FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter -4-

"Fighting Urges"

The jump gate's vibrant green vortex shimmered vibrantly. The white dots of the galaxy stretched into pillars momentarily. She pouted softly and slid from her cockpit seat then crawled into the low crawlspace leading into the hold. The ceiling was higher here, just enough that she could stand up if necessary. Her heart was heavy and loneliness was creeping back into her mind already.

If only that idiot had not been so damned stubborn! She glanced to the left, where her supply locker was hidden in the wall then moved to the right. She pushed her palm against a panel in the wall and a Murphy bed lowered into a horizontal position. She dropped onto the mattress and sighed. She even pondered returning to Sargasso as Panther had suggested but his words angered her. How could he be such an idiot!? Krystal draped her forearm across her forehead, half covering her eyes. She listened to the hum of the plasma engines, a soothing gray-noise that could lull most to sleep in a short time.

Her thoughts turned back to Fox McCloud. Was she right to run off on him after he kissed her the other day? Why couldn't she find a man who was neither shy nor egotistical? Why? She wanted a confident man who was man enough to put her first in his life. Was it too much to ask for? She didn't want a man who couldn't live without her... nor did she want a man who needed too much personal space. Conflicted and confused, ashamed and embarrassed again, Krystal allowed herself to cry.

She drew one of the two pillows into her arms and hugged it for emotional comfort. She pushed her face into the soft object to hide her face and the tears that welled up and spilled out. She had no one. This wasn't supposed to happen to the Royal Princess of Cerinia. Her father was a member of the planetary Senate and headed congressional hearings. Her mother was the Queen of the continent south of the equator... her father was the King of the continent north of the equator. The entire planet was brought into full accord with their marriage. She was the darling of her race... and now that was gone.

For the longest time, the little vixen struggled with fear and anxiety... her race was finished - how would she go on? It wasn't until she found the Lylat system when hope was restored. After allowing Cornerian scientists to conduct tests, she was shocked to learn that she was genetically compatible with the aliens indigenous to the system. She found Fox McCloud, shy and anxious around women but strong and confident everywhere else. Why did she allow herself to fall hopelessly in love so quickly? She recalled that it took two years to help him get over his past and personality quirks. In time, he showed a little backbone around her but he was just bottling the inevitable... he chose his dangerous life over her, said he just 'wanted her to be safe' then cast her aside. Yet he offered his love in the form of a long distance relationship. The notion didn't sound too terribly bad, now... but it was too late. Fox left her and, later on, she left Fox. It was over... and now she lay in the back of the Cloud Runner, crying.

The last kiss Fox offered before she had an emotional break down and ran off... she reflected on that moment and thought to herself that it wasn't that bad. In fact, it was one of the first times Fox was romantically assertive. She remembered melting into it at first... pursing her lips against his then shivering at the feeling of his arms wrapping around her body. She melted at the sensation of his tongue firmly sinking between her lips. Now that she looked back on it, she couldn't understand why her body went into a panic. She remembered rushing out the door, gathering her things and returning to Panther Caruso like it was somehow the right thing to do. How foolish. She should have stayed in Fox's arms. She even imagined would it would have been like. In doing so, her body relaxed. Before long, she stopped clinging to the pillow and began snuggling into it instead.

She was ashamed of her heart for feeling so wonderful in Fox's arms. After all, he was no better than Panther. He simply disrespected her in a different way. She came back to him and he still struggled with 'complicated feelings.' He still 'feared for her safety'. But... the way he drew her into his arms the night before she left... that was nice. Fox even matured since they'd last seen one another. He was more patient and understanding... all fantastic traits for a future father.

Again, her heart betrayed her mind. She prayed she'd never see Fox McCloud face-to-face again, lest she run back to him with a complete regard for self-respect. But she still loved him deeply. She still fantasized about holding him dearly, and, in turn, she brought her legs up in a fetal position, clinching the bottom of the pillow between her knees. She held it for dear life.

His touch was warm and inviting. It had taken four months for him to get up the courage to be that forward but... even though she eventually ran from him, the touch was still welcome. If only he were here, now, to try again... she'd have surely let him, regardless of feeling guilty later on. 'Is that all I've reduced myself to? Using a man for his touch or the comfort of feeling as though I belong?' Her mind said yes but her heart, her body and her blood wanted it and argued with her mind. Again, she found herself reflecting on what would have happened if she didn't freak out halfway through making out with Fox a few days ago...

As her mind raced over thoughts of Fox, her right paw slid down from beneath the pillow to a new position, beneath her skirt. Her fingertips danced gingerly over the Cornerian cotton, simplistic forest-green panties she wore beneath the skirt. Her left paw slid back from the pillow, unbuttoning the top of her blouse. Her palm moved over the matching green bra she wore, cupping firmly overtop the fabric. But this time, it wasn't Panther's touch that caressed her breast... she imagined it was Fox's. In her mind, he was just as firm and sure of his touch as he had been when kissing her a few days ago.

