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For Reference:

Kyree (key ree): anthromorph wolf-like race

Kenseng (ken sang): anthromorph tiger-like race

Drala (dra la): anthromorph reptilian-like race

Arastos (a rest tos): alien starship www.sofurry.com/page/298134

Arastos Crew:

Kanolos (ka no loss): male kyree, starship helmsman, mated to Riyla

Riyla (ri la): female kyree, starship captain, mated to Kanolos

Shyla (shy la): female kenseng, starship tactical officer/cook, mated to Yanashi

Yanashi (ya na she): female kyree, starship tactical officer/physician, mated to Shyla

Eriras (ear rass): female kenseng, starship engineer, mated to Taylo

Taylo (tay low): male kenseng, starship engineer, mated to Eriras

Lumina (loo men na): holographic female kyree construct, starship supporting A.I.

Keith (key th): male human, human ambassador/starship operations officer

Territory Map Diagram: www.sofurry.com/page/222716/

Commemoration

Written By: Spudz

"Damn it all... I just can't get this to work!"

"Did you reinitialize the frequency converters?"

"Of course I did!"

"Try using the backup power grid?"

"That was the first solution I tried."

"Well... did you promise her some love?"

The last statement provoked a puzzled look from Kanolos, as he continued to stare at the myriad of holographic displays hovering just over the console of the helm station. "How would making love to the starship fix my problem?!"

"No... my silly little kyree," Riyla replied from the captain's position just above her mate. "Sometimes, to fix a problem with your ship... you just have to get on her good side."

Turning in his seat, Kano looked up toward the captain's two black furry paws resting atop her console dash above him. "You talk about Arastos like she's a stubborn mate."

His words elicited a chuckle from Riyla while she leaned back further in her seat and looked up toward the ceiling bulkheads. "Actually, that is precisely how I treat my starship."

"Oh, really?"

"Indeed," was the captain's simple response. "If you don't treat your starship properly, she'll fight against you at every turn. This nacelle frequency imbalance is a prime example."

The problem had been the bane of Kano's existence for over two hours now. While his mate had looked on in quiet amusement, the pilot of Arastos had tried unsuccessfully to correct a sudden and abrupt frequency disparity between the four slipstream engine nacelles. The origins of the mysterious problem were a mystery to the fox-furred kyree. He had toyed with the idea of asking Lumina for help, but he would be damned if he let her fix this... she would never let him live it down.

By not having each engine in tune with the others on a specific power frequency, any attempts made to enter slipstream would result in a catastrophic breakup of the hull when the fabric of space was ripped open. The problem itself was very rare, and one that typically only occurred after replacing a nacelle or performing heavy maintenance. However, for reasons beyond Kano's understanding, the serious issue had abruptly materialized moments after Arastos had left the planet's atmosphere, under very routine circumstances. It was confusing to say the least.

Currently, the starship was in low orbit about Earth, with the stunning beauty of the planet splayed out across the starboard side of the forward bridge window. The ship was actually positioned on the exact same orbital profile of the former International Space Station, which had been destroyed several months ago. Now though, no traces of debris remained to mark the station's destruction.

With the ISS gone, humanity no longer had an enduring presence in space. However, plans were in the works to change that unacceptable fact rather quickly. Mankind had come to understand the dire need to branch out into space over the past few months, serving to resolve the debate on whether space travel was worth researching and developing beyond just simply placing astronauts in orbit around Earth. Unfortunately, such a major issue was not the only problem consuming the human race at that moment.

The crew of Arastos had breathed a collective sigh of relief when the ship finally managed to escape back into orbit from the planet's surface several hours prior. The comforting tranquil silence of space was a welcomed relief from the chaos that continued to rage down below... a consequence of a brutal conflict that had swept across the human civilization like an unrelenting wildfire.

Through a series of unforeseen circumstances, mankind had suddenly found itself thrust headlong into a war against a powerful alien race; a war that humanity had no chance of fighting on its own. The question of whether humans were alone in the universe had suddenly and viciously been answered, throwing the world into utter bedlam while the Domain rained down destruction from the heavens unmercifully.

The Terran War, so named for Earth's central role in the conflict, had reached out to consume many alien races in its turmoil. From the Federation ally of the Confederate Dominion, to the Sorrlator Territory; the entire region had been swept up in the fighting, each faction warring against another in a violent process that had all started with the drala surprise attack against Sora.

Now however, peace was finally being restored across the region. With the Federation and Drala Domain no longer in a state of war against one another, the remaining powers had quickly followed suit. The Algardion Territory had swiftly sued for peace with the Confederate Dominion for fear of the Federation joining sides with its ally. Not long after, the sorrlator had done the same with the mirtux for the very same reason. As a result, the immediate region of space had stabilized with hardly any changes compared to before the war.

For the crew of Arastos, the cessation of hostilities marked the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. There was arguably no more fitting a location to commemorate the end to the conflict than to peacefully circle planet Earth on the same orbit as the former ISS, the very same scene where everything had first started with a daring rescue mission several months ago.

Such matters were far from the mind of Kanolos, though. Without the slipstream nacelles properly aligned, the ship wasn't going anywhere, a serious issue that necessitated immediate attention. In the event of an emergency, the vessel had to be ready for a sudden jump into slipstream. Thus, the problem took precedence over everything else, as the kyree had taken on a single-minded determination to resolve the issue.

"I just wish I knew what had caused this in the first place," Kano spoke with exasperation, turning back to once more let his wolfish eyes pour over the cascades of data across his console. After a few moments of careful scrutiny, he entered a series of alignment corrections, only to be greeted with multiple error messages.

"Is there anything you did that might've pissed off the ship?" Riyla inquired, amusement quite evident in her tone. The captain was obviously enjoying her mate's misery.

Kano uttered a sigh of frustration. "I don't know... I spilled coffee in the corridor on the way to the bridge this morning. How could the ship hold a grudge for something like that?!"

"You'd be surprised. A starship is a fickle bitch."

Riyla's mate snorted disdainfully as the captain slowly stood from her chair, thrusting her body into a lengthy stretch to loosen sore muscles.

Again Kano entered a slightly different batch of alignment commands. And, once more, the console displays flashed warning symbols to his disgust. "Alright, if the ship is pissed at me... what do I do?" the pilot asked, throwing his hands up in defeat.

"It's simple," Riyla replied, just as she moved to stand alongside her mate. "You have to apologize."

Kano turned to look at the captain. "You can't be serious?"

"Just do what you do when I get pissed at you." The black kyree grinned mischievously while he shook his head in disbelief.

