FSE

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8 January 2083

***

Hyperion docked the Spider back onto the Nova. Magnus helped Marc carry Ken down. The wolf couldn’t stop saying his name while he sobbed. Diego threw his helmet into the back of the Spider and started swearing. Hyperion lowered his ears. The fennec shakily stood up and threw his arms around Diego’s waist.

The bat was shaking, “I had him!”

“I know captain,” Hyperion did his best to hug as tight as he could.

“I had him,” Diego choked on his words this time.

Diego slid down to the floor. Hyperion sat next to him. The fennec wasn’t going to leave his side. The news hit the ship like a ton of bricks. No one was alright. Harvey hid himself in his room to not let anyone see him cry. It hurt to lose someone so important to him.

Julio took Ken into medical. The hyena gave him something to calm down and some water. Ken didn’t stop crying. Even Julio couldn’t take it. He patted Ken on the shoulder and had him lay down. He stepped out of the room and leaned against the wall. He slammed his head against it.

“Oi, hey,” Marc came up and scooped Julio into his arms, “Dun’t hurt yerself. We’re all hurting enough.”

“I’m sorry,” said Julio, “I just don’t know how to feel.”

“I know,” Marc held tight around him.

Hyperion got Diego to leave the Spider with him. The two of them went to the bridge. They exchanged looks with Errol and Rasul. Diego took a deep breath.

“Rasul, ready the accidental death report,” Diego sniffled.

“Yes sir,” Rasul felt himself tear up again.

Rasul started to search through the files. Something started to flash on his screen. Rasul tilted his head and pulled the screen up. He gasped.

***

Kuga cried out when he felt himself slip from Diego’s grip. The otter splashed into the water below along with the chunk of ice he was on. The impact left him winded as he felt himself sink down below. More ice plummeted in after him. The otter shifted himself and started to swim downwards. He felt a strong current starting to pull against his body. Kuga tried to call out for help but he could no longer hear anyone as the current took him away.

The otter found himself flowing into a cave beneath the ice. The current carried him away quickly. The otter tried to position himself so he could see where he was going. He yelped out as he slammed into a wall. The current picked up again. He struggled, kicking his arms and legs around.

He felt the current start to slow about twenty minutes later. He was finally able to shift himself around. He started to swim with the flow. He saw something glowing up ahead. Kuga hoped it was the surface.

It wasn’t. He found himself in a gigantic cavern filled with water. He also found something astonishing. There was bioluminescent algae clinging all over the walls. Kuga sank down to the bottom of the cavern. He stumbled over his feet. He was in complete awe.

“You guys have to see this,” Kuga said.

No one responded back. The otter checked his systems. Communications cut out. He shrunk down in his suit. He started to wander about the cavern floor. The algae was brushing up waist high on him. Kuga pulled a vial from his belt and placed a hunk of the algae into it. He made sure it was secure before exploring a bit more. He heard a beep.

“One hour of oxygen left,” Kuga sighed.

The otter stood there. He opened the panel on his arm and scrolled through the tablet. He found what he needed. He activated the emergency signal. He figured it was his only chance to reach out.

***

“When the hell did the signal go off?” Diego asked.

“Fifteen minutes ago,” said Rasul, “He’s still alive. He’s twelve kilometers southeast from your last location.”

Diego got on the PA, “Hugo, Magnus, Julio, get to the Spider, on the double!”

Diego grabbed Hyperion. Neither of them had taken their suits off yet. The fennec could feel his chest pounding as he was carried back to the Spider. Harvey followed them from the bridge.

“Where are you going?” Diego asked.

“I’m going with you,” said the dingo.

“No you’re not, yo…”

Harvey cut him off, “I don’t give a fuck what you want. I’m going with.”

Diego pointed up the ladder. Harvey loaded himself into his suit. The six of them clambered into the Spider and Hyperion fired it up. Magnus checked the levels of oxygen on their suits. The raccoon sat down next to Diego.

“We have forty minutes to reach him,” the raccoon whispered.

“Let’s hope we can get there in time,” Diego looked determined.

Rasul directed Hyperion to where the signal was coming from, “There’s a giant cavern below that location. He’s about seventy feet down.”

The team unloaded from the ship. Harvey helped Hugo get the drill down and Magnus and Diego got the controls ready. Hyperion was hugging around his knees in the cockpit. Julio had his emergency pack ready to go. The drill fired up and started burrowing into the ice.

