THE NEW EARTH - 10
Copyright 2007 by Carl Mason
All rights reserved. Other than downloading one copy for strictly personal enjoyment, no part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, except for reviews, without the written permission of the author. "The New Earth" is strictly fictional. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. As in real life, however, sexual themes unfold gradually. Comments on the story are appreciated and may be addressed to the author at carl_mason@comcast.net
If you would like to read additional stories by this author, please turn to the "Authors/Prolific Authors" link at the beginning of the Nifty Archive or in the left margin of the Gay stories index.
This story contains descriptions of sexual contact between males, both adults and teenagers. As such, it is homoerotic fiction designed for the personal enjoyment of legal, hopefully mature, adults. If you are not of legal age to read such material, if those in power and/or those whom you trust treat it as illegal, or if it would create unresolvable moral dilemmas in your life, please leave. Finally, remember that maturity generally demands safe sex.
CHAPTER 10
(Revisiting Chapter 9)
After some time had passed and he still sat on the stone steps of the house, the Madam opened the front door. Coming down to where he sat, she handed him a bundle. "From Roan with love," she whispered with a soft smile. Poking into a loose fold in the paper, Justin saw that the bundle contained a large...and, as he discovered only later, an absolutely perfect...cobra skin.
(Continuing Our Story: The Younger Set)
Clearly, the fourteen-year-olds, Danny and Eddie, were not their happiest! On the eve of the second liberty day, the Field Marshall was having some real reservations about allowing them to accompany those members of the ship's company who would be going on leave in the great "Entertainment City". Simply put, the idea of turning two mid teens loose in a large city populated by a relatively unknown population did not exactly turn him on. Nor did it seem quite right to saddle older men with a babysitting detail, men who had earned the right to hit the bars or bordellos - or engage in some dangerous sports such as mountain climbing - if that were their choice. Justin had not yet returned to the Venture and, in any case, he was likely to be tired from his own day in town. Alexios had told the youngsters that he would speak with them later in the evening and give them his decision. When, at long last, they received an order to report to his cabin, they feared the worst. The Field Marshal should have known that they would not come unprepared.
When he began by giving them several reasons why the liberty program was inappropriate for "men" their age, he caught sight of Danny who had snapped to attention and was saluting. "Yes, my boy," he said. "What seems to be the problem?" "Well, sir," the well-knit midteen replied, "because we realize some of the problems in this matter, we spoke to Larry Henderson, a cadet at the Terran Merchant Marine Academy who's completing a required tour of duty in deep space. Mr. Henderson, a cadet officer at the Academy, suggested that he would be willing to supervise us tomorrow...were that acceptable to you." "He is waiting outside the door if you wish to speak with him, sir," Eddie added in a voice that all but begged. "Show him in, Eddie," Alexios replied, a hint of amusement in his voice that said he knew he had been outmaneuvered.
Calling Henderson's name up on his desk computer, he quickly saw that his Academy and shipboard evaluations ranged from excellent to outstanding in every category. When he looked up into the dark haired twenty-one-year-old's eyes, decades of experience in dealing with men told him that the record was justified. "Do you know what you are getting into, Mr. Henderson?" the Field Marshal growled. "Yes, sir!" the young man barked. "Please tell me why you would do such a crazy thing," the Field Marshal continued, a slight smile letting the young man know that all was well. "Sir, I have a fifteen year-old brother at home whom I miss like crazy. I've always had heavy responsibilities for him. Also, my Cadet Officer Contract rules out several activities in which the liberty guys seem most...interested. Glad to help out, if it be your pleasure, sir!" In the morning light, Cadet Henderson and two active midteens, who were sharply dressed and groomed and on their very best behavior, climbed into an ATV (air transport vehicle) and left for the planet's transportation hub.
