Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2003 05:57:39 +0000
From: Douglas DD DD <thehakaanen@hotmail.com>
Subject: The Survivors. Chapter 45

This story contains sex between minor boys and teen-agers.  If such things
offend you, or you are not at least 18 years of age, then please don't read
on.  This story is not true, but who knows, maybe some day it will be.


CHAPTER 45

Healing and Thinking

by Douglas DD When Douglas woke up he felt pain all through his side. He
tried looking for Scooter, but it hurt to even move his head.  He moaned,
rolled over and saw his lover. Douglas untied his feet, crawled over and
untied Scooter's hands and feet. He could see that Scooter was still
unconscious. He lay down next to him, put his arm around him, and fell
asleep.

When he woke up again he saw that Scooter was awake and looking at him. He
was running his hand through Douglas's hair.

"Hi, my love," Douglas said.

"I love you," Scooter mumbled through his swollen lips.

`Think it my love. Think it,' Douglas told Scooter.

`I love you.'

`I love you, Scooter. God, do I love you. You saved me.'

`You saved me! You kept him off me. If he had done....that....I....I'

`Don't even think about it love. He didn't do it to you He never went that
far. But my pain went away. Did you do that? Did you take it away?'

`Yes'.

`Where did it go?

Scooter's mind went quiet, but Douglas saw tears in his love's bruised
eyes. `My love. You felt it yourself?'

"Yes."

Douglas started to hug Scooter, then he moaned with pain. "Well, you didn't
take it that time."

Douglas smiled and Scooter started to, but he stopped because it hurt too
much. The two boys just lay there facing each other and loving each
other. They didn't move for what seemed like forever.  At the moment their
entire universe was in that cave.

`Scooter?'

`Yes, my sweetums?'

`I wasn't going to try to save him.'

`I know.'

I hated him.'

`I know. I felt it. It was part of all your pain.'

`I'm sorry.'

`It's okay. I love you.'

They went back into their love trance. Douglas wished he could hug his
sweet love. He just lay there instead, using his index finger to trace
circles around Scooter's nipples.

`Scooter, did you...did you...you know...give like a mental command?'

`I don't understand.'

`Did you command me to save Robert Charles? I hated him. I wanted him to
die, but I tried to save him instead.'

`No. I never did that. I don't know if I can even. Whatever you did came
from your own heart.'

`Did you take away my hate when you took my pain?'

`Douglas. You're thinking too much. You know you could never let somebody
just die, even somebody as evil as Robert Charles. Then you would be just
like he is.'

Another long pause as Douglas rubbed his finger all along his lover's body.

`Scooter?'

`Yes, my love?'

`I love you, Scooter.'

`I love you, Douglas.'

`It's cold in here.'

`I know. There are blankets in one of the saddle bags. Let's go out and get
them.'

They got up off of the hard ground. Douglas moaned with the pain. It hurt
him to even walk.

`Stay here love. I'll go get them,' Scooter told him.

`Be careful, my love.'

Scooter took the flashlight and left. Douglas still had the light of the
lantern, but after Scooter left it suddenly seemed too quiet and too
dark. He could hear his heart thumping in his chest. Then the quiet was
broken by a noise coming at him. He hoped it was Scooter. His heart thumped
faster, but he could see the light coming at him. He knew it was his
lover. Soon the light arrived, with Scooter carrying two blankets. Douglas
found himself shivering. The Hakaan custom of being naked wasn't always a
good one.

"The unicorns seem okay. It's dark out. We can go when it gets light."

"Scooter, I don't know if I can."

"What do you mean?"

`My side hurts. I mean bad. You might have taken away the pain, but I think
when I tried to pull RC up I injured myself worse. I don't know if I can
get up on a unicorn. I don't know if I can ride it even if I can.'

`Then what should we do love? I don't think anybody knows we're here except
RC's two friends.  We have get back on our own.'

Douglas knew Scooter was right. He needed to test himself, so he could
leave with Scooter when it got light out. He tried standing up. He felt a
sharp pain in his side and he couldn't breathe. He sat back down. Scooter
started to hug him and then stopped. He knew if he did Douglas's ribs would
hurt like his own face hurt. He wanted to smile, but he knew his face would
hurt even more, and he had to fight the smile. About all the two boys could
do was share a light kiss on the lips.

They decided that Scooter would ride back to the valley and get help while
Douglas stayed in the cave. Scooter was an experienced rider, while Douglas
was not.  Even if Douglas had been healthy, Scooter would be able to travel
faster. There was food, water, and two blankets there. Scooter had the
computer cards that Robert Charles had stolen from the flyer.

`It shouldn't take much more than a day, love.'

`I'll miss you.'

They both tried sleeping, but the pain from their injuries made it too
difficult to do. They thought about sex, but they were hurting too much to
do more than think about it..

Scooter woke up suddenly.

`Douglas, wake up.'

Douglas's eyes flew open.  `What? What's wrong?'

`I think it's time for me to go.'

`How do you know?'

`I just know. I love you, sweetums.'

`I love you, my sweetness.'

