Warning: This story is unsuitable for minors and contains explicit descriptions of sexual activity considered taboo (and illegal) in most (if not all) jurisdictions. If such activity offends you, please DO NOT read any further. I do not condone any illegal activity and stress that this work is fiction, fantasy, and in no way meant to reflect reality. Sexual abuse of minors is a very serious issue and I encourage anyone tempted to engage in such behavior to seek help immediately. Title: The Journey (Part 1) Story Codes: SciFi, bb, light sex Date of Latest Update to This Story: 5/30/14 Dear Reader: Thank you for taking the time to read my work. If you wish to drop me a line, feel free. My email address is (storiesfromsam@hotmail.com) and I look forward to hearing from you. Additionally, proofreading is not one of my better skills so if you find errors you believe impact the story's readability, please let me know. Offers to proofread will be welcomed with open arms. Without further adieu... ................. Chapter One: Year 2109 Kevin McCloud pressed his forehead against the cold windowpane and inhaled slowly. To his right, the curvature of the earth gleamed brightly as the daylight spread rapidly across the northern hemisphere. The man-made lights, warring against the darkness, slowly winked out in deference to the sun. Focusing for a moment on the beautiful blue planet, Kevin raised his right hand and placed his sweaty palm against the freezing glass. A salute, he thought for a moment, to the home of mankind. To his home. To his former home. The thirteen-year-old's eyes began to drift away from the planet and towards the stars. Indeed, as if by reflex, the boy sought out the star he'd been dreaming about for months. 13XDS43-B. Nearly invisible from the Sol system, his eyes nonetheless found the small pinprick of light and he immediately felt a rush of wonder. That was where he was going. That was the end of his journey. That system contained a planet that humanity was reaching towards and would eventually colonize. That star captivated him. The fact that Kevin would never live to see the star system up close didn't bother the boy. He knew his children wouldn't see it either. Nor would his grandchildren. Nor would the grandchildren of his grandchildren's grandchildren. It would take hundred upon hundreds of years, and many generations, to travel from Sol to 13XDS43-B. And that was fine with Kevin. The task of leaving the human system, of being part of the grand exodus of the nineteen generation-stations traveling in every direction to expand the human footprint on the galaxy, was both his honor and his duty. He was the first cog in a long series of cogs allowing humanity to flourish. Such distances were mind-boggling, though, and Kevin could only close his eyes in awe at the sheer scope of this human venture. For a brief moment, he thought fondly of his friend Sarah Parker, already aboard Station Delta, who was preparing herself for a journey that would take just as many years as his to complete, though she traveled in the opposite direction. The boy shook his head slightly against the cold glass and opened his eyes. In his moment of quiet reflection, the shuttle he'd been traveling in had turned on it's axis and brought Station Iota into view. Kevin inhaled sharply. He was nearly there. Though his ship was still a good distance from Station Iota, Kevin's eyes roamed the massive structure. An incredible sight, the station reminded him of an overlarge sequence of DNA, it's two double-helix structures twisting smoothly around each other as if in dance. They were connected along their edges by massive promenades, seemingly making the cylindrical structure of the space station engulf, but not invade, the empty darkness of space inhabiting the center of the structure. Indeed that center column of nothing would soon be filled with powerful kinetic forces that would be harnessed by Iota Station's Jump Drive and transport the station hundreds of light-years towards it's goal. A smile formed on Kevin's face as he peered at the station. Though it seemed very much like a strand of DNA, it also reminded the boy of a tree in full bloom, with many hundreds of branches flowing into space from the central structure and forming flowering domed parks and wildlife preserves and farms and other "natural elements." These domed pods would provide renewable resources for the travelers and were essential to the success of the mission. Kevin looked forward to exploring these environments and the challenge of keeping them functional. "It's so big," said a small voice behind him. Kevin turned and his smile widened. Behind him, clutching a worn-out teddy bear, was his younger brother Miles. The seven-year-old moved closer and Kevin draped an arm around his brother as the boys turned their attention back to the station. "That station, little brother, has twelve thousand three hundred and fifty seven decks. Nine hundred and thirty eight domed environmental