Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2016 07:05:21 +0000
From: Douglas DD <thehakaanen@hotmail.com>
Subject: The Survivors (Revised)  Chapter 59

CHAPTER 59

HOMECOMING



Welcome back. The boys are home, but what does being home mean to them?

Please give to the Nifty Archive. Your help keeps the stories coming.

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

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Earth President M'Buto was meeting with his cabinet. The "Starfinder" would
be entering orbit in six hours, which couldn't be kept secret.  Civilians
on various space stations and ships would see it arriving, not to mention
regular channels could be monitored.  The first broadcast from the
"Starfinder" after it left warp had surely been heard.  It was already
common knowledge that the starship had returned early from its mission.

Word was carefully "leaked" by an anonymous aide of the President that the
missing boys were the reason for the early return. M'Buto wanted the
official announcement to coincide with the boys landing on Earth, but he
also wanted to end wild speculation by having his aide leak the return of
the boys from the "Starkeeper".

The boys' parents had been called. Even though they were asked to keep the
news under wraps, M'Buto was savvy enough to know that wasn't going to
happen, which was another reason he had the news leaked. The President's
cabinet agreed that when the entire story was told it would be more
incredible than any fiction story. As it was, the vids and websites were
full of speculation about how the boys had survived for a year on their
own.

The Hakaanen were another matter altogether. Already Admiral Yamamoto and
Admiral Lansing were working to get the "Starfinder" prepared for a quick
return to Hakaan.  Secretary Manning was making up a list of
diplomats. President M'Buto would interview them and pick three for the
voyage to Hakaan.

From what Captain Parrish had told them, the Hakaanen were going to need a
lot of help restoring their planet to its previous greatness. Earth stood
ready to help. Captain Parrish told M'Buto, Manning, and the two Admirals
about the warp radio and how the Hakaanen had given it as a good-will
gesture to Earth.  Finding the Hakaanen already benefited Earth before the
population even knew they existed. Also, their role in helping a group of
lost boys from an alien planet showed the kind of people they
were. President M'Buto was looking forward to dealing with them.

President M'Buto scheduled a television broadcast for the exact time the
"Starfinder" entered orbit. The press was told that it had to do with the
return of the space exploration ship "Starfinder" and that a major news
break was involved.

At 2035 Zulu, Earth Central Control guided the "Starfinder" into an Earth
orbit. The boys had been watching Earth from lounge windows for hours. Now
their home filled the window.  Douglas remembered seeing it for the first
time from the window of the "Starkeeper." Somehow it looked so much more
beautiful now.

Dralkan stood behind Douglas and Scooter and looked out of the window. He
put his arms around both of them and said, "It's a beautiful planet, almost
as beautiful as Hakaan."  Then he laughed. He knew his friends were happy
to be home.

He was missing Hakaan badly.  He was glad that Trundall was with him, and
that he loved his Earth friends so much, or he would be miserable.  He had
been gone for over a month, so he had a good idea of what the round-ears
were feeling after having been gone for almost a year.

A TV monitor was on and tuned to an Earth station. President M'Buto's
broadcast was about to start. Word had gotten around that this was going to
be a huge announcement and people were looking in from all over the world,
on the Moon, and on delay to Mars, Venus, and the satellite colonies of the
gas giants.

Many were wondering what could be so important. Granted the return of the
"Starkeeper" boys was big news, but that news had been made known. Or was
the President so out of touch that he didn't know somebody had leaked the
news?  There was a great deal of speculation that there was more to the
early return than the rescue of the boys. One of the rumors was the
"Starfinder" returned early because they had found intelligent life. Some
took it farther by saying that they had to warn Earth that it was in danger
of invasion.

"I don't think they found intelligent life," the Reverend Horace Smith of
the Church of Mother Earth said. "God would not allow that. The people of
Earth are the chosen people of the universe."

Roger Fenster of the Earth One Society said that Earth needed to start
building an invasion fleet to strike the first blow against the aliens.

But the majority believed that if any life was found, it probably was some
kind of simple plant life or bacteria. That was what explorers and
scientists were excited about, and the kind of life most of them thought
would most likely be found.

The boys stopped talking when they heard the announcer's voice introducing
President M'Buto. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the Earth
Federation of Nations."

President M'Buto walked onto the stage. The cameras focused on the
impressive six foot seven African. He walked to the podium and looked
directly into the camera, his expression serious, yet relaxed.

"Citizens of Earth, I have asked for this opportunity to speak to you
because I have momentous news. The space exploration starship 'Starfinder'
under Captain Robert Parrish has returned early from its latest mission
after two incredible discoveries.

"The first involves the starship 'Starkeeper' which, as you know, returned
from a tragic voyage some months ago involving damage to the ship, the loss
of lives, and the disappearance of fifteen young boys when two shuttles
were prematurely launched from the ship. Today, the 'Starfinder' has twelve
of those boys on board, safe and sound. The story of their survival and
rescue is an extraordinary one that will live in space history and legend
forever, and is one you all shall soon know."

He paused to give the audience a chance to think about what he said. The
news of the rescue of the boys was already old news, but their story was
still mostly unknown. Their imminent landing on Earth was the real news
now.

The President went on. "But, this isn't the only piece of news to be
brought back by the 'Starfinder'. Since before we conquered space we have
always wondered about the existence of extraterrestrial life. So far, even
after exploring hundreds of solar systems and putting science stations and
colonies on many planets, the only life on another planet we have been to
is the life we put there ourselves." He paused for effect.

Around the world, people were holding their breaths. Did the "Starfinder"
discover some kind of life? Or was it the rescued children who found it?
Was it simple plant life? Some kind of animal life? Or more? They all
waited for the announcement, wondering what would be revealed.

"I think the best way to announce this is to show a clip of the video of
the 'Starfinder' telling us of the discovery—a discovery that was made
by the boys of the 'Starkeeper'.  Before I say more, watch carefully, for
after you have seen this you will understand that our planet, outer space,
our lives, maybe our whole system of religion and faith, will never quite
be the same again. The first person you see will be Captain Parrish."

