Brave New World Ch. 07: Epilogue

"We sure have come a long way," he said softly.

Tami nodded. "Yes, my love, we have."

Gan had come out of coldsleep screaming, and it had taken the shelter's best psych team several weeks, not to mention some serious drugs, to calm him down to the point of being somewhat coherent. Then he had proven very talkative, but after a few months his insanity had reasserted itself with a vengeance, and soon thereafter turned into a degenerative condition. He had died less than a year later.

"Stop thinking about him," Tami said. She melted against him, and the warmth of her naked body felt good against his skin.

"How did you know?"

She smiled. "You grow tense in a certain way when you think of him," she said. "I always can tell, my love."

"And you're an empath."

She chuckled. "Yes, there's that, too."

He turned to look at her. She hadn't aged a day. And neither had he. When it became clear that most of the health problems that plagued mankind weren't the result of radiation and environmental poisoning at all, but had in fact been caused by the pathogens spread by Gan, medical science had undergone another renaissance. In its wake, improved ion flush techniques to preserve youth and promote longevity had evolved at an incredible pace. With a life expectancy of at least several centuries and a drop in mortality to match, that alone had provided a major boost to Earth's population.

But that wasn't the only thing. More children were being born these days, and for a very simple reason.

Hope.

Earth no longer was a dead end for mankind. Not only did the habitable areas on Earth grow slowly but steadily, but with interstellar exploration now within reach, mankind was about to expand to new worlds.

"I was just thinking about how much he held us back," Roy said. "If Gan hadn't done what he did, we might have recovered centuries ago instead of just now."

She stroked his face with her hand, then gently kissed him. "We'll never know, dear one. Perhaps we got lucky. If history had gone differently, you and I might never have met."

He turned to face her and put her arms around her.

"You know I'm not thinking that way, my love," he said. "I believe that you and I were meant to be together. I've always felt like that."

"And you know I feel the same way," she replied. "So stop dwelling on what might have been. Tonight we have more important things to think about."

The light in the hab's domed garden had begun to dim, turning the golden day into a balmy evening. Earth, once again dressed in some blue and green, glowed overhead against the black, starry background. The heavy perfume of flowers drifted through the lush vegetation, and it was almost like there a hush in the air tonight.

Which was appropriate, on the evening of their departure. Looking around, Roy found it hard to believe that the population of the hab was almost up to its full capacity of ten thousand or so. Most of the hab's hexagonal cells were now fully occupied. The one they were in, though, was an exception: it still had the luxury of vast stretches of quiet, private landscaping; a lush oasis of peace and quiet. He hadn't yet gotten used to his current status as one of the people who had made all this possible. The small group that he was part of had just happened to be in the right place at the right time, as far as he was concerned. It had seemed only natural for all of them to be involved with the work, and to explore the opportunities that sprang from it.

The ship, unfinished as it was, had proven to be impossible to retrieve from its underground silo in the Antarctic. The war had clearly interrupted the final stages of the project, leaving the interstellar drive and navigational systems unfinished. Gan having cannibalized most of the ship's systems for his own purposes had done the rest. Still the ship had yielded vast amounts of priceless knowledge, along with the extensive research libraries left behind by the crew that had manned the facility four centuries ago. Even after Gan's pillaging there was more than enough hardware left to work with, and building an operational interstellar drive and the controls to harness it had only been a matter of time.

The construction of a new ship had been considered. Then someone pointed out that, with more and more habitable and arable land becoming available on Earth, a few habs could easily be spared. Retrofitting some of them with the new interstellar drive had proven relatively simple. After all, the necessary self-contained ecologies and life support systems were already in place, and the platforms already in orbit. When a library of promising exoplanets had been discovered in the research station's archives, along with extensive details on interstellar navigation and observation, there had been no further discussion.

And now everything was ready. They were ready. They would leave tonight.

"Do you think you'll miss it?" Roy asked, looking up at the planet he had once called his home.

Tami shook her head. "I've been up here for so many years now. I said my goodbyes when I left, back then. This has been my home ever since." She looked at him. "And you?"

