Copyright © 2023-2024 Voyagers Authors. All Rights Reserved.
CHAPTER 10
A DAY OFF
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2122
1200
<Robinson Residence>
Kyle surveyed the pool area of his home from a lounge chair on the deck. Kyle, Ronnie, and Danny had sounded out the officers they were close to and invited those who didn’t have other plans. Kyle was pleased by the turnout; it indicated that even though he was the captain of the Heinlein he wasn’t an intimidating presence. On the other hand, as Danny had just pointed out, it might indicate that he was so intimidating that most of the invitees were afraid not to attend. The statement shook Kyle for a moment, then he detected Danny’s elvish smile and knew his husband was yanking his chain.
Steve and Brad came together and were at a table chatting with Ronnie. Logan Wilson’s nine-year-old twin brothers, Mark and Matthew, were romping in the deep end of the pool with Nelson Mirah. Logan was in the hot tub with his assistant science chief, Tommy Harper. Kyle noted that Logan had his right arm around Tommy’s shoulder. It was obvious that the two had more in mind than a simple soak in the tub. Kyle made a mental note to talk to the two of them about the relationships between senior officers and their underlings before the day was out.
Devin was sitting with Kyle and Danny. Kyle could sense that Devin and Danny were noticing the budding intimacy between Logan and Tommy. He turned to watch Koji, Duskin, and Tai Daniels horseplaying in the shallow end of the pool.
Greg and Alicia Robinson were visiting neighbors across the street. The lunch visit had been set up so that Greg and Alicia would be out of the hair of the boys while being nearby should an emergency crop up.
Their neighbors, Shannon and Tara Jenkins, were a married lesbian couple with two daughters, Monica, who was twelve, and Jodie, who was ten. Shannon had carried Monica and Tara had carried Jodie. Both mothers had been impregnated by sperm provided by sperm donors. Greg and Alicia couldn’t ask for better neighbors. Shannon and Tara thought the same about Greg and Alicia.
Plus, the two mothers were pleased that Kyle and Danny were gay and were unlikely to bother their daughters, which was a good thing because Monica made no secret of the fact that she had a big crush on Kyle. Her disappointment was not that Kyle was gay but that he would soon be leaving for his assignment in space, and she wouldn’t even be able to see him. The fact that her thirteen-year-old neighbor was without a doubt the cutest boy in Las Vegas and was the captain of a starship just made him that much more desirable. All she had to do was find a way to get him to make out with her before he left, and her life would be complete.
Across the street Kyle nudged Danny. “Hey, look at your brother in the hot tub.”
Danny had been concentrating his attention on the boys in the pool and on the deck in an attempt to ignore what his brother Tommy and Logan Wilson were doing. What he saw was Tommy and Logan trading a deep kiss while their hands looked to be busy feeling up something below the waterline. Danny turned red with anger. “That bastard, fucking with my brother like that. I’m gonna kill him.”
He leaped up from his chair, but Kyle grabbed him around the waist and pulled him back down into the chaise lounge. The erection Kyle had developed watching Logan and Tommy died down in a hurry.
“Hey, Dan-O, chill out.”
“He’s Tommy’s superior officer for fuck’s sake.”
“And your point is?”
“What do you mean my point is? He’s turning Tommy gay and he’s gonna pay is my point.”
“Outside of the bad poetry, do you know who you’re sounding like?” Kyle asked.
“Who?”
“Think about it…who all but forced Tommy to stow away on the Sooloo?”
“Oh, fucking shit—my sperm donor—the one who treated me like a pile of dog poo from the time you and me got split up. That dude,” Danny sighed.
“That was an outstanding deduction.”
“So, what I should be doing is look over at my little brother and be happy that he’s happy. Just because I was his guardian doesn’t mean I own him, just like our dad didn’t own us.”
“And before you start worrying about the senior officer shit, Devin and I will be talking to both of them, probably later today, to remind them about what the protocols are. Remember, you were supposed to report to me…”
“…and ended up reporting to Hal. Damn I’ve been a fool about those two.”
