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Planet Huska, Zern System

Vanara fitted a makeshift respirator over her muzzle and pulled a loose hooded poncho over herself. The temperature was far too warm for it, even though her summer coat of white fur was somewhat thinner - but the alternative was to spend over half an hour washing soot out of it.Damn those Leonin, she fumed silently as she started trudging downhill towards the nearby small town, they light nearly half the forest on fire during a supposed training exercise, but won't lift a finger to help put it out. The volunteers finally got it out a few days ago, but the smoke's gonna linger a while. Heh, this shit is what got me sick in the first place, and here I am - going to town to "pay Imperial taxes." If it wasn't blatantly for making their nobles fat and happy, I'd ask them what the frosty fuck these taxes go for. Looking to her right she surveyed the burn scar and hastily clear cut woodland that only just prevented the Blueden from going up in flames - that being the name of the bespoke township of... maybe 30 people. Can't do anything about the Leonin, at least not yet, but soon... best tie up loose ends before I'm pulled out, assuming that doesn't go belly up.

It didn't take her long to reach the old town hall near the center of town, a building which still had an air of desecration to it in her mind. It wasn't just the soot stained golden flag of the Leonin Empire flying from the flagpole, though that sight was still enough to make her stomach turn slightly, there were still plasma scorches on one side of the building - where the initial taskforce of invaders lined up and executed the town's former elected leadership. Bastards... at, least nobody did anything stupid that day. If they had things could have gone so much worse; I'm glad Donna hadn't been here to see it. Right, she's supposed to be coming to get me, assuming anyone comes at all, gotta be ready but I can't say too much to Lana... after all, telling her too much will put both of us in danger but I've gotta say something. I'm not gonna leave without the one decent Leonin I've ever met!

A Leonin with a short mane sat at a desk behind a plexiglass window with a sliding door slot sized for paperwork and small items. Vanara pulled back the hood of her poncho and removed her respirator with a soft gasp as she passed a sensor beam set up in the doorway as she looked over towards Lana. For a Leonin she was a real oddity: apparently their command didn't want to "waste a competent soldier," so they'd picked a conscript almost fresh out of training and assigned her to "collect taxes and monitor the area." Also, as far as they were concerned she was male, although that wasn't at all how Lana identified. Getting assigned here had been an unexpected blessing in disguise for her - she could trim her mane and do a few other things that were considered inappropriate for Leonin males, if not outright blasphemous. Also, unlike any other Imperial Soldier Vanara had met, Lana actually saw Huscanids as full people and treated them as such. Hearing Vanara entering, Lana looked up from painting their short, well-filed claws.

"State your business..." the Leonin groaned with feigned disinterest, tapping something on her display.

"I'm here to settle my taxes for the month," Vanara muttered in a well practiced tone of grudging annoyance, "since they went up, again."

"Of course, interview room 1, please." In spite of saying that, Lana quickly flashed two fingers, using a small corner in the blind spot of the cameras as she stood and locked the terminal. Heading into an access hall, she went to room 2, as the secret signal had indicated.Best I don't know for sure, but I suspect Lana is overriding the cameras with pre-recorded footage of a prior payment. Still, not entirely comfortable talking here. I wish we could meet in a more discrete setting. That, of course, was not possible. Not only were Leonin soldiers tracked as much, if not more than the locals, but they were required to carry comms equipment with them outside their post - which were always listening to what was being said. This was going to be the kind of conversation that could cause people to disappear.

"We have just over 5 minutes," said Lana checked a watch and Vanara took a seat on a less than comfortable metal chair, "this isn't our normal meeting time, what's going on, Van? Does someone need help getting their taxes paid again? It's not like I'm using my wages for much, after all."

"Not this time. I can't say much, Lana," Vanara replied as she looked around, her concealed optical implants not detecting any active listening devices, "but I'm supposed to be pulling out. And I'm going to try to arrange for you to come with me."

"Uh, Van," Lana spoke skeptically with a look of concern, "I appreciate the intent, but are you insane? I have a tracking device in me, and it's not something I can just pull out or turn off."

