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Darkness in the Sun

II. Hunters Hunted

     Sunburst's base was a giant ship, an irregular, three dimensional star, points sticking into space. Even though the ship that had picked them up had only been a shuttle, and its mothership had been huge already, the base was easily three times the ship's size, not including the handful of other ships docked between the points. Ghallagher sat next to Manda at a table, eating a bowl of ship-ration noodles, the instant "add water" kind with more salt than anything else, the looming mass of the station visible through a "window," a screen set to mirror what was outside. Placing the latest bowl on a stack of the disposable dishes, he downed a container of water, while the lion, Meinyr and Orhlir watched in surprised silence. Curling impossibly further into himself, he looked at the other three, paused in mid bite. Manda was still eating with gusto. "What?"

     "You've got a gut on you. All that time in the arena, and I've never seen you eat more than a few spoonfuls of that slop they fed us." Meinyr had a spoonful of some sort of meat stew halfway between the bowl and his mouth. Orhlir kept glancing between the skinny dragon and his stack of empty bowls. Ghallagher blinked. Manda laughed into her stew.

     "How are you still so skinny?" The lion looked concerned at taking up Ghallagher's offer of 'feed me and we're even,' wondering if it would be a rather high cost.

     "We have a high stress occupation. That's how he maintains his girlish figure!" Manda finished and tossed her own bowl on top of Ghallagher's pile.

     "Mhmmm!" Standing up, Ghallagher posed, making them all snort into their food. Manda collapsed off the bench giggling. Laughing at the twitching tiger, Ghallagher fell on the floor next to his friend, further confusing the other occupants at the table.

     The hawk from before walked in, sitting down next to the lion with a tray of food for himself held in wings structured somewhat like hands. "Captain Jaron, we will reach base in about 20 minutes."

     "Thanks Kenny." Jaron continued eating, watching the slightly insane dragon and tiger.

     Ghallagher poked his head above the table. "Kenny? Your name's Kenny? That's kind of unexpected..."

     Kenny shook his head and clicked his beak. "It's Kanihree, but everyone calls me Kenny."

     Manda popped into view over the table next to Ghallagher. "Well, my name's actually Rahmyndahira. I hate it though, never forgave my mother for that."

     "I'll never forgive you for making me call you that for 2 months. You never did give me permission to call you Manda finally did you?"

     "Didn't need to, I just thought it was funny to see you say it every time, especially that time I asked you to spell it."

     "Nu uh! You made Ayrn spell it."

     "Oh yea, that was hilarious."

     "Since we're going to be docking soon, I need to return to the bridge. Before I go, you'll have rooms JAR7352-84 and JAR7352-85, you can get someone to show you where when we reach base, and " Jaron nodded to the group and left, taking his tray.

     Glancing around for the first time, Ghallagher noticed that the groups were mainly segregated by species, though some blending occurred. Annel, Ayrn tagging along, sat in a group of foxes, all of them similar. Orhlir sat at an adjoining table, the wolf that was almost identical to him sitting across the table, several other wolves sitting at the same table. The sight sparked something in his memory. "Neurn went off on his own right?"

     "Yea, he disappeared pretty much as soon as we got in the open." Manda had calmed down and was pulling herself back onto the bench.

     "Mmmmmm." Ghallagher stared across the table at a group of humans, Sphino among them, the horse mercenary from before along with a bull and several fleet looking deer creatures at yet another table. His own table was the most diverse. Captain Jaron had probably chosen the seat to learn about his dangerous new recruits, forsaking a table of felines nearby who were looking curiously at Manda. Ghallagher snickered, none of them were female as far as he could see. Ilthis seemed the most out of place, not that it bothered him. He, as he said himself, came from a fairly sheltered area of the galaxy, and despite his kind's interest in different species, medicine, and genetics, they hardly ever went offworld. As far as he could see, Kenny was the only avian, and he was the only other with wings. Kenny seemed to have some hand-like structure to his wings, but needed to use his feet for more delicate work. Finally awake, though it was approximately evening, Ghallagher was twitching slightly. "Relax! Have a few drinks. You just got a well paying, fairly legal, job, and are starting off better than most rookies could dream of. You even get to skip most of basic training I think!" Kenny walked to the food dispensing units and returned with a bottle and some shotglasses.

     "Kallegean whiskey, best in the galaxy." Kenny poured some into each of the glasses and placed them in front of Manda and Ghallagher. Meinyr was already pouring himself a glass, downing it and shuddering slightly before helping himself to more. Kenny dumped it down his beak, screeching slightly in a satisfied way. Ilthis abstained from it, but sniffed curiously and watched the others. Manda smelled it and drank like a professional. Ghallagher stared at it, holding it like an unstable explosive. "Oh Ghallagher, what's wrong? Can't hold your liquor?" Manda and the others were already drinking liberally.

     "No, I can't. Never drink the stuff."

     "Huh, just dump it down that gullet of yours."

     "Underage..." Nevertheless, Ghallagher poked his tongue out, tasting the whiskey. "It doesn't taste very good does it?" He drank it slowly, then Manda thumped him on the back and he sucked it all in, coughing. "Want more?"

     "Not really." he spluttered. She poured him more anyways, which he drank.

     Several bottles later, they all were a little louder and teetering slightly. Manda showed an incredible tolerance, but Ghallagher wasn't coping well, having drunk two bottles of liquor on his own. He'd developed a taste for vodka. "Night guuyyyss." Supporting her drunk dragon friend, Manda steered him after Kenny, who had decided to show them where they were staying.

     "Most of the time crewmates live near each'ther, same halls 'r floors. That's teh JAR part of the roomnumber, for Jar-ar-ar-ron. Well this'd be you then. Oooh, nice, you got a single Manda. You might get roommates, but prolly not for a looonnnnggg time if ever. You're with Chirin, Ghall. He'll prolly be in late, but he's a nice guy. Well, night then, and seeya tomorrow. There'll be some fun paperwork for you both." Kenny waved and continued down the hall, swaying slightly.

     "Come on Ghall. Just in here and then fall asleep and sleep it off."

     "Mnhmmmhggnnmmgpph."

     "Ah, your usual eloquence emerges."

     Dragging the dragon inside his room, she dumped him on a bed and positioned him more comfortably before leaving to go to sleep herself, closing the door behind her.

     A buzzing noise sounded as someone rang the bell on Ghallagher's door. "Nnnnnnnnnnnnnhhhhhh." Slipping off the cot, he groaned and walked unsteadily to the door, slapping the panel that opened it. Blinking in the sudden light after the dark of his room, Ghallagher was greeted by a pointed, gray-furred face and whiskered nose, belonging to a giant rat.

     The rat's face registered surprise at Ghallagher's appearence, taking in the dragon's bare chest and largely ruined shorts, both riddled with holes and burns, some with small metal shards protruding. The results of Ghallagher's efforts to destroy the cannons the day before. "Are you ok? You've got a little..." He gestured to Ghallagher's wounds.

     Ghallagher looked blankly at him, so the rat cleared his throat and continued. "Captain Jarron sent me with some paperwork for you." The rat held out a stack of papers, which Ghallagher looked at in dismay. "Mmmm, th'nk you."

     The rat handed over the stack with a grin, "A couple of us are playing some cards back in the mess hall, want to come join us? We need another player. You look like you've started on the drinking already."

     Ears flicked. "Cards? Yes! Drinking I dunno about, dun feel so hot. Had a couple already."

     "Drinks?"

     "Nnnno, bottlesss."

     "Oh. Ummm...you feeling ok?"

     Ghallagher grinned drunkenly. "Mmmmmyush. Cards?"

     "Come on then!"

     Ghallagher followed the rat's bald tail to the mess hall, which contained a handful of his fellow shipmates, two of whom sat across from each other at a table with several others spectating. Only a few lights were on, directly above the table. The rat sat down next to a wolf, who was shuffling a standard deck of cards, glaring at Ghallagher in surprise and suspicion as he sat down, unaware of the various bleeding and oozing holes in his body. "This is Ghallagher, he's new." The wolf looked less than happy, so the rat thumped the him on the shoulder. We've got our four, so don't look so angry Woher."

