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The room was dark and cool, almost exactly the same as how it had been when it was first entered. The silence was nice, although somewhat unnerving, the only thing that Zynnis could hear was his own steady breathing. His eyes snapped open, his brilliant green orbs easily visible in the dark. He stretched awkwardly with a loud yawn and rolled over onto his side to look at trip, who as usual, wasn't anywhere in sight. Zynnis sighed as he rolled onto his back, stretching again, this time leaving his injured right arm at his side. He already knew that the upcoming day was going to be somewhat miserable, which left his sore, hurting body, altogether unmotivated.

Zynnis laid in the bed for a few more minutes, letting his mind wander aimlessly in various directions, some of which he had rather not have let it. One of those directions just happened to be his somewhat unnerving attraction that had been making his normally simple life increasingly more interesting, hectic, and above all, miserable. Zynnis' attractions to those of the Dragon species was already causing him issues when it came to his professional relationship with this new associate, but Styrr's pushy and dominant attitude was the type of attitude that the hybrid was strongly attracted to. As much as an annoyance it was to deal with, oddly enough, Zynnis admired those traits, it just so happens that many times an attitude like that was what got things done.

Unfortunately for Zynnis, Styrr's personality wasn't the only thing that piqued the hybrid's interest. The dragon's large body, muscular chest and arms, and round belly gave him that other, more experienced look that Zynnis found downright mesmerizing. The dragon's physique showed his somewhat obvious warriors past, and the way he stood was tall and proud, and the same could be said by the way he sat. The dragon carried himself with pride, and the way he walked, and looked around, one could tell that he was always ready for a fight, especially when he left his hand down at his side, cocked and ready to draw a weapon, regardless if it was actually strapped to his side or not. Styrr's ability to work on the business side of things awed Zynnis. He himself was a master of his craft, but that craft was fighting, not business. Perhaps it was Styrr's whole mysterious background and clouded history that drew Zynnis deeper and deeper into his carefully concealed infatuation.

The worst part of the entire situation was not the arrogance of the businessman, but the fact that Zynnis was already attracted to him and honestly didn't care for him in the slightest bit. He smiled at himself and shook his head, there were too many times that his wandering mind had gotten him in trouble, not to mention put him in even more awkward situations. He chuckled and quickly cleared his mind of any and all thoughts relating to Styrr Kinster, the last thing he needed was issues with a potential business partner, end he especially didn't want to be on the receiving end of any repercussions coming from his current business partner.

He reached into one of his pants pockets and pulled out his small PDA, usually, his pants were located on the floor, but he had been in too much pain to care before curling up on the bed. He navigated through the touch screen and checked his inbox, fortunately, there was nothing there, no emails, voice mails, or video messages. There was only one explanation for that, and it was simple: Trip had forwarded all of his bosses workload to himself. It pained him that Trip would take the extra responsibilities so willingly, just so the hybrid could rest a little longer and spend more time enjoying himself while he was back home. Trip was the only one that Zynnis had truly learned to appreciate, respect, and love.

The two of them had been taking care of each other for years, and it was always the same things going on between them, Trip would go off on his own and do extra work somewhere quiet and peaceful, the wolf was always off doing something that didn't catch Zynnis' attention or interest, regardless of whose responsibility it should have been. Zynnis was good at the leading, and trip was good at the business, there were many times Trip had come behind Zynnis and cleaned up a mess that had already been made, or was in the process of being made. Business wasn't Zynnis' strong suit, and he knew it, which was why Trip always made himself available.

Zynnis finally found what little motivation he had to roll himself out of the bed, the cold air hitting him square in the bare chest and almost knocking the wind out of him. He contemplated a shirt, but then decided a bare chest would be the most comfortable way for him to be due to the half healed wound that stretched painfully across his chest. He turned towards the door and squinted at the almost invisible cracks of light around it, Trip was at the desk, the wolf was probably sitting there doing the what seemed to be never ending chores of a responsible director.

