Survivors

 

Enghar's parents put on a great dinner for the boys, which was cooked outdoors over a fire and was called a Hakaanen barbecue. That night the four boys had a tumble on Enghar's bed. It was actually Enghar and Matthew's bed now since they always slept together. While the sex between the four boys ended up being incredible, the talk afterwards, with the four of them cuddled up in the bed, meant more.

 

"So my Mom didn't miss me?" Matthew asked.

 

Douglas gave the little boy an extra tight hug. And he isn't so little any more, Douglas thought. His arms and legs were growing, and up close he could see a few tiny little hairs at the base of his penis. They were so small that they were close to invisible.

 

"I’m sure she missed you," Douglas lied.

 

"She doesn't love me," Matthew said. "She never did. She loved my sisters, but never me. Did she send me anything?"

 

There was a long silence after the question. Douglas didn't know what to say. ‘Hug him hard, my love’, Scooter’s thought said. Douglas gave Matthew an even harder squeeze than before.

 

"Not even a card? Not even a letter? I didn't think so," the boy sobbed. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks. Douglas held him close; the young boy’s body shook.

 

"We love you," he whispered in Matthew's ear. "We do love you so much, Mattoo. I'm so glad you made me keep you here."

 

"This is my real home,” Mattoo said.  “Enghar is my Meshanna. His parents are my parents—my real parents. I am proud to be the round-eared Hakaanen boy," he chuckled through a sob. "I love my family here. You know what my dad said?"

 

Douglas smiled when Matthew referred to Dr. Lokor, Enghar’s father, as his dad.

 

“No. What did he say?”

 

“He said I was meant to be left buried in the desert so I could be found and brought here to this house to meet Enghar and to meet my family.” Mattoo grinned and wrapped his arms around Douglas and kissed him. It didn't take long for Scooter and Enghar to be sitting on the bed jerking off while next to them Douglas slide his teen boner up Matthew's rounded pre-teen ass and made hard, but sweet love to him.

 

After they all came, the talk turned to Meshannas. Scooter told Enghar and Matthew how lucky they were to be able to be each other's Meshannas.

 

"When are you going to ask the priest about being Meshannas?" Mattoo asked.

 

"Douglas and I have talked about it after you brought it up. In the end, we're both Earthlings," Scooter said. "The priest already said we couldn't do it."

 

"Things change," Enghar insisted. "With all you have done to help our planet and Hakaan, he would let you if you could answer his questions. Go ask the priest. I never knew you guys to be afraid to do anything.”

 

“The worst that could happen is he says no,” Mattoo told them. “But I think you have a chance. There were some who thought you would never return here to Inferno, no matter what happened, but most of us had faith that you would, and you did return. You proved yourself. You're Hakaanen at heart."  Matthew said.

 

 Enghar and Matthew cuddled on one side of the big bed and Scooter and Douglas on the other.

 

“Let’s ask," Scooter finally whispered to Douglas. “We can pass the test. We know what our love is like. We are Meshannas already, except for the ceremony to make it official, and we don't need a ceremony to prove our love for each other."

 

"You're right. It would be perfect.  Let's ask as soon as we can see a priest." He kissed Scooter's cheeks, and the four boys quickly fell asleep. 

 

 

The next day the boys weren't able to see the priest, however. Captain Parrish had arranged for the “Neil Armstrong” to be brought down from the “Starblazer” to take them along the route that the boys had followed from the "Moonduster" to the Big Valley.  The “Armstrong” was built for atmospheric flying and was more maneuverable than the shuttles.  They took off from the Big Valley and flew over the mountains and the desert. Lieutenant Suzuki was the pilot. Captain Parrish and Lieutenant Commander Woods were on board with the six boys plus Matthew and Enghar. The flier was filled to capacity.

 

Near the area where the “Moonduster” crash landed, they started looking for the wreckage.  They had a hard time finding the fuselage, which they thought might have been buried under sand. Commander Woods was getting ready to man their computer to aid with the search when Matthew yelled out, "I see something! Look out the right side!"

 

“Mattoo is still the best at finding things,” Mike chuckled.

 

The flier made a U-turn and everybody on the right side of the flier saw a scattering of wreckage.

 

"I didn't realize it was destroyed that badly," Commander Woods said. "How did you survive that?"

 

"It wasn't that bad. It looks like somebody did that after we left," Douglas said. "The fuselage was mangled and dented, but it was still pretty much intact."