"I don't think so. I expected that I would, but it's really not my home anymore. It's good to see it slowly become green and clean again, though. But let's face it, there will be centuries of work ahead, and even then it will never be the way I remember it. The Earth I knew is gone forever. And so is the man I used to be. And good riddance. I won't miss him."

During the past decades Roy had made good on his intention to study and catch up with modern sciences and technology. Under Kyo's tutelage he had become a competent tech, and his aptitude for physics had stood him in good stead when it came to understanding the way the new interstellar drive harnessed gravity and the curvature of space. While he was nowhere near Kyo's level of expertise, at least he now felt he could pull his weight in the community that had so generously adopted him.

Tami had not been idle, either. Not only had her empathy allowed her to further develop her skills as a psychologist, but their experiences with nanotech mods had rekindled her interest in neurology to a point where she now a renowned specialist in the field.

Those were not the only things they had learned as the years went by. While there had been a lot of hard work, there had been a lot of time for lovemaking, too, and together they had discovered many new and wonderful ways to give and receive pleasure. When Tami had decided to finally give Kyo what the poor woman had wanted for so long, she discovered, much to her own surprise, that she liked it. While she still preferred to have a cock in her pussy, the things that another woman could do to make her feel good had turned out to be of a different order entirely. And in learning how to pleasure another woman she had learned a lot about her own body, too. Before long there had been an afternoon when Roy sat reclined against a mossy hillock with Tami in his lap, her back against his chest, his hard cock buried to the hilt in the smooth, tight confines of her ass, and Kyo kneeling between her spread thighs. He had held her as orgasm after orgasm ripped through her shuddering body under Kyo's skilled tongue, until Kyo herself succumbed to the pleasure of Jaru's large cock pounding into her from behind.

Roy himself had continued to shake off the inhibitions that the past had left him with. Their first foursome with Vard and Reesh had been wonderful, and having sex in the presence of others no longer bothered him. When Reesh's youngest daughter felt that she had dropped enough hints about how she felt about him, and decided to take matters into her own hands (and mouth) Roy had simply sighed, shrugged, and given in to her. Somehow he had managed not to feel guilty about it in the slightest. His past was well and truly gone, and so were its morals, its laws and its taboos about who could have sex with whom, and where, and when. All that mattered, here, now, was mutual desire, consent, and a firm resolution to make sure that nobody got hurt, ever.

As time went by, Roy and Tami both found that their lovemaking evolved into what could only be called a truly spiritual experience. Every time their bodies joined, their minds, hearts and souls merged as well, and they grew closer and closer until the bond between them was strong beyond imagining.

Roy turned to kiss the woman he loved so much, and her lips parted when they touched his. Their tongues met and played with each other in that ancient, wonderful dance. His hands slid down from her shoulder blades to caress the smooth, soft curve of her butt.

She gently broke the kiss and looked around. The spot in which they were standing was covered in a carpet of thick, springy moss and surrounded by low shrubs that bore small, white flowers which spread a sweet, heady fragrance through the still night air.

"Here?" she asked.

He smiled. "Why not?"

They sat down on the soft moss and his arms found their way around her body again. They kissed each other deeply, unhurriedly, taking their time as old lovers do, comfortable in their familiarity with each other, and secure in the knowledge of having an entire lifetime to be spent together.

He gently pushed her down on her back into the soft, springy living carpet. He kissed her breast, and his lips found her nipple. He gently nibbled at it, feeling it grow hard under the tip of his tongue as her fingers touched his cock and began to caress it, lightly, slowly, teasingly. After all these years they knew each other's bodies so well: what they needed, what they liked, what they wanted, and how to drive each other insane with pleasure. His hand slid down between her thighs, softly stroking the smooth skin there until his fingertips touched the first moisture between the lips of her pussy. She moaned softly.

"I thought I might find you guys here," Reesh said, stepping around a small group of trees and into the clearing.

Roy looked up, trying to give her a reproachful look, but not quite succeeding. "Listen, Reesh, about your timing..." he began, but Tami's giggle cut him off.

"Sorry to disturb you," Reesh said, "and if you'd rather be alone right now I'll certainly understand. But great minds seem to think alike." She smiled. "In fact, we're all together right now, doing what you're doing. So I thought maybe you'd like to join us so we can all be together when we put babies into each other."

