FSE

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"That wasn't so hard," Lance stated as he sat down at the largest of tables in the mess hall.

"There's good reason for that," Ruby added as he sat down opposite the wolf. Jessica sat next to Lance and Jeeves sat next to her. Curtis sat next to Ruby with Bell sitting on the Collie's other side, opposite Jess.

"That was just the first three levels of the simulation," Jess explained before stuffing a spoonful of stew in her mouth.

"How many levels are there?" Lance inquired hesitantly.

"Seven in all," Ruby explained, "Each much harder than the previous. From the fourth level onward, there's even a timer."

"What's the matter, kid? You look nervous," Bell observed, leaning back in her seat as she sipped a cup of tea.

Lance couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the whole prospect. Like a child trying to measure up to men, the wolf was beginning to feel as though he might not be up to par. Fears began to well up; could he match these veterans in skill? Could he keep up when it counted? What would happen if he couldn't?

"Remember that the courses are just a means of gauging your level of skill. They aren't a test you need to pass," Ruby reminded Lance, though the collie's words did little to put the wolf's worries to rest.

"Who..." Lance began. But his question trailed off as soon as he began to ask it.

"Holds the highest record?" Jess finished. "That's you, isn't it, Bell?"

"17 seconds," Curtis mused as he carved a hunk of steak with his knife and fork.

"Everyone's tried level 7 at one point or another," Jess stated, "but that's about it. Level 6 is brutal enough. Most of the time we get shot down before reaching the halfway mark."

"Don't look at it as some kind of competition," Ruby said, "It's a tool intended for honing and gauging your skills, nothing more."

"Level 5 is considered to be an accurate simulation of the average mission conditions," Jeeves pointed out.

"Get through level 5 with half your hull intact and you'll be doing just fine," Ruby reassured the wolf.

"And where have you been?" Bell suddenly piped up, turning her attention to the stallion as he entered the spacious room.

"Just taking care of some things," Arnold politely avoided, "How did the evaluation go?"

"As expected," Ruby smiled.

Arnold nodded to Lance before making his way over to the food display case.

"So, what happens now?" Lance asked.

"Now... That's up to you," Ruby answered.

"You can either let the evaluation sit or you can train some more in the simulation Arwing," Jess but in, "Personally I'd do at least a couple of runs through level 4."

"It'll be a few days until you are placed on the roster to receive a mission," Ruby continued, "You should use that time to familiarise yourself with the Great Fox as it will now be your home. And, as Jess so elegantly put it, it wouldn't hurt to train some more. In fact, you'd be wise to run a simulation on a regular basis."

Arnold soon joined the group, sitting on the opposite side of Lance with a plate full of assorted finger foods.

"Don't you ever eat a regular breakfast?" Bell remarked.

"I ate breakfast earlier this morning," Arnold replied in his proper tone. "What about you, Lance? Not hungry?"

The stallion calmly took a bite of a small spring roll as he awaited the wolf's reply.

"I... guess I forgot in all the excitement," Lance said as he looked at the empty table in front of him.

The day progressed and Lance soon began to feel his fears subside. Stories had given the wolf an impression of mercenary work that was not quite true. Now, faced with reality, Lance felt as though he was a boy signing up to join an army of titans. With the group split off to do their own things, the new recruit had found his way to one of the Great Fox's observation decks. Standing in front of the massive window, he reflected on his image of mercenary work and how it differed from reality.

"It's not quite what you expected, is it?" Jess commented.

Startled, Lance turned to see the panther leaning against the wall behind him.

"No," Lance replied, "Not really. I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be so... professional."

Jess laughed.

"Well, that's what makes us so good. We're organised. We don't just accept a job and then run into the fight half cocked. Just remember, you're here for a reason. And that reason is not because you want to be a mercenary; it's because you have the skills to be one of the best mercenaries out here."

