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Silent threat - expanded story snippets

(Kiori pre-story)

The giant framework of the shipyards loomed overhead as Kiori checked his data pad for the third time in as many minutes. There were metal platforms everywhere! Even though he walked along a wide railway, he noticed several different levels of smaller railed walkways. They joined each other at regular intervals in a criss cross of scaffolding. The opening space underneath him was immense. If he looked further down toward the end he could just make out the massive outer doors of the hanger.

The shipyard hanger was one of many built into the large asteroid Mak'thon that employed several thousand Federation workers. There was a regular influx of engineers and soldiers to fill the demand that staffing a finished ship took. The ship scheduled to be built here would take roughly two cycles. This was the reason Kiori was making his way down to the local overseer's office.

The asteroid was one of the largest in this system, chosen specifically for its composition of silica's and ores that made the density of the rock stable enough to carve out the gigantic workspaces. The Federation had similar such ship yards throughout their domain. This one was made after the advent of the gravity generator technology and thus the asteroid did not require rotational spin in order to provide the right work environment.

Fresh off the ship up from Dakhari, the technician had little practical experience but, according to his proficiency scores, ranked among the top 5% of his training class. This was another reason he had been picked for this assignment. The ship they would build was to be one of the new Chakan'tor battle cruisers.

Kiori checked his data pad once again and saw the designated office. He picked up his pace and jogged the remaining 100 meters. There were three other techs waiting to be called and he noted that only one was Linugad like him. The other recruit flicked his ears nervously and adjusted his light filtering goggles. Kiori absently adjusted his own goggles making sure to set the filters for neutral.

Surprisingly this little corner of the facility did not have much foot traffic. As a matter of fact, Kiori thought it strange that there had not really been that many workers around. He attributed it to the impending ramp up for the new ship.

Just then an industrial construction frame floated by several meters overhead. Kiori had read up on the specs for one of those but had not had a chance to pilot one first hand. The simulators they used in the academy were never as good as the real thing. His classes always had his nose buried in study materials. He stared in excitement wondering what it would be like when he was the one piloting the hulking construction loader. The current operator seemed to be a seasoned pro as he floated across to a waiting pallet and extracted a container in a fluid and graceful motion.

Kiori distractedly took a step out of line and faced the direction he had just come from. He leaned to his right to get a better viewing angle of the cockpit. Unknowingly he stepped right into the path of another tech recruit emerging from the office. She held up a large data pad in front of her face and failed to notice Kiori blocking her path. She let out a startled yelp as she ran directly into the technician and the data pad she was viewing smacked her in the face. She dropped the bundle of other data pads she held clutched in her arm.

Kiori whipped around and immediately reached to pick up her scattered pads. "Are you alright? Let me help you with that-" Kiori instantly noticed that she was another Linugad and in his eyes she was beautiful. The simple gray jumpsuit worn by the engineering staff hugged her in all the right places.

"What the hell?" she snapped and rubbed her sore nose. Her long dexterous fingers massaged her little black nose and she twitched her whiskers back and forth. Her ears were laid back in annoyance.

He could not quite tell her age, but her goggles had been knocked askew. He looked up at her from his stooped position. Kiori could not help but stare at her lovely reddish brown fur and the way the darker fur around her eyes peeked around the edges of her goggles. She in turn glared down at him. He paused briefly to take in her appearance. The male tech had never been very successful with the opposite sex. This female was definitely having an effect on him.

After an awkward moment, she cleared her throat. "If you don't mind, I kind of need my stuff..." She trailed off hoping that he would get the hint.

"Oh," he said and scrambled to gather up her data pads. "Here you go, miss." He held out the stack for her. "My name is Kiori, I just got here."

"No kidding," she said in an annoyed tone and adjusted her goggles.

"And you are?" Kiori prompted.

"Just leaving," she said and snatched the stack of pads from him. She brushed past him.

"Well, see you around I guess," he said with a disappointed tone. He turned back to wait in line just as the last of the three people ahead of him disappeared into the office.

