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Four years ago, when I began imagining a center of advanced technology in Alastor Cluster, I was thinking about a time in the far future of the Asimov Reality when Glinnes and Duissane would travel to Yrinna and make an important discovery about how humans were being genetically selected so as to enhance their powers of telepathy.

Back in 2016, I imagined that Triskelion A was the most technologically advanced planet of Alastor Cluster. During their era of Alastrid history, while visiting Triskelion, Glinnes and Duissane met the replicoid of Jack Vance. At that time, I knew almost nothing about the workings of the AR Simulator.

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In my imagined worlds of Alastor Cluster, the Vance replicoid along with both an Asimov and a Clarke replicoid had been tasked with discovering the origins of human telepathy. One of them would later be able to make sure that written accounts of what they discovered would be published in the Ekcolir Reality.

Glinnes and Duissane only provided one point along a long evolutionary pathway leading to human telepathy. Luckily, two new characters eventually arrived who could also play roles in the development of human telepathy: Colleen and Lakum. However, revealing their part in this cosmic drama was a complex process. Since they were useful and successful agents, multiple copies of both Colleen and Lakum were made and deployed as Interventionist agents at several points in time, in several Realities.

Mind Clones 2018

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After several years of finding new ways to include Asimov in the Exode Saga, Eustacia Pasimov arrived; a female version of Isaac Asimov. Stacy soon became part of a mind clone network.

I originally imagined that mind clones were an invention for the Final Reality, a way of achieving human telepathy in the post-time travel era. However, intensive research eventually revealed that mind clones are rather ancient technology. If the technology existed in the Asimov Reality for making mind clones, then maybe a mind clone of Colleen was used as part of the telepathy development project in Alastor Cluster.

In late 2019, I wrote a 7,000 word short story that was set in an earlier time period (before the time of Glinnes and Duissane) when Azynov, the replicoid of Isaac Asimov, visited Triskelion A. At that time, Colleen and Lakum were raising their three children and exploring the use of hierions and sedrons as possible means of transmitting telepathic signals between people.

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As a tryp'At, Lakum had been born with some weak telepathic ability, but tryp'At telepathic signals were all "tuned" so that only two tryp'At could be telepathically linked with each-other. In an attempt to endow her children with a greater capacity for telepathy, and not wanting to simply have her children be tryp'At, she provided them with genes obtained from settlers on the planet Yerophet. The goal was to craft a new type of human with greater telepathic powers than had ever been previously achieved.

Here in June of 2020, I've previously provided an account (14,000 words, in two parts) of how Lakum's daughter Kresso could be telepathically linked to her mind clone. That linkage required a special hierion field that was made possible by a new scientific advance recently made on Triskelion. With additional information now being sent to me by Yōd, I've been struggling to refine my understanding of Lakum and Colleen; apparently, their last name was Toddarro, not Taddarro. Since all of this information arrives while I am asleep, there are probably many remaining gaps and inaccuracies in the version of Yōd's story that I am providing here.

An Alastor Cluster adventure.

Below is part four of the story of Colleen and Lakum's adventures in Alastor Cluster (6,000 words). The origin and mechanics of Kresso's telepathic powers are a challenging puzzle for Yōd. The pek make use of Sybski (a medibot) try to confuse and distract Yōd until she can be more effectively neutralized by Maturin, the pek operative on Yerophet.

The Yerophet Experiment
      see   Part 1   -   Part 2   -   Part 3

Part 4, The Sybski Effect
Litless Toru departed from Triskelion A almost on schedule, bound for Chadho, a nearby planet known mostly for its vast palladium deposits and its rich diamond mines that had yielded some of the largest perfect carbon crystals known in the galaxy. Compared to other passenger ships in Alastor Cluster, Litless Toru was a rather small commercial spaceliner, but it was the first relatively large spaceship of Azynov's personal experience and he was eager to explore its many decks and sophisticated entertainment facilities.

Yōd needed to have some private time with Kresso, so she instructed Shery to give Azynov a tour of the ship. Shery was an experienced space traveler and she was able to handle this assignment even though Azynov seemed incredibly ignorant of Alastor Cluster and its advanced culture of space flight. It was almost as if he had never been on a spaceship before in his life! But if so, then how had he reached Triskelion from Earth?

Book 2 of the Chadho Trilogy.
Bigger was better.

Shery vowed that she would investigate that mystery as soon as she returned home to Triskelion, but for now, she was too polite to tell Azynov what a doofus he was. Shery also began to doubt that Yōd was as deeply in love with Azynov as she pretended to be. Shery wondered: how could a smart woman like Yōd be with a hick like Azynov?