Lance smiled at Jess' words. He'd almost forgotten how skilled of a pilot he was and that without those skills he wouldn't have even been considered.

Out side the window, the empty void of space stretched on, dotted by the stars of the galaxy. For the first time, Lance realised that the Great Fox was no longer in orbit around Corneria, or for that matter, even in the Lylat System. There was no sign of any star systems at all.

"Where are we?" Lance asked, looking out the window again.

"Tauran system, on the farther edges of the Eividoss sector," the panther replied, joining Lance by the window.

"What? How..." Lance looked at Jessica in complete amazement and confusion.

"How did we get here overnight?" the feline guessed Lance's question. "About 3 years ago, we were commissioned by the Aladrian Confederate to aid them in a major defensive battle against an invading force. As payment, a state-of-the-art engine was installed on the Great Fox. I don't know the technical name, but some of us have come to call it a Punch Drive due to the manner in which it appears to punch its way through space."

"I... don't understand. Aladria and Corneria are allies; wouldn't such drive technology have been shared with Cornerian forces?" Lance was growing even more confused.

Jess turned to face the wolf and explained, "The drive is still relatively experimental. While it does work, only Dreadnaught class ships are currently able to make use of it. For that reason, it's still technically under development. However, the Great Fox is big enough to use it, so we were given the prototype."

"I see," Lance said, absorbing the information as he looked out the window again. "But, I still don't understand. Tauran is so far from Corneria. To travel that distance over night... is that kind of speed even possible?"

Jess smiled and chuckled a little.

"Speed doesn't have anything to do with it. Put simply, the drive accesses a nexus of sorts, a sub-dimension within our own space-time, where matter acts... a little differently. There is no measurement of distance between one place and another there. The ship enters at one location and exits at another. The whole trip takes around ten minutes, tops, regardless of how far or near the destination is. At least, that's how Ruby translated Jeeves' technical explanation."

Lance just stared at Jess with wide eyes who just laughed at the wolf.

"Try not to think about it," Jess suggested, "It'll only scramble your brain. And you're going to need that. I'll be in the lounge if you need me."

With a friendly pat on the shoulder, the female panther left Lance standing on the observation deck, trying to wrap his head around the concept of how the Great Fox's 'Punch Drive' worked.

Over the following days, Lance continued to run simulation courses while occasionally mingling with his fellow mercs. Jess was the most social of the bunch. She always seemed eager to speak with Lance, whether or not someone else was talking to him first. Ruby was friendly and willing to talk, but was more calm than the seemingly hyperactive feline and usually didn't ramble.

Jeeves and Arnold were both happy to socialise, though most of what Jeeves said went over Lance's head and conversations with Arnold typically resulted in the stallion rattling on about family affaires and politics. Bell and Curtis were the most quiet. In fact, Lance rarely saw Curtis and often wondered where the big guy spent his time. And Bell, while she didn't show any signs of discomfort when Lance was in her company, spoke very little, usually answering questions with short, simple answers that didn't really tell anyone anything. The black wolf also met a variety of other crew members. But they never seemed to have time to stop and chat.

"He really is an exceptional pilot," Arnold said, "He's also eager and very social."

"I want you to watch him," Krystal calmly and coldly ordered, "His skills are an excellent addition to the team. But he is naive and I don't need him getting attached to people."

"I'll talk to him," the stallion offered.

"Do that. Make sure that he understands this is not some friendship club. This is a business and pilots who act stupidly are of no value to me."

The naked, blue and white fox lifted herself up from her kneeling position. Arnold's thick, equine manhood slowly slid out of her body, accompanied by a small tide of cum. Without so much as a second glance, Krystal got off her bed and walked into the bathroom attached to her captain's quarters. The stallion watched as Krystal turned on the shower and began calmly washing, not caring in the least that she was completely exposed. After a few minutes of watching the curvy vixen, Arnold grabbed a towel and wiped himself off before getting dressed and leaving to find Lance.