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The evening was getting late. Serenity knew that they needed to get some sleep. They both had work in the morning. Shi had to get home but didn't want to leave Travis alone. He was emotionally drained and vulnerable. The risk of his mind imploding was still there below the surface. There were so many things that could go wrong if he was left alone. Those cracks in his mind gave hir glimpses of his mental state, and it wasn't good. He was slowly declining into suicidal ideation. Shi had to get him to let the past go. It wouldn't be an easy task. Shi never expected it to be. It was just something shi had to do for a friend and possible lover. Shi wouldn't let it end this way.

“It's time for bed, hon. You're exhausted and drained." He mumbled something that sounded to hir ears like consent. He tried to stand up on wobbly legs. Serenity supported him as his balance was asserted.

“Sleep. Sleep is good. Need more sleep." He was slightly out of it, which was understandable. It was at this point shi decided to stay for the evening just to make sure that Travis would be alright. It was very last second, but shi didn't mind, and neither would hir family. They trusted hir, and the first impression that Travis gave was a boon in his favor.

Shi pulled Travis into his room. He was still cognizant, but slow. His mind was too distracted with what went down to effectively operate normally. Shi left him in the bedroom to promptly contact hir denmate. A quick text explaining the situation was all shi needed before returning to the bedroom.

Shi helped Travis get ready for bed as best shi could. Shi got Travis to shuck his clothes which exposed more of his skin. The scars showed all the battles and conflicts that he had gone through as a mercenary. Most were faint given the advanced technology in medicine. From a distance, they would be hidden away by tricks of the light. Being this close allowed Serenity to see them much clearer. Shi did allow hirself to check him out for just a few seconds but kept it to just a quick admiration. Like him, shi was also respectful of others' boundaries and space. This didn't mean however that shi couldn't like what shi saw.

With Travis in his boxers, shi got hirself ready as well. Lucky for hir, all shi had on was a black tank top. Shi set that article of clothing on his dresser before crawling into bed behind him. There was a limited amount of space, but that just made hir cuddle him. Shi enjoyed the feel of having hir fur rubbing against his skin. Shi could tell that he also enjoyed the feeling. It was so adorable how he tried so hard to not cross into unwanted territory. Even yesterday at hir parents', he strived to keep his eyes above the chest and not stare. Granted, all of them did catch him occasionally, sneaking a peek. They didn't call him out on it because Chakats were not as body shy, and he didn't stare with malicious or lewd intent. In fact, it was more like he was admiring them as a full person. Shi appreciated that respect he had for hir and hir family.

Being so close to him, Serenity soon found hirself purring contentedly. This shy Human was growing on hir. It was interesting to see how much had changed for them. They had barely known one another for a week, yet he was becoming more invested in hir life. They had spent every lunch they could together to talk. They both learned so much from the other that it got to a point where they were as close as old friends. Even now, they've gotten to the point where shi wanted him as a Companion. Shi was still a little heartbroken he hadn't accepted, but shi held onto hope. He didn't outright reject hir. Shi could fall asleep knowing that shi had a chance.

“Good night, Mate of My Heart." He shifted a little in hir grasp. His head turned slightly to look at hir from the corner of his eye.

“Mate? But we haven't…" Shi gently shushed him. A few nuzzles brought his head back onto the pillow. Shi laid hirself down as well and brought him closer.

“Our bond hasn't been consummated, but that doesn't matter. I still consider you precious to me. Even if you decline my offer of Companionship, you will always be in my heart." Shi gave a few licks to his cheek, calming him down. He wanted to believe with all his heart that if he accepted, he'd be shown what love really was. He yearned for family, to be treated normally for once. Why was it so hard when the answer was right here? Why couldn't he agree? Why does his past maintain its shackles on him? He wanted to be free. He wanted to fly away and never look back.

“You really mean it?" he asked quietly. He felt like a little boy. Scared of the world with no safety net to fall back on. There would be no life preserver, no rescue if things go wrong.

“I do," shi responded just as quietly. “I love everything you are. In your own time, at your own pace, I hope to show you just how much you mean to me. Until then, I will wait for you." A yawn escaped hir. “But for tonight, we sleep. We can talk more later."

