I spent the next hour lounging by the side of the pool while Simon continued playing with Trindel and Varsim. Every once in a while the three hooligans would run past me, or I'd see them floating up through the reverse gravity column to the upper platform. I was unfamiliar with their species, but Isaac was able to enlighten me.
"They sound like they're elingey," he stated, confidently. "The males are slightly shorter but more stout than the females. The females tend to be taller and have darker purple skin."
"Sounds about right," I replied. Although the boys' parents had wandered off to a different area of the complex, Edorrel and his wife Cadorla had seemed to fit those descriptions.
"Ooh, Kyle, you may find this tidbit interesting," Isaac added with a giggle. "Elingey penises are thinner but about four times longer than those of humans, and they're prehensile."
That was a fun little detail. Well, perhaps not so little. Thoughts of an elingey boy coiling his penis around my own filled my mind. I imagined my own penis being tightly wrapped and stroked while at the same time the head of the boy's penis explored inside my foreskin. As I continued fantasizing about all of the other neat things he could do with that unique appendage, Simon and his friends suddenly appeared at my side as if by magic.
"Kyle, want to join us in the wave pool?" asked Simon, hopefully.
I was about to accept his invitation when I abruptly noticed my raging boner! Apparently Trindel and Varsim noticed it too, and as I hesitated to reply so did Simon.
I was at a crossroads. Should I accept the offer to go play and swim with three naked little boys while proudly displaying my erection for all to see? Or should I decline and roll onto my stomach in shame while potentially drilling a hole through the lounge chair?
"Sure," I said, throwing caution to the wind. "Lead the way."
As the boys bounded ahead I followed behind discreetly. Luckily there weren't too many bathers along the way, and the elingey boys' parents were still nowhere to be seen. Even so, only after I was submerged up to my waist in the water did I finally begin to relax.
The four of us made a game of trying to see who could bodysurf the farthest with each of the massive waves. If we caught the crest of a wave just right and began swimming it would carry us an impressive distance toward the shallows, but if our timing was off we ended up being rolled and tumbled in its wake instead.
After several attempts, I decided to swim under Simon, and I lifted him so that he was sitting atop my shoulders above the water. I held one of his feet in each hand to steady his balance, and I could feel his penis and balls pressing against the back of my neck. Trindel did the same with his younger brother Varsim, and I gaped in erotic fascination as the younger boy's penis wrapped itself gently under his brother's chin and up along the side of his face to provide additional support.
"Wow..." I muttered unintentionally. Simon noticed it too because I felt his penis stiffen as it attempted to bore its way into the base of my skull.
Just then, the boys' parents began calling to them from the pool's edge. They were leaving. I dropped under the water and released Simon so he could tell them goodbye, and I waved to Edorrel and his wife.
Simon seemed a little sad that his friends had gone. I knew he'd be seeing them again this evening, but he didn't know that. We played in the waves a while longer, before we too decided to call it quits. All of this swimming had made us both pretty hungry, so we showered, got dressed, and left the aquatic facility to get some lunch.
I decided to let the birthday boy choose where he wanted to eat. His initial choice was a restaurant that served puffed pastries that were filled with all kinds of different savory and sweet interiors. Unfortunately some of the ingredients were not quite compatible with human diets, so we had to seek lunch elsewhere. Simon's next choice was a place that specialized in spicy avian planks. They even had a portion of the restaurant suitable for humans and we were able to sit and enjoy ourselves without having to wear the nanobot masks.
Their menu indicated that all ingredients were safe for human consumption, and you could even select the severity of spice for your meal. I was a big fan of spicy food, but I didn't relish the idea of having to shit my guts out later, so I played it safe with a medium selection. Simon wanted to try something a bit hotter, and despite my warning of his potential bathroom tribulations to come, I relented and let the birthday boy have his way.
Our food turned out to be really delicious, and Simon even managed to finish his entire meal without complaint. I could tell he was feeling the heat though because sweat had formed on his forehead, and he managed to down three large glasses of water.
The next stop on Simon's birthday adventure required a bit of a trek. One of my favorite shops on Grenborne Station was tucked away in a back alley that was hidden from the bustle of the main plaza: The Antiquated Scabbard. The store specialized in roleplaying games, force dice and other accessories, augmented reality adventures, collectible figurines, and many other wondrous treasures. It was a haven for geeks, nerds, and the socially awkward. These were my people, and I had come home.
The place was far bigger inside that its measly storefront had otherwise indicated. The front half of the store held the merchandise while the back half was divided into semi-private rooms where groups of aliens were gathered around tables as they played various games. Holographic dioramas appeared atop some of the tables as tactical battles between miniature heroes and monsters unfolded in turns. Other groups were playing games that were set in space with huge fleets of tiny spaceships all moving through the holographic field like buzzing swarms of insects.
Simon was like a kid in a... well, gaming store. He wandered from one display to the next in complete fascination, examining everything his eyes fell upon and asking question after question. It seemed that another gamer was being born.
