Across The Wayward Stars (Prologue and Chapter 1)
Across the Wayward Stars
Prologue: Memories, all alone in the moonlight
In a dark little steel walled cabin, a young emerald furred fox laid asleep on his bunk, cuddled up under his blanket. His breathing was soft and slow, letting out soft yaps while he continued to dream. The sound of soft padded footsteps was unheard to the young kit as his oldest sister, Marian into the room. She looked at the younger brother and nudged him awake.
"Rise an' shine, Michael" She said as her little groaned and opened his eyes slowly.
"Wha? Its mornin' already?" He squeaked and slowly sat up while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Marian ruffled his black head fur and picked him off the bed, "Oh boy, you're gitting heavier." She said and placed him on the floor.
The young green fox stumbled a few steps, still a little sleepy and left his cabin with his sister behind. The dining area was crowded with his family members. His mother, a Desert Fox, with very shiny rust colored fur was pouring milk into a glass for the little one. His father, a Bengal Tiger was sipping his morning coffee and reading the morning news, with his glasses almost at the tip of his muzzle. He was well built with a healthy orange coat with black stripes which was shared by all Michael's siblings, and himself as well. His two older brothers were munching on their sandwiches quickly before heading out for school, both quickly getting off their seats to kiss their mum goodbye and their dad leaving the dining table to send them to school. Michael stuck out like a sore thumb in his family. He was the only Fox-Tiger in the family to have green fur due to some kind of mutation and had his father's blue eyes where as his siblings all had rusty orange fur and their mother's amber eyes. Michael's mother placed the glass of milk and a slice of a sandwich infront of him and he too started munching quickly.
"Hey now, slow down mah lil blue eyed wonder boy" She said to the little kit fox.
"Ma.. Can we go to the floating gardens later?" Michael's other sister Joanne asked.
The mother fox's words were about to leave her mouth when suddenly the space colony's alarm blared, "Warning! An unidentified armada is approaching the station. Alliance Navy fleet is en route. For your safety please proceed to the nearest evac station." And the message was repeated again. The father Tiger burst threw the front door, he was panting and so were the two boys behind him.
"May! Git the kids! We needa leave now!" He yelled out, his two sisters scrambled for their toys but the Tiger picked the two girls up, one in each hand. "Forget about em, ah can buy you new ones." He said to them when they started to cry.
Michael was quickly picked up by his mother and they hurried down the corridor, "Now now blue eyes, don't you cry, everything is gonna be alright. Mamma and Daddy are gonna keep you safe." She said to the crying little boy in her arms as they rushed off with a whole crowd of civilians, all of different species.
"Allan, over there!" May yelled at her husband when she saw a wolf colony evacuation personal waving for civilians to get into the escape shuttle.
The family ran there with the civilians but they were toppled and fell when a large explosion hit the station. "Warning, hull breech in Sector 34. Warning, fire in Sector 28. Warning, unauthorized docking in Sector 12." The announcement rang again.
"Sector 12, that's almost near us!" One of the civilians yelled out, which caused the people to panic and run to the nearest shuttle, trampling over those who were not fast enough to get up. "Everyone! Stay calm!" The wolf yelled out but nobody listened, even the cry of a mother was drowned under the panicking screams.
"MICHAEL! WHERE'S MICHAEL!" She screamed, but none of the civilians paid attention. Young Michael was being knocked around by the legs of the herd of people and was scared and confused. The evacuation personal ran to grab the child, pushing the civilians out of the way to get to the little boy. He grabbed him by the ruff of his collar and ran back to the shuttle, but it was jammed packed with people, his family stuffed right in the middle. The shuttle doors began to close and his parents shoved the people aside to get to their child but as they were close enough, the shuttle doors fully closed. From behind the sealed doors, Michael could not hear the frantic crying of his mother or the enraged roars of his father banging at the shatter proof glass. Michael's hands were out reached towards the glass as if to hope to pass through it to be with his family, but the shuttle broke away as swiftly flew off to safety. The wolf who was carrying the young kit had tears running from his eyes, he was choked up from failure but there was no time, he had to get this child to safety in another shuttle, "That shuttle is heading to the Argonath system, I'll find the shuttle that goes to the nearest sy.." The wolf's words were cut abruptly, his face displayed intense pain as he lost strength and dropped to his knees, a red smoking hole appeared in his abdomen and he fell face down, releasing Michael. The green fox looked up at the black clad invaders as one placed a foot on the back of the wolf and fired another shot through his back. "R... Run.." He said with his last breath, but the boy was petrified, tears fell from his eyes as a blaster was pointed to his face.
