Survivors

 

 

 

Captain Parrish and Secretary Manning left Dralkan and Trundall at Scooter's house and headed for the airfield and their Space Fleet jet. Their next stop was to see Mike to invite him to join the mission to Inferno. They had left instructions with Scooter and Douglas to not contact Mike regarding their visit—they wanted to be the ones to broach the subject.

 

Mike was home at his father's house when they arrived. He was in his room when he heard the doorbell. He quickly pulled on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt.

 

Like Scooter and Douglas had been, he was surprised to see the two men.  He invited them into the house and guided them into the living room. Ryan was sprawled on the couch taking a nap. The TV was on. He was wearing nothing, his bare butt hanging along the side of the couch. Mike blushed; he had not known Ryan was there.

 

 

Captain Parrish and Secretary Manning were starting to get used to naked boys. Dralkan and Trundall had lived with Secretary Manning for most of their visit to Earth. The Secretary allowed the Hakaanen boys to be naked in his house and was now used to nude boys. But he found himself still embarrassed when he saw nudity outside of his home.

 

The Secretary did not allow Dralkan and Trundall to be naked in public, however. While the two boys were not happy about it, they remembered Scooter’s lecture accepting Earth culture just like he and his friends had accepted Hakaanen culture and wore loose fitting clothes without complaint.

 

Secretary Manning had to get used to one other thing. Dralkan and Trundall came to live to live with Secretary Manning a little over a week after their arrival on Earth. The week had been a whirlwind of interviews, parades, and special appearances. The Secretary accompanied the boys on their travels, acting as their guardian. The boys said nobody ever made this kind of a fuss on Hakaan.  The Secretary said that Earth liked to make a fuss over anything it could make a fuss about. 

 

At home, the Mannings adjusted quickly to having two boys whose preferred clothing fashion was no clothing at all. What was more of an adjustment for the Secretary was the realization his son, Conner, was no longer a little boy.  Conner was twelve—blonde, blue-eyed, slender, outgoing, confident, and totally smitten by the Hakaanen guests.

 

In that first week, Secretary Manning learned a lot about Hakaanen culture. For the most part the boys remained dressed, but there were moments when they were asked to be interviewed in the nude. Secretary Manning made it clear that Dralkan and Trundall  that they would rather wear their robes of loose clothing. On Hakaan, naked boys were simply that—naked boys. On Earth naked boys were objects of attention, an attitude they didn’t understand. Being outside of the Secretary’s home became the natural thing—the more fuss that was made about their tradition of nudity, the more the boys wanted to remain clothed.   

 

When the boys were in his home, the Secretary wondered whether to let the two boys be nude or have them wear clothes outside of the guest room they were sharing. Initially, he wondered how Conner would react to them. Would he be intrigued by their nudity and sexual mores, or would he simply see it as the Hakaanen boys’ way of life?

 

He considered sending Connor to stay with his grandparents while the Hakaanen boys were guests in his home. Instead, he talked to his son about Hakaanen culture, which Conner had already learned a little about. He warned Conner not to let himself be talked into something he didn't want to do. The discussion was pretty much one-sided until Conner finally spoke up.

 

"Dad?"

 

"Yes, son?"

 

"Can I go naked with them while they're here?"

 

That was just the question Secretary Manning was afraid of. He had already decided on the answer. "If that is what you think you need to do to be a good host, then it is okay with me. But do it only if it's what you want."

 

"It’s what I want," Conner said blushing slightly.

 

The Secretary took a deep breath and then asked, "Do you want to do more?" Conner blushed again. His dad didn't push it.  "Just don't do anything you don't feel comfortable with," he said.

 

Conner assured him he wouldn't. And he didn't because he ended up feeling comfortable with everything Dralkan and Trundall showed him. By the time their visit was over Conner knew more about sex with boys than he ever thought possible. He ended up developing a giant boy crush on the two alien visitors.

 

Secretary Manning and his wife knew what was going on in Conner's bedroom and quietly looked the other way. Conner had never seemed happier so they decided not to interfere—their son was obviously not being harmed in any way. 

 

Meanwhile, the Secretary was pleasantly surprised to discover that awareness of what was going on upstairs heightened his own interest in sex, as well as his wife's. The two began having sexual fulfillment like they hadn't experienced since before Conner was born.

 

 

At Mike’s house, Secretary Manning and Captain Parrish had a naked boy in front of them again. It was beginning to seem almost normal and natural. Somewhat embarrassed at being found naked, Ryan quickly picked his short off of the floor and pulled them on. "What brings big time people like you here?" Ryan asked. Ryan was not happy at being awakened from his nap.

 

"Ryan," Mike chided, "these are important guests." Then he turned to the Captain and the Secretary and said, "But what ARE you doing here?"

 

Captain Parrish did the talking, since he knew Mike best. "Mike, we understand you are going to skip the quality prep school education offered you here."

 

"I am. School isn't for me. I want to be on the frontier. I'm joining my brother Brad on AO IV."

 

"But if you complete the education requirements you will get a guaranteed spot in the Space Academy. That will give you the chance to explore beyond the frontier."

 

"I understand that, sir. And that's fine for some people who are more patient than me. After what happened the past few months, I just don't see myself sitting in a classroom for the next six to seven years."

 

"I think you will grow up to regret that decision."

 

"That might be true, sir. But it's my decision to regret—nobody else's."

 

"What if I gave you the chance to not have to regret it?"

