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[Can you spot all the references?]

Introduction

She paused outside the cryogenics lab. In the sub-section of the space station's medical wing, he sat on a stool, hunched over a tablet scribbling down notes on the screen with a stylus. Beside him was a microscope, along with a full chemistry set which bubbled away over a bunsen burner. He was working on one of his standing projects, studying the effects of extended cryogenic stasis on organic bodies. If he could complete his studies his work would allow people to enter cryogenic stasis and remain in a 'sleeping' state for centuries without aging, or other ill-effects. Fergal Blair certainly was one of the best doctors on Hope station. Gifted, so to speak.

Fergal certainly looked the part as well. A thin hare with brown fur, he had light hair that was neatly brushed back with some stubborn strands falling down along the side of his face. His ears were tall, and his eyes were pale blue. He had a certain innocent look about him. His genius counted for something, but for nothing against his little to no life experience.

It was truly a waste that he never accepted the teachings of Altman. The church could have certainly used a mind like his.

Stepping over the threshold of the doorway, she approached the hare from behind, dead silent. Fergal didn't even realise until she was almost close enough to reach out and touch him. The heel of her boot made a soft thud and the doctor's long ears perked up. The hare immediately whipped around, his wide eyes framed by his glasses.

"Whoa!" he cried, startled. "You're still here?"

Keeping her hands clamped behind her back, she smiled, slowly slithering her way closer to the fellow doctor. As she moved, she had a certain alluring flow to her slim body. "I'm just clocking out. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, dear." She whispered softly with a smile. One hand slipped past her waist and her fingers reached out to brush a few thin strands of Fergal's blonde hair out of his face.

He recoiled from her touch, moving his face away. "I don't need checking up on."

"Yes you do." she argued lightly. "We wouldn't want you to do something..." her eyes narrowed seductively as she lowered her tone. "Stupid."

"The stupid thing would be to let this go on unrecorded." Fergal suddenly snapped his gaze to her eyes. "I've already asked you to stay away... twice."

She stepped back with surprise, her hand frozen somewhere beside the hare's face. "What are you saying?" she faked a smile, shaking her head with some confusion. "After what I gave you... after what we shared?"

"I'm going to go see the chief of security after work. I'm pressing harassment charges." Fergal said sternly. It was refreshing to see Doctor Blair take some initiative off the petri-dish. But still...

Her heart tore... visibly. Whirling around, she buried her face in her hands, taking a few steps towards the door. She sobbed and took a few shaky breaths. "No... why do they always do this."

"I'm sorry, but..." Fergal actually felt pretty bad. Perhaps pressing charges was harsh...

She cut across him with more sobs, slowly tearing up. "They keep leaving me. All of them! Why? WHY?!" she broke down crying, her body shuddering with every sob.

"Aw, man." Fergal sighed softly.

Slipping from his stool he walked up behind her. Slowly he reached out and laid a hand on the woman's slender shoulder. He was going to tell her this wasn't a very serious offence. Maybe she'd walk away with a slap on the wrist. He was going to tell her everything would be alright after the initial bump. She was a good doctor. This wouldn't go on her permanent record...

He didn't get the chance to say anything.

The woman whirled around and Fergal jolted. His whole body twitched for a moment as numbness spread through his chest. He felt warmth spread across his skin, something wet cling to his fur. His eyes were wide, attempting to hold back tears of pain as the stinging start. His lip trembled as he struggled to take a breath. His diaphragm wouldn't work. His body wasn't responding to his orders. His lungs were filling with something, but he couldn't cough it away.

The wet tracks the tears had left on her cheeks still glistened in the dim light. Regardless, she was smiling. Her eyes were bright and full of life. One hand was at Fergal's chest, the other moved up and touched the side of his face, stroking over his soft fur.

"Shhhhhhh." The woman cooed softly in a reassuring tone. "It will be all right, sweetheart. Soon enough we will be whole. All of us. Transcendent, beyond death. Our flesh will be transformed. And we will all be part of the single, glorious existence. Together... forever."

Stepping back, she let go of the scalpel. The surgical tool was sticking out of Fergal's chest. Crimson surrounded the impaling implement, glistening on the white lab-coat. His blood stained her hand and the cuff of the gecko's sleeve.

Fergal looked down at the scalpel sticking out of his chest for a moment, before his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he didn't see anything anymore. Falling through the darkness, he felt the pain of the object slicing through his aorta and twisted just right to slice open the wall of a lung. It stung all around. Numb turned to pain. It was everywhere. In his chest cavity, over his skin, behind his eyes and under his nails.

'Is this what dying feels like?' the doctor thought when something hard crashed into the side of his body, twisting his limbs painfully and shaking his brain. He would never know.

Doctor Fergal Blair was dead the moment he hit the ground...

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Written by SniperSpartan-977

With thanks to everyone on SoFurry. Best... literary fiction-community... ever!

Demented

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> Hope Medical Wing / 11-03-2553

"Timothy Eckleson, please report to the command centre." The woman's cold tone rang out across Hope's various decks, chiming in the residential areas, filling the financial district, heard in the Station-Security headquarters right across the sprawling space station, even sounding in a small med-bay storage room stacked high with cleaning supplies. "Timothy Eckleson to the command centre please."

In the storage room, a twenty five year old anthro lifted his gaze to look at the intercom speaker hanging somewhere above his head. His tongue rolled out the side of his mouth for a moment as he drew laboured, exhausted breaths. His heart hammered against his ribs as he rocked backwards.

Her legs wrapped tighter around the wolf's waist, pulling him in close again. In response the pair gave an aggravated moan, but for different reasons. Teck had to go. Ashley wanted to cum.

"Damn it." The wolf, Teck, whispered as he tried to pull back again. "I gotta go."

"No you fucking don't! You're mine." Ashley squeezed, grabbing his shirt by the collar and pulling him in, feeling his member disappear into her wet folds again. As she gasped for air, the anthropomorphic gecko locked her lips against Teck's.

