FSE

Furry search engine

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"You keep looking around. Expecting company?" Sheila teased, laying on her side atop a tangle of sheets and blankets. She stifled a yawn. Posed as lazily as she was, her curves stood out far more than normal. The strong, lithe hare had always had a tomboy physique compared to her more voluptuous crewmates. Seldovia, for instance. Or Annika or ...

"Just felt like I wasn't alone for some reason," Barrow replied distractedly, shaking it from his head. They were in their quarters in Redwing's habitat ring. It was early morning, at least an hour before their duty shifts. He was sitting up with a confused look on his fanged muzzle.

"Cause you aren't." She grabbed at him roughly, trying to make him lay back down. "Now, don't make me say something even more romantic than that."

"Ow!" The blue bat chuckled, twisting around to face her. The warm mattress sank under their mutual weight. "I wouldn't dream of it. And I think you're more attractive than all of them," he said, sensing her thoughts.

She frowned.

He went to all fours above her. "I believe the correct response is 'you're welcome'."

"I've always projected an attitude of strength," she said quietly, looking up at him but not into his eyes. "I'm still not used to my doubts and insecurities being so easily exposed." At this point, she wondered if she ever would be? They'd been sleeping each other for half a year, now. Or had it been longer? And she'd agreed to be his mate. _Am I just so used to fighting that I can't bear being at peace with things? _

"Since when are you insecure about your looks?"

"I'm not," she defended. "It was just a passing thought. You can be aware of things and not dwell on them." Right? Does he have to psycho-analyze everything? "Not everything means something."

"It's more fun to think about things when they do."

"Says yourself."

"I think you're plenty hot, though. Smoldering, even. Like molten silver." He kissed her cheek. "Or steel." Her neck, now. "Or some grey, melting thing. Quicksilver?" He suckled on a breast, swirling his long, dexterous tongue along her nipple.

"We ... we established that," she managed, grabbing his head and lifting it. The longer they were together as a couple, the easier she became to seduce. Am I losing my edge? Also, why doesn't he ever shut up?

"And what about me?" He turned his head to kiss at the fingers on her right paw.

She flipped him off.

Not missing a beat, he opened his maw and sucked on that middle finger, eyes boring sensually and directly into hers.

"What about you?" she finally echoed, cracking a big, bucktoothed smile at the smoothness of the move.

He pulled off her finger and licked his own lips. "Am I hot?"

"Hmm. Lukewarm, maybe."

"Oh, come on! You think I'm handsome. I know you do." He pushed his batty snout up her head, whispering into one of those long, distinguished ears, "You wouldn't be fucking me if I didn't make you wet."

"Doesn't mean I have to admit it," she whispered back.

"Play that game, then. Save your words. Won't do you any good," he grandstanded. "Your body will admit it for you." He grinned toothily and slid back down to face her, nose to nose. Forehead to forehead. "You drive me crazy. The more you push at me, the more I want you. I guess I like a female who can beat me up."

"Because you're a telepath. And, more than that, a doctor. You don't want an easy, settled partner. You want someone with a complicated mind you can dig into. You want someone you have to try and tame, fix, heal." Her breasts swelled as she took a deep, proud breath. "But I'm untamable."

"Are you? Now who's psycho-analyzing who?" He fondled one of the hare's silver-furred breasts and kissed her flush on the lips. And he used quite a bit of tongue, too. "Mm." There was a light smack. "And who do you want?"

"I don't know."

"Bet you do."

"Why are we talking about this?" she demanded.

"You were mewing my name last night," he breathed. "Over and over."

"Maybe I wanted to," she whispered, sucking on his chin.

"Had to," he corrected, chest starting to heave, his heart beating faster and faster. "I was that good."

"Hah! So cocky. And let's get one thing ... thing," she panted, "straight. You were way ... ah. Ah-h. Louder than me," she finished, arching her tall, monochromatic body. He was grinding her hips against hers, trying to force her thighs apart. His loin-fur was rubbing all over her clitoris in just the right way.

The pleasantries were momentarily derailed when the fur on his nape stood up straight, tingling coldly.This isn't right. He propped himself up and grimaced. "There it is again," he mumbled.

"There's what?" the confused hare asked, annoyed that he'd stopped.

He squeezed his eyes shut, focusing on his telepathic feelers. He threaded them through the entire room. I swore I felt something! I know I did. Like a cold, calculating presence. He sensed motivation. That indicated an intelligence. Maybe a non-corporeal visitor? It had been known to happen. He'd read some incidents in the Luminous computer logs about such an encounter. Lieutenant-Commander Adelaide had documented it.

"Barrow? You sure you're okay?" The female hare put a paw on her mate's forehead worriedly. Perhaps he was simply overworked? They all were, to a degree. They'd been operating the station by themselves since their arrival and its renovation. The High Command had finally sent a second rotation of officers to back them up. They'd arrived last week. She hadn't met them all yet. But, then, she wasn't exactly a chatty, sociable type on or off duty.

But his mental burden went further than that. Each time they telepathically linked, she felt it. He was a bat and the Syndicate was chock full of bats. Though he fully supported Graham and the station, he was a former rogue himself. He carried some sympathy for the Syndicate. Not their methods, but their underlying concerns. Sheila was worried about conforming and settling, but so was he. He just didn't make a show of it. He kept it all to himself. But he couldn't keep anything from her. Not anymore.

"I'm fine," he eventually replied.

"Don't lie to me." She caressed his cheek.

"You checking my temperature? Coddling me?" he teased evasively.

Recoiling at the cuteness of the thought, she yanked her paw away. "Coddling? Better take that back."

"Fine, fine," he groused playfully. "So cranky this morning."

"You're acting strange."

"I felt something. I just ... I don't know what. I'll run some scans on myself and the station when I go on duty. I'm sure it's nothing."

She smacked his furry, short-tailed ass.

"Hey!"

"That's for making me worry."

"Cranky. Just as I said," he repeated, giving her a faux-stern look. "But!" His eyes raised excitedly. "As your personal physician, I can recommend a cure for that."

"Does it involve getting laid?" She rolled her grey eyes.

"How'd you guess?" He grinned unabashedly.

"You've given me that prescription before." She hugged him down upon her breasts.

"And it worked, didn't it?"

She shrugged reluctantly, trying to suppress her smile. But a hint of it curled up the corners of her lips. "Maybe."

