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"It's some kind of jamming signal. I can't communicate with the snow rabbit ships. Or the stations. Attempting to compensate," Ketchy announced, with growing alarm.

"I've seen this before," Rella replied, projecting her voice from tactical. Her luxurious squirrel-tail arching behind her. "They're trying to isolate us one by one. Confuse us and make us easier to pick off."

"How many are there?" Wren asked, standing up in front of his chair in the center of the bridge. He had too much adrenaline to sit down. Arctic fox ships had entered the solar system and were approaching the snow rabbit Home-world at full-speed.

"Four."

"I guess, with the wasps busy on the perimeter of snow rabbit space, they're asking their 'non-aggressive' allies to make mischief in the interior," the captain continued, referring to the non-aggression pact the foxes, along with the Federation, had signed with the wasps.

"I doubt they needed to be asked," Rella said. "They've been looking for an excuse to go to war with the snow rabbits for years. They've just always been afraid of losing."

"Who says they aren't going to lose, now?" Wren posed, with bravado, asking his mate, "With communications down, can we do anything to get the attention of the snow rabbit vessels?"

"Fly close to them. Do fancy maneuvers. Like a male bird trying to impress a female. Then take a position in front of them. They should 'submit' and follow our lead." The two squirrels were clearly capable in a crisis and liked to bounce ideas off each other in an almost flirt-like manner.

"Interesting suggestion," he replied, with a chuckle. "Wonder what made you think of that?"

"Hey, it'll work," was the winking promise.

"Chester," Wren said, padding toward the helm. "Woo the snow rabbits."

The piebald-pelted mouse blushed in the ears, giving a sharp, nervous nod. "Aye, sir."

The captain went back to his chair, sitting down this time. He took a deep breath and immediately blew it out. "They're up to something," he said. "Why send only four vessels?"

"Reconnaissance. Or maybe just a lightning strike," Rella theorized. "Get in, get out. Do the maximum amount of damage to us while minimizing losses for them. Instill some paranoia about when the next 'attack' will come. Keep us on our toes. Much like their 'terrorist' efforts before the war."

"I think they're after something specific," Wren admitted. It was just a feeling. He has no basis for it, other than, "The wasps probably put them up to this. And the wasps always have an agenda."

Rella couldn't deny that.

At the comm station, Ketchy gave up on trying to do anything. She squeaked in frustration, warily watching the main viewer. Chester was taking Luminous on a rather dizzying ride. It was only because of the inertial dampeners and the artificial gravity plating that that the crew didn't get queasy or go tumbling out of their chairs.

The helm-mouse's paw-pads began to sweat. They'd disengaged from Orbital 9 as soon as the intruders had been spotted, entering a higher orbit of the planet. Joined by snow rabbit ships. He was dipping below their bellies and swooping around. Keeping enough distance to protect against accidental collisions.

"I think they get the message, Chester. We've been noticed," Wren finally said. "Take the point."

"The Arctic foxes are almost on top of us," Rella said. "Just a matter of seconds."

"I'm ahead of the others," the mouse announced.

"They're all slotting in behind us. A wedge formation." Rella's paws flew over her controls. "I've got a targeting lock on the first enemy ship." Ba-beep. Beep! Beep! "Change of plans. Enemy vessels are scattering. Each heading toward a different station." There were ten stations in orbit. "They're intent on getting our ships into one-on-one situations."

"Well, we're gonna have to oblige them. The stations can only defend themselves to a point. Chester, pursue the nearest attacker. Full thrusters."

"Already on it," the mouse squeaked. "Only a few seconds behind."

"Two snow rabbit ships are following us." Beep-a-beep. "Dammit."

"What's wrong?" Wren asked, eyes widening.

"One of the fox ships is veering into a lower orbit. They're releasing a shuttle. It's entering the atmosphere. The ship is rejoining the fray, but the shuttle's descending beyond weapons range ... "

"Destination?" he chittered.

"I don't know. I can't tell yet. There's too much going on," Rella said, whiskers twitching. She may have been a rough-and-tumble rodent, but she was still prey. Her head was starting to spin. Her heart beginning to hammer. "Orbital 7 is being fired at. So are 5, 8, and 9. Their shields are all raised, but ... " Fingers flying. Activating Luminous's forward phase canons, the squirrel opened fire without waiting for the order. Direct hit. She huffed and clenched her jaw. Waiting for the retaliation.

It came quickly.

The ship jerked, violently, sparks flying from the science station, drawing a yip from the skunk who was manning it.

Wren was pitched out of his chair, with an 'mmf,' but immediately bounced back up, tail fluttering like a proud banner.

Rella eyed her mate, briefly, making sure he was okay. And then proceeded to fire at will. Luminous had been received multiple tech upgrades since joining the High Command. Her firepower had been increased. For a prey vessel, she had teeth. And they were fully bared.

The Promenade was eerily empty.

"Non-essential personnel have been ordered to their quarters. The civilian population is accounted for. We can't do anything but wait," Aria told her assembled deputies, in front of an information kiosk between the constable's office and the dining district. Being a security officer on a space station had its limitations. You were charged with protecting a loose, rotating community, so your main concern revolved around internal security issues, much like a 'police force' in a small town. External attacks were bigger in scope, and therefore, largely out of your control. Ops handled the blunt-force military matters (like firing on enemy vessels). "If the shields go down, the foxes are likely to 'flash' aboard. Spread out but stay within reasonable eye contact. Any questions?"

One of her deputies, the lieutenant who'd found Ross in one of the cargo holds, raised a white-furred, charcoal-padded paw.

"Yes, Elim?"

"If we are boarded, are we to take prisoners?"

"No," Aria replied, without hesitation. It was an icy response. But she, like all snow rabbits, had a long, tense 'relationship' with the Arctic foxes. When they'd sold themselves to the wasps in exchange for the promised destruction of the snow rabbits? Well, what little empathy she'd had for them had finally been bled dry. "We shoot to kill. Anything else?" When she got no further inquiries, she nodded primly. "Dismissed."

The group broke apart, each rabbit hopping in a different direction while clutching their phase pistols.

Elim, however, remained in place, his pistol holstered. Paws clasped behind his back in an orderly fashion.

Aria, her, tall, antennae-like ears tilting in his direction, asked, "You have something you wish to say to me?"

"In private, yes," he replied.

The female snow rabbit looked left, then right. They were mostly alone. "Proceed."

"I'm not quite sure if it's inappropriate to broach this, considering we are under attack, but I wanted to ask before the others did."

She raised a brow.

"Your scent. It's stronger than it was yesterday," Elim said, simply. He said nothing more, not wanting to be too presumptuous. She was his superior, after all.