pods. The capacity to hold three million seventy five thousand and six hundred people. And I'm going to live there." "But why do you have to go, Kevin? Stay with mom and me on earth. Don't go." Kevin sighed. His brother didn't understand the nature of this venture. Nor did the boy really understand why stations like these were leaving Sol system. He decided to explain to his brother, for probably the hundredth time, what was going on. "You know, Miles, that there was a really big war on earth about fifty years ago, right?" The boy shook his head in the affirmative. "And you know that even the moon colony and the Mars colony and the space stations in our solar system all got involved, right?" The boy shook his head again. "And you know that lots and lots of people died in that war? Well, we all got together after that war and decided to send out space stations like this one to far away planets. That way, if another war ever happened, or something else bad, people would still be alive somewhere. That makes sense, doesn't it?" The child shrugged, not committing one way or another. "But, what if the war goes where you go?" "Well," Kevin explained, "it takes a really really really long time to get where me and the other stations are going. So long, in fact, that no war could ever follow us. See how the station is hollow inside?" Miles peered out the window and said "Yeah." "Well, thanks to the invention of the Miller-Karmani Jump Drive, that empty space is going to be filled with lots and lots of energy and then, when it gets enough: POP! The station is going to disappear and reappear really really far away. It actually bends space so we don't have to deal with the barrier of the speed of light." His brother looked at him blankly and Kevin smiled. Yes, much to complicated for the boy. "But why do YOU have to go?" "Well, anybody who wanted to go and be part of this journey could sign up. Even kids, as long as their parents say it's ok. And mom said I could. And I want to." "But..." the boy said sadly, "that means you're leaving us. I don't want you to leave us." "I know. Mom doesn't want to go and I don't blame her. But I really want to do this Miles and, even though I'm going to miss both of you so so so much, I have to do it." Kevin bent down and hugged his younger brother, knowing the kid felt miserable and wishing, not for the first time, that their mother had agreed to come as well. But, she had family and happiness on earth and this sort of journey was never to be her path. For the next hour, Kevin slowly made his way around the shuttle and spoke with many aunts and uncles, cousins and friends who had accompanied them to the station to see him off. When the shuttle finally docked and the airlock opened, Kevin turned to his mother and brother. Donna McCloud looked like a woman put through the ringer. Here hair was damp with sweat. Her body shook with anxiety. Her eyes were dark and puffy. But this was her son's decision and though she could have forbade him from going, she had given him her blessing to start this journey. She loved him but she wouldn't use that love to justify caging her first born. "Well dear, this is it, isn't it?" "You know I love you mom. And I love you Miles. I'm going to miss you a lot. But, the station won't jump for another six months so we will still be able to communicate a lot." "I know son. I know. I want you to be good for the Rynehearts, alright? From what I've read in their file, they seem like good people and I want you to make me proud. Work hard. Be kind to those around you. Keep me and your brother close to your heart." Kevin smiled sadly and reached up to grasp the small locket around his neck. Within it was a picture of his mother and brother, the family he was leaving so as to do his duty to humanity. "I will mom. I love you." With that, the family hugged and Donna kissed her baby boy over and over until he gently pulled himself from her embrace and, turning around resolutely, entered the airlock. The door closed. The computer linked with Kevin's Heart of Life, a small processing node implanted in the base of his neck that was integral to the success or failure of the mission. Station life was going to be very delicate and it was necessary that the people on board have every advantage available. Thus, the running joke was that these Hearts of Life were combination wallet, doctor, and condom. Wallet in that they contained all the individuals' personal identification, qualification, authorization, pass codes, and keys to the home. Doctor because they continually scanned the individual for general sickness, infection, virus, irregular genetic decomposition, and hormonal imbalance. Condom in that they released a steady stream of targeted hormones which made every individual infertile until it was determined that that individual was required to have a child. Every member of the community had a Heart of Life. It was required to board. Eventually, when the computer was satisfied with Kevin's identity, the airlock door opened and Kevin entered Iota Station for the first, and final, time. He took a deep breath and surveyed the small terminal. Butterflies did backflips in his stomach. Many people were walking this way and that down the promenade, obviously busy with errands and the necessary task of getting the station prepped for the journey. To the side, though, was an older couple standing still and looking directly at him. They waived. Kevin waived back and walked over happily. This was it. This was the start of the journey. "Mr. and Mrs. Ryneheart?" The couple smiled at him and nodded. "I'm... I'm Kevin McCloud. I guess I'm your new son." ................ Chapter Two: Year 2352 The boys struggled to contain their giggling at Micah's assertion but, in the end, were unsuccessful. Mirth erupted around the table and Micah, understanding the laughter was aimed at him, stuck out his tongue playfully. Despite it being nearly lunch, none of the five friends had reached their personal academic goals for that morning. But their lack of progress was not laziness! Indeed, should anyone accuse them of laziness, the greatest insult one could level on Station Iota, each and every boy would vehemently deny the charge. All five felt the conversation to be a productive use of their time because the subject matter was of incredible anthropological interest. And, as everyone knew, the defense to an accusation of laziness was to assert that one was being intense about a particularly interesting topic. "Intensity for Iota" had been a motto onboard the station since their grandparents time and the boys, like every other person on board, stove towards that ideal. Or, at the very least, tried to avoid any suspicion of laziness. "Think about it guys." Micah continued. "Things change. The way we see things. The way we do things. They're different with each passing generation. And that means..." Randal interrupted, "Yeah, but I still don't see your point about the change in day rotations." Micah huffed and rolled his eyes. Though all five boys were fourteen, he sometimes felt as if he were explaining things to children when he spoke to some of the others. "Ok. So, when the original inhabitants of Station Iota departed from Earth, they operated on a seven-day week. Twenty-four hours per day. Seven days. The first five of those days were workdays. The next two were days of rest." His friends nodded in understanding. He'd mentioned these facts before. "And yet, within about two generations, the stress of working five days in a row onboard a station like ours had begun to depress the community. Remember that famous string of airlock suicides? Our grandparents decided to challenge a basic concept rooted in the culture and implemented the three-day week as opposed to a seven-day week. Moreover, the week would look different for different people on the station. One third of the station works on days Alpha and Beta while resting on day Gamma. One third of the station works on Beta and Gamma while resting on Alpha. The final third, like us, work Alpha and Gamma while resting on Beta. Two workdays followed by one day of rest. Productivity rose considerably. That demonstrates that..." "No no no. That doesn't make your point, Micah," responded Trevor. The boy, always an intelligent skeptic, stood and walked over to the large bay window that ran the length of the small conference room the boys generally used for their morning academics. Using one finger to trace the star constellations beyond, he continued, "That isn't a cultural identifier. It's an artificial construct. When I said `cultural identifier' earlier, I meant something that was ingrained in the fabric of the community." "Like our attitudes about childhood? Family verses community?" Micah smiled smugly, knowing he scored a point with those examples. "Continue..." prompted Jesse, the slight boy interested in where this line of reasoning was going. Micah gave the boy a smile and continued. "I've read the history. Children were pampered and allowed to be lazy. They had no responsibility. Indeed, they were educated in a `school' instead of learning through self-study. That sort of system had been in place for hundreds and hundreds of years. Now, though, we..." Trevor interrupted again, sitting down at his seat in a disinterested manner. He fooled no one, though. "Yes, we self study academics on the mornings of Alpha and Gamma. We don't go to `school.' We begin apprenticing somewhere in the station when we turn nine and work there in the afternoons of Alpha and Gamma. Beta is our day off where we are free to develop leisurely pursuits, so long as they are productive and intense. I get it, Micah. I get it. Now, I suppose I can admit that this change is a little more like what I was looking for. But..." Micah interrupted this time, grinning. "But, the real cultural change is in how we understand the family unit. In all of human history, as far as I can tell, adults and children formed a family unit