FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Ketchy removed the silver earpiece from her cocked, angular ear, slumping back in her cushioned chair. Her bushy tail drooping. She'd been stressed since the start of her shift. It was currently the middle of the afternoon, according to the snow rabbit clock, which is what they went by, now; using the time zone of High Command headquarters. The thirteenth hour of a twenty-six hour day. She just wanted it to be over with.

"Something wrong with the comm?" Rella asked, above the soft, melodic chirrups of the computer and the underlying thrum of the power core.

"No," Ketchy sighed, whiskers twitching erratically. She'd been unaware that the tactical officer had been watching her. "It's just depressing to listen to. Hearing all this doesn't do me any good." A sullen pause. "It's beyond our control."

Rella stopped what she was doing (a routine systems check) and padded across the bridge, bare foot-paws making nary a sound on the carpeted floor. "Wanna tell me about it?" she asked the other squirrel, with a soft, private tone.

Ketchy looked up, weakly. "I'm not sure."

"I am." Rella crossed her arms and sat on a close-by console table. "I bet you've heard this before, but it's true: it's not good to bottle things up. You need an outlet."

"I have outlets. Sorta."

"They're all distress calls, I take it?"

A slow, blank-eyed nod. She'd been monitoring the subspace traffic. It wasn't pretty. "Distress calls, mostly from snow rabbit ships. Frantic orders. Raspy wasp announcements of superiority and dominance." Her paws began to tremble. The fighting had begun. It was only a matter of time before Luminous became involved. "I thought ... I mean, I knew it was gonna be tough, but I didn't think ... "

" ... hey. Calm down," Rella hushed, hopping off the 'table' and putting her paws on the sitting squirrel's shoulders, from behind. "The war's just started. Don't count us out yet."

"Yeah," she mumbled, closing her eyes.

"Besides, this is all coming from the border, right?"

A nod.

"That's over a week-and-a-half from here. None of the High Command vessels that far out have rogue bats posted to them," Rella reminded. "The ones in the core of snow rabbit space do. They'll help." By disrupting the Wasp Queen's telepathic hold on her drones. That was the plan, anyway.

"I'd be more comforted by weapons that make big explosions," Ketchy said, darkly.

"We have those, too. But the wasps are more technologically advanced. We have to use everything at our disposal."

"I know that." She opened her eyes, rubbing at her face. "What the hell do they want? Why are they so territorial?" She spun her chair around. Facing Rella, again.

Rella subsequently released her shoulders and stepped back. "They want control. It makes them feel more comfortable. They don't trust mammals."

"There has to be a better reason than that," Ketchy insisted.

"Sometimes, creatures do what they want. There isn't a reason for everything," Rella replied. "Take the predators, for instance. Back home, at the Academy, when I was doing my first postings? The most common security problem was predators raping or beating up prey. I'd deal with at least one 'incident' every single day, and I'm sure many more never got reported, because the prey were too afraid to say anything. Whenever predators were caught and questioned about it, they said they didn't have a reason for the crime. Just following their instincts."

Ketchy nodded quietly. "I guess anything can be rationalized. Justified. Or compartmentalized." Saying that last part for herself.

Rella sat on the console table, again. Crossing her legs this time. "Just try to think good thoughts."

"I don't know how anyone can. I feel like I'm the only one who's really scared."

"You're not the only one. I'm scared, too. But what are we supposed to do? Cower in a corner? I'm a security officer. If there's a fight, I'm there. Not because I relish it, but because someone needs to be a protector. I'm up to that task," she assured, pausing for a moment before changing the subject. "But, hey, speaking of good thoughts: there's a rumor going around. About you and Kody."

"Is there?" was the shy, evasive response.

Rella smiled. "Come on, Ketchy. He told Wren. And Field. He's practically hopping around bragging about it."

"That's what male rabbits do, I guess," she replied, self-consciously. She'd never been involved with a rabbit before. But she knew of their reputations. Kody was certainly living up to his.

