FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

So, we have some exploring on the surface! How wonderful! Not going to give anything away, but some plotty bits up ahead!

XXX

Shipborn

Chapter 4

The sight of Axis' breath getting stolen away by the view beneath them brought a grin to Jasyn's lips. The planet seemed to hang below them like a blue-green soap bubble suspended in a pot of ink, and at a glance through the pressure-glass wall of their little chamber he could barely tell that it was rushing up to meet them. Dana and Fargo were still working away on their data pads, tweaking and refining the translations. Jasyn readied himself for what was coming while only half-listening to their translator and guide explain to the five of them that the station's tether connected to a platform off the coast of an island. He was used to open spaces, at least in theory. The pilot training hadn't been in a real cockpit, and it hadn't been real space around him, but the feeling of isolation and helplessness was real enough.

After the taste he had gotten in their little dogfight, Jasyn was sure he'd be fine without two heads of hull between him and the sky. It occurred to him though that Axis had never had that kind of training, and that made him grateful to be wearing the flight suits again. All of them had hopes of breathing a real atmosphere since their appeal for ship uniforms had come through. They had hoped that they'd be able to stand under an infinite sky with solid ground beneath their feet.

Their Great Lord--roughly equivalent to a ship's Captain--had put a stop to that. Jasyn's father had passed along orders from their superior officer that they were to remain in flight suits at all times. Apparently he was concerned that the human presence at the base of the tower might react with hostility at their arrival. Jasyn guessed that some part of that opinion was based on growing up to lead a military ship.

Just like Jasyn, his father had been born aboard the Falchion, and a strictly regimented military life was the only one he'd ever known. A life that made his feelings for his fox a hopeless want, and might eventually become his undoing.

His throat stretching in a yawn, the wolf shook the cobwebs out of his head and blinked a few times. He hadn't gotten a good night's sleep since they landed on the station. Three or four rounds at best, and some nights none at all. After several days, it was beginning to wear on him. Axis didn't seem to have the same problem though. Maybe his quarters had been better shielded? Jasyn thought quietly.

Sota's observation yanked him out of his thoughts. "He was very useful in those meetings, I'm told." Jasyn turned to him and the other wolf's teeth shone in a grin. "Dana says that they'd have taken more than twice as much time without him."

Jasyn realized his jaw was hanging slightly and he snapped his mouth shut as he nodded. "Yeah-yeah! He was telling me the software seemed fairly intuitive too though, so I think she might be giving him too much credit." as soon as he'd said it he was biting his tongue.

"You're probably right, Jay," Sota laughed, turning his gaze back towards the pressure glass just as they breached a cloud. Just like that, Jasyn was alone with his thoughts again, and his eyes drifted back to the fox. Axis' head turned back toward the window, had he heard? The roiling black ocean seemed to rush up faster now, and Jasyn quietly hoped that it would swallow their little capsule and get him out of that explanation. Climbing down the last few kilometres of cable, Jasyn followed Sota's cue as the other wolf clipped his helmet to his head.

Minutes later Jasyn's visor fogged slightly at the sudden rush of moisture as their party stepped into the muggy, busy air of what looked in no way like an ocean bound platform. There was a circular, glass roof above them through which the stars were twinkling and below them were dozens of military personnel and hundreds of cargo-loaders ferrying goods to and from the cargo elevators. Like a snowflake, the building's arms led out in six spikes and each of them led to several docking bays, ports, ship berths, and the like.

They were led through a security checkpoint and civilian-looking officers in white shirts and black pants waved them through as throngs of sweaty off-world travellers barely paid them any heed from the other side of the glass. The corridors felt like they were sculpted of living crystal; glass and steel framing a view of a dark sky dotted with pinpricks of light. The sound of waves crashing against the supports beneath their feet could be heard, but only barely over the sound of rushing bodies. The low hum of small transports whizzing by about a hundred heads away hit his ears harder, and beyond that the roar of commercial aircraft departing and landing.

As they made their way into open air the sounds became louder and distinct. The mind numbing growl of human engines filtered through his suit's mic; a deep rumble that he felt in his teeth. His eyes tried to pick out stars through the foggy visor before he realized that there were too many of them low down on the horizon. The glittering lights swept across the horizon, all different sizes stretching around them and disappearing behind the building. Then it dawned on him.

"This isn't just a platform," he started, catching the attention of their translator. "We're in the middle of a city, aren't we?"

Damien cracked what Jasyn took as a smirk and nodded. "Yes we are. Orbital Support Platform Capricorn, better known as 'the Sprawl'. Weren't you listening on the ride down?"

Scratching the tip of his face-mask out of embarrassed habit Jasyn replied. "I uh... guess I wasn't paying enough attention."

Damien laughed, along with most of the party, before he continued. "Capricorn started as just the hub here, the power plant for the station, and housing for the workers. Eventually someone sailed an ocean liner in and anchored it beside the island, started a hotel. Over time, it evolved into a small ocean-borne town and then a sprawling metropolis on both land and sea."

"Hence, 'Sprawl'" Axis finished, looking around in wonderment. Jasyn guessed he was too distracted by the city to look up at the sky. Jasyn looked though, and the sight was humbling. Before he could dwell, though, their transport arrived with a sound that rang like crystal, but in a deep baritone pitch.

The small private transport was smaller than a shuttle but about as big as a fighter craft. Jasyn wondered how they would all fit inside until the side hatch opened and Axis observed aloud, "A lot more room without all of that hull plating, huh?"

The interior was sparse: padded steel seats around the edge of the back compartment, windows darkened so black as to be opaque. "We'll be setting you up in one of the diplomatic suites, compensated by the Department of Off-world Relations." Damien explained as the cramped little vehicle lifted off. It was supposed to be able to seat twelve but with the bulk of five Sirians and their armour, and the extra bodies of their guards, there was barely enough room for their party of ten. "Council argued for days who should talk to you; Homeworld Security wanted the honour something awful, but eventually Minister Rawleigh won the house over with an argument in favour of DOOR."