"What should we call you?" Danny asked as they made their way out of the great center on the city's main square. "Well," their dark-haired companion said, "Try 'Cadet Captain' if you've screwed up. If you're not in my dog house, 'Larry' will do fine. Ok?" "Ok, SIR!" Eddie replied with a wide grin. Maybe he wasn't going to act like the officers on the Venture - but they were going to have to check him out further. Once out on the sidewalk, Danny stretched and said that Justin had suggested visiting the big amusement parks. "That ok with you, Larry?" he asked. "Sure thing," came the quick reply. "Did Justin tell you how we get there?" "Yep," Irrepressible Blond #1 answered. "We just go over to that big 'S' sign, go down the stairs, and take a subway car that's signed 'Amusement Parks'." Seemingly only minutes later, the boys stood at the entrance to a multi-acre park. "Wow!" the boys grunted, seemingly impressed for the very first time. For a couple of hours, they ate and drank, rode several wild rides, and eventually entered a large arcade. Each of them played a few games until Eddie groaned and said, "This sucks, guys! The games are just as good back on the Venture, and I've beaten all of them. Let's try something different." "What?" Danny asked, obviously also bored with the arcade.
"Hey, men," Larry suggested. "How about that big information booth that we passed just before getting to this building?" It was a good suggestion. A very polite young staffer at the booth pulled out a map and circled things like the beach (which he said was super), several enormous movie theaters that were equipped with the very latest features, a virtual reality park (where you could do things like joining some firemen in fighting a five-alarm blaze, join a Viking crew as they landed on an island for pillage and rape, or lie back in the Sultan's harem and have your "needs" satisfied). When he tore the map off the pad and handed it to Larry, Eddie watched their supervisor carefully. Personally, he liked the idea of the Viking raid, but he wasn't at all sure that Larry would. Danny saved the day by loudly proclaiming that they ought to hit the beach! It was sunny, it was hot, and they sure didn't have any beaches (or cute babes!) on the Venture. Once again, it was off for the subway!
The new subway car took a little longer to reach its destination than had the earlier one, but when they came back to the surface the reasons were pretty clear. They were well outside the city. As a matter of fact, it appeared that they were on an island with palm trees, white sand, all kinds of good things to eat, and...WOW! The long-legged teen babes, wearing a good smelling sunscreen - and not much else - were everywhere! Not only that, but they looked at the two handsome, well built blonds and smiled. One even winked. The "twins" looked at each other and panted! "YEAH!" they growled and headed down the road towards the beach at a lope. "Yep," Larry mumbled to himself, "just like my brother!"
Just inside the tall fence that separated the beach area from the rest of the island, a shop allowed them to get some sunscreen, dark glasses (Eddie took his out of his pocket with a smirk), and towels. "Hey, where are the suits?" Danny asked a clerk. "Sorry, sir, but on Galleon Cay they're all nude beaches. Don't be concerned. Every beach on the planet is the same - and nobody thinks twice about it. Just remember to put a little something on if you go outside the fence." The boys looked at each other blankly. Larry interrupted their meditation by blurting out, "Hey, guys, we're here. It's sunny, it's hot, and they sure don't have any beaches on the Venture! Let's do it!" The boys thought for a moment longer and then simultaneously exclaimed, "Yeah, let's do it!"
After renting lockers in a public dressing area, they stripped and then stepped tentatively out into the sun. The first few minutes were pretty tense, but then they relaxed. Nobody noticed. Oh sure, the twins were pretty spectacular - and didn't have a mark on their bodies to tell them apart. For midteens they were well-built with heavy torsos and upper arms, muscular thighs, and equipment that would make any man proud. Further, their golden hair and beautiful features stood out like beacons in any company. Girls and not a few guys checked them out - and they returned the favor. (It was also the case that Larry was no slouch in the looks department. In fact, as he approached full male maturity, his body, built in the classical mode, was just as exciting as those of the boys. Believe that he received his full share of looks!) Finding an open place in full sight of...everything, they relaxed on their beach towels and had sunscreen rubbed into their hides. Danny drew Larry, which pleased him no end. The young man paused as he approached the lad's genitals, but Danny just chuckled and said to "keep right on rubbin'." Turned out he was the one who had to gulp when Larry squeezed more sunscreen into two big hands and just enveloped the boy's stuff. "Pretty impressive," he grunted to the everlasting pride of the youngster! All things told, it wasn't exactly surprising that the blond teen's thick cock began to swell and lift off his body. Larry just grinned, threw a towel over his middle, and stretched out so Eddie could take care of his sunscreen "duty".