The female heard him shuffle his feet away. She sighed and turned back. "Hey uh...Kiori." The tech turned back to the female. "Sorry I snapped at you. I just got here myself and already have a lot of work to do as you can see." She nodded at the stack of pads in her arm. "Why don't we meet for a drink down at the bar when you get settled?" She looked at her watch, "It's nearly the end of 3rd shift and the bar will be open all night."

"Okay," he said regaining his hope. "Which bar?"

The female laughed. "There's only one bar here." She turned to walk away.

From the door of the office Kiori heard his name called. He turned back to the retreating female one last time and called, "I never got your name."

"Guess you'll just have to buy me a drink so I can tell you," the female called back over her shoulder.

Kiori shook his head in amusement and stepped inside the office.

The tech emerged an hour later carrying a similar load of data pads he saw everyone else leaving with. In that time his quarter arrangements were made, he was assigned to one of the construction teams on 2ndshift, he was given a briefing on the shipyard layout and operating procedures, and issued all the technical schematics and reference materials for construction of the ship. He was suffering from a mild case of information overload and looked forward to settling in to what would be his home for the next two cycles.

It took Kiori another hour and a few wrong turns to find the shipyard crew section. He meandered through the stacked dormitories until he found his unit; 2-449A. The units were stacked in long rows three high, each with a single pressure door. There was a common staircase that wound its way up to each entrance. His was at the top.

After keying in the door code, Kiori watched the panel turn from red to green and heard the brief puff of air pressure as the chamber equalized. Working in a shipyard had its own set of hazards, including the possibility of exposure to the vacuum of space. Kiori recalled the briefing on making sure to follow proper lockdown procedures, including his living quarters.

The tech made his way inside and found that his meager belongings had already been delivered. He surveyed the simple berth and sighed. It had a work table, a bathroom, a small food prep counter, and a bed that was built into the wall. There was a sliding panel that revealed storage space for clothing, and a large data screen built into the opposite wall.

"Home sweet home," he muttered.

Kiori spent a fair amount of time making sure he knew how everything in the living space worked. There was a cleaning unit included in the closet. The large data screen could be operated from different panels around the space. The workbench could interface with any data pad he brought over to it. The food prep counter gave him a choice of either a vegetable or protein ration bar. It also had a spigot for filtered water.

When he felt everything was in its place, Kiori sat down at the work bench to go over the technical specification for the ship he would help build. The ship would be massive. So large in fact it would be able to establish an outpost on a distant world, bringing everything to accomplish the task with it. No wonder they were using the largest construction bay on Mak'thon.

The tech took a break from pouring over the schematics for the sensor array. He picked up one of the other data pads that laid out the work schedules and production plan. This ship would have three different crew shifts. The first crew would handle the hull construction and frame of the ship. He was assigned to the second crew, which would handle mainly the construction of the internal components of the large ship. The third crew would handle all the engines, weapon systems and power distribution systems. For a time, each team will be working independently of each other since not much can get done until the ship frame is completed. Until then they would work on piecing together small clusters of systems that can be later assembled inside the ship.

The work schedule was divided into rotating 10 hour shifts so construction could commence non-stop. Each crew would work 10 hours on and have 10 hours off. Since the asteroid was not constrained to a rotational cycle, an entire "day" was 40 hours long. Every 4th day Kiori would get an entire 40 hour period as free time. This was offset with other members of his team so only a portion of them would be off at any given time.

He looked at the large chronometer above the data screen on the wall and noted that it designated which portion of the day it was. It looked like the next shift just started as the clock read "4:0:35:52", meaning it was 4th shift, zero hours, 35 minutes and 52 seconds.

Kiori recalled the quick conversation with the female tech earlier. He wondered if she really would be at the bar. He cleared a space on the workbench and punched up a map to look for this bar. The map designated it as a "recreational location for off-hour's socialization" and stated that it was only open every third shift. He thought it strange that the bar would continually change its hours, but realized that it was needed to accommodate all the different crews.

