How to Repair a Broken Soul

[Not again, mum...] Mikhaila sighed as she pulled her mother into her room. [We're already busy with our own repairs, you know.]

Michelle flicked her twin sister on the nose and offered their mother a more supporting guide onto the couch, passing off signing and titling duties to her paired self. [What happened? This isn't your normal wear and tear.]

"Just a smidgen o' fire, sweethearts." Robyn sat between her daughters, the cyborg making sure her splayed-apart arm kept clear of them as they sat. "We had a malfunctioning thruster on one of the transports. I thought I might actually kark it again for a moment there."

[Mum, don't... Don't joke about that, please...] Chelle picked at the dangling, dripping bits of robotic arm with her own frustrated sigh. [You're bleeding. Let's take care of that before it becomes a problem.]

"It's quite a gush, yeah. Never been a hitch before though."

[Because it's just a nanite gel. You technically don't have any real blood left in you.] Mik held a titanium bone so her sister could untangle the various artificial muscles wrapping it. [The blood in the arm is all lost at this point. Let's Link so we can seal the area.]

"Sure, love." Robyn held out her good paw and two tendrils of her daughters met her halfway. I could probably save more of my blood if you two actually taught me a trick or two, you know. It's cute you like helping me, but you forget your mum's an engineer.

No, we understand that. We also know you have a tendency to risk yourself now that you've gotten used to this new body. Mik checked inside the spindle of sinew and nodded as she found her target. You make a good point though. Okay, we're sealing the joint. Can you sense what we're changing?

Curiously, yeah. Robyn leaned forward and watched as her elbow constricted inside, the pathways for her nanites shutting at once. Right. That's bloody unsettling... but ~effective~.

Well... we'll show you how to do some of this if it doesn't disturb you, mum. Just let us take care of it this time. Chelle opened a portal, picked up a particle beam welder from a workbench, and reattached two problematic muscles. Try to relax. You've lost a lot of blood this time.

Is that bad? I thought I didn't have real blood.

You don't, but the nanites serve some of the same purposes as blood. If you lose enough... you won't die, but you'll definitely have a ~bad time~. While her twin focused on muscles, Mik pulled a socket screwdriver from the bench and unscrewed her mother's bent ulna. This isn't just a tiny accident. You put force on this.

We're only a few months away from finishing my new ship. I'll be bloomin' tossed if some transport scratches the paint before we cut the ribbon. Robyn hissed as the bone came free, the squirrel forgetting to disable a few related nerve sensors. Damned thing was headed for a fuel tank though. I didn't want casualties on my build record...

Well if you saved someone... I guess we can let this slide. Just don't risk your life, mum.

We already lost you once...

Robyn groaned out a sigh as her children froze in remembrance. To break the silence she pulled them into a reclined cuddle. I'm sorry, girls.

You have no reason to apologize, mum. Mik shifted the portal to a parts drawer and pulled out a few new ulnas, comparing them to the original to figure out which was for the proper arm. We're just glad we get to be with you. Sharing the memories of someone you'd never meet was the worst, but now we get to make new memories together.

Robyn reeled her children in for a tight hug, leaving them just enough freedom to work. Bugger... Girls, if things could have been different...

No. We've decided to focus on the future, not the past. Chelle paused her muscle repairs until the bones were in place, instead focusing on removing the shattered remnants of her mother's paw. If you simply must focus on the past, think back to happier times. We particularly like the time you and mom went on your first date.

That's a vivid one. Your other mum had the largest cock I'd ever seen. I'd wager the bus boy didn't like the mess we left him after ~that~ encounter. Robyn noticed the spats her daughters wore beneath their sirat drapes and decided to change topic. I guess the ol' apple don't fall far from the tree, yeah? Three of those pythons each...

Having three isn't all fun and games, you know. It's hard to wrangle them when most people only want to take the ~one~ giant cock. Chelle shifted her thighs as her lengths began to grow, the conversation sparking her and her sister's arousals. At least they stow away easily enough...

Stuffing them inside you like that? Doesn't that just get you two hot and bothered all the time?

Mik spat out a laugh at that understatement. On top of needing to fuck twice a day just to keep our sanity? It's nothing, really.

Robyn easily noticed her daughters hiding their hefty bulges, though she couldn't figure out why. Your sex-capades don't go unnoticed. I do wonder though... Why never me? You rut with your other mothers all the time, but... Do I not have something you need?

You have everything we need and that's exactly why we don't. Mik finished her bone repairs and helped Chelle remove the paw pieces. You've been through so much already. We don't want you wasting time to help our insane libidos.

