Abel III's Awakening - 21. Chapter 21 Preparations

Chapter 21

Preparations

With only three days until we were scheduled to depart Starview, we were busy getting supplies and cargo stored. Grandfather was in charge of lining up our cargo while the ship was being refitted and we would be carrying a full load as he had underbid the competition. Drew and Kade had interviewed and hired seven men to replace the twenty-five who had departed. With the addition of Dennis, our ship's complement would now total one hundred and ten, which Hal said was ideal for our mission. Drew and Kade had managed to hire men with multiple ratings, which made it easier to man every position adequately. All of the new hires, were relatively young with the oldest no more than thirty-seven and he youngest just a year older than Dennis who was soon turning twenty-four. We had no problem recruiting replacements after the bulletin came out the morning after Dennis and I prodded the admiral.

The newsies had reduced the twenty-nine page official Naval Advisory Bulletin to a thirty second sound byte:

“When traveling in intra-stellar space, keep buttoned down to avoid any turbulence. An official Naval Science and Technology evaluation found that the Silverspin's deployment of a creeper bot to investigate some electromagnetic fluctuations while traveling in the super compacted environment of intra-stellar space caused the ship to wobble and thus the sensation of turbulence. All captains are strongly reminded to follow official rules while in intra-stellar space for safe passage.”

The Bulletin contained a great deal of technical analysis to back up the conclusions and it was well received by the close community on Starview as well as by the many ships and their crews who stopped there. It worked as the station Director and chief Librarian hoped to quell fears and provide sound guidance to ship captains.

My cousins, who were not shy, had between them seduced the entire food service crew including the one new guy. That also included the well-hung black stud muffin named Lucas Smith that our Chief Engineer shared his cabin with and was so fond of. Lucas was one of those always-cheerful people who worked hard and played hard and was not averse to sharing his endowment. George wasn't exclusive either and enjoyed variety as well. Lucas was also an elite bakery chef, and both Steve and Bill were trying to learn all they could from him. Lucas always worked the early shift and first Bill and then Steve had transferred to that shift as well which meant that after our nightly meetings in Grandfather's cabin, they usually retired as they had to arise at 03:30 to make their shift which started at 04:00. This left plenty of time for Dennis and I to bond even more fully and explore each other’s minds and bodies.

Dennis and I were assigned work as cargo handlers and spent the day loading and stowing cargo in the huge detachable cargo bays. We were working from inside the ship with access from the central corridors to the various levels of the bays, which were kept pressurized. The regular cargo handlers were loading the bays from the outside using the tugs to load huge items or items already containerized into the space side bay doors. They actually had switched out four of the huge empty cargo bays for full ones after switching some of them around. Those four were at the maximum weight and mass load and were positioned two to each side at the last cargo bay slots just before the engines. They were full of ore and were to be delivered to a smelter and fabrication site at the most distant outpost in human space. The ore arrived on a smaller cargo ship owned by one of the mining operations at the asteroid belt around the Sun, but that ship was looking to transfer it to another ship, as it had no intention of spending the better part of a year just to deliver it and return.

The work was physical and we had to constantly check our coms to be sure everything matched up with the bill of ladings and that the paperwork matched our computer records. My experience in accounting and helping with handling cargo was much greater than Dennis' and he didn't hesitate to ask me any questions he had with the cargo and the procedure for reconciling what we had with the records from accounting. Hal of course was also directly involved as he could read our portable coms as well and seemed to be everywhere at once. Having an AI with huge capacity was already making a difference as problems were solved before they became larger and caused more work.

With Hal's organizing and planning, the cargo was being loaded and packed with an eye to making it as quick and painless to locate it and deliver it timely with the minimum amount of down time. Filling thirty-six huge cargo containers and keeping track of everything as loads were shifted about to balance the load was a job for a super computer and we were lucky to have one of the best. It was important to balance the load as best as possible as this helped the gravity generators/compensators increase or decrease the gravity as needed to keep a balance. Mass and inertia still generated a huge effect even in the weightless of space when moving it or stopping it. Acceleration and slowing at ships speeds created huge strains that had to be compensated for or they would tear the ship and apart including its contents.