The water was great, the air was invigorating, and the sun wasn't so hot that it fried them. In short, they had a ball for a good two hours. Eventually, however, hunger reared its familiar head. Larry - with whom they were now completely comfortable - suggested that they dress, have lunch "outside the fence," and then return to town. "There are so many things to see and do," he argued. "Let's take in just a few more." The boys agreed, slowly gathered towels and a little trash, and headed for the lockers.
Once downtown, they picked up a few pieces of clothing and wandered in and out of several other stores. They also talked at some length with a non humanoid guy at an ice cream parlor. Man, the people on his planet had descended from a long line of ancient bears! At first they expected him to be angry and unpleasant, but they found him to be one of the nicest guys they had met during their liberty. On the way out, however, Eddie did comment that he was happy that he didn't have that much hair - and the others agreed without debate! As the afternoon wore on, they came across a sports store that stopped both fourteen year-olds in their tracks. The window display featured an appeal to teenagers to get into bodybuilding, and there were some photos that had both of them wishing that they gotten involved a long time ago.
Walking across the street, they purchased soft drinks and sat down on a bench under trees in a small park. Danny turned to Larry and said, "I thought teenagers shouldn't get into serious bodybuilding, Larry, because it can do some real damage while you're growing." The older Terran responded, "There are some activities that are dangerous for guys under 16 or 17, but a great deal can be done as early as 13, especially if the guy is in good shape...like you. You're going on 15. The truth is that if you don't do anything, you're likely to grow right out of those fine builds as you shoot up several inches during the next year. I don't think it would hurt to get you into a good program on the Venture - as long as you had the right guidance." He went on to talk a bit about exercise programs, equipment, nutrition, and the areas that could be dangerous for them, such as really heavy weight lifting and supplements. "How come you know so much about all of this?" Eddie asked. Larry grinned and admitted that he had been a fitness coach in a big gym in Portland before he joined the service. The boys looked at each other, the wheels obviously turning rapidly in their heads. "You really think we have 'fine builds', Larry?" Danny asked cautiously. "Outstanding, for fourteen!" their dark-haired friend replied emphatically. "The game, however, is to have outstanding builds at age fifteen, sixteen, and so on. If you're seriously interested in my help and you're willing to work your butts off, see me back on the Venture and we'll see what can be worked out." There were wide grins on both their faces as they got up to wander around a bit more.
Some of the guys who had liberty yesterday told them about the fantastic zoo that was reached easily by the subway. Larry agreed that sounded like a real winner, but suggested that they have their evening meal before they headed out of the city center. While the boys were attacking enormous desserts (a la mode, of course), Larry excused himself to go to the head. When he returned to their table in about five minutes, the boys were gone. When no one seemed to have seen them leave and they didn't show up, Larry waited around for about an hour. At that point, he called the Duty Officer on the Venture. Within a relatively few minutes, his communicator buzzed. The Field Marshal was on the line. Alexios spoke very calmly, asking Larry to stay put while he made a few phone calls. In less than a half hour, he was on the line again. Evidently, the Planetary Police had experienced similar problems over the last six months or so. They took the matter very seriously - so seriously that the Interior Minister had given permission for 300 trained (but unarmed) men from the Venture to help the Department search for them. The agreement was that they would be under the command of Police officials (though only for purposes of the search) and would not have normal police powers, e.g., the power of arrest. (Concurrence had been requested from Terran authorities, but an answer was unlikely for several hours.) The men would begin arriving at the Transportation Center in around 45 minutes. Larry should meet him there.
