Thanks for returning to another chapter. This one is a bit different. Instead of being episodic, it goes back and tells the story of Ben and Andrew on a very interesting planet. We will return to the rest of the boys of the Lady Lex in chapter 11. We hope you enjoy this one. -Ben and Douglas
The Boys of the Lady Lex Chapter 10 "Planet of Thieves" Written By Douglas DD and Benjamin T. Collins
Ely and Kalon sat in the pilots' chairs. While Ely was the higher ranking officer and in charge of the shuttle, Kalon was a better pilot, and would do the majority of the piloting when needed. Harrison Wolfe sat in one of the seats behind them. He figured he was just along for the ride until they reached Lucifer, where some of his "expertise" might come in handy. The three men had spent time during the early evening loading their personal items and some equipment they felt they needed.
Kalon donned his sunglasses and started to pump his music. While the launch was a routine one, the mission wasn't, and he needed all the inspiration he could get.
The two SFA officers went through the shuttle launch checklist and procedures. When they were satisfied everything was ready they radioed the bridge of the "Lexington" for clearance to launch. Once clearance was granted, Kalon flicked the touch screen with his finger, opening the grappling hooks attaching the shuttle to the Lady Lex, and gave the thruster on the bottom of the hull a light touch, sending the shuttle up and away from the starship. The first part of the launch was tricky and a light touch was required to ease the shuttle away from the starship. The shuttle had to be moved either up and away or down and away. Pushing it away from the starship would also cause the starship to be pushed in the opposite direction. Newtonian Physics at work.
Once the shuttle was clear of the "Lexington", Kalon radioed the Yard space station for clearance. Once clearance was given, Kalon engaged the main thrusters and moved the shuttle away from the "Lexington". Ely monitored the distance between the shuttle and the starship, as well as the space station and the mothballed ships in the yard. Once the shuttle had sufficient clearance, Kalon was able to engage the ship's warp drive and into deep space.
Once the shuttle was placed on automatic pilot the three men relaxed some. Ely showed them the watch bill. Each of them would be four hours on and eight hours off.
"Wait, what do you mean I have to stand watch?" Harrison protested. "I don't know anything about flying one of these things."
"You don't have to," Ely said. "All you need to do is go over this checklist for times an hour and monitor the instruments. If something isn't right, then you grab one of us. Having three of us stand watch just takes some of the strain off the two of us."
"I guess I can handle that."
"Looks like I have the first watch," Kalon said.
"And I have the second," Ely said, " so I'm hitting the sack. I'll have to be up at two. And you'll be up at six, Harrison."
"Bed does sound good," Harrison agreed. "It's been a long day."
"When are we doing our little stop?" Kalon asked.
"Tomorrow. We'll talk about it in the morning." Ely said.
Ely and Harrison went back to the center section. They each pulled out a bunk, undressed to their underwear, and one at a time used the bathroom.
Squeezed into the small storeroom next to the head were Ben and Andrew. At first they had waited for the men who came aboard to leave, so they could follow them off the shuttle and get back to their rooms before the watch was over. But the men didn't seem in any hurry to leave. After awhile they couldn't hear any voices.
Ben whispered to Andrew to stay where he was. He opened the door and stepped gingerly into the narrow corridor. He opened the door to the living section. All the lights were on. He walked across the section, his heart pounding hard in his chest. The door between the living section and the cockpit area was closed. Before opening it, Ben put his ear against the door. He could hear voices. A shot of fear and adrenaline blasted through him.
He quickly went back to the closet. Andrew quickly grabbed onto his older brother, holding him hard and shaking.
"Are they still there?" he asked.
"Yep. They should be leaving soon. It's getting late at night. I don't know why they would be working on the shuttle this late."
Suddenly, the boys felt the slight rumble of thrusters and the sensation of motion The shuttle was leaving the Lady Lex. Andrew grabbed Ben tighter.
"Are we moving?" he asked.
"It seems like it."
"Where are we going?"
"I have no clue, little Otter. I have no clue at all."
Morning found Ely stuffing breakfast packets into the ship's microwave. It was just after eight. Kalon was asleep, but like any good spaceman, he would wake up any time for food. Harrison was forward in the cockpit standing his first watch.
In the store room, Ben and Andrew woke up after a restless sleep. They both had to sleep sitting up. Andrew had gotten cold and was shivering, and Ben had removed his shirt and put it over his little brother. He had a T-shirt on underneath, but he found himself getting cold as well. The two brothers stayed as tightly cuddled as they could in their small space.
Both of them were hungry, and the rumblings in their stomach seem to fill the storage space. Ben wondered where they were going. He wondered how long they would be gone. He wondered when they would be missed. And he wondered if they should reveal themselves to the crew members, or just stay in the closet, hoping the trip they were on was a short one. He knew he was getting hungry, and that he had to pee. He and Andrew could get to the head without being seen, but it would be risky. He knew there should be a light switch someplace. He found it and flicked the lights on. The storage space was larger than he thought, but it was packed full. Two space suits were hanging to his left side.
Andrew blinked and said, "I'm hungry, Benjie. And I gotta go pee."
"I know, Otter." Ben held his little brother close to him, petting his head, which was now starting to get stubble. He couldn't wait until his beautiful blond tipped brown hair grew back out. "I'm sure we're not going far. We'll be back to the Lady Lex real soon."
Ben wasn't sure of anything. He was trying to comfort his little brother by letting him know everything would be okay. He knew that so far, this was the only shuttle the Lady Lex had. So why had it left so suddenly last night? If they were going to Earth, a transport would have been used. So where were they going? And how long would it take?
