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Welcome back, my lovely reader~

Being a writer is my dream job but it has full-time hours and doesn't pay the bills. I want to keep writing these stories for everyone to enjoy and your support on Ko-Fi helps make that happen. I also appreciate non-financial support like faving, voting, and following me here or on BlueSky. Thank you so much for your continued support! Please enjoy the episode.

And with that out of the way…

Welcome back, my lovely reader!

Well well well… I’ve got quite the dramatic episode in store for you my lovely! There’s going to be plenty of ups and downs in this one and I’m not very inclined to offer any spoilers!

I will say as I always do, don’t just come to my serials for a good time, you’ll get your sexy times, but this is still an adventure in space. So sit back and enjoy as I stress you out and maybe even make you cry!

Let’s jump right in!

—*—

Episode 5:

A Rough Start

-*Captain’s Log- SD: 242 - July 28th Standard Federation Time.*-

The ride through the unstable lane lasted about one standard USF hour. It was an hour fraught with tension too. During some points the ship was shuddering so violently I felt like he’d break apart. I can only imagine how the flagship handled it given the sheer size of that beast.

At one point the starboard side shielding module attempted to fail, but I’ll give Talleria credit where it’s due, she managed to hold things together, even if she did curse and scream at me the whole time as I had gone down to Engineering to assist where I could.

We dropped out into an unknown sector of space, and our trip ended rather violently and abruptly. Several members of my crew needed to be treated by the medical staff for minor injuries after the sudden screeching halt from warp, but mercifully, nothing life-threatening.

The system we exited into is a trinary star one, and I’ll admit I never thought I’d see one in person. According to initial scans the trio, two white dwarfs and a yellow one, all circle one another’s gravity, the full rotation taking approximately nine hundred USF standard years to complete.

Speaking of time… We may have only been in the warp lane for about an hour, but according to ship logs, it’s now July 28th, we entered the lane on July 13th, which means the transit actually took over two weeks. I expected some spacial time compression but nearly two weeks for a single jump? We must be quite a ways off, at least ten thousand light years or more.

I’ve spent enough time updating my log, I have a very nervous crew to tend to.

-*Finish Entry*-

“Status on repairs, Engineering?” Junon called into her communicator as she hurried to Medical.

“I’ve got repair drones patching up all kinds of little fissures that ruptured all over the hull,” Talleria’s voice responded, sounding genuinely fearful. “I’m not going to lie, Captain, if we had stayed in that lane another fifteen minutes, I shudder to think what would have happened!”

“Understood, keep your crews working, we’ll get docked with the main repair vessel soon, but they need to patch themselves up first, the whole fleet is bloodied a bit after that trip!” Junon saw several members of her crew standing outside the Medical ward, and ended the call to politely push through.

Claris immediately approached, holding a sling kit. “Captain, is everything alright?” Behind her were two crew members waiting for treatment. One was clutching an ice pack to their head, while another was leaning back in a medical bed holding their limp arm, their face clearly contorted in pain.

Junon nodded to them both before addressing Claris with an open paw. “I won’t keep you from tending the ones needing it, I just wanted to see if you could use any assistance. I do have basic first aid training and I know we’ve got a pawful needing help.”

Claris lifted her chin and huffed, “Aren’t you needed on the bridge, ma’am?”

“The whole fleet is licking their wounds right now, my place is where I’m needed most, so if I can ease the injuries of my crew, I’ll do that,” Junon insisted.

The older Rashvian looked down at her current patients. “How good are you at setting bones?”

“I’d give myself an above-average score, but certainly not exceptional?” Junon grinned and put her paws on her hips.

“More than adequate, let’s go, you!” Claris pointed at the crew member with the injured arm, and the two got to work.

Junon spent the next few hours under the Chief Doctor’s guidance helping tend to the crew. Several patients were shocked to see the Captain had rolled her sleeves up to help. Eventually, things settled down and Claris gave a relieved sigh as she took a much-needed seat at her desk.

“We get the flowery speech about how efficient the ship runs, but I’m one Rashvian with two paws, so when I have nearly twenty patients waiting for me, that all seems to fall to the wayside!” Claris laughed tiredly as she started brewing some tea.

“I can speak with the Admiral and see if we can pull an additional medical assistant from one of the other ships to assist you, Claris,” Junon offered as she took a seat in front of the desk.

“Oh, that’s okay, dear. I’ll just call upon you if we have need in the future, you’re a competent assistant and would make a decent field medic!” She gave a playful wink as she poured two cups of tea.

“Thanks, I got some basic training in the academy and decided to expand upon it over the years, you never know when you may need to help in a desperate situation.” Junon cradled the steaming teacup in her paws, and felt some of her tension dissipate.

“Well, you did very well, and I’m sure the crew that you helped today will appreciate your efforts,” Claris said with a smile.

“I didn’t do it for clout, Claris,” Junon barked in annoyance. “I did it to be helpful where I could be, and the other officers were doing what they could as well in other sections of the ship.”

“I wasn’t accusing you of seeking glory, Junon… However, nothing will endear a crew member to you like helping to patch them up, I can tell you that from experience… I’ve even had a case where one of my former patients ended up being tea-drinking buddies who helped me with my work.” Claris gave Junon another playful wink, earning her a grunt and an eye roll from the fox.

Suddenly, Junon’s communicator pinged. “Captain, the Admiral is on a secure line for you,” Tyler’s voice called out.

“Tell him I’ll take it in my quarters,” Junon sighed back as she stood and lifted her teacup. “I’ll bring it back later,” she promised Claris with a smile.

“Don’t exhaust yourself, Junon!” Claris called out to her back as Junon swept into the hall.

Once she had stepped into her quarters, she called, “Go ahead, Admiral!” A moment later, a vid screen centered on her lover popped into view. Andrew looked fairly tired himself. His hair was slightly mussed and his face looked stiff in concern, but he put on a smile. It was a relief to see him.

“How are things on your end, racha?” He asked with a reassuring grin. He sounded as though he had only recently caught his breath.

“It’s a mess, but I’m sure that’s the case all around, we’re holding up okay though. What’s the status of the rest of the fleet?” Junon asked while sipping her tea.

“No casualties but several injuries and a lot of damage from the intensity of the warp lane. We’re prioritizing your vessel first once the repair fleet has patched themselves up.”

“Sounds good, so why the urgency for the call?”

Andrew hissed and rubbed his shoulder, “Well yeah… We’ve got a slight problem, and as of right now, no one knows but you, Brox, and my Chief Science officer…”

Junon frowned and sat her teacup down. “Let’s hear it then, give it to me straight.”

Andrew took a deep breath. “The fatigue pocket collapsed about an hour ago…”

“Collapsed?!” Junon barked, her mismatched eyes blowing wide. “As in… it’s gone?!”

“I’ve got my science team working on it, but as of this moment, yes,” Andrew grimly answered. “I’m getting no reading whatsoever from our exit point…”

“Cresh cha… so that may have been a one-way trip eh?” She folded her arms and looked out the window of her quarters at the trio of stars in the distance. Her trio of tails curled together for comfort.

“It’s entirely possible. My guys might be able to find the frequency to open it back up again, but for now… we’re stuck here.” Despite how dire the situation was, Andrew was able to speak in a composed and calm manner.

“What do you plan to do with this information, Andrew?” Junon asked while rubbing her face.

“I wanted to get your opinion since you’re my second in command of this operation,” he responded.

