Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2019 22:38:56 -0600
From: Apollo Starbinder <apollostarbinder@gmail.com>
Subject: Olympia: Planet of Men 7

Chapter Seven | Terminus

I slept incredibly well that night in spite of it being the first time I'd
done it with another person. I remember having an entertaining dream that
involved happening across Hermes's shoes. It must've been brought on by my
curiosity toward their abilities. I stumbled around in the air as I tried
to will them to work for me.

When I woke up I realized that Derek had turned away during the night and I
had positioned myself so that I was spooning him from behind. I gently
kissed the back of his neck and rubbed his chest. I played with the small
patch of hair between his pecs as he breathed deeply. I gradually ran my
hand down his stomach, making sure to take in every dimple of his abdomen
along the way. Eventually I found his navel and the thin trail of hair
leading down to his groin.

I traced a finger along its entire length until I found his short patch of
trimmed pubic hair. I ran my fingers through it and gently pulled it away
from him. I loved exploring him in this way. My hand bumped against his
rock hard morning glory as the bits of hair fell from between my digits.

Without hesitating I wrapped my hand around his cock. He was still
breathing heavy and hadn't made a sound in response. I kissed his neck
again and smiled at how deeply he slept.

I slowly started stroking his engorged member. He felt so warm and stiff in
my hands. I really wanted to get him in my mouth but I didn't want to
startle him. Over time I increased the pace as I moved up and down.

It wasn't long before his heavy breathing stopped. I imagine it took him a
few seconds to process what was happening. Eventually he let out a deep
growly moan.

"M-m-m-m-mmmmmm"

"MorningÉ", I teased as I gently bit down on his shoulder.

He turned his head slightly, smiled, and locked his blue eyes with mine. He
looked so fucking cute with his eyelids barely open. I leaned forward and
kissed the corner of his mouth as I continue jerking his cock. He rolled
onto his back and stretched with my hand still firmly wrapped around him.

My resolve melted away when he started slowly thrusting his hips in time
with my motions. I jumped up and straddled him so I could plant a firm and
passionate kiss on his lips. Once I broke free I immediately shifted myself
further down the bed so that his dick was right in front of my face.

Just like he had done to me before, I shoved my nose between one of his
legs and balls to inhale his scent. He smelled like lube and his own
natural odor. I couldn't stop myself from running my tongue along the
sensitive skin at the edge of his scrotum.

"Ohhhh!", he moaned in surprise. I looked up into his eyes with the lower
half of my face buried into his crotch. I kept up the eye contact as I
pulled one of his testicles into my mouth with my tongue. He tossed his
head back as I gently sucked on his fertile orbs.

When he returned to make eye contact he was smiling from ear to ear. He
reached for his morning wood and quickly smacked it against my
forehead. The unexpectedness of it forced me to giggle and his nut to fall
from my mouth.

I licked his sack from taint to shaft then plunged his cock down my
throat. I moaned heavily onto his sweet and salty rod. I could taste both
the lube and the cum from our late night activities. It felt so great to
have him in my mouth again after being denied its savory flavor last night.

Derek ran his fingers through my hair and stroked my face as I serviced
him. He'd sometimes grab the back of my head and gently fuck my needy
throat. I loved it when he took control. From time to time he'd throw in
some of his sexy verbalisations to encourage me.

"Yea, suck me."

"Just like that, just like thatÉ"

"You want my load babe?"

"You ready for breakfast?"

I'd just moan in response every time. Sometimes with an inflection to
affirm his query.

"Mmhmmmm.."

When I was good and ready to taste his seed I gripped the base of his wet
cock and stroked it while I sucked him. I took hold of my own rock hard rod
with my free hand and began jerking it. I remembered what Xander had done
with his foreskin last night and tugged on a little before pulling it back
and engulfing him again. It wasn't long after that Derek announced his
release, and I wasn't far behind.

"Oh fuck É here it c- .. comes", Derek whispered as he took deep
breaths.