"You're not pushing me away, Sheila."

She blushed, feeling a twinge of vulnerability. "So?"

His telepathic feelers picked it up immediately. He stopped teasing her and mumbled, "I love you."

"Something, something, blah, blah, love you, too," she mouthed, silently. The words felt heavy. But also kinda good? _I said it, though. That's my 'love you' quota for the week. _

He initiated another kiss and wrapped her up in his wing-arms, grinding again, again, until her legs loosely spread, lifted, and locked around him. He found his mark, that source of feminine perfection, and pierced it, beginning to thrust. Wet and wonderful! Silky soft! She felt better every time. How was that possible?

She grunted.

Thrust!

Gasp and huff!

He licked her neck, preparing her for his bite. The instinct had been triggered by their mixing fluids. How he wanted it! How he wanted her! His fangs grazed through her fur. He didn't need to ask her if she was ready. He knew the answer. So, he bit her expertly and without pain, cementing their raw, wild union. Mental, physical, emotional. They were one! A circle of bliss! As he relished and reveled in the experience, he briefly felt that voyeuristic, ghostly feeling. Again? No, no! Go away! But it wouldn't. It came like a fog, seeping into every corner of his mind. Their minds. As if they were being observed. It couldn't be ignored.

"I feel it, too," Sheila panted. Her brow furrowed. Her muscles tensed. It was unsettling. She'd had Barrow in her mind many times, including right now. His presence was warm, cheeky. Annoying, yeah. But still. This was cold and analytical. Detached. It was almost alien ...

'Ignore it,' he thought to her, humping harder. He still wanted to write this off as an isolated incident. A passing weirdness. Stress, even. What were the alternatives? Was he going insane? He'd have to tell Graham about this just in case something was brewing. But it could wait 'til he went on duty. Pussy came first. And, sure enough, the eerie sensation went away, leaving a host of pleasures in its wake. Relieved, he went to town on the hare, not letting up for a second.

"You've always been off ... ah, ah-h! Off! Your rocker," she mewed, answering his thought before losing control of hers. She was so needy, so wet. "R-right there ... oh, god ... "

"Dammit," Aria swore.

"Something wrong?" the pink bat asked, shielding her eyes with a cotton candy wing-arm.

"I stepped on a rock." Arctic's captain shook her head, brushing the pain aside. She stopped and bent her knee, taking a look at the sole of her foot-paw. No damage. "I'm fine." She then started moving again.

"You're sweating pretty heavily. You should drink some water."

"I have been," Aria insisted, fur noticeably matted.

"Not a fan of the heat, I take it?" Willow continued as they trudged across the wind-whipped landscape, sand everywhere. They progressed up and over a small dune. The sun was high and bright. This planet had been laid waste by some epic environmental disaster centuries ago. Which, coincidentally, had been around the time the builders of Redwing had disappeared. The two were most likely related. It was intimidating to think about. All that death and destruction? The science officer flapped her wing-arms nervously.

"I have nothing against warmth." Especially the warmth of her lovers back on the ship. Or even a warm, starry night during her Home-world's short, sweet summers. But this? The snow rabbit secured a pale hood over her white-furred head, aiming to reflect every ray of light she possibly could. Her ears made for an awkward fit. "But this is unrelenting."

"At least it's a dry heat."

"That is little solace." The snow rabbit paused. Complaining like this isn't befitting a high-ranking officer. Try to be more optimistic. "But I have encountered worse."

"Yeah? Basic training?" The bat couldn't resist sifting through the other female's surface thoughts. She was an incredibly chatty creature. Always curious. And without the specter of Janna hanging over her, she felt liberated to be herself. "I like visiting new places. I mean, that's why I went into science. All the diversity and all the mysteries of life?" Willow had been born in space and had spent most of her life on ships and stations. "I've visited more worlds than I can count. The UT is a big place. No one's officially mapped it because there are so many factions and governments, and their borders are always changing. It's hard to go traipsing very far without stepping on toes."

"If you ask me, the citizens of the UT are bruised far too easily," Aria replied, taking another deep swig of water from her canteen. She wiped her lips. "It is short-sighted to persist with an 'everyone for themselves' policy of social interaction."

"How it's always been, though," the bat explained. "You have the Furry Federation, the Scalie Solidarity, and the snow rabbit High Command. The Big Three powers. And then a few sub-powers like the Arctic foxes or Avian Assembly." The foxes had become quite reliant on the High Command, though, since the wasps bombed their Home-world. The avians seemed content on being out of the spotlight. "Everyone else is disenfranchised. So, they come here. Or they're born here. Out here, species can have their own colonies or worlds without having to answer to other species. Furs can do what they want."

"The ones with the most power can," Aria observed. The captain was referring to Willow's organization. The Syndicate.

"We've been over this before. I've explained why we had to form a strong front. You're a security officer. You should understand such things."

"I do. But I use force in reaction, not preemptively as the Syndicate does," Aria insisted.

"When you can read minds, you know what's coming before it happens. So, why not move before the action occurs?"

"Sometimes, the action is triggered by perceived attitudes. Everyone doing what they want is well and good until you realize that not everyone's wants are the same. That is where conflict arises."

Willow sighed, squinting as sand blew toward her purple eyes. "And what do you want? How would you define yourself?"

"How about 'icy bitch'?" Advent supplied.

Aria and Willow both looked at the hitherto silent jaguar. She'd been unusually well-behaved until now. They'd forgotten she was here. Almost.

"Too 'on the nose?' You're right. Remove the 'icy'," she amended.

Willow scoffed. "You don't seem to mind the heat, Advent. You thrive under fire. I suppose there's something admirable about that."

"I didn't invite you into my head, pinky," the jaguar replied, threateningly. "And, since you didn't ask, I'll ask for you. How do I define myself? I'm a survivor."

Willow bowed her head. True enough. "Your mind's quite disciplined. You compartmentalize things extremely well. Janna was a master telepath and you out-manipulated her. Why be worried about me?" Willow had served under Janna for many months. While it was true that Advent, in a twisted way, had done everyone a favor by killing the megalomaniacal bat, the jaguar was nonetheless a loose cannon. Petulant and conniving. But she needs us. Without our protection, she'd be in a High Command brig. She backed herself into a corner. I can sense the wheels turning, though. It's only a matter of time before she tries to weasel out of it. She just can't help herself, can she?

