FSE

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Chapter 2: New Arrivals.

High above a blue-green world flinging madly around the star called Sol, a pinprick of light formed and quickly was devoured. The filaments of slipstream reached into space and spun a shimmering sphere of yellows and reds and golds. The soundlessness of vacuum silenced the cacophony of noise that the slipstream surely was, as in smooth motion a long and slender flagship cut it's way through.

Gleaming silver lines marred only by small intricate channels shone brightly in reflection of the white light gleaming from the single sun as the flagship Falchion roared silently away, under it's own power for real for the first time in more than a century.

Aboard the bridge, a tall and muscular wolf with a coat of dark silver spoke the first words in a linked communication for the ages, "Kulla unis Opo, Greetings from the stars, leaders of the Sol System." he began, his eyes fiery with pride.

In the chamber of the Council of Twelve Cities, the human proponents of government listened with earnest to the message:

"My name is Icarus Kincaid, captain of the Sirian Flagship, The Falchion, sent to greet your species in peace. We have travelled for two generations; my father was the captain of this ship before I. We come to foster peace between our worlds, in the hopes that you would bring fruition to a multi-galactic coalition, an alliance. Please, I insist that we are allowed to land soon, for my crew and I are weary and restless from being cooped up for most of our lives."

One man in the prime of life spoke up before the rest, his country granting the Sirians an inadequate landing but a landing nonetheless. Eyes lush and green, and hair the colour scarlet, he spoke with the exuberance of a child that had just learned a long new word, and the intelligence of the brightest minds of the Earth.

"I am Councilman McAdams, of the European Order. Your ship's dimensions are ill-suited to land, but we have room enough for possibly two small shuttles. We are eager to meet with you and hope in earnest that you send a representative of each unique caste aboard your ship."

"Of course. May the children of Sirius walk on your soil and be welcomed as brothers, friends." replied the wolf with a polite nod, and with a short, "Thank you," he terminated the transmission.

--

Jasyn had had a restless night, thinking about the many things that had happened to him. He let out a sigh as he heard his own small device beep, and lifted it off the table. Tripping a switch on it's side he spoke with tired disrespect into the small microphone. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Show some respect, Jasyn. You're headed down to the planet and you're to represent Sirius as best you can. We can only send two shuttles down, but the Captain insisted that he send you, because his son is busy with his other half," came the reply, a deep, gruff, male voice.

"Fine..." sighed the wolf, and before he turned off the device he quickly asked, "Commander, my fox friend has a keen eye for detail, and he's the only one with three tails on the ship-" the wolf began, but got quickly cut off.

"Jasyn, he is not your friend," the voice snapped. The young wolf rolled his eyes of the comment as the elder continued, "Their leader asked to send a representative of every species and I know he's the brightest one of them on this ship," said the voice, the bitter sound of distaste thick in the elder wolf's muzzle. "He's already on the list, I'll even call him next for you," he mockingly spat.

"Don't bother," Jasyn huffed back, his mane rising as he stood and walked quick towards his dresser. "He's here with me" he added as an afterthought, and before any questions could be asked he had shut off the device. Pulling on the undershirt of his uniform and grabbing the jacket, he peeked from the corners of his eyes at the fox.

He walked over, almost dazed, to the bed, and looked down at his friend's sleeping form. With a quiet chuckle in his throat that caused the smaller form to stir, he reached a paw toward him. Fingertips raking gently across the fox's shoulder, he quickly shook his younger friend. "Awake, fox," he ordered, in a gruff tone like that of his father. "You and I are headed to the planet," he said, to calm the bolting fox's nerves.

"Wha-wait what? ME? That can't be right..." said Axis, catching his heartbeat and peering up at the wolf with an eyebrow cocked. "Jasyn?" he asked after a pause, and the wolf simply pulled a face that spoke volumes. Eyebrows lifting and head jerking toward the door, he began to pull the jacket over his shoulders.

"No time, to primp yourself, Kit. We've gotta go now" he warned softly.

Axis stood quickly and pulled his hair from his ponytail. He shook the sleep from his mind, shaking out the long and tangle-free head-fur, before looking at Jasyn and smiling. "Well, we'd better hurry, or we'll be falling to the marble in EV-Suits," he half joked, pulling his hair back and quickly fixing it in another long ponytail.

