From: elf@coho.halcyon.com (Elf Sternberg)
Newsgroups: alt.sex,alt.sex.stories
Subject: Journal Entry 126/1022  [ Planetfall: Purpose ]
Date: 11 Feb 1995 18:36:31 GMT
Organization: Northwest Nexus Inc.
Lines: 480
Message-ID: <3hj03f$aaj@news1.halcyon.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: coho.halcyon.com

Narnya 5, 1022

	I heard the door to the common room whisk open and shut, but 
ignored it as I proceeded to press 70 kilos over and over in an 
attempt to build stamina.  Then I heard crashing and banging sounds 
that made even Malthus look up.  "Dave, who is that?"

	"It's Aaden, Ken.  He appears to be packing."

	I put the bar back on its rest and stood up, toweling the sweat 
off my forehead before heading back into the house.  The dog 
followed.  "Aaden?"

	"Ken!" I heard his voice shout.  Moments later he floated, or 
more accurately, flew out of the grav tube and seized my shoulders.  
"Drop whatever your doing.  Tell me, lover, right now... do you have 
any long-range plans?"

	"How long range?" I asked, bewildered.

	"Years.  Five or so."

	I thought about it.  "There are a couple of birthdays I'd like 
not to miss, but other than that, no.  Why?  What's gotten into you, 
Aaden?"

	"We're going into space," he said breathlessly.  "We're going to 
a star identified in the charts as RD+34o."

	"Aaden," I said, "You hate space travel.  You barely tolerate 
trips to Terra with me, and that's fifteen hours away.  According to 
my b/c link, RD plus 34 degrees is nearly two years away under 
Ohadi."  Mentally, I also realized that that's nearly three years of 
experiential time for the crew.

	"Ken, I have to go.  This could be the most incredible 
breakthrough of all time!"

	"In what?" I asked, trying to think of subjects he became this 
passionate over.  "Sadomasochism or xenobotany?"

	"The second!" he shouted, diving back down the grav tube and 
vanishing from sight.  "Pick up a PADD and read my article referring 
to the discovery of the starship Shakespeare's Sister."

	"Dave?"

	I located my personal PADD and read the salient information 
quickly.  The Sister, a human starship, had been exploring in that 
sector when they came across a world classified as MNT40, a 
designation which basically meant humans could live there without 
hardware, but they wouldn't enjoy it.  The Sister had encountered a 
complex band of vegetation that completely circumnavigated the globe 
at the equatorial region, and that the vegetation exhibited 
properties of motion, awareness, reaction.  "Read the conclusion 
under nodal properties," Aaden shouted.

	"'Although data is sketchy at best,'" I read aloud, "'I believe 
that these nodes exhibit properties which, if they do not lead to 
sentience, at least to lead to an animalistic awareness of their 
surroundings, and with the technology at hand, uplift of the first 
SQ- celled lifeform to sentience could be possible within the next 
two to five decades.'"  I chuckled as he rose from the g-tube.  
"Aaden, you don't need a comma between 'hand' and 'uplift'.  That's a 
splice."

	He pulled the PADD from my hands.  "Damned writers," he 
chuckled.  "Don't you see?  I have to go.  I have to do this.  
Please, Ken, I want to be there.  I have to study this.  Think of 
it... sentient vegetation.   It's a serious race, and we can win 
it... we have the fastest starships in all the universe.  We can get 
there a year and half before everyone else, if we move now, under 
Ohadi."

	I thought about it for a second.  "Aaden, you're ridiculous.  Do 
you have any idea what travel like this calls for?  Do you know what 
space travel is like?"

	"I know you've done it."

	"The last time you almost forgot about me because I was declared 
missing in action."

	"Never," he insisted, shaking his head.  "I never thought you 
and P'nyssa could vanish from my life.  I knew you'd both be back.  
Besides, the technology's so much greater now, so much safer.  
Please."

	I had trouble believing my ears.  Aaden was literally begging 
me, out of scene.  Begging me to go into space.  "You're serious."

	"Yes," he breathed softly, looking down into my face.  "I need 
this.  More than anything, I need to be there."

	"Have you stopped to consider that we have two children right 
now?  I mean, I think Noah's old enough that I might consider him 
ready to take to Castle life in general and just have Ress or 
somebody watch him, but Sheja's only eight.  And Malthus, hell, he 
could die of old age on the trip."  I squatted down on the floor and 
began petting the object of my address, the family dog.  Noah had 
insisted.

	A look of concern crossed his face.  "I want to go; I don't want 
to go alone.  And I want you all to go with me."

	"If we talk Nyss into it, I think we could bring Noah and 
Sheja."

	"You think so?" he asked.

