Tartarus

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Jared sang the song of dear felicity as he descended the steps of the Governor's office. While the night of sleep had strengthened him, the morning had still begun with foreboding. Much depended on it. Even Ben had seemed strangely anxious as they had parted on the same steps just a short time before as he had wished him luck.

It seemed at first that the forebodings had been apt. The man that he had signed up with on Hermes had either made a mistake or had duped him. He had just been told that he would have no place to sleep that night when fate sent another favour to Jared.

"What seems to be the problem here?" Jared had turned to see a tall, well built man wearing a sharp, tailored uniform of a kind he did not recognise. The man's dark green eyes were smiling down at him. He had a well kept, auburn beard that matched his hair and he looked to be about the same age as Ben, though much less battle scarred. It took Jared a moment to register what the receptionist had said. Vice-Governor?

Jared explained his predicament as well as he could through his nerves and frustration. How this man responded could make or break his mission on Tartarus. After listening to it all the man had said something that surprised Jared and gave him hope.

"They say fate makes strange paths for us. I'm sure one of the devoted would agree?" And his look told Jared that he understood more than he had revealed. The Vice-Governor, the second most powerful man on Tartarus, then offered him a job.

Jared made his way back to the tram stop he had arrived at earlier. He had tried to be more observant of how the system operated and saw that it was just a two dimensional version of the travel tubes on Hermes. After that he felt confident to use them alone and so, after consulting a map, he headed to the commercial district of Tin Town.

A thousand credits was a lot to spend on clothes, or to Jared it was. He would admit that he was not representative, having lived most of his life at the Shrine, where the Brothers wear their robes whenever they are not sleeping or bathing. Jared had left his behind on Aion, wanting to be as incognito as possible. Not that it had worked. Both Ben and the Vice-Governor had quickly guessed. He hoped he would not regret that.

Tin Town was bustling maze of streets, stores and steps, almost as old as the city itself. Rather than being redeveloped as the city grew, as had happened in other districts, Tin had rather built on top of itself, with structures growing by increment as businesses opened and closed, only being torn down when it became an imminent choice between that and having it collapse onto people. It was a relic of an anti-vandalism ordinance from the very first colony at Campe, before the atmosphere of Tartarus had been made breathable and a broken window was a death sentence. As a result it is a crime to willfully damage any structure in the area, with the only provision for demolition being "under the direst of circumstances". There have been attempts to repeal the law, but the people of Campe were now too fond of the place as it is to change how it changes.

Jared wondered lost for some time. He had cause to visit consumer stores from time to time during his visits to Gaia and Hermes, but as with much else, Campe had taken a sensible idea and made it difficult. As he walked past a cafe he saw a well dressed man sitting alone at one of the tables outside. He was wearing a suit of midnight blue sylk and Jared admired the skill and care that had clearly gone into its making, the material cut to match the lines of the man's lithe body perfectly. In desperate need of guidance he stepped forwards.

"Excuse me, sir." Jared spoke, and the man looked up from his paper. He looked a little older than Jared and wore a carefully groomed beard across his lips and chin . His hair was dark, growing past his ears but carefully styled, and his grey eyes were almost disconcertingly pale. He regarded Jared.

"That depends on the reason for your interruption." He arched an eyebrow and mocked a look of annoyance, but there was a playful glint to his eyes that told Jared that the man was not truly upset.

"I was admiring your suit from the street." The man's other eyebrow went up and he smiled, white teeth glinting. "I am beginning a new job tomorrow, and have been told to purchase clothes more fitting to my employer's office. I was hoping you could direct me to a good tailor."

The man was all ears now, and gestured to the chair opposite him.

"Of course, but first, please sit and enjoy a coffee with me." Jared sat and the man ordered two short, strong cups.

"You can call me Vess." The man held out a manicured hand.

"Jared." The coffee arrived and Vess added some powdered sugarlike to the small cup.

"Now, tell me, who is your employer?" He stirred the cup with a tiny metal spoon.

"Vice-Governor Belik." The spoon paused and Vess gave Jared a serious look.

"I'm sorry, I thought you said Vice-Governor Belik just now." He continued stirring.

"I did. What's wrong? He seemed very nice when we met this morning." Vess placed the spoon onto the small saucer.

"Yes, I'm sure he did." He wiped his napkin at a spot of coffee on the table. "He's very good at being nice, but be careful. There are rumours about him, some of which I'm inclined to believe."

"What kind of rumours?" Jared asked

"Nothing I could prove, and I'm not a gossip. Just be careful." Vess sipped his coffee as Jared thought quietly. He had no more reason to trust this man than he had Belik, or Ben for that matter. They were all nearly strangers. Still, it never hurt to be more vigilant.

