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Hearth Star: Convergence

By Psion

A Hearth Star Story

All Rights Reserved

Commander Bael Longfoot groaned softly as she lounged in her command couch aboard the bridge of the Silver Pantry. Her supply ship had picked up the garrison’s supplies plus the rations for Cryptal Bargebottom’s Trailblazer… and Major Hopper and a small unit of Corps troopers. To say space was tight during the return trip was an understatement, fortunately the troopers Hopper took with him managed to keep their rowdy antics to themselves for the remainder of the trip. Longfoot still had no idea how to explain to Hopper’s troops what they were about to meet on Lighthouse Station. She barely knew how to explain the new alien race the Republic had just encountered to the Star Corps major.

Major Hopper waddled onto the bridge just as the ship jumped back into normal space outside of Lighthouse Station, the Lapeen Corpsman clearly doing his best to fight his own battle with indigestion. Both lapine anthros had found themselves a little wider as Baconfat Base’s binge slowly digested. Meanwhile, significantly less bloated by service pride and a massive meal, Longfoot’s bridge crew automatically went about their duties.

“We have arrived outside of Lighthouse Station commander, hailing traffic control now. No sign of hostile sensor signatures but we appear to have arrived at the same time as GAS and a human raiding party. There also appears to be a lot of chatter between the station’s command module and the converted freighter Humanity’s Vengeance.” Lt. Synth reported from the sensor console.

“Humanity’s Vengeance? Sounds like a nutty bunch Command wants us to help.” Hopper snorted.

“I don’t know, if the Wuffs burnt down my home world and left me adrift in a hostile part of the galaxy I’d be pretty angry too.” Longfoot replied automatically as the bridge screen came alive with an open channel to one of the station’s junior traffic controllers.

“Damn it, we heard you Commander, you and General Citrus over there need to give us a minute!” The controller began rudely, his face visibly agitated and awash with the signs of barely controlled panic. Bael could immediately tell this human was in the camp that disapproved of the Republic presence. She could also tell that something had gone wrong in her absence.

Both GalRep officers were about to say something when another voice could be heard in the background shouting something they couldn’t quite make out. Longfoot immediately recognized the voice of Governor Blackman. The traffic controller’s face went flush and the feed immediately cut to a camera in Blackman’s office, the station’s governor sitting behind his desk.

“Commander Longfoot and… forgive me but who’s your new friend?” The human leader greeted, his face painted with the same barely controlled panic worn by the traffic controller.

“Major Hopper, I was ordered to command the Star Corps garrison at Lighthouse Station.” Hopper replied, his green cheeks still bristling at the traffic controller’s remark but his eyes clearly alight with the one question Longfoot imagined every GalRep citizen was going to silently ask when they saw their first human. How can they be so skinny?

“Pleased to meet you, I am Governor Gabriel Blackman. Leader of the human colony of Lighthouse Station and possibly the last bastion of humanity for all anyone knows.” Blackman began then focused his gaze back on the both of them. “We have a problem. While you were gone, I sent a war party out to the Wuff trade station of SoHung. It was supposed to be a warm-up for when we attack the ship breaker yards at Iron Pecs with you. Nothing special, except we’re now the valiant rescuers of the passengers of a GalRep colony ship that was apparently sent to establish a farming colony somewhere out here. I know your bosses wanted to keep Lighthouse Station’s existence quiet, frankly it was the only thing I agreed to wholeheartedly. But at the same time we couldn’t just leave those people to the Wuffs. So… what do we do with them now that we rescued them?” Blackman asked finally.

“Sounds like the three of us are going to have a lot to talk about once we’re station-side. Has your raiding party identified who the colony leader is?”

“No, we weren’t even sure if it was a good idea to let them on the station.” Blackman replied before taking a deep breath. “Alright then, I guess there’s no going back now…” The governor nodded then looked at something behind the camera. “Kale! Get all three of those ships docked on the double! Yes, even the military supply vessel you cheesed off. Do it right now or you’ll be spending tonight with your face buried in Commander Longfoot’s ass.” Blackman barked to his subordinate as he closed the channel.

Hopper smirked after the conversation ended. “Definitely a civilian-run outfit. No wonder General Carbloat wants a Corps presence on this colony. Saints alive though, I didn’t think I would see another species as skinny as the Wuffs.”

“Neither did I though we’ll see if things continue to stay that way after a few months of GalRep cooking and agriculture. But as I said on Baconfat Base, if you wanted impartial judges you have a station full of them now.” Longfoot laughed as Zedd docked them with the human colony…

Gina Stewart resisted the urge to twitch after Humanity’s Vengeance docked with Lighthouse Station and began the process of unloading liberated captives. There was a question of what to do with the supplies and equipment as the original owners of most of their haul were still very much alive but Blackman decided that they’d put that question to the side for now. None of that was Gina’s concern either. Right now she needed to get to the horticultural lab and start assessing whether or not she had acquired a cultivatable sample of starch-shrooms. If she did then the GalRep gluttons could binge to their hearts content and food still wouldn’t be a problem. Maybe once she buried herself in her work, she’d be able to calm down and forget about the bloodbath at SoHung.

