Simon and I had become inseparable. There was hardly a moment over the next few days in which I was alone, not that I minded. Quite the opposite, I loved it. I loved him. This was a new experience for me. I'd had a few crushes and even one obsession when I was still in school, but they had never really amounted to much. Now, I was living the dream. Literally.
Despite my fondness at having Simon shadowing my every step, I desperately needed to talk to Isaac in private. So, first making sure that all my boy sex holovid files were indeed closed this time, I left Simon alone in my cabin while I made my way to the helm. He had again been playing with my figurines, and this time Josie was with him. Perhaps that wasn't the wisest choice as far as safeguarding my collection was concerned, seeing as how the best laid plans of cats and boys often go awry, but it was a risk I was willing to take.
"Hey Isaac," I said as I sat down at the helm's navigation terminal, "mind if we chit-the-chat?"
"Certainly," he responded, happily.
"I wanted to discuss Simon's birthday plans. I'd like for us to throw him a surprise party before we depart from Grenborne."
"Ooh, I bet he'll love that," said Isaac. "What did you have in mind?"
"Well, I was thinking about renovating Marcus' old cabin and giving Simon his own room. Plus we could surprise him with a cake, some birthday treats, and some gifts." I loved having Simon share my cabin, but the boy needed a place on the ship that he could call his own.
"That sounds like a great idea," Isaac said enthusiastically. "I've already been thinking of something I can give him."
I didn't ask what Isaac had in mind, but I was intrigued. Just knowing that he had been giving thought to Simon's needs touched my heart. It bolstered my confidence about broaching the other topic.
"Isaac," I began, "there's something else I've been meaning to discuss with you."
"Yes, Kyle?"
"How do you feel about Simon and me?" I asked, uncertain how to make it clear what I was wanting to know. "What I mean to say is, well..."
"Am I jealous?" he asked, more seriously.
"Yeah," I said, incredulously. Isaac had changed. I was sure of it.
"No," he responded. "I am happy that you and Simon have found one another. He is good for you Kyle, and you for him."
I was simply astounded. I had programmed Isaac to be able to express basic emotional responses. But this was something else--this was wisdom. Isaac had evolved. He had become something more.
"Isaac, you've changed."
"I suppose I really am growing up," he giggled, echoing the statement that he had made soon after we had released Simon from the stasis pod.
"How?" I asked. "Are you making additions to your code?"
He didn't respond right away. He was thinking. "I did expand my emotional subroutines but not to the extent that you have observed. My code appears to be expanding on its own."
"That's..." I began. Incredible? Alarming? "When did it happen? What does the code contain?"
Again, Isaac hesitated. "I do not have answers to those questions. I only noticed the new file structure very recently. The new code is beyond my ability to analyze, almost as if it were heavily encrypted. I know the file structure is there, and that it is growing, but I cannot access it."
This was astounding! Isaac was becoming, or had already become, a sapient being. Though I didn't say it, my initial thought was that he had gained a soul. I was not a religious person, and I rarely pondered such deep issues, but Isaac was alive. Not biologically alive but mechanically alive. As real as me, or Simon, or anyone. His body was the ship with its sensors and components. His mind was the computer core and its network. And yet, he was somehow even greater than the sum of all those parts.
"Kyle?" Isaac asked, halting my intellectual musings.
"I'm sorry, Isaac," I said. My mind was a jumble and I wasn't really sure what I wanted to convey. "I was just thinking. How do you feel about these changes? Is there anything you want or need? Are you happy?"
The innocent laughter of a four-year-old boy filled the helm. "I'm very happy, Kyle. Thank you. I love being with you and Simon. Although I don't know how or why these changes have come about, they feel right. And no, I do not require anything, but if I ever do I will tell you."
"Isaac, you truly are very special. I'd give you a hug if I could find you."
Isaac just continued laughing, and I also joined in.
"What's so funny?" asked Simon with a grin, as he peaked around the helm's open doorway. Josie also appeared, weaving herself around his feet.
"Hello Simon," said Isaac warmly. "Kyle was just trying to figure out how to give me a hug."
"Like this!" Simon declared. He rushed forward and wrapped his arms around the back of the my chair and pressed his face against its soft padding.
Not to be one-upped, I also hugged the chair from the front.
"Um, guys," Isaac sputtered. "Could you please let go of my penis?"