     "Yeah, cheer up. We got a new cardplayer since Dalinil decided suddenly that he didn't want to play tonight." The equine next to Ghallagher winked at the rat, who snickered.

     "We shouldn't be so hard on him Rhon. There hasn't been anything like these newcomers for weeks." Even while saying this, the rat continued laughing.

     Woher dealt the cards and the next few hours were lost in little rectangles of cardboard, and plenty of booze, which Ghallagher drank dutifully, swallowing the liquid without enthusiasm.

     "I've got 8 tricks."

     "Heh, nil."

     "We'll say 8 then. What about you two?"

     "I th'nk y'r sh'tt'ng me. 9."

     "Huh, confident Ghallagher? I guess we'll go 10."

     "Alright then, lets see what you've got."

     As the night wore on, Ghallagher found it harder to stay awake and coherent, swaying in his seat, blinking sleepily as he and Woher won their 10 tricks.

     Rhon laughed. "I've never seen you on such a winning streak, Woher, must be that newbie partner of yours. Bit of a cardshark aren't you Ghallagher. Sure you're a dragon?"

     The rat groaned at the horrible joke, but Ghallagher seemed not to notice. "Mhmmmmmmmmmm." He shuffled and bridged the cards, dealing quickly and efficiently, the flat rectangles spinning across the table, landing in messy piles in front of the players. He picked up his hand and his latest drink, staring mournfully at it, wishing that Rhon hadn't just given him another. He hated the taste. Evidently, beer was not something he enjoyed. "I dun feel so hot. Dn't think 'm dr'nk'n age ev'nnnhnn."

     Rhon laughed. "A fifth of your lifespan or 50 years, whichever comes first!"

     "Tha's jst it. I mnghrdyungfff." Ghallagher mumbled and collapsed backwards, lying still on the floor, limbs splayed, legs still somewhat draped over his chair.

     "I guess that dragons aren't as famous of drinkers as I'd heard!" Rhon bent over Ghallagher concernedly, sighing and sitting back down, realizing that the dragon had passed out.

     "He's drunk about two bottles of something strong before coming here, and I'd guess about 2 of your beers and half a bottle of whiskey. I'm impressed he's still breathing." The rat was looked at his hand wryly, then set it down and began looking for a replacement player.

     "Dragon metabolisms. He'll probably be up in an hour."

     "Who's up to replacing him in the meantime?" The rat continued pestering the other crewmembers while Rhon dragged Ghallagher off his chair and hefted him onto a table.

     "Fucking greenie anyways. Want to just call it a night? I win." Woher growled, rolling a coin on the table.

     "Someone else can play..cmon! You guys watch this freaking game enough, don't you want to play it ever?" Noncommittal replies about it being the "wrong card game" answered the rat, but one sat down in Ghallagher's seat, and the cards flicked over the tabletop again.

     "Hey Ghallagher, what's up? Feelin' better now? We're actually gonna call it a night pretty soon, but you can finish off the last few hands if you want..." Rhon and the rat stared at the swaying dragon, rubbing his head with one hand, the other groping for weapons that weren't there.

     Glancing around, Ghallagher's unfocused eyes, rested on the loosely uniformed mercs, most of whom were wearing casual or civilian clothing, but were mixed with a few who still sported the blue uniform with the yellow sun. "Mercs. The fuck did you do to me? Always collecting a bounty...not worth it this time bitches. Let me go and I won't kill you."

     "The hell are you talking about Ghallagher, we were just playing cards..."

     "Shoulda tied me up when you had me drugged."

     "Calm down, you got drunk, remember? You signed on with Sun...oof!" Rhon gave a whinnying grunt, teeth slamming together as Ghallagher's foot contacted his chin, knocking his head back. Furious, Ghallagher quickly followed the kick with another in the middle of the stallion's chest, visibly flexing Rhon's ribcage and knocking him backwards to crash to the floor, wheezing and neighing. Before the other mercs could react, he leapt backwards and melted into the shadows.

     "Stop him, he's heading for the door! We can't let him get into the rest of the ship! I'll notify Jarron." The rat was pointing at the open entrance, and the mercs scrambled towards it, several bending over Rhon. Catching his breath, the equine checked for broken bones and stood up, peering into the darkness in the direction of the door. Silhoutted in the dim light of the hallway, several figures were milling about anxiously.

     "Anyone see him?"

     "No...just tables...wait, something moved."

     "Chirin, get your friggin eyes to work."

     "Oh, fuck you. Bat's use their ears dumbass."

     "Fine then, ears."

     "I don't see him...wait. UP!"

     Ghallagher dropped from the ceiling as the bat jumped out of the way, startled, wings uncertainly spread, hands up in an inexperienced combat stance. Folding his own wings, Ghallagher kicked behind him, and someone yelped as his foot drove into their abdomen. The bat's eyes widened in surprise as Ghallagher spun in a circle, quickly dropping the mercs around him efficiently, a single kick or hit for each assailant, then slipped behind the surprised Chirin, laying a hand on the bat's shoulder and barring his arm, forcing the bat to bend over. He trapped Chirin's wing against his chest and leaned forward, making him cry out as his joints bent and flexed. Switching his grip, Ghallagher pulled Chirin's sidearm from a holster on his belt and it the familiar whine pierced the room, increasing in pitch until it stopped. The muscular bat squeaked as he felt the barrel of his gun press into the back of his head.

     "Back off. Weapons on the ground, kick them to the center of the room, under that table." He sighed as weapons slid across the floor. "You really shouldn'tve taken that bounty assholes. Idiots have no idea who you're fucking with. Be seein' ya, and I hope you don't take another fucking job on me, keep up that classy reputation of yours, or I'll start accepting some of those hits on you guys." Ghallagher let the bat go, slipping the gun back into its holster, and darted into the hallway.

     He saw the lion turn the corner at the other end of the hall and ran back, darting back into the mess hall when he saw the other side of the hall was a dead end. Something felt off, but he couldn't think what. He shook himself, realizing that in general he couldn't quite think. Dashing around, he searched for an exit, trying to avoid pinning himself in a corner as his shipmates closed on him. Trapped in a corner, he crouched and growled, and shook himself in confusion as his body processed more alcohol and he slowly woke up. Rhon stopped in front of him and his eyes focused briefly. Coming out of his stupor he muttered quietly as the stallion lunged at him. "Rhon...where...I work here now don't I."

     As the stallion seized him, his instinct to escape took over and he thrashed in Rhon's grip. Rhon grunted with effort as he tried to subdue the dragon, Ghallagher trying to break the bearhug, biting and snapping. "Someone...hit him...with something."

     Chirin had recovered by this time and nervously punched Ghallagher on the side of the head. Ghallagher's head was knocked to the side, but he snarled and his teeth clicked together as he tried to bite his roommate's arm. "Harder...use your gun...or something."

Rhon's grip started slipping and Chirin quickly grabbed his gun from his holster and slammed the butt into the side of the dragon's head. Rhon gasped in relief and dropped Ghallagher as the dragon went limp in his arms. "Finally! That took way too long coming from someone who focuses on close range combat."

     "I'm a computer and systems specialist...I don't DO this stuff." The bat replaced his gun and looked gloomily at the unconcious dragon. Glancing at a computer fixture around his forearm, he checked the time and sighed. "And I was hoping to get back to my room in time to meet my new roomie."

     "That's him, you just hit him." The rat was panting, with Jarron and Manda standing behind him. Still, he couldn't keep the grin off his face.

     Chirin was miserable. "Oh no, I got some crazy guy, and now he hates me."

     "With the amount he drank I don't think he'll remember too well." Manda was groggy, and not happy about being woken up. "What about this made you think you needed me? I'm not his keeper or anything you know."

     "You can help defend him so I don't blast his ass out the airlock." Jarron was angry too, growling and glaring.

     "He had a little too much...and it knocked him out. As is he sleeps funny, never seen another hitter who slept so soundly. Doesn't always wake up all the way...and with his life he tends to think he's in trouble when he wakes up somewhere weird."

     "You're saying he's...what? That he's attacking people cause he's drunk? You don't just start shouting and hitting people because you've had a couple shots." The lion wasn't going to be placated. "That seems like a long answer. I don't want a story, do you or do you not have a reason for this."