"I will, thank you. Would you still help me? With the suit?" Vess' eyes brightened, back to more enjoyable matters.

"I will take you to an excellent tailor I know. What's your budget?"

"A thousand credits."

"Plenty. Shall we go now?"

Jared pushed aside his coffee and nodded. "Please, lead the way."

As they walked Jared shared a little more about his situation. He told Vess of how Belik had intervened and given him a job, saving him from homelessness.

"Hmmm. You're stuck then." They reached a small door so low that Vess had to stoop to enter. "You might as well make the most of it."

"Good morning, gentlemen." Jared turned to look for the owner of the voice. He didn't know what he expected a tailor on Tartarus to look like but this man wasn't it. From a door behind the counter emerged a figure as tall and broad as Ben was, his wide, hairy chest covered only by an apron, and a pair of denim jeans belted at his waist. His body wasn't toned, but clearly strong. Stronger than was necessary for needlework, at least. He looked first at Jared, his dark eyes surveying him up and down, appraising him. The he turned to Vess. "Ah, good to see you again." He beamed.

The man left the counter and walked over, taking Vess in a friendly hug. Jared couldn't notice the playful pat the man gave to Vess' ass as they parted.

"What can I do for you?" The tailor asked.

"Myke, this is Jared. He requires a suit. Something modest but flattering, and he needs it today." The man looked at Jared more closely, stepping around to view him from the side.

"For anyone else I would say no, but for you...." Myke took another long look at Jared. "You'll owe me one, but I'll do it." He turned to Jared. "Go into the backroom and strip off those overalls." Jared stood, shocked for a moment. "I need to measure you. Now, go and strip."

Jared headed to the door behind the counter and found a room larger then he had expected. What parts of the walls that weren't lined with fabrics held large mirrors that made the room brighter than the store had been. He didn't notice Vess approach from behind until he heard his voice.

"You're in luck. I think he wants to fuck you." Jared nearly jumped.

"What? Why is that good?" Vess smiled and strolled around the room, glancing at his reflections.

"He does his best work when he wants to fuck you. Just look at me." He turned in front of Jared, who couldn't help but agree that it was a very fine suit. "Aren't you supposed to be getting your clothes off?" He smiled and eyed Jared.

"Do you have to watch?" Jared pulled at his zipped, baring his chest.

"No. But I want to." Vess was clearly not going anywhere, so Jared stripped the overalls down. As they dropped past his ass Vess let out a whistle. "Now I see what has caught Belik's interest."

"Looks pretty fine from here." It was Myke entering from the shop. Jared removed his boots and kicked off the overalls and stood in the middle of the room wearing only his shorts. It was a strange sensation to be nearly naked and on show like that, with two men that he barely knew studying him. He felt a stir in his shorts that he couldn't explain and hoped he would not embarrass himself.

Myke pulled a tape measure from one pocket, and a small note pad from the other. It was a little surreal to see such museum pieces being used, but Jared had little time to consider it before the tailer stepped close to him, so close that Jared could smell the man's sweat.

"Spread your legs." He said, and Jared's felt warm breath on his skin. He stepped his left leg further to one side. Myke stepped back again, slowly walking around him. From time to time his hands would reach out to adjust Jared's posture a little, or to run across his skin as if to measure by touch. Then he took the tape measure and knelt behind. He felt Myke place a hand on his inner thigh, holding the tape so close to the top that his knuckles grazed his balls. The touch sent a jolt through him and he felt himself losing the battle with his arousal. As Myke repeated the process with the other leg Jared felt the familiar and inexorable hardness grow in his shorts. He willed Myke and Vess not to notice, but he knew that was impossible.

Myke moved around to the front and, sure enough, his eyes went straight to the hard on straining at the elastic fabric. He smiled, looking up at Jared's face, which was becoming redder by the second.

"Aw, does the puppy want to play?" The humiliation burned in him but no thought, no image he could will into his mind could do anything to abate it. He didn't answer. He couldn't answer. "Don't worry about it. You're not the first guy to pop wood here."

Though the words didn't help much, the way Myke breezed past it and finished the measurements did. While Myke worked Vess gave some advice on how to handle Belik.

"Flatter him, praise him, make him look good." Jared had asked how Vess knew the man. "Let's just say our circles overlap more frequently than I would like."

Myke signalled that he was done and Jared began pulling his overalls back on.

"You need to be useful to him, valuable. That is how he views people, as assets or liabilities." All of this had dented the feeling of elation that had followed him from the Governor's Office, but perhaps it was timely. Jared felt he had been too free with his trust.

The suit would be ready later that day, so Vess invited Jared to join him for a drink to pass the time.

"Don't you have any work to do?" Jared had asked as they strolled towards a bar that Vess recommended. He laughed at the question.