We knew that when we finished for the day that most everything needed to be done to prepare for our departure would be accomplished and we were looking forward to a break to enjoy the station and prepare ourselves for leaving. I had gotten quite close to Dennis' family including his brother Travis who was becoming a lot closer to Dennis as well. The brothers who hadn't thought they were close since Dennis was a teen, were suddenly aware of just how close they really were and were enjoying keeping company as Travis went with us whenever we had a chance to visit or go to the clubs. Travis and his latest girlfriend had broken up and he told Dennis that while he liked girls, that boys played nicer and were a lot lower maintenance.

Dennis' parents were overjoyed to see their younger son so happy in his personal relationship with me and hoped he would acclimate to the much smaller and different environment of a cargo ship. They were proud of him and truly seemed to like me, and my family too. Like most parents, they just wanted their children to be happy and to find work that was fulfilling and interesting. Dennis was proud to be striking out on his own, while still cognizant of the fact that he would truly miss his family.

As we finished our shift and turned in all our reports electronically to accounting, we decided we needed to only do a short work-out, as we had been physically involved in shifting cargo all day. Therefore, our workout took only about one-third the usual time and we were headed to our cabin and our shower.

Having reviewed my logs I know I keep mentioning my rock show shower/refresher unit over and over, but it truly was a highlight of our day and Dennis shares my opinion of it. Together we had worked on further modifications and made it even more responsive and sensuous. My cousins still came to use it every day after they got off work just after the noon meal despite the fact that they had tricked out their own refresher units. They still thought ours was better. Even my father and Kade asked to use it fairly regularly. Grandfather and Drew had tried it a couple times and liked it, but said they were too old fashioned and liked spending their quality time horizontal and in bed.

Supper was the usual feast and since my cousins had started working the early shift, they were once more able to join us and participate fully. Dad and Kade as usual were the last to sit and join us as they usually circulated among the crew in the dining hall, exchanging greetings and keeping in touch with everyone before eating. Dad remarked, “The new crew members seem to be fitting in well.”

Bill responded, “They all seem pretty open about sharing their endowments!”

We all laughed and Dad responded, “A satisfied crew is a happy crew and we only pick crew members who are open to sexual satisfaction.”

I glanced at Grandfather and Drew noting as I also read their reaction to that statement, that there was still a slight shade of guilt as they recognized my great-grandfather's quote. Dennis through our shared link questioned, {What was that about?}

{I'll explain later as it may take some time} I sent in reply.

The topic turned to our plans for that evening and the day off for all but a skeleton crew on the next day before final preparations and our departure late on the day after that. Dennis wanted to go clubbing and the cousins quickly seconded that idea, as it would be about the last opportunity for a long time. They had taken naps after getting off their shift after lunch and were excited. I was busy assessing what everyone else was thinking and realized that most of the crew had the same plans. Even Dad and Kade were planning on hitting some of the clubs.

Grandfather and Drew however, planned on a quiet evening together and Grandfather announced, “Don't bother to stop by our cabin tonight as the 'Do Not Disturb' sign will remain posted until tomorrow morning!” Drew looked at Abel Sr. with quiet amusement and I wondered what he had planned as his thoughts were strictly shielded.

Dessert was served and it was a result of the combined efforts of Steve and Bill under the expert guidance of Lucas Smith. It was a pineapple upside down cake garnished with real pineapple slices and maraschino cherries and served with a dollop of whipped cream. Coffee was also served and they had made several cakes so the whole crew could enjoy some. It was a novelty as a load of fresh pineapples had arrived at the station just a few days earlier and our food service chief had managed to snag and purchase several crates of them before the whole load disappeared.

Dennis and I, along with the cousins adjourned to my cabin to plan our outings to the clubs. Dennis new exactly the ones that catered to the younger crowd and explained to my cousins the pros and cons of each one and when they were most apt to be in full swing. They called up the web sites of several to see who was going to be performing and when so they could plan to catch as many shows as possible too. As they planned the evening I was looking in my closet and trying to figure out what to wear when suddenly Dennis was by my side and said, “No you don't! I will be picking out your club clothes as you lack imagination and your style sense lacks adventure.”