     "Basically..." Manda started. "Sleep walking. Or sleep...fighting? I've had whole conversations with him while he's been completely out. Funniest thing ever. There was this one time after the arena-keepers hyped him up on some amphetamines or something and he was out, completely out. Then he just pops up and stares around for awhile, so I start asking him questions. When he starts answering...unusual for him to tell me about himself you see...I start asking about his past and stuff, since he never normally would tell me about his family and such. It's really a cool thing, the next day he had no clue what he said, but he beat the shit out of me for finding out about his family. The anger didn't wear off yet I suppose."

     Jarron had been ignoring Manda, not that she cared. While the lion started questioning his crewmembers, she nudged Ghallagher with her foot. "Come one you pussy. Never seen a hit like that keep you out for long." She knelt and prodded his stomach, nose wrinkling as she smelled the heavy odor of alcohol. "Stupid bastard, you drank more? Amateur. I could probably get myself drunk again by licking you." Manda prodded him again and he shifted and muttered in his sleep. "You little...you went back to sleep. If I don't get to sleep, you don't. Up Ghall, you bastard."

     She began punching him in the ribs in timed intervals, increasing the force each time, and soon Ghallagher sat up with a start, looking around drowsily. "Wha'sgoingon. Oh, you. What are you doing?" He winced as she punched him again. "I'm awake..."

     "I know." The tigress swung again and he swatted the paw away. "I'm relieving my stress. First time in years we've gotten to sleep in beds and you go and get wasted and freak out all over the crew."

     "Erm."

     "Don't you 'erm,' me."

     Ghallagher rolled his eyes. "Yes, mom. The hell is with women, always telling people what to do." He ducked a sharp cuff on the head from Manda and she growled and dove at him again. Laughing, he rolled back into a low stance, tail swishing playfully. He glanced at it irritably. "Look what you've done, I'm picking up cat mannerisms. That's what I get for living with mammals for so long."

     "Your species is halfway to being a mammal already."

     "So? We identify with our reptile parts..."

     "Drunkard."

     "You're the one who got me to drink."

     "You drank it."

     "Peer pressure. I said I think I'm underage. Us young'uns have poor judgement."

     "You're older than I am!"

     "No! Ok, maybe. I told you I lost count!"

     "But you estimated it."

     "Well my species lives longer, so by relative age I'm younger!"

     "You're still older than I am."

     "Enough." Jarron had returned, looking, if possible, more grumpy than before. "Can you explain yourself Mr. Tamesis?"

     "I dropped my surname years ago. And explain myself for what? I was playing cards and...woke up here? I dunno. If it's for drinking too much, I'm sorry, sorta new at it, didn't know my limits and such. Won't happen again sir." Ghallagher stood stiffly, sensing that he was about to be chastised.

     "The drinking...I'd rather you don't get drunk while on my crew, but that I can deal with. I want you to explain why you were shouting about mercs drugging you and then attacked your shipmates."

     Ghallagher was confused. "Ummmmm. I've got nothing. I've run into your company in the past...most recent one before this being Meinyr, so maybe I was doing one of those sleep things Manda told me I do? She apparently got me to answer all her questions before...didn't you." He glared accusingly at Manda, who smiled and shifted from foot to foot, tail curled around her arm.

     "He didn't seem in his right mind, sir." Rhon broke the austere silence, standing firmly at attention.

     "Is that your professional opinion, Rhon?"

     "Haven't know him for long, sir, so right now I have no other."

     Jarron frowned. "Alright then. Since you're new, I won't do anything unless someone files a complaint, but you didn't damage anyone so I doubt that will happen. Don't put me in this position again. This does not leave a good impression, especially since you haven't even done the entrance exam or profiling. Make sure you make up for this, your...criminal record certainly doesn't lend confidence. I'll have you know, a full crewmember would get lashed for this."

     "Aye, aye, captain."

     "Hmmm, why do I feel this sense of foreboding." The lion walked off, tail swishing in agitation, and Ghallagher relaxed.

     "It's my first day and I'm already in trouble, and so fucking done with this "chain of command" bullshit." Rubbing his eyes, Ghallagher stretched and yawned. "Only one person I ever took orders from, and he's dead, and I'm not in the mood to start again."

     "Oh, don't be such a little bitch. Are you going to bed or do I need to get Rhon to knock you out again." Manda shoved Ghallagher and he tipped sideways and fell, wheezing quietly as he hit the ground. Unconcerned, he picked himself up and yawned again, tongue curling toward his nose.

     "Actually, it was Chirin...oh man, sorry Chirin." Rhon had failed to notice the stocky bat's emphatic head shaking, but slapped his shoulder apologetically when Chirin's ears flattened.

     "Mmmmm, don't remember that part...Chirin, Chirin...oh, right! Hi roomy! This is nice, at least I got someone nice and nocturnal, can't stand morning people." Ghallagher extended his hand and Chirin shook it with relief.

     "Going to bed, right Ghall?"

     "Aren't cats nocturnal? I'm up now, wanted a late night fight...Chirin? Up for it?"

     "Cats just sleep all the time, like I should be doing. Go. To. Bed. Or I'll be worried what sort of shit you're getting into all night."

     "Pussy. No fight Chir?"

     "Um, I'm not much of a fighter...I stick to coding."

     "Huh, we can fix that, or at least I can, since Ms. Cheshire here has decided to disappear for the night."

     "Antiquated references now? Never thought you'd sink so low."

     "If only you were as cheerful as the Cheshire."

     "You know he was on drugs when he wrote that right?"

     "Probably. Fight, Chirin? What kind? I'm not to fond of firearms, but I'll fight against one if you like those."

     "I learned close quarters from Scott and Dal."

     "Ah...who's Scott? And...Dal?"

     "The rat's Scott. Dalinil's a panther, he's, uh, busy tonight." Chirin's eyes flicked to Manda and back,, and Manda's eyes widened slightly, an interested expression playing across her features, but the expression was lost on Ghallagher.

     "Huh, cool. Soooooo..."

     Manda sighed. "I'm in, let's go. Coming Chirin? You'll want to see this."

     Chirin shrugged and followed as Manda lead the way down the hall, followed by the nervous bat, Ghallagher skipping and cartwheeling behind.

     "Ummm, excuse me Miss...?"

     "Manda."

     "Bitch, you aren't gonna make him call you by your whole name?"

     "No, because he's sweet and cute, and doesn't have your mouth."

     "Mrrphstupidnnnngg. Lu kheah gan chhiew chang."

     "What was that?"

     "Nothing."

     "Thought so. So what's up Chirin?"

     "The training floor's that way..."

     "Ssshh, now I've gotta do this faster. Stop for a second, right there. Good, stand still please." Manda positioned Chirin so he was blocking the hall, and waited for Ghallagher to slip past the bat unheedingly, then grabbed his shoulders and slammed the dragon's head into the metal wall.

     "Ow, SHIT. The fuck did I...nnrrgg!" Smashing her friend's head again with a loud clang, she hefted the limp body and motioned to Chirin.

     "Help me with this, will you?"

     Chirin was horrified. "What are you doing!? He's going to be so mad, why are you hitting him? You could hurt him, or kill him! He's in bad shape already! Oh no, oh no...hnnnn hn-hnnnn."

     "He'll be fine, he's beat the shit out of me enough. Are you going to help me carry him or not?"

     "Mah head hurts." mumbled Ghallagher.

     "Are you going to be good, or do I need to smack your head again?"

     Ghallagher muttered something incoherent, and Manda pulled him towards Chirin. "Be a dear and help me carry him. Come on, cutie, put those muscles to work."

     "Eep! Ummmm." Chirin's ears and nose darkened as he blushed. "I'm just...wondering...why you had to hurt him." He pulled one of Ghallagher's arms over his shoulders and helped Manda

drag his roommate down the hall, glancing bashfully at Manda ever few seconds.

     "I'm sorry hun, you're not my type. You are cute though."

     "Oh! I wasn't...I'm not...Sorry!"

     "You're just a little lonely. Ghall's a good friend, or at least good company. Jarron'll probably never let him get drunk again, so the worst you need to worry about is him killing you."

     "Uhhmm..."