Aria blinked, doing quick calculations in her head. Had it been three weeks already? Rabbits, having more prolific breeding drives than other furs, ovulated every twenty-three days. For two days. When pregnant, the gestations were only seven months. (This was on the absolute short end of the spectrum. With bats occupying the long end, ovulating every six weeks for three days, with eleven-month gestations. Most other species were squarely in-between.)

"I assume you'll need help?" he continued, quietly. Like the majority of snow rabbits, Aria was an open-breeder. As was Elim. He hadn't been stationed to Orbital 9 for very long (less than a month, in fact), but he admired the constable greatly. He would be honored to satisfy her.

Suddenly distracted, Aria replied, after clearing her throat, "I hadn't thought about it. I suppose it snuck up on me."

"The days have been stressful," the lieutenant agreed. "Perhaps I can help them to be less so." It wasn't a request, this time. More like a hope or promise.

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied, as diplomatically as possible. Her throat was getting dry, and a flush of heat came to the pink insides of those distinguished ears. She flicked them, repeatedly, to cool them down. Surely, the passing of a few minutes hadn't kicked her heat into full swing? You have to control your thoughts. The station is under attack. Doesn't nature know that? Doesn't my body have any sense of etiquette?

"Thank you, Aria," Elim said, gratefully, using her name rather informally. Before hopping away and into his assigned position.

She blew out a hazy breath, shaking her head. Clearly, the lieutenant's nose (and her remembrance of the calendar) was accurate. Today was the day. And he, upon second and third glance, was a very handsome rabbit, to be sure, with an amiable temperament. He was also fairly new. She'd never bred with him before. That made him exotic. She began to imagine him without his shirt. And then without other things. It was a pleasing fantasy. He would do nicely. The madness, the desire. It was almost unbearable without someone to quench the fire.

Not just anyone. Someone. There's a difference, right?

She suddenly thought of Ross. The human-turned-mouse was nestled in her quarters. She'd ordered him to stay there, out of sight, out of harm's way, as soon as the red alert klaxons had sounded. He hadn't questioned her. She was the only fur he trusted in this 'new universe' he found himself in. She knew this because he'd confessed to it. In bed, last night, as they'd fallen asleep together. If she and Ross weren't physically intimate and she spent her heat (well, some of it) with another male, would that be some kind of betrayal on her part?

If you have to ask, aren't you just looking for an excuse to change the answer? Aren't you just a little afraid?

She un-holstered her weapon. I'm not afraid of Arctic foxes. Why would I be afraid of going further with Ross?

Because you've been fighting foxes your whole life. As awful as it sounds, you're used to it. It's second nature. But you've never been in love, she told herself. Never even come close.

Her internal debate ended, though, when the floor pitched beneath her. The station shook. She mewed and barely kept her balance. Like her heart, the universe was topsy-turvy. She could only hope it would right itself before too long.

Chester ducked his head, on instinct, as a piece of debris flew at the view-screen. But even with his eyes off the helm controls, he managed to steer Luminous clear of further wreckage.

"One down, three to go," Wren said, with reluctant satisfaction. He hated having to fight other furs. But the foxes were leaving them with no choice but to defend themselves.

"The remaining three vessels are persisting with their attacks on the stations, but their shields are taking a beating. They shouldn't last much longer. I think the snow rabbits can handle them," Rella announced. "I'd like to go after that shuttle."

"Do we know where it landed? Are we sure the snow rabbit ground patrols didn't get to it first?"

"They might have, but I'd feel more comfortable if I knew for sure. It happened so quickly, I'm not sure anybody noticed but us."

The captain nodded, weightily. His whiskers twitching. "Alright. Chester, take us into lower orbit. Ketchy, is the comm working yet?"

"A little. The removal of that fourth ship started to break the jamming signal."

"Link up with the High Command sensor net. See if they have were able to track the shuttle's descent."

"Aye, sir," the nutty-brown squirrel replied, putting her silvery earpiece back in her ear. Eyes darting over her controls. When she wasn't distracted by her own misgivings, she was a quick worker. She soon had an answer for Wren. "Looks like an isolated area in the Northern hemisphere." Tap-a-tap. Tap. "At the site of some ancient ruins."

Rella's eyes widened. "Ruins?" she asked. "Wren, remember: Field, the Gateways? He and Adelaide visited that site." It had been, what, over a month ago? Before the winter season had arrived to that area. "If the wasps got wind of a Gateway being there, this whole attack could've been a distraction to allow them to verify that."

The head squirrel sighed. "We'll have to send a shuttle after them. But I need you here, in case another wave of ships comes in."

"Shall I tell Field and Adelaide to report to the shuttle bay?"

A slight hesitation. "No. Field has to go, because he has direct information about the Gateways. Pyro, too, cause he has the nose and eyes to hunt down wasps. He's also immune to their hypnotic powers. We need a security officer to go with them as backup, in case a firefight breaks out ... "

" ... Dotna," Rella suggested.

"And we need an engineer to analyze any findings. Preferably one who can fight, as well. Assumpta. She's a predator. And she's from an icy realm. She'll do fine in the snow. That's four."

"Adelaide's not gonna like being left on the ship, Wren. She'll want to go with Field. Especially in this circumstance."

"We can only take four," he said, quietly. He couldn't accommodate emergency away teams to make everybody happy. He had to do what was best for the efficiency of the mission. "But tell Adelaide she can use one of the bridge stations to monitor the team from here."

Rella nodded and did just that.

Aria hit the floor hard, in spite of the carpeting, and lost her breath from the impact. She gasped, weakly, trying to refill her lungs as she rolled onto her bobtailed backside. Seeing a shadowy blur coming toward her with alarming quickness, she rolled again, instinctively, and the Arctic fox's bare foot-paw came smashing down where her head had been.

The fox yipped, losing his balance, trying to orient himself for another kick.

But the snow rabbit, still on her back, bent her strong, loping legs, and literally vaulted herself up to a crouch. Whereupon, she was able to spring fully upright, planting her bare left foot-paw, taking an immediate, dervish-like spin, and delivering a vicious punch-kick with the right one. Directly to the fox's stomach. Sending him sprawling. He didn't get up. Just whimpered in confusion.

Aria's breasts swelled, and she padded toward him, reaching for her pistol, but was quickly yanked backward. An arm around her neck. She coughed and gasped. A white-furred arm. Another fox had snuck up behind her while she'd been delivering that blow. Her keen ears had missed it. She scolded herself, struggling in her captor's grasp. It wasn't much use.

He, with stronger muscles, tightened his hold on her neck. Growling against her cheek, with hot, moist breath, "You're in heat, bunny. It's exciting my nose. Amongst other things ... " He allowed his sharp teeth to comb through her neck-fur with a chuckle.

The snow rabbit grunted and gave a final twist, mewling weakly as claws dug into her pelt, down to the skin.

