Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 06:38:48 +0000 From: Douglas DD DD Subject: The Survivors. Chapter 54 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 54 Homecoming by Douglas DD President M'Buto was meeting with his cabinet. The "Starfinder" would be entering orbit in six hours. That couldn't be kept secret. Civilians on various space stations and ships would see it arriving, not to mention regular channels could be monitored. The first broadcast from the "Starfinder" after it left warp had surely been heard. It was already common knowledge that the starship had returned early from its mission. M'Buto had to decide how to deal with the news from the starship. Dealing with the lost boys was the easier problem of the two. Parents were already being called and were sworn to secrecy. Douglas and Scooter had been filling them in on some of what happened. The entire cabinet agreed that when the entire story came out it would be more incredible than any fiction story. The Hakaanen were another thing. Already Admiral Yamamoto and Admiral Lansing were working to get the "Starfinder" prepared to return to Hakaan. Secretary Manning was getting up a list of diplomats to send there. >From what Captain Parrish had told them the Hakaanen were going to need a lot of help restoring their planet. And Earth was ready to help. He told them about the warp radio and how the Hakaanen had allowed it to be installed on the "Starfinder". Meeting the Haakanen had already benefited Earth. Plus, their role in rescuing the lost boys showed the kind of people they were. President M'Buto was looking forward to dealing with them. President M'Buto scheduled a television broadcast for the exact time the "Starfinder" entered orbit. He had it leak that it had to do with the return of the space exploration ship "Starfinder" and that a major news break was involved. At 2035 Zulu, Earth Central Control guided the "Starfinder" into an Earth orbit. All of the boys had been watching Earth from lounge windows for hours. Now their home was filling the window. Douglas remembered seeing it for the first time from the window of the "Starkeeper." Somehow it looked so much more beautiful now. Dralkan stood behind Douglas and Scooter and looked out. He put his arms around both of them and said, "It's a beautiful planet, almost as beautiful as Hakaan." Then he laughed. He knew his friends were happy to be home, and he knew he was already missing Hakaan badly. He was glad that Trundall was with him, and that he loved his Earth friends so much, or he would be miserable. He had just been gone for a couple of weeks, so he had a good idea of what the round ears were feeling. They had been gone for six months. A TV monitor was on and tuned to an Earth station. President M'Buto's broadcast was about to start. Word had gotten around that this was going to be a huge announcement and people were looking in from all over the world, on the Moon, and on delay to Mars, Venus, and the satellite colonies of the gas giants. Everyone was wondering what could be so important. One of the rumors was that the 'Starfinder' returned early because they had found intelligent life, and that Earth was in danger of invasion. There were lots of different reactions to that. "I don't think they found intelligent life," the Reverend Horace Smith of the Church of Mother Earth said. "God would not allow that. The people of Earth are the chosen people of the universe." Roger Fenster of the Earth One Society said that Earth needed to start building an invasion fleet. But most people believed that if any life was found, it probably was some kind of simple plant life or bacteria. That was what explorers and scientists were excited about, and the kind of life most of them thought would most likely be found. They all stopped talking when they heard the announcer's voice. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the Earth Federation of Nations." President M'Buto walked onto the stage. The cameras focused on the impressive six foot seven African. He walked to the podium and looked into the camera. He looked serious but relaxed. "Citizens of Earth. I have asked for this opportunity to speak to you because I have momentous news. The space exploration starship 'Starfinder' under Captain Robert Parrish has returned early from it's latest mission after two incredible discoveries. "The first involves the starship 'Starkeeper' which, as you know, returned from a tragic voyage some months ago involving damage to the ship, the loss of lives, and the disappearance of fifteen young boys when two shuttles were prematurely launched from the ship. Today the 'Starfinder' has twelve of those boys on board, safe and sound. The story of their survival and rescue is an extraordinary one that will live in space history and legend forever, and is one you all shall soon know." He paused to give the audience a chance to think about what he said. He could imagine what the reactions were from the people watching and listening to this historic broadcast. Then he went on. "But, this isn't the only piece of news to be brought back by the 'Starfinder'. Since before we conquered space we have always wondered about the existence of extraterrestrial life. So far, even after exploring hundreds of solar systems and putting science stations and colonies on many planets, the only life on another planet we have been to is the life we put there ourselves." Again there was a pause. Around the world, people were holding their breaths. Did the 'Starfinder" discover some kind of life? Or was it the rescued children who found it? Was it simple plant life? Some kind of animal life? Or more? They all waited for the announcement, wondering what would be revealed. "I think the best way to announce this is to show a clip of the tape of the 'Starfinder' telling us of the discovery. A discovery made by the boys of the 'Starkeeper'. Before I say more, watch carefully, for after you have seen this you will understand that our planet, outer space, our lives, maybe our whole system of religion and faith, will never quite be the same again. The first person you see will be Captain Parrish." The view switched from the President to a vid of the "Starkeeper". They saw Captain Parrish get out of a chair. Taking his place, wearing a stunning red robe with blue and yellow embroidered symbols, a leather belt strapped around his shoulder to his waist, was a boy who obviously was not of Earth. His delicate, beautiful pointed