Not even a second had passed when I felt the first gush of warm salty fluid
splash the back of my throat. I shoved his cock down deeper and swallowed
repeatedly as he erupted over and over. I loved the way his dick swelled up
in the middle of an orgasm. I could feel his glans expand in my mouth. The
thought of him unloading in me sent me over the top as well. I soaked the
blanket below me with several ropes of ejaculate.

Once he was finished spasming I made another swallowing motion. He must've
already been quite sensitive since he giggled in the middle of his heavy
breathing and tried to pull himself out of me. I wasn't so eager to let him
go, but I did slowly release him from my hungry orifice. Once he was out I
gave him one last lick from base to tip, making sure to lick up the last
drop of jizz oozing from his slit. I loved his taste. He wasn't as sweet as
Theo, but still better than my own.

"FhhhuuuuuuckÉ", Derek sighed as I laid my head next to his deflating
organ. I kissed his thigh a little as he caught his breath.

"Ready for a shower?", I asked once he had completely relaxed.

"Sure, unless you want me return the favor.", he replied with a suggestive
tone. I grinned sheepishly and rolled over to reveal the mess I had made of
his comforter.

"Oh man, the cleaning crew's gonna have fun with that.", he teased.

"Hehe, yeaÉ Ii bet the ship cleans itself with robots or something."

"Probably", he agreed. ".... alright, let's go."

We both climbed out of his bed and headed to the bathroom. The shower
itself was mostly uneventful. We spent a lot of time enjoying each other's
bodies and making out. We both took turns bathing each other. It was kinda
strange having someone else do all the work for you. Oddly enough though,
he seemed to avoid letting me clean his hole. At least, he hurriedly washed
it himself. He probably just didn't feel comfortable with it
yet. Afterwards we dried off, then brushed our teeth and hair.

"What's for breakfast this time? Maybe some croissants on the top of Mount
Everest?", Derek joked, referencing out ice cold morning meal from
yesterday.

"God. nooooÉ", I replied, shivering a little at the memory. "I wouldn't
mind trying the cafe again."

"Yea? I bet their breakfast is good."

Once we agreed, we started toward the door. However, we were interrupted
once we were face-to-face with it.

"Good morning gentleman!", Athenus's voice came through the hidden speakers
in the room. "Sorry to bother you. Seeing as it's the day of arrival on
Olympia, I'm instructed to inform you of our procedures. We're on schedule
to arrive at Orbital Station Pegasus at approximately 11:00 AM ship
time. Two announcement will precede at thirty minute intervals. If you
decide to use the Sims this morning your experience will automatically
terminate after the final announcement. Please make your way to the atrium
in front of the cafeteria at that time. You will receive further
instructions on your integration once you're there. Enjoy your morning! If
you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to ask. I look forward to
hearing from you both in the future!"

He went silent after he gave his message. Derek and I looked at each
other. He seemed just as nervous as I felt in that moment. I had no idea
what to expect.

After we quickly exchanged looks the door to Derek's room opened. We
snapped out of our thought processes and continued through the door.

"I wonder where we'll liveÉ", Derek interrupted the silence as we
walked.

"I was wondering that beforeÉ Surely they won't stick us in some sort of
camp for newcomers.", I responded with my own worst case thoughts.

"YeaÉ guess we'll find out pretty soon."

We descended the spiral staircase to the first floor. Along the way we
tried to lighten the mood by joking about some of the more outrageous
possibilities of life on a planet full of homosexuals.

"I wouldn't be surprised if deep throating is the most popular sport.",
Derek insisted at one point.

"That's a sport I'd finally enjoy watching."

"What?! You never liked watching my games?"

"Only when you wore your baseball uniform.", I swooned, pretending to melt
onto his shoulder as we crossed the circle to the cafe.

"You didn't like the track uniform? My dick was always showing."

"I don't think I ever saw you in it.", I admittedly with a tone of regret.

"Guess I'll have to show you.", he elbowed me gently as we approached the
host stand.

A different host greeted us and brought us to our seat. We were fairly
close to the bar this time. We were given a different set of menus for
breakfast. Before looking over the food I immediately started browsing the
drink options. They had so many to choose from. I noticed the bartender
making something with orange juice that looked quite good. Before I could
find it on the menu our waiter approached.