“Nah, you’ve been a conscientious big brother who started going a bit too far,” Kyle said.
“And who just learned a lesson, I hope. Remind me about this if I ever go bad daddy with Koji or Duskin.”
“No worries. I’ll be right on top of it,” Kyle grinned.
His cock quickly returned to its hard state of four and a half inches as he surveyed the pool area. He watched Logan and Tommy leave the hot tub, both of them sporting erections. They traded a long deep kiss, their bodies pushing hard against each other before holding hands and walking to the pool house for a finale. It wouldn’t be their first one together.
“Logan’s got a big boner,” his brother Mark observed.
“No duh,” Mark’s twin Matthew said. “He must’ve got it wrestling naked with Tommy, just like he gets one wrestling with us.”
“Do you think they went into that house to wrestle?”
“Maybe they’re gonna do sex stuff.”
“No way. Tommy’s only ten. So, he wouldn’t be doing sex stuff,” Matthew said with conviction.
“So? We like to play with each other’s dicks and we won’t be ten for…,” Mark made a quick count on his fingers, “…for twenty-seven more days.”
“But we’re twins and that’s different,” Matthew pointed out. “And it’s fun to rub each other’s dicks.”
“Yeah, that’s true, but we do rub Logan’s dick sometimes, too.”
“Hmm, yeah and that’s true, too.”
“I got a boner now, too,” Mark told his twin.
“I don’t, but if you rub my dick real quick, I bet I’ll get one too.”
Mark reached underwater and grabbed his brother’s cocklet, quickly getting it hard.
“Damn, there’s a lot of horny boys at this party,” Steve said to Brad and Ronnie. “Me included.”
“It’s almost time for lunch, but I bet we can rub one off if we’re quick,” Brad said.
“Three senior officers in a furious masturbation race to the finish. It has a nice ring to it.”
“Guys, I have a dinner date coming up,” Ronnie said.
“What, you two are gonna fuck on your table in the restaurant?”
“That’s a thought. But, no, I just want to be able to do what I gotta do if it turns out I gotta do it.”
“Um…I don’t know about you, Brad, but it would seem to me Ronnie would have a hell of a lot more staying power tonight if he rubbed one off with us. What do you think?”
“I think not being too horny when I did it with a girl helped me a lot,” Brad said.
“There, see? That comes from the non-virgin in this group. I mean non-virgin when it comes to a female creature.”
“I’m not one either,” Ronnie confessed.
“Then you know what I’m talking about,” Brad said.
“Yep. So, how about we head to my bedroom and have that race.”
Nobody objected and the race was on.
Mark, Matthew, and Nelson gawked at the three teenage officers darting into the house. “They all had boners,” Mark stated.
“And I know what they’re gonna do with them,” Nelson said.
“Me too,” Matthew said. “Logan does it a lot—I’ve seen him do it.”
“I do it sometimes. It feels kinda good.”
“Mark and I do it, but we don’t get the tingles that Logan says he gets.”
“I wonder what Logan and Tommy are doing in the pool house?” Nelson asked.
“Probably the same thing as those officers,” Mark speculated.
“No doubt. I got a boner thinking about it.”
“We don’t,” Mark said as he spoke for himself and his twin. The sex talk ended there for the three boys who paddled over to Koji and Duskin. The group decided to have various swimming competitions until lunch was served.
Around 1315 Greg, Alicia, Monica, and Jodie walked across the street to set up the food. The girls were more than eager to help, especially since it gave them a chance to see the naked boys. The girls were no strangers to nudity since their mothers were naturists. Besides, Monica would be able to see Kyle naked for the first time and the thought of that made her swoon.
The adults decided that the girls would stay dressed to keep them from being too much of a distraction. The girls were okay with it, although deep down Monica wished Kyle could see her naked as well.