where the two adults produced the offspring. The family unit was the first building block of society and the root of the tribalism that divided humanity. That concept went out the window some seven decades ago. And this major transition has been successful!" The boys paused for a moment to mull over that assertion. They'd all studied the tribulation, known as the Great Sundering, that the third generation of residents had experienced some seventy years after leaving Earth. Striations in the social fabric began to appear when people began to identify with there `neighborhood' as opposed to the community at large. Decks started to form sub-social groups within the station, leading to distrust and open hostility of those outside the group. People on Deck 4500, for instance, would intermarry with each other and would never consent to marry or have children or even associate with people from Deck 5500. This dangerous trend had potential disastrous consequences. So the community created a new familial system where romantic love was no longer the basis for a family. Instead, individual men and women were paired with each other when they were in the early twenties based on a variety of social and political factors. This mixed the population of the station considerably within a short period of time. Moreover, in order to devalue the tribalism that still might develop, women were implanted with random sperm donors, as opposed to the sperm of their husband, when the decision to have children was reached. This lasted about fifty years before a second redundancy was included into the system whereby infants were taken at birth and given to an anonymous couple that would raise that child as their own. A sort of modern adaption of the old foster system with a key difference being that children never knew their birth parents. Each boy thought for a brief moment about the fact that he was not related to his "parents" in any biological sense and that his biological mother almost assuredly didn't know his biological father. Micah nodded for a moment while the silence stretched on, knowing that he loved his adoptive parents for their kindness and warmth but feeling no attachment to the family unit above and beyond that love. Hell, though he cared about his younger sister, he shared no blood with her either! This was as it should be, his mind reminded himself, because it protected the community from developing into factions. The other boys reached the same conclusions at almost the same time and all five began to nod. "Well, you make a good point, I guess," said Trevor as he stood again, stretched, and gathered his personal tablet. "But I'm hungry and I need to eat quickly so I can help Master Alfonzo this afternoon with the recasting of the construction dowels for Deck 4712. See you all tonight for cards?" The other four responded in the affirmative and began to pack up their things before sliding quickly out of the conference room. Lunch sounded like a good deal and all but Micah rushed towards a cafeteria; chatting eagerly about the work they were to be doing that afternoon. Micah headed in the opposite direction, towards one of the nearby infirmaries. The first two generations had relied primarily on the entertainment brought from Earth that had been stored and maintained diligently in the station's databases. However, after several decades of watching the same movies and reading the same books, the call for new entertainment became deafening. Thus, the phrase "Intensity for Iota" developed a duel meaning and members of the community were expected to passionately attack their leisure time. Novels and plays began to be written on days off. Films were made. Games were developed. The culture shifted from an Earth-centric mindset to a station-centric mindset when it came to leisure. Thus, when Micah entered the infirmary, several staff members and a dozen or so patients greeted him. Doctor Malik, a friend of his father, had heard that Micah had created a new violin piece and had asked if the boy would mind spending his lunch hour this day playing his instrument for them. Micah, who harbored a love of the violin, jumped at the chance. Indeed, though he was studying a wide range of academic subjects (astro-physics, biological mathematics, and fifteenth century Italian literature) and though he was currently apprenticing with the water treatment technician in Botanical Garden 112, Micah hoped that he could be a station-leisurely musician as he grew older on top of whatever station-necessary profession he chose to pursue. Indeed, many of the station's residents maintained both a station-necessary profession (that they did for perhaps two-thirds of each of their work day) and a station-leisurely profession (that they did for the other third of each work day). In fact, to not hold duel professions was oftentimes considered one step away from laziness. Getting out his violin, Micah settled himself on one of the small examination stools and faced the eager