Her right index came into a delta formation with her middle and ring finger. They grazed over the panties downwards then make another pass, upwards. She shivered in bliss, keeping her eyes tightly clinched. "F...Fox, I'm sorry I've been a bad girl; I'm sorry I've hurt you... Tell me you love me," she murmured softly against the pillow.

Her fingertips moved to the crotch of the panties, pushed them aside to reveal her slit then moved against her flesh. The sensations were so intense that it caused her nipples to harden beneath her other paw. She kneaded and pinched herself firmly there. A gentle moan was muffled against the sham snuggled against her body.

It could have been this good and, in her mind, Fox was being this good right then and there. It felt so real and pure and wonderful. His kisses felt like home and his paws were wonderful, making her beg for more. Her sex ached with need, tight and empty. Her breathing became gentle yet jagged panting. Her left paw eased from her breast and she reached off the bed, patting her fingers across the floor for anything she could use to please herself. Her fingers brushed something metallic...

She closed her fingers around the cylindrical object and she lifted the weighty staff... she blushed at the thought of using it, something so sacred and special yet, without a world to belong to... it was now as meaningless as her tiara. She took it by the bottom, guiding the end opposite of the tip to her thighs. The bulbous end at the opposite side of the staff hung off the end of the mattress.

It was cool against her moist flesh but she desired to sensation of the thickness it could provide and, without thinking further on the matter, she eased the base of her staff into herself, inch by glorious inch. Her teeth ground together and her eyes clinched tighter than before. She imagined it was Fox gliding into her body, thick and hard within her treasure chamber. Sinful droplets of her sexual pleasure rolled down the hilt of the metal pole.

She took it in her right paw, firmly, and began to pull it free. She withdrew until it was completely out of her flesh then forced it back in with a groan of delight. She wiggled her body, arching her back and shifting her hips to slide her walls along its coated surface. Krystal's left paw returned to her bosom, firmly manipulating the globe of flesh and fur beneath the green bra.

"Fill me," she begged to no one. The vivid imagery played out in her mind like a memory yet to happen. She whined against the pillow, thrusting into herself again. "I love you, too," she replied aloud to the silence. Her heart hammered in her chest, sounding like a hammer on cloth from the spike of adrenaline. Krystal's legs were tense and tight, her breasts heaved with every jerk of her body, working herself against the anti-rhythm of her right paw and the staff in which she used to pleasure herself. A bead of sweat clung to the tips of the fur over her forehead then broke free, racing down over the silky furstrands of her face. It moved down, over the bridge of her nose then to the right, on the underside of her muzzle. She lay there, on her right side, whining with a passionate need to be mated. Her body responded hotly from the fire that burned within her.

An intense orgasm rushed over her form and she shuddered. Her legs quivered and her body locked up in the fetal position, with her legs holding the staff with her knees at the fulcrum. She cried out, shoving her face into the pillow. A moment passed then her body relaxed, undulating sensually from the aftershock tremors. She fainted. The staff slid free of her grip, the ovular spear tip weighed it down until the moistened end lifted. Seconds later, the entire thing clattered to the floor at the foot of her bed.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

" Are you dreaming of Fox or of Panther?" The question caused her to sit up with a startled gasp. Her eyes were wide and her mind was focused again. Sitting directly across from her was the Watcher from Kew. (Reflections of a New Generation, Chapter 15; Reflections of Marcus McCloud, Chapter 10 and 11) The badger sat with his legs crossed and his walking cane resting perpendicular across his lap. He had a navy blue tie, similar in fashion to Cornerian businessmen, and he wore opal cufflinks.

She blinked at him and simply said, "Darius!"

"You remembered my first name - you're the only telepath to ever successfully sense anything from me. I expect you to become quite powerful one day if your abilities are allowed to progress. So... are you dreaming of Fox or Panther?"

She looked away, gritting her teeth from embarrassment. Her head tilted somewhat and she glanced down at her body. She found herself under the covers but wasn't able to get through his mental barriers to see if he was the one who put her there or if she managed to pull them up over herself in her sleep. "Fox."

"Thank goodness." He ran his fingers back through his headfur. "I was worried when you began dating Panther. That was five months worth of disgust I endured, worrying that your offspring would be a demented self-obsessed telepathic nuisance. I'm not sure what you saw in him."

"Well watch what you say because I may go back. I have no one else."