We know you love this ship. We can't fathom distracting you from building it.

That's not...

No, it's perfectly true. Chelle rested her head on her mom's ample bosom. We share your memories. We know how much the Starbreeze meant to you--as much as a child to a mother. We also sense how you feel stronger about this new ship.

Only because Ottah needs something new in her life to replace the void her father left...

Oh... Chelle placed the dismantled paw on the far side of the portal and reached for a replacement. Well we don't want to slow down progress, even if we'd like to see how many cocks you could take at once. Rhyme holds the record, by the way.

Four is pretty hard to beat, mum. Mik aligned the new paw and used her tool to secure the wrist, completely ignoring the cock tips poking out of her spats. Oh, I know; Your first time with mom was fun, but what's your favorite? Or which one got you off the hardest?

Actually if we're asking questions, what came first? Did you like men or women first, or was it always both? Chelle wrapped her arms around her mother's waist, the current repairs only hindered if she got in Mik's way. We have all these memories of you and mom, but emotions don't translate well. We've been trying to figure out what drove you to her, precisely.

Well that's a hard one, loves. We've been mates near forever and we came together over time. Robyn leaned back, her children following suit now that Mik's paw repairs finished. Now that you've got me reflecting though, there is one point that stands alone...

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Age 16, 2023 AD

Rihzyet Home

Wildebrooke

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"I can't understand how un-girlish you are sometimes, Ari. How the bloody hell do I fix this claw if you don't have any claw polish remover?"

"Well I don't need any normally because my claws shed, Robby." Ilaria checked below her bathroom sink and found a bottle of lighter fluid. "Here. It smells like crap, but it's basically the same thing."

"Good on ya', love." Robyn took the bottle and pulled open the top tab, her nose wincing at the pungent petroleum scent. "I just hope nobody goes sniffing my paws come Monday. Looks like it works, though."

Ari laid back across her bed, her long legs crossing with her hindpaws dangling off the far end. "Of course it does. It took all the bumper stickers off my car."

"She's a beaut, that. I've no words for that miracle your pops pulled off." Robyn cleaned and dried the one errant claw, then began repainting it with a lime green shellac. "Where do you even find a pre-war model like that with only one last owner? She's one of the best models made until the bombs, yeah?"

"Well she still needs work. I'm pretty sure that Cobra hasn't seen even an oil change since sixty-eight." Ari picked up her tablet computer and scrolled through a few messages from classmates. "Thankfully Yoyo said he'd help. I'm pretty sure our dad wants to chip in when he's home, too."

"Well Yoyo might as well be useless for anything below the bonnet, but we could get him cleaning things up." Robyn smiled as she held out her now-perfect paw to dry. "I might like girly things but a little grease in my fur never buggered me off either. Sounds like fun."

"Well the help would be appreciated. Not so sure about how committed Yoyo will actually be now that he's gone through his adulthood ceremony."

"Well you didn't shift none, did ya'? Why's your brother any different? I don't know a thing about that tribal stuff."

Ari shook her head and sighed in odd frustration. "Well he got his dick wet as part of it so he's suddenly looking for more."

Robyn forgot about her claws and turned to give Ari her full attention, her fluffy tail flagging with interest. "Hold on a tick; You two had sex while you were away?"

"Uh... Y-Yeah, sort of. Yoyo did; I didn't." Ari crossed her legs as her mind settled on her secret manhood between them. "There was this other otter Yoyo already had his eyes on and she was part of the ceremony as well. There were three guys wanting to get with me but... I had my reservations."

"So you gotta rut to be an adult in your tribe? Brilliant idea, that." Robyn's eyes danced about the ceiling as a rogue question piqued her interest. "So what did those three blokes do? Is... homosexual sex still...?"

"No, they were fine. Mauve was happy to have Yoyo, but she also put out for the others. A girl from the last ceremony helped too... Corrie, I think her name was." A single claw rose to scratch Ari's chin. "Actually, that might be what drove Yoyo away. He might be horny, but I think he likes girls that only have eyes for him."

"Thus the search begins. Tad randy, but I gotcha." Robyn hopped off the bed with a devilish grin, the squirrel creeping backward to the shared bathroom between the siblings' rooms. "Now with recent developments, I think those voices I've been hearing through here aren't the tele or games..."

"Voices? Nah, Yoyo just plays those roleplaying games as scantily clad vixens. The grunts when he takes a beating are... disturbing." Ari quirked her head as her tiny, efficient ears focused on foreign grunts and yips. "He just got some new game last week. You know how that goes."

