***
"You're sad, Master Rio," Kyle said as he slowly massaged Riordan's feet.
"You do realize what that contract is about, right?"
"Yes. Master Xana wants to have you by his side forever. I search data from Earth. I believe the term is marriage."
"Marriage my ass," Riordan murmured under his breath. "He only sees one thing in me."
"It's not true," Kyle replied as his robotic arms moved surprisingly swiftly as he reached Riordan's calves.
There were some perks to having a tireless servant at his beck and call like that, but Riordan rebelled even against that thought. Kyle wasn't a servant; he was a friend, as weird as that was. "What do you mean?"
"I've heard Master Xana talking to His Royal Chancellor Marn Savier. He was telling him that his bearer needs to receive formal education."
"Needs? I don't need no fucking education to be a walking egg pouch," Riordan said and then groaned in delight as Kyle worked his thighs.
"His Royal Chancellor," Kyle continued, "denied Master Xana's request."
"Why?" Riordan asked, now curious about what the bot had to say.
"He said that there is no need for bearers to be educated beyond their ability to serve as clerks."
"Wait a minute. What kind of education was Xana talking about? And when did this happen?"
"Yesterday evening. Master Xana wanted to forward a formal request so that you can follow the courses of Xeno's Superior Institute of Technology. The name is a bit different on Xeno, but I used an approximate translation to your language, Master Rio."
"Superior Institute of Technology," Riordan said slowly. "Where on me does it say 'nerd'?"
"Nowhere, Master Rio."
Riordan laughed. Kyle was just too funny at times. He had to do standup. People on Earth would love him. Although Earth was faraway and a place he'd never see again. Did he miss it? He wasn't sure.
His future was fucked up, regardless where he was. "Did he say why he wanted me to go to that nerdy school?"
"Yes. He insisted on presenting His Royal Chancellor the work you did on me."
"Ah, so you weren't eavesdropping, you were just there."
"Are you disappointed in me, Master Rio? I'll try to get better at eavesdropping."
"Better not, my man. Xana might have left you off the hook with the recycling and all, but I'm sure he thinks he can do whatever he wants. Let's not put you in danger."
Kyle suddenly straightened up. "I haven't thanked you for saving me, Master Rio."
"No sweat." He had no idea what to think. It was true that Kyle was behaving as if he was in charge of his own decisions to some extent, but still, that could be nothing else but the result of a huge database and pattern recognition algorithms. He should know since he had put to the test the bot's ability to develop certain skills, such as talking about more complex matters than just perfunctory questions about Riordan's bladder or appetite. Still, there was something that escaped him, even if he was the guy to have messed up with the bot's internal circuits.
"And? How did it feel for Xana to get told 'no' by his homie?"
"Just to check, the homie is His Royal Chancellor?"
"Yeah."
"He wasn't pleased. He told his homie that the topic is not closed."
"He's a stubborn bastard."
"With all due respect, Master Rio, Master Xana knows who both his parents are."
That took Riordan by surprise. Not the fact that Kyle understood the term 'bastard' according to his knowledge. No, what really amazed him was to realize that the cold fucker had actually been born and not made. "Who was the bearer for him when he was but a wee lil' egg?" he asked.
"The lizard queen on Fatiah V."
"Wow. I didn't expect that, I guess. That doesn't sound very sexy, though."
"No, it doesn't," Kyle agreed readily. "Her Majesty was an impressive specimen of her kind, but sexy wouldn't be a term to describe her."
"Does Xana ever goes visiting? Wait, is his dad still around? Not that I want to get to know my in-laws that badly. Something tells me Her Majesty might think of me as a tasty little treat."
"Yes, she might swallow you and then digest you for about ten hours," Kyle offered right away.
"Thanks for that image. But tell me more about Xana's folks. I mean, parents."
"His sire was part of an operation carried on to the skirts of the Chitara galaxy. No one had heard of him or anyone else for almost fifteen years."
That meant that Xana must have grown without a dad, Riordan thought, as he quickly did the math. "What about his mom?"
"Xenos do not entertain any connection with the ones that carried them to term," Kyle reminded him.
"Right, of course," Riordan said, mostly to himself. "So, for real, Xana never missed his dad and mom?"
"Master Xana has been busy with his studies from a young age. His situation isn't very different from that of many on this planet."
"Go figure. Cold-blooded bastards."
"Ah, it's an insult," Kyle said.
"Are you taking notes while we talk, Kyle?"
"Always."
"Hmm, that means you'll grow out of that standup career before it even gets a chance to take off."
"I wouldn't be a good comedian," Kyle said. "I'm afraid my sense of humor would be too dry. And here, on Xeno, they like things wet."