A kiss was meant to be shared, a tender and beautiful thing that was meant to be enjoyed and cherished. A real kiss would have relaxed Teck, caused his mind to spin and his heart to flutter... not this kiss. It didn't feel shared, and felt more like a chore than anything else.

As she broke the kiss, Teck opened his eyes to look at the older thirty year old woman wrapping her legs around his waist. Chief Medical Officer Ashley Brooke was still the visage of an angel in her teens though. She had slim features, pale blue eyes and light green scales. The scales on her cheeks were blushed as she was halfway between rational thought and an uncontrollable orgasm. Her hair was jet black, and fell neatly over the back of her scalp, curling slightly at the ends by her slender shoulders. She was clad in a shirt and a pair of deck-boots that buckled over her shins. Her shirt was open to reveal she was wearing a black bra, her skirt and panties laying discarded somewhere behind where Teck stood, pinning her against a stack of shelves. Her arms were wrapped around the wolf's neck, her slender legs clamped around his waist as he smoothly slid his member in and out of her in a steady rhythm.

With each thrust, the shelf Ashley teetered on the edge of shook, slamming the unit noisily against a solid steel wall. And with each hollow 'clang' followed by a rattle, Ashley threw her head back and moaned, biting her lip so she wouldn't scream with ecstasy. Her juices squelched loudly, covering her outer lips as she came close to cumming a second time. Her back arched as that pre-orgasm tingling within her rose in intensity, pressing her body tighter against the wolf's. Every second that passed meant her fuse grew shorter. Her mind raced, she wasn't sure what to focus on. All that mattered was the feeling. His hot pole, wet and lubricated by her juices sliding in and out of her, parting her soft walls every time he penetrated her. She was a dying star on the verge of a supernova. She was so close... this wolf wasn't going anywhere until she had her fill.

While she was the visage of an angel on the outside, there was a side to her not many got to see. She was more like a demoness when her lust got the better of her.

Teck sighed, thrusting faster now. He was being summoned, and his employer wasn't the patient sort. He needed to finish her up quickly... or at least finish up himself. Either way he'd have an excuse.

"Timothy Eckleson report to the command centre via the nearest comms unit, immediately." The woman's voice on the intercom called again, her tone growing more impatient.

"Oh, Altman be praised!" the gecko hissed as she squeezed, pulling Teck in close and holding him tight against her, urging him to go faster. "I'm so close... I... yes, just like that! Keep going. Ah, yeah! Fuck me faster, baby! Fuck me harder..."

As her soft inarticulate ramblings went on, Teck was suddenly completely turned off. Even if he wanted to try, he wouldn't be able to keep going. Altman be praised? It didn't matter how tight or wet, or sexy a girl was, a Unitologist appraisal was exactly something Teck didn't want to hear during sex. He suddenly stopped thrusting as he grew soft in an instant.

With a sigh, he reached up and forced her to let go, rocking his hips back and pulling out of her with a wet 'pop.'

Immediately Ashley let out a disappointed squeal, leaning forward to get a grip on the wolf and pull him in again. But Teck had already stepped back as he re-dressed himself and did up his belt.

"What's wrong, baby?" Ashley said in a soft whisper, her eyes narrowing seductively as she balanced on the edge of her perch. "I'm not done yet."

"I am." Teck said plainly as he zipped up his fly. "The commander wants to see me. I have to go."

"Awwww, to hell with the commander." Ashley leaned back and made no further attempt to stop the wolf as he turned to the door of the cramped storage room. The gecko grinned broadly. "We're not done yet. You still have to make me whole." She added playfully, spreading her legs a little wider. One hand stroked down her flat stomach and touched her wet lips that glistened in the humming halogen lights. Gently she spread the soft flesh apart, sliding the tip of her middle finger into the opening, wiggling around in the wet folds within. As she did, she moaned sweetly, hoping to entice Teck to stay rather than leave.

Teck's mind was made. He smoothed out his shirt and waved a hand over the glowing holo-panel centred on the store-room's door. The doorway slid aside and Teck stepped outside, shutting the door behind him without looking back.

Hope was bustling with activity. She was still under construction after all. The 'company' had built this habitation for a number of reasons. One, the station acted as a fully functional 'drifting' colony. There were residential areas, businesses, shopping centres, schools, all the stuff that made a colony a place of mass population. Second, the station acted as an R&D facility. There were whole science wings dedicated to military and civilian research. Finally, the station was located on the edge of the Ursula system, meaning she acted as a refuelling-station to mining ships moving between the inner and outer systems.

Timothy Eckleson, or better known as 'Teck' by his friends was off the clock. Thus he dressed as such, clad in his own fatigues rather than the Weyland Yutani Corporation technician's uniform. A khaki shirt with the sleeves rolled up revealing the black fur that covered his body, a pair of baggy jeans and white and red sneakers. He was built like a subtle athlete, healthy but not extremely muscular. As a technical systems specialist, he had to be in good shape. His zero-gee conditioning was evident. But for a 'grease-monkey' he was on the oddly handsome side. Short dark grey hair and hazel eyes, Teck looked like he was more likely to be nominated for a teen-choice award than analyse electrical and mechanical faults on board space-faring machinery.

Standing in the medical wing, Teck casually greeted a passing nurse, who eyed the wolf over curiously, wondering what he was doing in this section unescorted. The nurse paused on his face, then smiled broadly and winked. It made the wolf shake his head and move in the opposite direction. For some reason whenever women looked at him, the first thing they saw was a sex-object. He was slowly beginning to understand how porn actresses must have felt.

Teck quickly made his way to the nearest comms-terminal and pressed the 'activation' button. A small holographic terminal flashed to life, glowing cool blue light on his face. As the pixels formed a solid terminal, Teck touched the icon for the command centre. The icon glowed amber for a moment and Teck was instantly put through.

"Technical Systems specialist Timothy Eckleson reporting in." the wolf spoke calmly. "What's up?"

The same woman's voice from the intercom spoke back. "You could have responded sooner." She said in a short-tempered tone.

Teck half grinned at the vocal wave patterns spiking before his eyes as she spoke. When they settled on a flat line, the specialist shook his head. "I was busy. What do you need?"