Jasyn snickered and muttered something that sounded to the fox like 'one EV-Suit if I have MY way.' Axis hadn't the time to wonder, though as Jasyn quickly grabbed for the fox's paw and grumbled aloud, "Either we leave, now, or we get left behind."

Axis managed to dodge the paw, and then nodded and said, "Then let's get going," before he bolted, straightening out his jacket as he ran towards the hangar, two decks down.

The hangar was a large open cavity, three decks tall, housing some one hundred shuttles, fighters, and transports. Axis quickly ran up to the congregation of about ten people and Jasyn quickly followed, both of them catching the tail end of the briefing.

"... stay armed at all times, and above all else, if you do something that offends these people, apologize as quickly as you can, cause the gods know we need another enemy."

The pair of them armed themselves with standard issue phased-pulse pistols and a decorative one-edged short sword each, standard departure gear for any landing party. They listened intently to the man who seemed in charge of the operation.

"Alright, Jasyn, since you're the only pilot in training, you take B shuttle with Lynn, Azuma, and... I guess the fox can ride with you too. The other eight of you are with me in the Chameleon, we'll meet back up on the planet," said the bulky husky-wolf security officer.

They quickly boarded the shuttle, standard flight craft of course, and took up posts.

"Alright, guys," said Jasyn as he slid himself into the comfortable neuro-linking pilot's seat, with the controls in front and to the left of him in an arch. "Since I'm piloting this bird and we're all the same rank, I'm in charge, okay? Lynn, you're on communications and sensors, and Azuma, you're on tactical, however useless that'll be today... Axis..." continued Jasyn, smirking at the name and the reaction he'd gotten from the 'crew', "you're Ops and Engineering, take a seat up here."

Without wasting a moment, the fox almost leapt to the console beside Jasyn, and had himself seated and comfortable by the time the larger Chameleon had started up. "All systems nominal," he broke over the roar of the engines.

"Prepare for a hot-flight. Igniting engines," the wolf spoke fast, and he heard Dalmatian and Collie behind him scoffing silently.

The fox to his side muttered a sly, and almost silent, "Yes, sir," in a tone so low that only Jasyn could hear it. The moment the bay doors opened, the ship's engines moved it noiselessly through the void.

A mere twenty seconds into their flight - with Jasyn's smooth piloting giving them a perfect view of the crystal ball beneath them - something that none had expected suddenly became all too real. The console around Lynn flickered to life and an automatic alert sounded all around the cabin. She spun around in her chair, looking at the status display with her blue, collie eyes.

"Sir, there is another slipstream portal opening..." she mentioned, off handedly as her paw moved smoothly towards the trigger for the alarm. She halted, though, and her eyes went wide as saucers. "It's a Crag warship," she cried in alarm.

As the portal closed, The menacing orange-black hull of the Crag ship contrasted starkly to The Falchion. Big and imposing, the craft looked made to intimidate. Many more weapons graced it's hull than any of the four in the small cabin had ever seen, and they were all brightly gleaming in preparation of a salvo. Not three seconds had passed, it's forward batteries released more beams of light and spindly missiles than anyone cared to count.

For a moment, it looked like the Sirians might be able to put up a fight. It looked for a split second like everything would be alright. All too suddenly that thought was dashed and in what looked like slow motion, the hull buckled and cracked. A massive tear formed down their Birthship's spine and had one of them blinked, they would have missed the like-sized shock wave of energy explode outward and obliterate the vessel.

Jasyn fell silent, his grip on the controls tense and rigid, unable to shift. Looking on, he saw every friend he had left aboard The Falchion suddenly wiped into oblivion by the callous hand of fate. He simply froze stiff, shock enveloping him as he uttered a single word. "Father..."

Axis eyes darted to the wolf; though he had been witness to the exact same event; the shock hadn't sunk in yet, and he knew in that instant that he had to wake the wolf. He reached over and shook his friend, trying to dissipate the hold that fear had gripped around the wolf. He had no success, though, and in a desperate plea he gazed back at the others.

"Lynn; call the Terran forces. Azuma, charge weapons. Come on Jayse... wake up!" he pleaded, fear entrapping him as well.