"Maybe. But you haven't told anyone at all."

"Who I spend my time with is no one's business. It's not important. It's not all that interesting."

"Sex is always interesting."

"Rella!" Ketchy squeaked, making a 'hush' motion with her paws. She looked around the bridge. Chester was in the back looking at random schematics. A skunk was at the science station. Wren was in his ready room, and Field was out of the room helping Adelaide do 'Ops' stuff. "We're ... "

" ... not doing it?" A sultry smile.

"We are," she answered, slowly, with a chitter-y noise, "doing it. But ... "

" ... you're embarrassed? Nothing to feel guilty about," the mahogany squirrel assured. "We're furs."

"Like I don't know that?" Sometimes, it felt like a curse rather than a blessing. Ketchy opened and closed her paws with a sigh, avoiding eye contact. "It's just ... " She wasn't used to talking about this kind of stuff. "It was a little random. We're not exactly mates. It's just convenient for us. We got left out of the 'great pair-off' when the ship launched." For various reasons. Kody had wanted to 'play the field,' and Ketchy had been too insecure to go after anyone.

"Does it really matter how you found each other?"

"No," Ketchy admitted. Her eyes lost focus, and her voice became a whisper. "He's so charming and confident. I wish I could have his personality. I just ... I want to soak him up. I feel so different when I'm with him." A sigh, and a raw, honest pause. "There's something I know with him that I forget when I'm away."

"It sounds like you're in love," Rella observed, with a bright smile. "I remember when I fell for Wren. Those first days are exhilarating. Like the first time you get tipsy? You don't know how to hold your alcohol, and it just overwhelms you. In time, you settle down. A maturity develops. You get into a rhythm. It's not as giddy, then, admittedly, but it's more satisfying."

"Sounds confusing."

"It's a shared adventure. You learn and grow as you go. Don't be afraid to stick with it."

The other squirrel looked down, bashfully. "That's so poetic."

"It's the truth."

Ketchy inhaled deeply before asking, "Why am I so insecure?"

"I don't know. But at least you're aware of that. That's the most important step in solving any personal problem."

"I just can't shake the feeling that he can do better than me," Ketchy continued, undeterred. "I mean, he's been with so many furs. Even other furs on Luminous. Assumpta, Dotna, Field. But they're all taken, now. I'm just a fallback."

"I highly doubt that. Maybe that would've been the case when we first launched, but he's matured a lot," Rella insisted.

"This is almost like a threesome," Kody remarked, ears twiddling atop his head.

"You wish." Adelaide smirked, sitting on a bio-bed. She knew the doctor had been entertaining that particular fantasy for a while.

"Are you sure you don't wish it, too?" he asked, smoothly. It hadn't escaped his attention how, during that diplomatic dinner a few weeks ago, Adelaide had been distinctly aroused when she'd caught him kissing Field.

The pink-furred bat didn't give a direct response. Just asking, "Wouldn't it have to be a foursome, now?"

"Guess it would be," the rabbit admitted, bobtail flickering excitedly. "I tell you about that?" he said, of Ketchy.

"Three times," Adelaide replied.

"In detail," Field added, sitting beside his mate, holding the purple psionic crystal Barrow had given them.

"You didn't stop me," Kody told the mouse, with a playful glance.

"I didn't want to be rude," Field defended, lightly. His ears began to flush with blood as he said this. He wispily cleared his throat.

The rabbit laughed.

The mouse's dimples then showed, cutely, on his golden-furred cheeks. It'd been a while since he'd seen Kody in such a jovial mood. "Are you going to mate her?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. Do I need to? She's nice. In a way, we're opposites, though. She's so serious and I'm so ... "

" ... not?" Adelaide supplied.

"Carefree," Kody supplied. "I think she could bring some levity and maturity to me, and I could loosen her up. In time, anyway. The best partners are always the ones who have something you don't. If I wanted someone just like me, I'd just use my paw in front of a mirror."