     "He shook your hand. Saying hi to each other is like an eternal oath of friendship to him. He'd kill for you now, don't you worry. You are lonely aren't you."

     Chirin was silent and embarrassed while they dragged his half concious roommate down the hallways.

     Chirin chirped happily as he saw his room, and gently lay Ghallagher on the vacant cot before heading towards his own. "I'm down the hall if he causes trouble..."

     "You owe me one big fucking cookie." Manda twitched as a throwing knife embedded itself in the wall by her ear, grinning at the two pairs of dark brown eyes staring at her.

     "Go to sleep, we can fight tomorrow." She winked at the eyes that were glaring at her. Pulling the knife out of the wall, she slid it across the floor back to Ghallagher. "Throw it again and it goes in your gut."

     "Mmmmm." Ghallagher's eyes drooped, and he rolled over and curled up.

     Manda watched as Chirin walked across the room and sat on his bed. He curled his knees up to his chest and rested his head on them, eyes flicking to Manda and Ghallagher, and Manda snickered, the image of a black dragon pushing to the forefront of her mind. "He likes his ears rubbed. I'd wait until you're better friends before rubbing his belly. See you tomorrow."

     Chirin watched her go, closing the door behind her, then slowly walked over to his new roommate. Ghallagher's breathing was slow and rhythmic, but the bat prodded him cautiously just to be sure. He desperately wanted company. Back home, he slept in a huddle with his entire family, never without another warm body nearby. It had been a few months since he'd left home, and he hadn't made any close friends, or consistent company. He wanted a friend.

     Hesitantly, he sat down on the cot and huddled against the dragon, running his fingers over the top of Ghallagher's head, massaging around the ears. Murring contentedly, Chirin curled up next to Ghallagher, rubbing around his roommate's wing joints like he knew he personally liked. The bat nuzzled Ghallagher's back, and squeaked in surprise, thick neck cording in fear as Ghallagher muttered and shifted. When Ghallagher's motion stilled again, Chirin relaxed, snuggling against his roommate.

     "Chirin?" Ghallagher stirred slightly and Chirin flinched.

     "...y-yes."

     "Uh, erm...hi. Needed a friend?"

     "S-sorry. Kairoids sleep in groups, you see, so...I'm so sorry! I was stupid, and..."

     "Night Chirin." Ghallagher uncurled and wrapped an arm around him.

     "Oh, night."

     Ghallagher ruffled Chirin's ears and stretched, then went limp as he unmistakably passed out. Chirin pressed closer. He missed his siblings. Marveling at the similarities between his wings and the dragon's, he slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep.

     The room's door slid open quietly, and Manda poked her head in. "Rise and shine Ghallagher, I got us put on nightshifts, but if you want breakfast, well, lunch, then we need to go, like, now." She stepped into the room and her pupils expanded, adjusting to the dim light. "Ghall? Chiri? Wakey wake-oh, how cute."

     Manda prowled closer, tail swishing playfully. Crouching at the foot of Ghallagher's cot, she watched his foot. Her butt wiggled, and she pounced.

     Ghallagher yelled and jumped up. Without looking, he spun and planted both feet on the wall, pushing off it and away from Manda, snagging one of his swords as he flew across the room and landed, skidding, in a crouch facing Manda. His teeth were bared and he was hissing, wings spread wide. Ghallagher's sword was naked in his right hand, the scabbard clutched in his left. Manda was laughing.

     "Funny how only some things freak you out. How did you survive so long as a killer? You sleep like a fucking rock."

     "I'm magical."

     "And that's what you said last time I asked."

     Chirin was panicked. The sleepy bat was pressed against the wall, panting, his shirt stretching and straining as .

     "Oh, Chir, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out." She patted the bat's shoulder, stroking his headfur.

     "Hmph, no 'sorry for giving you a heart attack Ghallagher.' No pats for me?" Ghallagher slid the back of his blade along his hand and guided it into the scabbard with a snick.

     "Scaring you is just too funny. Oh shit, I think you ripped some wounds open again."

     "Meh, they'll be fine. You owe me a cookie and a fight."

     "Just go to the infirmary, I got mine patched up already." Manda indicated several bandages and patches of nanites

     "I see no cookie..."

     "I don't have your goddamn cookie, go to the infirmary."

     "Fight me first?"

     "No, but I will let you eat first if you want."

     "Not hungry, I'll just go and find someone else to fight...bye bye." Knocking the end of his scabbard on the ground, he slipped out of the room and down the hall.

     "Is he going to be ok like that?" Chirin's eyes were glazed from Manda's attentions, his eyes wandering to Manda's exposed, fur covered breasts.

     She glanced down, following his gaze. "I should get a shirt shouldn't I. He'll be fine you know. Getting a little close are we? I'm pretty sure Ghall goes both ways...or no way, but I wasn't sure about you."

     "Oh, I'm not...we didn't...I missed my family."

     Manda laughed and continued rubbing his head. "Makes sense. Ghallagher's never been big into physical contact, so he must really like you." Chirin frowned, and she laughed again. "Oh don't worry, he doesn't like you like that. He's just a really good brother, but that's another thing I recommend not mentioning."

     Flicking her tail, Manda tapped Chirin's snout and wandered out, leaving the confused bat behind to wonder about his new friends.

     Wandering the hallways, Ghallagher walked past a number of his crewmates, wondering if he should ask directions to the training floor.

     "Mr. Tamesis." a voice rumbled.

     Cursing quietly, Ghallagher turned around to face the lion who owned the voice. "Yessir? I would really rather you called me Ghallagher, I told you I dropped my surname years ago."

     "You look like hell, for one. Go to the infirmary. But what I really wanted to tell you was you're assigned to..."

     "Nightshift, Manda told me."

     "Alright then. If you talk to Scott-you met Scott yesterday, right?-then he'll hook you up with your uniform. You could also talk to Rhon in the infirmary, his mate does armory duty too. Got it Ghallagher?"

     "Yessir."

     "Where are you going?"

     "Training floor...sir."

     "Infirmary. Now. That way."

     Ghallagher sighed. "Yessir."

     He thought about actually doing what he had been ordered to do, but instead chose to continue wandering. After getting himself thoroughly lost, he ran into someone he immediately regretted.

     "Ghallagher! Just the dragon I needed. Captain sent a message to the infirmary you were supposed to be there, but you never came, so I came looking for you." Rhon pushed his way down the busy hall to where Ghallagher hunched, trying to look small.

     "I'm fine, really. Sorry about yesterday night, I still don't remember it, but they say I kicked you. Anyways, really sorry. I think I'll just..."

     "Hold it!" Rhon grabbed the dragon's shoulder heavily and pulled him b ack as he tried to leave. "Orders are orders, and you really look like a trampled foal. Come on then!"

     Rhon dragged the forlorn, protesting dragon by the shoulder through the hallways until they reached the well lit, brilliantly bright infirmary. "Now let's get doc over here and have a look at you. I'm mostly trained, but I'd rather have an expert opinion. Almost have my license though, only a little more to do."

     It was a large room, with counters and cabinets lining the wall like a kitchen, interrupted by the occaisional piece of machinery. Directly in the middle of the room however, were several rows of cots, covering about a two thirds of the extensive floorspace, with tidy isles and privacy curtains between them. Several doors lead off from the main room, one nearby dooor marked "Surgery," another "Emergency," and one barely in Ghallagher's range of sight that looked suspiciously like "Quarantine."

     A short vixen scampered up, followed by a male human. Ghallagher had begun inspecting the sparse occupants of the beds when she began talking very quickly in a weary tone. "Hello there, I'm Doctor Elir, but you can call me Vaya if you want. This here," Doctor Elir indicated the human who swayed and raised a hand in greeting. "is Doctor Kollins. I'm a little rusty on your species, but between Kollins and myself we think we've got it. Not to sound creepy, but this is a fascinating learning experience. Not many dragons will willingly sit still while someone examines them." The fox's voice was high, and a friendly smile spread across her vulpine features as she spoke quickly.

     "No dragons do apparently." Rhon clapped Ghallagher's shoulder, which he still held to keep his charge from fleeing. Ghallagher shifted, subtly pulling away from Rhon's grip.

     "Can I go yet?" Pulling away more strongly, Ghallagher fanned his wings impatiently.

