighting, Conrad walked back to stand beside Andre's chair.

"Ok Andre, I want you to close your left eye, don't open it until I tell you."

Andre nodded and waited as he felt Conrad fidgeting with the patch over his left eye, he had to concentrate to keep it closed, when he felt the patch being removed he took a small breath and waited.

"Ok Andre, now I want you to close your right eye and keep it closed, when you have done that you can slowly open your left, at first it's going to be very bright and then out of focus but just be patient, it will clear in time."

Andre did as he was told, as he opened his left eye the bright flash of light made him wince and draw in another sharp breath, slowly he opened it further until it was wide open, the room was still dim but to his new vision it seemed too bright, everything around him was blurry and he tried to clear his sight by shaking his head a little.

"It's Ok, Andre, that's normal, just be patient, it will clear soon."

True to Conrad's word his vision began to clear, it took a few more minutes but soon he was able to have Conrad brighten the lights to normal, there was now just a hint of blurriness to his sight.

"It's still not fully clear Conrad, how can I dance if I can't see properly?"

"Well you might try shutting the camera off."

"What camera, what do you mean?"

"You have a miniature camera inserted in your left eye behind the pupil, it can be turned on and off by pressing your finger to your left temple with your left hand, try it, place your finger on your temple and feel around a little, you should feel a small hard bar just under the skin, when you have it just tap lightly on it once and your eyesight will come back to normal."

Andre did as he was told, it took a few seconds to find the narrow thin bar just under the skin but, when he tapped it softly, his left eye came back to normal, he almost grinned with satisfaction as he looked at Conrad with a wide smile on his lips.

"What else did they do?"

"Well now, the hissing in your head is from your transceiver, press your right finger just behind your ear lobe, you should feel a little, hard bump, press on that and the hissing will stop."

Andre did as he was told and immediately the noise in his head stopped.

"The reason it was hissing is that you have not been given a frequency yet, you'll get that before we leave here, when you have that you will not have that noise anymore, now for the next surprise, stand up and stamp your feet on the floor."

Andre did so and was surprised to see the floor slats bend as though a heavy weight had fallen on them.

"Your heels and the balls of your feet have been injected with liquid Stelgel, you will find that your knuckles are also done with the same material, this will still give you all the flexibility you need to dance but now you can smash bricks or people with them."

Andre lifted his small hands up to his face, he could barely make out the micro surgical scars on the skin over his knuckles.

"Now you hands and feet are for protection, if you want to go on the attack then you have the second finger of your right hand, hold your right hand out flat and upwards, good boy, now with your thumb press on the pad of the third joint close to your palm."

Conrad watched as Andre followed his instructions.

"Do you feel that hard little button under the skin?"

"Yes."

"Press down hard with your thumb."

Andre did as asked, there was no sound but he now had a small silvery needle about two inches long sticking out of the end of his finger, it had a small drop of yellow liquid dripping from the tip, Andre's eyes shot wide open as he looked at the small needle, there had been no pain or anything to indicate the needle was under his skin.

"What is it?" He asked Conrad.

"That's Sunburst Scorpion venom."

Andre leapt to his feet and stared at the drop of yellow liquid, the Sunburst Scorpion was the most venomous and dangerous of all the insect on Pathos, the single drop sitting on the end of the needle was enough to kill a grown man in seconds, he could only look at the drop with utter fear, what had they done to him, Conrad saw the fear on the boy's face.

"Don't worry Andre, you are now immune to it, in fact as the venom is so virile you are now immune to most any other venom in existence, the doctors injected you with a special enzyme from the Sunburst Scorpion, your own body now produces it so you are immune, you know what it can do so if you have to use it you don't have to worry about your own safety."

Andre could only stare down at the yellow drop in awe.

"What do I do now?"

"Lick it off and press the pad again, the needle will withdraw and your hand will look normal again, then there is only one thing more to see."

Andre could not quite believe what he had just been told, did they really think he would purposely put a drop of Sunburst Scorpion venom in his own mouth, he looked up at Conrad to see if he was joking, he wasn't, Conrad just stood there and nodded for him to do as he was told, tentively Andre lifted the thin needle to his mouth, closing his eyes thinking this was a very stupid thing to do, he poked his tongue out and licked the yellow drop off the end of his finger, seconds later he was still standing, much more of a surprise was that the venom tasted a little like a sugar drop, he relaxed as Conrad began talking again.

"Now for the last item, look at the nails on your left hand, tell me what you see?"

Andre looked closely but could see nothing different about his finger nails.

"Nothing, they look just like they always did, well perhaps they are cleaner and a little more polished but that's all."

"Good, Ok now flick your wrist as though you were trying to shake something off your hand but do it sharply like something is very sticky."

Andre did as he was told, when next he looked at his nails they were now longer by an inch, he looked closely at them but could still not see anything different apart from being a little longer, he looked up at Conrad.

"How did that happen and why?"

"The nails on your left hand have been replaced with Tetrylon; you now have four very sharp knives, to hide them again just run your right hand flatly over the backs of your four fingers, you will feel the small bumps under the skin, they lock back into the first joint for safety, you can cut through most anything except steel with them but they are mainly used to cut anyone that attacks you."

Andre stood there with his mouth open, he was now like a walking arsenal, he only hoped he would have time to learn how to control all these things, it was soon answered for him by Conrad.

"Now for the next seven days you will be working day and night to control all of those extras, how to use them and more importantly, when to use them, you will also be taught how to use your legs and feet as weapons for unarmed fighting, at the end of that you will have one more operation to undergo, but for now it's not important, it would be a good idea now for you to have the rest of today off and practise a little on your own, tomorrow the real training starts."

Andre could hardly believe it all, he had heard that there were many things that went on in the security division but he had never thought it would be anything like this.

"Does everyone that works for Leon have these things?"

"No Andre, you're the first, why he decided you were the one I will never know but personally I think he was right in selecting you, now time to get some rest, do you want your cadet to come back?"

"No not yet, I want to practice a little more, do you think it would be ok if I asked him to bed with me, I… well… I sort of feel horny after all this."

Conrad laughed and then said.

"You just tell him what you want, he has his orders to look after anything you want, make good use of him, it's the last free day you will have for some time, enjoy it."

Conrad left the room so Andre could investigate his new body, firstly he wanted to make sure he could still dance with all these new things inside his body, he turned to the music station and began to dance one of the minor dances, it was the Tildan, a dance that used most of his body but lacked the insinuations of sexual delight like the Terrasan.

As he danced, Andre tried to work out what other operation Conrad had meant, there was little left for them to do too him, he had little option but to wait and see, he only hoped that it did not interfere with his dancing, it was the one thing he was really good at and thoroughly enjoyed.

The cadet arrived and began to get his bed ready, Andre could see from the corner of his eye as he danced that the cadet was trying not to watch him as he twisted and twirled in the dance, when the music ended he asked for the ablution room and went to wash up, afterwards it was a light snack and then he was ready for bed, Andre decided to throw caution to the wind and asked the cadet.

"I would like you to sleep with me."

The cadet answered promptly.

"Yes Sir, I would like that as well, do you wish me to be a top or bottom Sir?"

"A top please."

"Very good Sir, I hope you enjoy it with me."

There was little time for talk, it took the two boys little more than a minute to become naked and slide into the large soft bed, in the morning Andre had little to complain about, the cadet was not as well endowed as Leon but he was very enthusiastic, after their tryst, Andre slept well and awoke to a hot breakfast waiting for him on a tray, it took a while before he realised it was only 4.00am, within thirty minutes he was in full uniform and being marched to his first training session.

Sixteen hours later and feeling as though his body was broken in small pieces, Andre dragged his aching body back to his quarters where the cadet was waiting for him, he had been put through a wringer, every muscle in his small body ached even though he would have been considered exceptionally fit by other standards his trainers had shown him what fitness was really about.

Every exercise was also designed to not only improve how he already was but to not interfere with his natural flexibility and dancing needs, the hardest exercise was the unarmed combat, he had never been a boy that liked confrontation but now he had to learn from scratch how to attack and defend in a lot of scenarios as well as when and when not to use is extra weapons.

It was Conrad who took him for training on his extras, the Ministry did not want anyone else to know what he had been given, everything about Andre now had a top priority security clearance, he was to be an invisible deadly weapon.

As each day passed, Andre got better and better until the last day of training arrived, he could now feel the extra strength, speed and flexibility he now had, there was only the final operation to be done, Conrad had told him it would be another three day operation but he would not need two days to get over it, as they arrived at the medical centre the same four doctors and the single nurse were waiting for him, minutes later and he was in blackness.

When next Andre opened his eyes he was still on the medical bed, Conrad was again sitting beside him with a smile on his face.

"How are you?"

"I'm not sure, what did they do this time?"

"Just finished off your additions and activated your communications wave length, switch your transceiver on and see, there should not be any of that hissing now."

Conrad waited until Andre had checked his transceiver and then smiled at the boy again.

"Now close your eyes and tap the camera bar twice quickly, like a double tap but keep your eyes closed."

Andre did as he was told, as he saw the changes he almost opened his eyes and yelped, on the inside of his eyelids he could see a miniature heads up display, opening his eyes he looked at Conrad.

"How do I switch it off and what use is it?"

"Just tap again like with the camera and it's for getting instructions without sound or you can use the planetary maps, you scroll through the menu by blinking your eye lids and with practice you can change it with your thoughts, there is a nodule implanted in your head to activate it, you will have to practice as we go for that, it's time for us to leave, the jet will be here in an hour so you better get up and get your things ready."

Andre rolled off the bed and stood up; when he blinked he still saw the menu behind his eyelids, he reached up and tapped his left temple and was back to normal, when he reached his quarters, the cadet was there waiting for him, everything had been packed including his uniforms, he did not think he would be keeping them as he could not see where they would be used in his new life.

Hours later and Andre was back in his new apartment, he had no sooner settled into a chair and rested his head back than the door buzzer sounded, Conrad waved him back into the chair and went to the security panel to see who had arrived, it was the young man that had met them there on the first day, Conrad pushed the door button and the young man came into the lounge.

"Good morning Master Lightfoot, I have drawn up some sample scenes for your apartment, if you wish to approve any of them or change them it would be Ok and then we can start to make the changes you would like."

Andre could only nod his head as the young man took out a large portfolio of drawings, Andre now felt that as this was going to be his home forever he might as well try to make it as homely as he could, he went through each drawing until he found what he wanted, the only alteration he wanted was a large real oil picture of his mother to be made and hung in the lounge, it would be done from one of the only two photographs he had of here when she was still young and healthy.

After the young man left he heard a soft click inside his head, his transceiver had been switched on without his using his hand, in his head came the calm and friendly voice of Leon.

Hello Andre, or should I call you Captain Lightfoot

Andre couldn't resist a giggle and talked in his normal voice, Conrad seemed unmoved by the conversation Andre was having.

"Hello Councillor, I've just got home from camp."

Yes I know, now I have something for you tomorrow, do you remember the man that wants you to do the Terrasan for him?

"Yes."

Well it turns out he is having a group of important diplomats to watch you. I have seen his guest list and I will be there as well but it is the Commissioner for Karapak that I want you to try to get close to. I'll be at your apartment first thing in the morning to talk it all over with you so for now, have a good night's rest and I'll see you in the morning.

"Ok, thank you Leon."

Andre heard the soft click in his head as the Councillor left, he then turned to Conrad and asked.

"Is there anything to eat here, I'm starving?"

"No sorry, the apartment has been closed while you were away, you may want to think about getting a servant to watch the place for you when you're away, we can look for one and have him cleared by security."

"Yes that sounds like a good idea, now can we go out and find a restaurant, I could eat ten Bactra's in one sitting."

A Bactra was a meat animal about the size of the normal dog and was the main protein animal for Pathos, it had a slightly gamey taste but was high in iron, for Andre it was almost like a luxury after his life in Quadrant seven, for those living in Quadrant four it was an everyday meat, there were other animals used for high end meals.

After he got changed into street clothes from his new wardrobe, Andre and Conrad left in his car for the city centre, it was time to spend some of his credits and see some of the sights he had missed growing up. It was another new adventure, his young body seemed to glow with a new found health after the training camp.

It was the middle of the morning before the Councillor visited. After a morning hot drink and a little light food they got down to business.

"Well Andre, are you looking forward to the party tonight?"

"Yes Leon, after the camp I really need something different."

"Well my boy, this will certainly be different, the last I saw of the guest list it was up to over two hundred guests. Do you think you can dance in front of that many?"

"I guess I will have to wait and see but I have never had that many to watch me before."

"I'm sure you will do well, just dance like you did last time and you will have men running after you for the rest of your life to watch you."

The thought of tonight's performance in front of so many almost made Andre shudder, Leon continued on as though he had not noticed Andre's temporary shudder.

Over the next hour, Leon told Andre all about the upcoming party and who would be there. He told Andre that the Ambassador for Karapak would be sitting on Leon's left so Andre would know who he was. At the end of the hour all the plans and instructions had been made and Leon left for his office, Andre thought it would be a good idea to get a little more practice.

Conrad found Andre later in the afternoon fast asleep in the wide bed, he nudged the boy awake and they began to prepare to leave for the rich man's mansion.

When they arrived at the towering mansion, Conrad handed Andre a small square box tied with a very fancy ribbon.

"It's a gift from the Councillor; he thought you might like to wear it for tonight's performance."