"You mean avoid her for a little while. Then apologize for something I never did... and then make up by mating passionately all night long?"

Riyla reached up and tweaked his wolfish ear with mock annoyance. "Not quite... you know what I meant."

"Oh, alright," Kano finally spoke. "...if it helps in any way." The kyree turned his attention to the console display. "I'm sorry for spilling coffee in the corridor this morning." Again he tried a series of alignments.

"You have to do better than that," the captain spoke, grinning playfully. Her words were accompanied by the console streaming error messages once more in defiance of the pilot's wishes.

Kanolos sighed deeply. "Alright... as reparation, I'll perform a full comprehensive diagnostic of the atmospheric thrusters. I know that is overdue." He turned to look at Riyla, who made a motion for him to continue. "And... I'll recalibrate the slipstream guidance array."

The captain gave a nod of acceptance, allowing Kano to hesitantly enter a new series of commands.

There was a moment's pause... and then, as if the ship had accepted his apology, the frequencies once more synced up into perfect alignment.

In surprise, the pilot sat back in his chair with muzzle ajar, staring at the holographic screens, expecting the information to be a trick of some sort. He then turned to regard his mate, who simply stood alongside him with canine teeth gleaming in a wicked grin. It was at that point the pilot suddenly realized he had just lost.

"I don't know what to say," Kano spoke. He again looked at the console displays.

"I'm going to hold you to that promise," Riyla replied, patting him on the head. "I'm sure the ship will as well. But, we can forget about that for now... we still have a guest to entertain."

Kano's ears folded flat while he made a move to stand with a groan of effort. "Why does it feel like both you and the ship are ganging up on me? Was Lumina involved in this somehow?" The fox-furred kyree made a show of arching his back in a stretch with hands extended up above his head. "If I didn't know better, this was planned out from the beginning."

The captain placed a hand on her hip in feigned indignation. "It only seems that way, because I know my ship and its personality. And, no... Lumina had no hand in this."

"I find that hard to believe."

Riyla continued to fix him with a crooked smile. "Would I be a good captain if I didn't know my vessel's quirks and tendencies?"

"As always, I bow to your superior wisdom."

In reply, Riyla cuffed her mate lightly against the side of his head to his amusement. "You're lucky you're so damned cute, flyboy." As Kano rolled his eyes to her remark, the black kyree turned her attention aft toward the doorway leading to the corridor behind the bridge. "Now then... since we are done here, let's go join the others. I'm sure they've grown tired of waiting for us."

"Well, it's not like you helped me get this fixed any quicker." The pilot punctuated his words by lightly slapping his mate on the rump to her startled yelp of surprise. Before she could counterattack, Kano swiftly made for the doorway, smirking over his shoulder as he did so.

"I'll get you back for that when you least expect it," Riyla warned ominously, fixing him with an evil glare.

Kano merely continued to smile. "You always do..."

***************

There was something to be said about the majesty of planet Earth. She was a magnificent world bathed in lush green continents and far-reaching deep blue oceans; a planet teeming with vast arrays of life and mystery. Not many had the privilege to gaze down upon her splendor from the cosmic realm of space. It was as close to heaven as one could possibly hope to be.

Sighing deeply, Captain Ian Rubin gingerly reached out to splay his hand against the glass of the starship window, while he silently took in the magnificent grandeur of planet Earth. To think, that his childhood dream had finally come to pass. Here he was gazing down on the very world he called home... and it was every bit as breathtaking as he could've hoped to imagine.

"Wow..." the skipper breathed in awe. "Louis Armstrong, my friend, you were right... it truly is a wonderful world."

All of his life, Ian had dreamed of becoming an astronaut. It had been his aspiration ever since the day he had stood witness to the raw power of Space Shuttle Discovery, watching with amazement as the spacecraft roared up into the heavens on a pillar of brilliant fire. Yet fate had intervened with plans of her own for him.

Never would Captain Rubin have pictured himself becoming a sub driver as a kid. How he had ended up as skipper of the Maryland had come about through a series of unforeseen circumstances, beginning with a very convincing speech by a Navy recruiter some time ago. The profession wasn't nearly as glamorous as that of the select few who called themselves astronauts. However, commanding a boomer sub was certainly not a job to take lightly. There was no downplaying the fact that he retained control of enough nuclear ordinance to glass nearly half the planet; or, at least he had before the war. It was funny how his occupation as a sub captain had actually culminated with him ending up here of all places...

Ian's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone approaching him from behind, drawing his attention back to the din of conversation that continued on behind where he stood in the starship's mess hall. Before the skipper could turn, a human hand appeared at his side grasping a beer.

"Care for one?" Keith asked, as he came to stand alongside Captain Rubin.

Ian brought his hand up in a gesture of polite refusal. "Nah... thanks though. I never really had a taste for beer."

"Really? You always looked like a beer kind of guy to me." While he spoke, Keith removed the bottle's twist off cap, which uttered a satisfying hiss of carbonation. It was a light beer, not exactly his favorite. But at this point, he really didn't care one way or the other.

"I believe some in the brewing world would say that there's a beer for everyone, Ambassador Ramirez," Ian replied, smiling slightly. "However, I've yet to find mine."

The mention of ambassador brought a pained look to Keith's expression. "Please... call me Keith. I've had enough dealings with politicians using that title."

Ian turned away from the window to regard Keith fully. "I'm sorry. I thought you would prefer your formal title now that you're the Federation's ambassador to Earth."

Keith uttered a pitiful laugh. "Hardly. I can't stand all of the politics. No one has treated me like a human being since the war ended. I might as well have fur and a tail for how everyone looks at me." He remembered that he was still holding his beer and reached up to take a generous pull.

"I know you hate all the politics," Lumina suddenly spoke, her hologram materializing next to Keith. "...but you're damned good at it. We wouldn't be nearly as far along if one of us had taken up the diplomatic job." The white-furred kyree motioned to herself for emphasis. "You think they treat you like a health hazard? If I had strolled into any government office in all my furry glory, they would avoid me like the plague."

It was easy to forget how each and every one of the politicians Keith now dealt with had also suffered through the Terran War. In the beginning, most had watched powerlessly as their personal bodyguard protection had been ruthlessly slaughtered at the hands of Domain soldiers. Many good men and women had stood fast by their oaths to protect their government, each rising up to meet the alien assault fearlessly in a vain effort to protect their charges... and most had paid for that devotion with their lives. Seeing such death and violence up close, it had scarred many politicians deeply.

While most had expected to die that day, government figureheads all across the globe were instead captured and imprisoned after the initial attack. The Domain's goal, however shortsighted it may have been, was to try and maintain order during the systematic occupation of Earth, using the captured leaders of the human world as a means to establish influence over the common populace.