"You're at your lowest point, my dear. I'm absolutely horrified that you would consider it. I've been visiting you for quite some time now, have I not? I've watched you grow and mature. I've seen you smitten and I've seen you angry. I watched you closely throughout your time with Corneria, trying to build some silly reputation as an icy killer. You nearly abandoned your telepathic abilities and became consumed with your killer instincts."

"I didn't like sensing the agony I was inflicting on my enemies. And, if I may, I was inflicting a lot of agony. People told me that my kill score was so high because of my telepathy but I suppressed it to reduce the guilt I felt."

"Suppressing guilt is bad for your soul, Krystal of the Cardinal Sun."

"Are there other Cerinians left in the galaxy? Ones that your people are watching?"

"If there are, I do not know of them personally. I would have to consort with my collogues on Kew to see who is assigned to watch. Most clairvoyant races have one watcher for a group of telepaths but... in the sad case that a race is brought to near extinction, each surviving member gains his or her own watcher. There have been species with special abilities that were deeply affected by the traumatic events of their race's destruction. They would lash out in anguish and begin creating havoc. The Knights of Kew would come along and eradicate them for the safety of innocents. I worried you would continue to strive for that reputation as a killer pilot... you used to live such a peaceful life."

"Find out if I'm the only one. I want to find another Cerinian to complete me. If it makes you feel better I've been using my telepathy again lately. I used it to find Panther... and haven't stopped using it since. I'm a touch out of practice from forcing myself to suppress it... and I nearly got Panther killed because of that... I couldn't pinpoint the location of a sniper."

"I know you're feeling lonely," he said with a frown. "But I don't want you to become angry. If you wish to take down people who harm others... a bounty hunter or some such... I am perfectly fine with that. However, if you stoop to hostile acts towards innocent people... I will find you and I will strike you down. And you're too special of a person to strike down. You're now the queen of Cerinia."

"There was no official coronation. There is no Cerinia. I have no title or status. I'm a woman who wishes to find a good man and have a family. What are families like on your world?"

The Kew watcher folded his arms. "I've never been propositioned by someone I watch. I won't start. I hope that's not what you were insinuating."

"No, I wasn't... I just want to hear of something happy after all this grief and loneliness... but now that you've brought it up, why are watchers not allowed to mate with clairvoyant species?"

"Because you're telepathic. We watch and we attack with our abilities... teleportation. That's why you can never sense us coming until it's too late. Be mindful and do not forget that... if you were to ever hunt, we would hunt you... and you would never see us coming. But I digress... If there were children with both abilities they would become far too powerful to control. They would sense something, teleport to it... do whatever they pleased then teleport to safety. They would be unstoppable so... it is forbidden. Our race has watched over clairvoyant species for longer than you can fathom and we're very successful."

"How long?"

His expression dulled, staring at her. "My genealogical records, alone, date back to my ancestors, four hundred seventy-two thousand years ago. Nearly half a million years of flawless record keeping. Our race is obsessed with perfect record keeping and that is why we've had the ability to balance watching multiple races without fail for so long."

"Impressive. I can sense you're telling me the truth but I can't read your thoughts like I can with most. When you clear your mind, I can't sense your presence very clearly."

"That's an ability we've developed to obfuscate ourselves should we ever need to strike down an errant telepath."

She swallowed and peered beneath the covers of her blanket. Her clothes were tidied up and her skirt was perfectly kept. She lifted her gaze at him again and said, "If you people have perfect records, it should be very easy to find out if there are other Cerinian survivors. I don't care if it's outside of your jurisdiction or against any sort of law... I want answers. If I find them and mate with them, I'll not only resume my race... I'll mend my hurting heart. I don't want to have to kill you to get through to other people on Kew, just because you're holding the information over my head and driving me mad by keeping such a secret."

"Your threat does not concern me," he mused, leaning his head back against the bulkhead. "Krystal, I'm comforting you right now, am I not? You're lonely and you were at your lowest point, earlier. Now I'm here and I've helped to make you comfortable and tucked you in, beneath your comforter. Our people are not supposed to interfere but... I felt the need to tidy up. On that note, when I say our people are not supposed to interfere, we're not supposed to talk with you, either. That is why I'm not allowed to tell you that there are five survivors scattered throughout the galaxy. I'm not allowed to tell you that four of them have found one another and become couples, married and already have several children. Later on, the couples found one another and they're raising their children together so that those children can grow up to marry one another and build the race back up, one day. I cannot tell you that the fifth member found love on a distant world far from Lylat and eventually she bore three children. Twenty-two months after the first was born, she delivered twins. All of them have carried the telepathy gene and can communicate with their mother... so now we must watch them as well... and we'll watch your children."

"I... doubt I'll find someone... and furthermore, if Cerinians exist in the galaxy and are having children... I can rest easy and concentrate on my professional life."

"You're their ruler."