For another brief moment, it looked like the pair would concede. The Dalmatian spoke up quickly. "Like I'd take orders from a weakling like you?" he asked, incredulous.

"We don't have time to argue, get ready to fight back or we'll be no better off," Axis reasoned, quite correctly, as he tugged the NL band away and slipped between his friend and the console. "Sorry, Jayse, but I need your seat..." said the fox, and he began to tap the controls while half-standing; the little craft rocking as he flew haphazardly towards the planet.

He may have been smart, but he did not know how to fly.

"Get out of there or you'll kill us all!" shouted Lynn, looking almost deadly. She lunged across the cockpit and threw Axis from the controls, looking at the wolf and pleadingly shaking him, in an effort to wake him up.

'We don't have time to waste...' he thought, and though he didn't readily will it, an unseen force plucked the collie up and pulled her forcibly away. Her cries of distress went unheralded as he tucked himself under her and back beside Jasyn once more, looking worriedly between the forward window and the wolf's features. "Gods... if this doesn't wake him up, I don't know what will..."

For the split second that followed, there was no noise, no panic, no fear, just silence, and confusion. Jasyn's eyes flickered briefly, and Axis' eyes fluttered closed, as their lips touched gently. Lynn's eyes nearly popped out of her head, and Azuma could only blink, before Axis pulled away and said, "Thought that'd work..."

Jasyn looked up at him, shocked more than anything, and then grabbed his shirt, pulled him close, and said, "Give me full engines, now."

"A-aye, sir..." said Axis, almost shocked, as he pulled away and back into his seat. "I-I'm diverting all free power to engines," he reported, and brightly flushed he tapped the keys.

"Good, Azuma, Lynn, get back to your posts or I'll see you both discharged," barked the wolf, still not looking back as he started tapping at his own.

The two, almost in tandem, tapped at keys, and as Axis transferred power from the secondary grid, Jasyn shunted it into the engines. Immediately the craft lurched and spun in it's descent. The thicker, more durable hull angled at the planet, they flew through the upper atmosphere and in less than a minute had cleared re-entry and were shooting towards the ground, headed straight for their landing point.

"Lynn, I think you were told to send a message to the Earth forces, why haven't you?" growled Jasyn, as he set the autopilot for the fastest way to the coordinates.

"I-I... the order was issued by a fox, sir..." she tried to protest, looking over at Axis as Jasyn stood and looked down at her in disdain.

"A fox that, at the moment, outranks you. But I'll overlook your mutinous behaviour because of Azuma's. Axis was in the right, ensign, not you. You could have gotten us all killed because of your refusal to accept orders."

"I- but I- and he... Yes... sir..." said the Dalmatian reluctantly, before he looked down and started idly tapping at controls.

"As for you, Axis... What you did back there was completely uncalled for."

"I... I'm sorry, sir... I just... needed to wake you u--" started the fox.

"I'm talking about your throwing Lynn across the cockpit, you could have seriously hurt her. Be careful next time."

Axis just blinked a few times and he too started idly tapping at controls. The four waited in near-silence from that point on until Azuma perked his ears and looked up, distaste obvious on his spotted face. "Hey, Jasyn? Why are you standing up for that... fox... anyway?"

Axis cringed at how the larger Dalmatian spat the word 'fox' out, the hatred thick in his voice. Jasyn rounded coldly, his eyes aflame with the desire to hurt somebody, and faced Azuma eye-to-eye. He glared for a good few moments before he almost growled out the words, "Because he is my friend."

Axis blinked, and Lynn and Azuma stared in disbelief, first at the fox, and then at the wolf. He was about to open his mouth when Lynn cut him off, "This, this... FOX? How can he be your friend Jasyn! He's an inferior! I don't know what threw me across the room, but it wasn't him!"

The four sat in silence again, Jasyn was almost expecting one of them to attack his friend, but none of them did. Another shrill whine joined the others and in reflexive action Axis spun and looked at his console. "Uhm... Jasyn..." he warned, looking in disbelief at the image on the screen.

"What is it?" answered the wolf, not looking away from the Dalmatian.

"It's a Crag ship, entering the atmosphere, it looks like a fighter but..." he trailed off and tapped at the sensor controls, trying to find something important.