Even before their first meal aboard Litless Toru was complete, Shery had grown weary of Azynov's endless chains of silly questions about space travel that emerged from between his lips like high mass particles emitted from a particle accelerator.

Still, even with all his irksome quirks, Shery was grateful to Azynov for having stimulated her mathematical thinking and she knew that Azynov would form the basis for a character in the story that she would some day write about this trip to Yerophet.

After lunch, Yōd checked again to make sure that the children were wearing their personal shield generators which were designed to protect them against unwanted zeptites. Shery rolled her eyes and complained, "Chill out, Yōd. This is the seventeenth time you've checked our shields, and it is only four hours since we left home."

Yōd nodded complacently, "I promised your mother that I'd be checking on you every five minutes, so stop complaining... I've been lax. If you don't like the routine, we'll change ships at Chadho and go right back to Triskelion."

Shery poked her index finger into Yōd's shoulder, "Don't treat me like a child. I'm an adult and I'm responsible enough to manage my own shield." Shery poked Yōd again. "And tell me this: why are you so insistent that Kresso and I be shielded while you and Azynov don't bother wearing shields?"

Book 3 of the Chadho Trilogy.

Yōd pushed Shery's hand away. "Don't poke at me, girl. I promised to take care of you and I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You may have the most important scientific mind in the galaxy and it needs to be protected. I've told you, but you don't want to believe it: Azynov and I are not from this Reality. We don't have to protect our minds with shields."

Azynov slipped an arm around Shery's waist and suggested, "Let's go for a stroll, Shery. I think you need some time away from Yōd." Walking off with Shery, Azynov looked over his shoulder and told Yōd, "This ship might not be large enough for two alpha females."

Yōd laughed and waved her hand dismissively, "Have fun you two. Don't hurry back." Yōd was trying to focus her attention on the task at hand: telling Kresso about mind clones. However, Yōd was having trouble staying on task. Every time she saw Shery, Yōd's mind filled with haunting mental images of Vyky, the sexy robot that Dr. Ektenor had designed and perfected on Triskelion A.

Shery and Azynov went off for their tour of the ship. Yōd watched them walk away and she was captivated by Shery's shapely little bottom which was almost completely covered by the very thin, very short skirt she was wearing.

Kresso was watching Yōd watching Shery and she asked Yōd, "Would you let me get a mini-skirt like that? Mom won't buy me one."

Yōd took Kresso by the hand and led the girl back towards her cabin. Sybski the robot was quietly following along behind. Yōd was puzzled by her inability to get mental images of Shery's pretty, under-dressed body out of her mind. She told Kresso, "Your sister is an adult, so she can dress as she pleases. On the other hand, you still have to respect you mother's decisions about how little girls should dress."

Kresso was only a few inches shorter than Yōd. She complained, "I'm not that little. And the point is, mom is back on Triskelion. You are not an old lady like mom... you seem pretty cool. Don't you think I'm old enough start dressing up for boys?"

Yōd asked, "You want to attract boys by putting your skinny girl ass on display in a skimpy skirt?"

"Well, yes. That sums it up nicely. Since Shery gets to do it, I feel jealous. Here on this spaceship would be the perfect opportunity for me to start acting like a woman."

Yōd laughed. "You can fantasize about being a woman, but believe me Kresso, anyone that looks at you sees a girl. You really don't want to look like a girl pretending to be a woman. That is not a good look. It is a look that only attracts creeps."

Kresso was not ready to concede defeat. "Azynov must like girls with skinny bottoms... why else would he be with you?"

Yōd laughed. "Kresso, lets ignore my skinny pregnant bottom. I'm not happy with the way Azynov has been ogling your sister's cute ass and we don't need you providing him with another opportunity to further develop his dirty-old-man routine. I agree with your mother. You are too young to be wagging your tush at men."

Kresso sighed. "I know that you and mom are correct, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with my problem."

"What problem?"

"You know." Kresso poked an elbow into Yōd's ribs. "You were once a girl, don't pretend that you've forgotten. Mom is so old that she's forgotten, but not you. I've seen the way you are constantly touching Azynov."

Yōd had only been able to stop thinking about Shery's sexy skirt by thinking about Vyky. She told Kresso, "I'm still a girl and I have my own problems."

Kresso laughed. "I suppose you do, but you get to jump into bed with Azynov anytime you get horny."