"Welcome back boys!", Donte greeted us excitedly.

"Hey!", we both replied.

"Good morning", I added.

"So, what can I get you guys started with?", he asked looking at me first.

"What's that drink the bartender just finished making?", I inquired.

"Oooooo that would be a mimosa. It's a really popular French drink. It's
just orange juice and champagne.", Donte informed us.

"I'll try that!", I loved the way it sounded.

"I'll give it a shot as well.", Derek added, chuckling softly as my
enthusiasm. Honestly I just love orange juice.

"Alrighty! I'll be right back!", he announced. He quickly walked around our
table to the bar and leaned over it to get the mixologists attention. His
position gave us a wonderful view of his perfectly furry blonde ass. I knew
without even looking at him that Derek and I were both getting an eye full.

When I decided I'd been staring for too long I turned to him to watch him
ogle that ass. A few days ago I'd have felt jealousy. Instead, I just can't
help but relate and respect his desires; especially after sharing the night
with Xander. He must've felt my gaze because he glanced at me sideways and
grinned. He hung his head and laughed when he realized he'd been
caught. When we met eyes again I reassured him by biting my lower lip and
quickly glancing at Donte's ass.

After laughing at our silent exchange we returned to browse our menus. It
didn't take me long to find what I wanted and it seemed Derek located
something with similar haste.

A moment later Donte returned to our table with our goblets of pale orange
fluid. We both gave him our orders and he was off again toward the kitchen.

"MmmmÉ", I heard Derek moaning as I watched Donte leave. He had taken a
sip of his drink.

"Good?"

"Yea, orange juice with a bubbly bite. Good choice." He was exactly
right. I loved it as well.

We sat and talked for a bit while enjoying our drinks. We primarily
discussed the possibilities on Olympia. I mentioned how I'd like to
continue my education at an art school. He apparently wants to do something
more introspective.

"I've been told what to do, even in school, for so long that I have no idea
what I really enjoy. I think I like engineeringÉ or maybe something
involving astronomy. I don't know..", he trailed off as he finished his
train of thought.

We also talked about the living situation possibilities. We hoped we'd get
to pick a place to live or something like that. We agreed that we'd try to
find a way to live close to each other if it was possible. The idea of
being forced to live somewhere away from him was a little saddening.

Once we got our meals our conversation became far less serious. We talked
about what it must be like to not ever worry about money. The fashion
choices we saw last night had us pondering all the bizarre possibilities.

We finished our meal with an hour and fifteen minutes to go. Anxiety rose
within me when I noticed this on the clock in the cafe.

"What should we do to kill time?", Derek asked while stretching and rubbing
his stomach.

"I don't knowÉ walk around? É maybe check out the library?"

"Why not?", Derek somewhat agreed.

We said bye to our waiter and headed across the inner circle. The library
looked somewhat similar to the nightclub. It was lined with tall columns
with golden silk banners. The entrance had a similar Greek triangular roof
with sculpted relief. The depiction was different from the previous, with
an image that I had recognized as Athenus from the Sims holding a sword,
wearing a decorative helmet, and an owl seemingly swooping in to perch on
his shoulders.

We crossed the threshold into the massive space. I was expecting to see
towering bookshelves all over the place but they were completely absent
from the scene. There were only two toward the back. Instead there were
several large cylindrical platforms with the pearlescent material from the
Sims on their upward facing surface. Most of them were empty, but on the
largest one in the center was a huge spinning planet hovering just a few
inches above it. We started to walk over to it when the pedestal nearest to
the door shimmered.

"Welcome to my library! É can I help you with anything?", Athenus
greeted us.

"Oh! É thanks, UhÉ we were just checking it out before we had to
leave.", I admitted.

"Not a problem, feel free to browse. You can access my records by
approaching any of the Sim Pedestals. You should be familiar with the
interface already.", he informed us.

"Thanks!", Derek and I both called out.