The view switched from the President to the vid recorded on the
"Starkeeper" when Dralkan was introduced to M'Buto. They saw Captain
Parrish get out of a chair. Taking his place, wearing a stunning red robe
with blue and yellow embroidered symbols and a leather belt strapped around
his shoulder to his waist, was a boy who obviously was not of Earth. His
delicate, beautiful pointed ears, his dark thin eyebrows, his shiny golden
mane gave him an otherworldly look. He looked human, yet different.  His
attractiveness was stunning.  The viewers knew they were seeing an
intelligent being—one from another planet in another star
system. Humanity held its breath; there was no doubt something incredibly
amazing was happening. Dralkan sat in the chair, looked into the camera,
and said, "My name Dralkan. Greetings to Earth from the people of Hakaan."

The camera came back to the President, who once again stood silently for a
moment, letting the significance of the moment sink in.  "As you can see,
my fellow citizens, we are not alone. Amazingly, our First Contact with an
alien species was made not by one of our space exploration starships
operated by highly trained crews, but by a group of middle school and high
school adolescent boys. What you will hear from them is one of the greatest
tales of survival in history.

"Tomorrow the boys will land at the Nevada spaceport." The Nevada site was
where the Space Fleet shuttles landed. Commercial space shuttles took off
and landed at the Island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.  "A couple of
centuries ago, Area 51 in Nevada was a secret site. Ironically, people
thought space aliens were captured and kept there. And now the first
extra-terrestrials to visit Earth will be landing at that legendary site.
Tomorrow, the young representatives of the planet Hakaan will set foot on
our planet. I ask you all to welcome them to Earth with open arms. And I
ask you all to welcome back our long lost citizens."

The picture faded out. The broadcast was over and phones all over Earth
were ringing and people were blabbering nonstop.  The planet was in an
instant uproar.

The Reverend Smith immediately said he had proof that the video was
fake. "Why would an alien society send a boy to represent their planet?" he
asked.

Roger Fenster called the Hakaanen the enemy. "It is my belief that they
sent children here to make us drop our guard before they invaded us."

 For the most part, their voices fell on deaf ears.  The people of Earth
were excited. It was like it was something they had waited for since Earth
first thought about outer space and since the first science fiction books
were written. The first visitors weren't invaders or little green
men. Instead they were young boys who could only be called beautiful. Most
people on Earth felt that they had just found new friends in the Milky Way.
The Milky Way was suddenly no longer a vast, empty place.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Douglas finished his interview with the writer. He had agreed to do one
television interview and one magazine interview. After that, he wanted
everybody else to be able to share their stories. He had given a press
conference the day after the boys landed on Earth, but this interview had
more detail. Nobody liked his decision, but Douglas figured that was too
bad. His parents backed him up completely. The television interview had
taken all day to film, and the magazine interview took two days to do. The
magazine writer had asked a lot of questions, and Douglas told as much of
his story as he could.  The writer was even interested in the possibility
of writing a book.

Douglas didn't care about books.  Even with his restrictions on interviews,
he was being bothered by people who wanted to get around those
restrictions. It was almost as bad for the rest of the boys. Dralkan and
Trundall had to be hidden away. All of Earth was interested in all of them
and their story. And all of Earth was excited about the Hakaanen.  The
media was turning Douglas's life into a circus.

Douglas thought back to the landing in Nevada. They landed there because
Space Fleet could restrict access. But people had lined up along the
distant fences of the spaceport to watch the landings of the two shuttles,
the "Atlantis" and the "Columbia" bringing the boys back. It was estimated
that 50,000 people lined the borders of the Space Fleet port.  There were
television cameras and photographers all around the borders of the
spaceport.

There was a crowd at the terminal. Most of them wore space fleet
uniforms. The Space Fleet academy was at the location as well as the
spaceport. The crowd included the members of the media. The media had been
restricted to a pool of writers and broadcasters to prevent crowding at the
terminal.

The Earth boys' choice of clothing did not require much discussion.  The
Space Fleet uniforms they had worn on the ship had no appeal to them.  The
uniforms made them look like any of the crew members. The only other
clothing the boys possessed were the Hakaan ceremonial robes they had been
given as farewell gifts on Inferno.  They decided they would wear the
beautiful and colorful robes as they stepped off the shuttles.  It would be
a statement of where they had been and of what they had accomplished.

As each boy stepped out of their shuttle there was a huge cheer, with the
biggest ones coming for the two Hakaanen boys who were also dressed in
their ceremonial robes.  Nobody failed to notice how much more ornate the
robes Dralkan and Trundall were, not knowing that the reason was because
they were Meshannas and had gone through the Joining.

A new era was beginning on Earth and in space.  Even though he was home,
Douglas felt out of place.  Living with his parents meant he would again
have to ask for permission for many things he had started to take for
granted. He had been in charge of himself, and others, in a dangerous
situation, yet now he was being treated as a child.

His parents had already told him that he would be starting school again in
two weeks. He knew he had a lot to make up and wasn't real excited about
going. He and the other boys had worked on lessons on the computers of the
"Starfinder" during their voyage home, but they weren't ready to be junior
high and high school students. Going back to a regular school and sitting
in a classroom didn't appeal to any of them except maybe the twins.

When he looked up at the stars at night, he realized he missed space. He
also missed his friends, who had become his family.  And he definitely
missed Scooter. He talked to Scooter almost every day by video phone or on
his computer, but it wasn't the same as being with him. He didn't think he
could stay separated from his lover much longer.

Douglas thought about the two weeks since they got back. The reunion with
parents. His fifteenth birthday, almost forgotten in the excitement.  The
long interviews with government officials and members of the media.

The night before had been the last night together for the boys of the
"Starkeeper." They were left alone by the adults and were able to have a
night of laughing and talking and crying and kissing and sex. They hoped
that someday they would all be together again; a reunion of The Survivors.

The next day they were split up, some going home to their happy parents,
some going other places, and all of them, no matter how happy they were to
be home, were sad that they were being split up from what had become their
family.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Another two weeks went by. After some private lessons followed by testing,
it was decided that Douglas could return to school in another week. Douglas
called Scooter and found out that he would be returning to school in a week
as well.