	"Shipboard families are becoming the norm," I said slowly.  "I 
would worry about them becoming unused to groundside life, but we've 
already spawned a few spacers in the family."

	Aaden grinned.  "Like Rainy."

	"Rainy's the big one," I admitted.  "But Molly too, y'know.  And 
Denni, don't forget!"

	He nodded, smiling.  I thought about it for all of five seconds.  
"Dave."

	"Here."

	"I'm putting together a Xenobotany expedition outbound for 
RD+34o, hereafter referred to in Pendorian literature as Aaden's 
Star.  I want an Asimov class starship prepped for long-duration 
voyage refit and recomissioning.  Twenty four weeks, tops, to 
complete the vessel.  I want a reasonable schedule of stars to 
explore and/or investigate in return transit, maximum duration of 
miscellaneous time is another twenty-four weeks.  I want a complete 
crew availability roster as soon as possible.  The executive crew is 
to be lifted in toto from the starship Nyano Neuroth, pending 
acceptance by the captain."

	Watching Aaden's jaw drop lower and lower was a privilege I 
rarely get.  "Oh, yeah, although the captain will get final say, 
pending captain's acceptance the starship is to be recomissioned with 
the name Nyano Handele."

	Aaden was stunned.  I smiled.  "You asked for it."

	"I... but.  But.  But."

	"Isn't that what you wanted?"

	Tears were forming in his beautiful eyes.  "It's everything I 
wanted.  I don't believe you!"  He grabbed me and hugged me tight.  
"My fah, I love you so much."  Then he pushed me away.  "Isn't this 
abusing your power?"

	"Let me abuse it for once!" I said, smiling.  "It's been nearly 
a century since I abused my power."  He chuckled, and I laughed 
along.  "Only problem now," I mused, "is how are we going to ask 
P'nyssa?"


	"You guys want to what?" P'nyssa asked, more than a little 
surprised.  We started to lay it out for her, out voices jumbling and 
jumping over one another, before she held up her mitts.  "Wait, wait, 
I heard you.  I just don't believe you two."

	"What's not to believe?" Aaden asked.

	"It means going into space, for one thing," P'nyssa said.  

	"I'll get over it," Aaden insisted, stepping over to where she 
sat, kneeling before her and taking her mitten his paws.  "P'nyssa, 
you and Ken have gone spacefaring many times.  I haven't.  If I'm 
going to be part of this family, like I have been for half a 
millennium, I have to learn about that side of this life.  I'll go 
alone if I have to; I won't ask Ken to come with me, without you."

	P'nyssa looked down at him, an angry look crossing her face.  
"Aaden Satpulov Shardik," she said, nearly growling the last word, 
"That's the last time I ever want to hear you say that.  You're just 
as important to me as he is, and I'll be damned if you're going to 
start prioritizing this triangle because you came second or because 
you're homosexual.  Do you understand me?"

	Aaden gulped.  "Yes, Nyss," he said, looking up into her face.

	She smiled and kissed the top of his fuzzy head.  "Then we have 
to ask the children.  Noah!  Sheja!  Come here!  Dave, would you find 
them and tell them their parents are looking for them?"

	"Already done, P'nyssa," Dave replied calmly.  We waited quietly 
until the door opened and Noah bounded in, followed by his only 
slightly  less boisterous sister.  "Daddy!" she squealed first, 
running over into Aaden's arms.  I smiled as Noah slowed down, 
becoming as cool as a river in winter.  "What's up?" he asked.  I 
almost heard "What have we done now?" in his voice.

	"We have a family decision to make," I said.

	"Uh-oh," Sheja said.  "Sounds ser'os."  I laughed as she sat 
down next to Aaden on the floor, who tousled our little Mephit's 
headfur playfully.

	"It is, honeyfur," P'nyssa said softly.  "Aaden has to go 
somewhere, and we have to decide if we're gonna go with him."

	Sheja turned to look at Aaden.  "Where do you want to go, 
Daddy?"

	"A long way away," Aaden said.  "It might take a long time to 
get there, and even longer to get back."

	"How long is a long time?" Sheja asked.

	"Ten years.  Longer than you've been around, honey," P'nyssa 
said softly.

	"Oh," she said.

	"So what do we have to do with this?" Noah asked, tapping his 
left forepaw in boredom.  Despite his sometimes overzealous attempts 
to prove that he was independent and mature, I really loved Noah.  He 
was a fine kid.

	"We want to know if you two think you could take living on a 
starship for ten years."

	"A starship?" Noah asked, his eyes going as wide as a SDisk.  
"You mean, like Molly does?"

	"Yep," I said.  "Think about it before you decide, Noah.  It'll 
be a long trip, under Fleet rules, and all of your friends are going 
to stay ringside.  There won't be that many people your age there."

	"What about Malthus?"