While on Triskelion, Yōd had questioned Lakum quite extensively about her children and how they had been raised. "Lakum told me that she bought you a vibrator." Yōd asked, "So, what's the problem? Did you wear it out?"

"Mom gave me two different models and they both work fine. I even brought the best one with me on this trip, but they really only made me curious about what it must be like to actually be with a man."

They were now back to their suite of rooms. Yōd made Kresso's robotic chaperone, Sybski, wait in the great room of the suite. Yōd closed the door of Kresso's cabin and she sat down on the bed. Yōd asked the girl, "Have you experienced any more telepathic contact with your mother?"

Kresso shook her head. "I don't expect to have any more contact with Colleen as long as Shery doesn't activate her micro-hierion field generator. She promised to leave it turned off until we find Colleen."

Yōd patted the bed with her hand and suggested, "Maybe if you took a nap then while you sleep it might be possible to link your thoughts to Colleen." Yōd was thinking about the previous night, and the post-coital luxury of curling up in bed, sandwiched between Vyky and Azynov.

Kresso was looking at Yōd's erect nipples pushing out against the constraining fabric of her tank-top and uneasily shifting her weight from foot to foot. She pointed at the bed. "You want me to take a nap? I'm not tired. I'm too... um, excited... to sleep."

Yōd felt like she could use a nap. She'd stayed up all night playing with Azynov and Vyky. Her thoughts drifted into a kind of fantasy world in which Vyky's many special features and skills were on display, like a midway show. Step right up, see the amazing tongue work of Vyky the Valkyrie as she slays her sexual conquests! Just the thought of Vyky's skilled touch and tickling tongue had Yōd's vaginal secretions flowing.

Kresso noticed that Yōd was staring off into space with a little smile on her face. Kresso took a step forward, placed a hand on Yōd's shoulder and interrupted her daydream, "Maybe you need a nap."

Yōd gave her head a shake, smiled at Kresso and recovered some of her thought train. "To get you to sleep, Sybski could give you a sedative."

Kresso objected, "I don't want to start throwing drugs into the mix. You said it yourself: my brain isn't a normal human brain. No, let's not start experimenting with drugs."

Yōd tried to push sweet thoughts of Vyky out of her mind. She looked at Kresso who was now standing quite close. For the tenth time in the past twelve hours, and now with the girl's big eyes burning into her, Yōd contemplated the possibility that she might have a telepathic connection to Kresso. "Have you ever felt that you could sense the thoughts of anyone besides your mother?"

Kresso shrugged, "Why do you ask?"

Yōd admitted, "It is hard to explain, Kresso, but I'm experiencing the effects of an outside force that is amplifying my emotions, maybe some type of telepathic feedback. I'm used to having a telepathic link to my sister, but what I'm feeling now is different and new. Sometimes it seems like I can almost tell what you are thinking."

Kresso blushed. "This is why people don't have telepathy. It is too embarrassing."

Yōd reached out and let her fingers rest lightly against Kresso's arm, "Please be honest with me, Kresso. I need to understand your telepathic powers. Can you see into my mind?"

Kresso gazed into Yōd's eyes. "Maybe I'm just using my imagination, but that robot..." She fell silent and seemed to be looking pleadingly at Yōd.

Yōd glanced towards the bedroom door. She suggested, "The medibot, Sybski?"

Kresso shook her head, "No. That new one that... that my father... brought to the party last night."

Yōd's jaw dropped in surprise. Her mind again filled with sweet thoughts of Vyky. Finally she found her voice and asked, "You have a telepathic link to Vyky?"

Kresso explained, "The last time that Shery activated the containment field... it linked me and Vyky and Colleen... for a minute, we became a kind of three-fold group mind..."

Yōd exploded, "What? Why didn't you mention this before?"

Kresso hung her head, shrank back from Yōd's shouted questions and shrugged. "I tried-"

There was a knock at the door, the door swung open and Sybski came inside Kresso's cabin. The robot asked, "Is everything alright?"

Kresso turned away from Yōd and went to Sybski. "Yōd and I are sharing secrets. Human to human. We don't need you." Kresso pushed the robot out through the doorway and closed the door. Then Kresso spoke through the door, "Move away from the door, Sybski, and don't listen to us. Turn on the entertainment center. Turn up the volume."

A moment later the sound of music could be heard through the door and Kresso returned to where Yōd still sat on the bed. Kresso reached out and put her hands alongside Yōd's cheeks and gently touched her face. "I think our thoughts can synchronize partially, but I only feel your strong emotions..." Kresso blushed and stammered nervously, "...your love of... your longing for... your deep desire to..."