"Just trust me Lana," she blurted in a slightly hushed tone, "I'll figure something out, especially if our mutual friends are who I think they-"

"Say no more," Lana held a hand up, stopping Vanara, "we don't have time, and I'd rather not know if I'm caught. Pretty sure they'd string me up if they knew half of what I've done here. Now go, I'm going to report you complained about taxes and damages to the environment from the fires; I told you exactly what command's line was, then you marched off fuming. Go now, and try to look angry when you exit." Lana gave a knowing but pained smile as Vanara got up.

"Jerk." Vanara snickered with a wink to Lana as she exited, quickly switching to a practiced scowl as she turned around and stomped back out, making sure to put the respirator and poncho hood back up before leaving. It wasn't hard to pretend she was angry because she was, even though it wasn't at all due to anything Lana had said or done.

Planet Tigra, High Orbit

Dorrin made his way to the bridge of the Snowlit Dawn quickly. He'd seen pictures of his homeworld from orbit before, but the Captain had given him permission to see it first hand, and he wasn't about to waste this opportunity - especially since there hadn't been any windows on the refugee transport. Even if I'm going to have to deal with dad again, at least I can get some enjoyment from this trip, plus I've actually got spending money now. Still hard to believe Donna wrote off my debt just like that. His smile was quickly replaced with a puzzled look, and then a frown as he looked at the large world that filled the bridge's transparent metal viewport. The pictures he'd seen were of a verdant dark green world with deep blue oceans - what met his eyes looked... wrong. The oceans had a slight sickly green color to them, and the green land areas seemed to be a spotty patchwork - most of the land mass he gazed upon was a dusty brown.

"Captain," he asked shakily, "are you sure this is my homeworld?"

"Given the Tigrin have only one system under their control," Captain Donna Briskwind replied in what seemed to be her diplomatic tone, "I'm quite sure."

"Not to mention your 'homeword traffic agency' is taking their sweet time getting to us," sighed Aria, "seems they have quite a queue for landings and takeoffs."

"Dorrin," Marla spoke up as she appeared on the bridge next to the Tigrin, "is it normal that almost half the traffic to and from your homeworld consists of Lapinian refugee transports?"

"Don't know," he shrugged, "it's not something I've paid much attention to. I do know the Lapinians have said something like our world cannot economically support our population, so they have been running regular transports off. Was on one, it wasn't a fun time."

"I think there's more to it than that..." Marla muttered, rubbing under her muzzle, "knowing the Lapinians though there has to be some truth to that assessment, and they wouldn't expend those resources unless it was the best option they have. I'm starting to think your family is going to need more than credits."

"Not much I can do," Dorrin grumbled as he turned to Donna, "dad ain't gonna leave regardless. Why are you here anyway Captain, specifically?"

"I need to see an old friend of the family. Things aren't adding up and both Marla and I feel like there are facts about my family that have been kept from me. This mission is far out of any expectation I'd have had relating to my mother."

"I can't imagine why they'd be here, especially with the world in... this state." Dorrin sighed as Ellia made her way into the bridge and gasped.

"Uh, D-Dorrin," Ellia stuttered a bit as she looked out over the planet, "didn't you say your planet was a tropical world with thick jungles?"

"It was," he sighed, shaking his head, "it was."

Surface of Tigra, 5 hours later

"Donna, do you have any idea where we're going?" Tallia called out as she rushed after the Captain, across crumbling sidewalk pavement. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be that much foot traffic away from the spaceport - something Tallia found more than slightly disturbing.If this is supposed to be a major city, why's it so underpopulated?

"Yes dear," Donna panted as she skidded to a stop on a street corner as some sort of large land-based vehicle crammed full of Tigrin sped by, turning towards the spaceport, "it's a cafe by the hospital the Lapinians set up here. James was once the ship's medic, and after my father passed away he left to get a full medical degree from the Lapinians. This was, it seems, the first place that would hire him."

A fuzzy blur shot past both of the two, and they looked in astonishment at Lia as she casually leaned against a sign post. "Sadly that isn't surprisin'," she explained, "Lapinians generally don't like being examined by non-herbivores. Nothing personal, just tends to trigger the flight response for most; and really Captain, did you really think I was about to allow you to go to some dodgy meeting on an unknown planet without bringing me along?"

"I didn't even think about it," Donna groaned, "at least not that way. I grew up with James, just like I did with Sabre, there's no way he'd put me in harm's way."