"Ah-ah. Calm down ... now, what say we do something about your condition, hmm?" the fox suggested, with a dark, predatory smile. "You're not a vixen, but I think you'll do." Beginning to drag her across the Promenade, into an unlit 'nook.' Where the station's myriad 'access tubes' could be entered. He shoved her as hard as he could, face-first, against the bulkhead.

She gave a yelp, eyes screwed shut. Feeling suddenly bruised. She was trembling with anxiety. Her bobtail flickering wildly. The snow rabbit's psychological 'freeze,' native to her species, kept her from outright panic. Kept her composed just enough to bait the fox. Reel him in. Play the part of submissive doe. Do it.

Her ears stood tall as she heard his belt being yanked off. And, then, harshly, her rump was exposed. Pants around her ankles. He groped at her white, furry rear. "Soft and fertile. You live up to your species reputation." He used a foot-paw to kick open her legs.

She wobbled, forced to adjust her balance, giving a submissive mew. Making no effort to try and stop him.

"You can leave the panties on," he whispered, huskily, as if that somehow protected her decency. With a finger, he moved aside the band of fabric that covered her vulva, holding it out of the way and preparing to take her. To rape her. That's what this was.

She felt his shirt-laden belly bump against her back, his strong hips dipping into position.

Now! Without warning, she pushed her paws off the bulkhead with as much energy as she could muster, bucking the fox off her backside. He stumbled a few feet, arms wobbling to keep him upright. His expression turned to a scowl, but it was too late. She had all the time she needed. Haphazardly pulling her pants back up, she spun. She kicked. Her large, padded foot-paw making direct contact with the predator's exposed genitals.

" ... mm-f!" His eyes flew open, rolling back, his body teetering almost comically before he crumpled to the floor with a wheeze.

Aria, panting, fully fasted her pants, now, hopping over the fox's writhing form without casting him a second glance. "There's a downside to having your genitals on the outside," she told him as she walked away, in a statement of raw, feminine power. Adding, "And don't call me 'bunny'." In snow rabbit society, the term was reserved for lovers. So went the long-standing etiquette. She slapped at her comm-badge, briskly. "Aria to lieutenants Elim and Adak."

"Yes, ma'am?" they both replied, at the same time.

"I 'downed' two foxes by the maintenance nook." She'd said 'shoot to kill,' earlier. And she was tempted to follow through on that. But killing them wouldn't make her hate them less. It would only make her hate herself for becoming like them. Like a predator. Besides, if they were spared, they'd be able to remember being bested by prey. Let them stew. "I need backup immediately."

"Understood," said Elim.

"I have a straggler by the holo-suites," Adak said. "I can pick him off with my pistol."

"Be careful," she told him, returning to the middle of the Promenade and finding her first foxy victim to be gone. She looked around for half a minute. No sign of him. He must've 'flashed' back to his ship. Hopping to an information kiosk, she accessed station sensors. True enough, the fox vessels had retreated or been destroyed. Three wreckage clouds. Only one escaped, then? But the foxes had more than four vessels in their fleet. This was just them being a mild annoyance on behalf of the wasps. There were bigger attacks to come, surely.

She suddenly slumped against the kiosk, rubbing her forehead. Her heat was truly beginning to take hold. She was already short of breath. Maybe it was all the adrenaline? But she was healthy enough that, after such a fight, she should've recovered by now. And her fur shouldn't have been damp with sweat. Her paws began to shake. Why, oh, why does this have to happen today?

Elim came to her aid, immediately noticing (and scenting) her symptoms. "Constable," he said, at a whisper. His nose tingled, and his eyes began to dilate. She smelled incredible. He craved her in an animalistic way.

"We are on duty," she reminded, weakly. "I'll manage."

"Aye ... yes. Of course," he went, distractedly. Duty. But wasn't one's duty to nature just as important as one's duty to society?

"We have to take care of the foxes that were left be hind. Lock them in the brig. With posted guards."

Another nod, yet making no move to do so. It was like he couldn't break from her orbit.

"I'm, uh, going. To the infirmary."

"Did they injure you?" Elim asked, with concern. His eyes were idolizing her body.

Her heat was hazing her mind. She was aware that this was rapidly spinning out of control, but she couldn't find a firm way to stop it. "Uh ... no. No." She needed an injection. Right? Her monthly injection. Why hadn't she gotten it last week, when she was lucid? Because you've not been sexually active, Aria. Not recently. Very rare behavior for a rabbit, but you've been so busy with your work. But, now ... now ...

... Elim was sniffing at her neck, like an animal.

Her maw was open.

He was pushing her to the nearest door before anyone could see or stop them. It swooshed open.

Things got frantic, then, in this dark, empty café. A few mumbled words that were only half-understood. She wound up on her belly, on a table, the male rabbit draped over her. Clothing was dealt with, almost unconsciously. The next things she knew, his hips. Yes, yes, his hips. Humping like a dog but fucking like a purebred rabbit. The difference between style and substance. Knowing every trick and move made possible by nature, even in this wild, impulsive state. He pleasured the female impeccably. He played her strings until she let forth unrehearsed notes.

Mews, and then an outright squeal, paws scrabbling on the tabletop, bobtail raised like a white, flickering flame, her flower already pouting greedily, slurping up his essence, beginning to ripple around it.

The mere hint of her release triggered the male into a swoon, forcing him flatter against her back, frantically grinding himself against her white, furry backside, burying himself deeply up between those daintily-spread legs.

Her nose tingled. Breath caught and nipples throbbed, breasts having been squished against the tabletop this entire time. Moans tumbled off her tongue as her sex erupted into fluttery, furious spasms. Milking him. Massaging him, involuntarily. She peaked.

He mewed, succumbing to her body's lure, giving it what it wanted but didn't necessarily need, and nature patted him on the head for doing so, rewarding him handsomely with orgasmic pleasure. It wracked him as he pelted her cervix with his seed. At least five solid spurts before the ejaculations tapered off. And, even then, he was still in shock from the intensity of it all.

Aria, beneath him, sighed heavily, her ice-blue eyes glazing over. Her svelte, snowy-furred figure warm and resting. Satisfied, at least for the moment. Surely, what they'd done had amounted to some kind of performance art.

It was Elim who finally broke the verbal silence. Whispering, as his afterglow kicked in, "Oh. Truly, I lost track of time and existence while we were doing that." He licked his lips. "Remarkable."

"Yes," she replied, simply. A restrained smile which, owing to their positions, the male couldn't see. "Thank you ... "

"You're most welcome." Nuzzling the back of her head. "I've lusted after you ever since I was assigned to your staff. I suppose those feelings prompted me to lose control when you went into heat." He was cognizant enough to realize he'd done the pouncing. He'd lost control first. Might as well admit it, even if he didn't regret it.