"But what?" said Jasyn, finally looking towards the fox. He took a few steps and glanced at the console, before sitting in his pilot's chair and turning off the autopilot. "Lynn, send that damn message, tell the Earth forces that we need support fighters. Azuma, activate the Phase-Shift armour and start scanning for non-oxygen ions. We're in the middle of a cloaked squadron."

Lynn blinked once and then started to send the message as Azuma the forward armour, and immediately the cockpit went dark. A screen came to life in the front windshield, followed by another. Soon every window in the craft had a display over it, showing what could have been seen through the windows before.

"The Earth Forces have sent a squadron of fighters to help, but I don't think it'll be enough sir," said Lynn, before turning her attention to the power grid.

"I've got them on sensors, I'm sending the information to the forward screens," said Azuma, and as he tapped the keys the fighters started appearing on the screen as faint and shimmering outlines.

"Lock on to the closest three ships and fire on my command," ordered Jasyn, as he started to deviate from his flight path. The small craft twisted and rolled until the Crag ships were following it readily, and then Jasyn spun the craft around and put the thrusters in reverse, looking them dead on. "fire!"

Three missiles shot loudly from the launchers on the craft, and seconds later were followed by three consecutive direct hits. All of the nearby ships uncloaked and opened fire, hoping to destroy the nuisance craft.

--

"This is Alpha Leader, all fighters defend the Sirian Transports," came a voice, over the intercom of the tiny fighter. It was one of the top-of-the-line star fighters, higher end, and more resilient than most of the Crag swarmers.

It's pilot was a boy in his late teens with sky-blue eyes and an untameable mess of auburn-brown hair. He replied, in his youthful voice, with a "Gotcha, sir" and pushed the craft into a roll, swinging around and blasting the missiles fired on the shuttlecraft with deadly accuracy.

The four inside the craft blinked as the tiny vessel shook, Jasyn at the helm trying his hardest to avoid the lines of fire. A dazzling silver fighter-jet shot by, it's twin engines glowing a vibrant blue, as did a curious pattern all across the fighter's skin. The craft was at first aimed direct at the shuttle, but a quick aerial spin had the weapons pointed distinctly at the Craganii swarmers.

A voice came across the communications channel of the shuttle, that of a young man, "You guys okay back there?" he asked, as he continued blasting away at the Crag, drawing away a lot of the fire. The four watched as the man performed many quick and almost impossible looking manoeuvres, Ionic engines glowing brightly as they left a telltale streak of white for a few moments on the sky.

Jasyn looked confused at first, and then made a sigh of relief and said "We... we're fine... thanks to you." He heard an accent on the voice, something he didn't have the familiarity to place.

"Heh, well follow me, my wingmen are behind you, if you couldn't tell. Just stay in the middle of us and you'll be fine," came the voice again, and the transmission quickly cut.

Jasyn smiled broadly and muttered, "Pft... show-offs" knowing that the pilot couldn't hear him, and then followed him to the landing pad. The Crag armada was in full retreat from the sheer power and intensity that these ships could operate at, while high above several larger craft had assembled in orbit, making up a vanguard against further attack.

--

The large, irregular shaped landing pad was just large enough for twelve or fourteen of the sleek silver fighters. Many curious designs were cast in paint upon the surface, no doubt key components in landing procedures though the Sirians could not be sure.

Jasyn nodded his head, and taking his cue the fox deactivated main power. Walking to the rear of the tiny craft, the wolf tapped a command to open the doors and as the slab of metal fell slowly they got their first real look at humanity.

Standing proudly in a black and white Flight suit, a human that looked around Jasyn's age stood with a helmet cradled under his arm. Auburn tresses of hair cast their shadows over his cerulean eyes, and his casual stance was accentuated by the outstretched and offered hand. Skin a tanned colour, he grinned at them with pearly white teeth half-hidden by thin pink lips.

Nearly silent, the gesture was met with brief uncertainty as Jasyn stepped cautiously on the noisily descending platform. "Welcome to Earth," the human greeted them, that strange, furless paw still held out as some sort of awkward salute.

Jasyn stepped closer to the man, his own uniform a little ruffled in the mess. Silvery fur was brushed about by the faintest movement of air as he reached his own paw out to him, attempting to match the salute.