"Not intentionally I'm sure, but I checked the crime statistics here - offworlders get mugged and pick-pocketed at a much higher rate than normal."

"Charming place," Tallia muttered, "and Donna dear, you know Lia isn't going to let you wander off."

"Protecting the Captain is my job. Besides, enough Lapinians come here that they should have food for me wherever you're going."

"Well I'm already late for the meeting," Donna grumbled, rushing past Lia as she joined the group, "and he's been waiting since he got off shift. Also I wanted to speak to Dorrin's family so we need to hurry."

Tigra, Redvale Region

"So Dorrin," Ellia asked as they got out of the transport cab at the edge of a dirt path through what appeared to be a topical grove, "why is this place called Redvale? I don't see much red."

"I believe the region was named for a particular red flowering vine that once enveloped most of the trees." Sabre answered, barely getting out of the cab before it's driver shot off with a rude gesture towards the Lupin. For Sabre's part, he pretended not to even notice.

"That's correct," Dorrin confirmed, sighing deeply as he led them along the path into deeper plant growth, "and by Tigrin tradition my last name is the region I was born in." I knew coming home would be awkward, but... bringing a Lupin home? I need to ask Gerard if I'm going crazy. Sabre had not been who he'd expected would be coming with him, but nothing about this trip was going remotely as he'd expected. The foliage used to completely shade travelers to his family's territory... but now regular gashes of bright, harsh sunlight poured down on the dirt path. What is this? It's as if the planet is shriveling up around us.

Even Ellia seemed to be visibly bothered by the state of the area, as unfamiliar as it had to be for her. "Where are the animals?" She asked suddenly, her ears twitching as she panted slightly from the heat. "I read up on Tigra and I had read there was very abundant wildlife."

"It does, or did..." his voice trailed off as the trail opened up to a field of grains, where his family grew grains that fed their livestock - but all too often served as an unwanted supplement to their own meals. A male Tigrin in a sun hat, who had been reaping the fields with a scythe sheathed it in his belt and took a swig from a large flask, before looking up right at Dorrin. Oh shit, I was hoping I could avoid him until we made it to the denhouse.

"Dorrin? Dorrin!" He called out, rushing up and giving Dorrin a sudden hug. "You said you'd be here for lunch, and..." His smile turned into a scowl as he looked over to Sabre, then released Dorrin to head over towards the Lupin. "Your kind isn't welcome here," he growled threateningly, reaching for the scythe at his belt, "get off my land, now!"

"Dorrin invited me, are you Erlash Redvale?" Sabre asked politely, seemingly not bothered by the threat.

"Oh, he did?" Erlash growled, getting in Sabre's face. "What if I am, I don't want you here, Lupin. In fact none of us Tigrin want anything to do with you fancy, rules-happy overbearing, backstabbing and useless beery-crats!"

"Bureaucrats." Said Sabre flatly, neither flinching nor blinking.

"What?"

"The word you are trying to use is 'bureaucrats,' are you finished with your statements, sir?"

Dorrin just rubbed his face as his father stared dumbfounded at Sabre, who waited several awkward moments of silence before finally continuing.

"I am Sabre Blackpaw, First Officer and Navigator aboard the Snowlit Dawn. Your son is a talented cook and hard worker, we are fortunate to have him aboard. Captain Briskwind had intended to join you for lunch today - alas, we were stuck in orbit for several hours."

Erlash just stood there slack-jawed, until he heard munching from the field, turning to see Ellia nibbling on a stalk of grain as she watched their exchange.

"And I suppose my son also invited a Vulpin!?!"

"Oh, Dorrin said you might make that mistake, but I'm a Ragerian - we're not even related to the Vulpin." Ellia responded with a smile as she walked up and held out a glove covered paw-hand towards Erlash. "Ambassador Ellia Longtail of the Ragerian Union at your service, but please, since Dorrin is my boyfriend, please call me Ellia."

No no no, this can't be happening! Dorrin ground his teeth in awkward angst, knowing full well that his father was not going to take that proclamation in any way that would be good. Erlash's looked as if smoke was about to come out of his ears, and Ellia's empathy sense took a moment but soon she shivered and lowered her ears as she sensed exactly what he was feeling.

"Dorrin," his father said curtly in a level tone, "we need to talk, in private."