In the living section, Ely pulled the breakfast packets out of the microwave. He pulled off the seals, sending the smell of cooked food throughout the cabin, through the open door to the corridor and into the storage room. The smells made the boys' stomachs growl even louder.
Ely took a breakfast into the cockpit section and handed it to Harrison.
"We got two messages on deep space radio," Harrison said. "One was pretty much good morning and good luck. The other was interesting. It seems two boys are missing."
"Oh, really? Did it say who they were?"
"Two of the Captain's nephews. Ben and one of the twins. Andrew."
"Interesting. Well, we agreed on radio silence. We don't want us connected in any way to the SFA. Plus, Captain Hatcher doesn't trust everybody on board the Lady Lex. So, we maintain radio silence. Which will be the reason for our little stop."
"It will mean going outside the shuttle."
"That's fine. Kalon and I both have space suit time. We didn't want to make this little change at the Lady Lex, even though it would be much easier to do in one of the hangers. But, once again, the Captain and I both feel we can't trust everybody."
"The good Admiral Whitaker is a slimeball. He got his position through politics and cunning, not because he was a great officer. I get the feeling there is more at stake here than the fate of 200 boys."
Harrison took all of Ely's ramblings in. He knew there were strange things going on. He knew more than anyone thought.
Ely had his suspicions. The explosion that injured Dr. Daniel's son wasn't an accident. Of that he was sure. He knew Admiral Whitaker wanted desperately to stop the project. He just wasn't sure why.
Kalon came up front and Ely addressed the two of them. "This afternoon Ensign Masters and I will be doing the space walk we discussed. The only question is what do we name the shuttle."
"I like the "Star Smasher" myself," Kalon said.
"Not bad. A good first suggestion," Ely said.
"Not good," said Harrison Wolfe. "It's too SFA. We want something that has the sound of swashbuckling adventure. Remember, this is supposed to be a retired SFA shuttle purchased by dealers in black-market materials."
"So, do you have a suggestion then?" Kalon asked a bit harshly.
"Of course, I do. I propose the name `Lady Hawke'. It comes from a book titled The Hidden Passengers. It takes place in the early 19th century during the Napoleanic War. "Lady Hawke" was sent on a mission similar to ours. It was to recover a shipment of gold stolen by a French privateer. I thought it an appropriate name."
"Where does the title come from?" Ely asked. "Who are the hidden passengers?"
"A couple of stowaways who play a key role in recovering the treasure. I admit we don't have those, but I still like the name of the ship. Hawke is spelled with an E at the end, of course."
"Of course," Kalon said sarcastically. "Just like in Wolfe."
"Exactly," Harrison Wolfe said with a smile. "It has a literate touch to it, don't you think?"
"I don't like it," Ely said. "Ensign Masters's suggestion has more bang to it." Ely actually did like Harrison's name, but in a conflict between one of his men and the mysterious English teacher, he was going to side with his own man. Ely might not have cared much for Ensign Masters, but he knew what loyalty was about.
"You're going to need papers and registration. Even a ship of renegade space dealers would have those. Gets everybody past the red tape."
"This ship is registered," Ely said.
"Yeah, as an SFA shuttle. That's going to open a lot of doors on a planet like Lucifer."
"And I suppose you have proper registration papers for a ship named `Lady Hawke'?"
"It just so happens I do," Harrison said., pulling some official documents out of his briefcase.
"I should have guessed," Ely said. "You certainly seem to get around a lot for a supposed teacher of English."
"I have friends," Harrison said with a smile. "Ex-students and all that."
"Right. Ex-students." Ely examined the papers. "They say we bought the `Lady Hawke' and registered her three years ago."
"We don't want to look like rookies you know."
"I suppose I don't want to know how you did that."
"You're right. You don't want to know."
Ely knew he'd been defeated. He looked at Kalon, who shrugged his shoulders and gave Ely a little nod.
"Okay, then, `Lady Hawke' it is. This afternoon we remove the old decals and place the decals on to make the name and the registration number...," he looked at the papers Harrison had handed him, "...ES-771477 on the hull. Kalon has done some outside decal work before. I'll assist him, and you, Harrison, will stay in here and mind the store."
"With pleasure, Chief," Harrison said with his engaging smile.
While the chat was going on forward, Andrew snuck out into the corridor and to the head. For all their problems, Ben couldn't help smile while watching his little brother. His uniform shirt fit Andrew almost like a short dress. Well, at least if they were found, he wouldn't be stark naked, but they still would have a hard time explaining why Andrew had boarded the shuttle naked.
After Andrew returned, Ben used the head as well. Since the heads on a space craft can be rather noisy, both boys didn't flush, hoping one of the men on board would be blamed for the lapse.
The boys felt better and cuddled up close together again in the storeroom. Their hunger was working on them more and more, however. Ben kissed his brother on the forehead. Andrew looked up at him and smiled, closing his eyes and pursing his lips. Even as hungry as he was, Ben couldn't pass up the invitation. He lowered his head and kissed Andrew passionately on the lips. Andrew opened his mouth, allowing his older brother's tongue to wander in.
The boys kissed for a couple of minutes then broke off.
"Look, I've got a boner now," Andrew said. Ben could see his uniform shirt tented up by Andrew's four inch erection.
"Guess you can't be feeling too badly then, Otter."
"I'm hungry, Benjie," Andrew said, his mind drifting quickly from sex to what was now a much more important topic.
"You're a good kisser, Andrew. I hope if I get a boyfriend he kisses as good as you do."