"That's so romantic," Field sighed.

"Pawing?"

"No." A scrunch-face. "The part before it."

"Field and I are opposites, I guess. So, I understand the theory. But it's still important to have a few common threads to start weaving with." Adelaide wrapped a winged arm around her rodent, privately thought-speaking something to him.

The mouse nodded to whatever she'd 'said,' his ears turning an even deeper shade of red. It so distracted him that he almost allowed the crystal to lazily tumble out of his grasp, but he caught it just in time.

"You think you're ready?" the rabbit asked.

"I'm always ready," the bat replied, plum-colored eyes still on her mate.

"I meant to test the crystal," Kody told her.

"I meant that, too," she said, sticking her long, dexterous tongue out. "How 'bout you activate your equipment," she ordered.

"It's already active." A wink, half-turning and tapping a few buttons on a display panel.

Field piped in, shyly, with, "Good grief. You two are making my ears throb." The constant flirting! Neither Adelaide or Kody were the least bit shy. Maybe that's why he'd fallen for them both, at one time or another. They were confident, dominant sorts.

"Poor mouse," Kody teased.

"He flusters so easily. Isn't it adorable?" Adelaide cooed, nuzzling Field's cheek.

Field could only blush, twitch, and squeak some more, managing to mutter, "We gonna ... uh, do this crystal thing? Or just talk about it?"

"I'm ready when you two are," Kody said, a little more business-like. Trying to switch back into 'doctor' mode. "What do you want me to be looking for?"

"How it affects my brain patterns. And, by extension, Field's," the bat said, also getting serious. "I have a suspicion that these crystals may be too much of a good thing. Everything has a side-effect, right?"

"In excess, maybe. Not necessarily in moderation. And even if they are detrimental, the rogues still have to use them to disrupt the Queen's signals to the drones. I mean, they can't do it any other way, right? They either use the crystals and possibly suffer unintended brain damage, or we lose the war."

"Not much of a choice," Field mumbled, sadly.

Adelaide shook her head. "I'm not about to sit by and let my own species sacrifice itself to save everyone else."

"It's just a group of rogues. It's a mere fraction of your species."

"Kody ... " An impatient sigh. "You're a doctor. Even if one life is harmed by this ... "

" ... I know. But I'm also a realist." He paused to take a breath. "And if a few bats willingly want to sacrifice themselves to save millions of snow rabbits, and by extension, millions of Federation furs? That's their decision. And a noble one. I'm not going to get in their way."

The bat didn't argue.

"But we're getting too far ahead, here. Maybe these crystals are fine and will work gangbusters."

"Gangbusters?" repeated Field. He hadn't heard that one in a while.

"Besides," Kody continued. "The High Command has already set the rogues into motion. They're not gonna stop their plan because of anything I say. They've already been using the crystals, recreationally, for breeding purposes, for months. If there is a detrimental effect, it's probably too late to do anything about it."

"But at least I can go to Barrow and let him and the others know if something's wrong." A pause. "And I'll be able to make an informed decision for myself," she added.

There was no reason Luminous needed one more bat than every other ship (four versus three). She was just an extra mind. If the risks were too high, she wasn't going to use the crystal. And she reassured Field of this, in thought-speak, sensing his anxiety and seeing his ears go pale. She couldn't bear to think of him living with a broken heart.

"Well, we'll run the tests and see," Kody said. "Let's not assume anything, okay?"

Adelaide nodded, closing her eyes.

"Do you want me to keep holding it?" Field whispered, of the crystal. Keeping his voice quiet cause this felt like an important moment.

Adelaide nodded. The crystal was heavier than it looked. And with the unique make-up of her 'paws' (which weren't traditional paws; but, rather, thumbs at the end of her watermelon-pink wingtips), she'd have trouble holding it securely while also focusing her mental powers.