ears, his dark thin eyebrows, his shiny golden mane gave him an otherworldly look. he looked human, yet different. His attractiveness was stunning. He was an alien and an intelligent being. Humanity held its breath. There was no doubt something incredibly amazing was happening. Dralkan sat in the chair, looked into the camera, and said, "My name Dralkan. Greeting to Earth from the people of Hakaan." The camera came back to the President, who once again stood silently for a moment, letting the significance of the moment sink in. "As you can see, my fellow citizens, we are not alone. Amazingly our First Contact with an alien species was made not by one of our space exploration ships operated by highly trained crews, but by a group of middle school and high school adolescent boys. What you will hear from them is one of the greatest tales of survival in history. "Tomorrow they will land at the Nevada space site." The Nevada site was where the space fleet shuttles landed. Commercial space shuttles took off and landed at the Island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. "A couple of centuries ago, Area 51 in Nevada was a secret site. Ironically, people thought space aliens were captured and kept there. And now the first extra-terrestrials to visit Earth will be landing at that legendary site. Tomorrow the young representatives of the planet Hakaan will set foot on our planet. I ask you all to welcome them to Earth with open arms. And I ask you all to welcome back our long lost citizens." The picture faded out. The broadcast was over and phones all over Earth were ringing and people were talking. The planet was in an instant uproar. The Reverend Smith said thr video was fake. Why would an alien society send a boy to represent the planet? he asked. Roger Fenster called the Hakaanen the Enemy, and said they sent children to make us drop our guard before they invaded us. Their voices fell on deaf ears. The people of Earth were excited. It was like it was something they had waited for since Earth first thought about space travel and the first science fiction books were written. The first visitors weren't invaders or little green men. They were kids that could only be called beautiful. Most people on Earth felt that they had just found new friends in the Milky Way. The Milky Way was no longer a vast and empty place. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Douglas finished his interview with the writer. He had agreed to do one television interview and one magazine interview. Then everybody could share it. He had done a press conference the day after they landed on Earth, but this interview had more detail. Nobody liked his decision, but Douglas figured that was too bad. His parents backed him up completely. The television interview had taken all day to film, and the magazine interview two days to do. The magazine writer had asked a lot of questions, and Douglas told as much of his story as he could. The writer was even interested in the possibility of writing a book. Douglas didn't care about books. Even with his restrictions on interviews, he was being bothered by people who wanted to get around it. It was almost as bad for the rest of the boys. Dralkan and Trundall had to be hidden away. All of Earth was interested in all of them and their story. And all of Earth was excited about the Hakaanen. The media was turning Douglas's life into a circius. He remembered the landing in Nevada. They landed there because Space Fleet could restrict access. But people had lined up along the distant fences of the space port to watch the landings of the three shuttles bringing the boys back. Two were from the "Starkeeper", the "Atlantis" and the "Uranus", and the third was the "John Glenn" which was based on Earth. It was estimated that 500,000 people lined the borders of the Space Fleet port. There were television cameras and photographers everywhere. Even with their landing in the desert there was a huge crowd at the terminal. Most of them wore space fleet uniforms. This was where the academy was as well as the space port. The Earth boys' choice of clothing did not require much discussion. The Space Fleet uniforms they had worn on the ship had no appeal to them. The uniforms made them look like any of the crew members. The only clothing the boys had brought, or even owned for that matter, was the Hakaan ceremonial robes they have been given on Inferno. They would wear the robes, so colorful and beautiful, as they stepped off the shuttles. It would be a statement of where they had been, and what they had accomplished. As each boy stepped out of their shuttle there was a huge cheer, with the biggest ones coming for the two Hakaan boys who were also dressed in their ceremonial robes. A new era was beginning on Earth and in space Oddly, although he was home, Douglas felt out-of-place. Living with his parents meant he had to again ask permission beofre he could do many things. He'd been in charge of himself, and others, in a dangerus situation, yet now he was being treated as a child. His parents had already told him he would be starting school again in two weeks. It was all exciting then, but now Douglas was getting tired of all the attention. He would be starting school in two weeks. He had a lot to make up. He wasn't real excited about going. He and the other boys had done a lot of catching up on the computers of the "Starkeeper" during their voyage home. Going back to a regular school didn't appeal to him. He looked up at the stars at night and realized he missed space. He knew he missed his friends, who had become his family. And he definitely missed Scooter. He talked to Scooter almost every day by phone, but it wasn't the same as being with him. He didn't think he could stay separated from him much longer. He missed him so much. Douglas thought about the two weeks since they got back. The reunion with parents. His fifteenth birthday, almost forgetten in the rest of the excitement. The long interviews with government officials. The television and newspaper interviews. The last night the group had together. They were left alone and it was a night of laughing and talking and crying and kissing and sex. They hoped that someday they would all be together again; a reunion of The Survivors. The next day they were split up, some going home to their happy parents, some going other places, and all of them, no matter how happy they were to be home, were sad that they were being split up. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Another two weeks went by. After testing and private lessons it was decided that Douglas could return to school in another week. Douglas called Scooter and found out that he would be returning to school soon too. "Douglas, my dad said he would send a jet to you to pick you up and that you could spend the week here. We could swim, and ride, and well..., do other things." Douglas looked at his love on the view screen and could see his sexy grin. "Let me check with my parents, love," Douglas said. He left the view phone for a couple of minutes. "They're cool with it," he said when he got back. "YEAHHHHHHHHHHH," Scooter yelled. "Your dad knows about us, right?" Douglas asked. "Yes, and he's cool with it. And your parents know too, right?" "Yeah. They have no problem with it. Or so they say. They're still trying to get used to my being alive." "So is Dad." That afternoon, Douglas's dad took him to the airfield. The jet belonging to Scooter's dad landed about a half hour later. Scooter bounced out of the flyer and ran to Douglas. The two boys hugged and kissed, not caring who saw or what they thought. It was the first time they had touched each other in almost a month, and they couldn't get enough of each other. Their only other time together had been during a very tough visit. Their dads looked on, a little embarrassed, but also happy for their sons. Douglas and Scooter got into the jet, buckled in, and got ready for the trip back to Florida. On the way there they talked about the past month and all that had happened since they returned to Earth. Each boy shared what he knew and between them they had a good picture of what had happened to their group. Douglas Douglas's parents were at the spaceport in Nevada when the shuttles landed. Douglas had been on the "Atlantis". Douglas's dad told him of the day the "Moonduster" and the "Sundancer" had been launched from the "Starkeeper." The explosion created by overheating the warp enhancer had created a good deal of damage. The Chief Engineer and half of engineering had been killed along with a half dozen other passengers and crew. There were many injuries. Nobody had noticed until almost an hour after the explosion that the shuttles had been launched. The ship's automatic fire control system worked quickly, but there still was a lot of damage. The parents of the boys on the shuttles insisted that the captain turn the starship around to look for them. The Captain told them it was impossible, they had covered too much distance, the ship was badly damaged, it was difficult to turn a starship around, and that even if they could turn the ship around he was worried that if they dropped out of warp they might never get back into warp space again. The Assistant Engineer took over as Chief Engineer. The explosion had damaged a lot of the main instruments and damaged the warp enhancer badly. The ship was still able to run on warp drive, but the regular space drive was damaged and if the ship left warp it might not be able to start back up into warp again. The new Chief went to Gordon Starr and asked if the enhancer could be fixed. Starr was devastated over losing his son and at first refused to help. He just wanted to be left alone. But he realized that wasn't what Scooter would want. Scooter would want him to help get the "Starkeeper" and its passengers back home. Scooter would want him to fight. So for his lost son, Gordon Starr agreed to see if the damage could be fixed. The section that held the warp enhancer was a mangle of metal and burned wiring and parts. The explosion had devastated it. Gordon walked through the mess. He was surprised that the ship had been able to maintain warp function after the enhancer blew. The automatic switching circuits worked. He found some parts that were usable. The electronics were totally destroyed, but they could be replaced from nonessential parts of the ship. What he wanted to see if the core of the warp enhancer was still intact. If it was he figured out he could make enough parts in the ship's shop to rebuild the enhancer. Without it, they would run out of food long before they reached Earth, even with all the teenage boys gone. Gordon Starr was able to repair the enhancer and bring it online without having to take the ship out of warp. And he insisted that he be in complete charge of it and that they not go over his limits. Because of his efforts, the "Starkeeper" returned to Earth, much to Earth's surprise. No starship missing as long as the "Starkeeper" had ever come back before. But there was also sadness when they found out that almost all the boys in the ship had been lost in a freak accident. Douglas's parents never really recovered from the loss of their son. But they didn't lose hope that he was still alive either. When they got the call from President M'Buto that Douglas was alive and returning to Earth they cried on each other the whole day. Tears of happiness. Then they headed to Nevada to be reunited. The next month was one of the longest Douglas had ever gone through. People wanted so much from him. It felt like more than he ever had to give on Inferno. Then, it was a matter of survival. Now it was like he was being looked at through a microscope by the entire planet. He had to make two difficult visits that first week. He took Scooter on one and Mike on the other. The first one was to Matthew's parents. After the return of the "Starkeeper" his family decided to stay on Earth. Matthew's mother did not want to go back into space, so the family settled in their old city. Douglas called her a couple of days after their arrival on Earth. "Hello, Mrs. Reed. This is Douglas Daniels. I was wondering if I could come to see you soon so we can talk about Matthew." "You left him behind! I heard you left him behind! My sweet Matthew. You left him on that awful planet!" Douglas could hear here sobbing into the phone. "Mrs. Reed, I would like to come and explain it to you." "There is nothing to explain!" "Please." There was a long pause, and finally she said, "Okay. But don't expect me to like it or to like you." They set up a time. Douglas called Scooter and Scooter got his dad to agree to take them to the Reed's. Douglas wasn't looking forward to the visit, but he was looking forward to seeing Scooter. The visit was a tough one. Douglas explained that Matthew made the choice to stay on Inferno because he thought he had more love there than he did with his parents. Matthew's mother didn't believe that and blamed Douglas for