"I was greatly addled, myself."

"Well, I'm glad I got to experience you at least once," he confessed, reverently. "I know you have eyes for that strange mouse."

She nodded quietly. "I think I do ... "

He kissed the back of her neck, pulling his hips back. Pulling out of her. A trail of mixed wetness flowing from the source of their union. "We should probably get you to the infirmary for real, now." He pulled up his boxer-briefs. They were blue. His pants, next. The buckle of his belt then being secured. "You're going to require an emergency contraceptive." He fondled her rump and pulled her upright, turning her around. Kissing her forehead. "Unless you want to carry my kit?"

"Tempting," she teased, "but I'm not ready for offspring. As much as nature is hell-bent on convincing me otherwise. I live too dangerously, for a start," she said, of being a security officer in a time of war. She bent down, reaching for her panties. They were around one ankle. She stepped into them, fully, and pulled them up, followed by her pants. "But I enjoyed your attempt to give me one."

"Of course," he replied, warmly.

Fully dressed (but in need of a shower), she smoothed at her fur. "They'll probably know what we did," she said, of the rest of the security staff. "I hope Adak apprehended that other fox I downed."

"I'm sure he did. He's eager to please."

"As eager as you?"

"Not quite," Elim assured. "Besides, if anything had gone wrong, we would've been called on our comm-badges," he said, logically. "It's likely they saw us leave together and knew enough to leave us alone. We're not the first officers to 'fraternize' on the job. And we won't be the last."

"True." Aria swallowed. She really did have to get to the infirmary. And, after that, "I'm going to have to stay in my quarters for the next two days. I will be too much a distraction, otherwise. To myself and others." She felt fine, now. She was sated. But that wouldn't last. Heat was a delirious firestorm, and this was merely the eye. Females and their mates were typically given 'leave' during its duration. Ross would spend this leave with her. Hopefully. Maybe. If only Elim hadn't been so good. She was confused. "Will you, uh ... I mean, will you run the department in my absence?"

"Me?"

"I prefer to ask a different officer each cycle. Give everyone experience. Besides, we're in a time of crisis, and I trust you."

"I accept," he said, heartily, adding, before they reentered the Promenade, "I hope things work out with you and your mouse. If not, or if he's more open-minded than you think ... "

"You'll be at the top of my list," she replied, genuinely. She was going to have to explain this to Ross. She'd taken him in and protected him. She'd been tolerant of his anxiety and confusion. Would he understand her, in turn? He was going to have to realize that this wasn't Earth, and she wasn't human. And neither, anymore, was he. Neither was Elim. None of them were. They were all furs. And, sometimes, 'fur' happened.

"You do know how to pilot these things, right?" Field asked, uncertainly.

"Course I do," said Pyro, from the helm, as they descended from the main shuttle-bay. Into the starry, glowing orbit of the snow rabbit Home-world. He tapped a few buttons and the pod jerked sharply. "Oops!"

Field just gripped the armrests on his chair and made a scrunch-face. "I think I'd prefer if Dotna was the pilot."

"You're not the only one," Dotna replied.

"Rodents. No appetite for thrill rides," the wolf replied, his big, grey paws working the controls.

"I've ridden you, haven't I?" Dotna said, slyly. With an indiscreet glance.

The wolf chuckled, giving his mate's brush-tail a healthy grope. "Mm-h. Touche."

Field blushed, turning his attention to Assumpta. He hadn't talked to the snow leopard, recently. She was in engineering most of the time. Or on Orbital 7, with Oliver, her mate. "You here for brain or brawn?" he asked her.

"Both. You?"

"I'm here because I know too much," he admitted.

"Care to elaborate?" she pressed, giving him one of those enigmatic, feline stares.

"It'd take too long to explain."

"A dragon planted secret instructions in his head on how to destroy ancient super-technology," Pyro said. It was a small pod. You couldn't really hold a quiet conversation. "Pretty simple, really."

Field's whiskers twitched, replying, "If it's so simple, why do I have such a bad feeling? Like we're about to be in over our heads."

"Don't you mean 'over your ears?' Cause, like, you have big ears," continued Pyro, in case anyone didn't get it. "I'm in great form today," he boasted.

Dotna giggled. She found the wolf to be especially attractive when he was in these carefree moods.

Assumpta, nodding, only said, "I trust we have enough winter gear for everyone? I hear snow rabbit winters are fairly brutal." She didn't seem too upset about it, though.

"They'd have to be, to end up with those 'freeze' things," Pyro said. "I never understood what those were. Always sounded like a bunch of psychobabble to me."

"Pyro," Dotna muttered, giving him a jab. Okay, so maybe he was being a little too carefree.

"What?"

"I am mated to a snow rabbit," Assumpta reminded, proudly.

"Oh, yeah. Right." An awkward pause. "A lot of fun, is it?"

"Yes," was the feline's dry monotone.

"Cause, you know, rabbits ... "

" ... we know," Field interrupted. "Everyone in this pod has bred with a rabbit before."

No denials were given. But it was Pyro who pointed out, "Hey, speaking of rabbits, is it weird that I'm the only one here who hasn't had sex with Kody?"

Sudden, blinking silence from the other three. They hadn't realized that before he'd mentioned it.

"Well, not bad-weird, but like a funny coincidence?"

Field, whiskers twitching, saved them from having to address this by replying, "I know we're furs, but let's lay off sex for just a single minute? This mission is really important." He was nervous as hell. "We have to deactivate the Gateways before the wasps find a way to use them."

"And you know how to do this?" Assumpta pressed.

"I do. Not consciously, but ... " A sigh. It was confusing. "Adelaide says it'll come to me when I need it. When I come into contact with a psionic signature."

"Do wasps take well to the cold?" the snow leopard continued, curiously, as the pod descended below the grey cloud layer. A realm of white was revealed. That night she'd mated Oliver in Sleetmute, it'd been rather warm. That was further toward the planet's middle, sure, but it was hard to believe that their summers were so short. Pyro had been right about one thing: it was no surprise that the snow rabbits had ended up a little emotionally reserved. You couldn't afford to be too sensitive when your environment was so routinely harsh.

"Wasps can survive in the vacuum of space," Pyro said, darkly, staring out the windows. "They prefer the heat, but they can function in the cold."

"I feel we ought to have an advantage," Assumpta insisted, speaking like a true predator. She lived her life amongst prey, now, but she was still a feline, which meant she was rarely anything less than confident.

The pod shook again as it hit a bit of turbulence, and Field held his breath. "Land as close to the ruins as you can," he told Pyro. "But keep a lookout for that Arctic fox shuttle. We don't wanna set down right next to it."