Sota elbowed Damien, seated beside him on one end of the bench seats. "What is their normal responsibility?"

"Well, they normally advocate for the colonies. The department is made up of members from each of our off-world colonies, selected by that particular colony's leader. It's a sort of United Planets configuration. They hash out things like tax policies, and trade agreements."

"Trade agreements?" Sota sniped. Jasyn guessed he was a little insulted.

"Well, we realized early on that we wouldn't be able to bend our distant worlds to our whims easily. We knew that we'd have to settle for mutual benefit rather than complete control. When I say 'trade agreements' what I really mean is the regulation of trade, including closing off colonies that aren't being peaceable with us."

Jasyn cleared his throat. "So you're saying; when they point a gun at you, you cut off their supply lines?"

"As best we can. It's a very politically charged position; leading Off-world Relations. But the decision that they'd be the ones to converse with you was a made because they've got experience looking at both sides of a situation. They're the closest thing we have to a first-contact liason, if you can even call it first-contact this far along. At any rate, I've been transferred to a team working with DOOR based on my contact and familiarity with you already. So like always if you need anything, ask for me."

As they entered what could be called 'downtown' Jasyn saw buildings sticking out of the ocean as tall as the Falchion was long, and he suspected they were a few thousand heads beneath the waves as well. Some of the decks were multi-tiered, with parks on the top and large spaces between them to allow for patios, walkways and throughways for traffic. And traffic there was; transports just like theirs circling buildings waiting for permission to land and whizzing here and there through the sky. Jasyn had no idea how they could all keep avoiding each-other.

"Oh, that's clever!" Axis whispered to him.

"Hm?" he asked, looking out the window to try and pick out what he'd seen. His visor was starting to clear, and he guessed the same was true of his comrades.

"Well, look at all of the traffic. It's arranged in tiers, each level is only ever going in one general direction, so we're always travelling with the flow. I'm guessing there's rules about merging into other layers, but it doesn't look like traffic is really divided beyond that."

"Very good guess." one of their human guards nodded from across the cabin. "As you ascend, your direction of travel yaws right. The vehicles also have collision-avoidance software to adjust your path if it thinks you're going to crash. It can only do so much, but mid-air collisions are relatively rare."

Axis nodded at the guard, and the man smiled back. Clearing his throat to quiet further comment, Damien announced, "Looks like we're here!"

The building was a small dome, looking for all the world like a bubble of metal in a sea of crystal. They landed on one of many small pads that encircled it, and between these pads Jasyn could hear the waves crashing against the side. Damien opened the hatch and stepped out onto the deck as a particularly large wave rocked the platform slightly, causing the wolf to stumble and grab the edge of the hatchway to keep from losing his footing.

"Now, before we bring you to your suites, we're meeting with the Department's leader, Minister Rawleigh." Damien motioned towards the doors and--willing his hand loose--Jasyn followed Sota as they were led into the hall.

--

Stepping into the Department's meeting hall was a moving experience for the wolf. A cream-and-crimson carpet ran down a corridor and then split like a river around a large conference table in the centre before pooling at the lower, wider end of the room. There, a podium and high seat loomed above much of the room. The table and all of the chairs in the room were carved of the same silvery wood. The seats and backs were cream, while the back of the high seat was crimson. Around the central seating were more desks and seats, at least a hundred of them around the edge.

Standing at the far end of the conference table was a dark human with greying hair. His eyes--masked somewhat behind corrective eye wear--were a steely blue. He wore a grey suit with red pinstripes and a black shirt beneath. On his lapel was a small felt flower made of red cloth.

Damien rushed forward and presented him with an earbud, along with a plea to be patient with the translation. The man thanked him before slipping the bud in his ear.

"Thank you for meeting with me." he began, a wide smile on his face.

Sota's head tilted to one side in confusion. "I wasn't aware we were given much-"

A thundering boom from the doorways behind them cut the wolf off. Turning, Jasyn saw a human woman approaching them. The determination in her eyes had him reaching instinctively for his sidearm until he realized it wasn't there. She held a hand up at twenty paces away. She was altogether unassuming, but her entrance had Jasyn's people ready for a fight.

"Susan, care to explain to me why you're storming in here?" demanded Rawleigh.

"Director Rawleigh, an explanation has been transferred to your secure device." the woman said, keeping her distance from the confused Sirians. Jasyn watched the look on both of their faces as the man eventually gave in and pulled a small pocket-sized computer-device from his jacket. His eyes bugged out and he looked up at her with a bewildered expression on his face.

"You can't be serious." he said simply.

"You're to report to debriefing. I'll be handling this meeting."

Without another argument, Rawleigh stood and made his way across the floor, passing the woman in silence and leaving the chamber with another loud boom. Damien stood in confused silence.

"Ma'am?" he asked after a time.

"You too, agent. You'll be briefed on the details, but we need you to agree to another NDA before these proceedings can be made available to you."

Nodding, the human took his leave, letting the door shut with a more subdued click.

"So... what's going on?" Sota asked once the echo had died down.

"My guests, I am Susan Kaine. I'm head of the Agency of Sirius Intelligence, or ASI." she began as she strode around the group. Her hands were clasped behind her back, and in her fingers was a small data device similar to Director Rawleigh's. "This meeting was not arranged by the Department of Off-world Relations, but it was necessary that it appear as such for your protection."

A small chime accompanied a hologram projector activating. A glowing cube hovering above the centre table displayed the face of Great Lord Kincaid on each of it's sides. "Be seated, team. We have a matter to discuss."

At that, Jasyn took a chair near the head of the table, opposite Sota and beside the woman. He watched her out of the corner of his helmet, his eyes darting to a similar red flower pinned to her own lapel.

"Approximately eighty-eight orbits of our planet ago, we received a transmission from your world." Began Kaine dryly, as though she were repeating a history lecture from her childhood. "A response to one we sent out six years before, sent shortly after your ship departed. It took some time, but we managed to piece together a meaning similar to our original message, a desire for peaceful coexistence."

