Survivors

 

 

 

Matthew was hanging on to Alex, who was kneeling next to him. He couldn’t stop crying, his tears soaking Alex’s chest and belly as they ran down to the waistband of his briefs. Alex knew he would have to deal with Robert Charles later, but right now Matthew needed his help. He took Matthew's hand in his and unwrapped the young boy’s arms. He pulled Matthew to his feet and led him to Mike's cabin, so Matthew could see his "brother".

 

 On the way they passed a crewman going in the other direction. The crewman arched his eyebrows as he saw two boys, one a short, skinny fifteen-year-old wearing nothing but a pair of tight briefs who was holding the hand of the other one, a short skinny ten-year-old, also wearing nothing but a pair of briefs. The cheeks of the younger boy were wet from the tears flowing out of his red eyes.

 

“It’s a long story,” Alex told him as he and Matthew scooted past.  The crewman shook his head, but said nothing. To him it was just one more piece of evidence that the “Starkeeper” had been traveling not in warp space but rather in weird space.

 

When Alex and Matthew got to Mike's cabin, Brad answered the buzzer. He was wearing shorts and a T-shirt.

 

"Hey, Alex, what's up?" Brad saw the state of undress of the two boys. "Looks like trouble is what’s up.  Do you want Mike?"

 

"Yes, please."

 

Brad pressed the buzzer next to Mike’s bedroom door. Mike was sitting on his bed naked, playing a vid game.  He got up and answered the door.

 

"You better put something on, you have company."

 

"Who?"

 

"Alex and Matthew."

 

If it had been just Alex, Mike would stay naked. But since Matthew was with him, he figured he had better at least put some boxers on. He picked a pair off the floor, slipped them on, and went to the door.  He was happy to see Alex and Matthew were as well dressed as he was. Mike led them into his room. He sat on his bed, Matthew sat on the other bed and Alex sat cross legged on the floor.

 

"So what's wrong, little bro?" Mike asked. "You don't look so good."

 

Matthew sniffled. Then he told about what happened that night, and the other things that happened to him. Mike and Alex listened, both getting more and more angry.

 

"That does it!" Alex said. "I'm gonna go kill RC tonight. I don't care what the consequences are!  He is scum and deserves to die." Alex got up, red with anger. Mike stood up and stopped him.

 

"No, Alex, don't go when you're like this. RC is gonna get it. He's gonna get it big time. We're gonna make it so that he is totally embarrassed and humiliated. Just wait, because the time will come for us to do it right.  His power is slipping away bit by bit.”

 

Mike smiled at Alex. “And what were you doing in the hall in your underpants by the way?”

 

Alex told him about his talk with Stevie, and that he was on his way to beat up Robert Charles.  Mike said it looked like a good thing he didn't make it to RC’s room.

 

“I wasn’t going to kill him, just hurt him a bit. It was after I found out about Matthew that I wanted to kill him. But don’t worry, I‘ll play it your way even if I don’t totally agree with it.”

 

“Good, because killing the fucktard is too good for him. Now, let's see if we can help out Matthew."

 

"I think I better leave you two brothers alone to talk," Alex said.

 

"You sure you're ok?" Mike asked.

 

"Don't worry, I'll stay away from RC. He wouldn't let me into his room anyway." Alex got up and left. Brad saw him out the door, telling him he had good taste in clothes. Alex stuck his tongue out at him and left laughing.

 

Mike sat on his bed looking at his sad little friend and brother.

 

"Talk to your big brother, Matthew,"

 

"You hate me now, don't you," Matthew said while fighting back tears again.

 

"Why would I hate you?"

 

"Because I didn't believe you."

 

"Matthew, come over here." Mike patted his bed. Matthew sat on the bed with his head down, tears flowing hard. He couldn't believe he still had tears left in him.

 

"I hate myself. I hate me. I'm no good," he sobbed. Matthew turned and buried his face in Mike's chest. Mike slowly petted his soft, bare back.

 

"I love you, little brother. Don't hate yourself. I love you. That makes you pretty special."

 

"I didn't believe you, and I was friends with Jordan and Robert Charles, and I did nasty things with them, and I'm so sorry I thought you lied to me and I want to be your little brother, and I love you, and I know you hate me." Matthew finally stopped and took a deep breath.

 

Mike put his hand under Matthew's chin gently and held it up, giving him a wide, comforting smile. "Slow down, bro.” He paused as the little boy took another deep breath. “Matthew, don't ever feel that way again.  You're my little brother, and I love you unconditionally. Starting tomorrow you're going to hang out with the friends I love and who will love you, instead of with two guys who don't give a shit about you and keep you just for themselves. You don't ever have to be with them again. I love you little brother. We all love you."  He hugged Matthew tightly again.

 

Matthew looked up at Mike, and for the first time in a long time he smiled. "I love you, big brother." He laid his head on Mike's lap and instantly fell asleep. Mike slowly got up and lay Matthew on his back. What he saw was a cute little boy with a smooth, slender hairless body, wearing tight white briefs and looking innocent and peaceful in his sleep. Mike lifted the boy’s legs and rear and pulled the covers back. Then he set Matthew inside the fresh sheets, pulled the covers over him, and tucked him in.

 

He left the room and talked to Brad. He told his brother about Matthew being asleep. Brad said he would call Matthew's cabin and take care of letting Matthew’s father know. Mike told Brad he was the greatest brother in the world. He climbed into the empty bed in his room, knowing that Brad would take care of Matthew's parents.

 

Brad talked to Matthew’s parents, surprised at how negative his father seemed about his son. Brad was convinced the little boy was sleeping in the right place.

 

A couple hours after he fell asleep, Mike was awakened by his bed moving. He felt the covers move, and then felt somebody climb in. A small warm body cuddled up tightly to him, and then he and Matthew fell asleep.

 

 

After Matthew had left Robert Charles’s room, Jordan told Robert Charles that Matthew didn't seem real happy when he left.

 

"Well duh. Happy boys don’t go walking through the ship bawling their eyes out and wearing nothing but their underpants. He knows who his friends are. He's with us all the way now. You know he liked what we did tonight, I don't care what he said. If he didn't like it he wouldn't have come to my room to do it."