“Order your science boys to keep their maws shut, and this stays between all of us,” she immediately ordered in her own tone of practiced calm. “If this gets out, morale will plummet. Everyone here knew they were signing on for possibly a few years. No need to stir them up just yet…”.

“I think that’s wise… However,” Andrew sighed, “it’s even more paramount that we try to find a habitable or resource-rich system now, as we’re not just looking for colonization, but possibly resources to survive. The fleet only has enough resources for about five years…”

Junon rubbed her snout as she snarled, “I remember… Cresh cha… this is a mess… Did no one back at HQ anticipate the damn thing would collapse?”

“Well, I don’t think anyone has ever recorded a collapse like this before,” he shrugged, “or maybe we’ve just never found a one-way pocket?”

“Would explain why the last part of the ride was so bumpy… Maybe it’s just a one-way and there is no opening it from this side…” she mused, staring intensely at the ground.

“Either way, we’re on our own… We need to get you out there exploring as soon as we can while our sensors officers try to pinpoint where we actually are in relevance to our known star charts,” he insisted.

“Given our transit time, the lane speed, and our current estimated date? Well, we could be up to ten thousand light years or more from Aldebaran… Then again we’re only working on standards of lanes we’ve not had close on us,” she theorized with a shrug of her own.

“It’s troubling, but I don’t think it’s anything we should agonize over at present. Everyone is safe and we’ve got plenty of resources to last us a while. Rendezvous with the USF Sprocket in twelve hours, we’ll get her patching your ship up proper.”

She recognized the authoritative shift in Andrew’s tone. The conversation needed to end, no doubt he had many more things to attend to. As did she.

Junon offered her lover a salute. “It will be done, Sir.”

A soft smile crossed Andrew’s face as he briefly let the facade fade. In a gentle voice, he urged, “Be safe, my racha.”

The call ended, and Junon paced to the large window bay of her quarters. She stared out over the trinary stars, her paws clasping behind her back. She muttered under her breath, “I should tell… Tyler…” Then, she closed her eyes, retreating into her own mind. ‘Should I though? Can I trust him to not say anything? Can I trust him to not panic?’

With a heavy sigh, she opened her eyes. “Well, sweetie,” she said aloud, “you wanted me to take this seriously… I think you’re about to get your first big test. Let’s see how you do under pressure.” She turned away from the window and walked out of her quarters to find her fox lover.

-*United Space Federation Data Archives*-

-*USF Occam Crew Manifest #21*-

Claris ‘Thorn-Blood’ Russlai:

Rank: Chief Medical Officer

Born SD: 177 December 12th (Age: 65)

Home planet: Rashvia-Prime

Species: Rashvian

Claris Russlai’s parents were members of the Herb-Grower class with no military experience. She and her family were destined to work the agricultural sectors of Rashvia-Prime, tending to flora and fauna to provide rations to the Khanate’s military.

At the age of fourteen, Claris had a falling out with her family over her father’s arrangements to purchase a suitor for her. She had no desire to stay within the boundaries of her village, and instead wanted to explore other planets. Against her family’s wishes, she enrolled in the Khanate military a year later and quickly proved her mettle to her superiors.

Given her background and impressive service record, Claris was rapidly promoted to membership within the Thorn-Blood, an elite combat medic squad. The Thorn-Blood not only provided medical care to Rashvians, but they specialized in the biology of subjugated species as well, in order to provide Fhiel candidates with good health and longer lifespans for propagation purposes.

Claris demonstrated a particular knack for making her captive patients feel at ease. Her patients exhibited far less overall aggression and distrust, leading to smoother integration into Rashvian society and granting her a significantly high success rate in converting candidates to proper Fhiels. However, her methods were highly unconventional by Rashvian standards, as she was gentle, sympathetic, and according to one supervisor, ‘motherly.’ This led to concerns from her superiors, but due to her high success rate and her spotless combat record, many of these situations were largely overlooked.

Over her tenure, Claris had several paw-picked Fhiel of her own, one of which she petitioned to elevate to the status of Shulkei. By the time she left the Thorn-Bloods at the age of fifty-three, she had six different litters with a combined total of seventeen pups.

Claris spent the next decade enjoying retirement with her Shulkei and three remaining Fhiels, content to finish raising the last of her daughters. Shortly after her final pups officially entered adulthood and left home, her Shulkei, an older member of his species, passed away due to natural causes. Grief-stricken and with no pups to tend to at home, Claris requested re-enlistment as a Medical Officer for the Khanate.

By honorific tradition amongst the Rashvian, older military personnel commonly request to re-enlist and finish out their final days as Battle Maidens, rather than wither away as commoners. The Khanate tends to keep more ‘relaxed’ positions reserved for older veterans in a variety of fields and locations in order to accommodate these requests.

Claris was subsequently chosen to represent one of the first delegates of Rashvian society to work with their new allies, following the Khanate’s official induction into the USF. After a year in the USF Officer’s Academy, she was assigned to Admiral Nelson’s command and given the position of Chief Medical Officer aboard the USF Occam.

-*End Archive*-

“Now… I need to warn you about something.” Junon lifted a wooden training sword before her. Her trio of tails wagged as she growled, “Andrew has trouble keeping up with me in swordplay.”

Tyler held his own sword at the ready, giving her an excited grin as he answered, “And I should warn you, I’ve not held a sword since the Academy, so don’t get your hopes up!”

“Hmph!” Junon barked and lunged forward with a sweep of the sword, seeing her lover's own training kick in as he deflected the blow.

“Damn… You’ve got some power in those strikes,” he huffed, snapping his teeth and holding his training sword in both paws as his tail went rigid.

“There we go,” Junon yipped. “Show me the fox that was brave enough to stand before his whole class to test himself against the Admiral!” She hopped back, then lunged forward once more.

The loud clacks of their swords striking upon one another, slowly rising in volume and frequency, echoed around an illusory dojo in the holosuite. Their bare paws danced along the sparring mat with soft, percussive thuds. Junon tried to disarm him, baiting with an easily parried thrust but twisting her weapon to pivot his blade off course, but Tyler just pulled back from the maneuver before making his own counter.

After a few more strikes, his eyes widened as he saw Junon dip one hip as if falling to the floor, but it was controlled as her leg came around in a sweep while holding a parry. Tyler barked and just barely jumped away from the sweep.

“What the hell!?! There’s no kicks or sweeps in fencing!” He shouted, irritated, as he reset his stance.

“Are we using foils, sweetie?” Junon held her curved bamboo training sword up.

“Swords only, I’m not some kind of martial artist, Junon!” Tyler growled.

“Yes, sweetie…” Junon cooed as she set her own and they lunged back in.

Several more strikes, parries, and dodges later, they locked together, their swords slamming with a powerful crack that reverberated around the space. Tyler snarled as she bore down against him, slowly starting to overpower him as the swords ground against one another.

“Damn… You’re so… strong… for such… a little…fox!” he barked before finally rolling away. He heard the heavy thump of her sword hitting the training mat, knowing had that connected he’d have one nasty bruise in the fur of his shoulder.

Junon let out a feral snarl before sweeping her sword and shouldering it. “Sorry about that… I get into my sparring a little too heavy sometimes…”

“I don’t think I can beat you, Junon, so maybe take it easy or adopt a more uh… teacher mindset?” Tyler laughed as he rested his sword at his side.