"Report to the command centre immediately. Commander Gowl wants a word." she snapped before the terminal faded away and closed down. That was all. He had his orders. He just had to carry them out.

Leaving the medical centre behind, Teck passed some coughing people and a young woman bringing her crying baby in for a check-up in the waiting-room, then crossed through the lobby to the tram station.

While they were called 'stations,' the tram 'stations' dotted all over Hope were more like platforms. An open plaza along the tram's overhead rails which disappeared into pitch black tunnels to the left and right. As he entered, to his right were a number of kiosks and vending machines lined against the wall. To Teck's left was a long glass booth with chairs and various neon advertising billboards hanging from the walls. The platform wasn't busy, only a few people dotted around waiting for the next tram to pass.

As he stepped up to the red hazard-line printed along the edge of the platform, the tram slid into view. The vehicle was preceded by a loud screeching as the brakes clamped down. Then smoothly and whining a little, the aerodynamic carriage whooshed out of the darkness to the left, and slid into position in front of the platform as a slipstream whipped at the wolf's short hair. The three carriage transportation smoothly came to a halt, hydraulic doors hissing loudly. One door per carriage, they parted down the middle, popped outward from the sleek fuselage and moved to either side. Ramps extended from the edges of the tram, forming short steps up into the belly of the vehicle. In an instant people started climbing aboard.

Teck moved among them, looking at the tramway map in front of him. The station was circular, built all the way around a massive residential section in the centre of the colony. The tramways were marked in red standing out against the grey blocks that represented the different sections of the disjointed, circular Weyland Yutani space-station. The current tram he was on was marked in green, and by the looks of it the tunnel weaved through the flat grey sections passing commons, communications, S-Sec and finally reached the command centre at the end of the line, high above the residential district. The schedule displayed beside the map indicated time to the command centre was five minutes.

And they weren't kidding. When the tram was away, kilometres zoomed past in seconds. They weaved on a single grav-track through the dark tunnels between sections. Every now and then they'd burst out into a clear tube, rocketing through empty space between the disjointed habitations, stars and scaffolding streaking past for a few seconds before they disappeared into another dark tunnel. With every brief stop at another platform, more people got off the trams and others climbed on. All the while, they were sitting in a well-lit box screaming through pitch blackness at a velocity reserved for insanity.

Teck wasn't afraid though. He knew the ins and outs of these trams, the same way he knew what made the whole station tick. And knowing how something worked was kind of like facing your fears. If you knew about the ways a tram could crash, then knew about the safeties in place to prevent such a crash, it was difficult to be afraid of it.

As they moved, the same old tired crap played over an on-board holo-panel. Teck looked up, seeing the screen hanging over a young raccoon's head light up. Everybody gave it a queasy look.

A warm, welcoming chime rang out through the tram-cart and the Weyland Yutani logo appeared in acronym 'WYC,' the C for 'corporation' clamping down over the silhouette of a broken planet. Printed underneath was the company name, Weyland Yutani along with the tagline, Powering humanity into the future.

'Humanity.' Funny. It was easy to tell the founders Bishop Weyland and Allison Yutani were both humans.

A woman's voice suddenly started talking as the introductory chime ended on a happy note. "On behalf of the Weyland Yutani Corporation, welcome to Hope." As the message continued playing, the video started showing still images, and short snippets of video depicting life on the space station on the fringes of the Ursula system. It showed public plazas with shoppers and children playing in designated playgrounds. It showed S-Sec staff helping families find their way with smiles on their faces. It showed miners and engineers smiling happily as they rotated on and off passing mining vessels, returning to their families on station. "This facility serves as the hub of the mining operations in the outer fringes of our galaxy. In addition, this facility serves as the arrow-head of all our scientific research and development as a species." The shot shifted for a moment to the colony's science wing showing men and women in white lab-coats studying rocks and alien vegetation. Another slide showed a group of people working on new sources of power. Others were gathered around a conference table, stacks of papers and numerous microscopes among them. "We here at the company take pride in our research teams, who learn the secrets of the universe as we power on into the future.

"Goal number one of the Weyland Yutani Corporation is the safety and well-being of all employees and residents. To help us achieve this goal we ask you to follow Weyland Yutani corporate procedures at all times. This includes restricting your movement areas for which you have clearance. Always remain alert of what you and others are doing. If you notice someone's RIG has fallen below optimal levels, or just have a simple question, find the nearest station security operative. They are happy to help no matter how large or small the problem is.

"Hope provides a perfect blend of work habitats, recreational facilities and social support structures ranging from medical facilities to reputable schools. This ensures our goal of providing a true 'home away from home' experience for you and your family. Please keep this in mind as you help pursue our ground breaking research that is destined to transform the daily lives of everyone here and at home." A quick slide of Earth hovering in the Sol system slid into view. "If you need more detailed assistance, please contact one of our corporate recourse managers. Thank you and have a nice day."

The video came to a close on the Weyland Yutani logo and tagline again, followed by the happy chime from the start. Typical propaganda to keep station morale up. It wasn't as if Hope was an unpleasant place to live. Quite the opposite actually, it was a great place to stay. Of course, there was crime, there were accidents, and there were everyday rigours. But for some reason, those rigours seemed tougher when you were thousands of light-years away from your home planet.

At the end of the line, the tram screeched to a halt at the very last station. The platform was empty, devoid of kiosks and a waiting-area. The platform just funnelled into a hallway, at the end of which sat a heavy looking bulkhead. Stepping off the tram, he looked back to see the tram and its occupants disappear the way it had come before immediately walking over to the door.

Reaching the bulkhead, Teck touched the circular holo-panel at the centre of the doorway. The text faded away and slider moved around the circumference of the panel as the systems processed his clearance.

A second later the panel disappeared. The locks clunked open and the doorway parted down the middle, sliding away to allow the wolf access. The command centre was beyond. The circular chamber was cavernous with a high ceiling and plenty of open space. To the very front of the space was a massive transparent screen revealing space beyond. Stars and glistening orange dust hung against the black canvas beyond. Part of the dead planet they were orbiting was visible, glowing orange like the dust with flares and waves of energy rolling over the chemical atmosphere, giving the impression of a sun that didn't burn.