"Shouldn't we be able to pick it up on sensors?" he asked, bringing the pod into a gentle swoon.

"Already trying," Dotna responded, eyes focused on the secondary control panel. "There." She pointed, with a blunt-clawed finger. "Right there. Just to the north of the main entrance."

"So, there's only one way in?" Assumpta asked, with concern.

"It's down in a cave system, it looks like. Probably buried under layers of sediment and ice thousands of years ago."

"This wasn't always a wintery world," Field explained. "It used to be a tropical one. Then there was some kind of massive geological incident."

"Like what? A meteor strike?" Pyro wondered.

"I'm not sure. But the snow rabbits were the only sentient species to evolve from the aftermath. The dragons 'transcended' to a higher plane before the change."

"A fascinating place," Assumpta said, approvingly.

"Think you're a little biased," Pyro told her, "seeing as one of the natives is givin' you the goods."

"Canines and wolves. The eternally tactless."

"Don't you mean the lovably honest?"

"You two, stop it," Dotna said, whiskers twitching.

"Yeah," Field echoed. He was supposed to be in charge here. "If the wasps landed on the north of the ruins, let's land on the south. Just to be safe." He reached into a backpack he'd brought, pulling out a few articles of extra clothing.

"What the hell are those?" the grey-furred wolf demanded, looking over his shoulder. "Hah. Are those mittens for your ears? That's fucking adorable," Pyro commented, with a goofy, broad-tongued grin.

The mouse, trying to keep a serious face, just pointed out the windows. "Pay attention?"

"Course, course ... "

Field blushed as he put the warm, wooly ear-mittens on. Yeah, they looked silly. But mouse-ears were mostly exposed flesh. They would get frostbitten in below-freezing temperatures. Same with his tail. Which is why he had to put on a long, thin, tubular tail-sock, too.

"Let me help," Assumpta said, seeing that Field was having trouble with the sock.

He bit his lip with those big, rodent buckteeth, shyly, turning his back for the feline. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"You're welcome," she replied, as she 'shimmied' the sock all the way down. 'Til it covered even his tail-base.

Dotna, from the co-pilot's seat, began to put on a big, insulated coat, as well as a toboggan hat.

"Prepare to me amazed by my gentle touch," Pyro said, as the pod hovered behind a snow drift. It lowered, lowered, and ...

... Field lurched from his seat, squeaking dizzily as he hit the floor.

Assumpta gave a hiss but, being a feline, kept her balance.

Dotna, who'd been pitched against the console panel, scowled and sat back up and harmlessly slugged her mate in the arm.

"What? I guess I'm a bit rougher than I thought," the wolf admitted, sheepishly.

"You mated someone else?" Ross asked, eyes widening with unchecked disappointment. She didn't even have to tell him. His sniffy, pink nose 'scented' it (a male snow rabbit) on her as soon as she'd returned to her quarters. He also picked up on something else, something enticing. He tried not to let it distract him, but ...

"Not mated," she corrected, technically. "Bred."

"What's the difference?" the meadow mouse demanded, his squeaky voice rising.

"Breeding is an act. Mating is a commitment."

"Like marriage?"

A head-tilt. "If that's what humans call mating, then yes. But we don't put as much ceremony to it."

A confused sigh, taking a seat on the couch and glancing out the windows into space. He was so far away from everything he knew. There was so much he wanted to say. But all that came out was, "I don't understand."

"I'm a rabbit," she said, simply.

"Is that a diagnosis or an observation?" he wondered, looking back to her. He was a shy, anxious sort, yeah. But this whole situation had him pent up. Emotions were beginning to bubble over.

"Maybe both." She sat next to him, folding her paws in her lap. "Furs are sensual creatures, but my species ... "

"Takes the cake," he finished for her. That much was obvious.

"Cake?"

"A human expression. It means you 'win the prize.' You're the tops."

"If that's a compliment, then I approve," she stated, playfully, with a single bobtail flicker.

He averted his eyes for a moment. "My species has ... well, had," he corrected, seeing as he wasn't human anymore, "a lot of hang-ups about sex. We shroud it in morality, apply it with taboos. It can be really awkward, sometimes."

"Why?"

"It's an animal act. I guess we'd rather disown our animal origins."

"Furs embrace theirs," she said, proudly.

"Is that why the foxes attacked us today? They were embracing their predatory heritage?"

"I didn't say we were perfect," Aria defended. "Your problem is that you over-think. You need to learn to trust your instincts."

"You slept with another male, Aria!"

"We didn't sleep."

"You know what I mean. I just ... I really like you. You're the only one I know in this universe. The only one I care about." A weak sigh. "The one I trust."

"I'm sorry," she told him, simply. Knowing that's ultimately what he needed. An apology. "I didn't mean to hurt you. It just happened."

"How does something like that 'just happen'?" he asked.

A hot, impatient sigh. "I'm in heat."

A delay, before, "Uh ... heat?"

An insistent nod.

"That's, like ... "

"To put it politely, I'm ovulating. And nature has greatly intensified my 'appetite' to ensure I end up conceiving."

The rodent's ears blushed. "Oh. That."

"This doesn't happen in human females?" A few blinks.

"No. I mean, yes. I mean ... they have periods. It's not quite the same thing."

"Why is their cycle named after a punctuation mark?" she said, furrowing her brow.

"It's just different. You can't really tell when they're fertile."

"That sounds ineffective," she said, unimpressed.

"Well, we manage to have offspring, somehow. Not me, of course, but ... you know." He bit his lip, nose tingling. "Our females don't give off a scent, either. You, uh ... you smell good ... "

"Nature's way of ensuring you end up helping me conceive," she said, of her pheromones. "It's all rather diabolical, but ... " She wasn't going to complain about it. " ... what can we do?"

"Yeah ... "

"I lost control with Elim, yes. I admit that. My adrenaline was high. My desire was spiking. I was confused, and he was a fellow rabbit, and I ... well, I knew he was capable. I knew he'd be good. And he was. I just needed it," she said, simply. "I was caught in a maelstrom. And even though he sated me, it's like a tide. It ebbs. And then returns, fully, threatening to wash me away unless I can evaporate it with a shared passion."

"Wow." The mouse's ears felt hot. "That's poetic."

"If not incoherent," she admitted, with a subtle smile. "It's something one never wishes to endure alone."

"I see ... I mean, I can understand that. Yeah." Ross could only nod, beginning to get overwhelmed. More questions. His mind spinning. "Are you going to have Elim's baby?" he asked, worriedly.

"Rabbits have kits, actually. And, no. I had the doctor give me an emergency contraceptive. I should be covered for the duration of this cycle."

Her scent was getting thicker, now. Like a tempting perfume. "Can furs only reproduce with their own species?"