She sauntered up with a sway in her hips and growled as she grabbed his training robe collar and pulled him down, giving him a nice deep kiss. Tyler moaned and dropped his sword to put his paws on her hips, then took a knee to get them more level as his head tilted to deepen their kiss.

Junon dropped her own sword, both her paws rubbing his large dark ears as their tongues rolled against one another. This was the first heated kiss they’d shared in almost a full cycle, what with all the drama going about.

He broke the kiss and moved in closer, pushing his muzzle against her own while she giggled and wrapped her arms around him. “Marking me again?” she asked playfully.

“Mhm… Love getting your scent on me…” he growled and leaned in to nibble at her throat as she shivered, her tails shuddering behind her before she gently pulled from his paws.

“Ah… Tyler, we need to talk…” she confessed. She saw his eyes widen with fear and his tail going limp. Instantly, she realized her tone sounded terrible and threw her paws up. “Oh toth! No no… not THAT kind of talk sweetie, we’re fine I promise!” she quickly explained.

She saw his eyes ease as he nodded a little, and he rocked back and took a seat on the mat. “Gods… You scared me for a second there…” he whispered.

“Sorry about that… No, we’re good sweetie, I’m really happy with you, and I’m really happy with how you handled things the other cycle with Andrew… I was really worried about how you two would get along…” She frowned and took a seat in front of him on the mat, her legs crossed.

“I’ve a deep respect for the Admiral, and I appreciate his understanding with what’s going on… I only hope I can live up to his expectations…” Tyler sighed and stared down at the mat.

“Uh… hello? Why don’t you worry about living up to MY expectations instead, Tyler? You are dating me, not the Admiral, right?” She offered a crooked grin.

“Ah!” His ears perked up - and she instantly realized what she said. She berated herself internally, how could she say that? What was she thinking? “Are we… dating, Junon?” Tyler asked.

She parted her jaws to speak, then pushed her paws to her lap in closed fists, her tails rolling as she responded with her own question. “Do you want to date me?”

“Yes,” Tyler barked without hesitation.

Junon folded her ears and couldn’t help but grin a little. “Cresh cha… What have I gotten myself into…” She looked back at him with a patient smile and sighed, “Look, sweetie… I like the idea, but I’m not going to tie myself down either, do you understand?”

“That’s okay! I don’t mind what you do when we’re not together, Junon! I’m not upset about the Admiral or any others that you spend time with, I just… would very much like to call you my girlfriend!” Tyler confessed with a cute yip.

“Toth… Didn’t I say before this started…” She smiled and shook her head. “Dangerous, fox… Still… As juvenile as it may sound, I like the idea of that right now, I like the idea of you calling me your girlfriend, so…”

“So… I can?!” he barked happily as his tail wagged.

She grunted as she realized she was getting off-topic rapidly, and her heart was pounding as she saw how happy he looked. “Tyler… I want to discuss something with you, then we’ll come back to this subject, okay? Remember I said I needed to have a talk with you?”

“Yes…” He gave her a trepidatious look.

“It’s about our mission, sweetie…” Junon gently added.

He realized it was business-related and gave an appropriately business-like nod, straightening his posture. “Alright, Junon… What’s going on?”

“I need you to promise me something, Ty… You have to swear to me… What I’m about to tell you, it has to stay between us. Not a whisper, nothing to another soul on this ship… If you respect me and our relationship, if you respect the trust I’m about to show you. I need that promise before I continue…” Junon reached forward and brushed a paw against his jaw, rubbing and scratching under it gently.

She could see the hearts in his eyes and felt him shiver. Though he said nothing, this close, their bond was strong, and she could feel not only his desire but his trust. She could tell he knew damn well how important this was, and he was eager to prove himself worthy of this trust. He nodded rapidly and collected her paw to kiss a few times. “I swear, it goes no further than us, Junon.”

“It’s not good, Ty…” she warned gently.

“Whatever it is, we’ll get through it together, I’ll do what I can for you, love, so tell me and get it off your chest?” He looked into her eyes, his gaze confident as he squeezed her paw.

“That look is dangerous… You’re dangerous…” she said with a smile, feeling her heart flutter gently as she squeezed back. Finally, she sighed, “The lane exit collapsed about an hour after the fleet arrived.”

Tyler looked confused and shook his head. “Wait… I’m no scientist, but spacial fatigue pockets don’t just… collapse.”

She released his paw and leaned back with a frown. “Whelp… This one apparently does… Andrew’s science team can’t find any signs of it… We’re hypothesizing it may have been… A one-way trip…”

“A… one-way…” Tyler’s eyes widened, as the reality of what Junon was saying truly set in. “Wait- What am I going to tell my mother back home? Can I even reach her out here?”

“Tyler… We don’t even know where ‘out here’ is yet,” Junon calmly explained. “They’re still trying to chart exactly where we are using the database and known space records.”

“So… we could be thousands of light years from home, with no way back?” he whispered.

Junon winced. “More like tens of thousands… If the time dilation from the trip is any indicator… Two weeks of time passing but only an hour for us? Shooting from the hip, I’d say at a minimum, twelve thousand… possibly upwards to thirty…”

Tyler grunted and drew his knees up to his chest, staring at his footpaws. “Damn… What are we going to do then?”

“We’ll do what we came here to do… We’ll look for habitable worlds, special anomalies, and resource-rich asteroids or planets…”

“Well… What’s the point if we’ve got no home to return to!?” he barked out in frustration, the fear and anger starting to show in his eyes.

“Because… We may be doing it for us now. The fleet has about five years of supplies, and we can be self-sufficient if we can find the raw components to resupply the refinery and engineering ships” she explained, holding a paw out and gesturing for Tyler to calm down.

Tyler flexed his paws on his knees and growled, “I warned my mother we’d be going dark most likely… for possibly a few years… but still…”

“We all knew on some level there would be some risk involved… Our ship probably would have just come apart at the seams had we spent much longer in that unstable lane… Still,” she sighed, looking away, “this was not what I expected, I’ll confess…”

Both of them just sat there for several moments in silence. It was easy to feel small and powerless against the infinite expanse of the void, an unknowable distance from anything they knew. Eventually, Tyler shook his head and looked up at Junon. “But… If it’s with you, it’s okay then…” His eyes sparkled with determination.

Junon smiled and shook her head. “Ty, I’m not sure if it’s going to be okay at all, we may find nothing but barren useless planets out here-”

“Then we’ll find them together,” Tyler insisted, straightening up. “I want to freak out right now, but knowing I’m with you, I feel okay, and I know you’ll figure something out. We will figure something out, together,” he growled as he stared hard at her.

“Quite the bid of confidence in me, in… us? Do you mean us as in the fleet, or us, us?” She flashed her sharp teeth in a smug grin.

“You and me, we’ll make this work! If I’m with you, I feel like I can take on the galaxy, and win!” he yipped. His tail thumped on the mat as he rose to his feet.

Junon smiled. In the face of their dire situation, she appreciated his efforts to stay hopeful. She had to admit to herself - it was rubbing off on her, ever so slightly. She rose and stepped forward, taking his paws, her own tails wagging as she stared into his steeled, confident gaze. “Okay, Tyler… I’ll try not to worry as well. As long as I have my foxy little earthling boyfriend with me, I’ll do my best!” She sealed her promise with a loving grin.

His eyes widened, and lovestruck hearts slowly appeared in them. Then, he barked and threw his arms around her. Their muzzles crashed together in a deep, eager kiss as his arms tightened around his lover.