"That would have been the Sol transmission, none of us have heard it but we were always told it had been sent." Dana confirmed.

"Well, at that time we were cautiously optimistic of your arrival." Kaine replied, her hands clasped in front of her.

Kincaid spoke next, his voice slightly distorted by the connection. "What we didn't know was that fifteen cycles later another message was sent. Apparently some of our people detected a large force of unknown vessels approaching from a nearby region of space. At the time, the presiding theory was that our reply had prompted the Terrans to send an armada to wipe us out. Then the force revealed itself, striking at our outer colonies."

Kaine spoke up again, her tone sombre. "That was the first portion of the message, reports back to your people's fleet-com about the invading force. Tactical maps, vulnerabilities, strengths. We could barely make sense of the words, at first we thought you were sending a history of conquering the world we'd transmitted to. But when we reached the end of the message we got this."

The display distorted, and above them they saw a Tamiran Fox clutching at the command seat of a vessel; Jasyn couldn't place the ship's class but there were at least ten consoles behind him so he guessed it was a big ship."Whoever we've been talking to, we've determined that you're not to blame for the loss of our colonies. I'm the ranking officer on this ship, the Endrix class Cornucopia. We're a large-form transport vessel, but we've managed to rig ourselves with life support enough for around a thousand refugees. Our supplies will be tight, and our trip is going to be crooked, but we're making our way to you; whether my successors will follow suit isn't for me to say. We might be the last survivors of our species, and this is a last effort to preserve some remnant of our way of life. We're jumping to a hopefully unoccupied region of space, and from there we'll be star-hopping to throw off our pursuers. Our best estimate for arrival is between seventy and eighty cycles - Tamira willing."

"_Sir, we're beyond range of their signal jammers. We can send when you're ready."_came a voice from offscreen.

"I'm including a list of possible approaches, systems far enough away from your own that you should be safe. Your world is also absent from that list for your protection, we hope. Ship Lord Bal'kir sending."

Jasyn's jaw dropped, and he felt Axis grip his shoulder even through the armoured suit. "What does this mean...?" asked the wolf.

"It means that our people sent a massive ship this way. The specs in the transmission indicate a supermassive transport class that had been in service for cycles before the Falchion had even departed. The personnel on board are estimated to be on the order of one and a half thousand men and women of diverse backgrounds; when you include the crew compliment."

"Endrix class, their drive core would have been far slower than ours-" Axis began before the Captain cut him off.

"The schematic they sent specified that they had just refit it with a new slip core. The core they used was a prototype from the private sector. It would have slipped twice as dense as ours, meaning that ship should have arrived before us. But with the route they were planning, it's likely they were attempting to shake off pursuit and arrive shortly after, or in tandem, with us."

Clearing her throat, Kaine put the guessing to rest. "That is the reason for this meeting. We have made several clandestine transmissions to your Captain since you've arrived, using the translation software you yourselves helped develop."

"This message isn't public knowledge, team." the Great Lord confided. "And with good reason."

"We have been releasing specific pieces of our encounter to the world at large, and word won't reach our colonies for weeks. We didn't know the intent of the second message for certain, so we didn't want to risk alarming our population with the idea that alien invaders might drop out of the sky at any minute. That's why our planet is bristling with guns, you see. If your friends had shown up with hostile intent, they'd have been blown out of the sky, but thanks to your work with the translation we know the whole story."

"Alright, but what are you going to do when they get here?" demanded Sota, standing with his palms flat on the conference table.

"We'll worry about that when they get here." the woman replied, her own hands folded in front of her. "It's not worth fussing over now, but rest assured we will provide whatever aid we can if and when they arrive."

"The Director has already outlined a plan with me that might secure our future, now that it seems so foggy." came Great Lord Kincaid's voice. "For the time being, enjoy your visit planetside. You'll be keeping your suits on at all times, the weave will protect you from any civilian-level weapons fire, I'm told. Apparently chemical firearms are out of style, and the human's more advanced kinetic weapons are highly restricted leaving the public sector with lasers and the like."

"They're still fairly lethal, but crime is still a present threat on our world and our citizens would rather venture out into the night armed in the event of an attack. Despite that, you'll find that a large majority of the people on the Sprawl are friendly, if odd." Director Kaine smirked. "You're likely to be safer down here than you have been yet. But still, try not to get into a fight."

"You're going to be assigned handlers, think of them as guards." the Great Lord suggested. "They'll be your guides, as well. Don't expect anyone down there to be able to speak to you directly. Your guards will interpret based on what they get from their translator buds. You're representing your whole species, team. The value of the support these people bring to bear helping our coming refugees hinges on this first impression."

"Sir." each of the team responded, giving the display a military salute.

"Kincaid out." the blue image fizzled away into thin air.

Jasyn looked to Axis, and even without seeing the fox's face, he could tell his friend was excited to see the city. Looking to the head of the table, Director Kaine was tapping at her device fervently.

"Um," Jasyn hazarded.

She looked up, and her expression was warm despite the professionalism of her demeanour. "Did you have a question?"

"Well, we were just wondering where our guards were."

The woman smiled. "What's your name?"

"The closest translation in Trade comes out as Jasyn, ma'am."

"Well, Jasyn, your guards are just outside those doors. They weren't privy to this message either, which brings me to another point. None of what was discussed in this room regarding the incoming refugees or the invasion of your homeworld should be brought up with anybody who isn't already in this room."

Sota turned, "What do you mean?"

"We can't risk the civilian population panicking, thinking you're an advance scout for an invasion. Until we can coordinate with the media regarding this new/old information, we have to keep it to ourselves. Your lives will be at stake if the people start to panic, and I'd rather let you experience our world a bit."

Fargo sounded confused. "The media?"