Zynnis reached for his utility belt that he had tossed on a nearby dresser earlier in the day and tried to wrap it around his waist and clip it together, but found that his injured arm was hurt much more than he had thought. He quickly gave up on trying to secure it, and opted to sling it around his good arm's shoulder, his two custom pistols slapping against his chest and back, stinging his already aching wounds. He knew it was unnecessary for him to arm himself while aboard his own ship, amongst his brother and sisters in arms, many of which he had personally trained. The truth of it was that it brought him a little more peace and security, which in turn made it that much easier for him to get through his days.

Zynnis sighed deeply, knowing that whatever Trip had in store for him, be it irritating or miserable work, would better his company and his people. He also knew that the harder he tried, or at least pretended to care, the happier Trip would be, and the less reprimands he would have to endure from the strict Director. With those last few thoughts, Zynnis stepped closer to the door, activating the sensors that opened it quickly and silently, the warmer air from the office rushing in and over Zynnis' cold body. The temperature difference must have been noticeable to Trip as well, he was sitting at the desk, completely naked, busily typing at his screen, seemingly oblivious to Zynnis as he slowly crept up behind the wolf.

"Well, you sure slept long enough," Zynnis didn't know whether the wolf was scolding him, or just making a comment about his current sleeping habit, "You really ought to have slept in longer when you got back, but instead you wasted more energy trying to kill our new friend."

Zynnis snorted, "You mean your new friend," Trip was already trying to get under his skin, and for reasons that Zynnis didn't know, "I can't stand him. I honestly wish you would have just let me shoot him and we could have been done with the situation completely. That's what I wanted."

"Should have, could have, would have, but I didn't. I don't know if you realize how much the intel that dragon has is worth. You of all people should understand what that means."

Zynnis could only sigh in agreement as he finished closing the distance between himself and the large wolf. He wrapped his arms around the his friends huge frame, "You know I don't like talking about work as soon as I roll out of bed. Speaking of which, you're up early aren't you? What time is it? Five, six in the morning?"

"Nine in the morning actually, the workday technically started two hours ago." The wolf was still typing away at his screen, trying to ignore the hybrid's obvious gesture of love. Trip loved the Hybrid, and enjoyed him probably more than anyone else could, or should, but sometimes, he was downright unlikeable.

"But I just got back from a disastrous," Zynnis paused and thought for a moment recalling the past weeks events, "Yet successful mission. I always thought we took the rest of the week off afterward." Zynnis was grinning from ear to ear as he rubbed his paws over the wolf's strong chest.

Trip shrugged him off and turned his chair around, looking his Commander over, "Yes, but there are several things different about this time around. First, you caused a huge political mess that involves not only the politics on Avedon, but our actual public relations as well. That needs cleaned up, and god knows you're not going to do it, so that responsibility falls on me. Second, your dumb ass shot at a paying customer, one of which has quite a bit of pull and influence on a large majority of planets and systems. Last, and most certainly not least, you've got yourself so injured you can't even manage to preform every day simple tasks, for example," the wolf gestured at Zynnis' belt hanging on his shoulder, "like lifting and clipping your belt around your waist. It's not that heavy, I have one too."

Zynnis raised an eyebrow, unsure of how to respond. The wolf made valid points, which was irritating, but also cute. The Hybrid wasn't sure if he wanted to say anything to make the tame tone that Trip had change to a more harsh one.

"Yes, I did indeed noticed that you tried to play it off as you don't want to wear it. Does it still seem like it is a good time to call for a celebration?" Trip wasn't quite glaring yet, but Zynnis knew by the look that he was being given that there was only one answer to that question, and they both already knew what it was, "So today, we continue normal operations, with the one difference being that you are going to be taking things easy. Understood?"

Zynnis nodded, knowing that for him to argue would be almost the same thing as committing suicide by sharp tongue. The look that he was being given now confirmed his theory, he knew his docket was full for the day, and wasn't going to even try to get out of anything, "fair enough, since you already know I'm having issues, why don't you help me change this bandage? I don't plan on wearing a shirt today, not with this so sore." Zynnis gestured to his bandaged chest and gave Trip an absolutely pitiful look.

It took all Trip had to not burst out in laughter at his boss, "You're pathetic you know that? But yes, I can help with that, move over to the couch, and don't try anything funny." Trip rolled his eyes and pushed Zynnis back from him.