"My boyfriend kisses good."
"Who? Nipper?"
"Yeah."
"Does he know he's your boyfriend?"
"Not yet," Andrew said with a smile.
The three members of the shuttle crew were passing the time. Ely was on watch, Harrison was snoozing on his bunk, and Kalon was reading a comic book. Ely didn't find that to be surprising. It was just the kind of garbage he would expect Kalon to be reading. .
Some traffic came over the radio from the Lady Lex. Ely listened to it, knowing he couldn't answer it. He found what he heard interesting and amusing.
He got up and walked to the center living section. "You're going to love this, Ensign."
Kalon looked up from his comic book. "What's that?" he asked.
"Apparently they found the uniform of one of the Captain's nephews. The young twin's."
"Oh? Where was it?"
"In our shuttle bay. On the floor."
Kalon laughed. "I guess that means there's a little boy running naked around the Lady Lex. He's probably hiding somewhere scared shitless. Must have been on some kind of dare."
"Could be, but what does his older brother have to do with all of it? Oh well, I guess we'll find out when we get back."
Kalon got some lunches out of the freezer and popped them into the microwave. "We eat, we nap, we walk in space. I have the decals ready."
"Not all of them," Harrison said.
"Oh?"
"Look in the blue box I had loaded. You'll find two very interesting Ls."
"Oh?"
Harrison's answer was one of his sly smiles.
"I'm hungry, Benjie." Andrew was almost whining. "And I gotta pee."
"I know. I'm sure we're going to be back at Lady Lex soon. Then we'll sneak off. We'll get in trouble for hiding, but not for being on the shuttle. Just be patient."
"I can't be. Let's give up." Andrew snuggled up to his big brother.
"At dinner time. If we're not back by dinner time, then we'll give up, okay?"
"Is it dinner time now?"
"No. It's soon. Now just be quiet."
Ben got up and turned off the light, then hugged Andrew close to him. The two boys quickly fell into a fitful slumber.
They were awakened by voices outside the door. "Let's get the space suits."
The door opened, the light came on, Ensign Masters stepped into the storage room, then stopped dead.
"Well, well, well," he chuckled, "look at what the cat drug in."
Ben and Andrew blinked at the sudden bright light and looked up. Kalon Masters was one of the last people they wanted to see. At least they thought so until they saw Ely Storm standing behind him.
Ely stepped in front of Kalon and barked, "Cadets, stand at attention!"
Ben blinked again and didn't move.
"You heard Captain Storm, cadets, on your feet AT ATTENTION!"
Ben groaned and stood up, with Andrew doing the same. They were both so hungry and cramped feeling they could hardly move. And both of them had to pee badly.
Ely and Kalon both noted that the only clothing on Andrew was Ben's uniform shirt.
"What are you doing in this room, cadets?" Ely bellowed
Ben started to answer, but Ely continued on right over him. "What are you doing on my shuttle, cadets?"
Once again, Ben tried to answer, and once again Ely cut him off and bellowed, "And why are you cadets out of uniform?"
This time Ben didn't try to talk, but he and Andrew both were blushing deeply. Ely couldn't help but smile as he thought of his time with his older brother when they were in their pre and early teens. There was a little over a year's difference in their ages, and both being outgoing horny boys they didn't mind helping each other get off. Ely knew exactly what had gone on between Ben and his brother, and he could accept that. But he could not accept them violating the rules and being on the shuttle.
Kalon and Ely escorted Ben and Andrew into the middle living section of the shuttle. Harrison Wolfe was in the cockpit, standing his watch. Ely called him to come back to the living section. When Harrison saw who was standing at attention in the small living section, he practically laughed out loud.
With the two boys standing at attention, Ely pretty much got the story of what happened. Ben tried to tell a story about Andrew taking his uniform and boarding the shuttle naked on a dare, but he could tell none of the three men believed a word of it.
Ely told the boys he couldn't waste any more time on them. He and Ensign Masters had a job to do outside the shuttle, and they were on a tight schedule to complete their mission. He said he was leaving them in Harrison Wolfe's charge. He was a teacher, and as such had the authority of an officer over them. He told Harrison to get the boys some food. He told them he would deal with them after they finished their extravehicular mission.
Ely and Kalon headed into the back section. They were both experienced spacemen, capable of doing a mission as a two man team. All Harrison Wolfe had to do was monitor the instruments, listen to their communications, and let them know if something wasn't normal.
Harrison pulled the boys' two lunches out of the microwave. They sat at the small pullout table and devoured them greedily. It was their first meal in almost 24 hours. Harrison went to the cockpit to continue his watch.
After they finished, Harrison told them to join him in the cockpit, where he was monitoring the instruments.
"Well, boys, an interesting story about how you got on the shuttle. A dare gone bad. But, I've always liked brotherly love." Harrison loved the blush that brought both to Ben and Andrew's faces. He knew he was right on the mark.
While the boys were eating, the teacher in Harrison rose to the surface. "Are you boys readers?"
"I love to read," Ben said. "So does my brother."
"Have you read any of the 19th and 20th century classics? You aren't educated until you do, you know."
"Like what?"
"I'm thinking of books that appeal to boys. Like Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Ender's Game, My Side of the Mountain, Where the Red Fern Grows, just to name a few. Books you can get your teeth into.
Harrison went on about other similar books, their background and their stories.
"If you're ever interested, my collection contains those books and more."