"It's possible to have children with a member of a sub-species, or a related species. Rodents amongst rodents. Even mouses and bats, or, say, foxes and wolves. The further you get from a same-species match, though, the lower the percentages become, but ... yes, it's technically possible. It doesn't happen as much as you'd think. If it did, it would be genetic chaos, as half-breeds bred with half-breeds. Nature tries to limit that."

"Makes, uh ... sense. I guess I have a lot to learn."

"Then you're lucky you have me as a teacher. I'm an expert."

"I gathered." Ross licked his lips and then exhaled deeply. He hadn't tried to get worked up. He'd wanted to be mad at Aria, a little. But she was having a powerful affect on him, and it wouldn't have mattered if she was in heat or not. She was confident, beautiful, and smart. And that cottony fluff-tail? Oh, gosh. He'd been dreaming all his life of a woman like that. (Maybe sans the tail. But it was an excellent addition to the fantasy, like a cherry on top.) Was he really willing to let it slip away because of cultural differences? I can be tolerant, right? I can forgive her.

"I should admit to you, before we lose control, that I've never taken a mate, and that I sense you would be reluctant to settle for anything less."

"Well, uh ... I mean, I'd rather have you than not have you. I'd like to have you to myself. But, I mean, this a new life. I gotta learn how to bridge the gap. Learn how to ... "

" ... compromise," she whispered, touching his chin with a blunt-clawed finger. Lifting his gaze.

"Y-yes."

She leaned closer to him. "Would you be willing to compromise with me? Maybe?"

He swallowed, nodding vigorously. He couldn't believe he was being won over so easily.

"What would you say to a semi-open mate-ship," she posed, moving her other paw to his shirt. Tugging at it. "We would be each other's primary partner. Each other's core love, as it were. But, now and then, as long as we had express permission from each other, we would be able to 'play' outside the lines." She began to rub at his forearm fur. Up and down his left arm, softly. "I've enjoyed a certain lifestyle for quite a while. I do not believe I could give it up overnight, as easily as you might wish. And I want you to have more experiences, yourself. You're too conservative, by far ... "

"Maybe I, uh ... well ... "

"Yes, maybe," she breathed, "you could try to relax? Take it easy ... "

"Uh, well ... " He wondered if this was a common arrangement amongst furs? Or mainly a rabbit thing. "Are we gonna ... like, that means we're gonna ... "

" ... now?" she asked.

"Uh-huh."

"Yes, now," she breathed, against his neck. "We are. Going to." Impatient, wasn't he? It was nice to see that males were males, irrespective of species. This made her mew with mirth.

"Can I still call you my mate, then?"

"You may." It was half-accurate.

"Maybe we'll fall so deep in love you'll want to commit to only me. And me to you," he told her.

"I guess we'll soon be finding out," she said, warmly.

"Oh, boy. Well." He cleared his throat. "Okay. So, um, how do we start?"

She raised a brow. She'd forgotten he was a virgin. This was going to be fun. "Don't worry about that. Just follow your instincts. I'll lead," she insisted, pinning him on his back.

Ross gulped.

"I'll make a fur out of you yet."

He could only squeak gratefully to that.

The clouds were hanging even lower than they'd seemed from the air, blocking any potential light, making things grey and bitter. Making it uncomfortably cold. It nipped at their extremities, and the constant eddy of snow flurries made them squint. There were stately, jagged mountains off in the distance. Mainly to the south. But it was hard to gain a true sense of direction. They were cut off from civilization, hazed in total isolation. As if they were walking upon a blank canvas. Both the end and renewal of life.

Assumpta, the only one amongst the group who was purpose-built for Arctic regions, took a deep, icy breath. "I grew up in this. Not here, of course, but in similar conditions."

"Back on the Federation Home-world?" Dotna asked, her phase rifle beeping as she cocked it into an active state.

"Yes. I left shortly after I came of breeding age." An exhale, which turned to vapor. "I never went back."

"Any regrets about that?" Pyro asked, as he tossed the snow leopard a pair of goggles. They would protect from the hypnotizing effect of the wasps' compound eyes.

"No," the feline replied, simply, as she put them on. Being naturally enigmatic, she didn't add anything further.

Field, technically being in charge, reminded, in his airy voice, "We're not here to share anecdotes. Let's get inside the caves." His teeth were audibly chattering. "My foot-paws are already freezing."

The other furs nodded, and Pyro took the point, with Dotna slightly behind him and to the side. Field was in the middle, where he would be best protected seeing as he was the least capable of defending himself, and Assumpta took the rear, scanning all around. Ears cocked and eyes peeled. It only took them two minutes to reach the entrance to the caves, if that.

"Watch for ice," Assumpta warned them.

Sure enough, Pyro slipped. Hitting the flat, sloping rocks with an 'mmf!' and a 'dammit!'

"You okay?" Dotna squeaked, worriedly, helping him up.

"Probably gonna leave a bruise," he mumbled.

"Not to your ego, unfortunately." Assumpta, of course.

"Hey," Field reprimanded. Adding, "We shouldn't even be talking. The wasps or foxes or whoever was in that shuttle probably have good hearing. We're giving ourselves away."

"Agreed," Assumpta whispered. "We should maintain silent contact."

"Sure that's not an oxymoron?" the wolf whispered.

A slight hiss from the spotted feline.

Pyro activated his 'paw beacon,' a flashlight that was strapped around his wrist. The others soon did the same. It was getting darker the further they advanced into the cave system. Reaching the end of the main conduit, they found a flight of stairs. That had definitely been added by the archaeological team.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Pyro suddenly stopped. Dotna bumped into the back of him with a 'chip,' clutching her weapon even tighter when her mate broke the verbal silence to whisper, "I smell something."

Assumpta sniffed the air, shaking her head.

"Trust me." His red eyes began to glow, almost pulsating, as he scanned the dark for heat signatures. Nothing. But he smelled another fur's scent. It was then that he realized what he'd stumbled across. With a momentary hesitation, he pressed forward, moving off to the corner, behind a mobile computer pylon.

Field, peering past him and Dotna, went pale. "Oh, my God." A female snow rabbit, on her back. Eyes open. In a pool of ruby-red blood. And since snow rabbit fur was so white, the blood was visibly staining her pelt. It was gruesome. The mouse turned away, his prey anxiety spiking immediately. He felt nauseous.

Assumpta solemnly asked, "How long has she been dead?"

"No trace of warmth. Several hours, at least."

"How is that possible?" Dotna asked, incredulously. "The enemy shuttle's only been down here an hour, if that."

"Obviously, they had someone working on the inside," Pyro reasoned, his tail flagging. "That's how they got wind of it in the first place."

"A collaborator? Why would a snow rabbit sell out their own species?" Dotna asked, in disbelief. Trying to ignore the eerie sounds that were resonating all through the cave system. The wind was picking up outside. It was moaning, desperately.