The tech managed to navigate to the bar location without getting lost. He noted the different access platforms he needed to take in order to reach the right level which was 42. As he approached the entrance he noticed the handmade metal sign that had been bolted to the wall just next to the door. Among the locals, the bar was more affectionately known as "The Black Hole," or as he would find out later just "The Hole."

It had been many cycles since Kiori visited a bar, and that was back before he left home to study at the Technician Academy. He never really had much taste for alcohol and definitely would rather avoid the hangover the next day. However, the chance to chat with the attractive female tech won over his apprehension and the male entered The Black Hole.

Kiori had not known what to expect. Somehow he figured it would be loud and packed with workers, perhaps some obnoxious music playing in the background to cover everyone's hushed conversations. Instead, the bar was clean and quiet. There were a number of small tables each contained within an alcove along the wall. There was a main counter stretching the length of the place lined with stools of various heights and seat sizes. He had to remember that diminutive Lingads rubbed elbows with the larger Rudigar here.

There were a fair number of patrons spaced out through the place. Kiori walked over and took an empty seat at the bar where he could scout for the unknown female tech. He hoped he could pick her out of the crowd.

The tall and lean Rudigar bartender tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey pal, what'll it be?"

"Oh, uh, I'm not sure. I'm supposed to be meeting someone here."

The tall bartender smiled. "Ah I see. New guy, eh?"

Kioir smiled back and said, "Is it that obvious?"

The bartender waved a hand and reached under the counter. "Don't sweat it kid, you'll be a regular in no time." He plunked the cold drink down in front of Kiori. It appeared to be some kind of malt liquor. "First one's on the house. Welcome to Mak'thon."

"Thanks," Kiori said and took a swig of his drink. The bartender moved off to one of the other patrons before the tech could ask him the name of the drink. It was sweet and carbonated and reminded him faintly of a citrus fruit common on his home planet. He took another gulp and felt warmth spread through his stomach. Kiori briefly wondered how much alcohol was in the drink.

The tech sat staring at the various concoctions and drinks behind the bar when he felt a tug on his tail. He swiveled his head over his left shoulder and spied the female from earlier.

"Finally decided to show up?"

Kiori swiveled his chair around to face her. "Sorry, I got distracted earlier. Have you been here long?"

"Long enough," she said. "I got a table over there," she pointed, "come on."

The male hopped off the seat and followed the fem over to the booth she indicated. There was another couple already there waiting. The female pointed at them and said, "This is Tammi and Jake. They got to Mak'thon the same time I did."

"I'm Kiori. Nice to meet you," he said with a smile.

Tammi shifted in her seat and gave Jake a not so subtle elbow in the ribs. "Oh, uh, yeah nice to meet you!" He glanced over at Tammi and picked up on the hint. "We kind of need to get going."

The couple slid out of the booth and exchanged quick hugs with the other female tech. "See you later," she called to them. The female turned to Kiori and said, "Go ahead and sit down."

She caught Tammi mouthing the words "he's cute" and flashing a huge grin. The female waved a hand and turned to sit down in the booth across from her new acquaintance. She held out her hand to Kiori and said, "I'm Zumara Wexler."

Kiori grasped her delicate fingers and replied, "Kiori Laznaggi, pleased to meet you."

Zumara grinned at Kiori. "So how about that drink?"

Kiori grinned back and said, "Coming up."

The two chatted for quite some time in the little booth as patrons shuffled in and out of The Black Hole. The amount of drinks accumulated at the little table as they traded stories about training at the academy. It turned out that Zumara had finished only a few weeks ahead of Kiori and that she was a year older. The interesting part was that she had already been at Mak'thon for two weeks.

The two parted as new friends later that night, and Zumara assured him they would meet again as they were both assigned to the same crew. Kiori stumbled back to his quarters feeling elated having met a kindred spirit.

**

(Kiori post-story)

Kiori looked up from the numerous data pads strewn across his workbench. The array of terminals displaying various schematics and sub-routine code blurred in his vision. He groaned and rubbed at his temples. He gave silent thanks he was able to work in a lab that only had the lights on half intensity.