"Douglas, my father said he would send a jet to you to pick you up and that
you could spend the week here. We could swim, and ride, and well..., do
other things."  Douglas looked at his lover on the view screen and could
see his sexy grin.

"Let me check with my parents," Douglas said. He left the view phone for a
couple of minutes. "They're cool with it," he told Scooter when he got
returned.

Scooter yelped with joy.

"Your dad knows about us being boyfriends, right?"  Douglas asked.

"Yes, and he's cool with it. And your parents know too, right?"

"Yeah. They have no problem with it, or so they say. I think they're still
trying to get used to my being alive and...well...somewhat independent."

"So is my dad."

That afternoon, Douglas's father drove him to the airfield. The jet
belonging to Scooter's father landed about a half-hour later. Scooter's
father had done quite well financially with his improvements of starship
warp drives, the warp enhancer being his latest one.

Scooter bounced out of the jet and ran to Douglas. The two boys hugged and
kissed, not caring who saw or what they thought. It was the first time they
had touched each other in almost a month, and they couldn't get enough of
each other. Their only other time together had been during a very short
visit. Their fathers looked on, obviously somewhat embarrassed, but also
happy for their sons.

Douglas and Scooter boarded the jet, buckled in, and prepared for the trip
to Florida. On the way there they talked about the past month and all that
had happened since they returned to Earth. Each boy shared what he knew and
between them they had a good picture of what was happening to their group.

Douglas's parents had been at the spaceport in Nevada when the shuttles
landed.  Douglas had been a passenger on the "Atlantis". Douglas's father
told him of the day the "Moonduster" and the "Sundancer" had been launched
from the "Starkeeper."

The explosion had been created by overheating the warp enhancer. The ship's
automatic fire control system worked quickly, but there still was a lot of
damage. The Chief Engineer, who had been Jordan's father, and half of the
engineering staff had been killed along with a half dozen other passengers
and crew. There also were many injuries.

Nobody had noticed until almost an hour after the explosion that the two
shuttles had been launched. The parents of the boys on the shuttles
insisted that the captain turn the starship around to look for them. The
Captain told them it was impossible, that there was now too much distance
between them and the shuttles, and that the ship was badly damaged. It
would be difficult, if not impossible, to turn the starship around. Even if
they could turn the ship around, he was worried that if they dropped out of
warp they might never get back into warp space again. He told the concerned
parents and guardians that the chances of leaving warp space anywhere in
the vicinity of the two shuttles would be slim to none.

The Assistant Engineer took over as Chief Engineer. The explosion had
damaged a lot of the main instruments and the warp enhancer badly. They
discovered that while the ship was still able to run on warp drive, the
regular space drive was damaged.  He argued that if the ship left warp it
might not be able to start back up into warp again, thus justifying the
Captain's decision.

The new Chief went to Gordon Starr and asked if the enhancer could be
fixed. Starr was devastated over losing his son and at first refused to
help, wanting to be left alone. But he realized that decision wasn't what
Scooter would want. Scooter would want him to help get the "Starkeeper" and
its passengers back home. Scooter would want him to fight. So, for his lost
son, Gordon Starr agreed to see if the damage could be fixed.

The section that held the warp enhancer was a mangle of metal and burned
wiring and parts. The explosion had devastated the area. Gordon walked
through the mess. He was not totally surprised that the ship had been able
to maintain warp function after the enhancer blew. It meant that the
automatic switching circuits worked.

He found the remains of the enhancer, pleased that much of it was
functional. The electronics were totally destroyed, but they could be
replaced from nonessential parts of the ship. What he wanted to see was if
the core of the warp enhancer was still intact. If it was he could fashion
enough parts from the ship's shop to rebuild the enhancer. Without the
enhancer, they would run out of food long before they reached Earth, even
with all the teenage boys gone.

Gordon Starr was able to repair the enhancer and bring it online without
having to take the ship out of warp. And he insisted that he be in complete
charge of it and that they not go over his set limits.  Because of his
efforts, the "Starkeeper" returned to Earth, much to Earth's surprise. No
starship missing as long as the "Starkeeper" had ever come back before. But
there was also sadness when they found out that almost all the boys in the
ship had been lost in the accident.

Douglas's parents never really recovered from the loss of their son, but
they didn't lose hope that he was still alive either. When they got the
call from President M'Buto that Douglas was alive and returning to Earth
they cried tears of happiness on each other the entire day. Then they
headed to Nevada to be reunited with their son.

The next month had been one of the longest Douglas had ever gone
through. People wanted so much from him. He swore the attention was more
exhausting that trekking though the desert on Inferno. Then, it had been a
matter of survival. Now it was like he was being looked at through a
microscope by all of Earth.

He made two difficult video calls the first week after landing in Nevada.
The first one was to Matthew's parents. After the return of the
"Starkeeper", Matthew's family decided to stay on Earth. Matthew's mother
did not want to go back into space, so the family settled in their old
city.

Douglas called her a couple of days after their arrival on Earth.

"Hello, Mrs. Reed, this is Douglas Daniels. I was wondering if I could come
to see you soon so we can talk about Matthew."

"You left him behind! I heard you left him behind! My sweet Matthew. You
left him on that awful planet!"  Douglas could hear her sobbing into the
phone.

"Mrs. Reed, I would like to come and explain it to you."

"There is nothing to explain! Don't you dare talk to me again or I'll have
you arrested for murder or something. You left my baby behind with those
awful aliens."

"Please..."

But she hung up. He did call her one more time, to tell her he was going to
Inferno and if she had anything she wanted to say to Matthew.

"Tell the little brat he is an ungrateful little bastard running out on
us." Once again she hung up. Douglas never spoke with her again.

"Maybe I shouldn't have given in," Douglas told Scooter after the second
call. "I might have been wrong to leave him behind."

"No, you weren't. She is just an egg donor. I don't think she misses Mattoo
as much as she says she does, but she has to put on an act to make people
think she was a good mother. You left Mattoo where he was loved like he
never was before in his life. You know he is happy where he is."