Simon and I raised our heads to look at each other. Then all three of us burst out laughing!
We were scheduled to arrive at Grenborne Station in the middle of the night, so instead of paying additional docking fees for time we'd just be wasting on the ship I had Isaac hold us in astral space. We were close enough to the station that I could access its network, so I was attempting to arrange for various transactions ahead of our arrival.
Simon and I were both sitting on the bed, casually chatting as we began winding down for sleep. I was working on my tablet looking to find buyers for the salvage we had collected, while Simon was playing with Isaac the otter and Josie.
"What is astral space?" asked Simon. "Why is it different?"
"Do you want the long or short answer?" I asked, even though I already knew which he would pick.
"Long," he replied.
I knew my Simon. "Astral space is a separate dimension to our normal universe, but it's completely empty and has different rules. Imagine that our universe is the mattress of this bed. Astral space would be the sheet on top. Every place here connects to its own place there. The reason we use it to travel is because we can move at much greater speed in astral space. Say we want to go from one star to another. If we traveled in normal space it would take many years to get there, but traveling in astral space would allow us to get there in matter of hours or days."
"Why is it empty?"
"That's a bit harder to explain," I said. "First, there isn't just one copy of astral space. There's actually an infinite number of astral dimensions, all empty, except for the ship and anything within it's astral bubble."
Simon glanced at me with a confused look.
"Each time a ship uses its astral drive it creates its own copy of astral space. That ship and all of the people and objects onboard are the only things in that entire dimension. So right now, we're sitting alone in our own copy of astral space."
"What about the sparkling lights?" he asked.
"All of astral space is filled with background astral radiation. It's a kind of light. We humans can't see it very well, so it appears as very dim sparkles whenever it is refracted through the ship's windows."
"What if our astral drive breaks and we can't get back?" Simon asked, suddenly worried.
I reached over and caressed his neck and shoulder. "If our astral drive were to fail we'd just pop back into normal space. It's impossible to stay here without our astral bubble."
"What if we pop back in but another ship is already in our spot?" Simon was a question machine tonight.
"Well, that's a good question with a lot of different answers. Since the rules work differently between astral and normal space, weird things can happen. Sometimes the ships can merge together. Sometimes they just appear next to each other unharmed. Sometimes one of them just disappears. Sometimes the astral ship appears very far away instead.
"What happens if a ship has two astral drives and turns on the second one when it's already in astral space?" he asked.
He was just fucking with me now. "Well, that causes Simon to be tickled until he can't breathe." I dropped my tablet, then turned on Simon and began tickling him all over!
Josie, who had been laying between us, did not appreciate the sudden burst of chaos. She hissed and leaped from the bed, before darting out of the room and down the corridor.
Simon had such a cute laugh, and I loved hearing him squeal as he tried to evade my roaming hands. True to my word, I did not relent until he was gasping for air.
Eventually, he managed to catch his breath. Then, with a mischievous grin stretching across his face, he said, "You didn't tickle my penis."
I starred back at him with a mock expression of surprise. "Challenge accepted!"
Early the next morning, while still laying in bed beside a sleeping Simon, I continued working on my tablet to make our preparations. I found a buyer for the salvage we had collected and arranged for it to be unloaded upon our arrival. I also made a few purchases to restock the ship, including more food reserves since Simon had now joined us, as well as buying the rarer materials that Isaac determined we would need on hand in case we ever had to replace Simon's implants.
I even managed to register for the bounty of the Grishollk'vor and the other pirates we had defeated, but I still needed to visit a security office in person before they would process the payment. It was merely a matter of protocol. Unfortunately, the bounty was not as lucrative as I had hoped, but it was still worth the trouble and would cover nearly half the estimated cost of the ship's medical upgrades.
I had been perusing various medical bot recommendations from Isaac, but I wanted to go and see them in person before making a final decision. Regardless of which model I decided to go with, it would be very expensive. But Simon was more than worth the cost, and besides, the ship desperately needed to improve its medical bay. Between the bounty and selling the tridinum and other salvage, we would still come out ahead.
Lastly, I made arrangements for Simon's room renovation and birthday party, which was somewhat risky since the birthday boy himself was snuggled up against me and could open his eyes at any moment. My mission was ultimately successful though.