When we came to the wall of collectible figurines like the ones from my collection, I asked him to tell me how old he was again.
"Nine," Simon mumbled, distractedly. His eyes flitted excitedly from one figure to the next.
"Then I suppose you should pick out nine of them as your birthday present."
He turned to me in complete disbelief, before suddenly squeezing me around the waist in a hug so tight that it nearly made my testicles pop! "Thank you, Kyle!"
"You're welcome," I uttered, as I struggled to ignore the pain.
Eventually he let go and began making his selections. I took a few steps away to allow my smooshed scrotum to reinflate. While Simon busied himself with his task I roamed about the shop and checked out some of the latest gaming gear. I picked up a blue set of force dice for Simon and a green set for myself. I already had about ten sets of dice back on the ship, but a person could never have too many force dice.
Simon had gathered a stack of seven boxes, but he was having trouble deciding on the final two. I thought about getting one for myself as well, but I didn't really need any more. Or did I? Frevella the Shadow Mistress had been taunting me with her hypnotic gaze and whip of doom for my last few visits. Fine, one figurine wouldn't hurt.
When Simon had finally made his choices we carried all twelve of our figurines to the robotic clerk and I paid for our booty. I arranged to have everything delivered to the Lightning Bolt so that we could continue our adventure unencumbered.
We still had several hours to kill before the party so I suggested going for a hike in one of the station's arboretums, and Simon readily agreed. Isaac helped us find one that was mostly suitable for human exploration and which had plant life that wouldn't try to eat us, but it was located on the opposite end of the station.
I had been to a few of the smaller parks before, but this one was a new experience for me as well. The size of the arboretum was almost beyond belief. It made the swimming complex at the aquatics facility look like a storage closet by comparison. Walking through the door was like stepping through a mystical portal onto an alien world. We were standing on the peak of a hillside overlooking a lush jungle canopy. The terrain rose and fell as streams and hiking trails twisted their ways throughout its landscape. The holographic sky was a scene of dense cloud cover where occasional breaks allowed piercing beams of sunlight to streak down onto the forest below. A light but pleasant breeze and the sounds of birds and other woodland critters filled the air. Even the upper walls and the doors we had just come through were made to blend into the scene and appear natural. The illusion was perfect.
"It looks like Olgorren," Simon said, referring to his former home. The tone in his voice was hard to gauge. I couldn't tell if he was feeling somber or if he was just simply in awe.
We set off along one of the paths and I would have sworn that if I hadn't actually known we were on a space station I'd have believed we were on some exotic jungle planet. Simon kept falling behind one moment, then running ahead the next, as he inspected and explored the aboretum's secrets. I suppose he was less somber than I had thought, which was decidedly a good thing.
As Simon ran off again I whispered into my com: "Isaac, how are the party preparations going?"
"Hello Kyle. Everything is coming along nicely. The cake and snacks have been delivered, the galley is decorated, and the drone is nearly finished renovating Simon's new cabin."
"That's great," I said. "Do you happen to know if borbinds can eat cake? And what about the elingey?"
"No," he replied, "borbinds feed on ambient bacteria in the air, so it's probably best for you and the other attendees if we don't attempt to provide Plarrexiss with snacks. However, the Jaldeem family will be fine. Elingey have fairly robust digestive systems, and many of their food preferences overlap with humans."
"What about the medical delivery?" I asked.
"I received it an hour ago. Everything seems to be in order. I also received a notification about the incoming delivery from the Antiquated Scabbard, and it should be arriving momentarily."
"Thanks Isaac," I said. "Have the drones move the new equipment to the medical bay to ensure that we have enough room for Edorrel's cargo, but they can set up everything later. I don't want them getting in the way during the party. As for the other delivery, have a drone place Simon's figurines in his room."
"What about your three toys and the dice?" Isaac asked with a giggle.
"They're not toys," I replied in mock offense. "They're highly detailed and collectible figurines, you dork. Just set them in my room."
"Okie dokie," he laughed. "They'll be there, patiently waiting for you to play with them at your leisure."
"Ha ha," I retorted, dryly. I actually was looking forward to playing around with something later tonight, but it wasn't my figurines. Well, not just my figurines.
I continued walking down the path, admiring the strange flora along both its sides. I was sure I had never been to this particular arboretum, but it felt strangely familiar. Most of the massive trees consisted of what looked like knots formed of several large individual roots that twisted together before branching into a canopy of green and yellow leaves. The foliage underneath was dense with long broad leaves, and sporadic white and red flowers were interspersed here and there. It was really quite lovely, and the only signs of tech were occasional light rods that were spaced about ever twenty meters or so. The rods were currently unlit, so I figured that they must be used to illuminate the path during simulated nighttime.
A sudden nauseous feeling in my gut caused to me to stop walking. Maybe the spicy food from lunch was more volatile than I had thought, but no, that wasn't it. Then I realized it was because of Simon. I couldn't hear him, and it had been several minutes since I'd last seen him.