Just before the call for lunch was made, Logan and Tommy came out of the pool house. Danny and Kyle agreed they would have their talk with them after lunch. Steve, Brad, and Ronnie came downstairs, their sexual needs satisfied. Nobody but them needed to know that Steve won the race with Brad coming in second.
“I decided to go for quality rather than speed,” Ronnie said about his third-place finish. The elapsed time between first and third had been a minute and fifteen seconds.
Everyone enjoyed the fantastic lunch Alicia had put together. Monica did all she could to garner Kyle’s attention. Other than a polite thank you, her crush didn’t pay much attention to her during the lunch break. She even thought about removing her shirt and bra to put her budding breasts on display but decided to follow the rules and remain fully dressed. The high point for her came after everyone had eaten and Kyle asked her how she was doing. For a moment, she thought she was going to faint. Fortunately, a deep breath brought her back.
The party went on for another hour or so after lunch as the boys started to tire. Soon some of boys were in the pool house showering and dressing as Greg and Alicia started arranging rides. Danny and Kyle picked this time to have their talk with Tommy and Logan.
“We need to talk,” Kyle said matter-of-factly.
“We figured that would be happening,” Logan said. “And, yes, I’ve read the manual and I understand the rules. You and I have had this talk before.”
“I know, but things were looking a little more serious than just playing around and I wanted to be sure you and Tommy both totally understood your responsibilities.”
“Logan has told me what the rules are more than once and he said if we follow them everything is cool,” Tommy said.
“Well, I wanted to say something about this, too,” Danny started. He stopped when Tommy held up his hand.
“I saw you staring at me when we were in the hot tub. Don’t start acting like dad, cuz I came to you because…” This time Danny held up his hand.
“I know what you’re going to say, and I admit I was gonna get all over Logan’s ass for what he was doing to you.”
“I knew it!” Tommy said angrily.
“But, I didn’t. And you can thank your Uncle Kyle for that.”
“Why should I?”
“Because he told me just what you were thinking. I was acting just like dad and not like your big brother who loves you. I’m sorry I even thought that way. I apologize to you, Logan, for not trusting you. I thought you were taking advantage of my little brother.”
“My feelings for him are real, and he knows it,” Logan said. “And if Kyle thinks he should be transferred to a different department I’ll understand.”
Kyle shook his head. “I trust you to do the right thing.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
Tommy looked straight at Logan, who nodded. “And just so you guys know, all we did was kiss and make out and jerk each other off today, and that’s the most we’ve done.”
“At least so far,” Danny grinned.
“Yeah, well you never know, big brother. Besides, you, me, and Uncle Kyle have done that much together.”
“Has your boyfriend got you to shoot cum yet?”
“He’s not my boyfriend, and no he hasn’t but I get good tingles, and you’ve got a dirty mind.”
“And I’m proud of it.”
“When you guys become boyfriends, let us know and we’ll have a party,” Kyle said.
“We’ll see what happens,” Logan said, which was where the conversation ended.
<Las Vegas, The Shake Palace>
1400
“I heard Captain Doofus is having an orgy at his place,” Donald Nixon said to his friend Everett Belmont. The two were each enjoying a burger, fries, and a milkshake. They were supposed to be the best choices in Vegas and neither boy was going to argue the fact since the lunch was being paid for by the Admiral, Don’s mysterious daddy.
Everett knew the Admiral wasn’t really Don’s father, that he was a high-ranking officer in Space Fleet, and for some reason he was backing Don in his campaign to remove Kyle Robinson as the captain of the Heinlein. He wished Don would trust him with the full truth. Don had promised he would when the time came, but Everett wasn’t sure Don would follow through on that promise.
“From what Logan said, it was just a naked swim party not an orgy. He said Kyle’s parents would probably be there.” Everett was referring to Logan Wilson, who was his and Don’s commanding officer in the science department.
“Yeah, right. Kyle’s dad is Admiral Greg Robinson, who is the commanding officer of the entire Explorer Program and just happens to be the guy who got his idiot son the job of captain of the Heinlein. And he’s going to supervise a naked party and make sure an orgy doesn’t happen? And I’m supposed to actually believe that?”
