Jake was sitting down to a belated breakfast in the aft cabin’s small dining table when the AIA “Mind” reported. “Sub 2 has detected enemy vessel setting sail and heading due North.”
Jake almost bolted from his chair, but one of the younger seaman aboard, a boy of about eighteen named Kess – who had just brought his breakfast of large seabird egg bread, fried sunny side up, a greenish yellow fruit called, melball, and a cup of hot toff which was, as the name sounded a tea that tasted remarkably like coffee. Jake, used to the not so great coffee from Spaceship Conjurplex machines, it was heaven. Different, but heaven.
He made himself take a sip, not wanting to alarm the handsome young man, who smiled shyly at him. What a cutey”, Jake thought to himself, as his eyes traveled down the boy’s washboard stomach to the decent sized bulge in the boy's contour hugging short white shorts. The lad clearly wore nothing at all under the white cloth, and his manhood peeked at the lower edge of the short’s left leg.
Jake realized he was staring and his eyes jerked up to find the young man blushing.
The door to the Captain’s cabin swung open and Wil-kait entered, looking haggard but relieved and hungry. “Good! I see you have our best cook amongst the crew making breakfast for you, m-lord.”
“It seems I do.” Jake said, applying a fork to the eggs.
The Light Lieutenant smiled broadly as he stepped to young Kess-il, pulled him in against his side and nuzzled the young sailor’s jaw affectionately. Jake pretended not to notice the discreet buttock squeeze the Lieutenant also added to the open affection.
Well this was a shock,” jake thought. Clearly Cerule had different rules, at least in this navy, about fraternization. In the Humana League Space Navy, such displays between officers and crew would have been frowned upon.
“I’ll have the same as Lord Par, Kess.” Wil-kait said, as he turned from the sailor to sit across from Jake, his blue eyes examining Jake with minute attention.
“Aye Sir.” Kess said, moving back and turning to walk quickly into the galley nearby
“You have an odd expression, m-Lord Par.”
“Do I?” Jake said. “I suppose I didn’t expect you to ahh, show affection so easily.”
Wil-kait cocked his head. “Ah, because, as I mentioned, I have a consort?”
Jake told himself privately to try to think like Par-alden, whom he was supposed to be. "Its not for me to judge. I just don’t know you or your reputation with ahh, romantic partners.”
“Ah but I know somewhat of yours.” Wil-kait said with a grin. “The infamous Lord Par-Alden has been linked to several suitors.”
“And this though I am not in line of succession.” Jake who told himself to refer to himself as Par, said.
Into his, Par’s head flashed a memory of an extremely handsome dark haired young man, a memory that included that man leaning toward him in a carriage and kissing him lasciviously, lips trailing down. Par felt a strong surge in his groin at the memory that linked itself to other memories, flash backs of kissing and sex with other men, most of them very attractive, though non so much As the sexy Vi-Count Laz-lo.
“Oh yes,” Jake murmured.
Then he remembered the Draz-lo, the earl who had been set against his son’s outings with Par, as Par-Alden was not deemed high enough in rank for his precious son. Instead, the older Lo had pushed himself on Par, himself, more than a few times, with aims for making him a Consort.
“Oh yes” Par said again, flushed by how aroused a flood of sensual memories momentarily overpowered him. Fighting the sudden huskiness of his voice, he said, “So, I suppose, being at sea and away from your partners for so long…” He trailed off, glancing toward the door to the galley.
The Lieutenant smirked, “Oh I have come close, the boy is willing, but I do try to be faithful to my consort, though it is not required.” Wil-kait cocked his head and look mischievous, his eyes sparkling, exhausted though he clearly was. “And were I to court you, would you require fidelity?”
“Would you want me too?” Jake asked back, catching the tone of easy banter.
“Well naturally, were you my spouse, my other partners would become secondary in time and attention to yourself.”
As Par pondered, he failed to notice the dawning hunger on Wil-kait’s face, the unmistakable look of lust. Par’s looks had gone from skin and bones gauntness to hot, if extremely lean. Where no muscle had been visible, his body showed lines of slender taut muscle, looking very cut, but fit. The gaunt hollows of his cheeks and jaw line had given way to a lean sexy beauty. Jake still looked half starved, but almost in a good way. And Light Lieutenant Wil-kait was clearly noticing, if his low lidded regard was anything to go by.
“Oh, come now, I am not that captivating.” Par joked, as he finally noticed.
Wil-kait blushed but said, “I am marveling, my Lord Par, how your condition has improved so quickly. Your natural beauty is coming to the fore. Extraordinary what a bit of food, water and rest has done for you.” He admitted.
