The Tales of The Aurora Pt. 04

Figuring that there was no harm in it, I took a seat. There was some awkward silence between us for a while. I could not figure out what to say to him, and James had been staring out the window all this time.

The silence finally got to me, so I spoke up and asked him a question. "James, why are you here?"

"Because I didn't want to miss out on this nebula," he answered, while still looking out the window.

"You know we were passing through this nebula earlier today. You could have seen it during the day; instead of being here at night," I informed him.

He sat there, looking like he was contemplating his next response. He slumped down his shoulders, and for the first time since I had sat down, and turned towards me.

"You're right, I could have admired the view during the day shift, but I wanted to have a little bit of a private moment," he said.

That piqued my interest, and before I could ask why he needed privacy, he spoke up again.

"You see, I wanted to do something for myself, and since I don't get much privacy at the GFC, I figured that now would probably be the only time I could."

With that, he brought out what he was hiding from me. It was a small plastic container, like the kind you used to store food, or perishables. I was about to ask what was inside, when he opened the lid, and inside was a small cake with white frosting done in a beautiful swirl. It wasn't as small as a cupcake, but was small enough to be eaten by one person.

"Where did you get something like that?" I asked, surprised that he had something like that, so far out in space. They were usually not on the menu for space travelers. I will admit though I was even in this poor lighting, it did look delicious.

"I asked Ava to make me one. Don't tell Dr. Blake that I am eating something like this. It is not exactly approved for Eros Candidates," he answered, while he placed the container between us.

"Okay, but why do you have one?" I asked, while stealing glimpses at the scrumptious delight.

"Well," he started while rubbing the back of his head, "this is kind of a special occasion."

"Special occasion?" I replied, with renewed interest.

"Yeah, you see, if LETA's date and timestamp are correct, in just a few minutes, it will be my birthday."

"Really. Why didn't you say anything? You know Ava would have set something up for you, judging how close you have been lately,'' I said, while gesturing toward the box with the cake.

They would have to be because making something like a cake on a spaceship, was no easy task when procuring the ingredients. It had to have taken a while for her to make just this one cake. Then I remembered the hushed conversation those two had in the mess hall, a few days back. So that was why they were having that conversation. It was so she could make the cake for him.

"I know, but in truth, it has been a long time since I celebrated my birthday, so I didn't want to make a big deal about it," he said, with a bit of a somber tone.

"Why so long? Do you not celebrate birthdays at the GFC facilities?" I asked, trying to find out more about him.

He shook his head, "No, because we move around a lot, and have to go through stasis sleep. For those that do manage to be awake on their birthday, the GFC personnel don't allow us to celebrate because we have more important things to do."

"Then, when was the last time you celebrated it?" I asked, shocked that they didn't celebrate the day that they were born. In my family, we always made sure that birthdays were celebrated to the absolute fullest. Even when Sasha moved in with us, we celebrated it just like we always did, with cake, parties, and gifts because it celebrated the day that person entered into the world, and eventually into our lives.

"Do you want to know?" he asked, still somber.

I could tell that this was an uncomfortable subject, but I nodded my response, and let him continue.

"The last time I celebrated my birthday was before I entered the Eros Program, and the last time I celebrated on the actual day of my birth was on my thirteenth birthday," he said.

I was confused by his answer and was about to ask him to clarify, but he raised his hand, knowing what I was about to ask.

"Before we entered the Eros candidate program, we spent a few years in a GFC dormitory school. The purpose of the school was to train, and educate us on what we do in becoming Eros candidates. They never did anything sexual with us, since we were underage, but they made sure they had our genetic makeup and we were at physical peak condition, and how to maintain our body's health. Since our school's purpose was to get us ready to save mankind; birthdays were not high on the list for things to do, but they made concessions. On the seventh day of every month, they would celebrate the boys who had their birthday for that month only."

"Okay, I can see why you didn't celebrate your actual birthday. Then what about your thirteenth birthday?" I asked him. The life of a boy in this day and age is far different from what I grew up in.

"Growing up, I was a very shy kid. It was hard for me to talk to people, and for the most part, I was a loner. The only thing that was good in my life was my mother. She would do anything to make my day special, especially when it came to my birthday," he told me with a spark of happiness within his eyes that I had never seen before.