"Do?" He placed an arm around Jared's shoulder. "Nothing. My father insisted I take a seat on the board of his company, but he doesn't care if I attend the meetings or not. If you ask me its just another tax scam, like his charity."

Jared stopped his tracks, causing Vess to do the same.

"Which company?" Vess sighed and rolled his eyes as if it was the most boring subject in the seven worlds. "The TMC if you must know. Now can we hurry up, I need a drink."

Vess strode on, and Jared hurried to catch up. He had a dozen questions but decided they could wait until after a drink, when Vess might be more amenable. Alec was linked to the TMC through his family's business interests, perhaps Vess had heard something. Jared was sure the Company would have at least looked into the matter.

They arrived on a street lined with bars and stores, some ancient looking and some brand new. Here more than anywhere Jared noticed the lack of women in Campe. He had noticed a few when in the Governor's Office and on the tram, but here there were none, just men. Jared had known this before coming here, of course. He had read the demographics and knew their reasons. He knew why there were so few births on Tartarus. He had expected that his experience growing up on Aion among the Brothers would have prepared him, but the Brothers were somehow sexless in comparison. It happened, Jared knew, between Brothers in the night. All of them knew. It was an open secret. But by day it wasn't spoken about.

"Here we are. My favourite dive for day drinking." Vess stepped inside and held the door for Jared. "After you."

Jared stepped into a large, dimly lit room. To his right was a long bar and to his left was what looked like a stage, though it was empty. There were wooden tables and chairs positioned around the room and more private seating areas along the walls. Vess walked towards the bar.

"What will it be? Beer or something stronger?" He waved for the barman, a short, muscular guy of around Jared's age. Jared didn't have much experience with alcohol. They had made honey wine in the grounds of his suborder for use in the lightside ceremonies, but that was all.

"Beer sounds good. Thank you." The barman produced two bottles, handing them to Vess, who took them towards one of the booths on the far side of the room. They sat and Jared tried his beer. It tasted bitter at first, but then he noticed a sweetness to it, and a curiously pleasant, lemony aftertaste. He tried some more. Vess looked at him curiously, his grey eyes now nearly black in the low light.

"Tell me, what brought a Brother of Aion to Tartarus in the first place?" He raised his eyebrow. Jared just shook his head and laughed regretfully.

"Is it that obvious?" That was three out of three, thought Jared. The three people he had spoken to since arriving on Tartarus.

"That you grew up in a monastery and, until recently, had a very short hair cut?" Vess grinned. "I knew it the moment I lay eyes on you" He gulped some beer. "Did Belik guess?"

Jared blushed, feeling how naive he had been. "He did."

"Well, that explains his interest. I thought perhaps it was only that pert little ass of yours." He made a point over looking around at Jared's backside. "But this seals it."

"Seals what?" Jared took another sip of his beer.

"You're a trophy. A novelty. A rare kind of prey. He intends to have you. " Jared looked incredulously at Vess.

"That's.....no. I can believe only so much." Vess made an appeasing gesture.

"It could all just be rumour, so take it how you want, but it can't hurt to be on your guard." Jared couldn't argue with that, so he sipped his beer and looked around the room for something else to talk about. It was then that he saw a familiar face.

He had to look twice to be sure, but there was no mistake. Across the room, in a booth almost opposite the one in which Vess and he sat, was Ben. He was talking with a man dressed in the uniform of one of the Governor's guards. The two looked to be friendly so Jared watched for a while. Vess noticed his reaction and leaned over.

"Do you know him?" Ben was whispering something into the guard's ear.

"Yes." Jared didn't know why he kept his voice low. "He came on the same drop ship as me and we were assigned quarters together."

"Your room mate?" Vess looked across at the other booth. "Not the guard I take it."

"No." Jared continued to watch as Ben continued to talk into the guards ear, and saw his hand moving up the uniform leg. He was transfixed.

"Looks like he found a friend." Jared's eyes widened as he saw the guard slip from his chair to the floor in front of Ben. He watched as Ben unzipped his his overalls, pulling them off his arms and torso, the body Jared had been so close to the day before. Ben sat back in his chair, his bulging shorts displayed in front of the open mouthed guard. Jared felt a pang of envy, and at the same time felt himself stiffen. "Did you know he likes boys?" Vess whispered.

"I...no...I..." He couldn't look away. The guard had pulled down Ben's shorts, and his long, thick cock was now docked with the guy's mouth. Ben was saying something to him, but Jared couldn't hear.

"You might have to be careful with him too." Vess looked at the bulge in Jared's overalls. "Unless you'd like that, of course."