"You going to tell me where I can find them?"

Darius eyed her for a moment then shook his head. "I cannot interfere further. It's up to fate."

"Then I am not their ruler. Thank you for your company. Thank you for breaking the rules and telling me what you've told me. It brings me some measure of solace to my heart. Unfortunately it does not make me feel any less lonely." She looked to the pillow besides her and drew it into her lap above the blanket. "Thank you for being decent to me and covering me with the blanket. But you didn't answer my question about what a family is like on Kew."

"We're very professional people. We take a great interest in other species and find our own to be quite boring, as we're all a group of record keepers and scientists. There's another race on our world, known as the hunters. They're from the southern hemisphere. When we watchers find clairvoyants who are breaking intergalactic laws with their abilities, no matter how ignorant they are to these laws, we send our hunters to dispatch them. Every few months, we're compelled to mate. Once the cubs are born, the males go back to watching and record keeping. They go back to business, furthering the economy and whatever it is they have chosen to do. The females raise the cubs for a while. When the cubs are old enough to begin receiving an education, the females go back to watching or working part time. When the cubs are of age, they are trained so their mothers can go back to work full time - which is almost always a labor of love. We enjoy our work. We miss it when we're away from it. Our courtship is not as romantically involved as the courtships on Cerinia or in Lylat or in some other systems. It is sexual, requiring a male and a female to copulate... but it isn't as emotional."

"I'm sorry to hear that. It's a shame your race doesn't breed outside of Kew... your people might learn the joys of love."

"Love leads to emotions, which is bad for business and ultimately puts a strain on perfect records. In the end, productivity falters. We're obsessed with business. Love is merely nerve impulses created by your brain to make your body feel a certain way, usually to stimulate hormone production or to create a bonding sensation. That's why people have emotional attachments to things... a favorite automobile, a favorite weapon, a favorite fashion accessory. But to our people... that causes distraction. We loathe distraction. Our children are unlike Cornerian children. They don't grow up having dreams of unfathomable things. They don't yearn for wealth or success or power or fame. They want to surpass their parents as watchers, hunters and record keepers. By bringing in tainted blood from another race, we would be promoting emotional people, distracted people, unmotivated people... it would be a disaster for our culture."

"She lifted her paws and rubbed her face. "Thank you for your company. I would like some privacy right now. Please just tell me your reason for this visit then leave."

"I'm not here for a reason. As I said, typically our people come and watch then leave without a word. Rarely do they have a need to make their presence known. The only reason I spoke to you when I have, like the time I introduced myself on your shuttle, after leaving Cerinia behind... is because I felt that by providing you with information that you're not alone in this galaxy... you won't allow your emotions to become clouded or dark. You'll know that there is a law and you're expected to abide by it. In time, I felt sorry for your plight. So I continued to speak to you on occasion... this is one of those times. I'm just checking up on you to ensure that you won't act out foolishly, as I'm rather fond of you, because of your good nature and strong heart... it's a shame to see you relish in building a reputation as an 'icy killer' pilot. I do hope you'll become a mother soon... your body chemistry will change and you'll put that 'killer' nonsense in the past."

"Just... thank you Darius... for respecting me and my body when you arrived on my ship."

"I was a bit surprised when I arrived... You have an interesting way of comforting yourself." He stood up, placed his walking stick onto the deck plates and adjusted the knot of his tie. "The pillow you clung to after crying for a bit... I'm sure there are many Cornerian men who would provide more comfort than a lifeless object meant for your head. Close your eyes."

"Wh... pardon?" She blinked, realizing that was a word Panther had been using. "Excuse me?"

"Typically my species does not prefer to teleport when making eye contact. Have you ever been blinded by a bright light? There are similar effects when looking into the perfect darkness of a miniature blackhole... it closes in on itself in our wake... but it will irritate your eyes from this proximity. Close them." He waited until she looked away then...

Krystal looked up but he was gone. Her ears lowered and she glanced back at her staff on the floor. What was it that he had seen after she cried, earlier? What if he was a voyeur of some sort? She ran her fingers back through her hair then rubbed her face again. She slid out of bed, tucked the blanket back beneath the mattress then lifted it from the end. It retreated into the wall and she climbed up into her cockpit again. The ship was on autopilot.

She tapped her lacquered nails on a keypad, inputting a series of commands into the computer. The pillars of white light shortened back into small dots and Corneria loomed large in the distance, like a bowling ball held at arm's length.

With a flick of her wrist, she activated her communication hardware and waited. After a few seconds, Bill Grey answered her hail; his dim visual image appeared on her dashboard monitor and he looked tired. She could see a pillow peeking out on either side of his head. The greyhound squinted at her. "Krystal?"