 

Jordan asked Robert Charles if he had any "adult" drinks. Robert Charles got into the unlocked cabinet and brought out a bottle for Jordan. After an hour, Robert Charles had a little buzz, Jordan was wasted, and Robert Charles was fucking him.

 

"You and Matthew are so hot and tight," he said while he was doing it. "Almost as good as a girl." When he finished, Jordan kept drinking until he passed out.

 

The next morning Matthew woke up surprised to be in bed with Mike. Just after he woke up, the alarm went off and the first thing Mike saw was Matthew's deep brown eyes staring at him.

 

"How did I get here?" Matthew asked.

 

"I guess you sleepwalked in." He pointed to the other bed. "You started there last night."

 

"My parents will worry, if they even miss me."

 

Mike told him that Bran had called his dad and was taking care of it.

 

“If you want to shower, bro, we’re going to need to share it,” Mike told him. Matthew thought that was a cool idea.

 

When they got out of bed, Matthew was surprised to see that Mike had slept naked. He shyly pulled off his briefs, and Mike saw Matthew naked for the first time. His little hairless dick was a button; his tight, smooth ball sac full of two round smooth little marbles that obscured all but the button head of Matthew’s prepubescent cocklet.

 

Mike went to the toilet to take his pee. Matthew stood right by his big brother and proudly peed with him. Mike started the shower and they both got in. They got wet, turned off the water, and started washing. Mike started washing Matthew, so the little ten-year-old returned the favor. Matthew figured Mike was like Jordan and Robert Charles and started washing his dick and balls.  Mike stopped him.

 

"You don't have to do that, you know."

 

"I want to because you're my brother."

 

“Just remember, around me or anybody else, you never have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

 

Mike finished and then washed Matthew’s privates. He liked the feel of Matthew's little dick and balls in his hand, and loved feeling Matthew's hard, round butt. To Mike, what they were doing wasn't sexy; it more a matter of brothers helping each other out. He liked the feel of all of his brother, but didn't want to bring him off, even if he did spring a little two-inch boner from being washed. Now wasn't the time for sex stuff, Mike thought. Besides, he is my brother. He was not going to treat him like a toy the way RC and Jordan did. But then, Stevie is Alex's brother, and they were into serious sex with each other. Well, no matter, Mike thought, nothing happens to Matthew that he doesn't want or ask for.

 

Mike turned the water back on and the two boys rinsed. Mike turned off the water and they left the shower and dried themselves and each other. Matthew seemed totally at ease with the little erection he was sporting.

 

"I don’t have any clothes,” he suddenly realized.

 

"Punch your number on the laundry control and you should get some. Or you can go without."  Matthew smiled when he heard that, but he punched his numbers into the control panel and the door soon opened with a clean pair of underpants, socks, shirt, and pants. Now they just had to get some shoes from Matthew’s cabin.

 

They got dressed and went to the cabin. Mike's arm was around the shoulder of his new little brother. Both Mike and Matthew were relieved that the cabin was empty. Matthew put on shoes and they headed to breakfast.

 

When Matthew and Mike got to their usual dining hall, just about all the boys had arrived. Robert Charles was at a table with the girls, along with Jordan, who was looking miserable. All Jordan had in front of him was a glass of orange juice.

 

 Robert Charles was surprised to see Matthew arrive with Mike. He was even more surprised when Matthew sat at the table with Mike instead of at his table. They joined Alex, Stevie, Brandon, Douglas, and Scooter. 

 

Matthew avoided looking over at Robert Charles's table. He was happy being with his big brother and didn’t want to deal with the class leader in any way. He wished Mike had taken him to another dining room, but once he saw how well he was being accepted by the other boys at the table he was pleased Mike had brought him to this room.

 

Alex saw the glow in Matthew. His brown eyes were bright now. He didn't know what Mike had done last night, but he liked it. Douglas and Scooter noticed the change, too. Matthew's eyes weren't dull and looking down.  They were bright and watching Mike constantly. It appeared Matthew might be leaving the control of Robert Charles and Jordan.

 

 

When class started most of the boys knew they would be finding out their punishment for skipping the detention the day before. They were surprised to find First Officer Benson in the room. Everybody took their seats and waited for the ax to fall.

 

Mr. Z gave them a lecture on responsibility and then told them they needed a serious punishment beyond detention. First Officer Benson was here to talk about cabin restriction. The thing that went through every mind was, oops, maybe we went too far.  Restriction was not the punishment they were thinking of.

 

First Officer Benson asked Robert Charles to tell what happened. Robert Charles told the First Officer what the class already knew, about how he had reserved the gym and most of the boys in the class didn't show when they knew they would get detention for not being there. He finished by telling how they all skipped their detention the day before.

 

The First Officer addressed the rest of the class. "Well then, gentlemen, can anybody give me a reason why you shouldn't get a week's cabin restriction?"

 

Douglas raised his hand and the First Officer called on him. The boys had agreed in advance that Douglas would be their spokesman.

 

"Sir, I can give you more than one reason."

 

"Okay, Douglas, please do." The First Officer liked Douglas. The boy was assertive, he was willing to stand up for himself and for his friends, and he displayed budding leadership skills. He certainly had more to offer than the spoiled brat who was supposedly the class leader. Commander Benson could not figure what Mr. Z saw in the boy. He had long ago decided that the Ambassador was holding something over the teacher.

 

"First, we did not elect Robert Charles to be our boss. It was great that he lined up the gym for us and we really appreciate him doing that,” Douglas explained diplomatically, “but he had no business punishing us for not being there. We had already made plans to listen to Alex and Stevie perform their concert for Mike. All of us had decided to attend.  Robert Charles didn’t ask us about our schedule when he reserved the gym, he just did it."

 

The First Officer nodded.

 

"Second, Robert Charles shouldn't be deciding what our punishments are. Robert Charles and Mr. Z. were both wrong for giving us detention. We had no reason to stay, since we never should have received the punishment. We didn't do anything wrong."

 

"Now see here," Mr.Z sputtered, but Benson glared at him and he stopped.

 

"The last reason is…well, sir, I would like to talk to you in private first."

 

The First Officer agreed. He was even more impressed with Douglas as he listened to him tick off the grievances of him and the group. Since he didn't want to walk all the way to Mr. Z's office or go into a sometimes public corridor for a brief chat, he decided he’d talk to Douglas in the escape shuttle that was docked next to the classroom.  He invited Douglas to join him. Robert Charles followed them into the corridor.