     "No. You're fairly seriously injured. At the very least they'll get infected if we don't treat them." The vixen took his wrist and pulled him to a bed, and Rhon pushed him down to sit on it.

     "Oh. Ok then. Let's have a look then. Would you please remove your shorts?"

     Ghallagher turned to stare at the vixen, a blank expression on his face. She faltered as the dragon's eyes narrowed slightly. When the request was not repeated, Ghallagher grinned. "So, can you fix teeth? I've got a few missing, and it'd be nice for them not to be missing."

     "Tsk, tsk. Disease or trauma?"

     "Trauma. Knocked 'em out."

     "Probably then. We can implant some nanites and bone paste and see if we can't make some new ones. For now though, we need to see some of these..." Vaya Elir took a handscanner and began checking several suspicious fissures in Ghallagher's side. "Yep, looks like you've got some shrapnel stuck under your muscle layer too. We'll put you under and pull them out, and make sure the shards didn't damage anything. Rhon, could you...?"

     "Erm, thanks. I think I will come back later about the teeth, but for now I have this pressing engagement and really must...yeep!" While Ghallagher had been edging to the door, Rhon took an IV and slipped it into Ghallagher's arm.

     "You're already finding things in common with Chirin aren't you. Black color, wings, and you squeak when I stick a needle in you. This one's just saline and some antibiotics, if you were wondering." Rhon still held the sullen dragon by the shoulder as Vaya injected a large syringe full of fluid into the drip.

     "Feeling drowsy yet? I'd like to get all those lovely pieces of...stuff...out of you as soon as possible before they become serious. You moving around so much isn't helping, I'll be surprised if they haven't torn through anything else." Dr. Elir watched Ghallagher, holding his eyes open and peering at the pupils, shining a small light into them.

     "Not drowsy. It's really not hard to get them out, watch." Grabbing hold of the end of a chunk of metal casing embedded in his leg, he ripped it free and held it up for Vaya to see.

     She was not amused. "Don't do that. No!" She smacked him sharply on the snout as he seized a piece protruding from his side.

     He fixed his eyes on her and ripped the metal fragment out. "I'm sure the ones deeper in are harder, but they tore their way in, so that's at least part of the work done for tearing them out."

     "Don't. Do. That. You're still not feeling anything?" She peered at his eyes again, then took another syringe from a box marked "Preloaded Somnirex" and added it to the first. "Now?"

     "No."

     "Dragons are hard to sedate, Vaya." Kollins spoke for the first time. His voice was low and slightly slurred, though he carefully enunciated each word.

     "Meinyr did say he's nearly impossible to drug, but this is ridiculous!." Vaya injected Ghallagher with more sedative, and he squirmed impatiently.

     "Yeaaaa, I don't like where this is going. I think I'll leave now." Leaning sideways, Ghallagher shifted his body out from under Rhon's hand and stalked off, the tube still trailing from his arm to the bag hanging above the bed. Nickering irritably, Rhon seized him from behind and laid him down on the cot, one hand pressing against the lighter skin of the dragon's chest, and the other clamped around Ghallagher's muzzle, anticipating a bite. Ghallagher thrashed, but Rhon held on, grunting and panting with the effort.

     "Hurry, please, Doctor Elir."

     Hastily, Vaya injected several more syringes into Ghallagher's veins, checking the furious, glaring eyes each time. After a sizeable pile of syringes had gathered, Ghallagher's eyelids dropped, and his thrashing ceased. Hesitating, Vaya checked his eyes again, then injected a final syringe into the IV.

     Rhon was breathing hard, and small amounts of sweat matted his fur in patches, staining his scrubs where they covered him. He released the unconcious dragon and stepped back, sitting down on the next bed over with a sigh. "Damn, doc. Are you sure that isn't going to kill him? That's a lot of sedative."

     "No, no. Some species need higher doses, and with how he reacted I think he just needs an insanely high dose. We just need something geared more towards dragons. How's his heartbeat?"

     Rhon poked the dark gray neck with two fingers. "Fine."

     "Good, can you get him undressed and put some curtains up for him? I'm not sure he'll appreciate us knocking him out and stripping him as is."

     "Manda says she knocks him out all the time." Rhon pulled some curtains around Ghallagher's bed and relieved the dragon of his shorts.

     "Can't we leave him alone?" Kollins closed the box of sedatives and carried it to a cabinet, placing it carefully inside.

     "We're obligated to help him, Mark." Kollins was silent. Vaya rubbed her ears. "Next time we make port, I'll ask the captain if we can get something a little stronger. For now we'll need tweezers, pan, probably a scalpel...oh, and those dental nanites. Might as well while we have him here, but we'll need to be quick. I'll be back."

     Still muttering to herself, the fox scooped up the pile of empty syringes and scampered away. She deposited them in a bin marked "Used needles, Biohazard" and began rummaging in the cabinets, pulling things from the shelves. A blunt, green skinned head poked into the infirmary. "Hey, Doctor Vaya! I heard there's another reptilian on board now, is it true? There's so few of us here among you mammals." A tall, skinny lizard skittered into the room, body showing signs that geckos had a part in his lineage.

     "Yes, yes. Well, sort of. He's over there anyhow. I'm a bit busy right now, hun. I have a dragon with about a liter of sedative in his system and I haven't a clue when it'll wear off, and I need to dig around in him to get all sorts of lovely shrapnel out before he wakes up and escapes...very sorry but...hmmm, that should do it." Vaya gathered her equipment and scurried back to her patient. Pushing aside the curtain for a moment, she saw that Kollins was already examining the larger wounds and had applied antiseptic. He looked at the numerous tools Vaya carried in surprise.

     "Are you planning on dissecting him or something? I thought we'd need tweezers and a scalpel, probably forceps." The lizard who had been following Vaya stopped and hurriedly left the room with an irritated hiss as the curtain closed behind Vaya. "No, no, no. We just need to finish this quickly and I don't want to be looking for anything once we start digging around in his side. I'd very much like to finish before he wakes up...and do a good job of course. He needs to be in fighting shape for his entrance exam tomorrow...oh dear I hate how they all beat each other up when there's plenty of ways for you to die without killing each other. I suppose for the job though, you need this kind of test." Vaya began fishing around in a crater in Ghallagher's chest for the piece of metal glinting in the light of the infirmary with a pair of tweezers. Agitation was piercing through her fatigue.

     Kollins patted Ghallagher's head, rubbing around the ears. "I don't think he'll be waking up for a long time, Doctor Elir, especially with the amount of Somnirex you gave him." As if in defiance of his statement, Ghallagher twitched, head shaking to dislodge Kollins' hand.

     Vaya continued working, but a grin flashed across her face. "Not going to wake up for a long time, huh? Drink your swill and come help."

     Kollins nodded and complied, opening a bottle of fluorescently green liquid which he drank half of. Picking up his own pair of forceps and moving to assist Vaya. After an hour and a half of pulling red-smeared bits of metal from the dragon's wounds, several of which needed to be cut free, Kollins straightened up and put a final shard in the pan amid the others.

     "I'll finish up with this one and clean up, I believe a few others are due to come in any moment." Kollins nodded and headed out of the curtains as the infirmary door whooshed open, and several voices and pairs of feet entered.

     Vaya picked up the pan and put it on a tray along with her bloody tools. Rhon made a move to take them from her but she gestured him away. "Can you apply the dental nanites? They're on the counter over there. While you're at it, give him the patchers." Rhon moved off to retrieve several containers of silver-gray paste and Doctor Elir placed her tray on a counter next to a sink and several boxy machines on the counter. She began rinsing off the tools and placing them in pouches when she heard a grumble behind her. After glancing back, she finished putting her tools in the bags and inserted them into one of the machines and turned the autoclave on to sterlize the implements. "Sorry about that, but you really aren't cooperative Mr. Ghallagher and you really need to be ready for-where is he?" Dr. Elir had turned back to the table that had held a dragon to find it empty, the IV clamped and hung neatly. Looking around she saw the tip of a tail slip around a corner as Rhon pounded over. "I'm really starting to hate when he does that.

     "Could you-?" Rhon nodded, already trotting from the room.

