NationStates Jolt Archive

The outskirts of the Chalybs system was the end of an impromptu journey made in desperation. One of the last star systems of the Initiative was lost and there was no way back through the portal leading away from this accursed galaxy. At least that was Lieutenant Strieneer’s new name for it. It was accursed; it was something evil, something that they should have never got involved with at least not without the full support of one of the noble houses. Sure they got lucky for a while, they might have even won the war if their legate wasn’t crazy but now they were refugees running from place to place. The mink sat in the command chair of what was suppoed to be the head of the fleet, the ICV Typhoon, A mangled mess of what was supposed to be sleek initiative engineering.

Whole decks were in shambles, whole decks were disconnected from the once great machine, her two once great forward gun batteries were twisted wrecks of metal as was one of her aft batteries leaving her with three out of twelve of her main guns still operational, her anti strike craft weapons weren’t any better. The typhoon had killed four federation ships in the battle near Fort Freedom and had paid the price for it from there it had to limp back home just barely avoiding destruction like virtually the rest of the armada. The war was supposed to only take six months and involve no one but the federal union; instead it still dragged on, consuming the initiative in this sector with it. The rest of her task force was in somewhat better shape considering they had to break through a blockade to get to this point. Once they were a part of a seventeen vessel task force to escort the survivors of Illios back to the portal, These refugees were a hundred thousand in number and on their own separate vessels. Now there were only four vessels left including the Typhoon and barely sixteen thousand of the refugees they planned to save were still alive.

The accompanying vessels were destroyers, each using its shield generator to hold the Typhoon in a certain area. Each vessel was overloaded with passengers; some even piled on top of each other in the cargo bays. The heavy destroyers were intended to hold a maximum of five hundred personel and the heavy cruiser was intended for a maximum of four thousand five hundred. Each vessel officially held nearly triple its maximum capacity, and due to this food was nonexistent, most of it was destroyed with the freighters that were intended to hold the mass of civilians. The ‘commodore’ of the fleet pretended to sleep on the bridge, the mink female sitting waiting, just drifting hoping that this system was a part of the Federal Union, hoping that this would be the end. That she might die standing on her feet, with some honor.

Her second in command jarred her lightly, but her only reply was a soft huff. She knew what her second wanted. She knew what it was all about and she really didn’t need the news, she didn’t care how many babies were born or how many were starving and dying since it wouldn’t matter soon enough.

“Ma’am… Fine. I’ll just read the report off to you… Three thousand fifteen pregnancies still aboard ship, Four completed this morning, two more expected mid afternoon, and five by mid evening. Adding a total of fifty to our crew, food stocks are low despite being at dime rations and we expect to run out of supplies by dinner. Your orders commodore?”

The way the tigress accented the last few words lead the mink’s hand closer to her sidearm. It was the tone that lead muntines and other things that were plain not nessicary right now. If she allowed a mutiny she’d never regain her honor, ever.

“What would you have me do? Allow cannibalism? Let the crew eat the dead? Is that what you want?”

“It’s not like we have any shortage of dead ma’am. By the time I got back on the bridge to give you this report a hundred more guardsmen died in our sickbay alone. We need to find a planet ma’am. We need to settle somewhere. Maybe call for help!”

This was it. This was where the tigress would enlist the rest of the crew to help her if she didn’t give into ‘her’ way of thinking. Rena sighed not having any other choice even though she knew her death would probably come from what she was about to do.


“Fine. We have to call for help. Let’s see if this system has the help we need. Comms, hail the fleet, have the ‘arguo’ break off and start scouting the area. Get us some information on where we are exactly.”


The tigress and most of the bridge crew saw the mink’s hand leaving her service pistol, she simply dropped the report and remained at her station going to grill the mink about it later. Right now they had a people to save.

Remote Scanning Outpost Beta Twelve...

The Chalybs system, established only a year ago, was the newest addition to the Kitsune Empire of Xiscapia. The territory was inside what had once been space belonging to the Zillar Republic; however, an onslaught of imperialistic nations into this sector with better technology and more of it had all but driven the not-as-advanced Zillar people to extinction. Rather than conquest though annihilation, as the others had used, the Kitsune Empire employed skillfull diplomacy to bring the Zillars in this star system over to their side, which allowed them to settle here without conflict. The heart of the system was a small white star, around which two twin planets, locked in orbit around each other, revolved, holding the five million kitsune colonists and most of the defenses between them, as well as the majority of the resident Zillars. On the outer edges, though, various automated stations and probes had been set up, a network which would warn the defense forces in the system of intruders and keep watch on them as they trespassed.
Remote Scanning Outpost Beta Twelve was one such device.

The station was small; only a dozen or so feet tall, wide and long, enough to accommodate the sensory systems, communications device and semi-sentient A.I. core. The exterior of it was a simple armored cylinder with a myriad of scanners and various observation devices sunk it, protected well enough to resist standard radiation, solar flares and perhaps the passing asteroid on its lonely journey though the cosmos, but vulnerable to anything approaching actual weaponry. Indeed, there were thousands of similar outposts scattered throughout the system, and the loss of one or two would be no great consequence. It proceeded to do its job, finding, scanning and reporting by burst transmission the exact location of the Initiative task force back to the colony with the disinterest afforded to it by the dull mind of the programmed computer. It didn't know who the ships belonged to, why they were here, it knew nothing of their plight, of the dead and the dying and the soon to be born; it simply kept track of the four vessels in its simple, detached way.
Nothing more was expected of it.

City of Newport, ...

"Governor," The tawny vulpine bowed, white servant robes pulled around him to futilely try and warm the furred being to the cold, "one of our outposts have detected four ships entering the system."

Governor Neso usually liked his job. After the initial haste of setting up the colony, after beating off the wild animals that had inexplicably come to attack them, after the negotiations with the Zillars and the Belkans and every other strange and foul being who showed an interest in this place, things settled down a bit. Being so remote from the Core Worlds of the Kitsune Empire, the far-flung Chalybs colony received little traffic; from Xiscapia, that is. They were smack in the middle of former Zillar space, and thus surrounded by alien colonies, all of which had their own trade, defense and various matters to attend to by starship. These sometimes passed by or even though Xiscapian space, so in that respect, they were rather busy, if not an actual hub. However, there was still the threat of Danaversian Shoals, even so far from the Interior, even protected by the distance, the proximity of the other nations and the behemoth that was the flagship of the Defense Fleet.

"Danaversians?" The silver hued, orange-eyed kitsune sat up suddenly, uttering the words that had been on every one's lips from the moment the unidentified vessels had been detected. It wasn't their style (if they'd been invading there would have been fifty, a hundred, five hundred warships), but it could just as easily be a scouting force from their Boolean allies, which could be almost as bad.

"No sir," the servant shook his head empathetically. "The scanning signatures do not match known Danaversian or Boolean configurations. Nor do they have the I.D. tags of any regular foreign vessels that come here, and from what can be interpreted from the data from the outpost, they appear to be armed, but damaged. Three of them appear to be towing the fourth."

"Indeed." Neso settled back in his plush chair again, looking out from the balcony of his mansion over the snowy world, the lights of the city glowing in the distance. What to do, what to do. Protocol demanded that travelers be brought in out of the cold, so to speak; it would be rude to leave them out there, and indeed, their communications could be damaged as well, leaving them unable to request assistance. Nonetheless, Neso, like all kitsune officials, had learned from the incident that had sparked the Calaverian War: Friendly ships might not be so friendly, after all, harboring xenophobic persons all too eager to cut you open and see what made you tick...

No, Neso shivered from some combination of the cold and chill memory, better safe than sorry.
"Send one of the ships of the XI Fleet to confront these weary travelers; determine what threat they may pose, and if it is none, send them to us. They are obviously in need of aid, but we cannot act rashly." Neso said with determination. "That Alversian cruiser that's been hanging around can go too, it's about time we got some use out of them." He added.

"Yes Governor." The servant bowed again and hurried inside, away to send the message to Vice Admiral Lydak, glad to be in out of the frozen air.

Xiscapian Imperial Warship Doxa...

The sleek, elegant shape of a Tanaran Converted Battle Cruiser MKII (http://www.atddm.com/tebc.jpg) blotted out a small section of stars as it silently glided away from the twin planets of Glacies and Estus, guided under able Xiscapian hands. It, along with the five other ships that made up the defense fleet for the Chalybs system, had been gifted to the Xiscapian Empire from the Tanaran government after the Alliance Treaty had been signed, originally intended for use in the Xis-Greali war. However, the war had been over and done with by the time kitsune had been fully trained by their Tanaran counterparts to use the ships, so they were rotated out to here, a colony on the edge of nowhere, to provide some of the best protection in the Kitsune Empire to the duel colonies. All the other systems were exceedingly well protected, and by the time the Chalybs system had been settled, the Xiscapian Imperial Navy had been suffering a lack of warships, due to the losses incurred during the SASM war and the Rebellion. So, the brilliant present was put to duty, though never tested, in this system.

The XIW Doxa was on her way to investigate and attempt to communicate with these new people. Some would call them intruders and strangers, some would call them travelers and misfortunates, but to the Captain and crew of the Doxa, there were only two specifications that mattered.
Enemy.
Or not.

"You're sure you can't identify it?"

"Affirmitive Ma'am, it's power signature matches none in this region and none in our databases."

A sigh "No connection?"

"None," was the final word from the young Alversian who sat at his console, fidgeting nervously, checking the data over and over again in case something miraculous came to light. It didn't. So he waited, tugging at the sleeve of his dark red jacket and waited for orders from the Captain.

The Captain's bushy tail swished in agitation. Though almost all of the crew were Alversian and hence, identical in appearance to humans, the Captain was different. She was a Homo Vulpes, a Kitsune, whichever name you chose, she bore a number of differences from the rest of the Bridge Officers. She had fur, albeit only on her large bushy tail and on her large fox ears that twitched and flicked towards every new noise that came from the various consoles. She closed her eyes, brilliant yellow against her pale skin, for a moment before opening them again and looking at her crew. Their relief was obvious.

"So it's not Danaversian," She let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding, "Plot an intercept course with the vessels, see if they're a new Enemy or simply lost."

"Yes Ma'am," The Flight Officer tapped the instructions into his console and tapped to force the vessel into transwarp, the tunnel being created a split second before the vessel reached terminal velocity. As soon as they were on their way, the Captain sighed and sat back into her command chair, relieved that her first encounter with the Danaversians would not be today.

Her vessel was Alversian in origin, the APS Admiral Krystal, a Marshall-Class Heavy Cruiser normally assigned to deep space missions but, for the moment, returned to Allied space to combat the invading Danaversians and their new comrades, the Booleans. Her vessel, nearly eight hundred metres long and sporting a crew of three thousand, including Marines, was not to be messed with. Armed with adaptive shielding with depth-reflectors and a mass of phasers, turbolasers, projectile weaponry, missiles and a CDPD battery. It was a ship not to mess with and was badly missed within the main theatres of war. However, Naval Headquarters were concerned about possible Danaversian assualts against the Chalybs system and, more importantly, the rumoured Danaversian sympathies of the local Zillar race. Hence, the Admiral Krystal had been dispatched to reinforce the Xiscapian Defences and was now on patrol at the edge of the system.

"Ma'am," The Operations Manager suddenly spoke, an alarm beeping on his console, "Another vessel approaching at FTL speeds."

"Can you identify?" She asked, twisting in her chair to look behind and above her, where the Operations Station was located. She spoke sharply because Qonn only knew who this could be.

The Alversian checked for a moment, then relaxed, "The Doxa Ma'am, a Xiscapian Mk II Battlecruiser. She must be here to investigate as well."

"So it seems. ETA?" The Kitsune spend little time dwelling on the rather comforting thought and turned back to her Flight Officer, looking a time she could expect to come face to face with these Strangers.

"Thirty four minutes" The Flight Officer answered, focusing on his instruments. The Female was happy with that and did not probe further, simply waiting until she could see this mysterious fleet for herself and then make a judgement on wither or not they were friendly or had to be treated with suspect.

'As if the Republic doesn't have enough enemies' She thought to herself.

The mink lieutenant stood up when the destroyer reported sensor contact with the incoming Xiscapian and Alversian vessels. She snorted at her tiger XO leaving the bridge, she was done here there was nothing that could be done that had to involve her.


“I’ll let you handle all this seeing as how you know how to give these people food and fresh water.”


In truth she just wanted to be away from this, she didn’t want to be ‘the captain who begged for mercy’ that would be a permanent stain on her honor. She went down into the bowels of the ship, where the hallways were littered with furs, most of them children just clinging to their beleaguered parents, some out begging for food from the military furs. All the captain could offer was a soft pet on the head and the phrase ‘Don’t worry you’ll be eating nice red meat very soon.’ Even though that neither gave anyone hope or the food they needed it was more than many crew members gave the children. Some even started to snarl and spit at them when they asked. The lieutenant could have done something about that, enforced military discipline but she didn’t know how to do that. She wasn’t a leader; she wasn’t a great commander but only a warrior. She was told what to fight and where.


On the bridge the message would be transmitted in a burst to both exploration vessels in the official initiative language. Latin.


#This is Lieutenant second class, Malina Losvara onboard the ICV Typhoon leading task force Aegis. We have no hostile intentions towards you or either of your nations. Our task force is in no shape to launch any sort of offensive action our own vessel is damaged beyond the point of reasonable repair and we are overloaded with refugees. We ask for engineering aid and medical accommodations and the chance to purchase food supplies in exchange for our form of currency or technology. Deep scans will show my words to be true, and I either request the aforementioned aid or a star chart to somewhere better equipped to handle refugees.#

XIW Doxa...

"We're in visual range now, Captain."

The deep red furred kitsune nodded, cap perched on his head, held in place by the two triangular ears protruding from it. "On screen."

The bridge, being at the heart of the warship, had viewscreens rather than portholes, and these now flicked to life to display the Initiative vessels. They could see two were helping along a larger third one, which appeared to be crippled, while a fourth of their kind was hovering a little ways off, not far from the main body. The Captain was wary; because Xiscapians so loved to set traps themselves, they were very cautious about falling into those of the enemy, whoever or whatever he, she or it might happen to be. It would have been a dirty trick, using damaged warships as cover for something more dastardly, but they wouldn't have put it above many of their foes. So the four ships underwent lengthy and penetrating scans, which revealed not only that they were, in fact, damaged and largely inoperable, but that they were carrying what was surely beyond normal regulations for passenger capacity.

"By Qonn..." The Captain whispered, staring at the mob of shapes that were showing up on infared. Sweating masses yearning to breath free indeed...

"Captain, the APS Admiral Krystal is coming in on our port, we have back up if needed-"

The Scanning Officer was interrupted by the Communications Officer. "Captain! Picking up a transmission! Some sort of old Terran dialect!"

"Translate and put on viewing mode!" He barked.

This is Lieutenant second class, Malina Losvara onboard the ICV Typhoon leading task force Aegis. We have no hostile intentions towards you or either of your nations. Our task force is in no shape to launch any sort of offensive action our own vessel is damaged beyond the point of reasonable repair and we are overloaded with refugees. We ask for engineering aid and medical accommodations and the chance to purchase food supplies in exchange for our form of currency or technology. Deep scans will show my words to be true, and I either request the aforementioned aid or a star chart to somewhere better equipped to handle refugees.

"They ain't lyin'," one of the Bridge Officers whispered.

"Send this back at once," the Captain began to dictate.

Lieutenant Second class, Malina Losvara onboard the ICV Typhoon, this is Captain Fudo of the Xiscapian Imperial Warship Doxa, XI fleet of the Kitsune Empire of Xiscapia. No payment is necessary; one of our vessels will be along shortly to assist you, with a full compliment of engineers, technicians and medical doctors and their equipment. I only ask that you direct all uninjured personnel out onto our ship immediately once your vessels dock; the medics will need room to work, as will the engineers. We will only be able to take on your heavy vessel and two of the escorts; your fourth escort will need to dock with our Alversian counterpart to receive aid.

At that moment a message was shot back to the colony, and the massive bulk of the XIW Dominique began to move from her place above the planet Glacies. The ship was an orb shape, a massive sphere with armor a mile thick in nested layers, containing a ten-mile diameter hollow area inside, conventionally divided into decks. Originally, the place was filled with civilian structures such as apartments, businesses, schools, libraries and offices. However, being a military vessel, the Xiscapians had decided to convert, or altogether demolish and rebuild in their place, them into armories, bulk storage areas, VR rooms, sleeping quarters, factories, repair shops, hospitals, conference rooms and any of dozens of other tasks they could be used for. Some (like the Olympic-sized pool) had been retained, but the majority of it had been changed, making the XIW Dominique the largest, best-equipped, and overall most comfortable ship in the entire Xiscapian Imperial Navy. The most striking feature about it, though, was the utterly massive hanger bay the Gun Orb harbored, able to take on all but the largest of Xiscapia's capital ships in for service and repair, spanning the entire length of the ten-mile-wide ship in all directions. It would easily be able to accommodate the destroyers and their cruiser, along with the large army of thousands of technicians, engineers and medics that were even now gathering to receive them.