"We need to talk. I know you weren't exactly proud of my dating choice a few months ago... Well... I ran back to him... got much needed closure and... I'm ready to talk about Corneria again. I'm sorry I've been so... fickle. I'm going through a lot... I'm the last of my race and I'm emotional because I'm unable to decide if I should go back to Fox and have children or... I shouldn't even be... I'm coming across as very unprofessional right now and I'm sorry..."

Bill eased up on an elbow, bringing his nose within inches of the monitor-cam on his side. He reached off to the side and the visual brightened from turning on a lamp. He flopped back on the pillow and looked up at her. "When do you want to meet? I've not seen you upset before and..." He trailed off and looked at her suspiciously. "Have you been...? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I've been crying," she murmured. "I'm a wreck. I've not had a shower since early yesterday morning and I've done a lot of traveling and a lot of work in the last few days. I've done a lot of sweating so... I probably look like hell. Panther and I have discovered that a man named Octoman is responsible for killing off people he considers as enemies of the Anglar empire... we launched a private assault against him but I was rendered unconscious and Panther let him get away. I suppose I should have offered to pay Panther to finish the job at all costs... that's what he does, after all. Needless to say, I'm emotional right now and I'm sorry you're seeing me like this... but you're the only other friend I have right now. You and Peppy."

"The General considers himself your step father. Corneria is... and always will be your home. I'll put on a pot of coffee and contact the base. Land there and I'll have someone bring you to my place. You can sleep here. I have to get up in an hour anyhow... so just... I'll draw the blinds so you can sleep in. Before you say anything, yes... it's okay, NO it's not a burden or an inconvenience. No one will be home so you can sleep until the middle of the afternoon. Then you'll be bright eyed and bushy tailed and you can talk all you want. No one ever says what they want to say when they're not feeling good, right?"

She smiled at his thoughtfulness and jovial personality. "You're so good natured," she said softly. "What was the saying? Happier than a tick in a dog's ear?"

"You know it." He offered her a grin then told him, "I'll see you when you land. I've got phone calls to make so you can land at the base... I'll be out of the shower before you get here, but if I don't answer the doorbell... just let yourself in. I'll leave the door unlocked."

"Thanks again." She closed the channel and sighed in relief. At least she still had Corneria and a home in Lylat. The ship began its final approach, breaking through moderate cloud cover. Raindrops pelted the side of the hull and a distant flit of lightning illuminated the evening sky in the far distance. Her ship's chronometer flashed twice then changed to local time, displaying 'zero-four: three-zero' on the HUD. She frowned inwardly, feeling somewhat guilty for not checking the time before calling him. Had she just waited around for an hour... Krystal ran her paws through her hair again.

The ship lowered towards the Capital City military base. She radioed in for clearance then settled down in the back corner where most Mercenaries and Bounty Hunters were permitted to park their craft. Krystal unbuckled herself from the seat, crawled into the hold and put her staff on the charging hooks, mounted to the wall. She grabbed her windbreaker and put it on then opened the hatch in the aft section. The metallic boarding platform eased out at a forty-five degree angle. She slid down to her feet then touched a switch that closed the hatch.

The rain began to pick up and another flash of lightning illuminated the sky to the west. She pulled the windbreaker up to cover her head to the best of her ability then hurried across the quiet runway. Cornerian fighters lined the strip, identical to her old model. It reminded the vixen of her old ship, flown often until about four and a half months ago.

A guard at the gatehouse met her beneath an awning. She signed for identification and the computerized tablet registered her as an officer on 'extended leave'. She blinked, looked back up at the eighteen-year-old boy and shrugged. He immediately stiffened and saluted her. She returned the gesture then pulled the windbreaker up to cover her head again.

"Ma'am, wait!" He fetched an umbrella from a closet in the guard shack then passed it to her through the window. "Take this instead, Major!"

She took the umbrella, held it outwards and pressed her thumb in on the handle. It extended then popped open. "Thank you, Airman, First Class. You'll make Sergeant in no time with initiative like that." She walked away with a smile, flitting her tail behind her as she walked. What amused her the most is that he didn't even recognize her as a Star Fox pilot. He was so shocked to see the computer register her signature as that of an O-4 officer, that any thoughts on her face being familiar was abruptly forgotten.

Rain continued to increase in its intensity. She was thankful for the umbrella and continued in a more leisurely stroll down the asphalt strip. A hundred meters later, the road split in two directions with a parking lot on the other side. There were only six cars in the whole lot but one of them was running with its lights on. It pulled out of the lot and approached her. The driver's window lowered and a man called out to her. "Ma'am, you're headed to the commons? I have a prepaid fair if your name matches the one on my list."

"Krystal," she replied.