Roy raised his eyebrows. "Did you tell anyone, Reesh?"

"That you both had your contraception canceled? Of course not. That's confidential, Roy, you know that. But I think I can safely say you're not the only ones." She looked down at her own flat stomach with a dreamy smile. "I hope Vard is going to put another one into me tonight." She turned around and pointed. "We're just over there, if you want to come and join us."

"Wait," Tami said. "We're coming."

She stood up and took Roy by the hand. He rose as well, and as they walked through the lush vegetation of the garden, hand in hand, the heavy perfumes of the night and the soft sounds of birds mingled with the fragrance of her hair and the sound of her footsteps, and he realized that he had never been happier.

Of course some of that happiness came from the fact that Reesh had been right, all those years ago. It had taken a near brush with extinction for the human race to realize it, but the relaxed acceptance of sex as a necessary and good part of the human condition had made an enormous difference. With sex as much a part of everyday life as food, water and air, everyone was a lot happier. The healthy effects of frequent orgasms on both physical and emotional health were no longer just generally accepted as common sense; the amount of evidence gathered by medical scientists over time had long ago become undeniable. Social mores had followed suit, and today the only criteria that mattered were to ensure that no-one got hurt or ended up in trouble. Rape had been virtually unknown for well over a century, and what Roy remembered as statutory rape had been left in the past where it belonged. These days young people, no matter what age, were expected to decide for themselves when they were ready for sex, and whom they were ready to have it with. As long as all sexual encounters were consensual, very little else mattered.

It was, Roy decided, definitely an improvement over the social prohibitions of ages past. Lust no longer stood in the way of love, and physical attraction was recognized and accepted for what it was. Mankind had finally grown up in a very important way, and as a result, everyone was, on average, a lot happier.

Reesh led them around a clump of trees and into a small valley. The clearing where the others had gathered was surrounded by trees and shrubs, dotted with flowers, and carpeted with another one of those soft, springy layers of moss that almost seemed to be (and, Roy thought dryly, probably was) made for sitting or lying down onto.

"Finally," Vard said good-naturedly. "It took you long enough."

"Sorry about that," Roy said. "Hi, guys. Good to see you all."

And indeed everyone was there. The tight group of friends that he had come to think of as his family was spread out across the clearing. Vard lounged comfortably against a moss-covered tree, holding out his hand to Reesh as she walked up to him. Jaru, Kyo, Deela and Rahn were sitting near the center of the clearing. The four of them had entered into a curious group relationship which seemed to work well for them. Chia, no longer a teenager but now a beautiful young woman, was lying on the soft, springy moss. She her arms around her current lover, a young boy named Yann. Chia appeared to enjoy taking young lovers and teaching them the finer points of making a woman scream with pleasure. Roy privately suspected that the upbringing Reesh had given her might have something to do with that. Whatever the case might be, there had been no lack of interest from the young males in the hab.

Reesh stood up. "Before we all get carried away," she announced, "there's something I'd like to say. Tonight is special. Not just because we're leaving, but for another reason as well." She looked around the small group and took a deep breath. "First," she continued, "I love you all." She paused briefly, then went on, "Second, it makes me so happy to see that we're all thinking the same way. I think we all know each other well enough, and I don't think I'm violating anyone's trust here, so let me tell you that each and every one of us here had had their infertility canceled over the past few days."

A small cheer went up.

"Except for Vard and myself, of course," she continued, when the noise had died down. "We haven't had any contraception for ages. But I guess you know that."

"Of course," Chia giggled. "We all know how much you enjoy being a baby factory, mom."

Reesh smiled happily. "You know me so well, sweetheart," she said. "And just for the record, I'm so proud of you."

Roy sat down next to Tami on the soft moss. "Well, that saves Tami and me the announcement," he said. "So let me just add that I agree with Reesh. I love you all. You're awesome, and you're the best family I've ever had."

"Right back at you, Roy," Kyo said, the others nodding in agreement. "We've come this far together, and as far as I'm concerned we're all in this for the long haul."