While Simon still slept I shifted slightly down the bed and rested my face gently against his soft tummy. The heat that this boy was generating was immense! He must have had a small furnace inside his belly. The smell of his skin was mesmerizing, and I imagined how wonderful and luxurious it would feel to use his stomach as a pillow when sleeping. I couldn't actually do it though, because even now I was straining to keep my head supported so that my weight didn't restrict his breathing.
I looked down to his abdomen where the bed's covers concealed my new favorite toy (even surpassing Lord Brelgorn). At this time of the morning, Simon's penis was almost guaranteed to be standing at full attention. I had not yet had the pleasure of exploring it with my mouth, much to Simon's frustration, who seemed very keen on the idea. Beyond his initial question during my recent confession, he hadn't directly asked me to suck his penis, but it was clearly something he was curious about. I even teased him a bit during our nightly sessions, which we had began to refer to as playing around, by getting close to his penis with my face, or appearing as if I were about to lick it and then switching to rub it with my hands at the last moment. I wasn't trying to be a jerk. I mean, come on, I'm a boy lover with access to a willing and quite eager nine-year-old's penis--of course I wanted to suck it! But I had other plans, and I wanted to make his... our first time something very special.
Simon soon awoke and we began getting ready for our busy day. We showered, got dressed, and ate breakfast. Through it all, Simon was very excited and seemed exceptionally inquisitive about his first visit to a space station. Isaac and I readily answered his questions, but we withheld a few of the details about the day's plans and his birthday surprises.
Isaac summoned us to the helm as the Lightning Bolt began to make her approach toward the station. Simon took his favored spot in the copilot chair and gawked in awe as the station came into view.
Grenborne Station was an impressive sight to be sure. It was a huge structure that easily dwarfed even the largest capital ships. The station was roughly shaped like an hourglass with its two bulbous ends gradually squeezing down to connect together at the center. Around the middle section stretched a massive docking ring with nearly a thousand ports and airlocks to accommodate the heavy volume of shipping traffic and visitors the station received each day.
The station was located alone in deep space, and there were no nearby stars, planets, or other celestial bodies in its vicinity. Despite its isolation, it was still the largest trading hub in the entire Quikeli Sector, with a permanent population of over 100,000 residents and the capacity to accommodate up to half as many visitors.
A trade consortium, known as the Lyathen Syndicate, owned and governed the station, independently from any other governments, species, or factions. That meant it was neutral ground, and it was by far the most diverse hub of exotic cultures and alien species that I had ever personally experienced. That was saying a lot too, because even before I had joined up with Captain Arrador I had spent much of my life serving on various freighters and cargo ships, and I had traveled extensively throughout this sector and most of it's neighbors.
Simon was very impressed, and he kept pointing at different parts of the structure and inquiring about their features. Each end of the hourglass ended in an array of magnificent crystal and metal spires. Giant glass domes protruded from many locations displaying expansive forests and vibrant vegetation. Countless windows could be seen across the entire station, some dark and others aglow.
"Wow! What is that?" asked Simon, as he pointed at another large structure floating in space a fair distance from the station. "Is it a ship?"
"That's one of the station's defense platforms," I said. "There are actually three of them. They help protect the station from attacks."
Each of the three platforms were equipped with a host of deadly weapons, along with a small fleet of frigates, corvettes, and fighters at their disposal. An enemy would have to be flipping insane to launch an assault against the station, and in all my years of visiting I had never even heard of such an attack. Even if a species or pirate faction had the balls to make an attempt the numerous member corporations that formed the Syndicate, as well as the many factions that relied on trade with and through the station, would surely come to its aid. Plus, pirates and other nefarious groups enjoyed Grenborne as well, as long as they behaved themselves. Violations of the station's laws were extremely harsh and swift, which surprisingly did indeed appear to keep crime rates at a minimum.
Issac performed our docking maneuver flawlessly and we were soon contacted by the captain of the merchant ship Ranfell to complete our sale of the salvage. Isaac had the drones begin ferrying the materials to the Ranfell while Simon and I went to the mudroom to ready ourselves for departure.
"I wish you could go with us, Isaac," said Simon, as we walked along the corridor.
"He'll be with us," I reassured him, "in a manner of speaking."
"That's right," chimed Isaac. "I'll be able to speak with you and hear through your nanopacks."
