Moments of Transition
"Options?" Wren asked.
"We got rid of the wasps, didn't we?" Pyro asked. "So, now, it's ... safe to fire the devices from orbit. Destroy that building, and ... that portal. Whatever that thing is ... "
"If there's even ONE wasp we didn't find, or did not know about," Assumpta added, "the torpedoes will be picked off ... we only have five tri-cobalt devices," she reminded. "At least two are necessary to destroy the gateway. We cannot risk being wrong."
"And we can't afford to lose a shuttle-pod, either. They don't grow on trees," said Pyro.
"Nor do tri-cobalt devices."
"Neither of you are squirrels," Wren interrupted, bushy tail arched behind him. "Don't tell me about trees ... and what does or does not grow in them." A sigh. "We'll just have to ... branch out," he said, extending the tree analogies, "and take a chance. I don't wanna lose another pod. We can't replace them, and ... we fire two devices. If there are any wasps left down there, and they pick them off ... we'll still have three left, and THEN ... we can make a run with a pod. IF we have to."
Assumpta considered this ... tilting her head. "That sounds reasonable."
Pyro sighed. Craning his neck, rubbing it ... feeling all grimy and ... damp. He hadn't had a chance to shower since coming back from the surface. None of the away team had. They were all in a ripe state, but ... first priority had been to come to the bridge. To give Wren a report, and ... figure a way to end this thing.
Showers could wait ...
"How long will it take to arm the devices?"
Dotna looked up. "I could do it ... in, like, ten minutes? I mean ... once I get down there."
A nod. "Alright ... "
Dotna paused. Exchanged a glance with Pyro. A quiet, attached glance ... and she went for the back of the bridge. To the lift. On her way to the armory.
"Sir," said Assumpta, icy eyes fixated on Wren. "I am certain the wasps already have reinforcements on the way. If we destroy the gateway ... "
"When," Wren corrected. "When we destroy the gateway."
"When," Assumpta corrected quietly, taking a breath, "we destroy the gateway, I suggest we proceed to take cover behind the planet's moon. Or, rather, above it. Above the northern pole ... the magnetic forces will shield our signature from the wasps ... "
"So ... "
"Reinforcements WILL arrive. It's only a matter of time. We haven't the energy to leave this system, and we NEED to be able to land on the planet before the ship has a power drain ... we need to stay close. The pole of the moon will suffice."
"The wasps," Pyro explained, "are only interested in something if ... it gives them an advantage. An edge. If it's beneficial. If there's nothing here ... except nature ... they'll leave."
"But how long until they leave? Will they stay in orbit for days? We don't have days," Wren said. "We have three days ... and we have to land. If they don't come until ... three days from now, or if they come tomorrow and stay for a week ... we're in trouble."
Assumpta was quiet ... and looked to Pyro. And looked to Wren. "There is a risk in being here. Obviously. As there is a risk in living." She looked away ... at a read-out. And looked back. "We will just have to pray," she said, "that things go our way."
Wren nodded quietly. And sighed ... and looked to the Ops station. Vacant. No one there. And looked to the first officer's chair. Also vacant. And he licked his lips and nodded, pacing a bit, and ... stopping. Looking to Rella (in the back, at tactical), and said, "Start acquiring a target lock on our ... target," he said. Whiskers twitching. "I don't wanna miss."
"I never miss," Rella assured.
Wren looked up at her, giving a gentle smile. "No?"
A shake of the head. And a returned smile. "No," she said.
Wren took a breath and went to the helm. Chester was there. And Wren (as he often did) put his paws on the mouse's shoulder. Asking, "You okay?"
A little nod.
"Well ... keep us in orbit. Come up with a quick flight plan to ... reach the moon in minimum time. And find a position in the magnetic field above the pole."
Another little nod. The mouse saying nothing ... but his whiskers twitching.
Minutes passed.
Pyro wrinkled his muzzle.
Wren raised an eye.
"I need a shower."
"I noticed ... didn't wanna say anything, though."
"Permission to shower?" the wolf raised a paw. "Mm?"
"There's a bathroom in my ready room ... has a shower," he said. "Use it ... "
Pyro nodded and ... made haste.
"And you're next," Wren said, of the snow leopard. Giving her a nod. "That's an order."
Assumpta squinted her eyes. As if ... wanting to protest. Or something. But didn't. She simply sighed and ... meandered to Ops.
Minutes passed ...