...
"AAAAAAH!" A now 15 year old Michael screamed at the top of his lungs as his body jolted to a seated position. Cold sweat fell from his forehead and he breathed hard and fast, heart beating furiously.
"What is it boy?" An elderly couple ran into his room and switched on the lights to see Michael in a state of fear.
He covered his face to hide the tears welling up and hung his head low. " Ah'm sorry Mr and Mrs Lupaz..."
"No need ta be sorry Michael... Its alright. It was just a nightmare." The old female wolf sat beside him on his bed. "You should go wash yourself up alright?" She continued and wiped some of the tears from Michael's face.
...
Chapter 1: Dreams while awake, silence upon slumber
After the cold shower, Michael laid flat on his back in his bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. It had been 10 years since the attack at Pegasus Colony. No one, not even the Alliance Navy was prepared for the invading force that appeared out of nowhere. Michael's home colony was the 1st to be attacked, followed by many others. And just as quickly as they appeared, they vanished without a trace, leaving behind many ruined lives and broken homes in their wake. While they made their presence known, they called themselves "The Moray" and no one had seen a real Moray and lived. Except Michael, who was lucky enough to escape his fate on Pegasus Space Colony.
On his ceiling, was a star map that he had pasted a few months ago. He remembered that his parents were transported to the Argonath System. Unfortunately, that system was 23 jump nodes away from the Hepath System, where he resided now, on the space colony and sector capital, Hepath Prime, the 2nd largest space colony ever built, orbiting the remnants of the old planet of Hepathera. Michael sighed and threw a paper folded plane straight up to where Argonath System was on the map.
"23 jump nodes to get there, 34 sectors to search though. Mah god... It'll take me foreva to find em.." He sighed as he got off his bed, scratching his jet black head fur. The time display on his clock indicated it was late morning in this sector and dressed up for the day, pulling on a red t-shirt and a black flack jacket before hopping into a pair of heavy jeans. Like clockwork, he left his room and a cup of milk was ready on the table. He quickly gulped it down and gave his elderly guardians, 2 wolves who took care of him when they found him stranded upon arrival in Hepath Prime, a hug before leaving out the front door where a Male Border Collie was waiting outside.
The Border Collie went by the name of Ajay and was Micky's 1st friend on Hepath Prime. His coat was fluffy black and white and he had purple streaks on his cheek fluff. His hair was violet and combed forward and to the side rather messily. He more a black sweater and low cut jeans.
"Right on time, Micky. Ready for school?" He said with a smile.
"Ah don't feel like goin to school today Ajay." Micky admitted.
"Bad dreams again ainit?" He asked, sounding concerned when he noticed Micky was not in his cheery mood.
Micky sighed and nodded.
"Tell ya wot, lets go down to the ship gallery eh? Heard today new recruits for the flight academy are shipping out." Ajay nudged Micky with his paw to his friend's shoulder.
"Sounds like a plan." He finally smiled and the two boys went off.
Their route took them through the busy merchant section of the station. Yelling and shouting between merchants, claiming to have the best prices for just about anything. The merchant section was packed as always with residents and space traders looking to make quick cash. Micky's ear perked up to a familiar voice yelling angrily
"Oi you! Green boy! You stole my goods from me!" A badger yelled and shoved people aside.
"Wot is that geezer goin on about, you didn't take anything, did you Micky?" Ajay turned to his friend who only replied with a sheepish grin.
"Oh you have to do something about that bad habit of yours. But now, RUN!" He yelled at Micky as the badger gave chase.
The two boys could not help but laugh while being chased, purposefully running though a less crowded section to let the badger catch up with them just for the hell of it before zipping back into the crowds, tipping obstacles to block the chasing merchant and sliding under tables. Once they saw the cargo elevator to the shuttle bay, they were home free, Micky slammed his paw on the close door button and then collapsed on the ground laughing and panting.
"Now that beats school any day" He said aloud once he caught his breath.
"Yeah, that was fun, but we can't keep this up forever."
"Wha? Did ah just hear you say that? Ajay Conrad"
"Well sort of, I mean.." Ajay trailed off when the doors open and right in front of them appeard a sleek space ship, reflecting the lights in the bay. Its crew members running in and out of the cargo bay.
"C'mon Ajay, this way, we can git a good view of the bay from up there." He said but was stopped by a large Brown Bear in a military uniform.