We started walking towards the largest pedestal in the center. We both
seemed pretty drawn to the large blue orb that dominated the library.

As we got closer I realized that it was almost entirely covered in
water. Along the equator were thousands of islands scattered about in
varying sizes. Coming over one of the horizons was a particularly large
island with a massive circular bay.

Derek and I just stared at a distance as it rotated. We were once again
interrupted as we gazed at the realistic miniature planet.

"Good morning Gentlemen! This is Captain Hermes.

In an hour we will be docked with Orbital Station Pegasus. Please take this
into consideration as you continue your morning's activities.

You will hear from me once more thirty minutes prior to arrival. At that
time I expect all newcomers to assemble in the bow section of the ship's
atrium, near the cafeteria.

Thank you"

Hermes's speech was short and stern, not nearly as lighthearted as the ones
he gave previously.

"He means businessÉ", Derek picked up on the change of tone as well.

"YeaÉ I imagine he just wants it to go smoothly for everyone.", I
suggested.

"Yea, probably."

We returned to the globe hovering in front of us. I decided to step a
little closer to it. As soon as I did a familiar interface appeared in
front of me. There were several tiled images within it, much like the
library in the Sims. I perused the list a little, but I was most curious
about the first option.

"Apollon City", I spoke at the hologram, hoping I didn't mispronounce it.

Immediately after the sphere began to react. It rotated until the large
island we had noticed before was directly in front of us. The whole orb
began to sink into the pearlescent material and the island rotated away
until it was on top. At the same time, the sphere expanded continuously. At
one point only the island was visible with the slight curvature of the
planet still noticeable.

It kept zooming until a large three dimensional projection of a massive
city was visible.

"WoahÉ", I heard Derek whisper beside me.

Massive is a bit of an understatement. I remembered pictures of Tokyo and
thinking a city could be no bigger. We had the Sears Tower and the World
Trade Center as pinnacles of engineering in America. None of these could
compare to what we were looking at. The city itself was so vast you could
still see the curvature of the planet. It encircled the entire shore of the
perfectly round bay. Dotted throughout it were several spires reaching into
the thin atmosphere, like tiny needles in a pin cushion. In a few spots
these towers were very dense. I couldn't exactly make out particular
designs from our current view.

"How many people do you think live there..?", Derek continued in his state
of amazement.

The device must have recognized his question, because the images on the
small interface disappeared and a number appeared.

"Holy shitÉ that's three fucking commasÉ", he exclaimed.

"YeaÉ"

1,421,894,228 people. Over one billion men lived in the city according to
the number on the interface.


"There's no way they all came from Earth.", I added.

"How do you think they reproduce?", Derek asked.

Again, just like with his previous question, the interface gave us an
answer.

"Reproduction on Olympia is a product of biological engineering. One or
more donors may contribute genetic material to create a zygote that's
incubated in a controlled environment."

We both paused to read and comprehend this new information. I hadn't really
given it much thought, but it seemed perfectly reasonable.

"Oh good, for a second I had disturbing images of men with baby bumps.",
Derek joked.

I laughed pretty hard at his remark. The mental image he'd painted was too
much for me.

We spent the next several minutes askings questions about the planet. We
learned that it has the exact same 24 hour rotational period. Odd
coincidence, but it was really convenient. The length of a year differs by
82 days, Olympia's being 447 days long. We also learned that the star it
orbits has a binary companion less than a third of a lightyear away. The
main star is pale yellow and slightly larger than Earth's Sun. The second
star is a deep orange. Apparently for half the year the nights are a warm
reddish color. The planet has three moons, two of which are quite
small. The third moon is larger than Earth's but orbits a little further
out. There are also two separate systems of rings encircling the planet. It
looked absolutely beautiful.

We had lost track of time as we gave the AI query after query. After we had
learned all this we decided we should probably make our way to the bow of
the ship. Just as we were walking down the hallway leading to the
cafeteria's alcove the captain's voice returned.

"Gentlemen,

I apologize to anyone who's activities were just cut short by my intrusion,
but this is the aforementioned thirty minute notification.

