Through the Horizon: Aftermath
#1 of Through the Horizon
Hello all, here's the next chapter. I would like to give a huge thanks to Dasher Cheetah. His work was key to getting this story the way it is so please give this incredible fur the credit he so very much deserves. Thank you my friend for all the help and kindness you've given me. Finally, I would like to dedicate this chapter to Seamus Accendo. You are the love of my life babe, I'm yours forever.
Through the Horizon: Aftermath
Bane sat in his office, the recently transformed to wolf version of Dasher beside his desk laying on a bed that Ron had made specifically for him. Bane was not working at the moment but taking a little time to think. His mind drifted from topic to topic, as he pondered the past couple of weeks. So much had happened. Dasher had been inexplicably been transformed into a wolf, the alliance had grown with the addition of two large fleets to their forces, their base had been almost destroyed in an attack by the Wolf forces, and his mate as well as a dear friend had been killed. Bane let out a deep sigh, which caught Dasher's attention. Raising his wolf head from his paws the loyal friend got up and walked around to Bane. Unable to talk in this form, he nuzzled Bane's leg getting his attention and looked deep into the alpha wolf's eyes. Dasher could see the hurt and sorrow, the pain and misery. He could also see love and determination Bane still held that had not been destroyed by those events. Dasher gave Bane's leg another nuzzle, and looked soulfully into Bane's eyes, as if telling him that all would be well. This caused Bane to smile and he petted the top of Dasher's head, making the wolf's tail wag happily. Even when he couldn't talk Dasher still knew exactly what to do to lend strength and courage to those around him. He was a much better friend than Bane felt he deserved but that though was quickly pushed far from the front of his mind as the door of the office hissed open and Ron stepped though. Bane smiled a greeting to his friend and Dasher padded over to give the fox a gentle nuzzle in the leg, quickly followed by a long sniff of the fox's crotch. As Dasher looked up and gave Ron a wolfish grin, Bane laughed out loud at seeing this. The cheetah had been highly sexual before, but he seemed hornier now. He took almost every opportunity to tease Bane and Ron. Worse, it was usually in front of other crew so that nothing could be done without letting out the closely held secret of who he really was. Bane was almost certain that he was doing it on purpose. It usually involved Dasher either sniffing their crotch or laying down and openly licking his own sheath and balls.
After Ron side stepped the teasing wolf, he walked up to the desk and took a seat. All formality was dismissed when the two were alone. This was mainly because Bane didn't want his friend to look at him as his boss in private. They were old friends and occasional lovers, something Bane treasured and never wanted anything he did to change that. Ron beagan by saying,"Well Bane, I've come to give you an update on how things are going with the base." Changing mental tracks to his professional side, Bane said,"Ok, you have my attention." Ron began listing what had been done and remained yet to do,"Well, we almost have the ship fully hooked up to the base. We are testing both the new and old conduits before we bring them online fully and can power the base back up. I would rather be safe than blow up anything, not that there's much left to blow up. There are still some valuable parts in the ship that are good, so I'm taking them out and using them to help repair damage to the base. The top floor of the base that had collapsed into the second floor, we have almost completely cleared out the debris from that. We should be able to fix it with some of the emergency bulkheads from the ship. It won't need them as it's not going to be in space. They will also make our new top floor stronger against attack, since most of them are armored battle panels. Now although we will have power available to the base, we still have to fix the power systems within the base. The power surge from the cannons detonation caused many components to be fried or melt down. I would like to tie in the computer system from the ship and use it as the central computer system for the base. The Wolf empire computer system here is old and damaged. I'm not sure if I could get it back into working condition, to be honest. The weapons systems on the ship will be operational within the hour and its power systems will be fully operational within the day. Overall, we are damn lucky. Without the ship's resources to draw on, I don't think I could have repaired as much of the damage the base suffered, as I have." Bane sat and listened to this report. His crew had performed above and beyond the level he had expected of them. Without Ron's expertise and skill in leading the repair efforts, Bane was certain that they would have had to abandon their only planet based center of operations. Even tho there was