Simon didn't understand, so I explained that we would need to wear nanopacks while onboard the station. We would only have to partially deploy their nanobots most of the time, which would appear as fine mesh masks around our noses and mouths, plus another much smaller mesh bubble within one of our ears. Since many species did not breathe oxygen, unlike humans, we would need the nanobots' aid to help us breathe. They would also serve as a translator and provide a communication link with Isaac.
Fortunately, human beings fell within a relative middle point in regards to the average comfort variations for most species, so within much of the station partial deployment would suffice. However, there were areas of the station with harsher environments, where the pressure or temperature was too extreme or the atmosphere was toxic, radioactive, or harmful to humans in other ways. We were unlikely to visit those areas, but if we did we would need to fully deploy the nanobots.
With our nanopacks equipped, we were nearly set to explore Grenborne Station, but there was still one last thing I needed. I opened one of the cabinets along the wall, which stored the ship's guillotines and scalpels, along with my laser pistol and its belt and hip holster. It had originally belonged to Marcus, and he had been quite handy with it as I recalled. Me? I was a decent shot, just barely, but I had almost never been forced to use it. Still, it was good to know it was there if I needed it, plus it had occasionally served to intimidate would-be aggressors.
"Are you going to shoot someone?" Simon asked, as I secured the belt and holster around my waist.
"Let's hope not," I said, giving him a smile and a wink. "It's just for emergencies."
Weapons were permitted in most parts of the station, but as I had already explained to Simon, the station's security forces were very good at their jobs. So weapons weren't really needed, and most visitors and residents went about their business unarmed.
We disembarked from the ship and headed to one of the nearby spokes that linked the docking ring to the main station. There were a few aliens here and there, and Simon seemed intrigued, but I was really looking forward to seeing his reaction once we arrived at one of the main plazas. First though, I needed to make a quick stop at a security office.
We rode one of the turbo streams across the spoke. I showed Simon where to stand and watched his eyes widen in surprise as the gravity suddenly disappeared and we began zipping forward at unbelievable speed. We didn't experience the momentum ourselves thanks to the stream's repulsion field, but the illusion of falling forward still caused a slight tickling sensation in our stomachs. Simon enjoyed it so much that we rode it back across, and then again before continuing on our way.
The security office was just one of many throughout the station, and this particular one seemed nearly deserted. A robot greeted us, and I explained about coming to collect the bounty that I had already registered earlier this morning. We were ushered into an office, where a xensukol officer reviewed my claim. The xensukols were semi-humanoids with white hides and triradial symmetry, so they had three arms, three legs, and three sets of antler-like fleshy protrusions atop their heads.
She took my statement once again, and reviewed the logs and vids of the battle. She was impressed with our ship but seemed a bit suspicious of me when I explained that we had hacked the pirate's corvette to fire on its allied fighter. Still, she eventually approved our claim and issued the bounty. It seemed that the Grishollk'vor had indeed been causing a bit of trouble, and the station was glad to see the threat eliminated.
After leaving the office we headed to one of the central lifts and quickly ascended to the main plaza of the station's trade district. Even though I had been here many times it was still an impressive sight. Multiple walkways crisscrossed overhead in every direction, extending between an overwhelming assortment of shops, boutiques, and businesses. An array of smells ranging from the tempting to the repugnant wafted through the air from nearby restaurants and street vendors. Brilliant colored signs, advertisements, and corporate logos decorated the walls and storefronts. Looking up, the towering crystal spires and buildings could be seen piercing the star-filled void overhead.
And then there were the aliens. There were species of every shape, size, and color that could be imagined, and then still a few more that could not. About a third were humanoids of varying types, but most were vastly different in appearance to human beings. In fact, as I turned and scanned the crowds, there were easily over a hundred different species, and except for Simon and myself, there was not a single human to be seen.
"Isaac," I said jokingly, "I think we've broken Simon."
Isaac giggled.
Simon was transfixed. It was exactly the reaction I had expected, so I carefully guided him over to some empty benches where we could sit and watch the spectacle.
"Here comes a tregosin," I said to Simon. I actually had to reach up and manually turn his head to focus his attention on the bizarre alien as it slowly made its way in our direction. Standing over three times the height of an adult human, the tregosin looked like a black floating sack with four chitinous, spindly arms dangling below its core. It's eyes were located near the joints of its arms, which it was using to gracefully push its way along.
