Survivors

 

 

The “Starkeeper” boys were set to leave Inferno in two days. The shuttle was being loaded and double checked. The boys quit going to school and started preparing for the trip to Hakaan.

 

A lot of preliminary work had already taken place, much of it part of an unpleasant trip to where the starship was in orbit. Alex, Stevie, Mike, Jeremy, Brandon, and Travis made the trip whose purpose was to clean up the “Jordan M. Paxton” and fumigate it. For the first and only time a Hakaanen set foot on the “Paxton”. Dr. Kallama accompanied the boys to supervise the cleanup since removing the bodies through airlocks and the fumigation process required medical knowledge.

 

Dr. Lokor, who was Enghar’s father, wanted to be the one to take the trip since his methods would be the ones used to clean up the ship. Dr. Kallama, who was a close associate and friend of Dr. Lokor, volunteered for the journey, as well. It was finally agreed that because of the risk involved Dr. Kallama would go since he did not have a family. That trip took two days. Upon its conclusion the “Paxton” was spotlessly clean and sanitized.

 

During the final days before departure, each boy had his own thoughts about leaving Inferno, and how it would impact their lives. 

 

Jeremy:

 

Jeremy lay looking at the ceiling, his lover, Warren, cuddled in next to him. He hadn't seen his parents since he was eleven. He wondered if they knew anything about what happened to him. If the "Starkeeper" ever made it to Alpha Orion IV, they would know he was missing with the rest of the boys. But if it never made it back, then it would just be another starship that mysteriously disappeared in the vastness of space.

 

He remembered being poor. He remembered the day his parents left Earth, saying they would send for him as soon as they could. He remembered the day they sent the money so he could join them. He knew they got paid for having a kid on the planet, but they didn't want Jeremy to be there until they could give him a comfortable and safe life.

 

He missed Brian. His little "brother" was his lover, too. But, he found something even better on the trip: Warren. He hugged Warren tightly.  They would be together, no matter where they went. He would have to tell his parents about his being in love with a boy. He was certain it would be okay with them.  He never wanted to be separated from his lover.

 

Warren:

 

Warren had fallen asleep snuggled up against Jeremy. His last thoughts before drifting off were of his father and his brother and how much he missed them both. He wasn't sure if his father ever reached safety, but he knew he needed to find out. And if his family was safe, that was who he wanted to be with. No matter what, he wanted Jeremy to be with him. But right then, he wanted his father. He had forgotten how lonely it was without him. Now they had a chance to go home and he was comforted by that thought.

 

Warren was put in charge of the environmental system on the “Paxton”. He had to learn about water and air and wastes and how to keep the whole system balanced. It was the hardest thing he’d ever attempted, but he knew he could do it. As long as the system stayed balanced he would be fine. And if anything broke down, Jeremy, Travis, Stevie, and Brandon had all become proficient at fixing things. Warren smiled as he fell asleep next to Jeremy.

 

Brandon:

 

Brandon spent all of his time learning what he could about engineering from Chief Engineer Quan. He was shown how to take care of minor problems.  Jeremy and Travis learned much of the workings of the warp drive along with him, but it was Brandon who was going to be the Chief Engineer going back. They tried to talk the Chief Engineer into going back with them, but like so many Hakaanen he was afraid of the plague.  So he spent hours with the boys showing them what they needed to know to keep the starship operating.

 

"The ship will pretty much run itself once you get everything started," he told them, “and I will be on the radio with you to start things up.”

 

"What if something major happens?" Brandon asked.

 

"Then you will need a trained Chief Engineer."

 

"But we won't have one," Travis protested.

 

"I know," Quan replied.

 

That made everything sound a bit more frightening. They listened and wrote notes and hit the books harder to make sure nothing major happened. Because if something did happen, they knew they would be stranded in space and everything they had done would be for nothing. The problem was nobody knew how the engines would react to a quarter century of idleness.

 

Brandon also helped Quan. He told him what he knew about his mother's terraforming machines. Chief Engineer Quan was very interested, because he saw that by using some of her ideas he could make parts of the warp drive more efficient and more reliable.