... until Dotna contacted the bridge. The tri-cobalt devices were loaded. Were ready to be fired.
Rella took a breath. "Guess we'll know ... if anyone's still down there, huh?" she asked.
"How long does it take a torpedo to get from here to there? Ten seconds?" wondered Pyro.
"A little more than that," Rella said.
"Well ... ?"
"Well, it's a long enough time ... that, if anyone's down there with a sensor array and a weapon's system ... they should be able to fire back. Not that they could hit us. But ... "
"Just FIRE it," Wren said, interrupting. "Please," he said, reigning his voice back in.
Rella twitched. And did so.
And the torpedo ... or, rather, the tri-cobalt device ... glowing purple ... it zoomed toward the surface. Shimmering. Down through the atmosphere. Toward the north. Toward the building. Closer, closer, and ...
... " ... contact," declared Rella. "It hit."
"Fire another," was Wren's immediate reply.
She nodded. Finger pressing the fire button ... and, with a thrum sound ... another was launched.
This time, the building (and the gateway) ... decimated. (As the viewer, on full magnification, gave evidence to).
And Wren took a breath. "Well ... now," he said, "we wait. Chester ... "
The mouse nodded. Setting a course for the nearest moon. The pole of the nearest moon. Where they would wait and see if the wasps showed up or not, and if they did ... Wren only hoped they wouldn't stay for long.
In sickbay ... and, after having been in here for an hour, Field was ... barely awake.
Denali voiced surprise at him being conscious so soon. "Did you ... coax him awake?" he asked Adelaide.
The bat, staring at her mate, whispered, "I reached into him ... and pulled him to the light."
The otter frowned. "Meaning?"
"Yes ... I helped him to wake up."
"Well ... the computer's monitoring him, so ... it'll alert me if something goes wrong. Just ... don't push him too hard, okay?"
The bat looked to the otter. "I know what I'm doing."
"I didn't say you ... "
" ... didn't? He needs me," she whispered. "He needs ... me," she emphasized. "Our minds are linked. If he's hurting ... his pain is mine. And I can ... make him better. I will make him better."
Denali looked aside, and then ... back to her. "That's awfully intense, isn't it? To ... solely appoint yourself as ... his source of healing?"
"He's my mate."
"And he's my patient. There is a science to ... "
" ... to what? There's a science for everything. But there's ... his spirit. He's shaken up. He's ... terrified. Can't you see that? It's his spirit that needs healed ... your scanners can't do that."
"But your mind can?"
The bat said nothing. Only repeated, "I know what he needs."
The otter sighed. Hesitated. "I know it's ... this has been very hard for you, but ... near-death experiences often ... create a crises of ... "
" ... sanity? Are you saying I'm ... losing perspective?"
"I'm not saying that. I'm saying ... you have been greatly affected by this. You are not a rock, Adelaide. You are a fur and blood ... creature. Okay? You're hurting, too. You're in pain. I can see it. We all can. The both of you ... need help. You can't heal yourselves. It's going to take ... time," the otter stressed, "and ... "
"I want to be alone with him."
"Adelaide ... "
"Now," she whispered, eyes steely. Reflecting a protective instinct. As if anyone who came near her mate ... was now a potential threat. She was never going to let him get hurt like this again. Never ... never ...
"Just ... get some rest, okay? Please?"
"Later," she whispered. Both a response and a ... command. Amazing how she did that. How she turned the conversation into a silent fight, and ... won it. All without the otter's knowledge.
Denali hesitated ... and then filtered away. Back to his office.
And the bat turned back to ... her mouse. Picking up a vase that was set to the side. And holding it over him.
"Daffodils," Adelaide whispered, smiling ... and taking a baited breath. "Um ... they're from Azure. He thought you might like them. He remembered how you told him," she said, "that they're your favorite flowers, and ... he had some in the hydroponics bay ... " She trailed. Holding a vase of daffodils with both her paws.
Field's eyes were half-open. He was looking up at her (from his lying-down position).
"Do you ... like them?" the bat asked.
Field's eyes looked to the flowers ... the yellows. So bright! So ... so yellow. He had to close his eyes. His head hurt so bad. Sharp, pounding pains ... from the front. From the side. He couldn't look at yellow.
"Daffodils are your favorite," she whispered again. She swallowed. Standing very still. Breathing ... and ... putting the daffodils to where his nose could get a sniff of them. "Mm?" she went.
His nose was motionless.