Both fell asleep that night dreaming of the other.

---

The next morning came as per usual. Travis' alarm went off at the prescribed time like it does every weekday morning. He groaned as he awoke from the best sleep he had in his life. He went to move from his bed but noticed that something was holding him. He doesn't have a bedmate, so that was very unusual. He looked down to see a pair of navy blue-furred arms holding him tight. It took a few moments to recognize whose arms those were. He tensed as those arms pulled him against someone behind him. They murmured in their sleep. He could tell that he was wearing his usual sleeping wear which was just a pair of boxers. He could tell that the person behind him was wearing absolutely nothing at all. That was causing major reactions that he didn't want to be exposed.

Serenity seemed to also be waking, as shi snorted lightly. He felt hir breathing and heartbeat increase against his back. Handpaws started kneading his hips while a tail tip started flicking to life. He felt hir shift behind him, then supple lips kissed the top of his head. The purring that he loved so much came back, causing his whole body to vibrate. If he could stay in this bed forever like this, he'd die a happy man.

“Good morning, Mate of my Heart. Sleep well?" shi asked him. He smiled slightly, still not quite comfortable with how things went yesterday, but glad shi was still here.

“Best sleep I've had in a long while," he responded. Shi kissed his head again before letting him go. They both sat up, ready to greet the morning and get to work. Shi stretched a little bit, which accentuated hir figure in the predawn light. Travis sat there mesmerized at the beauty before him. He could hardly believe that this wonderful creature, this angel, was offering him everything he wanted. He had feared it was a dream, yet the proof was right here.

Shi yawned a bit as shi said, “I'm glad. I slept like a kitten." Shi hopped off the bed and started doing a few more stretches with hir lower torso that only quadrupeds could do. He followed hir lead and got his morning stretches in as well. He felt his back have that usual tightness he had every morning. With a few well-practiced twists, his back gave a resounding series of cracks. Shi snapped hir head to look at him in shock.

Sheepishly, he said, “Sorry. My spine's been messed up for years. It always gets tight in the morning." Shi shook hir head before heading to his dresser. He finally noticed the black tank top shi had been wearing the day before laying haphazardly on top. He quickly realized something. “You don't have a change of clothes, do you?"

“No, not really," shi responded. “I wasn't expecting to stay the night, but I don't mind. Gearbox doesn't care too much about dress codes. As long as we are presentable when higher-ups come around, we could walk around nude if we wanted." Travis could understand that. He was getting better at respecting that portion of Chakonan culture. Experiencing that firsthand at hir parents' place was a bit of a shock, but he quickly got over it. Even now, he was getting better at not staring at hir. He was a gentleman after all. Speaking of which...

“Shower's yours if you want it. I'll get breakfast going." He turned to head out the door when shi stopped him with hir tail. Shi looked over hir shoulder at him and gave him a feline grin.

“Want to join me? Would save on water." His cheeks reddened even as a grin of his own came to life. However, he shook his head.

“I'd love to, but I don't think it's appropriate. You go first. Fur takes longer to dry." Shi shrugged in response, seeming to accept his decline with grace.

“If you say so. I'll make it quick." Shi headed to his bathroom with that same saunter shi had given him days ago. Shi was tempting him, and it was working. He could feel his resolve crumbling before him like a sandcastle on the beach. He was being battered down, and frankly; he wasn't minding it too much.

He shook his head and started on his morning chores. Make the bed, get breakfast started, check the weather, all the things he needed to get done before he left for work. To save time, he would also set out his clothes for the day before he showered. As he was leaving the room, he heard the shower startup. There was a twinge of longing to take Serenity up on hir offer, but he stamped that out quickly. Instead, he made his way to the kitchen to gather something for breakfast. The fridge held an assortment of food. Travis decided on something quick and easy to make. Grabbing the needed materials, he set to work on making a protein shake/smoothie for both. He didn't have a tumbler large enough for a Chakat, so he hoped the extra amount he made would hold Serenity over until lunch.

With a few buzzes of the blender, breakfast was made and ready to be eaten on the go. By the time he was finished, Serenity came out of his bedroom wearing hir tank top. Seemed shi was willing to reuse it for the day. Granted, if shi maintained hir usual carefree attitude on clothes at home like he thought shi would, shi probably barely wore that top yesterday. Should still be good enough for today at least. He motioned to the large tumblers sitting on his counter.

