Survivors

 

 

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 planet filled the window.  Douglas remembered seeing it  from space 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 cocklets.  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