more work to do, they desperately needed a rest. His people were not machines and the commanding wolf in charge was all too aware of this fact. Like himself, they had suffered and been pushed to their limits. Bane knew he needed to take care of his people, even more than he needed to get the base up and running once more. Seeing a distant look in Bane's face as the wolf thought of his responcabilities, Ron got up and walked around the desk and embraced his friend. Bane gave a slight tremble and relaxed slightly against Ron as he gave a couple sobs into his shoulder, torn reluctantly from the seemingly stoic wolf. The fox smiled sadly as he thought of how Bane had held it together so far but his willpower was fading and would not last much longer. Rubbing his shoulder, Ron said gently,"Bane, why don't we stand down for the night?" Bane started to argue with Ron but stopped himself, knowing it was pointless. Ron was right, he was exhausted. Ron smiled as he continued, "Now, we will go to my quarters, have a shower and get clean. Then a nice rest is in order for both of us as well as Dasher." Bane agreed and the trio got up and walked into the command room from his office. He gave a stand down order for the base for three days. Things were under control and normal shifts could start again, as soon as everyone had gotten some well deserved rest. Everybody had been working nonstop and Bane was well aware it couldn't continue without moral and efficiency suffering. He then headed to Ron's room with Ron and Dasher in tow. Exiting the command room, Bane saw a green furred form turn a corner and walk out of sight. There was only one person with green fur and that was the fox known as Seamus. Bane had hardly spoken to the fox but had been seeing him nearby, far too often of late. Seamus had not approached him but it seemed he was nearby more than could normally be explained. Bane spared a moment to think on this as they walked thru the hallways. He would need to talk to Seamus and get the full story about what had happened but that would have to wait for another time.
The three reached Ron's room and walked in. Bane gave a tired sigh; the stress of command was fully weighed down on his shoulders. He hadn't allowed himself time to feel, or process the events of the past few days. In fact he could hardly believe that it had been days. It felt like only hours ago when he had been hearing Scott's voice on the intercom. Now that they were private and only his dearest remaining friends could see him, Bane relaxed slightly the iron control he had been keeping on his emotions. Only slightly tho as he could tell that once he had fully let loose his control, the tide he was holding back could well drown him. Ron wrapped his arms around the wolf as Bane once again shed tears into Ron's shoulder. Ron had been affected by it all too, but Bane had been almost shattered by all that had happened. Where Ron had lost friends, Bane lost a mate. That pain was much worse, and Ron knew this fact all too well. He had seen how much Bane and Scott had loved each other, watching it grow from friendship to a deep love in the months since they had all been transported thru the dimensional rift. Bane regained his control, then walked over and sat in a chair beside Ron's desk. It was the first time in days he had allowed himself to really sit down. Granted, he spent a fair bit of time at his desk but that was still work. This was simply sitting. Ron walked over and sat in Bane's lap, his tail curling around his dear friend. He looked deep into Bane's eyes. Behind the tough exterior that Bane was presenting, he could see so much pain and grief. He missed his beloved mate Scott, had lost a valued friend in Admiral Williams and had wounded part of himself in killing the invading wolves. Ron knew Bane wasn't the same wolf as before he had walked into that battle, but how could he be? How could any of them be the same? Tho he hid it well under the facade of a commander with balls of iron, Ron knew Bane had a sensitive soul. Ron smiled warmly at Bane, thinking somebody needed to get him through this and he was the only one left who was close enough to do the job. Bane's strength and friendship had gotten him thru many hard times in the past. Now it was his turn to help the big wolf thru his troubles. Ron spoke up and said, "Why don't we get you a shower and then some rest? You need both, my friend. Once you are clean, a long sleep in the company of Dasher and myself, will do you a world of good." Bane nodded tiredly and Ron helped him up. The two, followed by Dasher, walked into the bathroom and began removing their uniforms. Ron walked up to Bane and slowly helped his friend to remove his uniform. Underneath, Bane's fur was matted and still had blood in it. It was filled with the filth and grime of a battle fought days ago. He was indeed not an armchair general and this was proof. No, he had gone into the firestorm with his men, led them and survived. Rather his body had remained intact. Ron wasn't sure his soul had survived the carnage.