The Tanaran ship glided off, disconcertingly graceful for the size, moving with a practiced air of invulnerability towards the Initiative ships, mind-bogglingly huge hanger bay doors yawning wide as messages began to shoot out at intervals to guide them safely in.

"Captain, I'm getting a message from the vessel"
The Operations Officer reported suddenly, interrupting the speculation as to what this new vessel could be. The vast majority of the bets seemed to be on a new kind of Danaversian or Boolean ship. The younger Officers seemed insistant that they were going into action against their oldest enemies, that they would be soon pitched against the latest in Imperial Technology. That idea was soon crushed by the more experienced Officers, who pointed out dryly that if the Danaversians wanted somewhere to test a new design, it would somewhere near their own territory, not all the way out in the middle of nowhere. Their money was on a new species of some kind, someone who was looking for help or settlement or First Contact certainly. The Captain sat in her chair and ignored the banter, allowing them to make their own assumptions, including her First Officer who was following his own assumption that they were from another Dimension. No one paid it much attention.

However, all banter ended with the sudden announcement from the Officer killed the conversation stone dead. Everyone looked to the Captain, who's ears had perked in the direction of the alarm and now turned to face the Operations Console again,
"Can you bring it onscreen?" She asked, ears pointing in his direction as if hanging on his every word.

"It's still coming through Ma'am, standby..." The young Lieutenant frowned and watched his screens of information, waiting for the message to complete it's journey through the recievers on the hull of the ship, through the translators and up to the bridge. It was all done within a few seconds. Signalling with a nod, the Operations Officer tapped the button on the screen and the voice of the Lieutenant filled the Bridge. There was a pin drop silence as everyone digested the words of the Lieutenant, listening to her plight.
Once it was complete, the Kitsune captain looked thoughtful.

"Captain," Her First Officer saw the passion burning in her eyes, "I know that look. We can't really help," a pause, "Their plight is terrible and we should do all we can to help. But this is a Warship. We have limited space and resources as it is and they sound like they need more than we can offer."

"It is in our blood to be Saviours, Commander," She replied easily, "All that changes is how quickly we can do it. Helm!" She commanded the Flight Officer who looked around curiously, awaiting orders, "Set course to the Fleet, maximum warp!"

"Yes Ma'am" The ship shot off towards the damaged vessel while a message was sent,

TO: Lieutenant 2nd Class Malina Losvara of the ICV Typhoon,

This is Captain Nixa of the Alversian People's Starship Admiral Krystal. We will provide aid as soon as we reach your location. No exchange will be necessary for emergency assistance. Our Navy will not accept it. Hold on until we can reach you.

So the vessel shot forward next to the Tanaran Battlecruiser, cutting off a little to the side to allow the escorts to come alongside her and empty their desperate cargo for her. They did not possess the same docking potential as the Tanaran Gun Orb and were content to use shuttles and Transporters. Medics and Engineers stood by with Volunteers, anxiously awaiting the new Arrivals.

The normal procedure for accepting a diplomatic proposal from a foregn and unknown power for an executive officer was to summon the commander and give advice during a meeting either on the bridge or in the conference room. Seeing as how the conference room was on one of the many now lifeless pieces of the ship they left in federal union territory and her commander abandoned her duty right in the middle of a potential war zone the second in command cleared her throat.


“I declare Lieutenant first class, Rena Strieneer temporarily unfit for and in dereliction of duty, and assume all of her command and responsibilities. I’m not going to shoot any of you if you do not agree but I am going to ask you to abandon your station as we have no time for argument and debate… We hold sixteen thousand lives in our hands. Nine thousand of those lives we promised we’d get home safely. This is the way to do it. No matter how much our commander wants to die. Keep in mind. If you choose to leave your duty behind you will be confined to your quarters as is standard Initiative law.”


The crew of the bridge nodded, only two left their stations seeing the chance to go to their quarters and maybe purge themselves of the horrors they’ve seen while off duty. Confinement to quarters was a glee rather than the punishment it would normally be. The tigress ordered this shipwide announcement before sending her reply.


#All stations, The captain of this vessel and this task force has been declared unfit for duty. Instead of keeping her in the brig which we no longer have she will be confined to an observation chamber in sick bay. Any individual aiding Lieutenant Strieneer will be considered a traitor to the initiative and shot accordingly.#


The captain of the vessel just happened to wander in her aimless quest for clarity to sick bay, where it was a horrid mess of plasma, and fire burns, lacerations, shrapnel from explosions. The resident doctor was in his office asleep while apprentice fleshcrafters went to work trying to heal the sick and ease the pain of the dying. Normally they would be able to heal fifty patients here before it was considered ‘busy’ though now they had quadruple that number adding hunger, malnutrition and now diseases previously thought conquered by the genetic purification section of the initiative to their treatment logs. One of the three medics looked relieved that the captain had walked right in and departed from her task, mending a broken shoulder, to call off the remaining armored guard and to have the bay sealed temporarily. Another looked directly at the captain with a weary smile.


“H… Hey captain… Um… Um…”


The mink sighed at the frightened mare, pulling out her service pistol and throwing it on the floor. She had no intention to fight what seemed like the whole of the ship. She wanted her honor and shooting medical personell to escape a dying vessel was no honor indeed. She approached the scared medic with her hands up above her head.


“You see… I’m not gonna hurt any of you. Now where’s doctor lum? How is he?”


The equine’s voice trembled as she spoke, though nothing terrible had befallen the doctor. She’d merely put him to sleep is all. He’d been awake for over seventy two straight hours healing the sick and making diagnosies, trying to stem the endless tide of dying and wounded that were coming in from the ‘luma’ and the ‘Corino’ both destroyers had lost their sick bays and most of their medical equipment in the fight through the blockade.


“he’s fine… really. He’s just resting, he’ll be up and about soon.”


Another medic was inching towards the captain from behind pretending to take up his companions former station as the doors sealed behind her. As the mink turned her head the horse lunged towards her pressing her finger into the base of her neck. The lieutenant didn’t even have time to question what was going on before she too was in a deep sleep ready to be moved to the observation room. The horse quickly stitched up the wound her finger caused feeling ultimately guilty for doing it despite not being bound by a code of ‘do no harm’ especially in this type of situation. Meanwhile on the bridge the transmission was broadcast.


#Thank you both for your kindness, the genetic Purification Initiative will not soon forget this act of kindness. The destroyer arguo commanded by Ensign Loder will meet captain Nixa for relief and aid meanwhile the remaining two destroyers will have to escort us um… inside captain Fudo’s vessel for repairs. Though we request to tow ourselves inside, The typhoon’s hull has seen much better days. We must be held at the points you see the destroyers luma and Corino holding us. Otherwise we’ll split structurally leaving us completely useless for months.#


The destroyers were literally keeping the vessel together at both the fore and the aft superstructures, the force was enough to hold the minor sensor and communications tower together otherwise preventing a three way split. The rift caused by the emergency jump to hyperspace, during the blockade run. It is unwise to try and jump to FTL speeds in the middle of a planet’s gravity well indeed.

Nixa watched as the Destroyer Arguo drafted slowly alongside her own vessel, the Heavy Cruiser larger by a considerable amount. As the two ships slowly closed on one another, tractor beams activated one by one in the Admiral Krystal's hull, catching the Inititive Destroyer and gently reigning it in until they were fairly close together. Nixa waited, now standing in front of her chair until the docking procedure was complete, her Operations Officer carefully and slowly manipulating each beam to push or pull the smaller ship into a more suitable position. Once that was done, he sighed and nodded in relief,
"That's as close as I can get you ma'am," He said.

"Very good, Lieutenant," Nixa nodded and set off, walking through the doors at the back of the bridge, heading towards the Heavy Cruiser's considerable Medical Bay. Even now, transporters were locking onto groups of individuals and beaming them into the vast, two tiered bay, where Doctors, AI's, Nurses and Volunteers set to work on the most badly wounded of them. The Physiology was not so radically different as to make them untreatable and most wounds were simple to patch up and move on to the next Patient.

At the same time, Shuttles had been dispatched and were transporting food over to the Arguo for the masses who could not be transported quickly and returning with a number of Refugees who could be more easily facilitated in the bigger ship's hangar bays. Equipment had been replicated and the onboard humanitarian items carried for just such an emergency were already laid out and ready. Everything from soft mattresses to a nourishing soup to fresh, clean water was provided by Volunteers, supervised keenly by teams of Marines who patrolled the Hangar, Medical Bay and corridors of the ship, in cease the new Arrivals tried anything funny.

Nixa headed into Hangar One, the port side hangar that happened to be the biggest in the ship and the one closest to their new Friends. She returned the salute of the Marine Commander, her tail flicking from side to side at the sight of so many Furries, something she had not expected at all. She guessed that the rest of the crew were equally bemused, but their training and compassion quickly pushed aside all curiousity for the moment.

"The next shuttle that comes over, I need a transport," She ordered, the Marine nodding in acceptance and detailing two of his own troops, tall, powerfully built Alversians, to accompany her.
The Shuttles were heading almost by the minute so it did not take long for her to reach the Destroyer, pushing through the crowd desperate for food or passage to the more spacious vessel. Alversian Marines were located in this hangar as well, to keep order around the landing sites.

It was not long before someone had directed Nixa to the bridge and she entered cautiously, hand on her blaster and noted who was obviously the Commanding Officer, standing in the centre.
Standing straight, pushing a strand of deep blue hair out of her face, she gave a crisp salute, her tail twitching as she did so,
"Captain Nixa, Alversian People's Starship Admiral Krystal," She offered a bow, as was her people's custom, "I presume you are Ensign Loder?" She straighted up again, ears flicking in her direction, awaiting the answer.

Thank you both for your kindness, the Genetic Purification Initiative will not soon forget this act of kindness. The destroyer arguo commanded by Ensign Loder will meet captain Nixa for relief and aid meanwhile the remaining two destroyers will have to escort us um… inside captain Fudo’s vessel for repairs. Though we request to tow ourselves inside, The typhoon’s hull has seen much better days. We must be held at the points you see the destroyers luma and Corino holding us. Otherwise we’ll split structurally leaving us completely useless for months.

Will do, Lieutenant Second class. Stand by for docking procedures.

As the Heavy cruiser and her Destroyer escorts entered the hanger force fields shimmered to life, protecting the personnel and small craft in the area from being destroyed by the forces at work due to the movement of the three starships. As they moved down the "tunnel" created by the shields and deeper inside XIW Dominique more force fields came into play, firmly moving the destroyers away from the cruiser and filling in the gaps with glittering, sheet-like light, enveloping the hull in a close-fitting golden bubble like a second skin. While the Typhoon was literally being held together by this field hundreds upon thousands of service arms, from tiny manipulators designed to do intricate work on drones and small craft to massive claws intended to hold ships thousands of meters long in place, extended down from the ceiling, synching though the field to use brute mechanical force to prevent the Initiative cruiser from falling to pieces. Naturally more precise, permanent methods would have to be used later on to ensure the continued existence of the vessel, but the temporary solution would do for the immediate time being. The destroyers were directed to land some distance away, and then the real assistance started.

The welcoming party was divided into five 'battalions': Two thousand kitsune medical personnel, a thousand engineers and technicians of various classes, a thousand Marine soldiers to maintain order and insure no one tried to wheel out a plasma cannon where they shouldn't be, and a thousand volunteers from all over the ship who were there to do simple tasks such as serve food, treat minor injuries, clean and wash persons, clothing and armor, and other such menial tasks. With them were over five thousand droids and drones, also of a wide variety of types, who would do all the same tasks as their biological masters. They stood patiently behind the fields, but as soon as the all-clear was given and the walls dropped, they went to work.

As the airlocks, hatches and hangers on the destroyers and cruiser were opened, the only thing keeping the Xiscapians from swarming aboard was the horde of people that came down them. The multitude of races represented, while of great interest to the furry kitsune, did not concern them unduly; they had always known there were other 'animistic' humanoid beings, and that they would come now under such conditions was a blessing to the Xiscapians, not a curse. Those crew and civilians that could move were ordered out of the ship, moving under their own power or with assistance, and once this was done, the medics and their equipment and droids were the first on board. They quickly began prioritizing and helping the swamped Initiative doctors, transporting all patients but those in labor or the most seriously wounded out into the hanger bay. The engineers and their drones would not go aboard until the situation had been stabilized, but they were rearing to go and already assessing exterior damage. A few squads of Marines went with the medical personnel, again to keep order on the ships and make sure none of the patients were trying to kill each other.

On the outside thousands of cots, food serving areas, bacta tanks for burns and large bodily wounds, nanobot generators for torn or diseased tissues and broken bones and cloning vats for amputated or detached limbs were set up, and the refugees were directed to these, able to eat, heal and rest in the able hands of the Xiscapians. The most severe cases of injury, disease or malnutrition were beamed to one of the many medical bays or hospitals of the Dominique where surgery centers were under way, screened behind privacy curtains. At the moment, the primary concern was that of the physical well-being of the Initiative soldiers and citizens; reuniting families, questions as to who they were and how they'd gotten here and other now trivial concerns could wait until all were no longer hemorrhaging, in agony, diseased, famished, exhausted, numb, chilled or missing limbs.

Among them all a single kitsune, clad in the traditional marine blue and black uniform of the Xiscapian Imperial Navy, strode, a black katana swinging on his hip. His tawny features were high and proud, officious and imperious, a person very much in control of everything around him, aware that he was doing so, and not intending to let anyone mess with that system. It wasn't that he resented the intrusion of these refugees; on the contrary, he welcomed the opportunity to help those in need. But their arrival was...unscripted, unforeseen, surprising, and therefore something to be dealt with swiftly, firmly, efficiently.
Vice Admiral Lydak was out to find the person in charge of this mess so he could interrogate him, her, or it. After they had been screened and cleared, of course, but after that, he would find out who these people were, where they had come from, why there were here, and what they intended to do next. Lydak took his job very seriously, and he would be damned by Qonn himself if he was going to allow himself to relax just because these Initiatives didn't seem threatening.

ICV Arguo
Bridge

The male in the center of the broken and generally unkempt bridge blushed slightly at the forgeners actions. The female sitting in the actual command chair along with the rest of the remaining bridge staff, two with crude forms of eye patches raised the eyebrows they could at Captain Nixa. The Male in the center seemed to be repairing a mass of tangled wires and broken power line that they never got the chance to fully repair before their blockade run.

“No but if you’d like to have a discussion with engineer second class Linarii please be my guest.”

The ferret chuckled as she leaned back further in her command chair, unconcerned if the captain could actually understand latin. Unconcerned with the speed and efficiency her bridge was virtually invaded. She simply didn’t have the personnel to keep the curious captain away, that and her much larger vessel was actually doing what her sickbay couldn’t manage to do at the moment. The female decided to keep the conversation light as this could be very ugly indeed. Especially since all her guards and marines were off helping the evacuation and temporary integration of the ship’s passengers to the better equipped ship. Nearly seventy percent of the adult females on board were gravid, most of which already carrying or accompanied by an adolescent. There were some children who didn’t have any parents, shoved on board after promises their parents couldn’t hope to keep.

“Though I’m here if you wanted to talk to me. What would you like to talk about? The weather?”

ICV Typhoon
Cargo bay

The cargo bay was alive with activity as this was the main place citizens were attempting to leave into the waiting arms of their hosts. Or captors if this action was indeed as foolhardy as their former commodore had thought it was. Regardless of what it truly was, the vessel would have a flood of ‘walking wounded’ on their hands, of the twelve hundred onboard the vessel, half of which were below the age of ten, of the adults around fourty percent were pregnant females, sent off so the planets they once inhabited could defend themselves in any way they saw fit without endangering the keepers of the next generation. This meant that only a fraction of the crew actually belonged there and thus weren’t screaming for relief, food, medical attention, a clean comfortable bed or all those at once. The tigress held back her command staff amidst the pure chaos of the evacuation as not to leave any confusion as to who she was.

She also held back any medical transfers from the overpopulated sickbay and the improvised sick bays across the ship letting the medical personnel deal with the minor wounds and possibly deliveries to come before giving them any real grief. This left her and the bridge staff in the middle of the sheer typhoon of hastily made and even more hastily abandoned shelters that once served as the last bit of culture from the planet Illios, a planet that had once been a hearty industrial and trade center, now quite possibly a ball of lifeless barren rock.

"My apologies Engineer," Nixa wheeled around easily to the Ensign sitting in the chair and bowed again, "I am unfamiliar with your command structure and ranking,"
She could understand the being perfectly, thanks to the translator built into her communications device lodged neatly in her ear. The device had already downloaded the language after recieving the message and now she could understand the Ensign as easily as if she were speaking basic. She nodded to the two Marines at her shoulder and both stood at ease, though keeping a tight grip on their rifles.