He flinched at that first touch, human fingers wrapping around his thicker digits as the pilot's grin grew wider. He tilted his head warmly as the wolf caught onto the gesture and began to squeeze back. The first, awkward handshake grew more comfortable, and as the pilot withdrew his hand he grinned the words, "Lieutenant Leon Garret. Canadian branch of the Terran Space Exploration."

Jasyn blinked and nodded, a feeling of inadequacy rising in his throat. "Uhm...Jasyn, Jasyn Emitt, of The Falchion" replied the wolf. He added quickly, "I-I'm... only an ensign though," as a nervous flush began to rise in his face. Lynn and Azuma sighed outwardly at the broken way that the wolf introduced himself, but Axis smiled bemusedly.

"Heh, well not that your rank matters here, I mean we can't give you a direct order, unless you're somewhere you shouldn't be," Leon said, smiling softly.

The chuckle Jasyn gave was an attempt to lighten the mood, but it proved only able to cause a nervous tension to fill the air. In his mind, Axis told himself 'I should really say something...' but in the instant he opened his mouth the lift had halted with a shudder. A doorway slid open, flush with the edge of the lift, and in stepped a curious little man with the authority of a king.

"Good afternoon and welcome to Earth. I am President Logan Gaspar, head of the European Union. From here we've been instructed to escort you to The North American Coalition's borders. With the destruction of your ship we feel it necessary to accommodate a swift return for you to your home world," said the man, before looking over Leon. "Lieutenant, please escort our guests to their quarters, they'll stay the night and will be transferred in the morning."

"Right away sir!" said Leon, saluting and looking back at Jasyn. "Please follow me Sir," he said, and turned with wry playfulness to lead away through the brightly lit concrete halls.

Jasyn laid one paw upon his pistol and followed the man, motioning Axis and the others after him as though he wished sincerely to be rid of the little man's presence. They rounded a corner in silence before Leon spun and fell in backstep before them. "Sorry about him, he's new at this, I was actually sent from a place called Toronto to escort you upon arrival," he told them, eyes flicking between the group but laying finally on Jasyn. "We'll stay the night and head out in the morning, they're not sure if they've mopped up the last of those swarmers..." he added, trailing off for a moment.

"Now, how shall we do this?" he asked himself, tapping lightly on his chin. "Oh! I know, I'll take you to one of the commons. You'll each have your own room, and there's a central area to talk to one another. It's more high-end, but hey, after what happened out there you guys deserve it."

Axis smiled and nodded, bowing his head slightly, "Thanks, Lieutenant," he said, and Azuma nearly backhanded him.

"No need to go by rank; call me Leon, please," replied the man, acting more casual than most military officers.

"Okay, Leon. Please, call me Axis," said the fox, receiving a spiteful glare and another near backhand. This time he ducked the blow, knowing Azuma wouldn't stop his hand.

"Hey, hey. Enough with the violence already, guys. Now, after a good night's sleep, I'll fix you one of the more traditional Earth breakfasts, and we'll be on our way back to good ol' Canada," said Leon, diffusing the situation almost immediately.

--

The large room was bordered with three metal hatches on each side. A large screen was inset into the far wall and a smaller one with a console was laid directly beside the first door. Leon took the first door to the right, and grinned, tapping the door control briefly. "This one will be mine. You can spread out however you like. Just bug me if you need anything."

"Thanks," said Jasyn, before he padded off towards the next room, "Hey, um, Leon? I could really use a change of clothes, is there a wardrobe in here? A shower too perhaps?" he asked, as he reached the door and pressed the green panel next to it.

The door slid aside and the wolf peered in.

"Yeah, there should be a closet to your left when you walk in. The bathroom's right next to it. Go ahead and take whatever clothes you want," replied the young man with a grin, "and now that I think about it, a shower is a good idea. Okay, don't knock for about... ten minutes all right? Then you can interrupt me as much as you want."

Jasyn spotted the sparse cloth in the closet, and figured it was standard issue, or complimentary from the Terran governments. A sort of keepsake if you ended up staying in the base's lodgings. Axis tucked himself away in the room just past the wolf's, forcing Lynn and Azuma to take two rooms on the opposite wall.