Scooter turned on the flashlight next to him, then turned on the
lantern. He gave Douglas a light kiss with his swollen lips and headed up
the passage to the entrance of the cave.

Douglas was all alone. He almost hoped it was still dark out, so Scooter
would come back. But he soon realized that wasn't going to happen. Well, if
anything happened, the other unicorn was out there. He always had a way
out. He was sure he could get on it if he had to. He turned off the lantern
to save the battery.

He wished he had a book. He wished the pain in his side would quit. He
wished he was safe at home with his parents.  He felt one of his bruised
ribs and the pain was so bad he stopped. He was sure it was broken. He
tried fighting the pain but he couldn't. He put his mind on other things.

He thought of his old home on Earth. He wished he could be playing baseball
right then. He remembered being seventh grade president, and getting
elected school president the next year. In a way he wished he never got
elected. Then people would never have thought he was some kind of leader
and he wouldn't be all alone and naked under a blanket in a dark and cold
cave. He felt his mind drift off into sleep.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ He heard a noise and jerked awake. It
sounded like rocks falling. It was dark. He tried reaching for the lantern
or the laser gun. He couldn't find them. The noise was coming from the drop
off. It was completely dark, as only a cave can be, but he could sense
something move over there. He heard more rocks fall, and heard them crash
against the sides of the cliff, the sounds echoing through the cave.

Whatever it was came closer. He could hear breathing, feel it close to
him. Something touched him. The lantern suddenly lit up and the light
showed a face. Robert Charles! He could see Robert Charles had a huge
boner, bigger than he had ever remembered.

"Thank God for hidden ledges, Dougie. Now it's time for me to finish
you. Time for me to rape your tight faggot ass, then throw you over the
side far enough that you won't hit anything but bottom."

He looked at Robert Charles's huge erection.

"You let go of me Douglas. You wanted me to die. I felt your hands let go!
Now you pay you sissy faggot!"

He knelt down between Douglas's legs, his face lit and full of evil. He
took his cock and rammed it into Douglas's ass as hard as he could, shoving
it in all the way.

Douglas let out a scream that filled the entire cave. The pain was bigger
than anything he had ever felt in his life as Robert Charles's huge boner
started tearing his guts up.

"Douglas! Douglas! Hey, calm down. It's okay. It's okay, buddy"

Douglas looked up at the face looking at him. It wasn't Robert Charles at
all, it was Mike.

"Mike?" he choked out. "Where is Robert Charles? What happened to him?"

"No Robert Charles here. Just you. I think you were having a bad dream."

"Yeah. But it sure seemed real."

"Speaking of Robert Charles. Where is he? Where is Scooter?"

"Didn't you see him? I mean didn't he bring you here?"

"No.  Douglas, what's going on?"

Douglas told Mike about the kidnapping. He told them about the trip to the
cave and about Robert Charles's attack on him on Scooter, about how Robert
Charles tried to rape Scooter, about the fight, and about Robert Charles
going over the side. He didn't mention how Scooter took his pain for
himself, or about his own hatred for Robert Charles.

"I tried to save him, Mike, but it hurt too much to hold on to him. I lost
my hold on him and he fell."

"Well, he got more than he deserved then," came a voice in the dark. "I
don't know if I would have even bothered. I would have let his ass go." It
was Alex. "He was scum. He deserved to die."

"I feel the same way," Mike said. "I would never have tried."

"That's not true. You both would have tried something and you know it,"
Douglas protested.  "He might have been evil, but if we don't try saving
him then we're as bad as he is."  For a moment Douglas actually believed
it.  Did he really let go because all of the pain came back to him, or did
he let go because deep inside he wanted to see Robert Charles die?

Alex and Mike said nothing, but they knew Douglas was right. As evil as
Robert Charles was, they couldn't let him just die.

"How did you find me? I mean I know it wasn't Scooter who brought you
here."

"Well, the two Shkah kids Robert Charles knew found out Robert Charles had
killed the two guards where you and Scooter were staying.  Robert Charles
lied to him when he said he had the gun on stun. The big kid, Vordkan, or
something, turned himself and the other kid in. He told where you
were. Looks like even Shkah kids can have a conscience."

"But how did you get here so fast?"

"The flyer. Quan, the Chief Engineer, knows his stuff. He took some spare
parts from the spare shuttle, got some computer chips, made some new cards,
put Alex in the pilot's seat, and here we are."

"Alex flew the flyer? Awesome."

"It was nothing compared to the shuttle. The regular pilots were both an
hour or so away, so we figured, what the hell, let's go now. We knew every
second counted. We were worried big time. We were afraid of what he would
do to you."

"He was crazy. He lost touch with reality. We got lucky."

"It was more than luck," Mike said. "You guys did it together. Good and
love defeated evil."

Douglas didn't think it was that easy, but he let it go. He did know that
without Scooter's mental help he never would have made it.  They did indeed
do it together.  "We need to find Scooter now."

"That should be no problem," Alex said. "We know where he is going. We'll
find him fast."