Please make your way to the bow of the ship at this time. In twenty minutes
an ambassador will meet you to go over the procedures that will follow.

Thank you all so much for your patience, enjoy!"

As soon as the captain's message ended, the strips of light along the
borders of the ceiling started animating. In the midst of the solid white,
little blue arrows of light began racing down the hallway toward the front
of the ship. A quick glance behind me showed that this was happening all
over. Even the staircase had spiraling arrows motioning toward the bottom
floor. Derek and I exchanged a quick glance in reaction to the
illuminations then continued our walk.

When we arrived at the cafeteria, there were already at least a hundred
guys waiting. A few were chowing down, getting in one final meal. Most were
sitting or standing around waiting for the next step. We were walking
through the crowd to find a place to sit when we hear a familiar voice.

"Hey Damon! Derek!", Jiho's voice rang out over the murmur of all those
nearby. I could see his hand waving over all the heads.

Derek and I waved back and started making our way towards him. We noticed
Trent's hand pop up afterwards.

"Hey! How was the rest of your night?", I asked playfully as we greeted
each other. They quickly exchanged devious looks.

"It was good!", Trent spoke up, skipping over plenty of details in his
response. Jiho giggled a little. The smile all across his face told me my
suspicion was probably correct.

"Same, we spent a little more with Xander before passing out.", Derek
admitted with a suggestive inflection.

The four of us continue chatting with each other about what had happened
since we split up after our night out. We share with them all of the
interesting details we had learned from the library. They had apparently
already known about the geography of the planet from their visit.

After a while the crowd around us started swelling as the remaining men
poured in from all directions. A few minutes after they had all seemed to
arrive, a small team of individuals walked out from the hallway we came
down. One of them stepped up onto a table near the edge of the crowd.

"Can I have your attention?", he half-shouted over the muttering of the
crowd.

"...

Thank you,

In ten minutes you will all be exiting the ship onto the orbital station.

Behind you, between the roped off sections, three staircases will appear
that you will descend to disembark."

I looked around to see what he was referring to. I hadn't noticed them
before but there were in fact three long rectangular sections of the atrium
that were roped off.

"Once you are on the station you will be guided to a space that's not too
different from a customs terminal at an international airport on
Earth. You'll be lined up in a queue, ultimately leading to an integration
officer who will help you build your citizen profile.

Please do not get in a rush, there are several officers to make the process
quick and easy.

Afterwards - "

Just as he began his next point, a loud *thwomp* noise interrupted him. I
felt a subtle vibration from the floor below me. Nearly everyone turned to
see what had caused the commotion.

The radiant flare of light that once sat dead center in the direction of
travel had disappeared. Instead, the view was absolutely dominated by the
vast curved blueness that was the planet we had been investigating in the
library earlier. In that brief moment I felt so many emotions. I felt
absolutely humbled by the sheer beauty of the scene. I felt anxiety at what
awaited me on the planet's surface. I felt terror in reaction to seeing
that we truly were in space, and that all around us was the empty hostile
vacuum. Mostly, though, I felt excitement. Olympia was a stunning jewel in
the sea of coal that was my life.

"Afterwards", the ambassador began again.

"You may either proceed to the shuttles, or wait for any companions you may
wish to travel with to do the same.

You will all be shuttled to Apollon City, the capitol. There you will go
through our traditional greeting ceremony. It's not much of a spectacle, so
you have no need to be anxious.

Once that's complete, you'll be taken to our hospitality offices to meet
with an agent who'll help you decide on where you'd like to reside.

Thank you for your undivided attention

When you're clear to board the station my associates will direct you.

Have a wonderful afternoon!"

The ambassador quickly waved and stepped down from the table. The murmuring
picked up quite abruptly as I'm sure many people were speculating on what's
about to happen.

"AlrightyÉ", Derek broke the silence in our own group with a tone of
uncertainty.

"Yep.", Trent added.

"... I wonder what the ceremony's all about.", I questioned as I thought
about everything we'd just heard.

"Not a clue.", Trent responded after exchanging glances with Jiho.