Yōd explained, "The word you are looking for is lust. Listen to me Kresso, you are just a few years too young to have experienced it for yourself, but just wait until your hormone levels rise..." Yōd took a deep breath and noticed that her nipples were erect. She looked at Kresso's chest and saw two subtle swellings there that could barely be discerned through her blouse.

Kresso took her hands away from Yōd's face and pressed them against her own chest. "As you noticed, my breasts have started to grow."

Yōd sighed. "That's an early sign of puberty... you are slowly becoming a woman. I'll take you shopping and we can get you a bra. And apparently I need to get some nipple shields." She tried to be philosophical about her extra-heavy-duty horniness which had manifested itself since visiting Triskelion. "But first, I need to tell you about mind clones..." Then, almost as a forgotten afterthought, "Oh, and I also want you to tell me what you could see in Vyky's mind by telepathy."

Kresso sighed deeply and sat down on the bed beside Yōd, rubbed her head and said, "I'm not sure why this is so difficult for me to talk about, but here goes... I'm sure that I got a taste of lust last night when my mind was connected to Vyky. I was surprised and confused when I saw her thoughts, but Colleen was there and she understood." She looked at Yōd and asked, "Did you know that Vyky was programmed to... lust for my father?"

The Huaoshy make use of the pek.

Yōd shook her head, "Kresso, I don't know much about the robots of Triskelion. However, I suspect that they are now under the control of the pek and are trying to eliminate the human population of Triskelion. Triskelion is the galactic center for scientific research, but the pek don't want humans to be developing advanced technologies."

Kresso asked, "What is pek?"

"The pek are from a distant galaxy. The pek think that they are responsible for everything that we humans do, so they endlessly try to keep us from destroying ourselves. Pek reasoning goes something like this: if humans don't develop powerful technologies then Humanity can't destroy itself. The pek would prefer that people like Dr. Ektenor and Colleen not do research and not try to discover the secrets of hierion physics." Yōd tenderly put an arm around Kresso. "Forget I mentioned the pek. I need to explain why it is that you can share your thoughts with Colleen. Let me tell you about mind clones..." Then Yōd shook her head and suddenly changed the topic. "No! First, tell me about the robot. Now, I'm curious about Vyky. Do you have any idea why you were able to link your mind to a robot's thoughts?"

Kresso sighed and all her attention seemed to be centered on Yōd's protruding right nipple which was now pressed against Kresso's left arm. Kresso took a deep breath, turned her head away from Yōd and tried to focus her eyes on the door knob. "I have a theory. Well, it is really just a guess."

Yōd's arm tightened around Kresso which pressed her nipple even more firmly against the girl. Yōd insisted, "Tell me what you know."

Kresso closed her eyes and tried to accurately remember her "dream" experience from the previous evening. "As soon as my mind was linked to Vyky, as I said, Colleen was there, too... well, Colleen was just as surprised as I was to be looking into the thoughts of a robot, so Colleen asked, 'Vyky, Ektenor's sexbot?' She could see that was true, but she was struggling to understand how it was possible for the minds of people and robots to be merged into a single thinking space."

Yōd said, "So all three of you were linked, simultaneously?" Yōd could not stop herself from thinking about the thrilling fun of the previous night and being in a hot threesome with Vyky and Azynov.

Kresso swallowed uncomfortably and nodded. "We were united as one mind, but even with thoughts from our three minds all mixed together, I could still taste the different flavors of other people's thoughts, so I still knew who I was. Vyky tastes different than Colleen. Colleen is vanilla, Vyky is... applemint licorice. Yummy!"

Yōd laughed.

Kresso opened her eyes and glanced at Yōd. Confident that Yōd was not laughing at her, Kresso continued, "Anyhow, I could see in her mind that Vyky had been designed and built to make sure that she has the ability to read my father's mind."

Yōd shouted, "What?"

Kresso looked at the door and told Yōd, "Shhh!"

A moment later, Sybski's voice came through the door, "What is happening in there? Miss Kresso, is everything alright?"

Yōd went to the door and opened it. "Sybski, everything is just fine. Kresso is telling me secrets that I never imagined existed, so I'm expressing surprise. Please go back to your music and allow us to continue our discussion."

The robot bowed to Yōd. "Yes, ma'am." Sybski added, "I'm trying to watch the musical that is currently being performed in the ship's theater, but I've seen it before and these performers are not very good..."