She savored the kiss, the sensation of their tongues rolling, the heat of their combined breath, as she ran her paws through his soft blond locks. It was foolish to rush this, but after all, they were trapped in an unknown part of the void on nothing but a wing and prayer, together. Why not live vicariously?

They parted the kiss and he pushed his forehead to her own with a loving growl. “Junon… I’ll be with you, and if you ever start to worry… I’ll be there to talk to you.”

“That goes for you too, my Tyler… You come to me if it weighs on you… You’re the only one that knows about our predicament other than the Admiral and his Science team… I don’t want to send the crew into a depressed panic, you know?” She moved to rub under his muzzle.

“I’m honored you trusted me… I won’t betray your trust or your feelings…” He shivered and took her paw, kissing it several times.

She bit her lip. He was already this concerned about her feelings, of all things? They had only been together about a week, and he was already taking things so seriously. Hell, Junon had only been back in the void for a week, and here she was, trapped in an uncharted expanse, lightyears from home with an unaware crew and a new boyfriend. It was overwhelming, frankly. At least… that new boyfriend could support her through it. He was at least willing to try. That meant more to her than she could articulate at this moment.

Her eyes closed as she hugged him and pushed her forehead to his own, projecting her thoughts into his mind. ‘Whatever will be, will be… Stay by my side, and I’ll do the same for you. The time we’ve known each other means little, as our truest feelings are here and now…’

‘Junon… I’ll walk this road with you to the end, no matter where it goes, I swear it!’ His thoughts rang positively in her mind, before she was scooped into a tight hug. His arms trembled as he nuzzled her jaw. She just smiled and hugged him back as tight as she could.

-*United Space Federation Data Archives*-

-*Spacial Anomaly Dossier #1*-

Planet/Star Rating and types:

The following archive is a summary of the USF standardized rating system for various planetoid bodies and stars. All USF officers are advised to become familiar with these terms before beginning any spacial exploration.

-*Stars*-

Though hues of stars vary greatly, the USF acknowledges four primary colors for cataloguing purposes.

Red: The most common type of star, typically long-lived and beginning the process of entering supernova. The systems which orbit these stars vary wildly and may contain many to very few planetoid bodies.

Yellow: An uncommon star type. Systems orbiting yellow stars most consistently have multiple planetoid bodies and other anomalies such as asteroid fields and nebulous pockets.

White: Like yellow stars, white star systems often contain multiple planets or anomalies. However, several have been reported to have zero planets or significant anomalies at all. The size of the star itself can also vary wildly, and its gravitational field can be deceptively strong or weak. The high level of unpredictability within white star systems can lead to unforeseen complications during exploration. Great caution and additional scans are advised when exploring white star systems.

Blue: The rarest and largest star type known to the USF. Blue stars are often hyper-massive giants, with potentially dozens or hundreds of planetoid bodies, and a plethora of other spacial anomalies. Smaller blue stars may indicate a resource rich system. However, extreme caution should be taken, as neutron stars are included under this categorization. Sensor reading cannot determine with absolute certainty the nature of a blue star until within a proximity which may expose ships and their crews to potentially highly dangerous radiation.

-*Planets*-

The USF has a five-level system for rating and marking planets, as follows.

Type I - Planet is barren and offers little to no resources, with no potential of habitable life or terraforming. Commonly used for gas giants or burned-out planets close to stars.

Type II - Planet may contain minerals or gases of interest, but mining or collection is usually extremely hazardous due to various planetary dangers.

Type III - Planet may contain rich resources or even an atmosphere, but various conditions still make it difficult to explore or mine. Habitation may be possible, but ill-advised.

Type IV - Planet contains rich resources and has the potential to sustain life, making it acceptable for long-term mining, terraforming, or even colonization. Some natural hazards remain that can make attempts toward habitation significantly difficult or dangerous. If the planet does contain living beings, these hazards may include the local plants or wildlife.

Type V - Planet is flourishing with rich vegetation, diverse ecosystems, plentiful water, and exceptional, mineral resources. Type V planets are most coveted and are usually prime candidates for colonization, so long as sentient pre-atomic species are not present(*1*).

(*1*Note- The ‘Primitive Planet Safety Accords’ Dictates no species may be contacted or infringed upon before they have achieved at minimum atomic technology.)

-*End Archive*-

“Nearest we’ve been able to ascertain, we’re screwed…” Andrew sighed over a comm line in Junon’s quarters.

“Nothing? Not even any sort of astrological landmarks on sensor bursts?” Junon asked. She had stepped off the bridge to answer the call moments ago, having just finished reviewing the diagnostics report. It had taken nearly three full cycles for the combined crews of the Occam and Sprocket to complete the necessary repairs and preparation for Occam’s first expedition. After so many resources were used to get him ready, and now that the fleet was completely out of range from the Federation, it was more important than ever for his crew to find some suitable planets to scavenge.

“Nope, and we still can’t pick up any readings from the exit point,” Andrew admitted.

“I’ve the utmost faith that your eggheads will figure it out,” Junon quipped with a grin, trying to keep things light.

“We do have… one potential ace up our sleeves though.” He folded his paws before him.

“What’s that?”

“Worst case… If there’s been no contact within three years, they will send a small scout ship through to check on us. It may just be some more suckers that get stranded, but it also might glean more information if we haven’t figured it out by then…” He sighed again. It was a long shot, but at least it was something they could cling to.

“That’s assuming it didn’t collapse on the other side as well… Let’s not even consider that option and just keep trying to figure out what we can do. I don’t want to get complacent on some what-if situation” Junon growled, putting a paw on her hip.

“More than fair, Captain…” He moved a paw to fiddle with his console before she saw another screen display, showing a holographic scale of the trinary system they were currently in.

“The stars of this system have pretty much scorched the planets barren with their heat,” he explains, “and our preliminary probes sent to the four orbitals showed basically just husks of rock and dirt, nothing of note or value. It’s a pretty view though?”

“Breathtaking…” Junon muttered as she reached for the display window, her paw gently touching the holographic screen as she manipulated to pull the view out, seeing there were four more stars nearby that could be moved to under warp power.

“Two whites, another red, and … is that a neutron star?!” She barked out in surprise.

“It’s showing all the earmarkings of one, yes… We’d best steer clear,” Andrew cautiously advised as Junon nodded. The Occam certainly didn’t need another major crisis if he strayed too close to a neutron star’s radioactive field. While its onboard technology was top-of-the-line, shield tech that could effectively ward off that kind of radiation was still decades away.

Junon hummed as she considered her options, then shrugged and began manipulating the hologram as she explained her plan. “I’ll chart a course to the red one, that’s furthest, then I’ll cross over to this white, and then the next one… The red has the highest chance of having mineral-rich worlds, the white’s are just kind of a pot shot… They could have nothing in their systems whatsoever…”

She had the computer projecting the display calculate the current trip estimate. After a moment, it showed she could reach the furthest star in about four days at full warp, and with minimal delays, the round trip would bring her back here within three weeks.

“A solid first journey. I’ll send one of the destroyers out to look for you if we haven’t heard back within a month?” Andrew suggested.

“Better make it two just to be safe, I don’t want your guys risking their necks alone if something goes awry… Those other ships might be needed to search for other worlds if something happens to us,” Junon said darkly.

“Let’s not jynx ourselves before we even start, Captain,” Andrew mewed out in a stern tone.