They walked up the path out of the cavern. Doug stopped and looked back
into the darkness. A chill went down his spine. Somehow it seemed extra
cold back there in the darkness.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It didn't take long to find
Scooter. He was driving his unicorn at a quick gallop over the plateau,
kicking up a dust trail that made him easy to spot from the flyer. Scooter
was surprised and happy to see the flyer. He had been petty tired and his
face was hurting. They loaded Scooter into the flyer, and Jeremy, who had
come along for the ride and to help with muscle if they needed it, said he
would ride the unicorn back. He and Brett had been doing a lot of unicorn
riding where they were staying, and he said he was confident he would ride
the unicorn back to the valley.

Scooter told him what direction to go, and said to make sure he had plenty
of daylight when he went down the trail. He remembered how scary it was
going up the trail in the dark. The unicorns were sure footed, but the
trail was narrow and steep. Jeremy said he remembered their trip down it
when they discovered the valley and that he would be very careful. Still,
Scooter worried about it and knew he wouldn't feel good until Jeremy made
it down into the valley.

Alex flew the flyer back to the airport. He and Mike told Scooter about
Vordkan and Orzano turning themselves in and telling where Robert Charles
had taken him and Douglas.

"So, in the end RC even lost his Shkah friends. He died without a single
friend," Scooter said. "That is sad. That is very, very sad. He could have
been a somebody, and he died being a nobody."

The flyer landed at the airport and Scooter and Douglas were taken to the
hospital. Doctor Mandor and Doctor Kallama helped fix them up.  Douglas had
three broken ribs, and Scooter had a couple of loose teeth and some bruises
and cuts, but nothing serious. He was told his jaw would be very sore for a
few days. It was milk shakes for him until it felt better.  Kallama sent
Scooter to a dentist to check out the teeth. One thing about the Hakaanen,
even with all their problems, their doctors, medicine and hospitals were
great.

But even in the medical field, things were wearing out. The Hakaanen knew
that for them to survive on Inferno, the round eared boys would have to
make it to Hakaan, and hope the planet had recovered and was able to send
things back to Inferno.

That was the big reason the Governor was helping them. He figured if he
sent the round ears to Hakaan he wasn't going to be risking the lives of
any of the Hakaanen. He hoped, of course, that the round ears wouldn't get
sick, but if they did, at least they weren't Hakaanen. He even had a plan
to have the round ears stay in space long enough to discover if they would
catch it, but that plan didn't work.  Now they were back and healthy.

Mayor Andorn agreed the round ears were the ones who would have to save
them, but he hated to see them go. They had become very special to so many
of the Hakaanen, including himself.  Bandar was very fond of Douglas,
Scooter, Mike, and Alex.  Enghar and little Mattoo were Meshannas. He knew,
hovever, they all needed to go together, because they had families, and
parents, and their own world, which he hoped they could return to after
they arrived at Hakaan.  First, they needed to find out if the starship
could even make it back.  +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Two weeks had passed since the tragedy in the cave.  Douglas's ribs were
sore, but healing nicely. The black and blue was almost all gone from
Scooter's face, and all the swelling was gone. Matthew was finally out of
his leg cast and Travis's arm was in a soft cast.  Everybody and everything
was healing, including the shuttle. The landing gear was repaired. Petras
had everything ready.

All of the data downloaded from the "Paxton" showed the starship had the
fuel and the air to make it to Hakaan. The navigation system was set for
the return trip. All they had to do was load it up with food and water,
start the rockets and then the warp drive, and they would be heading for
Hakaan.

They had all been taking lessons on running the starship. Scooter still had
to do a lot of translating, but it also helped that Orzano was available
too. It was decided that since he was a young boy and had helped to rescue
Douglas and Scooter, if he helped the round ears get to the ship and on
their way to Hakaan then they would drop all of the charges against him.

They were set to leave in two days. The shuttle was being loaded and double
checked. The boys quit going to school and started preparing for the trip
to Hakaan. That night each boy had his own thoughts about leaving Inferno,
and about what was going to happen to their lives.  Jeremy Jeremy lay
looking at the ceiling, his lover cuddled in next to him. He hadn't seen
his parents since he was 11. He wondered if they knew anything about what
happened to him. If the "Starkeeper" ever made it to Alpha Orion IV, they
would know he was missing with the rest of the boys. But if it never made
it back, then it would just be another mystery spaceship. He remembered
being poor. He remembered the day his parents left, saying they would send
for him as soon as they could. He remembered the day they sent the money so
he could join them. He knew they got paid for having a kid on the planet,
but they didn't want Jeremy to be there until they could give him the best.

He missed Brian. His little "brother" was his lover too. But, he found
something even better on the trip. Brett. He hugged Brett tightly.  They
would be together, no matter where they went. He would have to tell his
parents about his being in love. But that would be okay, he was sure. He
missed them so much, but he never wanted to be separated from his lover.
Brett Brett had fallen asleep snuggled up against Jeremy. His last thoughts
were of his father and his brother and how much he missed them both. Like
everybody else, he wasn't sure if his father ever reached safety, but he
knew he needed to find out. And if his family was safe, that was who he
wanted to be with. And no matter what, he wanted Jeremy to be with him. And
he wanted to be with his new brother, Douglas. Most of all, right now, he
wanted his father. He had forgotten how lonely it was without him. Now they
had a chance to go home.