	"He can go with us," I said.  "He's housebroken."

	"No problem," Noah said.  "If Malthus goes, I can take it."

	"Are you sure, Noah?" I asked.  "Because they won't be your 
friends when you come back, at least, not in the same way.  They'll 
all be at least ten years older... and that's a lot of change.  Think 
real hard, kiddo, because ten years ago you were three and could 
barely talk."

	Noah was silent for a while.  "Yeah, I could take it.  I'll 
still go to school and all, right?  There will be people like me on 
the ship, right?"

	"Yes, and yes," P'nyssa replied.  I was sure I heard particular 
emphasis on the first affirmative.  For some reason, I never seem to 
have trouble with my children going to school, and I was happy with 
that fact.

	"No problem, then," Noah replied.

	"What about you, Sheja?" I asked.

	"Me?  I dunno..." she said, looking around at her three parents.  
"I mean, I'll miss Carri and Aldal and Tim, but I want to go with you 
guys."

	"But do you want to go into space?" P'nyssa asked.

	"Uh-huh!" she replied, smiling wide.  "I would really love to!  
But it's gonna be a long trip, right?"

	"Yes, honey, a very long trip," P'nyssa said.  "You'll grow up 
all the way on the trip."

	"Oh," she said.  "That i„s„ a long time."  She seemed to think 
for a long time, her eyes glittering thoughtfully.  "I wanna go..."

	"Then why don't you sound sure?" P'nyssa asked.

	"Because it seems so long.  I'll miss everybody on the ring."

	"But you'll come home," I said.  "They'll still be here.  You'll 
make new friends on the trip."  

	*Don't push her,* P'nyssa 'pathed to me.

	*I'm not,* I replied.  *I want all the data to be there.  I want 
the family to all be firmly decided.  And I want to convey that to an 
eight year old.*

	"Okay," Sheja said finally, looking up.  "I wanna go."

	"You do?"

	"Yes," she said, with all the finality an eight-year-old can 
muster.  "If everybody's going, I'm gonna go, too."

	P'nyssa sat back in her seat, sighing.  "Okay, that's it then.  
The five of us are going, together.  Dave, please enroll the kids in 
the first Starship Emergency Procedures For Civilians class you can 
find."

	"Done," Dave replied with such speed I could tell he had already 
made a deal with whatever AI handled such things, probably Lexander, 
to reserve spaces for the kids.


	I snuggled up close to P'nyssa later that night, my left hand 
caressing her familiar breasts as we lay on our sides, my chest to 
her back.  "Do you think we're doing the right thing?" I asked.

	"I think so," she said.  "Like you said once, no matter what you 
think you know about something, you're still jumping into it blind, 
because if you know everything about it, you wouldn't bother jumping 
in at all.  We've raised seven children in this house, and we're 
going to take two of them into space."

	"Does that last part frighten you?  The last time we took an 
extended trip together was a long time ago."  My fingers slowly 
caressed her belly, feeling the soft flesh giving way under even a 
delicate touch.  P'nyssa had grown softer as she had had seven 
children already over the past millennium. 

	"No," she said, reaching back past to run her mitten over my 
thigh.  "I don't think it does.  Lots of people take their children 
into space nowadays; we'll just be one more."

	I snuggled even closer; she responded by pressing her hips back 
against mine, where my body cupped hers.  "Feeling a little cheerful 
tonight, huh?" I said.

	"Not especially," she said with a sigh.  "I just... people 
expect change, especially in themselves.  But even when we change, we 
seem to change together... all three of us, now.  We spend so much of 
our time apart that I'm surprised at how together we seem to be."

	I kissed her shoulder softly.  "You're looking for another way 
to say 'I love you.'"

	She nodded her head solemnly.  "I guess I am," she replied.  
"Because I _do_, more than anything else.  It's hard to describe how 
much I love you."  She turned over suddenly to face me.  "Aaden is 
only half wrong," she whispered.  "I love him utterly and completely.  
Don't take this the wrong way, Ken, but he finished you."

	"I wouldn't be completely me without him?"

	"Uh-huh," she whispered.  "You wouldn't be the mel I love so 
completely if you didn't have that mel there to love as well.  If you 
weren't that mel... I would have never have met him, and never fallen 
in love with him the way I did, and still do."  She stopped.

	"So why is he 'half wrong'?"

	"Because you and I did come first.  But we don't anymore.  
Without him, you would be someone different.  I want him to stay; I'm 
willing to  risk my family to keep him."

	I blinked at that, barely attentive of my hand almost of it's 
own habituated will fondling her breasts.  Finally I smiled.  "I love 
you both, P'nyssa, and you're both going with me.  We'll know in a 
decade if our decision was the right one."

	She smiled.  "I think it was."