“Made protein smoothies. Hope those will last you until lunch."

“I'll make it work. Shower's yours." He nodded in acknowledgment. He went back to his room leaving Serenity in the living room. A quick shower, rapid drying, and some fumbling with clothes, and Travis was ready to face the day. Well, as best as he could at any rate.

Travis reentered the living room to see Serenity on hir PADD typing away. He moved over to the front door as shi put the PADD back in hir saddlebag. They still had plenty of time to get to the bus stop, but not a lot. Shi trusted him enough to know when everything was scheduled here in East Hill. Luckily, they had made it to the bus stop right as it pulled up. From there, they made their way to the train station, and off to the Spaceport.

---

The day started as per normal for two Instrumentation Engineers. They listened in to the maintenance meeting for the day regarding Orion. The launcher issue from the week prior seems to be fixed depending on how testing goes. All the other areas seemed to be working fine from a maintenance standpoint. The warp corp was going through its installation testing. SI was still putting in their racks and equipment. Functional tests would still be required, then a compatibility test with the entire ship. That test would require multiple control rooms and personnel to accomplish. When Travis asked when that event may be happening, Serenity said that it was tentatively scheduled for the end of the year.

Once the call was done, Travis and Serenity entered their building. Their desks were just as they left them. Several drawings, papers, and cables were strewn about in a somewhat controlled chaos mess. With how little they spend inside the office, it wasn't that surprising to see their cubicle become merely a storage area for parts. Travis tried to keep his desk relatively organized to control the clutter, but even he was caught up in the whirlwind that was an engineer's life. As a combat engineer, he had been trying and failing to keep his workspace clean. Chaos follows him wherever he walks like a curse.

Kris and Ardiz came in as well, only a few minutes behind. Travis was sure that something was going to be said about Sixthday, but no comment came. They acted as if nothing was wrong, which gave Travis a bit of a conundrum. Did that mean they didn't care about his rapid departure? Or were they not wanting to talk about it for other reasons? His mind was trying to go to a worst-case scenario again. In response, he just decided to take it as neutral as possible. If they didn't mention it, then it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

---

Firstday ended, and Serenity felt miserable. Not that shi showed it outright for the world to see. Shi kept hir mental shields in place and a smile on hir muzzle. Shi would remain strong. Shi could be patient for Travis to answer. Whatever answer he gives, shi will also abide by it. Shi respected him too much to force anything on him. If he wants to be in hir life, shi will welcome him with open arms. If he didn't want to be a Companion but wanted to be a friend, shi would remain as his friend. The only thing shi feared was losing contact with him over this. Shi prayed to whatever powers that be that Travis wouldn't cut ties or break down from this. Shi didn't know how shi would handle it if shi lost him so soon after finding him.

The walk from the bus stop seemed to pass by slower as hir mind worked. Hir fears were attacking hir with a ferocity shi had never experienced before. Not even when shi asked Sequoia to be hir denmate. Hir fear back then was light compared to what shi felt now. The worst part about this was that shi couldn't explain where this fear was coming from. It wasn't logical to hir. Shi had been rejected several times in hir youth from prospective bedmates and Companions. Those didn't bother hir one bit. For some reason, this Human was causing something to stir in hir brain and shi wanted to solve the puzzle before things got out of hand.

Walking past hir parents, hir sire was sitting on the porch as usual. They talked for a little bit about yesterday and the day before. Serenity said hir time yesterday with Travis was amazing. Marathon then asked if he was going to have dinner with them again. Serenity said shi would ask when given the right opportunity. With a few parting words, Serenity went to hir home.

When the door opened, shi was immediately pulled in for a round of hugs. Serenity accepted the group embrace. Shi felt the beginning of tears once again prick hir eyes. A sniff was the only indication before the dams broke. Serenity cried silently into hir denmate's arms as Kairen and Amethyst comforted hir from the sides. Serenity felt hir sister push calming thoughts, which Serenity held onto for dear life. They moved together to the living room and settled on the floor. It took several minutes for the tears to cease and for Serenity to gather hirself.

