Souvenirs From Dead Worlds

"Okay, I think we've concluded that we only really have two options," Sam said as he stared down at the prison entrance. Kias' body was warm at his side. "Wait half a day and try and get some back up when they open the portals, or go in there and kill anyone who gets in our way."

"If we choose the former, I believe it's important to establish why," Diego said. He was on Sam's other side, though his body wasn't pressed flush to Sam's like Kias' was. "Is it because we believe that others could accomplish things in a preferable fashion, or is it because what needs to be done is something we would rather not do?"

"Well I—" Sam began, but promptly cut himself off when the door to the prison swung open. Nolan was the first to emerge, as tall and muscled as Sam remembered him, if a little less clothed than usual. Ever the bodyguard, Nolan cast suspicious eyes around before allowing anyone else out.

Having recovered more quickly from the surprise than Sam, Diego sat up and waved to get Nolan's attention. Sam was pretty sure he saw Nolan give Diego a half smile in the dim light before stepping aside to let the others through.

It wasn't until Seba stepped through the doorway and relief loosened the knots in Sam’s gut that Sam realised how concerned he'd been about Seba's safety. Though he wouldn't admit it, before Sam had seen Seba with them the safe return of Tristan's team had sent a fresh spike of worry through him. If they had been safe but Seba had remained down there, Sam wouldn't have been able to justify a rescue operation to himself or anyone else.

Tristan's team, along with Seba, approached Sam, Diego and Kias as they climbed down from the roof.

"You taught him to speak global?" Tristan asked Sam with a voice full of amusement the second Sam's feet hit the ground. "He's pretty good, actually, considering how little time you've had to teach him. How many days have you been teaching him for?"

Sam thought about that. He'd met Seba on the first day they arrived, but he hadn't started teaching him until the next, so—

"Three," Seba said and all eyes immediately leapt to him. Sam's stare was no less surprised than any of the others. He had only taught Seba a few of those words, so Sam could only conclude that Seba's response had been more of a guess at what Tristan had been saying rather than the clear understanding his firm response had implied, but still. It was undeniably impressive.

"That is very sad," Diego murmured to Sam. Seba had already started to make his way back over to Sam's side by then and must have heard, because his expression suddenly turned worried and confused.

"So what happened?" Sam asked as Kias left his side to go and wrap a comforting arm around Seba.

"Walk with us," Tristan said as he tipped his head to indicate a direction down the road. "Okay, so first of all, they come to arrest us and I decided to let them because I figured hey, we've done nothing wrong, we can salvage the assignment if we just go along with it and get our names cleared. That didn't work out so well, though."

"Letting them disarm us and then lock us in a cell was phenomenally stupid," Nolan said flatly. Sam would always enjoy the sound of his smooth, deep voice. "Clearly some selective insubordination was in order. I am sorry that I failed in that."

Now that Sam was looking at Nolan more closely he noticed a large, dark stain on the cotton shorts Nolan was wearing, and then a moment later realised that the stain wasn't limited only to the shorts. It was dark and shone wet in the moonlight, and Sam was pretty sure he knew what it was. Blood. Well, that ruined the 'what happened to the guards' twist in the tale Tristan was telling them.

Tristan gave Nolan a broad fuck you grin. "Yup, all your fault. Anyway, so we were stuck in a cell and were really hoping you would get the signal or Diego would work something out on his own, because we had no way out. And then this kid just waltzes up," Tristan said and gestured to Seba, "says he's your friend — says it in Global, mind you — and picks the lock on the cell."

"I think he ran down there when the guard spooked him," Sam mused. "It was smart of him to find you guys."

"He must have also managed to somehow sneak past the guards without getting caught," Hannah pointed out.

Sam made a vague sound in response and Diego glanced at him and gave him a grim nod of understanding. Sam would have liked to revel in Seba's cleverness, but he was too busy mourning over it. The more amazing Seba was, the bigger the loss will be.

"Anyway, Nolan took out the guards, the kid picked the lock on the chest to get our things back, and we escaped," Tristan said, quickly finishing up the story as they entered the town square. "Now, I think we should probably give you three a lift out."