 

"Sir?"

 

Captain Parrish told Mike about his upcoming expedition to Inferno, and how he had already asked Scooter and Douglas to go and would love to have Mike go as well. It would give him two things, a chance to go back into space and the "frontier" and also would earn him classroom credits counting towards prep school.  He could make a more informed decision on the prep school later with more information in front of him.

 

"This way, when you are old enough to enter the Academy, your decision will be based on whether or not you want to go to the Academy, not on whether you want to attend a prep school or not. You can at least decide. If you don't have the proper credits the decision is already made for you. I'm offering you both worlds. You get a semester's credit at the prep school by doing this, and you can take more time to decide on the education you want. I think you will make a fine Astronaut someday, Mike. I hate to see you be in a position where you can't succeed. I’ve already talked to Scooter and Douglas about this."

 

"Did Scooter and Douglas agree to go?" Mike asked.

 

"Yes, and they have their parents’ approval."

 

"I'll go under one condition," Mike said.

 

Ryan felt his heart thump hard. He had mostly lost his connection with Travis, and would lose it for good when Travis left for AO IV. Now he was going to lose Mike, too.  He suddenly felt lonelier than before he boarded the "Starkeeper".

 

"What's that?" Captain Parrish asked.

 

"That Ryan comes with us."

 

"I don't believe that's possible..." Secretary Manning started to say. Captain Parrish cut him off with a quick glare.

 

"Done. We leave in two weeks, if your fathers approve." He was certain he’d get the permission of Mike’s father. What he didn't know was how to get permission for Ryan, since his father was on AO IV. He would leave that prickly problem to Secretary Manning.

 

"How long will the voyage take?" Mike asked.

 

"Four weeks to get to Inferno. That includes a stopover at Alpha Orion IV to pick up Dr. Larson. She is going to use her knowledge and expertise to help with the terraforming on Inferno. 

 

“Four weeks for all of that travel? Amazing how quickly things have changed,” Mike mused.

 

“Quite a few improvements have been made on the Starr Drive. The 'Starblazer' has the latest equipment installed. Some of it is still experimental. We learned not to put any new equipment on a transport ship until we've used it extensively—simply testing it is not enough. The ship also has warp radio. It is the Hakaanen ship to ship radio, which is the only kind we know, of course. Even with our stopover at Alpha Orion, we will get to Inferno about the same time the 'Starfinder' gets to Hakaan."

 

"So Brandon will be going?" Ryan asked.

 

"No. We can't take everyone in your group you know. There simply isn’t enough room on the ‘Starblazer’ for that many passengers,” Secretary Manning pointed out.

 

"But we’re not asking you to take everybody. Dr. Larson is Brandon's mother,” Ryan reminded them. “He's leaving on the 'Starkeeper' in a couple of days and it’s possible he could miss her, especially if the “Starblazer” gets to AO IV first and she leaves with us before Brandon arrives. If the ‘Starblazer’ is the same size as the ‘Starkeeper’ you have plenty of room."

 

“We will wait for Brandon to arrive,” Captain Parrish assured Ryan.

 

“Really? Then why do we need to get to Alpha Orion so fast? Wouldn’t it just be easier to take Brandon with us and take off for Inferno right away?”

 

Captain Parrish and Secretary Manning gave each other sheepish looks when they realized they’d missed the fact that Brandon would be going to AO IV on the “Starkeeper” at the same time they would be going there to pick up his mother.

 

Finally, the Secretary spoke up. "In all that was going on it appears we had forgotten that little detail. I believe Brandon is living with an aunt and going to high school. She is his guardian for now, and I think she would prefer Brandon stayed on Earth and attended school if he can't rejoin his mother."

 

"I think you should let Brandon decide that, sir,” Ryan said forcefully. “I think you will find that his aunt is a bitch." Captain Parrish opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off. "Sorry about the language, sir, but it's true. You just said yourself that we will get a Prep School education in space, and Brandon is going to a regular high school right now. So let's add Brandon so he can be with his mother and be where he is happy."

 

"His aunt will refuse to let him go."

 

"Find a way around her then. You guys should be able to,” Mike said. He had never been afraid to speak his mind to anybody, and he certainly wasn’t intimidated by the two men sitting in front of him.

 

"You're right," the Secretary admitted.  “Your friend has earned the best education he can possibly get.” Secretary Manning and Captain Parrish had studied the boys’ academic records, as well as the results of tests they took both on the “Starfinder” and upon their return to Earth.

 

"I think we can find a way,” Secretary Manning went on. “And we'll find a way to get Ryan on that ship too." He looked at Captain Parrish. "That tutor you're taking might as well earn his keep."

 

The two men got up and shook hands with the boys. After they left the house, Secretary Manning said, "Those are some headstrong boys."

 

"That they are.  But there are two things to remember about them. First, they are teenagers. But more importantly, they have become used to making their own decisions in order to survive in a new and often harsh environment. I doubt that authority and adults intimidate them." He chuckled, "Even big time adults like us."

 

Alex and Stevie were given a cursory invitation to return to space. From some previous communication with the brothers, Captain Parrish was certain they would remain on Earth. They were happy to be attending an Academy prep school and they also wanted to stay with their father. They were looking forward to learning more about music from him and performing with him when they could.

 

“You should grab Travis and take him with you to Alpha Omega,” Alex suggested. “He’d have more fun with Douglas and Scooter and Ryan than he would on the stuffy old “Starkeeper” and its shitty memories.”