At the centre of the command centre was a central platform. It was called 'the commander's nest,' an elevated platform home to the central command interface. From there the commander could address the crew dotted around the centre at holo-panel consoles and access a personal holographic interface of Hope.

Teck immediately walked up the ramp and approached the flank of a group of figures inspecting the holographic representation of some sort of space station. The circular station hung there like a massive wheel, gently spinning on a central axis on a tower at the very heart of the free-floating station. The space station was divided into massive arcs that surrounded a massive central 'chamber' of sorts, tubes, tramlines, walkways and 'spokes' connecting the structures. From the scaffolding visible on the 3d model, it was apparent certain sections of the station were still under construction.

That was Hope. The Weyland Yutani Corporation had started construction on her two years ago. Teck had been part of the original construction team back then before applying for a permanent on-station maintenance job. Putting a deep space colony together was no easy task. Hope wasn't scheduled for completion until 2556, three years from now. And as new systems and sections were installed and construction, the old ones still needed maintenance.

As he got closer an explosion of colour burst into existence right in front of Teck. He froze mid-step as the pixels swirled and solidified, then took a step back as Tao made her appearance. In a swirling vortex of multi-coloured rice, the station's cold and snappy AI's holographic representation materialised in front of the wolf. The kitsune had a stern look in her otherwise blank eyes, her form clad in a skimpy kimono-like gown that revealed more of her slender figure than it concealed. The front fell open to reveal plenty of cleavage, and her nine bushy tails swung and rolled over each other behind her. She had her arms folded across her chest and was staring into Teck's eyes. As she did, her image lagged a little, meaning she was probably doing about a hundred different things while talking to Teck right now.

"The company does not take kindly to late-coming due to fraternisation with colleagues, Timothy Eckleson." Tao snapped in her usual impatient cold tone. "The commanders may be lenient towards extra-curricular activities between crew of the opposite sex, but I am not. Take heed, this latest escapade has been recorded in your profile."

"I have a profile?" Teck asked sarcastically, waving his hand through Tao's torso. She wavered and disappeared for a moment as the wolf walked right through her. He'd like to explain how he didn't have any intention of going anywhere near the chief medical officer ever again... but that would be like trying to explain the concept of sound to a deaf man.

As he passed through the other side, Tao re-materialised and sighed explosively. "Joke what you will, Timothy Eckleson. Joke what you will." She snapped before disappearing again.

Entering the central circle, Teck halted beside the trio of figures as they looked up. "Reporting as ordered, sir." He said to the commander who turned to meet him.

He recognised all of the figures. Commander Benjamin Gowl, a greying malamute in his forties, neatly dressed in light grey fatigues with his thinning hair brushed back and tired rings around his eyes. He basically ran the technical side of Hope, managing technical staff and security. The second figure was Mayor Brian Cowen, the real power behind Hope, the mayor pretty much 'owned' Commander Gowl. A light brown pig in an expensive pin-stripe suit and tasteless tie, he was grossly overweight; his suit stretched and as if to fortify his gross-ness, there was spittle glistening on his pudgy lips. His hair was a mess, and he had a pair of lazy, dull eyes behind his thick lensed glasses.

They both wore a common mark. It was a pin-on badge of a small statuette on their sleeve. It was a pair of pointed blocks spiralling around each other, adorned with unintelligible crimson letters. The mark of a Unitologist.

Regardless of their love for the same community and religion however, the tense air between the commander and the mayor was always very evident.

The third figure was someone he wished he wouldn't have to recognise. She was an anthropomorphic fox with rust coloured fur covering her athletic frame. She wasn't exactly a walkway model, but that didn't mean she wasn't attractive. Her musculature was somewhat more impressive than the wolf's, but it was subtle enough, leaving a slender figure and ample bosom hidden under a heavy brown jacket, the vitality strip of her Security-RIG glowing green along her spine. Her navy blue combats hugged her long legs, and the ends were tucked into her perfectly polished armoured boots that stretched up her shins and protected her knees. The torso area of her jacket was padded out slightly, with hardened ribbing over her shoulders and forearms, the bars of a lieutenant pinned to her collar. On her hands were a pair of fingerless gloves, and strapped to each of her thighs was a G18 pistol, with slim magazine pouches on her waist and a baton hanging on the back of her belt. Her short blood-red hair was loose and brushed back under a dark blue beret perched slightly askew on her head, a few stray strands framing her cool green eyes. Her posture was straight and perfect, like that of a marine. She had a certain unforgiving aura around her, and her 'arms folded across her chest' posture warned the men in the area: 'Careful of this one, boys. She's a bitch.'

On her shoulder and cap-badge were the insignias for S-Sec, and on her chest was her name tag, Lieutenant Victoria Temple.

The mayor and the lieutenant were in a discussion that drowned out Teck's greeting. "How many more people have to die before you realise there's something fucked up going on out here?" Temple nearly screamed, but her posture remained calm and collected. "Bringing in re-enforcements to deal with this is imperative. Nothing else takes premise!"

Mayor Cowen on the other hand didn't look as calm. He was waving his arms and spit flew from his lips as he argued stubbornly. "Accidents happen, lieutenant! I'm not bringing station construction to a halt just to clear the way for your boys in blue! Commander, you'd best reel your bitch in!"

Temple suddenly took a step forward as if she was about to lay a fist in the mayor's face. It caused the pig to flinch in fear. "Now you listen to me, you son of a bitch! You don't accidentally get stabbed in the torso..."

"Teck, good man! You made it." The commander nodded, waving the wolf closer. His sudden speech caused the other two to stop and look to the newcomer. "You both know Technical Systems Specialist Eckleson, right?" the commander stepped forward and clamped a hand on Teck's shoulder. Yes, he was on fairly friendly terms with Commander Gowl, but an affectionate introduction like this had never happened before. "He's practically built half this station with his own two hands."