Ron turned the warm water on in the shower and water rained down from the ceiling of the enclosure. He had modified it to be a real shower, not just a spray of water. I wasn't difficult for him to do as an inventive engineer. Ron began to run his paws through Bane's fur as it soaked up the water and loosened the day's worth of accumulated filth. A black mixture of dust, dirt and blood ran from Bane's body, to swirl around the drain, where it flowed away. Ron took his time and groomed his friend carefully. Three times, he shampooed the big male's body to get every bit of dirt out of his fur. Being clean would help Bane feel better and it gave Ron the opportunity to feel the bigger male's muscled form, as well as let Ron massage Bane's tired muscles. He wanted Bane to relax as much as possible and recover. This combined with a sleep would help Bane restore his strength. Ron considered fondling Bane's sheath and trying to entice him into having sex but as tired as Bane was, Ron figured he needed the rest first. Bane smiled at his friend, noticing how much care the fox was showing him. He hadn't been the best of friends to the fox, yet here Ron was tending to him. Ron finished with Bane and the slightly refreshed wolf returned the favor. Now where near as dirty as Bane had been, it took only one washing to clean then dirt Ron's fur had picked up during his repair work. Once Bane was satisfied that Ron had been taken care of, he stepped out of the shower. Dasher, who had been happily watching it all as tho it had been a show put on for his entertainment, was grabbed. Bane dragged the struggling feral into the shower and washed him with Ron's help. He may have been in wolf form, but he still despised water. Hearing Bane laugh at him, helped convince Dasher that even if he hated it, this was doing his friend some good. Bane needed to laugh and enjoy a lighter moment amid his cares, so Dasher put up with the water and the wet fur. Overall, the three exited the shower looking much better than they had entered. Dry and brushed out to a softly ordered state once more, Bane walked over to Ron's bed and laid his tired body down. Yes, a good sleep was in order. The bed had been made so Bane, Scott and Ron could all comfortably sleep together. The addition of Dasher's lean body had not uncomfortably crowed it, when the cheetah had joined them, so there was more than enough room for him and Ron, as well as the now smaller wolf body of Dasher. The three curled up and tho the room was temperature controlled so it was not cold, the feel of the two other bodies near his, comforted Bane. He was drifting nearer to sleep when an old saying made Bane softly chuckle to himself. This was a three dog night. Contently, for the first time since the ordeal had begun, all three friends drifted to sleep.
As Bane slept, he began to dream. At first the dreams were of the battle he had been in. Bane could see the dead bodies, smell the burning flesh, and taste the blood in his maw. He could feel his surroundings and it was as if he was there once again, reliving the horrible memories. Bane pulled out his blasters and began to let them sing their song of death and destruction. Shot after shot he took down the enemy, but no matter how many he killed more came in their place. Suddenly his blasters stopped firing, they were overheated. He pulled out his combat knife and began fighting in hand to hand combat. As he ran his knife through the flesh of his first victim, seeing the pain and shock upon the wolf's face, the entire scene faded from view. He was standing in the green field that had been covering the base before the battle, when unexpectedly a green fox walked into his view. It looked like Seamus but it couldn't be, no it just wasn't possible. The green fox had not been there, before the attack had destroyed the once tranquil, natural area that had been above ground. The incongruity shocked Bane awake and he sat straight up in bed. Ron was too deeply asleep to notice, as was Dasher. Bane got out of bed and ran to the door, intending to open it and reassure himself that all was quiet outside the sound insulated cabin. He opened it to find Seamus standing on the other side, his eyes glowed with golden sparkles for a brief moment, then it faded and they returned to their normal green color. Bane stood speechless looking at the fox, nothing making sense. Not his dream, not the fox, not this situation. Could he still be dreaming? Seamus smiled softly at the obviously confused wolf and said quietly, "Bane, why don't we find somewhere to talk and I'll explain everything." Bane nodded weakly and followed as Seamus walked away and towards the restaurant. It would be deserted this time of night, and would provide a good area to have a private conversation and get some food. The two arrived and ordered up a light meal from the night time skeleton crew working there. The two sat down at a table far from the kitchen and Bane simply looked blankly at Seamus.
