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.