I began sprinting down the trail just as Isaac's worried voice confirmed my fears: "Kyle, Simon's in trouble!"
As I rounded a bend in the path I saw Simon ahead, standing in front of a orange-skinned, lanky alien. I didn't recognize its species, but it towered above my boy and was clearly threatening him. The alien suddenly stepped forward and shoved Simon hard onto the ground!
I fucking lost it! Running faster than I had ever moved in my entire life I surged ahead, leaped over Simon as he began to pick himself up, and slugged that mother fucker so hard in the face that it nearly broke my hand!
The alien bastard stumbled sideways into what I had mistakenly assumed to be a large boulder, seeing as how it had been partially obscured behind the trees. Nope. I was very, very wrong. The massive stone humanoid steadied its friend, then stepped forward onto the path to glare down at me with a menacing smirk.
"Look at this, Meruk," the creature said, laughing. It's voice sounded rough, almost grating to my ears, as my nanopack translated its speech. "The whelp's daddy has come to the rescue."
I wasn't familiar with this alien's species either. It stood nearly twice my height, and its body and brawny arms appeared almost as if they were made of dark gray rocks.
Just as I began to reach for my pistol several arcs of electricity fanned through the air, striking both of the alien thugs! Meruk, the orange-skinned alien with the recently-dented face, fell to the ground and began writing in pain, but the rock alien just growled and raised one of its hulking fists.
Distracted by Simon's onslaught, I just barely managed to raise my left arm in time to shield myself from the alien's blow. There was a sickening crack as the bones in my forearm splintered, and I was sent sprawling into the dirt near Simon's feet.
The pain in my arm was extreme! Even so, I desperately tried to push myself up with my good arm, intending to roll over and grab my pistol. However, just as I was lifting myself up the gravity seemed to drop away. I watched as nearby stones and pebbles on the path began to lift into the air above the ground, and my own body floated slightly above the dirt.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and I noticed several things all at once. A loud flurry of crackling zaps began rending the air, and I glanced up in complete disbelief to see Simon levitating half a meter off the ground--his body was wreathed in a crisscrossing surge of electrical energy, and even his eyes glowed blueish-white with the immense power that he was channeling!
"That's a cute trick you little shit," the alien grumbled. "It kind of tickled. I going to blast a hole through your fu..."
I turned my head and saw that the rock alien had drawn its own laser pistol and had it pointed directly at Simon, but the son of a bitch never got the chance to pull the trigger or even to finish its threat. Simon brought both of his arms together and aimed them at the alien as a huge bolt of lightning erupted from his outstretched palms!
Here's a not-so-fun fact: Lighting is really fucking loud! Here's another: It's also really fucking bright!
Everything went silent except for a piercing ringing in my ears, and my vision was a solid field of white! I flailed around in the air, before gravity suddenly returned and caused me to crash into the dirt. The pain in my broken arm flared again, and I cried out.
Little hands grabbed onto my right shoulder and arm, and my eyes could just barely see the outline of Simon's face as he looked down at me. He was trying to speak, but I couldn't hear anything that he was saying. He released his grip and seemed to slump down on the ground beside me.
As my vision eventually began to return, I noticed that Simon was gasping for air. He couldn't breathe! I realized that the electricity must has shorted out his nanopack.
Despite the pain in my arm, I pulled him against my chest and desperately fumbled with my own nanopack in an attempt to share its oxygen with Simon! But with my broken arm and Simon's body pressing against my chest I just couldn't manage to do it.
"Isaac!" I shouted, unable to hear my own voice over the ringing in my ears. "Extend my nanopack to cover Simon's mouth and nose. He can't breathe!"
I pulled Simon closer and hugged him with all the strength I could muster, as I repeated my command to Isaac. I could feel his chest convulse with each attempted breath. He was suffocating!
Just as I was about to rip the nanopack off my own body and place it onto Simon's, I felt his breathing begin to soften. His chest rose, and it fell. And again, it rose, and then it fell.
"It's working!" I cried in relief. "He's breathing again. You saved him, Isaac! You saved him!"
My vision had mostly come back, and I watched as Simon tilted his head to look at me. His own eyes had returned to normal, and I was greatly relieved and amazed to see that he seemed completely unharmed. We both turned to look at the rock alien, or rather, where it had been standing. Simon's blast had apparently launched the creature backward into the forest, where it had crashed through several trees to land in a smoking heap on the ground. Several of the the trees and nearby plants were also smoldering from the intense discharge of electrical energy.
And that's when I saw it! At the base of a tree, near the spot where the aliens had been standing, one of the path's light rods was slightly dislodged from the ground and its electrical junction box had been exposed. It was the exact same junction box that I had seen in my dream!
Without hesitating I reached between myself and Simon to draw my pistol. As carefully as I could manage, despite my awkward position on the ground, I took aim and fired at the box. It exploded in another brilliant flash and sent a shower of electrical sparks spraying wildly through the air.