"Yes. The news agencies around the world. We have to control how this information gets out, or those same agencies will sensationalize it. Especially some of our more closed-minded agencies. It's bad enough that they're trying to bar colony-born people from visiting their species birthright, but if they got wind that your people were sending nearly a thousand quote-unquote 'refugees' without the right filters, they'd start riots in the streets implying that your arrival was the beginning of an invasion."

"So you're telling me to lie to your people; lie to my own people, even?" Sota snapped.

"I'm telling you to keep your mouth shut about this arrangement until it comes to light. At that point, you can talk all you want, but for your safety you should keep it to yourselves." the woman stood and tapped a few buttons on her device.

The doors opened, and several naval officers stepped in, weapons slung across their backs. "These are your guards. They will take you wherever you wish on the sprawl, within reason. Each one has been assigned to one of you, but if you could stay in small groups your safety will be much easier to assure." the woman introduced. "Commander Blake will be coordinating the endeavour," she said, indicating a woman in a shiny white uniform. The shoulders were black, divided at the left collar by a twin-stripe of red and gold that met beneath her right arm. Pinned across the stripe of her uniform was another of those peculiar little flowers; and atop her head was a crisp white hat, pinned in place and flat on top. One ear was fitted with a translator bud, the other with a more mundane commlink.

She brought her flat hand up to her eyebrow, body rigid in salute as she regarded Jasyn. "Sir!".

Jasyn and Sota exchanged looks, before the other wolf replied. "Yes?"

Showing no outward sign of embarrassment at the situation the woman clasped her hands behind her back and stood with her legs shoulder-wide. "For your safety we request that you remain in sight of your assigned officer whenever possible." she began in a barking tone. The other uniforms approached each of them, in each hand was a small silver device.

Axis accepted his, turning it over to examine it.

"That pin is a locator beacon. It will easily clip to your suit's utility harnesses, and will allow us to find you should you become separated from the detail." Jasyn plucked his from the guard before him and pulled the harness away from his suit to clip the pin beneath a pouch. "Do not remove that pin, or we will have to rely on our biometric scanners to pinpoint your position and they are significantly less accurate."

"Are we under guard or under arrest?" Fargo joked.

The woman turned her head quickly, sharply belting out the answer, "You are a guest on the Sprawl, you may go where you wish. However, these measures are in place to safeguard your lives as well as those of our people."

Fargo shrunk back at the booming reply and nodded. "Right..."

--

Half a round later Jasyn was sitting across from his assigned guard in a cramped six-person transport. They were headed to a nearby avionics laboratory. Axis had asked to get a look at a human engine, and Director Kaine had given them the clearance to speak to one of the researchers. The guard across from him was a man with short black hair, a touch of grey at his temples and crown. His skin was a ruddy tan creased with age, and his eyes were coal black as he stared across at Jasyn. Lieutenant Dugal.

By contrast, Axis' guard was a young woman who looked like she was fresh from the Academy. Her hair was buzzed tight to her head and Jasyn could see dark marks through the blonde. Her eyes were a brown not dissimilar to a tree nut. Her name was Callaway. She was chatting amiably, though her responses were always a little guarded, as Axis asked her about her time since leaving the academy.

"My first posting was on the patrol Cruiser Artemis. An old ship, but she still has a few decades in her." she began.

"She?" Jasyn asked, confused. "Who?"

"Artemis." she answered. Jasyn shared a confused glance with Axis. "Right. Among humans, giving your ship an identity can be a comforting thing. It's been a tradition to refer to one as 'she' since ancient seafarers first charted our planet's oceans." she explained.

"Not to offend, but that seems superstitious to me." Jasyn shrugged.

" I kind-of understand." Axis added. "Even the Falchion seems like it's got a personality sometimes, certain systems being temperamental."

"That's part of it," Callaway nodded. "Some of it is for the Captains' sakes. Makes command feel less lonely."

"Captains?" Axis tilted his head.

"Oh. Naval Command assigns two ranking officers to most larger ships. The one who has been on the ship longer commands offensive control and general operations of the ship, while the newer Captain commands navigation--which includes evasive procedures." Callaway explained. "They coordinate with the help of a shipboard intelligence protocol, or SI. Like an artificial intelligence."

"And how does giving the ship a personality make them feel less lonely?" Jasyn asked.

"Even being the same rank, ship Captains aren't permitted romantic involvement with anybody else under their command." Dugal replied, his voice raspy. "The simple fact is, when you're in command of a starship you don't get any 'action'." He raised both hands and bent a pair of fingers on each, to Jasyn's confusion.

Callaway punched Dugal in the shoulder with a laugh. "You didn't need to be so blunt." she chided as Axis and Jasyn shared another look. When she noticed they weren't laughing along she turned serious again and asked, "What's it like on a Sirian ship?"

Jasyn cleared his throat. "There's... no regulations like that, for one. Great Lords are encouraged to find a spouse aboard their ship, or to have their spouse transferred with them when they claim a new command. Keeps them focused on the safety of their ship." he began. The sound of the ship's engine changing direction cut him off though, and with a soft bump he heard that sound disappear altogether.

"Oh, looks like we're here. You'll have to tell me more later." Callaway shrugged, ushering Jasyn and Axis from the cab. The plaza they stepped out into was a wide space of different sized gray tiles, bearing a pattern that eluded the wolf but was clearly there. Along the sides, to the front and back of the cab, bright spotlights shone both up onto the sides of the building and down onto the plaza proper. A series of metal designs were bolted onto the far end of the building's wall, above a glass doorway. More regular emblems that resembled the lettering he'd been seeing the past few days spelled out what Jasyn presumed was the building's function, like the painted emblems outside the hangar or the bridge on the Falchion.

Dugal slapped the side of the cab a couple times, that boxy rifle slung under his arm by a shoulder strap. The cab came to life and lifted away shortly after as the man led them towards the building. "Zodiac Stellar Dynamics," he began "offices on and near each of the orbital platforms on earth, with several offworld locations on some of our military colonies. They're not the ones that invented the drive rings or 'Inertia Imparting Engines' we use on our ships, but they're the primary manufacturers and researchers for sublight engines that our navy contracts with."