Zynnis laughed as he walked over to the couch and laid down on his back, "Funny like what? Are you insinuating that you think I'm up to something? You might have a busy day ahead of you, but mine is going to a hell of a lot more nerve wrecking and inconvenient."

"Really now? I'm screening applicants today. As of right now, I've got three hundred and seventy two to get through in the next week. I recall that the reason I got the job that is meant for our military experts was that someone else kept scaring all the potential recruits away." Trip was looming over Zynnis working on the bandage, "So here is the deal: You do the screenings without scaring the pathetic little shits, and I'll give the measly tour, which involves a lunch, and booze."

"Fuck that, I don't do screenings." Zynnis jumped slightly and let out a pained growl and hurt look as Trip tightly tied off the new bandage and patted him hard on the chest just above the deep gash he was tending to.

"Then shut the hell up and quit your bitching." With that comment, Trip helped Zynnis off the couch and helped him buckled his belt around his waist with a pat on the hybrids rump. He then turned and walked back to the desk, sitting back down in his chair and facing the desk, going back to his work, "Also, you're supposed to be meeting him in fifteen minutes, so I'd stop your slacking and get to moving."

Zynnis snapped his good arm across his chest in a mock salute, "Yes sir! Whatever you say sir! You tell me to jump Sir and I'll ask how high, Sir!" He snapped his arm down sarcastically as he about faced and marched himself out of his office. Over the years he had slowly learned that his only counter against Trip's constant nagging and sarcasm was his own style of mockery and sarcasm. Of course, the occasional ass pounding seemed to straitened the wolf out for at least a little while, but all chances of either of them venting some pent up frustration was out of the question for at least the time being. Leave it to the unexpected to ruin what was supposed to be his week off.

Trip rolled his eyes as he watched the hybrid with utter amazement. No matter the situation and how much pain wrecked his bosses body or how tired was, he never seemed to run out of idiotic things to do, or sarcastic comments to make. Sometimes it was annoying, but most of the time it never seemed to amaze him, and no matter what he did, he could very rarely keep a straight face when those moments came about.

The walk from his office to his old room was more relaxing than he had first expected it to be. He found that walking the hallways of Haven always calmed him, at least until some seemingly random passerby wanted to stop him. It seemed that good old trusty Trip had forgotten to give him is itinerary for the day, and had sent his sleek fox secretary to push it into his hands before she quickly slipped away down a side corridor and probably back to her desk. Leave it to Trip to ruin a relaxing walk with work related items. He shook his head, slightly annoyed, and instead of letting his mind wander, he now had a packet of papers to read through, hopefully in time to meet up with what he was now considering to be his arch nemesis.

Unfortunately, his hopes were short lived, he had already come up to his room, and would have passed it if not for the large, muscular, yet round bellied dragon standing outside the door. Zynnis looked up quickly from his files, his hand instinctively moving for his sidearm as the dragon greeted him happily, and in Zynnis opinion, almost too happily.

"You're late, Business meetings don't usually go so well when they start late." The dragon was wearing a classy back suit that accented his body and gleaming silver scales almost too well. He had on a pair of black sunglasses that Zynnis recognized immediately.

"Can't be late if it's your own fucking meeting," Zynnis eyes were already back down on the papers, and he was grumbling "It says here that we ought to go have a look at the civilian areas first, and I agree with that. The main food court is there, and I'm hungry." Zynnis started walking away, not caring in the slightest if his guest was going to follow him, and unfortunately the silver dragon followed just a few steps behind. "I happened to notice you have on a very nice pair of sunglasses, what for I don't know, the lights are adjusted so they don't hurt the eyes. I also noticed that they are quite expensive, and also quite mine as well."

Zynnis could hear the dragon chuckling under his breath, "Not any more. I thought your Director said that it was my room now, which means things that are in it are complementary. Correct?" Styrr was already starting his own business strategy; learn how they react and see how deep under their skin he could possibly get. He was a little bit concerned that if he got too far under the commander's skin he risked being shot, but he assured himself that the Director would be able to keep the temperamental hybrid under control.