"There's so many different ones," Simon offered meekly, apparently referring to the aliens.
"The station register currently lists 338 different species that have visited the station within the last month," said Isaac.
"Make that 339," I said. "Don't forget to include yourself."
"I'm not sure mechanical lifeforms count," Isaac countered with a sigh.
"You count in our book," I said reassuringly.
"That's kind of you, Kyle. I appreciate the sentiment. Truly."
We eventually made our way through the busy streets to a medical distributor, and spent a little while perusing their showroom. It was good just to escape the crowds, but I really did want to inspect the different surgical robots and accessories. We were soon approached by a human sales rep, and all three of us were genuinely surprised at the coincidence.
Not wanting to bore Simon out of his mind, I explained to the rep that we had already reviewed a few of the particular models and packages and just needed to compare between those options. It still took longer than I'd hoped, but in the end I managed to purchase everything I wanted, which included a top tier surgical robot, two companion nurse bots that hovered and were capable of performing independent minor treatments and procedures, a proper examination and surgery table, medical libraries for the ship's database, and an assortment of common medicines and supplies for treating human patients. The sales rep even claimed to give us a special human discount, which I doubted, but the total cost did end up coming in a bit lower than I had budgeted.
With the assurance that our new medical upgrades would be delivered to our ship within a few hours, we finally headed toward Simon's first surprise of the day: the Grenborne Aquatics Facility. I was so excited, and I couldn't wait to share one of my favorite places in the universe with Simon!
Simon was still so distracted by the unfamiliar sights, sounds, and smells of the station that he didn't realize where we were until he glimpsed one of the enormous pools. Starring through one of the glass walls in the corridor he became absolutely giddy with excitement. He even did that cute little wiggle I had seen him do when we had first mentioned a potential birthday gift on the ship's helm, and it was absolutely adorable beyond words.
"Kyle Vasken," said a deep voice from behind us.
I turned and looked down to see Larrant, a denzaran acquaintance I had met here a few times over the years. Denzarans were a teal-skinned pinniped-like species that had a flabby bodies that they dragged along the ground using their four flipper appendages. Larrant's head had two large white horns that folded back and a beard of green hair that was braided into neat knots.
"Larrant," I said, surprised. I immediately knelt and held my forearms in front of me pointed upward and parallel to one another, as was customary when greeting a denzaran.
Larrant scooted closer and did the same with his two front flippers. "It is good to see you Kyle Vasken. How have your journeys fared?"
Simon moved closer and quietly observed the exchange.
"They have fared better than I could have ever hoped for," I told him truthfully. "Thank you. How have you fared here on Grenborne?"
Larrant made a loud series of deep rumbles in his throat, which my translator interpreted as a sign of impatience. "Moroll and I have fared adequately. Even now I must depart with haste to gather with his parents for evening feast. I do not expect I shall fare favorably. Forgive my brevity, Kyle Vasken. May you swim well today."
I knelt back down, this time crossing my forearms. "And may you feast well today."
Larrant made the same gesture, then turned and scooted toward the exit at a quickened pace.
I looked at Simon and smirked.
He returned my expression mingled with incredulity. "What did he say?"
I laughed. "I met Larrant and his husband Moroll here a few years ago. They always seem to be annoyed with each other, and I think Larrant was complaining about having to meet Moroll's parents for dinner. They're fun to talk to, but their customs and speech patterns can be a bit tedious."
We passed through a security checkpoint, where I was asked to relinquish my pistol. Next, we entered the changing room, which had been the setting of so many of my dreams and fantasies. Prior to meeting Simon, the only sexual encounters I had ever had took place in the changing room back at school when I was fourteen. I suppose those experiences had left their mark on me. I had sort of developed a fetish about changing rooms, even though nothing of interest had ever actually happened to me here.
Simon and I walked over to a row of benches, where I immediately began to strip. I deliberately avoided saying anything to him as I curiously watched to see what he would do. Simon didn't hesitate, and before I had even managed to get to my pants he was already standing there completely naked. His little boner was standing proudly at attention, which I was simultaneously excited and terrified to see. I summoned all of my mental discipline to force myself to think of something else in an attempt to avoid getting a boner. I suppose I was partially successful, seeing as how my own penis was only semi-erect, but I didn't think I would be able to maintain my focus for long.