 

Brandon missed his mother and her love. He missed learning about science and machinery from her.  He knew that if he ever returned home that he wanted to pursue a career in space.  He loved machines and science. Chief Engineer Quan told Brandon once, while they were working on an engineering lesson, that he had what it took to be a Chief Engineer,        and if he wanted to stay on Inferno he would train him to take charge of the terraforming machinery in the future.

 

But Brandon wanted to explore space, and that meant returning home.  He wanted that more than having a partner. Ambition was becoming his driving force.

 

Travis:

 

Travis worked with Brandon on learning Engineering. He also learned more about navigation and piloting from another retired spaceman, Roobine. And he spent every minute he could with Ryan.

 

He didn't really miss his family.  They never really did much together. And he had forgotten all about Kaylin, his old girlfriend. Ryan was now the center of his life. He knew Ryan wasn’t eager to leave Inferno.  No matter what happened Travis didn't ever want to be separated from him.  If that meant staying on Inferno, that was fine with him. He knew a lot of the boys missed their families, and that all of them would have to pull together to fly the starship. But as long as Ryan was around, it was all good.

 

Ryan:

 

Ryan got some lessons on piloting and navigating from Roobine, as well. Someone had to be on the bridge at all times and Ryan was being trained to be one of them.

 

He didn't want to leave Inferno. His parents meant nothing to him, and he meant nothing to them. He was extra money to them, nothing else.  He hated them in his adolescent way.

 

He liked his Hakaanen guardians and the kids he met in school. Boys like Bandar, Hajo, Enghar, Laryar, Perryska, Mycroff, and Prekar were really special. He would love to just stay here and help develop the planet with his Hakaanen friends and with his lover, Travis.

 

He often daydreamed about he and Travis becoming the first all Earth boy Meshannas.  But he knew that couldn't happen. Douglas had told them all how much each of them was needed to get the "Paxton" back to Hakaan. He also knew his friends wanted to go home in the worst way.

 

While staying on Inferno seemed nice in a lot of ways, they had all made it together this far. Douglas was right, this wasn't the time to split up. They had one more thing left to do, and that was to get everyone back to their families, even if they wanted to stay behind on Inferno.

 

After that, who knew what would happen? If only he could live with Travis forever, he could take anything. 

 

Logan and Ethan:

 

Logan and Ethan missed their home and families more than anybody. They were just ten when they got separated from the "Starkeeper." Their family had always been close and they missed their parents and their brother a great deal.  They were constantly homesick even though the other boys did their best to make them feel wanted and loved. Their older brother, Jason, was already on Alpha Orion IV waiting for them. But at least they had each other. They now made love to each other almost every night. They wondered if that would continue when they returned home, but alone on a strange planet it just seemed like it was the right thing to do.

 

Logan still hung around with his big "brother" Ryan. While they often kissed and made out, sometimes masturbating together or masturbating each other, they never got into the kind of serious sex Logan had with Ethan. They liked to talk and play games. Sometimes they went unicorn or bicycle riding. When Logan got really down and lonely, Ryan always had a hug and a sweet thing to say to make him feel better, just like Jason did.

 

Ethan did more with his newly developed sexual feelings than Logan. He loved getting blow jobs from some of the older boys and reciprocating. Alex, Stevie, Mike, Travis, and even Douglas, were boys he hooked up with regularly. He also enjoyed sex with Matthew and Enghar, as well as with Hakaanen boys like Mycroff, Laryar, and Perryska.

 

Even the young twins had a job to train for. They would be Warren’s assistants. They learned how to read the environmental control panel, which they would have to check a few times a day. Matthew was learning along with them. If they saw something wrong, then they would call Warren, who was learning how to make the necessary adjustments when things got out of balance, which happened on any ship.  As long as there were no serious malfunctions, they felt like they could all handle the system—they just had to learn how to correct the little things.  The three young boys were pleased to get some responsibility, and they took it seriously.

 

Nobody wanted to leave Inferno more than the twins did. They would do anything anybody wanted to get to Jason and to their parents, if they were still alive.