"Sure, whatever. Thousand credit equipment just happens to be lying about for the taking," They hybrid was somewhat irritated, but he quickly let it pass over, "Guess that just gives me an excuse to upgrade. Don't be surprised if Trip asks for those back after I order new ones. He seems to classify my gear as a trivial expense." Zynnis was laughing to himself, in a way, the smug Dragon had done him quite the favor. He had been looking to upgrade some of his things for a while now.

"Well, just let me know if there are any more nice things you're looking to upgrade and I can take off your hands. I'm always looking to acquire more shiny things," The dragon laughed Zynnis' comments off rather quickly, "You've got a nice operation going on here. The pure value of this entire place is evident even in the walls. Very few companies have the capability to keep such wealth as well as upgrade and outfit their units." Styrr was indeed impressed, he knew how well the ARMC was doing under it's previous CEO's, but now it was thriving, somehow Zynnis had managed to quadruple his profits in the last three years alone.

"You can give all the credit to Trip, he handles expenses. All I do is spend money and kill shit, honestly, I don't see how the miserable bastard has managed to put up with me for so long, but he has." Zynnis quickly stopped himself, his relationship with Trip, be it personal or business, was nobody's but his own, and he wasn't going to dig a hole to lay down in and open up more questions for the nosy businessman to ask, "we're just now entering our civilian zone, it houses and provides jobs and entertainment for our non-military personnel as well as our traveling guests. I'm also very proud to say that this one zone alone can cover all of our operational costs alone. It definitely keeps us running when demands are low for our military expertise. It's not everyday someone has a war going on. It's not like it used to be back when my father was running things and everyone was fighting for anything they could sink their claws in. The Interplanetary Police Corps pretty well keep that under control now-a-days."

Zynnis abruptly turned into a smaller restaurant as if his mind was wandering and he almost passed it, but Styrr didn't miss a beat and was still the same distance behind as he was before, "This is probably my favorite place to eat. Very few of our establishments can recreate old Alcrosian dishes at their finest. It's somewhat hard to get the ingredients." The hybrid chuckled to himself as he walked them into the VIP dining room. The interior on the outside of the room was filled with vibrant colors and a few exotic plants to try and recreate an original Alcrosian feeling. They sat at the single booth in the dimly lit room, Zynnis didn't care for bright lights, and thankfully the owners were polite enough to convenience him. "Take a look at the menu, it's still early, but they'll still prepare whatever meal you decide on."

The dragon picked up a menu and slowly started to look through it. Zynnis eyed him curiously, surprisingly the dragon hadn't said much of anything during their short walk, but it looked as if he surely had something to say now.

"What are you having Commander?" The dragon looked up and across the table curiously. Zynnis wasn't quite sure whether he was being tested, or if the Dragon was actually curious.

"My usual for breakfast, renk steak and eggs. The steak is cooked medium rare and complements the eggs perfectly, at least that's what they tell me. I just eat the damned thing. I know I like it, and if I like then, then I just eat it. If you're wanting breakfast, than it's probably the best choice." A small, delicate young female wolf came in and set a single beer in front of Zynnis."

"Can I get you anything to drink Mr. Kinster? I'm sorry, but this being your first time here, I don't know what it was you wanted."

The dragon smiled at her kindly, smiling wide. It wasn't too hard for him to guess that who he was and what he was doing there would travel around the ship like wildfire, but he wasn't expecting it to happen so fast. He then realized that the fact that there was almost a shooting aboard their home would make the news travel that much quicker. "Don't worry about it sweetheart, its not a problem at all." He thought for a moment, and then quickly decided, "I'd just like a water please, and for my meal, I'll have what ever it is our commander is having."

The waitress smiled and nodded cheerfully, she walked over to a small bar in the corner of the room quickly and poured a glass of water for the dragon. With the same pace, she walked back to the dragon and placed the glass in front of him carefully, "Here are you sir, please enjoy. We will have your meal down shortly sir." She walked away proudly, leaving Zynnis and Styrr alone with their conversation.

So why is it you're out here in this region of space? There really isn't anything in this quadrant, it is literally the middle of nowhere." The dragon quickly took the opportunity to change his focus back to Zynnis and the great business opportunity ahead of him. This was perhaps the first time and maybe one of the rare few ones he would get to have a private conversation with the Commander.