 

"I think I should be part of this," he said.

 

"When I need you, son, I'll let you know,” the First Officer told him curtly. He strode down the corridor with Douglas. He opened the hatch to the shuttle and they climbed aboard and found a couple of seats.

 

"So tell me, son, what is this secret third reason?"

 

"Sir, we're pretty sure that Robert Charles’s election was fake."

 

"Excuse me? Do you have evidence of this? This is a pretty serious charge, son."

 

"We have some evidence, but Marie is the person to talk to. I guess Robert Charles, Mr. Z, and the RD set it up.  I'm not saying he didn't win, but I am saying nobody knows for sure."

 

"Well, Marie has an appointment to see me this afternoon. It might be about that."

 

Then the First Officer called Robert Charles to come to the shuttle.

 

"Robert Charles, what do you have to say to what Douglas said in the classroom?"

 

"Sir, I went through a lot of trouble to get that gym. I think the class should show their appreciation by being there."

 

"Did you ask Mr. Z about this first?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"Did you ask the boys if they had any other plans?"

 

"No, sir. I figured any plans they had could be changed. And like I said, it was a lot of trouble to get the gym reserved."

 

"But you gave them no warning at all about this until the day it happened?"

 

"Like I said, there was no reason they couldn't change their plans. I mean what were they doing that couldn't be done on a different day? Their concert in the cargo hold? It could have been done the next day."

 

"We had planned this for days, Robert Charles. It was to make Mike happy on the day he got off his cabin restriction—which he didn't deserve.” Douglas glanced at the First Officer when he added the last part.  “Or haven’t you seen how tight Mike and Matthew are?"  Douglas said. “It sure doesn’t look like Matthew thinks Mike was the one who attacked him.”

 

"Are you accusing me of something?"

 

"Not at all, RC, what would make you think that?" Douglas asked with a touch of sarcasm.

 

The First Officer had heard enough and decided to change the subject. "Douglas says he and some of the others think the ballots were switched. What do you have to say about that?"

 

"I don't know a thing about that. All I know is, I was elected to lead the class."

 

First Officer Benson didn't expect anything different from him. "Other than that, is what Douglas said pretty much what happened?"

 

"It happened like I said," Robert Charles said with a smirk.

 

Chief Benson didn't care much for Robert Charles's attitude at all. The way he saw it, Robert Charles charmed all the girls, threatened a couple of boys and got enough votes to win. It could be Douglas was right about the election being faked, because from what he had seen, most of the boys in the upper class had too much class to vote for a slime ball like Robert Charles, unless they felt threatened in some way. In his mind, Robert Charles's father was a bigger slime ball and that the two of them had plenty of things to hold over vulnerable pubescent boys.

 

The first thing he was going to do after this meeting was to call Marie to his office and look into the election. There was certainly much more to dealing with this group of boys than simply babysitting. He saw Robert Charles and his father as power mad and on the edge of evil. Like father like son unquestionably fit those two.

 

"Gentlemen, I've made up my mind what to do about the issue of punishments."

 

Robert Charles interrupted him. "I just want to remind you who my dad is."

 

"Just exactly what does he have to do with anything?"

 

"I think you probably should remember the kind of power he has before you decide anything. I mean I know you want to be a Captain some day. Not that I don't think you're gonna make the right decision."

 

Chief Benson was furious. "Look here, you arrogant young punk. I don't care who your dad is. On this ship he is just a passenger. The crew runs this ship, not some politician or his son. Your threats don't mean a thing here.

 

“I don't think your old man has the power you think he has. He certainly has no pull with the Galactic Space Service, and they determine who will be captain.” And if that idiot Fuller can get a command, I don’t think I have much to worry about, he thought to himself.

 

“Also, in a couple of weeks we are due at Alpha Orion IV. When we don't show up, a futile search will begin. The "Heinlein" is the only lost ship that has ever been found, and that was because it came out of warp close to planet fall. And when we are overdue, I think the Galactic Colonial Bureau will be looking for a new Governor. So don't give me a lot of this power shit, young man. I have the power here."

 

"You can't talk to me that way!"

 

"I can, and I did. Now, I want you to shut up so I can finish."

 

Robert Charles’s face was red with anger, but he kept his mouth shut.

 

"This is my ruling. Robert Charles, you abused your power. Douglas was right; your job is to lead not to boss people around in order to get your way. You are simply a student aide for Mr. Z, elected by your classmates for that purpose.

 

You should have consulted with your classmates before booking the gymnasium. There never should have been any detentions because of poor planning on your part, and because you don’t have the power to assign them, anyway. I am removing the detentions.

 

“But Douglas, you could have handled the situation better. You could have worked within the system to remove the punishment. And instead of simply skipping out, you could have sent Mr. Z a message that you and your classmates were not going to serve the detention and why. You could have even CC’d me to add a bit of clout, since you understandably do not trust the RD. Good leaders communicate, and you failed to do that.  I am going to have to mete out a punishment for the way the situation was handled."

 

Robert Charles regained his smirk.

 

"I am going to restrict you and the boys involved in skipping the detention." Robert Charles's smirk got bigger. "I am restricting all of you from the games room tomorrow for the entire day."

 

"WHAT!!!!!" Robert Charles shouted. "That's nothing!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

"I think it fits the crime, which was nothing."

 

"You're going to hear about this, I'm not going..."

 

Without raising his voice, the First Officer said, "Shut up, Robert Charles." Douglas had to take a deep breath and cover his mouth to keep from laughing. Robert Charles was furious. The First Officer stood up and started out of the shuttle and up the corridor, followed by the two boys. He stopped at a control panel.

 

"As long as I'm here, we might as well have a drill. It's time for one anyway." He unlocked the panel, entered a code, and the ship's alarms went off, with yellow lights flashing, starting an emergency drill. Douglas, Robert Charles, and the First Officer returned to the shuttle. The rest of the class followed quickly, going through the drill like they had almost every week. The lower class arrived with their teacher.

 

Benson was on his communicator talking to the rest of the stations. After they all reported in, he gave the all clear signal, but told the upper class to stay in their seats.

 

"Welcome aboard the 'Moonduster'", he said.