	"I do too."

	"Then we're going," she said, her mittens sliding up my thighs 
slowly, coming to rest as they cupped my genitals.  

	"We are," I said.  "Are you interested in my coming, too?" I 
said.

	She giggled.  "Maybe I am."  Her mitt closed around my hardening 
cock, stroking me.  I sighed as she slid down under the covers, her 
legs folding up against mine so they would hang off the edge; she's 
always been conscientious about keeping the bed "made," even when we 
were sleeping in it.

	Her mouth slid down the length of my cock.  I gasped hard and 
entwined my hands in her headfur, long and black and curly enough to 
be called hair.  I could feel her tongue swirling around my shaft, 
firmly pressing the flesh against the roof of her mouth.  In the 
centuries together, we had done this so often that she knew exactly 
what excited me, and just when not to do it, to leave me off balance 
and wanting more from her.

	As her lips suckled my cock, her mitt closed down on my 
testicles, tugging at them softly, pulling them until I was just on 
the verge of pain.  I gasped and sighed at her touch, her sucking.  
"P'nyssa, dammit, I want to get inside you."

	She looked up at me.  "You are inside me," she pointed out.

	"Not when you're talking to me, I'm not."  I smiled.

	She wiggled back up until we were face-to-face again.  "Then 
what would you recommend as a remedy for that?"

	I grabbed her shoulder and hauled her abruptly in my direction, 
dumping her face-down onto the bed.  With a playful leap I straddled 
her hips and laid down on top of her, my cock poking playfully at her 
cunt.  "Can you keep talking if I get inside you this way?"

	She giggled.  "I don't know yet."  She kissed me cheek.

	I shifted my legs so they were now between hers, spreading hers 
in the process.  Her butt lifted slightly from the surface of the 
bed.  With a gentle push I slid the head of my cock into her.

	"Still talking?"

	"I think so..." she whispered, gasping.

	After a quick withdrawal, but not all the way, I slid in again, 
this time deeper.  And again, until finally I had as much of my cock 
into her as I could manage at this angle, her face-down to the bed, 
my chest pressed against her back.  "How's that?"

	"Fine," she gasped, bending her legs at the knees enough to kick 
me in the butt.  "If I can't talk, I can at least get to ya," she 
said.

	"I know," I said, stroking slowly into her soft cunny, enjoying 
the centuries-familiar grip of her body around my shaft.  "I love 
you, Nyss."

	She sighed softly, nodding her head against the pillow.  I 
propped myself up on my hands and slightly on my knees, giving me a 
better angle.  I began stroking her cunt slowly with my cock, taking 
my time.  As the pressure to climax rose in my groin, I began 
stroking her harder.  One of the reasons we both like this position 
so much is that my cock doesn't go too deep into her and hit her 
cervix, and that on the downstroke I can be as forceful as I like 
because her ass takes the brunt of it.  We were both gasping for air 
as I approached closer to my orgasm, and with a loud shout I came, 
pressing down deep into her.  I just held her close, feeling my 
muscles tremble in the intense release, feeling her tremble along 
with me.

	After a minute or so, I forced my eyes open to look into her.  
She giggled again.  "I'm still talking."

	"I didn't say you couldn't after we were done," I pointed out.

	She laughed, then lunged forward and licked my nose.

	"ACK!"

	"Gotcha," she smiled.  "I love you."

	"I've been slimed," I protested, rolling over to one side and 
lying next to her.  After wiping her saliva off my nose, I leaned 
close to kiss her.  Instead, I lunged for her nose.

	She dodged easily.  "See, I've been living with you for too 
long.  I don't need my telepathy to read you and know what you're 
going to do next.  I could see it in your eyes."

	"Come on," I said.  "Let's go to bed.  We've got busy days 
tomorrow.  I have lists to make, people to visit."

	She murred softly.  "And I have to get my practice ready to shut 
down."

	"Yeah," I said as she rolled over, cuddling up against me.  I 
wrapped an arm around her shoulder.  "Sorry."

	"Don't apologize.  It's something I enjoy, but I like space 
medicine, too," she mumbled.

	"G'night, P'nyssa."

	She was already asleep.
--
"Planetfall: Purpose"
The Journal Entries of Kennet R'yal Shardik, et. al. 
are copyright (c) 1989-1994 Elf Mathieu Sternberg.  Distribute freely 
via electronic media.  This copyright permits individual users to 
make single hardcopies for their own use.  The Journal Entries may 
not be sold or otherwise distributed for profit.

http://www.halcyon.com/elf/journals/1022_126.html
mailto:elf@halcyon.com
--
elf@halcyon.com          Another victim of involuntary performance art. 
Public key available     http://www.halcyon.com/elf/elf_sternberg.html