The hatred that had developed and ultimately consumed these politicians during their imprisonment continued to fester even now. Even though this spite wasn't directed toward the Federation and its allies, there was still a general sense of subdued resentment that Keith experienced when he assumed his role as ambassador. The politicians were wary of him and the power that he represented. And they had every right to be.

In the silence that followed, Ian stole a glance over his shoulder. As the skipper had quietly stood near the mess hall window, the kyree and kenseng crew of Arastos, minus Kanolos and Riyla, had been engaged in an intense discussion concerning human politics. Presently, the group occupied a series of comfortable couches arranged about a card table in the middle of the space, everyone listening intently while Taylo attempted to hash out his opinion on the matter at hand.

The topic of interest for the Arastos crew turned out to be a rather heated issue at that very moment, revolving around one simple question. How should the Federation introduce new technology to the human race?

The problem was a troubling one. On the one hand, there was an urgent push to acquire technology as quickly as possible, to help bring mankind up to the same level as that of its stellar neighbors. And why shouldn't the Federation provide the means to help humanity advance? With the isolation policy no longer being enforced, Earth was very much exposed with little to no means of defending herself from alien aggressions. The Domain invasion proved this startling fact clearly. Even without Federation help, many nations across the globe were already in a frantic race to revamp their military strength... a move that was rapidly destabilizing what little order there was between countries.

Conversely, with the introduction of new technology came a great risk, one that was not fully understood by both sides of the argument. How would new innovations and state of the art concepts affect the human race as a whole? Was mankind ready to take on this sudden dynamic leap in technology? There was no telling what grave ramifications could occur. This was, in a sense, the main problem the Federation isolation policy of Earth had originally sought to avoid.

Much to Keith's dismay, this key issue had proved to be the main headache for his new occupation. Since he was the Ambassador to Earth, it was his responsibility to deal with headstrong politicians who practically demanded assistance from the Federation in the form of new military technologies. However, such an act was not deemed a wise course of action by the council convened to oversee human integration into the Federation Alliance. Thus, all Keith could do for now was stand fast by this decision handed down to him, and promise that when the time was right, aid would be given. Of course this didn't sit well with any of the human nations.

Even worse, the issue had spilled out into the general populace of Earth. As a result, two sides had formed with one standing by the demand for immediate Federation assistance, and the other arguing against such an action. Hell, there was even a growing minority of humans, termed the isolationists, who demanded the Federation remove itself from Earth completely. Add to that, unstable stock markets, periodic mass riots, weakened government influence, among other issues... and you had one hell of a mess. The situation, overall, was pure chaos.

The issue wasn't limited to humans alone. The crew of Arastos had also chosen their sides, and not everyone agreed on the best solution. Taylo and Eriras had taken up a stance against immediate Federation assistance, while Shyla, and to a lesser extent Yana, had argued in favor of the exact opposite. The one difference though, was that the Arastos crew went about the argument in a far more civilized manner than the more passionate human advocates on the surface below.

"... I'd say that at the very least, we should withhold giving the humans weapons," Taylo spoke. The russet-furred kenseng currently occupied a plush chair facing the nearby window where Ian stood, casually holding an opened beer in one hand. He had actually taken quite a liking to the human beverage. "If the council agrees to share technology, I'd say the best place to start is power generation."

Shyla nodded her head in accord before she replied. "I agree. We should, at the very least, introduce Earth to cleaner alternatives. Their coal and gas power concepts are completely inefficient. And their nuclear power is rather dangerous."

With Shyla heading up the debate on their end, Yanashi instead elected to remain silent, her head resting comfortably in her mate's lap as the kenseng gently massaged her wolfish ears to Yana's soft contented murr of approval. The grey kyree was perfectly happy to let Shyla do all the talking for her.

Taylo fixed Shyla with a resigned look. "I might not like it... but, the Federation will have to help Earth. In reality, it sounds like a compromise between the two sides will be the best course of action..."

As the crew's conversation continued on, Ian turned his gaze out toward the splendor of planet Earth once more. "I never would've imagined how much of a mess would result from this war," he spoke to both Keith and Lumina.

Keith hoisted his beer in agreement. "You don't have to tell me that twice. I deal with the problem on a daily basis."

"Ah... I almost forgot," Captain Rubin added. "You paid the UN a visit today. How did that go?"

Keith sighed deeply. "You think dealing with politicians on a one-on-one basis is bad enough, pack a giant room full of them... and you get one hell of a clusterfuck." He waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing really came out of the meeting besides a lot of posturing and useless speeches."

"You just have to give them time," Lumina chimed in sympathetically from alongside Keith. "The human political system is a disaster right now. But, steps are being taken in the right direction."

Keith gave a slight nod. "This is true. In time, everything should get worked out." At least, he hoped so.

In the wake of the Terran War, one of the first steps taken by the various nations of Earth had been to establish a unified political system. As luck would have it, this infrastructure already existed in the form of the United Nations. Consequently, the UN had been rapidly transformed into the primary political entity dealing with extraterrestrial affairs. The process was anything but smooth, and was still experiencing difficulties. Yet, slowly but surely, the various nations of Earth were coming together on a unified front.

The trouble wasn't limited to the humans, as the Federation also had scrambled to assemble a delegation to begin talks with the UN. Even now, fierce debates raged within the council and lesser branches of the Federation government on countless matters pertaining to the war's aftermath.

"If there is anything that I've learned about politicians," Ian remarked with a crooked smirk. "...it is that political issues typically get resolved quickly when you hold their feet to the fire." The skipper made a broad motion with his arm toward the expanse of space outside the ship window. "Considering how the drala swooped down from the heavens to make a mess of everything, I'm sure matters will get worked out rapidly."

Keith raised his beer once more. "I can only hope. I might go clinically insane at this rate."

From there, the conversation moved on to other more casual topics. Keith learned that Ian was an avid hockey fan, who routinely attended the local team's games in his hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana. Keith himself was more of a football follower, although he usually tried to avoid going to games in person. Why go and suffer through the awful weather, traffic, and terrible view from the stands, when you could just watch the plays up close in high definition from the comfort of your own home?

Ian, in turn, learned that Keith was a native to Florida, who lived in a modest apartment in Orlando. Or rather, he had before becoming part of the Federation crew. Captain Rubin couldn't begin to understand how tough the decision had been for the man before him to make. There was no telling where his new occupation would take him... how long he would be away from friends and family. Or, if he would even return to Earth once he traveled out beyond the stars. The implications of become part of the Arastos crew were dear. Nevertheless, Ian envied Keith for his chance to explore the far reaching corners of space.