She reached out with her telepathic tendrils, invisible strands of focused, telepathic energy. Directing them to the crystal, which was giving off a very strong 'pull.' She made contact with it in no time. It began to glow. Dimly, at first, but picking up vibrancy by the second.

Field gave a squeak, his tail stiffening behind him. "It's ... it's tingling my fingers," he went, worriedly.

"Set it on the bio-bed and stand behind me," Kody told him, eyes peeled and darting left to right over the read-outs. "The amount of energy flowing between Adelaide and the crystal ... look at this," he said, pointing. "It's almost identical to what happens when a bat bites their lover. Except the crystal's output is several times stronger than a fur's. And the crystal isn't alive, of course, but ... " The rabbit's voice dropped off, suddenly. He tilted his head. Adelaide was in there.

You're insistent about that foursome, aren't you? My, my ... this is a vivid fantasy ...

The rabbit exhaled, sheepishly, looking away for a second.

I shouldn't be able to do this. She was thought-speaking to both of them, now. Field and Kody. I have a link with Field. I can access his mind with greater ease because we're closer. But, even then, I have to bite him to be fully linked. To directly merge thoughts, feelings, memories ... sensations. The bat spread her winged arms, breathing in deeply.

The two males did the same. Or, uh ... no, they didn't. But they felt it. They felt the taking of air, the velvety membranes of the wings stretching and then folding back together as the bat's arms dropped.

_You feel that, don't you? _

Kody, breathing audibly, nodded and blinked a few times. Swallowing, too. "Um ... it appears the crystal is emitting radiation. It doesn't look too harmful, but it's quite effective." The white rabbit tapped a few buttons. "Our brain activity is incredibly high. If it stays that high for too long, I imagine that ... that ... "

Field slumped against the rabbit, suddenly, with a breathy, arching swoon, hugging the rabbit from behind.

Kody's nose and whiskers, meanwhile, went numb with pleasure. His ears became stiff. If these read-outs were to be believed, Adelaide was somehow activating the endorphin centers in their brains.

Feel good?

They both nodded, again, in unison this time.

I feel like I can get into any corner or crevice of your minds without trying. It's almost too easy.

The rabbit arched, mewing, a warm wave washing over him. Down his spine. He literally felt like he was melting.

Field had felt the bat's telepathic 'touch' before, of course. Many times. This wasn't exactly new to him. But it was still wonderful. Anything she did to him always was. Maybe that made him a little too submissive. And then a 'flash' in his mind. Randomly, without warning. Numbers. Equations. Things he didn't understand at all. Tumbling out into his forethoughts.

This feels good for me, too. I can't describe it.

" ... t-this is very, very nice, yes," the rabbit murmured. "And I'm s-sure the bats use the crystal for this, like I mentioned." He weakly swallowed. "But we're not going to defeat the wasps with 'good vibrations' ... "

_I'm not sure if that's good or bad. Make love, not war, but who would want to make love with a wasp? _

"Other w-wasps, I assume ... "

It took a few seconds, but she finally eased up on the 'pleasure centers' of their brains. Saying aloud, "Barrow was right. That is addictive. I really didn't wanna stop."

Field blinked, lazily. In a happy haze. But he had information in his head that wasn't there before. Gateways? Weapons? Dragons? What did it mean?

Kody sighed, heavily.

"I hope you're getting good data from all this," the bat said, distractedly, keying in on Field's confusion. "I certainly am."

Kody realized his fur was matted. He'd been sweating, albeit lightly. "I need some water."

"I'll go get some," Field whispered, rubbing his wheat-furred cheeks, pink tail jerking erratically behind his pert rump.

"Extra ice," the rabbit added.

Field blew out air and wandered over to the food processor, which was in the doctor's open-door office. "I shouldn't know all of this," he said, aloud.

"Know what?" Kody asked, blinking.

Adelaide sat up straighter, twisting her neck. "Field, why do you have a memory of a dragon? I thought they were myths?"