 

"You mean this thing has a name?" Scooter asked. “Nobody told us that during the other drills.”

 

"Yes she does, son. Remember that every ship and boat is a she. The name is painted right on the nose. Care to take a look?"

 

"Sure," Scooter said. He left his seat, then stopped and blushed, giving the entire class a good laugh.

 

"Looks like Scooter wanted to eat some vacuum," Jeremy chuckled. Scooter had forgotten that he was in space and that the shuttle was located outside of the ship’s hull, connected by explosive bolts and the airlocks.

 

The First Officer told them that the "Moonduster" was one of the smaller shuttles and only used for an emergency when school was in session. It had 60 seats, but there rarely were more than 30 students attending the ship’s school.

 

The shuttle had water and food for three months in a cargo hold under the main deck. The hold carried the rations, electric sleds for ground transportation, and special clothing for all kinds of weather. There was also a locked weapons cabinet.

 

The air recyclers could keep the air fresh for up to six months if the ship was filled to capacity, longer if there were fewer passengers. She had two Centron rocket engines and fuel for three months if they traveled at full power, which rocket engines rarely did. She also had warp capability with enough fuel for six months.

 

“It is not a very powerful warp drive,” the First Officer told them. “It operates at twenty-percent of the speed of the “Starkeeper” at full warp without the warp enhancers engaged.

 

He went on to describe the rest of the shuttle and what it could to do for them.  “During an emergency if everything went according to plan, the "Moonduster" would meet one of the larger shuttles and connect with it. But, the shuttle is completely self-sufficient.” Commander Benson had the rapt attention of the upper grade students. They had not had any kind of lesson on the shuttle from Mr. Z. They had merely boarded it for drills and exited after the drill was over. The First Officer asked if there were any questions.

 

“If the bolts are explosive then why don’t they blow up the ‘Starkeeper’ when the shuttles are launched?” Jeremy asked.

 

Jordan smiled; it was time for him to show what he knew about the ship. “The explosives are really small,” he intoned. “All they do is break the bolts holding the shuttle to the ship. My dad says they should be called firecrackers instead of explosives.”

 

“Very good, Jordan,” the First Officer said. This was not his first voyage with Jordan and his father. Commander Benson considered Chief Engineer Paxton to be a competent officer. His biggest weakness was not standing up to authority, even if he thought his commanding officer was wrong.

 

“Why can’t we just radio Earth or someplace and tell them where we are?” Brandon asked. He already knew the answer, but he was right in thinking not everybody was aware of the reason, especially since Mr. Z never explained it.

 

“Well, son, it’s because even though we’ve figured out how to move objects through warp space, we haven’t been able to do the same with radio waves. A lot of great minds are working on the problem, but for now communication is restricted to the speed of light.”

 

Commander Benson answered a few more questions. He then finished his session by telling the class what the punishment was going to be for not reporting to the gym and everybody cheered. They knew that losing one day in the games room was nothing, especially a school day.

 

Mr. Z. was irate. "I thought I made up the punishments here," he said.

 

"Then why did you ask for my help?" the First Officer asked.

 

"To back me up."

 

"Sorry to disappoint you. As First Officer I decide who gets what kind of punishment. And since I was asked here, I decided. End of argument."

 

Everyone cheered again. Mr. Z saw that he was on the verge of losing his class, so he said, "Of course, you're right, Mr. Benson. And your decision is a fair one."

 

The First Officer addressed the class one more time. "I hope you never have to use the 'Moonduster," but if you do, Mr. Z is trained to pilot her. The school is up against the bulkhead of the Engineering section and the warp drives.  It is a bit out of the way and isolated from the rest of the ship, which is why Mr. Z is trained to fly this thing." He paused and then smiled. “I was just wondering if any of you kids have ever flown an aircraft."

 

Two hands went up, Alex's and Robert Charles.

 

"Excellent. Alex, what have you flown?" Alex was pleased that First Officer Benson remembered his name.

 

"I've been flying personal jets since I was twelve and could get my student license. I have over a hundred solo hours on a Lockridge 570. Stevie was just starting lessons before we left."

 

"Over 100 hours is impressive, Alex. How about you, Robert Charles?"

 

"Just like Alex, only I have 200 hours in."

 

"That is impressive too," the First Officer said, but he and everybody on the shuttle were certain he was exaggerating, if not outright lying. "Would you two boys mind staying here with me the rest of the school day and taking some lessons on flying the 'Moonduster'"? He figured if he was put in charge of baby-sitting, he might as well teach something, too. Besides, he was really getting to like dealing with the upper grade boys, although he could do without Robert Charles.

 

The prospect of learning about the "Moonduster" excited both boys, but they weren’t particularly happy about being with each other. The First Officer knew they didn't like each other, but he talked them into putting that aside so they could learn something. He also thought that if they started working together on a mutual project they might be able to bury some of their animosity towards each other.

 

Alex and Robert Charles spent all day learning how to operate controls. They managed to work without arguing, mostly because they had a healthy fear of the First Officer. After they finished their lessons, Commander Benson gave them each a disk to put into their computers. It was a simulator disk which would allow them to practice flying the shuttle in their rooms.

 

When the school day finally ended Alex was happy to get away from Robert Charles. He walked down the corridor to the classroom with the First Officer.

 

"He's never flown anything in his life except a computer game," Alex complained.

 

The First Officer didn’t take the bait, but he handed Alex a piece of paper that more than related his feelings regarding the veracity of Robert Charles. “This code will get you into the red compartment on the port side that houses the access to the codes I used to place the shuttle into training mode. The book I opened has every code needed to operate the shuttle and to access its other locked compartments, including weapons.”

 

Alex stared at Commander Benson wide-eyed. “Memorize the code and throw the paper away. I feel I can trust you not to give that code to anybody.”

 

“Why are you giving me this?”

 

“I told you when I was giving you your lessons that you and Robert Charles will never have to fly the “Moonduster”. But I am telling you that I have been in space long enough to know that once you say something will never happen the chance that something will happen seems to improve. It’s a corollary of Murphy’s Law.

 

“I don’t trust Robert Charles and neither do you. He showed little comprehension of the workings of the “Moonduster” while you took to it like a pro. I try to cover as many bases as I can, and giving you that code takes care of one contingency. Memorize it and destroy the paper. Give it to nobody.”