"What did you do with the blindfold?" Sam asked Seba, and Seba produced the rolled up bandage from where he'd tucked it into the top of his pants.

"You blindfolded him?" Tristan asked as Sam began to wrap the bandage so that it covered Seba's eyes. "That's all you did? You stuck a genius kid in a shuttle with a blindfold on, whipped him across an ocean in the space of an hour and... then what happens? He's going to ask questions."

"He's pretty meek and he likes to please people, plus he owes me one." After Sam had finished what he was doing he tucked the end of the bandage underneath the rest so that it wouldn't come undone. "He'll wonder for sure, but he won't cause any trouble over it."

Tristan frowned down at his ring as he twisted it and pressed in one of the jewels. "It just seems kind of mean. Also, if he owed you one I'm pretty sure you're square now."

Sam looked down at Seba. He was shaking slightly, his breath coming fast as clung to Sam's arm for security. Tristan was right. Ultimately, what Sam had given Seba had cost him very little and would only make a difference to Seba for a very short period of time, after which he would be dead. What he'd asked of Seba, what he'd forced him into without asking, was worth far more than anything Sam had, would, or could offer him.

Seba took a startled step back, bumping into Sam's chest, when Tristan's shuttle arrived with a whoosh of displaced air and the soft humming sound of its engines.

Sam slung an arm around Seba's chest to keep him in place and held back, allowing the others to board the shuttle ahead of him. Tristan stepped back and gestured for Kias to go first, but Kias stuck firmly at Sam's side. Tristan shrugged and boarded with his team, then waited while Sam slowly and carefully guided Seba on board.

Tristan's shuttle wasn't any larger than Sam’s, but it did have twice as many seats, one for each member of Tristan's team. Though only Hannah had bothered sitting by the time Sam entered the shuttle, he didn't bother getting Seba to sit down. They'd be getting off in a minute.

Nolan poured a bottle of water on a towel before beginning to wipe the blood off of himself, shamelessly ridding himself of the cotton shorts when they got in the way of his cleaning. Sam quickly averted his eyes. Tristan locked the shuttle's tracking onto Sam's shuttle so that they could easily locate it despite it being cloaked. Diego was leaning against the console, talking quietly to Hannah and shooting troubled glances in Sam's direction. In Seba's direction.

When they reached Sam's shuttle a few minutes later, Diego was the last to say goodbye.

"Good luck, Sam." Diego hesitated, then pulled Sam into a one armed hug. It was mostly just awkward because Diego didn't do physical affection, and also because Seba got kind of caught in the middle and made a kind of alarmed yelp-whimper.

"Sorry, Seba," Diego said in Global.

Seba shuffled awkwardly and after a couple of moments responded with a quiet, "That's okay."

Sam wished he could just sling Seba over his shoulder and carry him between the two shuttles, but instead he had to slowly guide Seba out of Tristan's and into his own while Seba took each step with excessive caution. It was a relief when Sam could finally sit him down in one of the shuttle seats and leave Kias to take care of him while Sam set up the autopilot.

That Tristan's team, especially Diego, had regretted Seba's eventual fate as much as Sam did had been a reassurance to Sam. He wasn't becoming weak, the whole thing was just damn depressing. Seba was so young and had so much potential, and it just wasn't right that he should have to die simply to uphold some tired old rules.

Hell, Kias had essentially been a random pick, a result of a moment of weakness in Sam, and things with him hadn't turned out badly at all. Not between them nor beyond their relationship. Kias was an asset.

Though Sam wouldn't disobey the rules again, he owed it to Seba to at least try and do something.

#

By the time they got back the sun was just coming up, and Sam gave the guards a polite nod and a smile as he, Kias, and Seba passed them on the way into the city. It wasn't until they were back in the inn, back in their room, that Sam told Seba what he had decided.

"We're going to have to go away for a while. I'm not sure if we'll be coming back."

"What?" Seba demanded, standing up from the bed immediately. "After— You're just leaving me here?"

Sam sighed. Even if he could have explained, Sam didn't want to get Seba's hopes up. "It's necessary."

Sam still had the bag of coins tied to his belt, and he took it off now. "Give us fourteen days," Sam said, handing Seba the coins. "Wait for us for fourteen days, and if we're not back by then... well, that's more than enough coin to keep you taken care of, I'm sure."