"I don't know," he admitted, worriedly, turning to look at his love. "It wasn't there this morning."

"The ruins," Adelaide whispered. She remembered the incident. It all came together, now. "We were down there, and you got 'shocked,' and you were out for a few seconds. It must've transferred information into your mind. My telepathy rubbed off on you just enough to let it be planted there and safely retrieved."

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Kody asked. "Hello?"

"I'll explain later," Adelaide promised. "I think I just unlocked information that may help us against the wasps."

"In Field's head?" the rabbit continued, incredulously.

Adelaide didn't say anything further. The crystal was still glowing. It was still working. She had other things to explore. It was drawing her to use it, like it held a charismatic gravity. I can always sense minds, but I can read them, directly, now, all of them. On the ship. On the station. She kept quiet for a moment. I sense Aria. This should be interesting ...

"Can she detect you?"

I was born with this power. I know how to navigate a mind. If I want to be unnoticed, I can be.

"I think she has a crush on Aria," Field said, shyly, finally coming back with the water. He sipped his.

When Kody got his glass, however, he took a big swig. He almost wished for something stronger.

The only one I'm crushing on is you, mousey. Not to say that I don't find certain other furs to be worth a random lusty thought or two. Adelaide's fangs showed, in a sly grin. The grin soon faded, though. Field wasn't the only one with hidden information. I think our favorite snow rabbit is keeping a little secret related to one of our missions.

"I hate to interrupt your revelry. But don't let this power go to your head," Kody reminded, between gulps of cold liquid. "I think it's making you feel a little invincible. You can't invade other furs' privacy. That's not you. You're not a rogue."

A sheepish chitter, opening her eyes. "You're right, I'm not." She took a deep breath and pulled her 'feelers' back. Out of the crystal. Out of everything. And the purple element, which had been at a constant glow, finally began to dim. And then went dark. For now. "I guess I have the capacity to be, though. Maybe all bats do. The only thing making us regulate our powers is a tacit agreement to follow society's rules instead of nature's chaos." She thought for a moment. "I wonder if that should worry me?"

"We all have the capacity to cross lines," Kody told her, honestly. "And, sometimes, those lines are pretty thin."

"Well, I trust you," Field said, immediately, with a cute, whiskery smile.

Adelaide smiled at her mate. That was all she needed, really. His trust. His love. Field would anchor her. She took a deep, cleansing breath, stretching her wing-arms. "Are we done here, then?" she finally asked Kody. "Radiation a problem? Anything?" She slipped off the bio-bed, to a stand.

"All three of us seem healthy enough to leave." Putting his glass down, and his blunt-clawed fingers tapping a few buttons. "Just take it easy the rest of the afternoon. I should have a detailed analysis by the morning."

"I'm gonna go brief Rella, then," Adelaide said.

"What about me?" Field asked. Kody had just told him to take it easy. Otherwise, he would commence with ship-wide tidying.

"You can keep me company," Kody suggested.

"Just try and stay off each other," Adelaide teased, sauntering out of sickbay. A pretty violet bow on her rudder tail, as usual.

Kody chuckled and hopped into his office. "Field, help me file a report about this crystal thing? You're a good writer."

The mouse, scurrying after him, grabbed an extra chair and said, "As first officer, it's my job to read and respond to all departmental reports each day. You know that, right?"

"Yeah ... "

"So, you want me to write your report, send it to myself, and then reply to myself about what I wrote? How does that make sense for me?"

"Well, it makes me sound sneaky when you put it like that," Kody told him. The white rabbit winked and then tapped at his computer-desk. "Besides, if you write it for me, now, I won't have to send it to you because you'll have already seen and approved it. It'll save you time in the long run."

"I think you're being incorrigible again," Field observed.

"I know. Isn't it charming?" the rabbit asked, with a bucktoothed grin.

Field's dimples showed, in spite of his attempts to maintain a straight face. "Yeah," he eventually mumbled.