 

As a result, Travis received an invitation to travel on the “Starblazer” instead of on the “Starkeeper.”

 

“It won’t be nearly as luxurious,” Captain Parrish told him, “but it will be a lot more fun.”

 

Travis liked that, but even more, he liked the idea that he could spend almost two more weeks with his cousin Nathan.

 

 

Scooter, Douglas, and the Hakaanen boys were lying naked on Scooter's bed. The last couple of hours had been exhausting. They had poured everything they had into wild, hard sex. Now they were relaxing and talking.

 

“Damn you have a tight ass, Dralkan,” Douglas mused as he started to get his breath back.

 

“That is a compliment, yes?” Dralkan asked.

 

“For sure,” Scooter told him. He then translated Douglas’s comment into its Hakaanen equivalent.

 

Dralkan grinned. “Yes, that is a very big compliment. Douglas has a talented penis,” Dralkan said, which was a very high compliment among Hakaanen boys and men.

 

Their chatter soon drifted from sex to more serious things. Scooter mentioned how the "Starkeeper" and the "Starfinder" would be leaving Earth orbit in a couple of days. The group of boys who had come to Earth on the "Starfinder" would probably never be together again.

 

"Why not?" Dralkan asked. "What's wrong with tomorrow?"

 

"Tomorrow?" Scooter answered. "That's a bit short notice. How and where would we get together? It wouldn't work."

 

"Well, it sure won't work unless we try," Douglas said.  “We're celebrities. We know people in high places. Dralkan and Trundall are big time celebrities, too. So let’s get the ball moving."

 

Douglas got up and retrieved a slip of paper off of Scooter's desk with a phone number on it. Before anybody knew what was going on he was dialing the number Secretary Manning had given him.  Douglas was doing what he did best--making leadership decisions.

 

 

The next afternoon found the four boys flying to a government retreat. They would soon be meeting the rest of the "Starkeeper" survivor group. Douglas had pulled all of the right strings to bring them all back together for a night. It could be a long time, if ever, before they would ever be together as a group again.

 

Secretary Manning wondered why he didn’t think of letting the boys have a reunion before they went their various ways.  But things were happening fast, and he seemed to be getting good at overlooking things, which wasn't what he was being paid to do. But he made up for his failings after Douglas called. He had had a busy day setting up transportation, a place to meet, and, most importantly, contacting the boys.  

 

Fortunately, a Space Fleet lodge located in the remote Laurentian Shield in Canada was vacant.  The lodge was used for retreats and training for outgoing crews of exploration ships and sometimes for rest and recreation for incoming crews. 

 

One of his tasks that morning was to get permission for Ryan to go on the mission to Inferno. That ended up being easy, since he learned that Mike's father had recently become Ryan’s temporary guardian, something neither Mike nor Ryan had been told yet. 

 

Getting Brandon free to go was harder. Mike had been right; Ryan’s aunt was a bitch of a lady to deal with. But Secretary Manning convinced her that Brandon would receive the kind of education he needed on the mission. After he assured her they really were going to pick up Brandon's mother, she finally relented.

 

Only Brandon's aunt and the twins’ parents were opposed to having their sons attend the good-bye reunion. The twins’ parents had some concerns regarding the sexual issues, but the Secretary told them the reunion would be a great experience and maybe their last chance to be with the boys who had saved their lives. He said he would get the assurance of the older boys that they would not pressure the twins to become involved in anything sexual. They finally gave permission. Brandon’s aunt wouldn’t give in, cementing his total dislike for her.

 

Douglas and his group were the first to arrive. They had flown in Gordon Starr’s private jet. The rest of the boys were transported by Space Fleet jets.

 

Douglas, Scooter, Dralkan, and Trundall started setting up the meeting room in the lodge. They had picked up some decorations, and started hanging paper, banners, and various party favors. They had chosen a bon voyage theme.

 

Soon the other boys started arriving. There were hugs and laughs and kisses and tears. The staff gave the boys their privacy.  There were no chaperones. Their clothes came off instantly, and the bedrooms they would be sleeping in later soon had a lot of action happening on the beds. Their good-bye party was wild and sexual.

 

The twins were just as involved as any of the boys. After all, the boys had assured Secretary Manning that they wouldn’t pressure the twins to participate, not that they wouldn’t allow their willing participation—and the twins were more than willing. The past few weeks had taught the Secretary a lot about boys; he knew exactly what was going to happen regarding the twins. There was also more than enough food. With sex and food the party had all a group of teenage boys needed to keep themselves happy.

 

The next morning, after showering and eating, the boys leaving on the "Starkeeper" were flown to the spaceport in Nevada to catch their shuttle. The good-byes were filled with tears, and kisses, and hugs, and a few gropes. The odd thing was that even with the "Starkeeper's" almost two-week head start on the "Starblazer", the two ships would be arriving at Alpha Orion IV at about the same time. A betting pool had already been formed among the crews of both starships as to which one would arrive first and by how many hours. The brand new Starr Drive installed on the "Starblazer" was the fastest yet by far.

 

 

The next two weeks on Earth were hectic. Brandon's Aunt seemed to lose interest in him after he received her permission to leave. She called him an ungrateful little animal and said she was happy to get rid of him. Brandon was happy to be rid of her, too. She finally gave him permission to spend the last week before the departure of the “Starblazer” with Travis. The pairing was arranged by Secretary Manning. Brandon had never been happier to leave a place in his life, and that included leaving the “Moonduster” in the middle of the Inferno desert.

