Chapter 14: Getting the Lowdown on Sabrens
Some days after the visit to the OB, T-Bone managed to get some time away from the garage and went to see a Professor Render at Megakat University. The Sabren taught advanced calculus but had made it a hobby to collect all data he could on his species. He was now considered the foremost expert on the subject. However, the tom never had time to publish the information in an easy to read pamphlet for non-Sabrens to read.
Not for the first time did T-Bone wish there was such a pamphlet, so many like him could use it rather than the massive loose leaf report and many notes the Professor had collected his data in. When Render had shown it to him, he could only gape at the plethora of paper..
When he arrived at the university, he received dozens of strange looks as well as squeals of delight from the she-kats as he strode across the campus looking for the Professor's office. After asking nearly a half dozen students who either gaped, squealed, or asked him for his autograph or both, he finally found the Sabren in a cramped corner office. The space was full of books and things. Under a sunlit window was an equally overladen desk full of papers and books and sitting behind it was an old orange and cream stripped tabby tom.
With eyes that were still sharp, the professor studied him, a frown on his face. "Ahh, I'm assuming you are one of those vigilantes. What brings you here to my small part of the world?"
"Uh, Professor Rendar? My name is T-Bone and I'm mated to Commander Feral," he introduced himself.
"Oh yes, I heard about that. A fine strapping Sabren is that one. Well, come in...come in...just find a seat...uhm...somewhere," Professor Render said, smiling broadly at the colorfully dressed tom.
T-Bone looked around the completely cluttered room until, finally he located a chair liberally buried under more papers and books. He transferred them to the floor and sat down.
"Now what can I do for you young fellow?"
"Well, sir. I may be mated to a Sabren but I know nothing about them and that's caused some moments of...uh...not so pleasant surprises. Dr. Hartstone, my mate's therapist, suggested I see you to find out more about them."
"Ahh, a therapist, heh? Commander Feral is one of those unlucky few with mixed up mother's?" Professor Render asked gently.
"Uh, I really don't know, sir. He's only just begun therapy and he's not spoken of his past with me yet," T-Bone demurred.
"Nearly all the cases I've heard about were due to their mother's poor training by their own mother or because the poor kitten was handed over to a non-Sabren to be raised when its parents were killed. Both produce incredibly damaged Sabrens. My condolences on being dealt that rather ugly surprise. Are things still rocky between you because of it?"
"Uh, actually no, thankfully. He's just really messed up about the Sabren kitten he's carrying."
"Ah yes!" Render sighed and shook his head, a sad smile on his lips. "Well, I know young Hartstone. A very good therapist he is. He'll help your mate get his head and heart straightened out...never fear," he said kindly. "So, you need to know more about your mate, eh? Well, I have all the knowledge that's out there, so fire away."
T-Bone couldn't help but smile at the Professor's apparent pleasure at helping others. He found he was liking the old tom a lot.
"What kind of abilities do you guys have? I already know Uly can move like the wind and has a ridiculously sensitive nose as well as those really long retractable fangs."
"Ah yes, that's a few of our abilities. All our senses are more acute than Kats, the fangs are a left over from our distant past, and we are all muscle. You'll never find a fat Sabren. It has to do with our faster metabolism and the energy that is so much a part of our biology. It's not just for use in defense, oh no, we utilize it to run our bodies as well. If someone, god forbid, figured out how to neutralize our ability to draw energy they would effectively kill us instantly," he said gravely, pausing to sip a cup that was hidden by two stacks of files.
"We can also use the energy to move things. To the uninitiated it looks like the psychic ability some of you Kats have, known as telekinesis." He demonstrated by making a gesture toward a stack of books and a light stream of energy reached out and snagged a small file, floating it back to him.
"Wow, that's cool and I can see how he could use it in his job now that he's out of the closet so to speak," T-Bone said, eyes wide in amazement.
"I heard he'd hidden what he was, really that was rather stupid and dangerous," the Professor said shaking his head at the behavior of this particular Sabren. "Anyway, you're correct, many of his abilities would come in very handy in his line of work."
"I could also see how it could be used for evil but I don't remember hearing anything about a Sabren going bad," T-Bone said, frowning in thought, surprised no one realized or had remarked on that fact.