--

As the sun rose over the city two rounds later, Jasyn gazed up at the glinting silver thread that was this platform's entire reason for being. He had to remind himself that despite how fragile it looked, the tether was made of a material he couldn't even pronounce; designed to withstand storms and the immense tension the station was exerting on it.

He had to remind himself that his ship was still up there, even if he couldn't see it. Had to remind himself that he wouldn't drift away into the sky and was perfectly safe standing out in the open. But most of all, he had to remind himself to breathe.

"By the Lords..." Axis' voice beside him sounded enthralled, with none of the anxiety Jasyn was feeling. Jasyn laughed aloud softly. Here he was, having gone through combat drills and tense flight sims--cycles of training meant to prepare him for battle--and Axis seemed unfazed by the experience; he even seemed excited. He didn't seem worried about the infinity stretching above them, or the millions of aliens milling about around them as they went about their mornings--though Jasyn noticed a few stares and some conversations a long way away, he didn't act worried about them either. He just seemed, well, happy.

Jasyn realized that he felt happy as well, the yellow and gold clouds melting away into a bright blue sky above them making him giddy in a peculiar way. Perhaps it was the newness of it all, having never seen a planetary sunrise in person. Maybe it was his company, the fox he tried to hide his love from.

No, it was the weight against his side. Axis was leaning against him and watching the sky change from night to day. He realized--more reminded himself, really--that Axis had never seen a sunrise either. The fact that they were both basically insulated from each-other by an effective hand's-breadth of material and armour didn't diminish the fact that Axis had chosen to make him part of the moment.

He also had to remind himself that Tamirans tended to show affection more brazenly than Fallans. He remembered back to that night on the station, about how Axis thought of him like family. He remembered being nose-to-nose with his only real desire and despite his stomach doing little somersaults he had to remind himself that Axis' culture was more open to brazen displays of affection between friends. He probably didn't consider it anywhere near as intimate as Jasyn had.

"I have never seen anything so breathtaking," the fox laughed, turning his head to look up at Jasyn. Through the glass of their helmets, Jasyn could just barely make out Axis' eyes as he stared back.

Thanking the helmet's designers for obscuring his muzzle, he smirked as he replied boldly, "I have."

"Oh?" the fox asked back, as though he had caught the subtext.

"Yeah, the _Falchion_from the seat of my fighter. It looked so small from out there."

"As big as it is, it looked small?" the fox laughed and shook his head.

"You didn't look back at it on the transport, did you? As safe as those walls made us when we were kids, it all looked so fragile floating there in the blackness." Jasyn didn't realize how sad that seemed until he'd said it, and then he looked back out over the city.

"It worried you." Axis' voice sounded much more playful.

"A little," he admitted reluctantly. "When everything you've ever known is the deck plates of a starship, seeing that starship from outside can do that to you... I guess."

"But the Falchion is far from defenseless, why would you be worried? Your parents are high ranking officers, and all of your friends were out there with you." Axis puzzled over that for a moment.

"Not all of my friends..." Jasyn trailed off, thinking to himself: Not the most important of them, at least.

"You were worried for me?" the fox stared up at him.

Jasyn didn't deny it, but his silence was evidence enough.

"You were worried for me." Axis repeated, he sounded pleased.

"You're the only person that was still on the ship that I had any reason to be worried about..." Jasyn mumbled.

There was a bit of silence, and then that weight settled on his shoulder again and an arm found it's way around his side. Jasyn pulled the fox close and smiled. He had to remind himself that they still had an entire day to explore the planet with their guides, or at the very least the city. As well as the day started, he was looking forward to seeing how it ended.

--

Towards the middle of the afternoon, Jasyn found himself standing in a park. He was watching as a pair of humans hit a small green ball between themselves.

He was still reeling at the strangeness of these people. He had a loose grasp on how their economy worked, but the only thing he could compare it to was the exchange of duty shifts used on the ship. They had been led through a shopping district, stood and listened to a man play what was apparently a nearly antique song, and had been stopped only once by a civilian-level police officer wondering why a 'squad of heavily armed soldiers' was walking through his city. When he noticed the armoured tailcase on the back of Axis' suit, he changed his tune immediately and apologized for the interruption.

But nothing had been quite so weird to him as seeing these two lonely humans playing a game with at least fifty people sitting on the sides and watching. They were in a sort of cage--or fenced in area--likely to keep the ball from hitting the audience. But that just seemed... wrong somehow.

One of the pair missed the ball, and Jasyn startled as the crowd let out huge cheers. He looked over at Axis, who seemed equally confused. Their guards were otherwise silent, just looking out over the crowd and dissuading anyone from getting too close.

Axis turned to look at Callaway. "What are they doing?" he asked, thumb pointing over his shoulder.

"It's a sport, a sort of athletic game, called Tennis." she explained, dryly.

Jasyn looked back at the game. "Weird."

"Don't your people play games?" she seemed a bit confused by the wolf's observation.

"Not like this. I mean, we do have games. Even in the ship's hangar we had a small space set aside for recreational activities, though usually we'd just use the ship's corridors. More fun that way." he replied.

"So what's the strange part?" her voice sounded curious now.

He gestured to the crowd, who were now cheering for the player who had missed the ball. "They're just watching... when do they get to play?"

"When those two are done, the court will be available for anyone who wants to use it." Callaway shrugged. "What does that matter though?"

"I... I think you misunderstood my question." Jasyn laughed a bit.

"No... no she answered your question, Jasyn. I think what she said was that the game--tennis, right?" Callaway nodded. "It only involves two people."

"Well, you could also play doubles... where there's two on each side." She corrected.

"So... all of these people are just watching someone else play a game?" Jasyn scratched his facemask for a moment before realizing what he was doing. He pulled his hand down and mulled that over in his head. "Seems... boring?"

"Wait..." Dugal began, pointing with the butt of his gun towards the crowd. "You guys don't watch sports?"