The green furred fox looked at Bane and seemed to study him, just as Bane was doing to him. Where Bane was curious, Seamus seemed to be weighing something and trying to decide. Seamus looked down briefly and gave a short sigh, then looked up and said, "Bane, I'll assume you have questions, and I'm willing to bet they all revolve around what just happened?" Bane nodded and Seamus continued by saying, "Well, I have abilities and talents. Healing abilities as well as telepathic talents that I am able to use to help others. If I'm in close proximity to a person I can read emotions and if I concentrate, I can read thoughts. Normally, it is difficult to do so. More so in your case as your mind is tightly controlled. I think this is because you are controlling your emotions too. When you are asleep, some of your mental barriers drop and it is easier for me to see within you. Sensing that Bane was becoming angry at learning he was trying to read the commander's mind, Seamus quickly calmed Bane by telling him, "I was a medical officer in the fox military, at one point in my life. Like with human physicians, we have a strict code we follow. First is to do no harm. Second, anything we learn in the course of helping our patient is kept in the strictest of confidence. No court could force me to tell of what I know and as has been proved while I was prisoner of the wolf empire, torture will not make me reveal. Your secrets are absolutely safe with me, commander. Rest easy on that account. To continue, with yet more concentration I can do more. I can actually enter a person's dreams. I've been keeping an eye on you for a while now and have felt your emotional distress. When you gave the stand down order, I followed you to Ron's room. I had hopes that you would fall asleep deeply In their company, and was standing near to keep watch over you. Even before I came here I had heard of you, Bane. You are the heart of the alliance and the sole chance of the wolf empire's downfall. Because this is so, you are the most important person in four civilizations and I felt I had to do everything in my power to see that you survive. As you fell asleep I concentrated and saw your dream. It took a little time but I managed to stop it for you, but as I did so you saw me. So I stayed where I was, knowing you would have questions, and waited for you to come out." Bane listened with interest. If it was true that he could sense thoughts and emotions, then he knew of the amount of pain and stress that he was under. At the same time, it was disconcerting to know that someone else could read his mind and emotions as if he were an open book. Letting anyone get that close to the real him was something Bane had resisted his whole life. The only one he had let that close, had died and remembering that caused fresh pain as Bane thought of Scott once more. As if reading Bane's thoughts Seamus continued. "Yes I'm aware of your past as well as your current mental state. I've been trying to help you from afar, but now it seems I can help you up-close and more personally." The two continued to talk and knowing Bane's discomfort at him knowing all about him, Seamus decided that it would be best if he opened up and shared his past. He was the chief medical officer for the fox empire before he retired. He had quit because the empire was not allowing the troops to fight the war as it needed to be fought. He then hooked up with the pirates he had been Captain of, rising thru their ranks until he was their leader. The telling of it took over an hour and at last, Bane smiled at Seamus. "I appreciate your help Seamus, but I should get back to Ron and try to get some more rest. If you will excuse me, I will take my leave but I want to continue our talk later." The two shook hands and Seamus stared into Bane's face intently as they did. Bane went to Ron's quarters and climbed back in bed and Seamus worked his way back to his quarters. Each drifted off into a dreamless sleep. Seamus couldn't understand his desire to help the wolf, but it was there. He had decided to act upon it, and figure it out later.
The next morning, Ron woke up to find himself wrapped in Bane's arms. Bane held the fox securely and protectively against his body. For the first time since the ordeal had begun with Scott's death, Ron felt safe and loved. He was supremely content to lay there as long as it lasted. Soon thereafter, Bane awoke and his stirring caused Dasher to wake also. The three moved around and got themselves going for the day. Ron and Bane put on a clean set of uniforms, and Dasher was given a collar that Ron happened to have. He explained to the reluctant wolf that it was to help keep up the illusion that Dasher was a tame pet, while also having a chip the security doors could scan and allow Dasher to come and go freely within the base. Bane was laughing to himself as he was sure he knew what other reasons Ron had for Dasher wearing it but kept his silence. They then exited the room and were met by the mysterious green fox in the hallway. Ron excused himself from the party and went to check on the status of the base. Bane wanted an update asap. Bane smiled at Seamus and greeted him warmly, "I'm on my way to eat breakfast. Why don't you join me?" The fox blushed though his fur and Bane chuckled as he said, "Oh come on, can't I invite a new friend to eat with me? Especially after what you did for me last night. That is the best and most rest I have had in a long time." Seamus nodded and the two were off. They talked as the pair wandered through the hallways. Many of them were under repair so getting from point A to point B had become much more difficult. In general, it took an additional twenty minutes to get anywhere in the base. It was a source of great annoyance to the crew but an unavoidable one. Many walls had been removed in order to lay new power conduits, water and sewage lines, as well as communication and secured dedicated data lines. With all this work, there was equipment and tools littering the floor, creating danger for the unwary so it was safer to route personnel around the areas under repair. Most of the old power structure had been destroyed in the fight but there was plenty of high power lines in the ship that were no longer needed. It was essentially stripped of anything it didn't need and in the process the base was brought up to modern standards while the ships remains were built into the base structure. All of this was far from Bane's mind as he wondered his way through the hallways talking with Seamus.
