NOTE:  This and all preceding and subsequent chapters
are copyright 1993 by Milford Ray Slabaugh.  All rights
reserved.  Permission is hereby granted to post this story
to other BBS'es, provided it bears this language.
Permission to post to Star*Chat denied.

			     PLANET OF DESIRE

			      THE CONCLUSION
			   "Why Do This To Us?"

     Ivan and David stopped in the big room.  It was
machinery that surrounded them, machinery without a doubt,
but it was of such a magnitude of design and purpose (beyond
them?  Or below them?) that it made no sense at all.
     A single being lived in the room, moving among the
machinery.  It stopped to do incomprehensible things from
time to time, the equivalent of checking gauges and
adjusting pressures, Ivan guessed.
     "What do you think?" David asked.
     "We'd best introduce ourselves." Ivan whispered back. 
"Hello!" he shouted.
     The being didn't hear them.  It was somewhat human-
shaped, but lacked the proportions to be humanoid.  Its head
was one-third of the length of its body, its body was a
compact, nearly rectangular mass beneath it, and from the
body protruded three arms and three legs, all thin and
sinuous, like snakes.  Ivan saw the arms ended each with
three smaller digits, like fingers but, again, sinuous and
flexing.  It gave off an odd air of serenity and dignity.
     It turned a single large eye towards them, and it
stopped, regarded them.  Then it moved over to a smaller
machine that stood apart and detached from the others.  It
manipulated some kind of control on the panel.  There was a
pause, then a voice, broken with static.
*****"This is WNBC Radio, beginning our broadcast day."*****
     The being then stopped, as if that had meant something.
     "What do you think?" Ivan asked.
     "I think that's a translator device, or something."
David said.  "That was the closest thing it had to a
greeting."
     "And it learned our language from old radio broadcasts. 
Interesting." Ivan said.  He raised his voice.  "We
understand you.  Are you the one in charge of this planet?"
     The being again manipulated the machine.
*****"I am pleased to announce my candidacy for President of
the United States."*****
     "I'll take that as a 'yes'." Ivan grinned.  This had
its humorous aspects.  "Are you the one who brought us, all
of our people, to this world?"
*****"I refuse to answer, on the grounds that it may tend to
incriminate me."*****
     "I assume that is a 'yes', as well."  Ivan said.  He
took a deep breath.  "Are you doing this to us on purpose? 
I mean, this planet, the field that caused us to crash, the
fact there are only males here on this planet, and the mist
that drives us the way it does.  Is this intentional?"
     "A good question." David observed.  "It seems to be
having trouble finding a good answer."
*****"That is a compound question, and I must answer it in
parts."****
     "Say it anyway you want to." Ivan said.  The memory of
his father's ghost was beginning to enrage him.  "Why are
you doing this to us?"
     The alien's answer seemed to be in the scenes he chose. 
Ivan listened to the broadcasts gleaned from centuries of
Earth's radio broadcasts.  All of them dealt with war and
declarations of war, atrocities, deaths, disasters.
     Finally, the being seemed finished.  "And you brought
us here because we fight?" Ivan asked.  That seemed to be
the gist of the alien's answer.
****"That's it.  You've answered the sixty-four dollar
question.  You win!"*****
     "But why do this to us?  Why the mist?  Why only men
here?"
*****"My brothers and sisters, we must learn to love one
another.  Without love, we will never enter the blessed
portals of Heaven."*****
     That was all there was.  The alien seemed content, and
walked away, unconcerned with their presence, as if he had
explained everything.
     "Now what?" Ivan was genuinely angry.  "Are we supposed
to walk out of here nice and peaceful.  I thought we'd get
an answer to this screwy planet."
     "I think we just did." David said.
     Ivan looked at him.  David was smarter than he was;
he'd learned that long ago.  "Explain it to me, will you?"
     "I'm not that sure I understand it.  But as near as I
can tell, this alien listened to our broadcasts and decided
we were dangerous.  So when we came out into space, and
brought our wars with us, he decided to do something about
it."
     "Like what?"
     "I think this planet is an experiment."
     "What kind of experiment."
     "To see if he can teach us to love each other instead
of fight each other."
     "By making us fuck-happy?"
     "What's another word for sexual intercourse?" David
said patiently.
     "I don't know....Making love." Ivan said.
     "Of course."
     "I'll be damned." Ivan said.  
     "So the alien got confused.  Love is love.  We must
love one another or fall into disaster.  So the alien fixes