Nixa's tail swished from side to side and her eyebrows peaked at the statement from her Opposite Number. She sounded relatively carefree and ignorant of the situation for the majority of people on her ship. They were being cared for now, at the cost of the Republic of course, she supposed she was expecting a more formal meeting.

"I am here to query as to how this occured," She spoke with the ease of one in command, "How did four vessels end up in such bad condition with so many wounded and pregnant?"

On the Admiral Krystal there were children being gathered togather under the care of Volunteer Crew who kept them occupied and amused, ensured they had enough to eat and somewhere comfortable to sleep. The pregnant females remained in the Medical Bay, being cared for by the Nurses, preparing them for the most comfortable birth possible. The older children remained with their parents, eating heartily, wearing warm clothes and sitting on comfortable beds.

The people when being transferred onto the heavy cruiser were apprehensive at best. Sure they had wanted to get there as quickly as possible just to be out of their foul smelling makeshift homes but when they arrived and were safe the culture shock hit them like a wave. Which is exactly what it was, an unending tide of alien ideas, symbols, letters and numbers, most of the children onboard the destroyer were ‘black’ class so they didn’t know how to read the mass of symbols. In fact they averted their eyes whenever text more than three lines appeared as not to earn the contempt of their adult betters.

Just in case the rules were the same here as at home. The upper class children just clung to any adult they could, any one with fur that is. After all the ‘skins’ had burned their world, killed their parents, and took their homes. In the ‘just’ cause of eliminating the evil federal union, they expected setbacks, lack of supplies, lack of food even all in the name of what they saw as peace and justice. In their eyes there was no reason for them to have to evacuate, to have to kiss their loved ones goodbye while the rage serum was applied, consumed, and in some cases drunk. The ‘skins’ were solely responsible for their plight, in fleeing their home and in the destruction of their escape vessels. Fur was the only thing ‘solid’ in their minds as they had to stick together; it was fur against flesh in the minds of the survivors. In fact anyone with ‘smooth’ skin was looked upon with suspicion as they could at any given moment decide to turn on them as the ones who invaded did and decide they weren’t fit for the gift of life. At least to the ‘lower class’ majority, the higher class adults were a bit more tolerant, as they were more cultured and literate but no less suspicious of their new saviors.

On the bridge the young skunk looked at the captain for a moment before returning to work mending the seemingly broken bit of ceiling structure. The structure seeming to keep the ceiling in one place, the rest of the officers tried to do what they were assigned to but armed guards on board their bridge understandably made them nervous. The ferret leaned back to answer the question posed to her, looking to her bridge staff, mostly wounded sensor operators, looking like they had multiple pieces of shrapnel still in their bodies but they pressed on.

“Originally we were twenty seven vessels. Part of an evacuation group from the planet Illios when a nation we simply call ‘The federal union’ attacked it. We had even more passengers before this believe it or not, but they were onboard their own cargo vessels. Most captains will tell you it was unjustified though some of us had a feeling this would happen. As to why there are so many children and fertile women, that’s all who were evacuated. Who would leave the children and women unfit for battle behind meanwhile the enemy comes to burn their world, kill or enslave their children, defile the next generation among other horrible things?”

She eyed the marines while asking that question, not wanting to stir up trouble with anyone who might be either morally questionable or who had a different opinion. Especially since she was unsure how efficient a plasma bolt was on their armor. She also eyed her crew seeing that no one would experiment as that would ultimately result in the failure of this mission in all forms.

“The union was strong and popular and we were just upstarts, starting trouble as upstart nations usually do. Our task force was cut off by a mix of union blockade and good tactics, a competent commodore might have tried to lead them away from their posts or go into a standoff but you have my opinion on our leader… We ran the blockade losing nearly every vessel we had, including all the civilian carriers. Now most captains would tell you some sob story about how the union fired upon the vessels but, I’ve just been promoted so I don’t care. The true story is when the evacuation vessels were eventually cornered by union ships they evacuated all the people they could, the ones you have aboard your ship now, and destroyed themselves rather than be a part of some genetic experiment…”

The ferret waved her hand around her bridge nodding at the captain interrogating her. She closed her eyes and rose to her feet now, looking at her holed bridge in a sort of awe as she spoke.

“For all we know we’re all that’s left of an entire planet’s culture, over a decade of building, plays, laughter, working, struggle and turmoil. If you ask me those captains made the right decision, denying the union a possible gateway to ‘a better fox killer’ and sparing countless souls from short lives of horror and torture.”

Ensign Loder looked back to the captain wondering what would happen now.

XIW Dominique, Hanger Bay...

Vice Admiral Lydak stepped onto the ICV Typhoon, and almost as quickly recoiled from the overpowering stench that emitted from the interior of the starship. Obviously they had been keeping these refugees cooped up inside for some time now. More and more frequently, refugees were being sent off to the hospitals that were situated around the Dominique, and it was a minority group, mostly of children (so they could be screened) and uninjured soldiers (so they could be watched) that stayed in the hanger. The dispersal fulfilled three purposes: It distributed the patients evenly, so that no one medical center would be overloaded, it kept them all away from each other so they couldn't infect their fellows, and it separated any wounded military personnel so they couldn't join up and try anything cute. Lydak doubted they would try such a thing, but he had to cover every possible contingency, as unlikely as it might seem. He decided to wait until the ship had been cleared; maybe the smell would dissipate by then, and in any case, for all he knew, this Lieutenant Second class 'Malina Losvara' might be the only one holding things together.

After medical care, the primary goals were to feed everyone, and make sure they got rest. Those who were uninjured or only mildly wounded were fed immediately; those who might hurt themselves more trying to get at the nutrients, or demand sustenance when they weren't ready for it, were sedated until they were. The medical personnel, particularly the female kitsune (they found the term "vizen" distasteful) portion of the crew, paid special attention to the children, trying to sooth and calm the underage furries. The Marines had found that there were no problems aside from restraining the occasional too-eager refugee, and were growing bored with their task, not paying as much attention and studying the Initiatives for their forms and features, rather than the threat they might pose. The soldiers watched the GPI soldiers in particular, always ready to learn more about foreign military forces.

For the most part, the weapons and armor of the soldiers were confiscated; only the uninjured were immune, and that was only until the situation was stabilized. They didn't want any accidental discharges or itchy trigger fingers or, Qonn forbid, weapons used to get more food or medical supplies. As more and more refugees were shipped away to other hospitals the pandemonium, at least outside the ship, began to die down, leaving only the interior of the vessel to deal with. Now the medics and their droids attacked full force, trying to clear the cruiser and the two destroyers so the engineers and their drones could get at them. Lydak stood amidst it all, faintly proud of the crew for their efficiency and speed.

As the doctors and nurses flocked aboard the ICV Typhoon
he joined them, noting with displeasure that the smell had failed to clear. Lydak eschewed the Marine escort; no need for soldiers here, and if there was, he knew he could defend himself. It was high time the commanders of the vessel be relieved of duty, he wouldn't let any of them die from their wounds out of some misguided sense of commitment, and he was still anxious to question their Lieutenant, Second Class. For example, what had happened to the Captain? Had he or she been killed in action, left wherever they had fled from, was he or she among the wounded? Perhaps this was all a result of some sort of bizarre form of mutiny, and the crew themselves had murdered their Master and Commander? He didn't know, and there was no real use speculating; Lydak would have to find out for himself.

He had found what appeared to be the bridge. Moving past a group of aid workers he entered, wary of any sort of trick or trap. All he saw was a tiger-like being, nay, a tigress (of fine figure, he noted) sitting in her command chair, with what appeared to be her bridge officers nearby. He bowed deeply as he entered, well aware of what she must have gone though to get here, what she still might have to go though, and spoke, not expecting her to get up and bow back, for she was not aware of the culture. "Lieutenant Second class Malina Losvara, I presume? I am Vice Admiral Lydak, commander of this vessel. If they have no further duties, may I request that your bridge crew enter the care of our medical professionals? I am sure they are anxious to have their wounds seen to, to eat and to rest. We shall not be starting reconstruction for some time yet; we wish for all beings to have their needs met before we focus on the machines."

The refugees aboard the typhoon were of a higher position in the initiative caste system than aboard all the destroyers so in turn they were more tolerant of the foreign aid. Plus there was one thing the alversians were missing. Fur. The xiscapatans were greeted with open arms, saviors in what was seen as a conflict against fur. The vulpine creatures would find the lower orders more receptive to any orders or requests they would make considering how foxes were as a species seen as one of the ruling classes. Therefore it was simply natural to do what they said to do; things over here might be somewhat the same as ‘back home’ as it were. Plus it really gave the lower ranks something to ‘hold onto’ something that had meaning to them rather than adopt the completely alien culture that surrounded them. Well those that wore fully functional power helmets or were the few chosen as English translators, the rest would have no idea what was being said or even know it was an order, though there was still tone and body language.

The children were better behaved in the massive carrier as well since an adult with fur was better than one without at this point. Some even went as far to cling to duty officers that helped them as though they were their real parents because some if not all of the children knew that their parents were dead, they’d never becoming back. So these furs would be their parents now. They could be trusted to do such. At least that was the general attitude.

The language barrier became even more solid aboard the typhoon itself as everything was indeed in latin. Though that didn’t seem to hinder the flood of aid workers and engineers looking to study initiative technology, they would find a plethora of items and materials totally not from this galaxy, not from this dimension. If they would scan the items the things would record properties that seemed impossible and that some of these things were made from materials completely unknown to their periodic tables. It also didn’t inhibit the tigress from standing up and giving the initiative salute, which was mostly similar to the ancient roman salute, to the admiral aboard her bridge. The bridge crew were at their stations but resting, more at ease, some had even started to see who installed what in the ships somewhat limited library of computer games, all thoroughly against regulations of course. While the tigress didn’t release them to receive aid and comfort, since the officers that especially needed it were indeed getting it along with the critically wounded that had flooded from the ship, she wasn’t putting them to work either.

“Everyone who is in desperate need of medical attention is already in the care of your aid staff. The rest are either too wounded to be moved or not wounded enough to warrant immediate treatment. I figured they would want to rest and collect some personal effects before transferring to your… I don’t mean any offense but, alien world.”

She observed the bridge, thankful it had mostly escaped the horrors of what the ship had endured. Though the aid workers would find that some of the decks were ‘misaligned’ skewed as it were, where hallways were they now had crawlspaces and crawlspaces were blocked. These were marked in latin with ‘no entry’ or ‘deck closed’ signs of course to make sure no civilians would try and make these their shelters. Even though by the personal effects left behind it could be seen that some of them did anyways.

When the staff reached the ship’s real sickbay they’d find that the initiative had few medical tools at their disposal. Even in the limited operating theatre they had no real tools to work with, something that would assuredly be totally strange and alien to the workers seeking something to do. Back on the bridge the tigress nodded at her superior and to his retinue.

“Besides we’re safe now, there’s no need to rush the inevitable.”

The inevitable being the eventual integration of cultures and ideals and to find out how much they really and truly conflicted.

Aboard the Admiral Krystal, the crew went about the task of caring for the wounded or otherwise sick Refugees, noting their apparent uneasiness in the presence of the smooth skinned Crews. They were a little curious as to the origin of the Beings that were now spread evenly through the two Hangars and the Medical Bay. They saw how the Furs feared them and they supposed that it had to be normal that the Children and uneducated would be afraid of anything different, especially anything as Alien as the Alversians, the smallest a towering 6'10'' in height and most wearing combat armour.

They were able to communicate easily, thanks to the Universal Translator, and they began to bunch people into small groups of two dozen or so, ensuring that at there were an even number of children and adults in each one, also ensuring that they were accompanied by someone other than a Marine, to ease their passage down into the Hold, where various, self-containing shelters had been established. These were equipped with beds, stoves, water supplies and other essential items, including replicators. All of this allowed the groups to survive for up to four weeks within the hold, providing that their own ship was not capable of running by this stage.

They would need to gain the trust of these poor, now homeless people. By being gentle and using the translators to ensure that every word of comfort was understood by both parties, they continued to treat and feed them, offering them nutrionally rich foods to bolster their malnourished systems and also a variety of snacks and treats for the children if they wanted to accept them. The first baby was born in the Medical Bay, a simple, quick and painless labour helped by the Doctors and Nurses who afforded only the best care to the Mother and her newborn Child.

On the Destroyer itself, Nixa raised an eyebrow as the story of the vessel and it's small fleet. She supposed that it was technically their fault, the Alversians had had little interaction with the Fedral Union but what they had gained had warned them that contact was to be avoided at all costs. They were the Aggressors in this war, but she knew that Alversian Naval Protocols demanded that all Refugees be they attacking or defending, be treated equally and so be aided as such.
Her tail flicked from side to side for a moment as she digested the story, only turning when the doors opened again to admit a number of Alversian Medical Staff,
"All Civilians that require aid and treatment are recieving it Ma'am," The Medic reported, "All we need to do now is attend to the crew of this ship itself."

Nixa nodded her approval and, waiting until she had gained it from her Opposite Number, watched as the team went about with Tricorders and small Medical Kits, treating the crew were they were standing if possible and gently ushering them towards the Shuttles were not possible.

Nixa sighed,
"I can only offer my sympathies and help in getting your ship back together," She stated simply, "I can have an Engineering Team over within an hour to help speed up your repairs if you require it." She was not going to force her help upon these people. If they needed it, then they would ask for it.

The attachments the younglings and the officers and spacers might have been forming would not be problematic. If they wished, a given caretaker could adopt an orphan, after the obligatory background check and the like. If this was not wished to be, or impossible to achieve, there was plenty of surrogate parents for the children in the twin colonies. All involved were glad their commands were obeyed quickly and concisely; the last thing such a disaster situation needed was a reluctance to trust or a refusal of help merely because those who sought to give assistance were aliens. For the most part, any given Xiscapian learned very little about the Initiates: All were busy getting necessities like food, water, clean clothing, bedding, shower and waste facilities and healing wounds to worry overmuch about the history or culture of the refugees, for now anyway.

The Latin language barrier, while at first a vexing obstacle, was soon solved. Galactic Common, or Basic as some called it, seemed to have its roots in this strange, ancient Terran language, and some time spent tracing it with A.I. and linguistic computer devices proved profitable. In no time spoken and written words in Latin could be translated, by interpreters or physical scanning devices, into Galactic Common or even Xiscapian. Indeed, the reverse also worked, and, if they wished it, the kitsune could broadcast their words in Latin, though only limited, for many words present in Galactic Common and Xiscapian were different or entirely missing in the Latin language. In any case, body language interpretation and the few available soldiers who could understood Common made sure the Xiscapian officers and caretakers got their points across, even if only roughly.

The various scientists, technicians and engineers who had come behind the aide workers studied, analyzed and experimented with abandon, utterly fascinated with these objects that were not merely from a alien culture or separate galaxy, but from a different dimension all together. Naturally they could remove nothing from the cruiser or destroyers without permission, but that didn't stop them from taking dozens of records of any given thing and trying to figure out what it did or was supposed to do, what it is or was made of, and how it worked. However, aide workers had priority, so in some places the various tech heads were restricted from going, at least for the time being. They could be seen most everywhere, though, technicians and engineers in their dark dirty yellow uniforms and over sized helmets, scientists with their traditional lab coats or biohazard suits, and their drones, carrying tools and equipment, yammering to each other in the rapid, lilting Xiscapian tongue.

In the medical bay of the Typhoon the medics and doctors were somewhat mystified by the lack of instruments. Had they no scanners, no stimpacks, no nanobots or cloning vats or cellular regeneration systems? Perhaps all these materials had been lost or used up in the course of their flight? They then came to a general consensus; either the Initiates were starved for supplies, or they used some sort of psychic, spirit-probing force to heal wounds. Possibly both. The doctors were not scientists, nor were they psychics or metaphysicists, so they had only their surroundings and hypothesises (hypothesi?) to guide them. Whatever the case, they got right down to helping the overloaded Initiate medical personnel, placing themselves subordinate to them to try and make the crisis pass quicker and with a minimal amount of further suffering.

“Everyone who is in desperate need of medical attention is already in the care of your aid staff. The rest are either too wounded to be moved or not wounded enough to warrant immediate treatment. I figured they would want to rest and collect some personal effects before transferring to your…I don’t mean any offense but, alien world. Besides we’re safe now, there’s no need to rush the inevitable.”

"Of course," Lydak inclined his head, the picture of composure. "No offense taken." Inwardly he was somewhere between faintly annoyed and irritated. Things were moving both too quickly and a bit too slowly for his liking, he wanted action, or he wanted stillness, nothing in-between. But these people were his guests, and he was the host, and therefore he had to comply with what desires they wished, to a point anyway. Doing otherwise would be inexcusably rude, and as brusque and occasionally harsh as Lydak could be, he strived to never be rude or of poor manners.
As she had said, all in good time, so he tried to be patient.