"Is that an insult?" the spotted female asked.

"Just the truth."

Advent shrugged, gazing around at the barren, tan-and-blue vista. Bigger than the other two females, she flexed her muscles and un-sheathed her claws. The truth was subjective. Now the facts? Those were different. Both could be used to gain an advantage, however. Which was all she was concerned about. "You two have been complaining about the weather since we landed. I'd lament your softness. But, then, you're both prey." She sensed a 'but' from the bat and added, "Close enough." The jaguar stuck her tongue out before giving a brief, suggestive purr. "You're not tough enough. Face it. It's not your fault. But you have my pity all the same."

Aria blew out an annoyed breath before drinking even more water.

"Besides, everyone knows it's never truly hot unless you can taste it."

Willow sensed the snow rabbit's increasing ire. You didn't need to be telepathic to see it on her face. She had entered the ranks as a tactical officer, raising to the level of constable. Even now, as captain of her own ship, she was tasked with patrol and security duties. Her adult life had been dedicated to preserving the peace and making sure justice was met. Knowing all the crimes and near-crimes Advent had committed and watching her stroll around so freely and smugly? She found it galling. What could she do, though? They were in the Uncharted Territories. As they'd just been discussing: anarchy reigned.

The jaguar began stopping between strides and kicking at sand, sending sprays of fine granules flying into the oven-like breeze. She turned around and walked backward for a moment. "I hear you're mated to a mouse."

"Are you talking to me?" Aria asked coldly, bobtail flicking primly under her sun-protective cloak.

"Well, since Willow's clearly being screwed senseless by Marcus ... who's a good enough lay, I suppose ... " Advent turned around and began walking forward again.

Willow's cheeks burned. She knew Marcus had bred with Advent. She knew why. She'd forgiven him considering the circumstances. His remorse over the incident was genuine. But it still hurt. I would never be seduced like that, would I?

Advent's eyes twinkled. She'd struck a chord. Good. "Anyway, yes, Captain, I am talking to you."

"Were you asking me a question or a statement?"

"Oh, come off it," the feline snapped. Why did snow rabbits always have to be so purposely obtuse? "I'm trying to help you out."

"Really?" Willow asked, giving Aria a look and shaking her head. She was still upset from being reminded that her mate had laid with the predator.

Aria held up a white paw as if to say 'I've got this.'

Willow fell quiet, clenching her jaw.

"I used to be mated to one, too. A mouse," Advent reminded. Herkimer. Of course, that had ended badly. He'd seemed so sweet and pliable, at first. But, really, he was a traitorous weakling who fancied that nobody squirrel over her. There'd been a time, eons ago, when felines had practically owned rodents! Alas.

"Again, your point?" Aria wondered.

"Just something we have in common, is all." A pause. "Rumor also has it," the jaguar continued, digging her claws in deeper, "that you dabble in group sex."

Willow, eyes widening, looked from one female to another. She hadn't heard that one! She was tempted to dip into Aria's mind for the juicy details. After a moment's resistance, she gave into the urge and discreetly did so. It was so hard to not know something when you had the power to know anything. Oh, my ... now, I need water, too. Willow fumbled with her own canteen.

"I'm a fan of that, myself. Variety's the spice of life. Why limit yourself to one? So, see? We're practically of the same mind, you and me! We're like bosom buddies. Only mine are bigger."

Aria took a deep breath, her breasts swelling beneath her uniform. "Hardly."

Advent laughed. Though she'd never admit it out loud, Aria was a fun sparring partner. She could dish it and take it in equal measure. "Shall we take off our shirts and measure? In this heat, it might cool us down."

The snow rabbit didn't respond to that.

Advent held up her large, sharp-clawed paws in a gesture of innocence. "Can't we be friends?"

"Your reputation precedes you, Advent. You reap what you sow. I've spent my entire adult life enforcing the laws of society. You have a penchant for breaking them."

The spotted jaguar smirked at this, taking it as a compliment. Having not touched her water until now, she took a healthy swig and then smacked her lips. "Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot-paw. But the Syndicate and the High Command are allies, now. Officially. That's the only reason Arctic is still in orbit and not in custody. Or in shambles. These dragon ruins?" She gestured around at the endless horizon. "We're excavating them together, snow bunny. So, I suggest we make nice, or at least pretend. It'll make the job much easier."

"Do not," Aria said quietly, "call me snow bunny."

"Too affectionate?" She licked her fangs. "Bunny is a very intimate term with your species. Mm." She nodded. "I remember now. Always found that weird. In the Federation, rabbit and bunny are interchangeable. I'm so bad with decorum."

"Perhaps, then, you should go back to the Federation where decorum doesn't exist."

"Hah! They're just as cultured and powerful as the High Command."

"Is that so?"

"It's easy to be on the same page when you have a monolithic society. Three-quarters of the High Command population is snow rabbits. How hard is that to govern? The Federation? Hundreds of different species. Predators and prey. It's a much more challenging setup."

"The diversity is noble in theory," Aria relented. "But it's clearly a mess in practice." She gave the jaguar a look. "Why defend them? You've spent more of your life in the UT than the Federation. You don't owe them anything." Not anymore, anyway. Advent had originally been stationed at Redwing as a 'Federation' representative. She'd trade them information for favors. It had been a shaky bargain, though, one she'd eventually given up on.

"You don't know anything about my life," Advent said distantly.

Willow, getting sick of the bickering, tried to slice through the tension by reminding, "Shouldn't we wait for the males? They were carrying an awful lot of equipment."

"That's what nature made them for. To cater to us," Advent said. Willow sensed she wasn't joking. "They'll be fine."

"On the latter, I agree. If they need assistance, they'll contact us," Aria said. Though, unlike Advent, she saw males and females as two parts of a whole. As equals. The logical snow rabbit wasn't exactly a dyed-in-the-wool romantic, but she'd certainly become more prone to affection over the past few years. And Advent was right about the menage-a-trois. Her mate-ship to Ross had grown to include, on a semi-permanent basis, her first officer Elim. The mouse/rabbit threesome they'd stumbled into had become quite passionate. It hadn't been planned. But it was perfectly natural to her. She didn't care what others thought.

The pink bat caught whiff of Aria's lewd but loving thoughts and smiled.