"So Seamus, tell me more about yourself. I'm afraid not much is known about you and the only one who saw your records isn't in any condition to tell me about it." Bane was of course referring to Dasher, who was beside Bane's legs at that very moment. However this information was a very closely guarded secret from most of the rest of the personnel. Bane intended to keep it that way, at least until Ron could figure out how in the hell it had happened in the first place. Seamus smiled; it wasn't often that somebody asked him about himself. He too had been keeping his own secrets. Having revealed himself a little, the night before, had felt good. Bane had accepted what he had been told and was still friendly to Seamus, so the fox decided it was the right time to open up further. If he wanted Bane's trust, he had to be willing to extend his trust in turn. Seamus started in by saying, "You see," began the fox as they grew closer to the restaurant, "As I mentioned last night, I am an ex-military pirate from the fox empire. I retired shortly after the war began, I was close enough anyway and with the fighting . . . well, I knew it was going nowhere good quick. I decided that I could be of more service should I be in a position where I would have more freedom to decide what to do and when. It had become clear to me that the fox were incapable of making the difficult choices nessacary to defend themselves, much less win the war. So I linked up with some pirates I had gotten to know and quickly rose in ranks to the level of commander of their fleet. It was on a recon mission, I was captured, along with my crew. The wolves . . They murdered my entire crew in front of me in an attempt to get to the information I carry." The fox paused a moment as he wiped his eyes, Bane could see that much pain was in his past. "But I wouldn't tell them anything. I held out even thru torture. It was while I was in their hands that I learned of a secret medical test facility that the wolves are developing a weapon so terrible, it could wipe out any other races who would dare to stand against them. Its . . . well, its responsible for Dasher's death and was responsible for the deaths of my crew as well." Bane looked incredibly concerned by this new development. It also told him that the mind reading fox was not all powerful. That he had not picked out from his mind, the fact that Dasher now laid beside them in a wolf body, showed his mind reading had limits. It also gave Bane pause to think. If Dasher and Seamus had been exposed to this weapon, how was it that they were still alive? In the case of Dasher, The cheetah was of a race no one had ever encountered, besides being from another universe. Perhaps that could explain how he had survived but what about Seamus? Why was the fox still alive and apparently unharmed? True, he was a most unusual fox. Bane had never seen or heard of a fox with green fur or the mind talents Seamus possessed. Furthermore, what about the wolf Devin? There were too many questions needing an answer here but Bane was going to see to it that he got them. He also realized he was going to have to get Ron and Seamus together in working out what had happened but for now, he needed more information about this medical testing facility. "Seamus, can you give me more info about this facility?" The fox nodded to Bane, "Yes sir I can, but I can't give you coordinates. I never knew them exactly. I can show you about where it is and give you what you need to know to scan for it." Bane nodded as he thought. 'If this was true then the wolves had something much worse than an omega bomb up their sleeves.' The three arrived at the restaurant; they each grabbed a tray of food and found a table. Setting a plate of food down on the floor for Dasher, Bane patted the wolf's side and told him to dig in. The two continued to talk as they consumed their meal. Seamus was indeed as interesting a character as Bane had envisioned him being.