Douglas kissed Scooter. He felt better, but he still wasn't totally sure he
had made the right decision.

There was really nobody to visit to talk about Jordan.  Jordan's father was
dead and his mother had left them long ago and disappeared.  Douglas had
made sure that in his interviews he told the media that Jordan died a
hero. He told how they renamed their starship after him. He hoped that
maybe his mother would read about it somewhere.

The other call was to Robert Charles's father. Ambassador Grant was very
cold on the other end of the line.

"If my son had been the leader of your little group that shuttle would
never have been launched," he growled.  Douglas didn't argue the point,
feeling the Ambassador would never accept the fact that it was his son who
had launched the shuttle when he panicked.

"And even after that, if he had been the leader I doubt he would have been
killed.  Especially seeing that his so-called successor was apparently the
one who killed him. Or are you going to tell me his death was an accident?"

"I tried to save him," Douglas said, knowing his statement sounded
completely lame.

"If I had even a sliver of solid evidence, I'd have you prosecuted for
murder. So don't try to assuage your conscience by telling me how sorry you
are that my son died and how sorry you are he couldn't be saved. You are
responsible for the death of a boy who was the natural leader in your group
and a boy who had a great future ahead of him.  Everybody on this planet
may be celebrating your return, but as far as I'm concerned you can go
straight to hell." Ambassador Grant then became the second person to hang
up on him.

"Well, so much for trying to do the right thing," Douglas told Scooter.

"You did all that you could do," Scooter said.

"I guess." Douglas decided to change the subject. "You know, since we've
been back on Earth we haven't been exchanging our thoughts."

"We haven't needed to," Scooter said.

"Getting your thoughts always seemed to calm me down."

"That's true for me, too. So, here's a thought for you."

Douglas waited for Scooter's thought to enter his brain, but nothing
happened. He sent one of his own to Scooter, and got no reaction and no
reply from his boyfriend. That was when the boys discovered that something
on Earth or maybe even in the solar system blocked the process. While there
were many connections between them, such as their love for each other, they
had lost the ability to communicate their thoughts.

"Well, I guess we're like everybody else," Douglas observed.

"Never," Scooter stated adamantly. "We will never be like everybody else."

That statement led to a long kiss, a walk to Scooter's bedroom, and a long
session in bed that made it clear that there were still many connections
between them.

After Scooter's father returned to Earth on the "Starkeeper", he took all
he had learned about his invention and worked to make it faster and more
reliable. The Starr Drive the "Starfinder" had used was the result of his
work. All of his work, he said, was in the memory of his son. It was the
Starr Drive that gave the "Starfinder" the speed and range to find Gordon
Starr's son. As he worked on the enhancer, he met a man named Mark at a
party, and discovered that he could even start feeling happy again. The two
men quickly became lovers.

Gordon Starr was sitting in his lab at a computer studying equations and
drawings for a more efficient version of the Starr Drive when his
videophone rang. He was surprised to see the image of President M'Buto
himself.

"Doctor Starr, your son has been found. He is less than two days from Earth
and in excellent health." He gave Gordon some sketchy details and let him
know when his son was expected to land.

Gordon Starr sat in his lab, stunned.  He called Mark and told him the
news. He turned off his computer and made arrangements for both of them to
take his private jet to Nevada to meet his son. The President hadn't said
how or where Scott had been found, and for the moment he didn't care. All
he cared about was that his boy was safe and was coming home.

After he returned home, Scooter found himself being constantly asked for
interviews. He talked to Douglas almost daily, either on the videophone or
by computer. In fact, most of the boys would go online and chat with each
other almost every day. They were finding it difficult to be separated from
each other.

Scooter and Douglas missed their friends—their family, as they saw each
other—and were not ready in any way to return to school and sit with a
group of strangers who might be their peers in age, but not in what they
had accomplished in their young lives.

Scooter told his father about his love for Douglas and about the things he
had learned from the Hakaanen. He was surprised and pleased to find out
that Mark was more than his father's friend; he learned that Mark was his
father's lover.

Scooter's father understood Scooter's feelings. Now, if only he and Douglas
could get together and stay together, his life would be perfect.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mike moved in with his father. He knew it was a temporary arrangement. Not
that he didn't love his father, but the urge in him was to return to space
and to Alpha Orion IV.  Going back to school on Earth, going to the Space
Academy, none of that interested him.

President M'Buto offered all of the "Starkeeper" boys entry into the Space
Academy when they were old enough. Mike wasn't interested. He wanted to
join Brad on AO IV and help build the planet. Brad had taken a starship to
Alpha Orion IV shortly after the "Starkeeper" returned and Mike was ready
to follow him. He didn't like being on Earth— it was too crowded and too
confining. He wanted to be out in the frontier of space. He wanted to build
and explore now, not after he "grew up."

His father was going to purchase a ticket for him, but found out that any
of the survivors who wanted to finish the journey to Alpha Orion IV would
go for free as long as they had a parent or guardian on the planet. Their
journey had never been completed.

Mike was leaving on the next starship to the planet. He would have somebody
joining him—Ryan.

Ryan's parents were on Alpha Orion IV. When they learned that the
"Starkeeper" was overdue and probably lost in space, they were more upset
at losing the extra money for supporting a child than they were at losing
Ryan. The Starfleet explorer vessel "Starburst" had brought the news to
Alpha Orion IV of the return of the boys. Right away Ryan's parents wrote a
letter demanding that Ryan take the first available starship to Alpha Orion
IV. It would be delivered on the return trip of the "Starburst".

Ryan had stayed with his former foster parents, the Swansons, before he
left, but they had taken somebody else in as a foster child and didn't have
room for Ryan. So Ryan ended up moving in with Mike, living with him and
his father. Ryan found himself sleeping with Mike every night and found
himself falling in love with him. He kept trying to remind himself that he
loved Travis, and he did. But Mike had a way of taking his loneliness and
hurt into his big body and heart.