"Where are you goin son?" He asked with a gruff sounding voice.
"Ah'm sorry sir, ah was just hopin to see the new recruits ship off to the academy." Micky spoke nervously at the Bear, shrinking beneath the officer's shadow.
"Well now, can't have the two of you miss out on that, are your older siblings shipping off today?" He asked
"Well no, we just want to have a good lookit." Ajay spoke up when Micky couldn't find his words.
"Well then, allow me to show you the way." The military Bear said and placed his hands on the two boys' shoulder and guided them to the ceremony.
Parents were watching by the sides as they're children entered the large military transport to the nearby system where they would be trained to be pilots and if proven good enough, would have the option of enlisting in the Hepath Navy Fleet. On the Hepath system, it was compulsory for young man and women to enroll in the flight academy and serve 1 tour year before returning to civilian life. The bay was filled with the sounds of celebration, with a little bit of crying from over baring parents. Micky and Ajay could not help but feel their hearts swell.
"When ah git in the academy, Ah'm gonna be the best pilot evar." Micky said to his best friend beside him.
"No way I'm not going to let you beat me bugga." He laughed back at the green fox.
"Naw, it ain like that, ah wanna be one of the top pilots an git famous so ah can find mah family." Micky explained to Ajay.
...
7 years later....
"Yo Micky! Quit dreamin around and get this shit back in the hauler!" A loud mouthed Panther yelled at Micky, slapping his at the back of his helmet after catching him daydreaming.
"Sorry Darus, Was thinking bout the ol' days." He shook his head and locked down the magnetic clasps of his hauler bike onto the cut hull of the remains of a destroyed ship.
"Yo can think bout the old days more when you're fired, boy" The older feline threatened and Micky quickly revved up his hauler bike and flew back to the salvage ship with the hull piece in tow.
"Ah'm gonna be the best pilot evar... Puh... Git famous an make a name for mah self.. Puh.. Oh ah made a name for mah self alright. Micky Tigeira... Scrapyard fox... Boy mama would be sooooo proud of her blue eyed wonder boy..." Micky grumbled to himself as he approached The Murmakin, a gigantic freighter ship, mainly used for mining and construction, transporting large amounts of whatever is needed to get from one place to another. In this case, Micky's employer company Akimoto Salvagers used it to collect ship parts which were left drifting after The Moray Emergence War as well as recovering military ships lost in space. Micky entered the cargo bay shields which kept the air in and slowly lowered the salvaged piece to the cargo crew below.
"Slow and steady Green-Horn." A Red Fox yelled up at the hovering salvager above him.
"That's very funny Carl, 2 years and you're still callin me Green-Horn?" Micky asked back while laughing
"Well, he ain't lying Micky, You're green and you must be feelin pretty lonely being away from home for 3 months. You need to find yourself a girl when you get back to Hepath Prime." An Orange tabby replied as Micky released the piece of hull and slowly lowered his hauler bike to ground level to park it.
"Don you evar shaddap?" He asked the tabby jokingly while removing his helmet. His long black hair falling out and floating in zero G. He looked the same as he was younger, only having grown to a fine 22 year old Fox. He now sported a strong and prominent chin like those possessed by Tigers and Lions. He was rather tall and lanky, with fairly wide hips and slender shoulders for a male. His hair was still black and the bangs were held back by a pair of goggles where as the rest of his hair had little beads in them and made clicking sounds whenever they hit each other.
"When are you gonna cut your hair Micky?" Carl asked feeling his own crew cut headfur. "You look like a girl from the back ya know?"
"So? Ah like the attention." He jokingly batted his lashes at the other fox.
"Attention all personnel, Salvage run has been completed and we will be heading back to Hepath Prime. Good job people, you can look forward to a bonus when we're all back. Captain out."
All of the crew members cheered at the announcement, and Micky was no exception, being away from home for so long, the announcement that he was finally going back was heart lifting and the promise for a bonus just made it all even better.
Micky and the rest of the guys went to the ship's canteen to fill their empty stomach. It was filled with many other salvagers happily dining on slop. But it didn't matter to them. They were finally going home.
"You know what I'm going to do with my bonus?" The tabby said while feeding himself
"Yeah we know Jacob, You're gonna find buy yourself a hoe and hava good time with her." Micky said while rolling his eyes, having heard Jacob tell them his plans over a thousand times.
"Hey, they're called freelancers okay?" He retorted with some slop flying out of his mouth.