Ben and Andrew ate their lunch and listened with respectful silence. They could tell Harrison Wolfe was passionate about books, and in spite of their silence, they were both impressed. They both were getting a liking for the him. He seemed to have a way of making something as dry as a centuries old book become something they wanted to read and be interested in.. The quiet was broken by a voice on the radio. It was Ely, asking Harrison to check a setting on the air lock gauge. After describing the gauge Harrison found it and gave him the reading. Ely signed off.
"Are you going to radio the Lady Lex that you found us?" Ben asked.
"Can't my young friend. We are undergoing radio silence."
"Why?"
Harrison described the mission to them. Both boys' jaws dropped as the listened to him.
"We're going to steal a gravity generator?" Andrew asked incredulously.
"No, Andrew. You weren't listening. We're going to take back what is rightfully ours. It would be unethical to steal something when we're trying to make men out of you young criminals."
"We're not criminals," Andrew protested. "We don't belong in jail."
"Well, you certainly weren't invited on the Lady Lex because your uncle is the captain."
"Andrew is right," Ben said. "What happened was an accident."
"Indeed. I read in your records that you two and your other brother killed a boy. Accidents don't get nice kids like you convicted of murder."
"Do you read everybody's records?" Ben asked.
"No. Just the ones of the boys who interest me."
The conversation was interrupted by another call on the radio. Ely and Kalon were out of the airlock and Ely was asking for another reading.
After giving Ely the figures he wanted. Harrison returned to his chat with the two boys.
"How about telling the real story of what happened."
"Why? You won't believe me. Nobody else does!"
"Try me," Harrison said with a smile.
And with that everything came out. The story of what happened in the park that fateful afternoon. Ben told how he, Andrew, Trev, and Trev's friend Kevin were kicking a soccer ball around a small field located in a remote gulch. Trev kicked the ball past Kevin and into and old concrete bunker. Kevin went into the bunker to retrieve the ball. Trev saw that the chain to the door had rusted through, and the door was no longer chained to the wall of the bunker. The bunker had at one time been used for storing equipment. The door had been chained to the outer wall and the bunker left open. The parks department kept planning to close up the bunker, but kept putting it off. After Kevin went in, the three brothers pushed on the door. It wouldn't budge on its old rusty hinges at first. They were about to give up when it moved with a loud creak. They kept pushing on it until it closed. Since it took all three of them to close it, they figured Kevin wouldn't be able to open it, and they were right. Kevin yelled at them to open the door. Trev told Kevin he'd do it only if Kevin would agree to certain dares. Ben was careful not to tell what those dares were, but he had a feeling Mr. Wolfe figured out they were sexual in nature.
Kevin refused and demanded the door be open. Ben didn't tell the teacher that the dare involved oral sex and that the two boys had done it on more than one occasion. Kevin was refusing in order to save face. The three boys told him they'd be back in an hour, and they'd open the door if he changed his mind.
When they returned an hour later they called Kevin. He didn't answer. They called him over and over, but still no answer. Concerned, the three of them pulled on the door and opened it. They found Kevin slumped on the floor, dead. The coroner's report said he had suffocated to death in the bunker.
"Very interesting," Harrison Wolfe said. "Must have been a very small room with an airtight door."
"It was a room as big as my bedroom with a beat up old door on rusty hinges, but it did fit pretty tight. The only reason Kevin couldn't get out was that the door was so heavy and the hinges were rusty. There's no way he could have suffocated in there and even if he did how was it murder? It was an accident."
"Are you saying the report was wrong?"
"You don't believe us, do you?"
"Oh, I do, I do. I'm just trying to get this straight in my mind. I'm like you. I don't see how he could suffocate in a room that size in an hour. Of course fear will speed up breathing and oxygen intake. I agree with you, Ben. You and your brothers were screwed. And you're not the only ones this has happened to on the Lady Lex. I see the long arm of the SFA in a lot of strange places these days."
"What does the SFA have to do with this?" Ben asked.
"Your uncle is an SFA captain. And a great one from what I've seen and heard. But rumor has it he has on occasion stepped on the wrong toes in his career. And your father works in the office of Interstellar Relations. On the Kriton project, I believe."
"What does that have to do with us being here?"
"That, my young friend, is a good question."
The radio blasting on ended the conversation, leaving Ben wondering how it was an English teacher knew so much. There was more to Mr. Wolfe than appeared on the surface.
Ely told them over the radio that their extravehicular mission was finished and they were entering the airlock.
The space walk had been routine. The decals were actually magnetic letters. All they had to do was take pry off the old ones and stick on the new. The hull had small recesses to slide the letters into, so when the job was finished everything was straight and even. The surprise was the L in Lady Hawke. It was decorated with a hawk's head. Harrison Wolfe had known all along what the name of the shuttle would end up being. Ely found himself very intrigued by the mysterious English teacher.
After getting all the gear away and the shuttle back onto warp drive, Ely dealt with the two young stowaways. He told them that he would not be able to contact the Lady Lex because they were maintaining radio silence. They didn't want anybody to be able to track signals between them and any SFA ship. As of now they were a shuttle purchased at auction from the SFA by a group of black-marketeers. He chastised them for their irresponsibility. He told them they would be obeying all orders, keeping the ship neat and tidy, and they would both be standing a watch, though it would be the two of them together. He noted that they would have to stay out of sight when they reached Lucifer and when they refueled. Ely figured if asked, he would admit the boys were on board, but he wouldn't volunteer the information. He also told them that under no circumstances could anybody see Ben's uniform shirt, even if it meant putting it away and Andrew being naked. It would be easier to explain away a naked boy then it would a boy dressed in an SFA cadet's shirt.