"Sybski, don't bother me with your problems. I know that Lakum made you promise to stay with Kresso every minute of the day, but that is not going to be possible. Don't make me have to shut you off. Now, just put some other show on the entertainment center and stop listening to us. Kresso and I will be done soon and then you can hover over her for the rest of the day. In fact, make yourself useful and find us a nearby shop where I can buy some nipple shields."

Sybski looked at Yōd's nipples and asked, "Shields?"

"Shields, covers, whatever they are called here in Alastor Cluster... or do all the women just walk around in public with their nipples protruding and all the robots staring at their chests?"

Sybski lifted his eyes and told Yōd, "Well, flaunting one's protruding nipples is a popular look on Triskelion, but many worlds of the Cluster are more conservative. I'll search the Litless Toru shopping directory."

Yōd turned her back on the robot, closed the bedroom door, returned to Kresso and said, "I'm afraid that I don't know how to give orders to robots."

Kresso smiled, "Don't worry about it. Sybski is going to keep listening to us no matter what you say. I would not be surprised to learn that Sybski is recording every word we say and sending hourly reports back to mom on Triskelion."

Yōd laughed, then gave serious consideration to the idea that Sybski might be a spy. Kresso pulled out her datapad and set it to playing a strange jangling kind of music. "Maybe this noise will throw old Sybski off track."

Yōd pulled Kresso onto the bed. They laid down close together with their faces nose-to-nose and they pulled a thick blanket over their heads. Yōd whispered, "Do you think the robots of Triskelion are routinely made in such a way so that they can read the minds of humans?"

Kresso replied, "Yes, that is what Colleen and I could clearly see in Vyky's mind. And when I thought about it, I realized that I had always known that robots can read minds. Through my whole life, whenever I've needed something, one of the household robots was always there ready to provide me with what I wanted. That's not normal, is it?"

"No, it is not. Normal people have to explain their needs to other people and it can be a slow, difficult process of communication and mis-communication. But I've been blind, too. Ever since I arrived on Triskelion, I could see the truth about robots, too. When I wanted to experiment with robosex... well, Danni knew even before I asked him. And last night, Vyky came barging into our room when Azynov and I were... somehow she knew that I wanted her, even before I told her..." Yōd pressed her hand to her feverish head. Now she was imagining that Sybski was prowling around in her mind, making her bubble like a sexual volcano, all in an attempt to distract... Yōd muttered, "I've been such a fool!"

Kresso nodded. "I think that as long as Vyky gave my father... what he desired, he was perfectly willing to ignore his suspicions."

"What suspicions?"

"Well, Vyky has long known that my father is partially aware of the telepathic abilities of the robots. It is a kind of subconscious awareness. He does not question it because..."

"What?"

"My father is addicted to robot sex. Like almost everyone else on Triskelion."

"I see. Thank you for explaining all this to me. I think I now understand why..." Yōd fell silent for a minute, trying her best to tell if Sybski was telepathically in contact with her mind. After some effort, she gave up on that and then said to Kresso, "So... Vyky was designed to have the ability to read Dr. Ektenor's thoughts and satisfy his sexual cravings. Because you are Ektenor's daughter, your brain pattern has similarities to his and so with the help of Shery's micro-hierion field you were somehow able to link to Vyky's robotic mind pattern." That still did not explain why Vyky had been inactivated by the hierion containment field. Yōd patted Kresso's back, "Thank you. Without your help, I never would have even imagined the possibility of robot-human telepathic contact."

Kresso asked, "So, you are not mad at me?"

"I'm upset with myself." By means of the low light level penetrating the blanket, Yōd looked at the worry lines on Kresso's young face. "Why should I be mad at you?"

"Because of... what you see in my thoughts."

"Relax Kresso, you and I can only share the general flow of our emotions. As far as I can tell, you have fairly normal desires and a healthy fantasy life. I know quite well what it is like to be in love with Azynov and it does not alarm me or surprise me that you have sexual fantasies about him and other men who you know. Just don't let Azynov know about your fantasy of waging your cute little bottom at him. If he knew about that then he'd get very confused and upset and would not be able to think straight."

Kresso grinned and asked Yōd, "Why are men so silly?"

Zeta plus

Yōd shook her head and tried to explain, "Men are programmed to pay attention to women. The human species would have become extinct long ago if that were not the case. You'll learn soon enough the power that you have over men. Until you are old enough to exercise that power skillfully, exercise caution. Don't try to tell Azynov what you've told me. I'll tell him in my own way, so as not to blow... his..." Yōd's voice trailed of. She was about ready to say 'mind' but her mind was being linked to that of her sister Zeta.