"Mmhmm" Micky replied with his mouth full and washed his slop down with cola. "Goddam... 2 years and Ah'm still not used to this here crap" He groaned and the others laugh at his expense.
"Give it another 2 years Micky, it'll grow on ya, or grow in ya" Carl replied and they burst out laughing again. "So Micky, what are you gonna do with your money, still savin up for a ship of your own?"
"Yeah.." Micky replied sheepishly, "Ah could own an M3 class ship in 'bout another 7 years...."
"An M3? Expecting to travel with someone?" Jacob asked curiously.
"Yeah, Ah'm planning to find mah family and mah best friend said he'd come with." He replied.
"Your best friend a girl?" Jacob asked
"Aw shaddap" Micky laughed and finished off his food before getting up, "Excuse me guys, but Ah'm gonna have mah self a nice shower before entering Cryo-sleep"
"Oh c'mon Micky, you're going to sleep so soon? Hang out a bit." Carl pleaded but Micky waved his hands.
...
In his cabin Micky stared out into the black empty space, taking a puff of smoke from the cigarette in his hand and exhaled slowly. "7 years till Ah can head out to find em.... 7 years... Will they even remember me?" He thought to himself, feeling uncertain about the future he was working for. He scoffed to himself, "Of course they'd remember me, how many green fox-tiger hybrids are there in this galaxy" He stubbed his cigarette and went into his bathroom for a shower. Micky stripped and entered the shower, he was not as well built nor as tall as the other crew members. Standing at only 5'7", even some of the female staff were taller than him. He had a thin frame, but not emaciated. His green and white fur smelt of perspiration and musk. The green hybrid Fox admired his unique fur, his color and stripes set him apart from everyone around him and also made him quite popular during his days in the academy. He removed the beads in his hair and placed them in a tray before soaking up his whole body in the warm shower. He lathered up the shampoo and worked it into his hair, massaging his scalp. It felt so relaxing to have a warm shower after a hard day's work but something wasn't relaxed. He looked down at his exposed sheath and the pink flesh of his member slowly being filled up with blood_. "1 month of Cryo-sleep might do some damage to the lil guys."_ He thought, and although it was a myth, most superstitious pilots and spacers continue this practice, believing to rather be safe and wank before a long cryo-sleep than return home and shoot blanks.
His left paw slowly went down and began to tease his fursack as his right paw ran across his on chest, teasing both his nipples. Eventually, his full length grew out of the sheath and he started to slowly stroke the exposed pink flesh, letting out very soft moans, careful not to let anyone hear him. Micky hunched his back and leaned against the bathroom wall, letting the warm water trickle along his shaft and drip off his nuts while his pumps away, panting softly with his eyes closed, his free hand alternating from playing with his hair to teasing his chest and nipples. He moaned softly once again, in a girlish pitch as he felt a little bit of his pre dribble out of his cock and began to paw at it faster. He repositioned himself again, this time with the shower head behind him, water dripping down his back and shoulders. The warm water trickled to his chest a little, falling past his nipples, its warmness made him whimper and shiver in pleasure. The fox-tiger's purring rumbled his throat and he opened his mouth with soft but heavy panting exiting his maw. His pace increased and so did his panting, and licked off the pre from his paw as more began to dribble out. He shut his eyes tight as the pressure mounts up, the grip on his paw tightens but the water and precum keeps it well lubricated. His shoulder muscles burned and he shakes his head, his back arcs, toes curl and tail stiffens as he was close to climax. He bit down on his lip to keep himself from moaning out loud and after furiously pawing at his throbbing cock, he climaxed, firing off a string of fox seed into the air, jet after jet, controlling his moaning to maintain the volume. After the last sting left his cock, he slowed his pace again, sort of a cooling down for him, slowly massaging the softening member and licking off some of his own cum off his paw. He purred again as he savored the feeling of orgasm that went through his senses. After the feeling slowly began to subside, he continued with his shower, cleaning his fur thoroughly with soap from head to toe, leaving him feeling fresh as he left the shower. He dried his wet fur as well as he could and then grabs a new pair of boxers and a jumpsuit over it before walking over to the stasis center. The staff was surprised to see a crew member wanting to enter stasis so quickly.
"Just want the return trip to pass a lil faster." He said to the nurse who administered the medication to put him into a deep slumber. The green Fox then stepped into the capsule and it hissed as it closed and sealed him within, cutting off all sound. Only dead silence and he could only hear his heartbeat thumping, slower and slower until he eventually drifted off to sleep.