"All that's come out this week was Le Mans Motorsport 6. I love it to death, but no bikini birds getting slapped in that title." Robyn curiously cleared through the bathroom and put an ear near Iolvin's door. "That's no game. Games don't desperately pant your name."

"What!?" Ilaria lowered her voice and crept beside her friend for a bout of her own spying. The standard mild grunts she expected came through, but then she definitely heard her brother's nickname in a hushed female tone. "Holy shit. Yoyo's screwing someone in there."

"Damn straight. This is sort of hot."

"...Yoyo, faster!..."

"Okay. That does it." Robyn reached for the door handle and grinned with a pause. "I can't let this opportunity pass. He's your brother, though..."

"You want to see? He's your friend too..."

"Well so are you, and I'd do the same. Hell," the squirrel paused to pull out her phone and ready the camera, "I'd keep a copy to joke about later. Maybe even help out the ol' heat, yeah?"

"You're kidding, right? You don't... do that to Yoyo's image already, do you? You're just--"

"We're just good mates, Ari. Good mates that joke on the dirty side of the spectrum." Robyn slowly pulled the door open and slipped out, her phone braving the path ahead like an odd periscope until it found something moving to focus upon. "Blimey..."

"Robby..." Ari fought her own curiosity back, but the familiar voice without a face attached to it drew the final straw. She checked the phone and immediately flinched her head away, spotting a close-up zoom of her brother's balls slapping wet pussy. "Holy...!"

"Neat." Robyn clicked the record button and stared into her phone intently. "He's being pretty rough, yeah?"

"Oh, Yoyo! I'm so close!"

Now things came together. The light tan fur with orange highlights Yoyo was pummeling combined with the clear voice finally drew an identity to the girl. "That's Emily. She's a senior, right? She's eighteen!"

"Shush. Don't ruin this." Robyn's free paw slid down her tummy, dipping into her jeans under recent influences. "That's fucking hot. Get 'er, Yoyo."

"I'm gonna cum." Yoyo slowed his thrusts and postured himself for a new position. "Where should I...?"

"I'm close! Just... keep going. Finish inside me, Yoyo!"

"He isn't..." Ari moved closer to the phone as her brother resumed his assault on Pussy Hill. "Holy crap, bro. You're really--"

"Ah, fuck!" Yoyo shoved his small knot into Emily's cunt, her tensing allowing a short tie. His balls tensed in union with his forward thrusts, signalling without question that he was giving Emily a gooey gift. "Oh, shit... Fuck... Hey, you alright?"

"C-C-Cummin-ng...!"

"That's sexy, babe." More to Yoyo's typical behavior, he reached for a towel he'd draped over the headboard and started patting the sweat from Emily's head. "Is it really that good? That's crazy."

"That's cute." Robyn reeled back the zoom on her phone camera and got a more overall shot of the two cooling down. "I see what you mean now. It is more than just sex to him."

"It's... part of the reason I refused to have sex back then. The other guys just wanted a pussy to pound." Ari ignored the white leaking out between Emily's legs and tried to focus on the adorable way her brother cleaned off his lover. "At least I know we're alike in that way too."

"You are twins, after a--"

The hallway door sounded with a purposeful set of knocks, causing Yoyo to jolt to his hindpaws. "Iolvin? Could I have a moment?"

"Shit." The otter dashed to dress himself sans his boxer briefs. In but a pawful of seconds he was at the door, leaving Emily to hide beneath his bed's comforter. "Yes, sir. Could we--?"

Vasily kept his voice low out of respect for his son's privacy. "Let's leave your lady friend to herself for a while. We should talk in my study anyway, unless you'd rather your mother gets involved."

"No, sir. Thanks for... the discretion, dad." Yoyo left the room, poking his head back for a quick excuse. "Sorry, Emmy; I forgot about something. I'll be back in a bit if you'd like to feel at home... maybe even take a shower. I know track club gets hot this time of year."

"Ah... y-yeah. I'll do that."

"Towels are in the cupboard over the toilet. Oh, and Lulu's got some nice smelling stuff in there I'm sure she won't mind you using."

"Oh. Thanks, Yoyo." The door shut and immediately the comforter flew off Emily's nude body. "Fuck... Had me scared there a minute, Yoyo. My mom would freak..."

"Yoyo made a mess of her." Robyn zoomed the camera again focusing on the large puddle of cum drooling out the coyote's nethers. "How does all that even fit in that cunt? Bloody hell..."

Ari forced herself to look away again--the mystery no longer driving her--to finally noticed Robyn rocking against her own paw. "Robby! What are you doing!?"