 

Alex and Stevie:

 

 Like the twins, the two brothers were close. The difference was, while the twins enjoyed sex together, they didn’t see themselves as lovers. Sex was simply something they did. For Alex and Stevie it was totally different. They had been having sex as far back as they could remember. It was an important part of their relationship, and had been since they were seven and nine.  That was when they learned that the fun they’d been having was actually sex.  Now they couldn't imagine being without it.  They loved each other as much as two brothers ever could.

 

Even though they had their own boyfriends, they never stopped making love to each other. Mike and Brandon, their boyfriends, were aware of their relationship and understood. The brothers sometimes wondered if that created a barrier between them and their boyfriends, but they also knew they couldn't give each other up. The bond that they made during the two years they lived with their abusive uncle was too strong to ever be broken, even by their love for someone else.

 

Alex and Stevie really had nothing to go back home for. There was excitement and challenge on Inferno. They had made good friends with the Hakaanen around them.  But Alex realized that as little as he knew about piloting a starship, he was the only person who could come close to piloting the "Paxton" and getting them to Hakaan. He loved his friends more than he loved Inferno and the Hakaanen. The boys he and Stevie had survived with were their real family.

 

Alex was learning what he could about piloting a starship from Roobine and the retired navigator.  Roobine said he didn't know much about starship piloting, but had studied when he was in the Space Academy. He wanted to live on a planet, however, and went into shuttle flying instead of starship service.

 

Alex and Roobine had made amends after what had happened after their falling out. Their relationship was as teacher and student, not as friends. Roobine was a good teacher and Alex was a good student and their relationship was serious and professional.  What Roobine didn't know he could find on his computer data base.

 

Stevie was there for most of the lessons. He would be the copilot again. He and Alex also had a couple of lessons in engineering, along with navigation.  Brandon, Travis, Ryan, Mike, and Jeremy also had lessons in piloting and navigation.

 

They spent time from early morning until close to bed learning what they needed to know to fly the big starship. They all knew it wasn't even close to being enough.  They hoped it would be enough to get them by, if everything worked perfectly. If things went wrong, they were going to be in big trouble.

 

Mike:

 

Mike was in charge of all the operations behind the scenes that it took to keep a ship functioning. Food was his specialty, of course. Communications was another area where he gained some expertise.  He also got into navigating with Ryan and learned how to find things even in warp space. He also was going to do some piloting, but he wasn't really excited about that. He liked operations and the little things it took to make everyone comfortable.

 

Mike loved Alex. He was his best friend and his lover. At times Mike got a little jealous of Stevie, but he understood how important the brothers were to each other.  But no matter what, with or without Stevie, he knew he needed Alex to be a part of his life.

 

He knew Alex and Stevie really wanted to stay on Inferno, and they were going back because it was the best way to get the boys home who wanted to go home, and they were willing to sacrifice for the good of the group.

 

Mike knew how much everyone in the group loved each other. Their challenges had made them a close-knit family.  Whether they left on the starship or stayed on Inferno, he knew it was something they would do together as a family.

 

Scooter:

 

 The decision between staying on Inferno and leaving was easy for Scooter. He wanted to go back home. He knew that was where Douglas was leading them and where Douglas led, he would follow.

 

He missed his father. He and his father were close. He had to find out if he had survived whatever happened to the "Starkeeper", and that meant going on the starship.

 

He also knew when they made it back home, his father would be back on Earth if he survived.  Douglas's parents were going to live on Alpha Orion IV.  He knew he never wanted be separated from his lover.

 

Scooter understood that Douglas had to lead them back. It was why they chose him as their leader. He would be going back with dread in his heart, because he didn't see how he and Douglas could stay together if their parents were still alive. And if their parents were dead, he had no idea what would happen to them.  

 

Kallama and Gorgio loved them and had made them a home. Scooter wondered if he wanted to leave something that was comfortable to face the unknown again.

 

Matthew:

 

Matthew went through the motions learning about checking the environmental controls. He went through the motions of telling how excited he was to be going back home. What did he have to go back to? His parents never paid attention to him. They loved his sister best and hated him.