“I see your point.”
“You know why not very many Explorer officers applied to be captain of the newest and biggest and best ship in the Explorer fleet?”
“No, I don’t.” Everett remembered listening to Don ramble about this at the luncheon the day before at the Starr Central Restaurant, but he hadn’t been paying close attention because what he was saying had nothing to do with their plan to get rid of Kyle.
“Because they all knew that Admiral Gregory Robinson had already picked his loser of a son to be the captain, so why bother applying? Like I told you, I applied, got a good recommendation from my captain and a super awesome recommendation from the Admiral, who really is a big shit admiral at HQ. And I didn’t even get an interview. They said it was because I was only a lieutenant, but we both know that I was the best candidate that applied, and they knew Admiral Greg would automatically slip his son past me if they ended up giving me an interview in which I would have kicked ass.”
The rant’s topic was close to yesterday’s rant, but Everett still couldn’t figure out what Don’s point was. But that didn’t matter much to Everett. He didn’t have any skin in the game like Don did and he simply didn’t want to trust his life to a thirteen-year-old captain who was younger than he was.
“Well, so far there are four of us in our little group,” Don said. “I’d like to have six. We’ve got you and me from science, Mark from security and tactics, and Wade from engineering. We need to keep our eyes peeled for somebody from operations. Let me tell you, we can get a lot of information from there. And we’re gonna need to know what’s going on all around the ship for this to work."
“What about from Navigation?” Everett asked.
“Those guys are all Kyle Robinson ass kissers. That’s gonna be tough crack.”
“And even if we did, anybody we got could be a spy or something.”
“Tell me about it. We got some new guys coming next week from other ships. I’m gonna see what the Admiral knows about them. Maybe somebody is being transferred and doesn’t want to come here. You never know.”
“Well, if you want me to, I’ll kind of sneak around and listen to what the guys in operations have to say.”
“Good idea.” Don took a big sip of his chocolate shake. “And now I have another idea.”
“Go for it.”
“I want you to be my number two man.”
“For real?”
“Totally for real. You’ve been with me from the beginning, and I know I can totally trust you and with what we’re going to be doing I need my right hand dude to be somebody I can totally trust.”
“Cool,” Everett grinned. “You can trust me 110% and I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”
“You have so far, that’s for sure. I think we make a good team, even if you are only thirteen.”
“Hey, I don’t think that means shit. I mean, I’m not commanding the biggest and fastest and best starship in the explorer fleet.”
“No, you’re not, and I shouldn’t have said what I said.” While Don totally expected Everett to kiss his ass, he also knew that he had to keep his protégé happy. “And not being a fucking loser like a certain thirteen-year-old makes a huge difference. You might be thirteen, but you can do what I need you to do perfectly.”
“Thanks. You know I’ll always do my best.”
“I do. And before we finish up and go, let’s talk a minute about Captain Pussy Boy and our horny and clueless science chief and his romance with his assistant chief.”
“I’m ready to listen,” Everett said as he dipped a French fry into ketchup.
“The Admiral told me what to read in the Space Fleet Officers Manual. I read it, and it says as clear as can be that a Senior Officer cannot have any kind of relationship with somebody in his department other than a professional one,” Don said.
“It sounds like you decided to memorize that.”
“It’s just one more way to bring Captain Wuss down.”
“Are you going to hit him with it first?”
“Oh, fuck no. If I did, his daddy would just find a way to get him off the hook, like I heard he used to do when Cadet Kyle was being a pain in the ass at the Academy. No, I want this to be like the final nail in his ass when everything is coming apart around him.”
“You mean that it’s when he’s in such deep shit that this will be the thing that sinks him.”