"So maybe it's time we stopped talking," Deela said, smiling happily. "We've got new worlds to populate, people. Let's get started. Jaru has to do all three of us, you know."

Kyo giggled. "Do you think you're up to the job, lover?" she asked playfully.

Jaru pursed his lips in a mock expression of thought. "I suppose so," he said. "And if it turns out that I'm not, at least I'll die happily."

Rahn smiled. "Better do me first, then," she said.

"Greedy as always," Kyo said. She put her hand behind Rahn's head, pulled her close, and kissed her deeply.

"Do you think he's ready for this?" Roy said softly to Tami, who was looking speculatively at Yann. The boy was kneeling between Chia's spread thighs, enthusiastically applying his tongue to her pussy, caressing her inner thighs with his fingertips. From the look on her face and the way she crooned as he explored her nether lips with his mouth, he was doing a great job.

Tami nodded slowly. "Yes, I think so. He's young, but Chia has good sense, and so does Reesh. They'll have thought about this long and hard. He'll have good genes, and if I'm any judge of character, he'll do fine. But even if he's not ready to be a father, children will be always looked after in this family."

Chia moaned loudly and her back arched, the expression on her face speaking volumes.

"Well, at least he's getting that part right," Roy said dryly.

Tami looked up as another loud moan rang through the clearing. "Oh my," she said.

Roy could only agree with her. In the center of the clearing Deela, Rahn, Kyo and Jaru were engrossed in a curious and, Roy thought, very interesting foursome. Kyo was on her back, her legs as wide as she could spread them. Rahn straddled her face. Kyo, who had her hands on Rahn's beautiful butt, appeared to be doing some serious work with her tongue on the black woman's clit. Deela was kneeling between Kyo's legs, her mouth on Kyo's pussy. Jaru was on his knees behind Deela, the tip of his large cock between the puffy lips of her pussy. Deela moaned softly as she felt his length slide deeply into her most intimate depths. Rahn's moans got louder, until she cried out in her pleasure as she climaxed on Kyo's face.

"Well, that got a rise out of you," Tami chuckled, looking down at Roy's cock.

"It just looks so damn sexy," Roy said. "And it's great to see the four of them work so well together. Even after all this time."

Tami smiled. "I knew about Kyo and Rahn long before I met you. But I would not have dared to hope it would work out this well for all of them." She turned and put her arms around him. "I'm so happy for them."

Roy nodded. "Me too. They deserve it."

She reached down and took his cock in her hand. It continued to swell, pushing her fingers outward as his erection grew with every beat of his heart. She loved that feeling; the heat of his blood flowing into it, the pulse of his life pumping through it as his flesh hardened to a steel-like rigidity in her hand. She stroked him, up and down, the palm of her hand brushing the crown as her fingertips slid along his now rock-hard shaft, until she felt him twitch in her hand every time she touched the head.

He bent down to kiss her, his tongue meeting hers as her fingers played his cock like a musical instrument, sending electric sparks of intense, pure pleasure through his groin. Then he slid his lips down across her face, nuzzling her ear, kissing her cheek, the side of her neck, brushing her collarbone, and down onto the swell of her breast. She crooned as his tongue found her hardening nipple.

"Yes, my love, right there..." she breathed. Her body seemed to glow in the soft, bluish Earth-light and the wan illumination from the stars that dotted the hab's transparent dome overhead. The sweet, heady evening smells of the green, growing things that surrounded them mixed with the scent of her arousal in the balmy evening air, and he inhaled it deeply. His hand slid down from her shoulder to caress her other breast, and she moaned again as he stroked the pebbled nipple with the pad of his thumb.

"Roy..." she said, breathing heavily, a hungry look in her eyes. "Let's skip the rest of the foreplay. I want you inside me, as deep as you can. Now. Right now."

She sat up and gently pushed him onto his back to straddle his hips. His hot cock, fully hard and ready now, throbbed in her hand. The lips of her pussy flowered open in anticipation, the clear juices of her arousal glistening invitingly between them. She put the tip of him against the entrance to her hot, wet core, and gently pushed down on him until his thick, engorged head parted her flesh. As he slipped into her, they moaned in unison.