“What happened, Ren?" Sequoia asked. “Did something go wrong?"

“Do I need to bust his kneecaps?" Kairen added. Serenity shook hir head violently.

“No, don't hurt him." Shi took several deep breaths. Shi continued, “I learned more about his past. More than I wanted to." The others looked at each other in confusion.

“Such as?" Amethyst pressed. Serenity started to explain what shi had learned the day before. Shi didn't reveal the entirety of his story, as that was something he would have to tell himself. Shi did explain his previous employment and that an event happened in his life that scared him. Shi finished with hir asking him to be hir Companion.

“So, what'd he say?" Kairen started inquiring. Shi was about to say more when a look of dejection and pain crossed Serenity's face. Kairen's heart fell to the floor at that look. Shi couldn't believe it. “No! He refused?" Serenity shook hir head in the negative.

“Not outright," shi countered. “He wants time to think about it."

“What's there to think? It's what both of you want. Why not accept?"

“He worries that he will end up hurting me. I think…" Serenity paused as shi tried to put pieces of the story together. There was a lot he wasn't saying. Serenity wanted him to come clean so shi could prove to him that shi didn't care. Shi needed him to see that shi would be there for him through thick and thin. “There's a lot more to the story. So much more. I just wish he would realize that I won't hurt him. I care for him, I could never…" Fresh tears started to fall again. Sequoia firmly grabbed onto hir denmate and held a firm gaze into hir eyes. It was time to be the rock Serenity needed, just as Serenity did for Travis.

“Honey, we know you care. We know how you wouldn't ever harm him. We have done our best to show him that. Keep showing him that. Do not let up. He'll come around. You'll see." The family held onto each other for the rest of the night. They sought solace in the love they shared and hoped to expand. Their hope was riding on whether the Human would open his eyes and heart to them.

---

The week following the train wreck that was their dinner date was both hectic and enlightening for Travis. Serenity kept everything normal, as to not break their work ethic. Ardiz and Kris didn't care too much about any personal squabbles. They were uninterested in being involved. They had enough drama at home they had to deal with. Travis appreciated that from them. It made talking to them easier knowing that they wouldn't judge him, especially with regards to his past. It seemed that smooth sailing was in their future.

When Fourthday arrived, they were given the opportunity to perform power checks for SI. This would be done without the warp core, as it was still in its testing phase for acceptance. Ship power would still be supplied by Gateway until such time that the power could be created by the core. Once the core was operational, Orion would move to a spot in orbit, and wait for the final checkouts. Once declared fully functional, the captain would then take the ship on several runs, either in the system or out among the stars. From there, SI would collect data from all the systems onboard, and have their data management collate them into a format that can be reviewed and understood.

Travis stepped off the transporter pad in Gateway with the ease of someone who had done it thousands of times. He was dressed as is the norm for an engineer: collared shirt, long pants, and steel-toed boots. The stockman hat he wore was on his head as per usual. His badges still hung around his neck on the lanyard. In his hands, he carried a portable PADD and a large binder filled with electrical drawings and procedures. His backpack also had some normal protective equipment, his writing implements, and his lunch for the day.

He nodded to the transporter chief that had received him and stepped off to the side. Serenity was next, also walking off the pad like a pro. Kris and Ardiz were still down below, as they were focusing on one of the new shelves that would be implemented tomorrow. In the meantime, Travis and Serenity would get the power and functional checks completed. They had to make sure all the lines and connections were operating as designed. With how much equipment they had, most of the week was spent trying to get this procedure done. They were about halfway through after four full days, and there was still more stuff coming onboard. Once Ardiz and Kris were done in the lab, they would help with the checks. The hope was to get a full functional check going sometime next week before Remembrance Day.

Doing these checks involved a few pieces of equipment and multiple technicians to get down. For power checks, SI was turned on from a control panel at the Flight Test Engineer's station. Travis and Serenity worked with a Fox Morph male named Tucker to go line by line to check for power. Travis would use the drawings and procedure to tell Serenity and Tucker what connection to pull. Tucker would then use a multimeter to confirm that power was going to that line, with Serenity confirming that was the case. Travis would then mark down the result and call out the next location. When the locations got to where Serenity wouldn't fit, Travis switched in for hir. He was able to crawl into the nooks and crannies of Engineering to find the orange wires of SI.

