Pirate (LGBT - Sci-Fi - Romantic)

Chapter Twenty Six

Chapter Twenty Six

Mars finally pulled himself together and went back to the bridge. They had decided the safest option was to take Conn down to one of the eco tourist lodges on Isis by shuttle. It would draw less attention they hoped than a strange craft attempting to land in the middle of nowhere. Soon after acquiring the Zivar, Mars had sold its shuttle and bought another, cheaper one, a model that was favoured by small traders to carry their goods. Hopefully all anyone would see was a trader delivering goods to a customer.

The Zivar would stay in orbit, ready for an immediate jump if the Patrol spotted them. Of course on the down side, that meant the shuttle and the men in it would be stuck on Isis, they'd have to take their chances until the Zivar was able to retrieve them. Mars had calculated he could manage the shuttle with the help of only one other man and had already decided he would call for a volunteer, promising a large compensation payment to his family in the event that things went wrong.

He knew it wasn't perfect but it was the best he could think of, short of going all the way to Capella. In fact the wisest course would probably be to go even further, to Mao in the Haedus system. Except that would be both inconvenient for Conn and a problem for himself. He wasn't sure how long he could keep up the front he was projecting for Conn, just the thought of another couple of days of being in close quarters with him was more than he could face right now.

Well, no point hanging around, getting cold feet. On Mars' order, the navigator set course for Isis, making sure they would emerge from the FTL jump as close as possible to their destination. Mars returned to his quarters to check that Conn was ready and give him some last minute instructions.

"I'm coming with you on the shuttle," he told him. "I've brought some civilian clothes for you to wear, and a carrypak with some camping gear and supplies. Enough so you at least look like a serious hiker. As a precaution, I've arranged for a message to be sent to your friend Katrina, telling her where to find you. It will be sent after we've left Isis of course but you shouldn't have to wait too long for rescue."

He gave Conn a lightweight dark green singlesuit along with a pair of brown hiking boots. "Here, this should be more comfortable than your uniform and it'll be warmer if you have to stay there overnight." He continued talking as Conn changed quickly into the new clothes.

"Sanders has volunteered to come with us to handle the shuttle but I'm only planning to open the hatch and let you out before departing again, we won't linger. We'll have to say our goodbyes on the way down." He wiggled his eyebrows in an exaggerated leer.

Conn smiled perfunctorily. He didn't want to go. What if Nick needed him in a few weeks or months? "You have to promise to get word to me, if you need anything. I can always meet you somewhere in Almaaz if you want, it's not at the end of the universe you know."

"What about the patrol?" Mars gave a token protest. He knew if, when, Conn found out the truth he'd never want to see him again. Ever.

"I'm sure you'll find a way to contact me if you have to." Conn said firmly. He looked around the room that had been his home for the last few days. "Okay. I'm ready, let's go." He followed Mars through the ship to the shuttle bay, and discovered Sanders was the same short pirate who had boarded the Comet and brought him here. He nodded coolly to him and took his seat on the shuttle.

Mars sat next to him, as close as he could. His feelings were all over the place, part of him fretted for Conn to be gone as soon as possible, before someone blurted out something to him about his miraculous recovery, the rest of him wanted to turn the shuttle around and kidnap Conn again.

Both men were silent, occupied with their own thoughts. Mars had been acting oddly since they woke up this morning, Conn was thinking, cool and withdrawn. Surely it wasn't a case of that old cliché where now he'd finally had sex with him he'd lost interest?