The horticultural lab was a large room adjacent to the main agricultural level on the station. Rows of lab benches loaded with tools, plant grow boxes, and other contraptions filled the dull alloy metal room. Setting herself up at the closest workbench to the door, Gina collected a small spore sample and ran it through one of the barely functional analyzer machines the original inhabitants left behind. When it came back negative on a scan for known fungicidal compounds, she picked up a planter and started to load it with treated waste collected from the sewage cisterns before covering it with spores from her harvested sample and sealing it up in an empty grow box before repeating the process two more times. Now all she could do was wait for a few days and hope for the best… and deal with Sergeant Crem who had somehow quietly managed to squeeze her massive bovine ass into the horticultural laboratory and was waiting patiently for Gina to look up from her work.

“Dr. Stewart?” The Mess Chef greeted politely.

“Gina is fine, I never got my bachelor’s let alone my doctorate before the Wuffs burnt my world to the ground. I’m more of a research assistant then an actual scientist anyway.” The human replied automatically. “What can I do for you?” She asked, only noticing Corporal Donka standing behind her massive superior when the squat little Vul reached out to close the door behind the two troopers.

“Well, as one of the senior Mess Chefs at the Corps garrison I wanted to talk to you and hopefully get a tour of the greenhouse facilities so I can see what my options are so the garrison doesn’t have to eat prepackaged rations all the time.” Crem replied, noticing Gina tense up ever so slightly for a few seconds. Whether it was the sight of Donka or the fact that the door was closed, the mess sergeant couldn’t tell.

“Are you alright?” The Bov asked politely.

“What? Oh, sorry. Sure of course. It’s nice to see someone interested in what I do on the station.”

“Instead of what you did on the Hearth Star?” Donka volunteered carefully.

“Yes, instead of that.” Gina replied, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she stared off into space. Both of the other females noticed that her hand briefly twitched again like she was pulling the trigger on a handgun. “Anyway, well you’re in luck then. I’m running some tests on some starch-shrooms.” Stewart continued, holding up one of the brown and blue-spotted mushrooms for emphasis.

“Never saw it before, is it edible?” Crem asked briefly.

“You wouldn’t. As far as I know it only grows on the Hearth Star or Wuff stations, supposedly they accidentally brought it with them from their home world. And yes, it’s edible and contains most of the nutrients a human or any of the GalRep species trapped aboard the Hearth Star needs to stay alive.”

“Accidentally?” Donka ask quizzically.

“Wuffs regard the mushroom as a nuisance, starch-shrooms grow best in the dark, damp confines of the sewage cisterns aboard the Hearth Star. Almost too well actually, if conditions are right they multiply explosively and frequently clog up the toilets on the Hearth Star. Wuffs hate them, hate them even more when they discovered we could live off of them, and like to flush a crude fungicide to deal with the problem. Blackman’s been looking for a cultivatable sample since we half-escaped, half-exiled from the Hearth Star, he’ll be pleased to know that it looks like I found one. Especially now with the station’s population steadily rising.” Gina explained, exhaling ever so slightly.

“But that means you’ll be getting assistance soon, correct?” Donka asked, getting a probing look from the other intellectual.

“No it means I’ll be getting out of the science department entirely thank goodness. Blackman’s putting together something he’s calling the Pathfinder Corps. Don’t know much about it other then that I’m going to be one of the first recruits. I can’t wait to be honest; the last few weeks by myself weren’t that much different from when I worked with other researchers in the laboratories. They were always passing off most of the work onto me.” The dark-haired human answered, shaking her head.

“Pathfinder Corps?” Donka squeaked ever so slightly, getting a look from Crem.

“Well, okay I suppose it’s not true that I don’t know that much about it. There’s been talk for a while now about assembling a group of explorers with the purpose of finding more resources and hopefully, eventually, Earth. Guess the Pathfinder Corps means that Blackman’s finally going through with it.”

“Congratulations, sounds like something you’ve waited a long time for. Now, about that tour.” Crem interjected, changing the subject before her subordinate could continue that line of discussion further.

Oblivious to Donka’s ulterior motives for more information about the Pathfinder Corps, Gina blinked. “Oh yes, almost forgot about that. Follow me please.” She apologized, standing up from her workbench and leading the other two females through the station’s hydroponics gardens, the Corps support troopers slowly waddling behind her as she lead them past rows upon rows of various food crops growing in a fertilizer solution. Crem listened attentively to the human woman listing every crop and describing how they were locally prepared while Donka only half-heartedly paid attention. The Vul’s intellect focused on another problem that had been presented to her, how to discreetly make the most of the time she had left to spend with Gina.

“So Gina, I confess I never expected to meet a warrior princess before much one as multitalented as you.” Crem began daringly once the tour was over.

Gina began to scowl ever so slightly. “Warrior princess? Is that what the others are calling me now? I would have thought you Corps types, of all people, would be the first realize that I’m a fake on that account. Is that what you really see when you look at me?”

Crem looked at the thinner female and decided to just say what came to mind. “No, I see a frightened woman who fights because she has nowhere to run or hide. That doesn’t make you any less of a fighter though.” She replied before trying to lighten the mood. “Though if you want a safe place to hide, you’re more then welcome to take cover behind my fat ass.” The Bov battle chef laughed with a playful thump of her voluminous rear.