"We'll write it together. How 'bout that? I'll even lead. I mean, start," he corrected.

Field just nodded at the rabbit's innuendo. Or suggestion. Sounded fine by him.

"I will contact the archaeological team, discreetly, and clarify the situation," Aria replied, sitting up straighter.

"Well, see, I just did that for you."

"Contacted the team?"

"Clarified the situation," Rella replied, tersely, her red-brown tail fluttering through the 'tail-gap' in her chair. "Field knows more about the Gateways than any of those scientists."

"Because he obviously didn't need to spend four years being educated in advanced anthropology. Because a dragon told him." Her ice-blue eyes glimmered a bit, in mirth. "Were unicorns unavailable?"

"If you don't believe me, talk to Adelaide."

"Perhaps I will."

The squirrel squinted. She could never tell when snow rabbits were being serious or sarcastic. "The less furs that know about this, the better. In a time of war, you don't know who you can trust."

The constable titled her head, tall, slender ears (snowy white with charcoal-tips), bending forward slightly. "What are you implying?"

"Strangely enough, Adelaide happened upon something that calls your reliability into question. You're keeping a secret," the squirrel prodded.

"We all have secrets."

"Yeah, but not all of them dovetail into major security issues."

Aria sighed. "Ross."

"All I know is that you're canoodling with a human."

"We are merely sleeping together," Aria replied, coolly, without missing a beat.

"Is that a joke?"

"Somewhat."

"I'm not laughing," Rella announced.

"I don't know why you would be. Ross is not a human. He is a meadow mouse," Aria defended.

"He wasn't always."

"He is, now. That's all that matters. Creatures change."

"Yeah, metaphorically, mentally. They don't change bodies. Not unless they're caterpillars." The squirrel leaned forward. She was sitting on the other side of Aria's desk, in her office. It was approaching the end of the day shift. "We had contact with a human ship a week after we launched. The only furs ever to come into contact with them, and you didn't even confer with me? You do realize that the wasps came and took that same human ship? The wasps. Whom we are currently at war with!" An exasperated squeak. "I deserved to know about this. Do you not trust me or something?"

"It was my business," Aria said, insistently, bobtail flagging upright.

Rella huffed. "Well, now it's both our businesses."

"I will again remind you that our ranks, as commissioned by the High Command, are equal in stature. You have no superiority over me. And since fighting solves little, the only logical course of action is to work together."

The squirrel opened her mouth. And then closed it. She was quiet for a moment before, admitting, with arms crossed, "I guess there's no logical reason we shouldn't get along."

"I agree," the snow rabbit said, primly.

"But I'm not logical."

"Again, agreed," Aria said.

Rella raised a brow, waiting a moment before continuing, "We're both security officers, though. We're both competitive."

A slight tilt of the head, in acknowledgement. "But there are more important issues at paw than our battle for control."

"Like having a mouse problem," the squirrel said, simply.

"Yes. Commander Field possesses information the wasps desire. And Ross does, as well. They are both valuable targets," Aria stated.

"The wasps don't know about either of them. So, let's keep it that way," Rella said. "We'll have to keep them protected, though, without making them anxious. If they realize how much danger they're in, they'll freak out."

"They are a sensitive species," Aria agreed, quietly. Her gaze wandered, wistfully.

"Alright. I'll bite. I've already asked one friend if she was in love today. Should I ask the same of you?"

"We're friends?" Aria went, lightly, lifting her chin.

"Do you want to be?"

A polite, controlled smile. Which left her muzzle as she admitted, without answering the question, "I have never been in love. I've been an open-breeder all my life. But when I found this battered mouse in one of my holding cells, unable to understand my language, he still took my paw. He trusted me. At nights, when my shadow leaves, he replaces it. He's incredibly naïve about being a fur. He wants me to teach him."

Rella remained quiet, sensing there was more.