 

Here on Inferno he had somebody he loved more than anything he could think of. Enghar was his Meshanna. Enghar was his world and his life. And Enghar's parents treated him like he was their own son. He could almost speak Hakaanen and fit in as a native. Nobody cared that his ears were round and he didn’t have a mane. Inferno was the best home he ever had.

 

But Douglas had preached to them about being family. He told them how they would stick together and get everybody back to Earth or to Alpha Orion IV. They had come this far as a family, and they would finish their journey as a family.

 

Matthew thought about how different his trip to the Big Valley had been from the rest of the Earth boys. He was close to dead when was brought to the valley. He was taken by Enghar and his family where he was healed and loved. They were his family now.  He loved the "Starkeeper" boys with all his heart, but he had found his own family on Inferno. 

 

Matthew was only eleven, however, and was afraid to be assertive and say he didn't want to go with them. Douglas had a way of convincing people to do what he thought was right, and he convinced Matthew that going on the starship with the rest of them was the best thing to do. Most of the other boys worked to convince him of the same thing.

 

He would be sad about leaving, but he would do it because everybody said it was the right thing to do. He remembered a talk he had with Mike a couple of days ago that was a little different from the rest. He was at Mike's house. Alex was on the couch in the corner taking a nap. Stevie and Brandon were downstairs in the basement, ostensibly trying to figure out what a Hakaanen vid was about, but had long ago stopped trying as they passionately made out with each other.

 

"How's my little brother?" Mike asked.

 

"I dunno. Okay, I guess."

 

"Something you need to talk about?"

 

"Huh? No. I'm okay I said."

 

"Well, it sounds like there is something bothering you. And I think you should tell your big brother donkey what it is."

 

Matthew sat on Mike's bed next to him. He snuggled up close and Mike put his arm around him. Matthew had ridden his bicycle to the house where Mike and Alex were staying.  Mike held Matthew tight. He had forgotten what a little boy his little "brother" was. Matthew had been so strong it was easy to forget he was a skinny little eleven-year-old boy. Mike rubbed Matthew’s shoulders and held the little boy close.

 

"Come on, Mattoo. Tell me what it is."

 

Matthew smiled when Mike used his Hakaanen name. Matthew leaned hard against Mike, loving the feel of his big warm body and his strong arm around him.

 

"I don't want to go." Matthew put his head against Mike's chest. Mike could feel his chest getting wet from the little boy's tears.

 

"Don't want to go where?"

 

"On the starship. To wherever it is going. I want to stay here."

 

"I understand how you feel. But you belong with us. We're human, we're your own kind. I know you love Enghar, but Douglas promised he would return us all to our own families. That is what his responsibility is, and that is where you belong, with your mom and dad."

 

"I hate them."

 

"No, you don't. You're just remembering the bad things. They're still your family."

 

"My family is here. Enghar's family is my family now."

 

"Douglas has to get you back. Think of how it would look if they all get back and he has to tell your mom and dad he left you behind on a strange planet with a family of aliens."

 

"He can tell them I'm dead, because they're dead to me.  And it would hardly be a lie, because I should’ve died in the desert, but I got lucky and was found."

 

"You know that's not true, my sweet Mattoo.  They're your parents and your family. Douglas is right. You have to go back with us."

 

This wasn't what Matthew wanted to hear. "But everybody says that the 'Starkeeper' might not have ever made it back. So it might all be for nothing."

 

"But we have to try," Mike told him.

 

Suddenly the body on the couch across from them turned over. "Matthew, I'm going to tell you what works for me more than doing what everybody says I should do. Follow your heart.  Do what your heart tells you. You can't go wrong. Look inside yourself and follow your heart. That will be the decision that makes you happy."

 

Alex rolled back over and faced the wall.

 

"What do you think, Mike?"

 

"I listen to Alex a lot, but in this case I think you should go with us. I think it's the right thing to do. But Alex has a point."

 

"It's all so confusing. I just wish I knew what to do."

 

"Well, I know you will do the right thing. And no matter what you decide I will love you and be behind you and with you."