Mike's father saw what was going on between the two boys and understood. He
knew about the sex that happened between the boys during their
adventure. Any port in a storm was how he saw it—after all they were
young adolescent boys. And now it looked like some of it was carrying over.

Mike and Ryan found that they enjoyed having sex together. The only time
they'd had any sex with each other during their long adventure was during
some of their group sex.  Now they found out that sex with each other was
something extra special. They discovered themselves linked in ways they
never thought of.

Ryan wanted to go to Alpha Orion IV with Mike. But he did not want to see
his parents ever again.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Travis's parents had finished their journey to Alpha Orion IV after their
return to Earth.  They travelled there on the "Starburst". Travis moved in
with his aunt, uncle, and cousin Nathan. He had a reservation on the next
starship to Alpha Orion IV to join his parents.

He started back to school almost right away. He not only had to catch up,
he also had to learn his way around a new school.  He was behind, but he
was confident he was smart enough to get completely caught up soon. He
didn't want to hang around being bored. He was afraid of being treated like
some kind of a freak because of his celebrity status, but his combination
of intelligence, athleticism, good looks, and natural charm won his fellow
students over. He quickly made friends and dealt with some of the dumb
shits who kept bugging him.

Travis's relatives had been at the spaceport in Nevada to meet him. Their
hugs and tears meant a lot to him. His last night with Ryan had been
emotional, and both boys promised never to lose touch with each other and
to find a way to get back together. Now he had to deal with the emotions of
living with his relatives as well as eventually reuniting with his parents.

The hug that meant the most to him, though, was the one he got from little
Nathan.  Nathan was eleven, and when Travis had departed on the
"Starkeeper" he thought his cousin as being a cute, sweet little boy. But
now Nathan was closing in on puberty, and suddenly Travis thought he looked
incredibly sexy. Travis found himself getting hard when the boy wrapped his
arms around him. Whenever the young boy was in his presence he felt sexual
excitement build in him. He knew he should shake off his feelings, but he
couldn't.

Travis's first night at his uncle's went normally enough. He was given the
bed in the spare bedroom and managed to fall asleep quickly. The next
morning, he had the house to himself, since his aunt and uncle were working
and Nathan was in school. He went downstairs, naked, ate breakfast, then
lay down on the couch. He rubbed his penis and quickly got himself hard and
started jerking off. As much as he tried to fight it, his jerk off fantasy
kept turning to Nathan, and when he shot his load over his chest and belly
he was imagining himself shooting it over his young cousin's torso.

That night, Nathan asked Travis to tuck him in and read to him. Travis
watched intently as Nathan pulled off his T-shirt and shorts. The boy stood
before him wearing only a pair of brilliant red boxer briefs.

Travis grabbed a chair, sat next to Nathan's bed, and took the book that
Nathan handed him. He waited while Nathan went into the bathroom to pee and
to brush and floss his teeth. When he got back, Nathan crawled in under the
covers and patted a spot on his bed, giving Travis a wide smile.

"Sit here, Travis." Travis obeyed, getting off the chair and sitting on the
spot on the bed.  He opened the book and got ready to read. "Travis?"
Nathan asked in his sweet boy soprano voice.

"Yes?"

"I heard that guys on Hakinen...,"

"Hakaan," Travis corrected.

"Hakaan. Hakaan. Well, I heard that they liked to do stuff with each
other."

"Stuff?"

"You know what I mean.  The sex stuff they talked about."

For some reason Travis felt embarrassed by the way the conversation was
going. He couldn't figure out why. He had long ago quit being embarrassed
by sex, but talking about it with his little cousin was not only
embarrassing him, it was exciting him, which embarrassed him further.

"Yes, Nipper," he said, calling Nathan by his nickname, "they do stuff."

"Did you do that stuff?"

Travis hesitated. Might as well be honest, he thought. "Yeah, I did that
stuff."

"A lot? Like all the time?"

"I don't know about all the time, but I did it a lot."

"Did you like it?"

Travis grinned at Nathan. "I liked it a lot," he replied honestly.

There was a moment of silence. Travis could feel his hard dick straining at
his shorts. He was certain Nathan could see the bulge.  "Travis?" Nathan
asked in almost a whisper.

"Yes, Nipper?"

"Could you, like, show me what you did?" Nathan's voice was barely a
whisper.

Another moment of silence. "Um...well...I don't know. I mean...."

"Please." Travis looked into Nathan's big brown puppy dog eyes with their
pleading look.  His sweet, innocent, yet sexy face and his longish, unruly
brown hair, thing made his cock feel like it was going to pop out of his
shorts.

"Please," Nathan pleaded again.

Travis wanted to do what Nathan asked, yet he didn't want to do it. But one
more look into his cousin's eyes convinced him that the little boy was
serious.  Saying nothing, Travis pulled off his T-shirt, unbuttoned and
unzipped his shorts, and pulled them down.  His red and white striped
boxers were seriously tented out.

"Why are your undies wet in front?" Nathan asked.

Travis said nothing. He pulled back the blankets and saw Nathan's
beautiful, smooth, slender body lying in front of him, his torso
disappearing into his brilliant red underpants.  His belly was so smooth
and slim. His nipples were little pink disks on his chest. Travis couldn't
take his eyes off the boy. He was now rock hard and leaking precum
seemingly by the gallon. He slid into the bed beside his cousin.

"Aren't you going to take your undies off?" Nathan asked.

"Yours are still on," Travis replied. But before Nathan could say anything,
Travis slipped his fingers inside the waistband of Nathan's underpants and
started tugging. Nathan lifted his butt off the bed and Travis pulled them
down and off in one smooth motion. The sight of Nathan's rock hard,
three-inch cock along with his tight smooth ball sac took Travis's breath
away. His cousin was totally hairless. Both his pubescent body and cock
were hard and beautiful.

Travis pulled off his boxers, his six incher slapping against his belly,
precum oozing out of it. He pulled Nathan tightly against him and kissed
him on the lips. Nathan was surprised but figured out quickly what to do.