     Ghallagher had pulled on his tattered shorts and slipped out of the infirmary unnoticed, since Kollins had taken his patients to beds in the corner and was busy behind another set of curtains. He headed down the hall, stopping to stare perplexedly at each junction. Hearing the soft clip-clop of hooves behind him, and, lacking a better hiding place, jumped to grab the exposed pipes and supports of the ceiling, pulling himself horizontal and propping his feet up. Rhon walked slowly below, and stopped at the same intersection, scratching his head. Ghallagher watched apprehensively. He shifted to get a better grip and winced as the pipe he was holding creaked. Rhon immediately stared upwards at the dragon hanging half a meter above his head. "So that's how you've been doing it. Come on, you have a big test tomorrow and you need to be fit for it!"

     "Hey, hey, hey! Nooooo nononononono. I'll be fine, really. Whatever is on this test, I'll really be ok without you cutting me up and sticking things in me and whatever else you plan. No! Bad horsy. Down! Ach! Rrrrg." Ghallagher twisted and squirmed as Rhon reached up and pulled him from his perch, carrying him down the hall over his shoulder. Ghallagher hooked a leg under Rhon's chin and levered his way out, putting his hands out to stop his fall, changing it into a clumsy roll. Shaking his wings he stood up and backed away from Rhon. "This isn't necessary, and why are you so interested in my health...I heal fast, and I don't like your nanites and the cutting and the poking and the touching..."

     "Just worried about a new crewmember taking the entrance exam who's going in already beaten to a pulp. Especially a card playing one."

     "I've been worse. Now if you'll excuse me..." Ghallagher turned to leave, but Rhon seized his tail and dragged him backwards back to the infirmary. "Ow! Owow ow ow ow stop that! Again with the dragging!"

     "Oh hush, just sit here quietly. Pretend we're friends, you're friendly enough to just about everyone anyhow. At least until you start beating on people."

     Ghallagher sat, fidgeting slightly, while Rhon came back with the jars and smeared some on his wounds. "I really must have gone nuts yesterday. Did I kill anyone?"

     "Open up, these'll get you some new teeth. No you didn't kill anyone, but you beat a couple guys up some." Rhon continued tamping something into the gaps between Ghallagher's teeth, remaining silent about his part.

     Ghallagher closed his mouth as Rhon finished and licked his lips. "Is that why your jaw's bruised and you keep wincing like someone smacked your sternum? I'm really sorry." He hung his head and curled up. "That's a favorite spot of mine. Middle of the chest, front and sides of the throat, the nose, the ligaments between the shoulder and pectoral, back of the knee..."

     "Don't worry about it. I've had worse too, you think this is a kiddie camp? This'll hurt a bit but you need it for the dental nanites. Have you gotten general purpose nanites implanted? Do you have a neurolink?" Rhon injected something into Ghallagher's arm and picked up another syringe, filled with a silvery fluid similar to the nanite pastes in color.

     Ghallagher eyed it with distaste. "Don't have either, and don't really want...ok then." Rhon stuck the needle in his arm and emptied the silvery fluid into Ghallagher's bloodstream.

     Rhon picked up the empty syringes and placed them in a bin labeled "biohazard disposal," then carried the jars of nanite paste back to their cupboards. "We can get you a top o' da line neurolink after your entrance exam, if you pass. Mercenaries sort of need them, learn languages and transfer data along with replacing comms over short distances. We're smart about it though, no external interfaces and it closes up tight unless you personally open a channel, so there's no breaking into your brain. Believe me, they make life easier."

     "It puts me on the grid, makes me traceable. And it leaves the option of them hacking into my head. Nuh-uh, no. None for me."

     "You'll get one, they're standard issue. I'd really rather not have to drug you again, especially with the amount it took. You, Mr. Ghallagher, have inspired us to get some ultra concentrated sedatives, or maybe a drip version. I don't suppose paralytics work on you?" Vaya hurried back over from the other beds in the infirmary where she had been attending her own set of new patients.

     "I'd rather not help you drug me, Doctor Elir."

     "Fair enough, fair enough. Call me Vaya. I hope we'll never need to find out. You're all done here I think, though we'll probably see you again one way or the other after your entrance exam. Rhon, we have other patients..." Vaya hurried out again, bushy red tail poking out of a hole in her blue-green scrubs and from under the white doctor's coat.

     Rhon made a move to follow and Ghallagher hopped down from the table and tapped his shoudler. "What's so bad about this entrance exam that you're worried?"

     Rhon hesitated. "Well, you didn't go through basic, which is very unusual, and which means you've missed all the training any other recruit has gone through, so you're disadvantaged information-wise. They also bring in Circion special ops. You know, the military school trained ones, top of their class, central system military, best in the galaxy...ring any bells? You have to...you'll see in the test. You're not meant to pass. The test situation is supposed to be one of the worst possible you could get into, or at least a model of it, when you'd definitely call in the cavalry and get your ass bailed out. They want to see how you react though. I'm being unclear, aren't I." Ghallagher shrugged, and Rhon continued his tirade, as if trying to argue a point. "This is not only a Sunburst test, it's a government certification, and a hellish one at that." Ghallagher was nodding politely, shifting from foot to foot. "What about "elite military tactical unit" don't you get."

     "Which unit are they bringing in?"

     Rhon looked stern, then puffed out his cheeks and blew as he thought. "Their top, they want to be sure they've got good mercs in Sunburst, since they contract us sometimes. What was it...it was...I think unit 281FRA...Ferra, you've heard of them I'm sure."

     Ghallagher snorted. "They're not a problem. I dropped out of that unit after tactical school. Military payed for my college, and I payed the military with more years than I wanted to. I'll be fine, if that's who we're up against. And Manda too. If Ayrn's got some good backup he'll do all right, and whoever is against Ilthis I feel sorry for...his species weirds me out sometimes."

     "You seem a bit too confident."

     "Just putting a concerned crewmate's mind at ease. Tests for legal organizations are usually easier than ones for say, gangs, or assassination rings...the ones of comparable prestige of course."

     "We'll see tomorrow. Then me and the Docs will be here to patch you up afterwards. Just don't get killed."

     Ghallagher grinned and walked past him out of the room. Rhon watched him, then sighed and shook his head before walking towards a curtained off, bracing himself for the next round of patients.

     Ghallagher hummed to himself as he walked down the hall. He wandered the narrow corridors glumly, trying to find his room or the training floor, whichever came first. A nap would be nice, but it's been too long since I've fought anyone. He stopped a slender, yellow feline, covered in spots, as he darted past. "Which way's somewhere I can train?"

     The cheetah blinked, twitching with unspent energy. "Are you new here too? I just got directions there myself from Lelnith. It's this way I think." Speaking too fast for Ghallagher to want to follow, he dropped to all fours and dashed down the hall, jumping off walls and sliding around corners. Ghallagher shook his head and sprinted off after him, only resorting to quadrupedal movement for the turns. The cheetah's tail whisked around a corner and Ghallagher dashed after it, almost running into the feline who had stopped and was standing, peering through a wide doorway on the left. Jumping back at the last moment to avoid a crash, Ghallagher shook himself again and stared too.

     The training floor was a wide, flat, empty space, covered in a thick, spongy material to soften impacts. Several racks of training and live weapons dotted the walls, along with equipment for various excercises and sports.

     Gleefully, the cheetah dashed in, running to some humans who were waving to attract his attention. Stepping in, Ghallagher saw that the space extended quite far off to the right, and actually had a short gun range at the end, partitioned off from the rest of the floor by a low wall. He scanned the room with a sinking feeling. He had hoped that Manda would be here, since she wanted to blow off some steam as much as he did, to fight for fun instead of having even a slight threat of a life and death battle. He still owed her for bashing his head against the wall anyhow. Ayrn he had thought might have found his way down, but knew his canid friend would probably be busy with some sort of pack rituals that Ghallagher couldn't understand. It also been too high a hope to see Meinyr, or the other wolves around, and he had hoped strongly not to see Ilthis. Getting hit by some poison wasn't high on his wishlist at the moment.