Gina smirked for a brief instant before her face became serious again. “Alright then, can I ask something of Corporal Donka in turn?” The females smiled and the Vul vixen nodded before Gina continued. “What did Donge tell you about me?”

“That you were a successful fighter in the arena and absolutely fascinating in bed.” Donka replied, smiling broadly as she regarded Gina affectionately.

“That’s what I thought he told you… spineless little liar. I only asked for one thing for saving his neck and does he do it? No.” Gina snarled, a reaction neither female expected from her.

“What was the one thing you wanted from him?” Donka asked. Already she could feel her perception of Gina the valiant human warrior princess start to crack…

“Nothing, I suppose it doesn’t matter now.” Gina replied coldly, getting a vacant look in her eyes before regarding the metal greenhouse floor with sudden interest. Exhaling dejectedly, she turned and walked away from the two stout space marines.

Crem and Donka looked at each other after Gina left them alone in the greenhouse. That definitely could have gone better.

Major Hopper rested his hands against his prodigious belly as he took stock of his new posting. Lt. Bakin, acting base CO until his arrival, sat across from his desk and did her best to answer his questions as he reviewed the garrison’s supplies, facilities, and personnel. It had been a very crowded hour since his arrival station-side and Hopper found he was still trying to take it all in. A new species on the fringe of GalRep territory, pillaged by the Wuffs when the Hearth Star disappeared from known space, one that Command was trying to convince to join or at least ally with the Republic, it was a lot for Hopper to wrap his head around and the events of the previous hour had not helped. He had spoken with Governor Blackman and the leader of the colonists the human’s militia had saved from the Wuffs. At least the GalRep colonists were more confused and wide-eyed then he was trying to make sense of these skinny people.

It made sense, the humans didn’t have the same level of agricultural science the Republic did, but it still didn’t feel right to be surrounded by all these skinny people. And in the case of the ones that had been slowly starved by the Wuffs or other slavers, it was downright unsettling. And Command hoped that they could get these people to collaborate with the Republic in a military capacity? Well judging by what he had seen so far they could definitely fight but he had also seen that there was definitely some culture shock on the humans side of the fence. How the species was going to handle that was something that remained to be seen. Still, there was no reason to not stay the course and try to erode resistance with some good old-fashion GalRep culinary diplomacy. At the very least, Hopper felt these furless people shouldn’t be allowed to join the Star Corps without packing a decent gut first…

Meanwhile, light years away on the massive world ship the Hearth Star, life continued on oblivious to the existence of Lighthouse Station. Claire Lockhart slowly explored the dark, claustrophobic metal warrens of the lower levels of the ship. It was just another day exploring the largely unmonitored space between hastily hammered-together settlements in the larger spaces of the planet-sized space ship. The same as the day before and likely the same as tomorrow as well, Claire had spent the day looking for signs of escaped slaves. While certainly much less organic then a wilderness in a traditional sense, the bottom levels of the Hearth Star were a wilderness all the same. There was a natural rhythm of sorts once one learned what was normal and what was not for the ambient machines clanking and humming away in the background, making it easy to spot things that were not supposed to be there once one knew where to look. Like the curious trail Lockhart was following now. At first she thought she found signs of a Wuff hunting party skulking around for easy prey but halfway through the trail it looked like they got into a fight with something and just… disappeared. Now she was following the detritus left by whatever made them vanish, discarded weapons and stray bits of clothing that were slick with saliva. Whatever had wiped them out was big, very big, and worryingly hungry if it could devour four Wuffs without leaving much of a trace of any of them. If she could at least get a glimpse of it and report back to someone, they could figure out if it was a threat that needed to be taken care of before it started eating escaped humans fleeing the Wuffs….

The trail of discarded power sabers and random articles of the macho clothing the Wuffs favored lead the armed human woman to an abandoned storeroom once used for something Claire could only guess at where she heard the sound of something groaning happily like it had just finished enjoying a big meal. With her weapon raised, the brown-haired woman opened the door and faced her quarry.

The first thing Claire noticed about the reclining glutton was the massive spear-like fork he was carrying and currently pointed in her general direction. Immediately stepping back out of his reach just as the huge badger-like alien slowly rose to his feet, both combatants stared at each other as recognition finally hit them both.

“Milady?” The armored badger asked, looking like a huge pumpkin in Claire’s mind as she remembered him as the immense “God King” knight that had intervened in a previous bout of hers.

“I know you… A few weeks ago, you charged in to help me fight off some Wuffs. We never were properly introduced.” Claire began, lowering her shotgun ever so slowly.

“Sir Lukis Gabros of the Order of the Ocher Rose at your service milady.” The huge badger alien greeted with a slight bow of his head, was it her imagination or was there something kicking inside of Lukis’s gut beneath the breast plate of his pumpkin-orange power armor?

“Claire Lockhart. Scout and tracker for Freeman’s Hold.” Claire replied as Gabros belched up a Wuff boot, the article of clothing landing on the metal floor with a wet splat.

“Mmmm, excuse me. Sometimes the Wuffs do not accept their fate graciously, a trait that makes this delicious foe all the more satisfying.” Gabros apologized with a contemplative lick of his lips.