Some time in the early morning they stopped at a deep space refueling station. Starships could go for months without refueling, transports for weeks, but shuttles weren't made for long distance deep space flight and usually only had enough fuel for a week to ten days. The "Lady Hawke" left short on fuel with the idea of stopping at the RS-5 station, not only for fuel, but to establish that they were in the area and heading for Lucifer. By mid-day they would be at their destination.
Lucifer's natives were not physically imposing. A 5'6 tall male would be considered big, and visitors to the planet often towered over the natives. But the inhabitants made up for their lack of size with tremendous intelligence and shrewdness. While never developing space travel on their own, once they were introduced to it they became well-traveled merchants, developing the sector's largest merchant marine fleet. The planet itself dealt in anything that was for sale, legal or illegal. Their banks took money from anybody and kept the secrets of their clients intact. Corporations, businessmen, politicians, and mobsters and criminals all kept accounts and did business on Lucifer. The planet did an incredible business in legitimate trade, but it was also a huge cesspool of black-market trade and money laundering banks. The services Lucifer provided were used by so many powerful people, that nobody had ever tried to invade it, and nobody had ever tried to step in and clean it up, including the Kritons.
The "Lady Hawke" landed at the Capital Spaceport and was ordered to taxi to the customs station. A surly customs inspector boarded the shuttle, looking important with his clear plastic clipboard. Ely Storm's hunched 6'3 frame was almost a full foot taller than the inspector, and Ely didn't hesitate to make use of that fact by glaring down at the little officious rodent standing in front of him.
"Papers, please."
Ely handed over the documents for the "Lady Hawke", silently thanking the mysterious Harrison Wolfe for having everything in order ahead of time. The inspector looked over the papers carefully, then placed his official stamp on them. He asked the three men for identification. The rules for entering Lucifer were lax, but some pretense of rules still needed to be maintained. The inspector looked at the ID cards and wrote some information on his clipboard.
"What is the purpose of your visit?"
"We're here to attend an auction. We understand some like new space equipment is available for sale."
"Very well. Just the three of you on board?"
Ely hesitated, wondering if he should tell the truth or lie. If he lied and the inspector decided to inspect the ship, which was very unlikely, they would find themselves in hot water. If he told the truth, and the inspector discovered the boys had no papers, that could be an issue too. He decided to go with the story he, Kalon, and Harrison had concocted. They would use the sleaze of Lucifer to their advantage.
"We have two boys on board."
"And do they have papers?"
"Not exactly," Harrison chimed in with a dirty grin on his face.
"Can I see them?" he asked.
Harrison led them back to the living section. Ben and Andrew were both lying naked on pulled out bunks. The inspector looked at Harrison with a glare. Harrison looked back and grinned, as his hand put a 1000 Earth Standard bill on the inspector's clipboard.
"Man's got to have fun on long nights in space you know," Harrison said.
The inspector pocketed the note. "Yes, of course he does."
The two men went back into the cockpit. "Your ship is cleared for five days on Lucifer," the inspector said handing Ely a document from his clipboard. "If you need an extension please call the number at the top. Enjoy your stay and may the god of bargains smile upon you."
The little man left, and as soon as Ely closed the hatch the three men roared with laughter.
Harrison went back to the living section. He pulled the boys' clothes from their hiding place and thanked them for their bravery. He reminded Andrew not to let the SFA cadet uniform top be seen through a window.
"You'd almost be better off staying naked while we're planet side. As you saw, on this planet it's far easier to explain a naked boy then it is an SFA uniform top."
Staying naked suited Andrew fine, so Harrison put the top away. Ben, who felt a little more self-conscious around the three men pulled on his pants and shoes, but stayed topless. He did rather like the idea of seeing his little brother strut around naked.
Kalon, Ely, and Harrison walked into the rug shop. Lucifer was noted for its beautiful, sturdy rugs, and they were a major export. Visitors to Lucifer often left with an area rug as one of their souvenirs. The boys had been left behind on the ship with strict instructions not to leave or to show themselves at the windows.
A clerk was at the counter in the back of the store.
"Good day, gentlemen. Welcome to our humble shop? Can I interest you in a fine carpet today?"
Harrison Wolfe stepped forward, handing the clerk a piece of paper. "In fact you can. I was looking for this style of carpet. I understand it's quite rare, but your store is noted for carrying this type of carpet."
The clerk looked at the paper and turned noticeably pale.
"I shall be right back, gentlemen. Our owner would be happy to discuss such an important purchase with you."
The clerk disappeared through a curtain into a back office. The proprietor soon came out of the back room. He was a balding man with a gray beard, standing around 5'0, with a waist that seemed almost as big around. He was immensely fat.
He looked at Ely's black face, Kalon's bronzed face, then over to Harrison's white, but nicely tanned face.
The proprietor had a fleeting look of recognition when he saw Harrison, but he said nothing, waiting for Harrison to take the initiative.
"Greetings," he said with a bow. "Would you be the proprietor here?"
"I am. My name is Quaazha.. I understand you gentlemen are interested in a fine carpet."
"No, not today. Perhaps another time. We came for information."
"And what makes you think I have information, brango," he said, using the Lucifer term for friend.
Harrison pulled out a 5000 Earth Standard bill. Quaazha pocketed it so fast Ely wasn't sure he had actually seen it. "This makes me think you do, brango."
The shop owner flashed Harrison a quick grin, which only he saw.
"What information would you be seeking?"
"We understand a sparkling new, never been used, out of the factory ASG 7000 plus gravity generator is going to be available for auction in a couple of days. We would like to know where it is."