"I intimidate others. I suppose that is another reason why you and I clash. But you must understand that all my life, my species has been in a Cold War with the Arctic foxes. I grew up with conflict. Security has always been a deadly serious affair. You have to be assertive. You can't waver. If you do, you might miss something and lives may be lost. But I adapted to it, quickly." Her black nose moved up and down, in a cute, sniffy way. "When I said we 'sleep' together, I meant that literally. Ross and I sleep in the same bed. We haven't bred yet."

"I'm surprised. You being a rabbit and all."

Aria wasn't sure if that was a 'tease,' or a serious observation. She replied, honestly, "I would've pounced him, normally. I admit. But he is new to our culture, and he has never been with another. I don't want to take advantage of him. I feel like he is my responsibility."

"You make it sound like he's a pet," Rella said, with an amused chitter.

"That's not the case," she defended.

"I know. I'm just giving you a hard time." The squirrel chittered. "You and this non-human mouse? You two are both outsiders. Him because of where he came from and where he is, now, and you because, even though evolution gave your brain a 'freeze' to protect you from fiercer emotions, you've built up additional layers to protect yourself even more."

"What brings you to that conclusion?" Aria asked, with a slight frown.

"We don't know each other that well, but I'd say you are slightly aloof. Even more than most snow rabbits I've run into. Like Assumpta's mate, Oliver. He's pretty approachable. You give off an aura, though. Why else would you be floating up here on some random station? You're smart. I bet you could have any security job down on the planet, surrounded by fellow snow rabbits. Let alone on a key starship, visiting other colonies, worlds. Instead, you're on a structure that goes nowhere. You don't go to others. They only come to you, and even then, they're just passing through. There's no permanence to that. No commitment. Think about it ... "

Aria took all this in, eyes darting uncertainly.

"How'd you end up on Orbital 9?"

"Circumstances," was the quiet, evasive reply. Clearly, Rella's 'profiling' had struck a raw nerve. Aria opened and closed her paws and then placed them pads-down on her desktop. "You have given me much to think about. Perhaps you should've been a counselor?"

"Oh, I wouldn't have been good at that."

"Why not?" Aria asked.

"Well, it's all good when furs take your advice, but if they don't? I'd want to beat them up. I'm too rough-and-tumble not to be involved in a physical profession."

"Makes sense." Her ears twiddled. "You're mated to your captain, if I recall?"

"Mm-hmm."

"You make a good pair. You'll have to tell me what your secret is."

"Not that hard to figure out," Rella said, with a grin. She bounced upward, tail swishing. "I should be off-duty by now. I'm goin' to back to my ship." She extended a paw to the sitting rabbit. "I'm glad we had this friendly talk."

Aria took her mahogany-furred paw and shook it, properly. "Indeed. We'll have to do it again, sometime. Though the clouds of war make discussions like this all too rare."

Turning for the door, the squirrel said, over her shoulder, "Let's pray those clouds blow over, quickly, then ... "

He pressed the chime. Again. And then a third time, looking up and down the corridor. He nodded at Azure, the botanist, as he padded by. And then some female mouse. And then waited 'til he was alone before saying, "Ketchy, I know you're in there. The computer said you were."

No answer.

A frustrated look overcame his face. "Please?"

She finally answered, the doors 'whooshing' apart and into the bulkhead. "Hey," the squirrel breathed, shyly looking up. Kody was a few inches taller than her, not including the ears.

"I thought you were coming to my quarters?" he asked, immediately.

"I was."

"Well, I've been waiting half-an-hour," he added, worriedly. "I tried to call you on your badge, and ... "

" ... I know," she interrupted, breaking the eye contact. "I know." Holding her fluffy banner-tail against her breasts, like a security blanket. "I guess I lost track of time."

"Doing what?" he demanded.

"Staring out the window." At the stars, the half-icy planet below. All the ships moving to and fro. Losing herself in the cosmic insignificance of it all. Okay, so maybe she was depressed. Just a little bit.