it so we have no choice.  We HAVE to love one another.  He's
teaching us to love."
     "And what then?"
     "Well, I'm trying to see this planet as an experiment
from his eyes.  We still fight, but not as much as we used
to.  After all, Men fight Slan in outer space, here, we
don't fight at all.  Men still fight men, but only a few of
those.  As opposed to the entire countries at war in those
broadcasts, those were all early twentieth century
broadcasts, did you notice?"
     "No.  Were they?"
     "Yes."  
     "So his experiment is a success." Ivan said.  "Or it
may be, one day, when all his results are in."
     "Yes.  What then?"
     Ivan thought it over.  Thought of the myriad worlds of
Man, Slan and who knows what other cultures, suddenly
sprouting the volcanos with their pink mist.
     "Why did he ignore women?" Ivan asked.
     "If I remember history right, early 20th century, women
didn't fight.  They don't need help like that."
     "Or weren't mentioned enough in the earlier
broadcasts."
     "Maybe." David said.  "But men are the ones who fight. 
Maybe he thinks women are another species, one that doesn't
need his help."
     "So any flight with women on it is ignored by him."
Ivan nodded.  "It all holds together, but it's damned
tenuous.  I thought we'd get a solid answer to it."
     "Well, we know what's causing the pink mist now, don't
we?" David said.
     "Yes, there's that."
     "What is it, Ivan?"
     Ivan chuckled.  "I'm wondering what happens when he
expands his activities to the known universe."
     "An entire galaxy humping away at each other for all
they're worth." David laughed with him.
     Ivan sobered.  "Would it be so bad, at that?"
     David knew the look, the eyes of Ivan, with their
burning cities and thousands of dead behind them.  Ivan had
been a Scout on some tough missions, tougher than those they
had been on together.  "Maybe not." he agreed.  "But one
thing's for sure.  We can't stop this being.  Not with what
we've got."
     "Yes.  We have our answer, for what it's worth.  Let's
go." Ivan said.
     They turned and went back out through the door.
     Ivan grimaced as they reached the red mist.  "Ready for
that place again?" he asked David.
     "No." David said.  "But it's the only way out."
     "Yes." Ivan led the way in.
     But they weren't separated.  Ivan and David held hands,
clung to each other, determined not to face the demons of
the red mist alone.  
     But no mists materialized.  Instead, they found....
     "Jablonski?" Ivan called.
     Jablonski turned to them, his eyes shining.  "Sirs! 
Hello!  You'll never guess who I found!"  And Jablonski
stepped aside as though he'd been hiding something.  Nothing
was there.
     "What is it, Jablonski?" Ivan asked.
     "What do you mean?" Jablonski said.  "Can't you see? 
Andrew is alive!"
     "He is?" David asked.  "Where is he?"
     Jablonski seemed annoyed.  "He's standing right there." 
And Jablonski pointed at empty space.  "Can't you see him?"
     "Jablonski." Ivan said gently.  "I saw him, too, when I
entered the mist.  But it's not real.  Andrew is dead.  I
wish to God he wasn't, but he's dead.  You put flowers on
his grave, man.  Jablonski, listen to me."
     Jablonski wasn't hearing a word they said.  He was
talking animatedly to Andrew.  "Yes, you're right." He
concluded.  "He deserves to hear it.  No, I'll tell him."
Jablonski turned to face Ivan.  "Andrew and I are in love. 
He wants to stay with me, not go with you.  He and I are
staying here."
     "No, Jablonski, you can't...." Ivan called to him.  The
red mist had no effect on him, but it did obscure vision. 
Jablonski walked away, holding onto an invisible hand, and
was lost in the mist.  Ivan started to follow him, when he
saw the way out.  He turned to look briefly at daylight,
then when he looked back, Jablonski was gone.
     "David." Ivan said.  He had let go of David's hand.
     "Right here." David said.  "Let's get out of this
madhouse."
     "But Jablonski...."
     "He's gone.  Like the old man said.  Some people get
lost.  Unless you want to charge after him and get lost as
well, we'd better just go."
     Ivan was reluctant, but David's instincts in matters
like these was never wrong.  To wander into uncharted caves
with the sort of inhabitants this place had would be
madness.  They would be lucky to escape with only two
casualties.
     "Gorman!" He called.  "Al Gorman!"
     "Here, Ivan!" came a voice, and it was Gorman standing
in the entranceway, reaching a hand down to lift them up.
     "You're all right." Ivan said, embracing the big
Marine.  It felt good, that hug, though both of them were
nude, and their cocks collided a bit painfully in that hasty
hug.
     "Got turned around and ended up right back outside
again." Gorman admitted.  I've been waiting here for you. 
You two weren't gone long.  Did you find the answer?"
