Marissa tensed at his reference to her mother. You see, before you were born, your parents accidentally came upon the existence of my kind. I promise... to spare their lives if they kept quiet. Derek continued, still holding Marissas eyes. Of course, like any human, they didnt keep their mouths shut and had to pay the price. I told your father that if he did not heed my warning then there would be….consequences. Marissa felt the tears swelling in her eyes as he explained the story she already. There'd beanother manicure after a while. In the mirror was a sophisticated young woman, carefully made up, with aclever haircut, wearing slacks or shorts.I was still playing the piano. I'd gone more to the blues as myfeminization deepened. Nothing was happening that I wouldn't have chosenfor myself, but the sadness and homelessness was beginning to bite. Iwished I could sing. The singer came back.She wore a tight skirt and tan stockings, with 3 inch heels. Her lips andnails were a bright. Shifting topics for a moment, I said, "I got a very interesting package the other day, from a highly placed source, that told me some interesting history about the Craxill, history that is not often shared."It seems that back in the home system, the social structure was a bit different. There was less reliance on ritual, and more on strong leadership. Leadership that commanded instinctive respect from the masses, respect like that of the drones for the normal citizens of the Centaurus. "Now I'm sure you'd love nothing more than to milk this right from thesource but your jaw must be sore, and I think it needs a little rest."Her voice hardens a bit. "Now, I'm going to remove your gag, and you WILLdrink this whether you want to or not. Finish them all off and I'llallowyou to get cleaned up and some rest, but you are not leaving till everyglass is empty."With that she removed the ring from my mouth and pressed the champagneflute to my mouth. I tried and clench my mouth shut.