"It's hot and I'm in heat. What kind of question is that?" The squirrel stared at her phone in a trance as Emily started dipping her fingers into her sopping wet folds. "Somehow this is doing it for me. You know how hard it is to scratch that itch, right love?"

"Heat? Uh... y-yeah?" Ari backed away to give her friend privacy, but upon spotting Emily rising up she pulled Robyn backward to her sink and shut the door. "You're not paying attention. She almost found us out, Robby."

"Well maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing. We could help her clean that pretty cunt out--" Robyn suddenly sobered up, her sticky paw pulling free of her pants so she could blink at it in disbelief. "Wait, I don't... D-Did I actually say that?"

"You're... in heat, so..." Ilaria grabbed a small washcloth, wiped some nervous sweat from her brow, then offered the cloth to Robyn to clean her paw. "As far as I'm concerned, none of this happened. You're just doing what you have to do."

"Good on ya', Ari." Robyn wiped her paw dry, though her strong pheromones remained intermingled in her fur. Whilst suddenly realizing how attractive her best friend was, Robyn snapped out of her renewed daze at the sound of the shower starting behind the closed door. "Quite good..."

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Age 30, Year 4 Anno Xenophilia Pax

Mobile Construction Fleet

Luna Orbit

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We have trouble recalling memories that far back. Michelle connected a final synthetic muscle and pat her mother's skinless arm so she knew they were done for the moment. So that was when you realized you liked women?

And mom, too. Mikhaila checked her mother for additional damage and frowned at the sight of more nanite gel from an unknown source. So how long did you know each other? You seemed to have been great friends for a while.

We've known each other since we were three. My old man bought the house two down so I'd have a school growing up. Robyn leaned forward as her children probed her back for injuries. We've always been best mates. Truth be told, I even took a job at Ravenwood Industries just to stay near those two. The day Ottah asked me out...

I love that feeling. I often fall asleep recalling that memory.

That one gets my heart fluttering. I have no clue how you can sleep through it. Mik groaned and shook her head when she found the source of her mother's leak--a small, deep hole in her upper back. Mum... This is bad. Something broke off and punched through you.

Oh. I switched off the pain receptors in most places after the arm went bust. Robyn reached back and enabled her nerves again, regretting both actions in differing manners. Fucking--! Is s-something wrong?

Yes, something's wrong! Mum, we told you to watch your organs! Mik prodded inside the wound, forcing Robyn to kill the nerves again. We're lucky this wasn't your real lung. You do need that, you know.

Mum, please be careful. There's parts of you we can't just replace and... if you break them we ~can't~ bring you back again. Chelle leaned against her mother as her twin took care of sealing the wound. I don't want to think about that ever... happening again...

My babies...

Michelle, just look at me. Remember something happy like... like mum's wedding. Mik sealed up her mother's wound with a plug of expanding plastic material. I don't want to see you cry. It'll make me cry.

Don't sob, loves. I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you. An inkling of an early memory came to mind, a vision of her smiling father flushing through her head with the aid of her daughters' Link. This feeling is a bit warm and fuzzy, yeah? Why not focus on that?

Really? You'll share more? Chelle perked up at the distraction. I could use some more memories like the last one...

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Age 5, 2013 AD

Winchester Home

Wildebrooke

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"Come now, Nugget. Eat all your breakfast."

"But mummy, my tummy hurts." Robyn held onto her stomach and played up a total farce. "I think I'm sick..."

"You're not that sort of sick, missy. Ah, I almost forgot." Sarah reached for a pill bottle and pulled out two capsules, one going into a lunch bag and the other setting before her daughter's glass of pear juice. "Eat up and take your pill, love. Your midday pill is in your lunch, so don't forget about it at school."

"Aw... I don't wanna go to school today. I wanna play in daddy's shop."

"Nugget, we've been over this before. Daddy has to work on that big tower way in the distance. He won't be home for a few weeks." Sarah folded her arms and frowned, intimidating Robyn to take her large pill. "Good lass. Now finish your pancakes. You need to go to school so you're as smart as you daddy. You can't aid him when he comes home if you don't learn, yeah?"

Robyn cheered up at that notion, the little squirrel digging into her pecan pancakes voraciously. "Yup!"

"Oy, is that right? I thought you were me best assistant, Nugget." Patrick waltzed through the kitchen door full of cheer, his first and most important task being to kiss his wife and child. "Got any more o' those flapjacks, me love?"

"Patrick... What are you doing here to soon?" Sarah latched her arms around her husband and smothered him with kisses. "Will you be here a while? Please answer 'aye' to that."