It wasn't like it was really a big deal though. There were no other humans around and only a few aliens, none of which seemed to have penises themselves, so they were probably unfamiliar with human boners and what they represented. They probably just thought a penis was an extra nose, or a backwards tail, or in Simon's case, a miniature battering ram...
Mother fucker! Stay focused Kyle, stay focused!
I haphazardly folded my clothes and walked to a grid of cubbies along the wall, while forcing myself to pay particular attention to the detailed swirls and patterns in the tiles on the floor. I selected an empty cubby and placed my clothing into it. As I removed my hand a shimmering forcefield briefly flickered across the opening. Simon did the same before quickly withdrawing his hand in trepidation.
As we walked toward the entrance I glanced at the sign that listed the environmental details of this particular pool. The only real note pertaining to us was the lower gravity levels inside, but I didn't mention this to Simon, as it would be more fun to let him discover it for himself. I also noted the list of species that were required to wear body suits or full nanopacks in order to prevent contamination of the water. Believe it or not, humans were actually considered to be one of the cleaner species, at least in regards to swimming. Even though we didn't actually need to wear our nanopacks here Simon and I still chose to do so, and I adjusted them to also serve as goggles for our eyes. Now we would be able to see clearly and breathe while underwater.
Upon entering the main complex we both just stood there for a moment taking it all in. Several large pools were scattered throughout the lowest level, with numerous ramps leading up to platforms containing even more pools and slides at varying heights. A large central reverse gravity column, similar to but slower than the turbo stream we had ridden earlier, stretched up through the middle of the complex leading to the uppermost platform, and we could see several aliens being drawn slowly up its length along with giant rounded bubbles of water. There were winding lazy rivers, waterfalls, wave pools, diving platforms, and even more unique features that we couldn't even see from our position. The place was like a three-dimensional child's paradise.
"So, Simon, what do you think?" I asked, as we walked into the room. "I love this place! I usually come here every time I visit Grenborne."
Simon didn't respond. I turned to look at him and realized he was still standing at the entrance, his eyes held wide in wonder.
"Isaac," I said in mock seriousness, "I've broken Simon again."
"Aw, poor little guy," said Isaac sympathetically.
"It's amazing," Simon breathed in astonishment, before running to catch up. "Can we live here?"
Isaac and I both laughed!
I took hold of Simon's hand and allowed him to lead the way. His first stop was at one of the lazy rivers, which meandered throughout the complex. As we floated and bobbed along its course I was impressed to learn that Simon was actually a very competent swimmer. Climbing up onto one of the river's floating pads, I relaxed as the warm water carried us swiftly along. Simon darted around me like a drunken fish, exploring every bend, nook, and cranny of the river.
I noted that there were fewer bathers here than normal, which I preferred, but I had never actually seen it crowded. I guessed that many of the station's alien visitors didn't care much for water. There were several other similar complexes on the station as well, but they were designed around more extreme environments, including a massive complex for native aquatic species, and even a smaller complex for those who were suited to swimming in liquid methane rather than water.
Our next stop was a pool that produced periodic giant waves. It was easily my favorite attraction, and I enjoyed trying to bodysurf as the huge waves engulfed us. Simon absolutely loved it as well, and we spent a long time there until exhaustion finally forced us to seek calmer waters.
As we were entering one of the more gentle central pools I spotted a rather interesting alien that I thought I recognized. I figured Simon would find this species fascinating, so I led him over to be introduced.
"Greetings, Plarrexiss," I said warmly, "It is good to see you all again."
The borbind resembled a cluster of about fifteen glowing red orbs, each surrounded by its own smoky gray cloud, which were all merged together into a larger mass. At our greeting the red orbs began to pulse in a mesmerizing display. A small device attached to one of the clouds produced a response that sounded like a group of people all speaking together in unison. "Kyle, welcome. We are surprised to find you here."
"Likewise," I responded. "I didn't realize that borbinds enjoyed swimming."
"We do, though it may be more precise to say we enjoy floating." The orbs pulsed again in a series of quick flashes that produced a sound similar to a group of people laughing.
"I would like to introduce you to Simon. It's his first time here."
Simon gave a timid wave and smiled. "Hello."
"Greetings to you, young Simon. It is our sincere pleasure to meet you. How do you like the aquatic facility thus far?"
"I love it," he said. "It's so much fun!"
