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

29. Chapter 29

The Gambit slipped out of the trans ion drive and began slowing as it approached New Eire. As they got closer, they would ”coast” into orbit around the planet, using thrusters to stabilize its trajectory. It would take about two weeks to do this, and anticipation rose within the ship, knowing landfall was near along with the possibility of literal shore leave.

Dare was not immune to the giddy feelings floating around the ship. After two years, he was ready to be in sunlight, no matter which star provided it. Jason, far more jaded, was caught up in his excitement.

”Are you sure you want to go down to the planet”s surface, D?” The older man”s expression was quizzical, and a little concerned. ”You”ll have to go through decon again when you return.”

The empath made a face, then shook his head. ”I promised to help the colonists settle in, plus I want to feel and see sunlight again. Going through decon is a pain, but I”ll do it, regardless. What about you? Don”t you want to breathe some unfiltered, completely alien air?”

Stravetta looked torn. ”Part of me wants to go down with you, and the other part wants to avoid having an alien bug fly up my nose. This isn”t my first planetfall, you know.”

Dare sighed, shaking his head ruefully. ”Yes, I know, oh great explorer. I”d like to have you with me, but you have to do what you”re comfortable with. The survey didn”t find that many insects, but knowing you, the only one around would fly up your nose or in your mouth. Come to think of it, we”re going to all be wearing masks until the initial dome is up to avoid contaminating anything before we know exactly what”s there. That takes care of your bug concerns, Mr. Stravetta.”

”Why is it every time you call me that, a devil dances in the Underworld?

The Mindset grinned. ”How would I know? Has your family a link with it?” Dare casually evaded a swat. ”Calm down, J. I”m teasing you. Any devils in your family don”t belong to you, and never will.”

Jason slumped back against the couch. ”You don”t know what I”ve done, and I”m not telling you, so don”t ask. I could have a devil or two waiting for me.”

The younger man nudged his shoulder with his. ”Whatever you”ve done, you”ve redeemed yourself with your pain and forgiveness. I”m not blameless either.” He leaned in to give Jason a kiss. ”Remind me not to tease you. We always end up in these rabbit burrows.”

”Rabbit holes.”

”Really? I like burrows better. More dignified.”

Jason snorted. ”I”m sure the rabbits that survived appreciate that.”

”Smart ass.”

”Now that”s dignified.”

Dare went to the colony deck the day the Gambit established orbit around New Eire. The colonists in cryo-sleep had been woken two weeks before, with all surviving, much to everyone”s relief. A few required some medical care, and all needed physical therapy, but most were walking around without assistance, and catching up on what they”d missed.

When Dare arrived, the noise level was more than he expected. He cringed back at the door, nodding at Larue”s understanding glance.

”A hundred more people means twice as much noise, Mindset. We”re all trying to get used to it. Are you here to meet anyone or just visiting?”

The empath checked and then raised his shielding. He”d become lax at keeping them up as he had on Earth, but now he felt those new minds tugging at him. Taking a breath, he did so before answering Larue.

”Just visiting, Larue. I wanted to offer my help, if it”s needed. I can”t tell what”s going on by what I”m seeing right now.”

Larue grinned, nodding. ”It”s a circus. Market day, you know. Everyone is stocking up since we won”t have this again until we”re settled.” He gave Dare an assessing glance. ”I heard you”re staying with the ship. They say you found love and don”t want to leave it. Good for you. Love”s hard enough to find without tossing it away. Vida said Chance will step in for you, so that”s all good. You”ll be missed, Mindset Dare.”

The empath swallowed around the lump in his throat. ”I”ll miss you, too, Larue. I”ll miss you all.” He cleared his throat. ”I hate to leave you, but I can”t…”

”You can”t leave your love behind. No one should ever do that, since love is precious and rare. We”ll be fine, Dare. Don”t worry about us.”

Dare gave him a heartfelt glance, then nodded. ”Thank you. I…I appreciate your understanding. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Larue shook his head. ”Today”s too crazy. I can put you on the roster to help with packing up tomorrow–actually it”s more like safely stowing everything. You know, this deck is a transport, right? It”ll take us down to the surface, unload, then rejoin the ship. We strap in, enjoy the ride, and come out to a new world.”

The empath”s look of astonishment made Larue smile. ”You didn”t know that, Mindset?”

Dare shook his head silently, looking thoughtful. ”I wondered how all of you were going to get to the surface with everything, but never asked. That”s a splendid solution.” He grinned. ”I”ll come back tomorrow morning. My clients are all busy with ship business, so I”ve got time to help stow whatever needs it. Thanks again, Larue.”