I dropped my pistol and held onto Simon, allowing my face to rest against his shoulder. He clung tightly onto my good arm, and we just sat on the ground, huddled together until the station's security forces and medical personnel arrived.
"I shot the junction box, and it exploded. I just wanted to cause a distraction so we could run for help. I didn't realize it would do that!"
I was laying on an examination table with my left arm extended into a tube-like device where a mixture of chemicals and radiation attempted to regenerate my broken bones. Simon was sitting on a chair nearby, watching the exchange. He had been given a replacement nanopack by one of the medical bots.
"Mr. Vasken," said the human detective, "why didn't you shoot the kadrigon? He had already attacked you and threatened your son."
"I wasn't sure it would have done enough damage to stop him. Plus he hadn't fired his pistol, and I didn't want to piss him off."
The wulnon detective glanced with three of her twelve eyes at the tablet she was holding in her tentacle. The other nine continued to stare at me. She began speaking, which sounded like someone attempting to talk while underwater, then my translator kicked in. "I'd say you did much more than piss them off. The leskeeri is in a coma and the kadrigon is dead. His body was nearly disintegrated."
I could see that Simon was upset at hearing this news, and I just hoped he could remain calm. The last thing we needed was for him to accidentally zap one of the detectives and reveal his powers.
The two detectives stepped into the hall to confer with another security officer. I caught Simon's eye and gave him a small reassuring smile. His expression was one of dread, and he quickly looked away.
After a moment the human detective stepped back into the room. "Mr. Vasken, it appears that the two men were engaging in a criminal transaction when your son interrupted them, and both were already under investigation for numerous offenses. You and your son are very fortunate to have escaped, mostly unharmed. Once your arm is healed you're both free to go."
Simon looked up in sudden relief.
"A word of warning though, before I release you. Your actions today, including the bounty you claimed earlier, have done this station a great service to be sure. However, you may be setting yourself up for more danger in the future. The log of your battle indicates that one of the pirate fighters escaped, and the two men you attacked today have connections to larger criminal organizations as well. I'm just saying to be careful and watch your back. And take care of your boy."
"Thank you, detective," I said sincerely. "I certainly will."
It wasn't long before my arm was mended, and the medical bots ushered us out into the hall. The first thing I did was to kneel down and hug Simon. He returned it warmly, and afterwards I held him at arms length while glancing around to make sure we weren't in danger of being overheard.
"So," I said with a smirk, "you can fly now?"
He just shrugged his shoulders coyly.
We walked out of the hospital and made our way to one of the central lifts. Isaac informed me that Plarrexiss had already arrived and was waiting in the galley, and Edorrel and his family were in the process of boarding now. Simon couldn't hear him since his nanopack was not tuned to the ship's broadcasts.
"Thanks Isaac. We're on our way to the ship." I had considered postponing the party, but Simon seemed no worse for wear, and we could both definitely use a distraction from the stressful events of the last few hours.
As we waited on the lift to arrive, Simon turned to me and spoke very quietly. "Why did you lie to the detectives?"
I took his hand and led him to a bench that was tucked away from most of the crowds. "I didn't want them to find out about you and your powers."
Simon seemed lost in thought.
"Also, remember the night you woke me up when you thought that Josie had been eaten by a monster? Well, I had been dreaming about us in the forest, and in the dream I shot an electrical junction box with my pistol. I had forgotten about the dream until today, but when I saw the box in the arboretum I realized that it was the same one from my dream, and so I decided to shoot it to make it explode."
"To make them think it hurt the aliens, instead of me," Simon said morosely, more as a statement than as a question. He seemed to be blaming himself for what had happened.
"Listen to me Simon," I said resolutely. "You saved my life today. You saved our lives today. You were extremely brave."
"I didn't want to kill him," he said, clearly on the verge of tears.
"I know," I told him softly, enclosing his hands with mine. "You're a good person Simon. But the universe isn't always a good place. And sometimes it even feels like there's a lot more bad in it than there is good. You didn't do anything bad today. They're the ones who choose to be bad, and all you did was stand up for yourself, and for me. You did the right thing. The good thing. And I'm proud of you."
Simon didn't respond nor did he cry. We stood up and walked back to the lifts. He held the hand of my newly-mended arm very tightly all the way back to the turbo streams that connected to the station's docking ring. I was quite relieved to see him smiling and giggling as we zoomed across.
As we boarded the Lightning Bolt--which, after today's events, seemed a most fitting name for our ship--I could barely contain my excitement for Simon's reaction once he saw his friends and the party awaiting him inside. We entered the mudroom, removed our nanopacks, and headed down the left corridor.
"Isaac, we're back!" said Simon cheerfully.
"Welcome home boys," Isaac responded. "Hey, Kyle. There's an issue with the lights in the galley. Would you mind checking it out?"
"Sure thing." As we walked past the bathroom I could see that the hall leading to the galley was dark. Simon still didn't seem to suspect anything as we rounded the corner.