 

“Sir?” Alex asked, amazed how natural it felt to call First Office Benson, sir. He threw his shoulders back and felt himself standing a little straighter, a little taller. The free thinking musician found himself under the thrall of the charismatic First Officer.

 

“Yes, Pilot Alex?”

 

Alex stood even straighter if that were possible. “I would like to give the access code to Douglas. He might not be our elected leader, but he is our leader.”

 

“Permission granted. Good thinking. It’s good to have a backup, and Douglas will be perfect for that role. Just be sure to tell him that only the two of you will know that code.”   

 

 

After school the boys met in Alex's room. That included everybody but Jordan and Robert Charles. Almost all of them undressed, with only Matthew, Jeremy, and Warren remaining dressed. Mike whispered in Matthew's ear that it was okay to keep his clothes on, but to not be afraid to be naked. They were naked because they all loved to be free. Matthew smiled and started taking off his clothes. He blushed, but was soon naked. The only thing that kept him from being totally embarrassed about his rock hard boner was that he noticed he wasn’t the only boy with an erection.

 

Douglas and Scooter were talking to Jeremy and Warren. The only reason Jeremy had his clothes on was because Warren did. Also, they didn't want to stay long.

 

"Why not?" Douglas asked.

 

“Because we didn't want Robert Charles finding out we are here with you,” Jeremy replied.

 

"RC has no power any more. None. And neither does his father." Douglas reminded them what the First Officer had said in the meeting. "Don't let him scare you. After the First Officer investigates the election, he will have zero power, so stay and have fun."

 

Jeremy didn't need to be asked twice. He started stripping right away, and encouraged Warren to do the same. When Warren saw Jeremy pull off his white briefs and show off his almost five-inch boner, he decided it was time for him to join in. Warren took off his clothes, but was very self-conscious about it when he got down to his boxer briefs. Jeremy yanked them down and Warren's boner popped up, and, without touching his dick, he shot three wads of cum that arced out in front of him and landed on the floor. Now he was really embarrassed and almost ready to cry.

 

"Hey, guys," Alex said, "Warren thinks we're hot. Way to go, Warren."

 

Warren was about to lose it when Douglas walked up to him and kissed him on his left cheek. "That was hot, Warren. And don't worry about it, I wish I could do that.” He smiled at Warren and kissed him again, this time a quickie on his lips.  For the first time, Warren felt like he was a part of the group. He got over his humiliation and gave the boys a nervous smile.

 

Douglas looked around and saw eleven naked boys, including himself. The love between the boys in the class was building every day. Robert Charles, the storm, some of the crew, and Mr. Z had all managed to bring them together. Douglas felt that if these guys were going to be his friends when they finally got to Alpha Orion IV, then there was no doubt that he was heading for home.

 

Except for Warren, there was no sex and no cumming. They sat around and talked and held each other, and cuddled as they discussed the things Commander Benson had told them. They knew there would be sex that night, but somehow they didn't want to have group sex that afternoon. Maybe it was because Matthew was there (being held by Alex and Mike), or because Warren was still shyly feeling his way around, but today was about making their bonds stronger as a group and not about sex.

 

They agreed that they would meet in Alex's room the next night when they were restricted from the games room. That was all of them agreeing, all eleven of them.

 

 

When it was close to dinner time, the boys went to their own cabins to wash. The boys not traveling as unaccompanied minors also wanted to meet their families so they could go to dinner together.

 

After dinner, Matthew asked if he could visit with his friends in the games room. His parents said yes and said they would be in the ship's casino. Matthew left the dining hall and went to the games room. He saw Mike and walked over to him, but Robert Charles blocked his way.

 

"I don't like traitors," he whispered. "Remember who your friends really are."

 

Mike and Alex appeared suddenly.

Matthew looked up at Robert Charles. "I know who my friends are. And you aren't one of them," he said in his little boy voice. But his voice right then sounded bigger than it ever had before. He grabbed Mike’s hand and stood tall and straight. Mike and Alex had big grins on their faces while Robert Charles had a look of pure hate. Mike and Alex took Matthew’s hand and led him to a table of games, while Robert Charles stormed out of the room.

After a while Matthew asked Mike if it was okay for him to spend the night with him again.

 

"It's up to your parents, little bro."

 

"Well, I'm not supposed to see you, but if they ask, I'm going to tell them I know you never hit me and I’m going to see you. They can’t hate me any worse than they already do."

 

Mike had never heard Matthew sound so assertive. He nodded and told Matthew he was looking forward to a night together. Mike told Alex what was happening. Alex grinned and told Mike and Matthew he'd see them in the morning.

 

Matthew went to his cabin and told his parents he was spending the night with a friend.

 

“Since when do you have friends?” his father asked.

 

“Since yesterday,” Matthew said.

 

“Must be a strange friend to put up with a sissy crybaby.”

 

Matthew turned and went to his room to get his toothbrush. He knew he didn’t need fresh clothes—Mike had shown him how to deal with that problem.

 

Lisa was on her bed reading, wearing nothing but a pair of red panties. “You might as well tell dad that your friends just want you for sex,” she told him without looking up from her book.

 

“Shut up.” Matthew wasn’t the least bit interested in his sister’s exposed breasts. In fact, he wasn’t interested in his sister at all. He left without saying good-bye.

 

When Matthew arrived at Mike’s cabin, big Mike picked up little Matthew and threw him on the bed and started tickling him. Matthew giggled and tried to get away, then started to laugh uncontrollably. Mike got his hand under Matthew's shirt and started tickling him directly on his belly. Matthew giggled and squirmed and wiggled and then laughed even harder. Pretty soon Mike had the young boy’s shirt off and was tickling his sides and belly and under his arms until Matthew was laughing so hard he was crying. Finally, Mike showed mercy and stopped when Matthew said he was going to pee his pants if Mike didn’t stop.  The big boy hugged him and Matthew hustled to the bathroom and peed.

 

When he got back Mike had his shirt off. Tickling and wrestling Matthew had made him hot and he was wiping the sweat off his face with it. Matthew flopped on Mike's bed and hugged him. Their hot sweaty bodies stuck together.

 

"I love you, little bro," Mike said. "You ready for bed?"

 

"Can I sleep with you?"