Our awkward conversation ended when we noticed Derek staring toward the
massive glass window. We could see now Orbital Station Pegasus coming into
view. I was expecting something with lots of pale gray modules and solar
panels jutting out of it like in various illustrations I'd seen in
textbooks. What I saw instead was a massive fluted structure, much like the
horn on a trombone, floating in space. At its widest end was a bubble that
seemed to contain an atmosphere with greenery and hundreds of buildings. It
seemed as though it was an artificial livable space IN space. In the more
narrow ends of the long cylinder were several spokes that emanated
outwards. I could see several ships docked along these spokes like jets in
an airport terminal.

Most of the crowd continued to stare as the massive construction grew in
size. It wasn't long before our vessel had positioned itself at the tip of
one of those spokes. After a slow and steady maneuvering process we felt
one final thud as Starship Talaria paired itself with the space station.

After a series of mechanical vibrations the floor between the sets of
barriers started to descend. They formed a gradual incline down to a space
below.

The three men that accompanied the ambassador before were already there
waiting. They tapped something on their nearest poles and the railings at
the top of the ramps quickly receded.

I suddenly felt anxious again. I had just gotten used to being on the ship,
now it was time to move on to an entirely new planet.

The crowd around me started to shift slowly. Derek and I started shuffling
with them, along with our two new friends. The four of us were near the
leftmost ramp so we made our way toward it.

It didn't take long for us to make it down with only a little more than two
hundred people. At the bottom we could see three more large doorways that
seemed to be where the ship had connected with the station. I could see the
semi-hidden thick metal doors on either side with an airtight seam in
between.

Derek grabbed my hand once as we crossed the entryway. I'm really glad he
did as I was getting more nervous by the minute. I'm not sure if he could
tell, or if he himself needed some reassurance. We exchanged a quick
glance. He seemed pretty calm and confident behind his comforting smile.

We had crossed into a massive hallway that I assumed lead to the narrow
cylinder I had seen before as we approached. The corridor was very similar
to the style of the ship, with marble cladding and decorative columns along
its length. In between the columns were massive windows looking out into
space where one could see both the cold vacuum filled with twinkling stars
and the massive blue orb of Olympia.

I glanced at the herd of men around me as we made our way towards the
center. They all seemed equally nervous about what was happening. I also
noticed that the ambassadors from before were leading the pack.

When we finally made it to the end we were faced with a large convex
door. After a moment it split apart and opened. Inside it was a vast empty
cylindrical chamber with three other sets of doors. I assumed right away
that it was an elevator.

The ambassadors stepped inside first and the crowd followed suit. Once we
were all in, the doors shut. A quiet hum vibrated the space for about ten
seconds then faded away. Once it had completely ended, the door to our
right split open.  On the other side was a massive room with, just as we
were told, a long queue line right up front. The ambassadors began
directing us into the queue like cattle. I thought about my experiences on
a farm as we were herded into the maze of barriers.

Once Derek and I were in line I could see where we were headed. At the end
of the rows of rope, on the other side of the chamber were about three
dozen stations. They looked almost like decorative stone cubicles. Inside
each was a seated individual with a large holographic screen in front of
him.

Our group slowly made its way through the zig-zag until we were at the end
of the queue. We waited there as the first set of men were directed to a
station by the ambassadors. The four of us weren't among them, but we were
only about ten or so bodies from the front of the line.

It only took about five minutes for the first guy to finish up his
integration. The line shuffled forward as the next one took his place. It
wasn't long after when several more started finishing up theirs. Derek was
up next.

"AlrightÉ I'll wait when I'm done", he said nervously as another guy
left his station.

"Kay", I agreed as I squeezed his hand before letting go. The ambassador
pointed him toward the empty cubicle and he walked off. I was feeling a
little less nervous now that we were here, but not having him with me made
me a little anxious.

Just as Derek took a seat across from his officer, another fellow newcomer
got up and left. The ambassador pointed toward his empty seat. I looked
back at Jiho and Trent before making my way to it.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I got there so I was getting flustered
with every step I took. I felt a little better when the officer looked up
at me and smiled. He was, of course, gorgeousÉ

"Hi there! Welcome to Orbital Station Pegasus.", he greeted me
warmly. "Have a seat, we'll make this quick."