Andre tore the parcel open and looked inside, with a gasp he saw the silvery gossamer cloak, it was very expensive and was not the sort of clothing usually worn for the Terrasan. The cloak had the feel of fine spider web it was so light, why would Leon buy this for him?

Once out of the limousine, Andre donned the silvery cloak, it fit him like a second skin, with the hood up his face was totally hidden and the length covered him from head to toe.

Andre fixed the clasp at the front to cover him completely; all that could be seen of him were his delicate bare feet and his shining eyes deep in the hood.

Underneath Andre wore his latest Terrasan outfit, it was all gold coloured ribbons that shimmered and sparkled once he was out in the light, it would make him look like a shining, gold statue that could dance.

Andre along with Conrad was shown to a private room close to where they could both hear the revelry of the party in an adjoining room, by the rumble of voices there were many more than just the two hundred that Leon had told him about.

Andre used the next thirty minutes to limber up and go through his pre dance exercises; he was determined to show Leon he was worth all the effort that had been put into him.

Some little time later, Andre heard a soft knock at the door. Conrad opened the door to one of the servants of the house. The servant bowed towards Andre and then said.

"Sir, the host waits you, the floor is clear and he asks that you enter on the first notes of the music, is this to your liking?"

Andre's nerves almost got the better of him but he managed to nod his acceptance of the instructions. After the servant left, Andre looked at Conrad and got a wide smile of approval. Just before Andre left the room, Conrad held him in a warm hug.

"Knock their shoes off, we all know you can do this so show them who the boss of the Terrasan is."

Andre felt a little better knowing that Conrad was in his corner, this was his first true live performance in front of a large gathering. After taking a few deep breathes he stepped towards the door that the servant had indicated for him, it was time to do what he did best.

In front of Andre were two large expensive doors, as he stood waiting they began to open, from behind them came a loud voice filled with authority.

"Gentlemen of Pathos, for your entertainment tonight I have secured the services of what most are calling the greatest dancer of the Terrasan seen since the days of Gratham Loid. Now friends I have also done something a little naughty for which I will in time apologise to our dancer for. The reputation of this young dancer is in no doubt but tonight I have arranged something of a small test to see what his true colours are and for this I apologise beforehand. Gentlemen, friends, colleagues, Andre."

The doors in front of Andre swung fully open and he saw the huge dance floor in front of him, it was not the size of the floor space, nor the size of the crowd there to see him; what gave Andre pause was the single middle aged man sitting on a soft cushion in the middle of the floor.

In the man's hands was a simple polished wooden flute that was called a Sheppard's Flute, it was only a little more than two hands long and had only three note holes in it. While it looked simple and easy to play it was in fact the most difficult instrument to master.

To obtain the true full range of the Sheppard's Flute took years of practice and, unlike the Terrasan that everyone knew, it was only used for one dance and one dance only. Andre shivered at the thought of what they were expecting him to do, oh yes, he knew the dance and knew it well, it was really his real favourite but he had never danced it in front of anyone except his mother.

The first haunting notes of the Royal Terrasan began to fill the large room; there was total silence as the soft notes echoed around the vast distance of the pleasure room.

Andre stayed as still as marble as the notes filled his soul, the Royal Terrasan had not been seen in public for over three hundred years, it was thought to be too complicated for anyone to try but the original creator, Massam Lyre. Massam had danced it once for the King of Pathos and it had never been seen since.

The dance lasted for three hours and was thought to be too much for anyone to attempt, while many knew the steps and movements, very few could last the full distance; not only that but very few flute players had the ability to play the complicated notes and timing of the Dance.

As the introduction notes echoed around the large room, Andre lowered his eyes and looked at the large expanse of the white marble floor, in itself it was a unique floor, the white marble was shot through with fine traces of dark red like fine blood veins.

The notes became stronger as Andre watched the thin red veins; suddenly he felt it, the red veins were almost moving with the music, was he dreaming or was he now held in the magic of the flute player, his small slender body began the first flowing movements of the dance, he felt as though he was now in a trance as his lithe body flowed with each note.

For the first thirty minutes of the Royal Terrasan no one would see his body, all they would see was the fine gossamer cloak swaying and floating around the vast expanse of the floor.

Even after the first part of the introduction they would still only see no more than his feet until he began to drop the gold ribbons, it would be a full hour before he dropped the cloak and they saw him in all his youthful glory.

Somehow Andre went to another place, there was no other sound but the lilting notes of the flute, his feet, hands and body moved as though guided by an unseen hand, there was only himself, the flute and the dancing red veins.

For Andre, time stopped, he was carried to another world, one where only the dance and the music reigned; time passed in the blink of an eye, everything he did was effortless as he followed the red pattern at his feet.

It seemed no time at all when he felt it was all coming to an end, the notes faded out and the red veins in the white marble slowed to a halt, as he threw his right hand out in the last gesture, Andre returned to the here and now.

All around the room there was total silence broken only by the heavy breathing of over two hundred enthralled men as they sat and lay on their couches, no one wanted to break the spell as Andre slid his fine naked body down to the floor in the final closing act of the Royal Terrasan.

Andre stayed in his place, his legs spread out in front of him in the shape of a wide angle V, his lithe body leant forward with his arms outstretched and flat on the cool marble, around him was total silence as the watchers tried to take in what they had just witnessed.

The silence was suddenly broken by the clatter of metal hitting the floor just in front of where Andre still lay; it was soon followed by a torrent of other metal plaques as the watchers showered him with 1,000 credit gold plaques.

The clatter of the gold never seemed to stop as Andre lifted his eyes up to look at the top table, even Leon was thunderstruck at what he had just seen; for the first time in over three hundred years, Pathos had a dancer worthy of the Royal Terrasan.

Slowly Andre got to his feet, he then noticed that not all of the plaques were gold but some were Platinum, they were worth 10,000 credits each and there many of them.

Andre was stunned by the applause and the shower of credits until a strong voice called for a bit of silence; Bantor Merle, the host stood up and looked around.

"Dear friends and colleagues, do you doubt we have seen a miracle here tonight?"

The loud yells from every corner of the room satisfied Bantor's question.

"All of us here tonight are the elite of the political and financial hub of Pathos, it was only fitting that we were able to have our esteemed guest the Ambassador of Karapak with us to enjoy this momentous occasion… … … "

Andre cut out the voice of Bantor as he rose slowly to his feet, it was only now that he realised his knees were shaking as the first signs of fatigue began to set in, he had been dancing on pure adrenaline for the last hour of the dance.

As he came upright, a servant rushed forward and went to one knee with his head bowed in respect, in his two upraised arms he held Andre's gossamer silver cloak.

Andre took the cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders, his slender body shining with the sweat of his exertions; it was at this time that something clicked inside his head; as he realised what it was, his jaw dropped open and his knees began to shake even more just as a thunderous applause began to fill the room.

Andre ignored the servants as they scurried around him to collect the gold and platinum plaques round his feet as a long forgotten memory came into his mind.

It was a little hazy as it was from when he was still a small boy of only five years old; the image he got was of his mother sitting on the old kitchen plastic chair; in her hands was the old book she taught him from.

He knew this book was special; it was a real book of long ago. On the outside it was covered with a dark brown thick skin, the pages were of real old and genuine paper and on its many pages were the real handwriting of a person not the machine writing of today.

As well as the hand written words there were small delicate pictures describing the dance positions, his mother told him each picture had been hand painted with a brush that had only one single hair so the images were as fine as could be in all their detail.

When Andre asked her about the book, she had told him it was passed down from generation to generation and now it was in her hands, it was to be his when she passed over.

On the last page at the rear of the book was a long list of names; at the top were just two initials ML. At the time they had meant little to a young five year old boy but now they held his focus as he understood what they truly meant.

Down the length of the page were more and more names of those who came after the first initials, it was a line of descent that culminated with Andre's name as the last entry; now he understood why his mother had been so insistent that he learn everything about the Royal Terrasan. Andre was the last descendent of Massam Lyre, the creator and only dancer of the Royal Terrasan.

When Andre came out of his day dream, he could still hear the applause in the room as the host beaconed him forward to the top table, the servants around him were gathering the last of the credits and packing them into a box so he could carry them away.

Still feeling the after effects of the long and strenuous dance, Andre made his way to the top table where all of the most important men in Pathos sat watching him.

Bantor Merle called for silence and the room slowly came to order as the gathering waited to hear what was said.

"Andre, for myself I can only say that I have never seen anything like that, I am almost speechless, and believe me, that is a very unusual and difficult thing for me to be; I would like to invite you to join us up here, your performance was nothing less than magical and you deserve every accolade we can heap upon you."

Bantor gestured for Andre to walk around the table and a servant hurriedly found a seat for him; of course Leon was there to make sure the new chair was placed between the Ambassador and Leon.

Andre took his chair nervously, he was now sitting amongst some of the most influential men in the galaxy, only the King in the palace city of Geramak had more power than these men gathered here to watch him.

The party continued on around them as more young dancers took the floor to entertain and amuse the guests, it was soon noticeable that each and every new dancer took the time to come to the front of the top table and bow low to Andre in recognition of his feat earlier.

Andre could only blush at the compliments from the other guests, if it had not been for Leon's reassuring hand on his thigh under the table, Andre was sure he would have run out of the great hall with embarrassment.

Andre picked up the gentle sound of the Ambassador's voice as he came back to reality.

"So tell me Andre, where did you learn the Royal Terrasan, it was thought to be lost?"

"My mother taught me Sir."

"Your mother! But where did she learn it?"

"She had a book that had all the instructions in it, it's a very old book and was called a 'Diary' She told me it belonged to one of our ancestors."

"Your ancestors? But that's impossible, there were never any copies of Massam's diary made, it was lost three hundred years ago; that's why the dance was never performed again."

"I can only tell you what my mother told me Sir and I do vaguely remember seeing the book when she taught me, I think it is packed away at my home now with all her other mementoes."

"You still have it?"

"Well, yes Sir, it belongs to my family, well all that is left of my family."

"Then you have the book?"

"Yes Sir."

Andre felt Leon's grip tighten a little on his thigh as a warning to be careful.

"I will offer you ten million credits for the diary, sight unseen, what do you say?"

Suddenly Bantor's voice broke the discussion.

"Ten million credits? What for may I ask?"

"It would appear our delightful little dancer is the holder of Massam Lyre's diary, I have offered to buy it from him for ten million credits."

"No… no… no, it belongs here on Pathos, I will offer twelve million."

A sudden hush came over the large hall at the sound of such high money, within seconds a soft murmur ran through the room as those who had overheard the discussion sent word out that Massam Lyre's diary had been found.

From the far end of the hall came an older voice.

"I bid fifteen million for Massam's diary."

Another voice shouted out.

"I bid seventeen million."

It was only the start of a bidding war, soon the hall was in an uproar as the bids got higher and higher; when the bids got to fifty one million credits, Leon stood up and raised his hands to call a halt to the bids.

While the bidding had been going on around the pair, Leon had asked Andre all about what he knew of the old diary; Leon now had a full picture and was not about to let his star agent be sold short or bullied by these rich men into doing something he should not.

The men that filled the great hall all had money, power and influence to burn but, when Leon stood up there was immediate silence, it said a lot about his own power on Pathos.

"Gentlemen, there will be no more bidding on the diary, it belongs only in the hands of a direct descendant of Massam Lyre and those hands belong to Andre of that fact I am sure."

That little piece of information had another bout of chatter start. Were they really looking at a direct descendant of the greatest dancer of all history? Many found it hard to believe, a small boy was the sole heir to the greatest book ever written, not only that but he was raised in the seventh quadrant? To many that was impossible, they would have to have proof.

Again Leon waited until the chatter abated a little before continuing.

"I see that a few of you gentlemen doubt Andre's claim, if it please you all I will arrange a viewing for you the day after tomorrow at my precinct but there is to be no more thoughts of bids or other attempts to persuade Andre to part with his heritage."

Andre had sat silently through it all, most of it had gone over his head and all he could think about was the sacrifices his mother had made while they lived in almost poverty in the seventh quadrant; yet she had a diary worth untold value right at her finger tips all the time.

What was left of the celebrations became an anti climax. The knowledge of the diary had created so much uproar that the men could talk of nothing else.

Leon took Andre by the arm and directed him out of the great hall; the advances to the Ambassador would have to be put aside in preference to Andre's safety.

After leaving the hall, Leon called for Conrad to take Andre home immediately; he also left instructions for the next day when he would have a squad of security guards at their door early to escort them to the Ministry along with the diary.

In the car, Andre felt the stress of the dance and uproar over the diary come to him all at once, instead of getting into the back of the car, he got in the front alongside Conrad.

Conrad looked at the distress on the boy's face and reached out to calm him; all the high powered men at the hall had forgotten the boy was just that; a boy barely in his teens.

By the time they made it back to Andre's apartment, Andre was fast asleep; Conrad picked him up carefully and carried him to his bedroom to sleep, the coming days would be no easier on Andre and he would need all the rest he could get.

For Andre it seemed he had just closed his eyes when the house communicator in his bedroom flared on and woke him from his sleep.

Andre saw that the curtains had been drawn but he could still tell it was now early morning; as he sat up in bed and directed the link to open, he realised he could not remember coming home or how he got into bed naked.

Keeping the bedding around his naked body, Andre looked at the face of a strange man on his screen.

"Yes Sir?"