"That's the name." He pressed a button on his dashboard and the back door opened. She approached it, closed her umbrella with a quick shake of her palm to dry it then slid into the backseat. "Awfully wet out here, isn't it?"

"It is. Head back to the guard shack so I can return his umbrella, please."

"You got it lady." The pug cut the wheel and headed back down the road towards the airfield. At the gate, Krystal opened the door and hurried over to the awning then returned the umbrella.

She smiled at the youth and said, "I'll put in a good word for your kindness." She offered a somewhat flirty wave then hurried back to the unmarked taxi and pulled the door shut.

x-x-x-x-x-x

*The rain lightened up by the time * she arrived in front of Bill's house. The pug's eyes cut to the rearview mirror. She offered him a soft smile, opened the door and hurried through the drizzle. She lifted her paw to knock but the door opened from the other side. Bill stood in his work uniform and gestured for her to come inside. "Oh look who's at my door. I must be a mind reader to have known you were out here in the rain. C'mon in!"

With a wan grin she quickly stepped into the house. Krystal wiggled out of her windbreaker then put it on a coat rack in the corner of the foyer. She turned to him and they hugged. "Thank you for your help. It's been one nightmare after the other and..."

"Shh, relax." He patted her back firmly at the shoulder blade then relinquished the hug. "Hey, you're home, now." His words caused her to have a brief flashback to when she knelt down besides Panther's bed... it was the first thing she'd said to him. Bill's voice shook her out of her reverie. "We missed you, I missed you and I know Peppy Hare missed you. John Pepper, too. He's not doing too well, his diabetes is been hard on his body as he gets up there in age, y'know? But that's neither here nor there, so... Just make yer'self at home. You'll need clean clothes so I sent for fresh uniforms. If you decide to stay in the military then you can keep'em. If not, I'll have them sent back when you decide to go... no use telling me your decision yet... no need to rush into that. Just sleep first, a'ite?"

"Right, yes... of course. Thank you." She leaned in and buried her lips against his fuzzy cheek. "You're simply magical, Lieutenant Colonel Grey. The E-2 out at the airfield gate house was kind enough to lend me an umbrella - I appreciate all the help with making this a smooth transition."

"Just work on getting that yellow leaf turned into a silver one," he said with a smile. "You've almost caught up with me and I've been in the Cornerian military a lot longer than you... of course I didn't single-handedly march in and defeat the Anglars, either... That was a pretty sweet promotion, even though you took a long 'leave of absence' afterwards."

"Yes I noticed I was still instated and... I admit I was surprised. But I appreciate it. You'll have a silver bird on your shoulder in no time at all."

"Yeah... I've given the military three wars. I'm actually due to make Colonel very soon." He smiled and pointed to the closet. "These are my coats, obviously... I have all your clothes in the den, hanging up. I, uh, looked up your measurements on the computer so I could order the right stuff... sorry if that invades your privacy... it wasn't intentional. I ordered undergarments, t-shirts and sport shorts with the little nets in'em. They're laid out over yonder." He pointed in at the living room sofa. "The bed, upstairs, should be right cozy with the heated blanket running. Feel free to take a hot shower first. It's better than the cold one you just got outside. I'm off to my desk, have an afternoon patrol then I'll be home around three, this afternoon. We'll talk then."

"Thanks again for everything. You're the best."

Bill smiled, opened the door and stepped out into the rain. He hurried out to the taxi, who was already waiting, then got into the back. It pulled away from the house and Krystal shut the front door and locked it.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Three months later...

*Krystal sat up and stretched. * She reached forward and closed her paws around her feet, which were still beneath the blanket... after holding onto them for a moment to stretch her back, she flopped back in bed, pushing her face into the pillow. On her nightstand, an alarm clock's inane noise droned on.

Her left arm lurched from beneath the covers and slapped the flat of her palm on the nightstand adjacent to the clock... and the sound stopped, despite not having actually made contact with the clock. She lay there, on her side, with her paw extended. Meanwhile, she took a moment to get at herself mentally. After a few moments, her paw slid across the nightstand, knocking the clock from the surface. Its plug pulled taut and the device became suspended just inches above the floor.

She sat back up, now perched on her hip, and shifted her legs around then put her feet on the floor. Krystal retrieved the clock and put it back on the nightstand. She looked at it for a moment then the padded palm print on the stand. She quirked a brow and stared at it for a moment then shook her head and murmured, "I'm loosing my mind. I must have hit it, or it wouldn't have stopped." She got up and shuffled across her bedroom and into the bathroom to shower.

After brushing her teeth and combing her hair, she made her way downstairs in a nightgown. Captain Susan Myers was passed out on the recliner with a blanket pooled around her ankles. She wore a disheveled t-shirt and the cuff of her right leg was pushed up to within a few inches below her knee.