The fox was upset, tension filling the muscles in his back as he pulled the uniform jacket away quickly. His ears sagged slightly and he peered around the room until he spotted the spacious bathroom. It was bigger than any other he had seen on the ship, and he just couldn't help himself.

Fingertips sliding under his shirt, he quickly pulled it up and off. Before it even hit the ground, his uniform pants were undone and with a swift grace he tugged himself out of them. His brain was addled with thoughts he couldn't properly piece together, and as he peered at the strangely spacious shower he found he didn't know how to work it.

'Dammit...' he thought, as all at once his plans seemed ruined. He then noticed himself in the mirror. His fur was tousled and stuck together, matted with the stress of his day and lacking two days worth of care. His slim form was even less masculine than Jasyn's, but such was the build of a fox. Thick fur tufting out in all the wrong ways, he felt the sudden need to shower, and quickly his eyes spotted the small screen tucked so neatly in the corner of the mirror. He recognized those characters.

'Forty-six degrees... must be Celsius What's that... cocoa? What's cocoa?' he asked himself as he stepped closer to the small display. Fingers brushing along it's surface, he heard the sudden rush of water nearby and the relieved warmth of heat rising from the nearby tub-shower.

He smelled, on the air, the scent of chocolate though to his mind he simply smelled sweetness. His ears flicked gently and his nose began to twitch as he was drawn, almost magically, towards those falling streams. Several jets of water fell from all sides, scented from some internal resevoir of shampoo.

He halted a moment, realizing that the soap was designed to clean a human being. It's effects on his fur could be disastrous.

'Close enough...' he argued with his rational self, as he stepped under the heavenly droplets and felt, immediately, his fur begin to untangle and his knots start to loosen. His overburdened brain suddenly seemed less busy, as thoughts slowed to a level his multithinking could deal with.

'Jasyn wants me...' was the first thing that crossed his thoughts and in the heat and clarity the water brought in he felt a telltale tingle in his chest. 'Jasyn wants me...' he told himself again, almost disbelieving. He hadn't had the time, energy, or luxury to think about it before; the sudden realization dawning on him that the regime of lupine absolution was gone from his life.

'Do I want him though...' came the counter-argument. The fox glanced downward and a heavy blush crossed his features as that answer was quickly found. 'Well... mini-me wants him...' he laughed internally, his eyes watching with curious satisfaction on the rising swell of his vulpine shaft.

He rolled his shoulders and noticed a curious seam in one of the fixtures. Paw reaching out to take hold, he pulled gently and was astonished to find the shower head come with him. Taking the cone-shape in his paw, long hose attaching it to the wall, he began to work the stream of water in slow circles on his aching back muscles.

"Gods..." he whispered aloud, his body relaxing just that little bit more to feel the tense pressure battered with a steady stream of heat. The cocoa-scented water soaked deep into his fur, and he willed himself back down with clenched eyes.

He was grateful for such control over his body, but he knew it would take vengeance later as his vulpine tip tucked itself away in his sheath.

Soft moans and cries escaped his muzzle for almost a whole hour, as he gave himself a water-massage. His fur was silky clean, as he reached a paw out to tap the small screen again.

He gave himself a quick shake, drops of water spraying against white tile and frosted glass alike before he pulled the shower open again. He spotted a towel, which seemed like a universal device to him, on the back of the door and quickly he began to pat himself down.

Minutes later, and he was lounging in his room, claw-brushing his fur gently into place and relaxing against the softer-than familiar mattress of the bed. 'I need to see Jasyn... later.' he told himself, his ears flicking as an arc of tiny droplets spattered against the wall.

The sun was setting in an array of golds and pinks when the fox's desire to talk to the wolf grew far too strong to deny. He plucked himself out of the small single bed and padded slowly from his room to the wolf's. Tapping the 'ring' button beside the doorway, he heard shuffling inside. Before he could think to flee, the wolf was standing before him in a simple pair of black canvas pocket-pants.

"Hi, um... Jasyn? Can I come in?" asked the fox, now wearing a white form-fitting T-shirt, and a pair of tight blue jeans. It seemed neither of them felt very comfortable wearing their uniforms now.