Travis was surprised at how attracted he was to his young cousin. He had
been sexually attracted to girls, even before he hit puberty. And when he
started having sex with the "Starkeeper" boys, it had been with boys in his
own age group. While he'd had a bit of sexual contact with the twins a
couple of times in group situations, he wasn't attracted to them in a
sexual way.

Not able to stand it anymore, Travis went down on his young cousin, taking
his hard little cocklet completely into his mouth. Nathan moaned and
twitched and bucked as Travis sucked and licked him, his hand running over
and the boy's cute bubble butt until his finger slid into the crack and
started tickling Nathan's private hole.

It didn't take long for Nathan to have an incredibly intense dry orgasm,
sending feelings through the little body that were beyond his
comprehension. While he wasn't experiencing his first orgasm, he might as
well have been as the overwhelming sensations trumped anything he'd ever
experienced before. His arcing body collapsed on the bed.

"Oh, man, Travis. That was awesome," Nathan whispered as he finally got his
breathing under control and his bearings back.

The boys lay side by side and Travis hugged the boy, his hard dick rubbing
against the young boy's belly. It only took about a dozen pumps for him to
shoot his teen cream over the boy's smooth belly and chest.

"What was that? What happened? Did you pee on me?" Nathan asked.

"I came and shot my sperm on you. Sorry I made a mess."

Nathan scooped up some of the cum with his finger and smelled it, making a
face. "This is what makes babies, right?"

"Right."

"And when I suck on yours it could shoot into my mouth, right?"

"Only if you want to do it. It does have a unique taste to it that not
everybody likes."

"I do, Travis." He took another gob of cum and licked it off of his
fingers.

"You like it?" Travis asked.

"It's okay. I think I can take it into my mouth" He yawned and snuggled up
to his big, teen cousin—his cousin the hero. "I'm sleepy."

Travis started getting up off the bed. "No, please stay here," Nathan
begged.

Travis kept moving, but Nathan grabbed him and pulled him back.  Another
puppy dog look, another sweet soprano "please", and the two naked boys had
the covers over them and were wrapped around each other, falling quickly
asleep. Travis never spent another night in the guest room. He showed
Nathan all there was to know about having sex with another guy.  And even
though Nathan was his cousin, he found himself totally in love with
him. Nathan's parents never said a word about his new sleeping place.

Soon it was time for Travis to leave. As much as he wanted to join his
family, he didn't want to leave Nathan. The departure date was a week away,
and the thought of leaving Nathan was depressing him.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Alex and Stevie had been together their whole lives and rarely had a
disagreement. But now that they were home they were having a serious
difference of opinion.

Their father had met them at the spaceport in Nevada. He told them that
times were a little better for him and he had money. They could stay with
him, but he was going to be on the road for a few days. Alex said he and
Stevie could probably take care of themselves while he was gone. He laughed
and said they were probably right about that.

The disagreement between the two was that Alex wanted to stay on Earth and
go to school and take advantage of his being able to attend the Space
Academy. He knew he wanted to be a navigator and a pilot, maybe even a
starship Captain. He knew that Earth schools were better than anything he
could attend on the frontier planet of Alpha Orion IV.

Stevie, on the other hand, wanted to head for the frontier and live with
their mom and step-dad. He wanted to leave the crowded confines of
Earth. Alex tried to convince his brother that he could do almost anything
he wanted to with a good education. He could become a space scientist and
travel to new worlds.  He could maybe even be the person to figure out how
to make warp radio work between radios outside of warp space. Stevie wasn't
convinced. He wanted back into space now, and he wanted Alex to go with
him.

Their father left on his road trip, leaving some money with Alex and Stevie
for food.  Alex had his father enroll him in school before he left and
started classes right away.  Stevie was in no hurry to attend school and
stayed home on Alex's first day.

Alex came home to a big surprise. The uncle they had lived with and hated
had dropped by unannounced.  He arrived just before Alex got home. When
Alex came in he saw Stevie being cornered by the uncle.

"What are you doing here?" Alex demanded.

The uncle backed away from Stevie. "My nephews are celebrities. I thought
they might need some adult help while their father is gone. Life for a
celebrity can be tough. But maybe it can be a little rewarding, too. "

"We don't need your help. We don't want you here."

"I think you do. I know you guys liked what went on when you lived with
me."

"We hated it. We hate you!" Alex yelled. "Now get out!"

"I don't think so. Young boys shouldn't be left alone. It can be very
dangerous."

"We're not so young any more. And there isn't much that can happen to us
here that would match what we've been through."

"Well, how about you guys telling your old uncle about it." He put his arm
around Stevie.  "Must have been quite the adventure—especially with
those sexy aliens."

"Take your hands off Stevie and get out of here or I will kick your ass!"

The uncle kept his arm around Stevie and laughed.

"I warned you." Alex walked right up to him, pulled him away from Stevie,
slammed him to the floor, then kicked him in the ribs, hard. The man
grunted. Alex kicked him again.

"I'm not a little boy any more. Now, get out! Don't ever come back! Ever!
Or I will tell everything you ever did to us. And don't think I won't. I'm
not afraid of you anymore."  Alex's life as a survivor had hardened him.

The man got up slowly and painfully and walked out the front door holding
his side. Alex slammed the door behind him. Stevie came up hugging his
brother, tears dripping on his shirt. It didn't take long for them to get
naked and in bed and begin making wild love to blow off the tension.

The next day when Alex came home from school, Stevie was standing on the
door waiting for him. He grabbed Alex by his right hand and led him to the
couch where they both sat down.

"What's wrong little bro?" Alex asked gently. "You look pretty serious."

 "I've been thinking all day, Alex, and decided we gotta talk. I can't be
without you brother. I'm thinking I should go to school and show everybody
there what being smart is all about."

Alex pulled his brother to him, hugged him, and kissed him on the
forehead. "You don't know how happy I am to hear that. We're going to take
over the Space Academy brother, you wait and see."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Warren was picked up in Nevada by his older brother, Todd. Warren asked
Jeremy to join them, and Jeremy accepted right away, which pleased
Warren. Todd took them to the family estate. Warren's father had taken the
"Starburst" to Alpha Orion IV after the "Starkeeper" returned from its
ill-fated voyage, taking Ian with him. Todd was the only member of the
family left at the estate.