 

"But who would do that? And why?" Captain Parrish asked.

 

"My guess is Robert Charles and the Shkah. They did it to make sure we could never get anything from it, ever."

 

Lieutenant Suzuki placed the flier in hover mode and lowered it to the ground next to the wreckage. They disembarked and were immediately hit by the desert heat and the strong sun.

 

"Is this what it was like when you started your trek?" Captain Parrish asked.

 

"Yes, Sir.  It was like this from the moment we landed." Mike answered.  "This is why ended up calling the planet, Inferno."

 

“We made our trek at night,” Ryan added.

 

"Good Lord." Captain Parrish already had a great amount of respect for what the boys had accomplished, and it was now growing even more.

 

They poked through the wreckage for a while, but the heat was stifling and there wasn't much to see. Most of what was left of the shuttle was buried in the sand. Douglas was angry that Robert Charles ended up deciding to blow up the "Moonduster". It seemed a waste of time and energy to do it. The "Moonduster" had been one of his homes. Maybe it wasn’t always a happy one, but it got them safely to Inferno.

 

They reboarded the flier and traced the route of the survival trek to the mountains.  Douglas pointed to the area where they lost Matthew. Parrish and Woods could see how lucky Matthew was to still be alive. Then they landed at the fork where Douglas sent the exploration parties to look for a way over the mountains. Douglas told again about Warren hiding the power chips and about how he exiled Robert Charles from the group at that spot.

 

Then the flier flew to where the "Sundancer" had crashed. There wasn't much to see there either. Captain Parrish said that the remains of the dead crew men would  be gathered sometime and returned to Earth for a proper burial.

 

They took off again and flew over the mountains. They looked rough and forbidding from the air, but the boys knew that they were even rougher at ground level.

 

Matthew almost screamed when he saw his horsey with the valley behind it. "That's it!!!! The horsey!" He was laughing and crying almost at once. It was the first time he had seen the huge rock since the crash landing of the "Moonduster." "It's real! I mean I knew it was real! But now really I know it's real!" Matthew rambled on.

 

"I think you're babbling some, little brother," Mike said with a chuckle.

 

Matthew blew Mike a kiss. "You’re staying with me tonight, big brother."

 

Mike grinned a huge grin. "My pleasure."

 

The flier headed back over the Big Valley and flew over the lake where the Earth boys had first met the Hakaanen boys.

 

“We should erect a monument there,” Captain Parrish declared. “A marker to show where two groups of young boys made first contact between sentient species.”

 

After circling the lake, the flier returned to the spaceport and landed next to the "Valentina Tereshkova."

 

The boys got out of the flier and stood on the tarmac.  It was hot in the valley, but the climate was controlled there and it wasn't uncomfortable—not like it had been in the desert.

 

Captain Parrish faced the boys. "Boys, that was a most remarkable journey. Most remarkable. And then to top that trek off by flying a starship between star systems seems almost impossible to believe. I keep thinking I can't get more amazed by what you did, yet I always seem to be. You are all to be commended."

 

After that they all went off to the places they were staying that night. Douglas, Scooter, and Ryan went to stay with Bandar. Travis and Brandon were going to stay at the Governor's mansion. And Mike ended up enjoying a loving sexy night with his little "brother" Matthew. Matthew had an extra tender spot in his heart for Mike, who had stayed with him on the "Starkeeper." He loved Mike like a brother and more.

 

 

Ambassador Robert Grant was furious. “What do you mean I don’t have a case for a civil suit?” he screamed as Mackenzie Carlson, his lawyer. “I pay you to make cases, not to tell me I don’t have one. I want to sue the pants off of the boys who killed my son, especially that Douglas Daniels. That boy is a complete fraud.”

 

The lawyer leaned back in his office chair with his hands folded in front of him. “While half the judges in the Federation would instantly throw your case out of court, the other half might, and I emphasize the word might, allow it into their courtroom.”

 

Robert Grant glared at his attorney, but said nothing.

 

“We’ve been through this twice. Even if your case comes to court, a lot of things that have so far been kept private will become public.” The attorney scooted up to his desk and picked up a stack of files. “Sworn depositions that don’t have nice things to say about your son. They run from his sexual harassment of girls and boys on the ‘Starkeeper’, to his intimidating students in the school, to his panicked launch of the shuttle, to his leaving a boy to die in the desert and stealing the boy’s water.”