Zynnis blinked at the dragon blankly, and quickly downed half of his beer easily. The agreement had been that every detail of his operation would be disclosed without question, but he still didn't like the fact that he was being forced to let outsiders in on the business that kept so many of his people alive, and would continue to do so for years to come if all continued well, "You know, if it weren't for Trip ordering me to be open with you, I would most certainly not be telling you that information, but as it stands at this very moment, and luckily for you, I would much rather appease that domineering wolf than irritate him." The hybrid drank slowly from his beer, finishing it without missing a beat, "Haven has one purpose, and one purpose only, and that is to keep the people of Old Alcrose safe until the time comes when we can settle back down onto solid ground. It will be a hard transition for most of us, but eventually it will happen, and I hope every day that it'll be me offering that opportunity to so many families who have stuck with us for so long."

The hybrid sighed, stood up, and walked over to the bar, quickly producing, and opening another beer, "We are all that is left of that civilization, and unfortunately, we don't number many. Most of the families aboard this vessel hail from Old Alcrose, some do not, but they serve the same purpose, and are promised the same thing as those who were originally from the planet." He took a long draw from his beer, slowly moving back to his seat and sitting down slowly and carefully, "We have no place to go, and really no idea where to look. The royal family had one other planet that belonged to our people, but because of the distance from our location, it was never settled by us. We have a deed, and a very foggy description, but no idea which direction we should be moving." He sighed as he sipped at his drink again, "So we slowly drift from one lowly populated area to the next keeping an eye out for anything resembling what information we have. It's all we've got left, and the only thing that can make our continued existence in this universe guaranteed." The hybrid was quite irritated about the fact he had to have this conversation over breakfast, much less have it at all. The subject was, and always would be, a sore topic for any of the Alcrosians aboard his vessel or not.

"I see," The dragon was looking at the hybrid in a way Zynnis considered strange, and the commander wasn't quite sure how to take it, "So you mean to say that this is just a front for an entire other goal completely?" The dragon tilted his head and sighed, "Forgive my reaction, but I could honestly never have thought that there would be a bigger goal to what you've all got going on here. It's not every day you see a multitrillion credit company emerge out of nowhere, and its even more strange to find one not focused on simply the money. You are very wealthy, and could quite honestly buy any planet that you wanted, why not just do that?"

Zynnis frowned, "What we do is solely to keep our people alive. That is our number one goal, without Haven we have no life, no purpose, and ultimately we lose the one thing that every Alcrosian tries to keep at the front of their thoughts, a reason to breathe the next breath every second of the day. We have to love, honor, and protect our current home before we can even start to continue the next day's search for our new home." Zynnis saw their waitress enter the room quietly, two steaming hot plates in her paws, and another beer for Zynnis tucked in between her arm and her chest. He was relieved to have a way to shift the conversation away from serious matters, and happily drained his second beer. He had no shame of letting the annoying Dragon across from him see his relief, "Oh thank fucking god, the food is here."

The waitress set their plates down in front of them, and handed Zynnis his next beer, taking the empty away with a smile. Styrr eyed his food, obviously quite hungry while Zynnis just pushed his plate back from him and motioned for their waitress to bring him more to drink. He had lost his appetite, and quite frankly didn't care anymore. He stared, quite angrily at the dragon across from him and watched him eat his food.

In between bites, Styrr had to ask Zynnis another question, interrupting the silence that he was starting to enjoy, "So, I have to ask, why are you drinking so early in the morning? I would have assumed that as a fur of your stature, you would refrain until you were off duty. Also, you did not answer my other question."

Zynnis almost bared his teeth and growled, but the thought of Trip spending the next two weeks scolding him kept him in check, "This tour is business, not personal," His voice was calm and he took a drink of his new beer, "But I'll enlighten you anyways. I hurt, so I drink. Sometimes I'm angry, or sad, or shit, sometimes even depressed; so I drink." He was almost done downing the one he had just had brought to him when the young wolf stepped back in the room with several more, one open, and three still closed. He nodded to her with a short smile, she walked off, and he immediately took a drink of his new beer, "Does that make you happy?"