"It's not... unheard of. But usually when a Sirian shows up to a sporting event, they're there to play." Jasyn answered.

"Is that really.... fair?" he hazarded.

"Well, there are a few games that are meant to be played with smaller groups. But for the most part... there's special rules in a game for you to score players. The more players you have, the more places you can be to stop an enemy from scoring players or points." Jasyn explained.

Callaway shook her head. "Wouldn't it get confusing not knowing what team you'd be playing for?"

"Well, sometimes. One of my favourites is called Bun-ke. There's often three or four teams. The main goal is to deliver your team's token across the play area to your team's goal base, usually a flag or ball of some kind. Along the way, the other teams are trying to prevent you from delivering your token by stealing it and delivering it back to your home base."

Axis nodded and added in, "When there's two teams, one would play without shirts. Three or four usually involves wearing a shirt a certain way. If one team returns a token to a home base, they get as many new players as there are teams. Sometimes you play to deliver your token with a small team, other times you play to steal tokens and get a larger team, to make it easier for your team to score. The game is usually played nine times, with the team with the most deliveries winning the match."

"Seems... informal." Dugal sneered.

The crowd cheered again, and the players walked up to the net and shook hands, before gathering their belongings.

Jasyn turned back to Dugal. "This seems very structured, to me. I mean, why watch somebody play a game? You can't do anything to change how it's going."

"You haven't even seen the televised ones..." he smirked.

"What do you mean?"

Callaway answered for him. "We've got games that are recorded, specifically so people can watch them from everywhere in the world. Sometimes from other colonies. Some of the more famous athletes manage to make more extra capital from it than I do from military work."

"You have people whose only job is to play games?" Axis asked, incredulous. Jasyn was similarly surprised.

"Keep in mind, most of the people on the planet are technically unemployed." Callaway responded.

Jasyn looked back to Axis and shrugged, shaking his head. "Weird." he said again, and the fox nodded his agreement.

--

Late afternoon had Jasyn staring out the window of the cab, the city flying by as they made their way to their quarters. The small buildings surrounding the tether gave way to larger buildings towards the edges of the sprawl, and beyond those he could see another layer of smaller buildings further out giving the city a rippled look. It was on the near side of that ripple that the little cab started to descend toward, finally landing on a plaza built onto the lower roof of a two-tiered building.

Damien met them just outside as the engines started to die down, smiling broadly as he gestured towards the building and the rest of the team. "We were wondering when you'd get here." he joked.

Tapping the side of the cab, Dugal smirked. "Would you believe traffic?" he asked, as the little vehicle started lifting away, headed back to the tether.

"No." came the man's blunt reply, and he smiled as well as he led them through the crowd and into the building.

Stepping into the building, Jasyn was impressed at the scale of the place. The ceiling was four floors above him, and he could count them thanks to the balconies running along the corner opposite the triangular plaza behind them. The floor appeared to be some sort of polished blue stone, and the walls were patterned metallic plates. Windows rose from the floor to the ceiling behind them, and a oblong steel-gray reception desk divided the space in two. Peppered around the room were plants in large earthenware pots, glazed blue and green.

Damien led them past the desk--and the nosy looking man in a crisp black suit seated behind it--toward a pair of soldiers standing before one of the lifts, and together they started up towards their rooms.

Reverently Sota asked, "So, who lives here?"

"Beg your pardon?" was Damien's reply.

"The person who owns this building, who are they?" as much as Jasyn knew Sota hated repeating himself, his voice was only giving the slightest hint of annoyance.

"Oh! This isn't somebody's house. It's a hotel, a business that offers rooms and food to people who are visiting a particular place."

"Don't people usually stay with friends, or family?" Axis asked, though Jasyn was thinking the same.

"Well, sometimes. Usually if you have to stay at a hotel, you're travelling for work and don't have friends in the area." he explained.

"Huh." that was Dana. Jasyn turned to look at her. She was staring at her slate, but he couldn't see her eyes to know if that was what she was even looking at.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"Well... I've never heard of the concept before. Whether that's because there wasn't anything like that back home, or we just don't have any records is anyone's guess." she answered, lifting her head to look at Sota. "We never needed to worry about it on the ship, but is there some sort of tribute or gift we should have brought?"

Everyone turned back to Damien, who simply shook his head. "Your rooms are diplomatic suites, set aside for visitors from off-world. They're above average but they're not the best in the building. Paying for your room is about the only thing that's expected. Well, and that you don't trash the rooms--and maybe I shouldn't take that as a given."

"What do you mean?" Jasyn heard himself ask, a little defensively.

"I-I just mean... I don't know what's acceptable behaviour for a guest in your cultures." he backed away a bit, realizing he was stuck in this small space with just the five big aliens for company. "I didn't mean anything bad about it, I just assumed you'd been acting like guests since you landed; that's pretty much normal guest behaviour to us, so far."

Sota laughed at the shaken little human and slapped him on the shoulder, which earned him a surprised yelp and a stammered apology. "Hey, now that you've explained it I understand what you meant. Lords, I guess I'm stronger than you expected." he chuckled again.

"Y-yeah..." the human coughed, looking up at the big, armoured alien. An awkward sort of silence fell, ended moments later by the whirr of the lift coming to a stop. The doors opened to a hallway bereft of windows.

We must be three quarters up the building, Jasyn estimated before realizing he had no basis for that guess. He looked down the blue-carpeted hall as he stepped out into it, following their guide past a pair of soldiers. Jasyn realized that they had been given a section of the building to themselves again, the guards posted to prevent any civilians from wandering into the area. They walked past several wooden doors, silvery symbols stuck at eye-level which he guessed were room numbers.

"The soldiers have been accommodated as well, so that they're nearby if you want to explore. Your suites are the rooms at the end of the hall, no common room this time but there's four rooms for five of you." he explained, leading them along through the well-lit hallway. The metallic plates from the lobby were nowhere to be seen, and instead a much softer looking grey-gold material made up the walls and ceiling. The floor was a fibre carpet patterned with blues and greens.