Seba opened up the bag and stared down into it, his eyes going wide as he took in just how much money it contained. He looked back up at Sam. "This is stupid," Seba said as he sat back down on the bed heavily.

Sam ignored him. "If something bad happens, something really bad that you don't know how to deal with, don't try to fight. You know that tall, abandoned tower near the shrines? Go to the top and hide. Don't bring anyone else."

"Sounds like you're expecting something," Seba pointed out warily.

Sam sighed. "Maybe. Just... I care, okay? And Kias cares. We all care. Just remember that, all right? One day you might be allowed to understand, but for now, just believe me on that. There are people who care about you, including me, and our leaving doesn't mean that's not true."

After a long few moments of staring down at the bag in his lap and chewing his lip, an intense frown on his face, Seba murmured, "Just go."

#

"What just happened?" Kias asked as they exited the inn. To his credit he didn't sound angry, just cautious and confused.

Sam winced. Yeah, he probably should have talked this whole thing over with Kias first. This was why he'd always preferred to do assignments solo. Well, one of the reasons. He liked working with Kias, though, so he was going to have to start doing things better.

"Sorry," Sam said, and meant it. "I just don't want him to die, and I don't want me and you to lose our jobs, and I think... well, I might at least have a chance of making a case for him so we can bring him back."

Sam noticed how much trouble Kias was having keeping up, realised how fast he was walking, and slowed down. They still had hours until meet up and rushing now wouldn't make any difference.

"You think you convince the people in charge to let us bring him back?" Kias asked.

Sam licked his lips anxiously, his eyes straying to a man setting up his market stall before he glanced back to Kias. "Maybe. I don't know. It really would be a first, but I think he's a special case, so... so, maybe. And if not... then at least I tried, you know?"

Kias was silent for a moment. "I wish I could help."

"You will," Sam insisted. "They didn't think you would be helpful, but you have been."

Kias turned his head away in an attempt to hide his smile, but Sam noticed.

#

Even though the shuttle was cloaked, Sam knew Tristan's would detect it the moment they got close. Sam's shuttle, thankfully, had similar technology, and he was able to avoid landing his shuttle on top of Tristan's.

Last he'd spoken with Tristan's team, Sam's plan had still been to continue his assignment and he'd indicated as much to them. They were going to wonder what he was doing waiting at the meet up point. Because he was incredibly good at being avoidant, Sam preemptively shut down the communications system on his shuttle.

#

Kias didn't like the idea of watching Sam play his game until it was time to leave, so the moment the shuttle landed he was out of his seat and onto Sam's. Or rather onto Sam, who was still in his seat.

"Hello," Sam said, a smile quirking his lips.

Kias grinned back down at him from where he straddled Sam's lap. "Hi."

When he kissed Sam, there was no teasing, no hesitance or slow build up. It was rough and heavy and forceful. The only people Kias had ever had the opportunity to be sexually dominant over had been vulnerable and fragile, both in body and in mind, so what Kias had with Sam was something new entirely. He could do what he wanted with Sam and know Sam would want it right back.

That Sam wanted it, wanted Kias, was obvious. Obvious in the passion with which he returned the kiss, and obvious in the quickly increasing firmness pressing up against Kias.

Kias thought about all the things he wanted, all the things he could have, then made a sound of frustration in the back of his throat when he realised they'd left the oil back at the inn. That cut out a few options. Quite a lot of his more interesting ones.

Sam pulled away at the sound and looked at Kias with concern. "What?"

"We forgot the oil," Kias said sadly, then kissed Sam deeply for a moment before pulling away from him. "I'm not sure what I want to do with you yet, but I liked the idea of unlimited options."

Sam chuckled. "Well, if they consider my request at all they'll have to get the council together to discuss it. That'll take some time. I have everything we need and more in my room."

Kias liked the sound of that, and he expressed his feelings on the matter by grinding down on the now very firm bulge in Sam's pants. They were just starting to get into things again when there was a loud buzzing. Sam swore.

"I could ignore that," Sam said, and he looked like he was genuinely considering it. "But then there's a good chance they'll just keep interrupting us."