I did as I was told and sat across from him, with the floating screen in
between us.

"Hi..", I returned the introduction.

"Alright, so I'm just going to ask you a few questions about yourself and
how you intend to be identified. We'll also need some biometrics.

First off, what is your name? First, Middle, and Last. You're more than
welcome to change it to something you'd be more comfortable with."

"Damon Michael É", I paused. I hadn't given this any thought. I didn't
want to keep my foster parents' last name.

I tried to think quickly. I wanted something that sounded cool. I thought
about stars, and sci-fi. I really loved Star Trek, especially The Next
Generation. I blurted out the first awesome sounding name that came to
mind.

"... Picard"

I put it all together in my head, I liked the way it sounded.

"Alright, you sure? Damon Michael Picard.", he asked as I thought about it.

"Yea, that's fine with me.", I assured him.

"Great! Ok, what day were you born on Earth?"

"December 19th, 1981", I answered quickly.

"Excellent, so that would make you... 18 Earth years aaand... almost
exactly 15 Olympian years. In factÉ your Olympian birthday would be
tomorrow! .. Which would be the 12th of Omicrion. Happy early birthday!"

I chuckled nervously, but also felt excited. I can't remember ever enjoying
my birthdays. We'd get the day off from chores, which was nice, and Trish
would bake a halfway decent cake. It was a kind gesture at least. I never
had anybody over from school, not that I had many friends that would
attend.

"Thanks", I replied.

"No problem!

So, where were you born?"

"Memphis, Tennessee"

"Great. Ok, for your physical attributes...

Your hair is obviously brown.

Your eyes arrreeeeÉ?", the officer leaned forward a bit and squinted.

"Green", I answered.

"Got it, and your height is?", he asked.

"5' 11", last time I measured."

"Awesome, that actually matches what your medical scientist documented.",
he added as he looked back and forth on his screen.

"Alright, so now I just need to do some scans for biometrics. You'll feel a
bit of a tingling sensation for a minute. Just sit still and it'll be over
in no time.", the officer pressed a series of buttons and I felt slight
vibrations at my feet. Almost immediately I felt the tickling crawling its
way up my heels.

"This scan captures a detailed record of your completely elemental
make-up. We use this for identification, medical attention, and many other
services. For instance, if you access a Synth for clothing it knows your
exact measurements based on your physiology. We also have medical pods that
can rebuild damaged tissue using these measurements as well, should you be
so unfortunate to need one. It's recommended that we update these scans at
least once a year. It's not mandatory, but it does help.", he gave a brief
explanation as the invisible scanner crept its way up towards my head. I
struggled not to shiver as it passed the top of my spine.

"HmmÉ. Ah.

Alright, that's it!", he chimed in as the scanner passed the top of my
head. He stuck a hand out in my direction. "It was nice to meet you Damon
Picard."

"Nice to meet you too!", I shook his hand.

"Just walk around this wall here to find the exit. There'll be signs
indicating the location of the shuttles when you're ready to head to the
surface.", he instructed as he pointed to the wall on the farest end of the
room we were in.

"Thanks!", I waved goodbye and did as he told me to do. There was a large
entryway where he had indicated. It had a large carved marble sign across
the top with the words "WELCOME TRAVELER", etched across it.

I smiled as I passed under it. On the other side was a lounge area with a
couple guys waiting, I immediately spotted Derek.

"Hey! How'd it go?", I asked him as I walked up to him.

"Good, apparently I'm 14", he rolled his eyes as I plopped down on the sofa
next to him.

"Same, but my birthday's tomorrow.", I shrugged and grinned.

"No shit? Mine's in like two months. At least you've already got your
birthday suit onÉ", he teased as he looked me up and down.

"Hahaha, yeaÉ it should be an interesting bday."

We talked more about the experience we just had while waiting for Trent and
Jiho. I told Derek about my choice in last name and he gave me hell for it.