 

“All lies,” Grant said weakly. It was starting to sink into him what a mess his son had become.

 

“Right now, all of this is private. While Robert Charles may not have died a hero, he also hasn’t been painted to be a villain. Eventually, somebody will probably write the story of that adventure and it will all become public. But if you go to court, it will all become public now, and there will be no doubt it is the truth.

 

“And then there is this deposition,” he picked up a single folder, “which was taken a couple of days ago. It is from the boys’ teacher. It seems you intimidated him into falsifying the class election results to make your son the winner. Really Robert? You manipulated a meaningless election  in the  outer reaches of space so your son could be the winner? Your stock with the President is low enough as it is—just wait until that becomes public.”

 

Robert Grant rose from his chair and left his attorney’s office without saying a word. The once powerful man realized that he was finished.

 

The boys were able to get an appointment with the area priest the next day. It was time to find out if it would be possible for two non-Hakaanen to become Meshannas and to go through the Joining.

 

The six boys and the priest were crowded into the little office. Douglas acted as their spokesman, and in his broken Hakaanen told the priest what they desired. Scooter helped him when he could, mostly through his thought projections. Douglas explained the closeness he and Scooter had developed, from the first moment they met. He told how Mike and Ryan had found themselves acting as one since they got together on Earth. And he told how Brandon and Travis connected after Brandon moved in with Travis.

 

"I guess why I'm telling you this is that we want to know if it is possible for us to go through the Joining and become Meshannas," Douglas said.

 

"None of you are Hakaanen," the priest said sternly. “You were told on your first visit here that what you desire is not possible.”

 

"We know that," Douglas said. ‘Like, duh!’ he projected to Scooter. "But we have lived here with the Hakaanen and now have Hakaanen friends who we love. We have taken part in the Hakaanen way of life. One of our own kind has become a Meshanna with a Hakaanen and has shown himself to be a loyal and loving Meshanna, just like any Hakaanen would be. He has shown a human can go through the Joining.  We came back to this home of ours after we returned to our own home planet because Shakaman Prol IS a home for us. We brought back the help we promised to the people we love."

 

"You are serious about this?  Absolutely serious?" the priest asked.

 

"Absolutely. All of us are,” Douglas told him emphatically. The other boys nodded in agreement.

 

"The truth is, I had already heard I would be ruling on this question, so I have already prepared my answer."

 

Scooter and Douglas looked at the priest with their hearts beating. They wanted the Joining in the worst way—in ways they couldn't even begin to describe.

 

"I have one question to ask before I give you my ruling, which will be the ruling the Great God Jeswa will approve of." Their hearts were still thumping hard as they awaited the question. "Have any of you asked your partner formally to take part in the Joining?"

 

The question wasn't what they expected. They were ready for a question on respecting Hakaanen values and culture or something of that nature. But they were not ready for one as simple as this. The six of them said no at almost the same time. Douglas was afraid that somehow they had blown it, that their request would be refused because they had come to the meeting unprepared.

 

“We didn’t want to do this unless we could do it exactly right,” Douglas explained.

 

"That is good. It shows you respect our culture; that you didn't do something you didn't understand."

 

The boys breathed a sigh of relief; they had answered correctly. The main reason Douglas hadn't formally asked Scooter was that he didn't understand most of the ceremony. The lesson their tutor had presented was a brief one and it had been a long time ago. All of the boys felt that they didn't feel right asking each other formally until they knew if it was the right thing to do.

 

"Since the day you were found here on Shakaman Prol, you have respected us and our culture. You have helped us overcome many perils. You have helped our home planet of Hakaan overcome evil.  And you came back. You not only came back, but you came back with the same respect for our culture you left with. And very importantly, you came back to ask to be a part of that culture.

 

"I do not feel that the Joining should be open to alien beings, which is why I came down hard on you at the start of our meeting. But you, the Earth boys of Shakaman Prol, are not alien beings to us. You are Hakaanen in every way possible but in your genes. I look at you in your Hakaanen dress today and I feel right in saying that any boys who lived here may take part in the Joining. Of course that is if..."

 

But he was interrupted by cheering. The serious old priest fought back a smile and raised his hand to get silence. "That is if you pass the Joining test. I will see each pair in four days to decide. Before you come to my office you must complete the formal Asking, and do it perfectly." With that he dismissed them from his office.