 Warren wanted to see his father and Jeremy wanted to see his parents. They
both agreed that they would travel together to join their parents on Alpha
Orion IV. Todd helped them to procure their tickets for the next flight
there.

Warren was happy that he wasn't separated from the big stud of a boy he
adored and Jeremy was happy to be with the skinny little sweet boy he loved
so much. Warren might not have been the strongest boy physically, but
during their ordeal he had often a strong brave heart and a quick
mind. Jeremy loved him more than ever. He never wanted to be separated from
Warren. Warren felt the same way.

The irony of the trip back Alpha Orion IV was that they would be taking the
"Starkeeper". It would be her first voyage since the accident.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Life was good for Logan and Ethan. Their family stayed on Earth, hoping
against hope their boys would return. The family reunion on their return
was emotional and full of love. The twins and their older brothers and
their parents spent a long time hugging, kissing, and crying.

Because the family had pulled up stakes to go to AO IV their parents sold
their house.  They now had a brand new house, larger than the old one. When
the twins entered their new home, they cried when they saw that their
parents had kept a bedroom open for them, complete with new furniture. That
led the twins to lavish more hugs on their parents. The twins understood
that even after they disappeared their parents had faith that they would
return.

The first night home they were in their own beds. They didn't want to talk
about the things that happened after they were launched from the
"Starkeeper". They didn't talk about it the second night either, falling
right asleep both nights.

 But on the third night Logan crawled into Ethan's bed and snuggled up to
his twin brother.

"You're naked," Ethan observed.

"Now it's your turn to get naked," Logan told him as he planted a kiss on
his brother's lips.

After Ethan got his pajamas off, there was no talk. They busily went to
work sucking each other's hairless cocklet.  The end result was every bit
as good as it had been on their adventure and they had no guilt feelings
about what they had done. Logan remained in bed with Ethan.

They did it every night, switching beds each night. The way they saw it,
they loved each other and they had learned from their older friends and
their Hakaanen friends that sex was part of love. They loved each other and
they loved the sex. Maybe when it came time to like girls they'd
change. But for now, they'd take care of each other. The twins' parents had
no desire to immigrate into space again.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dralkan and Trundall became the biggest celebrities of all. They were on
television, they visited schools, they traveled to various cities. They
were seen by people all over the planet. They loved it, except for the fact
they couldn't be naked. Their usual dress was loose fitting shirts and
shorts with their shoulder belts. But a lot of people wanted to see them in
their native Hakaanen clothes, and they didn't mean their ceremonial
robes. They meant wearing just the shoulder and hip belts and nothing else.

The two boys showed vids of Hakaan. The vids were quite popular, because
they showed men, women, and children in typical Hakaanen clothing, which
meant little to none.  Hakaanen exterior anatomy was the same as human
except for the ears, the mane, and their shorter stature and very slender
builds.  Most of the differences between Hakaanen and human was the
distribution of their internal organs.  Some stations refused to show the
Hakaanen vids, or censored them with black rectangles covering the sexual
organs of the naked Hakaanen. Most of them showed the Hakaanen as they
were, and Earth loved it.

Some kids in one town showed up for school in Hakaan dress, or
undress. They got sent home right away, but not without some smiles. A lot
of people started wondering how long it would take for that Hakaanen custom
to take hold, or if it would. It wasn't until later that the children and
adults learned that students usually wore at least a loin cloth to school.

Dralkan and Trundall explained that they were Meshannas and what a Meshanna
was. It meant that they were lovers and more than lovers. A lot of people
were shocked about a society that allowed young boys to have blatant sexual
relations and to take on a life partner at puberty. They didn't understand
that a Meshanna was more of a soul mate than a life partner. Some Meshannas
lived together for life and some lived with different partners. But no
matter what, they were all linked for life.

The Reverend Horace Smith talked about the Hakaanen's pointed ears, their
nakedness, and their homosexual ways, and said that their planet was
Godless and under control of the Devil. He said the Meshanna thing showed
that their society was corrupt and sinful.  The fact that they had no
churches made him even more sure. He ignored their worship of the God
Jeswa, saying that the God they worshiped was really the Devil.  He ranted
on, saying that Earth needed to change Hakaanen society now. Hakaan needed
God and the Bible, and the first ship going back should leave the
scientists behind and carry as many ministers of God as they could.

Roger Fenster wanted Earth to have nothing to do with Hakaanen and to
boycott their planet. He saw them as a danger to the human way of life.

He and Reverend Smith called for the alien boys to be returned to Hakaan
and for making Hakaan and its colonies forbidden territory. They got
attention on TV, and some people took them seriously, but overall
Earthlings loved the Hakaanen. They saw a happy, peaceful, intelligent
people, and wanted Earth to be friends with them.

The "Starfinder" was almost ready to return to Hakaan. It would carry
scientists and diplomats and would carry Dralkan and Trundall home to
Hakaan. They were both very homesick. The trip had been fun, but they were
ready to return home. They agreed that Earth was too crowded and dirty and
they were totally ready to get back to their beautiful planet.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Brandon was staying with an aunt. He had been hoping to stay with Scooter,
but she forbade it. She was an old maid aunt who worshipped Reverend Smith
and thought he was the expert on religion and life. Since he had no use for
the Hakaanen or for the boys who had been rescued, she was going to make
sure nobody was going to further corrupt her nephew.

Brandon was enrolled right into a standard high school. He was sad and
lonely there.  He liked most of the students there, but he didn't have any
friends. He was treated well, though some kids thought he was a stuck up
celebrity because he didn't say much. They didn't realize he was shy and
lonely.

His mother was still on Alpha Orion IV and he had a ticket for passage on
the "Starkeeper" to join her. He could hardly wait to leave his aunt. It
was hard for him to believe that this evil, closed-minded woman was his
mother's sister.