***

Under the ice beneath them, Kuga was unaware of their presence. The otter looked at his oxygen levels again. He was starting to feel light headed as the oxygen was starting to run low. The otter thought he saw something move. He shook his head.

The otter ran his hands over the algae. The glowing tendrils broke off in his hand. The algae around him flattened as he looked up. Something bright flashed in front of him before he passed out. Kuga’s body floated there, motionless as the oxygen ran down.

***

Magnus pushed the drill at full speed. The minutes passed by. Magnus and Diego were running out of oxygen themselves. Harvey went to the Spiders hatch and clipped the tether to his suit. He was determined to go down as soon as they retracted the drill.

“WARNING! TEN MINUTES OF OXYGEN REMAINING!” both the bat’s and raccoon’s suits went off.

Magnus and Diego exchanged looks. The raccoon saw the drill drop and he slammed on the brakes. Magnus closed his eyes and slapped the emergency drill release. The pipe came back up at maximum speed.

“I got you,” Hugo nodded to Harvey as he held onto the tether.

“Quickly,” Harvey slid his way into the hole.

Hugo was lowering the dingo as fast as he could. Harvey had never felt so claustrophobic in his life, but Kuga could still be alive and that’s all that mattered. Harvey started to submerge into the water below.

“I’m in the water, let me go,” Harvey said.

Hugo released the tension on the tether and Harvey plunged into the depths. Light washed over him. He was shocked at the sight of all the bioluminescent algae that greeted him. Once his feet hit the ground he shook his head and started to look for Kuga.

“There’s algae down here,” said Harvey.

“What?” Diego asked.

“Algae, it’s everywhere,” Harvey spotted the orange body floating in the water, “I see him!”

Harvey ran over to Kuga and looked into his helmet. His oxygen was empty. Harvey clipped the otter to his suit and made sure he was secure. He took one last look at the algae filled cavern.

“Pull us up!” Harvey said.

The tether tightened and Harvey went up the tube with Kuga held tight against him. Magnus and Hugo were turning the crank at the same time. Magnus was breathing heavily. The raccoons oxygen was almost out. Diego pulled Harvey out the moment he saw him. The both of them hurried over into the Spider and ran into decontamination with Hugo and Magnus as the hatch closed behind them. Hyperion already took off.

“Strap him to the stretcher,” Julio was waiting for them.

Diego took the otter's helmet off, and Harvey pulled open the suit. Julio went to check vitals as the bat and dingo secured Kuga to the board. Harvey and Diego started to float. Julio had his magnetizer on and kept inspecting Kuga, keeping the otter pinned down on the floor. Julio pulled out a chalk marker and placed dots onto Kuga.

“When we get to the ship, Hugo and Diego, carry him to medical, and get his suit off” Julio ordered, “Harvey, follow them into medical. In the bottom drawer on the bench are hair clippers, shave off the spots I marked in chalk for me.” He turned his attention to the ship, “Rasul, get the atropine and the oxygen ready. His heart rate is low, and his breathing is shallow.”

“On it,” said Rasul.

Hyperion docked onto the Nova. Hugo and Diego moved ahead of everyone. Marc was holding onto Ken. The wolf had fear and hope on his face as everyone rushed by. Hugo and Diego lifted Kuga from his suit and placed him on the table. They both left quickly. Rasul handed the atropine to Julio and went to work on getting the otter oxygen. Julio did the injection as Harvey shaved off the spots the hyena marked.

Julio thanked him and shooed him off. The dingo stood in the doorway as Julio stuck electrodes into the spots he shaved off. Harvey put his hands over his muzzle and turned away. He was unable to watch any longer. Julio went to the door.

“You can stay and help,” Julio told him, “Or I’m closing the door.”

“Close it,” Harvey said.

The hyena slid the door shut and returned to Kuga. Rasul was checking his vitals. Julio stood there waiting. He loaded up another dose of atropine and injected the otter. Julio looked over at Rasul. The wolverine was monitoring Kuga’s breathing.

“Fuck,” Julio said as he saw the otter’s heartrate flatline.

***

Hours went by. No one left the lounge. No one said much of anything at all. The door to medical slid open and everyone stood up. Julio stepped out and stared at all of them.

“What?” the hyena asked crudely, “I did my job. You may visit him one at a time.”