ICV Typhoon

The tigress smiled pleasantly seeing the admiral’s reaction. She knew that was irritating but she figured she was right. She was correct in all this, that it would take time to adjust, even though they were going into the company of furs the Xiscapian culture was still alien. She bowed before the admiral clearing her throat.

“Alright. Play time’s over, I want each of you to go to your quarters and grab anything that you can carry. Then I want everyone to meet in the cargo bay at…”

Everyone stood at attention from the first word. The initiative military were many things but their navy was disciplined. At least as long as the commander was around or didn’t order leave. The tigress looked at the ship clock, it was 12:35, she looked back at the admiral for a moment as though asking permission.

“Eighteen thirty, our hosts have been waiting long enough to meet us it seems.”

The bridge slowly emptied as the captain gave them their orders. The tigress polite smile continued as she remained on the bridge.

“So. We’ll be ready to abandon ship in six hours. You’ll excuse me if I don’t give you a complete tour of my ship as some decks are unstable or don’t exist at all. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

The tigress figured they had questions, and concerns to address. So she would address them, quickly before they evolved into genuine problems. The rest of the crew would find that they needed the biohazard suits in reference to the smell and offal that has been generated by the overload of passengers. In the medical bay they would find the medical staff lacking a doctor as he was still asleep but they’d find three very receptive apprentices asking them for things like gauze or something that can be used as such…

Meanwhile the mink commander brooded in her private room. Her pistol out and ready, she meditated on the lives she and she alone was responsible for ending. Not the enemy mind you, no there was no guilt in killing the enemy it was either them or you, they were trained for their deaths, they knew what could and possibly would happen to them. The civilians however, had no such training, no such expectations, no such anything about dying, especially the children.

One thought prevailed in the locked observation room, she was wrong and seventy thousand furs paid for it. She pressed the pistol up to her head, wanting to end it right there but that was no way for a commander to end one’s life. The aliens, they were just waiting for someone to do what she was going to do. That weasel of an executive officer would probably blame it on a lapse in translation or why she mutinied in the first place. All the better as it would make the mink what she wanted to be, a mere footnote in history.

ICV Arguo

Ensign loder nodded at the captain snapping back to reality from her musing about how important she and her voyage was to the initiative.

“Sure. Sure yes it’ll be interesting to see what you can do.”

She nodded looking to her crew assuring that no one objected, that no one had much choice on the matter. Meanwhile on board the admiral krystal the recent mother a female raccoon looked around the medical area where she’d just given life to her daughter. She was feeling alright but upon seeing her now, relatively, flat stomach went into a panic, now screaming at the top of her lungs, as though she had gone through a very, very painful childbirth with complications without anestisia.

Nixa nodded in understand and, with a flick of her tail that acted as a signal to one of the Marines behind her. Within moments, an team of a half-dozen Engineers were moving along the bridge, putting out small fires as they moved, ducking and dodging past the Medics and crew who were still in position around the ruined consoles. Within moments, the fires had been contained and the regular Bridge Crew replaced by Engineers from the Alversian warship. However, all they did was scan the vessel and begin to repair the minor damage, noting the areas of severe damage and marking them for repair teams.

Nixa watched her crew go to work quickly and effecienctly, a little smile of pride across her face,
"Do you not wish to head over to our vessel?" She asked the Ensign, "You need Medical Attention and this crew is in no condition to contain life.

Medical Bay

The screaming Mother was quickly sedated by a tending Medic while her baby was placed in a cot alongside her, scanners running over it to ensure that it was as healty as could be, with any serious faults being wiped out at the earlist possible stage. When she came to after her brief sleep, she would find a perfectly healthy Baby beside her, sleeping softly.

“So. We’ll be ready to abandon ship in six hours. You’ll excuse me if I don’t give you a complete tour of my ship as some decks are unstable or don’t exist at all. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

"Nothing that can't wait six hours," Lydak said cordially. Everyone was dying to know who these people were, where they had come from, and why there were here, but he was a most incurious being. He was interested in efficiency, and efficiency alone, and if he his duties and cultural mandate as host demanded that he wait to question his guests, he would, without complaint or agitation. In any case, it would allow him to assemble all the people who would need to be present for the first meeting with "Initiates": Namely, the Governor, General Chao and that Alversian Captain Nixa. The guests could expect to be bombarded with questions; the arrival of a new race was one thing, but the arrival of a new, furry race that bore the scars of battle was another thing entirely.

He bowed, turning to leave, and stop, tail curling into a questioning mark. Half turning, the black uniformed Vice Admiral was in shadow at the door, only his yellow eyes burning out of the darkness at the tigress. When he spoke his voice was low and, though pleasant, carried the slightest undertone of suspicion. "Actually, there is one thing...tell me, Second Lieutenant, where is the Captain of this vessel?"

The medical personnel were only too happy to assist, rolling out their technology which, among the more mundane items, contained many rolls of gauze. At last, the situation seemed to be stabilizing, and there was no longer a flood of wounded and malnourished refugees all screaming for help. Near the observation room, one of the Marines noticed that the door had been shut, and he studied it, thinking slowly. As many doors and hatches had been opened as possible, to try and vent the smell and pull clean air into the ship, and the only closed doors were the ones that had been welded or wedged shut. Curiously, he stepped up to it, battle armor making no sound as he examined the entry, rapping a single gauntleted fist against the plate. "Xin chào? Bất cứ ai trong không?" He called out, quite forgetting to translate into Latin.

ICV Typhoon
Bridge

“I am the captain of this vessel now and commodore of the escort fleet. First lieutenant Rena strineer was relieved of her command due to…”

She thought before she spoke, really not wanting to say. ‘because she didn’t want to talk to you despite our situation’. She cleared her throat acting like she was trying to find the words or speak in basic.

“Due to gross incompetence resulting from successful contact with the enemy.”

Which is what she’d put in any official report that she had to file she sort of awed at her own words. Not expecting to be in command of a vessel yet, she half expected the enemy to strip her of her rank but no. At least their former commodore spared them that humiliation, though now it was the humiliation of the scientist microscope now, though the tigress had no one but herself to blame for that. Still she bowed to the admiral hoping that would be enough to sate his curiosity now.

ICV Typhoon
Medical bay

The rapping would be met with the sound of a pistol cocking. Well instead of the mechanical click of the mechanical bolt locking the hammer in place readying the weapon to fire, they would hear a sharp whine. A sharp whine that would softly emanate through the observation chamber and maybe hit the guards afterward, something was in there, something hostile sounding and not friendly at all. The former commodore determined to be shot as an usurper. Determined to go into history as nothing, she closed her eyes not caring what she hit, not wanting to hit anything, not wanting to take someone with her in her dishonor.

Onboard the Dominique
Medical bay

One would only need to listen to the guardsmen and marines for more stories of their battle scars. Particularly three soldiers sitting in the medical bay, one being treated for a minor arm wound, another treated for a broken leg another being treated for a gunshot wound to the stomach. They sat together in the medical bay, the wolf, skunk, and lynx chuckled at each other. The wolf was the first to speak up.

“Seaman second class Vance. Second guard company…”

The lynx woman chuckled at that nodding at vance, the skunk shook his head in partial disgust. He was obviously new. No one went in for minor medical treatment, especially with the bacta tanks being full of those that the flesh crafters couldn’t quite get to. A good little doggie forced into the medical bay by his superiors.

“No need for all that Vance. I’m Kal, this is Kil’ura…? So, is this your first op vance?”

The wolf almost blushed at that, confirming the answer. Yes it was, the skunk cleared his throat hoping to interrupt any tales of how the initiative was coming for them, that they needed to hold on, to stay strong to do all the other crap that they needed to do for mother’s light to grace them once more.

“You know he kinda looks like Grin… Yea… He does… remember him? Ugh… What a ****. Got what he deserved on that imperial bee cee. You remember that Kil?”

The lynx started to laugh, nudging her broken leg towards the skunk. The wolf listening with interest as the two veterans talked.

“Yea I remember. I also remember you almost getting a bowling ball in your gut, though it’s too bad about Grin even though he was a bastard. He came all that way, and only to get blown away on the bridge. Who knew the pinks could be so tough when you pushed them back to one of their cubby holes? Now if only mice were so tough…”

Admiral Krystal
Medical bay

The coon woke up again, instantly going to caress her child. She remembers being knocked out, or at least part of it, part of screaming and crying out for her cub. She didn’t trust these humans. Not a bit. She eyed one of the medical bay staff, fully rested and ready to take off as quickly as she could. Even in the raiment’s the medical staff had given her instead of her normal clothes.

“You heard me… You didn’t have to knock me out.”

She snorted at one of the medical staff as she held her relatively calm cub against her chest as all first born babies should be held. She kissed her daughter on her forehead, afraid that her head would be shaped like a cone instead of the normal round shape it was supposed to be. The coon then eyed the medical staff with distrust even though she was indeed receiving the best possible care, but then again, what did one expect from the black class?

"It was for your own safety Ma'am," The young Alversian replied softly, turning his attention away from an Elderly Wolf who was being fed via a Drip while he was unconcious. What had happened to him was unclear but he had a blunt force trauma to the head that would eventually require surgery to correct, for he had taken quite a knock. Despite the flood of people arriving on the ship, the Medical Crew were easily coping.
The young Medic turned his full attention to the Raccoon Female and took out a Medical tricorder, using the small instrument to take readings as he ran it up and down in the air before her, eyes fixed on the screen. He spent a longer time on the baby before he snapped the device shut with a smile,
"I can see no danger for you or your Baby," He said in a friendly, smiling maternally at the small bundle in her arms, "She's beautiful." He said quietly, "She takes after her Mother."

ICV Typhoon, Bridge...

"I see," Lydak responded blandly, studying her, eyes moving up and down her bowed figure. The second bow, along with the careful, precise wording, were indicators that something was going on that he did not know about, and possibly was not meant to know about. More than likely this Captain had been responsible, directly or though not fault of her own, for losing a significant portion of the vessels and/or personnel under her command against the enemy, and had withdrawn from command because of it. He would have to investigate later, and find out the details eventually, but for the moment it didn't really matter. If she truly was unfit for duty, she could relieve herself of command, and if she was simply being overly sensitive, he would see to it that she was either reinstated back into her old position, or stripped of command entirely. No room for half measures and bleeding hearts around here.

After a moment of intense attention on the tigress, just long enough to make her feel uncomfortable but not long enough to warrant an actual complaint, Lydak gave a second, lighter bow and left the bridge, boots clicking against the deck.

ICV Typhoon, Medical bay...

The soldier heard the whine and, taking it to forewarn the charging of an energy weapon, tore the door open and threw himself onto the deck, rifle pointing out. The blast tore over his head and he located the target, sighted and fired without even thinking about it, the mink dead center in his crosshairs. The stun blast hit her in the chest and the Initiate Captain was knocked to the floor, service pistol flying out of her hands to bounce of the wall and clatter to the deck. Normally, stun blasts would simply knock the target unconscious for ten minutes or so and they would awaken after that duration with no ill effects, but the Xiscapians had found stronger beams were needed for use against Alversians and Danaversians to be effective. Against beings of average Xiscapian size or smaller they could cause a catatonic state to last for up to three hours, and those hit with the weapon at its increased power often suffered nausea, dizziness and body aches after waking.

At the sound of the twin shots, one right after the other, many of the refugees and medics cried out, thinking they were under attack. In an instant two more Marines had rushed to the site, one kneeling and covering them while the other stepped into the room, blaster raised as he looked down at the mink. A few seconds later Lydak himself appeared, face impassive, one hand on the butt of his blaster and the other wrapped around the hilt of his sword, stopping just outside of the room and gazing at the sprawled, unconscious female. "We have found our missing Captain, it seems." He murmured.

"Sir, she fired first, I swear-" The Marine on the deck stood, leaving his rifle forgotten on the floor, hands raised imploringly.

"I do not doubt your word, Private." Lydak assured him without infliction to his tone. "You two," he pointed to the two other soldiers, "shackle her and take her down to Medical Bay Eight for screening. Once she's been cleared, keep her there and under guard. When she awakens, I want to speak to her," he licked his chops, "personally."

"Yes sir!"

XIW Dominique, Medical bay...

"Room for one more?" A kitsune soldier, clad in gray fatigues and black boots with a service blaster in his belt, settled onto a nearby crate. He was not what one might consider an attractive specimen, with an ugly scar lacing from the base of his throat along the side up his cheek, a slightly stubby snout and triangular ears that looked at though they needed a good washing, but his orange eyes were bright and interested and he seemed friendly. "Word going around ship is that you lot got kicked in the teeth by the Terrans. Fucking bastards, eh?" He glanced around, looking at each of the wounded soldiers with a sharp smile.

XIW Dominique
Medical bay

The two veterans simply eye this new sune, the wolf just beams upon feeling important enough that someone was asking him something about his service.

“Yea… Yea they are and they stink to high hell when they get wet…”

He chuckled offering his hand to the nice sune. The other two weren’t so welcoming at first, it was a little too soon to be too friendly after all. He might be a spy or even worse one of ‘the body’, namely one of their ‘skin’ agents, feelers for dissent among the troops and officer corps that Kil’ura was a part of. They both cleared their throat leaning forward.

“So solider, who are you?”

Kil’ura asks eyeing the young soldier looking for any signs of being one of the spies she sought. They always twitched, twitched like they were constantly itchy. Hence their name ‘skins’ and ‘furs’.

Admiral Krystal
Medical bay

The coon looked at the medical officer with a slight growl as her maternal instinct took over, her mind, thinking that they had done something, anything to make her daughters life harder.

“She is…”

She answered curtly sighing softly as she cuddled her little one, her eyes looking around to see if these humans were actually helping the furs around her or doing more evil experimentation. One glance would illicit pride in a non speciest as she’d find that the best medical care was being protected and provided for. Instead she only found weird medical experiments, things she didn’t understand. Human things that were probably harmful to furkind…

The Alversian sensed the hostility but he didn't back away from it. If he had to treat this Female then she was going to get bloody used to him as a Medic. If not, then she'd die a slow and agonising death because the scans had at least revealled a problem. She was suffering from minor clots in her lower stomach, probably a complication from the birth of the child. He frowned, running the scan again and, sure enough the same problem came up.
He sighed and looked at the Racoon,
"It seems you have some minor clotting in your lower abdomen. It's nothing serious, a simple fix." He said it calmly and easily, "I'm afraid you will have to put the Baby down though Ma'am."

Admrial Krystal
Medical bay

The coon snarled at the medic, shaking her head. This was his excuse to cut her up, to cut her open and her baby because she somehow some way clotted, whatever that meant… The coon got off the bed still holding her cub sighing softly.

“I’m not doing anything like that. Now where are my clothes?”

Her legs wobbled slightly but she was relatively sturdy. However there was a slight, ever so slight pain in her stomach, well a little lower than the stomach but it could be ignored. She had to see the rest of where she was, she had to get out of here and next to some furs. She just had to because who knew what these humans were up to aside her normal health and treatment…

The old wolf eyed this exchange, simply shaking his head snorting. Damn black class. You could give them everything, absolutely everything and they’d still fight you tooth and nail because you were making life too comfy for them.

"Ma'am," the Medic took a step closer unwilling to let this go, "It is a minor problem at the moment but if you allow it to develop then it will get more serious. If you allow it to spread," He paused for a moment, thinking of the consequences, shaking mentally at the thought, "Then you may lose the entire leg." he held his hands up, "I'm not trying to hurt you, I have taken an oath only to treat wounds, be they the wounds of my friends or my enemies. I would like to think of you as a friend rather than an enemy" He said quietly.

XIW Dominique, Medical bay...

The Xiscapian laughed and, leaning forward, shook the proffered hand of the lupine, grip dry and firm but not bone-grinding. He turned to the other two, but neither seemed to be so trusting, so he let his hand drop, giving a minuscule shrug. It was understandable: He was an alien, and after all, they had just lost a battle and spent Qonn-knew how long in a cramped starship stinking up the galaxy with sweaty, dirty refugees. After those conditions, he supposed he wouldn't exactly be sociable either.

“So solider, who are you?”

The kitsune stared at the lynx named Kil’ura, and his eyes met hers and he didn't seem to be interested in looking away. If she was adapt at reading eyes she would be able to tell that he was earnest and bright, but behind that facade was a grimness, the disposition of a being who had seen too much and still tried to laugh about it. "Name's Kyoto," he said finally, glancing from her to the skunk. "Private of a Battalion who's name wouldn't mean anything to you, a soldier for an Emperor you've never heard of in service to a nation you've only just entered." He finished, smiling. "What about you guys, huh? Who 're you all?"

XIW Dominique
Medical bay

The lynx spoke first her expression lightening up a little bit at the introduction. The lightening soon turned into an all out grin as she heard the introduction. She leans back nursing her leg though the act results in a soft pained grunt.

“I’m Kil’ura, this is Kal and it all doesn’t matter… You know… I think we did go up against the pinks. The Terran pinks I mean”

The skunk started to warm up to the male as well. He shook his head looking at the lynx before leaning back into his chair.