leaving him behind. "You left him behind twice," she said. "In the desert and then on the god awful planet. You hated my son." "No, Mam. Matthew saved our lives when he saw the green valley. We all owed him. I loved you son. We all did. And so did his Meshanna and his family." "Stop with all this alien mumbo jumbo. He belongs here with his family, not with some freaky aliens we know nothing about." "He is alive," Scooter said. "You can visit him some day." "I refuse to ever go back into space. Ever. As far as I'm concerned you killed my son. Now get out of my house and don't ever come back!" She walked away in tears and Douglas and Scooter left. "Maybe I shouldn't have given in," Douglas said. "It might have been wrong to leave him behind." "No, you weren't, my sweetums. She is just an egg donor. I don't think she misses Mattoo as much as she says she does, but she has to put on an act. You left Mattoo where he was loved like he never was before in his life. You know he is happy where he is." Douglas kissed Scooter. He felt better, but he still wasn't totally sure he had made the right decision. There was really nobody to visit to talk about Jordan. Jordan's dad was dead and his mother had left them long ago and disappeared. Douglas had made sure that in his interviews he told that Jordan died a hero. Maybe his mother would read about it somewhere. The other visit was to see Robert Charles's father. He took Mike with him on that one. It was the first time he'd seen his "First Officer" since the group's last night together. The government flew them to the world capital in Switzerland. Robert Charles's father was working in the Department of Colonies. He was hoping to be the first Governor on a new colony being started. The two boys visited him in his office. "Come in boys, come in. Sit down. Thank you for coming." Douglas could see that the father had lost a lot of weight. He was sure he missed his son. The two boys sat down in massive overstuffed leather chairs. "I read your accounts of what happened in the newspapers and magazines. Every one I could find. They weren't very complimentary of my son. What was it you had against him? He was born and raised to lead, yet somehow you are the one who became the group leader. And he doesn't come back. I would like to know what happened, and I want you to hold back nothing." Douglas took the man at his word. He told of how Robert Charles worked to gain power on the "Starkeeper". He told of him panicking on the "Moonduster" and launching it after the explosion. He told Robert Charles's father about the power struggle in the desert and how the issue was whether they believed Matthew's story of the green valley. He told things that Robert Charles's father didn't want to hear. Things that weren't in the magazine articles (but might be in the book, Douglas thought). He told of RC stealing water from Matthew and how he was forced to exile him. He told him about how they learned that RC had buried Matthew and made sure he wouldn't be found. Then he went on and told about the Shkah uprising and how Robert Charles helped lead it. He told the story of how Jordan died, getting in the way of RC's line of fire. In the stories to magazines they all had agreed to only say that RC and Jordan had died during an uprising by a rebel group called the Shkah. But RC's father was getting the full story. The father looked at the boys as they told the story. His face showed no emotion. Douglas told of the killings of innocent Hakaanen by Robert Charles. He came to the trial and the exile. And finally he told him of the escape and kidnapping, the battle in the cave and the death of his son. Through the whole thing the RC's father remained silent and emotionless. Douglas finally finished and the three of them sat quietly in the office. The only sound Douglas could hear was the hum of the air-conditioning system. Finally the former Governor spoke. "You paint a pretty sad picture of my son. I raised him from birth to become a leader. He was smart enough. He had a forceful personality. He knew what it took to lead. Yet it was you who was chosen over my son. I don't understand how a natural leader like my son could lose out to you." Mike and Douglas said nothing. They knew he was going to say more. "Robert Charles confused leadership and power. He could be a bully at times, but he was trained to lead. He knew how to be in charge. That's what I raised him to be. I always felt that when the right moment came he would take all he learned and shine. It was my son who should be getting the accolades for surviving. Not you. You don't even begin to approach the potential he had." He got up from behind his desk. Douglas and Mike both knew that the visit was over. They got up from their chairs. The former Governor shook their hands. "Thank you for coming. I'm sorry my son caused you all so much grief. I'm sorry things didn't work out as well as they could have." "I wish it had been different, Sir," Douglas said. "Me too. But it wasn't" The boys started our the door when the Governor's voice stopped them. "You did a fine job, Douglas. As good as anyone could ever have done. I'm sure your parents are proud of you." Douglas appreciated the words, but they sounded hollow. Douglas nodded, and walked out to join Mike. The Governor sat back down at his desk and stared out of the window, tears dripping down his cheeks. Scooter For Scooter's dad, Scooter was his whole life. After the explosion had been contained and he found out that the shuttle had been launched, he was crushed. It was like he had nothing to live for. But he was soon shaken out of that and rebuilt the warp enhancer out of what was left and spare parts. He was the sole reason the "Starkeeper" was able to limp home. After he returned to Earth he took all he had learned about his invention and made it better and faster. The Starr Drive that the "Starfinder" had used was the result of his work. Everything he did, he did in the memory of his son. And along the way he met Mark, and discovered that he could even start feeling happy again. He was sitting in his lab at a computer studying equations and drawings for a more efficient version of the Starr Drive when his videophone rang. He was surprised to hear the voice of President M'Buto himself. "Doctor Starr, your son has been found. He is less than two days from Earth and in excellent health." Gordon Starr sat in his lab, stunned. He called Mark and told him the news. He turned off his computer and made