"Such a neeeerd.", he taunted playfully. "I like it though, it's much
better than Damon Michael WesleyÉ"

"Yessss!", I smiled and nodded. Just as I did Jiho appeared.

"You made it!", Derek cheered.

"Yay!", Jiho responded while he threw his arms in the air. Suddenly Trent
ran up behind him and tickled at his exposed sides. Jiho giggled and his
arms shot down in response.

"It wasn't that bad.", Trent bragged while teasing his Korean friend.

Derek and I chuckled at their display. We both got up from couch and headed
over to them.

"You guys ready for this?", Derek asked encouragingly.

Trent gave a thumbs up as we all nodded. The four of us followed the
elaborate carved signage along the walls indicating the location of the
shuttle bay.

We walked down a short hallway that opened up into a massive alcove in the
side of the space station. On the opposite end it seemed it was completely
open to empty space. The room had dozens of relatively small sleek crafts
scattered across its floor. They looked like fat gray futuristic
Lamborghinis.

An ambassador was there to greet us as we walked in. He welcome us and
pointed us to a nearby shuttle. It felt so incredibly odd to be walking in
this space with a the hazy blue sphere dominating the background with
seemingly nothing in between us.

We boarded the small vessel together and found about six empty seats
arranged in rows facing either the front or the back. There were six guys
already buckled in looking quite anxious. There were two pilots chairs in
the front of the vehicle, only one of which was empty.

Jiho and Trent lead the way to the back where two sets of chairs were
facing each other. They took two of the forward facing chairs by the large
window. I grabbed he one by the window facing the opposite direction.

Once we sat down and buckled in I felt as nervous as those that were
already here. Being in a vessel as large as Starship Talaria wasn't so bad
as it felt massive and very secure. I never really considered that the
infinite void was on the other side of its walls. Being in this tiny craft
didn't give me a similar sense of security. Space was gonna be only a few
inches from my face. I grabbed Derek's hand for comfort.

After a few minutes of waiting anxiously two other occupants joined us on
the shuttle. The ambassador waiting outside jumped in and sealed the door
before taking the second pilot's chair.

"Welcome boys!

Make sure you're buckled in. It'll be a smooth ride to the surface, but it
doesn't hurt to be secure.", the ambassador suggested as he snapped his own
harness on.

As soon as he was finished the ship started a high pitched whirring
noise. Hardly a moment passed before it effortlessly lifted straight up off
the ground. I felt myself shaking a little almostly immediately. I took
some deep breaths and squeezed Derek's hand. I had never even been on a
plane before and I was about to fly through space on something smaller than
a commercial jet.

As quickly as we lifted upwards the ship pointed its bow toward the wide
opening and accelerated in its direction. In no time at all we were out of
the space station. I had a great view of it looking backwards as we flew
away.

After a few seconds I could see its entirety from my vantage
point. Something massive attached to it caught my eye. It only took a
second for me to recognize it. I had only seen it from the inside of course
and this was my first time seeing just how big it really was. Written along
its glistening silver hull was the name of Hermes's prized ship.

"STARSHIP TALARIA"

It was a stunning piece of engineering. I hadn't expected it to be a
gargantuan sphere. I could see the dark glass ring at the top where the
public atrium was located. It occupied maybe 20% of the sphere. I could
also finally see the perfectly circular ring that hovered precariously
around the ship. It had to be at least a kilometer wide! On either side of
the ship were massive sleek wing-like protrusions that gave the vessel a
sense of motion even when it was sitting still. It reminded me of the Harry
Potter book Anthony had been reading on the bus several months ago. There
was something called a snitch on the cover that was similar except in gold.

I pointed out the window to my companions to encourage them to take a look
as well. Derek was already admiring it alongside me.

We all stared at our temporary home as it disappeared among the thousands
of twinkling stars, growing smaller and smaller. We eventually turned our
attention to Olympia now that it almost completely engulfed our view.

In that moment though, a jarring alarm rang out in our small ship. With it
red light flooded the cabinÉ


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