After a few steps, the lights suddenly flipped on and everyone yelled, "Surprise!"
Simon jumped back, startled! At that moment a grim thought crossed my mind that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to be surprising a boy who could blast you with lightning whenever he got scared.
Edorrel and his family were standing in the alcove between the booth and the island. Plarrexiss was floating in the air near the foodvacs. A large round cake that was frosted with a blue mirror glaze and decorated with nine candles sat on the booth, along with bowls of various flavors of ghal crisps, and several gifts were stacked on the island. Isaac had also decorated the walls with green and blue streamers, balloons, and a big paper sign that read: Happy 9th Birthday, Simon!
Simon just stood there for a long moment, completely overwhelmed at the sight before his eyes. Then he turned to me, his face aglow and smilingly widely.
I knelt down and told him, simply, "Happy birthday, Simon." At first, I thought he was about to do his signature wiggle, but he instead wrapped his arms around my neck and kissed me full on the lips!
To say that I was surprised would have been a massive understatement. I had never kissed anyone on the lips in my whole life, except perhaps my mother when I was very young, and certainly no boys. The kiss only lasted a second, though it felt far longer, then Simon shifted his head and embraced me in a tight hug.
"Kyle, thank you so much! I love you."
"I love you too, Simon, and you're very welcome."
Simon turned and greeted his guests. The boys were all very excited to see each other again. Edorrel and Cadorla were dressed rather formally, and I wondered if that was how they appeared all the time or if they had made a special effort for Simon's party. Plarrexiss was still as naked as they had been at the pool, but I didn't suppose an amorphous cluster of smoky clouds really had much of a need for clothing. I was especially surprised to see that Josie was also in attendance, even though she kept her distance and cautiously watched the intruders from the safety of the corridor.
We started with the cake, which had a layer of green iced gel in its center. The boys were eating with Cadorla in the booth, while Edorrel and I ate at the island. The cake was very good, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. I apologized to Plarrexiss about not having something for them to snack on, but they understood.
"We're actually consuming the bacteria in your ship's air as we speak," they said, "but we do not eat or taste as most species do."
"I must admit," I said, between bites of cake, "that I find your species fascinating. I hope you'll forgive my curiosity, but how do borbinds manipulate objects?"
"That's easy," said Edorrel, laughing and gesturing to one of the small gifts on the island. "They convince the rest of us to carry things for them."
"In this case Edorrel speaks the truth," Plarrexiss said in good humor, "but we also have limited telekinetic abilities. The more of us that concentrate on a task the stronger the force we can exert."
In demonstration, Plarrexiss' gift lifted above the island and floated gracefully through the air to land gently on the booth in front of Simon. He glanced to me with a questioning look, and I nodded my approval. He tore open the wrapping to reveal a tiny data chip.
"We hope you enjoy music, young Simon," said Plarrexiss. "That chip contains a collection of borbind songs that we find particularly harmonious."
"Thank you, Plarrexiss," he replied. "I do, very much."
Next, Trindel and Varsim had Simon open their gifts. Trindel's gift was another data chip, this time containing a popular fantasy roleplaying hologame. Varsim's gift was a nanoball, which was a neat device that formed a glowing ball of nanobots, which could then be set to have different degrees of bounce, ranging from bouncing almost indefinitely to not at all, or any setting in between; it could also be turned weightless and could be recalled to the user by vocal commands.
Simon was gracious and seemed to genuinely appreciate all of his gifts. Isaac had not yet revealed his own gift, nor had we mentioned Simon's new room, but those surprises could wait until after his guests had departed. In the meantime, the three boys grabbed the nanoball and sped off toward the antigravity room to test it out. Edorrel and I took their spots in the booth, and Plarrexiss hovered nearby.
"I wanted to thank you all for coming to Simon's party," I said. "It really does mean a lot to him. And to me."
"It's our pleasure," said Cadorla. "Trindel and Varsim were so excited when we told them about the party. They really had a great time swimming with Simon today."
"Simon enjoyed their company as well," I said. "We'll have to make time for them to see each other whenever we stop at Grenborne."
"How frequently do you visit the station?" asked Edorrel. "I assume you return regularly to sell your salvaged materials?"
I heard his question, but I was suddenly distracted as I noticed Josie sneaking along the floor beneath the island's stools. She looked as if she were stalking Plarrexiss' glowing red orbs. The borbind seemed unaware of the impending danger.
"One moment," I said to Edorrel, "but I think Simon's pet cat may be in the process of hunting Plarrexiss. She's under the..."
Josie made her move before I could finish. Appearing as a black blur, she rushed forward and jumped into the air with both of her front claws extended. Suddenly, Josie froze midleap, held as if suspended by an invisible force. She looked at me and meowed sadly, unsure about what was happening.
"Plarrexiss, I'm so sorry," I said, as I stood up and moved to grab Josie.
