Night Traveller (Gay Romantic Sci-Fi)

Chapter Five

Chapter Five 

Ryan Callan woke up with a splitting head and a sense of déjà vu. Hadn't he just had this argument with himself a few days ago? When would he ever learn to treat the brandy with the respect it deserved and not guzzle it like ale? He looked around the room through bleary eyes, double checking that he was alone. He had a hazy memory of Dane kissing him Happy Birthday rather passionately. Luckily they had both come to their senses and left it at that. It would have been too uncomfortable to wake up together after four years of being partners instead of lovers, just because they had had too much to drink.  

He got up and staggered into the shower unit and stood under the fine spray of cold water for ten minutes as it went through the recycle program five times. Eventually the unit beeped at him, signalling it was stopping to recharge. 

Coffee. He needed coffee. 

And as soon as he was sober and dressed he was going to call on Mike Oliver. He had dreamt about him all night, the more he thought about the way he had smiled at him, before he had stuck both feet in his mouth, the more he was certain he was another om. He didn't know if he'd be willing to see him privately but he was going to try, more than once if he had to. He had to forgive him eventually, didn't he? 

XXX 

Lieutenant Oliver was up bright and early, pacing through the small Patrol Station, checking what still needed to be done. It seemed to him that everything was pretty much finished. The small Reception area, painted the standard pale grey, contained a desk for the officer to work from and four chairs for people to sit on while they waited if they wanted to. A narrow archway opened to a passage behind and two small rooms where interviews could be conducted in private if necessary. A disk in the floor of the passage would transport people down to the two tiny cells below. They were for short term stays only of course. Anyone convicted of a serious offence would be transported to Capella and from there to a suitable prison. 

All he needed was a couple of officers to staff it. 

He went into one of the interview rooms, sat down at the desk and opened up the console unit embedded in its surface. He'd just check the latest news and then he'd let the council know he was ready to start work. Capella was the nearest inhabited star system and the source of most of the news. There were reports of a huge tax evasion scandal on Moonta, a protection racket on Burra and rumours of illegal diamonds appearing in the city of Wallaroo. He spent a few moments skimming each story, checking that there was nothing of immediate relevance to Asra. Not that he was avoiding contacting the governor of course, a few more minutes would hardly make any difference.  

"Hallo? Anyone there?" The governor's voice drifted in to him from the front room. Talk of the devil ... He sounded more cheerful than he deserved to be after the night before.  

Oliver frowned, what did he want? "I'll be out in a moment," he called, getting up and going into Reception. He paused for a second, blinking. Callan's purple hair was much brighter in the light of day and he wore a vivid yellow shirt above faded jeans. The combination of yellow and purple was rather startling. He was already coming forward, hand outstretched, a smile on his face. 

"I thought I'd just drop in and see how everything was progressing, Mike. Can I call you Mike?"  

Oliver shook hands briefly then drew back, his lips tightening. "It's probably best if you stick to Lieutenant, sir."  

Callan faltered for a second. He had just been about to come right out and ask him if he was an om, but perhaps he'd better not. Build up a bit of rapport first. One thing was certain, unless he was totally oblivious, there was no doubt the Lieutenant would know exactly what he was. He hadn't hidden his sexuality since he was a shy teenager.  

Hard though it was to believe looking at him now, he had been shy and awkward growing up. He'd dressed conservatively, trying to blend in and not be noticed, when he'd met his first lover. Full of life and laughter, Josh Xavier had swept him up, introduced him to his own flamboyant style and taught him confidence. 'Flaunt it, don't fear it' had been his favourite saying. "Shy and timid is a red flag to bullies," he'd told him. "Stand up for yourself, get right in their faces and they'll leave you alone." Mind you it hadn't hurt that Josh worked out regularly at the school gym. It wasn't long before Ryan found he enjoyed the gym for its own sake as well as the opportunity to hang out with Josh. There were a lot of benefits in having a strong, fit body. 

"Oh sure. Right, if you think that's best," Callan murmured agreeably. He looked intently at Oliver, suddenly serious. "I promise I won't mention it again, but I really wanted to apologise for my behaviour last night. I didn't intend to disrespect you or your position." 

Damn the man, now he felt like a pompous jerk. He supposed it was his turn to apologise. He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry for throwing you. I hope you weren't hurt?" 

"No I'm fine." The governor perched on the edge of the desk, settling in for a chat, ignoring Oliver's stilted behaviour. "Interesting move that. Some sort of martial arts was it?" 

Oliver hesitated, for a moment Callan thought he wasn't going to answer. "Something like that." He wasn't going to tell the governor that it was a move he'd learnt growing up in the streets on Burra. He didn't know the man and he wasn't comfortable talking about his personal life. In distinct contrast to the man in front of him who was happily giving him a potted history. 

"I learnt Gungfu when I was in my late teens. Being an om I needed to defend myself." He glanced sideways to see if Oliver would acknowledge they had that in common but his expression didn't change. "Then I found I enjoyed defending others and got myself a job protecting a holovid star while he was on Moonta for a few months. One thing lead to another and eventually I set up my own security firm here, 'Asra Interstellar Security Services.' We have two ships now and twelve staff, counting Dane and me," he announced with pride. 

"Dane Trenwith is your partner?" Oliver hoped that sounded casual. 

"Yes, we set up the business together. He's chief pilot and I'm the security expert." Callan continued, adamant that the lieutenant would be absolutely clear as to their relationship, "We're both oms and we started off as lovers. That part didn't work out but we were lucky enough to keep our friendship going, to be able to keep working as business partners. That was four years ago now." 

Interested despite himself, Oliver asked. "What sort of work do you get?" 

"Mainly escort, small ships which don't have their own guards or want extra protection for a particular run. The big mining companies have their own fleets for bulk ore transport of course, but you'd be surprised how many independent miners there are, working the small seams that aren't worthwhile for the bigger companies." 

"Ryan? Are you in there?" Dane Trenwith's urgent voice came from outside the station. 

"Yes. Just chatting to Lieutenant Oliver," Callan explained as Dane entered in a rush. He looked worried and excited at the same time.  

"Sorry to interrupt, but we've got an urgent call from the Argos. They've just been attacked. Pele says they've managed to fight off the other ship but they've suffered heavy damage. I'm just about to take the Rover up to help them, do you want to come?" Trenwith had clearly been speaking to Callan but it was Oliver who answered decisively. "I'll come with you and you can fill me in on the way." 

The two partners exchanged a frustrated glance but the Lieutenant hadn't been asking a question. He grabbed a couple of stunners from a locked door under the desk before striding out of the station and leading the way to the small space dock. Dane gave Callan an odd look as they followed, his eyebrows raised expressively. What the-? It took Callan a second or two to work out what his partner was getting at, to remember who the Argos had been escorting. Damn. 

This was exactly why he hadn't wanted the Patrol on Asra.

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