"That's because of our high moral standards we live and die by. You will never find a Sabren willing to break that for any reason but one and that is a mentally defective person. Though extremely rare, a deranged Sabren, one who by his very nature could be deadly to those around him, is quickly identified and put to death. It is done quickly, humanely, and quietly by those who know the person. There is nothing illegal or immoral about our actions as living could only lead to their death at the paws of Kats when the stricken one uses their natural abilities to harm or kill. It is always done for the good of our kind and a mercy to the Sabren in question."
T-Bone couldn't help but shudder at that cool matter-of-fact statement. Though he easily understood the need, he still found it rather repugnant to kill a loved one rather than try and find a cure.
"But, why don't you try and cure the person?"
Professor Render gave him a compassionate look. "It does you honor my friend, to be so caring of others and want to save everyone if you can but you see, a deranged Sabren's power begins to run out of their control making it impossible to be near them. All the deranged Sabren's that have been destroyed also had no mates to help them while a cure was found. I heard how Commander Feral's power turned back on him. I've made notes of that in my journal because its quite possible those that had to be put down had this malady. The only reason he survived was you."
T-Bone blushed at the compliment and the realization that it was true. "Then I'm glad we were so fortunate to have found the cure so that others won't have to be 'put down' as you call it."
"Yes, young fellow, it was indeed a lucky thing and many will benefit from it," Professor Render said nodding gravely. "You and your mate have done a great service for Sabrens and it won't be forgotten."
"Okay, so what else is there about you guys?" T-Bone asked, wanting to move away from that subject. It had been a very traumatic time for them and he'd rather not hash over it again.
"Well you'll never find a Sabren lying, cheating, killing (except in defense and duty), being a coward or jealous, nor be avarice. We're simply incapable of expressing those things. Make no mistake, we can stretch the truth or lie by omission to save the lives of our family or because our jobs demands it but for no other reason.
Because of our physical abilities, you'll most likely find us in such places as the enforcers, police, paramedics, fire, security, or other protector services as well as enjoying working in construction and other heavy duty work. We are efficient fighters but as I said before, we only kill when we must. That's why no one in their right mind would think to attack the family of a Sabren unless they had a death wish," Render said firmly, taking another drink and leaning back in his seat to get more comfortable.
"If that's true, then how did you become a teacher and others become doctors?"
Render snorted, "I did say most not all. We are as different as Kats, except that more of us do choose the more physical and protector jobs out there."
"Okay, nice to know that. So, what about pregnancy and kittens?"
"Well, as you've learned, we usually become pregnant during the very first bonding with our new mate. Subsequent pregnancies occur every time we go into heat.
T-Bone's jaw dropped. "What? You mean I'll need to use a condom during his heat cycles to keep from having numerous kittens?...Wait, if that was true then you guys wouldn't be nearly extinct!" He paused, confused.
"Easy there young fella, yes we get pregnant after every heat cycle but due to our bodies need for energy, our cycles halt after five pregnancies. We're effectively sterile after that. No one really knows why, despite extensive studies into it. Also we can miscarry just as kats do and that does count as a pregnancy for our bodies. Another thing, unmated Sabrens don't get pregnant with anyone but their mate."
"Oh, well that's a relief," T-Bone sighed.
Render chuckled then added, "...and you can't use condoms...they burn up from our energy bursts so don't do it unless you want a fried cock from melted rubber, it'd hurt your mate's insides too."
T-Bone gave a horrified look. "You don't think we should know about that!" He squeaked in indignation.
The Professor just shrugged. "It's never happened before according to my data."
T-Bone could only shake his head in disbelief. "Okay, what about the fact the energy you guys put out causes us to get hard quickly without doing anything?"
"That too happens only with a mate," Render snickered.
The tabby blushed but nodded his head. "That's what I suspected but wanted to know for certain. So anything else earth-shattering I should know about?" Almost afraid to find out.
"Too broad a question. There are a myriad of facts about us but some of it is only of interest to doctors and the like, some of it is just interesting minutiae but not of much use for day to day living with a Sabren. So I'm afraid you'll have to be a bit more specific."
"Uh, well..." T-Bone paused to think what else might be of importance to him then remembered something. "Yeah, Dr. Hartstone did this strange greeting with Ulysses. A sort of nose to nose thing."