“Yea… Like that blockade fight, bullshit that was. Remember when we had to get onboard that station.”

The lynx nodded with a slight shiver, she stretches her arms out with a soft yawn.

“Why oh why would you have automated defenses aboard a fucking battleship. Thanks for what you did but I still didn’t need it…!”

The skunk’s half smile blossomed as he felt the lynx play punch him in the shoulder.

“Oh please if somebody would spend more time on the range than studying chemicals and stuff. Maybe she wouldn’t need someone to take a bullet in the gut for them…”

The lynx rolled her eyes, sticking her tongue out at Kal.

“And if somebody would have spent more time learning how to hack open doors maybe the defenses wouldn’t have gone off.”

Both veterans laughed at that, really at the point where ‘having seen too much’ was part of their lifestyle. Laughing at things that would normally be sticky points filled with grief and trauma. Both of them focused their attention on Kyoto. Kil’ura spoke first.

“So. We really just got here, I’m here for a leg wound, Kal here got himself shot in the belly and new puppy over there, um, Vance is here because we trained him to be. There’s really no reason for him to be here if he’d look around and see that most furs here are walking skeletons.”

Vance was taken aback by the remarks, lifting an eyebrow looking at himself for a few moments. He only had a few minor cuts and bruises so indeed it might have been better for him to just stay home with a medikit.

“Well sorry. Regulations say that any wound is a reason for the bay.”

Kal heaved, rolling his eyes and turning to the wolf.

“Do you see any regulators around here? Hell did you see any regulators when we were packed in those cans? Bitch lieutenant couldn’t ‘regulate’ a pass out point if you ask me… She’s the reason we’re in this mess in the first place and don’t you go pulling non existent rank Ura, you know full well we shouldn’t have tried to run that blockade.”

Kil’ura stuck out her tounge at the skunk once again half turning to Kyoto now. Vance muttered something but kept his mouth shut as he sat.

“I’m still an officer you know. Well then again you might be right. Though well Kyoto, have you heard anything on what they’re going to do with us? Especially us who’ve arguably given the most?”

Admiral Krystal
Medical bay

The raccoon ignored the medic trying to find her clothes as her daughter, mewled and whimpered in the harsh, to her, lights of this strange and alien place. The raccoon would simply walk out of the medical bay in the meager clothes she had if she didn’t have her clothes readily available. She ignored the pain in her leg as she walked around the medical bay.

XIW Dominique, Medical bay...

Kyoto sat and listened to the interplay between the soldiers with a mixture of bemusement and grim empathy. Boarding an enemy ship was always nasty work, especially if it was a ship built and crewed by someone as technologically advanced as the Terrans. He looked back over at Vance, knowing that the other soldiers might resent him a little because his wounds weren't as severe as others, but Kyoto, unlike Kal or Kil’ura, knew that the Dominique could comfortably take on three times as many refugees as it held currently and still be able to provide them all with care and medical assistance. There were still hospitals and medical bays around the ship that were empty or contained only a few patients, although the Initiates didn't need to know this: Taking an injury and having to grin and bear it for a while did most people good, as long as it wasn't potentially crippling or life-threatening.

"Though well Kyoto, have you heard anything on what they’re going to do with us? Especially us who’ve arguably given the most?”

He shrugged elaborately. "Command doesn't tell me anything, I'm just a lowly grunt." He chuckled slightly. "I'm not even sure if they themselves know. Eventually you'll probably be moved down to the planet, but what ultimately happens, well," he paused, "I think it all depends on how the meeting with your top officers goes. There's a lot riding on that, what with the differences of race and whatnot, but..." He shrugged again, then grinned. "All I know is, at least we won't kick you back out into the universe again, unless you want to go. The Terrans will definitely be looking for you, and right now for you there's probably no where safer than right here. We're fucking surrounded by weapons."

"Ma'am, I must insist," The Medic walked after her, trying to her attention desperate, attracting the looks of the others in the Medical Bay, curious as to the commotion that was being caused.
Elsewhere, one of the GPI's own Doctors, a Wolf was being treated for malnourishment after forgoing food for so long to help ease the pain on the women and children. The Medic treating him was enjoying a conversation about various Medical topics, each sharing the information of the other, as well as the stories that one gathered as a travelling Doctor aboard a warship.

However, the young Medic came alongside, desperate, while two Marines at the entrance, weapons missing, tried to stop the Female from leaving the Medical Bay.
"I'm sorry to disturb you Doctor but that Female over there is refusing treatment to a potentially serious injury. Will you please try to calm her down?"

XIW Dominique
Medical bay

Kil’ura tries to get comfortable but simply winds up making it worse, upon reverting back to her normal position she says.

“Well then we’re safe for the moment. I just wish the doctors on the typhoon would hurry up and get done with whatever they’re doing…”

She clears her throat for kyoto’s sake knowing the implications on what she just said. She didn’t want to offend someone who could be her friend. A friend who knew everything about this place it seemed.

“Not that I don’t want to get treated here just that well… Your medicine is… Kind of backwards… Primitive I… Oh shit.”

Kal and vance eyed the lynx who’s ears were already going down with a clear of her throat, a slight embarrassed flush overtaking her cheeks. Finally she explains.

“I mean, that your medicine is good. Very good, you have very nice doctors and a very nice medical staff but they aren’t… I mean that if we were in our medical bay we would have been fully healed and ready to go back into the fight by now.”

Kal chuckled at his friend stumbling and bumbling around this diplomatic situation. He simply looked at Kyoto and started his explanation.

“Ura here means that while all your bandages and your bacta and your medical technology is good, it still doesn’t compare to someone healing you by waving their hand over the wound. I know that sounds a little farfetched but it’s true. In fact I think I told a medic to go fuck himself… no wait it was ‘herself’ because she kept patching me up and telling me to get back in the fight. That’s half of why we’re here since it’s comfortable and we might get treated anyways.”

Both veterans smiled at the sune waiting for the ‘I don’t fucking believe it’ reaction but it was true. Flesh-crafting required no special tools, healing, and in most cases, even down time before one was ready and back on their feet doing whatever.

Elsewhere on the XIW Dominique

The mink finally opened her eyes after a long, long sleep. Sleep that she hoped would be eternal once she got hit with that blast but apparently three or so hours is all her body could spare before it had to wake up again. Honestly it was the most restful sleep she’d gotten before this point, in a comfortable bed and in a comfortable room. At least more so than her cramped, half destroyed officer’s quarters. She sat down on the floor or whatever she was on wondering what was to happen with her next. Hoping that execution was on the table…

Admiral Krystal
Medical bay

The wolf considered the human for a moment, lifting an eyebrow as he took the treatment bit by bit. Nibbling on it as he knew the danger of giving into his instincts and scarfing the whole thing down as the starving dog he was. He was young, at least as young as all the initiates appeared but appearing somewhat younger.

“I’m not her shepard, if the dummy wants to leave and hurt herself, personally that’s not my problem. I for the moment am a patient just trying to feed myself…”

The coon on the other hand was leaving the room despite the armed guard, cub in hand without much consideration to her clothes. She had to get out and to some furs. she actively fought the guards while considering the health of her child. Something that could stop the fight instantly. Her screams and curses seeming to have little effect on the wolven doctor.

Admiral Krystal
Cargo bay

Meanwhile a shuttle carrying Ensign Loder was fast approaching, all the refugees and former service men around the shuttle cheered when they saw their commander exit the bay. They all were eager to shake the ferret’s hand or talk with her for a few moments. The able guardsmen as well as your own might have to keep them back.

“You’d think I was the Terran Moses… Though as good as this place seems I don’t think it’s the promised land. Not even mother’s haven even though it looks like it to everyone here. So. I never asked, what do you want to do with all of us captain? Meanwhile you’re kindly getting my vessel up to speed.”

The ferret managed to say to the captain and the 'healthy' bridge crew she chose to come along to make themselves comfortable. the ensign was helping the guards to push back through the crowd of furs who’d gathered around the approaching officer corps.

The Marines were not for allowing the Raccoon through the Medical Bay doors into the workings of a military vessel. Her screams and kicks were carefully and gently deflected them away from her and the baby.

The Medics looked on concerned, several of them moved in to try and calm her down. The Doctor treating the Wolf looked on, concerned,
"You have no such thing as the Hippocratic Oath in the Inititive?" He asked, wondering why the Wolf, who was out of immediate danger and could be posponed until the most urgent treatment was secured for this poor Raccon who wouldn't accept their help. And would soon be dead as a result.

Hangar Bay

"Oh, for the moment, we'll wait to see what the Xiscapians suggest we do with your people," Captain Nixa asnwered easily, watching as Alversian Marines came into position to assist with the Crowd Control,
"I assume that they will place your people on their main planet in this system to await repairs to be completed."

XIW Dominique, Medical bay...

Kyoto watched Kil’ura stumble about with her words, trying to disguise her intent with embarrassment. The kitsune idly wondered how scared he could actually make her if he acted insulted, but he wasn't about to try it: It had been a mistake he could have just as easily made commenting, say, on their evidently poor leadership. No Xiscapian Captain would have let him or herself become so badly mangled in the course of running a simple blockade. At the end of it he just grinned, exposing sharp fangs, and laughed.

"That ain't mystical, that's what we've got priests for. I've never been much of a religious type myself," he glanced from Vance to Kil'ura to Kal, wondering if they were, "but I think that's something the Healers in the Church do. The Church keeps a tight reign on their priests, but there's one to every capital ship and Battalion, our resident Brother in Orange is probably around here somewhere." He looked around, but the kitsune in the distinctive orange robes was nowhere to be seen, so he turned back to his new friends.

"Anyway, from the look of you guys it doesn't look like you've really been seen to by the Medheads yet. They've got a lot to go though, and all that," he waved his hand at their various injuries, "is probably low priority in comparison. Splints, sheets, bandages, that's just to keep you comfortable and to stop you from passing out while you wait, the real good stuff is still being administered back there." He jerked his head to the far end of the Bay, where a team of medics and doctors were moving up the rows, holding what seemed to be heavy-duty injectors. They would step up to a patient, hold it to the wounded area or areas, and pull the trigger, the needle biting into the skin as the syringe depressed, pumping some sort of clear liquid into the skin. "That's either nanobot swarms and their assemblers or artificial cells, for serious wounds the time from injection to healing is..." He stared at the ceiling for a moment. "Five minutes? That's what we learned in Basic, it's probably even less now. Beautiful little things, all the cells do is speed up the natural healing of the body, and the nanobots go in a remove stuff like broken slugs or shrapnel and then actually patch up the wound themselves, inside or out, there's nowhere they can't go."

The medics had a long line of refugees and Initiate soldiers before they got to the group of four, but they were making quick work of things and approaching fast. Kyoto looked curiously at Kil’ura. "I hope you're not the squeamish type...some people don't like the idea of billions of tiny robots swarming though their bodies and healing their wounds."

XIW Dominique, Stateroom...

The Initiate Captain found herself in a plush room that appeared to be officer's quarters. It looked more like a fancy apartment: The bedroom, which she currently occupied, was dominated by a large four poster bed, the headboards made of some rich blonde wood, the sheets a pleasing beige color and the comforter a deep, soft amethyst, broken only by two large pillows the same hue where her head had been resting. There was a bedside table made of cherrywood with a small tastefully constructed black metal lamp that gave the room some dim illumination; the single silver handled drawer contained only a strange, light brown colored book written in an alien script which she could infer was some sort of holy text. The deck was a spotless ash color, completely smooth without any signs of rivets or bolts, like a clouded sky. A closet with closed rice paper doors was set into the far wall, though that the door was to a closet was only a guess: For all she knew, it led to the bridge, or out into space itself.

An opening allowed her to peer into the other room, which was a more spacious den area outfitted with a leather couch, lamps and several devices arrayed throughout which she could not identify. There was a low glass table in front of the sofa, holding two objects: A small gnarled bonsai tree of the dwarf maple variant in a chrome holder, and a miniature statue of a kitsune. Unlike any of the Xiscapians the Captain had seen thus far, this one had nine tails, and was dressed simply and rather primitively in a loincloth, red and blue war paint on his long black snout and under his yellow eyes and a feathered headdress. Though a katana sword had been tied onto his covering and his form seemed like that of a fierce guardian, his whole being seemed to radiate calm, good humor and cheer, and though it was an inanimate object, the mink could have sworn it winked at her.

On the sofa sat a Homo Vulpes type Xiscapian, essentially human-looking but with the ears, eyes and tail of a fox, the typical rust red hue tipped with black, his skin as pale as marble. He was clothed in light orange robes with his legs crossed under him, eyes closed, looking serene, only the very end of his tail flicking to indicate activity. As he sensed her gaze on him his lids slowly lifted and he smiled warmly, standing and picking up the tray on the table before him. "I'm glad to see you've rested," he murmured, voice soft. "You must be hungry." The tray, she saw as he came closer, was laden with food, not of the bland military rations one would expect on a combat vessel but meat, fruits, vegetables, several steaming drinks and various condiments. "Please," he stepped into the room, putting the tray down in front of her and pushing it towards her, sitting down across from her in the same fashion he had in the other room, "partake heartily."

XIW Dominique
Medical bay

All three of the initiative soldiers brightened up as Kyoto explained about the priest. Perhaps they had more common origins than they thought. All three liked this man already, even if he was a bit grim but then again all soldiers who had actually seen action were grim. It was a miracle that Kil’ura and Kal still had each other or they’d be afflicted by the ‘grim’ disease. Vance hadn’t seen major combat, he’d seen some of the effects but one could tell that he hadn’t been in the thick of it. Yet. Kil’ura smirked at the male addressing her.

“Well I’d say they’re doing a poor job of keeping me comfortable. Maybe that’s true but I like my doctors better. This place is strange to us. We just need something of ours, something of the initiative. I think we’ve got you beat, because if you’re squeamish about tiny *ahem* machines inside you then you’d scream at the idea of someone actually putting their hand in your guts, or someone changing a medi-kit into a layer of skin.”

She leaned back with another painful groan. Her bandages starting to tear and degenerate softly before the medic would get up to her and shoot her in the arm. Kal accepted his shot when it came with a soft relieved sigh, the skunk actually going to kiss the medic on the arm if it was indeed a she, even if it was a ‘cute’ he. Vance bristled at the mention of nanobots getting up and resisting the needle. He bared his claws at the medical officers, both veterans groaned seeing this argument as soon as the word ‘machine’ came into the conversation.

“Oh shit. Here we go about mother this and mother that and mother’s light and such…”

Kal said looking at the panicing wolf, the male made a threatening growl towards the skunk pointing an accusing finger at what was once his superior.

“Blasphemer! What the hell are you doing accepting those machines! Those things! Those things that will get under my skin and hide! What are you doing accepting those? Get those away from me! I’ll suffer, no I’ll die before I let anything like that into me!!!”

While this outburst seemed childish and really, really ignorant there were those that did refuse medical treatment because they learned what exactly they were. Some could honestly get by on the fact that the more ignorant classes didn’t know what a nano machine was. Or that machines could actually be that small, some educated classes didn’t care that it was honestly against their religion to accept this sort of treatment. The line between religion and pragmatism formed here, luckily most were into treating themselves and not the religious fanaticism that often halted progress. Though that still didn’t change the fact there was a scared 6’ 4” combat trained lupine who was going to actively resist treatment. By force if need be.

XIW Dominique
Stateroom

The mink officer frowned, expecting torture, expecting something, anything any kind of punishment for her incompetence, her bloodlust. Instead it was like going to a resort, with a nice homosexual male to tend to her every need. She looked away from the tray, she was hungry, so hungry but she didn’t want anything.

“I don’t deserve that.”

She answered curtly curling into the bed away from all this comfort. She could hear her father’s words resonating in her skull. Not being able to run a simple blockade, having to hear about how he read how some asshole somewhere had run a blockade as simple as the one the surprised terrans had established. About how she wasn’t a commander but a mere soldier, about how her promotion was premature, about how one shouldn’t volunteer to kill anyone for any sort of glory.

“Give it to my officers. They must be hungry… IN the meantime what do you want? Or are you here to lull me into a false sense of security before you charge the electrodes?”

A fate which she half hoped she’d receive. Tortured and beaten for whatever information she would give on the initiative. She would at least gain some glory by not giving them anything on that. Even more by starving herself, not taking the alien food, she’d even get off the alien bed if she could manage to do so without hitting an equally alien floor.

Admiral Krystal
Medical bay

Meanwhile on the Admiral Krystal, the doctor sighed softly at his Alversian equal, he rolled his eyes, they did have the oath. The oath to help all who needed it and to do no harm to mother’s creatures, even though someone that ignorant could arguably avoid that distinction altogether. He rasied up nodding at the medic and doctor, cracking his neck.

“I promise only to try and help in my way. I can’t guarantee success against such ignorance.”