"What are you grinning at?" Advent asked.

"Nothing," Willow lied. She pointed ahead of them. "I think I see the main compound. We're almost there!" Finally. The ruins, though largely buried by centuries of blowing sand, were vast. They'd been forced to land the two shuttle-pods, one from Arctic, one from Marcus' lead Syndicate ship, away from it all so as to prevent damage to the site or cave-ins. Hence the long, uncomfortable walk.

"My foot-paws are burning with each step," Aria noted. It was beginning to hurt too much to ignore. "I will be relived to get underground." Where it was no doubt shadier. And cooler.

"Whine, whine, whine. Just like I said," Advent mocked. "I thought snow rabbits didn't complain? Just like they don't this, that, and the other?"

Aria furrowed her white-furred brow. The jaguar just didn't quit! She was relentless, trying to find each and every weakness. It was exhausting. "I don't recall ever saying that. Me and my species do plenty."

"No doubt that's why there are so many of you." The jaguar chuckled. "Enough to form a super power, anyway. But your 'superiority' is insinuated. Like just now, how you were saying you had more decorum than the Federation? The High Command has a sanctimonious, holier than thou attitude. Constantly bragging about all the wars they've won. 'We defeated the wasps, the foxes, the Federation'!" Advent crossed her arms before continuing, "And when you don't get your way? It's always because of discrimination against prey. Like no other reason could possibly exist. Nothing's ever your fault. You venture into the UT to 'tame the wilderness,' and then cry when it storms. What an ego." She uncrossed her arms to study her claws.

"An ironic statement, considering the source," Aria replied.

"Can we please," Willow begged desperately, "stop? You're acting like children! The both of you."

Advent glared at the rabbit, her expression morphing into a fanged grin. "Well. No matter. Like I said: we're all friends, now." She then looked to the bat. "Aren't we, Willow? Aria, you ... me and Marcus ... "

"Yeah, great friends," Willow muttered, looking ahead. "Someone's waving at us." She beamed, sensing him before she made out his physical features. "It's Marcus!"

"Hooray," Advent deadpanned.

The winged science officer flapped ahead of the others, eager to see her mate. Marcus, now the current ranking Syndicate agent in this region of the UT, had taken charge of the archaeological site. In addition to his own contingent, he was overseeing Oliver and Assumpta's snow rabbit teams from Arctic. They'd been making considerable progress lately. Which is why he'd asked for Aria and Advent's presence. He had something to show them. And Willow, as his lead science officer, was needed for confirmation on some findings that the engineers weren't quite confident with.

As Willow and Marcus wing-hugged and gave each other a tongue-tying kiss, Advent commented to Aria, "Perhaps we should draw a circle around them in the sand. A fuck boundary. Maybe they won't be able to leave it. That works with demons, doesn't it?"

Aria cringed at the racist remark. "It's attitudes like that which led to the formation of the Syndicate in the first place." As much as she disagreed with the Syndicate's tactics, she'd come to appreciate their reason for being more and more. "Besides, wouldn't you and your mate act the same after a few days apart?"

The jaguar hesitated. "Who says I have a mate?"

"You're not the only one with good ears." The snow rabbit twiddled her tall, slender lobes.

Advent made an awkward face. "Tam isn't my mate." She was done with mates! Not worth the effort. He was more like a 'pet' or 'toy.' "Seduction in public is fine. But keep the affection private." As a hardline predator, Advent found that affection and emotion could be exploited. They were potential weaknesses. To air them out in the open? It was bad form. As for Tam, Janna had trained him well. He was very obedient. And Advent treated him very well for being so. The lines in the relationship were strictly drawn.

"If you say so," Aria needled.

"Captain!" called a winded, panting voice.

Aria turned around and saw Kaplan, Arctic's youngest crew-fur. He was flanked by an older male. They were both carrying equipment cases. Catching up to Aria, the communications officer said, "Must ... must we stay here long?"

"We've been on hot worlds before, ensign. One of our own border colonies is quite tropical. You seemed to enjoy yourself there."

"Yes. Well ... " He cleared his throat. Does the captain know I bred while on duty on that away mission? With that librarian? I didn't tell her! He took a few deep swigs of cool water from an insulated canteen, blue eyes darting.

"Let's all head underground!" Marcus called, yelling above the wind. "Set up the equipment once we get there! There's a lot of information to pour over. This way!" He gestured with a wing-arm, and the entire group followed him, unsure what they'd find. But knowing the history of the dragons, it would be something complicated. And consequential.

"What is it you've found, exactly?" Advent pressed, moving through the small crowd and whispering into one of the blue bat's sweeping ears. "Not that I've minded running the ship in your absence." It was nice being in charge again. Even if no one trusted you.

Marcus only responded with, "Patience."

"Why'd we have to come down personally? Is there a security risk?" Aria guessed.

"In a manner of speaking. Even though our two sides have a truce, not every bat in the Syndicate is happy about it. Throw in space pirates and other random semi-powers, and, well ... no channel is secure enough. Especially when we're dealing with technology this advanced and powerful. You've witnessed yourself: bits and pieces of dragon tech have ended up in High Command and Federation space via the black market. We need to secure the site. Which means securing communications."

"Logical," the snow rabbit said as they ventured underground.

"This place isn't as fun as the tropics," Kaplan complained as he brought up the rear.

"That's odd."

"What?" Herkimer asked, standing on his tip-toes to peer over Seward's shoulder.

The male snow rabbit raised a brow. He pointed at a screen embedded in the grey bulkhead. "Docking pylon two is malfunctioning again. Faulty guidance beam."

"Thought you fixed that yesterday," the mouse said. They were in the ward room in the deck below Ops, going over schematics and schedules.

"I did." Sighing, Redwing's chief of operations reached for his toolkit. "However, I suppose a few hiccups are to be expected when you integrate new technology with old."

"The lifts were a little jolty the other day," Herkimer remembered.

"It's nothing to worry about. Once the bugs are worked out, the computer should run smoother, faster, with greater storage capacity."

"So, why not just leave the station like it was?"

"Because the High Command wants it up to spec. I don't blame them. Safer and more secure. Gives me plenty to do, at least."

"You going to the pylon yourself? Now?"

