Dare: A M/M Sci-Fi Romance (Mindset Duet Book 1)

3. Chapter 3

The shuttle landed without fanfare on the cavernous flight deck. Mike spirited him out of the debarkation ramp before the rest of the passengers.

”No sense waiting for all of them to get organized. We”ll go through the crew decontamination unit and get you settled in your berth. I”ll need to report for duty then, since I”m the navigator for the trip out of here. I”m assuming you”ve never been through decon before?”

Dare was looking everywhere as they walked. The walls were uniformly light gray, the air scentless. The lighting was just enough to see, and Dare had a moment of loss, thinking he should have looked up at the sun before he boarded. Too late now. He shook his head at Mike”s question.

”No, I”ve never had to do that. Do you do that every time you come back to the ship?” He glanced over at his guide. ”I have been immunized for absolutely everything at least once.”

Mike grinned his understanding. ”Getting vaxxed is for you, decon is for the rest of us. Yes, every time. Never know what you might bring back. The flight deck is opened to vacuum once we”re underway, and no one gets into the body of the ship before going through decontamination. I”ll go through first so you can watch. It”s a little uncomfortable, but you”ll get used to it. There”ll be a flight suit and ship shoes for you when you exit. Leave what you”re wearing in there, so it can be recycled. Give me your bag–it has a separate decon to go through. If you”ve got a pad, turn it off. Otherwise, it”ll get fried.”

Dare nodded his understanding, feeling a little anxious. Mike gripped his arm again. ”Don”t worry, Dare. Just watch what I do and copy me.”

Mike undogged the hatch to a small room after shoving Dare”s bag into a separate hatch. He pointed to a small window. ”Watch me through there. Oh, I forgot to mention–this has to be done naked. Hope you”re not too modest.”

Mike was inside before Dare could comment. He stripped off his flight suit, kicking off his shoes. Moving to an ”x” on the deck, he stood with his arms out and legs spread. Glancing over at Dare”s apprehensive face, he smiled. ”Here we go.”

Dare tried not to stare at his compact body with its obvious muscles, firm butt, and ridged abdomen. He was attractive, but Dare didn”t want to ogle him. Or have a physical reaction he didn”t want to explain.

Dare heard him say ”Decontamination on for adult human male,” then a bright light made him blink as a cloud enveloped Mike. It was over in less than five minutes. The navigator turned before leaving the unit. ”Make sure you close your eyes, Dare. Let the unit clean up from me and then come on through. The outside light will show green when it”s ready.”

Mike left out the opposite door without further comment. Dare waited, taking a deep breath to quell his nerves. The light turned green, and he went in. Dare copied everything Mike had done, including the words he spoke, then closed his eyes tightly. The whirling cloud burned a little as he realized that it was atomizing the top layer of his skin. The rest of the odor was that of an airborne broad-spectrum antibiotic he inhaled, not that he was aware of that at the time. The unit announced softly that he was done as Dare cautiously opened his eyes, found the door, and wasted no time getting out.

Mike was waiting for him, handing him his flight suit and shoes while giving him a critical look. ”You need to gain some weight while you”re on board. It”s hard work being on a new colony, and you look like you haven”t been eating much.” He patted his own flat stomach. ”We”ll set you up so you can work up more muscle, too.” Dare flushed, feeling far too exposed, then ducked his head. Mike gave him a kind smile before turning away. ”Get dressed and I”ll show you where you”ll be living for the next two years or so. I”ll drop you off at the mess before I head to the bridge.”

Dare nodded, not making eye contact until he heard Mike sigh. ”If I embarrassed you, I”m sorry. I”m too used to being around the crew where modesty is unknown.”

Dare forced himself to look up at the navigator. ”It”s alright, Mike. You”ve been very kind. I”m just…I mean, I lived alone and haven”t been around naked people very often. I”ll manage, don”t worry.”

Mike gave him a searching look, then nodded. ”Thanks, Dare, I know you will. Let”s get you where you need to go, and then we”ll get you some food.”

His berth was smaller than his room on Earth, but comfortable for all that. The bunk folded down from the bulkhead with two drawers opposite. A table folded down off the wall at the end of his bunk with a hard stool attached. At the far end was a panel covering a toilet and sink. He was surprised to see that the color was a light blue, rather than the gray he”d seen before. Mike explained the showers were communal and needed to be taken at least three times a week, more if he was given work that actually made him sweat. Showers were timed to three minutes, and he would be assigned a cubicle and time, usually before or after his shift. His bag was waiting for him when they arrived, and he slung it up on his bed since Mike needed to get to his shift. One more glance around and he followed Tate out into the corridor.

Mike gave him a quick overview of the mess, saying it was open all the time because of the constant shifts being crewed. Food was set out, and his guide encouraged him to take as much as he wanted, made sure he knew his way back to his berth, smiled, then left.

Dare let out a breath before tucking into more food than he”d had in months. A few other crew members wandered in, gave him a nod, ate, and left.

Dare went back for seconds, feeling a little guilty but still hungry. Starting on his second meal, he nodded to himself. He could do this, and maybe, just maybe, everything would work out. He would be safe for the first time, sailing through the stars, heading for a new life.

Hopefully.