     "Ghallagher! Want to be Rirrek's partner? I need a break!" Ghallagher turned back to the humans the cheetah had run to and noticed that Sphino was among them. Unlike the extraordinarly diverse Sunburst and the arena, the galaxy tended to be human, but some had undergone genetic enhancements and alterations by choice, or as part of various experiments. Sphino, to Ghallagher's amateur eye, appeared like a fairly average human, though somewhat stocky. The human who was approaching, Rirrek, had a distinctly wolfen cast to his appearence. His ears were pointed, stuck out farther than normal, and were slightly higher on his head. On his jawline, starting at his sideburns was a growth of long straight black hair, more of which covered his head, all of which stuck out as if recently ruffled. Glancing at the human's hands and bare feet, he noticed that they had claws instead of the normal human fingernails, and had a sparse growth of hair, as did the part of his arms sticking from his dark uniform. "Hello. Mind if we spar?" He grinned, revealing slightly pointed teeth. "You don't seem to have a buddy yet and Sphino's tired out. And I'd rather not spar my sister." He pointed to a human female in the midst of combat with the cheetah with a similar wolfen appearence.

     Ghallagher's ears twitched. "Sure, why not. Empty handed, yes? The Captain says he'll give me my weapons back tomorrow. M'name's Ghallagher."

     Rirrek nodded. "I figured that out. You can call me Rik Shouldn't we head in farther? The whole mat's open pretty much."

     Ghallagher followed him past Sphino, who was sitting against the wall with yet another human, this one slightly feline. As Ghallagher watched, the feline human yawned. "I call winner of whichever finishes first."

     "So you're new. Had any combat training?" Rirrek stopped and faced Ghallagher, about three long strides away.

     "Some, but I didn't go through basic. Anything barred here? Besides maiming and deadly force of course."

     "Nope. We're all taking the test tomorrow, except Sphino, so we don't want to be unprepared. I personally don't want to be injured, but being prepared is better I think." Rirrek stretched and spread his stance slightly.

     "Huh, have you had training?"

     "Yeah, went through basic, didn't you? I think I asked that already."

     Ghallagher took a baiting stance. He stood fairly straight with his right leg forward and right wrist out from his body. "Yep, you did. Didn't go through basic, they said I could skip it and go for the test."

     "Really. That's odd." Rirrek noticed the bait and took it. He dashed forward and jabbed with his right hand towards Ghallagher's chest, then ducked low, snagging Ghallagher's leg around the knee with his right arm and his upper arm with his left. Using the force from his dash, he jabbed his shoulder into Ghallagher's hip and bent the dragon over, attempting to lift him onto his shoudlers in a fireman's carry. Before Rirrek could complete his throw, Ghallagher lightly grabbed the human's neck, curling his fingers into the sensitive muscles. He pulled his left foot back, bracing himself, and gently scraped his right foot along the human's right side in a kicking motion, sending him flying back.

     "I find the really close attacks like that run into problems when your opponents can hit. It's great for pure grappling. This on the other hand..." Ghallagher darted forward as the human straightened up and regained his balance. Grabbing Rirrek's right ankle with his right hand, he snagged his wrist and pulled him forward hard, rolling him onto his shoulders above his wings and throwing him in an arcing, rocking motion. A throw called the "shoulder wheel". "This keeps distance."

     When Ghallagher failed to follow up his throw, Rirrek recovered quickly, rolling back to his feet, keeping his eyes on Ghallagher, pointed ears moving back slightly on the sides of his head. Even though he didn't follow up his throw, Ghallagher didn't wait for his opponent to attack. Lengthening his stance further, he skipped his back foot in front of his front foot and kicked with the sole of his front foot towards Rirrek's chest. The side kick made contact before the human grabbed it, eliciting a coughing grunt. Rirrek took the opportunity to tip Ghallagher onto the floor. Unperturbed, Ghallagher placed his hands on the ground next to his body and launched his legs into the air, aiming a kick at Rirrek's head. Ducking back, Rirrek tried to grab Ghallagher's foot again, but failed, and barely evaded the second kick as Ghallagher spun on the ground and launched off the ground again, hands firmly planted on the floor. After he had driven Rirrek back a significant distance, he shifted his weight and stood up, keeping his hands at the ready. His caution was not misplaced. Rirrek immediately dashed forward again, aiming his own kick at Ghallagher's head. Ghallagher knocked it aside with the back of his right fist, stepping to the forward and to the left to close the distance between him and the man. Smacking Rirrek's forehead with his right hand, slapping a punch out of the way with his left, he dropped his arm and shoulder and looped it under Rirrek's arm and grabbed the opposite side of his neck, spinning him and turning behind him. He then hooked Rirrek's other arm and pushed and straightened it behind his back so it was trapped on his shoulder between his neck and Rirrek's body, twisting his shoulder. "Are we done, or can you get out?"

     Rirrek's ears went forward and he struggled to free his arms and neck. Failing to accomplish this, he attempted to hook Ghallagher's leg. Ghallagher simply moved his leg to the side of the human's to trap them and pushed on Rirrek's arm, tightening the lock and getting a very lupine whine from the human in return. Finally, Rirrek's ears turned back again and he dropped his head. "You got me."

     Ghallagher let go and backed up a short distance. "Again?"

     "Nooooo. I need a break. Arhwe's not done fighting Hermes yet, and I think Namir called winner."

     "Who's Nam-Oof!" Someone crashed into Ghallagher and he fell towards Rirrek, who jumped back. The wolf who had run into him off and stood up, growling. "Watch it rookie."

     Ghallagher yowled, still lying on his belly. "You ran into me, so I don't think I was the problem here."

     "What was that, rookie?" The wolf stopped and turned, and Ghallagher dimly recognized him from the card table. "Do you want a beating before the test tomorrow? I could let the Ferras kick your ass, but if you want I can beat you a day early."

     "Hmmm, Woher right?" Ghallagher pushed himself up and stood. "I did something like this when I met Orhlir. Maybe I have bad luck with wolves...but I never did this with Meinyr...hmmmm. Maybe...oh, none of that." While Ghallagher muttered to himself, Woher snarled and punched Ghallagher...except that Ghallagher was no longer there. Now standing next to Woher, Ghallagher kept muttering thoughtfully, "Maybe wolves are just angry. But I had a big fight with Manda when we first met too, but we were kinda toying with each other. I had to beat up Ayrn when I met him. Maybe it's a canine thing?" Woher continued trying to punch Ghallagher, while he ducked and dodged, still muttering. "Oh! Sorry, I should pay attention." Ghallagher stopped and smacked aside another punch with his palm and closed the gap between him and Woher. He then lightly struck the wolf's sternum with the heel of his palm and followed up with a gentle, pushing kick to the chest. Planting is right foot in front of him, he spun counterclockwise on the ball of his foot, jumped, and kicked the wolf in the side with his right foot, toes and foot curled back so the ball of his foot hit instead of the top. Woher's breath wooshed out and he doubled over, panting. Ghallagher was concerned. "Sorry, but I don't really want to play with you right now. Someone named Namir apparently called dibs on fighting me."

     "Yes, that's me." The feline human stood up. Like Rirrek and his sister, his ears were positioned differently than an average human's, and had a similar pointed shape. Peering more closely at Namir and Rirrek, Ghallagher noticed they both also had more pronounced cheekbones and that their jaws were farther out, the shape of their faces hinting at a muzzle. Unlike Rirrek's growling voice, Namir sounded almost like he was purring, a liquid, satisfied sound. His motions also were also smooth and fluid. While he did not show fear of Woher, he was tense, and kept his distance.

     Woher picked himself up, growling. "Learn your place, damned rookie!" As he lunged again at Ghallagher, he stopped short, and fell back coughing again, as his motion forward combined with the force of Ghallagher's not-so-gentle kick, the sole of the dragon's foot smacking into his chest again in a back kick.

     At this point, Sphino hurried up to Ghallagher and whispered in his ear. "I think it might be a good idea to go before you make Woher more angry. It doesn't seem smart to be making enemies on your second day, especially since you've already run into some trouble drinking I hear?"

     Ghallagher blinked. "Word gets around fast, or did Manda tell you?"

     Sphino pushed Ghallagher towards the door. "Meinyr actually, but the right idea. It isn't big news really." Raising his voice above a mutter he continued, "So really, you should get going to meet Manda. I'm all rested anyhow, so I'll spar with Namir. He needs to fight with someone who doesn't flail like a berserker."