 

 

The two weeks he spent with Travis were heaven, especially after the time he had been imprisoned with his aunt. He found out that he had much more in common with Travis than he thought. They never got tired of talking, or of having sex.

 

Eleven-year-old Nathan found himself the center of attention from the both of them. It didn't take long for Nathan to learn about anal sex. He learned from watching the two teens and then doing it with them. Their nights were usually spent three to a bed.  Brandon ended up loving little Nathan nearly as much as Travis did. They both were going to miss the little horn dog.

 

Douglas and Scooter spent the time with their families. They knew their parents were making a big sacrifice by letting them go again after they had been gone for so long. They had missed their parents badly and had been overjoyed to see them again. They would miss their parents again as they returned to space.

 

They were happy, however—happy that their parents saw them as being grown up enough to be part of the mission to Inferno. At first the parents were reluctant to admit that their boys had matured far beyond their years. But, they were intelligent adults and good parents and soon saw their sons as much different than they had been when they were ejected from the “Starkeeper”.

 

Gordon Starr, Scooter’s father, had been invited to ride the “Starblazer” to Inferno. “You’ll be able to observe your warp enhancer at its best,” Captain Parrish told him.

 

Dr. Starr politely declined, saying he had started a new relationship and wanted to put his emphasis on his personal life. “I also don’t want my son to think I’m looking over his shoulder. He might only be fourteen, but his ordeal in space has made him quite an independent person.”

 

Logan and Ethan could not convince their parents that their life had changed. The twins’ parents treated them like the little kids they had been on the "Starkeeper". They almost didn't let the twins go to the bon voyage party because they were worried about the influence the older boys had on them, even though the boys at the party had saved their sons’ lives and brought them home.

 

The twins had been part of a great adventure. Now it was like they’d been demoted to being little kids again, and they resented it.  It was one more reason they enjoyed sharing each other's beds; they understood each other when nobody else did.

 

Mike and Ryan packed up what little they were going to take with them on the “Starblazer”. Mike’s father paid for them to fly a commercial jet so they could visit Alex and Stevie. It was an emotional visit for Mike and Alex.

 

On the first night of the visit, after a session of lovemaking, they had a long talk in bed.

 

"I love you, Mike. I've missed you and I’m going to miss you more. We were great together,” Alex lamented.

 

"You were great, fly boy. You landed us safely more than once. But that first time—shit, what a landing!"

 

"We all walked away," Alex said, giving Mike a kiss.

 

They hugged and made love again while wrapped in each other's arms. They agreed that as great as their relationship had been during their adventure that things had changed. Their interests quickly headed in different directions upon their return to Earth; it was time for them to move on.

 

When it was time to leave, Mike gave Stevie a big hug. "You take care of flyboy for me," Mike told Stevie.

 

"He needs me more than ever," Stevie grinned. "And by the way, your new boy friend? He's great in bed."  Stevie smiled and squeezed Mike.

 

Then Mike turned to Alex. “I will always love you, flyboy.”

 

"I love you, you big donkey," Alex said. "I think you got a winner in Ryan. And I know Ryan got a winner in you."

 

"I'll see you again."

 

"Maybe. You as the Captain, me as the helmsman., and Ryan and Stevie at our sides as we go exploring the galaxy. I like that idea."

 

They kissed and hugged and dropped a couple of tears. They had been friends and lovers and more. Separating wasn't easy for either of them. Mike was quiet and sad on the return flight, and Ryan knew enough not to disturb him. He just held his lover’s hand, petting it on occasion. More comforting would come later.

 

For all of them, the two weeks were soon over. Brandon and Travis had a wild final night with Nathan. Nathan sucked them both off at the same time, trading off one for the other, his head bouncing back and forth until they both came in his mouth and on his face almost at the same time.

 

“Damn, Travis, your little cousin is one giant horn dog,” Brandon mused. Travis and Nathan both nodded in agreement. Nathan was going miss the older boys. And Travis was going to miss his little cousin whom he had come to love so much.

 

The next day Travis, Brandon, Mike, Scooter, Ryan, and Douglas arrived at the Nevada terminal. They looked out at the shuttle "John Glenn", which was sitting outside the terminal.

 

"I can't believe I'm leaving Earth and dad already," Scooter said.

 

"Me either," Douglas replied. "I'm even more surprised my mom and dad let me go on this trip."

 

"Dad told me he was happy I was safe.  I think he understood that what happened to us on Inferno has kind of changed us from being little kids. Plus, we talked about how important it was for me to go back to Inferno."

 

"Same with my parents. I was afraid they'd think I was the same immature kid who was on the 'Starkeeper'. They said this was going to be a bigger opportunity than school could be, but they would miss me a lot."

 

"That's what Dad said. He said he really wanted me to stay with him, but that he knew how much going back meant to me. And he was proud that I was brave enough to go back."

 

"Well, it's not all that brave. No offense. Once we found the Big Valley we had friends and help and....."

 

"...and battles and a revolt and RC. And before that there were all of the things we went through from the landing to finding the valley. Going back is kind of scary to me."

 

"I'm sorry,” Scooter told Douglas, sincerely.

 

"Nothing to be sorry for. I love you."

 

"I love you."  The boys hugged each other in the lobby of the terminal.