Kias let out a dejected sigh and climbed out of Sam's lap as the buzzing continued. Sam stood and stared down at his pants, waiting until his arousal was no longer noticeable before heading for the door.

#

Sam wasn't surprised to see that the person who'd bothered to somehow feel around for and find the doorbell on a cloaked shuttle was Diego. Nolan and Tristan wouldn't have had the patience and Sam hardly knew Hannah.

"Hey," Sam said, maybe just a little too casually. Diego's eyes flitted from Sam's to the inside of the shuttle, briefly settling on Kias who was watching them from his seat before focussing back on Sam. Sam honestly wouldn't have been surprised if Diego had already figured out what he'd just interrupted, but as always Diego made no comment on it.

"You're coming back with us," was what Diego said, an observation not a question.

Sam stepped back to let Diego enter the shuttle. "Yeah..."

In front of Diego, he felt self conscious over what he was doing, what he was going to ask for. They'd been through all the same classes, all the classes that had reinforced over and over the idea that their job was only to observe and record, never to get involved. It was about as embarrassing as saving Kias had been. Sam didn't regret that at all, and it wasn’t something he was ashamed of. It was just... embarrassing. It was seen as a major mess up.

"Tristan thinks Seba must have given you some trouble about all of this and ruined your assignment," Diego said casually in a way that suggested he had drawn a different conclusion. He walked over to lean against the centre console, giving Kias a polite smile and nod before turning back to Sam.

"No, he's a good kid," Sam said. "Too good, you know? And smart. He deserves better."

"So you're coming back to advocate for him." Diego's voice was toneless, revealing neither support nor condemnation. So naturally, it made Sam defensive.

"Well, yeah," Sam said. "He saved the other members of your team and saved the two of us from having to kill anyone. But... I also just think that he could have a future with us. As part of our society. More than Kias probably ever will. He could do more than just cope — he could prosper. He could be so many things. And at what cost? He might need a bit of therapy, but past that the expensive of keeping him wouldn't be any greater than caring for any other teenage boy."

Diego sat down in Sam's seat, next to the one Kias had claimed. "I agree."

It was so simple, those two words, but it took such a weight off of Sam's shoulders. That someone with the same training and cultural background as himself, someone who he greatly admired, actually agreed with him meant a lot. And the way he'd said it... Sam got the feeling Diego hadn't been convinced by Sam's little speech. He'd made his decision before he'd even entered Sam's shuttle.

"If you'd like, I believe adding my own voice in support of your cause may strengthen your position," Diego continued. "And I suspect Tristan might be convinced to extol Seba's virtues some more. He was quite impressed."

Sam let out a long sigh and grinned at Diego. "Yes, please."

Having others on his side was something Sam would be grateful for in any case, but having Diego's support could prove invaluable. Though Tristan was the leader of their team and was certainly not a worthless or unwanted ally, Diego possessed far greater influence.

Diego was involved in a lot of things outside of the responsibilities of his team, and that was why he got a full sized apartment on compound all to himself and why he received more respect from those in charge than anyone else Sam knew. Sam had never really bothered to find out about what exactly Diego got up to outside of his regular job, mostly because it had always seemed like boring geek stuff. He did research, he brainstormed solutions to problems, stuff like that. Whatever he did, it earnt him respect.

Diego smiled at Sam and then at Kias before he stood. "I had best get back to my team and explain the situation to them before meet up."

"Yes, of course," Sam said, reaching out to shake Diego's hand and then pulling him into a hug when the handshake felt inadequate. They'd never hugged before, but this was the second time they were doing it now in a single day. Kias was going to have such a skewed perspective on Sam's general degree of physical affection.

The door hissed shut again behind Diego as he walked out onto the dry earth, heading back to his shuttle, and Sam turned back to Kias. "Where were we?"

#

"What did he say?" Kias asked Sam after Sam had settled himself down on the floor between Kias' legs. Kias sat back in his chair and spread his thighs further to allow Sam to move in closer.

"He said we have his support in all this," Sam said, then gave the fabric over Kias' knee an affectionate nuzzle. "Which is good. Really good."