 

"I guess we better see Mattoo, Enghar, Bandar and Hajo and get some lessons," Mike said. "Because I have a feeling if we don't do this right, we won't get a second chance. We might be getting a break, but I don't think the old priest is going to put up with any fuck ups."

 

Four days, Douglas thought. Four days and I get to find out if Scooter and I will become Joined. Four days to pass the test. And for some reason, I have a feeling that test will be much harder for us than for a couple of native Hakaanen boys. 

 

 

"Scooter, my love of our youngness, I ask you, with all my heart, all my soul, and all my spirit, to be my soulmate and my heart's love for life. I ask you to be my Meshanna." Douglas had practiced it since talking to Enghar about the exact words which were said in the Hakaanen language.

 

"Douglas, my love of my youngness, I answer your request by saying I will take into my heart, my mind, and my spirit your love and I will give you my answer at the time of decision." They knew they had to wait at least three days before the time of decision. Since their appointment was in three days they had to give each other the decision in the minimum allowed time. Not like that was going to be a problem, Douglas thought. Scooter could have given it three seconds after the Asking.

 

The three days seemed to take forever to go by, but the boys were kept busy, which helped. Modar, their old tutor, had been recruited to continue their studies. He put them to work studying more about Hakaanen culture and tradition.

 

One time they went with Brandon's mother as she flew to check the atmosphere readings and saw areas of the planet they'd never seen before. Douglas could see that if they had gone the wrong way on their trek, they never would have made it to safety. They were also fitted for new ceremonial robes, which would be custom-made for them if they were accepted for the Joining.

 

The three day waiting period finally ended. Douglas knew that Mike had formally asked Ryan and Travis had asked Brandon to be their Meshannas. Today was the day of Answering. Douglas and Scooter were in their room in the Governor's mansion, lying together in bed, naked, ready for sex. As dictated by Hakaanen custom they had been required to avoid sex during the waiting period, from the time of Asking until after the time of Answering.  They were incredibly horny.

 

The two boys sat face to face, raging hard-ons pointing straight up. Douglas was leaking copious amounts of precum.

 

"Scooter, my love of my youngness, have you reached your time of deciding?"

 

"Douglas, the love of my youngness, I have."

 

"And what be that deciding?"

 

Scooter didn't hesitate. He looked into Douglas's eyes, love shining between them. "My deciding be that I wish to be in your heart, your soul, and your mind forever. I want us to be one, no matter what happens with our lives. I want to be your Meshanna. I want you to be mine."

 

"Then let us be Joined," Douglas said.

 

The boys kissed. They cried. They made wild animal love.

 

 

The same thing had happened in two other bedrooms. The next day they went to the priest for their interviews. By the rules they each had to pick an interviewer whom they had never had sex with.

 

Douglas picked Modar, the tutor who had been their tutor and teacher and advisor. Scooter picked Governor Andorn as his interviewer. Their interview went well and when the priest asked them together if they felt like their minds and souls were one they held each other's hands and said absolutely. They never went into their ability to communicate with each other mind to mind—they wanted to be approved for the Joining like everyone had been for countless centuries.

 

Mike had picked Enghar's father as his interviewer and Ryan also picked Modar. Brandon picked the Chief Engineer of the terraforming plant and Travis surprised even himself by picking Roobine, the retired shuttle pilot.

 

When the interviews were over they waited for the decisions to be made. The pairs were called in one at a time. Each pair met with the priest.

 

"Dooglass and Scootah, you two have carried yourselves well. You will be part of the Joining, the Ceremony of Souls in two days. May you find only happiness as each other's Meshannas."

 

Douglas and Scooter wiped away some tears, kissed, and went through a back door to the outer office. Then Mike and Ryan were called in. They got the same speech from the priest and left through the same door, hugging and kissing Scooter and Douglas when they found out the news.

 

But when Brandon and Travis went in the results were different. "Brandus and Trafus, you are fine candidates to be Meshannas. But I cannot approve it at this time. I see your love and friendship, but not the connection that is necessary to become Meshannas. Work to develop it if you think it is there and come back the next time a Joining is called. And if you don't see it in yourselves, then maybe you were meant to be friends and lovers, but not Meshannas." The two boys were fighting off tears.