"Sure thing," said the wolf, stepping aside to let the fox into his room. Jasyn couldn't help but take a glance at the way Axis' rear looked in those jeans, but he diverted his eyes up to his friend's face as he stepped away from the door. "So... What can I help you with?"

Axis noticed the humidity of the room, and smelled a strange, clean scent upon the air. He couldn't help but realize Jasyn's fur was slightly damp, as he stumbled for a reason to have come. "Umm..." he began, managing only that before he had lost the words. He cursed himself for being so timid around his best friend.

"Umm? C'mon Axis, Umm? Talk to me kit, or I might be forced to read you some more sappy poetry," smirked the wolf, plopping himself down on the comfortable bed. Axis stood before his friend, exposed, and told himself 'To hell with it.'

"Jasyn... About... about what you said... back on the ship. You know... last night?" he began, and the wolf nodded his affirmative reply. "Well... I want to know what you were really telling me... spell it out for me, please," pleaded the fox, looking confusedly at the ground.

The wolf's smile thinned to a slight frown. He hadn't wanted this conversation, but fate it seemed was against him. "What I was telling you, Axis, is that I care about you more than just as a friend." He coughed a bit as he began. He wasn't tearful, just awkward and confused. "I was telling you that I desired you, that... I guess that I wanted to be your life mate" He coughed out the last few words on the breath of a silent sob, and looked down. His hair hid most of his face, having left it out of it's traditional ponytail.

'He's going to be uncomfortable around me... he'll never be the same. Great job, Jasyn, you just lost the best friend you've ever had' he told himself, and slowly his chest grew tighter.

Axis was silent, not moving, not even blinking. He knew what Jasyn had meant; he was just having trouble believing. Slowly, as though the entire planet Earth was upon his shoulders, he stood and made slow progress towards the door. Jasyn watched him out of the corner of his eye, and before the fox could make it to the panel he had jumped up and was standing in his way. He looked down the few centimetres that separated them and smiled a pained smile, not trying to hide his tears. "Axis, please... don't leave yet. I said I wanted you, yes, but I'm-I'm not going to force it on you. I respect you more than that, kit... I really do love you."

Axis looked up, almost defiantly at first, but seeing the tears in his friend's eyes, he simply hugged him gently. "Jasyn... I know you love me. I've always known. But I don't know if we can be together like you want," he comforted the wolf.

'What are you doing!?' the fox's mind screamed at him, but he silenced his own arguments quickly.

Jasyn smiled and brushed a few hairs out of Axis face, murring softly as he looked down at him. "I know... but that doesn't mean we can't still be friends right?" asked the wolf in his low voice.

Axis' peered upward, and his violet eyes fell upon the icy blues. He broke a soft smile and leaned forward to lay a gentle, loving kiss to the wolf's cheek. "Jasyn... I will always be your friend," he breathed upon the lupine muzzle, before he gently pushed past his friend. He halted briefly and whispered, "I promise that, at least..." and left the room.

'What the hell did you do that for?' his inside argued with his out. He closed his eyes tight and shook his head. 'It's what you want, isn't it?' he asked himself again, and in the safety of his own room he shouted aloud, "Shut up!"

Leaning against his door, his tiny hand held device lay discarded beside him. He peered down at it through hazy eyes and winced away tears as his fingers wrapped around it. Flicking the tiny thing on, he began to play back more of Jasyn's poems; the words soothing him softly, as he fought with himself over what he should do.

Jasyn spent the night restless again, thinking about what he'd said to his best friend. 'What had Axis meant, at least?' he pulled his knees up close. 'Is he thinking about maybe more?' he added to the question. He was tired, but sleep was not coming.

'I doubt it...' he told himself, and the rest of his mind seemed to nod in agreement. Slowly, after several long hours of sleepless thought, he passed into a dreamless and light slumber.

Leon laid back in his bed, looking up at the ceiling with his hands resting behind his head. He was thinking about the furred creatures he had greeted, more about Jasyn than anything else. His mind slowly slipped into darkness and he dreamed about the coming flight.

--

Morning came with a brightness that the Sirians had not expected. Sunlight filtering through their windows, the Sirians one by one were woken by the lick of morning light. With an experimental twist to his body, the lithe white fox floated into the common, expecting nobody else to be awake. Obviously, military training was more powerful than the allure of a real shining sun though as the startled cry of the human lost the fox his concentration.