"Aye, Sarah. The next platform got miffed at manufacture so we have a hold on fa'ra week. I jus' hope it don't end up pear shaped on our end come the survey." Pat pulled out a seat at the kitchen table and smiled for Robyn, the little squirrel fighting to keep from pouncing her father. "You being a good lass for ye' mother, Nugget?"

"Yup!" Robyn shoved her last bite of pancake in her mouth with purpose, proudly proving she was doing as she was told by the puff of her filled cheeks. "So," she paused to hastily gulp down her food, "can I stay with you today? Please?"

"Watch out. She's giving you the sad eyes." Sarah shook her head with a giggle. "I'm leaving that to you, hubby."

"Well..." Pat played coy with a paw scritching his chin in faux thought. "I suppose one day off won't hurt much."

"I love you, daddy!" That pounce finally launched, Robyn practically hanging off her father's chair in the end. "Can we tinker wif the battery thingies?"

"Haha, sure. You've me word, Nugget. We'll get those solar banks runnin' by sundown." Patrick kissed his daughter on her forehead, deeply proud at how well she took after his curiosity. Then he noticed his wife frozen in place, save for a teacup falling from her paw. "Sarah? What's the matter?"

"Pat, look..." Sarah shielded her eyes as an intense light flooded through the window by the sink. "The tower..."

"Woah..." Robyn shut her eyes and rubbed them, driving Patrick to turn around all the faster. "Ouch!"

"Can't be..." The husband and father stood by the window to find a column of fire and smoke on his space elevator. "Where did...? I thought we'd put up missile defences?"

"Nothing flew into it. It just... exploded."

"Not Beta Tower too..." Pat watched as the elevator tether severed, and rather than fall as one might expect the rotation of the Earth sent the top slowly out to space. "There were twelve crews working today. Seven were in orbit. Bloody terrorists!"

"Terror rats...?"

"This won't end well. Sarah, take Robyn out back. If this escalates the cellar will be the safest place." Pat dashed out the kitchen and into his bedroom. "I've got the key. Clear the way, me love."

"Aye. Be safe." Sarah took a brief moment to breathe and visualize her path ahead, then she picked up her daughter and headed for the door. "I need you to listen to me, Robyn. Bad things may come to pass, so I can't have you disobeying a single word. Are we clear?"

Robyn grunted as she was pressed into the door while her mother shoved it open. "Yes, mummy."

"That's my brave little girl." Sarah dashed through the open gate to the backyard and placed Robyn down beside a cluttered set of shutter doors. "I need to clear this mess, Nugget. Stay back so I don't hit you."

"But mummy..."

"What did I say, Robyn!?" Sarah held back her child until she complied, then went to work tossing tools and gardening crates to the side. Finally a wheelbarrow full of gravel remained the sole blockage, the heavy load refusing to budge under Sarah's strength. "Blast! Just gon' tip it then--"

"Sarah, no. That could fly back and bar us inside. Try this, love." Pat returned, giving his wife the key to the padlock on the shutters so he could roll the gravel much further away. "Right! How's the lock?"

"Rusty, but... Aha! We're through!" Sarah tossed the lock into the grass and pulled the shutters wide open. "Nugget, honey? Quickly, get inside."

Patrick cringed as a loud boom drew attention to the falling lower column of Beta Tower. "Damn. She tilted our way, which ain't but the worst luck." He picked up Robyn and carried her into the utility cellar, holding her close as he eyed his wife. "Sarah, hurry! The tower's shockwave is--"

"Hold on a tick..." Sarah's face went pale as she remembered something key. "Robyn's medicine. She'll need it or she'll get sick." She turned around to spot a large wall of dust and debris on the horizon, braving the risk for her daughter. "I'm nabbing it! Get ready to bar the doors!"

"Sarah!" Pat put his daughter down and did as he was told, shutting the first hatch door and holding the second at the ready. "Come on, love... Bit more pep in those legs, eh?"

"Daddy, what's going on?"

"Not now, Robyn!" The father winced as he heard his own desperate voice, shaking it off as he watched the impending destruction roll closer. "Move it, Sarah! Give it all you've got!"

"Pat! I'm coming!" Sarah slipped as she rounded the backyard gate, stalling briefly to check the rumbling collapse. She picked herself up and bolted to the cellar, but her legs simply wouldn't move her fast enough. "Patrick!"

"Sarah!" The frightened husband reached for his wife, but before they could touch the debris storm shoved against the cellar door and shut it tight. "No! Sarah, I... I can't get it open! Pull!"