Claire managed to keep a straight face in spite of this display. Undoubtedly barbaric but then again these were Wuffs she was thinking about. If anyone deserved to die this way, it was the Wuffs. More concerning was the particular glint in his eye as he looked her over, he was polite about it but it was definitely obvious he was regarding her with a different kind of hunger, one that didn’t involve his stomach in the slightest. The human woman had to fight to keep from rolling her eyes. First Jerky now this guy, what was it about her that made her a pinup for fat alien warriors? Oh well, perhaps it couldn’t be helped. Certainly didn’t matter at the moment.

“So, did you come with any friends?” She asked casually, keeping her ears open for the sound of lumbering footsteps coming up behind her in case he wasn’t the only Ocher Rose on the ship.

“No, the rest of my warband missed the Hearth Star, I was the only one to land of the entire crusade. But I imagine, looking at you, that my story is not the most interesting one.” He replied, giving her a look that said plenty about whether or not he was aware of humanity’s presence before arriving on the ship.

Sighing, Claire told him the story of how humanity ended up on the Hearth Star; the abridged, impersonal version at least. She hardly knew let alone trusted this newcomer enough to give him a more personal account of how things happened. Heaven knew her nickname said all that needed to be said about that and he’d hear about that soon enough.

In the Mead Halls district of the massive world ship, life continued on oblivious to Claire’s encounter with Lukis Gabros. The leisure and entertainment level of the Hearth Star continued to pound with a heavy bass soundtrack as multiple establishments continued competing to see who could play their music louder, who’s gaudy holographic signage could shine brighter, and who could contribute the most to the potpourri of sweat, grease, and sex that permeated through much of the level. Slaves continued to perform obscene acts to satisfy the quotas of cruel masters, just another evening in the brothels and bars of a pirate’s hangout. Except for the Courtesan Guild’s guildhall towards the sector’s aft-end. Mistress Dabotee’s guildhall was a quiet, relaxing oasis of calm surrounded by the noise of the Mead Halls with most of the Hearth Star blissfully unaware that they were quietly collecting information on behalf of the Galactic Republic.

Learning to conduct business on the Hearth Star was… an interesting lesson from Dabotee’s perspective. By simple virtue of being the most physically numerous, the Wuffs still made up the majority of the ship sector’s patrons and that reflected in the entertainments that were most popular. There were relatively fewer GalRep outlaws craving a taste of home and the Padonk mistress found herself competing directly with her rival across the street for most of them. The Wuffs themselves were almost completely uninterested in the Courtesans and most of their “GalRep proud” physiques barring a few predictable exceptions regarding a few of Dabotee’s large breasted Vul employees.

Still, as the guildmistress gathered more information, she soon managed to carve a decent niche for herself. The handful of humans she managed to acquire through various means after Susan became a huge help if a little unsettling in that regard. Many of the humans that now work for Dabotee were “strays” like Susan, abandoned by their former masters after under performing one too many times and left to die in a back alley only for Dabotee and Lolly to retrieve. Rescued and coaxed back to something resembling “healthy”, most fled to the lower levels when given the opportunity while some stayed behind to work with her.

Many of the humans the Courtesans quietly rescued were female as maintaining control over that half of the species was made a priority during the prison riots shortly after the Wuffs sacked Earth. If it was any other species, Dabotee might have believed this to be part of a “long view” strategy for controlling the human rebellion. Given the tendency of Wuffs to think with their “other heads”, the Padonk suspected her current landlords weren’t that clever. Fortunately the humans in her stable were a wealth of information concerning both of her problems. Now if only she could do something about how eagerly the ones that stayed with her played their parts…

Dabotee was currently out and waddling about the Mead Hall, dressed in a skimpy green bottom, matching top, and soft black shoes. The Courtesans’ guild insignia gingerly painted on both of her expansive cheeks rippled like a cloth banner as she ambled along her route. Flanking her on both sides were Susan and Christina, a recent acquisition, both dressed in skintight suits made of a black polymer the Wuffs apparently found appealing and bound to Dabotee by a short leather leash. Both humans were still a bit too skinny for the Padonk’s tastes but at least they looked much healthier to her eye. And at the moment her eye was not the one they were trying to catch…

“Hey fat azz, how much for the bitches?” Came the jeer, a pair of Wuffs eyeing up Susan and Christina. Dabotee didn’t think it was possible to use the phrase “lustfully psychotic” except in jest until now as she returned their gaze, draping her meaty arms around her two assistants as she continued to amble past.

“These two are mine, they’re not for sale.” The guild mistress replied simply, pulling her two mates closer to her. This had the potential to end poorly depending on how these two took to rejection.

“Oh mistress, you spoil us.” Susan interjected with slavish devotion, giving Dabotee a lustful pat on the rump and causing the guild logo on her left cheek to wave ever so slightly. For a brief moment, both Wuffs had their gaze drawn to Dabotee’s backside and the Courtesan Guild logos painted on it, the wobble of her abundant rear rippling like a flag as the trio walked away. Apparently they had convinced the Wuffs to try again later at the guildhall.