"Good morning Master Severn, my name is Chancellor Skregg, I am an advisor for the King, it has come to our attention that you claim to hold the diary of Massam Lyre, is this correct?"

"Uhm… well I suppose so."

"If it is the real dairy the King would like you to donate the dairy to the Museum of Antiquities here in Geramak, we will be in contact for the conveyance of said diary to this city."

"I am sorry Sir but that's not possible at this time, I will have to speak to my guardian before I make any decisions."

"And who is your guardian? I am sure he can be persuaded to do what is right, the King can order it seized as an antiquity of national value if it must come to that."

"You must give me time to talk to my Guardian Sir."

"Very good, you have until tonight and then we may have to take direct action."

Andre switched off the contact, the severe face and heavy handed attitude of the strange man had unsettled him, if they were going to try to steal the family diary he would rather burn it; he had to talk to Leon right away.

Before he could do much more, Conrad came into his room with some breakfast on a bed tray; in the background he could hear other strange voices.

"Who are the people out there, Conrad?"

"It's the security detail, who was the call from, I heard you talking just before I came in?"

"Some man called Skregg; he said he wanted to take the diary away from me."

"Chancellor Skregg?"

"Yes, that's him."

"I don't know how he found out so soon but let's tell Leon, he will sort it all out, now eat your breakfast, have a shower and get dressed, we have plenty of time; do you know where the diary is packed?"

"I think so, it will be in Mom's room, I'll get it after dressing."

"Good, wear something really smart."

After his long hot shower, Andre dressed in a body hugging pale blue one piece suit, next he got under the hair module and had his highlights tinted the same blue to match his suit. Once dressed and ready, Andre went to his mother's room, he had left everything as it was the last time she was there.

It took little time to find the diary; it was still wrapped in the same old brown cloth as it always had been for as long as he could remember; to make sure of his memory, Andre opened it at the last page.

After looking down the long list of family names, he was surprised to see his name added at the bottom of the page in the sharp writing of his mother's hand and at the top were the two hand-written letters he remembered from his childhood, ML.

Andre rewrapped the dairy and went into the main room, there he saw ten heavily armed men sitting and standing while they waited for him, they appeared relaxed but alert; Leon had given his instructions for the protection of Andre and the diary.

Conrad appeared from one of the rooms as Andre entered, he was now dressed in the uniform of the security services and showed the rank of captain on his shoulders; Andre was surprised at Conrad's rank, for such a young man he had climbed fast in the services.

As Conrad came into the room, the other security guards snapped to attention.

"Have you got the armoured car ready?" Conrad asked one of the men.

"Yes Sir, as instructed we will have four outriders in front and two behind the last car, there will be myself and one other in the second car and a driver and guard in your car."

"Good then let's go, the Councillor is waiting for us."

It took the small convoy over an hour to get to the main offices of the Ministry. Standing outside was a massive crowd as well as News Casters and Cameras from the main networks, it appeared someone had let slip the discovery of the diary.

One look and Andre already felt overwhelmed by the huge and vociferous crowd waiting to get a glimpse of the boy who held the diary.

The Guards took one look at the crowd and changed direction to turn down into an underground car park, the soft hum of the motors lost in the noise outside.

Andre clasped tighter to the large book, even for his size it was still heavy, measuring about 15" by 18" [40x45 cm] and holding over three hundred thick paper pages, Andre had to use both hands to carry it.

Conrad held him back in the car until the ten guards had them completely surrounded; with Andre in the middle of the squad he was almost invisible. Andre could still not see the need for all the security, especially in the halls of the Ministry.

They were led up to the top floor of the Ministry offices to be met by Leon; with him were four older men dressed as lawyers, they did not look happy at the appearance of Andre and the book he was carrying.

Leon smiled at Andre and then dismissed the guards, after looking at the large wrapped bundle in Andre's hands, Leon turned to the four men.

"Gentlemen, as you can see the boy has what we believe is the Diary of Massam Lyre, I believe it also tells of Andre's relationship to that man. Now if what we think is incontrovertible proof of his position then you will relate to him your part in this revelation."

Leon stood looking at the four men. Andre could see they were not happy about what was being said.

"Now gentlemen, I need a few minutes with Andre before we go any further, if you would follow Captain Conrad he will see you to a room where you can wait."

Conrad looked at the men with a look of obvious distaste on his face as Andre laid the wrapped book on the large desk in front of him.

"Well my young friend, we have certainly stirred up a bees nest with the revelations of the diary. I have had my people doing a full research on Massam Lyre and any family he may have had. Now as it turns out, if the diary verifies your claim as a descendant of Massam Lyre you will be in for some big, and I do mean BIG, surprises."

Andre looked over the desk at the smiling Councillor, this had all seemed to be too fast for him to take in, everything was becoming a blur from when he admitted to having the book until now, he wondered when it would all stop.

"Don't look so worried Andre, if it's all true and we can prove your claim then you are going to be in for one hell of a big ride."

"Who are those men, Leon?"

"They are what we in the Security Service call, Bottom Feeders, or in your terms, Lawyers except those ones are tied to the Crown or the King as you know him."

"So why are they here?"

"They are trying to say you have no claim on the diary and that you are not a descendant, if they can prove that then all his property and wealth stays in their hands."

"What property and wealth, I've never heard of anything like that from my mother?"

"Well my young friend you have a story to listen to; can you show me the family entries in the back of the dairy?"

Andre nodded and then began to carefully unwrap the book from its covering cloth. Leon could easily see that the cloth itself was old and had been around the book for many, many years.

From his side pocket of his suit, Andre took out an old pair of white cloth gloves; they had been used by his mother every time she read the book so he did the same. His mother had told him to always wear the gloves to protect the old book from dirt or damage.

Finally the cover was open and Leon could plainly see the aged binding of the dairy, the outer edges of the paper pages were yellowed with age and there was little doubt this book was real.

Andre carefully opened the book to the last page where he had seen all the hand written entries, Leon stepped closer to look over his shoulder, what he saw made him smile wider than before.

The page was laid out in such a way that anyone that could read, could follow the history of the family over the last three hundred years and who had held the dairy for posterity.

The writing was made with many different hands but, one thing that stood out was the ink colour; most of the many names were in a green ink but a few were written in red; it did not take a genius to work out why.

The two first initials were those of Massam Lyre and were in red, below that were a number in green which covered what looked like four or five generations. There was then another name, Konra Karl it was again in red; there were then a number of names again in green then the biggest surprise of all.

There, written in what looked like a firm hand of a male adult in red ink was the name, Gratham Loid. Leon was about to point it out to Andre but before his finger could touch the page, Andre pushed his hand aside to stop him from doing so.

"You can't touch the paper without gloves, my mother said it was important to keep them clean or they might rot away."

Properly chastised, Leon pulled his finger back.

"I'm sorry Andre, but to see Gratham's name there now explains why he was such a great dancer, it appears to run in your family. I don't know of this other name, Konra Karl, I will have to research it for you but he must also be one of your ancestors."

Andre closed the book and rewrapped it then removed his gloves.

"Can you tell me now why those men are here?"

"Yes it's time for you to know what I have found out so far, there will be more later but for now you have to know what you are going to be getting into."

Andre waited as Leon tried to get his thoughts in order.

"Let's start at the beginning; Massam Lyre was quite a young man when he died, only twenty seven years old. It was not long after he had performed the Royal Terrasan for the first and last time. The King then was Gustav the Second; he was so impressed with the performance he decreed that Massam Lyre was to be noted as a Royal Treasure in perpetuity; this meant that all his family or heirs would inherit his title, lands and wealth without taxation or levies of any kind. On his death not long afterwards, the King appointed the legal aid of the highest law firm in the land; Baxton, Grav and Kerr, that's who the four men work for."

Leon paused for breath and to order his thoughts once again.

"Now remember this all happened three hundred years ago, holding that thought can you imagine what Massam Lyre's estate is now worth to any heir of his and what it would mean if that bunch of bottom feeders lost its value to a descendant?"

"No, it's all beyond me Leon."

Before he could continue the tale, Leon's communicator buzzed; he quickly answered the call then said to the person on the other end.

"Send me a copy now."

Andre watched as Leon looked at the screen of his communicator, it was evident the man was reading everything as the screen downloaded the information; it was soon finished and Leon looked up with a broad smile on his face.

"Well now we know why those men are in such a hurry and why the Chancellor wanted the diary and to disprove your claim."

Andre waited; there was little he could say as he knew next to nothing of what Leon was talking about. Before he continued with the story, Leon pressed another button on the desk; within a minute Conrad walked through the door.

"Colonel, you are now solely responsible for our little friend's security, how are our bottom feeders?"

"Ahm… Councillor I'm not a colonel."

"You are now; give me your security pass."

Conrad handed over his security pass and Leon placed it in a slot on his desk then typed a few letters and numbers on his touch screen.

Handing the card back to Conrad, Leon continued.

"You are now officially promoted to Colonel, your clearance is now triple A plus 4 so that your authority is second only to myself and the King; you will form the guard detail and all security system for the safety of Massam Lyre's descendant; if you meet any resistance don't hesitate to use the full authority you now have; is that clear Colonel?"

"Yes Sir, are there any orders?"

"Yes, keep those bottom feeders under wraps for another hour; I'm not ready for them yet."

"Yes Sir."

"Now Andre, I have one more thing for you to do for me."

Leon reached into his desk and took out a thin plastic tube; inside it was a thin plastic spatula with a soft cloth tip.

"I want you to give me a sample of your DNA, place the strip in your mouth and get it good and wet then put the strip back in the flask and seal it."

Andre followed the instructions and when he was finished handed the vial to Leon; Leon pressed a button on the desk and a few seconds later a sergeant walked through the door.

"Sergeant, take this to the lab, I want a full report within the next half hour; tell the doctors to drop everything else and they are to match it against the records of Massam Lyre."

The sergeant took the vial without a word and was almost running as he left.

"Now all we have to do is wait and then I can tell you the rest, do you want something to eat or drink?"

Andre could hear his stomach rumbling, he didn't realise how long it had been since breakfast; Leon pressed another button and gave orders for a light lunch to be brought in.

They had just finished eating when there was a light knock on the door, without waiting four doctors rushed in. Leon looked at the four white coated men with displeasure.

"What's going on?"

"Sir, where did you get that sample?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well… well… it can't be real."

"What do you mean doctor, what are you talking about?"

"It's… well it's not possible."

"For god's sake man spit it out; I don't have time to waste."

"The sample you sent us, apart from two gene sequences is almost a perfect match for the sample we have of Massam Lyre on record, it can't be, not after all this time."

"What the devil are you talking about, this was a fresh sample taken while I watched, it's from our young friend here."

"But that's impossible, it's nearly a perfect match, after three hundred years there should be only one or two gene strains left in his blood; it should certainly not be as pure as this sample indicated."

"Then you agree that this young man is a direct descendant of Massam Lyre?"

"There is no doubt in our minds what so ever, in fact if we didn't know better we would have thought it was Massam Lyre himself."

"Thank you doctors, that'll be all for now, there is to be no record of this sample given out to the public; if I hear of it being released all of you will never see the light of day again, is that clear gentlemen?"

The four doctors nodded and left still chattering about the discovery; Leon turned back to a stunned Andre; after a quick check of the file in front of him, Leon smiled at Andre.

"How does it feel to be a Baron of the Realm and without doubt the wealthiest man on Pathos?"

Andre could not find his voice, his mouth hung open and his breathing had stopped as Leon prepared to reveal what was in the file.

Before he could say a word, the door flew open and Chancellor Skregg stormed in, in his hand was what looked like a Royal Warrant.

"Councillor, this Royal Warrant claims the diary of Massam Lyre; you are to hand it over immediately."

Leon looked up at Chancellor Skregg the look was not a happy one; before either Leon or Andre could make a move, the Chancellor reached for the old wrapped book on the desk.

Much to the surprise of both adults, Andre moved with astounding speed; in one fluid motion he pushed aside the Chancellor's hand and at the same time the needle holding the deadly scorpion poison protruded from his finger.

Before Leon could call out, Andre had jabbed the small needle into the hand of the Chancellor, the results were almost instantaneous as the Chancellor's eyes rolled up into his head and he began to slump to the floor; Andre stood in shock at what he had done without even thinking it over.

"Well I suppose I will have to make a call now, still it's one less bottom feeder in the mix; sit down Andre and get your head back together while I call the King."

Andre could not believe what he had done and yet he knew that it might have been the only way to save the diary; he slumped into the nearest chair and watched stunned as Leon lifted his communicator and dialled a number.

"Sire, this is Leon at Security Headquarters, Chancellor Skregg was here with a Royal Warrant to confiscate the diary of Massam Lyre from the rightful heir, unfortunately." Leon looked at Andre and smiled. "He's suffered a little accident"

Andre watched as Leon paused to listen.

"Yes Sire."

"No Sire"

"I see, so there was no warrant issued by your hand?"

"No sire, he will not be returning to the Palace, his accident is permanent."

"Very good Sire, I shall see to it at once."

"Yes Sire, I will see that he is safely brought into your presence along with the diary."

"Yes Sire, it will definitely upset the law firm to lose that income."

"Thank you Sire, we will be present in two days."

Leon stopped the conversation and shut the communicator off, he then looked at Andre and smiled again to give the boy a little confidence.

"Well you got that one right Andre; it seems our esteemed Chancellor was under investigation by the King's court for corruption as are the lawyers sitting outside."