Brett was put in charge of the environmental system. He had to learn about
water and air and wastes and how to keep the whole system balanced. It was
the hardest thing he ever had to learn, but he felt like he could do it. As
long as it all stayed balanced he would be fine. And he had Jeremy to help
fix things if they went wrong.

Brett smiled as he fell asleep next to Jeremy.  Jim Jim spent the two weeks
learning what he could about engineering from Chief Engineer Quan. He was
shown how to take care of minor problems.  Jeremy and Travis all were with
him as he learned, but it was Jim who was going to be the Chief Engineer
going back. They all tried to talk the Chief Engineer into going back with
them, but like so many Hakaanen he was afraid of the plague. He knew when
he got there he would have to go to the planet or meet other Hakaanen. He
also figured that since no Hakaanen ship had visited Inferno in 25 years,
if he went to Hakaan he probably could never return to Inferno.  So he
spent hours with the boys showing them what they needed to know to keep the
starship running.

"The ship will pretty much run itself," he told them.

"What if something major happens?" Jim asked.

"Then you will need a trained Chief Engineer."

"But we won't have one," Travis protested.

"I know," Quan replied.

That made everything sound a bit more frightening. They listened and wrote
notes and hit the books harder to make sure nothing major happened. Because
if something did happen, they knew they would be stranded in space and
everything they had done would be for nothing.

Jim also helped the Chief Engineer. He told him what he knew about his
mother's Terraforming machines. Chief Engineer Quan was very interested,
because he by saw using some of her ideas he could do the same things he
was doing using fewer machines. Which meant fewer machines would wear out
and he would have more spare parts to use when they did.

Jim missed his mother and her love and the things she taught him. And he
missed learning things about science. He was becoming more and more sure
that he wanted to have a career in space. He once thought he wanted to do
what his mother did, but that meant being on a planet. And Jim could see
that he loved space. He loved machines and science. Chief Engineer Quan
told Jim once while they were doing the engineering lessons, that he had
what it took to be a Chief Engineer and if he wanted to stay on Inferno he
would train him to replace him on the machinery someday.

But Jim wanted to be the best. He wanted to be to explore space. And that
meant returning home.  Travis Travis worked with Jim on learning
Engineering. He also learned more about navigation from another retired
spaceman. He learned about piloting. And he spent every minute he could
with Ryan.

He didn't really miss his family.  They never really did much together. And
he had forgotten all about Kaylin, his old girl friend. All he thought
about now was Ryan.  No matter what happened he didn't ever want to be
separated from him. If he had a choice in life it would be to be with
Ryan. If that meant staying on Inferno, that was fine with him. He knew a
lot of the boys missed their families, and that all of them would have to
pull together to fly the starship. Being with his parents wouldn't be a bad
thing as long as Ryan was around.  Ryan Ryan got some lessons on piloting
and navigating too. Someone had to be on the bridge at all times. Ryan was
being trained to be one of them.

He didn't want to go back. His parents meant nothing to him, and he meant
nothing to them. He was extra money to them, nothing else. He pretty much
hated them. He liked his Hakaanen guardians and the kids he met in school.
Guys like Bandar and Hajo were really special. He would love to just stay
here and help settle the planet with his Haakenen friends and with his
lover Travis.He sometimes daydreamed about Travis and him becoming the
first all Earthboy Mehsanna.  But he knew that couldn't happen. Douglas had
told them all how much each of them was needed to get the "Paxton" back to
Hakaan. He also knew that some of his friends wanted to go home in the
worst way.


While staying on Inferno seemed nice in a lot of ways, they had all made it
together this far. Douglas was right, this wasn't the time to split up.
They had one more thing left to do, and that was to get the boys who wanted
it back to their families. After that, who knew what would happen? If only
he could live with Travis forever, he could take anything.  Drew and Drake
Drew and Drake missed home more than anybody. They were just ten when they
got separated from the "Starkeeper." Their family was close and they missed
their parents and their brother a great deal.  They were constantly
homesick, and all of the boys gave them extra attention to help them.
Their older brother Jordan was already on Alpha Orion IV waiting for
them. They loved their brother too. They were at least happy they had each
other. They now made love to each other every night and had a feeling when
they got home they probably never would again, but alone on a strange
planet it just seemed like it was the right thing to do.

Drew still hung around with his big "brother" Ryan. But they never did any
sex. They just talked and stayed together doing nothing. Sometimes they
went riding. When Drew got really down and lonely, Ryan always had a hug
and a sweet thing to say to make him feel better, just like Jason did.

Even the young twins had a job to train for. They learned how to read the
environmental control panel, which they would have to check it a few times
a day. Matthew was learning with them. If they saw something wrong, then
they would call Brett, who was learning to make adjustments when things got
out of balance, which happened on any ship.  As long as there were no
serious malfunctions, they felt like they could all handle the system. They
just had to learn how to correct the little things.  The three young boys
were pleased to get some responsibility, and they were ready to take it
seriously.