audience. "So Micah, what will you be playing for us today?" Doctor Malik asked, his enthusiastic grin framing his face. "Well, I will start of with a few Earth classics before going into a few pieces written by artists on Iota. I'll conclude with the three pieces I've written myself." With that, the boy began to play. ...................... Chapter Three: Year 2712 Eleven-year-old Tristan took a deep breath of the fresh air in Botanical Garden 071. Usually, the intense floral fragrances were enough to brighten his mood considerably but today, having just learned that he'd been selected in the lottery, the bright colors of the flowers and the richness of the soil beneath him failed to lift his spirits. Overhead, the dome was a bluish opaque filled with clouds and the bright light from the synthetic sun, which was feeding the plants throughout the artificial day. That artificial sunlight usually cleansed his mind as it renewed him. Today, he couldn't help but remember that the dome was an illusion, the simulated light and clouds and sky-coloring a trick to make him forget the billions of stars and infinite darkness that lay just beyond the illusion. Slowly, the boy got up. Though it was Alphaday, and thus his day off, he had a great deal to do now that he was moving into a new school-pod. He stretched in the sunlight, mindful of his nudity. Soon, he reminded himself as he scratched the hairless mound above his genitals, his pubic hair would grow and he would be entitled to wear clothing like an adult. Though he understood that children were kept naked so as to teach them to be open and honest with those around them, a communal necessity in a station like Iota, the prohibition against clothing seemed to grow more burdensome as he got older. Buoyed by the thought the he would soon be a man and entitled to dress as such, Tristan walked towards the exit of the garden. After a quick radial-rinse at the exit, which ensured no dirt or germs or bacteria followed him into the station, Tristan hitched a ride on one of the turbo-pods and proceeded toward his school-pod on Deck 2202. Or at least, he thought to himself, his old school-pod. The ride gave the boy a few minutes to think about the nature of the social structure on Iota and to reflect upon the lottery. He knew that, at some point, his ancestors decided to abandon the idea of a nuclear family because it took up too much space. With each family having it's own living quarters, there was undue amount of space relegated to Iota's residence. It was excessive and a waste of perfectly valuable room which could be used towards much more productive aims. Moreover, the idea of monogamous relationships had become outdated and looked upon as a burden from a bygone era. People wanted to be free to have multiple romantic partners instead of one arraigned partner with which they had to share a living quarters. So the school-pods were developed. All infants, once born and taken from their mother, lived in large nurseries where they were taken care of by professional infant-development staff. Toddlers were also grouped together in a similar fashion. When a child reached the age of five, however, they were randomly inserted into a same-sex school-pod somewhere on the station; a `family' of sorts where twenty-five to thirty children of the same gender, ranging in ages from five to fifteen, lived together as a small community. The older kids took care of the younger, making sure they studied hard and understood their duties as a resident of Iota. For some years, an adult had acted as the leader of each school-pod but it was soon determined that the children could self-police and self-monitor effectively. Eventually, once a child reached the age of sixteen, they moved out of the school-pod and into an adult school-pod. In order to combat tribalism, the lottery system was implemented. Every child, and adult for that matter, had his or her identification in the system and they were subject to randomly being reassigned to a new school-pod. Some children moved only three or four times in the ten years they lived in one of the children's school-pods. Some seemed to move every couple of months because the lottery seemed to like to pick them. There was a boy in Tristan's pod who had lived in thirteen pods. And he was only ten years old! Tristan had been living in School-Pod 257 since he was eight and he loved it. Yes, there were constantly those leaving and those moving into the pod. However, Tristan had developed a fondness for the population and really wanted to stay until he turned sixteen. But just this morning, the computer informed him he was to move to School-Pod 761. Tristan sighed as he stepped into his former school-pod. Since some of the boys had Alphaday off like him, there were several lying on their beds or sitting at their desks working on leisurely pursuits. A few looked over and welcomed him home. "Well, I won the lottery" Tristan said to those closest few. Those who heard nodded in