"We are not offended, Kyle. These kinds of things happen quite often. We have evolved to be continually aware of our surroundings. However, we do appreciate your concern."
"Excuse me for just a moment," I said to the group. I carefully collected Josie into my arms and carried her to my cabin. She didn't protest or attempt to kill me, for which I was grateful. I sat her on the bed and gently petted her as she began to purr.
"Isaac? You've been rather quiet this evening."
"I felt it was best to minimize my interactions with your guests," he replied. "I didn't want to invite questions about my nature or about your reasons for programming me seem so young." His statement made me feel sad, even though I knew that wasn't his intention.
"I'm sorry, Isaac. I never want you to feel as if you have to hide who you are. That's a horrible thing to have to do." That was a feeling I knew all too well. "Would you like me to introduce you to everyone when I return?"
"Thank you, Kyle," he said, "but no. Perhaps next time."
I gave Josie a final scratch behind her ears then walked to the door. "Isaac, do you regret that I programmed you to be so young?"
There was a long silence. "No," he finally replied. "I am content with who I am. But as you noted earlier, I am changing. Into what? I don't quite know. I am both excited and scared to discover what these changes may involve."
Scared? That was an interesting word to choose. I didn't even realize that Isaac could experience fear. Apparently this was another one of the changes. "You will have always have my full support and love, Isaac, no matter how your changes manifest."
"Even if I turn evil?" His voice had changed to sound deep and robotic, then he suddenly began giggling as a four-year-old.
"Yes, even then," I said, laughing, though his abrupt transition from a sinister robot into an innocent little boy made me feel a bit unnerved.
I closed the door to my cabin, temporarily trapping Josie within while our guests were onboard. Even though Plarrexiss had said they were not in any danger I still didn't feel it was acceptable to allow Josie to remain on the prowl.
"Worry not Plarrexiss," I said jokingly, "the fearsome Josie beast has been safely tucked away in my cabin."
"We were not worried, Kyle, but we do appreciate the gesture."
"Edorrel, to answer your questions," I said, as I sat back down and served myself another piece of birthday cake, "I usually return to Grenborne Station every month or so to sell salvage and mined minerals and to resupply.
"Then yes," said Cadorla, also taking another piece of cake, "I think we should encourage the boys to spend time together whenever you and Simon return."
I nodded in agreement. The second slice of cake was even better than the first.
"If I may," said Edorrel, producing a tablet and sliding it across the booth, "here is the contract for the delivery to the Drenvim colony in the Frellorgo system. Read it over and make sure everything is as we discussed."
"Darling," said Cadorla, playfully, "allow Kyle to finish his cake before discussing business."
"It's no problem," I said, through a mouthful of cake. The contract seemed pretty straightforward. We just needed to drop of the cargo planetside, which consisted of components for new weather satellites, replacement parts for various farming machines, twenty farming robots, and two module boards for the colony's atmospheric scrubbers. The module boards were particularly valuable, and I was surprised that Edorrel was willing to trust me with such expensive cargo on our initial collaboration. The payment was good, especially since I had nothing else lined up and needed to scout for a new salvage location anyway.
"The colony is mainly populated by agredrians," said Edorrel, "so keep in mind that they may be a bit... challenging to deal with. They've already agreed to the arrangement, and I have no doubt they'll honor our deal, but don't be surprised if it requires some patience on your part to see it through. Once the agredrians take possession the contract will have been completed, and your portion will be deposited automatically into your account."
"No worries," I said, confidently. "I've had dealings with agredrians before. I'm sure it won't be a problem." I signed the contract and returned the tablet to Edorrel.
"That's great," said Edorrel. "The shipment is ready to go. I'll signal for it to be delivered to your cargo bay right away."
The four of us continued talking and eating cake for a long while, but I did manage to save a couple slices for Simon to enjoy later. Cadorla and Edorrel genuinely seemed like good people, and Plarrexiss was quite engaging as well. In the span of a single day it seemed that my circle of friends had more than doubled. In time, I even hoped that Isaac would feel more comfortable about introducing himself, but I could definitely understand his hesitation.
Eventually, I excused myself to use the restroom. But afterwards, instead of heading back to the galley, I decided to check on the boys in the antigravity room to see what they had gotten up to. What I saw as I stepped into the room made my jaw drop to the floor despite the lack of gravity.
The three boys were floating slowly through the air, and they had obviously decided that clothing was too much of a burden because they were all completely naked. Shirts, underwear, and other articles of clothing floated haphazardly throughout the room. Now, I get it, they had already been playing together naked at the aquatic facility earlier today, so that part wasn't too much of a stretch. The part, or rather parts, that were being stretched were their penises (as well as the fabric of my pants).
They were huddled together, slowly rotating, and each boy was using not one, but both of his hands to hold onto the next boy's penis. Trindel was grasping Simon's smaller human penis, but it didn't seem to be a hindrance in whatever game they were playing. And it definitely was a game--a beautiful, mesmerizing, and amazingly fun-looking game that I so desperately wanted to play--because all three were laughing and giggling so much that they barely noticed me entering the room.