 

"Well, if I stay, you can't be with me can you?"

 

"No. I guess not little brother. And that's another thing to think about. You will be the only Earthling on this planet.  Which might make you very, very lonely."

 

He hugged Matthew. Matthew looked up at him. Mike saw his sweet face and felt his own heart thumping in his chest. The two boys stared at each other. Mike saw Matthew give a little nod yes, and he bent down and put his lips to Matthew's. Mike loved how soft and sweet the boy’s breath was, and soon was on his back with Matthew on top of him, both of them hugging and kissing.

 

They were incredibly hard. Matthew started rubbing his cocklet against Mike, humping against Mike's much bigger cock. Mike loved feeling the smooth, soft, warm, totally hairless skin of Matthew against him. He massaged Matthew's hard, firm bubble butt as the boy humped up and down against him. It didn't take long for Matthew to shiver and shake with a dry cum and Mike shot his load over the smooth, damp skin of the little boy, covering him with sticky white fluid. They fell asleep that way, Matthew on top of Mike, glued together by the older boy’s emission.

 

Alex listened to the love making with a smile. He couldn’t help getting hard, very hard. After they had fallen asleep, he closed his eyes, focused his mind on Mike sucking his cock, and began to stroke his steel-like boy tool. It took only a few seconds before he was humping his butt and shooting white jazzy fluid over his chest and into his belly button.  Still smiling from the feelings of pleasure and with his erection now rapidly subsiding, he quickly fell asleep on the couch.   

 Enghar:

 

Enghar knew he was going to lose his Meshanna. He had been afraid of that happening even before their joining, but now it was about to become reality.

 

He had made a mistake. Mycroff should have been his Meshanna, not Mattoo. Mattoo was going to leave with the round-ears and he would be left behind alone and without a Meshanna. He knew all the talk that Meshannas were never separated, but it was all just talk. They never had light years between them like he and Mattoo would. Two nights ago, Mattoo stayed at Mike's all night without asking ahead of time. He knew they were having sex, which was okay with him, but he also knew that Mike was special to Mattoo and that Mike was talking him into going on the starship. Enghar had cried himself to sleep that night, feeling utterly alone and lost.  Somebody with a Meshanna should never feel alone. That was why making Mattoo his Meshanna had been a mistake. The priest was right.  Only Hakaanen can be another Hakaanen's Meshanna.

 

When he woke up the bed was still empty. He went into the kitchen where his father was just finishing breakfast.

 

"Mattoo never came home," Enghar said.

 

"He called after you went to bed. He stayed at Meekes. He should be home soon."

 

"He's away with his friends."

 

"I'm sure he is, son."

 

Enghar started crying again.  Damn, he thought, why do I keep crying?

 

"I thought he loved me. He's my Meshanna."

 

Enghar's father put his arm around him and gave him a big hug.  "He does love you, son. And he is your Meshanna."

 

"But he's leaving me."

 

"My Meshanna lives at the other end of the valley," his father reminded him.

 

"But that's different. You see him sometimes. You even have....," He wanted to say "you have sex with him," which was okay, but for some reason it seemed strange to tell his dad that, since he was one of the few Hakaanen who lived with his child's mother.

 

Enghar's father kept back a smile. He knew what Enghar was about to say. He worked hard to keep his face serious, because he knew this was very serious business for Enghar.

 

"Son, Mattoo is your Meshanna, no matter where you are and no matter where he is. You went through the ceremony together."

 

"But I want one I can be with. I should have picked Mycroff!" Enghar cried.

 

The doctor hugged his son closer. "No, son, you picked the boy your heart told you to pick. You picked well. Mattoo is a good person. He has become your brother and my son, but he needs to be with his own kind. You knew this could happen when you picked him. Don't blame him for doing what you knew he probably would do."

 

Enghar sniffled. "I love him so much, dad. I can't lose him. I just can't!"

 

"He is getting the chance to see his real family again."

 

"We're his family!  He hates them!  He told me he did! Why should he go back to them when he has us?"

 

"Because, they are his real family, son. Like them or not like them, they are his real family. And Dooglass promised to bring them all back to their real families.  Dooglass is right, he can't go leaving anybody behind."