Andre let a long held breath escape from his lips; slowly the fear he had felt began to subside as Leon continued.

"The King has asked for your presence at the Palace in two days time, he seems to have heard about your dance already and wants to meet you in person, the fact that you are the only remaining descendant of Massam Lyre is also of interest to him."

Andre nodded but was still trying to reconcile what he had done without thought just a few minutes ago.

"Well Andre, I think it's time to finish what I was going to tell you before we were interrupted."

Leon pushed a button on his desk; when the sergeant appeared he pointed to the body on the floor and nodded; the sergeant called two others to help him remove the ex-Chancellor from the office; once the body had been taken out Leon looked back at Andre and began to tell the rest of the story.

"With both the diary entries and the DNA tests to prove your heritage you will now be known as Baron Andre Lyre, I will have to get a full report of your estates as they are at present but I can tell you that your total wealth accrued over the last three hundred years is now over 1.7 trillion credits not including your land holdings; you are a very rich young man Andre."

"But… but how?"

"Three hundred years of interest and investment can very quickly add up and that does not include what those bottom feeders may have tried to steal from you in one form or another; I will have that investigated. Now the next thing is the recording of your dance last night; I have put a hold on any distribution to the public until we have made arrangements for any royalties that will be due to you; I have informed Bantor that he will be in violation of the Code of Contract if he ignores my advice; we will be meeting him later today."

Andre could only sit on awe of what he was hearing as Leon continued.

"Shall we call in the bottom feeders and give them the bad news?"

Andre could only nod as he tried to take it all in.

Leon called for Conrad to bring the four Lawyers back into the office; it was time to tell them their golden goose was now cooked.

After hearing what Leon had to say, the four men could only try to bluster about their rights as executors; Leon put their protests to rest with a short statement.

"For now gentlemen, you will be held in custody until a full investigation is completed into your stewardship of Massam Lyre's estates; Colonel Conrad will you escort these gentlemen to their new home in sub basement three?"

"Yes sir, this way gentlemen."

Conrad escorted the men out of the office as Leon sat back with a wide smile on his face.

"Well now, that was a good days work, are you ready for a celebration dinner; I'll have the sergeant book a table at Karlilse for the three of us; I'm sure you will want Conrad to be with us?"

"Yes… yes that would be good; Leon?"

"Yes?"

"I still have no real idea of what's going on, is this all real; I mean the wealth, title and everything?"

"Oh yes young man, very, very real; welcome to the elite."

Leon stood up from his desk and smiled once again at the confused look on Andre's face. 'The boy would get it soon enough' he thought to himself.

"Well Baron, are you ready to meet the press and declare yourself?"

"Do I have to?"

"It would be best to tell them yourself than let them speculate about it; you know what those leaches can be like."

Andre shrugged as he stood up and walked out beside Leon; it still amazed him how his life had gone from total poverty to almost royalty in only a few short weeks; what was he supposed to do now with all the years of dance practice, let alone all the hours training as a pleasure boy.

The next big hurdle was awaiting them in the main foyer of the security ministry's office; even before the elevator doors opened, Andre could hear the tumultuous noise from the large foyer.

The noise only grew louder as the elevator doors slid open and revealed the small teenager standing beside the Councillor; microphones and camera lens's appeared as if from the air itself; loud shouting voices asking all manner of questions which were fired at the pair without time to answer even one.

To the unaccustomed ears of Andre it was a loud rushing cacophony of sound that almost overwhelmed his senses; only the warm, firm hand of Leon as it lay on his slim shoulder, prevented Andre from making a dash for the door and freedom.

Andre watched as if from nowhere, a troop of heavily armed security guards appeared and took up a line in front of the pair; barring any attempt by others to get closer.

"People of Pathos, I am Councillor Leon Sadan, Director of Pathos Security Services; before I continue, I will tell you that there will be no question time, we are here to make a one off statement and then we will make the diary of Massam Lyre available for you to see. During the viewing there will be a ban on any form of pictures of the diary; if you try to break this rule you will come under the jurisdiction of the Security Services; and now it is my distinct pleasure to introduce to you all, the young man known to you as Andre Severn. After a thorough investigation into his claims on the diary of Massam Lyre, we have concluded that all his claims are valid. The investigation showing both a direct line of descent and a DNA match now means that Andre Severn will henceforth be known as Baron Andre Lyre, the last true descendant of Massam Lyre; all the titles and benefits of that name now belong to his heir standing here before you. Thank you all for coming, now if you wish to view the diary we will be in the board room on the left; you will be allowed in, in groups of ten; remember, NO Cameras."

The following uproar of questions were ignored by Leon and his guards as they led Andre along with the diary, into the boardroom; at one end of the long table was a small book stand, it was to this that Leon led the way. Andre carefully took the diary from its old cover after putting on his gloves.

Andre had never read the diary, he had only seen some of the fine hand painted pictures to explain a part of the dance and so it was for the first time that he read the inscription on the first page of the diary.

Leon had suggested opening it only at the first page so no one would see any of the works inside; the diary would rest open on the book stand with four guards surrounding it for protection; Andre recognised the handwriting on the front page as he read the first entry.

2135
The first diary of Massam Lyre
Aged 14 Years
M.L.

Andre could almost feel the tug of familiarity with the fine script of the few handwritten words; it was at this moment that Andre knew he would have to read the diary before he did anything else, but for now they had the viewing to get over and done with; the reading would have to wait for tonight.

The viewing took some time as there were far more people lined up waiting than they thought would be. It came to Leon to call a halt as more than five hours had passed and everyone was feeling the effects. There were those of course that did not appreciate being turned away, a simple glare from Leon soon changed their minds.

With the last viewer gone, Andre sat down in one of the vacant chairs as the great doors closed for the last time; Leon spoke to those still in the room.

"That was a lot more than I thought would be here, what do you want to do now Baron?"

Andre was so tired he did not even react to the title; all he wanted was someone to cuddle and relax with, he was worn out from the long day and yet he still had more of the same until they left for the King's Palace in two days.

It took only a glance for Leon to see that something was bothering his young charge.

"What is it Andre? Are you feeling the pressure a little too much?"

"No Leon, it's not that, it's just… well it's just I need a friend; I go to bed alone every night and during the day there is no one to be friends with and, since all this started; well I've felt sort of not here all the time."

"Yes I can see how that could get to you; do you have anyone in mind?"

"Uhm, well yes."

"Who is it, tell me his name and I will have him brought here even if we have to cuff him?"

"It's… uhm… Aldred, we sort of made friends that night and I want to see him again."

"Well, well, you want my son Aldred; I see and do I get to have a say in this… Baron?'

Andre looked up at the stern face of Leon; it was not until he saw the bright twinkle in the man's eyes that he caught on.

"No Councillor, a Baron trumps a Councillor any day."

Andre could not help the small childish giggle that escaped his lips even though he tried to keep a straight face.

"Yes, unfortunately your are correct; very well, I will send the Colonel for him immediately. Colonel Conrad, please go and get my son, he is to drop anything he is doing and come immediately without delay, carry him if you have to."

"Yes Sir."

Conrad was out of the door and gone before Andre could say a word; he turned and began to carefully re-wrap the diary in its old cloth; the ever alert guards watching every move he made.

It seemed no time at all before Conrad was back; he stopped to whisper something to Leon then stood back to wait while Leon chuckled.

"Baron, your guest is waiting for you in your car, perhaps you would like to return to your apartment right away?"

Andre smiled and took up the diary as he turned to the grinning Conrad and followed him out to the waiting car; as the rear door opened, Andre caught sight of the boy waiting for him, he could not help the giggle that escaped his lips as he saw Aldred.

Aldred was sitting scrunched up in the far corner of the back seat, his hands were covering his boyhood and the rest of his naked body was still showing signs of wetness, there was a small pool of water on the floor of the car.

Aldred looked at the staring eyes of Andre and, through his bright red blush said.

"I was in the bath when he grabbed me, he didn't even let me get dressed."

Andre could not help himself.

"Good, it means we won't have to waste time when we get home; I've missed you and I really need a good friend right now; everything has been such a rush and this Baron thing is driving me crazy."

Aldred put on a hurt look and let his hands drop from his groin; with a smile on his face he slightly widened his legs as Andre sat beside him.

"Is there anything the Baron sees that would help him relax?"

"Yes, I see a young pleasure boy that badly needs riding; tell me pleasure boy, are you good enough to satisfy a Baron of the realm?"

"Upon my honour good Baron, I will be your slave for life."

That final statement was the undoing of both of them as they broke into loud laughter. When they had finished, Andre began to tell Aldred all about the last few days; he even let Aldred rub his gentle hands over the cover of the diary as they sat knee to knee beside each other; finally for the first time in days, Andre was beginning to relax.

On their return to Andre's apartment; it took only a minute to carefully place the book on his bedside table before both boys were sitting in the deep round bath filled with steaming hot water; Andre began to feel the tension of the last few days work their way out of his muscles. The fact that Aldred was using everything he knew about massage to help him was another bonus.

The next three hours flew by without either boy noticing, it was not until a soft knock on the bedroom door startled them that they broke apart, the slight pop of Andre's large boyhood sounded loud in the big bedroom as did the small gasp from Aldred; Andre drew one of the fine sheets up over their naked bodies as he called out.

"Come in Conrad, we're decent for now."

The wide smiling face of Conrad came through the door, in front of him he pushed a wheeled table piled high with hot steaming food; Andre did not ignore the small decanter of Nefagrene placed in the centre.

"I thought as it is now nine o'clock and you have been busy for over three hours, you might be hungry; A Baron has to keep up his strength, to say nothing of young pleasure boys."

"Thank you Conrad, why don't you take the rest of the night off; you must have someone you would like to spend time with?"

"Thank you Andre, but the Councillor will have to approve it first."

"No he won't, as I told him, a Baron trumps a Councillor; now who is your friend?"

"My girl friend, she has not seen much of me for a while but it would be nice to surprise her tonight, we are planning on getting married when my two years are up."

"Why didn't you marry sooner, Conrad?"

"It is against regulations in the security services; to serve you must be single or else it may give someone leverage to threaten you if you have a family."

"I can see the sense in that; so what will you do when you marry?"

"I will have to go out into civilian life and find new work to support us; it won't be too hard though, my time in the security service will give me good standing."

"Well I think I can fix that right here and now; when you leave the service you will come and work for me as my security chief, you know more about what's going on than anyone else and I trust you; so that's all fixed, now go and see your girl, I have a pleasure boy to train."

They could hear Conrad's laughter as he closed the door and walked away from their room. After eating and drinking their fill, the two boys returned to their new favourite game; it lasted well into the early hours of the next morning.

The next two days passed by like something out of a dream world. Each morning, after going through his normal stretching and flexibility exercises: Andre would spend the rest of the day under a torrent of tailors and lessons on Court Protocol.

The tailors had to outfit him for his new position as a Baron of the land and his lessons on protocol were held by both Conrad and Aldred who were familiar with what he would need to know for his meeting with the King.

The security for Andre's penthouse had been increased, it was now almost impossible to enter without going through stringent security checks; the importance of both the diary and himself had become the talk of the day in every city on Pathos.

On the third morning, the operation of getting him and the diary to the Palace City of Geramak safely was in full swing. The security detail looked more like a military invasion force. Heavily armoured vehicles and fully armed troops spread around to cover every avenue that may be used to attack the Baron and his diary.

Nothing was left to chance, Conrad seemed to be everywhere at the same time as he organised the convoy. Andre could only sit in the heavily armoured limousine along with Aldred, and watch the goings on, it was still all beyond his understanding.

The convoy of one hundred security guards stopped only once, as they sat outside the Security Division Headquarters waiting for Leon, the people of the city could only stand and stare at the spectacle.

Leon arrived carrying a steel box and flanked by two more armed security guards. Leon got into the Limousine along with the two guards, placing the steel box by his side he asked Andre.

"Can you place the diary in this box, I know we are safe but I want to take every precaution to keep it safe."

Andre nodded and lifted the diary into the box and watched as Leon snapped a large padlock on to it; with that done, Leon sat back and sighed, the two guards only sat straighter and more alert than ever.

With the Limousine placed at the centre of the large convoy, they left for the Air Pad; the Limousine would drive directly onto the transport and be followed by all the guards on foot; no one and nothing would get near the vehicle.

The flight to Geramak took two hours, at the landing Pad were lined up row after row of Imperial Troops, everyone of them in full battle armour and heavily armed; as the Limousine drove off the transport, every single Trooper snapped to attention, Andre could not believe his eyes.

The Palace city was just that; one single huge Palace. It was set out in concentric rings and covered more than two thousand hectares. Each ring was attached to the next inner one by short wide roads. It all looked like a lot of wagon wheels inside each other and joined by short wide spokes.

Running through the centre was the main boulevard; it was wide enough for ten vehicles to travel side by side and led directly to the central hub. The centre of the hub was the Royal Palace, it also covered an immense area of land and its tall towers could be seen from far off and well before you came in sight of the main city.

Andre was stunned at the size of the Royal Palace city; its only purpose was to house, protect and serve the King, all the surrounding homes and mansions only serviced the main Palace; there were no other industries in the city.

As the limousine progressed up the main boulevard they were surrounded by the heavy troopers of the Palace Guard, for Andre it was all a weird dream; a pleasure boy from the seventh quadrant just did not get to see this sort of thing, let alone be the reason for such high security.