understanding - it was a common occurrence - before turning back to their projects. Timothy, one of the fourteen-year-olds who really looked out for the younger boys, came over and sat on Tristan's bed just as Tristan arrived to pack his personal belongings into his trunk. "Look T, it's not a big deal. Don't be sad." "Well, I'm going to miss this place." "Yeah, I know. But, man, listen. This is just the place you sleep and keep your stuff. You're always free to go visit friends in other school-pods. In fact, I'd encourage it. I always stop by other school-pods where I've lived and say high to folks. I mean, we are all part of the same community. Right? Tristan smiled and nodded. Timothy made a good point. "I guess you're right. You really see people from other pod's a lot?" Timothy gave him an incredulous look and raised his eyebrow as Tristan suddenly realized the absurdity of his statement. Several of his own good friends lived in other school-pods and he saw them all the time. In fact, just this morning, he'd been in School-Pod 411 with James working on their comedy routine. "Stupid question, huh?" Timothy gave a hearty laugh and gave Tristan a quick side-hug before getting up and walking back to his own desk. For a brief moment, Tristan was jealous of his older friend's light silk trousers but quickly got over it. Soon, he thought to himself, he'd be wearing pants like an adult. It only took a short time for Tristan to pack up his trunk and leave the room, hitching another ride on a turbo-pod that would drop him off near School-Pod 761. One of the older women in the turbo-pod asked him if he was excited about the move and he replied that he was, though nervous as well. She patted him on the head and told him not to worry - that he'll get along with his new school-pod mates just fine. Her encouragement raised his spirits a bit more and, by the time he got to his new home, he felt pretty good. It was, after all, a chance to make new friends. His Heart of Life confirmed that this was his new residence and the door slid open smoothly, allowing Tristan to enter his new home. The computer had already informed him that his bed was number 22 and, as every pod had the same layout, Tristan had no trouble finding his bunk. When he arrived at the designated bunk, the two boys sitting across from each other on bed 23 greeted him. "You must be the new neighbor," the blond said as the two boys, who both looked to be roughly fourteen, continued to masturbate each other slowly. The other boy nodded at Tristan but said nothing. "I am," Tristan responded, delighted that the older boys appeared friendly. "Just won the lottery this morning. Thought I'd move in as quickly as possible. I'm Tristan!" "Lucas," said the blond, using his idle hand to wave at Tristan. "This is my friend John. He's just visiting from School-Pod 064. This is my bed though, so you'll be seeing a lot of me. Alpha shift?" Tristan nodded in the affirmative. It wasn't unusual for people to use their lunch hour to meet up with friends for a bit of sex play. However, since lunch ended nearly a half an hour ago, Tristan figured that the two boys were both Alpha shift like him. To be still doing sex stuff when one should be at one's apprenticeship would be very irresponsible. "Nice!" responded Lucas. "What are your plans right now? You want to join us for a quick get-off?" "Thanks! But, I'm not really into sex-stuff yet. I've tried, but..." "No big deal! I remember being your age and not finding it all that interesting either. Just thought I'd ask. So what are you studying and where are you apprenticing?" For the next few minutes, Tristan and Lucas talked a bit about the school-pod and their hobbies and such. It was the sort of `get-to-know-you' conversation that allowed new school-pod mates to feel each other out and determine if they were to become friends. Tristan sat on his bed and watched the older boys use their hands to stroke each other's members. He'd had seen it done lots and lots of times, over the years, but this particular time seemed somewhat odd to him. Perhaps, he thought to himself, it was because he didn't know Lucas and John? "Hold on a second, Tristan" said Lucas all of a sudden focusing on his friend. "I'm about to go, John. Go faster." John complied, speeding up his ministrations until Lucas let out a loud groan and climaxed all over John's hand as well as his own belly and chest. "Phew! That was a good one man! Hey Tristan, you sure you don't want to get in on this? Because, your willy seems to want to!" Tristan looked down and realized at that moment that he was erect, prompting all three boys to laugh at his body's reaction to the sexual stimulus in front of him. Perhaps, along with pubic hair and adult clothing, he might be nearing an interest in sex stuff? The thought appealed to Tristan and, as he let his eyes roam around the room, he realized that the last vestiges of his apprehension about moving into a new school-pod were gone. This was going to be home.