Kias' breath hitched slightly as Sam's hand strayed up his thigh. "Does he think you have a chance, then?"

Sam pulled back slightly and looked thoughtful for a moment. "I suppose. I don't think he'd waste his time and degrade his reputation if he thought there was no hope."

A moment later, Sam resumed the slow stroke of fingers up Kias' thigh and Kias lost track of the conversation. Talking was bad, anyway. Talking might distract those hands from what they were doing.

Kias was enjoying it so much that it took him a while to notice that Sam wasn't progressing things, or rather that his failure to progress things further wasn't just teasing. Sam would run his hands up and down Kias' thighs, but never too high up. Sam would nibble at, kiss, and nuzzle Kias' clothed knees, legs and thighs, but made no move to remove Kias' pants.

Kias frowned at him. "Why aren't you doing anything?"

"I would argue that this is something," Sam said, and gave Kias' knee an especially hard bite.

"You're not doing anything else," Kias said, and gave Sam a look that very clearly said 'you know what I mean'.

Sam rested his arms on Kias' knees. "Well, before Diego came and interrupted us it sounded like you were still deciding what you wanted from me. If you've reached a conclusion, you haven't told me about it."

Kias studied Sam carefully. He hadn't really considered it deeply before, but looking at Sam now he realised something. Sam didn't just tolerate allowing Kias power, he enjoyed in it.

After a few moments of consideration Kias said, "Maybe I'll show you."

Kias was tugging open the string on his pants before he'd even truly begun to contemplate what the next step might be. It wasn't until he was fully exposed that he appreciated how close Sam's face was to his crotch. Close and very much at eye level to it — or perhaps mouth level — and staring openly at it.

Sam was watching with interest and, Kias was fairly sure, desire, but he stayed where he sat, chin resting against Kias' knee, and made no move to get involved. Kias was quickly realising that starting games with Sam was a bad idea. Sam was far better at playing than Kias had the patience or self control for.

Kias put a hand on the back of Sam's neck and a gentle push had Sam moving forward, licking his lips in what Kias hoped was anticipation.
"This?" Sam asked as he leant his head slowly closer, eyes skipping between Kias' and the thing he was narrowing in on.

"Yes," Kias said, his hand in Sam's hair clenching, and perhaps he shoved Sam forward just a bit more firmly than intended.

Sam just laughed quietly and brought one hand up to take hold of Kias' cock and hold it steady for his mouth.

Kias kept one hand in Sam's hair as Sam started moving, teasingly slow at first and then moving faster. Kias couldn't resist the occasional buck of his hips or tug on Sam's hair, things he himself wouldn't have tolerated, but Sam didn't seem to mind. In fact, it actually seemed like it turned him on a little, because every time Kias got a little too excited and jerked his hand or his hips, Sam would make a little sound in the back of his throat and rub harder and faster at the very obvious bulge in his own pants.

Breathing heavily, Sam pulled back for a moment, just long enough to get his own pants open and pushed down far enough that he could get a hand around himself. Then he was back to work.

Kias wished he could see better from where he sat what Sam was doing to himself, but all that was visible from Kias' perspective was the rhythmic motion of Sam's arm and the aroused tensing of Sam's body as it responded to the stimulation.

Kias dipped his hand under the collar of Sam's shirt, raking fingernails up the little bit of Sam's upper back he could reach, all the way up Sam's neck. Kias could feel his arousal coming to a peak wanted nothing more than to just pound into Sam's mouth until he spilled himself. Kias bit down on a grimace and mentally squirmed away from that thought. He knew how much that could hurt someone, and he wouldn't do it, but he wanted to.

When Kias did come, it was with fingers tangled tight in Sam's hair and fingernails digging into Sam's shoulder through his shirt. Though Kias was holding onto Sam firmly and was buried deep in Sam's throat, he wasn't restraining Sam or forcing him forward. When Sam took Kias deeper and swallowed around him, it was because he wanted to.

After a few long moments Sam pulled away, swallowed again and wiped his mouth. "I got it all over my pants," Sam said casually, his lips curving as he glanced down.