The raccoon bristled upon hearing that, she stopped her struggles with the guards temporarily avoiding the fact that her daughter was crying. All this noise and bright light was really getting to the little one. All she wanted was to be still and yet everyone was moving her and everyone was so strange and scary.

“WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU MEAN? LOOK AT THEM… THESE ANIMALS ARE TRYING TO BUTCHER US!!! Sure they’re all nice now but what’s happening behind the scenes? How easy would it be for them to take one of us in their back rooms kill the poor thing and then cut him up to, see how he works?”

The doctor and almost everyone listening was appaled as understandably all of the alversian medical staff. The wolf realized what he had to do and had to do very quickly, he said nothing pretending to ceede the argument making sure his right hand was somewhat up for the next phase of his plan. With his left hand he deftly jabbed the coon in a precise spot in the neck, the finger penetrating with ease. Instead of the cry of agony that would result from this the raccoon simply passed out, dropping her little bundle of joy, A crying bundle that was intercepted by the doctor.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry baby. Shhhhhhh. Shhhh it’s okay. It’s alright… Shhhhh…”

The doctor cooed curling the baby to his chest as the mother was thoroughly off her feet. The wolf turned to the medic who addressed him and shook his head.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know how grave the situation was, someone that ignorant deserves not to wake up. You could have easily dissected any one of us at any time during our treatment here. Yet you didn’t. That proves that you are if nothing else, humane and operate with reason. Unlike the one I had to incapacitate.”

He spoke loudly as to make his own counter argument against the ignorant coon’s. He got a few cheers out of his fellow initiates as he walked back to his station. He shook his head however, the coon still needed help, however she might need to be awake to see why and how and maybe to accept the help for herself. He tried to hand the child to the original nurse responsible for her.

“So. What did you find, specifically I mean? Why will she lose her leg if I overheard correctly?”

The Alversians watched in shocked silence as the Raccoon was gently lifted from the floor and onto one of the beds by two Marines and a Medic. The rest of the Medical Crew went back to work in embarressed silence, disconcerted by the anger of the Raccoon. Where there had once been conversation, there was only stone cold silence. The Alversians had never been called Monsters and the pain of ungratitude stung deeply.
The Medic returned to the Doctor frowning lightly, looking at the others move silently in their work,
"Yes, she has burst a vein in her leg and the blood is clotting. However, the oxygen impurities in her red blood cells have not been removed by the lungs. If the infected blood starts to fester then she will either lose the leg or die. We need to drain the fluid as soon as possible and seal off the broken vein before we have to cut the whole leg off." He sighed, "Although our Patient does not agree. If she does not want us to treat her, then we are ethically obliged not to do so without orders from either the Captain or the First Officer."

XIW Dominique, Medical bay...

“Well I’d say they’re doing a poor job of keeping me comfortable. Maybe that’s true but I like my doctors better. This place is strange to us. We just need something of ours, something of the initiative. I think we’ve got you beat, because if you’re squeamish about tiny *ahem* machines inside you then you’d scream at the idea of someone actually putting their hand in your guts, or someone changing a medi-kit into a layer of skin.”

"That I'd like to see," Kyoto exhaled, not actually laughing, but his eyes were smiling. "Our own doctors probably wish they could just wave a hand and cure all our ailments, but only the priests can do that...well," he looked around conspiratorially, voice lowering slightly, "them and...one hears rumors, you know, they say some of the SRS troopers can heal a gunshot wound just by glancing at it..."

The medic paused his advance on the wolf-like creature, injector held up like a weapon, head cocked slightly, listening, orange eyes bright and mocking over his surgical mask. He had been dealing with these fucking zealots for hours now, half of them went all snobbish and said something about "do it myself" in a prissy tone, and the other half all but tried to rip his throat out when they found out exactly what he was trying to give, so by this point he was in a foul mood. If confronted by this sort of thing before he simply would have tricked them into getting it, or called over orderlies to hold them down while he administered the medicine, but this patients wound wasn't that bad and by this point he'd honestly stopped caring. "Fine," he backed away, lowering the injector, the mask contorting as his mouth moved beneath it. It was even technically against regulations to administer treatment if the patient refused, although in his experience that never happened. "Keep your arm that way, maybe your precious "Mother" will kiss it and make it better," he sneered, and moved on up the line.

Kyoto just shook his head mournfully. "Don't want to make an enemy of the Medheads, friend..."

Stateroom...

The monk gave the smallest of sighs. "Irregardless of what your crew or your father thinks, the issue is not weather you deserve it or not: You are a guest on this ship, and now a guest in my home, and I am obligated to attend to your needs and desires as a host. There is more than enough food here to feed you and all your people, this meal was prepared for you."

“Give it to my officers. They must be hungry… IN the meantime what do you want? Or are you here to lull me into a false sense of security before you charge the electrodes?”

Now the smile returned. "Not at all, my dear Lieutenant Strieneer. I am here to help, to make you as comfortable as possible before the Vice Admiral arrives, and answer any questions or concerns you might have, so the talk with the Vice Admiral will run smoothly. We are not here to hurt you, those under your command or your people, Lieutenant."

XIW Dominique
Medical bay

Vance simply shook his head and stormed off not taking yet another bit of good advice that someone has offered. Both veterans just shook their heads. Kil’ura was the first to speak nodding apologetically at the fox.

“I’m sorry about that but most of us were raised to think all machines were evil because of something about not being a part of mother’s light or something like that. You should hear some of the things they say about machines and those that build them. I think it’s all pretty funny since, technically our guns are machines, and this table, and the chairs we’re all sitting on.”

Kil’ura looked at Kal quizzically until she realized something, something that made her start chuckling.

“We did get a lot of volunteers. Oh yea… Didn’t we read something on someone named Vance Starfire or something like that. I remember something like that, we were laughing about his name. I know it was star... Something and that he was a wolf and that he was a recruit.”

Kal thought for a moment and then started to laugh, laughing hysterically until the residual soreness from his wounds made him cough.

“When was that, Three or four months ago? Oh gods… Oh… Well you said I couldn’t avoid my duities and I guess you’re right. I can’t. I remember now… His name is Vance Starlancer, just graduated from the mime. I can’t remember the face but everything else matches…”

Kal then eyed Kil’ura in a way that just screamed ‘I know what you’re going to say’ and his expression also pointed to ‘the answer is no.’

“He’s too much of a hassle, probably just another spawn kid looking for his big break. I didn’t wanna deal with him when he got here. Why would I wanna deal with him now? Aside letting him see why pissing off the medic is a bad idea.”

“Because here he could do or more importantly say something stupid, not every Xiscapain is gonna be nice and understanding like Kyoto here. He could get into a fight or worse. I can’t order you to watch out for him but c’mon. It’s the right thing to do.”

Kal groaned holding his now hurting sides looking back and forth from Kyoto to Kil’ura. He rolled his eyes leaning back in his chair.

“Fine, but it’ll have to wait until my guts are sitting in their right places. I don’t know what he’ll do when he see’s me again. He probably thinks we’re all robot zombies or something. In fact…”

The skunk turned his head towards Kyoto.

“How hard would it be to get a security team together? Sure he’s hurt and chances are he won’t trust any medikits around here but I don’t wanna take any chances. He might get violent as soon as he see’s me or well everybody he suspects is ‘infected’. That’ll be a problem since he’s a guardsman, almost as good as a marine, just not as good with a gun.”

XIW Dominique
Stateroom

The mink just eyed the monk, gripping the covers then tossing the things at them. She checked to see if they got her out of her dirty old uniform or if she was indeed naked. She growled softly at the monk in a threatening manner.

“It’s worse than dealing with the order… If you know why I’m hostile towards you then you know I’ll never take your food. You know everything so our conversation is pointless. If you want to make things smoother then tell the admiral that I’m ready to answer any of his questions…”

Admiral Krystal
Medical bay

The doctor smirked at the medic, eyeing to see if he could simply snatch the tricorder away from him and see for himself what was wrong. If he was going to help with a rare medical condition then he was going to see for himself what was wrong. He reached out, aiming to snatch and then somehow activate the strange device that let him see so much…

The Medic noticed him eying him up the tricorder and sighed, flipping the lid open with a snap. He handed the device to the Doctor after activating it, seeing as he seemed so keen to see the results of the scan himself. Luckily for the Raccoon, the tricorder had performed, an X-ray, genetic analysis and several dozen other diagnostic procedures similtaneously, then stored the data deep within. This information was now at the GPI Doctor's disposal.
"As you can see, the scans are worrying and do point to an error in the genetic code of this original. It is simple to correct the immediate problem, but the base problem is...more difficult" He sighed.

XIW Dominique, Medical bay...

Kyoto looked from Kal to Kil’ura, wondering what they knew about this 'Vance Starlancer' that he didn't. The fur certainly was committed to whatever strange religion he followed, and while he supposed that was admirable on a certain level, it didn't do anyone any good if he got himself more badly wounded or killed over it. Both the lynx and the skunk would start to feel better already; their wounds, while serious, were by no means the toughest Xiscapian medicine had ever had to repair, though the Kil'ura would notice the difference quicker while her bone knitted. Kal's would take a minute or two longer: The Terran slug, or the parts it had shattered into, had to be dissolved by the nanobots, and the organs pierced or damaged by the round would need to regrow tissue. Nonetheless, it wouldn't be more than a couple of minutes before both could move, and less than five before they were fully healed.

“How hard would it be to get a security team together? Sure he’s hurt and chances are he won’t trust any medikits around here but I don’t wanna take any chances. He might get violent as soon as he see’s me or well everybody he suspects is ‘infected’. That’ll be a problem since he’s a guardsman, almost as good as a marine, just not as good with a gun.”

Kyoto turned and shouted to one of the Marines in armor leaning against the wall. "Những gì bạn muốn?"

The guard's tone was bored and insolent. "Bạn thấy rằng lupine rằng chỉ còn lại?"

"Bạn, đến đây."

"Có..."

"Chúng tôi cần anh ấy trở lại đây, ông đã từ chối điều trị của người."

"Lấy người mình." That flippant tone again.

"Tôi trông giống như tôi là nhiệm vụ trên, bạn vô ơn con trai của một phụ nữ vui?" Kyoto said, baring his teeth.

"Mỹ, nhưng bạn của riêng tôi." The soldier trotted off after Vance.*

The Xiscapian turned back to Kal. "It doesn't matter how dangerous he thinks he is, the stunners on those blasters were made to take down things two feet taller, two hundred pounds heavier and three magnitudes meaner than he is. Now, technically, the Medheads aren't allowed to give aide if the patient refuses it, but," his eyes glittered, "if a superior officer were to put in an, ah, request, they could override that."

Stateroom...

She was indeed nude under the sheets, and the priest politely averted his eyes as he caught the flying bedclothes in midair and settled them to the deck. "On the contrary, I am not omniscient, I know only a part of your troubles. However, I can see that you are stubborn, if hurt and afraid, so if you feel ready to receive the Vice Admiral I will bring him in." The monk stood, leaving the tray on the floor, and nodded to the ricepaper door. "You will find clothing in there, if you wish to don garments." He bowed and left the room, a smooth metal door hissing shut over the opening as the shaman left.

The closet behind the door held three kinds of clothing: Robes colored solid white, black or orange, outfits that consisted of a buttoned shirt, pants, socks and dress shoes all in a uniform blue, white or gray color, and slick black jumpsuits. She had about thirty seconds to herself before Lydak stepped though the door, heedless of her dress (or possible lack of) and condition. The damned priest had been there to make her comfortable: If she wasn't now that he was here, it was the priest's fault, not his. He still wore his marine blue and black uniform, katana at his side, and when the door opened two Marine soldiers could be seen standing in the room beyond, well away from the gently smiling monk. His cool, imperious eyes swept over her and he remained standing by the door, watching her for a moment.

"I am Vice Admiral Lydak," he said authoritatively, "please state your name, rank, the names and classes of the vessels under your command currently, and your class."

OOC:
*Translates roughly to this:
"You, come here."

"What do you want?"

"You saw that lupine that just left?"

"Yeah..."

"He's resisting aide, I need you to bring him back to us."

"Why don't you go get him?"

"Do I look like I'm on duty, you ungrateful son of a whore?"

"Fine, fine, but you owe me."

XIW Dominique
Medical bay

Kil’ura grinned widely at Kyoto pleased that he actually seemed to care. At least a little bit, the truth was she felt guilty. Vance had probably been lied to all his life and now we’re asking him to accept a brand new lifestyle because of one woman’s incompotence. It was her duty, as an officer to guide and teach everyone she could. To maybe make something better than what they already had, instead of clinging to old ways of doing and thinking.

“I do request that… how hard is it to make it official or is it already?”

She asked looking at the apparent ease that the guards could be directed towards a good cause. When they liked you that is, it apparently wasn’t a good idea to make enemies with the ship’s military either. Especially since they seemed to be the real movers and shakers of this vessel, Kal patted his healing stomach with a firm nod towards the fox creature.

“Yea. I guess you’re right. He’s unarmed but it’s not how dangerous ‘he’ thinks he is, it’s about how dangerous we think he is. I don’t wanna take any chances and wind up in some dark corridor somewhere minus a few useful body parts. Wolves are dangerous, especially religious ones something about never really getting rid of the ‘hunter’s instinct’ and all that. Oh well it’s being handled. Hopefully in a way that no one gets hurt in the process.”

XIW Dominique
Stateroom

The mink had just finished slipping on some plain black pants that were a bit too large before the admiral stepped in on her topless form. She didn’t bother to stand at attention as she crossed her arms, a move which was really to protect her modesty.

“Are all of your kind this rude or just admirals looking for a free peep show?”

She inched towards one of the shirts, wondering if all of their clothes were this big, though she answered the admiral’s query not really expecting him to be waiting literally outside the door but then again she should have been. The interrogator was attentive to his duties after all.

“I am first lieutenant Rena Strieneer, Commodore of the seventeenth evacuation fleet consisting of the ICV’s Typhoon, Malus, Arugo, Goulf, Talum, Vindication, and I forget the rest since only the heavy cruiser Typhoon, and destroyer’s Arugo, Goulf and Talum are still operational. I am a Green class citizen. What else would you like to know?”

She put all that in a rude mechanical tone that simply oozed ‘you’re annoying me in the middle of something important.’ A tone which she could afford since of course she was a guest on board this vessel. A guest that seemed to live under a society that frowned on what she’d love best.

Admiral Krystal
Medical bay

“Well you wanted me to help, how can I without seeing what’s wrong? So…”

The doctor eyed the x-ray a deep curious growl emminating from him as he saw the information. Seeing that actually the raccoon’s womb, stomach and part of her legs were actually fused together, the strain of the birth actually tore some of the tissues around the leg.

“Well this is very, very interesting. This isn’t normal, not in the least. You know. I think we have to operate immediately without regard to her feelings. How soon can we actually correct this?”

As he spoke he was really ready to operate right there and then.

"We can operate immediately," The Medic explained calmly, indicating to a bed where three other Alversians stood ready, "We cleared a spot for her as soon as it was diagnosed. However, we did not want to commit to surgury until she had given birth. Now though? It may take as little as half an hour." The Doctor indicated,
"Please, follow me."

XIW Dominique, Medical bay...

“I do request that… how hard is it to make it official or is it already?”

"As far as I'm concerned, it's official, no forms or applications needed," Kyoto smiled back. Despite his attitude, there were times when he really loved the efficiency of the military, they were good at getting things done because there was very little red tape or bureaucrats to get in the way.

“Yea. I guess you’re right. He’s unarmed but it’s not how dangerous ‘he’ thinks he is, it’s about how dangerous we think he is. I don’t wanna take any chances and wind up in some dark corridor somewhere minus a few useful body parts. Wolves are dangerous, especially religious ones something about never really getting rid of the ‘hunter’s instinct’ and all that. Oh well it’s being handled. Hopefully in a way that no one gets hurt in the process.”

"He might throw up once or twice...but it shouldn't hurt," Kyoto chuckled. "Nobody likes being stunned, but it's better than being shot in the leg and dragged back. Like some races do..." He fell silent at that point, suddenly lost in thought.

Halls...

As Vance was walking away the guard stepped out behind him, pointing a gauntleted finger in his direction. "Bạn! Dừng lại!" He began trotting towards the lupine creature, switching his external vox to translate into Latin. "This is a restricted area." It wasn't but he felt like saying it. "You need to come back to the medical bay, sir. Your officer demands it." He wondered if the larger Initiate would disobey a direct order, and his hand strayed toward his service pistol, ready to yank it out and stun Vance if he tried anything stupid, like running or attacking him.

Stateroom...

"Ah," Lydak seemed almost as irritated as she was, rolling his eyes and turning so his back was to her and waiting for her to put on her shirt. Not that it would have mattered anyway, considering his position, but Lydak had completely forgotten about that annoying little alien concept called modesty. These people are aliens, he chastised himself, best to treat them like they are. After what he judged to be a sufficiently long period of time for her to dress herself fully he wheeled back around, pose and expression unchanged. He didn't seem at all phased by her tone.