"The auction will be in the Central City auction tent. You didn't need to pay me for that, brango. That is public knowledge."
"You misunderstood, brango. I wasn't asking where the auction is going to be. I was asking where the generator is right now."
"I see," the rug merchant said. "I shall be right back. Please, browse the store and enjoy my wonderful rugs. I won't be long." The little man waddled back into his office.
"He didn't seem overly surprised by all this. It's like he's dealt with you before," Ely said.
"Never met the man before in my life."
"You certainly knew where to come for information."
"And like I said. I know people."
"You seem to have a nice stash of cash as well."
"It helps to save your nickels and dimes."
It was almost 45 minutes later before Quaazha came back out. He walked over to the three men and handed Harrison an envelope, which he slipped under his tunic. Ely couldn't help but note how, despite his girth, the shop owner seemed so much smaller as he stood between the three Earthmen, who all stood over six feet tall.
"Thank you, brango," Harrison said with a slight bow. "Perhaps next time we are here we will be in the market for one of your fine rugs."
"My pleasure to help, brango. Good hunting."
"Good selling, brango."
As the men walked down the sidewalk of the busy street, Harrison pulled the slip of paper out of his pocket.
"We're in luck. The generator is in warehouse 17. Right at Capital Airport."
Ben got up off the bunk bed. He looked down at Andrew, who was covered from his nipples to his dick in Ben's cum. He looked so cute with his hair mussed, and his torso shiny with Ben's ejaculation. Their session had been hot. Both of them had been incredibly horny, despite their predicament. Ben was amazed as to how good a kisser his little brother was, not only for a 12 year old, but just in general. The boy knew what to do with his tongue, both kissing and when performing oral sex.
"I love you, Benjie. But I'm going to love Nipper more," Andrew said with all of his sweet innocence.
"I know, my Otter. And that's how it should be. I'm your brother, but he's going to be your boyfriend.." Ben knew what he was saying was right. Now if only he could feel the same way. Loving his brother, but having a boyfriend to love even more. It would come, he was sure. And he hoped soon. But who on the Lady Lex would want to be his boyfriend? It certainly wouldn't be his roommate, Johnny Asshole. He thought of the boys who he thought were sexy looking. Scooter was one. He felt so sorry for how he was being treated. He liked Scottie, the big brother of little Carson. Shit, he liked a lot of them. But who liked him?
"We better shower, little bro. We don't want to get caught like this. I mean I think they have it figured out what we do, but we probably shouldn't advertise it."
They entered the shower together, not caring if they were caught there. After all, in this case they were saving precious water.
Kalon taxied the "Lady Hawke" from it's assigned spot to a spot right in front of the main door to warehouse 17. It was close to midnight and the area was deserted. A transport shuttle, not built for deep space, was parked next to the hanger as well. Ely opened the hatch and lowered the ladder. He, Harrison, and Kalon climbed down to the tarmac and walked to a door on the side of the warehouse.
Harrison pulled a key out of his pocket. It had been in the envelope Quaazha had given him in the shop. He unlocked the door, setting off a buzzer. Harrison double checked a small map, walked over to a desk and punched some numbers into a console on the desk. The beeping of the alarm stopped.
"He just had all of this stuff sitting in his shop?"
"No. But he had the means to access it in his shop after we chatted with him."
They left the office and entered the warehouse itself. It was full of assorted instruments and junk; items ready to be auctioned off or to be purchased under the table. One piece of information they didn't have was the location of the gravity generator. They walked up and down aisles searching for it. Kalon found some a large box with SFA Lexington stamped on it. He knew it contained some of the other items that had been stolen, but they needed to find and load the gravity generator before they could think of taking anything else.
"Here it is," Ely said in a loud whisper. The men ran over to aisle he was in. Sitting on a pallet was a gorgeous shiny ASG 7000 plus gravity generator in mint condition. Ely quickly checked the serial number against the one from the stolen generator. They were the same. This was indeed theirs. They would not be stealing, they would be reclaiming what had been taken from them.
Kalon went the main warehouse door. He slowly opened it and headed to the "Lady Hawke" which was parked just a few feet from the door. He walked under the shuttle, opened a small hatch and pulled out a controller. He pushed a button and the bottom cargo hatch of the shuttle lowered to the ground, with a pallet jack on it. The men were certain that the gravity generator would still be on the pallet. Kalon grabbed the jack and started wheeling it into the warehouse when he heard a voice behind him.
Harrison stood outside the warehouse entrance. He heard footsteps and saw a guard come around the corner.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"I have this from the Rug Man."
Harrison stepped up to him with a document in his hand, but as the guard reached to take it, Harrison grabbed his arm, twisted it, turning the guard, put his hand around the guard's throat and broke his neck. He quickly took the body and dragged it behind some boxes just inside the entrance. He then joined Ely and Kalon at the generator.
The men got the jack under the pallet and wheeled it out of the warehouse and onto the hatch of the shuttle. Kalon pushed the up button and the hatch raised up into the hull of the shuttle, hiding its precious cargo inside the bowels of the "Lady Hawke."
"Okay, let's get on board and get permission to leave this hell hole," Ely said.
They walked up to the ladder going to the cockpit when once again a voice from the dark stopped them.
"Not so fast, brangos." A figure stepped out the shadows. "You have something that belongs to me."
"Sorry, but it belongs to us. It was stolen from us and we are reclaiming what is rightfully ours."
"Oh, no, brangos. I have the bill of sale right here. I bought it from some respected merchants."