"Come on, baby," she whispered, wafting the daffodils under his nose. The nose that ALWAYS ... was at a sniff-twitch. Even in repose. Field, always, all the mousey parts of him ... always in some kind of motion (even if subtle). To see him so STILL, so ... motionless. Oh, it ... unnerved her. She had to get him moving again. Had to jumpstart him somehow.
The daffodils ... wafted. Wafted ...
And his nose did a tiny twitch. A tiny sniff.
A smile crept onto the bat's lips. "That's it ... "
Sniff ... sniff ... sniff-twitch.
A giggle. And she held the flowers in front of his nose for a moment, and ... when his nose returned to its normal rhythm, she removed them ... set the vase aside. And smiled.
Luminous was perched above the northern pole of the planet's moon. Rather, ONE ... of the planet's moons. Plural. For it had two.
"You're sure we're shielded from them ... "
"If they come, then ... yeah, we should be," said Rella, sighing, leaning back in her chair. "I mean, we can't go any farther from the planet ... I mean ... we're conserving all our power. So, it ... I mean, it has to ... " She trailed, frowning. She was tired. Had been up (like the rest of them) for far too long, and ...
Pyro sighed. Sitting in Field's vacant chair. The wolf all fresh and ... squeaky clean.
Wren looked over to him.
"What?" Pyro asked.
"Nothing ... " The squirrel rarely talked to the wolf. Pyro had become good friends with Field, had found a mate in Dotna ... was friendly with Assumpta, and even Adelaide (though there had originally been a tension between those two) ... but Wren hadn't spent much time with the wolf. And, to be honest, he ... still viewed Pyro as a predator. And, even if he didn't ... it was a wolf who had screamed at Wren, on the viewer in his office, that Luminous and her crew were exiled. That, should they try going home ... they would be hunted and destroyed. Wren hadn't had good experiences with wolves ...
Beep-be-beep ...
Wren turned to look at Rella ... raising his brow.
She nodded quietly.
The squirrel sighed, starting to pace ...
"I don't see them," said Chester, from the helm ...
"You never do," said Pyro. "Not until they're nestled right against you."
"Is that why we didn't detect your pod ... when we found you ... the snow rabbit sensors didn't even pick it up. We didn't find it until it was right next to us."
"They have stealth technology. It's not theirs. They took it from ... some furry species. But ... yeah."
"So, why are we detecting them now?" Chester asked.
Rella drew in a breath. Swallowing. "Cause they're close."
The wasp vessels were skirting the moon ... on their way to a high upper orbit of the planet below. Their ships were black. Were colored like space. They glinted a bit ... in the light of the system's sun, and in the light reflecting off the planet. And off the moon. They were sleek, angular ships. With lots of points. Points that resembled stingers.
Pyro squinted at the screen. Eyes glowing a fiery red.
"They're scanning the surface." Rella's voice.
Wren just nodded. Exhaled.
All the furs on the bridge ... were quiet. Were watching the viewer. Wondering how long the wasps would stay in orbit. The longer the wasps were here, the greater the chance of Luminous being discovered. And Luminous couldn't fight them off. Not in the state she was in. And not against those numbers ... there must've been four or five wasp ships. Maybe part of a small fleet that had been off somewhere, to assimilate something ... and, upon receiving the call from the wasp scouting party, had diverted course.
And, now, were here.
And, now, were lingering.
And, now ...
" ... they're leaving orbit." Rella sounded surprised.
"Already?"
"It may be a trap," Pyro said. "They may suspect we're here, but they ... can't prove it yet. They may be pretending to leave ... in order to lure us into the open."
Wren met the wolf's eyes ...
Pyro shrugged.
And Wren looked to Rella ... nodded. "Keep an eye on the wasps. And, Chester," said Wren, looking to the mouse ... " ... keep us still. I don't want us leaving the magnetic field of this moon ... until they've been out of this system for at least four hours. We're not taking any chances."
Chester nodded.
A door-swish, and Assumpta padded out of Wren's ready room, fur a bit damp. "Did I miss anything?" she asked.
Pyro gave her a head-bob.
Assumpta looked at the viewer. "Mm," she went. And saying nothing more. Moving to the Ops station.
"You smell all of ... spring freshness, Assumpta," Pyro teased, his strong nose smelling the shampoo she'd used.
"It is Rella's shampoo. Not mine." Pause. "I use what Azure uses."