“Exactly. Then there’s going to be no way he can get rescued because he’s already fucked. Not doing anything about the hanky-panky between Logan and Tommy will finish him for sure. I’ll feel sorry for them because I got nothing against them. They probably figure what they’re doing is okay because Captain Dumb Shit is letting them do their thing, but they’re going to get disciplined, and probably lose their positions and maybe even get bumped down in rank. At least, that’s what the manual seems to be saying.”
Everett and Don ate the last bites of their burgers and slurped the last of their shakes. Don paid with the debit card the Admiral had given him and headed for the streetcar stop which was a block away. While Everett would never admit it to a living soul, including himself, one of the reasons he had become so loyal to Donald Nixon was that he had developed a gigantic boy crush on him.
<Linn Chang and Ronnie>
The pool party was over by 1500. Everybody except for the Robinsons had left, leaving Koji, Duskin, Danny, Kyle, Ronnie, and Tommy. While Tommy officially lived at the officers quarters situated near the Academy, he’d been spending most of his nights with the people who made up his family. All of them were excited about the upcoming day. It would be the first time the entire crew (except those who hadn’t arrived to Earth yet) would all be on board the Heinlein. It would be a day of training and ship tours. Tommy would be the only one who had not yet been on board the starship. Koji and Duskin were disappointed they couldn’t share the same excitement, since the day would be for crew members only. The dependents would be taking their first trip to the ship on Wednesday.
Ronnie was soon dressing for the dinner he had scheduled with Linn Chang, the Chief Engineer of the Sally Ride. They agreed they would wear their dress uniforms. They had decided to return to the Skyward Restaurant. While it was pricey, they knew the view couldn’t be beat anywhere in Las Vegas. Since it would be one of their last days on Earth for a long time, they decided to see as much of it as they could. What better place was there than in a rotating restaurant on the 106th story of the Stratosphere Tower?
Over Linn’s objections, Ronnie said he would pay. He had plenty of credits saved up since he had virtually no way to spend the salary he earned while on space duty. Linn hadn’t started getting paid until a month ago.
“Next time we meet, wherever that is, I’ll pay,” Linn said as she and Ronnie planned for their dinner engagement.
Alicia provided the transportation with her car. They picked up Linn at the Women Officers Quarters, where she had her own apartment in the temporary quarters where many of her crewmates resided.
The two enjoyed a scrumptious meal and a seemingly endless view. The country of the week on the menu was France, which meant there was a special menu featuring French meals. Linn and Ronnie both ordered off of that menu. One of the appetizers was escargot, which Linn loved. Ronnie had never tried them and was reluctant to try eating snails. Linn talked him into it, saying he was going to taste the excellent garlic sauce more than anything else, which is exactly what happened. Ronnie thought he would probably barf after downing them; instead, he found them to be delicious. Linn showed him how dipping the bread that had been served into the remaining garlic sauce made sure that none of the sauce would go to waste.
For the entrée, Linn had rosemary grilled chicken stuffed with mushrooms in a white wine sauce (the alcohol was cooked out of it). Ronnie enjoyed beef bourguignon with bacon. Their sides were garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Dessert was a raspberry fruit tart.
They talked about their lives before attending the Academy and Ronnie’s time on the Victorious. Linn admitted that the challenge facing her made her nervous. “I’m not scared though. I know I can do the job. I just don’t want to screw up big time.”
“You’re too good and too smart for a big-time screw up. You may have a few glitches along the way, though. I know I had my share, but they were things that we easily corrected,” Ronnie said.
“I just wish we had an adult, like an instructor from the Academy, with us to start. I mean, none of us have ever done this before.”
“It was just the same when I started. The Explorer Program was entirely new and we didn’t know squat. But you have something we didn’t have.”
“What’s that.”
“Instant communication. We had delays talking to Earth. The farther away we were the longer the delay. The Darastixians solved that problem for us. When we asked Earth for help back then, it was a long slow process. You’ll have instant help from the experts now. I’m envious.”
“But I bet you learned a lot doing things that way,” Linn said.
