JC yawned and stretched; slipping naked from between the sheets he hurried to dress. Justin encircled his sylph-like form, nibbling at his shoulder as he wriggled into his pants. He turned and dangled his arms round the aliens neck, rubbing his nose softly against Justin’s before kissing him sweetly, his tongue joining in a erotic dance, brushing and licking at the probing muscle attempting to consume his mouth.
“Tell me this is going to work and that we are doing the right thing.” JC begged.
“Finish dressing, Lance will be releasing the sleeping agent soon.”
Justin headed out to his workstation.
“Good luck.”
He turned and smiled at his human lover. “Get to your position, make sure you take your gas mask. And good luck to you too.”
Lance snuck into the environmental control room a hypo-spray concealed in his palm.
“Can I help you doctor?” A long thin male looked up from his consul.
“I was getting some anonymous readings down in sick bay I thought I’d come up here and check them out. Is that ok?”
“No problem, just st….” The alien slumped forward. Lance quickly secured the door and laid the unconscious operator on the floor taking his place before the computer keyboard. He aptly typed in his security code hacking into the program he had re-routed earlier. Now all he had to do was wait, it wasn’t long till first mark. He slipped his mask over his mouth and nose
JC poked his head into the nursery checking on his children. Anemone uncurled from her basket, her amber eyes blinking at the early morning visit.
“It’s ok I just wanted to tell you to see to my children today. I promised Lance he could do some tests on me.” The cat purred loudly and licked her paws her tail swishing back and forth. “I seeeee tooooooo theeeeeeee babiesssssss .”
“Thank you.” He hurried out of the door closing it behind him, he pulled the mask from the deep pocket in his pants as he heard the crew quarters doors clunking in turn as the crew quarters began to lock down sealing the occupants inside. He pulled it over his face and hurried to meet Chris.
Justin took his position at his consul on the main bridge. He got a few raised eyebrows from the three night crew as he sat down. He logged in, feeling their curiosity probing at his mind, he said a silent prayer that the inhibitor Lance had used on them worked. He almost sighed with relief when everyone turned back to their own tasks. typed in his access code and sent the lock down command just as the first mark sounded. Hurriedly he pulled his mask over his face as the gas began to hiss through the air vents. One by one the bridge crew succumbed. The bridge doors swished open and JC and Chris entered pulling anti-gravity gurneys behind them. The three masked men lifted the drugged aliens onto the floating beds then dragged them down to the shuttle bay.
Lance was waiting his mask firmly in place as he began to load the unconscious crew onto the shuttle. Twenty minutes later all the aliens were on board.
“that’s the last one.” Chris announced.
“WAIT” JC came jogging into the bay dragging a gurney behind him. “She goes too.”
Justin looked down at his childhood nurse. “josh we could use her help. She is loyal to me.”
The gracile man shook his head. “No I want her gone Justin, I don’t trust her. I don’t like the way she looks at Jovian , he hates her you know, and Jewel frets something chronic whenever she is around.”
“JC think about it how will you cope with five babies?”
“I’ll manage chris. Please Justin; it’s a gut feeling I have about her.” The short haired alien contemplated the determined set of his lovers face.
“put her on board.”
JC smiled broadly and passed the anti gravity bed to Chris who in turn secured it on the shuttle.
“Ok she is the last. All the crew are accounted for. chris I need you to help me unload at the other end. Lance get up to the bridge, josh go with him. The course is plotted and we will go into automatic orbit when we arrive. I need you to let me know when that happens. Josh you remember how to open the bay doors?”
Jc nodded as he answered “yes.”
The two men took off running leaving Justin and Chris to load food supplies, shelter and weapons onto the shuttle. It wasn’t the crew’s fault; they had to make sure they had every opportunity and adequate protection. Chris heaved a case to the rear of the small ship.
“what’s that?” Justin asked.
“Lance’s gel and instructions on how to use it and the effects to expect.”
“Why?”
Chris dropped the box and faced Justin. “he’s scared, but he’s not a traitor. This gel could save your people from extinction. At first he thought that being in close contact with you had thrown his life cycle into fast forward, but now he’s not so sure he thinks it’s the gel.”
Justin looked at the box thoughtfully. “wow the saviour of a civilisation! I can understand his motives, always the scientist.”
“We have achieved synchronous orbit.” Lance’s voice cut through the silence that had descended between the two men.
“Ok stand by.”
The human and the alien colleagues got on board the shuttle securing the hatch. “Shuttle 1 ready for departure.”
Chris looked at the controls in front of him his fingers dancing with anticipation. Justin shot him a look.
“touch nothing, I’m warning you.”
Chris heaved a disappointed sigh and slumping back in his chair pouting. Justin chuckled to himself as he said. “it doesn’t work with me chris only josh has the power to pull that off.”
The shuttle lifted from the launch pad as the bay doors slid open and Chris , Justin and their cargo shot out into the vacuum of space.
On the bridge Lance watched on the view screen as the tiny ship began to weave it’s way to the planet’s surface.
“I’m going to check on the boys.” Jc got out of his seat and made for the exit.
“Josh”
Jc paused.
They will be out for a while yet. I’ve purged the air system so you can take off the mask now.”
The brunette pulled the plastic cup from his face and dropped it on the floor as he continued to the door.
“Josh”
“What lance?”
“can we talk?”
The slim human slouched back into a chair facing the green eyed man. Lance played with his fingers not knowing where to start.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t save Ebony. I wanted to say before but it never seemed to be the right time.”
Jc sighed unhappily as he wiped a tear from his eyes. “chris told me what you told him, about Ebony not being developed enough. I don’t blame you, you tried.”
“Thanks.”
“You look a bit green.”
“The nausea shots aren’t working for me, they were developed with you in mind.”
Josh got up and sat closer to the pregnant doctor. “You are the first Lance, the first of your race to do this. You should be proud.”
“The pills I gave you, you are taking them aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I trust you.”
Lance smiled and patted JC’s leg. “Did you feel like this?” He asked.
“Like what?”
“Like you wanted to cry all the time.”
“Yeah, I still do at times. On earth its called postnatal depression. I have no idea how they treat it.”
A light started blinking on the control panel in front of them. Lance pressed a few switches and the light stopped. “Justin and chris are on their way back.” He typed in the new co-ordinations. “Are you ready to face the future Joshua?”
Jc straightened his back and heaved a huge breath in. “As ready as I’ll ever be I guess.”