Once the power checks were confirmed, they would move on to the functional checks. Serenity wanted to check each part of their system one at a time with the same meticulous testing as the power checks. However, the functional checks would be after power, as the system wasn't completely set up yet. Once the system was complete, they would continue with operating the system. They would conduct recordings and verify the data was accurate. Once SI declared their system good, the core would then be put under several tests that would be used to not only calibrate itself but also allow SI to calibrate their equipment as well. With all the work that needed to be done, it seemed that Serenity's prediction of the end of the year seemed like a very good estimation.

There had been, of course, several instances where the power checks had failed. There were several lines that were either mis pinned or were damaged in some form and fashion. Those were quickly repaired and replaced. There were other times when not even that was the problem. The production side of the house forgot to connect a few lines on their end, which meant that SI wouldn't get power to certain shelves. Other than those hiccups, the day went by smoothly for them. They were well on their way to having a fully operational starship on time. The program managers and special program offices would be happy about that.

The time was coming for the afternoon meeting. Serenity had been sitting to the entrance to one of the hatches that lead to SI's section. The rack was inlaid in the space between the walls, in the same area as the Jefferies tubes. Travis and Tucker were up inside the hatch checking each line while Serenity went over the procedure and drawings for them. There were units scattered throughout this section in any available space. SI had to fight for any amount of real estate they could snag away from production. The consequence was that SI was spread out and were in harder-to-reach locations. Fortunately, getting access to the connectors was easy compared to finding and crawling to them.

“Alright, last one!" Serenity called out from the hatch. “Positive on jay, return on kay."

Travis responded, “Aye, positive on jay, return on kay!" Tucker connected the multimeter on the correct pins and checked the reading. Travis was acting as a spotter for Tucker and to confirm that reading was what they wanted. This would be the normal setup since Serenity would have a very difficult time climbing up in this area. Being a taur had its disadvantages.

“Twenty-eight volts," Tucker said as he showed the reading. Travis nodded and confirmed twenty-eight volts. He crawled over to the edge of the access shaft. He looked down to Serenity as shi sat at the bottom looking over the drawing.

“Twenty-eight volts. That's the last of 'em." Travis went over to the ladder used to get up the shaft and started crawling. Tucker packed up the multimeter in its bag before following Travis down. Serenity backed hirself out of the hatch. Travis came out first, dusting himself from his time in the shaft. Tucker was next, also cleaning the dust off him. Serenity was all smiles as she congratulated them for a job well done.

“Good work, you two. We've got about ten minutes before the afternoon meeting. Let's call it here." They agreed with hir call and followed hir out of engineering into Gateway. As they were walking away, two Fleet engineers were having a somewhat heated argument over the warp core. Again. It seemed that this new core had so many bugs with it that were not caught during its ground testing. Travis got the word 'flow control', which stopped him. He remembered something about flow controls being tricky recently due to a firmware upgrade. Especially when an old flow control was used with a new core. He approached cautiously as the two engineers, both Human, kept discussing it. One was an officer with Lieutenant Junior Grade pips on the collar, while the other was a petty officer.

“I don't understand it!" the petty officer exclaimed in frustration. “I checked everything and tuned it just this morning. The flow control should be calibrated to this core's specs. There should be no reason why it can't sync to the interface panel."

The officer mused, “There must be something we missed. Did you go over the manual?"

“I did, twice!" Everything is just as the manual said it should be." Travis finally reached where they were arguing and peeked at their panel. He stepped up to them for a better look. He was immediately noticed, which put him on the spot.

“Hey, uh, mind if I take a look? I know my way around warp cores. I might be able to help you out." The two engineers looked at each other with dubious expressions. They weren't keen on letting just some random person work on this level of equipment. When they looked back, the petty officer had a sneer that could light dry bush on fire gracing his face.

“And what makes you think we'll just let you fix it? We don't even know what the problem is. How could you possibly know the answer?" Travis wasn't fazed. He had experienced this before. Multiple times, in fact. No one seemed to care that Travis spent nearly a decade working on everything electronic he could get his hands on. That included an old Walker class starship that he had to overhaul for a mission. He knew what he was doing.