arrangements for both of them to take his private jet to Nevada to meet his son. The President hadn't said how or where Scott had been found, and for the moment he didn't care. All he cared about was that his boy was safe and was coming home. After he returned home, Scooter found himself being constantly asked for interviews. He talked to Douglas almost daily, either on the phone or by computer. In fact, almost all of the boys would go online and chat almost every day. They were finding it hard to be separated from each other. Except for the visit to see Matthew's mother with Douglas, Scooter hadn't seen any of the other boys. He missed them all, and was not ready in any way to return to school to a group of strangers who hadn't come close to doing the things he had done. He told his father about his love for Douglas and about the things he had learned from the Hakaanen. He was surprised and pleased to find out that Mark was his father's lover. Scooter's father was fully understanding about Scooter's feelings. Now if only he and Douglas could get together and stay together his life would be perfect. Mike Mike was living with his father. He knew it was a temporary thing. Not that he didn't love his father, but the urge in him was to return to space and to Alpha Orion IV. Going back to school on Earth, going to the Space Academy, none of that interested him. All of the "Starkeeper" boys were offered entry into the Space Academy when they were old enough by President M'Buto. Mike wasn't interested. He wanted to join Brad and help build a planet. Brad had taken a starship to Alpha Orion IV and Mike was ready to follow him. He didn't like being on crowded Earth. He wanted to be in the frontier. He wanted to build. His father was going to purchase a ticket for him, but found out that any of the survivors who wanted to finish the journey to Alpha Orion IV would go for free. Their journey had never been completed. He was leaving on the next spaceship. And he would have somebody with him. Ryan. Ryan Ryan's parents were on Alpha Orion IV. They had been told when the "Starkeeper" was overdue. They were more upset at losing the extra money than at losing Ryan. The "Starburst" had brought the news of the return of the boys to Alpha Orion IV. Right away Ryan's parents wrote a letter demanding that Ryan take the first available starship to Alpha Orion IV. It would be delivered on the return trip of the "Starburst". Ryan had stayed with the Swanson's before he left, but they had taken somebody else in and didn't have room for Ryan. So Ryan ended up with Mike, living with him and his dad. And in doing so Ryan found himself sleeping with Mike every night. And found himself falling in love with him. He kept trying to remind himself that he loved Travis, and he did. But Mike had a way of taking in his loneliness and hurt into his big body and heart. Mike's dad saw what was going on and understood. He knew what had happened between all the boys during their adventure. It looked like a lot of that was carrying over. Mike and Ryan enjoyed having sex together. The only time they had during the long adventure was during some of their group sex. Now they found out. And they found out that it was extra special. They found themselves totally linked in ways they never thought of. Ryan wanted to go to Alpha Orion IV with Mike. But he did not want to see his parents. Ever. Travis Travis's parents had finished their journey to Alpha Orion IV after their return to Earth. Travis went to live with his aunt, uncle, and cousin Nathan. He had a reservation on the next starship to Alpha Orion IV to join his parents. Travis's uncle didn't live far from his old house and he started back to school almost right away. He had worked hard catching up, and while he was still behind he figured he was smart enough to get completely caught up soon. He didn't want to hang around being bored. His relatives had been at the spaceport in Nevada to meet him. Their hugs and tears meant a lot to him. His last night with Ryan had been emotional, and both boys promised never to lose touch and to find a way to be together. Now he had the emotion of being with his relatives and of thinking of returning to his parents. The hug that meant the most to him, though, was the one he got from little Nathan. Nathan was 11, and when Travis had left he had thought of him as being his cousin, a cute, sweet little boy. But now Nathan was closing in on puberty, and suddenly he looked incredibly sexy. Travis found himself getting hard when the boy wrapped his arms around him. He knew he should shake off his feelings, but he couldn't. Travis's first night at his uncle's went normally enough. He was given the bed in the spare bedroom and managed to fall asleep quickly. The next morning he had the house to himself, since his aunt and uncle were working and Nathan was in school. He went downstairs, naked, got some breakfast, then lay down on the couch. He rubbed his penis and soon got himself hard and started jerking off. As much as he tried to fight it, his jerk off fantasy kept turning to Nathan, and when he shot his load over his chest and belly he was imagining himself shooting it into Nathan's eager mouth. That night, Nathan asked Travis to tuck him in and read to him. Travis watched intently as Nathan pulled off his T-shirt and shorts. He stood before him wearing only a pair of brilliant white briefs. Travis grabbed a chair and sat next to Nathan's bed and took the book that Nathan handed him. He waited while Nathan went into the bathroom to pee and to brush and floss his teeth. When he got back, Nathan crawled in under the covers and patted a spot on his bed. "Sit here, Travis." Travis obeyed, getting off the chair and sitting on the spot on the bed. He opened the book and got ready to read. "Travis?" Nathan asked in his sweet boy soprano voice. "Yes, cousin?" "I heard that guys on Hakinen...," "Hakaan," Travis corrected. "Hakaan. Hakaan. Well, I heard that they like do stuff with each other." "Stuff?" "You know what I mean. The sex stuff they talked about." For some reason Travis felt embarrassed by the way the conversation was going. He couldn't figure out why. He had long ago quit being embarrassed by sex, but talking about it with his little cousin was not only embarrassing him, it was exciting him. "Yeah, Nipper," he said, calling Nathan by his nickname, "they do stuff." "Did you do that stuff?" Travis hesitated. Might as well be honest, he thought. "Yeah, I did that stuff." "A