The dragon raised an eyebrow, "If you have wounds, then may I ask why you've not gone to your medical facilities? I've heard you have some of the best on board facilities in the 'verse."

"My body doesn't react well to modern medicines, it just so happens that I am allergic to almost everything that our advanced medical systems have now." Zynnis quickly finished his beer and opened another one, "And now I'm drinking because you're irritating me with your questions. If you've got a problem with my drinking habits, you're more than welcome to do one of these two things: One, get over it, and shut the fuck up, or complain about them with someone who actually gives a shit." He quickly downed half of that one, and looked at the dragon's plate, he still had food on it, and should have been focusing on that, rather than questioning him over his meal, "As for the question I skipped, I skipped it for a reason, but you don't seem to know how to catch things like that. We are a proud people, we're not simply going to buy what is not rightfully ours. We have what we need, with everything we want, we just need to find it first. Now, if you would quickly finish your meal, Trip wanted you to see the bridge during a warp," He checked his watch and finished the rest of the beer in his hand, "The next one is scheduled ten minutes from now."

If the dragon had been taken aback, he didn't show it, he simply shoveled the rest of his food into his maw and stood, taking a long drink of his until now, untouched water. "Sound's like a plan."

Zynnis didn't wait for any more answer he set his empty beer on the table, and walked over to a small fridge on the bar with his food, and placed it in there knowing they would deliver it to his office if he didn't come back for it. The dragon had been quiet for most of the tour, and Zynnis didn't really care to have that change now, and he didn't bother looking behind him as he grabbed the last beer on the table, opened it, and headed out of the private room, and towards the door back out to the common area. He knew the dragon didn't want to miss anything and would be on his heels every step of the way.

The trip to the bridge from the civilian quarters wasn't a long one, because of the multiple coded doors and access points, the trip took a little over ten minutes. Neither of the two were talking to each other, Zynnis kept checking over his shoulder at the dragon to find if he could read anything from his face, but as it had been since the tour started, the dragon was unreadable. He knew that the dragon was thinking things, but he couldn't quite tell what, this is one of the few times he wished that his cunning wolf was there with him during business hours, Trip could figure out what was going on in the businessman's head.

The final door to the bridge was guarded by two armed guards in full body armor with full visors with what seemed like gas masks on them. The door was locked, and required both a key code and a paw print before it was opened, the sign on it read simply: "Unauthorized persons will be shot." Zynnis palmed the scanner and entered in his door code and a chime sounded, the door opening silently mere moments after.

After taking long sip from his new beer he quickly stepped through the door and onto the bridge, not bothering to look behind him at Styrr, "This is our bridge, it consists of six open levels connected through a lift system," The hybrid pointed to each area in turn, "You've got the cockpit, scanning, engineering, the cafeteria, as well as crew quarters. We keep our flight crew on hand almost twenty four hours a day. They rotate in three different shifts, but in the case of any emergency, every necessary crew member is less than a minute from their station." He started towards the main lift about fifty paces ahead of him.

"It sure is a magnificent area," The dragon was looking around almost dumbfounded, "I've never seen such a large crew that could work in what seems to me chaos, yet it is so organized." He rubbed his jaw in though, "What have you got here, thirteen hundred men?"

Zynnis chuckled, "Just a little over sixteen. This system doesn't work for everyone, but the way it's working now is the way it has been working many years before I was even thought of. If you've worked the system before, it flows smoothly and flawlessly, but if you've not, then it will make very little sense." He was proud of his men, they were indeed a one of a kind crew and took their jobs, and the lives of every person aboard the ship, very seriously. They were the epitome of excellence and efficiency, and that made him smile.

What about the warp? I'm incredibly interested in seeing how it wor..." Styrr was cut off by a very loud, and very long proximity alarm, he stopped looking around quickly and looked back at Zynnis, slightly startled, "And that would be what?"

Zynnis sighed and shook his head, it was as if the universe was determined to make the rest of his life a living hell, and if that is what it's goal was, it was achieving it in so many ways even the universe probably did not know how effective it was being.