“Why don't you let me prove it to you?" The petty officer was about to snap back a retort but was stopped by his superior. The Lieutenant gave a quick nod to Travis, which was all he needed. Travis moved to where the floor was removed to gain access to the flow control unit. He reached in and started adjusting the settings. A few switches flipped here, a few knobs turned there, a release valve loosened up over yonder. Once done with the tuning, he checked the flow control. The problem they were talking about seemed to be rectified. He stood from the floor and moved to the interface panel. A few taps to start the procedure, and the test had a green indication. The flow control unit was synced to the panel.

“What did you do?" the petty officer gasped.

“Well, this core is a Utopia Planitia Mark Nine, Model Dee. I used to work on Mark Nine Bee's back in my old job. The whole Mark Nine line is brand-spankin' new, and there are a few quirks that aren't covered in the manuals. For instance, these cores use much smaller nozzles for the matter and antimatter chamber, creating enough back pressure to trip the flow control shut-off sequence. Since it's always in the 'no go' state, it won't let the flow control sync during start-up. They're finicky little things, for sure. The fix that I found was to increase the sensor threshold by about twenty percent and loosen the flow bearing by a fifth of a turn." Both engineers were gaping like fishes at him. He shrugged nonchalantly. He had to learn that by experience in the real world. He didn't learn this from a book or class.

“I appreciate the help," the officer said.

“No problem. I suggest adding an addendum to your procedure. Just make sure the flow control is set to read at a much higher pressure than normal, and you should be fine. It's merely a stopgap until a better flow control unit is built."

“Still, we appreciate it. Thank you, sir." Travis gave a wave before turning for the door. He hurried to catch up to Serenity and Tucker. He caught them right as they were turning the corner to the airlock corridor. They stepped through the airlock together and into Gateway itself.

They passed by several other SI engineers and officers of Orion as they went about their business. There were so many different aspects of running a starship that left Travis feeling overwhelmed. He had to hand it to Gearbox: shi had a good head on hir shoulders if shi could manage every SI element of Orion.

They went back to the SI room in Gateway, avoiding most of the incoming and outgoing traffic for Chakona. Serenity logged into the terminal while Travis and Tucker found seats behind hir. They settled themselves in and waited. Tucker pulled out a deck of cards and started playing Solitaire. Serenity pulled out the procedure, looking over it one last time. Travis was staring at the wall behind the terminal. He was mostly lost in the thought of what the future held for him.

He felt something start wrapping around his leg. Looking down, he saw Serenity's tail looping itself around his ankle. Judging by how focused shi was on the procedure, he guessed shi was doing this subconsciously. Travis was thinking of pulling his leg free, but the feel of hir tail squeezing stopped that. It felt too good to end.

The voice of Rainsky came through the speakers of the terminal. The meeting started as per usual with the leads reporting on current happenings. All the others were doing fine, and nothing seemed amiss. When it became Serenity's turn, shi reported that they were done with most of the SMDAS rack. All they had left was the two telemetry trays, and the upper and lower data trays. From the slight tour/briefing that Serenity gave him, the two data trays were the hardest to access. They were located above and below the warp core. The only way they could get access was to get into the crawl spaces and make their way over. Travis would need to bring his knee pads and gloves for that adventure.

The meeting ended with nothing really changing in terms of orders or current plans. The whole division was hopeful and itching to have full capabilities ready for testing. With the meeting adjourned, Serenity turned to face hir two comrades.

“Well," shi started, “we are basically done for the day. Swing shift should be installing the video shelf later. Why don't we call it now and be done with the day? Not much we can do other than fill out the logbook."

“I'm fine with that. Travis?"

“Sounds good to me."

“Good. I'll work on the logbook. Travis, why don't you help Tucker with cleaning up?" Travis agreed. He followed Tucker to the toolboxes. They went through their inventory quickly which allowed Tucker to head back early. Travis was going to wait for Serenity, so he planted his behind in one of the chairs a few paces away. As he waited, his mind wandered. In its meanderings, several thoughts came to him.