Assumpta whipped out a scanner. It blinked and hummed, gently. "The wolf is correct. She's been dead for at least five hours." A pause. "Judging by the bruises on her neck and hips, she was probably violated, as well."

Field sniffled, his voice breaking. "They raped her and killed her? That's so horrible ... "

"Maybe the foxes had their way with her, but I don't think they killed her. That wound?" Pyro said, crouching beside the victim, "isn't from a weapon. It's from another body."

"Could be a claw-wound, then," Dotna guessed.

"No. It's too singular and deep to be claws. Assumpta?" Pyro asked. The scents of her attackers had long-faded. He had a strong clue, though. He'd seen these kinds of wounds before.

The snow leopard ran more scans. She didn't know how she'd missed it the first time, but, "He's right. There are traces of poison in her bloodstream. She was stung."

"That means not only foxes, but a wasp was already down here," Pyro breathed, mind beginning to hone in on potential conspiracy theories.

"Oh, no," Field squeaked, rubbing at his eyes. Finally getting a good look at her face, he realized, "That's Simona. I met her. She ... she was the head of the expedition."

The feline, pocketing her scanner, suggested prudently, "Perhaps we should move on. There's nothing else we can learn here." She was clueing in on the fact that Field was dangerously close to a panic attack. Mouses, being the most 'prey-like of prey,' had some serious anxiety issues. Especially when it came to death. They were peacemakers and artists and diplomats. Not fighters. But Field had to be on this mission to deactivate the Gateway system. They needed his mind to be clear.

So, she took the golden-furred rodent's arm, pulling him aside.

Dotna and Pyro stayed behind for a moment, the chipmunk telling the wolf, "We can't just leave her here like this. We have to bury her."

"I don't think we have time for that. Besides, it's so cold. That should preserve her for a while."

"That's so morbid."

"I've seen worse," Pyro told her, weightily. He stood up. "And so have you."

The chipmunk nodded. He was right. But, still, that didn't make her feel any better.

"Let's go," he told her.

She nodded and followed her keen-sensed predator, whose easygoing mood had become intensely focused, now. His hunting instincts had kicked in. The enemy was here. He was going to find them. And he was going to take them down.

They left the main cavern and approached some side-tunnels. They didn't know what they were looking for, though. What did a Gateway look like? Was it a big arch? A door? Or just a hole in the wall? Did it look high-tech, or was it camouflaged into the old rock?

"Why do I keep seeing doors?" Dotna asked.

Field, having collected himself enough to reply, said, "They, uh ... they're rooms. Storage rooms. They label the artifacts and store them here for cataloguing, before shipping them to the universities or museums. Also some offices and living quarters. They've been working down here for years." A sad, sniffling pause. "They were just starting to make some major discoveries. What a waste ... "

"Well, is the Gateway behind a door or out in the open?" the chipmunk continued.

"When I was here, they hadn't completely uncovered the Gateway. Just a few pieces of debris from it. It was in a side-chamber. I mean, uh ... I think." Focus, Field. Come on.

"That doesn't quite help us," Assumpta said, politely. She pulled out her scanner again, trying to make a computerized map of the caves. A few button-taps, marking off the areas they'd already explored. Her ears cocked atop her head. "These 'directions' the dragons planted into your brain, can you access them at all?"

"If I get close to a pisonic signature, they'll activate. They're telepathically-triggered. The dragons developed into telepaths later in their corporeal existences, so all their technology became thought-run."

"And mouses are telepathic?" Pyro asked, with a frown.

"No. But I'm mated to a telepath, and she's rubbed off on me. Activated some latent areas in my brain."

Normally, Pyro would've made a sex joke right now. About 'activating' this or that. But he wasn't in the mood.

It was Dotna who mumbled, "This is way too confusing. It should be simple: find the Gateway. Blow it up."

"Even if we blow this one up, there are thousands of others on hundreds of worlds. We need to deactivate the entire network," the mouse explained. Whether he knew it or not, they were getting closer to a pisonic signal. And information was unspooling inside his brain. Then spilling out of his muzzle, at a rapid, academic pace. "Since they all rely on a network of subspace tunnels, if we collapse one tunnel, the chain reaction should collapse all the tunnels connected to it."

"Forever?" Dotna asked.

"Well, the dragons didn't build the tunnels. They just tapped into them. I assume there are other networks on other levels of sub-space that they hadn't discovered yet, but even so, it took them hundreds of years to build the interfaces on all the planets to make travel possible. Us and our descendents would be long gone by the time this became a threat again."

"I don't see how it's a threat if all these portals are in underground caves everywhere," Pyro said.

"That's the key. That's what the wasps are interested in. And that's why we can't just 'blow up the entrance'," Field pointed out. "The portals, the entrances. They're just facades. They're fake fronts. They're like leashes that keep these tunnels in place. But if all the leashes are removed, you could theoretically turn the entrances into 'free range' openings, using gravitational forces to move them about. You could move the one in these caves into a high orbit of the planet. You could widen it. It's ... it's, uh ... " He rubbed his honeyed, whiskery cheeks, wincing painfully. He suddenly had a major headache.

Assumpta scanned the mouse. "His brain waves are operating on an unnaturally high frequency."

"Is that what's turning him into Mr. Professor?" Pyro asked. "A psionic trigger? That must mean we're close!"

"I believe we are. The Gateway is within fifty yards of here." The snow leopard padded toward the front of the group, impatiently. "I'm not detecting any wasp signatures."

"You won't, either," Pyro reminded. "Their exoskeletons deflect traditional scanning waves. We'll have to rely on our senses. I suggest you all pull your goggles down. Put your weapons on kill."

"If we aren't detecting any wasps, why aren't we detecting the Arctic foxes, at least?" Dotna wondered.

"Probably because they weren't useful anymore. They piloted the ship. They overwhelmed the snow rabbits. They were the goons. As soon as the wasps were done with them, they killed them." He hadn't seen any bodies to prove this yet, but he was one hundred percent positive that's what happened. And, judging from their silence, no one believed he was wrong.

But Field had to ask, innocently, "Why would they do that?"

"Ever heard 'sly like a fox?' You can't turn your back on them. They know the wasps are using them. But they're only letting it happen because they think they're smart enough to use the wasps, in return."

"Guess they were wrong," Dotna whispered.

Assumpta stopped the group, lowering her voice. "One of these two doors. I can't tell which one." An entrance directly to their right. And then one a few paces further, on the left.

They looked to Field, waiting for his choice.

"I can't tell, either," he admitted. "I'm getting so much information into my head. I think it's the left?"

"Assumpta, you and Dotna kneel down and take aim. I'll open the door. Field, stay behind them."