His ears and his tail drooped from exhaustion. He swiveled on his chair and addressed the other technicians at similar workstations. "I'm calling it a night. I'll be back in 12 hours." Kiori pointed to his team lead, Grant, and said, "Make sure everyone has their work assignments before they leave."

Grant, a somewhat lanky fellow with one solid white ear, nodded twice and replied, "You got it boss. See you tomorrow. Don't let the lieutenant keep you up all night." He grinned with a knowing smile.

Kiori laughed at the jibe. "We'll see."

He liked his new team. Grant could be a real character, always joking, but he really knew how to delegate tasks and keep this project running smoothly. Kiori didn't mind that Grant stood nearly .3 meters above him, which would be tall by Linugad standards. The rest of the team had their strengths. < 2 male, 3 female, plus Grant> They certainly had been busy since the General initiated his special assignment.

Gralka gave him a lot of leeway when it came to the project. Kiori had jumped at the chance to take on the challenge of bolstering the ships systems against attack, both internal and external. His ultimate goal was to construct a module that could be integrated into a ships existing system and provide a kind of intrusion detection barrier. This barrier would learn from the attacker as it worked to shut down the intrusion, either through isolation or counter attack.

Gralka's task was mainly centered on getting cooperation from the various departments aboard, as well as acting as liaison between the officers and the technicians. The technicians were not strictly military and thus were not bound by the same rules and regulations. They were more like a contracted workforce that had their own levels of command, which reported to the various levels of command in the military hierarchy aboard. Since Kiori's team was assigned to the special mission, they reported to Gralka and were, for the moment, granted special access and privileges.

Though Gralka gave complete control to Kiori for management of his group, she still wanted to be kept in the loop. He would update her nightly as he spent more and more time sleeping in her quarters. Gralka had moved into a separate living space when she got assigned to the Star Nova squad which was closer to a private barracks. But since her recent promotion to 1stLieutenant, she had been given her own room complete with a shower. With the recent development of their relationship, Gralka strongly suggested to Kiori that she wanted to spend more personal time with him. He was wise not to disappoint her, and was headed there now.

Kiori checked his chronometer and saw that he had missed the usual dinner period. It was not out of the ordinary for him to work strange hours, but he tried to adhere to a regular schedule so he could see Gralka. It occurred to him that it was one of her exercise nights, so if he hurried he might be able to jump in the shower with her. She always liked to cuddle after unwinding with a steamy shower.

In the month since the intruder attacked, Kiori had made an effort to get to know Gralka on a distinctly personal level. They kept up professional appearances while carrying out the project, taking care not to let personal issues or discussions bleed into work subjects. But behind closed doors they were intimate and often played and joked with each other.

As Kiori paused before the door to her quarters, he pulled out the access card Gralka had given him. His muzzle cracked a grin as he thought about the female taking a soak in the shower. His exhaustion lightened as he swiped the card and hopped inside, looking forward to jumping in there with her.

Just as the door shushed closed, he looked over at the large bed. It was neatly made and strewn with several large pillows. He also noticed the lights had been turned down low. Again he smiled since he now knew she was expecting him. Kiori pulled out a couple of data pads from his large pockets and set them on a side table before he unfastened his jumpsuit. Deftly slipping his arms out of the sleeves he let the garment drop to his feet, leaving him standing in the fur. He tended not to worry about undergarments since in most cases they just felt too confining under the worksuit.

He spied his reflection in a desk mirror. He turned half way around to admire his long striped tail, and frowned at his narrow chest and wide pudgy hips. Kiori had never considered himself attractive for a male Linugad, but Gralka frequently expressed how cute she thought he was. She did not care that he was barely half her height and not even a third her weight.

He heaved a sigh and turned away. Kiori hoped the shower would cover his entry as he slinked into the bathroom section of the quarters around the wall partition. The cloud of steam flowed around the vents in the door and he could tell already that Gralka must have had a tough session. She usually only turned the heat up to high when she needed to relax strained muscles.