Render smiled, "that's a greeting like you said. It's used only to show that a fellow Sabren means no harm to a mate or kitten of a fellow Sabren. In this case, Hartstone was telling the Commander that, though he may cause emotional pain to one or both of you during the course of your therapy sessions, it is only for the purpose of helping that it must be done. You'll find a Sabren doctor will do the same thing before treating a Sabren patient."
"Uh...wait...Dr. Kenton at Megakat Trauma Center didn't do that with Uly when he was brought in," T-Bone objected.
The Professor frowned. "What were the circumstances?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, what condition was the Commander in when he arrived at the ER?" Render clarified.
"Oh, he was in complete emotional shutdown."
"Ah, yes, that means Feral was not aware enough to acknowledge a greeting. One must agree to do the greeting in the first place."
"Oh, okay that makes a lot of sense. Thank you," the tabby said, nodding to himself as he absorbed everything he'd heard.
"There are other times when that 'blue' aura you saw occurs...when a couple needs comforting from a loss or other tragedy, other Sabrens nearby will be aware of it by a discordant vibration in the energy flow and will go immediately to the distressed Sabren or couple's side and give them their energy laced with comfort and understanding to help ease them past their grief. This is also done with kittens that have suffered some kind of trauma as well," Render explained.
"Oh wow! What a wonderful thing that is. Wish we had something similar," T-Bone breathed in awe then frowned as he realized something. "There must not have been anyone in Uly's building when he went suffered a break down and there was only me to try and handle it. It was a nightmare," he murmured, shuddering at the memory.
Render frowned, an unhappy and concerned look on his face. "That shouldn't have happened. Someone should have been near...I'm truly sorry you had to go through that alone but thank you for being strong enough to handle it," he said sincerely.
"Thanks, so am I," T-Bone sighed pushing the unhappy memory to the side but it had brought to mind yet another thing he needed an answer to but it was far more intimate a question. "Uh, I do have one more question but it's very personal..." he said hesitantly, blushing a bit.
"Must be really intimate to get you to blush but I won't, so ask," Render smirked a little in amusement at the tabby's discomfiture.
"Uhmm, well every time Uly has an orgasm he flares brightly."
Rendar's eyebrows rose to his hairline, "Really? That's extraordinary. We haven't had a Sabren that powerful in more than a couple of decades. The last one past on about six years ago. Well, aren't we blessed and the fact he's a protector makes it even more beneficial for us all. I think young fellow, our problems with the omegas will soon be a thing of the past...mark my words."
"So Uly's unusual among Sabrens, heh? I thought that might have been the reason. I'm glad to have it corroborated and I agree with you, it looks like we will have peace soon," T-Bone said grinning.
"You are one very lucky Kat, congratulations. However, don't sell yourself short just because you have a powerful mate. From stories I hear, you are formidable in your own right."
T-Bone blushed anew at the compliment. "Thank you, I and my partner do our best! Well, it seems you've answered most of the questions that troubled me. If I think of anymore..."
"Then please don't hesitate to call me," Render said, smiling as he searched his desk for a moment then came up with a card and handed it to T-Bone. "My number."
"Thank you! I appreciate you spending the time with me and answering my questions," T-Bone said smiling, getting up from his seat and reaching across to shake the tom's paw.
"You're very welcome. May your energy flow with only happiness and joy," the professor spoke solemnly.
T-Bone cocked his head in surprise but smiled and returned the farewell, realizing it must be something Sabrens said to one another upon parting. "May your energy flow with only happiness and joy!" He returned with equal solemnity.
Professor Render nodded and grinned, pleased at the tabby's quickness at realizing the importance of what he'd said and willingly giving it back.
T-Bone left feeling pleased and better informed about his mate. He had a feeling he'd be repeating this information to his mate in the future because it seemed obvious Ulysses hadn't been taught much about himself. He sighed as he realized he would also be repeating it much sooner, as he'd promised to inform his partner on the subject as well.
Enduring the many looks, calls, and shrieks of delight once more as he walked out of the building and across the campus to his parked cyclotron. There were a cluster of admirers surrounding his bike when he shut off his security system. Many engineering students and just bike buffs eagerly asked him questions about his bike. He grinned with pride about Razor's work but didn't give out any technical information, disappointing his fans but he told them it wouldn't do to have others copy their design. With that, he climbed aboard, started the engine then roared off home.