Zeta and Yōd were both pregnant and gestating genetically-planned babies who were mind clones. The brains of Roxzel and Tihri shared a similar activity pattern and could be linked by means of technology-assisted telepathy. And when Roxzel and Tihri were linked then Zeta and Yōd could briefly share their thoughts. Those weak, transient telepathic linkages had been growing stronger with each week's growth and development of the brains of Roxzel and Tihri, and more importantly, the growing organization of the links between their brains and their endosymbionts.

the Hierion Domain

Because of their linkage, Yōd could suddenly sense that, back on Earth, Zeta and the Editor were making love. Yōd was familiar with the sweet sensation of Zeta approaching her sexual climax. Zeta's orgasm arrived and then in the afterglow, Zeta asked: Yōd, is that you?

Yōd tried to warn Zeta: The robots of Triskelion have telepathic ability. My thoughts are being attacked and diverted by Sybski... but Yōd no longer could 'hear' her sister's mind. And Yōd's thoughts filled with memories of her old trick while back on Earth... waiting for Zeta to slip her mind into the Hierion Domain, which allowed Yōd to extend the sensory part of her mind into Zeta's body. While in control of Zeta's body, Yōd could secretly experience making love to the Editor.

Yōd tried to push thoughts of Zeta and the Editor out of her mind. She knew there was something she had wanted to tell Kresso, but... Mind! Suddenly she'd remembered! She told Kresso, "Now, there is still the other topic that I wanted to discuss..."

Kresso asked, "What is a mind clone?"

"I don't know the details, so don't ask, but mind clones share matched brain structures and similar brain activity patterns. That allows them to be easily connected by telepathy. I believe that you were designed... created as a mind clone of Colleen. If I'm right about that, then half of your brain can be synchronized with half of Colleen's brain. It is almost certainly involves the right halves of your brains because you are mostly not conscious of how your minds can link together. You two have probably had your minds linked since even before you were born. The mystery is, somehow your sister's hierion confinement field is able to amplify your telepathic ability. And, most alarmingly, apparently your mind's activity pattern is also able to synchronized with that of Vyky when she has been knocked unconscious by a micro-hierion field. Listen to me Kresso: let's keep that a secret, okay?"

"A.O.K." Kresso reminded Yōd, "However, Vyky already knows that I know."

"I'm not sure of that. Maybe you accessed Vyky's unconscious mind and memories while she was inactivated and, if so, then she could have failed to notice her telepathic connection to you."

Kresso gave her head a shake, "She noticed."

Under the blanket, Yōd was starting to sweat. She threw off the blanket and Kresso turned off the weird music. Yōd told the girl, "Your telepathic powers are intriguing, but we have a mission to accomplish on Yerophet. We have to test Shery's new type of micro-hierion field and determine to what extent it can protect the people of Yerophet from the telepathic thought processes of the Kerub."

Yōd opened the bedroom door and almost instantly, Sybski turned off the entertainment center and was across the room, peering at Kresso and brushing at her tussled hair with his fingers. Kresso ignored the robot and asked Yōd, "Why did mom have to stay on Triskelion with Myquena? I wish she was going to Yerophet with us."

Yōd shook her head and shrugged. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Tell me anyhow."

"All three of you are special. Shery is a mathematical genius. You are a mind clone. Myquena is also special... her mind is on the same telepathic 'wavelength' as the Kerub. That means it is not safe for her to go to Yerophet."

Kresso asked, "Can't Shery's new shield protect Myquena?"

"Maybe some day in the future, after Shery learns how to tune the containment field to other frequencies. I don't know exactly. I've never looked that far into the future." Yōd turned to Sybski and said, "Kresso and I are going shopping. And before you ask, yes, you can follow along. Did you find a shop with women's apparel?"

The robot was now carefully keeping its eyes focused on Yōd's eyes. Sybski explained, "There are dozens of such shops on the Litless Toru, the closest being in the NAC market, but one in particular seems to specialize in gear for breasts..."

__________________________

on the Litless Toru

That evening, after dinner, Sybski took Shery and Kresso to see a play being performed in the ship's theater. After escorting the children to the theater deck, Yōd told Azynov, "Now, let's try out the bed in our cabin."

Azynov pulled Yōd close and they kissed. He told her, "Before dinner you said there was something important that you have to tell me."