 

 

Unknown to the Survivors, Ambassador Grant had been pressuring Federation prosecutors to file charges against Douglas Daniels for the murder of his son, Robert Charles Grant. After being turned down twice because of lack of evidence, he went directly to the Federation Attorney General.

 

“Ambassador Grant, there is no evidence to support your allegations against Douglas Daniels.”

 

“Do you know who I am?” the Ambassador growled. “If not for that idiotic scientist and that miserable captain on the “Starkeeper” I would be Governor Grant. Whatever, I outrank you in so many different ways that what I tell you to do should be considered orders from on high.”

 

Attorney General Suzuki was Japanese. While he was not a large man, he had an imposing personality. He looked at the Ambassador with amusement—the man was as big an asshole as his reputation said he was. President M’Buto had been elected after the appointment of Grant to his position as Colonial Governor of Alpha Orion 4. As soon as the “Starkeeper” was declared missing and presumed destroyed, M’Buto appointed Marshall Hammond as the new governor of AO 4.  Suzuki was aware that Grant had asked to be reinstated to his “rightful” position and M’Buto had unceremoniously turned him down.

 

“Mr. Grant,” Suzuki said, skipping all pretense of rank, “my office has looked thoroughly into the death of your son. What we learned is that your son was responsible for assaults on more than one child on the ‘Starkeeper’, he was the one who panicked and launched the “Moonduster” during the explosion, that he stole water from a sick boy, that he took part in a revolt against the legal government of Inferno, and that he may have been responsible for the death of Jordon Paxton. We have no reason to doubt that Douglas Daniels is telling the truth about what happened in that cave. Frankly, I’m surprised it wasn’t Mr. Daniels who ended up at the bottom of that chasm.”

 

“Everything you heard was a lie. Everything. My son was a born leader—at trained leader. His peers were envious of him.”

 

“Believe me, you have my condolences on the death of your son. But, as far as the Federation Attorney General’s Office is concerned, the death of your son was accidental and the case is close.”

 

“You will be hearing from my lawyers as will that gang of delinquents who turned on my son. I plan on suing all of you for every cent you have.” With that, Ambassador Robert Grant stomped out of the Attorney General’s office.

 

 

The "Starblazer" was in orbit around Alpha Orion IV. It took well over a year longer to get there than originally planned, but six of the boys from the “Starkeeper” had finally arrived. The ship had been in orbit for five days.  In six hours she would be heading for Inferno.

 

Douglas and Scooter had gone down to the planet on the shuttle "Valentina Tereshkova" and met Warren and Jeremy who had arrived the day before on the “Starkeeper”. Even though they knew the “Starblazer” was much faster than the “Starkeeper”, they were still amazed at how quickly the "Starblazer" had made it to Alpha Orion IV. It looked like the days of long trips to the colonies would soon be gone thanks to the Starr Drive.

 

Seeing Jeremy and Warren was great, but they only had time to get a tour of Kennedy, the main city on Alpha Orion IV. Warren, Jeremy, and Warren’s father were going to be the tour guides for Douglas and Scooter. They left Travis at the terminal to wait for his parents to pick him up. Douglas was surprised they hadn’t been there to meet him. Mike and Ryan had stayed on the ship.

 

 With a population of around 200,000, Kennedy was the only real city on the planet.  After completion of their tour, they returned to the terminal, where Brandon and his mother met them. Travis was there as well.

 

"Hey, T!" Douglas said. "Did you come to tell us good-bye?"

 

Then he saw the long, sad look on Travis's face. "What's wrong?"

 

"Dad saw you guys kiss me. He was just coming around the corner into the waiting area. Somebody had told him about Hakaanen boy culture. He told me that if that was the way I wanted to be I could go join you and go live with them."

 

"I thought that attitude was ancient history," Scooter remarked. "I mean I know not everybody understands gays, but they let gays live their lives. And gays have legal protections."

 

"Then you better tell my dad, because right now I don't have a home. And I sure don't want to stay here. I never knew my dad was like that. And mom didn’t say a thing—she just stood there and cried. I'm sorry I ever left my aunt and uncle and Nathan." Suddenly tears started flowing down his cheeks. Travis rubbed them off in a hurry. "Sorry guys," he said, sobbing a little. "But I just don't know what to do."

 

"Well, I can tell you this. You do have a home. And it's with us," Douglas said.

 

Two hours later Brandon's mother suddenly found herself going from having one teenager to two of them as she signed the papers and became Travis's legal guardian.  Captain Parrish managed to make things happen quickly. Travis rode the "Valentina Tereshkova" back to the "Starblazer". He was on his way to Inferno with his friends. 

 

 

During the trip to Inferno, Travis found himself getting closer and closer to Brandon. At first it bothered him seeing how close Ryan and Mike were, since Ryan had been his boyfriend on the “Starkeeper”.

 

But Brandon told him one night about how he felt when he first saw Douglas and Scooter together since he and Scooter had been so close when they were younger.  He told Travis how it hurt. But then he found Stevie and started hurting less. Brandon and Travis found themselves falling for each other.

 

"I love you, T. I don't know why we didn't figure it out before,” Brandon whispered to Travis after a session in bed.

 

"I guess it wasn't meant to be until now. But I know I love you, too, Brandon."