He cracked a grin. Rasul patted the hyena on the shoulder as he left medical to clear the way. Everyone had relief wash over them. And none of them stood in the way of the tearful wolf. Ken entered the room to find Kuga with the oxygen tubes stuck to his nose and the vital pads stuck all over him.

“Friend Ken,” Kuga said weakly.

Ken started to cry again as he took Kuga’s hand in his, “Kuga. I’m so sorry.”

“Shh,” Kuga smiled, “It’s ok. I’m still here.”

“I was so scared I lost you.”

“I’m sorry I scared you…”

“It’s ok.”

Ken leaned in carefully and hugged his friend. Kuga smiled. One after the other, everyone came in to visit him. Julio leaned against the doorway while Diego was talking to him.

“I had you,” Diego frowned.

“You did your best,” Kuga squeezed the bats hand, “You always have. You’re a good captain.”

“Please forgive me.”

“There’s nothing to forgive. It was my fault. I wandered too far.”

Julio cleared his throat, “Captain, we should let him rest now.”

Diego nodded and Julio turned to him in the hallway.

“I’ll keep an eye on him, but I’m fairly certain I’ve got him stabilized,” Julio sighed as he looked into the room, “Don’t forget to let mission control know about the accident.”

“I know,” said Diego, “It’s gonna be a long night for all of us. Do me a favor?”

“What’s that?”

“Let Harvey and Ken stay with him.”

“I’ll let them know they can spend the night.”

9 January 2083

Kuga had regained a little bit of his strength. Julio ran a series of tests on him. The otter was showing a lot of promise in recovery. The hyena allowed the crew to visit in hourly intervals to help keep him active. Julio knew his bedside needed help, so he needed help to keep the otter’s spirit up.

The hyena beat Marc out of the room. The kangaroo was trying to give Kuga a shot of whiskey to feel better. Kuga was amused. Julio locked the kangaroo out in the hall and went over to do another check of the otter’s vitals.

“You two are perfect for each other,” Kuga smiled.

“You think so, huh?” Julio smirked as he adjusted a few things, “He’s quite something. Nowhere near as gentle as your Harvey though.”

Kuga blushed at this. Julio finished his work and left the otter to rest. The hyena made his way to the galley to get himself something to eat for dinner. Diego went by him and headed for engineering. The bat rounded up Magnus, Hugo, and Bruno.

“We’ll be having a meeting in the lounge at nineteen hundred,” Diego said.

“What about?” Hugo was curious.

“We’ll talk about it then,” Diego left them and worked his way through the ship.

The whole crew gathered together for dinner. Once everyone was settled at the table Diego joined them. Rasul gave him his tablet. Everyone quieted down as Diego opened up a message.

“Nova. After reviewing your report of the incident on Europa, “Allen sounded depressed, “Investors are starting to wonder if Project Europa was too ambitious. You are in an unpredictable environment, fourteen days away from home. By nearly losing a crew member in a sudden quake on the moon, and by the severity and rapidity that it happened, investors are willing to call off the mission. They revisited their concern for the safety of the crew, and have offered a no penalty return trip home. If anyone on the ship does not agree to stay there, you are required to return home immediately. You have twenty four hours. We look forward to hearing from you.” Allen paused, “And give my best to Kuga.”

Diego threw his tablet onto the table. Everyone exchanged looks with each other.

“There it is I guess,” Hyperion broke the silence.

“So, we have a decision to make,” said Diego, “After we have made a choice, I’ll get Kuga up to speed.”

“I go where the crew goes,” said Magnus, Bruno and Hugo agreed with him.

Diego hung his head, “I don’t know what my decision is. What happened yesterday scared me, and I don’t know if it’s helping me make a right or wrong decision.”

“What happened yesterday!?”

Everyone turned to see Kuga leaning against the hallway wall.

Julio stood up, “Kuga, you need to get back into bed.”

“What happened yesterday!” Kuga threw his hands up, “That could have happened to anyone! Don’t you dare let what happened yesterday affect your decision. It doesn’t affect mine.”

Diego sat back in his chair. He’d never seen this side of Kuga. The otter, for once, had no grin to give and no cheerful tone. He sounded upset.

“We are the first people to land on that damn moon,” Kuga managed to make it to the table, and he pointed a menacing finger at all of them, “Don’t any of you dare take that away. So what!? There goes Stumbles. Fucking up again. Damnit…” the otter slammed his fist on the table, “I’m sorry I fucked up. That is no reason to leave!”