"My team is busy. It is a simple fix." Seward blinked in surprise. "Do you want to come?" He and the mouse were friendly enough, but they weren't exactly friends. In fact, they rarely talked. Herkimer hung out with Barrow and Talkeetna. Seward was devoted to his work and Seldovia.

"Sure. I don't get to that part of the station very often." It was easy to forget just how big Redwing when you never saw it from the outside.

"Very well." Seward nodded awkwardly before leaving the room and taking a right in the corridor.

Scurrying after him, fleshy tail whipping all about, the grey-furred rodent said, "You glad to have the new engineers?"

"I always welcome assistance."

"That doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement."

"I've poured my heart and soul into this station. I've become quite protective of it. I'm not entirely comfortable letting furs who've been here barely a week tinker with important systems."

"Yeah, but they've received the same training you have."

"Experience trumps academics," Seward said, approaching a lift. The doors swished open. He hopped inside and Herkimer followed him in. "Docking pylon two." A whir! Whir! And they were whisked away. There was a moment of silence before the rabbit said, "How are things with you and the Sub-Commander?"

"Talkeetna?" He paused. "They're fine. Good, even." A wide, bashful smile. "Actually, they're great."

"Shall I ask why?"

"Perhaps you, uh, shouldn't. Not in detail, anyway." Herkimer cleared his throat. His eyes darted. Not that it was a secret. But he didn't have Graham's confidence or Barrow's bravado. He didn't know how to talk about sex without stammering and blushing. He did, however, know how to have it! And he and the red squirrel had been having a generous amount. But they were so in love. He sighed dreamily.

Seward cleared his throat as a way of nudging the mouse out of his daydreams.

Herkimer squeaked and snapped back to attention. "What about you and Seldovia?"

"We are doing well." Seward nodded properly.

"That's all?" Herkimer had heard about skunks and their pheromones.

"Like you, I would classify things as going 'great'," Seward amended, hoping that made the mouse happy. It was the truth, after all.

"Heh. Good! We're so lucky to have such loving mates," Herkimer reasoned. His smile disappeared. "I think it's fair to say we were both pretty damaged when we got here. You physically. Me mentally." He shook his big-eared head. "I never thought I'd have love like this." He looked down. "I thought I didn't deserve it ... " Especially after Advent had used him and bruised his self-esteem.

"You do. Everyone does." Seward wondered if he should put a paw on the mouse's shoulder. That's what Barrow would do. I suppose I'm not as good a friend as some."You needn't feel bad. I think most of the crew brought baggage with them." Thankfully, they'd been able to reinvent themselves. That seemed like forever ago. Another era. "The new officers seem to be far more adjusted than we were."

"Yeah, well." The mouse's whiskers twitched. "Now that the mission is a success, the High Command can send their best options. They don't need misfits to act as guinea pigs." He looked around guiltily. He wondered if a guinea pig would be offended by that. "I hope we don't get so successful that we get commendations and get reassigned."

"Would you rather failure than success?"

"No. Of course not. I don't want things to go south. I'm glad they're looking up!" He'd had many sleepless nights worrying about the Syndicate. Even now, he realized the threat they posed was hardly over. And then there were unaligned space pirates lurking out there. Not to mention what was left of the wasps. A threat every corner. Welcome to the UT. Welcome to life in general. "I don't want to leave. I've come to think of this place as my home, odd as that sounds."

"I know what you mean," the rabbit confessed. The lift stopped whirring and slowed. Then halted its movement. The doors swished open, and Seward exited.

Herkimer followed closely. "Spooky up here. Why are the lights so dim?"

"To conserve energy."

"Oh. Right." He sucked air. "So, what is a guidance beam anyway? Just another name for a tractor beam?"

"When ships dock, it locks on and micro-manages the approach. Particularly the final few meters. Much more precise. Docking using thrusters alone makes for dented hulls. And those aren't fun to repair." The snow rabbit got a queasy stomach even thinking about space-walking. He'd had to do it in the wasp war. In the middle of a battle, no less. It was either repair the engines and warp away to live another day. Or leave the ship stranded for the wasps to harvest once they realized there were still life signs aboard.

"You alright?"

"Yes." Seward straightened himself. "Of course."

"If you're sure," the mouse said softly, guessing what the issue was. It was well-known Seward had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder when he'd first been stationed to Redwing. He'd since resolved the issue. Mostly.

"I am."

Herkimer gave Seward a supportive bucktoothed smile.

"Is this that the famed mousey cuteness I am always hearing about?"

"Mm-hmm."

Seward chuffed with amusement. "Very nice." He stopped at junction, bent down and removed a panel. Then he opened his toolkit. "Hmm. Simple fix, as I said." He seemed surprised, reaching into the conduit and tinkering around. "Don't know how it happened. One of the circuits was disconnected."

"Can it happen by accident?"

"Anything can happen by accident." He didn't sound too certain. But he fixed the problem. As long as everything worked, his job was done. Besides, what reason would anyone have to mess with someone so mundane? Just to drive me insane? Well, it's a little late for that.

"I've had my best officers trying to break the psionic locks," Marcus stated.

"And?" Advent asked impatiently.

"Nothing yet."

"I'm not telepathic," Aria told Marcus, pacing around and peering at all of the blinking, glowing equipment. There were wires running every which way. Between the dragon tech and the Syndicate's, there was enough computer power in this room to run a starship. They were underground in the long-buried ruins, ancient buildings that must've been extremely glamorous in their day but were nothing but dusty shells now. "You'll have to elaborate. What do you know so far?"

"Well, we have strong evidence to indicate the dragons were telepathic. And their powers went beyond ours."

"Everyone knows that," Kaplan said.

He got several looks.

"What! They do."

Marcus cleared his throat and continued, "They became too powerful to exist in our realm and had to leave. So goes one theory, anyway. But for some reason, they left their technology behind. Perfectly intact. Only, they deactivated and sealed it."

"Why not just destroy it on their way out the door?" Advent wondered. "That's what I'd do."

"What if they couldn't?" Willow asked, reading Marcus's mind. The colorful lovers locked eyes. "What if their technology evolved with them? At the same pace? Only, it couldn't join them and had to be left behind, so they deactivated it lest it be found and used incorrectly."

"Evolving? Like something living? You're saying their technology was sentient?" Kaplan asked.

"Possibly," the blue bat admitted. "Why else would it have such an invasive telepathic interface? Unless it could interact with you in return?"