"I can barely--!" Sarah grunted as something weighty hit her, but she managed to pull herself back to the doors. The shut one started to lift from the force of the dust and dirt brushing it, causing Sarah to make a choice. She landed atop the door as it fluttered and fought to open wide, managing to shove the bottle of pills through a gap by chance. "Patrick... Make sure Robyn takes her pills. Keep her--"

"Sarah? Sarah!?" The only sounds in return were the howls of wind, grinding of silt, and the faint drip of blood as it seeped through the sill of the shutters. "No... No, Sarah..."

"Daddy...?" Robyn crept forward, her eyes fixated on the pool of red forming on the cellar stairs. "Wh... Where's mummy...?"

Patrick shoved a slat of wood into slots on the doors then grabbed his daughter and cradled her facing away from the scene. "Mummy is... she's gone, Robyn. Mummy is... Oh, gods..."

The two sobbed quietly, their world shaken far more than the destruction around them could ever manage.

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Age 30, 4 XP

Mobile Construction Fleet

Luna Orbit

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Mummy...

Oh, mum... The crying squirrel's twin daughters took her by the paws, unable to prevent their own tears from streaking their faces. We're sorry. We didn't know that memory was...

A similar image of Ilaria having her arm seared away by atomic fire flashed into Robyn's mind, obliterating her Link to her daughters out of distress. "No! Gods, no!"

[Mum? What happened?] Michelle clamped down on her mother's paw in concern, but she only withdrew to stand on her own. [We're... so sorry, mum.]

"Gods, not my Ottah too! Not like this!"

[But...?] The twins looked at each other a moment before forming a Link between themselves for the extra brainpower. [Mum, we really need you to read us here. Mom is okay. She's taking a shower in the other room. Please, calm down.]

"She's...?" Robyn bolted to the master bedroom and desperately looked around for confirmation. "Ottah!?" A giggle over the sound of running water immediately attracted the squirrel's attention, sending Robyn barging into the bathroom to tackle her wife exuberantly inside the shower. "Ottah! Gods bless!"

"Woah! Pillow?" Ilaria wrapped her arm around the fuzzy leech latched onto her and slid her back down the shower wall. "What's wrong, honey? Your heart's racing."

"I thought I might have... lost you..." Robby's death grip loosened when she realized hew wife only had the one arm at the moment, the next sequence of memories finally catching up to her. "When our girls look back into my memories, it's just so... real..."

Ari caught the glance and took a deep breath as she eventually figured out the issue. "They shouldn't be making you remember that. Why in the Black would they think their mother would want to see her mate getting injured again?"

The twins ran right behind their mother, also not concerned for their clothing as they wrapped their arms around their mothers. [We're sorry, mum. We didn't mean to trigger a bad memory.]

"What's this they've triggered?" Iolvin waved a paw from the bathtub as Rhyme repeatedly sat into his lap beneath the water. "Girls, are you experimenting on your mother again?"

[No! We... were trying to relive happy memories and fell into a very, very bad one.]

Zoë moved closer after hiding in the corner of the shower, sitting down against Ari in the hot water stream. "It's okay, sweethearts. It sounds like an accident."

"I saw... I witnessed my mum's death." Robyn rested her head on her mate's chest and closed her eyes. "The whole incident has a vastly different impact with an adult viewpoint, I suppose."

"I remember that. Our dad dug you out of your basement. I was scared to go down to our own for months after seeing that." Ari rubbed her paw through her wife's hair to calm her down, her heart rate slowly lowering. "I've got you, Pillow. I won't leave your side."

"Sorry, Yoyo..." Rhy stepped out of the tub with an apologetic bow as she moved to join the group hug. "We're here for you, Pillow. We love you."

"I love you too. There's where it hurts most, yeah?" Robby eased out of her hearty hug and raised her head so she could look upon her daughters faces. "I swear, no more danger. You already lost me once and you deserve to have your mum, girls. Not gonna waste that miracle you crafted for me."

"That's sweet. Family for family." Iolvin stepped out the tub and shut off the water flow to the shower. He crouched down to give Robyn a kiss on the forehead, his paw moving to the robotic squirrel's exposed muscles. "You sure this is a good idea though, Robby? I'll go start some coffee so we can talk somewhere warm and dry."

"Crap." Robyn sighed as she flicked the water off her arm. "Thanks, Yoyo. I'll take some black tea if we've still got some."

"I'll figure something out." Yoyo grabbed a towel and strode out the bathroom. "Sometimes it's alright to be a little selfish. Take care of yourself for now, hon."

"Yeah... I'll do that."