While the two humans talked, Lumina stood nearby in rapt silence. She always liked to listen as her friends casually discussed matters of their lives. It gave her a chance to try imagining how it would feel to be in their shoes, either by asking herself hypothetical questions or running scenarios through her cognitive processes in a "what if" sort of way.

What would it be like to face the significant decision to abandon most of your life and join the crew of an alien starship? Would she have been capable of going through with such a choice herself? More and more Lumina wished she could experience the day to day life of her flesh and blood counterparts, for better or for worse. Sure, retaining a physical form had its drawbacks. But that didn't stop her from wanting to know what it truly felt like, even if only for a mere moment. The grass was always greener...

The questions and speculation dominated Lumina's awareness, until she suddenly realized her attention had slipped from the conversation altogether. With a start, the construct jolted her cognitive processes back into focus, which allowed her to branch her awareness out across the ship's sensors once more. This in turn brought her attention to the mated kyree pair of Kano and Riyla, who were just exiting the bridge.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, gentlemen," Lumina politely spoke, just as Keith was about to start into a lengthy account on how he had joined NASA. "Riyla and Kano have finished their work on the bridge." The construct's white kyree hologram casually folded her arms across the chest while both Keith and Ian turned to regard her. "How about you help Shyla get dinner started? I'm sure everyone is quite hungry by now."

The mention of food brought Keith's attention back to the fact that he was rather hungry indeed, a fact that didn't normally go well with drinking a beer. "Ah... that sounds like a great idea. I forgot I skipped lunch today." He rubbed the back of his head subconsciously. "It's been quite a busy day."

"I'd be happy to get dinner rolling," Ian added. "If there is one thing I've learned as a skipper, it's that you never let your crew go hungry." With that, the captain turned and moved toward where Shyla and the rest were still sitting.

As Keith and Lumina turned to follow suit, the construct leaned over toward her human counterpart. "I'm very interested to see how Captain Rubin prepares this meal," she spoke, making a show of rubbing her stomach. "I can't partake in the food... but I want you to tell me how good it is."

"Of course I will," Keith replied sincerely. "I'll make sure to sate your holographic hunger."

Lumina simply smiled in reply.

The dinner menu for the night was T-bone steak, with large baked Idaho potatoes and complementing fresh corn on the cob. The idea for the meal had actually come from Captain Rubin, once he had been invited up into orbit as a guest aboard Arastos. He could think of no better way to repay the crew for all of their help back a few months ago than a tasty steak dinner.

Earlier in the day, Arastos had made quite a grand entrance into Lafayette Regional Airport, in order to pick up her guest for the evening. Securing the landing rights to do so from the airport tower had been no small feat as matters had turned out. Though, after much explaining, Lumina had finally convinced the airport authority to let them land... provided a detachment of military personnel was mobilized from the National Guard base nearby as a precaution. It was obvious that a general sense of unease still existed toward the Federation, or any alien race for that matter.

Not much time had elapsed before a crowd of curious onlookers began congregating around Arastos after she had landed on the tarmac, as was expected. It wasn't often that an alien starship suddenly paid the small airport a visit out of the blue. Consequently, by the time a lone Jeep Grand Cherokee pulled up onto the tarmac alongside the parked spacecraft, a sizeable number of spectators were already looking on in wonder, in addition to a large detail of guardsmen armed with M4A1 carbines.

Even though he was expecting his ride up into space, that still didn't stop Ian from gawking in absolute wonder upon exiting his SUV; he was, after all, seeing the grandeur of Arastos for the first time without being underwater. She was a work of art, with a sleek and smooth metallic blue hull, conformed in a slender design that just looked fast sitting still. This was a vessel built purely for speed.

After removing a large cooler from the back of his car, which contained the items needed to prepare the night's dinner, Ian didn't waste any time making his way toward the waiting starship grav lift. As he walked, the skipper could feel the eyes of many on the back of his head. He had not counted on such an audience turning up to watch. But then again, who could miss the giant profile of the alien starship? She made the small commuter aircraft parked at the airport gates look like toys. Not only that, she was also the same starship that had been making news headlines for over a month now.

Without any further hesitation, Ian swiftly crossed the open tarmac to enter the ship's gravity lift, which quickly lifted the skipper up toward the starship superstructure above, much to the confusion of those looking on from nearby.

In that moment, as he levitated high above the ground with cooler positioned at his side, Ian couldn't help but reflect on how surreal the moment truly was. He was about to embark on a trip, however short it may be, to fulfill a lifetime goal that he had set as a child. In that very instant, he felt like a kid once more.

Since that fateful moment, Ian had come to relish every single second of his experience aboard Arastos. Now though, he had an obligation to uphold, that being to provide the crew with one hell of a meal as a sincere thanks for everything they had done for him. He couldn't afford to mess this opportunity up.

The meal wasn't overly complicated. Thus, Ian didn't expect the preparation to take too long. He just had to familiarize Shyla with the process of cooking the steak and side dishes, and learn how to operate the unfamiliar galley appliances that Arastos had onboard.

Much to Ian's earlier surprise, the crew had never tried any sort of steak since arriving on Earth before the war. The skipper had been floored when he learned that very fact. This made his endeavor to cook a meal they would never forget all the more significant. Oh... was he going to introduce them to the wonders of steak. There was arguably no greater culinary delight than a perfectly cooked and seasoned piece of delicious tender beef.

"I hope you're ready to help me whip up a meal that will knock everyone's socks off," Ian spoke to Shyla confidently, as he came to stand beside the kenseng, who was still seated comfortably on the couch with Yana in her lap. "I'm going to need your help to pull this off."

Shyla's ears twitched at the mention of her name. "Ah... I guess Riyla and Kano are on their way down?"

"Indeed."

The crimson furred kenseng carefully removed Yana from her lap, before standing with an audible groan of effort. "Alright, I look forward to learning how to properly cook a steak." Shyla deftly arched her back with hands extended above her head in a distinctive feline stretch, still keeping her regard on Ian as she got the blood flowing once more. "I always avoided preparing it for fear that I might ruin the taste for the others."

Captain Rubin made a show of cracking his knuckles. "Once I'm done teaching you, you'll never have to worry about that again."

***************

Dinner was every bit as delectable as Captain Rubin had claimed.

Though the process of preparing the meal had been fraught with several mishaps, mostly resulting from Ian's lack of experience working the unfamiliar heating range of the galley, the food was still exceptionally delicious to the palate.