“My apologies, Admiral…” She shut down the navigation display as she faced him. As they locked eyes, the reality set in that they would not be seeing each other for upwards of a month.

The silence lingered between them, until Andrew finally broke it, softly pleading, “Take care of yourself, my racha…”

“I will… I’ll take care of everyone with my life, Andrew… but I’ll make sure to come back,” she whispered back.

“Take care of that Ensign of yours too, eh?” He gave her a playful grin.

She smirked and cleared her throat, “Speaking of him… Permission to discuss my current crew allotment?”

“Go ahead, Captain…” He straightened up once more.

“Admiral, I understand I’m running a small crew, but I have no Security officer. I realize you are confident in my martial prowess, but I’m one Salarian.” Junon lifted her muzzle.

Andrew nodded as he spoke, “I can send you a security member from my own detail here on the-”

“No need for that. I request permission to promote Ensign Londre to be my Chief Security officer.”

“Interesting… Can I ask your reasoning?” He cocked a brow.

“I have sparred with him multiple times over the last few cycles, I am confident in his martial prowess, but I also feel he has a level head to make the proper judgment calls in a crisis,” Junon explained.

“What about your comms?”

“Londre is adaptable, I’ll keep him on the bridge as my comms officer when he is not needed for away missions or security-related matters, and really… Pretty much any officer could operate comms if needed,” she said with a shrug.

“Your reasoning is sound, and I would feel better knowing you had more muscle with you planet-side if you find habitable worlds to explore…” Andrew gave Junon a nod. “I accept your proposal, we’ll make it official now, is he on duty?”

“He is, sir,” she answered, already strumming her fingers over the console and paging the bridge.

“Yes, Captain?” Tyler’s voice called out.

“The Admiral wishes to speak, inform the bridge crew,” she barked. “I’ll return shortly!” Then, she shut off the comm line, just in time to see a small box materialize in front of her, bathed in waves of light. It must be a new star for Tyler, she reasoned, sent straight to her via transport from the Astral. She waited until it completed materializing, then scooped it up and told Andrew, “I’ll get back to the bridge, thank you for this, Admiral.”

“I trust your judgment, and I know you would do what is best for the crew at large, not your own personal agenda, Junon… Get to the bridge, I’ll see you there.” His window blipped out of sight as she hastily left her quarters to get to the lift.

On her way down the corridor, she keenly felt the time passing, and grew impatient. “Oh for the love of…” She whipped out her communicator and snarled, “Captain to Transportation.”

“Transportation, go ahead, Captain!”

“Transportation, I’ve got the Admiral waiting for me on the bridge, and it’s a five-minute walk, do a vixen a solid and zap me over there?”

“Of course, Captain, hold still while I lock onto your communicator,” the Transportation officer answered dutifully. “Good, transporting now!”

Her vision flashed to white. When it returned, she saw the inside of the lift doors, already on the top level for the bridge. “Very smooth, thank you!” she called into her communicator, briefly shaking off the typical transport disorientation. A short trip like this wasn’t as stressful on the body as, say, a hop between entire starships, but there were still light side effects.

“Happy to help, Captain!”

The lift doors wooshed open as she stepped forward. Leona instantly barked, “Captain on the bridge!” The whole crew gave her a salute that Junon quickly returned.

“Sorry for the delay, go ahead with the call!” At Junon’s command, Tyler patched the Admiral through.

“Salute!” Leona barked out, and everyone present once again saluted.

Andrew sharply echoed the gesture before speaking out, “I know all of you are about to head out, and I want to say how proud I am of everyone here. The future of the USF is forged by pioneers such as yourselves. There has been a gross oversight though and I realize time is short, so I’ll cut right to the quick of it… Ensign Londre!”

Tyler let out a surprised bark but saluted again. “Yes Admiral!” he yipped.

“As the ship is lacking one and I cannot afford to send over any further officers, you are effectively promoted to Chief of Security, but I will expect you to tend to any duties on the bridge the Captain needs such as Communications, are we clear?” The Admiral’s words and tone left no room for argument.

“Ah! Y-Yes sir!” Tyler’s tail stiffened as he saluted once more. Leona squinted and shot her Captain the briefest glance, but remained at attention.

Junon approached him and presented the small box, opened to reveal a small Security Star for his collar. “Get changed into a proper security uniform and then get back on the comms, Chief of Security,” she ordered.

“Yes, Captain!” He collected the star and gave the Admiral one last salute. “Sir! I’ll do my best, thank you!”

“The rest of you,” Andrew mewed, washing his authoritative gaze over the congregation, “do your best as well to support Junon, trust her and Officer Sussnel to see you through in the coming journeys. Remember, I have the utmost faith in each and every one of you!” With one last sharp salute from the tabby, the call ended, and the screen faded back to a view of the void outside.

Junon frowned as she stared at where the image of her lover had been, knowing that was the last time she’d see him for some time to come. She sighed and called out, “As you were everyone, let’s get ready to move!”

The bridge crew returned to their stations to finish their own tasks in preparation for the launch. Junon just slumped into her chair and let out a tired sigh, rubbing her face. As Leona took a seat, Junon peeked through her fingers and saw the Rashvian’s eyes darting towards her occasionally, something she did when she wanted to say something.

Junon didn’t hide her groan as she leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees. She looked directly at Leona and asked, “What is it, First?”

Leona lifted her ears and cleared her throat. “Just an observation I suppose, am I free to speak as I will?”

“Depends on the context… Do we need to leave the bridge for this?” Junon snarled and flicked her ears.

“Why was Londre chosen?” Leona asked point-blank, challenging her Captain with a look.

“Because he can keep up with me in a fight, Leona… Why? Would you prefer I demoted your tail to Security and made him my First instead?” Junon barked back.

“It was just quite the rise in rank so suddenly,” Leona skeptically replied.

“Chief Officer, if you…” Suddenly, Junon snapped her teeth shut and stood with a huff. “So be it, I guess that’s just how this is going to have to be, and I’ll have it sorted before we warp! Lieutenant Shelby, you have the bridge for the moment!” Her angry words startled the purple calico, who quickly nodded.

“With me, First, now!” Junon growled the words out through clenched teeth as she stomped to the lift. Leona frowned, but she followed dutifully. The bridge was completely silent as all eyes traced them to the lift, and the quiet lingered for several moments after the two disappeared.

As Junon arrived at the holosuite with her First in tow, she shouted, “Computer, personal program twelve!” The room shimmered, before resolving into the familiar dojo simulation. Their polished shoes sank slightly and left divots in the mat.

“Take off your shoes, that’s an order!” Junon hissed, kicking her own flats off. Leona said nothing as she slipped out of her boots. Junon was clearly limbering up, rolling her shoulder, and even doing a few squats as she barked out, “Limber!” Leona snarled but continued to do as she was told, rolling her shoulders, twisting her hips, and starting to stretch out.

To Leona’s surprise, Junon reached up and took her star off, laying it aside, then stomped right over to the Rashvian to remove hers too. Leona snarled as Junon dropped the star beside her own.

“Speak freely, bitch!” Junon barked out over her shoulder, tails rolling and teeth showing in a snarl.

“Are you and the Ensign seeing each other?” Leona asked with a glare.

“No, but I am seeing the head of Security if you must know!” Junon put her paws on her hips, scowl deepening.

“So that’s what it takes to climb in rank under your command?” Leona hissed.