 

Mike thought it over. He felt that Matthew should sleep in the other bed, but that genie had already been let out of the bottle.  He saw the pleading look in the ten-year-old’s big brown eyes and knew that “no” wasn't the answer Matthew wanted. "Sure, little bro, you can. Let's go brush our teeth."

 

"I love you, big bro." Matthew kissed Mike's cheek and they took care of getting ready for bed.

 

Mike stripped down to his boxers and Matthew stripped to his briefs. Mike figured they at least wouldn't sleep naked, even though that genie had been let part way out of the bottle. He crawled under the covers; Matthew followed him and wrapped his skinny arms around his “big brother”.

 

"Mike," he whispered.

 

"Yes, my little bro?"

 

“Why aren’t you sleeping naked like you were last time?”

 

“I was naked because I didn’t think you’d be sleeping with me that night.”

 

“So? You said it’s good to be free.”

 

“Yes, it is most of the time, but not when big teenage boys sleep with younger boys.”

 

Matthew was unconvinced and decided to change tactics a bit. "Mike, can you make me feel good?"

 

"What do you mean?" Mike knew what he meant, but he wanted to be sure before he said anything.

 

“Not like they did when they wanted me to do things with them."

 

"Who had you do something? What did you do with them?” Mike tried to keep his voice calm. Once again, Mike knew the answers to his questions before he asked them.

 

"When Jordan and Robert Charles let me do stuff to them, they never made me feel good."  Matthew had figured out what masturbation was about from being around Jordan and Robert Charles, but his orgasms were little things.  He wanted what he saw those two boys have when they got all excited.

 

"Oh, my sweet little brother." Mike hugged him tight. "That's not how it works. You do that kind of stuff with somebody because you feel special about them."

 

"And you don't feel special about me?"

 

"I do and I love you. You're my special little brother. That’s why I shouldn't do it."

 

"That makes no sense. If I am special then we should do those things together.” Both boys were skittering around the use of the word sex. “Please, I love you. I just want to know what it’s like. They never cared for me—they never tried to make me feel good like I made them feel good.  I want somebody to do it who is special and you’re my special big brother. Please."

 

"But Alex is my boyfriend and, well, we do sex together." There, I finally said the ‘S’ word Mike thought.

 

"He is your boyfriend? You mean like a guy has a girlfriend?"

 

"Yeah, something like that."

 

"So, you're like, gay?"

 

"You didn't figure that out already, little bro?" Mike wondered if the revelation would make Matthew want to leave and return to his cabin. “I hope we can still be brothers,” Mike uttered with some apprehension.

 

Matthew cuddled up closer to Mike if that was possible.

 

“I love you big brother, I don’t care if you have a boyfriend because you and me are brothers. Brothers can’t be boyfriends.”

 

You obviously don’t know Alex and Stevie very well, Mike thought. Matthew started rubbing Mike's crotch through his underpants, sending Mike’s cock from semi-hard to a full hard-on.

 

"Matthew, you don't have to do that. I love you for who you are. You never have to do anything sexual with me. I'm not RC or Jordan. You don't have to do anything like that to get my love; my love comes from my heart."

 

"Please, Mike....please. Just once. Please."

 

Mike knew he shouldn't agree, but he loved his little brother. He ran his fingers down Matthew's smooth hard belly to the waistband of his briefs. He rubbed back up to the preteen’s chest and lightly circled his nipples with his fingers. He moved his hand back down to his belly and back to the waistband, moving it along the waistband, wondering if he should move any lower.  

 

Matthew lay back as Mike petted him. Mike moved his hand down, brushing against Matthew's hard little cocklet. The touch caused Matthew to moan. He had wanted this so badly, and now Mike, his big brother, was going to make him feel good.

 

Mike fondled the little boy’s tight ball sack and then slid up back up, rubbing his erection again. He pulled on the waistband of the briefs. Matthew lifted his hips to let Mike pull his undies off, exposing his hairless cock and balls. Mike touched Matthew's smooth ball sac and Matthew moaned with pleasure. He moaned again when Mike rubbed his hard little cocklet with his index finger.  He had wanted this for so long and getting it from his big brother was the best way he could think of. He knew he would never need to touch RC or Jordan ever again to try to get what he wanted.

 

"Suck it brother, please." The good feelings Mike was giving him caused him to wriggle. Mike kept masturbating Matthew’s cocklet with his thumb and index finger.  "Please," Matthew begged again. "I love you."

 

"I love you, Matthew." Even though he knew he shouldn’t do it, Mike went down and put Matthew's stiff two inches into his mouth. Matthew had never felt anything so good in his life. So this was what it was all about—this is why RC and Jordan wanted to be sucked so badly.  It was simply awesome.  He kept thinking what he was doing had been dirty and bad, but having Mike suck him was incredible. He automatically started humping Mike's sucking mouth. It only took a few pumps and Mike’s tongue stimulating the head of Matthew’s cocklet when his high pitched voice squealed, his hips raised, his back arched, and he had the most incredible sensations of his young life. A wild dry cum shook him from head to toe as he pumped his cocklet into Mike's mouth. He fell flat on the bed exhausted, his whole body warm and glowing. It was the first time sex had been good for him, and his brother had done it.

 

He hugged Mike and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, brother," he whispered. With minutes he fell asleep with a smile.

 

Mike was rock hard, but he knew it would be wrong right now to have Matthew get him off. This was Matthew's night—his little brother had gotten what he wanted and was happy. He rolled away from Matthew, put his hand inside his boxers and rubbed himself until his thick teen cum started to shoot out. He grabbed a handful of tissues, wiped himself up, and drifted to sleep happy that he had made his little brother happy.

 

The next day went by quickly for everybody. In Engineering, Chief Paxton looked at the readout of the warp enhancer. The temperature readout showed the gauge moving up and then right back down three times in the last twenty-four hours. He knew he should talk to Gordon about the readout, but the Captain said ordered him not to. He knew what Gordon would say. "Turn it off!" And he knew what the Captain would say, “It isn't near the red zone so we aren't going to worry about it." The Chief was starting to worry about the enhancer.  He didn't understand what was causing those jumps. He decided if he saw another anomaly he would disobey the Captain and at least ask for Gordon Starr’s advice.

