He found his Lieutenant on the bridge.

"Have you got a moment, King? I'd like to run over a couple of things on tomorrow's schedule with you. Come to my quarters when you've finished here." He barely waited for his acknowledgement before striding off.

Second Lieutenant Bailey glanced at King and raised his eyebrows. "What's biting him?"

King merely smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I'd better go and see what the trouble is."

Bailey nodded and took over from him. King left the bridge, walking briskly, trying hard not to speculate too much.

He flashed his ID outside the door and the Captain let him in. It was the first time they had been alone since that night they'd had sex together.

King squared his shoulders. "Yes, sir?" His face was polite, but closed.

Before then, the Captain had wanted nothing more than to take King in his arms and hold him, while he told him what had happened. But this cool formality changed his mind. He couldn't do that, they didn't have that kind of a relationship. He jumped in to his proposition with both feet.

"Would you be willing to keep coming to my bed, if I asked you?"

King gave a surprised bark of laughter. That had to be absolutely the last thing he had expected to hear. But instead of looking happy about it, Simon was looking grimly tense. King reined in his heart, which had leapt unaccountably. Just what was the Captain proposing here?

"Why?"

"I still want you. I can't stop thinking about you... what we did." He cleared his throat. "I spoke to Fiona just a while ago and told her that I think I'm an om. Despite that... she wants to go ahead with the marriage. But she knows I'll have... relationships on the side..." His voiced trailed away. He still couldn't quite believe it.

King couldn't quite believe it either. "So let me be clear about this. You're asking me if I want to keep having sex with you? While you go ahead and get married to Fiona?"

"Yes, I guess I am." It seemed a safe enough answer, after all, their personal relationship so far had been all about the physical. He didn't want to embarrass them both by bringing emotion into it.

"And we'd have to keep this a secret, I suppose?"

"Of course. That would be the whole point." The Captain was referring to the concept of a marriage of convenience, but King didn't hear it that way. He was so hurt and offended it was all he could do to get the words out.

"I don't think so. I don't want to be part of your experiment with sex, secret or otherwise. Go away, do whatever you have to, sleep with whoever you have to, and when or if you decide it's me you want, me—not just a man to fuck—then come back and talk to me again. You told me you didn't mean to disrespect me, but it seems to me you've done nothing but disrespect me from the day we met." He turned and strode to the door, only pausing to say, "Don't ask me to meet you here alone again," over his shoulder as he went out.

The Captain felt as if he'd been punched in the heart. He wanted to call him back but there was enough truth in King's words to keep him silent. He hadn't meant the offer to come out that way, but he wasn't at all clear on what way he did mean it.

He had wanted King from the day he first saw him, when he first came aboard the ship. He had known full well he had been playing with fire when he followed him into the cave and then asked the other man to kiss him. Now, standing there, he knew he wanted King himself, not just his body, but how that was going to happen was still hazy in his mind. He had to sort out himself out urgently, before he lost everything he cared about. If that hadn't happened already.

King made his way unsteadily back to his cabin. He had to get a grip before he could go back to work on the bridge. He sat on his bed and stared blankly at the wall. Who was he kidding? There was no way he could keep working with the Captain after that. What did Hayes think he was? Some kind of rentboy who slept around with whoever asked him? He hadn't had that many lovers. Not counting the casual pickups at the space station when they were on leave, of course, but everyone did that, oms and straights; it was hard not to when you were on a single-sex ship for weeks at a time. It was an accepted custom; everyone was a consenting adult who knew what the rules were.

He straightened his uniform, washed his face and went to find Medical Officer Kumar. He asked to speak to him privately. "This is completely confidential, right?" he asked, seeking confirmation once they were in Kumar's office with the door shut.

Kumar nodded, "Of course."

"You know I'm an om? Well, I need to apply for an urgent transfer under Rule 158."

Kumar knew what Rule 158 was in general terms, but he looked it up now to get the specifics. He had never had to use it before.

"Rule 158: Homosexuals are advised and requested not to enlist in ships of the following types, P108, P112, M394 and M401. Any homosexuals who do so will be subject to transfer in the event that they cause a dangerous tension aboard their ship. The question of "dangerous tension" shall be decided by the Captain or the Chief Medical Officer, provided neither is personally involved in the case. Providing there is no infringement of another regulation the person so judged to be causing dangerous tension will be transferred without penalty to his/her rank, career, financial position or any other consideration. Any person not classified on official documents as homosexual, who feels that s/he is showing these tendencies should report to the medical officer immediately. Transfer will be arranged as soon as practicable if requested."

Kumar looked at him in surprise. King had seemed to him one of the most well balanced men he had come across, hardly likely to be the cause of a "dangerous tension." "What's happened?"

"I've got into a relationship with someone I work with but it's gone wrong. If I stay, it will cause a dangerous tension."

"Could the other man involved simply be moved to another section?" Kumar was trying to look at alternatives. So far he had liked what he had seen of King's leadership style and didn't want him to leave the Revel unless there was no choice.

King gave an involuntary snort. "Unfortunately not," he answered dryly. "He's not a private." He left it at that, hoping Kumar would realise it was an officer but not which one. He could see Kumar running through the personnel files in his head, realising that there were no other identified oms amongst the officers.

"Oh," he said, "I see. Well then, I'll get the forms filled out for you. You'll just need to take them to Captain Hayes and—"

Kumar stopped in mid sentence as King shook his head very slightly. King dropped his eyes and made a point of brushing an infinitesimal piece of fluff from his sleeve. "I need you to do it."

Kumar was sure his mouth was hanging open. He shut it. "I see," he repeated faintly.

"How long do you think it will take?"

"It's usually pretty quick but probably not quick enough, given the circumstances! Let me think a moment. I know, I'll authorise a week's medical leave for you on Capella— delayed concussion from the explosion or something—that should give us enough time to get this sorted out. If it's all right with you, I'll arrange for you to accompany the Beckers when they return to the station tomorrow." He suddenly realised that might be a bit awkward, but King was already nodding.

"That sounds excellent, Kumar. I really appreciate it. I'll return to my cabin now, I think it will be best if I stay out of sight until I leave."

King left and Kumar set about organising the leave and the transfer. He still couldn't believe it. If it had come from anyone except King...

The Captain turned away from his Lieutenant's door. There had been no answer when he flashed his ID, but he didn't know if King really wasn't there or if he just didn't want to see him. It had eventually dawned on him that whatever he decided about his marriage, he needed to apologise to King immediately, explain that he didn't just think of him as a sex object, that he hadn't intended his words to come out the way they had.

King saw him just in time and stayed back out of sight. The last thing he wanted was another confrontation. He waited until the Captain had well and truly gone and then went quickly into his quarters.

When he got to Capella, he would see if he could find his friend, Matthew Ferris.