Even though the special guests were expected and had come under the direct orders of the King, they still had to go slowly through all of the four security check points and have their identity checked and confirmed. While this was a little unsettling for Andre, Leon seemed totally at ease; it was evident he had been through all this before.

Finally they arrived at the main Palace gates, the Palace Guards stopped and let the limousine pass through until it came to the long wide stone steps leading up to the huge open doors of the King's Palace.

Andre thought there were about twenty wide steps up to the main doors; down the centre was a red carpet and on each step on either side of the carpet stood three guards in full armour.

With all the spectacle of the Royal Guards and the many attendants, Andre looked down at his own clothes; these were the ones that had been made for him just for this occasion.

His body suit was of fine silver silk, on his shoulders were a pair of epaulets in silver and the fine tassels hung over his slim shoulders; around his waist was a red silk sash. His boots were of the finest black leather and were high enough to almost come up to his knees; it was all topped off with a pair of white silk gloves.

As the limousine door opened, Andre also saw the biggest man he had ever seen. The man had to be nearly seven feet tall and wider than any bull Andre had seen; he was dressed only in long black leather pants and had a wide black leather belt across his bare chest. Fixed to the shoulder belt were four wicked looking knives and in the man's hands he held a large red pillow.

Leon leaned over to Andre and said.

"That's the King's personal assassin, put the diary on the pillow and he will guard it for us; believe me when I say no one will get close to it while he guards it."

Andre stepped close to the towering man and, with shaking hands laid the diary on the pillow; Andre was not sure but he thought he saw a very faint wink from the huge unmoving man, it did not stop Andre's shakes.

Leon, Conrad and Andre were led up the steps by the King's assassin, at each step the six troopers came to attention as they passed. At the top of the last step stood a number of formally suited men; Leon explained they were the court attendants and would take them into the Palace.

Andre was surprised that the thirty young men gathered at the top of the steps bowed to him when he came up in front of the group; the oldest of them was a man dressed in what looked like a fancy red dressing gown but it was very fancy with gold braid all over it; The man held a long black staff with the gold insignia of the Royal Household at the top and a gold cap on the bottom.

When Andre, Leon and Conrad had made it to the top of the steps, this man turned and led them towards the open doorway.

Once inside the massive hall they were led further down until they came to another set of tall wide doors; these were closed but the small group could hear the sound of many voices coming from behind them.

The man with the staff, lifted it up and, with the capped end rapped loudly on the wooden doors three times; it seemed almost immediately that the noise from behind the door ceased; from inside came another loud voice.

"Who seeks audience with the King?"

"Kramar, bearer of the King's Staff, I bring before the King one Andre Severn, claimant to the Barony of Lyre."

"Enter Kramar of the King's Staff."

The huge doors were opened and Andre suddenly caught his breath; even with the huge frame of the King's Assassin standing in front of him, Andre found it hard to believe the size of the huge hall before him. Far above the great hall, Andre could make out that the roof was made totally of glass panes that let in the natural sun light.

At this point the man with the staff began to walk into the great hall, the Assassin stepped to the side so that Andre, flanked by Leon and Conrad could go before him, he then stepped in behind the trio; Andre could feel the power of the man just behind him.

When Andre caught the full sight of the hall before him, he gasped again, he almost wanted to turn around the run for his life; the hall was so long and wide he felt he was alone in some mystic place; on each side in tiers that went ten high, sat all the elite of Pathos; the gold and jewellery alone would have fed every man, woman and child in the seventh quadrant for ten years.

Far down at the end of the great hall sat six men dressed just like Andre except they were wearing a royal blue sash with a gold fitting on it; the chairs they were sitting on looked more like thrones than chairs, only the one in the centre had no one sitting on it, instead there was what looked like a painted picture of a young man; the frame was surrounded with a black cloth; it was too far away for Andre to see the painting clearly.

With steady steps the small group was led forward, Andre could now see the King as he sat on his throne two steps above the seven smaller thrones below. Much to his surprise, Andre saw that the King, whom he had always thought of as an old man, was in fact only in his mid twenties but it was not difficult to see the aura of power that surrounded the young figure.

Finally they were at the base of the King's dais, it was then that Andre for the third time gulped with shock; there looking at him from the painting on the seventh small throne was a picture of himself but about ten years older; Andre almost fainted right then and there except for a gentle hand from Conrad that held him firmly.

From the faint murmurs of surprise around the great hall, it also appeared that every one of the two thousand people also saw the similarity, it took a loud tap of the black staff on the marble floor to stop the murmurs and all fell silent once again.

Kramar began the formalities.

"Your Highness, I present Andre Severn, claimant to the Barony of lyre."

The man stepped aside so that Andre could be seen clearly by the young King; by this time Andre was starting to sweat from the momentous occasion; the King looked down at Andre but gave no indication that he knew the young boy.

"We have seen the results of the searches performed by the Security Office and We have decided that Andre Severn may have a rightful claim; do the Barons of this realm have dispute with these findings?"

It suddenly occurred to Andre that this had all been set up well before he arrived; the youngest of the six Barons stood and bowed to the King.

"Baron Sarkan, you have dispute?"

"Sire, I would know the results of the DNA testing for confirmation?"

"Baron Sarkan, the results were 98% positive."

"Then sire I have no dispute."

The next eldest then stood up.

"Baron Median, you have dispute?"

"Sire, if the DNA result was 98% positive then can we know if the claimant has the ability to dance as did Baron Lyre?"

"Baron Median, We have seen the results of the claimant's talents in this area and we find them undeniable."

The next on line stood up.

"Baron Kraft, you have dispute?"

"Sire, has the claimant been recognised in any written line of descent?"

"Baron Kraft, while We have not seen with Our own eyes the written claim, it has been brought to Our notice by the highest authority in the Department of Security, that the claimant does indeed have written claim."

It was then the turn of the oldest of the Barons to stand.

"Baron Lykon, you have dispute?"

"Sire, we have all inspected the painted likeness of Baron Lyre, the six Barons here assembled have no dispute with the claimant, Andre Severn."

"It is therefore Our duty to inform the claimant, Andre Severn that his claim as heir to the Barony of Lyre is without dispute; it is to be written that on this day We approve and avow that the claimant, Andre Severn, will from this day forward be known as Baron Andre Lyre and shall be entitled to all the estates and titles of that rank. We welcome Baron Andre Lyre to the throne of Pathos.

The man with the staff then stepped aside and directed Andre to take the centre throne, two Guards immediately took the painting of Massam Lyre and carried it up to the King where it was placed reverently on a waiting easel that stood by the side of the King's throne.

Andre was now shaking like a leaf in the wind as he stood before the centre throne, beads of sweat fell from his forehead and his finger tips tingled as though they had electricity running through them.

Before he could be seated, the eldest of the other Barons produced another Royal Blue sash, this he placed over Andre's right shoulder so it hung with the tassels by his left hip. Andre took a quick glance at the sash and the gold medallion attached to it. The medallion was in the shape of a small harp, the elderly Baron whispered to him that it was called a Lyre; each of the other Barons had a different style of pin.

Once he was seated, Conrad and Leon saluted him then stepped to the side of the large stone dais where others waited.

Andre also noticed that the huge Assassin was now kneeling on one knee in front of him but facing the crowd in the huge hall; the King spoke again to everyone assembled in the hall.

"Ladies, Gentlemen and Courtiers, We thank you for your attendance on this momentous day, We would now ask you to allow Us to speak with the Baron in private and would look forward to your attendance at the Dinner and Royal ball tomorrow evening, thank you all."

Everyone stood and bowed to the King before leaving amid a babble of whispers about the young Baron; for Andre it only got more complicated as the man with the Staff, along with the huge Assassin and the other six Barons; led him out of the hall and into a smaller private passageway; Andre was thankful for both Conrad and Leon by his side.

The hall led to another smaller room, there were no windows and only one door that was guarded by four fully armoured guards.

The King led the way inside and his Assassin closed the door behind them all. The room looked more like a comfortable gentlemen's study; heavy leather chairs and fine tables sat around the room; as Andre watched, each Baron seemed to take a particular chair as though it was reserved for him.

Andre was still in something of a daze as he looked around; above him the ceiling seemed to stretch into dark shadows it was so high; he almost missed the King's softly spoken words.

"Come Andre, sit here beside me, this is our special sanctum, in here there are no titles and we can all relax."

Conrad and Leon were ushered towards two plain chairs near the closed doors; the Assassin stood waiting patiently for the King to continue.

"Garahvan, would you place the dairy by the lectern, I'm sure Andre will show us later; now have you selected a protector for our new Baron?"

The Assassin whom finally Andre knew as Garahvan, gave the King an almost imperceptible nod but remained as still as a statue as he stood beside the King's chair.

"Uhm… Your highness… "

"Now Andre, there's no need for titles like I said before; you must understand that the eight of us are responsible for all of Pathos, there are times when we just don't need titles to slow things down; especially in here where we can relax without being overheard."

"Thank you, uhm… "

"Gustavo, call me Gustavo, that's my name, the others you will get to know soon enough."

"Thank you… uhm, Gustavo; but what do I do now?"

"Ah, first you relax, and then we would all like to look at the diary but, before all that we have to get you a Protector."

"A Protector?"

"Yes of course, we can't have our Barons going around without their own Assassin to protect them; we each have a chosen Protector, Garahvan is in charge of selecting and training all of our Assassins; I can assure you that he will find one that is just right for you."

"Uhm Gustavo, I am able to Protect myself, Councillor Leon has had me trained for such events."

"Nonsense young Andre, you are now a Baron of Pathos and it is a part of whom you now are, besides, you would not want to disappoint some young Assassin of your company, would you?"

Andre could only blush at his lack of knowledge about the King's court and its many protocols.

"Now Garahvan, who do you have for young Andre?"

For the first time Andre heard the giant of a man speak; much to his surprise, the voice that came was as soft as a whisper of wind, for such a large strong man his voice was almost lost in the silence.

"Tomach, Sire."

"Really, you would set your first born son as his Protector?"

Again the soft whispering voice spoke.

"Yes Sire, he is now sixteen and should start to earn his keep."

"Of course you have him close by?"

The faintest of smiles flittered across Garahvan's lips as he nodded.

"Well come on, let's see him?"

Somehow Garahvan gave a small metallic click with his fingers; Andre almost missed it but, in the corner of his eye he thought he caught a faint movement high up in the shadows of the vaulted ceiling; it then happened as though the body had just appeared out of thin air; a young teen was kneeling on one knee before the seated men.

The teen's head was bowed but Andre could see he was dressed just like Garahvan, black trousers with long soft boots, naked chest with the wide leather belt carrying four knives, but this time his head was covered with what looked like a black cloth scarf.

At a signal from Garahvan, the teen lifted his head and Andre saw that all he could see of the teen's face were the pair of dark eyes; the rest was covered by the black scarf.

An almost imperceptible whisper from Garahvan and the teen lowered his other knee and lifted his youthful body until he was kneeling upright, a hand placed on each knee as he stared unblinking directly ahead; his eyes showing no emotion what so ever.

In the same whispering voice, Garahvan continued.

"Baron Lyre, I give you my first born son, he is bound to protect you with his very life, do you accept him?"

Andre was so taken aback he could not find his voice, a gentle nudge by the King and he managed to stutter out a soft "Yes"

Garahvan raised his head and seemed to look up into the dark shadowy rafters, in a voice filled with authority he called out loudly and for the first time his voice partially echoed in the room.

"Who bears witness to Tomach the Protector?"

This time Andre did not miss it, the deep shadows of the high rafters came alive as six similarly clad men seemed to appear kneeling on the floor, three on each side of the young teen. Garahvan continued in his new strong voice so everyone could hear each word.

"Tomach, first born of my sons, do you accept the duty of Protector of our King's chosen, Baron Lyre, until your death?"

Tomach did not say a word but instead drew one of his knives from the shoulder belt and handed it to Garahvan. Garahvan stepped behind the teen and took off the black cloth scarf until everyone could see the teens face.

Like Garahvan the teen was not only hairless but also bald apart from a top knot of hair that flowed behind him, it was kept tightly in place by a number of silver rings; Garahvan's rings were of gold.

Andre was more taken by the teen's dark beauty and his magnificently toned body as well as what appeared to be a substantial bulge in the right place.

Garahvan took hold of the teens top knot and pulled the young head back until the teens eyes were staring right at Andre, the gleam of the razor sharp knife was not missed by anyone watching.

Garahvan continued once again.

"Brothers of the code, do you swear to do your duty should Tomach fail in his?"

At this each of the other six stood up and seemingly flowed past the kneeling teen, it was done so quickly and with such expertise, that none of the Barons even saw the movements but, when it was over, Tomach had six thin cuts on his face, three on each cheek bone that dripped a small amount of blood down his chin.

It was then that Andre got the biggest shock; without thought, Garahvan pulled the teens head back further and ran the razor sharp knife across his throat, Tomach never so much as flinched as the cold steel cut his flesh.

Andre could not believe what he was seeing although had he watched the other Barons he may have got an inkling of the procedure.

Andre was in a daze as he looked at the bleeding teen, the boy was beautiful in a masculine way, every muscle and sinew rippled with power and speed but it was now marred by the six thin cuts on his cheek and the long thin slice around his young neck.

It suddenly dawned on Andre that the cut on Tomach's throat was not as bad as it first seemed, it was just deep enough to draw blood but not do any real damage, Garahvan was certainly an expert with the sharp blade.