"Since I had no friends, she would put in a lot of effort to make that day special. She would create these kinds of treasure hunts, or problem-solving puzzles. She knew I loved puzzles, so she would make a game out of it. Every year, they would get more complex and more fun, she would even make a story for it, like I was finding a lost treasure of a lost civilization. On my thirteenth birthday, she went all out. Stories, logic puzzles, the works; we traveled all over my planet, all for it to end at a beautiful little lake that was surrounded by forest. It was, hands down, the best birthday that I ever had, and I got to spend it with my mother. At the time, I wondered why she would do something so extravagant. Then I found out why. A few days after my birthday, women from the Federation showed up at my house and took me away."

He took a long pause, as if he was remembering that heart-breaking moment.

"By law, a male boy must be in Federation custody at the age of thirteen, of course, a parent can send their son earlier, but not my mother. She knew when I turned thirteen, I would be whisked away from her, and there was nothing she could do about it. So instead of wallowing, she decided to spend as much time as she could with me, and gave me the biggest birthday scavenger hunt of all time. It was wonderful, from the puzzles to the minor history trivia, the great scenery, and the best part was getting to spend every moment with her." He finished his tale with an unsmiling tone.

"She sounds like a wonderful mother, I bet she misses you dearly," I said, while scooting a little closer to him, trying to decide if I should comfort him.

"She did miss me a lot. She would even send video messages to me whenever she could. Telling me how things were going, that she misses me, and sometimes she would add some media files, and a bunch of other things, so my mind won't go to mush wherever I am at."

"That sounds nice, I bet you send her messages all the time about your little adventures. I bet once you get to Alexandrea, you will tell her everything that happened here, and all the people you met," I told him, trying to brighten his day, but all I did was cause him to sink even further into his darkened mood. What he said next made me instantly regret every word I said.

"I would if I could, but you see, she is no longer with us anymore," telling me, while looking into my eyes, conveying the seriousness, and the hurt he felt at that moment.

"I bet you are wondering how she died?" he asked, to which I answered his question with a nod, afraid if I said anything it would be the wrong thing.

"She died like how most people die, from old age. What they tell you when you enter into the Eros program, is that you are heroes, and you will save the human race and whatnot. What they don't tell you is what you might lose in return for saving the galaxy." He took a short pause trying to collect his thoughts on the matter. "As you well know, to make sure our genetic material reaches its destination, and not spoil, we travel by stasis pod. They would say once you go under, you will wake up in another world, in a blink of an eye. What they didn't tell us is the amount of time you lose when you go to sleep. In a blink of an eye, weeks, months, or maybe years, will be gone. I would still get my mother's video messages, but it would be one big batch, because of all the time I would skip. I watched her age right in front of my eyes with each video batch. Then one day coming out of my pod, her videos stopped."

He took a moment to compose himself. I could tell, his recounting of this story was bringing up some old wounds, but I kept still, letting him finish.

"It turns out my last stasis sleep took longer than most others, and by the time I got up, she had passed away. All that was left, was a video leaving me everything that she owned, and that even if I wasn't there with her, she always felt me within her heart. And for me to find happiness in my life, because we only get one."

A small tear started rolling down his cheek. I had never seen him like this before, so vulnerable, and sad. Usually, he was always happy and always greeted me with a smile. Maybe that's why he decided to do this alone, so no one could see him like this. I wondered how long he had been carrying this burden.

"How long?" I asked.

"Hmm...?"

"How long were you in stasis, from when your mother died?" I asked, with a sense of dread knowing that I would not like the answer.

"Eleven years."

"Eleven years!" I yelled.

"Yeah, that was how long I was in stasis. By the time I got up, she was gone. The only things I have left of her are her puzzles, movies, and books that she loves, and this." He picked up a picture frame with a person in it. I realized that it was his mother. I examined her as best as I could in this low light, but from what I could tell, she was a beautiful woman who had the same-colored eyes as James. Those same eyes that he looked at me with, when he first came out of stasis on this ship.

"She is beautiful. I am sorry for your loss," trying my best to console him.

"It's okay. I had plenty of time to come to terms with it. Ever since she passed, I never really saw any reason to celebrate my birthday. No cake, no great view, no one special to celebrate with, it just seemed pointless. Being stuck at GFC facilities where you only see walls and a generic courtyard with a little bit of grass."

"So why now? What changed?" I asked him.

"Well look," he said, gesturing towards the window. "I am in space, with a gorgeous view, and what seems like a delicious cake, that looks like Ava poured her heart into it, and maybe she is not here, but in some way, I am celebrating it with her," he said, pointing towards the picture. He grabbed it from my hands and placed it between us.