"It was stolen by Geldon raiders."
"Those Geldons looked remarkably like Earthmen to me. But, we are wasting time here. I have the bill of sale. So the item in question is mine."
"I have the factory invoice assigning it to me. So I would think that takes precedence."
"Not on Lucifer, my friends. Our laws are much different from yours. So I suggest you lower your hatch and give me what is mine."
"I don't think so," Ely said as he started to climb up the ladder.
"Well, then we make a trade. I give you what it is you want for what I want."
"A trade? What do you have that I could possibly want."
"Adruz, show the shakah what we have," the man said. Loosely translated, a shakah was an asshole.
Two men stepped out of the shadows, each one holding on to a boy. Ben was dressed in just his uniform pants, and Andrew, obeying orders like he was told to, was naked.
"I can't say I agree with your sexual tastes, but I admit they are cute for Earth boys. If you want them back, you merely need to lower that hatch."
"You can have them," Harrison said. "We got them from one of your slave markets. You can return them and take the profits. They were nice toys, but they don't interest us. We're here for our property, not a couple of whore boys."
Ben looked at Harrison with his mouth agape. Surely he didn't mean what he said.
"I was told the boys were on your ship when you arrived."
"Misinformation. That's the way things are on Lucifer. Always full of misinformation."
Ely and Harrison kept stalling as Kalon move slightly through this entire exchange. Each stop edged him closer to the apparent leader of the group. Ben noticed Kalon's movement, but the Lucifer men were concentrating their attention on Harrison Wolfe. Things on Lucifer always happened by negotiation and talk. Violence was rare, and Harrison was taking advantage of this bit of knowledge.
Suddenly, before the leader knew what was happening, Kalon was on top of him. A chop to his throat dropped him. Ely was off the ladder and heading for Adruz and Ben, but before he could get there Ben rammed a fist into his captor's balls, causing him double over.
At the same time Andrew bent down and bit the hand of his captor. Harrison pulled a knife out of his tunic and took advantage of the change in position. A quick flick of the wrist and the knife buried itself in the chest of Andrew's captor. Andrew looked up with a stunned look on his face as the man let Andrew go and fell onto the tarmac, dead.
Kalon pulled out a laser gun. "Just stay where you are guys."
Ely instructed the boys to climb up the ladder and into the cockpit. Andrew went first followed by Ben. Just as Ben reached the door, a fourth man appeared from around the corner of the warehouse and fired off a laser shot at the shuttle, hitting Ben in the back. Ben felt a stab of pain, and almost lost his grip on the ladder. Kalon grabbed the ladder and power climbed it, dodging laser shots. Ben felt himself losing consciousness, and felt his himself slipping off the ladder.
Kalon grabbed Ben with one powerful hand, holding on to the ladder with the other. He shoved Ben up and into the cockpit just as he was hit by a beam of light.
Down on the ground Ely took aim and fired at the shadow by the warehouse. He watched the light beams hit the side of the shuttle, saw Kalon's almost superhuman rescue of Ben, and cringed as his Ensign got hit by a flash of light. Ely took aim again and fired. He heard a loud grunt and a thump as his aim was true. He and Harrison scrambled up the ladder as Kalon painfully pulled himself into the shuttle. Ely and Harrison were in right after him. Ely punched the raise ladder button, shut the airlock hatch and started the shuttle's engines.
Harrison bent down to tend to the injured boy on the floor. He picked him up and carried him into the living section, strapping him to a bunk. He instructed a sobbing Andrew to do the same Kalon was already at the controls of the pilot seat, sunglasses on. He called the tower for clearance.
"Let me take the controls," Ely said. "You're hurt."
"Sir, we taking off with no clearance and no flight plan. All I have is a flesh wound. I'm the best damned pilot in the fleet. I'm getting us into space." Kalon stuck his music into the player and pumped up the volume.
"I'm taking the controls, and that's an order."
"Pops, with all due respect, shut up and let me fly! You can have this bitch after we get into warp space"
Ely was about to say something, when Harrison said, "Let's just get the our asses out of here." Ely, who had played enough poker to know when to bet and when to fold `em, folded.
The radio crackled with a female voice. "ES-771477, what is your status?"
"We wish clearance for take-off," Kalon said. "Gracie, is that you?" Kalon couldn't believe his luck.
"In the flesh. This would be Kalon Masters?"
"Just get us out of here," Ely grumbled. "Cut the BS and just go! Forget clearance, we gotta get the fuck off the ground?
"It would be him in the flesh. What has you working nights, not sleeping with the right fringas?" he asked, using a derogatory term for boss.
Gracie laughed and said it was her turn. "What ya doin on Lucifer, sweet boy? I thought you went straight and become an SFA bum."
"Wasn't by cup of tea, honey. I gotta get a load off this planet now."
"And what would that be?"
"It would be none of your business, but I know Gracie would like a 5% cut of what was paid us."
Ely was ready to explode. Why was Kalon sitting at the end of the runway shooting the breeze with a traffic controller? The mess at the warehouse would be discovered soon, and they would have to be well away from Lucifer when it was.
"And what would that be, brango?"
"It will have to wait. But what I have is a mint condition piece of equipment we got top dollar for. We're just taking back what I sold. You get something back to you on delivery. You know I'm good for it Gracie."
"You ain't never let me down yet, Kalon Masters, either in business or in bed. Glad to see you came to your senses about not being an SFA bum, and earning a real living."
"I love you, Gracie."
"I love you too, Kalon. But don't forget, you let Gracie down and you never land a ship here again."