My cousins were smirking and nodding their heads in agreement as Dennis searched my closet for the flashiest clothes. He selected and dressed me in a pair of skinny legged low rise stretch jeans in a dark blue denim with a powder blue wife beater top and a sleeveless royal blue denim jacket with chrome plated accents on the collar points and chrome buttons. He also pulled a silken neck scarf from his clothes in a pale yellow gold color and draped it around my neck with long ties hanging down from either side of my neck. He then proceeded to grab an end in each hand and pull me in for a kiss and backed off and said; “Now you look hot!”

With that my cousins looked at each other and decided they needed to run to their cabins and get changed too. Dennis meanwhile was going through his closet and pulled out a pair of skinny legged stretch pants in a light khaki color and a cornflower yellow wife beater top. He also snagged a butter soft leather vest bleached to a light beige color polished to a shine. He then pulled out another scarf like he put on me only it was a shiny silvery material on one side and a dark satiny navy blue on the other and put it on. We messed with our hair and made sure it was spiked. We both put on our sneakers and we checked ourselves out side by side in our full length mirror. We did look hot!

Steve and Bill met us as we stepped out of our cabin right at 19:45 and we hurried to the main exit hatch. Several of the crew were also leaving at that time and we made a bit of a noisy racket as we headed to the entertainment district of the station. Some of the newer crew who were younger tagged along with us and there was about eight of us as we entered the first club on Dennis' agenda. The party was in full swing and everyone was dancing so we just joined the crowd. Several covers of various rock anthems were followed by some slow songs, and I really appreciated those as I got to hold Dennis in my arms as his arms were draped around my shoulders. We danced pressed together and could feel our hardons as they pushed against each other. Our mouths soon found each other and the kiss sealed our souls as we grooved slowly to the romantic songs of love and relationships.

We stayed at the first club for about an hour and a half and had a couple of beers there before moving on to the country/western club that was actually Dennis' favorite. That one was getting warmed up as we arrived and joined in a line dance set that seemed to go on forever. Dennis never got tired of them and I just sucked it up which got progressively more difficult after the first forty-five minutes. Finally, I pleaded that I needed a beer and our whole group seemed to agree as we all headed to the bar, which was busy. We snagged a couple pitchers of beer and some glasses and pushed a couple of table together and rested for a bit enjoying the cold draft beer and some pretzels.

It wasn't long and my cousins and the rest of our group were ready to hit the dance floor again and I was drug along. It was a really good time and that time we lasted about half an hour before another beer break was needed. Again my cousins were the first ones ready to get back out on the floor but I drug Dennis to the Gents and we both got in line at the urinals. I was casually monitoring our group telepathically and Dennis was plugged into that through my connection as well. We had both just zipped up and were heading to the wash basins when my scan showed a group mouthing off to our group and Dennis and I turned as one to head to the door and back to the dance floor.

We got there just in time as a big guy, almost six feet tall and weighing close to two hundred pounds was taking a swing at Bill. Using my telekinesis, I pushed his arm just a bit and his round house swing just missed. I also deflected his left upper cut as I quickly moved toward them and in a commanding voice with a full telepathic command also implanted said, “Stop it now! This is no place for fighting.” All around us the music kept playing and people were dancing but watching what was happening.

The big guy stopped in his tracks and looked at me with surprise and asked, “What do you know about it?”

Having scanned both him and my cousin I knew exactly what had provoked the scene and decided to defuse the situation. I turned to Bill and said, “I want you to apologize to this man for stepping on his foot.” There was a telepathic command embedded in what I said as well.

Bill immediately turned to the bigger guy and said, “I'm sorry for stepping on your foot. I didn't know you were dancing that closely behind me when I stepped back.”

I then turned to the big guy and said, “Accept the apology and apologize in turn for being so ready to take the perceived slight and turn it into a fight.” Another telepathic command was embedded in that too.