“See, I knew you were going there…” Junon wagged a finger and snarled back, “Londre rocking my world in bed has nothing to do with his rank, I needed a security team, and he’s qualified!”

“And you didn’t check the manifest to see who else had experience?! Just gave it to your fuck toy?” Leona barked, stepping right up in her Captain’s face.

Junon rose up on her footpaws to glare back. “For your information, I did go over the current crew manifest of every officer on this ship. I even cursory glanced over the various crew… What makes more sense to you, Leona? Raising an Ensign to the position or some non-officer crew member?”

Leona’s eye twitched. “You’re just saying that to save face-”

Junon slapped her right across the muzzle. The sheer strength of the stunning blow forced her back a step, and she looked up, equally furious and stunned.

“You don’t ever call me a liar, Rashivan,” Junon furiously barked while jabbing a finger at Leona. “We Salarians pride ourselves on our bluntness and open lines of communication!”

“Like you pride yourselves on your open legs, I bet?” Leona snarled, lowering her stance slightly.

“Oh, a sex jab? Yeah, I’m a slut, whore, trescha, sluj, or whatever other species terms you wanna use, at least I’m getting some!” Junon yanked her hair back into a snug ponytail, then crooked a finger and cocked her brow. “Wanna shut up and put up? Try to slap me back, wolf!”

Without hesitation, Leona barked and lunged in. She wasn’t going for just a slap - her paw was balled into a tight fist. Junon jerked her muzzle to the side and felt knuckles just brush her cheek fur, before her own fist slammed right into the wolf’s midsection.

The Rashvian choked out a strained yip and staggered back, holding her bruised belly. Junon cracked her knuckles and spat at the floor. “You know so much about Salarians, your mortal enemies, right? You should know we’re faster and have better reaction time than you lumbering brutes!”

“I don’t have a problem with Salarians, just you!” Leona stomped a footpaw and gave the smaller dog a glare as she reset her stance.

“Well, I like to think I buried my prejudices when I left the military the first time, but maybe I can only get along with the older smart ones of your species, not the stupid ones…” Junon curled her finger again as she lifted her muzzle.

With a furious howl, Leona lunged, keeping her guard up this time. However, Junon caught the fist in her open paw. The wolf snarled and threw her other fist, but the Salarian simply snatched that one too.

Junon shifted her grip to Leona’s wrists as they were tangled up, snarling in her face as she squeezed. “How many bones I gotta break before you fucking learn your lesson!?”

“Ha! And you call my species brutes?!” Leona barked back, driving a kick right into Junon’s knee.

“Toth!” Junon yipped and felt herself stagger, leaving her open for the larger wolf to grab her by the throat and slam her back-first to the mat.

“Strangled one of my kinsmen with your bare paws, eh?” Leona snarled with a furious look in her eyes.

Junon snapped her sharp teeth and raised a footpaw between them, shoving the wolf off her before righting herself. “Bigger and stronger things than you have tried to bring me down, Leona… Maybe you’re right, maybe I do just find the majority of your kind as distasteful warmongers. Perhaps Claris is just the exception!”

“So you do hate my species on principle?”

“Maybe… or maybe I’m just really hating you right about now… I’ve tried to be polite, I’ve tried to be understanding. I’ve asked you nicely… I’ve ordered you…” Junon clenched her fists and barked out, “I guess some stereotypes are true, the only way to get through to one of you wolves is to beat the logic into you!”

“The USF can roost on whatever niceties it wants, but I’ll never look at you as the pack leader of this ship! All you do is make excuses for yourself!” Leona barked back, teeth bared.

“Excuses for what?! I told you I was a murderer, I told you I owned what I did! You’re the one making excuses for your hatred of me, Leona! Not a day goes by I don’t think about the souls of those I sent into the void, but you expect me to drop to my knees and yowl for redemption?!”

“You’re just manipulating Claris to feel good about yourself!” Leona stomped forward with both paws clenched.

“I consider Claris a friend, sorry that is so hard to understand. Denlazi, Earthling, or even Salarian… Wouldn’t have mattered what was on the ship, it was getting destroyed for costing me my racha. It just happened to be your species. The subsequent ships were just war, a war your species started, not mine!”

“Excuses!”

Junon howled and drove her fist into the Rashvian’s muzzle, driving her back with a gush of blood.

“Cresh cha! I’m done with your tongue wagging… I’m done with your theatrics too!” Junona stomped over and slugged the wolf in the jaw again. Leona staggered back, eyes wide in shock as blood flowed from her muzzle.

“Yeah, I’m fucking Tyler, no it didn’t get him a rank. Yeah, I blew up your species’ ship, no it wasn’t because it had Rashvians on it!” Another harsh punch to the stomach brought Leona to her knees with a choked cough.

“Maybe if I fucking hit you with every statement I make, you’ll fucking listen, Leona!” Junon snarled and grabbed the wolf by the throat, riding her down to the mat.

“I’m a fucking monster, but I accept that… If something happened to my racha, and it was your species' fault, I’d do it again… but then again I’d burn Salaria for them too…” Her paws tightened as she spat, “Are you fucking listening to me?!”

Leona winced at the tight squeeze and jerkily nodded.

Satisfied, Junon released the grip, shifting her paws to Leona’s shoulders. She leaned in, nose-to-nose, as they glared at each other over their muzzles wrinkled in mutual anger. “Leona, do you know how your species’s boarding party got on my Captain’s ship?”

“The records don’t state… that part…” She coughed a little as Junon climbed off her. As she started getting to her feet, she saw Junon offering a paw. The Rashvian hissed, but she accepted the help.

Junon walked to the side of the mat to collect a cloth then came back to her. She grabbed the wolf by the collar and jerked her down to wipe the blood off her fur. “I’ll tell you, but if you call me a liar, I’ll break your jaw, are we clear?”

“Yes ma’am…” Leona growled humbly, knowing now she wasn’t going to beat this fox in a fair fight.

Junon met her fierce green eyes. “We came upon the Rashvian vessel broadcasting a distress signal. I and the rest of the crew warned Captain Alwritter we shouldn’t hail them, but he said war or not, we couldn’t leave any species in such a state, it would be dishonorable to the USF… We closed and hailed, the Captain of the Dreshkul waxing some sob story about how their engines had failed and life support was dropping rapidly…”

She kept staring right into Leona’s eyes as she continued, “Our Captain was preparing to make plans to have some of our engineers look over their ship when the transporters kicked in. We had our shields up naturally, but it was all just a way for your species to test out their new shield-bypass tech… The first boarder had already shot my racha before he knew what was happening. He left this reality unaware of anything… Probably for the best, as I doubt I’d be able to look him in the eye after what I’ve done in his name, he would not have wanted it.”

“I… heard nothing about that side of things…” Leona whispered, seeing Junon glare slightly before she followed up, “I’m not saying you’re a liar, just…”

Junon shook her head and dabbed some of the blood off the wolf’s snout. “You are determined to make me go insane, aren’t you, Rashvian…” she sighed. Then, she raised her voice. “Computer, pause the simulation and open a viewing screen!”

A blank window popped into view. Junon then growled, “Play USF historical bridge recording of the Rashvian Conflict battle number 73! Timestamp of 1423 to 1428!”

“Captain, this footage requires verbal authorization to view,” the ship’s computer cooly responded.

“Authorization granted by Junon Topaz,” she barked. The vid screen then displayed the bridge record of the event from the USF archives.