That was an exaggeration of course. Teck 'had' overseen the instillation of many of the station systems. Life support, hydroponics, communications and the asteroid defence system mostly. He'd even de-bugged Tao's software at one stage. But he hadn't done it alone. He had a team of hard working engineers and technicians watching his back at all times.

"I am aware of Mister Eckleson's contribution to..." Mayor Cowen began, but the commander cut across his superior.

"And perhaps Teck can help us with our problem." The commander said, smiling to the lieutenant, head of security. "Victoria?"

The vixen looked at Teck for a while, then nodded to the holo-map of the station. "Take a look, squint." She said, using her usual nick-name for the wolf. It went without saying, that while they knew each other, they weren't exactly on friendly terms. Not as if Teck had never tried. Victoria Temple was kind of like a female high-school Grav-Ball jock who ripped on smaller, weaker and smarter kids. Teck would have been among her class of victims. It wasn't just Teck, it was most technical staff, especially the software specialists.

Ignoring her terminology to refer to him, Teck looked over the map and noted the various systems that were down and others still under construction. "Looks like the docking tethers are down."

"Which is bad for the special crimes unit I've got flying in within the next few hours to help investigate our recent 'accidents'." Victoria added plainly with a glance to Cowen. "They won't be able to dock until those tethers are working again. I want to pull some staff to get it fixed..."

"But that would take two hours to fix!" the mayor snapped. "Taking staff off the construction roster to fix this little problem would put us further behind schedule. Also, we don't have the capitol to put an off-duty technician on it."

"So, what? Just wait for those boys to arrive just to tell them to take the five day journey back to Earth again?" Temple snapped.

The mayor went to say something back, but the commander spoke first. "Teck? What do you think?"

Teck scrutinised the red dot indicating the junction box feeding power to the docking tethers was down. Without the docking tether the incoming shuttle wouldn't be able to safely navigate through the station to the hangar bay. But this wasn't just a problem for the incoming shuttle. That junction had been fine during Teck's shift little over twelve hours ago. He had to be sure it had just failed due to wear and tear, because if there was another underlying problem the whole station could be at risk. And in deep space with nearest help five days slip-space travel away, you couldn't afford to take risks.

"I have to get out there and fix it. Keep your pay-check, this could be a premise to a larger problem." Teck added for the mayor. "In deep space, we can't afford to take risks. I'll get Keighley to help me. We'll go out there and replace that junction and figure out what went wrong. Worst case scenario I won't be able to get it fixed by the time the lieutenant's team gets here. In that case I'll drift out there and pilot them in myself. I know the space around this station like the inside of my pocket. Once they're docked I'd be able to run repairs and diagnostics at my leisure."

Mayor Cowen had nothing to say. He just stared grimly into the holo-map. Victoria gave Teck a surprised look. "I'd appreciate it." She said.

The commander dismissed them and the wolf and fox walked down the ramp side by side. They left the command centre and waited at the tram platform together. They were silent for a while before Teck looked up to the lieutenant's face.

She looked grim... almost sad.

"Who died?" Teck suddenly asked, remembering what she had said earlier. Someone else had died, stabbed in the torso. It was the first Teck had heard of the news, but it didn't shock him. Not with what was happening lately. There were an unusual amount of crimes and accident related deaths as of the past year.

"Fergal Blair." The lieutenant said without showing emotion. But Teck could see the sadness hidden in her eyes.

There was no point her hiding anything from him. The mayor would soon release the news of Doctor Blair's death to the station's press and brand it as an accident. It would be the usual web of lies. Telling Teck the truth was her idea of defiance against the mayor, which was good. She couldn't let the death of a good person be wrapped in lies.

So why was she still bummed out? Because this could have been avoided! Temple could have prevented this. They were in deep space and everyone was overworked! Crazy shit was bound to happen.

"I'm sorry." Teck said softly.

"Sure you are." Temple snapped.

Teck bit his lip. They didn't exchange anymore words. Not when the tram arrived. Not during the ride. Not even a polite goodbye when they parted ways...

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> Hope Exterior / 11-03-2553

Space flight was not for the faint of heart. After all, space flight was just a kinder method of describing the act of strapping a rocket booster to your ass and hanging on for dear life. If Earthlings were meant to fly through space, they would have evolved with built in oxygen storage, carbon fibre skin and organic jet-packs.

There were many things that could go wrong in space. The vacuum beyond just a few millimetres of cloth and impact plating could cause a man's blood to boil and his insides to become his outsides in a matter of seconds. Space was also full of debris and junk. A rock the size of a penny could get caught in a gravitational slingshot and shoot off into space with enough speed to punch a hole clean through a space station. No amounts of protection or defence systems could prevent that.

No, space flight was not for the faint of heart. Still, it wasn't even in the top three of Teck's short list of 'scares.' In his line of work he'd seen some pretty fucked up shit, ranging from deep space dementia to the effects of explosive decompression on an organic body. Neither of those things were pretty, so taking a 'space-walk' didn't bother him too much.

Protecting his body from the death and disease wrapped in darkness better known as space, was Teck's Weyland Yutani standard issue Technician-Recourse Integration Gear. The wolf was clad in dark grey fatigues. The RIG's light grey articulated impact plating covered his torso, forearms, lower legs integrating knee pads, and covered his flat-soled 'grav-boots.' The protection covering his forearms stretched down into knuckle plates and his gloves were slim fitting over his fingers. Around his waist was a belt adorned with pouches, more pockets on his left thigh and a sheathed blade strapped on his right. His shoulders were adorned with light chevron shaped pauldrons. Across his spine was his RIG's main computer, integrated with a chest mounted holo-projector. The vitality strip following the curve of his spine glowed cool green, and the projector mounted on his chest-plate was pulsing soft blue. His vulpine helmet fitted comfortably over his head and was moulded around his pointed ears. Through the wide V-shaped visor the top of his nose and the region around his eyes was visible. Tiny interlocking plates fitted over his tail, flattening down the otherwise bushy appendage to a feline-style tail.