The bigger man looked stunned but then swallowed and said, “I accept your apology and want to apologize for over-reacting as well.”

Everyone around us started clapping and both the big guy and Bill looked embarrassed as I said, “Come on and join us for a beer!” Still embarrassed he could only nod as I motioned him and his buddies to join us at our table. It turned out that Dennis knew the guy and his friends but they were about five years older than him and about five years younger than Travis who chose that moment to turn up as well. We sat and drank and introduced ourselves and got to know them a bit. The big guy was Wes and he and his buddies all worked in the Water Resources Department for Starview. Their job was to take the comets that were towed to the station and using tugs and exosuits, to cut them up and feed them into the water reclamation chambers. Water was a valuable commodity and a resource that was always in demand. Their job was hazardous and very physical despite the automated exosuits they wore. The pay was good and they liked to party and could really put away the beer. Wes' crew was off the next day, just like our group and they were ready to party and party we did. We never did make it to any of the other clubs on Dennis' list.

By 02:30 the place had about emptied out and our combined group decided to go to Nellies for an early breakfast as everyone planned on sleeping in the next morning until nearly noon. Almost twenty of us descended on the campy diner and I ordered a ham and egg omelet with toast and coffee. Dennis ordered biscuits and gravy and a plate of scrambled eggs. Steve ordered steak and scrambled eggs and everyone decided to eat hearty in case they missed lunch too. We sat and ate and talked some more and finally at about 04:00 we called it a night and said good-bye and headed to our beds.

Dennis and I stripped, washed each other and fell into bed with instructions to Hal to not wake us until 11:30 unless it was an emergency. I snuggled back into Dennis as he spooned me and we both were soon sound asleep. We shared our dreams again and danced the night away.

We arose in time for lunch but my cousins didn't make it. They had been up from 03:30 the day before until sometime after 04:00 this morning with only about a three hour nap yesterday afternoon, so no one was surprised. This was our last day off and everyone was making their final preparations for a long term voyage and making lists of personal items they wanted to stock up on while they could. Shopping was the order of the day, and not for major things, but for little things, like personal convenience items such as favorite brands of sox, underwear, toiletries or digital downloads off the net. Things that might not be readily available on some of the far-flung stations we would be visiting were the kinds of things people were looking for including special candies or various kinds of chocolates.

Dennis had several items he wanted to stock up on that he was used to having in ready supply on Starview and which he feared might be scarce anywhere else. I didn't really have any special needs but tagged along to see what was available. We went from store to store and Dennis purchased several small items. His last stop was at an adult store and he bought several toys and paraphernalia including a variety of lubes, lotions and body washes. My lover had an adventurous streak. We lugged it back and stored it in our cabin as we had plenty of storage space.

The cousins were at supper and were making a shopping run afterward, but Dennis and I declined to accompany them as we were going to visit his parents. It was our last chance to visit before our departure and it was a bit sad. His mom made cinnabuns, which were still warm and served them with coffee. Dennis and his family talked about all the things they were going to miss about seeing each other and generally got a bit melancholy. His mom gave me a data stick with copies of all the family photos and videos including those of Dennis from the time he was born until our engagement party. We both were kissed several times by his mother and his father as we made our good-byes and we promised to send messages regularly. It really brought home to me just how much Dennis was giving up to go off on the Silverspin with me.

As we headed back to Silverspin I asked, “Are you sure that you are ready to give up all this to come with me?”

Dennis gave me a look and then sent telepathically, {I will miss my family and living on this station, but if you think for a micro-second that I have any regrets over the idea of spending my life with you and being secure in our bond, then you need to look deeper into my psyche than you already have!}

I just turned him to me and kissed him deeply right there on the main concourse heading toward the lifts that would take us toward where our ship was docked. If anyone took any notice, neither Dennis nor I were aware of it. When we got back to our cabin, we stripped and headed into our shower where Dennis programmed in one of his favorite love ballads and we enjoyed another slowly sensuous and then sizzling passion filled session which left us breathless and spent. That night we again shared dreams of sailing the stars along the Milky Way.