Next Garahvan presented Andre with the hilt of the knife, Tomach's blood was still fresh on the blade; the King whispered in Andre's ear.

"Take the knife and then offer it back to Tomach, it will tell him that you accept him."

Andre did as he was told, when Tomach took hold of the knife he bowed over Andre's hand; suddenly Tomach looked up in fear at Andre but he did not let go of the small hand he was holding. Tomach gave a long glance at Garahvan, it was as though he was conversing telepathically with the huge man.

After a few seconds, Tomach let go of Andre's hand and then took his place beside his chair but there was still a look of confusion in his young eyes, Garahvan took up the conversation on his son's behalf.

"Baron Lyre, your Protector would like to know how you can carry the venom of a Starburst Scorpion in your blood, he smelt it when close to your hand?"

Andre felt his face heat up as he blushed, was he allowed to tell them his secret or would he be breaking his vow to Leon; Andre looked over at Leon where he sat quietly in his chair; Leon gave him a slight nod to say it was alright to tell these men his secret.

"Councillor Sadan had me modified for the purpose of my own defence, the Scorpion venom was one of those modifications."

Garahvan smiled at him and nodded, he then took his place beside the King; Andre noticed a look of awe on Tomach's face as the teen looked up at him; Andre could only blush a little brighter.

"Well young Baron Lyre, you are certainly full of surprises; now let's talk of other things. As you know We are having a reception and ball in your honour tomorrow night, would it be too much to ask you to dance for us at some time during the evening?"

Andre was taken aback by the request but he knew he would not refuse; at least these powerful men would still let him dance when he wanted to.

"Yes Sire, it would be my pleasure."

"Gustavo, please Andre, now down to other business. I have had my people investigate the goings on of those men that were meant to be the executors of Massam Lyre's estate; it appears I might have to come to you for a loan if I need it. It seemed only fair that everything they took from your estate is returned to its rightful owner; that's you."

The King paused for breath before continuing.

"Over the last three hundred years, since the untimely death of Massam Lyre, your estate has accrued quite a fortune, both in land and credits; of course it will now be well boosted by the confiscation of everything the executors stole from you as well. Up to this point I can tell you that you hold lands in the Southern Continent that cover some 80,000 square kilometres. Here on this Continent you hold the Barony of Lyre; that equates to some 50,000 hectares as well as large holdings in both the sixth and seventh quadrant of the city of Pathos."

The King paused again as he got his facts right before proceeding.

"With the confiscation of the executors estates, you now own properties including palaces, mansions and apartments in all the other quadrants of the city of Pathos; to make it a little more simple Andre, you now hold more wealth than any other individual on the entire planet of Pathos; congratulations and I hope you will give me a loan when I need it."

The shock that Andre felt meant he did not hear the laughter of the King as he finished his summing up of Andre's wealth; for Andre everything suddenly went dark; it was sometime later he heard the concerned voice of Leon whispering to him.

"It's ok Andre, you just fainted, do you feel better now, can you get up?"

Andre realised he was laying down on the floor of the room, all the Barons and the King were standing around him as he came to; he reached up and loosened his tight collar; the wonder never left him, a pleasure boy from the seventh quadrant was now the richest person on Pathos; he could still not get his head around it all.

Once Andre felt better and was back in his chair next to the King, Gustavo smiled at him and continued on.

"Now Andre, I have to leave you in the capable hands of your new friends; I need to begin preparations for the reception. The Barons will tell you all you need to know from here on. I have had Massam Lyre's Palace prepared for you as it is now yours; it is where you will stay when in the city on business. Now I must get away, thank you for coming to see me. One more thing before I go; can you show me the entries of descent in the diary?"

"Of course Gustavo, it will be my pleasure."

Andre got to his feet and led the small group to the lectern, checking that his new gloves were still clean; he opened the diary at the last page. First the King then the Barons looked down the list of names, smiling and nodding as they recognised some of them.

"They are all here, even Konra Karl."

"He is one I don't know Gustavo, who was he?" Andre asked the King.

"You really don't know who most of these people are, do you?"

"No, mother never spoke of them."

"Gentlemen, let's return to our chairs; business can wait, our little friend needs some history lessons."

Once everyone was re-seated, the King began his story.

"As you know, this all happened in the time of Gustav the 2^nd; his eldest son, the Prince Regent, first in line for the throne, was called Tellac. When he was still a young boy and, in the fashion of the time, he was given the opportunity to select a young play mate; his play mate was of course, Massam Lyre. He was only eight years old at that time but already quite an accomplished dancer as well as a pleasure boy. In those days the boys started very young. Massam was from what was then known as the fourth quadrant, so your upbringing was very similar. The fourth quadrant in those days was much like the seventh today."

The King paused before continuing.

"Tellac was immediately taken by Massam's ability and beauty, as you can see for yourself in the portrait he looks very much like you in every way. Now where was I, oh yes; now Tellac spent every waking hour with Massam until it became impossible to see them apart and, of course they were soon inseparable bed mates as well; as time passed, the two of them grew only closer. The story I have heard is that Massam started this diary at age fourteen; Tellac was then sixteen and had been given his first wife. In those days as now, a wife was purely for the continuation of the line; Massam was always Tellac's first love and remained so even after Tellac took a second and third wife."

Again a short pause then the King went on.

"Now as to the diary and its entries, all the words and descriptions were those of Massam but, the drawings were actually done by Tellac; he was renowned for his art work, especially with a single hair brush. The end came for both of them under very unusual circumstances; King Gustav the 2^nd was gravely ill, everyone did not expect him to live much longer and so Tellac was due to take the throne on his death. Tellac was now thirty and Massam was twenty eight; they still spent every night together as they had done since boyhood and that was how they were found. They were wrapped in each other's arms when the servants went in the next morning but both were dead. This has never been released to the public so it must not leave this room, even after all this time. Tellac's second brother, Konrad, took the throne; for Massam there was only his young sister left and she could not hold his Barony so it went to the executors."

Another pause and then the King went on again.

"Now as far as our records go, some generations later, Konra Karl appeared although he was never recognised as a descendant of Massam Lyre. It had been a long time since the passing of Massam and Tellac so no one connected them together. Konra as it turned out was also an excellent dancer and became a very popular boy around the court of the day. He was only fifteen when he was noticed by the Royal Family and invited to dance at a reception for the Royal court; he never made it. There have been many theories about how or why but one thing is certain, on his way to the Palace to dance, he was waylaid by someone unknown and murdered in the street before he could perform. As he was from the fourth quadrant it was taken no further, it was just one of those things that can happen; now I am not so sure it was that simple seeing his name here raises some doubts in my mind."

"I know that every dance that Massam created and performed is written in that diary; can you perform them as well?"

"Yes Gustavo, mother trained me in all of them but of course the Terrasan's are my favourites."

"That's good to hear, they are my favourites as well. Did you also know that more than 50% of all dances today were created by Massam Lyre?"

"No, mother never told me that, I thought they were in the book as a reminder for teaching."

"No they were all his creations, that's why it was deemed to be an historical treasure; when it was never found, even though it was known of, it caused such an uproar; its loss and the death of Massam and Tellac nearly brought the continents to a state of war. The only thing that stopped any war was the fact it could not be found anywhere; no one guessed it had been placed in the hands of Massam's only living relative, his sister; it must have been her that kept it for the descendants and now you have it back in its rightful place."

Andre was to stunned to take any more in, the revelations on this day would keep his mind awake for days to come but for now, he had to get some rest, there had been just too much for him to take in all at one sitting.

The King could easily see that Andre was overwhelmed, with a smile and a shake of Andre's hand; he left the Barons alone to help the new Baron Lyre find his feet.

The informal meeting soon broke up and, with his Protector Tomach leading the way, he was shown a hidden passage from the room with the proviso that he could use it any time he wanted to get from his Palace to the Kings when required; he was told that no one apart from the King and the seven Barons knew of the hidden passage for security reasons and ease of movements by those same eight persons; of course now that also included Conrad and Leon but they were also sworn to secrecy.

The underground passage did not go as far as Andre thought it would before they came to a division in the passageway; Tomach led them down the left passage and soon came to a great steel door; it took very little to push it open and, after Tomach had gone through to make sure it was clear for his Baron to come through, they all passed into Andre's new home in Geramak, Massam Lyre's original palace.

One glance at the opulence that greeted him and Andre felt he could not take any more; the world around him went black for the second time that day.

Andre's eyes cracked open in an unfamiliar room; behind him he could feel a lithe young, firm body, its boyhood firmly planted between his buns; in front he could see the familiar shape of Aldred's head, his smaller body spooned in close to Andre's. Andre could also feel the tight dampness surrounding his own boyhood; Aldred had already started something and so Andre did not waste the opportunity. The effect of his movements soon had the body behind him following his own actions and, by the large feel he was getting as it bumped his own hole, the body expected entrance; Andre complied.

It was an hour later when they all surfaced for a rest; Andre was very happy that Tomach had joined them in the bed, it seemed the young Assassin was going to protect more than just Andre's life.

Andre sat up amid a few groans and giggles; he did not recognise the huge room he was in. As far as he could judge, the large circular room had to be close to 20 metres in diameter. All the wall panels were dark and no outside light entered; the ceiling was made like a dome and was high above them; it also had the dark panels that blacked out any light. This made Andre think it was still night time; he was soon in for a shock.

"What time is it and where am I?" Andre asked the two boys in bed with him; it was Tomach that answered.

"We are in your bedroom and it's now midday."

"Midday! But it's as black as pitch out there, you must be wrong."

"No I'm not, the windows are charged with a magnetic power source, it means it can alter the amount of light coming into the room, it might come in handy when you bath or everyone will see your boy bits." Tomach laughed as he rose from the bed to walk over to the sunken bath beside one of the glassed walls.

The bedroom was unusual, not only in its size but in its configuration; The huge round bed was at the centre of the room; the sunken crescent shaped bath was by one set of panels; on the other side was what appeared to be a lounging area; Andre could see no sign of any wardrobes or clothes closets.

"Where are my clothes?"

"Get up and walk over there behind the top of the bed, just ask the Palace computer to raise your closets; it's been programmed to your voice already."

Andre walked over to where he had been told by Tomach, in an unsure voice he said.

"Closets."

A faint hum came to his ears and, from the floor at his feet rose four wide closets, their glass fronts showing all the clothes neatly lined up on hangers and racks; Andre had no idea where they all came from, he was certain he had not bought them at any time in the past.

"Whose clothes are these?"

"Yours and ours, your Security Chief went shopping while you slept the night and half the day away." The laughter in Aldred's voice was unmistakeable.

For Andre it was easy to pick out which closet belonged to which person; Aldred's clothes were all outrageous designs and colours; Tomach's were simple and all black, the six pairs of long trousers which seemed to be made from something resembling fine leather; six pairs of calf length black boots with soft soles that made his movements soundless, even on cold hard marble; and finally six turban like head wear with a long length of black clothe to cover his face. Hanging on a hook was a spare knife belt and a number of small black boxes sat on a separate shelf.

The last two closest were for Andre, they included what looked to be fine clothes for special occasions along with many pairs of boots and shoes. In the second closet were a large number of dance costumes as well as more everyday wear; it seemed that Conrad had been very busy.

"So what do I have to do now?" Andre asked the other two.

"We bath first then some lunch; after that you have to select your Palace staff, by then it will be time for you to get ready for the King's reception," Tomach replied

"Do you think that Aldred can come to the reception with me?"

"Yes of course but, he will have to sit at another table, you will be with the King and the Barons at the top table, they will all have their wives with them. Colonel Conrad and Councillor Sadan will also be up there as they are now considered your sponsors."

"But Aldred is very special to me, why can't he sit with me?"

"Because he does not have a recognised place in your family; wait, there is one way you could do it and stay within Royal protocol."

"What way?"

"Have him declared as your consort, that way he can go where ever you go and be accepted by the King's court as a legitimate member of your entourage; just as I am. I will be standing behind you as your Protector just like the others will do with their Barons."

"That sounds good, how do I go about it?"

"After we bath, you have to call his father here, when he arrives you tell him that you wish to take Aldred as your consort; if he agrees, and I see no reason he wouldn't, then you bed Aldred right then so his Father can see you have the full intention of having him share your bed and life."

"Is that all, I just have to have sex with his son in front of him to make it official?" while the words were easy to say there was still hesitation in the revelation he would have to perform in front of Leon.

"Yes, mostly, it will have to be recorded on the security records so he can move about with you, but once you have fulfilled all of the requirements then he is your consort, he goes where you go except for one place."

"Where is that?"

"The private chamber of the King and Barons, the one you were in yesterday. Only the King and the Barons along with their Protectors are allowed in there; yesterday Councillor Sadan and Colonel Conrad were given an exemption because of your circumstances."

"Ok I see; well Aldred, are you game and most of all do you want to be my consort?"

"Of course I do, you know I love you with all my being."

"I think he loves your mighty weapon more." Tomach laughed as Aldred blushed; Andre jumped into the bath before they saw the redness of his own cheeks.

As it turned out, an hour later and with Aldred having to take a second bath, Leon was overjoyed to let him go as Andre's consort, the day had been a good one so far; Andre now only had one more duty to perform before he dressed for the important reception. Tomach had told him he would have to spend a few hours selecting his staff for the Palace; they would have to be here and on duty whether Andre was in residence or not. Andre was starting to find that being a Baron of the realm was not as easy as he thought it might be.