 

"This is not a bad thing, my sons. You have some of the specialness between you. Being friends and lovers is a high calling. When you are a Meshanna you must have an even higher understanding of what that means.  And you must touch each other's souls. So far I don't see all that is needed for you to be Meshannas. May you have good luck in finding it."

 

The two boys thanked the old priest and went out the back door. The other four boys were sad when they heard the news and comforted Brandon and Travis.

 

"You'll have another chance," Mike said. "Next time you will show them."

 

Ryan was hugging his former lover Travis hard. "I hope you find the same connection I found," he told him. "I love you."

 

"I love you, Ryan. I love Brandon. I don't know what happened. I don't know why we didn't pass. We love each other. After we leave here, we may never get another chance." He burst out crying. Travis was beside himself. He thought Ryan had been his soul mate. And now he thought Brandon was, but their love didn't pass somebody's phony interview and lousy test. He was feeling bitter. What Travis didn't know then, was that his future Meshanna was his little eleven-year-old cousin lying alone and lonely in a bed on Earth. And what Brandon didn't know was that he hadn't even met his Meshanna yet, but would in just a few short days, and that was going to be at the upcoming Joining, the Ceremony of Souls.

 

What none of them knew was that Travis and Brandon would each be Joined with a different Meshanna at a future ceremony, along with two others of their group: Alex and Stevie.

 

 

There were only six Joinings scheduled for this Ceremony of Souls. It was decided to have the Joinings of the Earthlings last because of the way so many on Inferno felt about them.  Their Joining was full of controversy in many ways. Although their Joining was popular with most, some traditionalists expressed disapproval for their not being Hakaanen.

 

Even so, the Hakaanen also knew the approval of their Joining hadn’t been an automatic decision since two of the round-eared boys had been turned down. For the most part the Hakaanen agreed that the boys being Joined had proven themselves to be Hakaanen in their hearts and souls.

 

Brandon and Travis were deeply disappointed, but they were determined attempt a Joining again someday. They made love the night before the Ceremony. It was wonderful lovemaking.  They still couldn't understand why they were turned down, but they were going to wear the ceremonial robes they’d received as gifts before they left Inferno when they attended the Joinings of the friends they loved so much. Brandon's robe was white with blue and gold trim. Travis had a white robe with orange and green trim. They couldn't have the designs on their robes because they weren't Joined or being Joined, but they could have two color trim adorning their robes.

 

 

The first four ceremonies had been completed. Mike and Ryan were next. The drum rolls and the call of the horn brought Mike out on the stage. He was wearing a purple ceremonial robe with gold trim and designs. He called down Captain Parrish to represent his family. Then he called Enghar's parents, Governor Andorn, Roobine, and Modar. After them came Enghar, Matthew, Bandar, and Hajo, along with the other friends he had made at school. He called his friends from Earth; Scooter, Douglas, Brandon, and Travis.  Mike thanked them and bowed to them all. Finally, he called his Meshanna-to-be, Ryan.

 

Ryan stepped out in a stunning robe of forest green with silver trim and designs. He had a silver comet streaking across his chest. He called down John Woods to represent his family. As far as he was concerned, John was more family to him than his own family was. Everybody else he wanted on the stage was there and he had them stand up again. Being in front of all the people at the amphitheater made him very nervous, but he worked hard to keep from showing it. Ryan was shy and quiet and all the people there almost made him shake.

 

Ryan gave his thanks. Then the quiet music played and Mike and Ryan met in the middle and kissed. The ceremony went by both of them in a blur. With Scooter translating, John Woods spoke for Ryan. Mattoo was the speaker for Mike, his big "brother". Mike had been his speaker when he was Joined.

 

The Mashan juice was presented. And then Ryan found himself, his shy self, rubbing his body against his love and cumming over himself while hundreds of people watched. He was both aroused and embarrassed, and being aroused won.

 

But in his mind he heard Ryan, Ost Lesha Drey just as Mike heard in his, Mike, Ost Lesha Drey. Ryan heard the priest say, "You are now Meshannas," and he collapsed into Mike's arms. Mike carried him off the stage and the crowd cheered for the first round- ears to take each other as Meshannas.