#

For several minutes Sam stayed where he was at Kias' feet, watching Kias' cock soften until Kias tucked it away. Sam shut his eyes, resting his forehead against Kias’ knee as he enjoyed the peaceful post-orgasm feeling. Any minute, he knew, his brain would kick back into gear with all its plans and worries, but until then Sam was going to enjoy Kias' fingers rubbing at his temple and running through his hair and the heady smell of sex still surrounding them.

It couldn't last, though. Ultimately the position Sam was sitting in became uncomfortable and he had to shift, and that was enough to destroy the fragile calm. That, and the reminder of how much of a mess he'd made of his pants and, well, everything. It was kind of sticky.

He'd managed to keep his shirt out of the way but generally hadn't been able to see what the hell he had been doing and, honestly, the number of fucks he'd given about cleanliness at that point had been minimal. So, yeah... bit of a mess.

The first step towards cleaning up involved pulling his shirt off over his head and throwing it into the corner so that he didn't accidentally get any of the fluids from his pants or his stomach onto it. Next his pants came off and got chucked in a different direction.

Sam glanced back up at Kias to find Kias watching him, his elbow on the armrest and his chin propped on his loosely clenched fist. He gave Sam a lascivious grin but appeared to be too spent to do anything more active. Sam gave Kias a suggestive eyebrow waggle that likely meant jack shit in Kias' culture and continued cleaning up.

Walking around the shuttle naked while he got sanitary wipes to clean down his stomach and the bit of the shuttle floor he'd dripped onto was something Sam was familiar and comfortable with. The nudity, not the cleaning up of bodily fluids. He'd never actually had sex in his shuttle with anyone else before, and he could usually manage to keep things pretty tidy when he went solo.

Nudity, though, that felt perfectly natural. He'd practically lived in his shuttle for up to two months at a time when there was nowhere suitable to stay on some assignments. His shuttle was like his home.

After Sam and the shuttle were all cleaned up, Sam changed into some of the comfortable, simple clothes kept in the shuttle for emergencies. They reminded Sam of pyjamas or perhaps clothing worn for jogging, and Sam had a few extra sets because he tended to interpret not having anywhere to be but in the shuttle and having nothing to wear but uncomfortable clothing as a pretty dire emergency.

The moment Sam sat down in his seat, Kias was out of his and then sinking down to the floor in front of Sam. For a moment Sam thought Kias was about to return the favour, but then Kias snuggled down between Sam's spread legs and, resting his head against Sam's thigh like a pillow, shut his eyes.

Sitting on the floor like that couldn't have been comfortable, so when Kias started to drift off Sam tried to encourage Kias towards the fold down bed, but all Kias did was make sounds of annoyance and refuse to move. Eventually Sam gave up but managed to at least convince Kias to allow him to get up for a moment to get Kias a couple of blankets to sit on.

They sat together with Kias sitting on the floor and cuddling Sam's legs, both of them drifting in and out of sleep, until meet up began to draw near and Sam's brain woke him up with worries.

When the portal was finally opened, Sam waited in his shuttle while Tristan's team greeted the security party. It was Teri and Jason this time, as it had been the previous time when Sam had brought back Kias. They were Sam's friends and he'd been meaning to catch up with them again since he'd been in such a bad mood the last time he’d seen them, but right then all he could do was rehearse what he wanted to say to the Marshal over and over in his head.

Teri and Jason didn't spend long talking to Tristan's team before they sent a message back to have the portal opened up fully so that the shuttles could go through. Before any portals were opened up entirely, someone had to check that there was nothing nasty waiting on the other side. Until then, only mini shuttles giving off the right identification signals could go through without being destroyed.

Tristan's shuttle went through the portal and, after counting to ten slowly in his head, Sam followed. Kias was still snuggled up sleepily against Sam's legs, but as the shuttle began to move he lifted his head to watch where the shuttle was going through the view screen.

"This will always be creepy," Kias commented as they passed through the entrance of the portal, his face pressed against Sam's knee. He seemed more disconcerted than scared this time, though, so that was progress.

"I still find it creepy too," Sam admitted and reached a hand down to run his knuckles over the top of Kias' head. It was only a few more seconds before they broke through the other side of the portal, into Sam's world, and they both relaxed a little.