Occupying the far end seat of the table within the mess hall, Ian watched with mirth and satisfaction while the kyree and kenseng crew practically devoured their food in an almost feral manner, forgoing tableside manners at times. That was certainly an interesting sight to behold. While he himself typically only consumed the leaner portions of his steak, each and every one of the Federation crew, save for Keith, had literally cleaned their T-bones down to the bone.

It was rewarding to see that his cooking was appreciated so much, especially since he hardly ever got to exercise his culinary prowess. The cooks on the Maryland would've thrown a fit if he had ever tried to mess about in their galley.

"Oh... that was good," Riyla suddenly proclaimed from the opposite end of the table. The black kyree pushed back slightly from the table surface with a sigh of relief, licking her chops in a canine manner as she did so. "I must admit, I loved every bit of that meal."

Ian allowed himself a smile. "I'm glad you did. I never get to cook for others... so it was my pleasure."

"So, Captain Rubin," Kanolos chimed in from alongside his mate. "What exactly did you do to make this so delicious?" The fox-furred kyree's dish was completely clean like Riyla's, barring the steak bone of course.

The skipper held up a finger with a grin. "Sorry Kano... family secret recipe I'm afraid."

Bewildered by Ian's answer, Kanolos turned to Shyla for help. But she just shrugged with a smile of her own. "I have to honor his family's secret," the kenseng replied, her mischievous tone indicating that she already knew said secret.

"What I can tell you," Ian continued, leaning back in his seat with arms folded smugly. "...is that I let the steaks marinate in a special sauce all day long. Once the favor is thoroughly soaked in, you throw 'em on the grill, adding a special blend of dry seasonings and sauces periodically as they cook to perfection." The captain turned his gaze briefly toward the galley. "You don't quite get the same flavor with that heating range as a charcoal grill... but it still works as a good substitute."

"That's a shame," Kano spoke, his expression downcast. "I don't know if I'll ever enjoy any meat dish again after sampling this."

Shyla's grin grew wider, causing Kanolos to take notice and look at her curiously. "You don't have to worry about that," she chuckled. "Captain Rubin was kind enough to pass his family's recipe on to me. Now that I've seen a master at work, I think I can nail it next time for sure."

The cook's statement elicited smiles from around the table. This was good news indeed.

"I'm happy I could pass my knowledge along," Ian added. He motioned to the now empty cooler that sat nearby. "I had quite a difficult time making sure I brought everything I needed up here. I don't think we could've turned the ship around and hit the grocery store in the event I had forgotten something."

"Well... we could've," Riyla chimed in, wearing a rather devious smirk. "Though, I don't think the locals would approve of such a venture... or my superiors for that matter."

During the brief pause that followed, Captain Rubin decided to find out the one thing that had been nagging at him all night.

"Now then... I've had this question for some time," Ian began, adjusting his glasses as he spoke. "What exactly happened to the Domain after they vacated Earth? There really hasn't been much news on Earth about the war beyond the fact that it is over."

The Federation crew all exchanged looks.

Before Riyla could answer, Eriras took up the lead. "We all forget that Earth is still relatively in the dark concerning stellar matters," the white furred kenseng replied. She pushed her plate out of the way and cupped her hands together on top of the table surface before speaking further. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner. To answer your question, quite a lot has happened to our former enemy."

The kenseng engineer paused, trying to find the right place to start. "You know about Taeskea, and his decision to rebel against the Domain Council?" The skipper nodded his head. "...as well as the full scope of the Ebola outbreak?"

"I believe so," Ian replied tentatively. "The drala allowed infected hosts to reach their homeworld of Helmos. Beyond that information, I don't know how bad the plague got."

Eriras's expression turned grim. "It was bad... very bad. The virus quickly broke out across the planet, inundating countless drala... I don't know how many died."

The rest of the crew mirrored the kenseng's dour look. Obviously, Ian's question had brought back into light a horrid consequence of the Terran War, one that the individuals around him had tried to forget.

Eriras went silent, allowing her mate to speak up. "Together, we worked with Taeskea and what remained of the invasion fleet to isolate the virus within his armada," Taylo added, taking up the dialogue in her stead. "Simultaneously, both the Federation and Taeskea tried establishing communications with the Domain leadership in the hope of helping to prevent a pandemic of the grandest scale... but, such efforts ultimately proved to be in vain."

Ian was completely blown away by this startling new information. "Jesus, I had no idea it was that bad."

"At least this story has somewhat of a happy ending," Taylo remarked evenly. "The deadly potency of the virus hit the drala territory hard, resulting in a general sense of panic amongst the various worlds. All the while, the Council apparently did little to stave off the epidemic, for reasons I'm not quite sure." The russet kenseng motioned with both hands in puzzlement. "Maybe the leadership was scared into inaction. Perhaps they removed themselves from the public for fear of contracting the deadly virus. We'll never really know."

Again Eriras picked up the conversation's thread. "The panic quickly grew into anger, which was directed toward the Council. At that point, Taeskea made his move and officially declared his rebellion against the Domain. From there, a civil war was started."

"Nobody wins in such a situation," Ian reasoned aloud.

Eriras nodded her head in agreement. "True... however, Taeskea understood what his foremost priority was, and that was to protect the wellbeing of the general populace." The white kenseng brought a hand up to stroke the side of her feline muzzle thoughtfully. "I have to give him credit, he is a very adept leader, whether he admits it or not. Almost the entire contingent of starship captains that had once made up the invasion force sided with him in the war... that certainly says a lot about his leadership."

Captain Rubin was beginning to see the drala admiral's strategy. "So, he directed his efforts toward winning over the people, as opposed to fighting against his opponent in open military combat?"

Eriras's ears twitched keenly. "Exactly! His goal was to not fire a single shot. Doing so would've been a waste of precious time and resources, with the Ebola virus wreaking outright havoc in the meantime." She raised a finger to emphasize her next point. "The real enemy here was the virus itself, not the Council."

"We're not sure how he did it exactly," Taylo chimed in from beside his mate. "But, Taeskea somehow garnered favor with most of the commanding admirals and captains throughout the drala fleet. My guess is through numerous backchannels." The kenseng shifted in his seat, propping his elbows on the table surface while folding his hands together. "He also gathered strong support amongst the various colony planets... this all taking place in a matter of days, mind you."

"He was quite the busy individual," Ian observed with reverence.

"And it paid off in the end. With enough support behind him, Taeskea launched a swift assault on Helmos, right into the heart of his adversary's defenses." Taylo made a motion of slamming a balled fist into his other opened hand with an audible thwap. "However, what support the Council had was already gone by then. Taeskea smashed what meager resistance remained... basically winning the conflict with hardly a shot fired... relatively speaking."