“I looked that bad, eh?” Par laughed.
“Terrible, but I understand a chronic lack of water can do that to a man. I still can’t understand how you survived all this time.
“Rain water. Collected in leaves and some driftwood. But yes, I was severely lacking water and might well have died had you not come along. I was not doing well.”
The Light Lieutenant nodded as Kess-il returned at that moment with his food. Par – Jake sent a mental inquiry to the AIA. “Mind what is the enemy doing?”
“They have set some sail and are slowly creeping through the Bram Islands.”
“Their course?” he inquired.
“They appear to be working North Easterly. There is a seventy four percent chance they are headed to leave the Islets and follow in our wake.”
Par lifted his eyes from his mostly eaten breakfast. “Mr. Kait, we do not have all possible canvas flying. I would advise you to set all possible sail and take the risk of an errant squall. It is very likely that the foe will have discovered we have gone, and their logical step is to assume we are on our way home. Even if they get it wrong and we are not, by heading Northeast they stand a chance of either catching us or positioning themselves ahead of us.”
Wil-kait stared back at Par for a moment and then said. “I will take your advice, My Lord. Kessil keep my food warm. I will be back momentarily.
The Light-lieutenant got up, revealing that he was aroused in his white uniform leggings. Those leggings don’t hide much” Par thought with amusement even as he throbbed under the table edge at the sexy sight. He lifted his gaze and met Wil-kait's. The handsome young officer gave him a lip parted flared nostril look of thinly veiled lust before turning away.
With the Light Lieutenant gone, Kessil came and retrieved Wil-kait’s breakfast to keep it warm. Above came the sound of shouted orders and the pattering of bare feet as the crew increased sail. The ship took on a sharper heel, hurtling along through the seas.
Jake finished his breakfast and went up on deck moving to the aft windward railing and bracing himself as he watched the crew and Wil-kait secure the new trim.
The breeze was strong but not overwhelming, and the little ship sliced through the seas, spray flying off the bow. Jake found it exhilarating.
Wil-kait joined him. “One thing about a good breeze, this ship is sailing at close to our fastest, and even if they have a wethworker aboard, he cannot add to their speed beyond which their hull will take them. As long as this lasts, we’ll be fine, and with the usual winds around the GreDuchy of Nor, they won’t catch us the closer we get.”
The Light Lieutenant’s eyes traveled ceaselessly over his command, except for when his gaze shifted to Par, beside him. He stood against the rail at Par’s side, so close their thighs touched, and Par fought an urge to turn and kiss the man. He had never kissed a man in his former life as Jake, but the urge now, mixed with curiosity, was nearly overwhelming.
Somehow, he refrained. Wil-kait, at Par’s urging, chatted with him about his life, his partners, his consort and his consort’s lover, family life.
“What with the way there are four men to every woman everywhere one goes, I understand the Gre-Duchess is thinking of supporting a relaxation of the law concerning adopting children before one has a fully, recognized spouse, to share the burden of child raising. The other option is to marry a woman, but, that’s not for me. Would it be for you, My=Lord?”
“No.” Par said simply.
“Adoption, then. You know your family will want you to produce an heir, even if by adoption.”
“Aye, I am sure they will, even though I am landless. It's not as if there is much to inherit.”
“All security of family line, I expect.” Wil-kait, said nodding. Glancing away from the rigging, the handsome blond sent a lingering glance below Par’s waist. “I have to say, I’d certainly, gladly volunteer to let you breed me. That looks like quite the weapon.”
Par laughed, blushing. For all that with much of a former life behind him, getting such a compliment from another man, was startling and exciting, He hardly knew what to do with it.
“And you say your Consort will understand?” Par murmured back, turning to murmur in the Light Lietenant’s ear.
Wil-kait turned toward him and said, “So much so that I don’t mind kissing you Infront of the men.”
Just like that the Light_Lieutenant reached around Par to pull him in against him. Their bodies slammed together, semi arousals crossing and pressing as mouths met. Par was swept up in a kiss that Jake had never experienced, a kiss with another man, the sense of it driving all rational thought from Jake’s mind.
The crew gabbled and cheered them, and Par realized his attraction to Wil=kait hadn’t been discreet at all. The crew had been waiting for a demonstration.
No sooner than the kiss ended, then there was a snap and a thunder of sails as the sheet line to the foresails parted ways with the sail itself.
Wil-kait bellowed orders, turning away from Par and the sail was soon brought under control, lowered until a new sheet line could be attached securely and the sail raised again.
Still, they had lost ground to the enemy and Par couldn’t help looking astern at the horizon, where the AIA “Mind” told him the Imperial Zorian ship was just out of sight.