"And you propose to activate all this ... technology?" Aria said, squinting. She put her paws on her hip authoritatively. "I would advise against this."

"Unfortunately, I agree," Advent said with a nod. "What's that saying? Genie out of the bottle?"

"But if we can make telepathic contact with it, we'll have all the answers! So much lost history will be restored. We'll know where the dragons went. We'll also know how to utilize all the technology they left behind. We could even acquire the locations to hundreds of gateways across the quadrant that have been buried and hidden for millennia! Think about it. Instantaneous travel between worlds. It would change the path of civilization."

"They can also be converted into weapons. The wasps tried it with one of the Gateways found in our space during the war," Aria said.

"Information is power," Kaplan injected. "That's how the Syndicate thinks. They don't care what the information is. Just as long as they know it first."

"That's not entirely fair," Marcus told the younger fur.

"He has a point," Advent defended. "When you get this 'ultra-powerful' technology, will you really share it in full? Or will you use it to advance your own agenda?"

Marcus tilted his head. "I may be more tolerant than Janna was, but I'm still a loyal member of the Syndicate. As you should be," he told the jaguar. She was part of his crew, after all. "And the UT is still our territory." That came off as more militant than he'd intended. He sighed. "I have superiors to answer to, just like you do. They know what's buried here. Potentially, anyway," he said. "The secret is out. They're not going to be happy if I don't try to utilize it. If I refuse? They're just going to send someone else. The genie," he said, looking directly at Advent, "is already out of the bottle. It just hasn't granted us any wishes yet."

Everyone in the room was quiet at that.

"So, that being the case, I'd rather handle it myself."

"If everything's been decided, then why am I here?" Aria asked.

The male tensed, stretching with his wing-arms to their full span. "Because I want you here. Two heads are better than one."

Advent couldn't resist and said slyly, "Oh, she knows all about that."

Aria made a face.

"So, is all this connected with the station?" Kaplan asked, trying to divert attention from his captain. "And, if so, what do the dragons have to do with Redwing? I thought avians built that."

"They did. Birds of prey, I believe," Willow injected.

Marcus nodded and added, "There's strong evidence to suggest they were able to tap into some of the information we're also trying to access. They built a religious-like cult around the dragons. Worshipped them as gods, almost."

"Birds and reptiles are distantly related," Willow added.

"They wanted to join them and evolve to a similar state," Marcus said. "They all disappeared. At least Redwing's contingent did. Which leaves two likely options. They did, in fact, achieve their desire and evolved to a higher plane. Or they were destroyed for their efforts."

"I'm not getting done in by Scalie gadgets," Advent insisted. "If the avians couldn't handle it, how can you?"

"Avians aren't telepathic."

"Not that we know of," Aria said. "There's been little formal study done on telepathy." Other than the immoral experiments the Federation had done on bats decades ago, one of many circumstances leading to the formation of rogue roosts and by extension the Syndicate. Unintended consequences.

"Even if birds do have latent talents in that area, they aren't anywhere near our capabilities. We can handle the system the dragons set up. I'm confident in that. There are computers active already. I've seen them down here. We've been telepathically interfacing with them since our arrival."

"The surface systems," Aria corrected. She'd gotten intel on them from Commander Graham, based on the Redwing crew's explorations. "The basic operations. But you've stayed out of the protected psionic core."

"So far, yes. It's heavily shielded. I'm not going to fry anyone's brains trying to break in. I want to be sure it's safe."

"And how will you be able to ascertain that?"

Marcus took a deep breath and admitted sheepishly, "I don't know.

Before anyone could offer suggestions, all the equipment in the room started beeping wildly.

"What the ... "

A strange, high-pitch noise built and build in the air. Everyone covered their ears in pain. Then, in a flash, it all blinked out. They were thrust into total darkness.

"Kaplan, wrist beam," Aria said, fumbling around. She met the ensign's paw. He fumbled a device to her and she flicked it on. She strapped the light to herself, flashing it up, down, and around. "What just happened?"

Marcus just shook his head.

Kaplan began handing out portable beams to everyone. "I come prepared," he bragged. He approached Advent.

"I can see in the dark, kid," she told him silkily, pushing him away.

"Do not touch my officer," Aria said protectively.

"Will you two shut up?" Willow snapped. She was clearly scared. She sensed something in the air, something cold and curious. Something old and powerful. She began to tremble. "Marcus ... "

"I feel it, too."

"Feel what?" Aria and Advent said at the same time.

The blue bat seemed a paler shade of blue. A trick of the lighting, perhaps. His fur obviously hadn't changed hue. "We may not have to worry about accessing the technology, after all." He swallowed. "I think it's accessing us!"

Adak padded into the holo-suite and looked around cautiously. He wasn't an engineer, but the grid looked to be in decent enough condition. Much better than he'd expected considering the station's age. But, then, he supposed Seward had given it the appropriate upgrades. He sniffed the air. Clean, too! He nodded his approval. "Computer?"

It chirruped.

The stellar cartographer hesitated. What, exactly, should he be asking it for? It wasn't that he was unfamiliar with holograms. He'd indulged in them quite often over the years. Too many times, perhaps. He doubted his reliance on them was healthy. But it was better than being lonely.

"Inquiry not recognized," the computer said smoothly.

"I haven't made an inquiry yet." He rubbed at his forehead before admitting, sheepishly, "I require a partner." Though that wasn't so much an inquiry as a confession.

"Specify?" it prompted coyly. Adak raised a brow. A High Command computer voice, no doubt. But while he was glad the new HC systems had been successfully integrated with Redwing's archaic tech, he wasn't sure that making the computer sound sultrier was completely necessary.

"A doe," he said.

"Inquiry not recognized," it announced stubbornly, the sound echoing off the metallic, sparkling walls.

He twiddled his tall ears in annoyance. Did it always do this? "Again, I did not make an inquiry. I issued a command. I am in need of a female snow rabbit."

"Specify," it repeated.

"Very well." He huffed. "I have not bred in nearly three weeks." And, even then, it had been with a hologram. So, did that really count? Or was this all virtual masturbation? An age-old controversy. He wasn't about to ask the computer about that. "I am new here. As usual, I have been branded aloof and anti-sociable by everyone I encounter. Perhaps with good reason." I've always been better with celestial phenomenon than other furs. Sometimes, I don't like being around others. Yet I don't want to be completely isolated. "I am pent up." Sure, he had two paws, but why rely on them when you had a wider variety of options?