"What happened to the Council?" Captain Rubin inquired. "I take it they're no longer in power?"

This time, Eriras spoke in response. "Swift justice... but not by Taeskea's hands. From what we have learned so far, a horde of furious civilians descended upon the Council Assembly, overwhelmed the security and basically wrecked the place."

Eriras took a quick sip of her drink before continuing. "When word of Taeskea's assault reached the ears of the local populace they rose up and took matters into their own hands before he even arrived. The Council members who were not fortunate enough to escape were killed outright. Those that remain in hiding, as we understand, are being relentlessly pursued by agents of Taeskea and the Federation...quite the twist of fate, eh?"

Ian simply shook his head in disbelief. "People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." The skipper's words provoked reflective looks from the kyree and kenseng crew around him.

"That is a rather insightful thought," Keith mused, speaking up for the first time. "I know I've heard that somewhere before."

"I'm just quoting a certain masked vigilante," Ian replied, grinning slightly.

That was enough to jog Keith's memory. "Ah... yes. The context of that particular movie relates to this situation closely." He turned his attention toward the others. "Sometime later, I'll have to show this film to you all."

"In any case," Taylo spoke, bringing the conversation back to the initial topic. "Before Taeskea routed the Council from power, efforts were already underway by various local governments to quarantine the Ebola virus, to try preventing any further spread. Once Taeskea assumed power, he quickly moved to integrate the efforts into one cohesive strategy. From there, it was only a matter of attrition."

Ian shook his head dismally. "I don't even want to know how many lost their lives."

"Honestly, we don't even know how bad it truly was. Although, it was made apparent that the pathogen had spread to several colony worlds before they finally isolated it. Even now, sporadic outbreaks keep popping up from what we're told."

It was at that moment that Riyla elected to join the conversation, after having kept silent through most of the discourse.

"There is some good that came from this war," the captain stated. "...the silver lining, if you will. The Federation now holds strong ties to the Domain under Taeskea's leadership. There is even talk of an alliance between us and them... although; Taeskea has made it perfectly clear that won't happen until a new Domain government is elected." The black kyree uttered a heavy sigh, as if to clear the horridness of the war from her mind. "That is the whole story... and the rest, as you humans like to say, is history."

"It is noble of Taeskea to allow a new government to be elected," Ian finally remarked, after a moment's consideration.

"He is really not one for politics," Riyla replied, with just the slightest hint of a smile gracing her muzzle. "After meeting the admiral in person, it was clear he really had no desire to pursue any political goals. Hell, those that had served under his command had practically thrust the title of chancellor into his lap once the war was over... and he had indignantly refused to accept such a thing." The captain couldn't help but let her smile deepen as she considered the absurdity of it all.

On the whole, Taeskea really was the right individual for the job when it came to leading the Domain into a new era. The drala race really needed a strong figurehead to rally behind, and there was no better individual than him. Perhaps, eventually, he would be convinced to take up the position.

"Let's forget about what was and has been," Keith proclaimed after the captain had gone silent. "That's not the reason we're here together tonight."

"Indeed," Riyla agreed. There was no sense dwelling on the past. "Now then... how about we finish up this meal with some dessert?"

Shyla nodded her head. "Sounds like a good idea," the crimson furred kenseng replied, making a move to stand from her chair. "I have fresh baked apple pie and marble chocolate cheesecake, in keeping with the theme of human foods for this evening."

Of course, no one around the table had room for dessert. Ian wouldn't have called his meal a success if anyone had still been hungry afterward. That fact notwithstanding, a full stomach wasn't going to stop the crew from eating their dessert anyway.

"I've heard that Shyla is very good at baking sweets," Ian spoke. He made a show of pushing his plate aside to make room. "We shall see how your apple pie stacks up against my family's famous dessert."

"I accept your challenge, Captain Rubin." With those words and an evil look, Shyla padded toward the galley, her feline tail flicking about rhythmically behind the kenseng's figure as she walked.

Riyla watched Shyla disappear into the galley with interest, anticipating the delicious food to come. "I think she'll give your family's recipe a run for its money," the captain proclaimed confidently. "If there is anything Shyla is known for, it is her talent for baking sweets."

Ian was about to retort, when abruptly, Lumina's hologram materialized next to where the captain still sat at the table.

Up until now, the A.I. had been absent from the meal, since she figured it would have been awkward watching the others enjoy their meal. However, a peculiar matter had come to her attention only moments ago, which justified notifying the captain right away.

The look of puzzlement from the white kyree hologram gave Riyla pause. Not often did Lumina wear such an expression, indicating something was amiss. "What's wrong?!" the captain asked with concern, turning in her chair to fully regard the A.I.

Lumina wavered for a moment, trying to find the right words to say. "I... erm... I'm not quite sure to be honest." Her pointy ears splayed back slightly. "There's a cargo ship approaching us, the Haloyer. Her captain is requesting permission to dock..."

Riyla raised an eyebrow as she finished the construct's words for her. "...but?"

"It's a standard cargo delivery, except for one item that I can't find any information on."

That statement triggered a few looks of bafflement from the crew still sitting around the table. This was Lumina, the most technologically savvy A.I. construct the Federation had ever created. There was no information that she could not get her hands on; electronic espionage was her defining quality. To hear the construct admit she could not find delivery information on a package destined for their ship was a rather unsettling thing.

Yet realization dawned on the crew of Arastos quickly thereafter, Riyla included. So... that package had finally arrived. The night was going to get very interesting for sure... but first, a little subterfuge was in order at Lumina's expense.

If anyone had shown any outward signs that they knew of the mysterious delivery, Lumina didn't notice. "Should I still allow the Haloyer to dock with us?" the construct asked, her expression a study of bewilderment. "The resupply vessel is holding position in orbit nearby."

In response, Riyla tilted her head slightly as she feigned thinking the matter over. "Hmm... I don't really see any danger in it," the captain replied dismissively. "I'm sure there is nothing hazardous about any of the cargo aboard. The Haloyer is, after all, part of the Axis fleet. Go ahead and allow them to dock when able."

The black kyree's indifference only deepened Lumina's puzzlement. "Are you sure? I've scoured the Federation net trying to find any trace of information relating to this delivery... I can't find a shred of data anywhere. Doesn't that seem... a little odd?"

"Well... yes. But sometimes data gets lost or corrupted. I'm sure it's nothing."