"Yes, I want you in that bed, now. I've got a little task, an experiment of sorts that will take at least an hour."

Azynov was tempted to luxuriate in a bout of love making with Yōd, but he curious about Kresso's telepathic powers. He took Yōd by the hand and led her along the deck, moving away from their suite of rooms. He asked, "How did Kresso react to the idea of being a mind clone?"

Yōd complained, "She and I talked for a long time, but I'm not certain that she believed me. She knows that daughters don't have the same brain structure as a parent." Yōd tried to change the subject and their direction. "Let's not waste our precious time... with Sybski escorting the girls we can get wild. Back in our cabin I have some-"

Azynov put his arms around Yōd and held her tight, forcing her to think. He insisted that they talk and make plans for their Arrival on Yerophet. He and Yōd went for a long stroll along the ship's decks, but Yōd was sulking and unable to think about any topic other than making love to Azynov. While they walked, they would occasionally embrace and share a passionate kiss, but Azynov and Yōd were effectively alone, lost among the crowds of passengers out for the evening and generally ignored as two apparent newlyweds who could not keep their hands off of each other. Azynov caught sight of Yōd in a mirrored store front and he said, "I almost do not recognize you, my love."

Yōd explained, "Kresso is in a dither over her imminent transformation from girl into woman. I treated her to a complete makeover and bought her some new clothes. Since I was feeling wild, I decided to get myself the same treatment."

Azynov chuckled and asked, "What did Kresso do to her hair?"

Yōd explained, "Kresso naturally has dark hair. About a year ago Lakum allowed Kresso to bleach her hair, but now she was tired of dealing with endlessly re-appearing dark roots, so she has gone back to a darker shade."

Azynov ran his fingers through Yōd's hair. "I'm glad you did not change your lovely hair. When I first saw you two, old memories from my prudish upbringing were re-awakened... I thought maybe Kresso is too young to wear a mini-skirt and possibly you are too old. However, the more I see of the new you, the more I realize that you are sexy enough to pull off this new look."

Yōd said, "I have no regrets for the makeovers, except for your inability to stop gazing at Kresso's cute ass. But please don't distract me with your lechery, I'm too susceptible to..." She tried to remember what she needed to tell Azynov. "We need to make plans for Yerophet and I have some important news-" Yōd was being distracted, and the words that she wanted to say: News for you about the Robots of Triskelion, somehow never reached her lips.

The Endless Loop in fiction.

Azynov had put his arm around Yōd and suggested, "Well, maybe I am being harsh... who wants to be all work and no play? We might visit one of these sultry little bars..." He gestured towards one dive that was called Endless Loop. A garish poster near the club's front door proclaimed: LIVE MUSIC AND EXOTIC DANCE.

Yōd struggled to organize her thoughts, but all she could think about was the pleasure of 'dancing' with Azynov and Vyky in bed. She suggested, "All day I've been planning to perform an exotic dance with you on our bed, and I doubt if I could keep myself from performing wildly if we went into one of these dimly lit clubs. Let's just walk for a while, I feel like my head is starting to clear." She pulled Azynov quickly past the club district of the show deck. Now walking fast and tugging Azynov along by the hand, she suggested, "Maybe some physical activity will distract me from my strong desire to take you back to our cabin and undress you. We really do need to talk... there is something I need to tell you about Kresso and you are correct, we really should finalize the plan for when we catch up with Colleen on Yerophet." Yōd knew there was something interfering with her mind. "If only I could concentrate..."

Azynov agreed to Yōd's suggestions. "Very well, talk and plan now then latter tonight we can undress each other."

Azynov pointed out interesting sites to Yōd as they walked along. One of the most unique features of Litless Toru was to be found right along the port side end of the market deck, a special area known as the NA Complex, a jumble of little booths and stalls, none large enough to be called a shop.

The source of Fire Gel: on the planet Ojij

The crafty sales men and women who hawked their wares in the NAC were experts in rare merchandise from worlds scattered throughout a quarter of the galaxy. Yōd and Kresso had spent close to an hour prowling through the dim, twisty passageways of NAC. Kresso had Yōd buy her an Iidi mind crystal from Wilson's Land, a continent on Dreavero: Alastor 1921. Yōd also bought herself a folk remedy from Ojij, a world far away in Mercea's Wisp. An ancient and wrinkled sales woman had promised the remedy capable of repairing all defects of human physiology.