lot? Like all the time?" "I don't know about all the time. But I did it a lot." "Did you like it?" Travis grinned at Nathan. "I liked." There was a moment of silence. Travis could feel his hard dick straining at his shorts. He was certain Nathan could see the bulge. "Travis?" Nathan asked in almost a whisper. "Yes, cousin?" "Could you, like, show me what you did?" Nathan's voice was barely a whisper. Another moment of silence. "Um...well...I don't know. I mean...." "Please." Travis looked into Nathan's big brown puppy dog eyes with their pleading look, his sweet innocent, yet sexy face, and the whole thing made his dick feel like it was going to pop out of his shorts. "Please," Nathan pleaded again. Travis wanted to do it and he didn't want to do it. But one more look into his cousin's eyes convinced him that the little boy was serious. Saying nothing, Travis pulled off his T-shirt, unbuttoned and unzipped his shorts, and pulled them down. His white briefs were seriously tented out. "Why are your undies wet in front?" Nathan asked. Travis said nothing. He pulled back the blankets and saw Nathan's beautiful, smooth, slender body lying in front of him, his torso disappearing into the brilliant white briefs. Travis slid in beside his cousin. "Aren't you going to take your undies off?" Nathan asked. "Yours are still on," Travis replied. But before Nathan could say anything, Travis slipped his fingers inside the waistband of Nathan's briefs and started tugging. Nathan lifted his butt off the bed and Travis pulled them down and off in one smooth motion. The sight of Nathan's rock hard three inch cock and his tight smooth balls took Travis's breath away. He was totally smooth, hard, and beautiful. Travis pulled off his briefs, his six incher slapping against his belly, precum oozing out of it. He pulled Nathan up tight against him and kissed him. Nathan was surprised but figured out quickly what to do. Then, not able to stand it any more, Travis went down on him, taking his hard little cocklet completely into his mouth. Nathan moaned and twitched and bucked as Travis sucked and licked him, his hand running over and around the little boy's cute bubble butt. It didn't take long for Nathan to have an incredibly intense dry orgasm, sending feeling through the little boy like he'd never experienced before. He knew all about jerking off, but the feelings he got there weren't even close to what had just happened. His arching body collapsed on the bed. "Oh, man, Travis. That was awesome." Travis hugged the boy close to him, side by side, his hard dick rubbing against the little boy's belly. It only took about a dozen strokes for him to shoot his cream all over the boy's belly and chest. "What was that? What happened?" Nathan asked. "I cummed. Sorry I made a mess." Nathan scooped up some of the cum with his finger and smelled it. Then he took a taste. "This is what makes babies, right?" "Right." "And when I suck on yours it could shoot into my mouth, right?" "Only if you want to do it and only if you want it to." "I do, Travis." He took another gob of cum and licked it. "You like it?" "I guess so. I'm sleepy." Travis started getting up off the bed. "No, please stay here," Nathan pleaded. Travis kept moving, but Nathan grabbed him with his arms. Another puppy dog look, another sweet soprano please, and the two naked boys had the covers over them and were wrapped around each other, falling quickly asleep. He never spent another night in the guest room. He showed Nathan all about having sex with another guy. And even though Nathan was his cousin, he found himself totally in love with him. Nathan's parents never said a word about his new sleeping place. In school, his old girl friend Kaylin tried going out with him again. But Travis told her he wasn't interested, even though he still liked her. Kaylin was hoping to have a celebrity as her boy friend and was very disappointed. She asked if he was going out with somebody else. "You might say so," he said. Kaylin had read what the Hakaanen were like. "A boy or a girl?" she asked spitefully. "Somebody I love," Travis said. Kaylin quit chasing after him after that. Now it was getting close to time for Travis to leave. And he realized that as much as he wanted to join his family, he didn't want to leave Nathan, that he was totally in love with his cousin. But departure date was a week away, and the thought of leaving Nathan was depressing him. Alex and Stevie Alex and Stevie had been together their whole lives and never disagreed on anything. But now, for the first time, they were having a problem agreeing on something. Their dad met them at the spaceport in Nevada. He told them once again times were a little better and he had money. They could stay with him, but he was going to be on the road for a few days. Alex said he and Stevie could probably take care of themselves while he was gone. He laughed and said they were probably right about that. The disagreement between the two was that Alex wanted to stay on Earth and go to school and take advantage of his being able to attend the Space Academy. He knew he wanted to be a space pilot, maybe even a captain someday. He knew that Earth schools were better than anything he could attend on the frontier planet of Alpha Orion IV. Stevie, on the other hand, wanted to head for the frontier and live with their mom and step-dad. He wanted off crowded Earth. Alex tried to convince him that he could do almost anything he wanted to with a good education. He could become a space scientist and travel to new worlds. He could maybe even be the person to figure out how to make warp radio work between radios outside of warp space. Stevie wasn't convinced though. He wanted back into space. And he wanted Alex to go with him. Their dad left for his quick road trip. He left some money for Alex and Stevie for food. Alex was going to start school right away. Stevie was in no hurry and stayed home on Alex's first day. When Alex got home he had a big surprise. The uncle they had lived with and hated was paying a visit. He arrived just before Alex got home. When Alex came in he saw Stevie being cornered by the uncle. "What are you doing here?" Alex demanded. The uncle backed away from Stevie. "My nephews are celebrities. I thought they might need some adult help while their dad is gone. Life for a celebrity can be tough." "We don't need your help. We don't want you here." "I think you do. I know you guys liked what went on when you lived with me." "We hated it. We hate