 

Enghar went back to his room. He was disappointed in his father and angry at him. He had hoped his father would be on his side and find some way to make Mattoo stay. Now he knew there was no way. Tomorrow his Meshanna would be gone for good. 

 

Douglas:

 

Douglas hoped that everything was ready. He had worked hard keeping things organized. As captain of the ship, Alex would be in charge of running the ship when they left, but Douglas was still the leader of the group. Alex's decisions on running the ship were final. Douglas would deal with the people end. In a way Alex was the captain, and Douglas was the admiral.

 

He knew everybody was ready to leave Inferno. They had made friends and family there, but the Earth boys, the round-ears, were a family, too. They all loved each other. He had promised himself and the group he would return them ALL home. Even though home was a long way away, it was a lot closer now than when he had made the promise. He had no idea how he would fulfill that promise, and it looked like they had no chance of even getting close to home. Now it looked different. They had a starship and they had a chance to get back to their real families.

 

Matthew was the one who was a problem. He had found what he considered his real family on the planet. They were a family that had brought him back to health and loved him as their own son. Enghar was now his brother and his Meshanna. 

 

Still, Douglas felt responsible for getting Matthew back to his parents even though he knew Matthew didn't care much for them. That didn't matter, they were still his biological parents.  He was responsible for getting their son Matthew back to them.  He'd promised to get everyone back and he was going to do it. It wasn't up to him to judge who liked whom. It was his job to get them all back safely. Nothing else was acceptable.

 

He'd already lost two boys. He could have saved Jordan if he’d paid more attention to him.  Maybe the other one would be alive if Douglas hadn't decided to run for leader. Robert Charles would be their leader now. But if he had been their leader, they might never have left the "Moonduster". They would probably all be dead in the desert now. No matter what Douglas thought of Robert Charles as the leader of the group, he had been responsible for keeping him alive.

 

He wasn't going to lose a third boy. He had almost lost Matthew once and that wasn’t going to happen again. He convinced Mike to help him talk Matthew into making the right decision. Mike was Matthew's big "brother". He would come through. Maybe someday, when he grew up, Matthew could come back and visit Enghar, his Meshanna.

 

Douglas watched as everybody learned the jobs they would have on the "Paxton". It was not going to be an easy trip, but then not much of this journey had been easy. Staying here, however, was death in almost the same way as staying on the "Moonduster" would have been.

 

The Hakaanen on Inferno were dying—their way of life was slowly ending. They were like a child cut off from its mother—they could survive for a time, but at some point they would need the mother planet in order to stay alive.  Douglas realized that the voyage was not only to find a way back to their own families and home, but it was also the last hope the Hakaanen on Inferno had to save their way of life. 

 

 

The day before leaving was spent loading the "Survivor" with everything each of them owned, which wasn't much. Mostly it was their packs and some of the mementos they had collected on Inferno.

 

Matthew felt a couple of tears drop down his cheek when he packed away the beautiful robe he wore for the Meshanna ceremony. He loved Enghar so much, but Mike and Douglas, in fact everybody, said this was the right thing to do. Alex said to follow his heart. His heart said to stay here with Enghar and his family. The right thing was to go with his own friends and back to his family, but that was not what he really wanted. He had been raised to do the right thing, and that was what he would do. The right thing.

 

A wagon stopped by carrying the boys' belongings. Matthew threw his in. Enghar was in school. Matthew went into the house and lay naked on Enghar's bed. He fell asleep until he was shaken awake by a hand.  He looked up and saw his lover, his Meshanna, his Enghar.

 

Wordlessly, Enghar took off his necklace, his belt, and his shoes, which was all he was wearing. Matthew was already naked. The boys knew what they wanted—something they thought they would have for the rest of their lives, but were now going to experience for the last time.

 

Enghar got into bed next to Matthew and hugged him hard and long. They kissed deep with open mouths and flicking tongues, their suddenly hard cocklets rubbing against each other. Matthew rubbed Enghar's beautiful golden mane, making him shiver and moan. Soon, Matthew was entering his lover, putting his rock hard boy cock into Enghar's smooth ass and working a slow rhythm. Even though he wasn't very big he was able to rub his dick across Enghar's sweet spot, giving his lover total pleasure.