The noise level rose again, so Larue nodded, and waved Dare back out the doorway. On the way back to his part of the ship, Dare thought of all the people he”d met on the colony deck, and how much he would miss them. At least, he didn”t have to say goodbye quite yet. It would take a month or more to get the colony up and running enough for the ship to depart. He gave himself a shake as he strode along. Yes, he would miss those he”d met, but he would never regret choosing to stay with Jason.

The transport deck descended onto New Eire one week later. Dare rode down with Chance in his room, feeling excited about seeing a new planet. Jason ultimately decided to remain on the Gambit. He didn”t feel he had the skills needed to help set up a temporary dome, or the temperament to work with those that thought he was the bogeyman at worst, or useless at best. He sent Dare on his way with several passionate kisses, and admonishments to be careful, and to stay close to the crew.

The empath could tell he was worried, but knew he had to go as he”d given his word. He also knew in his own heart that, as much as he cherished Jason, he wanted to set foot on and actually see a new planet. This might not be his only chance to do that, but who knew? Dare kissed his lover, told him not to worry, and said he”d be back when the transport returned. The empath felt the pain of leaving Jason settle deep inside, knowing he must continue to work on being independent from him, for no one could be everything to another person.

The ride to the surface was bumpy as they dropped through the atmosphere, then smoothed out. The feeling of weightlessness made Dare wish for a handhold to clutch. There were no view ports, and the trip down seemed to take a long time, although Dare knew that was his subjective experience talking. Chance had his eyes closed and seemed to meditate, so the other man emulated him.

Finally, they heard the muted roar of the engines, and the solid thump of the transport shuttle landing, then one of the crew came on the com to announce their arrival. Chance opened his eyes, stretched, then smiled. ”Welcome to New Eire, Mindset Dare.”

Dare grinned. ”I thought we”d never get here. So, do we all head to the airlocks or what? I missed the debarkation speech.”

Chance shook his head. ”We can take off our safety harnesses, but need to stay where we are until called. The crew will set up the dome in the designated area outlined by the survey. After that”s done, they”ll offload us with what we can carry before the rooms are broken down and reassembled inside the dome. The kitchens will be set up first, followed by the baths. There”s a good possibility we”ll be sleeping on bedrolls tonight, since the room reassembly will take a while.”

Dare nodded, then gave Chance a curious glance. ”I”m glad you were paying attention since I wasn”t. This is a Class M world, isn”t it? I guess I assumed that.”

Chance sat up straighter on the small couch after undoing his harness. ”It”s actually somewhere between a Class L and Class M. Abundant atmosphere, vegetation, and water, but no discernable animal life other than some insectoids, according to the survey. The soil is supposed to be adequate for sustaining the plants and seeds we”ve brought with us. We”re all vegans, so we don”t need animals. I was hoping there”d be birds because I”d love to see them flying free. Part of me hopes the survey missed something like that, but the other part doesn”t want some nasty critter to contend with.” He sighed, giving the other empath a smile. ”We”ve got our work cut out for us–I am positive about that.”

The Mindset nodded thoughtfully. ”I know you can do this, but the immensity of the undertaking boggles me. I think the colony is amazingly brave to take this on–it”s a completely unknown world, and now it”s yours.”

The younger man”s smile faded. ”Like you, we had little choice. Earth was killing us slowly, tearing apart families after taking our work away. I think we all decided–I know I did–if we were going to die, we might as well try to make a new life here. If we fail, at least we tried, and we would die on our own terms. If we succeed, it will be glorious.”

Dare reached out to touch his arm, his hand warm against Chance”s sweater. ”As Shakespeare said, ”Brave new world, that has such people in it.” He patted the arm he held. ”You”re going to do fine, Chance. I just…know it.”

The younger Mindset met his eyes. ”Then we will, Dare. There”s no other option I want to take.”

The klaxon briefly sounded before the crewmember spoke again, informing them that the dome was up and offloading would begin in five minutes.

Dare almost stood up before relaxing back at Chance”s amused look. ”I”m excited, okay? Aren”t you?”

”Of course! I”ve just had longer to get used to the idea. Vida and the supervisors will be the first out so they can direct traffic. We”re not very far down the line from that, so we”ll be out there very soon. Remember to breathe, mentor.”

The older empath shook his head. ”Why am I surrounded by smart asses? Is it me?”

Chance chuckled. ”It”s your innocent expression, Dare. We can”t help ourselves.”

The door slid open then, framing a crewmember. ”Come on, you two. Time to step out on your brand-new planet, and it”s a sunny day.”