 

In the three weeks it took the "Starblazer" to get to Inferno the relationship between Scooter and Douglas became even more solid, Ryan and Mike realized they were interconnected, and Brandon and Travis knew were unquestionably in love. Brandon's mother was totally accepting of all six boys and happy that they were happy. She found herself really liking Travis and was happy Brandon had such a great friend no matter what their relationship was.

 

The "Starblazer" had been in contact with both the "Starkeeper" and the "Starfinder" on the way to Alpha Orion IV. On the way to Inferno they kept talking with the "Starfinder". After the "Starfinder" left warp to orbit Hakaan they lost contact. Captain Parrish didn't try contacting any more ships. He was preparing for contact with Inferno. He and his whole crew, along with the six boys, were getting ready for whatever happened when the ship dropped out of warp.

 

What the Captain didn't plan on was getting a radio message from the "Paxton". The Hakaanen had kept the name the Earth boys had given it in honor of what the boys had done to help free the Hakaanen people from the tyranny of the Ancients. They had a hard time saying the name, though. It kept sounding like "packshhton", but Douglas thought it was great that they kept the name.

 

The "Paxton" was going to the other Hakaanen colony to let them know that the home planet was back in the space business, even if they currently had only the one starship. However, they believed the starship which had been sent to the colony was still in orbit there, and that would give the Hakaanen two starships. They took an extra crew with them to man the abandoned starship if it was still there. The Ancients had disabled all the rest of the Hakaanen fleet.

 

After visiting the colony, they planned on warping to Inferno. Whether they would get there before the "Starblazer" left to return to Earth was something they didn't know yet. For now, they were not blessed with a warp enhancer.

 

Lieutenant Commander John Woods was assigned to the "Starblazer" as the Chief Navigator. He told the boys how happy he was the six of them were on the mission and how glad he was that they and the Hakaanen boys had been accepted for what and who they were.

 

"Well, not totally," Travis said sadly.

 

John ruffled the boy's hair. "Sorry, T. But you have Brandon and his mother as your family, now. That's got to make you happy."

 

Travis smiled and looked at the understanding officer. "Yes, sir. It does."  And he turned and kissed Brandon. 

 

 

The "Starblazer" came out of warp with the familiar jolt. Scooter wondered if it seemed stronger because of the Starr Drive warp enhancer, or if he was just imagining it. The boys looked at the barren brown planet through the view port with mixed emotions. They all remembered the first time they had seen it from the "Moonduster", wondering if they could land there, and if they could, if they could survive there. Douglas heard somebody come into the lounge. He turned and saw that it was Captain Parrish and Lieutenant Commander Woods.

 

"Not a very inviting place," the Captain said, putting his hands on Douglas's shoulders while gazing out the viewport. "It looks even more forbidding than I thought."

 

"It was the only place we had to land. It was that or drift and die in space. And the fact it had a breathable atmosphere meant we had a chance."

 

"Didn't you find the fact that it had a breathable atmosphere somewhat strange?" Woods asked.

 

"Sure.  Most of us were certain it meant there had to be some kind of life there. And whatever happened, if we could land our shuttle, we had a chance."

 

"Alex did quite a job, didn't he?"

 

"He did an awesome job. He's going to make a great pilot."

 

"When we have a chance, I would love to see the route you took to safety. If you guys are willing to show me," Captain Parrish said.

 

Douglas gave him a wide grin. "We'd love to. show you."

 

 

The "Valentina Tereshkova" was ready to be launched from the "Starblazer".  The crew consisted of a pilot and a copilot. Since it was not built for interstellar travel, like the “John Glenn” was, a two-man crew was all it needed.

 

Captain Parrish was on board, as was Commander Woods, since he had become such a good friend to the boys.  There were also two representatives from the Space Exploration Office on board. Brandon's mother was on board as were the six boys.

 

The shuttle was launched from the “Starblazer” and began its descent into Inferno's atmosphere. The boys were thinking of the first time they tried to land on the planet and how Alex had to abort the entry into the atmosphere and try a second approach. They thought of how incredibly frightened they had been. Later, when Alex landed the "Survivor", it was a little nerve-wracking because he wasn't an experienced, trained pilot, but those landings were nothing compared to the terror of that first landing with the “Moonduster.”

 

Now a pair of professional pilots were in the cockpit and the landing had gone from an adventure to being routine. Douglas looked out the window at the deserts of Inferno. The planet had been their home, both good and bad, for a few months that sometimes felt like years. He never thought he would be coming back, especially this soon. He wondered who would be at the spaceport to meet them. He was sure Mattoo and his family would be there. No doubt Governor Andorn would be. He was hoping his Hakaanen friends like Bandar, Prekan, Laryar, and Perryksa would be there. It turned out he wasn't even close to guessing who really would be there.

 

Douglas watched the barren brown ground come closer as the shuttle headed for the Big Valley. It brought memories roaring into his head. He smiled when he saw Mattoo’s horsey down below.

 

Suddenly, the shuttle was going over the small valley of the Shkah. They were almost ready to touch down at the spaceport. Brown hills flew under them and then they were over the green of the Big Valley. Douglas could feel his heart thumping as he looked at the green fields and forests that had meant so much to them at the end of their long trek across the desert and mountains of Inferno.

 

"We're over the valley," he told Scooter. Scooter leaned over him to look out of the window.

 

"It's still beautiful," he said.

 

The ground was close and they were over the end of the runway. The shuttle hit the ground smoothly. As the shuttle braked the boys saw something out of the windows that took their breath away. People were lining the length of the runway to the terminal and beyond.