Two Majors, Thomas Bragg and his wife, Janelle Bragg were snuggled up together on an inflatable air mattress where the coffee table used to be. On the sofa was a familiar Lieutenant Colonel, William Grey.

Krystal crept through the living room so as not to disturb anyone. She came around the far side of the sofa and playfully placed two fingers overtop of Grey's nose. Unable to breathe for a few seconds, a puff of air was expelled from his muzzle, causing his lips to flutter with the exhalation. His eyes opened and he stared up at the vixen. His lips parted and, in a whisper, he said, "Hey, you."

"We're all off duty today," she whispered back. "Susan is hung over. She's going to be miserable when she gets up. I dunno about the Braggs'. I can't quite recall how much they had, last night. What about you?"

"I'm right as rain, sunshine," he said with a chuckle then eased up onto his right elbow and checked the watch on his left wrist. "Holy hand grenades, will ya look at that?" His eyes lifted to hers and he grinned. "It's damn near noon."

"Oh stop," she said, giving his nose a firm pinch. "It's only ten thirty." She smirked and asked, "You wanted to go to the matinee showing of that new sequel... END OF PAPETOON or something?"

"You know, I was watching the credits of the first one... it was about Fortuna, when suddenly an alarm sounded and there was an explosion outside. Everyone freaked out because they just saw the end of the planet Fortuna on a movie... so they run outside'n bam! The Aparoids were attack the city."

She shook her head with a grin. "That's the third time you've told me that story, Bill. Come on, get dressed and get your things. The next showing is in twenty minutes. I suppose we should have rented the first one last night - you'll have to explain what's going on since we're seeing the sequel."

"No, this is perfect... this one is technically a prequel. Canonically speaking, it happens prior to the last movie since they defeat the monster at the end of the first movie, just as it was converging on Corneria."

She offered a dull glare at him. "Oh goodie... it's one of those movies."

He snickered quietly so as not to wake anyone else up. "One of what movies?"

"A boy movie. Obviously. Fine, I'll still go... even though I'm a touch squeamish when they show gore... but I'll only go on one condition."

Bill nodded for her to follow him. They went upstairs and continued their conversation in a normal tone. Krystal stepped into her room and shut the door, speaking to him from the other side while she got dressed. "I'll only go if you take me to see a chick flick. That's the deal. I get to see the girliest, most feminine, pink-laces and butterflies movie I can find, and you cannot fall asleep. If you agree, I'll go see this silly action thriller. But I refuse to look at the gory parts."

"That's fine, so long as I don't have to look at the extra giggly kissy-squeal parts of your movie."

"Are you kidding?" She opened the door, completely dressed and hair brushed nicely in record time. "Make out scenes are the best parts. Everyone can agree that the steamy parts are the best."

"Oh, no I'm not disagreeing with that, Krystal. I'm saying that the parts where the girl character and her best friend female character grab each others paws and start jumping up and down because Mister Right proposed to her... that's just dumber than a ship with no reactor core."

Krystal glared at him for the nautical pun. "I may be in the Corneria Air Force but I know that's a naval term for a ship that isn't self-propelling. And your pun was just awful." She smiled at him for being a good sport then said, "You're wearing that to the..." The little blue vixen paused then smiled. "It's a boy movie. I forgot. I'm probably overdressed for the occasion. Will I need a jacket today, do you think?"

"Not in this hemisphere at this time of the year. I'm used to Katina weather, where it's dry and we have cooler nights. I can't stand this humidity but... no, I mean... not at this hour."

She sensed he predicted the weather to be around mid-to-upper sixties. "I suppose you're right." She handed him a brush and he stuck it in his pocket, licked his paw then ran his fingers back through his hair. To her surprise his little trick worked rather well.

"Tha's how ya' do it. Although I admit... you're pretty quick to get dressed. Most women take hours to do their nails, their hair, fix their fur, trim their whisker tips, accessorize their ears with 'the perfect earrings'. I'm impressed."

"You should be," she said, walking passed him. "At least you iron your clothes often enough that they're not wrinkly."

He followed her out the door to her government-issued rental car. Bill moved to the passenger side and said, "Well I am a Lieutenant Colonel in the Cornerian military, after all."

She settled in the driver's seat and checked all the mirrors before starting the engine. Bill watched her with amusement and he smiled, mentally comparing her to the pilot that she was. Krystal released the parking brake then smirked at him and backed out of the driveway. "You've never been safer in a car in your life - you're driving with a telepath behind the wheel." They grinned at one another then proceeded to the on-base theater.

"So how did you get so lucky, anyhow? Your own car? I mean, you're the fastest promoted Major in the Cornerian fleet, you go away for half a year... then when you come back, they give you a car? Pepper treats you like a daughter and all, but... I know it's not him that's causing this because you're so honest and fair about everything."