After Bane finished talking with Seamus, he then excused himself as he had a very uncomfortable duty to perform. You see, the dead must be given a memorial. The expression of their shared grief and loss would help those remaining here to move on and begin the healing process they all needed. The bodies had been vaporized for safety reasons, but a room in the complex had been dedicated as a memorial and the names of the fallen had been engraved upon the walls of this now hallowed memorial shrine, dedicated to their memories. The crew gathered on the surface of the planet for the memorial. Bane thought it fitting that the site of destruction where so many had given their all, should serve as a back drop to this service. Also, everyone would see the rebuilding that had taken place since then and be reminded that their lives too, would go on. Ron had helped direct the construction of a stage for Bane to stand on so all could see him. The assembly would face the hole where the ship was now sitting. Bane took the elevator to the surface and all turned to watch him as he walked solemnly through the crowd to the stage. He ascended the stair and stood on it, watching the crowd. He could see many of the crew members he had grown to know and respect were missing. Some were at essential duties that could not be left. Others were in space but watching the broadcast of this ceremony to their ships. Many of them were among the dead. He cleared his throat and began to address the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen . . . People of all three races of known sentients . . . I stand before you not as your commanding officer . . . not as the leader of the alliance . . . No, I stand before you as somebody filled with grief and remorse. As I look among you I see many of our comrades and our fellow crew members missing. Many of them are among those we have lost in this ordeal. Though they are gone, they will never be forgotten. Their loss will not be in vain because we still survive!" Bane then lowered his head hiding a tear as he held on to his composure. "All of us have lost so much since the start of this war; friends, lovers, and . . . mates." The crowd watched as the normally stolid Bane began to cry in front of them. They all knew he was talking about the loss of him own mate. Taking a deep breath, Bane held his head high, letting his tears fall unashamedly as he went on, "Since the start of this I have hidden my emotions from all of you, because you needed to see a calm and in control commander. However I stand before you as a broken wolf. The loss of my mate Scott is almost more than I can bear. He and our friends gave their lives, so that we could live and I will not let their sacrifice be in vain." Bane then pulled out something from his uniform jacket. "I would like to read you something. It's a note Scott left for me in my desk. He would often leave little notes for me to find, this one is dated the day he died. . . . Step by step, and day by day, I will change and lead the way, and when the day the path does end, and leads me to your arms again upon that day I do declare, I will be alert and aware, of all the cares of my love and mate, until the day we see Heaven's gate." Bane wiped his eyes before continuing, "Scott beat me to heaven's gate and I'll never have him in my arms again. But I'm not alone in that. Many of you will never have your friends or loved ones in your arms again. Let us move forward from this tragedy. Let us learn a lesson from this, and let it steel our resolve to bring an end to this war and bring a world they all fought and died for. A world where we all can live in peace, bring our children up together in harmony and brotherhood . . . . A world they would be proud of giving their lives to make." With that Bane excused himself. As he walked through the crowd, his tears in full view, it was obvious that the crew member's opinion of him grew. As he made his way through the crowd with tears running down his face, the crowd suddenly parted a path to the elevator and stood at attention as a sign of respect towards Bane. The commander smiled and made his way into the elevator. He was joined in the elevator by Seamus. As the doors closed he turned and wrapped his arms around the fox and wept into his shoulder. He could no longer hold in the hurt and pain. His resolve to control himself failed completely and the tidal wave of pain flowed though him. He collapsed into Seamus's arms. The gentle fox held the alpha as he wept. He admired the wolf for the strength it had taken to deliver that speech. More, he admired him for loving his mate enough that he could not let their dream die. The depth and strength of Bane's character was one the fox had never seen and rarely heard of before but it made him feel grateful to witness it and know him. The warmth in his heart had been kindled by what he both saw and felt from this strong yet sensitive male. Seamus guided Bane to his quarters. After Bane entered the combination the two entered and Seamus carefully led Bane to the bed. Bane curled up on the bed and Seamus lay behind him and held him in his arms. He felt compelled to be there for the wolf, more compelled than he had ever been. As far into his mind as Seamus had been, simply holding Bane seemed trivial to the fox. Bane slipped into an exhausted slumber. Although the day had only just begun, the service took all of Bane's available strength. As Seamus lay holding the alpha wolf, he couldn't help but to think this would be an interesting journey indeed.