It was a good thing that the Venture and the Planetary Police were moving that quickly, for at that point Danny and Eddie were lying on a large table being prepared for shipment to an off-planet buyer. A well dressed man, now wearing a heavy apron, stood working on them. Two rough-looking individuals stood nearby. The boys had been rendered unconscious once they had reached an air car parked in a nearby alley. They would remain in that state for at least a dozen hours or until an antidote had been injected. On reaching the warehouse, they had been cleaned out and thoroughly scrubbed down. The man - who had lured the boys outside with a report that Larry had been attacked and injured - was ecstatic. "Look at them," he purred as he removed the last of the hair from their bodies. (They hadn't had much - shadows in the arm pits, a light growth above the genitals, and a little heavier hair on their calves. Now they had none.) "They are perfect twins," he continued. "There's not a mark to distinguish them. Look at the golden hair, the flawless skin. In the name of all that's holy, look at their sexual equipment!" (He tried to contain Danny's in one enormous hand and found that all sorts of flesh kept spilling over the sides.) With that he began to rub oil into their bodies, joyfully fingering each part as he worked on it. "No wonder the Sultan offered 50 million Cirkas for the pair! Theirs will not be a happy life - and, perhaps, not a long one either." When the three men had finished thoroughly oiling the youngsters, they were carefully gagged before being tightly trussed, using special ties preferred by the riot police. At that point, they were transferred to good-sized, ventilated wooden crates that were well padded inside and marked "Antiquities", and further secured to the bottom of the crate. The crate was then closed with screws and finished with several official looking wax seals. "The Sultan's men should be here within the hour," he sighed, as he collapsed on a decrepit couch and lit a cigarette.
The Police were well prepared for the Venture's men when they began arriving. In consultation with the Field Marshal and the two Captains who commanded the infantry and marine detachments, they laid a map on the table in a conference room on which they had already indicated districts that had to be searched door-to-door. They asked the Captain to assign six men to each of 50 police officers. They were also asked to emphasize, once again, that the soldiers' task was to help the police FIND the boys and their captors, not to interact with them. When there was good reason to suspect that they had been located, the soldiers were to speak with their policeman who would take it from there. The subway system immediately moved them throughout the city to predetermined points where they would begin their searches.
In less than forty minutes, a young Tacian marine spotted a strangely shaped black airbus settling down in an alley near a warehouse. When several men came out of the building lugging two wooden crates, they were met by a heavily armed police squad. Two of the three Sultan's men resisted and were killed on the spot; one of the local roughs also pulled a weapon and met the same fate. The remaining three men were taken into custody. Speaking with the Chief of Police and the Assistant Minister of the Interior, Alexios asked that the boys be quickly examined by a Police doctor. He also requested that he then be allowed to return them to the Venture where they would be free to give statements to the Police as soon as they had recovered. (As the Police doctor began his brief examination, the original kidnaper volunteered where the antidote to the knockout drug could be found among his belongings in the warehouse.)
Planetary officials would never discuss the fate of the three captured kidnapers, but the Field Marshal later learned that they had been put to death immediately after a thorough (and very brutal) "interrogation". He never said another word about the subject. It was enough that he had his boys back. Larry Henderson, by the way, was not censured by the Merchant Marine Academy. Indeed, the Field Marshal always counted him as "one of his own", encouraged him to work with the younger ones as their official Fitness Trainer, and watched over his career as long as he was on active duty.
(The Third Liberty Party)
As the Field Marshal check the Twins in the infirmary the next morning, he remembered hoping that the third liberty party would escape any "incidents". Alas, that was not to be. At breakfast, he had noticed some rough words and signs of anger about what had happened to their own the day before. Both Captain Hopper and he wondered if they should have canceled liberty on the spot. It was a moot point, for nearly 500 men would have already arrived and dispersed throughout the city.
According to reinforced shore patrols, the morning seemed to go well. In fact, there were no signs of trouble until about three o'clock when all hell broke loose. It seems that an ammunition handler on the Venture's second watch had been drinking in a rather rough downtown bar since he had arrived. Matt Davis was 26, a big, heavily muscled spaceman known to be ill tempered under the best of circumstances. After having done some damage to shipmates on his last two postings - and spent time in the brig where he underwent anger management conditioning - he had been given one last chance on the Venture. Evidently, he had heard some off-color remarks about the Twins and the condition in which they had been found the night before. When obscenities began to fly back and forth, he had smashed a whiskey bottle on the bar and gone after the biggest mouthed goon. Before he was through, he had done some real damage to several patrons, all of whom had tried to take him down. The weaponless SPs had arrived in record time and tried to quell the bloody melee, but it was still going on when city police arrived. They immediately stopped it with Tasers and clubs and hauled several men (including Matt Davis) off to jail.