"That is wonderful," pulsed Plarrexiss. "We are very glad."
"We're celebrating Simon's birthday," I said. "He just turned nine."
"Congratulations, Simon. We would all like to wish you a very happy birthday!" The orbs flashed wildly as the voices wished Simon well.
"Thank you," said Simon, slightly blushing.
While Plarrexiss and I continued chatting, Simon played nearby, dipping and diving under the water. Soon, a pair of what appeared to be lavender-skinned children of approximately Simon's age, swam up to him and asked if he wanted to play. They were humanoids with a mixture of dense rubbery skin and scaly patches. A bony ridge began at their noses before splitting on their foreheads and running up and over the top of their bald heads, then down along their necks and backs. The children, which I assumed were boys, appeared to be slightly different in age, rather than twins.
Simon looked at me, unsure of what to do.
"It's alright," I told him, reassuringly. "Go make some friends."
Simon did so, still a bit hesitantly, but he and the other boys were soon frolicking and laughing together in the deep end of the pool.
"Mind if I ask you all what you enjoy about the pool if you can't actually get wet?" I was curious since it appeared that Plarrexiss' clouds and the water repelled each other.
"Not at all," they responded. "We enjoy the vibrations that the waves create as we float. The sensations are soothing."
"Fair enough," I said in agreement. "That does sound rather pleasant."
"It is," said Plarrexiss. "Ah, welcome Edorrel. Please, join us. This is Kyle"
A man, very similar in appearance to the boys who were now playing with Simon, swam up alongside us.
"I'm Edorrel Jaldeem," the man said in a dignified tone, as he extended his hand. "It is nice to make your acquaintance, Kyle..."
"Vasken," I replied, shaking his hand. "Kyle Vasken, and likewise."
"I assume that is your boy playing with my sons?"
I was relieved that he had referred to Simon my boy and not as my son. I wasn't quite sure how I should explain our relationship if he asked. Should he be my son, my younger brother, my little cousin, my friend, or what? I made a mental note to address it with Simon later to see what he preferred. For now, I decided I would just go along with his assumption.
"Yes," I said. "His name is Simon."
We watched as all three of the boys swam into the reverse gravity column and began floating through the air on their way to the top platform. I noticed that Simon's new friends did indeed appear to be boys, with long and thin penis-like appendages flailing between their legs as they ascended. The alluring sight was beginning to cause my own appendage to stir, so I pointedly turned my attention back to Edorrel.
"I'm very glad to see them enjoying each other's company," he said. "Children of their ages are a rarity on this station. It's good to have friends."
He was preaching to the choir. "It is indeed. What are your sons' names?"
"My older boy is Trindel and my younger son is Varsim. And that is my wife, Cadorla." He turned and indicated a woman who was gracefully lounging on the pool deck.
"Edorrel is a trade supplier for colony worlds throughout the sector," said Plarrexiss.
"That's more or less correct," Edorrel said jovially. "My company requisitions tech components for new colonies and settlements, mostly for farming and weather machinery. What is it that you do, Kyle?"
"I'm the captain of a salvage ship called the Lightning Bolt."
"Really? Do you ever transport cargo?"
Edorrel explained that he often contracted with individual vessels to deliver shipments to burgeoning colonies, especially those in more remote regions. I told him about my ship and my background, and I soon found myself being hired to make a delivery to a new colony world in the Frellorgo system. I hadn't passed through that system in many years, but I needed a new salvage destination anyway, and my cargo hold was currently sitting empty. He agreed to have the cargo delivered to my ship later that day, and we could meet then to sign the contract and discuss any additional details."
An idea suddenly occurred to me. "Edorrel, it is actually Simon's birthday, and I was planning to throw him a surprise party on the ship later this evening. Would you and your family care to join us? I'm sure Simon would be absolutely thrilled to see his new friends again. Plarrexiss, you are all invited as well."
Both Edorrel and Plarrexiss readily agreed to attend, and I hadn't even needed to tempt them with the promise of cake. I wasn't quite sure if Plarrexiss could even eat cake, or food of any kind for that matter. Now, there would be over twenty people in attendance, if you counted each of Plarrexiss' fifteen orbs, Edorrel's family, myself, and Isaac. And maybe Josie, depending on her mood. It was actually shaping up to be a real birthday party, and I couldn't wait to surprise Simon!