Wandering along the edge of the dimly-lit NAC, Azynov and Yōd walked arm-in-arm, speaking quietly, discussing the conditions they expected to find out on the Kerub frontier, in the Frost Hills District of Yerophet. Yōd could not clear her mind of persistent sexual desires and cravings while they were making their plans for what they would do when they arrived on Yerophet; Yōd fantasized about Azynov pulling her into a bed thick with warm blankets after a cold day on the ice world.

Leaving behind the NAC and passing on into the main row of shops on the market deck, Azynov pointed to a little book shop as they passed its front door, "This is where I bought a map of Yerophet." Azynov pulled his datapad out of a pocket and held it in front of Yōd. "I learned that Capetown is a two hour commercial air flight from the spaceport. Capetown is a district capitol and a large city -for Yerophet- caught up in the on-going conflict between the settlers and the Kerub. Until just recently, Colleen was out visiting Kerub villages in the mountains, but now, after a string of settler deaths, everyone has been ordered to move away from the Kerub villages and into the protection of the urban centers."

Yōd looked at the datapad and checked the schedule of flights to Capetown. "Some of these peak travel time flights are usually filled up and even over-booked. To ensure we get to Colleen as quickly as possible, we should make a flight reservation before we arrive on planet."

Azynov suggested, "Tonight, after the kids go to sleep... we can visit Yerophet and get tickets for the appropriate flight." Azynov had the ability to move at will through the AR Simulation.

Yōd said, "Maybe we should also go check on Colleen."

Azynov shook his head, "No, our sudden visit with her on Yerophet tonight would be impossible to explain to Colleen. We can't visit with Colleen until we arrive by spaceship with the children."

the Ekcolir Intervention

"I don't know... I think I could explain everything to Colleen. She probably had plenty of experience using simulation technology back when she was trained for her mission the Earth and the role she played in the Ekcolir Intervention."

"But with her telepathic link to Kresso, you would not just be telling Colleen. Eventually Kresso would find out."

"I suppose you are right. Kresso is the weak link in this entire escapade. Although I must say, she's remarkably mature for her age. She looks like a little girl, but she's clever." Yōd was gazing speculatively at Azynov. There was something else she had wanted to tell Azynov about Kresso, but Yōd could only think about the rapturous look on Azynov's face the previous night when they had been making love and the feeling of him deep inside her...

Just then, Zeta and Yōd were again linked by way of their mind clone network. Zeta was asking: what were you telling me about robots on Triskelion?

Yōd thought about Vyky's strong tongue and the robot's skill in using it and then her thoughts shifted to Sybski's great hearing and then she remembered... Telepathy! Yōd tried to tell Zeta: The robots of Triskelion have sexual... they have telepathic abilities. They can dole out pleasure like... they can control human thoughts and edit our memories. Tell the Editor... I don't think he ever thought about me having sex with robots... ug! He must consider the role of telepathic robots in Alastor Cluster... But Yōd could no longer sense a link to Zeta's mind. She did not know if Zeta had gotten her message. Yōd had the strange sensation of something twisting her thoughts, forcing her into a fantasy world of lust and desire. It was almost as if someone was trying to make her forget about telepathic robots. She entered a quick reminder note into Azynov's datapad: Telepathic Robots. Then she looked again at Azynov and thought about taking him back to their cabin and...

Azynov noticed Yōd's attention and her eyes seemed to be locked to his own. He asked, "What?"

Yōd shook her head and tried to stop thinking about making love to Azynov. She handed the datapad back to Azynov and he put the device in his pocket. Yōd almost blurted out what she had heard from Kresso, but strangely, the first thing that came to her mind was Kresso's sexual fantasies. "Oh, I'm just trying to think of the best way to tell you what I learned from Kresso." Yōd pointed at a shop they were passing and told Azynov, "I took Kresso shopping here this afternoon."

Azynov let his eyes drift across the store front which featured an ever-shifting collage of images depicting half-naked underwear models. He asked, "Did she forget to pack something?"

Shopping on the market deck of the Litless Toru.

"No, I bought her a bra."

"My, my, how motherly of you, but that hardly seems necessary. Kresso is still a little girl. Speaking of which, how goes it with our little one?"

Yōd patted her tummy. "I'm getting better at sensing our child. Roxzel is still quite small, but my nanites allow me to monitor her growth."

Azynov's mouth fell open. He had not previously known that their child would be a girl and he was amazed that Yōd had already selected a name.

Next: Part 5 of The Yerophet Experiment,  "The Iidi"

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