The officers of the Venture realized immediately that a very serious diplomatic incident was brewing. Before the first liberty party had left the ship, it had been made clear that the Venture's SPs would be given a chance to end an incident before the planet's police stepped in. If, however, the police became involved, those responsible would be subject to the planet's laws, laws described as "extremely severe". Inquiries directed to the police established that Matt Davis had been charged with brawling and, inasmuch as the broken bottle was classified as a "deadly weapon", attempted murder. The mandated penalty for the latter crime was a public lashing followed by hanging.
The next morning, when the fourth and final liberty party was already ashore, Alexios was granted an emergency appointment with the planet's Interior Minister. By now, the Field Marshal was completely aware that the planetary authorities were not about to brook any interference in their legal system, and deeply resented even the appearance of it. He also realized that as far as Matt Davis was concerned, he had few grounds on which to appeal for mercy. In the heat of the moment, however, he failed to give sufficient weight to several facts. The Government, for instance, was most pleased with the Venture's payments in gold, the cooperation that its men (and their officers) had given the police in apprehending the kidnapers of the Twins, and the conduct of nearly two thousand young men on shore leave. The Minister was quick to assure him, for instance, that the Venture was cordially invited to return and that even more satisfactory arrangements would be made on subsequent visits.
The Minister delicately introduced the possibility that he might "encourage" a severe, but nonlethal penalty, if Davis pled guilty, were quietly removed from the planet immediately on completion of the penalty, and the Allied authorities would themselves subject him to "severe" penalties. When word was received that the Allied High Command and, inasmuch as Davis was a Terran, the High Council of Terra, that this arrangement was acceptable, it was implemented. Davis was sentenced to 20 strokes of the cane (twenty-four being the maximum permitted by law) and lifetime expulsion from the planet. Though warned of the severe consequences, Davis admitted his guilt both to the Field Marshal and to the Court. The Allied High Command ordered the Field Marshal and his Adjutant to attend the caning as witnesses and as representatives of the Allies.
Caning was probably the most common penalty dealt out on the planet. Company officials were caned for cheating customers and deceptive advertising. Individuals were caned for many non-violent offenses such as vandalism, traffic offenses, and non- payment of court judgments, as well as more serious crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, and drug-trafficking. As Alexios understood it, it was a vicious penalty. Four- foot lengths of rattan were cut from a climbing palm whose long, bamboo-like stems were exceedingly tough. Soaked overnight to make them flexible and lessen splitting, they were treated with antiseptic prior to use. (Medical officers were also present to check on the status of prisoners who fainted, to revive them, and to apply antiseptic to the wounds.) Supposedly, three lashes of the cane were sufficient to put the prisoner in a state of shock. Any count higher than 15, however - no matter how skilled the jailer who wielded the cane - resulted in far more serious injuries. Typically, the skin was destroyed and, consequently, the flesh was laid open to bleeding, tearing, and even shredding.
On the morning of the caning, Alexios and Justin - both in full uniform - traveled in a two air car convoy to the planet's main prison, located some distance from the city. The windows of both cars were heavily tinted; the interior of the second was fitted as a field hospital. A skilled doctor and his assistant attended. The Field Marshal and his Adjutant were courteously escorted to fairly large, rectangularly shaped room. Conspicuously unadorned (i.e., walls painted in an unrelieved light color, no flags, no banners, no mottos, no cabinets or rugs ), it had a high ceiling with several small windows high in the walls. The dark marble floor was polished so brightly that one could see one's reflection in it. There they were met by the Warden, a representative of the Interior Ministry, and a rather distinguished looking physician. At the near end of the room into which they had entered, there were several rows of simple, unoccupied benches. At the far end of the room stood a caning trestle. Constructed of heavy lumber on a wooden base, it was perhaps nine feet high, shaped something like a pyramid. After their two guests had been shown to their seats behind a table on one side of the room, the three planetary officials took their seats behind a simple table on the opposite wall. Nothing was said; everything was understood.