“Oh, did we. But, like you said, we learned quickly to take care of ourselves whenever we could. And the more experienced we became, the more we would take care of ourselves. And then we got instant communications, and it was like we’d landed in heaven or something.”
After paying with his Explorer debit card, which was connected to his bank account, they took the elevator down to the lobby on the ground floor. “Do you want to visit me for a while?" Linn asked.
“Do they allow boys in those apartments?”
“Yes, but only until 2100 and they have to be Academy cadets, Explorer officers, or relatives, and I need a form signed by one of my parents.”
“Since they’re in China that won’t be easy to get at the last minute,” Ronnie pointed out.
“That’s not a problem since I already have it and it has your name on it.”
Ronnie was astounded. “You mean you knew I would say yes?”
“I had no idea, but I wanted to be prepared in case you did.”
“I can see how you became a chief. You think ahead like a good chief does. And your parents were okay with this?”
“My parents are very liberal, and they were impressed when they learned you were a chief engineer. Besides, how much trouble can we get into talking about engineering?”
“Since it’s only 1840 which gives us a couple of hours, my answer is, it’s a go. My card allows me to get an Uber, so we have a ride.”
“I have a card, too, and I’m paying for the ride,” Linn insisted. She called for an Uber which arrived three minutes later. The driver was impressed by the teen couple in full dress uniforms. Living in Las Vegas meant he knew about the Explorer program, but this was the first time he had driven a pair wearing full dress uniforms on a date.
Fifteen minutes later Linn was unlocking the door to her apartment. “Before we do anything, I’m going to get comfortable,” Linn said, and she disappeared into her bedroom.
The small apartment consisted of a living room/kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom. While he waited, Ronnie removed his dress jacket, shoes, and shirt, which he considered stifling. He was now dressed in his dress pants and a t-shirt.
Linn came out wearing a loose-fitting blouse and chinos. “I have to say, you do look comfortable,” Ronnie told her.
“You’d look a lot more comfortable if you got out of those dress pants.”
“Well, if you insist.” Ronnie stripped off his pants and was now down to t-shirt, light blue boxers, and black socks. “Hmm, that is more comfortable.”
“Like you needed me to tell you.”
“I wasn’t gonna go down to my underwear without your okay. And you have my okay to dump those pants.”
Linn was quickly down to her blouse and black panties. Ronnie noted she wasn’t wearing a bra.
“Shouldn’t you tell your mom you’re here?” Linn asked.
“I texted her while we were getting comfortable. She figured we’d spend time talking since it will be a long time before we ever see each other again.”
“It’s likely that we won’t see each other again.”
“Then we better take advantage of this to do what we can,” Ronnie suggested.
“Does it bother your parents that I’m Asian and you’re Black?”
“I don’t see why it should. We’re just visiting after all.”
“What if we did more than just visit?”
“It still wouldn’t bother them. I mean, their marriage is a mixed marriage after all,” Ronnie said. “What about your parents?”
“They think it is great that we can all get along in so many ways, all the way from world government to mixed marriages. And while I’m not suggesting anything, I am fully protected against getting pregnant.”
“I understand. Just in case talking about engineering turns into something else, right?” Ronnie grinned.
“Something like that,” Linn responded as she removed her blouse revealing her bare breasts. Ronnie kissed each one and then fondled them as he planted a long, wet kiss on Linn’s lips and into her mouth.
Not long after that they were naked and rolling on Linn’s bed. Neither of them was a virgin and they didn’t need any instructions on what to do. The casual visit had quickly morphed from making out, getting naked, a romp in the bed, and to serious sex. When the two teens finished, they were exhausted. It was 2015. Not enough time for seconds but time enough for some pillow talk.
“You know, in a just world the new ships would be co-ed and I’d be assigned to the Heinlein as your chief assistant,” Linn said.
“And we’d become boyfriend and girlfriend since the Explorer protocols allow that.”
“I’m only 15 and you’re only 16, so we have plenty of time for that to happen. It’s too bad you can’t spend the night, or we could do it again.”