"Oh, wait for me!" Zoë took another towel and followed her husband, locking arms with him in glee. "We can finish you off while the coffee brews..."

"Heeee..."

Robyn kissed her wives and limply fell into their arms. "What would I ever do without this family?"

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Age 32, 6 XP

Gaia Memorial Orbital Tether

Planet Vasily

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"Come on, pop. Can't hide in the dark all day."

"I beg to differ, honey. Quite a long day with two stars around." Patrick gazed out a window at the vast, mostly unpopulated surface of Vasily. "This high up it'll be nearly always daylight."

"I assume that's why this spot was picked." Robyn huffed out a sigh of frustration as she sat beside her father. "We can't view the sights all day, daddy. There's work to be done yet."

"I know, Nugget. Just... allow me a moment, eh?" Pat scanned the glowing horizon, particularly awestruck at the moon Yangurraar glistening through the thin Vasily atmosphere. "It feels like the first job I had on a tower. Your mum and I moved there escaping New Zealand a bit before having you and... we always got weak in the knees at these views. She'd have loved this sight."

"Daddy..." Robyn put an arm under her father's far shoulder and prepared to lift him. "Let's get you to your new job. You want to give walking another go or should I huff ya' there?"

"I don't want to burden you, but damn these bloody legs." Pat removed two prosthetics, one up to his knee and the other secured at the hip, and tossed them into a corner of his room. "Why'd this have to happen? Fuckin' embarrassing, it is."

"Well then maybe you shouldn't have tried to kill yourself by jumping off Lambda."

"Well maybe you shouldn't have died and given me reason to--!" Pat slumped in his daughter's arms and gave her control. "That was uncalled for. Sorry, Robyn."

"Pop, I... I can't imagine how that must have felt." Robyn hoisted her father into her arms and headed for the hall. "You lost everyone you knew. I'm sorry that I had a paw in all of that. But to go drinking that much, on the job? Daddy..."

"Not making that mistake twice. I'm off the liquor, love." Pat ducked his head as they passed through the door. "Your girls weren't around much. All I had left were Vasily and Cathy, really. Oy, what ever came of those two? I haven't heard a peep since you came back."

"You never heard? It's been six years... Oh gods..." Robby walked over to a lift and pressed the call button. "Pop, Vasily is dead. He went out keeping everyone alive, including your granddaughters." She found a nearby window and pointed to a general spot on Yangurraar. "They buried him around there. It's beautiful if you can ever make it there safely."

"Damn... He was a good man. I'd like it very much to pay my respects." Patrick looked back to his daughter for further inquiry. "What of Cathy? She can't have taken well to all that, bless her."

"Actually, I think it might have set her on a new goal. She's here, you know." The elevator arrived and Robyn shimmied the two into it, tapping a very low floor with her elbow. "She's rebuilding our tribe on the surface, not far from the space elevator actually. I'm sure she'd appreciate a friendly face all the time."

"Is that so? She really got the ol' motor purring more than once. Cathy knows what she wants and obtains it too." Pat smiled for the first time in days, at least until the elevator jerked into a freefall. "Ah... But I'm sure with her tribe's ways she's got that base covered. Probably prioritized a nice bed first, eh?"

"Pop... I had no clue. You two were...?"

"Oh, yes. Vasily and Cathy were quite generous in keeping meself sane." The older squirrel flicked his tail at the thought. "She's no replacement for your mother, but Cathy has her own charms. Her puss is tight as hell, too."

"I... really didn't need to hear that." The elevator slowed as it approached another calling floor. "Well I can't guarantee she'd want to get along like that anymore, but... Last we saw, Cat was living pretty solitary. She's busy raising her daughter, Nadiya. But don't let me stop you two from easing each others' pain or whatnot."

"Hold on, love... Cathy has a child? Vasily left her like that?"

Robyn made room as two men in fancy suits boarded the car. "Yeah, though I wouldn't phrase it that way. She's happy raising her."

"A lone mother's no good. I wager she needs time for herself, yeah?" Pat held on tight as the lift resumed its fall for just a few more floors. "I've got a reason to master those damned legs. I won't rest knowing she's going stir crazy."

"You won't hear any complaints there, pop. Sometimes... it's okay to be a tad selfish." The elevator doors opened on their floor, so Robyn slipped into a stride down a long maintenance corridor. "For now, focus on your work and your health. You can focus on your cock once you've got the means to use it proper."

"Always did see right through me, just like your mother. You look just like her now, too. Brilliant, Nugget." Pat touched her daughter's synthetic arm and frowned at the lack of skin. "This might take longer to appreciate, however. What happened to your arm, love?"