His partner was clad identically, her tail covered over and her helmet shaped to fit over her vulpine head and tall, pointed fennec ears. The visor revealed the top of her nose and the amber-furred region around her emerald green eyes and a few stray strands of her short chestnut hair.

Assistant Technician Keighley Bronze wasn't a completely a fox, but she wasn't a pure fennec either. She was something in-between, which suited her just fine. Keighley was the kind of girl who strived for individuality. Not only was she a hybrid by species, she was a bit of a hybrid by culture too. She didn't want to grow up as a sensible, conformist lady. She wanted to be different. She wanted to be exciting. Part goth, part cheerleader, part rocker and part gamer, Keighley was as exciting as they got. At times she was known for risqué dress choices, an animal at house-parties and at Tekken she'd beat your ass.

But in regular situations, at home or at work, she was just a regular woman.

"And I'm sacrificing my day off for..." her voice resounded on the comms connecting the two drifting free through space.

The small nacelles on their shoulder blades let out tufts of air as the thrusters on their boots burned gently, propelling them along the hull of the space station. Scaffolding and junction boxes zoomed past. Every now and then they'd pass a group of engineers working on the construction of Hope.

"The greater good." Teck replied, his own voice echoing through the inside of his helmet. "Also, we can rub our do-gooder shit in Cowen's face."

Keighley giggled sweetly. "Badass. Count me in." there was a silent pause as one of Keighley's shoulder nacelles puffed and she gently rolled, pointing out a junction box a hundred metres up the side of the station. "That looks like what we're looking for." She pointed out.

"Agreed." Teck nodded, changing direction and soaring towards the junction box standing on a thick cylinder a few feet off the sleek hull of shuttle hangar-D.

The hangar was a section in the heart of Hope, tucked against the side of the central residential section. Hangar-D was used for personal transfers. A to C were used for transit of equipment, and were smaller hangars dotted around the perimeter. Unfortunately the new arrivals wouldn't be able to temporarily use those, as the docking cradles were not compatible with personnel shuttles. Hangar-D with the broken docking tether was their only choice.

As he approached, he killed his RIG's thrusters and held out his hands, gently patting them against the steel beneath him. As he rolled backwards, he pulled in his legs, then planted his grav-boots against Hope's protective skin. They immediately locked against the steel and Teck jolted to a halt.

Keighley did the same, jolting to a halt beside him. Slowly they tugged one boot loose and moved forward, one foot in front of the other. They approached the junction and inspected the box. It wasn't pretty.

The armoured cover was buckled and dented. The front cover was cracked, practically smashed, revealing some of the circuitry inside. There was no evidence what had smashed into the junction, but it must have been an asteroid of some sort.

"Freaky." Keighley mused, inspecting the box and running a finger over the specifically isolated damage. "ADS sensors shoulda picked up on debris that coulda done this." She looked around at the sleek, untouched hull surrounding the wrecked junction. "And what are the chances that a lone object hits this tiny target right betwixt the eye-sockets?"

Teck smiled as he gave the buckled casing a tug. It was jammed in there pretty good. "Must be our lucky day." He said holding out a hand.

Reaching back, Keighley smiled back. "Yeah. Lucky." The fennec hybrid pulled an old fashioned steel crowbar from the back of her belt and handed it to the wolf.

Teck accepted the tool and flipped it around one finger. Catching it quickly, he slotted the v-shaped pry of the curved end into a small gap and flexed the bar around. The buckled cover tore free with ease and floated between the two technicians, drifting off into space. They'd organise a replacement to be brought up later. Right now they had to focus on the task at hand.

The circuit boards inside the junction were a mess. Chipped, broken and shattered. There was no fixing it. They had to replace them.

"Gorramn it." Keighley cursed, echoing Teck's thoughts. "That's gonna to need replacing altogether. Plus calibration... this could take 'bout two hours."

Mayor Cowen's guess that this would take two hours was bang on the money... odd, for a politician to know that.

"Let's check the extent of the damage before we fetch replacements. Less time we waste the better." Teck said, reaching into the box and started to undoing cables and pulling out shattered circuit boards. It was pretty slow painstaking work. Some of the boards were kind of stubborn and refused to come loose, no matter how much he jiggled and pulled. It was going to take a while, and he hated awkward silences. As Teck pressed the flatter end of the crowbar between the broken circuits and their housing so he could pry them out, Teck gave into his habit of talking while he worked. "So, uh..."

"You wanna hook up?"

Teck's train of thought came to a screeching halt, lost control and tumbled halfway into oblivion. His hands slipped and the crowbar slashed through the junction, completely gutting the contents and sending shards of silicone and transistors flying out into space, glittering in the faint light bathing the exterior of the station. As if to punctuate the cock-up, sparks erupted from the contacts and zapped the crowbar, sending it spinning out of Teck's hand. The tool swerved away into space as the wolf took a step back, vigorously shaking his right hand. His armour had absorbed most of the shock, but some of the pain lingered in the joints in his fingers where he'd been zapped.

"Crap! Are you okay?" came Keighley's distressed voice now as she hopped forward and grabbed hold of Teck's wrist. It was a reflex reaction in case Teck accidentally jumped free of the station and drifted away. Luckily he hadn't drifted off... but Keighley still held on tight regardless.

Teck stared at the gutted junction box for a long time. It was fucked anyway. They might as well scrap the idea of getting particular parts and build a whole new one. But those weren't the prime thoughts on his mind. His surprised look turned to her now, giving her the full extent of his attention as she slowly let go of his wrist.

"Yeah... but... did-did you just ask me to hook up?" he asked a little flabbergasted.

Keighley slowly nodded. Just by seeing her eyes Teck could see she was smiling broadly. "I did. We're civilians, and the company ain't got specific rules 'bout fraternisation, long as it don't interfere with work." she gave a casual shrug. "We been friends since I got here few months ago. I'm taking a particular liking you, Teck. I think we're compatible."

"Eh... right." A little uncomfortable, Teck paced around the junction box, then leaned against it, facing Keighley. As he did, he rubbed one hand against the back of his helmet. "So, you'd want a serious relationship?"