 

"Everybody on the planet must be there," Douglas said. This was so much different than their landing on Hakaan. This was a gigantic welcome home reception.

 

The "Valentina Tereshkova" taxied to the terminal. The pilot brought it to a stop and shut down the engines.  Douglas had been looking out the window hoping he could recognize somebody, but the crowd was mostly a blur. He realized that was because he was crying.

 

They had already agreed the first to leave the shuttle would be the boys, since they were, in essence, arriving home. Workers wheeled stairs up to the shuttle and then the hatch was opened by Commander Woods. Douglas was the first person at the door. As soon as he stepped out, the huge crowd emitted a gigantic roar. It went on and on and on. The tears that had just stopped, started over again. Douglas stepped down to the ground and then stood aside so that the other boys could enjoy what was happening. Scooter came out, followed by Mike, Ryan, Brandon, and Travis.  With the appearance of each boy the roar started anew.

 

Two boys started across the tarmac. Douglas could see that they were Mattoo and Enghar. The two boys started going from a fast walk to a run. Suddenly the whole group of them were in a massive hug, laughing, yelling, crying, hugging, and loving, with the whole planet looking on and cheering.

 

Douglas looked at Mattoo and realized he'd been growing. His arms and legs were getting long and lanky and he was getting the coltish look of a young adolescent. Douglas also noticed Mattoo’s ass was still the fine firm bubble butt he remembered. Like the boys in front of him, Douglas and the Earth boys were in Hakaanen dress—meaning they were naked. The rest of the people on the shuttle were dressed in Earth garb.

 

The boys were led up to the balcony at the top of the terminal. A microphone and podium had been set up there.

 

Governor Andorn made some opening remarks, welcoming the boys back and also welcoming their new guests from Earth. The Governor was especially pleased to see Douglas, Scooter, and Mike, whom he saw as the leaders of the group. He noticed the absence of Alex, another of the group’s leaders.

 

Scooter was the one selected to speak for the Earthlings, since he was the most fluent in the Hakaanen language. Scooter wished it was Douglas speaking, because Douglas was the leader of the group and a better speaker. But, he could only speak passable Hakaanen and the group agreed that Scooter would deliver their opening remarks. Scooter's speech was written down.

 

Once the “Starblazer” had entered warp, Douglas and Scooter discovered that their mental link had been reconnected. Before they left the shuttle, Douglas assured Scooter that he would help him mentally if he got bogged down. He also assured Scooter that he was going to do great and wouldn’t need any mental prompting.

 

Scooter looked out at the big crowd and started shaking. Then he took a deep breath and let it out slowly and started talking.

 

"Citizens of Shakaman Prol (Fire Planet, Hakaanen for Inferno) we are happy to return to the planet you helped make our second home." A huge roar went up. Scooter waited nervously for the noise to abate. "You are our friends and we are proud to stand here with you.” Another roar of noise swept across the spaceport.

 

“We couldn't all make it back to you, but six of us are here. Also with us are representatives of our planet Earth to help start the rebuilding of the Big Valley and your planet." More cheers.  "And soon a Hakaanen starship will arrive...." Huge cheers. Shakaman Prol—Inferno—was going to survive. The Hakaanen colonists of the planet were going to survive. Scooter was shaking with emotion.  He couldn't get his closing remarks started.

 

‘You're doing great’, Douglas told him. ‘They love you.’ That thought from Douglas was all Scooter needed. He went on with confidence. "The starship will get here after it visits Ghermesh (the other Hakaanen colony) and restarts relations between them and Hakaan." More cheers erupted. "We have returned to be here with our friends. We love you, our friends and family. We love Shakaman Prol!" The crowd exploded one last time.

 

‘Fantastic, Scooter. They love you’, Douglas told him.

 

The six boys waved to the huge crowd. The crowd started chanting, "Earth! Earth! Earth! Earth!"  They smiled and felt waves of emotion surge through them. After five minutes of cheering and shouting and waving, the boys were finally led off the balcony and down the stairs to the ground floor.

 

"Looks like being a speaker is pretty exciting for you Scooter," Mike chuckled. Scooter had sprouted a boner from the excitement. "Looks like he got more than chills down his spine." Scooter turned red, thinking that sometimes being naked in public wasn't always the best way to go. But he also knew Hakaanen boys got boners just like Earth boys and weren't embarrassed when they happened in public. Scooter had seen boners and gotten boners in public more times than he could relate. He was glad his erection didn't start until after he finished his speech. At that point he was able hide behind the other boys.

 

The boys were loaded onto the only bus on Inferno. Like everything else on the planet that was mechanical, it was old and rickety and was only used when it needed to be. But it worked. The six Earth boys boarded the bus, along with Captain Parrish, John Woods, and the two Ambassadors. Matthew, Enghar, and their family came on board and so did Bandar and Hajo. The shuttle crew was staying with the shuttle.

 

They drove to the Governor's mansion. Governor Andorn had a banquet laid out for the guests and they ate the best meal they’d had since leaving Earth, which was saying a lot because the food on starships was excellent. The boys were quickly reminded about how delicious Hakaanen cuisine was.

 

After the dinner the Governor gave his real speech, his welcoming speech to his old friends from Earth, and to those he hoped would be his new friends from Earth.  He had known in his heart that Douglas and the round-ears would return to Inferno with help.