Lumina went silent, her brow furrowing in thought. There was something more to this than the captain was letting on. While Riyla had a good poker face, the construct still knew the subtle tells to look for. It always helped having a visual acuity unparalleled by the rest of the crew.

So then, why was the captain trying to play this off as nothing out of the norm? Obviously, whatever this mysterious delivery was, it had something to do with Lumina. There was no other explanation for the lack of information and Riyla's deception.

The black kyree could see the realization play across Lumina's expression. You couldn't fool an A.I. construct of her caliber for long. It was a small miracle that the plan had made it this far without her learning of its inception. Now that she had caught on, it was time to tweak the construct's tail as long as Riyla could.

"I can see there is no fooling you," the captain finally admitted, wearing a wicked smirk that made Lumina frown in bewilderment. "Yes, I know what this delivery is." Riyla paused while her smirk grew big enough to flash canine fangs wickedly.

After a moment of silence, Lumina realized the captain wasn't going to say anything else. "Well, what is it then?" the construct asked, concern quite evident in her tone.

"Don't worry your holographic butt," Riyla chided teasingly. "We're not taking you offline or any nonsense like that."

The captain's reply did little to quell Lumina's growing anxiety. "That doesn't make me feel any better! Why can't I find any information on this?!"

"That's an easy one," Taylo replied from the other side of the table. The kenseng engineer wore the same smug grin as the captain when Lumina whirled around to face him. "If you want to hide something from an A.I. who can practically break into any protected system... how do you do it?"

Lumina remained quiet as she folded her arms across the chest contemptuously. It was now apparent the crew was getting quite a kick out of this, judging by all of the mischievous looks around the table. The A.I. was rapidly losing her patience.

"The best way to hide something from an A.I. such as yourself," Taylo continued after a moment's pause. "...is to not leave any information for you to find in the first place."

"So why can't I know what this delivery is then?" Lumina asked tersely. "I see now that you've gone to great lengths to hide this from me."

Taylo's grin only grew wider. "Where is the fun in that? I just like rubbing your fur the wrong way."

Lumina exhaled through the sides of her muzzle, frustration clearly getting the better of her. No matter how much she searched, the construct just couldn't find any information at all. They really had pulled one over on her. She just had to find something. There was no way the construct was going to let them win at this little game.

Once more, Lumina swiftly dove back into the Federation net. First, she accessed the computer core of the Haloyer cargo vessel. Pouring through the copious amount of files in the vessel's systems, she found records for fuel rods, spare plasma coils, a small shipment of firearms, emergency food rations, replacement power relays, and an assortment of medical supplies... but again, she found no data pertaining to the large container housed conspicuously away from the rest of the cargo in the ship's main hold.

Even more curious was the fact that the Haloyer was running under Class 5 operating conditions, a tactic typically reserved for times of war. For ships that didn't retain the same sophisticated stealth countermeasures like Arastos, the next best option for remaining undetected by the enemy was to effectively power down the vessel. By doing so, the hope was to reduce thermal, magnetic, and any other form of radiation given off by the starship, to the point of blending in with the background noise of space. In reality, the strategy was no different than the tactics Captain Rubin used aboard the Maryland.

Unfortunately for Lumina, since the ship was running under such a reduced power setting, all internal sensors aboard were inactive... so much for trying to scan the container. When she had asked, the captain of the cargo ship simply stated her vessel was undergoing routine maintenance. The lie was painfully obvious, but the construct couldn't dispute her words.

That wasn't to say she couldn't have easily overridden the command protocols of the captain and forcibly rebooted the Haloyer's internal systems. But that was definitely overstepping the A.I.'s authority in a major way. She just couldn't do that. The Arastos crew really had thought of every conceivable way Lumina could possibly learn of the container's contents.

From the Haloyer mainframe, Lumina backtracked the ship's itinerary to a cargo hub in orbit around Sora. Yet, the strange container was already aboard at that point. Further back she went, discovering that before docking in orbit, the Haloyer had been on the planet surface below... and then... the records ceased. The data was just... gone.

How the hell was that possible? The amount of data manipulation required to completely erase a ship's history was extraordinary. There were orbital sensors, other starships, and the Federation network, among other sources, that tracked a vessel's progress through space at any given time.

Withdrawing her influence from the Federation network, Lumina turned toward Riyla, who was still grinning at the construct. For a moment, the A.I. was at a loss for words as her muzzle hung open.

"Not a shred of data, eh?" the captain inquired teasingly.

"What the hell is this?!" Lumina blurted out. In a rush she spun to face Keith. "Please tell me what's going on!"

Keith's expression was one of sympathy for her. "I'm sorry Lumina. I'm under orders to hold my tongue on this one."

Lumina said nothing more. Instead, her hologram vanished from sight, leaving Keith to wonder if perhaps they had taken this too far.

"Don't worry," Riyla spoke up from the other side of the table. "Before you joined the crew, she used to razz us like this all the time. It's good to get in a little payback."

Keith once more turned his attention to the spot where Lumina's hologram had vanished. "If you say so..."

"I don't know about you all," Kanolos chimed in. "But, I'm very curious to see this delivery for myself." The pilot turned to Captain Rubin. "I don't suppose you would mind foregoing dessert?"

Ian simply shrugged. "I'm quite content as it is... and very interested to see what all this hype is about to be honest."

"Well, that settles that then," Riyla proclaimed, making a move to stand from her chair. "I'll get in contact with the Haloyer's captain and clear her in to dock." The black kyree regarded Ian knowingly while everyone else stood to follow in her wake. "I think you're going to get a kick out of this, Captain Rubin."

***************

Roughly 30 minutes later, the contingent of kyree, kenseng, and humans found themselves gathered within the spacious accommodations of the ship's cargo hold. The normally dim lighting of the space had been raised to a much brighter setting, bathing the surrounding bulkheads in bright light to reveal the large stacks of containers arranged about. Along the one side bulkhead where the crew and their guest stood, a large cargo hatch remained open, with a transfer passageway beyond that currently linked the Haloyer to their vessel.

The cargo starship was nothing special to look at, as she orbited alongside Arastos to allow for the cargo shipment to be offloaded. Retaining almost a box-like configuration, the vessel's design was optimized for cargo transportation, and not much else. She only had two stubby slipstream nacelles and couldn't even make a quarter of Arastos's max speed.

However, that didn't matter to the Haloyer's captain, who still took pride in commanding her ship. Standing only as tall as Riyla's hip, the delvan wasn't much of an imposing figure physically speaking. However, her demeanor radiated with the same authoritative presence as her kyree counterpart. There was little doubt she ran a tight ship.