you!" Alex said. "Now get out!" "I don't think so. Young boys shouldn't be left alone." "We're not so young any more. And there isn't much that can happen to us that would match what we went through." "Well, how about you guys telling your old uncle about it." He put his arm around Stevie. "I'm not a little boy any more. Take your hands off Stevie and get out of here or I will kick your ass!" The uncle kept his arm around Stevie and laughed. "I warned you." Alex walked right up to him, pulled him away from Stevie, and slammed him to the floor. He then kicked him in the ribs, hard. The man grunted. Alex kicked him again. "Get out! Don't ever come back! Ever! Or I will tell everything you ever did to us. And don't think I won't. I'm not afraid of you any more." The man got up slowly and painfully and walked out the front door holding his side. Alex slammed the door behind him. Stevie came up hugging his brother, tears dripping on his shirt. It didn't take long for them to get naked and in bed and begin making wild love. And it didn't take but a few more days for Stevie to tell Alex, "I can't be without you brother. Maybe I should show everybody in school what being smart is all about." Alex hugged him saying, "We're gonna take over the Space Academy brother. You wait and see." Brett and Jeremy Brett was picked up in Nevada by his older brother Todd. Brett asked Jeremy to join them, and Jeremy accepted right away. Brett was pleased. They went to the family estate. Brett's father took the "Starburst" to Alpha Orion IV after the "Starkeeper". He took Ian with him, so only Todd was left. But the good news for Brett was that Jeremy was invited to stay at the estate. Jeremy didn't hesitate to say yes. Todd wasn't surprised that Jeremy and Brett ended up sharing the same bed. Brett wanted to see his dad and Jeremy wanted to see his parents. They both agreed that they would go to their parents on Alpha Orion IV. They had their tickets and reservations for the next flight there. Brett was happy that he wasn't separated from his studly love. And Jeremy was happy to be with the skinny little sweet boy he loved so much. Brett might not have been the strongest boy physically, but he had so often showed a strong brave heart. Jeremy loved him more than ever. He never wanted to be separated from Brett, and he was happy they were going to AO IV together. The irony of the trip back was that they would be taking the "Starkeeper". It would be its first voyage since the accident. Drew and Drake Life was good for the twins, Drew and Drake. Their family stayed on Earth, hoping against hope their boys would return. The family reunion was emotional, with all of their older brothers and their parents hugging and kissing. When they got to the new house they saw that their parents had left an empty room in the big house for them. Right now there were just two beds and two chest of drawers. The first night home they were in their own beds. It was as though they didn't want to talk about the things that happened after their rescue on Inferno. They didn't talk about it the second night either. Drew just went ahead and crawled into Drake's bed next to his twin. There was no talk, but they both loved the end result. They just went ahead and kept it up every night, figuring they loved each other, they liked it, and when it came time to like girls they'd change. But for now, they'd take care of each other. The twins and their family were staying on Earth. Dralkan and Trundall The big celebrities, though, were Dralkan and Trundall. They were on television. They visited cities. They were seen by people all over the planet. And they loved it, except for the fact they couldn't be naked. A lot of people wanted to see them in their native Hakaan clothes though, and they didn't mean the ceremonial robes. They meant wearing just the shoulder and hip belts and nothing else. The two boys and brought some vids showing Hakaan. They were quite popular, because they showed men, women, and children in typical Hakaan clothing, which meant practically none. Hakaanen anatomy was the same as human except for the ears, the mane, some internal organs, and the fact they were smaller and more slender for the most part. Some stations refused to show the Hakaan vids, or censored them. But most of them showed the Hakaan as they were, and Earth loved it. Some kids in one town started showing up for school in Hakaan dress, or undress. They got sent home right away, but not without some smiles. A lot of people started wondering how long it would take that Hakaan custom to take hold, or if it would. The boys explained that they were Meshannas and what a Meshanna was. That they were lovers and more than lovers. A lot of people were shocked about a society that allowed young boys to behave like that and to take on a life partner at puberty. They didn't understand that a Meshanna was more of a soul mate than a life partner. Some Meshannas lived together for life. Some had different partners. But no matter what they were all linked for life. The Reverend Horace Smith talked about the Hakaanen's pointed ears, their nakedness, and their homosexual ways, and said that their planet was Godless and under control of the Devil. He said the Meshanna thing showed that their society was corrupt and sinful. The fact that they had no churches made him even more sure. He ignored their worship of the God Jeswa, saying that the God they worshiped was really the Devil. He said that Earth needed to change Hakaan society now. Hakaan needed God and the Bible, and the first ship going back should leave the scientists behind and carry as many ministers of God as they could. Roger Fenster wanted Earth to have nothing to do with Hakaan. He saw them as a danger to the human way of life. He and Reverend Smith called for the return of the boys and for making Hakaan and its colonies forbidden territory. They got attention on TV, and some people took them seriously, but Earth loved the Hakaan. They saw a happy, peaceful, intelligent people, and wanted Earth to be friends with them. The "Starfinder" was almost ready to return to Hakaan. It would carry scientists and diplomats and would return the two boys to Hakaan. They were both very homesick. The trip had been fun, but they were ready to return home. They both agreed that Earth was too crowded and dirty and could hardly wait to get back to their beautiful planet. Jim Jim was staying with an aunt. He was hoping to stay with Scooter, but she forbade it. She was an old maid aunt who thought Reverend Smith was the expert on life. And since he had no use for the Hakaanen or for the boys who had been rescued she was going to make sure Jim wasn't going to be more corrupted. Jim was enrolled right into school. He was sad and lonely there. He liked most of the kids there okay, but he didn't have any friends. He was treated well, though some kids thought he was stuck up because he didn't say much. But he was just shy. His mother was still on Alpha Orion IV. He had a ticket on the "Starkeeper". And he could hardly wait to leave his Aunt. He missed Stevie and Scooter and the whole group. He missed the fun, and the laughs, and the adventure, and the sex. If he was going to be alone, he wanted it to be with his mother, not with his evil Aunt. His Aunt wouldn't even let him call his friends. He hated her and could hardly wait to get away from her. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Douglas and Scooter were on their fifth day together. It had been a time of swimming, sunning, walking the beach, riding bikes, and a lot of love making. They had made love in bed, by the pool, in the woods, on the beach, even under a highway bridge. They were making the most of their time together, and had only three days left. It was afternoon. The sun was out and the weather was hot. The two boys were lying naked on the pool deck sunning themselves. Douglas's fingers were rubbing Scooter's. Scooter heard the door bell ringing inside the house. "Shit. Who is that?" Scooter asked. "Maybe some girls wanting a look at our hot bods," Douglas answered. "Yuck. Lots of luck to them then. It won't happen!" Scooter got up. Douglas could see that he had an erection and smiled. He loved Scooter so much. Scooter headed into the house and Douglas followed him. As Scooter got to the front door Douglas asked, "You plan on answering the door naked?" Scooter looked down and blushed, then laughed. He took a look to see who it was. He was stunned to see Captain Parrish, Secretary Manning, and Dralkan and Trundall. Dralkan and Trundall were in regular Hakaan clothes, meaning their shoulder and hip belts. Scooter turned to Douglas and answered his question. "Yep," he said grinning. He opened the door standing before the visitors in all his glory. Dralkan and Trundall just figured it was normal. Captain Parrish figured the same thing. Secretary Manning was still trying to get used to the Hakaan way of doing things and blushed some. Scooter invited them all into the house and asked if they wanted something to drink. He ended up getting sodas for everybody. They sat in the cool air-conditioned house talking some and drinking their ice cold drinks. It was the first time Scooter and Douglas had been with the two Hakaan boys since the group's last night together. The small talk ended when the Secretary said, "I guess I should tell you the reason for our visit." Scooter and Douglas looked at the Secretary, giving him all of their attention. They could tell the Secretary was still a little bothered sitting in the room with a pair of naked Earth boys and a pair of naked Hakaan boys. But it didn't stop them from sitting on the couch naked and exposed. "We are here for two reasons. The first one is, the "Starfinder" will be leaving for Hakaan in two days. Dralkan and Trundall wanted to say good-bye. They wish they could tell the whole group good-bye. They made a tape for the rest of the boys, but they wanted to talk to Douglas personally. When we found out he was staying here, they felt that was even better. They could see Scooter too." "How long can they stay?" Douglas asked. Scooter asked them the same question in Hakaan, even though the two boys could now speak passable English. "Overnight we hope?" Dralkan answered. "You hope right," Scooter said. The boys all grinned. "Well, then that's settled. We will send somebody by to pick them up tomorrow afternoon." The Secretary coughed once and said, "Fortunately you boys don't have to carry much luggage around." Captain Parrish tried to hide a grin. "Is Captain Parrish going to command the 'Starfinder'?" Scooter asked. Captain Parrish answered Scooter's question. "No, I'm not, Scooter. That is the second thing I'm here to talk about. I'm going to be commanding the 'Starblazer' on its maiden voyage. It just finished it's shakedown voyages. The Captain is pregnant and won't be able to take a long voyage. Considering the destination, I'm kind of the logical choice to take her place." "Cool," Douglas said. He hated saying "cool" but he kept saying it anyway. "Where are you going?" "Inferno." "Whoa. Awesome," Douglas said. God I'm sounding like a dork, he thought. "They need a lot of help there," Scooter said. "And we will be taking them some help. Especially terraforming technology. We heard what you said about things falling apart. We're hoping we can start doing some trading with them. From what you said they have a lot of food to trade, plus the possibility of minerals." "So, when do you leave?" "In two weeks." "Cool," Douglas said. Damn, he thought, there I go again. "Maybe you can take some messages to our friends there and to Matthew." "I can do better than that," Captain Parrish said. "Oh? How?" "I want you, Scooter, and Mike to go with us." "To Inferno?" "We thought having you boys with us would help get relations started on the right foot. We can continue your education on board. Maybe bring a tutor from the Academy Prep School. We think it will be a great continuation of your education. Better than a classroom, where I think you two would die right now. I want you on my ship. On my crew. If you are willing and your parents allow it." Douglas got hit with a thought from Scooter. One long Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! "Hell yes, we're willing," Douglas said. "Oops. Excuse me sir." Captain Parrish laughed. "It's okay. This time." "Just tell us when we leave!" "We leave in a week. I know it's short notice, ." "Have you asked Mike yet?" "Not yet. We were going to ask you first. We got lucky that we could get you and Scooter in one trip." "I know he will say yes," Douglas said. Douglas looked over at Scooter who had a mile wide grin on his face. Maybe the adventure wasn't over yet. They hoped Mike could join them. But whatever happened, they were going back into space, and back to Inferno, which in so many ways was like home to them. NEXT Chapter 55 Meshannas Constructive comments are welcomed. E-mail me, Douglas DD, at TheHakaanen@Hotmail.com