Dangerous Tension

By L.V. Lloyd

Spaceship Captain Luke Matthews has kept his sexuality a secret. What happens when the crew finds out? is Lieutenant Kent as straight as he always believed? Will he hit him or kiss him, or both?
A gay science fiction romance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: L.V. Lloyd
• Release date: Jun 16, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301587575

L.V. Lloyd

After thirty years of working with the unemployed, coping with threats, tears and broken lives (and these were only from fellow staff), LV Lloyd decided it was time to make her escape. And what better place to go than the world of m/m romance? She started writing Dangerous Tension, her first ebook, years ago, but put it aside due to work and family commitments.In 2012, she dusted off the foolscap pages stored under her bed, finished the story and turned it into a book. Since then, she has written six more ebooks in the Aurigan Space Saga series, and numerous short stories. Pirate is the sixth book in the series.LV Lloyd lives in Adelaide, Australia, with her family and two cats. In her spare time she enjoys fishing and visiting the many local wineries.Author of:Dangerous TensionRough Play - a FREE novella which is a prequel to His Guilty Secret.His Guilty SecretLunar Affair - (also available in paperback)Untouchable - (also available in paperback)Pirate - (also available in paperback)TimeLabs Inc - sci-f short storiesGothic Romance - regency romanceNight Traveller - new releaseAll can be read as stand-alone stories, although Rough Play and His Guilty Secret share some of the same charactersMy stories all have some m x m action but only Night Traveller is 18+ rated.SPECIAL OFFER - Rough Play and Dangerous Tension now available for FREE

Book preview

Dangerous

Tension

By

L.V. Lloyd

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

All rights reserved by the author, L.V. Lloyd any unauthorised distribution or selling of this ebook constitutes an infringement of copyright.

This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2013 L.V. Lloyd

2nd Smashwords Edition 2016

Thank you

to Soniador for the cover,

and to Gitte Ekdahl and Jenny Summerhill for help with editing.

Any mistakes are, of course, my own.

Dedicated to Rae Kitano

and all my friends over the years on Wattpad

RULE 158

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.

Second Officer Lieutenant Kent placed the notice in the centre of the common room noticeboard. He was a tall man, in his mid-twenties with unruly brown hair the colour of toffee and vivid blue eyes. Although communication was electronic these days, an important message was still occasionally displayed in hard copy when someone wanted to make a point. His lips tightened as he read it. His ship, of the P112 type, had been advised to remind the crew of the regulation by its command base an hour ago.

This was because a situation of dangerous tension had recently occurred on a sister ship, P108 Reval, resulting in a fight between two crewmen. One had died of his injuries. Most spaceships were crewed by both men and women but there were still several specialised military vessels which were single sex, the P108 and P112 with men and the M394 and M401 with women. It was considered more effective when crew were placed in combat situations where they risked their lives.

Captain Matthews watched his officer from a distance and noticed the tightening of his mouth. He stepped up to him casually, Anything wrong, Lieutenant? Perhaps you don’t agree with the regulations against oms?

I think they all ought to be shot! Nothing but a bunch of filthy— Kent stopped abruptly, suddenly aware that he was speaking to his captain. Matthews felt and looked taken aback by his officer’s cold viciousness. Kent started an apology, obviously expecting a sharp reproof but the Captain walked off without a word, leaving his Lieutenant surprised and rather alarmed.

Kent hero-worshipped his Captain and tried to make up for his lapse for the rest of the day, carrying out his orders with extra efficiency and volunteering for general errand running. Matthews was still cool toward him when he went off duty and it was almost with relief that he heard himself called back for what was obviously going to be a lecture.

The Captain spoke coldly. Lieutenant Kent! Never speak that way again about any type of man who might be aboard this ship. It was an extremely vicious and intolerant attitude and I hope you will either do your best to moderate it or at least keep it strictly to yourself. Do you understand? Silence. Well do you? Lieutenant, please at least grant me the courtesy of looking at me when I am talking to you! The Captain’s sarcasm seemed to bite into his Second officer and his head jerked up.

Sorry sir. Yes, I understand. Kent’s face was pale and he bit down hard on his lip.

There was an awkward pause and then Matthews said gruffly, I didn’t mean to jump on you, Kent, but a man who is violently anti-om can cause a ‘dangerous tension’ just as easily as an om himself.

He nodded briskly in dismissal and walked on. After a minute Kent continued to his own quarters, both grateful and embarrassed by the Captain’s apology. He knew he had deserved the reprimand and was ashamed that he had so shown his reaction to it that the Captain had felt obliged to apologise to him.

If the Captain had ever thought about it in that light, Kent thought to himself, he would have realised that he could not have worked out a more effective punishment. Every man on the ship was devoted to his captain. It only needed one word from him to quell the least disobedience, and as some men put it, a rebuke from the captain was worse than the lash. This was perhaps the reason why the P112 Kalar was one of the best of its kind, high in efficiency and morale, respected by the whole fleet.