 

Then the stage was cleared and the drum rolled and the horn sounded once again. Douglas stepped out into the spotlight. The crowd cheered for the leader of the round-ears, who they looked upon as a hero. Douglas stood proudly in his light blue ceremonial robe, trimmed with red and with white designs in the shapes of basketballs, baseballs, and footballs. He, too, called Captain Parrish to represent his parents and family. Then he called John Woods, Enghar's parents, Modar, Governor Andorn, the Chief Engineer, Roobine, and his Hakaanen friends. After that he called his Earth friends down. Ryan had revived and walked down with Mike, his new Meshanna. They were dressed in their Joining robes.

 

Douglas gave his thanks. He bowed to them all and thanked each of them. A special thanks went to Mike for being a rock for him to lean on during their trek through the desert and through space. Then he called for his sweet love.

 

Scooter stepped onto the stage. The light caused his blond hair to gleam brightly. He was wearing a beautiful golden robe, trimmed in pink. It had a pink star on the left side of the chest. It was plain, simple, and incredibly beautiful.

 

Scooter had Governor Andorn represent his family. He called down Pam, Brandon's mother, whom he had known since he was a little boy.  Then he called down the adults, his Hakaanen friends, and his Earth friends.  He gave his thanks to them.

 

The quiet theme started playing and the two boys kissed in the middle.

 

"Scooter, my love of my youngness, I want you as my Meshanna. My soulmate. My love in my heart, mind, and soul, forever.  Please be mine."

 

"Douglas, my love of my youngness, I want you as my Meshanna. My soulmate. My love in my heart, mind, and soul, forever. Please be mine."

 

The priest handed both boys the juice of the Mashan root. They drank, kissed, mixed the juices, and then swallowed.

 

Douglas removed Scooter's robe, marveling at the beautiful naked body of his lover. Then Scooter removed Douglas's robe. They kissed, penises touching. The priest put the black and white ceremonial blanket around the kissing boys.

 

Then Governor Andorn stood up and told why the boys should be joined. He told about the leadership the boys showed and the closeness he saw in both of them. He told how they proudly took on the Hakaanen ways and culture. After him, Enghar stood up for Douglas and told how proud he was to know both of them. He explained how wonderful his own round-eared Meshanna was and how he knew that Scooter and Douglas would find the same happiness.

 

Then the priest said, "In the name of the Great God Jeswa, I name you Meshannas." He turned the blanket over to the gray side. "Like the stripes on this blanket becoming one color, your souls and minds and hearts are now one. Being a Meshanna is for life and is never ended by distance, partners, or death. Is that what you both wish?"

 

"It is," they both said together.

 

They drank their second glass of Mashan juice the same way they had drunk the first. And as the powerful herb washed over their minds, they became totally lost in each other. They kissed. The music, their friends, the crowd disappeared into the background and all that was left in the universe was the other boy's lover. All Douglas could see was Scooter's beauty. All Scooter could see was the athletic body of Douglas. The two boys rubbed against each other, humping, kissing, holding, hugging, shouting with pleasure and joy.  In their minds they had become the entire universe.

 

Scooter, Ost Lesha Drey. I love you.

 

Douglas, Ost Lesha Drey. I love you.

 

And when they finally shot their rich, teen boy juice, their orgasms seemed to come from deep within them and consume every ounce of their beings. The priest was amazed at the intensity of feelings emanating from the boys. The screams of delight filled the amphitheater, and they came in a wild mutual orgasm, their teen seed shooting over each other and themselves. Like Ryan, they both collapsed to their knees. The priest mixed the boys' cum on his index finger and let them taste it.

 

"You are now Meshannas." Once again the crowd cheered. The priest helped the boys off the stage. Another Ceremony of the Soul was over. Mike and Ryan, Scooter and Douglas were Joined.

 

 

After the effects of the root wore off, Scooter and Douglas joined the throngs at the celebration fair. They had removed their robes and wore only their shoulder and hip belts. They held hands and received congratulations from the Hakaanen who saw them. People they had never met came to them and told them how wonderful it was that boys from a different planet thought so much of the Hakaanen way that they came across the galaxy to be Joined.

 

As Scooter and Douglas turned a corner around a tent they saw a surprising thing. Brandon was with a Hakaanen boy who looked around eleven or twelve. The boy still had his ceremonial robe on. It was a plain white one, since he could not yet produce semen and couldn’t be Joined as a result. They could overhear what was being said.

 

"I'm having trouble taking my robe off," the Hakaanen boy said. "Could you help me?"

 

"Sure," Brandon said. Brandon's robe was already off. The boy lifted his arms and Brandon pulled the robe off of him. His body was slim, smooth, and sexy. Brandon looked at him and almost drooled.