Ben had grabbed hold of the guards head and was forcing it down onto his crotch. The guard was choking and struggling and Jared imagined Ben's cock snaking down the guard's throat. He could almost see it bulge as he tried to pull away, and couldn't help but wonder at how it felt, how it tasted. He tried to place himself in the position the guard was now in, submitting so completely to Ben as other men watched on. He felt something similar to how he had felt with Myke as he had measured him, the same thrill of being the focus of male attention. He felt a hand at his crotch. It was Vess, who had manoeuvred behind him.

"Are all the Brothers this perverted or is it just you?" Jared started at the sudden intrusion to his thoughts, but did nothing to stop the hand that now held him through his overalls.

"I'm not..." The hand squeezed and Jared's hips moved on their own.

"Getting hard watching your stud of a room mate give that guard the face fucking of his life?" He slowly stroked Jared up and down. He surrendered to the feeling, allowing his pleasure to build as the guard bobbed up and down on Ben's dick, taking it as deep as he could, letting Ben use his mouth and throat like a fuck toy right there in front of everyone. Jared couldn't even talk now, it was all too much for him. Nothing like this had happened to him before and it both scared and thrilled him. He tried to sing but no song came, just a deep groan as he saw Ben pull his dick from the guard's mouth, shooting his seed over the guy's face and body, and his own cock twitched and came in his pants.

"Yeah, definitely a pervert." Vess sniggered and sat back. Jared had to sit for a moment to get his breath and gather his thoughts. Ben was already standing and preparing to leave. The guard had sat back up in his chair, looking dazed.

"I'm not sure what just happened." Jared relaxed a little.

"Tell me you've had an orgasm before." Vess ordered two more beers.

"Of course." Such things were tolerated if not exactly condoned at the Shrine.

"But not like that? Like I said, you're a pervert. But that isn't a bad thing." Vess gestured to himself. "I am a pervert, Myke is a pervert, that guard is a pervert and your friend is a pervert." The barman arrived with the beers. Vess turned to him. Handing him a fifty credit token. The man looked at it with surprise.

"A handsome tip for a handsome man." Vess said smoothly. "Please, would you settle a bet for us. How many of your patrons, would you say, are perverts?"

The barman's smile was unsure.

"Be honest, we aren't judging, just curious." The barman thought seriously for a moment.

"I would say between most and all of them." Vess laughed.

"You see, it's perfectly normal. Not just Tartarus either, we just don't bother to hide it here." He gestured across the room. The guard was on his knees again, with another man stood in front of him feeding him his dick. "So why should you?"

Jared's head was spinning. He wondered how he would be able to look at Ben again without imagining what had just happened. It had been difficult enough to control his urges already. Part of him dreaded returning to the apartment, but he knew he would have to. Was Vess right? Was he a pervert? He could not deny what he had felt as he watched Ben use that guard the way he had. It had been so visceral, so urgent. He was distracted by these thoughts as they finished their drinks in near silence. Vess' terminal chirped.

"Your suit is ready. Shall we go?" Vess looked at Jared sympathetically. "Don't over think it." He stood. "If you ask me, I think you just need to get laid."

With that new thought in Jared's head they exited the bar into the afternoon haze.

"How do you think that would help?" Jared dodged past a drunk that slurred something indecipherable.

"You have been locked up with those fusty, round monks your whole life. Your body is crying out for a real man." Jared thought immediately of Ben.

Myke greeted them at the door to his shop, grinning from ear to ear.

"Come in. I want to see it on you." They were hurried into the backroom where Myke had the new suit layed out. It was dark blue, though not as dark as Vess', and made of a fine but resiliant cotton-like fabric. Jared stripped his overalls once again before putting on the suit. Myke looked on eagerly as he pulled on the jacket and straightened himself. Looking in one of the mirrors he found that he barely recognised himself. All his life he had worn the robes of his order, and even when on Gaia and Hermes he had dressed to remain unobtrusive and unnoticed. To see himself dressed so as to draw the eye, to leave an impression on those he met, was wholly alien to him.

"You have outdone yourself, Myke." Said Vess, running a finger along the lapel. "Belik will be pleased." He leant in and whispered in Jared's ear. "Just try not to cum in your pants."

Jared blushed and was glad that Myke did not seem to hear. He turned to the tailor.

"Thank you. It's perfect." Myke beamed.

"My pleasure, kid. Of course, it isn't free." Jared smiled and help up his wrist, showing the band.

"Show me the way."

After paying he changed back into his overalls and Myke wrapped the suit, along with a shirt and shoes. Vess and he walked together as far as the nearest tram stop.

"Thank you for taking the time to help me today." He said and Vess smiled.

"The pleasure was mine, young Brother. I have to say you interest me a great deal. I hope you will meet with me again, and tell me of your progress." Jared agreed that he would and, after tapping terminals, Vess walked back towards bar, hoping to meet a friendly guard.