When the three boys finally got down stairs from the fourth floor where Andre's bedroom was situated, he was surprised to see more than fifty young people waiting for him; all were well dressed and stood like statues as the trio walked in.

"Where did they all come from and why so many?"

"They are all sons and daughters of servants that work in other Palaces; they are trained from a young age to serve. The Barons and I am sure the King also, has sent them over so you can select some as you own personal staff," Tomach replied.

"But I don't even know how many I need, I haven't even seen the entire Palace yet; how can I make a selection without knowing that?"

"Well if you will let me help you; you will need about six for the kitchen and another four servers; next you will need about twenty for the many bedrooms and then another six or eight for the cleaning staff; finally you will need at least five gardeners and two chauffeurs."

"That must be nearly everyone here?"

"That's right, they have already been selected by the Barons and approved by Councillor Sadan but the final decision is yours."

"But how do I know what to tell them all; I've never run a house let alone a Palace before."

Tomach looked at the large group of waiting servants, seeing one that was a little older than the rest and seemed to be standing a little off from the others; he whispered in Andre's ear.

"The older man, the one that looks to be about 25 years old, ask him his name and position; I think he will be the one to run the Palace for you."

Andre nodded and looked at the oldest of the young group.

"Sir what is your name and position?"

"Platon Sir, I am trained as a butler, Sir."

Andre glanced at Tomach and got a small nod in return.

"Thank you Mr. Platon, will you take over and get the staff to their places, I will be relying on you to keep the Palace in order."

"Yes Sir, and thank you Sir, I will not let you down; if I may Sir, there is one small thing that I should raise to your notice?"

"Yes Mr. Platon?"

"I am just Platon, Sir, I am here to serve your household and there is no need to give title to my name Sir."

"Thank you… er… Platon, I'll try to remember that."

"Thank you Sir, now if you will excuse me, I will get everyone to work; and thank you Sir for your confidence in us."

True to his word, Platon the new butler soon had everyone else scurrying for their places of work; Andre's Palace now had a staff and started to sound like a well ordered home.

The time to leave for the King's Palace was now upon them; Andre was again dressed in his full formal Baron's clothes; the blue sash on his small frame seemed a little extreme but there was no other way.

Aldred was now his official Consort and wore clothes similar to Andre's so that his station was plain for all to see. Tomach was of course dressed all in black and had his long black scarf covering all his face except for the dark eyes.

In the limousine they were accompanied by Conrad as his security chief, he would also be inside the Palace and within calling distance of Andre.

The armed guard consisted of five cars of fully armed and armoured security guards; Andre was grateful that the diary was still under guard in the King's private rooms, it was one less thing to worry about.

When they arrived at the King's Palace, it came as a shock to Andre's already overloaded mind; the whole front of the Palace had been dressed up the likes of which Andre could not even imagine in his wildest dreams.

Everywhere he looked there were uniformed footmen; further back and partially hidden were hundreds of armoured guards of the King's Regiment; Andre wondered what the cost of this one night would be; the more he saw, the more he wanted to do something for those left behind in the sixth and seventh quadrants.

It became a small game for him as he was ushered with bows and whispers up the wide marble steps and into the Palace. All along the wide entrance passage, stood uniformed footmen as well as troopers dressed in the old style of uniform from when the Planet was first being settled 350 years ago.

At the large metal doors of the ball room where the reception and entertainment was to be held, Andre was stopped by the same man with the black staff; the elderly man smiled at Andre and then, with a somewhat devious gin on his old face, he winked at Andre and softly whispered.

"Congratulations on your Consort, he's a truly beautiful boy."

Andre smiled and whispered back.

"I think so too."

The man lifted the staff and knocked three times; this time the doors opened and Andre saw the full reception hall for the first time.

The elderly man stepped inside and loudly called out.

"Your Highness, Baron Andre Lyre and Consort."

Much to Andre's surprise, the great hall which was packed to capacity with the elite of Pathos, all came to their feet and a thunderous applause started as he was ushered into the huge hall.

Andre tried to hide his embarrassment as he and Aldred, with Tomach close behind, began the long walk down the length of the great hall; Andre glanced at the marble floor and, much to his surprise, saw that the milky whiteness was shot through with what looked like pure gold flecks; his feet tingled at the idea of dancing on such a surface.

The King's table seemed so far away as the pair walked amid the tumultuous applause; the very air reeked of power, wealth and position, these were the highest placed of all the elite.

At the King's table sat the six other Barons, three on each side of the King, the seventh chair was empty and was placed on the King's right hand; Andre saw that another empty chair was placed beside his own for Aldred. The Barons chairs were again like smaller thrones and the King's larger; Andre and Aldred were ushered around the end of the table and to his place beside the King.

The King was first to speak to him.

"Welcome Baron, how do you like your first banquet?"

"I'm a little overwhelmed Sire."

"Oh you'll get used to it, and this must be the lucky young man that is your Consort; congratulations young Sadan, you are a very lucky young man."

"Thank you Sire." Aldred replied.

"Now tell me Baron, are we going to have the pleasure of watching you dance later in the evening?"

Andre blushed as he realised the great hall had become totally silent while the exchange between himself and the King had been taking place; with reddened cheeks he replied.

"As you Highness commands, it would be my pleasure Sire."

"Oh, excuse me Baron, it was not a command; even though we all here tonight would be more than thrilled to see you perform, I could never command one of my Barons; honestly it is your decision, we all realise you have had to take in so much in only a few short days; if you would rather rest and perform at some later date, we would understand the reason."

"No your Highness, I would truly like to dance for you; the marble floor intrigues me and it almost feels as though I am being drawn to it."

"It's no wonder that you are Baron, this is the very surface that Massam Lyre danced on when he performed the first and only Royal Terrasan; did you know that it was danced, not for the King but for his Prince?"

"No Sire, is that really true, he created the Royal Terrasan for the Prince and not the King?"

"Very true, and it was on this very floor that he performed it, so it is little wonder you are drawn to it; now who would you like to play for you; I have assembled some of the best flute players for you to select."

"Perhaps I could see them first, it takes time for a good player to prepare the music for the dance?"

"I'll have them brought in for you to select one."

The King turned and whispered to a waiting page boy; while they waited, the general conversation around the great hall started up again.

Andre looked about, even now he felt small among all these powerful people; the tables were set out around the edge of the large floor space, they were huge round tables that could hold as many as twenty people on each one; from his place at the semi circular table of the King, he could easily see most of them; they seemed to stretch forever around the great hall.

On his own table, Andre saw the other Barons, like himself they had a smaller chair beside them on which sat their wives or, in the case of the youngest Baron, his Consort; Andre felt a little better that he was not the only one to be accompanied by a young Consort.

The hall hushed as ten men were ushered into the great hall, most of them were smartly dressed in the latest fashion; Andre noted that one of the men at the end of the line, was dressed simply; Andre smiled to himself, the man looked as though he had tried to dress as best he could but it was obvious he did not have the credits to spend on fancy clothes like the others.

Andre looked a little closer at the older man; he almost felt sorry for the man as he was obviously uncomfortable in the presence of so many of the elite.

Andre listened to the resume of each player as the king told him who and where they were from; Andre listened politely but he had already made up his mind.

At the call of the older man's name, the King turned to Andre and asked.

"So Baron, who do you fancy as your player?"

"The flautist at the end, Grogan Link."

"May I ask why, when you have some of the finest players in Geramak?"

"He was the man who played for me in Pathos at the dinner; he is pitch perfect and knows how to make the notes dance in the air; can I ask where he is from?"

"Why he comes from the sixth quadrant of your own home town of Aragon; didn't you know?"

"No, but after tonight I would like him to be appointed as my official flautist for any future dancing of the Royal Terrasan."

"Done, he shall be your official flautist if he shows he is as good as you say; don't get me wrong, I am not doubting your word, but I would like to hear him for myself if I am to appoint him to such a position."

"Then I agree Sire."

The King rose from his throne like chair and the hall fell immediately into silence.

"The Baron Lyre has selected his flautist and will dance for us later in the evening; the flautist is to be Grogan Link; Master Link, if you would like to retire to prepare, we will look forward to your performance."

Andre watched as Grogan's shocked look showed on his face; it was obvious he did not expect to be selected among all the finely dressed others from some of the best families in the realm; just in time he remembered the instructions he had been given before entering the great hall; with a low bow to the King, Grogan left the hall with the others.

The dinner went on for two hours; Andre ate very sparingly, it would not do his dancing any good to be over stuffed; beside him Aldred ate a little more but also did not get carried away as some of the guests were doing.

The King spent most of his time talking to both of them; it began to feel like a good friendly family affair and not the formal banquet it was; Andre was thankful for that, he did not need more pressure on him just now.

The last courses had been served when the King asked.

"You eat so little Andre, is the food too rich for you?"

"No Sire, it's just that as I am about to dance for you I cannot afford a full belly, it will make me sluggish; I do not want to give a bad performance for you."

"Aha, a very wise head on such young shoulders; I truly wish there were more like you Andre."

"Your Highness, if you would excuse me now, I must go and prepare."

"Of course." The king rapped loudly on the table top; the noise stopped almost immediately as he stood up.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Ambassadors and Barons, our young friend Baron Lyre is going to leave us to prepare. Tonight you will all be witness to the rebirth of Massam Lyre's Royal Terrasan to be performed by his only living descendant; I would ask you all to relax and prepare for what I am sure will be the experience of your lives."

The huge crowd clapped and called out good wishes as Andre rose from the table accompanied by Aldred; the King touched Andre's hand to make him pause before leaving.

"And who are you dancing for young Andre?"

"Why you Sire, you and Aldred."

"Good, Massam danced for his love and so must you."

Andre felt a little better now as he and Aldred took a hidden doorway behind the great table; as he stepped through the door he saw Grogan Link standing in the large room, in one hand he held the simple Sheppard's flute he had used last time but, this time he had a younger teen with him; the teens features were easy to trace to Grogan.

"My Lord Baron," Grogan began. "This is my third son Bertram, will you allow him to play alongside me; he is very talented and can well play the counter notes; My Lord I would not normally ask this, but I was hoping that one day he would take my place if the chance came."

"Master Grogan, I would be honoured to have your son play for me."

Grogan Link smiled with gratitude, then both he and his son bowed and went to stand by the door ready to enter the great hall when called upon.

Andre went to his small shoulder bag for his dance costume; with Aldred helping, he was soon dressed and ready; the King had sent a gold cape for him, but at the last moment Andre put on his original silver one; he only hoped the King would not be upset by his decision but he just felt better with the fine silken silver cape.

When they were all ready, a footman appeared and took them down long passageways until they came, once again, to the main doors into the great hall; the doors stood open although six guards stood three on a side protecting it.

Grogan had this time brought a small red mat, it was just big enough for two to sit on it; Aldred asked to carry it in for them.

As the crowded hall grew silent, Aldred walked in alone carrying the mat; at the middle of the hall , he stopped and lay the mat down as he had been told by Grogan; it was in the middle of the large floor; Aldred placed the mat then went to take his chair beside the King once again.

In the hushed silence of the great hall, everyone felt the expectations of what was to come; the silence was only broken by soft whispers as they all saw, not one, but two flautist walk into the hall; it was obviously causing some speculation as the Royal Terrasan, as everyone knew, was danced with only one flautist.

Grogan led his son to the mat; both bowed low to the King and then, instead of sitting side by side as might be expected; they took a seat facing each other across the small mat. Grogan began the first notes once they were properly settled.

Outside in the passageway, Andre heard the first notes, they were then touched with counter notes and, in that instant; Andre realised the full meaning of the Terrasan; the second flute brought a new understanding of Massam's greatest work.

Again it was as though Andre was carried away to another place, those first simple and yet complex notes made his blood hum and his body reacted instinctively; the counter notes of young Bertram seemed to awaken something new in Andre.

As he entered the hall with the first movements of the Royal Terrasan, the golden flecks in the milky marble seemed to take a new form; each group of golden spots formed in his mind as steps; from then on his mind took over his body; his bare feet followed the golden steps around the large hall. Andre was being guided by an unseen hand as he danced; the music ebbed and flowed like never before and all Andre could do was be led by it.

When the final notes sounded and Andre went into the last stance before sinking to the floor in the classical ending; the crowd of dignitaries could only stare in disbelief at what they had just witnessed.

For fully a minute there was not a sound in the great hall; two thousand people had never been silenced in such a way; it then began as a gasp of breath and escalated into a roar or cries and applause as the people returned to the here and now.

In times to come, some would say they were transported to another world on the night they saw the true magic of the Royal Terrasan danced by a reincarnated Massam Lyre.

Even the King himself could not stop the cheers and clapping after the dance; on nearly every face were the tear tracks from the more sad parts of the dance and yet, the clapping and cheering went on and on.

When Andre could finally look up from his position on the floor; the first thing he saw were the tears in the eyes of both Grogan and Bertram; it was evident they had seen what the last movement of the Royal Terrasan truly meant.

Had Massam had a premonition about he and his lover's imminent death that he finished his finest dance with such an ending? None would ever know but Andre had his suspicions.

There was such an uproar in the hall that no one noticed Aldred run from the King's table and down onto the floor where he helped Andre to his feet; he was also assisted by both Grogan and Bertram, although they were also showing the signs of strain caused by their playing.