 

After the banquet, and some Pahkah for everybody, including the boys (a small amount, though) the adult members of the Earth party were shown to their rooms. The Earth boys and the Hakaanen boys were taken to a large recreation room at the back of the mansion. There were chairs, couches, temporary beds, and games.  It was their room for the night.

 

The boys had their Hakaanen belts off instantly and went from almost naked to completely naked. The Earth boys noticed that Enghar had sprouted a small line of scattered pubic hair above his penis, but Mattoo was still smooth. There was a lot of chat and small talk and big talk. Mattoo asked about his parents and wondered if they sent anything for him.  "Let's talk about that tomorrow," Douglas said.

 

Mattoo had a pretty good idea of what that meant and got a sad look on his face. Enghar put his arm around his Meshanna and hugged him close.

 

"I love you, Mattoo. You are my Meshanna and mine forever."

 

"I love you, Enghar. More than anybody in the world." The two boys kissed and hugged.

 

From there it didn't take long for the group of boys to get erect and start kissing and hugging and groping and cumming. One thing that Scooter noticed was that the sex between Mattoo and Enghar was free and easy and full of fun. It sometimes seemed Hakaanen boys were more concerned with their sexual tricks and having a wild orgasm than they were with making sweet love to a partner. But that didn't seem the case with Mattoo and Enghar. Their sex was like the two of them were made to have sex together; like they melded into one person. It reminded him of Douglas and himself. Scooter wondered if the melding was because Enghar and Matthew were Meshannas or if they became Meshannas because of how they melded together.

 

The temporary beds were big enough to comfortably sleep two, another sign that Hakaanen adults understood pubescent boys. When the boys finally tired out and slept, Scooter ended up paired with Enghar, Douglas with Mattoo, Brandon with Bandar, and Travis with Hajo.  Ryan and Mike ended up together. But that was after they all had enjoyed rolling orgasms during their mini-orgy.

 

The next day one of the Governor’s staff woke them up. They had morning erections and wished they could mess around more, but they knew they had a busy schedule laid out for them. After quick showers they were served a huge breakfast in the banquet room. The rest of the Earth contingent was there. They already had meetings planned to discuss trade and commerce and to discuss Earth helping Inferno get back on its feet and resume progress in terraforming the planet.

 

Brandon's mother was already in a meeting with the atmosphere engineers. She was amazed to learn that some of her procedures were already being used. She knew Brandon had talked to the Chief Engineer and was pleased to see what Brandon had been able to show him. She was very proud of her son.

 

After breakfast, the boys were taken to their old school where they were treated like kings by the faculty and students. The student at the school crowded around the Earth boys looking for the opportunity to touch them. The Earth boys talked to each of the classes about what Hakaan was like and about their own home planet of Earth.

 

Then they were taken back to the mansion after eating lunch in the school cafeteria. Governor Andorn asked them questions about Hakaan and what happened there. The boys spent the whole afternoon telling their story. They told about landing on Hakaan and getting the warp radio from Rikers. They told about the Ancients and Rikers coming to power. And finally, they told about Dralkan and Trundall going to Earth with them and how Earth reacted to meeting their new friends in space.

 

"No wonder help never came," Governor Andorn said. "The dirty Shkah. The Ancients weren't true Hakaan. I don't see how they ever stayed in power."

 

"People there were frightened," Douglas said.  "The Ancients kept them in fear until we came. Then the people saw they had nothing to be afraid of. After that it was all over for the Ancients.”

 

"The Shkah on Shakaman Prol are back in the small valley and seem happy,” the Governor told the Earth visitors.  “Some of them are tired of the attitude in the small valley and have moved over here to the Big Valley and started some new farms. We're happy to have them. With better atmosphere machines we will be able to expand more. I think in a couple of generations there will be very few Shkah left—they will be integrated into the general population. We will more and more become one people—the Hakaanen."

 

When the meeting was over, Mike, Ryan, Brandon, and Travis went with Bandar and Hajo to Bandar’s home.  Scooter and Douglas went to spend the night with Enghar and Mattoo.

 

Scooter and Douglas enjoyed some special sex with Enghar and Mattoo. Like the night before, it wasn’t the often wild sex that Hakaanen boys were so fond of. It was loving, caring, and gracious sex. After a long and sensual four-way, Douglas paired up with the beautiful Mattoo, and Scooter with the gorgeous and exotic Enghar.

 

Before they turned out the lights for some private sex Enghar and Mattoo decided to express their opinions on the relationship between Scooter and Douglas.

 

“You guys are like us,” Mattoo told them.

 

“What do you mean?” Douglas asked.

 

“He means, you two should be Meshannas,” Enghar said.

 

“Now that you’re here, you should see if they will let you,” Mattoo suggested.

 

“Have you ever thought about it?” Enghar added.

 

“You guys are coming at us hard,” Douglas said with a grin.

 

“Yes, we have thought about it and talked about it,” Scooter informed them. “But, it was hard enough for you two to get approved. There is no way the priests would ever approve of two round-ears becoming Meshannas.”

 

“You won’t know until you try,” Mattoo said.

 

“Mattoo is right,” Douglas said. “The worst that can happen is they will say no.”

 

“And the best that can happen is they say yes and you and Scootah will be real Hakaanen,” Enghar said. He looked over at the other bed with a broad grin. “Just like me and my Mattoo.”

 

Next: Meshannas.

 

Please write. Emails are always appreciated.