They took their positions, weapons aimed. And, Pyro, doing a silent count of 'one, two, three,' tapped the 'open' mechanism. Nothing. He tapped it again. And then, finally, slammed his fist against it. The door slid open with a 'ker-klunk,' releasing a sterile, preserved smell. And then releasing a single wasp, who barreled into them with a blinding speed, rasping and screaming like a banshee.

Dotna aimed her phase rifle, but it was knocked from her paws just as she pressed the trigger, sending the ruby-red beam directly over their heads. Into the ceiling of the cave. Rocks immediately began to fall on them. And on the wasp. For several seconds, it was complete pandemonium. Bodies trying to move out of the way while also trying to fight. Someone else's weapon went skitter-scattering across the floor, hitting the wall. It must've been Assumpta's, because she dove for it, rolled, picked it up, and ...

... CHOOM! Choom-choom.

The wasp squealed, falling back, back, arid wings glinting in the scattered beams of the paw-beacons. Lowering its glow-glittery-eyed head and clicking its mandibles, the insect surged forward once more. And Assumpta shot again. This time with Pyro adding a crossfire. A sizzle, twist, and crack, and the wasp fell flat, smoke rising from its exoskeleton.

"There should've been more than one." Pyro was heaving, showing his teeth with an intimidating growl. He was the only fur standing upright. The others were still on the ground. "We should be ready for another assault. This could be a trap." He went over to Dotna and hauled the chipmunk up while Assumpta, on her knees, looked around with increasing desperation.

"Where's Field?" she asked.

"He was right there," Pyro said, frantically, thrusting his nose in myriad directions. He smelled him. Detected his body heat. "He went through the other door! His mind must've been taken over by that signal."

Dotna scampered to the other entrance. It was open. And Field was there, bathed in an almost religious glow. Looking at a circular portal of glorious light and flashing, shimmering images. Other worlds. Other places. Each a destination. Literally, the horrible void of space, all the distance and loneliness that ever was, in this device, was rendered obsolete. He whispered, "This would change everything about space travel. You know that?"

"Yeah, for the worse," Dotna told him. Maybe that sounded cynical. But, as a security officer, she wasn't as naïve as him. "If something is too good to be true, it normally is. There's always a consequence. These things," she said, of the Gateways, "tap into an incredible power source. And power can be used for bad as well as good. You were saying that yourself, earlier." Or something like it, anyway.

"I know," he whispered, blue-grey eyes dilated. Ears like halos in the light. "I know, but if everything can be used for bad, should we just give up everything? No. Sometimes, you have to take a chance. You have to trust each other." He paused to take a deep breath. "I feel what the dragons felt. They were so proud of what they'd made. It would bring everyone together. It would bridge every gap." A soft squeak. "I entered the command track to be a diplomat. I just want everyone to be happy."

"Field, you're under the influence. You're drugged or something. Wasn't it the dragons who came to you and asked you to destroy this?"

He nodded, slowly.

"Then do it."

Pyro, now entrenched in the doorway, said, "She's right. Field, come on. There are more wasps in the caves. We can't hang around."

Assumpta, who standing behind Pyro, began to squint and look behind her. The fur on her neck was beginning to stand on end. Like an electrical charge was building. She nudged Pyro in the back with her elbow.

He turned around, red eyes pulsating.

"They're here," she breathed, unsheathing her claws and gripping her weapon.

"Field, hurry up! We don't have much time," Dotna urged.

The mouse nodded, letting the dragons' dormant talents do their thing. "I'm in ... I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm doing it ... " Oh, the possibilities! For the first time in his life, he was truly understanding how limitless things were. The Gateway began to flicker. "Need a minute ... just another minute ... "

FLASH!

A wasp appeared. Out of thin air. Transporter technology. The same kind they'd 'loaned' to the Arctic foxes. The insect flared itself and charged, at a sharp angle, toward Assumpta. The wolf leapt in front of her and delivered a fierce blow with the butt of his rifle, severing one of the creature's many limbs. And while the two predators were occupied, trying to buy Field a few more seconds ...

FLASH!

A second wasp. Between Field and Dotna, its stinger taking a point-blank jab at the chipmunk. She wriggled aside just in time. It missed her by maybe two inches. It caught the fabric of her coat and tore it off her back. She fell to her belly and frantically rolled aside, preparing to be struck at again, her tail fluttering in the cold air.

But, instead, the wasp lost interest in her and grabbed at Field with all of its limbs, ripping his goggles off at the exact moment he collapsed the Gateway's energy-based opening. Lights flickered, like a crazy strobe. Electricity began zipping through the air. Everyone's fur stood on end while mandibles tore through one of the mouse's ear-mittens and bit a lobe until blood soaked into the fabric.

Field squeaked in terror, tears streaming down his cheeks, thrashing, wriggling, and crying out for the others.

FLASH!

And, just like that, both wasps were gone. Leaving the wolf, snow leopard, and chipmunk to look around, wildly. They were breathless and confused. The room seemed to spin. The Gateway was humming, weakly.

"They ... they took Field," Dotna said again, almost in tears, herself. She may have been a security officer, but she was still a rodent. "What are we gonna do?!"

"Go to the surface. Alert Luminous," Assumpta replied, immediately. They wouldn't be able to contact the ship while underground. "If the wasps returned to their shuttle, it can be intercepted it as it leaves the atmosphere."

"I don't think they left," Pyro insisted, tersely. "I think Field did it. I think he turned the Gateway off, but who's to say he did it right? The wasps will still want to interrogate him to be sure."

Assumpta, on second thought, agreed. The wasps did tend to cover all avenues, closed or not. "But that means Field is only useful to them as long as they think he offers a tactical advantage. If they find out they can't ... "

"We gotta get him back, soon," Pyro insisted.

"I'm not leaving you two. We gotta stay in a group," Dotna insisted. She was afraid the wasps might pick her off, too. They didn't need her. They'd just kill her to get her out of the way, too. "But we gotta tell Luminous, right? I mean, Wren, Adelaide ... "

"Maybe they don't need to know yet," Pyro decided. "I mean, they can't do anything but panic."

"We have to tell them," Assumpta whispered. "Just in case the wasps do try to leave. I'll go to the surface and do that. You two wait for me here. Begin an immediate search. They can't have gone far. The caves are only so deep."

Pyro and Dotna, phase rifles in tow, hurried out into the corridors, while Assumpta, ragged and raging, sprinted for the surface.

Though she'd given up the role of stereotypical predator long ago, she was still, in her blood, a huntress. This was as close to her natural habitat as she was ever going to get. To see her mate's species violated, and then to see one of Luminous' beloved crew-furs taken away in fear? She'd been pushed too far. And the wasps weren't going to live to regret it.