 

The boys had a routine day in school. Alex and Robert Charles met with Mr. Benson and showed him their scores on the simulator program. Alex's scores were near perfect, way ahead of those posted by Robert Charles. Robert Charles complained he was out of practice. Alex was smug about beating the crap out of Robert Charles. Maybe that was what Mike was referring to when he talked about getting back at RC.

 

That evening the group served their restriction in Alex's room. All eleven boys were there. They decided to make their bonding more complete. They wanted something special between them, something to link them and give them something Robert Charles, Jordan, Mr. Z, the RD, or the Captain could  not take from them—their total love for each other. 

 

Even though it was a school night, they had permission to sleep over at Alex's, at least the ones who needed permission did. Their parents understood that right now school was just a way to take up time on the long return voyage.  

 

The boys had to promise to be up on time and make it to breakfast. The boys were determined to do things right, knowing if they were responsible this time they would be able to do the same thing again. The parents on the ship knew they needed to do whatever they could to make things easier on their kids. Even Matthew's parents agreed, although they were also happy to have him out of their hair. Matthew’s mother was actually happy he was finally making friends with the group, even if one of those friends was Mike. She couldn’t help but wonder if Mike was conning her son.

 

They decided to draw cards for partners. They would make out in front of each other, and if somebody wanted to help them that was fine.  They agreed that butt sex would be only for their lovers, but anything else was fair game, as long as nobody objected. They all wanted to bond sexually with someone else.

 

Mike had told Alex what happened between him and Matthew the night before. Alex thought it was good for Matthew and good for Mike. Matthew now knew that sex was about loving, not something that bullies did to make themselves feel good.

 

Matthew was feeling loved instead of used and was ready for whatever happened in Alex's room tonight. Instead of being frightened, Matthew was excited. Even Warren was naked and erect (and he didn't cum all over the floor), wanting to make out with a new friend and become even more a part of the group.

 

The cards were shuffled. If they were paired with their own lover, then they would redraw because the idea was to bond with somebody new. They also decided that Scooter and Brandon, Ryan and Jeremy, Stevie and Alex, Matthew and Mike wouldn’t pair with each other. The revelation made Matthew blush a little, but then saw that everybody thought what he was doing with his new brother was splendid. Douglas and Travis wouldn't be partnered either. The partner had to be somebody totally new.

 

First draw was Jeremy and Matthew. Matthew was embarrassed about going first and they all could see that.  Douglas said maybe those two could wait until another couple or two did their thing so Matthew could get a little more relaxed, which everybody agreed to.

 

The next draw was Scooter and Travis. They both thought that was exciting since they each had a little crush on each other. They kissed and made out some until they set up in a 69. They were side to side, and soon Stevie was playing with Travis's butt and Mike with Scooter's until both boys groaned and filled each other's mouth with sweet boy cum.

 

The next draw was Brandon and Ryan. They decided to rub off, and it didn't take long for them to cover each other with sticky white cum. Scooter came over and licked off Brandon while Mike licked off Ryan.

 

The next were Warren and Douglas. This really excited Warren because he thought Douglas was the hottest boy in the upper class next to Jeremy. Douglas had had his eyes on Warren, too. Warren wasn't real sure about sucking cock yet, so he and Douglas dry humped. They soon had each other wet with cum. Scooter licked off his lover’s belly while Jeremy did the same to Warren.

 

Then Matthew said he was ready. This time he was going to suck a dick because he wanted to, not because he had to. He and Jeremy went 69. Jeremy was so turned on, he cummed almost instantly in Matthew's mouth. Matthew had experience from sucking Robert Charles and swallowed most of it, but some of it dribbled out of his mouth. Mike came over and licked his little brother clean while Matthew humped Jeremy's mouth until he shuddered hard from his intense dry cum. Warren felt better about himself after seeing Jeremy have an almost instantaneous orgasm. He realized he wasn’t the only one who came quickly.

 

Because they were an odd-numbered group of boys, it was agreed that the last three left would form a daisy chain to get themselves off. In this case, the matchup could be between anybody. Mike and Scooter were the next pairing. They decided to jerk each other off so the group could watch them shoot their cum. Watching the earlier goings on had them very excited and it only took a few minutes for the onset of their orgasms.

 

Mike, Alex, and Stevie were the last three. Mike put Stevie’s thirteen-year-old cock into his mouth for the first time. Stevie sucked his brother, Alex, while Alex sucked his boyfriend, Mike. They wondered if the group could have set up a better way of pairing so the three of them didn’t end up together at the end. But once they started on the daisy chain they didn’t care. Alex filled Stevie’s mouth first, then Mike tasted Stevie’s cum for the first time, which set him off in Alex’s waiting mouth.

 

Douglas was thinking that even with all of the friends he had left behind on Earth, he never felt closer to anybody in his life than to this group of boys. Travis realized more and more that his messing around with girls was because it was what he thought he had to do. His friends on the “Starkeeper” were the ones he really wanted to have sex with. He had to tell Ryan that he was gay and that they could be genuine boyfriends.

 

Matthew felt a lot of the hurt he’d received from Jordan and Robert Charles leave him. Warren felt like he belonged to a group for the first time ever.  Ryan felt his shyness ease up as he started gaining more confidence in himself. Scooter and Brandon felt much of their closeness return, feeling comfortable with the idea of being best friends again, even if they weren’t boyfriends.

 

Alex squeezed Stevie. The brothers had had just each other for years, and now they had all of these wonderful friends plus their own boyfriends. What more could they want?  Jeremy and Mike both bathed in the glow of love in the room.

 

Blankets were laid on the floor. The boys slept with their lovers. Matthew was pulled grinning under a set of blankets by Scooter and Douglas. The negative thoughts that had been so much a part of him were quickly becoming nothing but a memory.

 

 

In the games room that night Robert Charles was very horny. There was just him and Michelle there to start with. The two nine-year-old twins hung around for a bit, having permission from Marie to stay past the lower class curfew since the upper class boys were on restriction.

 

 Michelle was playing a game when Robert Charles came in. He started talking to her. He told her she was the only girl on the ship he hadn't touched or seen naked and asked her if she wanted to come to his room. She said no. He told her she would like what he would do to her and he put his hand on her chest and started sliding it into her blouse and under her bra. He felt her nice round breast and smiled.  But before he could play with it, she took her other hand and slapped his face.