     Ghallagher reluctantly allowed Sphino to usher him down the hall, and glanced backward whistfully before trotting down the hallways in a direction that looked familiar. Once hopelessly lost, he began to wander, trying to find someone to ask for directions, reflecting on the difficulties of living on a space station that was essentially a labyrinthine rodent warren. Suddenly a voice rang through the halls from some hidden speaker system. "All crewmembers, prepare for jump. Entire station and docked ships will jump together. You have one minute to prepare and reach a safe point in case of jump disorientation. Errant ships and crews have been notified. Jumping to Circion system in sixty seconds from...now."

     Increasing his pace to a sprint, Ghallagher rushed down the halls, pushing off walls. "Mmmf! Ooohhhhhhhhhhhhoowwwwwwwww." Ghallagher groaned from the bottom of the hole he had just fallen down, a passage to a lower level of the base. Hauling himself up using the ladder he had hit almost every rung of, he shook himself glumly and climbed back up. Continuing his sprint at a much slower pace, he watched the floor with suspicion, nearly running into Rhon's back as he skidded around a corner, causing the equine to start, almost dropping the bottle he was carrying. Where Rhon started, Ghallagher jumped back into a full battle stance, hitting a stretcher on hooks on the wall in the process. The emergency stretcher fell and smacked him on the head, before clattering to the ground, making Ghallagher grunt. He stood rubbing his head, glaring angrily at the stretcher while Rhon recovered more slowly.

     "You scared me there. Where're you off to in such a hurry? I thought you would avoid the infirmary, but here you are running toward it. Are you lost?" Rhon clutched the bottle protectively, watching Ghallagher pick up the stretcher.

     Ghallagher muttered irascibly while he replaced the stretcher. "Why do they even have these things all over the place. Especially with such narrow hallways...what? Oh yeah. I'm trying to get back to my bunk, but I can't find it..."

     "See, if you had a neurolink you could have had a map installed when you boarded. And you wouldn't have to come back to the infirmary after the test for an entry physical."

     "Fine, fine. I'll get the damn link. Can I check the specs on the model? If I'm going to have an implant in my head I want a good one."

     "Alright! Sure thing, I'll show them to you after your entrance exam! Thinking positive right? See you later then."

     "Cards?"

     "Haha, yes, cards. But not tonight, because tomorrow is...oh crap."

     The voice came back over the speaker system. "Jumping now." Everything stretched, and Ghallagher felt a sudden acceleration, but the ship's gravity system compensated to keep him moving with the ship. He was being compressed, squished, but not horribly, but he still felt heavy and small, as was usual on jumps. Evidently, the ship had some sort of system to reduce the effects of traveling at, near, or above the speed of light. Too bad teleportation is still too finnicky. Ghallagher searched mentally for something to do as time played tricks, matter and energy defied and distorted.

     The jump ended suddenly, and Ghallagher leaned against the wall. "Goddamn. Those always make me feel nauseas."

     Rhon had fallen over and sat on the floor, still clutching the bottle. He too seemed ill, and staggered slightly as he stood. Ghallagher yawned, leaning back farther, and slid down to sit against the wall. Rhon took a deep breath and shook himself. "The JAR rooms are that way." He pointed back the way Ghallagher had come. "Down that hall, up the first ladder, then a left. You're with Chirin right?" Ghallagher nodded. "Then go up another floor and your quarters are along that hallway."

     "Thankee." Ghallagher turned to leave.

     "Oh, and Ghallagher...be careful tomorrow."

     "Are you this worried about all the rookies?"

     "I took a liking to you."

     "Ah, mmmk. See you on the...wherever this thing is." Ghallagher scampered off, and Rhon shook his head and walked back to the infirmary.

     The door to his room slid open quietly and Ghallagher stepped inside, turning on the harsh white light. Chirin had returned to Ghallagher's cot and lay on his side, hugging himself. For the first time, Ghallagher examined the room, finally both sober and awake. Everything, walls, ceiling, floor, even the furniture, was a dull, metallic gray. Ghallagher's cot took up most of the wall to the left, and Chirin's untouched bunk the wall ahead of him. In the empty corner was a small desk with a computer on it, screen glowing like the light overhead. A narrow doorway to Ghallagher's right led into a small bathroom. Creeping past the sleeping bat to the computer, Ghallagher glanced over Chirin's program. Evidently, the bat had given up for the time being at the blinking red text in a small box off to the side of the screen, notifying him that there were 1460 errors still in his code.

     Smiling as he started to examine the red text, he paused as the image of him doing this same exact thing, years ago, with his brother flashed across his memory. The smile faded. "That's nostalgic." he muttered. Scrolling through the code, he found the errant character causing an error and removed it. Several more typos followed the first.

     Grinning once more, he continued fixing Chirin's program, removing bugs, rewriting subroutines and even reformatting the code. He missed programming, it had been his favorite course in school, and he had wanted to pursue it as a career. Ghallagher yawned and commented out an entire section of code, rewriting it as a few short lines. Chirin was obviously a fan of recursion, using it in place of loops wherever possible.

     Satisfied, he compiled the program again, watching the number of errors drop to 8, and fixed his few typos and a math error. Pressing a button on the screen, he turned off the power, leaving the computer on, and crawled onto his cot next to Chirin. As he lay there, he thought longingly of his brother, and pressed his back against the bat next to him for comfort. He's dead. Nothing can change that. Still, he couldn't help the tear that ran down his face as images of the orange equine flitted through his mind.

     A loud ringing split the silence, and Chirin sat up startled. Yawning, he reached up and stopped the alarm clock. He stretched and leaned against the dragon next to him, taking comfort in company. Warm and happy, he fiddled with Ghallagher's ears, and massaged around the base of the dragon's wings. Ghallagher's back arched with pleasure, but he slept on while the bat rubbed his wings. He didn't have regular duties because of the test the next day, even though he wasn't participating, so he yawned and lay back down. Dozing happily, Chirin continued rubbing Ghallagher's back, running his fingers along the dark tattoos on the dragon's back.

     Chirin started. He'd fallen asleep again. Ghallagher still lay next to him, dead to the world. Chirping contentedly, he nuzzled Ghallagher's neck, then jumped in surprise as Ghallagher stirred and sat up with a groan.

     "Chirin?" he muttered groggily. "What's up? If you're going to need company we might as well put our cots together. Just one's a little small." He yawned expansively and ruffled the bat's ears. Chirin snuggled against him and Ghallagher gave the bat a squeeze. "Really, really lonely, huh? You remind me of my brother. I fixed your code by the way."

     "What?" Chirin scrambled off the cot and dashed to the computer, flicking on the monitor and scrolling through his work. He compiled it and gasped when no errors were found. "Thanks! I didn't know you programmed."

     "Yea, it's a jump navigation program?"

     "For some of the recently charted fringe planets. I'm updating our system."

     "Ah." Ghallagher sighed and laid back on his cot, eyes closed. A smile crossed his lips and he laughed quietly. "You really remind me of my brother. I used to fix his code too, but he never made anything as long as this. I miss him a lot, like you miss...someone."

     "My family. We all used to sleep in a big cluster, and there were so many of us that...uh..."

     "Never had a moment alone?"

     "Yeah." Chirin sat back and sighed. "It's just so hard to go from having this huge family, and everyone always being there to...this."

     "Talk to people, be more social."

     The bat shook his head. "I can't, I...just can't."

     Ghallagher snickered. "You're talking to me right now, aren't you?" Chirin opened his mouth to respond, then stopped, puzzled. "You're so nervous, but you really seem to need a good friend here. How about we be brothers then? We won't be real brothers of course, but I could use the company at least. It's been awhile since I've had family...other than Manda of course."

     Silence fell awkwardly after Ghallagher finished, and he yawned while Chirin considered it. Here he was talking to this strange dragon he'd met the day before, and already was closer to him than anyone else on the ship. Ghallagher was odd, and his chatter was irritating sometimes, but Chirin realized he liked the dragon. "Yes, I'd...love to be your brother"

     Ghallagher said nothing, and Chirin looked over at the motionless form. He reached out a hand and prodded the sleeping dragon, then smiled and went back to his work.