"Bit of an accident. A freight transport almost hit my ship and I happened to be outside at the right time. I can hold my breath a while now and I don't need a suit, but damage hits me all the harder for it." Robyn reached an office with her father's name on the door and nudged the workshop door open. "As it turns out, they were bringing over a might hefty load of oxydium. If I hadn't redirected them they'd all have exploded and died. I think a bit o' damage is worth that."

"Right you are, love. That's my strong girl." Pat pointed to a chair and his daughter set him down for a break. "Maybe this is a blessing. You came back with a gift, Nugget. Your mum would be proud of how far you've come. I'm proud."

"Well I'm proud of you for agreeing to this. You get to start fresh." Robby took another seat and sat backward in it. "I know there's a lot of desk work involved, but if I were you I'd get my paws dirty every chance I could. She's your tower to keep running, pop."

"She's owned by whomever paid for it. I'm just a glorified janitor."

"That's not true. Lucky you, I'm close with the owner." Robyn turned around a name placard on the desk reading [Patrick Winchester, Chief Operations Officer]. "Turns out Carbon knows how to play the stock market. He's loaded."

"Aye... He owns the whole tower?"

"Sure does. The only person you report to, in fact." Robyn picked up a larger plaque on a workbench and smiled as she presented it to her father. "He only has one task for you to do today; find a nice place for this."

"Just mount a sign? Let's see that, yeah?" Patrick read over the text engraved into the metal and started crying. "This monumental achievement of peace between worlds is founded upon trust and love. Winchester Tower is dedicated to the memory of those lost on the Path to peace. Our hearts and minds reach out to Sarah Winchester, whose loss drove her husband and all space elevator engineers to strive for the safety standards that protect our lives every day."

Robyn grinned back with a chuckle. "The guy has a soft spot, gods help him."

"Please tell me that little cunt is nearby. I've got to take him for a drink. Ah... just him, that is." Pat wiped his eyes as he set the plaque on his desk. "This is too kind. I think it's about time I got to know the little bugger better."

"Don't forget his wives... or wife and mate... or..." Robyn shook her head at herself. "Sorry. I'm not sure if we should call Eve a woman or not. Her kind are rather new after all."

"Ah, so this Evelyn lady is real? I've heard the name a lot but--"

"She used to be in his head, daddy. Through some miracle and witchcraft she's now in her own body." Robyn took the plaque and gave it a closer inspection. "Good on her and all. You had to have heard of her kind, the Djinni? Translucent folks?"

"Oy, right. The rest of the crew on the way called them 'genies' but I guess that could be a common mistake."

"Well genies are based on Djinni. That's the name they built back in the past when we couldn't explain Carbon's imaginary friend scenario."

"Ah, really now? I can see the claims of magic and wishes then." Pat rolled his chair over to a parts cabinet and searched for some screws. "Well now you've got me wanting to meet Evelyn. Who's the other wife? And are they... mutual mates or...?"

"Sydney, or Cid as you may know her. They're mutual, like my own mateship." Curious what her father was doing, Robby stood and brought over the plaque. "They seem to be happy together. I'm not sure if they have some of the issues we do though since they married all at once. Rhyme inherited me though..."

"Nonsense. She inherited you." Pat took the plaque to test the size of some screws and mounting brackets, finding a match quickly. "You're having problems? Anything you need to hound my ear off over, love?"

"It's not really problems per se. I'd just call it... an imbalance. Ilaria loves both of us with all her heart, but Rhyme and I had to start from scratch. I definitely love the woman, but..."

"Honey, you'll find a balance. You always had enough love in you for two people anyway." The older squirrel quickly found a matching screwdriver and nodded upon testing the match. "Are there any particular problems between you?"

"We... have our own children. Or rather, I love them all but I think Rhy holds hers as hers alone. She's been coming around though, now that we have Vydra that we're both raising together. He's really bringing us closer on the topic, even though Yoyo conceived him."

"Then give it time. I'm sure my grandson will make exactly the right catalyst for the two of you." Patrick slapped his daughter's back as he bundled his tools in a rag. "But for now, let's commemorate this tower proper. We'll honor your mum together, as a family."

Robyn picked up her father with ease and headed to the door. "In that case, let's call the whole family." She took out her phone and passed it to her father. "Call your grandchildren. They need to see their gramps mark the greatest achievement of his life."

Patrick bonked his head against his daughter's as he dialed Ilaria's number. "Haven't I taught you anything, lass? _ You _ are my greatest achievement, Nugget."