“You’re a horny girl,” Ronnie smirked.
“Just like you’re a horny boy.”
“Even if I could, I wouldn’t spend the night, and you know why. We both have to get up at oh-dark-hundred tomorrow for a long day in space. We won’t be going anywhere, but I know you’ll be doing a trial run.”
The two teens reluctantly rose from the bed. They kissed again and took a final feel of each other’s bodies. Ronnie dressed but Linn stayed naked. Ronnie contacted his mother, telling her he would be ready to be picked up at 2100.
Ronnie and Linn shared a long final kiss. He then wiped a couple tears from her cheek with a finger and left the apartment and the building. He wasn’t surprised to see his dad’s car. He was hoping he would be the one to pick him up.
After greeting each other and exchanging some small talk about Ronnie’s engineering lessons, Greg popped the big question Ronnie had been expecting.
“Man to man, how was it?” Greg asked his son.
“Man to man it couldn’t have been better. She knows her stuff,” Ronnie grinned.
“I’m glad it worked out for the two of you.”
Linn sat on her couch wiping away a few more tears. She was happy she and Ronnie were able to go all the way while at the same time she wished they hadn’t. She didn’t know if it was the sex or the way Ronnie patiently answered her questions about being a Chief Engineer but he had brought up some strong feelings in her. She had seen him only three times, but she would miss him countless times. The good news was, they could message each other ship to ship, which could always be justified as her getting more tutoring from Ronnie. She hoped it would eventually mean so much more.
<Robinson residence>
When Ronnie arrived home, he found his mother sitting where he expected to see her—sitting in her favorite chair in the family room. “Hey, ma,” he said before giving her a peck on the chin.
“Well, hello. How was the big date?” Alicia asked.
“Mom, it wasn’t a date, it was dinner and engineer talk.”
“I’m sure it was, especially after you went to her apartment,” she grinned.
“Jeez, we had some personal talk too.”
“I’m glad it was a good night. She seems to be a very nice and very smart girl.”
“How do you know? You’ve never met her.”
“Not personally, but I got a visual call from her yesterday afternoon.”
Ronnie’s jaw dropped and his heart rate sped up. “Really? What did she say?”
“She said she wished we could meet and talk, but since our schedules won’t let us, she thought she’d call so I could get to know her. So, on top of being brilliant and beautiful, she is also thoughtful and polite. I think you had no choice but to have a good time with her.”
“Well, you’re right, about that.”
“And she never told you she called?”
“No, she didn’t. When we were getting dr…ready for me to go meet dad she said she wanted to say something before I left, but somehow it didn’t happen. That was probably what she wanted to tell me.” But that last kiss made forgetting to tell me understandable, Ronnie thought. “And now I’d better get to bed—it’s going to be an early wake up tomorrow.” He gave his mother a good night kiss and left the room.
He bade good night to his dad, who was reading in his den, and headed to his bedroom for bed. His brothers were all in bed and probably sleeping (although chances were good that Koji and Duskin are up to something in their room) he thought. Sex with his brothers and other boys was wonderful, but it didn’t come close to matching what he experienced in Linn’s bedroom. He wondered if the two of them would ever have the chance to do it again. As he climbed under his covers, he understood why Linn shed a couple of tears during their last kiss. He could have easily done the same thing.
One change from the normal in the other bedrooms was Tommy sleeping with Danny, and Kyle spending the night in Tommy’s bed. Tommy needed to feel the love and support of his big brother after Kyle reminded Tommy and Logan what the Explorer Program Officers manual said. Danny convinced Tommy that he wasn’t in trouble.
“Kyle read those pages with you because he is required to as the ship’s captain,” Danny said. “He trusts both of you to do the right thing. Devin will meet with you sometime tomorrow to discuss his expectations as he evaluates you. The only big difference for you is that you’ll see more of Devin when evaluation time comes.”
“That’s all?” Tommy asked.
“That’s all. Plus, some advice from me.”
“What?”