Kiori paused for a couple of breaths to admire the signature he could see through the door. Though it was opaque, his vision allowed him to see the Rudigar's form. She appeared as a red tinged silhouette, and water fell around her in pink waves. Even with soaking wet fur, and Gralka had a lot of it, she was an impressive figure.

He reached for the handle and opened the door just enough to slip in. Gralka seemed not to notice as her head was currently directly underneath the large spray head. Water ran in think rivulets down her body, leaving constantly changing traces in her fur. Kiori smiled and sidled up right behind her. His height allowed him the perfect place to wrap his arms around her abdomen. He rested his head right into the small of her back, the base of her tail pressing against his chest.

"Mmmm," Gralka uttered. "Well hello there my little space monkey." She continued to lean against the shower walls on her outstretched arms.

"Hello yourself, my big fluffy wuff." Kiori rubbed his hands up and down her belly, much to Gralka's delight. "How're you feeling?"

"Better now that you're here," she said and her tail wiggled between them. "I was hoping you'd stop by soon. I was feeling a little too tired to take matters into my own hands," she said suggestively pushing his arms a little lower down her hips. "Think you can help me out?"

"Of course I'd be happy to make sure the big wuff gets taken care of."

Kiori knew this game well. It had not taken many nights of sleeping together before the pair ended up in the shower. It was Gralka's favorite place to mate since it was easy for her to wash up. At first the Linugad found it awkward to try and please the big Rudigar, but Kiori was imaginative. Gralka had admitted somewhat embarrassed that she had intended to put on a good face in order to not hurt Kiori's ego, but in the end was surprised at how good a lover the Linugad was. What he lacked in comparative size he made up for in determination.

Tonight was no different as Gralka relished in Kiori's attention, growling and yipping in pleasure. The shower lasted an hour after the male had joined the female. By the time the water was turned off and the pair had used the automated dryer, they were both satisfied and feeling the call of the bed.

Both of them preferred to sleep in the fur, enjoying the comfort of their bodies pressed together. Gralka slipped under the covers and stuffed a large pillow under her head. She beckoned Kiori to join her and he quickly slipped in next to her.

He snuggled up to her and she wrapped an arm around him. He giggled slightly as she squeezed him into her bosom. Gralka reached up the headboard and lowered the lights to faint levels. She pressed her nose into his head fur and snuffled around his ear.

The two talked quietly about interesting things that happened over the day. Gralka had to break up an argument between a senior tech and a junior officer. Kiori told her about progress on his sub-routines, describing it as "another piece of the puzzle." Their conversation closed and Kiori stared into the dimness in relaxation, letting his natural vision filters open up.

He concentrated on his infrared laced sight again and could just barely make out the beating mass of Gralka's heart, pumping in her chest. It was strange that all his life Kiori had seen all manner of signatures with and without his goggles, but now that he could discern Gralka's beating heart it gave him a feeling of security. The feeling that he could be so connected to another being it did not require the neural interface.

That thought brought a pang of regret. Regret that Zumara had died. Kiori shuddered involuntarily and squeezed his eyes shut, willing the feeling to pass. Gralka noticed his shiver and ran a comforting hand up and down his back.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so," he sighed.

"What's on your mind, Ki?" she asked.

"It's nothing," he lied. They had talked about the incident on different occassions, but it was still too painful for Kiori to relive. All the feelings for Zumara that he thought he had long buried threatened to overwhelm him. So when Gralka prompted him to talk to her about it he always avoided the conversation.

"It's okay," she whispered in his ear. "Sleep now, I won't let you go."

Kiori nodded and clutched an arm to her side. Gralka let out a content sigh and was soon breathing regularly indicating that she was already asleep. The male was not so lucky. His brain kept replaying that final comment that Zumara had not recognized him. After all the time he had spent with her, she died before he could find out the truth. Now she was gone and all he had were his memories of her. A single tear squeezed out of his closed eye as he gave a shuddering sigh and drifted into a fitful sleep.