Ian had been completely blown away by the small alien's appearance. She was like some sort of hybrid cross between the kyree and kenseng, with a bushy canine tail and feline facial features. Yet, the most striking feature of the delvan was her prominent pattern of blue fur, with just a shade of purple woven in. She certainly stood out compared to the more muted fur colors of the Arastos crew. Ian couldn't help but wonder what sort of environment the delvan race evolved from... surely their world was no less stunning a sight than the race itself.

"I believe that is everything on the cargo manifest," Riyla spoke in Federation Basic, as she eyed a datapad containing the list of supplies. "I wasn't expecting you so soon, Captain Le'ayra."

"I never like to be late with my deliveries," the delvan responded with pride. "Now then... I believe there is one more item to offload." As if summoned by her words, a kenseng medical officer padded into view, pushing a rather large container down the cargo passageway toward the crew. "Ah... and there it is."

To the outside observer, the container was about the size and shape of a large refrigerator laid down lengthwise. More interesting to the humans though, was how the metallic case levitated roughly two feet off the ground, as it rested atop a hovering dolly pushed by the kenseng effortlessly.

"Glad to see it arrived in one piece," Riyla spoke. The black kyree gave the datapad another quick glance, before pressing her thumb against the screen to formally accept the shipment. "Everything should be good to go." With that, she passed the handheld device back to her delvan colleague. "Have a safe flight back home."

The delvan gave a slight nod while she accepted the pad back. "Thanks. Good luck with your... endeavor. I wish I could stay and see this for myself."

As the Haloyer's captain turned and began to pad down the passageway back to her ship, the kenseng medical officer brought the large container to a stop next to Yanashi. "Take good care of it for me," he spoke to the grey kyree. "I've been in charge of its safekeeping for several days. Would hate to see something go wrong now."

Yanashi carefully surveyed the container with a scrupulous eye. "I will... I've been briefed on all technical aspects of this project." The kyree rested a hand against the smooth metallic surface of the case. "I'll make sure this goes over without a hitch."

That seemed to be all the convincing the kenseng medical officer needed. "Alright... I look forward to hearing about the results." He relinquished custody of the container and stepped back. "Good luck to you all... I wish Lumina well."

Soon after the kenseng's departure, the large hatch was sealed shut, leaving the Arastos crew with their newly acquired cargo. The Haloyer subsequently wasted no time detaching from their ship to depart back toward Sora, to receive its next cargo shipment destined for another distant corner of Federation territory.

"I need to get this to sickbay right away," Yana spoke, patting the case with a hand.

"Do you think it survived the trip ok?" Riyla inquired, her voice laced with concern.

"Oh yes, definitely. This container was custom made for this. I just want to get everything stabilized as quickly as I can."

Not wasting another moment, the group set off for the nearby cargo elevator, which was needed to bring the case and hover dolly up to the next deck above. As Yana lead, pushing the bulky container in front of her, Keith let his gaze stray around the various bulkheads of the cargo hold. He wondered what Lumina was thinking at that very moment. Surely she was watching their every move. She had to be, given that her awareness was spread out across the entirety of the ship.

Had Taylo not yanked the control circuit cards to the internal and external sensor grids, the A.I. undoubtedly would have already scanned the container by now and ruined the surprise... and was this ever a surprise. From what the crew had told him, away from Lumina's prying ears, she truly had no idea what they had in store for her.

It only took several moments for Yana to reach the cargo lift. The following ride up to the deck above didn't take long, and before Keith realized it, the group was standing in front of sickbay with their mysterious package.

Still, Lumina elected to remain aloof, while Yana pushed the hovering dolly into the medical facility, causing the lights to snap on and illuminate the immaculately clean space. The whole facility was brimming with medical equipment positioned about the surrounding bulkheads and patient beds, arranged so for rapid accessibility during a medical emergency. The brightness of the compartment was rather overwhelming to the eye at first glance.

Without pause, Yanashi swiftly pushed the container over toward the center patient bed, which dominated the space. Once the dolly and container were secured in place alongside the bed, the grey kyree then moved to begin gathering various medical instruments from a nearby storage locker.

"Keith, can I use your assistance for a moment?" Yana spoke, causing the human to visibly start where he stood nearby. It was noteworthy to everyone present how the kyree's tone had taken on that certain confidence and authority of a doctor instructing a patient.

"Sure... what exactly do I need to do?" Tentatively, Keith moved to stand alongside the container, while Yana continued to rummage through numerous drawers, her bushy tail slowly swaying about behind her figure.

After a brief moment, the physician turned and padded back toward the container with an armful of instruments. "I just need your help removing the case lid," the kyree replied, allowing herself a rare smile. "I figured since you are so close to Lumina, it would be fitting to have you help."

Keith had no fur to mask the blush that appeared across his face at the grey kyree's remark. "Uh... erm..." His words trailed off.

Yana's tail wagged at seeing Keith so flustered, causing the other crew members to exchange looks. It was not often that the normally subdued kyree allowed herself to get so excited. But then again, everyone was eager. That is, everyone was excited except for Captain Rubin, who was still very much in the dark as to what was going on. Not wanting to interfere though, Ian elected to remain silent and watch from the corner of the room.

After arranging her medical instruments neatly on a table next to the container, Yana's tail continued to wag excitedly as she bent down to thumb open a small latch along the side of the metal case, which subsequently fell open to reveal a keypad inside. Without a moment's hesitation, the kyree then reached down and punched in a series of commands.

Keith nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden dramatic hiss of pressure that released as the case lid popped slightly ajar. However, he quickly composed himself once more, realizing that Yana was now looking at him eagerly.

"Go ahead," the grey kyree spoke, still smiling. "The honor is all you." She motioned with a hand for him to proceed.

Keith hesitated, visibly steeling himself while he gazed down at the case. He already knew what was inside. But still, he couldn't help but feel anxious.

As the others looked on keenly, the human carefully hooked his fingers under both edges of the lid surface... and lifted upward.

Suddenly, Lumina's hologram materialized at Keith's side, right as he pulled the lid completely off the container, fully revealing the mystery that was inside.

In that very instant, only one word escaped the human's mouth, while Lumina's muzzle fell open in utter shock.

"Wow..."

There, carefully cradled within an isolating layer of biostatic gel, was a female kyree. A female kyree, which retained a strikingly white fur coat... the very same distinct fur of Lumina's holographic projection.

For an infinite moment, both Keith and Lumina stood there looking down into the opened container with astonishment, until the construct finally managed to voice the only staggering question she could muster.

"What is this?!"

In response, Riyla stepped forward, wearing quite the grin.

"Isn't it obvious? It's you..."