"Please describe to me the exact events the occurred beginning with your taking command of the Seventeenth evacuation fleet up until the time you were...removed from the ICV Typhoon." His arrogant tone seemed to indicate that he found the manner in which she had to be brought on board displeasing.

XIW Dominique
Hallway outside the Medical bay

“My ‘officer’ isn’t well. In fact how do I know that she isn’t just ‘requesting’ my presence because of whatever you… Things put inside her?”

The wolf stood his ground as the guard advanced on him, he hoped that the guardsman would be stupid enough to try and get close for something like a pistol whip or something ‘authoritarian’ like sure he couldn’t penetrate the armor but it had joints just like everything else, joints that could be broken.

“Just leave me alone, I’m no good to whatever you’re planning… Or would that hurt your precious little ego?”

XIW Dominique
Stateroom

The mink did get her shirt and turned to face the admiral, growling at him.

“You’ve had enough time to go through our ship logs… What do you think happened? Oh wait I probably do have to explain everything to you. *Ahem* April seventh, I am chosen to lead the newly formed seventeenth evactuation fleet evacuating the planet Illios. The passengers consist of mostly pregnant women and children as initiative regulations dictate. April ninth, the seventeenth fleet launches having completed it’s evacuation, barely avoiding the federal union’s invasion force.

April tenth, initial contact with a union pursuit force results in light casualties and even lighter damage. April sixteenth, made contact with an even heavier pursuit force, the destroyer vindication is completely destroyed in the fighting but most officers and important personnel are evacuated to the destroyer Arugo all pursuit vessels are destroyed though so it was a fair trade. April twenty eighth, first contact with union blockade forces while en route to exit gate 137 resulting in a diverging course. May fifth, contact with secondary blockade force results in the destruction the destroyer malus and another I can’t remember.

May eigth, tertiary contact with blockade forces results in destruction of most evactuation vesels and accompanying destroyers, after boarding action and repeated hyperspace attempts the blockade forces are mostly eliminated. May twenty ninth, no sign of union persuit forces but all remaining vessels report they are at half rations, as commander I assign everyone to quarter rations and continue to find a way to gate 137. June fourth, gate 137 is detonated to protect initiative interests in other realms, my orders change to standard initative protocol. July seventh, all vessels report being at less than quarter rations, I assign ‘dime’ rations. July twenty seventh, first contact with your… charming little civilization. I order we follow initiative protocol and keep moving, my first officer, traitorous bitch wants to ask you for help. The next thing I know I’m locked in an observation room looking at a marine with a gun in my face. He fires and here we are…

Admiral Krystal
Medical bay

The wolf curtly nodded, following the alversian doctor, he looked at the coon who was muttering something about ‘butchers’ or something like that. Apparently being tortured in her sleep.

The Raccoon was already settled down on the operating table, already anethatised thanks to a hypospray, another Doctor watching her vital signs as they retreated into deep hibernation. She nodded to the Doctor who was standing over her, a strange device in his hand, waiting for the go ahead. He looked to the Wolf as he approached,
"Are you ready Doctor?" He asked, calibrating the device according to biological readings taken from the Tricorder.

XIW Dominique, Hallway outside the Medical bay...

"Sir," the Marine's hand was firmly on the butt of his pistol now, trying to put more force in his tone, "I'm going to have to ask that you come with me back to the medical bay immediately. I don't want to have to take you in by force, but I will if I have to."

Stateroom...

Lydak just nodded silently, an appraising look on his muzzle. "In about four hours we will call together a meeting between our own officials, representatives from our Alversian allies, and the highest ranking officers from your own force. We need to know, First Lieutenant, who is in command. With all due respect," he all but sneered, "the events we have witnessed have thrown into doubt exactly who is doing what is best for the Initiative people. Now is not the time for the weak of will or the faint of heart; you must decide if it is you, or your second-in-command, who should be meeting with us." Clearly, the Vice Admiral knew a great deal more about Strieneer and her situation than he let on, and in his glittering yellow eyes she could sense that he knew she had been contemplating suicide, and he detested her for it.

XIW Dominique
Hallway outside the Medical bay

The wolf growled deep at the guard, not saying anything, he was just judging the distance between himself and the marine. Preparing to pounce him if he had to, he really just wanted to be left alone. The time for talk was over, now it would be just a test of speed and agility.

XIW Dominique
Stateroom

The mink eyed the admiral coldly another soft growl exiting her muzzle.

“That bitch took my command; she can have all the responsibility that comes with it. I’m happy where I am. Now if you will leave me be, unless you have something else to blither at me or want something else…”

She departed to the bed with a soft sigh cracking her neck softly, moaning softly.

“Send that faggot back in… At least he was nicer to look at unlike you.”

Admiral Krystal
Medical bay

The wolf eyed the coon, simply approaching the patient nodding at the medic.

“Yes I am… Though I need some bandages.”

He said instantly going to lay his hands over the coon’s stomach, then putting a claw to her stomach the claw slowly opening the flesh beyond. He turned his head over again and again; the wound was completely cauterized as he went. A soft contemplative grunt exited him, the coon was still out as the anestisia and the thrust had made sure she would feel nothing.

“I can see how our scans missed this; everything on the first layer looks fine, though I seem to need to make another incision. Please show me the X –ray again.”

He motioned towards the medic instead of the one holding the strange device as he didn’t know that the strange device might have been the actual X-ray

The Medical crew watched in surprise as he made an opening in the patient, something that they had never seen in a physical operation. Perhaps in a history class but never in the real world. They gave a deep sigh and, from the Medic who had shown him the original scans, came the device again. The the device was now showing not an X ray of the skeleton by the very fabric of the bone itself, showing everything from it's genetic makeup to any anamolies within the DNA, other layers could be added to the image, such as the position of organs, muscle and skin. It was an impressive image,
"Hopefully, this will be useful." He said mildly.

XIW Dominique, Hallway outside the Medical bay...

The tension was almost palpable, and the guard watched with considerable apprehension as the wolf growled at him, a snarl rising in his own throat as his hackles raised in response to the threat. He stared at the lupine, almost shaking with the effort of resisting his instinct to charge the larger alien, and in the blink of an eye snapped his pistol into his palm and fired. His aim was true, and for the second time that day an Initiate fell to an Xiscapian stun blast, Vance knocked out instantly by the force. Fucking aliens, never fucking know what's best for them, Qonndamn bastards running around like a Calaverian in a cage. As the other furry crumpled to the deck the Marine switched into his internal vox. "Dispatch this is Unit QL-1991, I've stunned a refugee resisting treatment and he's a big one, gonna need assistance to carry the great stupid bastard, over."

There was a hiss of static. "QL-1991, this is Dispatch, third one today, we'll send along one of the medics with a stretcher to take the refugee home, over and out."

Presently a orderly bearing a floating anti-grav stretcher came along and helped the guard, with some straining and a few curses, lift Vance onto the roving bed. When they came back the Marine went back to his station, nodding to Kyoto who smiled gratefully in return, then turning his attention to the now fully healed skunk and lynx. "He'll be out a few hours, by the time he comes 'round that broken arm will be a distant memory, like it or don't." Indeed one of the doctors had already stripped the wolf of his combat armor while a nurse implanted cells and nanobots into his shoulder, the medical devices instantly going to work on the injury.

Stateroom...

The Vice Admiral looked down at the mink, a full smirk finally crossing his snout. "As you wish," he gave the slightest bow and left, signaling to his two guards that it was time to go. Ungrateful cock-sucking whore of an alien, should've just let that guard blast her like she wanted...

A few moments later the priest came back in, eyes sliding down to the still untouched tray before looking back to Strieneer. "The Vice Admiral is not a very pleasant being, especially to those he does not feel deserve his respect," he said quietly, as if in explanation. "That you are here at all is due to what our culture demands, that is, hospitality, rather than in the brig, where he no doubt feels you belong."

XIW Dominique
Medical bay

Kal smirked at the wolf on the stretcher leaning back considerably as he took his bandages off. He shook his head even though he figured the wolf was breathing the whole situation was essentially wrong.

“You’re right Ura… I should help that confused cub on the table. It wasn’t his fault and whatever he did to warrant that stun… Thing isn’t entirely either. Or do I finally see your point?”

Kil’ura just grinned not saying anything to the skunk though practically radiating an air of ‘I told you so.’ Kal stood up, reaching his arm out to the lynx, she took his hand slowly standing herself up. It took a few steps to ‘test’ her newly healed leg before she could walk normally.

“Better living through medicine.”

She said with an affirmative nod her attention focused on the vulpine.

“So. What’s there to do in this place when you’re not patrolling some well lit corridor or making sure the ‘troubled’ lovers get along?”

XIW Dominique
Stateroom

“Well I’m glad that even aliens like you have good principles. You know if it were up to me we’d be here with a full armada, making sure you godless aliens either bowed to the true religion or were blasted into nothing.”

Her words were hollow, just propaganda she was falling on because she really had nothing else. She didn’t want to be here, she didn’t want to be in the brig either, infact the mink didn’t want to exist. She knew others in the military didn’t want that either and they might be given leave to make this ‘personal matter’ right. The honor she sought was lost from her forever, she knew that, at least that’s the way she thought.

“Right now I only want to look at you since you’re not a thousand years old.”

She stated that only being the secondary desire she wanted the priest in the room. The primary desire was because she was quite honestly about to break down into tears so she needed a fresh supply of hate to keep from doing that, or maybe save face and do it after a fresh flurry of insults.

Admiral Krystal
Medical bay

The wolf made another incision not caring about the outrage caused by his procedure; he saw the place where basically the flesh was attached and bile was actively leaking into the wound from the stomach. He saw where his hands were with the device and went deeper, the cuts he made seeming to seal themselves as he went. He chuckled softly shaking his head…

“Right. So… to separate these seeing as how I shouldn’t be touching uterine wall right now. Where are those bandages I asked for? Or do you have any?”

he declared, like a surgeon, not really going to contaminate himself or the patient by picking up something around him in the room.

The Medic handed him a set of newly replicated bandages, supposedly unneeded in this procedure, or the Alversian version of it anyway. However, the fluid was being drained and they supposed that if everything was healed up afterwards, then the procedure was a success and they weren't going to complain. The Medical Crew who were monitoring her lifesigns saw nothing of note so, despite the apparent brutality of the procedure, it seemed to be effective.

XIW Dominique, Medical bay...

"Why," Kyoto's grin widened, if such a thing were possible, "anything you want. Almost. Originally this thing belonged to somebody who cares a lot more than the XIN about keeping their crew occupied, and High Command didn't tear some of it out, so we've got libraries, VR training and immersion areas, lounges and billiards rooms galore, pools, a couple of sports and track fields, and more Holonet stations than you can shake a katana at. There's a coupla no-nos," he ticked them on on his fingers, "you only fuck in your quarters, no drinking while you're up here, at least try to act professional if an officer walks into the room, and...don't wander off into any restricted areas. I think that's it." He was smiling the whole time so it was hard to be sure if he was being serious or not, but though his eyes were laughing the Dominique was so insanely enormous at forty miles in diameter, the surface area of the outside of the sphere three hundred and fourteen square miles and an equator of seventy-eight and a half square miles one could believe it had space.

Stateroom...

The priest just smiled calmly at her bluster, eerily reminded of another, not-so-tolerant human race who would have said about the same thing, except with actual weapons to back it up. However, he sensed her conflict and instability and elected to simply watch and wait: Something had to give, and soon. Being in the same room with the former First Lieutenant, to one sensitive in the Way of the Church as he was, was something akin to sitting with a defanged growling animal that postured to attack but in reality was only inches and seconds away from curling into a ball and hiding from the universe. He wondered if she was going to attempt to take her own life a second time, but let it drift away, not allowing himself to become preoccupied with the thought. Whatever happened, he felt sure he needed to be here.

XIW Dominique
Medical bay

Kil’ura nodded at the rules contemplating this strange concept. Some place that isn’t real and yet then it is… She nodded at Kyoto leaning over the table slightly working her leg since it still felt weird. Not like when an initiative doctor did it, but oh well, healing is healing no matter where it comes from.

“You know. I think I’m gonna take a walk. Maybe to find out what this vee arr is… See you later Kal.”

“Be careful. Especially around here, there are plenty of nuts like wolfie boy over there who think you’re ‘infected’ with some machine disease.”

“You worry too much Kal.”

“You get shot up too much…”

Kil’ura stuck her tongue out at the skunk before turning to leave the medical bay offering a special apology and thanks to the guards and the medic who brought Vance in. Kal sighed up at the air, rubbing his newly healed stomach.

“So no drinking up on the pleasure battleship hmmmm?”

He laughed as he threw that statement up in the air mainly at Kyoto but really aiming it at no one in particular.

“So where can someone drink? Or is that allowed at all?”

XIW Dominique
Stateroom

The mink sat for a few seconds shaking her head. She stood up and indeed started to pace like a caged animal.

“Look at you. Sitting there, reading my mind like it was a book…”

She growled at the priest, putting her hands behind her back simply pacing back and forth back and forth. She wanted to portray someone furious at their situation but only succeeded in telling the awful truth. She was close to breaking down and losing it completely but she had to save face. Or at least try to .

“So what don’t you know priest? About my childhood, oh you probably read that story already. You probably don’t have to watch your depraved version of television. You could just visit whoever all the sudden and get all the entertainment you need…”

She went on, angrily but of course that didn’t stop the tears from welling up in her eyes.

“So what would you do if you were me? Since you know everything about me. What would you do? My whole crew, my whole fleet wants me dead! My whole family wants me dead! You and your admiral want me dead! Everyone wants me dead!!! WHY CAN’T I JUST MAKE IT EASIER FOR THEM!?! I AM A FAILURE!!! I HAVE FAILED!!! I… have failed…”

The tears couldn’t be held back any longer, because she realized the truth. She has failed everyone, she has failed everyone she knew everyone that trusted her in her bloodlust. She was going to do something else but she simply sat on the bed with her hands on her head, crying.

Admiral Krystal
Medical bay

The doctor nodded at the bandages, taking one in one hand and keeping the wound open in the other. He separated some of the bandages in a claw and then basically cut off the section linking the coon’s uteris and stomach beyond the intestines. The two individual bits of flesh weren’t cut and bleeding as one might expect but actually two individual clean cuts, then the doctor laid the bandages over the cuts laying his hand over each one. As he did the bandages slowly changed shape became like the walls they were laid on basically replacing the flesh totally.

“There we go. That should stop the leak there… Moving on… Stopping the leak elsewhere and then that should be that. Though I’m now worried about the cub since this does appear to be genetic. Or did you all fix this already?”

He asked the nurse as he moved down to separate the woman’s other conjoined parts before he’d go to deal with the clotted area in detail. To make sure that never, ever, ever happened again.

"Yes Doctor," The Medic replied, "We have already resequencied the Cub's DNA and repaired the rogue genome. It will not pose a threat for this Child nor for future generations of her family." The Alversian was pleased to report that the advanced procedure had already been completed and the Cub only waited for it's Mother to heal. The procedure was fascinating but not something they would be continiously trying themselves. Best leave it to the experts.

XIW Dominique, Medical bay...

The medic waved the lynx off with a twitch of his tail and a slight perk of the ears as he bent over another patient, motions unintelligible to a human or other xeno but perhaps conveying the sentiments of the one who owned them to another furred being. "Come back if you get any more pangs in that leg." The guard just shrugged and muttered "Chào mừng", which sounded like an acknowledgement but could have just as easily been a curse, though he seemed pleased at the thanks. Most officers didn't take the time to specially thank a lowly soldier just for doing his job.

“So where can someone drink? Or is that allowed at all?”

"Officially, intoxication is prohibited while on board," Kyoto said seriously. He looked at Kal, allowed his gaze to sweep over his body a moment, and leaned a little closer, voice low. "Unofficially," it was almost a whisper, "there's a flask of bourbon in my quarters large enough for two."

Stateroom...

The monk just sat and watched her, neither confirming nor denying her accusations or thoughts spoken aloud, aware that she was speaking her mind now and not even bothering to try to conceal her agitation. His bright yellow eyes were fixed on her as she began to cry, sinking onto the bed, her head in her hands, the picture of despair. Then the priest rose soundlessly to his feet and stepped over to her, sitting next to the mink, and embraced her, his silky plume curling around her legs, seeking to impart some comfort to the alien in her confused, sorrowful state.

"I do not want you dead," he said, so softly it was almost beyond her range of hearing. "And neither, despite his attitude, does the Vice Admiral. You have failed in the expectations of your society; indeed, your actions brought about the unfortunate demise of a great many innocent people, though unintentionally. But this does not diminish you as a person." He looked at her, and his gaze was not unkindly. "You have a considerable amount of guilt and shame to get though: No doubt more than I can imagine. I do not know the attitudes of your countrymen; as I have said, I am not all-knowing, so I cannot say if they literally wish to see you perish. But, I do know that however bleak this looks, you can't give up now." He made an all-encompassing motion, as if to hug the entire universe. "Did you fight your way though the Terran blockade and lead your people out of hell just to die or waste away now?"