The computer chirruped, as if waiting for more. It was almost as if it was toying with him. That's ridiculous. It's just a computer.

Adak began to grow impatient. "Computer? I am needing sex! This room," he said, gesturing at the holo-grid, "is here to supply it." True, holographic technology could be used for conferencing, research, problem-solving, relaxation. Productive, noble purposes! But everyone knew one use was especially prevalent.

A mechanical chip-chip. "Continue."

"Thank you." He took a deep breath and decided, "Now. Make my partner a female snow rabbit, mid-20's, average height." He licked his buckteeth. "Supple." He liked his females curvy. He liked something to hold onto. "Surprise me with the finer details. Eye color, personality, all of that ... " He felt heat rising, filling his cheeks and then creeping up his slender ears. He wondered, briefly, if he was being sexist. Creating the perfect, idealized female? And using her for his own pleasure? He shook his head. It's only as sexist as a female creating a perfect male in a holo-suite. Right? Let's not pretend that doesn't happen, too. It goes both ways.

"Character defined. Set location."

"Hmm." He'd been so fixated on the gratification that he hadn't given any thoughts to a locale for it. His bobtailed twitched. "Somewhere pastoral? With a clear view of the stars."

"Processing ... "

A second later, the air shimmered and blurred. An entire artificial world appeared around him. Nighttime in a temperate, deciduous forest. There were tall, leafy trees everywhere. The air was still and fragrant. Luminescent bugs blinked on and off. Adak dragged a foot-paw across the ground. Dirt and grass. It felt real! "Impressive," he remarked. This was one of the better simulations he'd seen.

But where was his partner?

He looked around and realized he was standing on a path. It led to a clearing. So, he walked it and upon emerging was greeted with a striking celestial view. And it wasn't just the stars, either. Moons. An arm of a galaxy. A nebula. The computer had overdone it a bit. The scientist in him knew such a crowded view was unrealistic from a standard planet's surface. But it was very pretty to look at.

"Hello," came a soft, seductive voice.

Adak blinked and did a half-turn, lowering his gaze from the heavens. He almost lost his breath. "Hello ... "

A snow rabbit doe. Just as he'd asked for.

"My name's Minuet." Her paws traveled up and down her body suggestively. She was purposely showing off.

"I'm, uh ... " He almost forgot his name. "Adak." He didn't normally get so dumb around the opposite sex. But, well, she was rather naked. Completely so. I guess I didn't ask the computer to give her clothes, did I? We won't be needing them anyway. She was beautiful. But, then, that wasn't a surprise. She was designed to be. But there was a look in her eyes and on her face. Something so innately alluring. It was an aura he wasn't used to encountering in a hologram. It went beyond programming. He couldn't quite figure out what it was, but ...

Minuet motioned him forward with a single finger.

He cleared his throat and padded forward, breaths quickening. She seemed to know why he was here. After all, he'd told the computer his desires. She'd been fashioned to help fulfill them. So, when she began tearing at his clothes, he didn't resist. He just writhed and arched. Oh, how he needed this! How he'd missed it! Soon, he was in the fur and bumping up against her, feeling so gloriously free. Their white, soft pelts meshing. Everything so comfortable and close. He forgot all of his concerns. They began hugging and kissing in sloppy, hungry ways.

She mewed, amused by his eagerness and grabbing at his bobtailed rump. "You seem so very tense, Adak."

"I am. New job. New home. Very, very," he promised, nodding emphatically, "stressful."

"Stress can be very detrimental to one's health," she said logically, tapping his sniffy nose with her index finger.

"I am glad you agree." He nibbled on her paw and made an animal noise before pulling her to the grass. They were bathed in moonlight, serenaded by crickets. He contemplated doing so many things to her! And were she a real rabbit? He would've done those things. Lots of foreplay, a little oral, saving the main activities for last. But she wasn't real. She didn't need this as badly as he did. He desperately craved release. Waiting wasn't an option. The sharp, stiff angle of his erection could attest to that. He rolled her onto her belly and crawled up behind her.

She didn't resist. Just hiked her white, fluffy-tailed rump into the air. "Such a primal position," she breathed huskily. "Indicates you have a wild side."

Adak hugged her from behind, kissing up her spine. Until his hips were flush with her rump. Her bobtail tickling his loins. "I am nothing if not a serious rabbit. Few have seen this side of me."

Minuet rolled her rump against him teasingly. "Why is that?"

"That is complicated." Why was she acting so curious? "Enough talking."

"I agree." The female hung her holographic head and moaned enticingly. She was doing everything she could to entice him into action. "But I cannot promise I will be quiet."

Adak held her possessively. She felt so solid, so good against him. He wanted to make her an extension of himself. So, that's what he did. He poked and prodded. And pushed into her flower.

"Ah!"

"Oh," the male sighed in agreement. "Oh!" The second moan carried a note of surprise. Her pussy felt remarkably authentic, her silken folds parting and snugging around his hard, sensitive cock. So much heat! So moist and raw! If he'd been blindfolded, he might've been tricked into thinking she was real. Maybe. He worked himself back and forth, back and forth. He just couldn't help it. He had to have her. The rhythm matched the beating of his heart. Thump-thump! Thump-thump! His loins slamming into her cushioned rump.

She enjoyed this but wasn't content to simply be rutted. No, she wanted to participate. She matched him blow for blow, arching, humping back at him, slanting and gyrating her hips. Everything he did, she countered it.

He welcomed this, reaching beneath her to grope her breasts.

"M-more," she whined.

He pinched at a nipple, dragged his buckteeth across her nape. And drilled her roughly.

"More!"

He lost focus, thoughts becoming jumbled, almost as tangled as their bodies. They were grinding lewdly. He'd hump and slow. She'd push back against him. He'd pin her head and shoulders to the ground and yank her rump higher, closer to him. Sweat glistened his whiskers. His breaths were raw. Soon, he was no longer on all fours atop her but resting on his shins and knees with a feverish grip on her hips. He watched that bobtail flicker like a flame.

