FSE

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Another storm rages outside. Avy stands in the first pod, intently watching the chaos through the windows. Key sits in the other pod, trying to clean out the long range com. Making very little progress, Key flops into a chair and turns to watch the storm for a bit.

With the heat converter running, it both cools the air and charges the systems. Apparently Avy picked up a cooler metabolism from Alice's DNA, and their have been other changes that are still happening. Several of the plates on her thoraxes have softened. Those are mostly on her chest and belly, but there are a few on her face that are also starting the process.

One thing that he's come to learn about Avy, is that the sensitivity of her chest and belly area is because they're loaded with millions of nerve endings. Drudge and Pond seem to have conflicting theories about this. Drudge's theory is that it helps her detect air pressure and food sources. Pond leans more towards it being used in mating, or at least in choosing a mate. Key actually thinks it could be both.

Avy though, has no idea. She had indicated that it felt right to do that, but had no idea why. She also couldn't tell if Alice's memories had anything to do with that either. Despite that, she does know that doing that makes her feel at ease.

Another thing that has them baffled is the tube-like organ that runs the length of Avy's tail. It seems to serve no purpose. An early theory was that it could be used to store eggs for later fertilization or laying. The problem with that theory is that her tail lacks the muscle structure to push anything through or out of that tube.

The one thing that the AIs can agree on, is that Avy is either still sexually immature, or they're simply not familiar with the way merrin reproduce.

Key wishes he could take more time to study, but with the combined eclipses approaching, there's not much time for that. If there's hope for a rescue, he needs to get the communications working.

With a heavy sigh, he gets up and starts to work on the com again. mostly he's cleaning out the system and looking for damage. He has yet to test this pod's com.

Finding some plankton slime, he scoops as much as he can out and puts it in a cup. He sets the cup on a tray and checks around inside the compartment some more, but not finding anything else, he starts to reassemble the com. He fails to notice Avy's hand take the cup.

About the time he's done reassembling the com, the cup has been replaced. When he picks it up, it's lighter. Puzzled, he looks into the cup and chuckles. It's empty. Avy ate the plankton.

He sets that aside and grabs the tablet connected to the probe. "All right Drudge. Time for a test call."

"Running diagnostics," Drudge states. "Pod's com array reports ready. Probe reports ready."

Key lets out a sigh and shrugs. "Well, here goes. Testing, testing, one, two."

The tablet shows a weak incoming signal and Key nearly laughs.

"All right. A weak signal I can work with."

Avy pulls him into a hug from behind, and Key instantly feels something odd in his back. Breaking the hug, he turns around to see that Avy apparently has also noticed, she's looking down at her chest.

Key can't help but gasp. Her chest plates are angled outward, making it look like she has breasts underneath.

"How..." he starts to ask.

Avy shrugs and slowly runs her hands over chest. She gasps and shivers noticeably, but not like before. Now it's different. Now it's like she enjoys it.

Key reaches out, not to touch, but to let Drudge and Pond scan, but Avy takes his hand and presses it to her chest.

She shivers again, and Key feels her plating warm, and her four hearts race. She begins to slowly work her wings, creating a gentile breeze in the shelter.

"You're warm," Key gently says.

She nods and touches his hand, then herself.

"You're warm, because I'm touching you?"

She nods again and gently touches his face.

He sees that her pink fur is now red. "You're--"

She puts a finger to his lips, stopping him, and then pulls him in close and wraps her arms around him. He can't help but to return her hug.

Now chest to chest, he feels every beat of her hearts, every swell of her upper thorax as she breathes. When she quivers, she lets out a quiet, purr-like sound. After a few heavy, ragged breaths, she puts her mouth to his neck, and gently licks him.

He wasn't expecting that, and it makes his scalp crawl. Alice knew about his sensitivity there, and apparently Avy picked up that memory too. For just a moment, Key wonders just how much else she learned from Alice.

With a soft chirr sound, Avy goes stiff, then relaxes into his arms. No longer chest to chest, her twitching fades and he slowly lies her down on her side.

"Did you just have, what I think you had?" he softly asks.

Panting her exhaustion, she slowly nods. Yes, and more.

His eyes go wide and he struggles to speak. "Did you...I mean, how...you've...I heard you."

In a way, but just my thoughts. I have attuned myself to you, and I choose you for a mate, even if I do not yet know how that will happen.

"Mate?" He gently rubs her face. "You want me for a mate?"

Even if it is not possible for us to mate. Yes. We are alone here. That is why I came to you after you landed. To survive, we must help each other. We are survivors, and we should do what we must to survive.

She turns her head to look at the floor. I have been watching the moons. There is something odd about their paths. I fear that this eclipse will be different. Worse. Maybe even longer.

Key sighs, "Drudge, after the storm passes, check the moons' positions. See if you can find out about their orbits and what dangers we might be in."

"Astronomy is not one of my fields of expertise, but I will try."

Key picks her up and moves her to the cot. "You need to rest. If we're any chance of getting help, I need to get the com working at full strength."

She nods and then relaxes into the cushion.

Returning to the pod, he sees that the storm is still raging outside. Avy's right. Something is wrong. The storms have been getting longer, and stronger.

Checking the antennas will have to wait till he can go outside. For now, he starts working on a way to increase the signal strength with what little power available.