Travis was not one to trust easily. He recalled when he first had his trust broken. That was back when his father beat the ever-loving shit out of him for not complying with their ideals. That was when Travis swore to never become like his dad. The betrayal came when he went to his mom for comfort. She had been the only one to care about him. She helped him during his father's usual verbal abuse. That day, however, was when his mom showed her true colors. When Travis went to her, she backhanded him and threatened him worse if he continued to upset his father. That hurt Travis immensely.

The second time he was betrayed put him further into his cynicism. That was when The Bitch of Whore Mountain came into his life. His high school years were filled with a lot of abuse from the instructors, but that was part and parcel of being part of a mercenary unit. Travis dealt with that easily enough. It wasn't meant to be personal since everyone experienced it. That abuse he could handle. What The Bitch did to him was something he couldn't handle.

When they first met, The Bitch was all sweet and caring. Honeyed words dripped from her lips, making Travis feel like someone cared about him. He was so starved of physical touch that even when she verbally brought him low, he still craved her gentle touches. It was a weird and tumultuous time for him. He trusted that everything she was yelling at him about was his fault. He stepped carefully around her, never really knowing if she would fly off the handle at him. He couldn't bring himself to view it as abuse. His parents had already brought his self-esteem and self-respect down low. The Bitch capitalized it and used him for her own ploys.

When he finally escaped her, she didn't take it too well. Especially since he caught her cheating on him with a guy he was told he didn't have to worry about. What was strange was that said guy wasn't even the true problem. The real problem was that a fourteen-year-old girl was using him to cover for the fact that she was sleeping with a forty-year-old man.

Travis caught her red-handed when she slipped up. Travis had walked into her home one day to surprise her for her birthday. The next thing he knew, he found her and the other guy in bed. It had led to a major falling out with both himself and the other guy she had been seeing. They claimed to have been polyamorous, and she promised that Travis was told about her orientation. Since Travis was rightfully mad about being lied to, he threw the other guy out. That whole situation made Travis and the other guy break up with her. The Bitch would end up getting some revenge later. The old man that she was seeing found the other dude and forced the guy to move cities. Travis was a different story.

Travis was ambushed as he was walking home. The forty-year-old bastard had cornered Travis with a bunch of his friends. The beating Travis had received was the worst event he could remember. Not even his dad could match the amount of pain and suffering Travis went through as four fully grown adults physically broke him. Travis was left for dead with a shank shoved just below his liver in a back-alley dumpster. He had gathered enough strength to crawl out of the alley on his hands and knees, struggling not to pass out from the pain. A good Samaritan had found him and took him to the local hospital. He was out of commission for months after that event. Ever since that day, Travis' trust was effectively non-existent. Well, until he found the one comrade with who he could be straight and treated him right. That came years after that back alley.

Travis was shaken from his trip down memory lane when Serenity stood from the terminal. Shi gave a small stretch of hir upper torso. The view that graced Travis' eyes was beautiful. Hir natural grace and flexibility provided quite the show. Travis wanted to look away to maintain hir dignity, but the smile in hir eyes said the show was for him. He didn't know if the teasing shi gave was because shi wanted him flustered or if it was real. His heart was saying that it was real since shi offered hir Companionship. His brain just couldn't believe that was the case. His trust was burnt out.

“So, Travis," shi called out. “Ready to head home for the day?"

“I'd say. I definitely need some sleep." Shi agreed while motioning to the door. They left the room in high spirits despite Travis' depressing reminiscence. While his story didn't have a very good beginning, this chapter of his life seemed to be going much better for him. He was sure that if he could just break the shackles that bound him, he could be happy. A monumental task that he was tackling one day at a time.

They made their way through the halls of Gateway to the transporter rooms. Since Chakona was still developing, most civilian travelers took the shuttlecraft. The transporters were used mostly for Star Fleet or Federation personnel. Special instrumentation engineers also got this privilege from working for the Federation. It was the fastest way to get from the ground to Orion without having to live on Gateway or the ship itself.

The transporter technician for today was a tabby cat Morph female, one that Serenity seemed to know personally. They exchanged a quick greeting before moving on to official business.

“Alright, Shir Serenity. Where to?" Serenity pulled up hir badges from hir own lanyard for inspection.