He missed his best friend and lover Stevie. He missed Douglas and Scooter
and the entire group. He missed the fun, the laughs, the adventure, and the
sex. If he was going to be alone without friends, he wanted it to happen
with him back in space and living with his mother. His aunt made him watch
Reverend Smith's video program every night and wouldn't even let him call
his friends. He hated her and couldn't even stand looking at her.


 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Douglas and Scooter were enjoying their fifth day together. The days
consisted of swimming, sunning, walking the beach, riding bikes, and a lot
of love making. They had made love in bed, by the pool, in the woods, on
the beach, even under a highway bridge.  They were making the most of their
time together, and had only three days left. Douglas was thoroughly
enjoying the vacation away from the stress and worries of the last year.
He couldn't remember when he had felt so relaxed.

The two boys were naked on the pool deck basking in the afternoon
sun. Douglas's fingers were rubbing Scooter's as they held hands. Scooter
heard the door bell ringing inside the house.

"Shit, who is that?" Scooter asked.

"Maybe some girls wanting a look at our hot bods," Douglas answered.

"Yuck. Lots of luck to them—it won't happen!"

Scooter went to answer the door. Douglas could see that he had an erection
and smiled.  Douglas followed him in. As Scooter got to the front door
Douglas asked, "You plan on answering the door naked?"

Scooter looked down and blushed, then laughed. He took a look to see who
was at the door. He was stunned to see Captain Parrish, Secretary Manning,
and Dralkan and Trundall showing up unannounced. Dralkan and Trundall were
in regular Hakaan clothes, meaning their shoulder and hip belts and a pair
of sandals.

Scooter turned to Douglas and answered his question. "Yep," he said
grinning. His penis had gone flaccid by the time he reached the door.

He opened the door standing before the visitors in all his glory. Dralkan
and Trundall saw Scooter's nakedness as normal. Captain Parrish had become
accustomed to the dress code of Hakaanen boys, along with the Survivor
boys. Secretary Manning was still trying to get used to the Hakaanen way of
doing things and blushed a deep red.

Scooter invited them all into the house and asked if they wanted something
to drink. He ended up getting sodas for everybody. Dralkan and Trundall had
developed a love for sweet soft drinks, especially Coca Cola.

They sat in the cool air-conditioned house talking and drinking their ice
cold drinks. It was the first time Scooter and Douglas had been with the
two Hakaanen boys since the group landed in Nevada.

The small talk ended when the Secretary said, "I suppose I should tell you
the reason for our visit."

Scooter and Douglas gave Secretary Manning all of their attention. They
could tell the Secretary was still a little bothered by sitting in the room
with a pair of naked Earth boys and a pair of naked Hakaanen boys, but his
discomfort didn't prevent them from sitting in an overstuffed chair where
he had a view of Scooter and Douglas in all of their glory. Nor did it stop
the Secretary from being businesslike and professional.

"We are here for two reasons. The first one is that the "Starfinder" will
be leaving for Hakaan in two days. Dralkan and Trundall wanted to say
good-bye to you. They wish they could tell the whole group good-bye. They
made a tape for the rest of the boys, but they wanted to talk to Douglas
personally. When we found out he was staying here, they felt that was even
better because they could see Scooter as well." Between their language
lessons on the "Starfinder" and on Earth, the two Hakaanen boys had learned
enough to communicate in English.

"How long can you stay here?" Douglas asked. Scooter asked them the same
question in Hakaan, even though the two boys could now speak passable
English.

"Overnight we hope?" Dralkan answered.

"You hope right," Scooter said. All four boys grinned.

"Well, then that's settled. We will send somebody by to pick them up
tomorrow afternoon." The Secretary coughed once and said, "Fortunately you
boys don't have to carry much luggage around." Captain Parrish tried to
hide a grin.

"Is Captain Parrish going to command the 'Starfinder'?" Scooter asked.

Captain Parrish answered Scooter's question. "No, I'm not, Scooter.  That
is the second thing I'm here to talk about. I'm going to be commanding the
'Starblazer' on its maiden voyage. It just finished its shakedown
trips. The current Captain is pregnant and won't be able to take a long
voyage. Considering the destination, I'm the logical choice to take her
place. She was very disappointed they couldn't command the ship on its
first voyage."

"Cool," Douglas said. He hated saying "cool" but he kept saying it
anyway. "Where are you going?"

"Inferno."

"Whoa, awesome," Douglas said.  God I'm sounding like a dork, he thought.

"They need a lot of help there," Scooter said.

"And we will be taking them some help after talking to you boys about their
needs.  Especially terraforming technology. We heard what you said about
things falling apart.  We're hoping we can start doing some trading with
them. From what you said they have a lot of food to trade, plus the
possibility of minerals."

"So, when do you leave?"

"In two weeks."

"Cool," Douglas said. Damn, he thought, there I go again. "Maybe you can
take some messages to our Hakaanen friends there and to Matthew." Douglas
used Mattoo's Earth name for the benefit of the Captain and the Secretary.

"I can do better than that," Captain Parrish told him.

"Oh? How?"

"I want you, Scooter, Mike, and Alex to go with us."

"To Inferno?"

"We thought having you boys with us would help get relations started on the
right foot.  You know the language and the people and we don't. We can
continue your education on board. We would bring a tutor from the Academy
Prep School along with their software.  We think this will be a great
continuation of your education. Better than a classroom, where I think you
two would die right now. I want you on my ship and on my crew if you are
willing. Oh, and by the way, your parents have already approved."

"Hell yes, we're willing," Douglas said. "Oops. Excuse me, sir."

Captain Parrish laughed. "It's okay. This time."

"Just tell us when we leave!"

"We leave in a week. I know it's short notice, but things have been
happening quickly."

"Are you going to ask anyone else?"

"We plan on asking Mike and Alex, but we were going to ask you two
first. We got lucky that we could get you and Scooter in one trip."

"I know they will say yes," Douglas said.

Douglas looked over at Scooter who had a mile-wide grin on his face. Maybe
the adventure wasn't over yet. They hoped Mike and Alex could join them.
But whatever happened, they were going back into space, and back to
Inferno, which in so many ways was like home to them.

NEXT Chapter 60 Inferno


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