 

"What the fuck was that about, bitch?"

 

"You keep your filthy hands off me, Robert Charles, or you'll be sorry." The twins turned to look at the excitement. Michelle was their sister and they knew she didn’t put up with any bullshit. She was quiet, but tough.

 

"You'll like it, Michelle. Come on, admit it." He tried again, but she pulled loose, kicked his leg, and left the room with her brothers following her.

 

Right after that Lisa and Carmen came in. Robert Charles was beyond horny now. He wanted to fuck and he wanted to fuck a girl, not Jordan's ass. He wanted soft boobs and a wet cunt. He talked both girls into coming to his room.

 

When they got there they played strip poker until the three of them were naked. When Robert Charles asked who wanted to be fucked, they both said they weren’t interested. They told him they would do anything with him but fuck. But Robert Charles was still stinging from his reprimands from First Officer Benson. This was the time for a yes. No would not work.

 

Lisa was not a virgin, and as much as she didn’t like Robert Charles, he and Jordan seemed to be the only boys on the stupid ship who were interested in girls. Jordan wasn’t even a teenager yet and didn’t turn her on. That left Robert Charles. Since she was horny she decided to let Robert Charles have his way with her.

 

Robert Charles soon had Lisa on his bed and was fucking her while Carmen watched. After Robert Charles blew his wad into Lisa’s pussy, he asked Carmen if she wanted to be next. She refused and she and Lisa dressed and left the cabin. Robert Charles was still horny and went to find Jordan. He needed one more fuck, and the little drunk would be just right for seconds.

 

 

The eleven boys woke up the next morning full of love. They showered in groups of two and three, punching in the water code of the person with the most water left on his weekly ration. One boy would use his ration for soaping and the other for rinsing. Each boy but one had an orgasm that morning either in the shower, or while waiting for the shower, or after finishing with their shower. While Matthew showered with Douglas and Scooter he didn’t have an orgasm that morning, which didn’t stop him from watching his friends.

 

When school started First Officer Benson came to the classroom again. He said that after reviewing the evidence accumulated by Marie, he had decided that another election should be held, just so everybody would have full confidence in the outcome.  He wasn't accusing Robert Charles of anything, and if everybody liked the job he was doing he would need to be reelected.

 

As the boys sat at their computers working on their studies, Robert Charles was worrying about a new election. He likely would not win, and he knew it. Matthew had turned traitor. Jeremy and Warren were no longer afraid of him. He needed to stop the election from happening, but he couldn't figure out how, at least not without his father’s help. The problem was that unlike the RD and Mr. Z, First Officer Benson was not impressed by his father’s power.

 

As far as Robert Charles was concerned, if he wasn’t in a position of power he was nothing. He knew he had made enemies being the class leader. But having enemies came from being in power and as long as he had his power he could control his enemies. He was suddenly feeling very vulnerable.

 

Jordan was sick again. He knew if his father ever checked the liquor ration and saw how much alcohol he was getting from the ship's stores he would be in big trouble. But he didn't care, he liked being drunk—he liked it better than not being drunk. He wished he could be drunk all the time. On top of his hangover, his butt was still sore from RC coming in and plowing it last night.

 

The girls in the class had asked for a meeting with Mr. Z to discuss the behavior of Robert Charles. Lisa came reluctantly since she had no problem with Robert Charles having sex with her. But she wanted to support her friends so she went with them. Commander Benson joined the conference. He was certain that the wheels were about to come off for Robert Charles who was about to drop from being class leader to being a class nobody.

 

In Engineering the temperature gauge on the warp enhancer started creeping up. Chief Engineer Paxton was ready to call on Dr. Starr when the gauge suddenly jumped into the red zone. The extra heat generated by the enhancer escaped into the main warp drive causing alarm bells and sirens to go off. Chief Engineer Paxton rushed up to the control panel. All the gauges were pushing red. Gauges on the warp drive ran into the red as well.

 

"Shut down the Warp Drive!" he yelled. He started entering a set of shutdown instructions into the computer while others in Engineering tried introducing a coolant into the warp drive system. Suddenly, smoke started pouring out of the warp enhancer and then it exploded, sending Chief Paxton and nearby crew members diving to the floor before they could enter a shutdown sequence. The warp drive kept going, as gauges spun and alarm bells and sirens went off incessantly.

 

Automatic fire alarms sounded in the rest of the ship. The boys in class wondered why alarms were sounding since they’d just had a drill yesterday. Then they felt the "Starkeeper" shake and saw that the lights above the doors were flashing red and not yellow. This was no drill—this was the real thing.

 

They headed straight down the corridor to the "Moonduster" and strapped themselves into their seats waiting for the girls, Mr. Z, First Officer Benson, and the lower class. The whole shuttle trembled as the ship shook again. The explosion had blown a hole in the bulkhead and smoke was rolling down the corridor outside of the classroom. Douglas saw the smoke heading for the door and pushed the "close door" button. The door closed just before the smoke rolled over the shuttle. Nobody knew what was going on in the rest of the ship, but they hadn’t felt the ship drop out of warp.

 

Robert Charles got up from his seat and charged into the cockpit for the shuttle's controls. "We're all going to die!" he screamed.

 

Alex yelled at him to shut up and sit down. He got up to keep Robert Charles away from the control panel, but he was too late. Robert Charles pressed the launch button, the bolts that held the shuttle exploded, the starboard launch thrusters fired, and the shuttle was pushed away from the ship. As soon as it was detached from the ship’s body it couldn't stay in warp and it fell into normal space. All the boys felt the sensations in their brains and stomachs that told them they were no longer in warp space.

 

The shuttle was heading sideways through normal space because of the momentum from the launch.  Alex sat in the pilot’s seat and fired the side thrusters in the port side to stop the momentum of the shuttle.  Robert Charles sat in his seat frozen, staring out of the front view screen. When the shuttle stopped, Alex shut down the rockets. He opened all the view ports so they could look out and try to find the "Starkeeper".

 

The boys looked out of the ports while Alex and Robert Charles studied the big view screen in front. All they saw was the steady light of distant stars. The "Moonduster", with thirteen young boys on board, was floating in empty space. They looked around the vast expanse of stars and realized they were totally alone.

 

 Next: The "Moonduster"