“Two for beam down, Ess-Eye, building one-one-five. Thanks, Maggie."

“No problem, shir." Travis followed Serenity's lead and showed his own badges. A quick perusal and both were cleared for transport. “Alright, I'll just get those coordinates plugged in. Go ahead and step onto the pad, please." They stepped on as asked and waited for confirmation. It only took Maggie a few seconds to have the correct positioning data to have an accurate lock on the location.

When Maggie was confirmed ready, Serenity gave the command, “Energize." With the hum of the transporter, they left Gateway.

---

Serenity and Travis stepped off the pad once they were fully reconstructed on the other side. The usual hustle and bustle of the morning had petered out over the course of the day. Most of the day shift was already on their way home for the most part. A few of the engineers were still milling about, but they seemed like they were almost on their way home as well. The swing shift techs were taking care of long-term projects that were assigned to them, taking over when the day shift left. Rainsky was already gone, and Gearbox was packing up to leave hirself. Shi was coming down the stairs when Travis and Serenity stepped out of the transporter room. They said their goodbyes to their boss as they went upstairs to drop off what they had taken for the day.

Once the drawings and procedures were put away, they were out the door and heading to the Spaceport. They talked a little on the way back by discussing what would be needed for tomorrow. After that was taken care of, they lapsed into a comfortable silence. The tram pulled into its station and let them off. They walked the first few steps when Serenity called out.

“Hey, Travis?"

“Yeah?" he responded casually.

“Are you free this weekend?" He didn't have to think too much about that question. He didn't really know what to do in Amistad yet, but he was planning on finding out. This weekend would have been a great opportunity, but if Serenity had something planned, he'd take hir up on that. He was sure he would have a great time with hir.

“My family wanted me to invite you to have dinner with us again this Seventhday. Interested?"

“Truly?"

“Of course. They really like you. They wanted to have you back for movie night. Seq found an old movie from Terra, and we were wondering if you wanted to join us? Popcorn will be provided."

“What movie?" he asked.

“Some superhero movie from the early twenty-first century. I think it was based on a comic of some sort." Well, that sealed it. Travis was big on old Terra stuff. His passion was music, but he did enjoy the older movies from that time. Could do without the politics in his opinion, but that was neither here nor there.

“I'd like to." Shi beamed at him. He could feel how happy he had made hir. He knew that if he accepted the offer shi made last night, he would make hir even happier. The words were right on his lips. He just had to say them. They just wouldn't come out.

“Great! I know my family can't wait to see you again. See you tomorrow. Tail High!" Serenity walked off with a slight skip in hir step. Shi was a happy Chakat. Travis felt like an absolute heel.

Why can't I accept hir offer! he yelled at himself. You could have everything you wanted! Just say yes! It's that easy!

What if shi's lying? his pessimism and cynicism said. What if shi's playing you as The Bitch did? Don't you remember what happened last time you trusted? You were tossed into a garbage heap. You were left for dead.

Yet I didn't! His hope retorted. I survived! I'm here, alive, and well! I fought back and came back from the brink!

Maybe it would have been better if you didn't survive…

Travis' stomach clenched painfully. His suicidal ideation was rearing its ugly head. It promised release from life, from pain and suffering. It had been beaten back several times. There were days it was easy. Other days were a slog to get his depression to shut up. He struggled with it for years. The only person who could get him to function was that old comrade from his unit. Then Serenity took over. That realization was causing his panic to worsen. He had promised himself he would not end up codependent on anyone. He was sure he could take care of himself. However, his strength was slowly fading. The rapid change from joy to sorrow was taking a toll. He might lose his sanity if he doesn't regain control of his life.

He pushed everything to the side. He had to get home and eat. He made his way to his train station and waited for the next one to arrive. It took a few minutes, but the system allowed for a quick turnaround for traveling. He was soon boarded and waiting for the ride back to East Hill. To keep his mind from going back to that dark place, he focused on his book. It didn't really work, but he tried. When he finally made it back to the train station, the bus was right there waiting for him. He nearly missed it, but he made it. Fifteen minutes later, Travis was back inside his home. That night's sleep felt so much colder than yesterday's. He wished Serenity was with him.