Nobody wanted to leave Inferno more than the twins did. They would do
anything anybody wanted to get to Jason, and to their parents, if they were
still alive.

Alex and Stevie Like the twins the two brothers were close. The difference
was, while the twins enjoying sex together, they both felt it was something
they did because they only had each other. For Alex and Stevie it was
totally different. They had been having sex since they were little. It was
an important part of their love, and had been since they were seven and
nine.  When they learned that their fun was really sex, it became an
important part of how they felt for each other. Now they couldn't imagine
being without it.  They loved each other as much as two brothers ever
could.

Even having their own boyfriends they didn't stop making love to each
other. Mike and Jim, their boyfriends, knew and understood. The brothers
sometimes wondered if that created a barrier between them and their
boyfriends, but they also knew they couldn't give each other up. The bond
that was made between them the two years they lived with their uncle and
his abuse was too strong for their own bond to ever be broken, even by
their love for someone else.

Alex and Stevie really had nothing to go back for. A step dad who they
heard was nice, but they hardly knew, and a mother they'd seen only twice
in the last few years. There was excitement and challenge on Inferno. Plus
they had made such good friends with the Hakaanen around them.  Alex
realized that as little as he knew about piloting a starship, he was the
only person who could come close to piloting the "Paxton" and getting them
back. He loved his friends more than he loved Inferno and the Hakaan. The
boys he and Stevie had survived with were their real family.

Alex was learning what he could about piloting a starship from Roobine and
the retired navigator.  Roobine said he didn't know much about it, but had
studied it some back when he was in the Space Academy. He wanted to live on
a planet, however, and went into shuttle flying. Alex and Roobine made up
some after what had happened after the last shuttle flight. But it was more
as teacher and student, and not as friends. Roobine was a good teacher
though, and Alex was a good student. What Roobine didn't know, he got on
the computer data base and found out.

Stevie was there too. He would be the copilot again. They both had a couple
of lessons on Engineering, too, along with navigation.  Jim, Travis, and
Jeremy learned a little about piloting and navigation. They all were
spending time from early morning until close to bed learning what they
needed to know. They all knew it wasn't even close to being enough.  What
they knew was enough to get them by, if everything worked perfectly.

Mike Mike was in charge of all the little things it took to keep a ship
going, food being his specialty, of course. Communications was another
area.  He also got into navigating with Ryan and learned how to find things
even in warp space. He also was going to do some piloting, but he wasn't
really excited about that. He liked taking care of the little things that
needed to be done just to keep everything going. He had a long list of
things he needed to check on, the microwaves being at the top of the list.

Mike loved Alex. He was a best friend and a lover. At times Mike got a
little jealous of Stevie, but usually he understood how important the
brothers were to each other. Mike had Brad waiting for him on Alpha Orion
IV, if he got there safely. But no matter what, with or without Stevie, he
knew he needed Alex to be a part of his life.

He knew Alex and Stevie really wanted to stay on Inferno, and they were
going back because it was the only way to get the boys home who wanted to
go home. He knew how much all of them, the whole group, loved each
other. They were family, and each of them was close in some way. Whether
they left on the starship or stayed on Inferno, he knew it was something
they would do together as a family.  Scooter The decision between Inferno
and leaving was easy for Scooter. He wanted to go back. He knew that was
where Douglas was leading them. And where Douglas led, he would follow.

Besides, he missed his dad. He and his dad were close. He had to find out
if he survived whatever happened to the "Starkeeper". That meant going on
the starship.

He also knew when they got there, if his dad survived he would be back on
Earth.  Douglas's parents were going to live on AO IV. He knew he never
wanted be separated from his lover, even for the short time they were apart
after the thing with Robert Charles. He understood that Douglas had to lead
them back. It was why they chose him as their leader. He knew he was going
back with dread in his heart, because he didn't see how he and Douglas
could stay together when they got back if their parents were still
alive. Even if they weren't, what would happen to them then? Kallama and
his partner loved them and had made them a home. Scooter wondered if he
wanted to leave something that was comfortable to face the unknown again.
Matthew Matthew went through the motions learning about checking the
environmental controls. He went through the motions of telling how excited
he was to go back. What did he have to go back to? His parents never paid
attention to him. They loved his sister best. They ignored him, and on the
"Starduster" it was worse. They would leave to gamble and drink and tell
him not to leave the cabin. Then they never were around, so he finally just
left and nobody ever missed him. Here on Inferno he had somebody he loved
more than anything he could think of. Enghar was his Meshanna. Enghar was
his world and his life. And Enghar's parents treated him like he was their
own son. He knew how to speak Hakaan. Inferno was the best home he ever
had.

But Doug had told them all about being family. He told then how they would
stick together and get everybody back to Earth or on to Alpha Orion
IV. They had come this far as a family, and they would finish their journey
as a family.