 

"You want to walk around together?" the boy asked.

 

"Sure," Brandon said again. The boy stuck out his hand. Brandon took it.  It was a simple, touching gesture.

 

"I saw you at the ceremony. I couldn't take my eyes off you. My name is Reshada," the boy told him. That was how Brandon felt right now—he couldn't take his eyes off the boy. What neither boy knew right then was that in a few months, after Reshada’s first wet orgasm, Brandon and the Hakaanen boy would become the second pair of mixed Meshannas.

 

That night the new Meshannas bedded down together in their own rooms and made a special kind of love. The return to Inferno had been worth it for the Joining if nothing else. But the time was coming to make decisions about what was going to happen next in their lives. 

 

 

Douglas and Scooter were going to return to Earth on the "Starblazer". They wanted to return to school to prepare for their futures, which they knew would take them into space. They also knew they would someday return to Inferno.

 

 Mike and Ryan decided more ships would be coming and going from Inferno. They wanted to stay on Inferno for now and help the rebuilding.

 

Brandon was going to stay on Inferno with his mother for now. He knew he wasn't going to get formal schooling, but he was going to learn a lot about the science of terraforming by helping combine Earth and Hakaanen technology. He already had helped the Hakaanen during his first visit.

 

Mike, Ryan, and Brandon knew their futures were in space, however, and they all knew it would mean returning to school. Brandon agreed with his mother’s plan that he take no more than a year off from school. Mike and Ryan followed his lead.

 

Travis was going back to Earth with Douglas and Scooter; he saw no reason to stay on Inferno. From the moment he saw Brandon and Reshada together, he could tell that the two had a special link between them. And just looking at Brandon with the younger boy, Travis knew where his heart really was—it was with a younger boy as well.  It was with his cousin. He knew he had to return to Earth. And he knew deep in his heart that someday he would return to Inferno with Nathan for the Joining ceremony. The challenge would be having Nathan, who had not lived on Inferno, be accepted for a Joining. He hoped the fact that Nathan was a blood relative would help.

 

Five days had gone by since the Joining. The trade and treaty talks were almost over. The “Starblazer” was scheduled to depart in three days.

 

Scooter and Douglas spent the next night with Enghar and Matthew. But the night after that was a night for just for the two of them. They got two backpacks and a sleeping bag. Then the hiked to the nearby west cliffs..

 

They followed the cliff trail. The sun was hot, and got hotter as they climbed. They had plenty of water in their packs and on their belts. It was late afternoon when they reached the top. They stood at the edge of the cliff and looked down into the dark green Big Valley. A couple of clouds drifted past. They held hands and looked at the sight. They both wondered when they would see it again.

 

"I'm going to miss Mike, Ryan, and Brandon," Scooter said. "I miss the rest of the group so much. We'll be leaving Matthew again, too."

 

"Well, we have it planned to spend tomorrow night with them. Another special good-bye. And everybody acts happy. Brandon and Travis seem to have recovered from their disappointment."

 

They talked and held hands and walked until they found a place to set up camp. They laid out the only sleeping bag and air mattress they needed and set up a stove and cooked their dinner.

 

When they finished eating they watched the sun go down, looking at it and then back to the valley as the cliffs and mountains cast their shadows across it. The stars slowly made their appearance. Both moons were on the other side of the planet, and the sky was darker than it usually was at night.  Because they were above the thick atmosphere of the valley, the stars were crisp and clear.

 

The two boys were inside their double sleeping bag, lying on their backs, naked bodies touching, holding hands. They were staring up at the sparkling, twinkling stars. Their love for each other was sparking between them. Their hearts were joined, and their minds and souls were one. They were Meshannas. 

 

They snuggled and continued looking up at the bright clusters of stars. The young teens knew that their future occupied the stars above them. There were stars and planets in the sky waiting for them to discover.

 

Scooter and Douglas belonged to the stars. They gazed at the stars, seeing their dance and hearing their song. The light, coming from so far away, was sending its message to the boys. They felt that message all around them, and it filled their souls...Ost Lesha Drey…Ost Lesha Drey…I Love you…I Love You.

 

THE END

 

Note: There will be an epilogue following in a few days which will tell a little about the future lives of the young Survivors. Thank you for all for reading my story.  Please write--your words are my payment for writing.

 

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