The grin on her muzzle evolved into a smile. "That's sweet of you to say, Bill. No, the reason is my telepathy. I tried to squash it before but only because I felt less guilty about dog fighting... when I first returned to Corneria..." She trailed off and put her blinker on then moved into a different lane and shrugged. "I was hurt while on Venom with Bill. I didn't know it first and, as a matter of fact, I didn't feel any joint pain until the next day. I was pretty bruised up. So Corneria told me not to fly just yet... while I was at a desk, I overheard a conversation one day and used my telepathy to solve their differences. A high-ranking officer noticed this... then came by a while later to talk about it. Next thing I know..."

"So THAT'S how it happened!" He clapped his paws together, "Holy cow! They made you the... diplomacy thing... whatever it's called... because of... I get it now."

"Yes, the Ambassador of Peace. If, say, Dash Bowman were to suddenly want a war, and I'm still with the military when it happens... Yes, Corneria would take me out of my cockpit and send me to meet with him to talk about how to fix this situation. Being telepathic would help with such things."

The car zipped by the grocery store, an on-base middle school and one of the religious houses. At the top of the next block on the right side was a movie theater but the parking lot was almost empty. Krystal grinned. "Perfect! Now if I get squeamish, flinch and scream I won't upset anyone."

"That's so cute, do you really get like that during movies?"

She nodded shyly. "Well... yes, I do. I can't predict what's going to happen next, because the characters aren't real... so when something happens suddenly... I'm not ready for it and I've not built up a mental fortitude against things of that nature. More than once I've jumped when something crazy happens in an action movie." She reached over and quite literally flicked his nose. "Be nice, and don't you dare laugh at me."

He was biting back at his chuckles, waving his paw at hers. "Okay, I won't I ... I promise," he said, biting back the urge to snicker. "But that's awfully cute and girly of you."

"Oh hush!" She pulled the car into a parking spot and stepped out. "I'll get the concessions. I have a soft spot for Cornerian confection. What would you like?"

"Sweet tooth girl, huh? You know what they say... sweet tooth, sweet heart." He withdrew his wallet and added, "I've got the tickets and the grub. If I'm going to take a lady to a movie, the least I can do is pick up the tab. Besides, it's a boy movie after all."

"Oh please, don't remind me," she joked in return, headed towards the box office with him...

x-x-x-x-x-x

Two hours later...

Krystal flinched but tried her keep her eyes on the screen. A scream rang out over the speaker system built into the wall, followed by a flash of special effects gore. "Oh for heavens sake!" She buried her face against Bill's chest, hiding her eyes. He lifted his paws, keeping the soft drink held aloft so that she didn't spill it. After a moment... he slowly lowered his arms, so that one was draped over her shoulders... He didn't know what else to do but... he certainly didn't expect for her to hide her face in his chest or launch herself into his arms in this fashion... but... it wasn't so bad.

After a few moments, he whispered to her, "Okay, it's over... you can look now - the blood is gone."

She tilted her head, keeping side of her face against his torso, looking back to the silver screen with one eye... "That was quite overboard," she murmured. "Not even on open battlefields do people die in such a grisly manner." She was glad the theater was empty at this hour.

"Coming from an ex-mercenary, I'm inclined to believe you." He'd never had her head on his chest before. For some reason, Lieutenant Colonel Grey decided that he liked it. After a few moments, he placed his paw atop of hers.

She curled her fingertips around his... then, with a slow measure of reluctance, she withdrew the paw. "I... I shouldn't."

"No, it's perfect fine. I didn't mean to..."

On the screen, the antagonist character that was helping the monster all along wound up getting killed. His death was a grand display for all the protagonists to see. The character got what they deserved and Krystal, once again, hid her face into Bill's chest. The spectacular visual effects were something akin to reality for the imagination intensive vixen. Bill placed the soft drink back into the cup holder armrest then placed his paw against her back, gently petting the lengthy locks of her hair. "Don't look just yet... give it another moment." On the screen, the monster advanced on the heroes, stepping over the body of the fallen villain. The scene changed to a group of protagonists on the other end of the system. "Okay, new scene - no more gory body. Boy, for someone who used to build a reputation as an icy killer, you sure are squeamish about blood and guts."

"Because I can relate it to things I've seen. If I'd never seen things before, like a battlefield, I would have no problems... I would just say it's cinematography effects... but when some of these things they show resemble some of the things I've seen in the field, yes... you're damned right it makes me want to look away. They're... very good at making dead people look quite dead in this movie."

Bill grinned and continued to sift his fingers through her hair. She never said anything about it and so... he didn't stop for the time being.