Matthew thought about how he got to the big valley. It was different from
the way everybody else got there. He was close to dead and was brought to
the valley to be healed and loved by Enghar and his family. They were his
family now.  He loved the "Starkeeper" boys with all his heart, but he had
found his own family on Inferno.  Matthew was only eleven, howver, and was
afraid to hurt anybody's feelings by saying he didn't want to go with
them. Douglas had a way of convincing people, and he convinced Matthew that
going on the starship with the rest of them was the best thing to do. Most
of the others convinced him of the same thing. He would be sad about
leaving, but he would do it because everybody said it was the right thing
to do. He remembered a talk he had with Mike a couple of days ago that was
a little different from the rest. He was at Mike's house. Alex was there
taking a nap. Stevie and Jim were downstairs trying to figure out what a
Hakaan vid was about.

"How's my little brother?" Mike asked.

"I dunno. Okay, I guess."

"Something you need to talk about?"

"Huh? No. I'm okay I said."

"Well, it sounds like there is something bothering you. And I think you
should tell your big brother donkey what it is."

Matthew sat on Mike's bed next to him. He snuggled up close and Mike put
his arm around him. Matthew had walked there slowly. His cast was gone but
his leg was still weak and he needed to exercise it. Mike held Matthew
tight. He had forgotten what a little boy his little "brother" was.
Matthew had been so strong it was easy to forget he was just a little
eleven year old boy. Mike rubbed his shoulder and held the little boy
close.

"Come on, Mattoo. Tell me what it is."

Matthew smiled when Mike used his Hakaan name. Matthew leaned hard against
Mike, loving the feel of his big warm body and his strong arm around him.

"I don't want to go." Matthew put his head against Mike's chest. Mike could
feel his chest getting wet from the little boy's tears.

"Don't want to go where?"

"On the starship. To wherever it is going. I want to stay here."

"I understand how you feel. But you belong with us. We're human, we're your
own kind. I know you love Enghar, but Douglas promised he would return us
all to our own families. That is what his responsibilityh is, and that is
where you belong, with your mom and dad."

"I hate them."

"No, you don't. You're just remembering the bad things. They're still your
family."

"My family is here. Enghar's family is my family now."

"Douglas has to get you back. Think of how it would look if they all get
back and he has to tell your mom and dad he left you behind on a strange
planet."

"He can tell them I'm dead. Because they're dead to me.  And it would
hardly be a lie, because I shouldve died in the desert, but I got lucky and
was found."

"You know that's not true, my sweet Mattoo.  They're your parents and your
family. Douglas is right. You have to go back with us."

This wasn't what Matthew wanted to hear. "But everybody says that the
'Starkeeper' might not have ever made it back. So it might all be for
nothing."

"But we have to try," Mike told him.

Suddenly the body on the bed across from them turned over. "Matthew, I'm
going to tell you what works for me. More than doing what everybody says I
should do. Follow your heart.  Do what your heart tells you. You can't go
wrong. Look inside yourself and follow your heart. That will be the
decision that makes you happy."

Alex rolled back over and faced the wall.

"What do you think, Mike?"

"I listen to Alex a lot. I think you should go with us. I think it's the
right thing to do. But Alex has a point."

"It's all so confusing. I just wish I knew what to do."

"Well, I know you will do the right thing. And no matter what you decide I
will love you and be behind you and with you."

"Well, if I stay, you can't be with me can you?"

"No. I guess not little brother. And that's another thing to think about.
You will be the only Earthling on this planet.  Which might make you very
very lonely."

He hugged Matthew. Matthew looked up at him. Mike saw his sweet face and
felt his own heart thumping in his chest. The two boys stared at each
other. Mike saw Matthew give a little nod yes, and he bent down and put his
lips on Matthew's. Mike loved how soft and sweet the kiss was, and soon was
on his back with Matthew on top of him, both of them hugging and
kissing. They were incredibly hard. Matthew started rubbing off against
Mike, humping against Mike's much bigger cock. Mike loved feeling the
smooth, soft, warm, totally hairless skin of Matthew against him. He felt
Matthew's hard firm butt as the boy humped up and down against him. It
didn't take long for Matthew to shiver and shake with a dry cum as Mike
shot his load over the smooth skin of the little boy, covering him with
sticky white fluid. They fell asleep that way, Matthew on top of Mike,
sticking together.

Alex fell asleep after they did and after jerking off. He was smiling.
Enghar Enghar knew he was going to lose his Meshanna. He had been afraid of
it before, but now he knew it. He had made a mistake. Mycroff should have
been his Meshanna, not Mattoo. Mattoo was going to leave with the round
ears and he would be left behind without a Meshanna. He knew all the talk
that Meshannas were never separated, but it was all just talk. They never
had light years between them like he and Mattoo would. Two nights ago,
Mattoo stayed at Mike's all night without asking ahead of time. He knew
they were having sex, which was okay with him, but he also knew that Mike
was special to Mattoo and that Mike was talking him into going on the
starship. Enghar had cried himself to sleep that night, feeling utterly
alone and lost.  Somebody with a Meshanna should never feel alone. He
believed that night that making Mattoo his Meshanna had been a mistake. The
priest was right.  Only Hakaanen can be another Hakaanen's Meshanna.

When he woke up the bed was still empty. He went into the kitchen. His dad
was just finishing breakfast.

"Mattoo never came home," Enghar said.