*-*Playing Historical Archive*-*

“I don’t like this sir!” a younger Junon barked out with a paw on her sword pommel. With the other paw, she pointed to the Weapons Officer. “Weapons, I want excelsior cannons trained on their weapons systems, and I want torpedoes aimed at their engines, if this is a trap it’ll be their last!”

The Captain, a large, stoic lion with golden flowing hair, snorted at his First Officer before returning to the monitor, where a Rashvian Captain was displayed for a vid-call. “You’ll have to forgive my First, she’s highly protective of me and the crew. Rest assured, we understand there is a time and place for common decency in the void.”

“I am grateful for your kindness, Captain Alwritter, and rest assured this will not be forgotten when we return from patrols. Perhaps this goodwill is just what we need to ease the tension of this war,” the Rashvian Captain replied in a somber, apologetic voice.

Alwritter smiled and nodded. “Of course, we have to stick together when the void pushes back, yes? We’ll be performing a sensor sweep over your ship to see if we can identify what’s happened, after which I think we can spare some engineers to come aboard. I’ll have to ask my security detail to escort them, naturally, but we’ll-”

A Rashvian Battle Maiden suddenly materialized behind him in a flash of light, and the phase rifle in her hands cut Alwritter short. Blood sprayed from his chest, which opened from behind in a gaping, simmering wound. His eyes went blank, and he crumpled to the deck.

“Captain!” Junon screamed, drawing her sword and diving on the boarder with practiced form. The Rashvian howled as Junon ran her through and swung her blade up, cleaving the intruder in two. Blood showered over and stained the fox’s golden fur. Junon’s voice cracked as she screeched, “Battle stations! Fire the fucking weapons!”

“Firing!” The weapons officer shouted in panic as she frantically operated the console. The entire ship rumbled as missiles and energy pulses tore into the Rashvian ship’s shields, as multiple more boarders transported onto the bridge to fight. Security officers joined the fray to defend the crew, but even they had to evade the raging Junon so they weren’t cut down as well. The Rashvian Security Chief fell after only a few blows from the fox, who screamed bloody murder over her corpse, tears streaming down her wide eyes. It all happened within a matter of seconds.

True to her word, Junon dove on the final boarding member, and the playback clearly showed her strangling the intruder to death while smashing her head into the floor, yowling and sounding crazed.

“I think… we’re clear,” one of the bridge officers called out. “...Captain?”

Junon snarled and slashed the last Rashvian’s throat before perking her ears in realization.

“Radolf!” Junon finally scrambled over to him. Everything had happened within fifteen seconds of footage. “Racha… Racha!” she sobbed as she pushed a paw to his muzzle, her teeth clenching as she howled in fury and sorrow.

“...The destroyer’s engines and weapons system have been disabled, Ma’am…” the weapons officer said solemnly.

“Open communications!” Junon screamed the orders as the vid screen displayed the Rashvian Captain. She surveyed the scene of carnage, seeing the Salarian cradling her fallen Captain’s limp body in her arms, and the fifteen Rashvians that she had sent. All of them were dead, over half of them by the Salarian’s paws alone.

“Monsters! Cowards!” Junon screamed at the Captain, tears rolling down her blood-smeared fur.

The Rashvian took a composing breath as she spoke, “we surrender, Captain. This was my ploy so-”

“Open fire on them! Kill them!” Junon screamed as she slowly rose to her feet, glaring up at the display.

“Captain, please reconsider this!” The weapons officer spun to face her.

“Captain, if you must kill anyone, make it me, I beg of you! I have a crew of nearly three hundred!” the Rashvian stammered out.

“Then order them to pray to their gods! Death comes for you all!” Junon screamed as she smashed the console to close communications.

“Captain, please! I- Captain Alwritter wouldn’t want this!” the weapons officer pleaded.

“I’m not Radolf!” Junon stormed over and shoved her out of her chair with a snarl. “I’m not him, he was too kind… too good… He was mine… my racha… my racha…” Tears streamed in her eyes as she armed the weapons, aimed, and punched the launch button. She continued to sob as she watched half a dozen torpedoes slam into the belly of the destroyer. The hull shuddered, ruptured, and then imploded upon itself before a wave of fire and pressure pushed out to be quickly swallowed and extinguished in the void.

Several moments passed as the whole bridge crew remained silent. Finally, the Communications Officer spoke out in a whisper, “No other contacts on radar… Captain…”

Junon shuddered and pulled her bloody paws from the console, her tails fluffing as she moved to the Captain's chair. She stared at it, then looked at her fallen lover nearby. She looked back to the Helmsman. “Helmsman set course to reform with the other ships; tell them to be ready to move, we’re taking it back to them this time…”

“Ma’am!” the Helmsman replied as he turned back to the console.

“Medical teams, get to the bridge, we’ve got injuries and two casualties…” she spoke numbly into her communicator. Then, the fox, stained a frightening red with all of the blood soaking her fur, took a seat in the Captain’s chair. She put her bloody paws over her face, crying and snarling, “Racha… racha… my racha…”

*-*Ending Playback*-*

Leona clenched her paws into fists, her mouth dry, as the vid screen blipped out of existence. Junon had her back turned, saying nothing.

“I’m… sorry to put you through having to experience that again…” Leona whispered softly.

Junon turned to face her, tears in her cheek fur but her face looking composed. “I watch that at least once a season, Leona… So I’ll never forget…”

The Rashvian nodded, unsure of what to say. Junon fiddled with the rag she had gathered, calling to the computer, “Resume simulation!” Then she was before the wolf, wiping some fresh blood off her jaw.

“You sounded… mad…” Leona said.

“Losing a loved one, is always traumatic for any species, but if we are in proximity of our bonded one, especially one near and dear to us…” Junon sighed and shook her head, “Forget it, you wouldn’t care…”

“Tell me? I’m listening… I promise…” Leona looked down at her.

Junon gave her a skeptical look but continued. “Losing a bonded lover while within proximity of our connection, damages us. It sunders our emotions and can take years to recover… This is why life-mates of our species die when their partner does… We are so strongly bound by them, we literally can’t live without them…”

“I thought… that was just a myth.”

“No, Leona… If we are life-bonded, we quite literally will fall into a coma and shut down until death takes us. This is why Salarians have a smaller population than most species, and we have to nurture our young carefully… If our pups die at an early age… we die with them, both parents…”

“So when Captain Alwritter died… you literally were a little mad at that point, weren’t you?”

“Indeed… I was consumed with loss and rage… I was able to hold myself together during my tenure as Captain, but I spoke with no one outside of my station, I spent my cycles locked in my quarters, feeling my sanity fray by the cycle… It took me nearly three years to find myself again.” Junon lapped her tongue against a portion of the cloth as a mother might do, then scrubbed out a bit of dry blood against the other dog’s jaw.

“Yet… you don’t regret your choice in that moment?” Junon lowered to her knees now as Junon cleaned her blood off.

“Leona… I have many regrets, and I wish it hadn’t come to that… However I know what I was in that moment, and I know that were it to happen again…” She snarled and clenched the bloody rag in her paw, thinking of Andrew, and surprised herself by even considering what it would do to her to lose Tyler.

With a sigh, she moved to a sink near the mat, taking out a fresh cloth and soaking it in cold water before moving back to Leona. “Leona, if that happened again, if you ever see me in a state like that, you best shoot me in the back, because I’ll be as mad as a devil, I’ll want to burn down the homeworld of whatever took my racha from me…”

“Racha… is that what you Salarian call loved ones? You have a new racha? Is it Ensign, erm- I mean Security Chief Londre?”