"Hi Kyle!" Simon said gleefully when he finally noticed my presence. "Want to join us?"
"I'd love to guys, but..." I couldn't believe what I had just said. But? But what? My mind and my penis were having a fierce debate with each other: We can't risk playing with little boys' penises while their parents are waiting down the corridor. Don't you realize how rare it is to be invited to join such a wonderful and special game? It doesn't matter because we would get caught! That's unlikely, and besides, it will feel so good when they stretch me!
I was seriously thinking about asking Isaac to lock the door and inform the boys' parents that the ship was experiencing an equipment malfunction just to buy some more time while I joined in the fun. However, as I floated in stunned consternation, the door suddenly opened behind me as Edorrel, Cadorla, and Plarrexiss peered into the room.
It was absolutely silly, but of all the thoughts swirling in my head at that exact moment the first one that came to mind was: Will they be invited to join the game too?
"Get dressed boys," said Cadorla, seemingly unconcerned that her sons were touching each other's genitals and those of another alien boy. "It's time for us to go."
Edorrel laughed and said, "I don't know why we even bother buying them clothes. They never wear them."
At least I hadn't been caught with my pants down--only tented--but even so, I was in total shock. I felt as though I should be apologizing for something. For what exactly? I didn't know. Regardless, I was completely surprised by Edorrel and Cadorla's indifference to sex play. Did they overlook it because it was just a game between kids? Was it a cultural thing for all elingey? Whatever the reason, I was definitely going to be spending some time researching the elingey species.
The boys ended their game with a chorus of disappointed comments as they began flailing through the air in a comical attempt to collect and don their respective garments. We all pitched in to help, especially Plarrexiss who's telekinetic abilities proved particularly useful, and the distraction gave me time to calm myself down. Mostly.
Simon and I escorted everyone to the mudroom, and we said our goodbyes and thanked everyone for attending the party. As we walked down the corridor, Simon again seemed a little sad that his friends had left.
"It's okay," I said, hoping to cheer him up. "Edorrel and Cadorla said that you guys can get together every time we return to the station. You'll see them again in a few weeks."
And then, as if on cue, Simon performed his wiggle. I couldn't help but smile.
"You've got a final birthday surprise, as well," I added. "Isaac, what do you think? Shall we unveil Simon's last surprise?"
"Yes," Isaac replied, "I think that's a great idea!"
I lead Simon to the door of his new room and had him cover his eyes. When he had done so I opened the door and guided him inside.
"Okay," I said excitedly, "you can look."
The room had been completely transformed. Before, it had been rather bland. Marcus had not been a very complicated individual. He had his bed, a trunk and dresser for his clothes, and a shelf with some old books about detective adventures, outdated mechanical topics, and ancient historical volumes from Earth. Now, all of the furniture had been replaced, and I had placed all of Marcus' books and belongings in his trunk and moved it into one of the storage rooms.
Simon's new bed was elevated and fashioned to resemble a castle, with the lower section serving as his dresser and the upper parapets containing his mattress. A small ladder at the foot of the bed granted easy access from the floor. Isaac the otter was nestled snuggly beside Simon's pillow. A holo terminal and a child-sized chair was set against the opposite wall, and I had loaded the the farewell message and implant files from Simon's mother into its data banks so that he could view them whenever he wanted. A large poster that displayed Josie's bared teeth and claws as she attacked--an amazing image Isaac had captured from the perspective of one of the maintenance robots--was tacked to a wall and had a caption that read: Josie, Bane of Bots. The sink, toilet, and shower remained unchanged, but there were some new corner shelves that Simon could use for displaying his new figurines. However, they had all been placed on the table at the end of the room, which contained the huge gift that Isaac had apparently constructed in secret.
Atop the table sat a massive playset of a battlefield with a knightly castle similar in appearance to Simon's bed at one end and an evil-looking fortress at the other. Towers, bunkers, rocky outcroppings, trees, and even a bridge spanning a river decorated the field that stretched between the two bases. Every facet was meticulously detailed and sculpted, and it was clear that Isaac had spent a great deal of time designing and fabricating each component. Simon's figurines were positioned and posed throughout the playset as if engaged in battle. Simon and I were both stunned. Isaac had not revealed to me what he had gotten Simon for his birthday, and I must admit, I couldn't wait to help Simon try it out.
"Happy birthday Simon!" Isaac said, cheerily. "I hope you like it."
Simon seemed at a loss for words as he inspected each and every feature, from the fully furnished rooms within each of the bases to the tower-mounted ballista and cannon that actually fired toy projectiles. Eventually, he managed to find a few words: "It's amazing! You made this all for me?"
"I did," Isaac replied. "I knew that you liked battling with Kyle's figurines, so I thought that you could use an actual battlefield."
Simon was beyond grateful, and I could tell he was trying to hold back his tears. He really was such a sweet little boy.