"Holy!"

Axis snapped from his thoughts and fell the short few feet to the ground. Lifting himself, he peered carefully up at the human; not daring to stand again as he watched carefully for any sign of reprimand.

'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...' he spoke to himself.

"Did you... were... and-how did..." the human stumbled over his tongue, looking up from the fox's spot on the ground to the wolf who stood in the doorway. His features were curled into a smirk at the exchange, and he let the lightest chuckle out.

"Oh, I..." stammered the fox. He tried to explain, "I'm not entirely sure... I just kinda think about flying, and it sorta happens."

As inadequate as it was, the explanation seemed to do just fine, and Leon's shoulders fell against the chair's back as he broke a sigh of stress. Jasyn's chuckle grew into a short laugh, and his booted feet slowly carried him out from his room. Fresh black denim wrapped around his shoulders, and he still wore the cargoes from before, as he knelt down and extended a hand to his friend.

The pilot had changed his clothes. The flight suit was replaced with a casual military-issue jacket; black with red trim. A field of white with two red bars was stitched into the shoulders, a strange pointed leaf emblazoned in the middle. The letters, "CTSE" stitched over his right breast pocket.

"We're going to have to skip breakfast, sorry. PM Kaine wants us back ASAP," the human told them with some bitter reluctance.

As the other two woke and joined them, a few minutes later, he quickly ushered them out. "Come on, come on. We've got clearance to fly already," the human rushed.

All of them boarding the rather cramped shuttle, Axis took up his post in the front as Leon tapped the wolf's shoulder. "So, uh... How do you fly this antique?" he asked, giddy with anticipation. By his standards, this ship was ancient.

"Well, if you give me half a minute, I'll get behind the throttle and show you," chided the wolf with a smirk.

'Pilots... always with the unspoken bond,' Axis thought softly with a smirk as he started the internal power. Jasyn joined him, and Leon stood behind and between them as the wolf slid the band over his forehead.

The ship shuddered and began to rise. The lifting platform moving them slowly towards the top. "Hey, Leon? What happened to the Chameleon anyway? I mean, I didn't see anyone else from the ship while we've been here," Axis asked softly.

"The four of you are to accompany me to Canada, the other ship is going to be sent to Germany," the human said distractedly.

"So our crew is being split up? That's just great..." said Jasyn, thinking softly to himself, 'at least Axis is staying with me'.

"Hey Jayse, lighten up, it's not like they're going to be tested on or anything, we'll see the others soon enough," Axis comforted. The ship's ascent on the platform was painful and slow but they neared the top.

"Yeah, don't worry Jasyn," added Leon, smirking.

"Ugh... can we just GO? God... you three talk way too much!" complained Azuma irritably. He seemed to be unaffected by the loss of the Falchion; of course, he was a soldier after all.

Lynn was silent, and as Axis got the engines on line he turned to Leon, "So, CAN we leave?"

Leon smirked and nodded. "I told you we could leave," he reminded them, and fished a small headset from one of his jacket pockets. Slipping it over an ear, with a square of what looked like frosted glass over one eye, he began to press a few buttons at the sides.

The gleaming silver fighter lifted into the air and hovered unsteadily as the pilot grinned to Jasyn.

The wolf tapped quickly at the controls, the shuttle lifting off of the pad and into the air with a quick spin to get a feel for the controls. Jasyn held the joysticks loosely and headed west. "So, which way is fastest?" he asked of the human; looking over at Leon who smirked and nodded his head forward, motioning ahead.

"Heh, not even on the planet a day and you're already getting an instinct, eh Jayse?" smirked Axis, sticking his tongue out.

"What gives him the right to talk to Jasyn so openly like that. I mean, he's the son of a slipstream field mechanic," said Azuma to Lynn, quietly so no one else could hear.

"Yeah, I know eh? How'd he get so close to Jay?" she replied, her ears flicking angrily.

"We'll have to show him what foxes are good for, won't we then?"

"Well, I suppose if we must, we must."

The two began to plot quietly, in their own heads. There would surely be plenty of time to plan, but for now they had only the hum of the engines to drown out their voices and that was hardly enough.