The Padonk smiled until they arrived back at the guildhall. It was always a little worrying how happily the human women under her control addressed her and the others as “mistress” or “master.” Perhaps the Wuffs had beaten any other form of address out of them or perhaps they just were trying to show their appreciation for the guild’s kindness the only way they had left. Worrying but not as immediate as her need to find a way to contact the humans and GalRep citizens hiding down below in the lower levels of the ship or the IPA-Star Corps team that had set up camp down with them. But that was a problem that looked like it was going to be solved fairly soon. Thanks to the humans that fled down below, she already had a list of areas where both security and surveillance were virtually nonexistent, the hard part would be navigating the lower levels once she got down there. Still, that was a problem for later. Right now though, Susan and Christina were about to see just how much their mistress truly loved them. After all, such devoted pets deserved to be cherished appropriately….

Elsewhere in the Hearth Star, in the “zoo” where the marauding lupines kept a variety of horrific alien monsters, two other Wuffs discussed how to deal with the “pest problem” down below. Steel pen after pen held beasts from across the galaxy as the beastmasters pointed at them and argued which was suitable to be sent down the elevator to where the Star Corps had holed up.

“I still say we should send the Gorgon tentacle beast!” One argued, gesturing to a massive lizard-like creature crowned with a head full of clawed tentacles.

“No! I’ve almost figured out how to train him to do tentacle porn!” The senior beastmaster’s junior partner argued back.

“You’ve ‘almost figured out’ for months. It’s not interested in fondling slaves, only eating them. We’ve wasted enough human slaves fattening it up; we’re sending it down to eat those stupid GalRep fatasses. Maybe then we’ll get back what that Gladius muscle bitch charged us for it.” The pen master snarled, gesturing for his apprentice to help get a crate ready so they could take the tentacle beast out of its pen and load it into the lift that lead straight down to where Lt. Jerky and Officer Cayenne’s teams had camped out.

Jerky has just relieved Cayenne’s subordinate Pepper from watch duty when the lift abruptly came to life to respond to a call from the upper levels. This was not good, the Wuffs stopped using this elevator once they realized the Republic fighting arms had claimed this section of the ship for themselves and the humans didn’t dare use this particular route as it took them past too many heavily traveled areas. So for it to suddenly come to life again, something big was coming down.

The elephant officer had just finished checking to see if he had a fresh magazine in his Big Fracking Rifle as the others joined him and the elevator doors slowly opened. The eight rotund members of the Galactic Republic barely registered the flash of teeth and writhing mass of tentacles before opening fire. Fist-sized gyrojet bullets and pulse pistol bolts impacted with the massive lizard creature taking up the entirety of the elevator car, killing it almost instantly. Once the target stopped moving, all eight of them lowered their weapons. “Well that was nice of the Wuffs.” Lt. Jerky said to the others with a wry smile.

A few hours later, the two Wuff beast masters watched as the elevator came back up. The doors opened… and all that remained of their prized Gorgon Tentacle Beast was a pile of bones, an empty bottle of barbeque sauce, and a handwritten note that read:

Dear assholes, thanks for dinner. Next time could you send down another bottle of sauce too? We ran out while grilling up some lizard steaks.

P.S. We know what you fed this thing and no, we are not the least bit happy about it.

Several blocks away from the beast masters finding the remains of their pet, a human slave looked up from picking up trash. Was it his imagination or did he hear two Wuffs howling in anguish and frustration? If he did, whoever pissed in their coffee certainly deserved a pat on the back…

Lieutenant Jerky sat contented in the outpost kitchen after dinner, slowly picking up table scraps with his trunk and popping them into his mouth as he reviewed the map of the Hearth Star. Dinner was grilled Gorgon Tentacle Beast prepared by PFC Chunky and himself, the first time the IPA officers had been introduced to Star Corps cooking. While Jerky hardly considered himself Mess Chef material, he did learn to cook in a basic fashion during a time when he tried to court the now Mess Sergeant Crem. Crem probably never knew he had a torch burning for her once before their career paths made such fraternizations “unprofessional” but still, knowing how to butcher monsters like the Gorgon Tentacle Beast and operate a grill in a basic capacity turned out to be a very useful skill indeed.

Dinner itself had gone over well, the four IPA females Cayenne, Sage, Pepper, and Curry all loved the thick steaks Jerky and Chunky hacked off of the Gorgon even if they probably were a little overdone. He wasn’t sure how they would handle learning about the bones Chunky had found when the feline cleaned and butchered the creature, including one that was unmistakably a human skull, so the two Corps troopers decided to keep that to themselves for now. For better or worse the Star Corps was used to this sort of thing, the IPA was probably not. There was probably going to be trouble for that omission later but for now Jerky was just happy that the thing had been eaten with not a scrap left over. The others had gone to bed or to sit and take watch with bloated bellies groaning and gurgling happily after being crammed to the brim with tender meat. Jerky’s was in a similarly distended state, bulging past his knees as he gave it a proud slap.