“Don’t let Logan make you do something you don’t want to do.”
Tommy looked his brother straight in his eyes. “I might just be ten years old, but I’ll be eleven in four months. And nobody makes me do what I don’t want to do, including our father,” he said powerfully.
“I have never doubted you. I can’t see the boy who stowed away on a starship ever letting somebody make him do anything he thinks is wrong.”
“Danny?” Tommy’s voice had dropped to a whisper.
Danny put his arm around his little brother’s bare shoulder. “Yes, bro?” Danny’s voice had dropped to a forceful whisper.
Tommy kissed Danny on his left cheek. He upped his volume to his normal voice. “Thanks for being an awesome big brother. I love you.”
“I love you, too, little bro. Just you wait, you’re going to be doing great things—and I mean soon.”
The brothers enjoyed a quick peck on the lips, then turned on their sides and fell asleep. Oh dark hundred would be coming all too soon.
Koji and Duskin were busy in their bedroom later than anyone else in the house. They had nowhere to go in the morning until their first class at school, which wasn’t nearly as early as everyone else. Not that they’d be able to sleep through the entire household rising early, but they thought they could.
Duskin was sitting at their desk wearing headphones and playing his electric piano. He had practiced diligently on the baby grand in the living room before dinner. This time he was creating his own music, which he loved to do privately on the headphones until he had what he wanted.
Koji was prone on the floor drawing in his sketchbook. Duskin had asked him to design a holodeck practice room for him, which Koji saw as a special challenge. He decided he was going to design more than one room. That way he could have a room whose design matched the era of the music he would be playing. Duskin loved the idea.
<Greg and Alicia>
Greg and Alicia sat next to each other on the living room couch. “It would appear that our Ronnie is growing up fast,” Alicia said.
“Does it bother you?”
“Not really. But he’s only sixteen and…,”
“…and too young for a sexual relationship?”
“If that is what you call it. They’re going to be separated soon and if they see each other again it could be years from now. And I can’t say much…Vince and I were fifteen when we first had sex.”
“I take it you think Ronnie and Linn went all the way,” Greg said.
“I have no doubt about that. Deep down, I’m happy for them. No matter what the future holds, they will have a wonderful memory of each other to cherish.”
“Hey, I’m the one who has a thirteen-year-old gay son who is married, of all things.”
“Yeah, married to a boy who has been his best friend since they were in preschool.”
“And happily married at that,” Greg said.
“I should be getting the results of Kyle’s tests before the end of the week,” Alicia said, changing the subject.
“The mystery of Kyle’s mother is a deep one indeed,” Greg said, referring to his first wife. “I never suspected when I courted her and married her that she had alien blood in her veins.
“And now the question is, how much does Kyle have. Other than his hair darkening some, his uncanny ability to read emotions, and his communicating with the stars through his stuffed penguin, he seems to be like any human. And it’s not unusual for the hair of brilliant blonds to darken.”
“Speaking of brilliant, he does have a brilliant mind.”
“Which he no doubt inherited from his father,” Alicia grinned. “Now, let’s get to bed. We’re going to be up as early as the spacefarers.”
Greg agreed and they headed for their bedroom. But before going there, Alicia went upstairs to do a quick check on the boys. She had faith that the space-faring explorers would be in bed and asleep. She wasn’t quite as sure about the little ones, though. When she entered the hallway, she could see that the light was on in their room.
Alicia knocked on their door. Koji told her she could come in. He didn’t care that she would see him naked—she was his mom after all. He knew Duskin felt that way. Both boys knew that their night was going to end earlier than they planned as soon as they heard the knock. Koji closed his sketchbook and Duskin took off his headphones as Alicia entered the room. She told them it was time for them to head to bed. She gave each boy a kiss on the forehead, told them she loved them, and left the room. The boys knew that it would be in their best interests to get into bed and turn out the lights. They fell asleep quickly.
Alicia and Greg fell asleep at close to the same time.
Next: The Heinlein Comes Alive.