"Kalon's good for what he said. Five percent of what we got paid."
There was a long pause, and Gracie's voice crackled back on. "Make it seven and you're cleared to go."
"You drive a hard bargain, Gracie."
"I know you're in trouble, or you wouldn't be asking to leave at this gawdawful hour. Seven percent or I send somebody to warehouse 17 to see what's going on."
"Seven percent it is. I love you, Gracie."
"You're cleared for take off, and cut the bullshit Kalon"
Kalon dropped his shades, punched in his music, and raced down the runway and into space.
Kalon raced the shuttle to the end of the runway, turned it, and gave it maximum takeoff thrust, ignoring the pleas from the control tower to stop. The shuttle raced down the runway and roared straight up and into space, leaving Lucifer behind.
Once the "Lady Hawke" entered warp space Kalon put it on automatic pilot and leaned back.
Harrison had entered the cockpit. "Nice work, Kalon, Helps to have been here before doesn't it?"
Kalon and Ely both gave him a quick look, but Harrison's face remained impassive and impossible to read. It was hard to tell what he meant by the comment, which could be read in two different ways. Kalon had found the trip to the rug shop interesting. In his previous life he had had dealings on Lucifer. Anybody in the smuggling and black market business ended up there at some time. But his had all been with fellow thugs and smugglers. What had happened in the rug shop was a side of Lucifer that had been entirely new to him. It was obvious Harrison Wolfe knew things he didn't. What wasn't obvious is how an English teacher knew the things he knew. Kalon was sure that Harrison asking for a position on the Lady Lex was no accident.
"How are you doing, Ensign?" Ely asked.
"Like I said, sir, it's just a flesh wound. Get me cleaned up and a bandage and I'll be fine. I'm sorry do have disobeyed your orders on the runway, but I did what I fucking had to do, and if you don't like it then do whatever it is you have to do, but I was the one to fly this bitch."
"You did the right thing Ensign. You're right. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. The thing that makes a good officer a good officer is knowing when to take the initiative no matter what the conditions. That was what you did." He paused and gave Kalon a stern look. "Of course, a good officer also knows when not to take the initiative."
"Understood, but I can't help being who I am.."
"That point could be argued. But not here and not now. What was all that about with the controller? The bodies at the warehouse could have been found and we'd be dead. That was a total waste of time."
"I know this business. I used to be in it until I figured I wanted to live to a riper old age than my father. Gracie and I go way back. She owes me a few. Lucifer may not have much of a navy, but it's good enough to stop us. We never would have made it out of the atmosphere if we had run. Gracie got us off the planet safely, and we have our prize"
"You wanted to live longer, so you joined the SFA?"
"Hey, it keeps me in space, even if you guys are all a bunch of stuffed shirts thinking your all important and know all there is to know because you have some fancy brass on you at formal dinners. Unless there's a war going on, it's not a bad place to be if you guys would learn to let somebody like me do his job."
"And where do you plan to get seven percent of the value of that generator?"
"I don't. I told her I'd give her seven percent of what we got paid for it. Which was nothing. Even I can do that math on that one. I didn't lie to her, so she will forgive me that. But I played her for a fool, and she won't forgive me that. I called in my chips and then some. Good thing I'm out of the smuggling business, because my stock on Lucifer just went to zero."
"Your stock did rise slightly in the SFA though, Ensign."
"And how would that be, sir?"
"At the appropriate times, you may address me as Ely."
Kalon jerked his head around and stared at the Chief Engineer. "Thank you sir." Then his voice softened. "Thank you, Ely. I promise I won't let you down."
"I know you won't Ensign."
"Kalon, sir. The name is Kalon. Oh and, Ely, one other question."
What would that be?
"What do I have to do to call you pops?"
While Kalon had only suffered a flesh wound, Ben's wound was a deep one. Harrison was afraid he may have suffered some internal injuries. He told Ely they would need to return to the Lady Lex with all possible speed. Going to Earth or an Earth station might be preferable, but the Lady Lex was actually the closer than any of them. The only question was, would Dr. Daniels still be there?
They thought about breaking radio silence to find out, but they didn't know if anybody had followed him off Lucifer, and they weren't in any condition to engage in a battle. All they could do is run silently away.
Ely, Kalon, and Harrison, used all they knew about first aid to keep Ben comfortable, but they knew he needed medical care. All of them and Andrew watched the pale boy anxiously as the "Lady Hawke" sped back to her home.
Ben opened his eyes and moaned at the pain. He saw a smiling face in front of him, the face of an incredibly cute, handsome, and, yes, sexy boy. Ben knew he had died. This must be heaven, he thought, because I'd never meet anyone like this in hell.
"Hey, you're awake."
"Yeah," Ben moaned. "The only question is, am I alive?"
"It was touch and go when you got here, but my dad did his usual great job on you and save your live just so I could sit here and look at you."
"Your dad? Who is your dad?"
"Dr. Daniels, ship's doctor extraordinaire. And I'm his trusty sidekick and son, Douglas."
"I'm Ben."
"I know. Your brother and my brother are friends. I'm glad your awake. I've been sitting here waiting for you to wake up since your surgery. I have to call my dad and let him know you're awake."
"Surgery? What did he do?"
"Fixed a couple of things that were broken. Don't worry, no scars. He just poked a small hole in you and viola, you're fixed. Can't have a scar marring that gorgeous body of yours."
Ben wasn't quite sure what to make of Douglas. All he knew was, he was tired and needed to nap. He closed his eyes and was out.
To be continued.