XIW Dominique
Medical bay

The skunk male’s scent changed as the fox got closer and closer to him, changed to show his, ‘interest’ in the male before him, a wide smirk coming over his muzzle as he leaned even closer to Kyoto.

“-Mmmmmm- Big enough for two? I wonder if your bed’s big enough for two or is that why you’ve been so… helpful to the both of us for seemingly no apparent reason, though of course nothing is free in the universe after all. Though I wonder how your crew will look on my form of payment.”

Kal leaned back a little though the message was clear he’s interested, very much so. And he didn’t really give a damn about what everyone else thought since nothing in the GPI religion, doctrine, or rule saying anything about sexuality.

XIW Dominique
Stateroom

The mink looked up at the priest, about to say something else but she wound up simply going into another crying fit. It was a good fifteen minutes before she got herself composed to the point whereshe could actually speak again, going to wipe tears out of her eyes before she asked

“But… But you didn’t answer my question… What would you do? What would you say if… if you were me? There is no recovery from this shame, no way of actually getting back to what I was…”

She asked as she composed herself, most of the tears gone now but residual tears remained and she was still unstable still. She sighed softly slumping slightly to the right, the ‘captured beast’ indeed going to curl up in that little ball away from the universe, defeated, alone and without any goal or any purpose.

Admiral Krystal
Medical bay

The cub was reaching out, squeaking and squealing in a cute babyish manner as the wolven doctor finished up his operation making sure that the coon would never, ever have to experience this operation ever again in her entire life. The incisions were closed with a medical efficiency leaving no trace on her fur or any part of her.

One of the Medics took the Cub in her arms and gently craddled her, comforting the Youngling, making it giggle by tickling the belly. It took no time at all for the operation to be completed. The Alversian Surgical Team stood by and watched as the Operation was completed, looking on in interest at how the complicated procedure had been accomplished They had to admit that it was not how they would have done it, but then again, the results seemed to be the same,
"Impressive," The Surgeon stated in wonder, "Very impressive. A unique way to complete surgery. We really must have a discussion on your Medical techniques. They are truly fascinating."

XIW Dominique, Medical bay...

"Who me? Payment?" Kyoto drew himself in mock hurt. "I would never think of such a thing..." He grinned micheviously. "Perhaps, as a small token of your gratitude, though..." Kyoto knew the rest of the crew wouldn't care: While the XIN tried to discourage relationships they just tended to spring up, even (some would say especially) among officers. Even if the crews weren't mixed, it was estimated a full quarter of the kitsune population, with a striking tendency in the Vulpes Vulpes genotype, had homosexual tendencies although most respected scientists have confirmed that most if not all kitsune are actually bisexual in nature.

"C'mon," he smiled coyly, "a little drinking, a little pillowing...where's the harm in it?"

Stateroom...

Shifting slightly on the mattress, the priest smiled sadly. "You must let go of who you were; leave that part of you behind, if you can't go back don't try. I don't know what I would do if I were you: I'm not you. In your position, though, I would carefully examine what I want, where I want to go, not what other people want me to want or where I think other people want me to go. You have released yourself from the obligations of your society, at least superficially: Now that you're free from those restraints, you must figure out where you want to go from there."

XIW Dominique
Medical bay

Kal leaned towards the vulpine giving him a small kiss on his nose saying it ‘all’ really but he couldn’t resist actually commenting on whatever would result from this action. He cared not what the others thought at this point, he wanted something from Kyoto now, something the male seemed keen on giving.

“I guess we have to go then. Go and see what these pillows of yours look like.”

He stood up, rubbing at his sides before offering a hand to the one captivating so much of his interest.

XIW Dominique
Stateroom

The mink sighed softly, simply sniffling into her own hands the animal now deflated, defeated, really just waiting for the final blow. The final blow that would allow the greater creature that felled it, to kill and eventually consume it, though she did say something after a long silence, something that offered hope that maybe this one wasn’t as brainless as one would like to think.

“Thank you…”

With that she said nothing though there was no more conversation, though no more crying on the other hand. One might say the priest had done his job right.

Admiral Krystal
Medical bay

The wolf nodded at the medic a grin on his face. Half at a job well done on his part and at the giggly cub who was curious and happy, happily nipping at the tickling fingers the medic offered her.

“Thank you. It’s really a battlefield medicine, meant to be done with a hundred or so bullets flying over your head.”

He sighed softly closing his eyes before eyeing the medic. A look of slight discomfort came over him as he seemed to think of further discussion on his practice and exactly why he was a ‘traveling’ doctor, who was simply aiding the initiative forces instead of being one of the many initiative medical officers aboard the vessels.

“If I promise to be good and not get into trouble can I take a walk around?”

He asked with a soft sigh half knowing the answer but to be perfectly honest he didn’t want to do what he suspected what he medical staff would ask him to do.

The Medic looked even more impressed, for attempting to commit such complicated and fiddly surgery in the middle of a warzone would be difficult in the extreme. Even here, it would not have been easy, but the Wolf had made it look that much simpler than it was. Even better was that the Cub was safe, healthy and happy, all the things it would have been were it not for her Mother's unnatural reaction to the Alversian Medical assistance being offered. The Cub was settling down to sleep, it's first few hours had been frantic and rather draining for one so young. She was placed in a cot to the side of the Medical bay, a Nurse assigned to watch her in case of any unforeseen complications.

The Doctor seemed to think on the Wolf's request, contemplating it for a moment before answering, slowly,
"I shall have to consult with the Commander but if he gives his approval then I can't see a problem with it. Wait here." THe Doctor went off and communicated with the bridge, returning momentarily, "The Commander gives you permission, so long as you keep an Escort with you and don't enter any sensitive areas."

XIW Dominique, Medical bay...

Kyoto wrapped two of his hands around the proffered paw and yanked Kal to his feet, smiling. "Are we still here?"

Less than two minutes later they were in Kyoto's quarters, a single room only half the size of the more luxurious priest's stateroom, all gray deck and bulkheads. It consisted only of a single bed which took up most of the space, a tiny wall unit with a light, a cramped bathroom that held only a toilet and a sink and a footlocker. He cast a hand around, careful not to stick it out too far: By standing with a wide stance and stretching out his arms he could almost touch both walls with each hand. "It ain't much, but it's home," he chuckled, "better than most too, all the guys I know on other ships have to bunk together..." He grinned. "Not that I'd mind that..."

He wrapped his arms around Kal, pulling him close, and as the lighting dimmed they fell towards the bed, the scent of the other male intoxicating him...

Stateroom...

The priest just nodded somberly. "Your story is far from over," he smiled now, "in fact, it may have only just begun." The monk stood now, bowing and looking at her. "Is there anything I can provide you with?" He restrained from glancing down at the tray: As before, he couldn't do anything if the guest was deliberately making herself uncomfortable, but it wouldn't be for lack of trying.

XIW Dominique
Kyoto’s room

Kal didn’t say anything really, just noting the room. Even if it was a downgrade from a proper marine’s quarters it wasn’t of any real concern since the sleeping wasn’t the object of his desire. He simply undressed letting his emotions and experience take over as they moved towards the bed. For many reasons, the decency of the parties involved chief among them, this part of the story has been hidden from the archives though one thing can be said about Kal’s ‘performance’ he was not exactly gentile with his new friend once things got started.

XIW Dominique
Stateroom

The mink reached out to caress the priest’s hand, the cornered beast reaching out to the light she saw in the room the thing that wasn’t the superior beast that wanted to make her food but rather a part of the universe that wanted to be fair and just. The minkette huffed aiming to grip the vulpine’s hand in a way that so many might grip his hand in desperation.

“Please stay… You… I… I can talk to you. I’m sorry…”

One might describe this as a ‘I hate you, I hate you, but don’t leave me’ type relationship because this was all alien to her. All of it since everything wasn’t right in this sense.

Admiral Krystal
Medical bay

The doctor leaned back slightly, an escort wasn’t in his interests but of course he would follow the rules as they really couldn’t be trusted with the keys to the castle as it were. He made a decision with a soft nod at the medic.

“Will you walk with me then? Escort me and show me where I can and can’t go?”

This man was kind and just even though he might be judgmental and even offended with why he was taking a walk it would be alright to take a walk with someone who wasn’t a raving loony like the coon or many of her intellectual equals who hadn’t exactly surfaced. Or worse yet, her intellectual equals who weren’t exactly trusting the generosity but had yet to be swayed onto the ignorant and dark path of isolationism.

The Doctor was taken back by offer and took a quick look around the Medical Bay, as if looking for guidance. When he had been referring to Escort, he had been referring to the Marines of course, but then, the Medical Bay was calm and under control, there was no real need for him here.
"I would be delighted Sir," He answered with a smile, "Is there anywhere in particular you would like to see?"

XIW Dominique, Stateroom...

The priest stopped as the xeno grabbed his hand, looking back at her, showing nothing but total calm and complete control. He squeezed her hand gently and sat back down beside her, as quiet as ever. "Is there something in particular you wish to talk about?" He asked, sandaled feet hanging over the edge of the bed, bushy tail curled around into his lap. It would be wrong to say he'd been trained for this situation -the Church didn't train it's priests and clergy- but at every juncture he simply found that he knew what to say, how to say it and why. It was the sort of peace he had often heard others speak of but had never experienced before, not even with meditation, chants and incense. The abrupt relationship that was beginning between the passive priest and the embattled former commander of a war fleet surprised him, but he took things as they came, reminding himself that Qonn was watching over them all and no harm could come be inflicted that did not serve a purpose.

XIW Dominique
Stateroom

The minkette sighs softly not committing the violence the priest expects. She sighs softly shaking her head nuzzling into the vulpine’s arm with a soft sigh.

“Well… I don’t know. I just feel, at ease talking to you for some reason kind of like, talking to one of my own priests. I… I don’t know what to do. I haven’t known what to do for a while now. I… I need something telling me what to do or at least listening to me.”

She sighed softly leaning into the priest’s arm needing someone who wouldn’t kick her in the teeth, as this is indeed the first time since she took her command that she’s talked with someone who she didn’t suspect was going to slit her throat in some way shape or form.

Admiral Krystal
Medical bay

The doctor nodded thinking about where would be the most peaceful and the best place to talk to a person who knew nothing about his life but would learn. Whether he liked it or not.

“Actually I’d like to see where you grow things.”

He said with a soft sigh, he knew what a hydroponics bay was and he knew some vessels took to growing their own food but he wanted to play ignorant. At least as much as he could.

XIW Dominique, Stateroom...

The monk simply smiled. "We do our best to make ourselves approachable. Mrs. Strieneer, I will advise you to the best of my ability, I will do my best to ensure you find enlightenment and peace, but I will not pretend to direct or guide you. You can take my advise, but you must also decide for yourself, as scary a prospect that is after all that has happened. I cannot allow myself to become a crutch for you: It would be a disservice to both myself and you."

"The Hydroponics Bay? Certainly, this way." The Medic led him out past the Marines and into the corridors, all of which were spacious, well lit and clean, almost shining. The walls and roof were painted in a bright white and the floors a darkish red colour, this complimented the silvery red doors excellently. There were few people in this section of the ship, only passing Marines or crewmen off duty,
"Tell me," The Medic asked as he walked, "where did you learn of such an amazing procedure?" He was talking about the Operation in the Medical Bay, "It's like nothing we've ever seen before." He sounded enthusiastic and, indeed, he might be, for any new form of science was an exciting challenge and he looked forward to it.

XIW Dominique
Outside the conference room

The GPI requests under their new leader were simple, either repairs to their vessel or a suitable bit of land to settle on. A healthy respect for their way of life and their caste system, the right to currency, the right to govern themselves as they saw fit, a withholding of any tribute or payment for said land or repairs until a stable financial and or bartering system had been established and the eventual right to an independent state.

The nine remaining GPI officers in the conference were glad to be gone, were glad to be out of the room. Not because of the harsh looks of the admiral and the governor oh no, no, no, no. Because one fur was still in attendance, the fur that arguably got them all into this mess, lieutenant Strieneer calmly walked out of the room, she was happy that she was the last to walk out not wanting to hear more pointless jeers and insults.

She tugged at the right cuff of her uniform, it shrank as it went through whatever washing process these aliens used but it didn’t matter. It wouldn’t go through another, proper initiative wash but a hastily made fire. She made her decision. Her father, her family, her honor could all go to hell. She needed guidance; she needed something bigger than herself. That thing was religion, and not the religion that abandoned her like ‘mother’s light’. Whatever the hell that meant; she’d go to the monk one last time and ask how one would start to path to their brand of enlightenment. She’d prefer to sweep floors or tend to the sick or some menial task like that.

“I meant what I said in the conference room.”

A voice came from the mink’s left as she finally exited the room. Rena rolled her eyes, she didn’t have time to deal with a bitter, angry ferret who just wanted to spew hatred.

“I know and I don’t care. I was commodore of this fleet ensign Loder. Therefore I’m…”

The minkette felt claws digging into her collar bone as she spoke then the cold embrace of the corridor wall. Ensign loder didn’t care if this move had consequences, she wanted something. She wanted to see the one responsible be brought to justice. The ferret moved in close saying this into the minkette’s ear.

“You’re nothing. You’re just an ignorant little bitch that had to fuck up one last thing before she crawled into her little fucking hole… Let me spell something for you. If. You. Fuck. With. Anything. On. That planet. I will kill you, I will break your legs and arms then pull out your guts and leave you to die.”

Rena didn’t give the ferret the satisfaction of looking afraid or even acknowledging what she was saying. She simply eyed the younger, shorter creature pressing her against the wall. Ensign Loder gave the former officer one last shove before leaving to her new post as her vessel was being made space-worthy again. The minkette simply picked herself up and went towards the room to that fire she was going to make in the middle of it.

Admiral Krystal
Hydroponics bay

The wolf hoped he hadn’t scared the medic away from him with his stories of battles and such or about how his craft was mostly ethereal. How it couldn’t be ‘fully’ learned in two decades of training but it was more a lifetime of study, genetic conditioning, and learning about the body itself. That and of course all of what came with being introduced to this lifetime of healing, violence and training.

While the Vice Admiral had a biting, condescending tone he slipped into whenever he was forced to talk to one of the officers, Governor Neso was perfectly pleasant, listening to the requests and terms made by the officers calmly. The Kitsune Empire would do them one better, he told the Initiates: Not only would they repair their ships, they would also offer them the chance to acquire Xiscapian technology for use aboard those vessels. After some negotiations with officials in the core Xiscapian worlds he also told them they would soon be supplied with a planet for their own use, although he could not say exactly where, when, or what, though he promised it would be soon. Once they had their own world the Governor informed them that they would have the rights to print their own money, govern themselves as they saw fit, manufacture their own ships and weapons, and other such duties of a free and independent State. However, he told them, very quietly and politely, that slavery in any form and a deliberate neglectance of education involving the so-called 'black class' would not be tolerated, and the Initiates would therefore have to conform in that manner. Additionally, while not official as of yet, he warned that until a formal government was recognized by the Kitsune Empire it would be considered to have 'preferred commonwealth status.' He also told them that once a government was recognized and an economy set up the Kitsune Empire would expect a 'favored trade partner' status, and would probably request a healthy amount of trade between the two nations.

It was also mentioned that the Xiscapian Imperial Navy would be sending a warship to receive a representative from the refugees, which would escort the transports carrying the refugees to their new world when the time came. It was generally agreed that Lieutenant Second class Malina Losvara, the tigress who had originally greeted Rear Admiral Lydak aboard the ICV Typhoon, would be the representative to meet them.

Stateroom...

The priest, who Rena had learned was named Kuk, was waiting for her when she got back. This wasn't exactly odd: He'd been with her almost the whole time since she had woken up, but he did seem to be aware of her decision before she opened her mouth. "The Church protects it's own," he murmured, fingers dancing over the shallow cuts Rena had sustained in her flesh around her neck from the pissed-off ferret, the wounds closing instantly without any trace of scars, "as does Qonn. I think you have made the right decision." He smiled at her, as tranquil and full of warmth as ever.

Captain Nixa attended the talks as the Alversian Representitive, listening to the dreary talk and how everything was to be sorted out, all the small details that needed to be solved prior to the Discussions being concluded. She was not at all interested in the talks between Diplomats, though she was trained to act as one when the situation called for it. She frowned at the mention of a planet, wondering where the Xiscapians were going to find one, unless they planned to try and liberate one from the Danaversian Empire in the War raging between the formentioned Nation and a Coalition including the Alversians and Xiscapians. She simply threw in the Alversian's simple requests, a trade agreement and rights for their own people who may wish to visit the planet, as well as supporting the educating of the Black Class. She hadn't really anything else to say.