Licking the lingering taste of tentacle beast from his lips, the elephantine Corps officer reviewed the map and tried to figure out where the Wuffs were sheltering their monsters. There had to be a beast pen or several somewhere on the ship, he was going to have to ask Freeman or the others about that at the council meeting tonight. In the back of his mind, his thoughts turned back to the question Crem asked him on Verda-4. It was still a good question, one he was only able to finally answer after meeting the humans. Did eating something like the Gorgon Tentacle Beast mean they essentially ate the devoured slaves as well by proxy? Jerky decided that if it did then it was an act of mercy, nowhere on this wretched pirate-infested ship was safer then inside a Star Corps trooper’s belly or an IPA officer’s ass; or warmer for that matter, he contemplated as he looked down at the huge, jutting dome of his stomach. Shaking his head to clear his mind of trivial worries, he focused back on the matter at hand. The Wuffs were clearly keeping alien predators to use as a weapon of sorts, meaning there had to be somewhere on the ship where the creatures were being raised. Meaning there was an area that the eight of them needed to turn into their own personal buffet. Definitely something he needed to ask at the council meeting in about an hour…

Jerky and Cayanne weren’t sure what to expect at this meeting but the Courtesan guild mistress sitting in the corner definitely wasn’t it. Clad in a reserved green gown, the Padonk female watched the gathered group of humans and GalRep citizens come in and sit down. Several of the human leaders regarded her with a cold stare, mostly due to the conservatively dressed human female sitting on her mistress’s broad lap and resting her head against the Padonk’s ample chest. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife, the human council had not been happy to discover that Jerky had successfully sent a message back to headquarters.

“Hello Guildmistress Dabotee.” Freeman greeted as the meeting was called to order, trying hard to maintain a straight face as he pronounced her name “Da-Booty” to keep the meeting from descending into chaos faster then it probably already was. “You wished to speak with us?”

“Yes what does the fat pimp wish to talk to us about?” Came the obvious remark from Benjamin Fillmore. Since Jerky and Cayenne had been sitting in on these meetings, they watched him go from a petty merchant baron to the general leader of the humans in favor of an isolationist stance regarding the galaxy at large. An unfortunate consequence of the stability the GalRep’s activities on the ship had brought was that it gave the humans time to think about something other then their immediate survival.

Dabotee chose to ignore that remark and presented a self-powered data cube. “Jonathan Freeman, I have a message for you and the others from Gabriel Blackman.”

“That’s impossible! Blackman’s dead!”

Dabotee merely activated the data cube. The device began to project a hologram of someone Jerky assumed was Gabriel Blackman, the leader of the now-abandoned Blackman’s Junction. “Hello, hello, is this thing recording? Okay, if it is, hello everyone still alive on the Hearth Star. At the very least I know you’re still alive Freeman. One, you were always a pain in my ass when I had a seat on the Remnant Council, the universe would keep you alive just so you could continue to drive me crazy, and two, because for all your gloom and doom you never were one to simply lay down and die. The rest, God only knows. Half of you couldn’t even find your own asses without Freeman or me to hold your goddamn hands.

Believe it or not though, I’m not going to waste this opportunity just insulting you. At the time of this recording, it’s been several months since Blackman’s Junction was destroyed. Several months ago the Wuffs contracted Captain Alyssa and her muscleheads to come down and wipe us out. Militia held them off for as long as they could but you all know Alyssa. You don’t stall her for long when she really wants something. So we escaped… on one of the two old starships we all forced Freeman to stop trying to fix. Turns out he was closer to finally getting them working then I think even he realized. I suppose I owe you an apology for that one John, you were right in the end. You also aren’t a fan of long stories; none of you are, so I’ll get right to the point. We founded a colony outside of the Hearth Star. It’s not much and there were several times I was convinced we were going to get wiped out but it’s ours and it’s growing. I had to make some concessions with the Galactic Republic, a development I’m sure will amuse Guild Master Ironbelly to no end given how often she and I fought. But at least we’re finally safe and moving forward. If there is anyone left to receive this, I’ve attached the relative coordinates to Lighthouse Station to this message. That’s where we’re holed up now. Get the other ship working and get off the Hearth Star. Hope to see you all soon.” Blackman smiled, the hologram fading as the meeting descended into turmoil…

Cayenne shook her head and trembled slightly as the meeting was adjourned. The plump dull yellow equine mare thought she hated politics back in the Galactic Republic. Now that she had seen how things could get when people had everything to lose, she really hated them. Those in favor in an isolationist policy banded together and accused Dabotee of trickery before chasing Ironbelly and Dabotee out of the council chambers. The IPA officer couldn’t see how it could possibly get any worse… then it did. Drawing his side arm and firing a single deafening shot into the air, Freeman very quietly told the other representatives to leave and very definitively declared the council disbanded. A few stared at him disbelievingly, unable to accept that his latest actions had just happened. That perception changed the instant he leveled the old human-made revolver at Benjamin’s head and chambered the next round in the cylinder. No one waited to find out if Jonathan was really bluffing, promptly leaving the armed human alone with Cayenne and Jerky.

Exhaling and collapsing back in his chair, Jonathan set the pistol down on the table and buried his face in his hands. Jerky and Cayenne sat and waited for several long, silent minutes before leaving the room themselves. In an instant their plans had been completely changed, whether this change was ultimately for better or worse remained to be seen…

Freeman sat in silent contemplation for what felt like ages, resisting the urge to scream in frustration. That wasn’t how things were supposed to work out, that wasn’t how this situation was supposed to play out. Freeman had been holding out hope ever since he and his Rangers broke out of the prison levels during the Great Brownout that some miracle would occur, that the fragile council would some how discover the location of a habitable planet or even Earth and that the revelation would finally unify them with a common goal. Instead, in granting his wish, Dabotee’s message had served as the catalyst for driving everyone apart. In that instant he made his decision, at the end of the day he was only responsible for the people of the community that bore his name, no one else. If the others were idiotic enough to believe they had better chances aboard the Hearth Star then they did somewhere else, that was their decision and he was done protecting them from the consequences of their choice. The people of Freeman’s Hold were leaving the Hearth Star and heading to Lighthouse Station….