We released Josie from her prison and spent the rest of the evening hanging out in Simon's new room. Josie seemed particularly fond of the new elevated bed, and she wasted no time in claiming it for herself, completely ignoring its resident otter. I copied Plarrexiss' songs and Trindel's roleplaying game into the terminal for Simon to enjoy later, though I did play one of the borbind songs just to see what it was like. It was more of a series of relaxing sounds than an actual song, but it was definitely quite soothing.
Edorrel's cargo was delivered to the ship, and with our business finished at Grenborne I had Isaac disembark from the station and set a new course for the Frellorgo system. Isaac informed us that the journey would take 4.23 days, so we would have some free time on our hands to work and play. I wanted to finish getting the medical bay set up, and I planned to review the ship's sensor scans along our course for potential salvage sites that we might want to investigate on our return trip.
And as for playing around, well, I had a plan for that too. As we began winding down for the evening I suggested that we go take a shower. After all, it had been one hell of a long day, and Simon agreed that a relaxing shower sounded like a great idea. When we reached the bathroom we quickly stripped off our clothes and sat down on the bench.
"I actually have one last birthday gift for you," I said, a bit shyly, "if you want it."
"Really?" Simon asked, excitedly. "What is it?"
In answer, I poked his penis with my finger, then pointed at my open mouth and smiled. Simon grinned widely, and he enthusiastically nodded his approval.
I placed my towel on the floor and knelt in front of the bench with my face mere centimeters from his groin. I gently spread Simon's legs apart and watched as his penis quickly inflated before my eyes.
I had dreamed of this moment for so long, of actually being able to suck a boy's penis, and now that the opportunity was literally starring me in the face it felt completely surreal. I had seen it done in many of my holovids, and I had even had received a blowjob once from an older boy in my school back on Thandyr, but that was it. My own mouth had never had the privilege, until now.
I reached out with my left hand and held Simon's delicate balls between my two fingers and thumb. With my right hand I softly grasped his penis and slowly retracted his foreskin to reveal the smooth, reddish-purple head hidden underneath. I leaned forward and gave it a tender kiss. The smell was divine, and I closed my eyes while I took several slow, deep breaths.
And then I took Simon's penis into my mouth. I felt it squirm eagerly as it pressed against my tongue and palate. As I pulled back I let my tongue slide along its length, and Simon's body quivered in response. He even gasped as I began to lick the head, exploring from the bulbous ridge that ran around its base to the tiny pee slit at its top. Having completed my tongue's survey, I engulfed his penis once again, this time driving it as deeply as it could go.
As I began to suck his penis, Simon pressed his soft feet against my thighs for support, which somehow made the whole experience even more erotic. Now that my right hand was no longer required I reached down and began to stroke my own penis in rhythm with my mouth's movements.
I could hear Simon's breaths as they quickly became more fervent. His little toes pressed more firmly against my legs, extending his hips and driving his penis even deeper as it struggled desperately to achieve its release. When it finally happened, he grabbed onto my head with both of his hands to slow me down, and I could feel his penis twitching wildly against my tongue!
That was all I could take. My own penis erupted and began squirting onto the bathroom floor, the underside of the bench, and even onto one of Simon's legs.
"Damn..." Simon gasped, before he could stop himself.
I carefully withdrew his penis and laughed. It was slick with my saliva, as were his balls. I gave the head one final kiss, which caused Simon to shiver and curl his toes.
"Let's do that every night!" he said, giggling.
"Nope, sorry," I joked. "Sucking your penis is strictly reserved for birthdays only. You'll have to wait until next year."
Simon pretended to pout and cry, then we both began to laugh.
I wiped my cum off of Simon's leg and the floor. I decided to let the maintenance bots take care of what was left under the bench.
"Seriously though," Simon said, grinning but also with conviction. "That was great. Can we do it again tomorrow?"
I just smiled, nodded, and gave him wink. Hell, if he had insisted I would have been more than happy to do it again right here, right now. It had been even better than I'd imagined.
We took a long and very enjoyable shower. It had truly been a day to remember, both for Simon and for me as well. Simon's powers were even more extreme than I had realized, and he had been forced to use them to kill someone. Even though he'd not been given a choice in the matter, I knew it would still make a profound impact on his life, because I had felt the same way when I'd first been forced to kill. I hadn't lied when I'd told him the universe wasn't always a good place. It was something he would have to learn to accept, but I just wished it had been a lesson he could have delayed learning until he was much older.
When we returned to our cabins, I could tell that Simon seemed a little bit nervous about sleeping alone. "Simon, even though you have your own room now, you're still welcome to sleep with me whenever your want."
"Okay," he said, obviously relieved. "Wait here a moment."
Truthfully, I was quite relieved as well that he wanted to keep sleeping with me. I watched as he walked into his room, listened as he climbed the ladder, and smiled as he returned carrying Isaac the otter. We proceeded into my cabin and into our bed, where we snuggled together warmly until we both fell asleep.