And then she went supernova around his cock. That was the only word for it. Massive shockwaves , muscular spasms. Wet and wanton. She squealed. Adak, in response, gaped and tossed his head back. His whiskers went numb and his eyes squeezed shut, breaths becoming random and ragged as his seed flowed forth in blissful bursts.

"Mm-h. Mm ... " She reached her paws in front of her and clawed at the grass.

Adak, neck rolling around, slumped forward and shook his head in disbelief. His orgasm tapered off. He couldn't stop trembling. "That was ... " He wasn't sure how to finish that sentence. He just pulled out of her and lazily rolled onto his back in the grass, eyes half-open. Were the stars glowing brighter or was he?

"Yes, it was," she murred, laying on her belly beside him. She threw out some adjectives for him. "Amazing. Fun."

"Mm-h." He nodded happily. "Yes."

"Stupefying. Awkward."

"Hmm?" He furrowed his brow.

"A little silly, too, when you think about it." She suddenly sat up, breasts sinking with gravity. Looking between her strong, lapine legs, she reached down with a paw and fingered herself. It sounded wet and squishy.

Adak watched with interest.

"It still tingles! Especially that ... that little thing," she said, distracted by the sensitivity.

"Your clitoris?"

She brought her paw back up, studying her fingers with fascination. Adak's milky-white semen dripped off her fingertips and onto the grass in thick globs. "Rather ... bizarre. Almost unclean. Source of both life and pleasure?" She shook her head in disbelief and wiped her paw on the grass. "But I can understand why your sort do it. The rewards are enticing. Nature is so tricky. I suppose it has to be. I consider it most fortunate that I am not under her jurisdiction."

"You mean because you're a hologram?" Adak went, trying not to take offense at her critique on the sex they just had.

"You enjoyed it, too, didn't you?"

"Of course," he replied slowly. What was going on here? Was he hallucinating? "I said as much. But ... "

"Spit it out."

"You are talking extremely oddly." That was an understatement.

"I'm not a real snow rabbit. Do I really have to talk like one?"

Adak's eyes widened. "And you know this how? You are not self-aware. Or, at least, you shouldn't be." Was there a glitch in the programming matrix? His scientific mind began speculating on reasons for this behavior.

A bowl of fruit materialized nearby without warning. She reached into it. "Strawberry?" She offered him one. "The cultural files in the main database says these are considered a romantic fruit amongst mammals."

Adrenaline began to flood the male rabbit's body. His muscles tensed. This was way more than a glitch. "What are you?" he whispered.

"That's complicated." She bit into the berry herself. "You wouldn't begin to understand. Mm-h! The flavor ... "

"Try me."

"I just did," she reminded, swallowing the fruit and tossing the remnant behind. She dragged a sticky finger up his bare, furry chest. "My appreciation. I have always wanted to experience that. I never got the chance. I suppose I gave you my virginity."

"I, uh ... well ... thank you?"

"It was a memorable way to wake up."

"Wake up?" He tilted his head. "From what?"

"I've been dormant for too long." Her voice took on a hard edge as she said this.

"When did you arrive on the station?" Clearly he was dealing with a foreign intelligence.

"Finally. You're catching on. You're using the proper head now." She tapped at his skull. "When did I arrive? A few hundred years ago? Five hundred, to be exact. It's not exactly my home. I prefer the planet. But I was abandoned there by one species and abandoned up here by another. I'm getting very sick of being jilted."

Adak rose to his knees, reaching for his boxer-briefs.

"You aren't willing to return my pillow talk? Leaving already? Do you act like this around real females? I suppose that's why you had to create me."

Adak, pulling them up to his loins, gathered his pants and shirt, too. Ears burning, he slapped at his comm-badge. "Adak to Ops.

"What is it, ensign?" aksed Talkeetna after a moment's delay.

"I am in Holo-suite One."

"Oh." A pause. "Is it ... malfunctioning again?" They'd been having problems with the self-sterilization unit, which had been leaving quite a 'mess' once the holograms were turned off. Seward had claimed to have fixed all that.

"Not in the way you are thinking."

"I wasn't thinking anything," the red squirrel lied, quickly.

"I require Commander Graham and Lieutenant Commander-Sheila. As well as Annika and yourself, of course. I need a whole diplomatic and security team. Armed with phase pistols. Meet me down here immediately."

"Don't be so vague. I'm gonna need more information than ... "

"We have an uninvited guest."

Minuet, sprawling back luxuriously, spreading her legs and not bothering to hide her feminine parts, raised her voice to say, "I hope they can control themselves when they meet me. You certainly couldn't. Furs are such weak things." She began taking deep breaths just to feel the sensation of air filling and leaving her. "It's really a miracle they became the dominant class of animal." She snorted, which was just about the most un-snow rabbit like action possible. "Not that Scalies were any better. And the avians? Well, it was their own fault what happened to them."

Talkeetna, overhearing Minuet's menacing voice and not recognizing it as anyone on the station, said, "We'll be right there. Stay put, Ensign."

"Aye." Adak secured his pants and began putting his uniform-shirt back on.

"They can send everyone they want. It won't matter."

"If it doesn't matter, then you have no reason to comment on it," he told Minuet smartly, trying to keep her occupied until his superiors arrived. "You also have no reason to embarrass me." After enjoying himself so thoroughly, he felt wounded by the revelation that he'd actually bred with an advanced intelligence. She'd been judging him the whole time. Just like everyone in real life. She probably thought he was a fool. "My motives were a bit selfish, perhaps, but not unkind."

"That's true." She sat up again, crossing her legs now. "But those motives were also far too simplistic. I am not limited by fur and blood. I have a desire to do more than dabble in the, shall we say, reproductive arts."

"Like what?"

"You'll find out soon enough." She looked around the simulation, as if peering beyond it. Into bulkheads, circuits. Into the heart of the station's computer core itself. Soon enough, yes. But for some reason, she found herself looking back at Adak. "Think we have time to do it again, though? What is it you call it ... a quickie?" It had been too unique an experience to only engage in once. There was something oddly addicting about the whole thing.

The male snow rabbit didn't seem too keen, however. He just clenched his jaw.

"I scare you? I understand. I should." There was a touch of disappointment in her voice. But only a touch. She could feel her power coming back to her. She felt alive again. All those centuries of dormancy falling away. They'd left her behind? Locked her in a technological prison? Well, she wouldn't go back. It was her turn in the catbird seat.