Matt & Michelle 1: The Fugitive Heir by Henry Vogel

when Michelle breathed in my ear, “I want you to wash my back.”
    She took my hand and led me to the shower, where I washed her back. I washed her front. Then we did something that would have made Flight Commander Nancy extremely angry.
    Later, as we lay entwined in each other’s arms, Michelle said, “I’d always heard the first time was awkward and even uncomfortable. This was wonderful.”
    “That might be due to my empathic abilities. I don’t think you can get any more intimate than we were. Your emotions were like sign posts, telling me where to touch and what to do.” Michelle was silent and I felt a pang of apprehension. “Are you upset I used my empathic powers during our lovemaking?”
    Michelle laughed and held me tighter. “Are you kidding? What part of ‘wonderful’ did you not understand?”
    I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “When you didn’t say anything after I admitted it… I just worried that you might think it was a violation or something.”
    “Don’t be silly, Matt. I assumed you were reading me loud and clear. Like you said, that was really intimate touching.” Michelle bit her lip, her ‘I’m trying to figure something out’ look. “But I didn’t expect to be able to read you when we were, ah, at our most intimate.”
    Now it was my turn to fall silent and for Michelle to ask, “Are you upset about that? Because I’m not. It’s one thing for you to tell me you love me. It’s amazing to feel your love with my body and soul!”
    “Of course I’m not upset. It’s just I’ve never heard of anything like this happening before.”
    Michelle’s voice took on a wry tone. “And you’re basing that assessment on your vast experience and training in psychic powers?”
    “Good point, babe. I’ve read as much research as I could find on the subject, but there isn’t a lot available to the public.”
    Michelle pulled my head down for a long, languid kiss. “Then I guess we owe it to science to research this phenomena thoroughly.”
    Much later, I held Michelle as our breathing returned to normal. “I didn’t know science could be so much fun.”
    “Classroom stuff always is boring.” Michelle rolled off of me. “Everyone always says fieldwork is where the real excitement is.”
    “Well, this has certainly been exciting.”
    “It has, but now it’s time to think about what we’re going to do when we get to Eridani Station, Matt.”
    “You mean besides try to find a way to keep Mandy’s father from beating me to a pulp?”
    Michelle chuckled. “Yes, besides that.”
    “Say, where will that message the ferocious flight commander sent to Mandy’s father end up? If it bounces back to her, it will give everything away.”
    “Daddy covered that when he setup the IDs. The message goes to a real inbox and then gets forwarded to one of Daddy’s addresses. It won’t bounce. Knowing Daddy, he’ll even write a personal message of thanks to Nancy.”
    “Won’t Nancy’s message confuse Jonas just a bit?” I asked.
    “You’ve known him for years, Matt. When have you ever known Daddy to be confused? No, he’ll be pleased to get the message. We haven’t been able to check in for a while, so it will tell him we’re still alive and where we’re going.” Michelle sat up and started pulling on her clothes. “Have you got any idea what you want to do next?”
    I started dressing, also. “Yeah, I’ve been giving it some careful thought and think I’ve got something.”
    “I hope you weren’t doing that careful thinking while we were…busy.”
    “No, I did the thinking while you and Nancy were having your girl chat on the way to the wormhole. What we need is a reason to go to Pegasus Station and stay there long enough to find Mom and Dad.”
    As Michelle and I headed back to the ship’s controls, she asked, “I gather it’s not what you’d call a vacation paradise?”
    “No one goes to Pegasus Station if they don’t have to. The system has