"He called after you went to bed. He stayed at Meekes. He should be home
soon."

"He's going back with his friends."

"I'm sure he is, son."

Enghar started crying again.  Damn, he thought, why do I keep crying?

"I thought he loved me. He's my Meshanna."

Enghar's father put his arm around him and gave him a big hug.  "He does
love you, son. And he is your Meshanna."

"But he's leaving me."

"My Meshanna lives at the other end of the valley," his father reminded
him.

"But that's different. You see him sometimes. You even have....," He wanted
to say have sex with him, which was okay, but for some reason it seemed
strange to tell his dad that, since he was one of the few Hakaanen who
lived with his child's mother.

Enghar's father kept back a smile. He knew what Enghar was about to say. He
worked hard to keep his face serious, because he knew this was very serious
for Enghar.

"Son, Mattoo is your Meshanna, no matter where you are and no matter where
he is. You went through the ceremony."

"But I want one I can be with. I should have picked Mycroff!" Enghar cried.

The doctor hugged his son closer. "No, son, you picked the boy your heart
told you to pick. You picked well. Mattoo is a good person. He has become
your brother and my son, but he needs to be with his own kind. You knew
that could happen when you picked him. Don't blame him for doing what you
knew he probably would do."

Enghar sniffled. "I love him so much, dad. I can't lose him. I just can't!"

"He is getting the chance to see his real family again."

"We're his family!  He hates them!  He told me he did! Why should he go
back to them when he has us?"

"Because, they are his family, son. Like them or not like them, they are
his real family. And Dooglass promised to bring them all back to their real
families.  Dooglass is right, he has to go where he belongs. He can't go
leaving anybody behind."

Enghar went back to his room. He was disappointed in his dad and angry at
him. He had hoped his dad would be on his side and find some way to make
Mattoo stay. Now he knew there was no way. Tomorrow his Meshanna would be
gone for good.  Douglas Douglas hoped that everything was ready. He had
worked hard keeping things organized. As Captain of the ship, Alex would be
in charge of running the ship when they left, but Douglas was still the
leader of the group. Alex's decisions on running the ship were
final. Douglas would deal with the people end. In a way Alex was the pilot,
and Douglas really the captain.

He knew everybody was ready to leave Inferno. They had made friends and
family there, but the Earth boys, the round ears, were family, too. They
all loved each other. He had promised himself and the group he would return
them ALL home. Even though home was a long way away, it was a lot closer
now then when he made the promise. He had no idea how he would do it then,
and it looked like they had no chance of even getting close. Now it looked
different. They had a starship and they had a chance to get back to their
real families.

Matthew was the one who was a problem. He had found his Hakaan family in a
different way then the rest of them, and Enghar was his Meshanna.  Douglas
felt responsible for getting Matthew back to his parents even though he
knew Matthew didn't care much for them. That didn't matter, they were still
his parents.  He was responsible for getting their son Matthew back to
them.  He'd promised himself to get everyone back and he was going to do
it. It wasn't up to him to decide who liked whom. It was his job to get
them all back safely. That was it.

He'd already lost two boys. One he could have saved by paying more
attention to him, and that was Jordan.  Maybe the other one would be alive
if Douglas hadn't decided to run for leader. Robert Charles would be their
leader now. But if he had been their leader, they never would have left the
"Moonduster". They would probably all be dead in the desert now.

He wasn't going to lose a third boy. He had almost lost Matthew once and it
wouldn't happen again. He got Mike to help him talk Matthew into making the
right decision. Mike was Matthew's big "brother". He would come
through. Besides, maybe, if they made it, Matthew could come back and visit
Enghar, his Meshanna.

Douglas had watched as everybody learned the jobs they would have on the
"Paxton". It was not going to be an easy trip, but then not much of this
journey had been easy. Staying here, however, was death in almost the same
way as staying on the "Moonduster" was. The Hakaanen on Inferno were
dying. Their way of life was slowly ending.  Douglas realized that the
voyage was not only to find a way back to their own families and home, but
it was also the last hope the Hakaanen on Inferno had to save their way of
life.  ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The day before leaving was spent
loading the "Survivor" with everything each of them owned, which wasn't
much. Mostly their packs and some of the stuff they collected on Inferno.

Matthew felt a couple of tears drop down his cheek when he packed away the
beautiful robe he wore for the Meshanna ceremony. He loved Enghar so much,
but Mike and Douglas both said this was the right thing to do. Alex said to
follow his heart. His heart said to stay here with Enghar and his
family. The right thing was to go with his own friends and back to his
family, but that was not what he really wanted. He had been raised to do
the right thing, and that was what he would do. The right thing.

A wagon stopped by carrying all the boys' belongings. Matthew threw his
in. Enghar was in school. Matthew went into the house and lay naked on
Enghar's bed. He fell asleep until he was shaken awake by a hand.  He
looked up and saw his lovef, his Meshanna, his Enghar.