In some way, it made sense why he did what he did tonight. If I had gone through what he did, then maybe I would only celebrate my birthday on something special like this. I had to admit the view of the nebula was something to behold.

James then decided to tear the cake in half, and proceeded to hand me one of the halves.

"Here," he said.

I tried to decline his offer. This was something special that only he should have; after all, I was the one who intruded on his personal moment. Then he said something that I could not refute.

"A cake is only good if you share it with someone."

And with that, I took half, and brought it to my mouth. It was delicious -- a moist, strawberry cake with creamy, vanilla frosting. It was not my cake of choice, but it was something good. James explained that this was his mother's favorite, so it became his.

We spent the next couple of hours just talking to one another. We talked about my favorite movies, philosophy, and what were my plans in life. It was such a nice evening, that some might consider this was a date. Before we knew it, two hours had passed and we had to wrap things up.

What surprised me before we left, was that he offered to keep me company during my time on the night shift. I wasn't opposed to his idea, I found out that I enjoyed spending time with him, and began to see why the others liked him so much. I wouldn't lie, that the tightened feeling that I felt when I first saw him would appear from time to time, but I just ignored it. After he picked up all his stuff, I realized that even though his birthday had already passed, it wouldn't be a true birthday unless he received a present. Trying to think quickly on my feet; an idea came to me like a bolt of lightning. The idea left a little blush on my cheeks, but with nothing else to give, it was my only choice.

I stopped James before he headed down the passageway, and asked him to close his eyes. He asked why, but I told him he would find out in due time, and it was nothing bad. He relented and closed his eyes. Making my way up to him, I brought my hands around his neck, and while reaching to my tiptoes, I brought him down, and gave him a sensual kiss. He made a little surprising sound from his lips, but once he got past the initial shock, he began to lean more into it. It was a slow kiss, but I started to feel the passion behind his lips. I could tell he knew how to kiss a woman because this kiss was making me weak in the knees.

Then with little effort, he slipped his hot tongue into my mouth. I could still taste the vanilla icing, and it was just as sweet as when I first took a bite. He brought his hands to my waist, and brought me in a little closer. He pulled me until my body was pressed into his. His strong, earthy scent enveloped me, and for some reason, my pussy was starting to moisten. His kiss was hot, and full of passion; then a small moan started to fill the room. It took me some time to realize that it was me, making that sound. I also felt that tightness in my chest. It was as if my heart was jumping for joy, but I knew that couldn't be it. I barely knew James, but to start developing feelings for him. After several minutes, I finally broke the kiss. Cheeks still flushed, but luckily in this poorly-lit corridor, he wouldn't be able to tell.

"That wasn't too bad. You know I have never kissed someone with facial hair before," I said, while giggling at him, as I lightly fondled his chin.

"Yeah, sorry about that," he was also rubbing his beard. "I would get this trimmed down, but all the hair cutting is done by GFC personnel."

Thinking about what he said, I decided to rectify the situation. "Meet me later when you can, and let's see if I can trim this down a bit," I said, while slightly ruffling his hair. "I may not be a hairstylist, but I'll see what I can do."

And with that, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.

Heading back to the bridge, I thought back to everything that he had told me. James had lost a lot over the years, mainly his mother, the only person he truly really knew. I could tell he deeply loved her, and that alone, made my heart go out to him. Maybe instead of keeping James at a distance, I should spend more time with him. Maybe after all of this, we could send video messages to each other, that way he wouldn't feel alone. I contemplated this idea while back at my station, noticing the time. Only one more hour left until the shift changes.

James

'That night out really took a turn in the end,' I thought to myself. When I went out tonight, I never thought that I would spend my time with the captain. She was everything Sasha had said she would be. Kind, caring, and driven with a sense of purpose. That was why she was the captain on this ship, so she could make her way to the Federation. That kiss she placed on my lips, though, now that was something special. I had to admit I never would have thought that was how my night would end. Hopefully, she would take me up on my offer of keeping her company. Even if our relationship didn't lead to sex, I would be okay with it. Still, though, that kiss left me with a major hard-on. Figuring once I was back in my room; I would have Kora replay one of my previous escapades with the crew.

As I walked into my room, the lights were set to a low glow. I was about to ask Kora what was going on until I heard...

"Hello, Master. How may I serve you tonight?"

But, instead of hearing it from my floating fairy, it came from a woman's figure on my bed. It was Ava, in all of her sexy glory.

Right then, I knew how I was going to relieve my ache, deep within my balls.