Matt Davis, completely naked and chained, was led into the room by two jailers and a medic who were simply clothed in blue jeans, white T-shirts, and black athletic shoes. A muscular man in the full prime of his physical maturity, Davis was obviously scared. He was directed to stand on the wooden platform where he received a final check by the medic. Leaning far forward, he was directed to grasp a horizontal timber at the back of the trestle after which his hands were securely lashed to the beam. At the other end of his body, his legs were securely lashed together at mid calf and then chained firmly to the platform. At mid thigh, his legs were lashed to a horizontal timber opposite the one grasped by his hands. The medic called a temporary halt to the proceedings when he noticed that a portion of Davis' scrotum and one ball were exposed between his thighs. His thighs were pried open whereupon his genitals were carefully pulled forward and a pad was wrapped around his scrotum. A pad was also fastened to his lower back to protect his kidneys against an errant blow. Thus trussed, his head hung down below his outstretched arms while his butt was prominently raised. Almost no movement was possible.
A third jailer entered the room, a bald, heavy-set, somewhat squat individual clad in a Sumo-like belt. Using his cane as if it were a rifle, he first saluted the local officials and then the Allied representatives. Positioning himself to the rear and to the left of Davis' protruding buttocks, he raised his cane in a manner slightly reminiscent of Ted Williams at the bat. When one of the other jailers yelled "One" at the top of his voice, he waited perhaps 30 seconds and then hit a home run. (That is, he held the cane rigidly at arm's length and pivoted on his feet to deliver the stroke with the full force of his body.) As the blow hit Davis' bare buttocks, his skin disintegrated, blood began to seep from his flesh, and he gave a heavy groan that tailed off into a cry. Thirty seconds later, the other jailer yelled "Two," and the process was repeated. This time, however, Davis' screams resounded through the room. And so it went, every effort being made to hit different parts of the buttocks. Although the Terran reacted after each blow, it was obvious that he was in shock after three or four. After fourteen or fifteen blows, the flesh of his buttocks simply had no more skin to protect it, nor could the rattan-wielder avoid hitting spots struck earlier. On the eighteenth and those following, for instance, small bits of bloody flesh were actually torn from the muscle and flung into the air. When one scrap fell on the table right in front of Justin, his iron control faltered. Alexios could see that he had gone hard erect and his gasping breaths promised to turn into sobs. Quietly, the Field Marshal reached over under the table and grasped the boy's thigh and the hard flesh that had crept down it with an iron hand. The Adjutant gasped, swallowed noisily, and resumed sitting at attention...fortunately before he exploded in his dress trousers.
When the bloody scene was completed, Davis was taken down from the trestle, laid face down on a stretcher, examined quickly by the medic (who did apply antiseptic), and taken immediately to the second Allied car which had been pulled into the prison complex out of anyone's sight. Davis was gently transferred to the hospital facilities. As soon as the Field Marshal and Justin had stiffly and silently marched to the first car, the convoy left the prison for the Venture.
Matt Davis did recover, by the way, though his buttocks swelled to several times their normal size and his thighs turned a blue-black. So that his wounds might heal, he had to go without shorts for more than three weeks. During this period he couldn't sit on his buttocks, sleep on his back, or shower. When sufficiently recovered, he was moved to the ship's brig. Consistent with agreements entered into to save his life, he was court- martialed once the Venture returned to Terra and given a bad conduct discharge. The decision was that other appropriate penalties had already been assessed.
(The Path Ahead)
As the great spaceship provisioned and replaced other supplies, rumors swept throughout the ship to the effect that the officers had received new intelligence on those who had fled Serium. As the ship slowly departed the Entertainment Planet's great port, every hand wondered about what lie ahead.
(To Be Continued)