"Ah, so there'll be a room free!" Fargo exclaimed, sounding pleased.

Jasyn perked up at that, perhaps realizing the statement that had been implied. He felt a growl rising in his throat, squashing it before it was heard as Damien stopped and turned to look back at them. They had reached the end of the hall, and true to his word there were two doors on either side. There were also a line of sirian hardcases on the far wall. "Well, I figured Sota and Dana would be sharing a room. I didn't want to presume anyone else would be." he explained, looking past the rest of the group at Jasyn, and even further to Axis beside him.

Sota chuckled, sliding an arm around Dana and turning back to the wolf. "Nah, they'll share a room. Jayse is a bit protective." he explained, his eyes returning to the human.

Damien nodded, letting out a nervous chuckle. "I uh, I see. Well, that works out, I suppose." he gestured to a mechanism installed on the door to his left and produced a slim piece of plastic. "Fargo, could you come here?"

The dalmatian wandered over with some trepidation. "Yes?"

Taking the back of his hand, Damien pressed Fargo's hand against the lock and slid the plastic piece in the top. "The key is coded for your room, but the lock can also be keyed for certain biological signatures. It's not full genetics, but they'll at least pick up the difference between Sirian and Human, if not the difference between individuals."

The lock clicked, and the door swung inward slightly. Letting go of Fargo's hand, Damien stepped back and let him into the room. "Sorry for being a little... forward. Figured it'd be easier." he explained, then seeming to suddenly remember something he quickly added, "Oh! Your rooms have been deemed safe enough that your Captain, er... Great-lord, rather, sent down some uniforms for you." He grabbed one of the cases behind him and handed it off to Fargo.

Taking the case, the dalmatian let out a quiet chuckle, and pressed on into the room. "Oh, well... I could get used to this." he laughed a little louder, before the door clicked shut behind him.

Damien produced another four keys and handed them out. Jasyn turned his over in his hand, the stiff green plastic had a metallic covering on one end, he assumed it was a chip of some sort. The other end had a trio of symbols stencilled onto it, and on the other side, the logo for the hotel itself. Jasyn looked at the doors around him as Sota and Dana inspected theirs.

Setting one of the containers at Jasyn's feet, he continued past him to Axis. "So you two are..." the human started to Jasyn's left. The wolf turned his head and looked at the man as he spoke to his fox.

"What are we?" Axis asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Well, I know you're both... male." he was talking quietly, perhaps hoping to avoid Sota and Dana's notice. Jasyn heard another door click open, and swing shut. Apparently he'd succeeded.

"Yes... I'm not sure I follow you." Axis looked to Jasyn for support, and the wolf shrugged. He was again thankful the helmet hid his face, because he was sure he looked nervous right then.

Damien took a few seconds, hoping maybe that it would give them enough time to figure out what he was asking before he sighed and shook his head. He tried a different tack, "I was asking if you were... together."

"Like physically?" Axis asked. Did he detect some anxiety in Axis' voice? "Because... he's right here. So, we're near each-other, yes."

"No, I mean-" he began, before biting the second half of his question off. "I... I really don't want to start an incident based on a misunderstanding, so I'll leave it alone for now." he ceded, handing Axis his key. Gesturing down the left of the hall to the third door, he added. "I'm in this one, if you need anything."

He excused himself and disappeared into his room. Jasyn shook his head and watched him go, then turned his attention to his fox as Axis looked back at him. "That was... strange." he said.

Jasyn nodded. "Yeah... wonder what he meant." he mused, trying to imply he didn't know. He shrugged and looked at the remaining two rooms, opposite the two that had been taken. "So... are we sharing a room?"

"I was expecting to. I have enough trouble sleeping when Atlas is assigned night duty, too used to another body in the room. You don't... mind, do you?" the fox explained, his earlier anxiety nowhere to be heard.

Jasyn shook his head and gave a quiet chuckle. "I didn't expect to have a choice. Doubt I'll be sleeping anyway" he answered, giving another noncommittal shrug. "I could use the company." he added, hoping his tone conveyed his smile.

Axis looked at him a moment, and even though he couldn't see it, he knew that he had gotten a smile. Then, looking down at the key in his hand, the fox made a quiet hum before scanning the doors. "Ah!" he exclaimed, settling on the nearer of the two. "I think this is our room, then."

Grabbing Axis case as well, Jasyn stepped up and tilted his head at the fox. "How do you figure?" he asked, as he shifted the luggage to one hand.

"The symbols on the key match the ones on the door. A curved line above a flat line, two moon-shapes, and a straight line." he explained, holding the key up to the markings on the door. "They're probably numbers, I've been seeing them all day and they're different from the letters they use."

Jasyn smirked at how clever the fox was, and lay his free palm between Axis' shoulders. "Well, you first." he insisted.

Doing like Damien showed them, Axis was quickly rewarded with a click as the door swung open smoothly. The room beyond was dimly lit, opaque blinds holding the light back, but as they walked into the darkness and set the gear down some unseen sensors tilted them open and the early evening sunlight came pouring in. In contrast with the hall, the walls were a more neutral grey tone here, the carpet a darker red that matched the blinds in tone. Jasyn guessed that they were some sort of wood material, the only other wooden item he'd seen before that day was an old family treasure; his father had told him it was a statue of one of his ancestors.

There was only one bed.

Jasyn almost tripped over his feet as he realized there was only one bed, but Axis seemed more interested in the rest of the room. It was a big bed, Jasyn had to admit. It was topped with fluffy pillows and a thin sheet, both of them gray. A thicker carmine blanket sat folded at the end of the bed. It looked very comfortable, but that didn't make Jasyn any less uncomfortable that there was only one bed. He whined very quietly in the back of his throat, not enough to be picked up by his suit mic.