The two flautists were dressed in plain brown cotton shirts as most were that came from the sixth quadrant, they would have had little else to wear; the shirts were saturated with perspiration and hung on their bodies like wet sheets; their faces were drawn and a little gaunt from their exertions; it was no mean feat to play for three hours and in front of the elite of Pathos.

The king finally restored order by the use of his man with the black staff; when silence reigned once again, the King left his throne like chair and stepped to the front of the curved table where it was placed two steps above the rest of the hall.

"Baron Lyre, we are speechless; all I can say is your earlier wish is valid and will be fulfilled. Grogan Link, Bertram Link, please step forward."

Father and Son did as they were asked and stepped up to the bottom of where the King stood.

"We, by the power vested in us, hereby declare and decree that Grogan Link and Bertram Link shall be hereafter known as Masters of Music by Royal Appointment and, that they receive all benefits and titles assured by such. It is also to be noted that they are to be presented with a Royal Stipend of 10,000 credits per year for life and attached to the Barony of Lyre under the protection of Baron Andre Lyre."

The two men could not find any words but could only stand like statues as the King began to clap with the crowd soon joining with him; Andre and Aldred were the first to congratulate the two as the King looked down with a wide smile on his face.

"Baron Lyre, perhaps you could join the other Barons and myself for a few minutes."

Andre bowed and somehow found the strength to follow the King who was trailed by the other Barons, to the hidden room; everyone else went back to the top table as the conversations around them went on about seeing the dance and what it all meant to each of them.

Grogan and Bertram were escorted to the closest table to the Kings, it also held most of the Councillors of Pathos; it was Leon that was the first to shake their hands and call them by their new titles.

In the private chamber, the first thing Andre saw were four large trunks lined up on the floor; when the King and the other Barons had taken their seats and before Andre could sit; the King said.

"One moment Andre, I'm afraid you have some business to take care of first. Those four trunks hold all the titles to your lands and properties; everything that you have including all of what we recovered from those lawyers. Now I need you to take possession of them with a signature, we will be the witnesses; there is one other thing first though."

The king reached to the small table beside him and took up an oblong box; after opening the box, he gestured for Andre to stand before him. When the box was opened, Andre could plainly see two large gold rings; one was set with a bright red carved stone; the other was plain gold but had another design carved into the gold.

The King took up a tightly rolled scroll; after unrolling it to its fullest extent; he began to read out loud.

"I Gustavos, King of Pathos; do hereby avow that the seals of the Barony of Lyre are tendered to the hands of Baron Andre Lyre, being the Signet Crest of Lyre and the Coat of Arms of the Barony of Lyre; by my hand and signature on this day."

The King rerolled the scroll and handed it to Andre; next he took up the solid gold ring and placed it on the forefinger of Andre's right hand; with that done, the King took out the second ring and placed it on the small finger of his right hand; with all the actions complete, the King smiled and shook Andre's hand.

"Well that now makes it fully official; you have your crest and coat of arms; next are the scrolls of title; they are all in those four chests for you to look over."

Andre went to the first chest; it looked as though it would take at least two full grown men to carry it. Andre knelt down and grasped the small handle at the base of the front panel; lifting the panel upwards, he watched as it rolled into the upper side of the chest.

With the front now open, Andre could see the chest held a mass of small square box shelves; in each box was a rolled scroll and showing on the end of the scroll was the imprint of his new Crest. The small boxes were ten across and six deep; there were sixty scrolls in this one chest.

"The other three hold the rest of your deeds as well as the honours and titles presented to Massam which are now yours by right; I will have them delivered to your Palace tonight; at some time in the future you may want to look them over."

Andre could only nod his head at what the King had said; somehow he had now become the holder of two hundred and forty properties; the ones he felt the most interest in were those held in the sixth and seventh quadrant; during the night he had thought it all over and a plan had formed for the use of the two quadrants properties.

For the next hour they all sat and relaxed; the Barons talked to Andre on what he could expect as a Baron of the realm and that he could always call on any of them for help when needed; the King also told him he would be there and all Andre had to do was call him.

It was early in the morning hours when the reception wound down; Andre was glad when he was able to make his break away; his dance had gone well and the discussions in private with the King had been very revealing; all he had to do now was find where his vault was; his own Palace was still much of a mystery to him.

When they eventually walked in the front doors of his Palace; Andre saw Platon waiting patiently for him; beside Platon stood four young footmen with the four large boxes from the King's Palace sitting between them.

"Welcome home My Lord, these were delivered while you were out; where would you like them placed?"

"They are to go in the vault, just as soon as I find it Platon."

"Very good My Lord; do you wish for me to show you the vaults now or, would you prefer to rest and see them in the light of day?"

"Tomorrow morning will be soon enough Platon; just make sure they are under guard during the rest of the night."

"Very good My Lord, they will be kept secure until morning; if there is nothing else My Lord, I will say good night."

"Thank you Platon, yes good night; we will see you tomorrow."

Andre led the other two towards the large bedroom; all three were ready for bed; it had been a long and eventful night.

It was midday before Andre awoke; after an interesting bath with Aldred and a solid pummelling massage by Tomach; Andre was feeling more like his old self; all he needed now was to stop the rumbling in his empty stomach; it had been some time since he had eaten sparingly at the reception.

With the meal over; Andre led his small band out into the foyer once again; the four large boxes were now under guard by two heavily armed troopers.

"Have you found the vaults, Platon?"

"Yes My Lord, if you will be so kind as to come this way?"

Platon led the group of three down the long passage until they came to a large solid door; taking a pass key-card from his vest, Platon opened the door and then led the trio downwards.

The stone steps seemed to go on forever but in fact it was only a few minutes; at the bottom they were met with what looked like a glass wall; there seemed to be no way past it and only a small tubular stand with a blank panel gave any indication of its use.

"The access is by biometric reading, My Lord; no one but Massam Lyre can enter but, if you would like to try and it is not accepted then we will have to get the security people in to open the door."

Andre walked to the reader and placed his hand on the clear panel; as the vault was made when the Palace had been built, which was in the time of Massam Lyre; Andre did not expect any result. After he had placed his right hand on the reader surface, Andre got the distinct feeling of his hand being sucked into the reader although this was an illusion; the reader was biometric and the computer voice soon told him the result.

DNA reading, 98%, welcome Massam Lyre, please wait while security system 1 evacuates the room.

Andre was just as shocked as the others; the computer had read him as being Massam Lyre; all they could do was stand and watch as the faintly greenish yellow mist in the opposite room was sucked out through ventilators; when the room looked clear, the voice came back.

Please place your left hand on the reader for secondary verification.

Andre followed instructions; again the voice spoke.

Verification accepted, Massam Lyre, Baron of Pathos, you may enter.

The thick clear glass door opened and Andre, Aldred and Tomach, along with Platon, walked through; Andre noticed the residual smell of the tinted gas before the others did; even Tomach was taken aback when he recognised it; the gas had been a vaporized version of Sunburst Scorpion Venom.

Once inside the narrow room, the small group were met with a large and thick steel door, again the lock was biometric; Andre saw the reader was twice the size; it could mean only one thing; Andre placed both hands on the reader and waited.

Confirmed reading, DNA 98%, Baron Massam Lyre, welcome, you have access.

There were some heavy thuds inside the steel door as the locking bars were released; next the door divided in two, each half sliding back into the wall to reveal a long, wide vault; at the far end was another clear glass room just like the first one.

On the right hand side of the vault was a walkway about three feet wide; on the left were row after row of tall shelves; apart from the shelves attached to the front and rear wall, the rest were back to back with about three feet between each set.

Stacked on the shelves were metal oblong boxes, each on a small set of wheeled runners; they were ten inches wide, two feet long and about four inches high; each box was numbered.

Out of curiosity, Andre pulled out one of the boxes and opened the metal lid; like the others he could only stand and stare at the contents; two even rows of gold plaques sat in the box, Andre estimated there were one hundred plaques to a side. Andre let the lid slam shut as he stepped back and looked down the long row of shelves; even seeing it all he could still not understand the total value of what was stored here.

Andre opened the lid again and took one of the gold plaques from the box, one glance and he knew they were from the almost beginning of Pathos; today the credits were marked with their value; in the time of Massam Lyre they would have been blank like these; in those days the value of a credit could fluctuate with the value of the metal or trade of a planet so they were never marked.

It was only one hundred years ago that the Galactic Council had set a common value on the credit; these were all unmarked and so were worth not only their known value but also as ancient currency which made them very collectable and worth far more than their face value.

Andre gulped as he realised what he had come across and there was still another room at the far end; replacing the old credit plaque back in its box; Andre pushed it back and headed for the far end; he was now interested in what lay in the next vault.

Once he was in front of the glass wall with the same greenish yellow mist behind it; Andre looked for the reader; this time he saw something different; this reader was an optic scan; Andre knew he was now in trouble; every one's eyes were different, he would not be able to get past the computer security this time; with little hope of success; Andre stepped up and placed his face against the reader so that his eyes were looking right into the small holes on its surface.

There came a light humming and then a flash of light; Andre blinked then stepped back; he did not feel much hope as the computer analysed its readings, then came the hollow voice.

Optic scan complete; eleven of twelve markers verified; welcome Baron Lyre; please wait while security system 2 evacuates the room.

The small group waited as the strange gas was ventilated once again, when it looked clear the computer came on again.

Please verify code word access.

Now Andre knew he was screwed, only Massam would have known the code word; it now appeared they would not be looking inside the last vault; Andre would now have to find out what to do to gain access and reset the computer system; as he stood in bewilderment; Aldred touched his arm.

"Try the Prince's Name, they were boyhood lovers, he may have used that."

Andre smiled at his consort, he had little to lose and so spoke up as clearly as he could.

"Code word 'Tellac'."

Code word 'Tellac' accepted, welcome Baron Lyre.

The doors slid open into the walls once again; this time Andre did not have to give anymore data as the heavy steel vault door was already cycling open.

This vault was smaller but just as well ordered and packed; the walkway was down the centre; on the right wall were paintings all sealed in hermetically contained sleeves; each painting looked like a master piece. The lower shelves held the larger paintings and they grew smaller as they rose up the wall; there had to be nearly thirty paintings on the shelves. Each and every one was signed by Prince Tellac.

It was not difficult for Andre to see that most were paintings of Massam; some were of him in dance poses and others were less formal but all were magnificent paintings. At the far end of the vault was one life size painting all on its own; it was of two young, semi naked teens entwined in each other's arms and leaning in for a kiss; one was obviously Massam, the other could only be Tellac.

Even after looking as close as he could, Andre found it hard to realise it was a painting; the duet of lovers seemed to almost jump off the canvas as though still alive; it took Andre's breath away with its reality.

On the opposite wall were more shelves; one large set held many carved boxes of varying sizes; he would look at them soon; the last set of shelves held what looked like well used books; on closer inspection, Andre saw they were more unknown diaries as well as a small booklet for each of the dances Massam had created; they also were encased in hermetically sealed sleeves; fixed to the front of each of the dance booklets was a small old fashioned computer disc in its own sealed container.

Somehow Andre would have to get to see them; hopefully without any damage; it would be a feat just getting something old enough to play the long unused discs; today everything played only the holo-cubes; computer discs were long out of use.

Andre returned to the first shelf of boxes; he noted that some had the crest of lyre and others the crest of the Royal household; because the shelf was so high; Andre asked Tomach to take down one of the larger boxes with the Lyre crest.

Once the box was in his hands, he opened it and gasped at the contents; sitting in the lined box was a beautiful gem encrusted gold coronet, it had to be one of those worn by Massam when performing formal duties; he could only guess that the ones with the Royal crest were crowns belonging to Tellac as the boxes were larger.

Andre was now almost shaking with the pressure of what he had found; this was his heritage; everything here was a part of whom he was; the tension of the discovery was almost overwhelming, he needed to get out and take time to work things through.

These last weeks had been so much for him, he didn't know quite which way to turn; he needed some space and time to let it all sink in; closing the box he looked at his friends; it was time to go back upstairs and catch his breath.

Andre was almost in tears by the time they got back to the upper floors; Platon had gone off to watch over the staff; Tomach had taken off to tour the Palace and check the security arrangements; this left only Aldred to sooth his growing fears of having too much too soon; he was glad of the tender arms that encircled his slim shoulders.

Andre could no longer keep the tears from his eyes; all of the events of the last weeks now came crashing down on him; it was to be hours before Aldred could get Andre back on his feet; the torrent of continuous tears seemed never to end as Andre tried to rid himself of all the pressure that had been building.

Aldred never left his side; his warm and loving arms stayed firmly around Andre as the tears flowed; even the staff trod gently when going past the pair on the large couch.

When finally Andre had cleared all the stress of the past weeks from his system; Aldred was able to take him up to their private quarters; with a good hot bath which included a lot of petting and kisses, Aldred got Andre back on the sunny side; the two young teens just lay in the hot water in each other's arms and relaxed.

"What am I going to do Aldred?"

"You're going to do what a Baron does; put your best foot forward and set an example for others to follow; never forget, you are Andre and not Massam; just be yourself and don't let other change you; I love you just as you are."

"You know the next fifty years are going to kill us, right?"

"Yes they probably will, but we are going to have fun waiting for it."

At last Andre was able to truly laugh for what he thought as the first time ever; what the future held they would have to just wait and see but, at least they now had each other and that was worth everything else to both boys.

The End