“We are the greatest explorers in history,” Kuga shook his finger at them with tears in his eyes, “Each and every one of you. We’ve been given an opportunity that no one else has ever gotten. We can’t give up now. We learned a very valuable and dangerous lesson. Now we know to move our asses faster when quakes hit us.”

“Kuga,” Ken whispered.

“We can’t let this mission go to waste,” Kuga slid the vial of algae he collected across the table, “Especially when we found big life. Even in a moment when I thought my life was lost. I still collected a sample because I was determined to finish what I started.”

Kuga pushed himself from the table and returned to medical. Julio went after him to help him out. The table was silent again. Julio returned and fanned himself off. The hyena was impressed by how aggressively Kuga just told them all off.

“I didn’t know he had that in him,” Julio smirked.

“Well, I think I can vote on that,” said Diego, “A show of hands from everyone that wants to stay with Kuga.”

Everyone considered for a moment before slowly raising a hand. All except one.

“Ken?”

14 December 2077

Ken and Kuga were in handcuffs. The otter had a lump on his head and Ken had a nosebleed. A colonel was pacing back and forth behind his desk. He was unimpressed with the both of them, and the three men standing sheepishly behind them.

“When you are here on Mars, you need to respect the authority,” the colonel leaned down and stared Kuga and Ken down, “You started a fight with my men in the galley.”

“Bullshit,” said Kuga, “Dumbface there tried to kick me, so I sent his balls to his stomach with an uppercut. Then the other two goons tried to jump me and Ken had to step in.”

“Is this true boys?” the colonel asked.

The three men standing behind them shook their heads.

“Seems like it’s not true,” said the colonel, “You three go wait outside.” The colonel closed the door behind them as they limped out, “You two are in deep shit. You smart guys always seem like you can get away with anything. Not in my base.”

“This isn’t your base,” Kuga shot at him, “It’s everyone’s.”

“Not when people break the law,” he said, “You will be formally charged and will spend your time in the brig until the next transport leaves. I’ll make sure to reserve you a room on Earth to think about what you’ve done.”

“Oh really?” Kuga looked up at him, “Geez, friend Ken, we’re in deep shit, huh?”

“Colonel, we repaired the cameras in the galley,” said Ken.

The colonel rolled his eyes, “And how’s that going to help you?”

There was a loud knock on the colonel's door. The colonel was unhappy about the interruption. He opened the door and shrank back as an angry cheetah came into the room.

“Director, how can I help you?” the colonel looked confused.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, “Why are my men in handcuffs?”

“They started a brawl in the galley, and injured three of my men.”

“Oh really? Uncuff them now” the colonel did as he was told and the director pulled up the video feed on the colonel's computer.

It showed Kuga and Ken going to retreat out of the galley when a coyote came up to Kuga and started to block him. He was being pushy and rude with him. Kuga said something rude back. In a flash, the coyote went to kick Kuga but the otter ducked under the kick and slammed his fist right up into the coyote’s balls.

When the coyote dropped, a bear and deer came in with fists up after Kuga. That’s when Ken tackled the bear and Kuga started dancing away from the deer. When the bear pulled Ken up into a rather tight headlock, the wolf pulled his hammer from his tool belt and slammed it right into the bear’s knee. The bear fell on top of him.

The deer knocked Kuga down with a punch to the head. Kuga sprang up and swung a chair right into his face. The deer went down with the chair stuck in his antlers. Kuga then jumped on top of the bear that was slamming Ken against the floor now. The colonel showed up screaming at all of them and broke up the fight.

The director stopped the video and crossed her arms, “Three military men, big men, against two of the most tiny scientists in the entire base. And you’re arresting them?!”

“Don’t worry colonel,” said Kuga, “We’ll sweep all this under the rug along with your career.”

“I have received multiple complaints against you and your men,” the director pointed at him, “You are packing up, and being shipped back to Earth. I finally have evidence that you do not belong here. I never wanted the military up here in the first place. This is a home for research.”

The director stormed from the room and the colonel chased after her. Ken and Kuga exchanged a fistbump. Ken pulled up some more tissues from the tissue box and held it to his nose.

“We’ve done some cool stuff friend Ken,” Kuga grinned.

“Yeah we have,” said Ken.

“You know, I’ll have your back forever after this,” Kuga giggled.

“I’ll always be there for you friend Kuga,” Ken chuckled.