Axis spread his arms out as he stepped into the room and did a little spin, letting out an excited laugh. "I have never seen a bedroom big enough I couldn't touch both walls," he exclaimed, and Jasyn knew he was only barely exaggerating. The excitement in his voice actually drew Jasyn out of his discomfort, and for a few moments he was just happy that the fox was happy. It lasted all the way until he heard his friend ask, "You alright sharing the bed?"

Jasyn had half a million responses: Yes, lords yes. Would that be weird? I can always take the other room. Is it hot in here? The response he actually gave was a half-strangled "Yeah."

Axis nodded as he walked up to sit on the foot of the bed, feeling it spring beneath him. "I really can't stand these suits any more." he complained, as his hands came up and unsealed his mask. Jasyn watched as the fox rocked the helmet forward, then up and off his head with a deep breath. He coughed once, and grinned wide at the wolf. "It smells amazing out here." he teased.

Jasyn's nervousness melted away in that smile, and he lifted his hands to his own mask. Feeling along his jaw for the first clips, he unclasped them and followed the line upward to the second pair. With a loud hiss, his suit's compressor whirred to life to begin filtering and storing more air. The audio in his helmet cut out, and for a moment the world was silent except for the brush of his fur against the inside of his helmet. Lifting it free and clear he opened his eyes and flicked his ears upward, realizing just now how cramped they had been. The sound of Axis' breathing softly beside him reached his ears first, but beyond it he could hear the sound of personal cabs roaring several buildings away. There was some sort of thumping going on overhead, somebody in the room above them he guessed. He drew a slow breath through his nose and let out a cough of his own.

It did smell amazing. After breathing only filtered and stored air all day, and with how sterile the air on the station and even the _Falchion_was, the relatively unprocessed air of the city brought hundreds of scents roaring into his head.

He could smell dust, faintly. The familiar smell of the nearby fox was minute, but he could pick it up. He smelled salt, which confused him for a moment. The ocean, he told himself. There was a faint ozone smell, a very minor electrical fault in one of the devices in the room, he guessed. Then there was the smell of the room itself. The plant in the corner was giving off a scent unlike any he'd smelled before. There was a faint chemical smell rising from the floor, a result of repeated cleaning.

Walking in and sitting next to Axis, he heard the bed compress beneath their weight. He turned to look at the fox, and Axis smiled broadly. That's when he realized he was smiling too. "I hadn't expected that..." he was a little giddy.

Axis agreed, "I wasn't expecting a planet to smell like anything. Seems stupid now, but I'm glad I was wrong."

Nodding his head, Jasyn laid his helmet at the foot of the bed. "My first breath of atmosphere. How am I going to describe that...?" he puzzled, leaning back on his arms and staring up at the ceiling. He was supposed to make a report about his experiences on the surface, and this definitely counted as something to write about.

"I'm just glad you were here with me for it." the fox thanked, resting one hand atop the wolf's.

"What do you mean?" Jasyn asked, turning his head to look at his friend.

"I just... I don't think I'd have been brave enough if you weren't... here with me." he met Jasyn's eyes and grew quiet, smiling a bit wider.

Jasyn couldn't help but return the look, Axis' smile always made him feel lightheaded. He flicked an ear as a siren sounded beyond their window. Turning to look, he saw a series of lights flickering off in the distance, weaving between buildings on it's way somewhere. "Some kind of emergency services?" he guessed, lifting a hand to his ear to pull the bud out. He rubbed the appendage gently as the pair of them moved to the edge of the room to watch.

The vehicle, a flashing speck from this far away, began diving in a wide curl before disappearing beneath the lip of one of the higher platforms' edges. Beyond that edge, Jasyn could see only a few short buildings and a glinting green-gold ocean.

Axis' arm wrapped around his own as the fox pressed a finger to the window. "Jasyn, the sky." he insisted.

Jasyn looked up from the water and gasped. "Wow..." he breathed, the deep violet hues of the sky fading to reds and golds on the horizon. The star Sol burned brightly, looking huge as it kissed the ocean. The light tinted a deep orange as the big disc sunk beyond the sea.

"Yeah..." Axis agreed, just leaning against the wolf as he watched.

They stood there for what felt like moments and rounds all at once, an instant stretched into an eternity compressed into an instant. As the star sunk beyond the far horizon, the sky remained streaked with reds and purples, fading into a darker blue as it stretched just above them. Staring so intently, Jasyn lost track of time.

"Hey Jay?" Axis shook his shoulder and the wolf snapped awake.

Jerking his head up and blinking the sleep from his eyes, he looked back out at the water. There were pinpricks of light just starting to twinkle in the dark sky. "What... huh?" he asked groggily.

Jasyn heard the fox laugh as he felt Axis' arm stretch around his side. The fox pulled him slowly towards the bed. "You fell asleep on me, there. Give me a second to get you out of that thing, and then I think you should lay down." He explained, before disappearing behind him.

As the suit was released around his spine, Jasyn felt the cooler air of the room rush in to fill the space. A pair of gentle hands slid into the seam and slowly pulled the flexible material down and away. Jasyn bit his lip to stifle a whimper as he felt Axis' fingers sliding down his arms, and before he realized it he was standing nude. Well, mostly nude. He shivered momentarily as the fox delicately released the bindings along his tail. Once he was free, he flicked his tail lightly. The tailcases weren't particularly flexible, just enough to keep one's tail from cramping. But with the fur now free, he shook it out and groaned softly.

"There you are. Lay down Jayse." the fox insisted, and the wolf could barely think to resist.

Jasyn lay down atop the bed, and sunk deep into the mattress. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he realized that the fox's suit was still locked tight. He could barely make out the fox in the dim light as he reached out to his friend.. "Wh-hey, what about you?" he half-whined.

He felt the fox's armoured hand wrap around his own and heard his friend's chuckle. "I'll be fine, Jay. Just rest up." he insisted.

Jasyn closed his eyes, his mind set on arguing. He cursed inwardly at how heavy his eyelids felt, how itchy his eyes felt. Before he could get them open again, though, his lack of sleep caught up to him. His last, angry thought was: Lords this bed is soft.