"With you? Course I want it to be serious." Keighley chuckled.

"Ah... right... sorry, I've never had anyone ask me that before." Teck admitted.

That made Keighley laugh again before she playfully punched the wolf in the arm. "Oh, come off it. Guy like you must get propositions like this all the time."

"Honestly? Girls on the station just proposition me with sex." Teck blinked, wondering why he would say that out loud. "Uh... I'm like a relationship repulsion unit."

"So how many women on Hope have you had sex with then?" Keighley asked playfully, folding her arms across her chest and leaning closer.

"Oh... uh... I dunno." Scratching the back of his helmet again, Teck shook his head.

"That many, huh?"

"W-whu... o-oh, God no t-that's not what I meant..." Teck stammered, straightening up.

Keighley giggled into her hand like a cliché schoolgirl. "Relax, Tex. I don't mind none. I'd prefer a guy with some experience under the belt." She added in a seductive tone.

Teck cleared his throat. "R-right..." just then a voice that wasn't Keighley's crackled in his earpiece. It was unclear what was being said but looking 'up' he could wager a guess.

Space tore apart for a split second and glowed white in the darkness for a moment. As the folds in space fell shut again, a ship slipped into the system jolting to a halt several hundred metres above the station.

"They're early. Plan B?" Keighley asked.

Teck nodded, gripping the side of his helmet as he looked up at the mule-class shuttle. "Yup. Plan B. Why don't you go prep parts for this junction box? I'll go fly our guests in."

"You got it." Behind him, Keighley gently hopped loose and pulsed her RIG's thrusters, gliding towards the nearest airlock. "Oh, and Teck! You be careful like. I want an intact boyfriend if you don't mind." She added in a playfully bossy tone.

Teck smiled. "You got it." He echoed before switching channels. "Command, this is Eckleson. Our new arrivals are early and it'll take a good two hours for us to fix this junction box. I'm gonna float up there and fly them in manually, over."

The reply was immediate, but Teck didn't get the reply he was expecting. He was expecting Tao to come back in her cold tone. Instead Teck heard Commander Gowl. "Affirmative, Teck. We're informing the pilot of the situation now, over and out."

Teck jumped free of the station and activated his thrusters. Immediately he was tugged forward, soaring towards where the shuttle hung. At a jog it would have taken Teck an hour to reach the craft. But this was space. In space he could travel quite a bit faster. On full thrust it took him two minutes.

Spreading his limbs, flaps opened across his RIG and puffed out gas, instantly slowing his face-first approach to the long shuttle. Curling up, he rolled one-eighty degrees and drifted gently towards the shuttle's hull, until his boots gently kissed the craft's mid-section. Landing in a crouch, Teck planted one hand on the hull and looked around. Not far away he saw a circular hatch of the air-lock pop open, inviting him inside. Quickly, Teck drifted over and slipped inside, closing the hatch above his head.

The mule-class shuttles had two main sections. Passenger area and cockpit. The passenger compartment was isolated from the cockpit, a long compartment lined with seats along the walls, facing the opposite wall. The regular access hatches were on the sides, and at the very front of the bay was a bulkhead leading to the cockpit. To the rear were the shock-point engines with access to the flank mounted boosters. The mule didn't have wings, and was never designed for in-atmosphere flight. Mules were purely used for zero-gee manoeuvring.

In the darkness of the roof-access airlock, Teck heard the hiss of air as the compartment pressurised. A moment later the floor fell away and Teck abruptly dropped straight down, feeling the stomach churning effects of gravity restored as he fell. He landed lightly and straightened up to look around the passenger compartment. The passengers were all clad in Security-RIGs like Lieutenant Temple's, only they wore baseball caps adorning the emblem of a special crimes investigation unit, SCU. Their equipment was piled in crates and cargo nets to the rear of the compartment and they all watched with some amusement as the technician made a heroic entrance.

As he glanced around, Teck retracted his helmet. The visor parted down the centre and slid away, disappearing to the sides. As it did, the rest of the helmet pulled back, small articulated plates retracting and sliding away down the back of his head, pulling into his collar. The faceplate slid downward forming a V-shaped collar at the front, eventually revealing his head to everyone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'll be your stewardess slash navigator today." Teck said with a smile as some of them laughed. "We're suffering some technical difficulties with the gravity tether, so I'll have to do."

He made his way to the front of the compartment as the passengers gave an amused smatter of applause and a few 'whoo's. But as he moved, he felt something off.

The whole shuttle started shaking violently. The boosters blared full blast, and they started moving way too fast for a simple docking run. The ship half-rolled and pulled sharply to one side at an insane speed, causing the hull to creak and groan as the mule struggled to hold it together. It was if the pilot was trying desperately to actively avoid something. The tight turn caused Teck to stumble into one of the passengers who grabbed him and held him steady.

"What the..."

"Fuck!" the pilot's frightfully distressed voice screamed on the intercom. The sound of the pilot's distress caused cold sweat to fill Teck's suit as his eyes widened with surprise. "Tone! Tone! The ADS is changing targets! They're firing at us! Firing angel-wings! All hands, brace-brace-bra..."

The intercom died as an explosion rang out, deafening everybody on board. The world around him was a blur in the wolf's eyes. He was thrown forwards and slammed front-down into the ground. Grunting, Teck's eyes flitted upward to see curls of flame and smoke lick across the ceiling. Mist flowed through the space, swirling around the mass of armoured bodies flung through the air. Passengers hung in space as time seemed to freeze. Some crashed against the walls or ceiling. Loose weapons and bags fell forgotten from hands as the men and women desperately grasped for anything solid to hold on to.

The audio node in Teck's jaw suddenly started buzzing, projecting sound-waves directly into his ear-canal. "Warning." A cool woman's voice said, resounding from inside his head. "Atmosphere spinning to zero. Overriding manual control. Deploying helmet."

