A Dog Father Cannot Beget a Dragon Son

World 53: Part 7

When they parted, it was with a soft kiss that was very unlike them. Sebastian's lips were firm and moisturized, and he trailed an absent hand over Fei Chuan's jawline. The pressure gradually lessened until there was just a sliver of air between their lips, and Fei Chuan felt a strange surge of desperation born from the irrational fear that Sebastian was about to leave for good.

....A pseudo-mating bond? It merited investigation.

"Take care," Fei Chuan said, looking right into Sebastian's eyes.

Fei Chuan could register Sebastian's smirk in his peripheral, but also by the faintest touch on his lips. "See you around, dear Rabbit."

And then he was gone.

******

Fei Chuan's coworkers, when he finally saw them again, eyed him with a poorly concealed mixture of awe and envy. The chain of superiors, on the other hand, starting with his immediate supervisors and ending at General Eckman himself, all dropped by his office at one point or another to tactfully not-question his relationship with international megastar Stele. Two out of five walk-ins expressed a remarkable amount of backhanded approval for people whose opinions didn't actually matter.

General Eckman, on the other hand, knew exactly which side his unsolicited opinion. After an impassioned spiel about the exposure dangers of dating a publicity magnet, he ended with a concession: "But at the moment, publicity is what we get. And Stele's support is doing wonders in swaying the public opinion back onto our side, those old ethics professors be damned. So what I'm saying is, Vinyard, that military often has a more progressive view of relationships than the rest of society. Near deaths situations make sure you don't put much stock into so-called 'dynamics,' your brain doesn't have room for any of that. Heck, if there was anything Marshall Cecil showed us it was that those stereotypes were a load of bull."

"Thank you, sir," Fei Chuan interrupted, unwilling to waste away any more of his lunch break. "Your support, and that it was so freely given, is appreciated."

Eckman grunted. The sarcasm ricocheted off him and into the great unknown. "Say nothing of it. But this brings me back to my purpose in coming here. As you know, the Military Conference of the Three Empires is happening in a month. Whether through Alkan's little boytoy, or through the Net, they know of your little pet project and all in all understand the necessity of it. We had to disclose all the details since they thought we were making Zerg soldiers. Still, they demand that it be a part of Lennon's showcase. What are your thoughts?"

There it was. "She's not ready," Fei Chuan said immediately. "In fact, General, she doesn't even exist."

Eckman crossed his arms, and jerked his head towards a corner of the room. "And that baby in the tank?"

Fei Chuan shook his head. "He wasn't made from DNA from the Zerg Queen. I took DNA from a Zerg with weaker mental and physical defenses as a precaution."

Eckman let out a breath of frustration. Fei Chuan would feel offended if he weren't deliberately trying to be difficult. "Fine whatever. Have that as our showcase then. That should be ready, right?"

"Well," Fei Chuan said simply. "If you put it like that I'd be hard pressed to disagree. But no, he isn't either."

Eckman growled and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "I don't get paid enough for your bullshit."

******

<<Zerg Human goes Berserk at International Military Conference! None Injured, but Questions Raised>>

At 1513 on the day of International Military Conference, SPOT, a human-zerg hybrid designed by the Lennon Empire, temporarily went out of control and shattered the viewing glass as it was before an audience of the world's most influential forces. The lead researcher efficiently subdued the belligerent, citing "empathetic overload" as a reason for the sudden and violent episode. No injuries have been reported thus far.