Enghar took off his necklace, his belt, and his shoes, which was all he was
wearing. He got into bed next to Matthew and hugged him hard and long. They
kissed deep with open mouths and flicking tongues, their suddenly hard
cocklets rubbing against each other. Matthew rubbed Enghar's beautiful
golden mane, making him shiver and moan. Soon, Matthew was entering his
lover, putting his hard smooth dick into Enghar's smooth butt and working a
slow rhythm. Even though he wasn't very big he was able to rub his dick
across Enghar's sweet spot, giving him total pleasure.

Their sweaty bodies shook. The two young boys were close to climax. Their
high pitched moans increased. Enghar's body arched up against Matthew and
his dick jerked and spasmed, small drops of clear cum shot to his nipples,
then on his belly, into his belly button, and one dripping down his dick to
his hairless pubic area. The orgasm squeezed his butt against Enghar's
thrusting dick and he came with a squeal, filling Enghar with his own clear
boy semen. Then he collapsed on top of Enghar and they fell asleep in each
other's arms. All of their love making took place without a word between
them.  Enghar kissed Matthew awake just before supper.

"I love you, Mattoo."

"I love you, Enghar."

"Then why do you have to go? Why can't you stay?"

"Because it's the right thing to do." Matthew was saying what Douglas and
Mike had said to him.

"But how can leaving me be the right thing to do?" Enghar cried. "I love
you!"

"I love you." He kissed Enghar, but couldn't think of anything to say
because he didn't know the answer to Enghar's question.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It was early morning. The sun was just
rising. Alex was in the cockpit of the "Survivor" going through the
checklist with Stevie, and on the radio with Roobine.

Outside the boys were saying good-bye. There were a lot of tears. They
didn't realize how emotional it was going to be leaving the planet that had
come close to killing them, and then had become their home.  At one time
they hated the planet and it's awful heat. Now they were leaving what was
starting to become a home for them. Douglas looked around him, wondering if
he made the right choice to persuade the boys to all leave. He never had
any doubt about leaving the "Moonduster". Staying in the desert would have
meant slow death. He had nagging doubts about leaving Inferno. He wasn't
sure it was a good decision, however the decsion had been made.  They were
going to go.

Bandar and Hajo hugged Scooter, Mike, and Douglas.  Everybody hugged their
friends and the families they stayed with. The doctor was hugging
everybody, and so was the new Governor, Governor Andorn. Kallama was there
to see them off. The whole school they attended was there, students and
teachers. Modar, their own teacher, gave them all big hugs, with a special
one for Matthew. Matthew hugged the doctor and his wife, then gave Enghar a
huge special hug. Enghar had seen Mycroff looking at him with a look that
said, You blew it. You could've had me for life, and instead you picked a
round ear who doesn't love you or understand you.

Matthew couldn't let Enghar go. Both boys were sobbing. Douglas came over
and gently took Matthew's arm.

"Don't go, Mattoo," Enghar whispered. "Please don't go. I love you. I need
you. You're my Meshanna."

"And you are mine, my love. You need to understand. I have to do
this. You're my soul mate. You know I have to go."

"No, I don't know!" Enghar screamed. "I don't understand it! It's not
right!"

Douglas led Matthew up the stairs into the shuttle. Bandar followed him
inside and went to the cockpit. He tapped Alex on the shoulder.  Alex got
up and let Bandar give him a big hug.

"Ost lesha drey," Bandar told him.

"I love you," Alex said back. Bandar left the cockpit, waved at the boys
seated in the shuttle, and walked down the stairs.

The shuttle was going to be left in orbit. The Hakaan wouldn't need it
except for parts, and if they were that desperate to tear it apart the end
was probably close anyway.

The stairs were pulled away. Matthew sat by a window looking at the crowd,
trying to pick out Enghar through his tears. He saw him, waving at the
shuttle. Alex released the brakes and started to taxi the shuttle north to
the end of the runway. Alex and Stevie went through the final checklist.
The cabin was quiet, except for Matthew's sobs. On the ground, Enghar
buried his face in his dad's chest and started sobbing. He couldn't watch
the shuttle leave. He couldn't watch his Matthew leave him forever.

NEXT CHAPTER 46 Take Off

AUTHORS NOTE: The fate of Matthew was one of the toughest decisions I had
to make writing The Survivors.  I knew that Matt had to live after the boys
left him behind in the desert.  I knew RC would have to die at some point.
Jordan's fate was a difficult decision.  When I was at that point in the
story, it was actually RC who was going to die at first.  Poor Matthew.  He
is caught in the middle between his love for Enghar and his duty to his
friends and "family."  In fact, his fate really appears to be out of his
hands.  Or does it?  The next chapter is finished, and is currently being
proofread by my wonderful friends Scooter The Real and Robin.  If all goes
well, it should be posted within a couple of days of this one.  I have
received some great e-mails from you readers while posting The Survivors,
making a friend of Jevic, author of The Watchers.  (If you haven't read it
yet, so so, you will not be disappointed.)  So while you can't change
Matthew's fate, it would be interesting to read what some of you think
Matthew's fate should be at this point.  On the other hand, it might be
more interesting to read what you think after the next chapter.  :-) Thanks
for reading.

Douglas

Constructive comments are welcomed.  E-mail me, Douglas DD, at
TheHakaanen@Hotmail.com