"So, you smell like flowers?" A grin. "Mm ... " And a trail. "Anyway, that's not your shampoo, then, is it ... Wren?" Pyro looked to the Captain. "Spring freshness? Or is that Rella's?" Pyro looked to Rella. Grinning more.. "Taking showers in the Captain's ready room, mm? Does the Captain partake?"
"Will you stop?" Rella asked, looking down at her controls. Having to bite down on a smile.
"Yeah ... let's ... stop teasing," Wren advised (flushing beneath his cheek-fur).
Pyro chuckled to himself. These furs NEVER would've lasted five seconds in his universe ... the teasing there, and the taunting there ... was far more ... visceral. But not always for the better. Pyro's smile turned to a frown. Remembering how he'd been teased. How he'd been treated. Remembering the attitudes of the furs ...
"The wasps look like they're actually leaving," Rella said, rescuing her mate from ... the wolf's words.
"Good," said Wren. "But ... let's not assume anything. We'll wait and make sure they're leaving."
"And when they're actually gone?"
"Then we find a huge plain to land this ship in ... and we take her down. And we harvest enough resources to stabilize ourselves. Use the pods to mine for ... any metals or engine fuels we need, and ... then we take a nice long rest. And ... think about making a home here ... " The squirrel trailed. Feeling a chill of ... fear? Uncertainty? Anticipation?
He didn't know.
It was hours later, and ... deep into the night.
Adelaide had insisted on bringing Field back to their quarters (despite Denali's objections) ... but the bat had coaxed the mouse to his foot-paws. He'd followed her all the way to their door. And she'd taken his paw and lead him in. His nose twitching again (like it should), but his eyes vacant. His eyes ... glazed. His eyes not blinking very often. Either staying open (in a haunted way), or staying closed ...
They'd been in bed for at least an hour, now ...
She had her paws on his side. She was snuggled up behind him. Her breasts to his back. A winged arm wrapped round his belly, holding him ... keeping him warm. Her nose nuzzling his neck, and her mind sending out all sorts of good feelers. Her mind ... giving him everything. Everything warm. Everything she could think of.
And he closed his eyes ... allowing it to wash over him. But, still ... still, he seemed sluggish. Still ... he would, for no reason, give a sudden jerk, and a sudden squeak, and his heart would spike.
She would ask what was wrong.
And he would give no reply.
"Field ... speak to me ... I can hear your thoughts. Speak to me ... "
A shaky exhale from the mouse.
"Field ... " She realized why he wasn't talking. He was shell-shocked, sure, but ... " ... Field, they're not gonna hear you. They're gone. Okay?" she whispered. She sensed that the mouse feared ... that, if he spoke, the wasps would hear him. Would come and silence him. Would come and ... hurt him. And hurt her. And ... the baby. That, if he spoke, he would give himself away. That the only way to stay safe was to shut down his mind, shut his mouth, and ... burrow into some dark hole. And, even then, he wouldn't be safe.
There was no way to be safe ... there was no such thing as safety.
She was trying to prove him wrong. Trying to get him to realize ... that he was wrong. She kissed the back of his neck, and with her touch ... sent gentle telepathic ripples into him. Trying to soothe him. Trying to get him to close his eyes (for they had been, for a while now, open ... blankly staring into the dark of the bedroom).
Adelaide finally ... slipped out of bed. And padded away.
Field, on his side, curled into a ball, shivering ... shivering ... opening his mouth to call her name, but stopping. They might hear him ... like the last time. They might be in the room. He shook ...
... and she returned, gently sliding back into bed, and ... placing a tiny bundle of warmth up against his chest.
"She missed you," Adelaide whispered. "She's happy you're ... you're back," the bat whispered, swallowing.
Baby Akira gurgled, tiny paws, tiny wings ... such a tiny thing. Making little chitters ... and reaching a paw to her father's chest-fur. Grabbing at it. Eyes shining. Reaching her little feelers out (just like how her mother was doing).
Field blinked, and ... his eyes darted. Resting on Akira.
The baby seemed to giggle. As if ... taking delight in being discovered by Field's eyes.
And those mousey eyes watered. And blinked, and ... he gave a small smile, moving a paw to ... stroke Akira's fur. To pat at her ...
Adelaide, sitting up, smiled. Field was going to be okay. He was going to be fine ... it ... would just take some time. Would take patience. Would take ... so many moments of transition. But she would see to it that he flowered.
But she loved him ... and he loved her. And they both loved their child ...
Love ...
... would see them through.