"Ketchy," the rabbit breathed, quietly. "Let me in." It was apparent from the emotional tone of his voice that he didn't just mean 'let me into your quarters.' It went deeper than that. "Look, uh ... " He stumbled over his words. "I know I have a reputation. I can't change that. Honestly, I don't want to. I'm comfortable with myself. I'm a flirt. I'm a rabbit. I like having fun. I'm twenty-seven years old. I'm not going to overhaul my whole personality to be with anyone. I'm willing to compromise, but ... "

" ... that's fine. Really. That doesn't bother me," she insisted. In fact, it was one of his draws. His personality. A roguish character who'd mellowed, during this mission, into something worth holding onto.

"Then why are you acting so withdrawn, today?" he persisted. "I have emotions too, you know. Do you think I'm breeding you just for the hell of it?"

She didn't answer that.

"You're vulnerable. And you're honest. Maybe it's in my nature, being a doctor, to want to 'heal' others. To offer comfort and make furs happy. You certainly need some sort of healing. I don't think it's presumptuous for me to say that."

"It's not," she whispered back.

"I'm trying to help you. I'm giving you my time, my energy. My body. I want to know that it's working." An audible breath, whistling past his buckteeth. "I want to know I'm being good medicine."

"You're the best medicine. I just don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Who's going to get hurt?" he asked, softly. "Hmm?"

"I don't know," she continued, hugging her tail tighter. "Anyway, we're at war. Things happen. What if there's a triage situation, and what if you ... you get killed, and ... " Her eyes watered, and she had to let go of her tail to rub at them, desperately.

Kody moved forward, into her quarters.

She let him in.

Backing up, their bare foot-paws shuffled on the carpet. The doors swished shut. And his arms went around her in a tight, tender hug.

The tears flowed down her cheeks, quietly. Her paw-pads rubbing at her face. "I'm sorry," she mouthed, barely audible. "I love you. You make me feel so good. I'm so sorry ... "

He was kissing her forehead, sweetly, repeatedly. Seeing her like this was making his own eyes water. "It's alright. There's nothing to apologize for." He swayed, softly, moving her body with his, in unison. "I love you, too," he breathed, into one of her little, angular ears. "I'm not going anywhere."

She buried her face against his chest, eyes closed, breathing shakily. "I'm not always like this. I mean, I ... just, today, everything built up, and ... "

"I know. We all have our moments," Kody assured.

"I need you," she continued, her paws bunching up the fabric of his uniform-shirt. "I crave your kiss, your touch. When I'm on the bridge, I fantasize about you. You calm me down. You make things make sense to me."

The rabbit flushed when he heard this. Every-fur he'd been with, even Field, whom he loved dearly, had genuinely wanted him on some level, at some time. That'd never been the problem. But they hadn't needed him with the same lasting intensity. One couldn't eclipse the other. You had to be able to equally wanted and needed, and in turn, fulfill both your partner's wants and needs for a romance to truly sustain itself. In Ketchy, he had equilibrium: I can give her what she wants. I can also give her what she needs. I can be useful. And she can be the same for me, in return. I know she can. Because every time she makes these emotional confessions, they are like geysers, exploding from a suppressed source. And they make my heart stop.

"Kody?" she breathed, clearing her throat.

The rabbit snapped out of his thoughts. "Yes?"

"I'm hungry. I haven't eaten supper yet."

"You wanna eat here or in the mess hall?" he murred.

"Here," she mumbled, against his neck. "I don't want anyone to see I've been crying."

"Alright." He slowly guided her toward the couch, saying, "I'm not the best cook, mind you, but I can whip up a hell of a replicated salad."

An airy giggle. "Yeah?"

"Mm-hmm. Just relax, put on some piano music. Candlelight. And any other reliable cliché you can think of. We're gonna have a great evening," he promised.

Ketchy, with a bright, dawning smile, didn't doubt him for a second. They may not be officially mated yet, or ever. But they were together. Right now, that was all that mattered.