 

They moaned and grunted and their sweaty bodies shook. The two young boys were close to climax. Their high pitched yelps increased. Enghar's body arched up against Matthew and his dick jerked and contracted, small drops of clear cum shot to his nipples, then on his belly, into his belly button, and one dripping down his dick to his hairless pubic area. The orgasm squeezed his butt against Matthew's thrusting tool. Matthew came with a squeal, filling Enghar with his own clear boy semen. Then he collapsed on top of Enghar and they fell asleep in each other's arms. All of their love making took place without a word between them, but they had communicated perfectly.  Enghar kissed Matthew awake just before supper.

 

"I love you, Mattoo."

 

"I love you, Enghar."

 

"Then why do you have to go? Why can't you stay?"

 

"Because it's the right thing to do." Matthew was saying what Douglas and Mike had said he should say. And yet, Alex had said the same thing about following his heart.

 

"But how can leaving me be the right thing to do?" Enghar cried. "I love you!"

 

"I love you,” Matthew sobbed. He kissed Enghar, but couldn't think of anything to say because he didn't know the answer to Enghar's question.

 

 

It was early morning. The sun was just rising. Alex was in the cockpit of the "Survivor" going through the checklist with Stevie, and on the radio with Roobine.

 

Outside the boys were saying their good-byes. There were a lot of tears. They didn't realize how emotional it was going to be leaving the planet that had come close to killing them, and then had become their home. 

 

At one time they hated the planet and its awful heat. Now they were leaving what was starting to become a home for them. Douglas looked around him, wondering if he made the right choice to persuade his charges to leave. He never had any doubt about leaving the "Moonduster". Staying in the desert would have meant death, but he had nagging doubts about leaving Inferno. He wasn't sure it was a good decision, however the decision had been made.  They were going to go.

 

Bandar and Hajo hugged Scooter, Mike, and Douglas.  Everybody hugged their friends and the families they stayed with. Dr. Lokor was hugging everybody, and so was Governor Andorn. Kallama was there to see them off. The whole school they attended was there, students and teachers. Modar, their own teacher, gave them all big hugs, with a special one for Matthew.

 

Matthew hugged the doctor and his wife, then clung to Enghar, both boys sobbing uncontrollably. Enghar had seen Mycroff looking at him with a look that said, you blew it. You could've had me for life, and instead you picked a round-ear who doesn't love you or understand you.

 

Matthew couldn't let Enghar go. Douglas came over and gently took Matthew's arm.

 

"Don't go, Mattoo," Enghar whispered. "Please don't go. I love you. I need you. You're my Meshanna."

 

"And you are mine, my love. You need to understand. I have to do this. You're my soul mate. You know I have to go."

 

"No, I don't know!" Enghar screamed. "I don't understand it! It's not right!"

 

Douglas led Matthew up the stairs into the shuttle. Bandar followed him inside and went to the cockpit. He tapped Alex on the shoulder.  Alex got up and let Bandar give him a big hug.

 

"Ost lesha drey," Bandar told him.

 

"I love you," Alex replied. Bandar left the cockpit, waved at the boys seated in the shuttle, and walked down the stairs, trying to ignore the sobs of little Mattoo.

 

The shuttle was going to remain docked to the “Paxton” once it was boarded. The Hakaanen wouldn't need it except for parts, and if they were that desperate to tear it apart the end was probably near anyway.

 

The stairs were pulled away. Matthew sat by a window looking at the crowd, trying to pick out Enghar through his tears. He saw him, waving at the shuttle. Alex released the brakes and started to taxi the shuttle north to the end of the runway. Alex and Stevie went through the final checklist. The cabin was quiet, except for Matthew's sobs. On the ground, Enghar buried his face in his dad's chest. He couldn't watch the shuttle leave; he couldn't watch his Mattoo leave him forever.

 

NEXT: Take Off

 

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