Junon flinched while compressing the cold cloth on Leona’s snout. “Ah… Cresh cha… I’ve already told you so much, give me a break Leona…” She offered a weak smile.

“I understand…” Leona closed her eyes while the smaller fox tended to the wounds she’d inflicted herself.

“This is the calmest I’ve ever seen you…” Junon whispered.

“I’m a Rashvian, Junon… You’ve quite clearly established you’re this ship’s pack lead, or Alpha as it were… I can’t best you in combat, and so I submit to your authority,” Leona said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Is that right? Hmm… then will you give me a chance and stop hating on me now over what’s in the past?” Junon stepped back and tossed the cloth aside. “It’s just us out here in this cold harsh void after all.”

“Captain… Junon… Seeing how you looked, hearing your sorrow…” Leona sighed and rubbed her own arm. “I’m not saying you were in the right, but… Do you swear to me that it wasn’t a Rashvian thing?”

“I swear to you, Leona… I say it again, it could have been a ship full of MY species, I would have done the same in my bond-torn madness… I won’t deny Rashvian’s still cause me to pause, but as I get to know you, and of course Claris, I want to learn to look past that.” Junon put her paw to her chest.

“I can accept that… and I appreciate you sharing this with me.” Leona stood once more.

“Leona, I’ll have your back as we go through this, so make sure you have mine, that’s all I ask, alright? You don’t have to like me, you don’t have to forgive me, but… Let’s just watch out for each other and our crew, that’s all I ask,” Junon put her paws on her hips as she spoke.

“I understand, Captain, and I acknowledge your authority as the Commander of this ship and leader of its pack!” Leona offered a small salute.

Junon returned the salute, then jerked her head towards the exit. “Come on, let’s go see Claris and get those bruises treated, you did a number on my knee anyway,” she barked out with a laugh. “You’ve got a hell of a kick on you, Rashvian!” She turned and started walking, clearly favoring one leg.

Leona watched her walk away, looking in control even in injury, her tails waving about and hips still offering a confident swagger. The Rashvian could taste her own blood in her mouth and felt a small shiver go up her spine at the sight of the dominant little fox before her.

*-*

“So this is what it took, eh?” Claris giggled as she ran the oscillator over Junon’s knee. “Maybe I should have told Junon to take you to the holosuite and smack you around the first day we met…” She grinned over at Leona, who had already gotten her jaw and snout healed up.

“Hmph… it’s not that big of a deal, is it?” Leona snarled and folded her arms.

“You see, Junon, in Rashvian society, especially in the military… We prefer our commanding officers to have exceptional martial prowess…” Claris hummed as she worked over her knee.

“An alpha or pack leader mentality as it were…” Junon nodded as she looked over at the red-haired wolf who frowned at her intense stare. The fox gave her a predatory smirk, smelling blood in the water.

“Junon… be nice to Leona…” Claris tapped the fox’s nose, as if she knew the Captain was plotting something.

“Okay okay!” Junon giggled and smiled back at Claris, then leaned back on her paws and looked over at her First. “You like tea, Leona?”

“Uh… I’m more of a coffee drinker, but I’ll drink it from time to time. Why?” Leona asked skeptically.

“Claris, how about 1400 at my place; I’ll set out three cups?” Junon looked to the doctor, then cocked her head over to the other Rashvian.

“Oh? I’d be happy to accept your hospitality, but I can’t speak for Leona,” Claris said as she put the oscillator away.

“You want to have tea with me?” Leona asked awkwardly.

“Well, both of you, yes… I won’t order you to though!” Junon waved a paw as she kicked her knee a few times, checking for aches.

“Come now, dear. Come have tea with me and the Captain?” Claris smiled at the younger wolf.

Leona gave a small nod. “Okay… I can give it a shot…” she whispered nervously.

“Thanks, doc, we should get back to the bridge and finally get on our way!” Junon hopped up and gave a stretch.

“Try not to hurt each other too much, dears…” Claris gave them a giggle and a wave as the two of them left.

Junon walked down the corridor with her First, then entered the lift before wheeling around on her with a playful grin once the doors shut, shoving her paw over the hold button so they wouldn’t open.

“W-what?” Leona stammered out awkwardly at the fox’s mischievous grin.

“Hm… Computer, hold the lift here, please,” Junon growled. The computer chirped an acknowledging tone.

“Junon, what are you doing?” Leona lowered her ears, offering a warning growl, but then yipped as the fox grabbed her collar and brought her down to eye level.

“First Officer…” Junon cooed in a playful voice.

“Y-Yes Captain?” Leona whispered awkwardly.

“Call me… Your Alpha…” Junon whispered.

“W-wait- Is… that an order?”

“Uh-huh… I’m ordering you to do it…” Junon cupped Leona’s jaw, claws scratching as she hummed.

Leona gulped and stood stock still for a moment, heart racing, before she glared at the smaller dog and whispered, “Y-yes, since you’ve proven your capabilities, you are mine and the rest of the ship’s-”

“Nu-uh…” Junon put a paw over her lips as Leona hissed out but hushed. She then cooed and patted her jaw gently as she continued, “Say I’m… your… Alpha… Leona…”

Leona gulped hard, her green eyes shuddering before she timidly complied, “You’re… my A-Alpha… Junon…”

“Your pack leader?” Junon grinned.

“Y-yes… leader of my pack…” Leona nodded obediently.

“Hmm… I think I like Pack Leader better… Alpha just feels… eehhh… you know?” Junon gave a smile and rubbed under Leona’s jaw again. “Okay… one more time… who’s the leader of your pack?”

“Y-you are, ma’am…” Leona nodded, her thick tail wagging at the pets.

Junon looked satisfied as she ran a paw over Leona’s head, giving her large fluffy ears a few strokes as she leaned in and puffed into one, “Good dog…” Leona snapped her jaws hard, shivering at the dominant display, tail puffing up. The fox saw the body language loud and clear, and pulled back.

“Computer… Take us to the bridge!” A chirp filled the air after her order as the lift moved. The wolf standing there looked more demure than she’d ever looked over the last two weeks.

The lift opened to the Bridge as Junon strutted back out with a grin, looking over at Tyler who was now in a uniform that was more fitting a Security Chief. The ensign colors had been replaced by dark grey and black, with his new rank star on his collar.

“Looking good, head of security!” she barked cheerfully.

“T-thank you, ma’am!” He offered a salute.

“Sorry for the delay… Please broadcast to the crew that we are about to engage warp!” she said to Tyler as she took a seat.

“All personnel! We are about to go to warp, please be advised, we are about to engage warp!” Tyler spoke out over the comms system.

“Is our course set, Helmsman?” she asked.

“Ma’am, we are set to the indicated unnamed red dwarf, we can go on your orders,” the calico answered politely.

She looked over at the wolf who seemed composed, but then offered a small frown at the fox’s hungry grin, her bushy thick tail shuddering in a faint wag at the dominant gaze. Junon smiled as she looked back to the front display and lifted a paw before calling out, “Engage!”

Andrew watched a burst of light erupt from the USF Occam's engines as it punched through a warp bubble, before it suddenly vanished from sight. He put a paw to his chest, already feeling more lonely before he offered a salute from his bridge. “Speed of the gods, and safe travels, Occam!” he barked out, as the rest of his bridge crew saluted as well.

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