“At this rate I should start charging admission fees.” Gina greeted without looking up from her lab bench as she heard the weighty footfalls of one of the station’s portly new inhabitants heading towards her.

“I hope that the local tourist trade can provide something more to entertain my boys then a single ex-gladiator.” Came the gruff reply, a voice Gina didn’t recognize coming from the latest corpulent body to enter her orbit.

Looking up from her desk, she found herself more or less eye level with the new Star Corps base commander. She had heard the rest of the garrison force arrived with Commander Longfoot but hadn’t met any of them yet much less their boss.

“Hello there, Major Hopper is it?” Gina greeted as she quickly looked the Star Corps officer over. Same species as Commander Longfoot except his fur was a citrus green that conjured up fleeting memories of a vaguely remembered video game character. An olive green chef hat, the same shade as his elastic fatigues, was atop his head as he studied her back with a stern pair of icy blue eyes. Yet it was his girth that stuck out the most in the human agronomist’s mind. With a wide, well-rounded figure that made the Lapeen Mess Chef look almost like a giant stuffed plushie, the major was a very big boy indeed.

“Yes, you are Gina Stewart? The scientist in charge of the agricultural sections of the station?” Major Hopper nodded.

“I am, I already talked to Mess Sergeant Crem and showed her around though. Hasn’t she already told you what I told her about our agricultural systems?”

“She has and that mushroom you mentioned sounds particularly encouraging. Star Corps troopers deserve to eat something better then sissy Gladious salads. No offense, you did well given what you had, but even I can see you could be doing so much better.” Hopper declared.

“None taken, though that does make me wonder why you’re here then.” The scientist asked.

Major Hopper was silent for a moment, clearly choosing his words very carefully. “Other locals talk a lot about you. Particularly that one you call Athena.” The well-marbled Corps officer began.

“I wouldn’t believe anything that blood-thirsty nutjob says.” Gina replied, crossing her arms defensively.

“I’m glad I’m not the only one that thinks she likes fighting a little too much. But regardless, they all talk a lot about you. And yet they don’t say a whole lot, not as much as standing here with you tells me.” Hopper continued, eyes narrowing. “That far-away look in your eyes for instance, I saw that same look a few times before. Usually in sapients that had seen too much, like civvies that survived a pirate raid or worn-out troopers that were sent to Baconfat Base for extended light-duty.” He stated definitively.

“Why are you here?” Stewart repeated coldly.

“To see for myself the so-called warrior queen of the Wuffs’ arena. As I said, your peers talk a good deal about you, a Trooper like myself can’t help but be curious.”

“So you came all this way just to smirk smugly at me?” Gina asked, now obviously getting annoyed.

“Ma’am, smug is for amateurs like Athena that can’t hold a candle to a Trooper’s determination and discipline. No, you call for something else.”

“What then?”

“Sympathy, respect, maybe a dash of pity thrown in for spice. Folks like you remind many of us why we joined the Star Corps.” Hopper replied, his tone carrying the implication of wanting to offer something else as well.

There was a moment of silence before Gina spoke again. “You know, I can lock the door remotely from my station so if you’re worried about someone walking in and ruining that big tough-guy attitude of yours…”

Hopper smiled and nodded. Gina smiled and pressed a button on her work console then let herself get bear hugged by a marshmallow soft green-furred bunny. Surprisingly strong arms pressed her against the major’s prodigious gut, causing the slender human woman to sink into his soft flabby abdomen. Resting her head on his overstuffed shoulder, she planted a grateful kiss on his round cheek and did her best to wrap her arms around his considerable circumference. Years of indulgence as the commander of Baconfat Base yielded to her fingers like softened dough as he gently squeezed her against his broad middle. There, in the embrace of a well-meaning stranger, Gina finally allowed herself to cry…

Donge exhaled as he sat in front of his laboratory bench in the research outpost GAS had just finished establishing on Lighthouse Station. The rust-brown Vul balanced his broad thighs on a single reinforced alloy stool, the memory foam cushion squashed beneath his well-padded vulpine rump. He tried to steady himself, resting his hands on his generous potbelly as he tried to convince himself that this was just another exchange mission with another newly discovered species. Yet of course that was a lie, best to just focus on his experiment and not think about it.

Familiar hands suddenly caressed his long white mane of hair before running down the sides of his expansive figure and the rubbery white lab suit worn over it. “Hello honey.” He greeted over his shoulder and froze as he saw his wife. Donka wore her Star Corps uniform and a pouting scowl she only used when she caught him exaggerating the facts.

“You lied about Gina.” Came Donka’s reply.

“You found Gina?” His eyes lit up briefly before the realization hit him. “You found Gina…”

“I did. And you’re lucky I like what I found a lot better then what I was looking for. Why didn’t you tell me Gina didn’t want to see you?” Donka asked, her eyes narrowed accusingly.