     "Yes." Ivan said, and related their odd meeting.
     "Well, well." Gorman said.  "I'm right sorry I missed
that little meeting."
     "Uh, excuse me." David said, and went off down the
paths.  Ivan watched curiously, until he saw David headed
for a tall, well-built native man standing outside the
temple gates, stroking a massive hard-on.  Watched David
reach the man and grab the huge organ and flog it. 
     "Well, Commander Martin is ready to fit into this new
world with no problem." Ivan observed.  
     "Yes, Ivan." Gorman said.  "And as long as we're on
that subject, I was wondering if you were feeling a mite
horny at the moment yourself?"
     Ivan grinned.  "For you, Al, always."
     "My ass is too sore from that last butt-plugging you
gave me, but I'd enjoy a little sixty-nining with you."
Gorman said.  He seemed oddly bashful all of a sudden.
     "Sounds good to me." Ivan said.  He was glad he hadn't
dressed again, yet.  Clothes just got in the way on this
planet.  This crazy, wonderful planet of Desire.
     He leaned over and dived for Gorman's groin, made a
perfect landing on the erect schlong waiting there.  Gorman
lay back and enjoyed Ivan's sucking on his cock at first,
then he twisted and joined the fray.  Soon, they were both
sucking each other hard and deep, and Ivan felt it was
wonderfully right.
     Some day, he thought in the back of his mind, that
alien down below them would expand his power to the stars. 
And then all the worlds of mankind would know this pleasure,
the joy of sex given unstintingly, without hesitation and
without guilt, sex without the damaging ties of unloving
marriages, of guilty love-affairs, of sordid scenes of
debauchery from men driven by frustration into the
netherworld of kink.  When everything is allowed, nothing
suffers the debilitation of being declared wrong.  Whatever
the heart and soul chose would be allowed, and no power of
legislation could stop this flood.  
     His orgasm built into a pool in his balls, crawled up
his shaft being manipulated by Gorman's adept lips, until it
burst free as it reached his cockhead, followed by a hefty
dose of mancome.
     Gorman slurped noisily on the flow of jism, and then
groaned warningly, and Ivan fastened tight as his Marine
lover poured a huge load into his mouth.  Ivan drank it down
like the elixir of eternal life.
     Afterwards, Ivan sat with his arm around Gorman's
waist, and Gorman's around his, and they watched the sun
sinking below the mountain range.  Ivan wondered what might
lie beyond those mountains, whether there were other men
besides this one little group, or other creatures, other
worlds, other adventures.  Perhaps, in time, he would go
look and see.  Perhaps with Gorman here at his side, a good
man in a pinch.
     "What are your plans, now, Al?" He asked.
     "Hmm?  Oh, I'm sorry, Ivan." Gorman said.
     "What were you thinking about?"
     "I was wondering what you found inside that cavern. 
You know, other than that being."
     "You mean the dreams?"
     "Yes, sir." Gorman said.  He seemed bashful, again.
     Ivan hesitated, let his arm drop from around Gorman,
and Gorman let go of him.  It was such a personal sort of
nightmare.  "Well, let's just say that it was utterly
impossible.  That's why I didn't stick around for it.  It
was so impossible, so unreal, that it didn't have any hold
on me."
     "Really?  That's interesting."
     "What about yours?" Ivan asked.  "You got out, too."
     "Well." Gorman hesitated.  "In my case, it was the
opposite of yours.  Mine was so real, there wasn't any
reason to settle for a dream.  Why dream, when you can have
the real thing?"
     "I see." Ivan said.  "And what are you going to do
about this dream?"
     "I'm doing it right now." Gorman said.
     Ivan felt his hand, resting between them, being covered
with Gorman's hand.  All of a sudden, he knew what Gorman's
dream had been.
     Ivan thought about it.  Think now, he told himself,
while the passion lets you.  He thought frantically, trying
to give an answer.  But there wasn't one inside him yet to
give.
     Other than the truth.  "Al, the fact is, I don't know
what I want just now."
     "That's okay." Gorman assured him.  "I'm not pushing
you.  Take all the time you want.  Like my momma said, if
it's meant to be, it'll happen."
     Ivan smiled.  "That's a good philosophy."
     They were silent, watching the sunset.  The sun was
gone, leaving only red clouds on the horizon, with pink
clouds overhead.  
     After a time, Ivan turned his hand to clasp Gorman's
hand.  They interlaced their fingers together, and Gorman
gave his hand a squeeze. 
     Ivan didn't look at him, not yet.  There would be time
enough to turn and look in a moment.  Meanwhile, the sunset
was lovely.

                           THE END

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