“She doesn’t?” Her husband replied, apparently as surprised to hear that as Donka was.

“The words ‘spineless little liar’ were used.” The combat mechanic affirmed.

“Oh… that. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised she’s still angry about that. I guess I need to apologize to her somehow.” He shook his head dejectedly.

“What is she angry about? What is the one thing you didn’t do?”

Donge sighed and shook his head as if he was recalling a horrible nightmare. “If the escape didn’t work… she made me promise to kill her. If it had gone to plan, we would have escaped together. But it didn’t and I broke my promise to her. I just couldn’t do it… even as she was being surrounded by Wuffs, I couldn’t do it. And well… you can easily figure out the rest.”

“You felt guilty and you couldn’t look for her yourself so you convinced me to do it for you. Donge… you’re lucky I love you. Don’t think I’m going to let this go though. Especially not if Gina says yes.” Donka replied, smirking deviously as she brought the conversation back to what she originally planned on doing with Gina.

“You’re still going to ask her?”

Donka was about to answer to that when the door chimed and a familiar voice called through the open door. “Hello, is this where GAS is doing their growth medium experiments? Oh… hello Donge.” Gina said as casually as she could manage, her voice colder then the vacuum of space, as she carried in a large bottle of the nutrient solution used in the station’s hydroponics deck.

“Oh hello Gina, how are you?” The Star Corps corporal asked with a big smile that she hoped didn’t feel too suspicious.

The dark-haired human replied with a look of disbelief in her eyes, one of her eyebrows rising suspiciously as she set the bottle down on Donge’s lab bench. “Hello again corporal. Did you forget something when you and Crem were down in hydroponics?”

“Oh no, I was just interested in what your plans for dinner were.” Donka began sweetly, painfully aware that she must look suspiciously creepy in the human’s eyes.

“Well since you’re still occupying the place we used as a cafeteria, I imagine my plans are whatever Crem feels like cooking. I wonder if that cute blond Rubent will help out again though, I’d love to get his drumsticks on my plate.” She replied wistfully.

Donka did her best to avoid twitching or blurting out how there were two huge servings of tender rump roast right in front of Gina. Instead the vixen said, “Donge and I are going to have dinner in our quarters tonight. I was wondering if you wanted to join us, I’m sure you remember what a cook he was back on the Hearth Star.”

Gina shook her head. “No, I should go. Besides, when was the last time you two have a moment to yourselves?” She replied and like that, she left the room and continued on with her tasks. For the first time to Donka’s knowledge, someone had turned down the offer to share an evening with a Vul…

Commander Bael Longfoot did her best to not appear too smug as Captain Bargebottom joined her down in Lighthouse Station’s cavernous docks. There was definitely a tangible increase in the weight in her stride now that her binge at Baconfat Base had finally finished digesting but at least her stomachache had finally subsided, the Lapeen engineer officer decided with a smile as she ambled towards where the younger Bargebottom’s Trailblazer was docked.

Cryptal Bargebottom’s face was unusually pale as she watched the dock’s rickety drones load the last crate of provisions for her journey onto the sleek gray starship. A simple triangular shape as straight as an arrowhead, designed for maximum maneuverability in both space and atmosphere and crammed with a variety of sensors, the Trailblazer was a proven scout vessel design that still saw service in Space Fleet despite being gradually replaced by large explorer vessels. Especially since it served as a very effective punishment assignment for individuals like Cryptal Bargebottom, allowing her to stay provisioned for months at a time. Yet judging by the half-finished ration bar in the feline’s hammy hand and the way her mouth was fixed in an expression of disgust, Bael suspected the food was not to the Fleet brat’s liking.

“Ready to depart Captain?” Came the question though Bael suspected it was rhetorical.

“I have to eat this Star Corps slop?” Captain Bargebottom replied, almost sounding like she didn’t hear Longfoot talking to her.

“Well if it was prepared by the Corps then you know it will sit in your stomach like a rock and maintain a proper GalRep figure.” The lapeen defended casually, trying to avoid deriving too much pleasure from her rival’s apparent discomfort.

“You’re enjoying this aren’t you Bael?” The feline whined accusingly, staring daggers at her rival.

“Every last millisecond of it Cryptal.” Longfoot confirmed with an evil smile. “Your mother’s orders of course. Still, don’t worry; I will take good care of Ensign Cheddah. His current kitchen isn’t as lavish as yours was but he still makes an excellent tiramisu.” The blond engineer reassured with a gentle pat of her bulging potbelly, her fleshy middle wobbling gently from the motion. “Why, I might allow my crew some shore leave while we’re here. I’m sure there’s not much here but perhaps some of the humans would be willing to help us work through that.” Longfoot added, twisting the knife just a little bit more.

Cryptal snarled and stamped her foot but boarded the Trailblazer all the same. Longfoot smiled as she watched her rival launch her ship in a huff. She didn’t know exactly what the feline had been sent out to search, probably update GalRep star maps of the region, but she imagined helping the humans find their homeplanet was one of the items on the younger Bargebottom’s mission brief. Speaking of the humans though, perhaps it was time to see how much trouble her crew could get into aboard a frontier colony…