Another jolt tossed Teck into the air. The passengers in mid-flight changed direction and were tossed around again like rag-dolls again. One beefy looking bear slammed into the ceiling beside where Teck landed on his back, the man's arms and legs sprawled at unnatural angles. All the while, Teck's helmet slid over his head, sealing him in a pressurised environment.

The moment the final seal locked into place over his face, he heard a hiss as his suit pressurised and his internal HUD activated. Just then a bulldog landed on top of the wolf, gagging for air as blood started flowing from his nose and ears. The explosive decompression was ripping apart his ear-drums, and in zero pressure, the liquid in his body was starting to boil instantly. Tangled into each other's' arms, they felt the burning shuttle roll and gravity shifted. They tumbled through a mass of limp, battered and convulsing bodies and slammed to a halt near the rear.

Another explosion. This one was violent. Fire filled the passenger bay. Smoke choked what little air was left. Atmosphere was instantly vented into space as the whole shuttle was cleaved in two by a massive, high velocity slug. What looked like a tungsten round tore through the mid-section, causing both halves of the mule-class to spin off into the inky void of space. Liquid fuel spurted in globules out into nothingness, freezing almost instantly. Sparks, balls of slowly extinguishing fire and chunks of debris scattered outward, glistening like fireflies in the silent darkness.

Everything fell apart around them, and over twenty bodies were flung out into space. Teck tumbled and rolled, everything numb. Something had thwacked him in the head, causing a painful ringing in his ears, and his vision to go double. Stars and debris spiralled around him as he fell through the void. He caught glimpses of passengers flailing and rolling through space. Some didn't move, blood flowing out in all directions as frost crusted their fur and blood burst from their cracked skin. Others were still twitching, trying to plug their empty eye-sockets as they span away into death.

Teck twisted, desperately jabbing at the controls on his wrist. Nothing was responding. The old-fashioned push-buttons were dead. He jabbed at his chest-node. His holo-interface wouldn't activate. He noted the flashing red '>error' and '>warning' messages on his helmet's HUD. His RIG was in diagnostic mode, slowly rebooting system by system.

It wasn't fast enough.

Teck whirled around and careened face first at a massive object. All he could see was rusty coloured steel plating surrounding what looked like a circular air-lock, a corrugated metal ramp somewhere 'above' his head. Teck didn't even have time to realise he was flying face first at Hope. He was so close, he didn't even have time to think of a way of slowing himself down.

The wolf slammed face-first into the tarnished steel of the air-lock. The last thing he heard was a dull 'thunk' reverberating through his helmet, followed by darkness...

---****************************************************---

> Hope Medical Wing / 11-03-2553

A dull tone rang in his head, beeping every so often in time with a painful throb in his head. His skull felt like it had been split open with a hatchet, then smashed together again with a pair of sledge-hammers. His gut was knotted and he felt like he might vomit was it not for the lack of contents in his stomach. The fact he was tasting pennies didn't help the slightest.

Forcing his heavy eyelids open, Teck groaned and flexed his neck while he glanced around. A joint at the back of his skull popped lightly and he felt an awkward crick soothe itself.

He didn't need his eyes to tell him where he was. The sterile smell, scratchy clothes and the soft 'doot' of the heartbeat monitor told him he was in the medical wing. He did however need his eyes to realise Keighley was sitting by his side.

The fennec hybrid was sitting on a chair, her arms forming a pillow under her head which was rested on the edge of his bed. Somewhere beside Keighley some holo-panels displayed the wolf's vital signs, blood saturation, pressure, etcetera. Keighley was dressed like she was off-duty. She wore a black leather minni-skirt with shining studs around the buckle and a black vest that looked more like a lingerie corset than a legitimate top, revealing her cleavage, bare shoulders and the dark purple cat-collar around her neck. Her boots were high-heeled and buckled along the shins, up to her knees. She was wearing dark mascara and there was evidence of black tear-stains in the fur on her cheeks. Her short hair brushed back and pinned behind her studded, broad ears. The last bit of jewellery she wore was a simple silver ring on her left ring-finger.

As Teck sat up against an obscenely high pile of pillows, Keighley gently stirred. She gently lifted her head and blinked, revealing her bloodshot eyes. She looked like she hadn't gotten any sleep.

"Hi." Teck whispered hoarsely.

Realising he was awake and safe, Keighley let a smile tear her mouth. "Hi." She whispered back in a cheerful, but tired tone. "How d'you feel?"

Teck rubbed the side of his face, considering his headache. "Like the morning after shore-leave." He chuckled.

Keighley shared the laugh as she straightened up and resisted the urge to rub her eyes. She opened her mouth so say something, but someone's voice cut through the air.

"You're up!" the familiar voice made Teck cringe. It was Ashley Brooke. The chief medical officer walked closer, her heels patting gently on the floor as she moved with a certain sway. Passing the other beds lining the recovery wing, she stepped up beside Teck, standing opposite Keighley and checked the holo-readouts. "You took quite a fall, hun." The gecko said sweetly. "You were the only survivor."

Teck's heart sank. No doubt Lieutenant Temple wouldn't be happy about that. What was the last thing that happened? The ADS wasn't it? They had been targeted by the asteroid defence system... no, that was impossible. If the ADS friend or foe tracker was down, the cannons would shut down and go into maintenance mode. It would be impossible for them to fire on an incoming object. Unless...

"There was no evidence of concussion. You should be ready to go in a few hours. I'm just waiting for the x-rays to come back so we can ensure there are no skull fractures." Ashley finished. "Okay, sweetie?"

Teck frowned at her sweet tone. "Sure." He mumbled.

"Take care, hunny." She added with a wink, patting Teck on the chest. She then quickly glanced over Keighley and gave a confident smile, as if to say: 'That's the competition?'

As she left with a seductive wag of her hips, Teck visibly shivered. Shaking it off, he looked sideways to Keighley. She didn't seem to be paying attention. She was looking the other way... almost sadly.

"What's wrong?" Teck asked gently reaching out and placing his hand over hers where it rested on the edge of his recovery bed.

Keighley looked in the wolf's hazel eyes, then shut hers and vigorously shook her head. "I'm so sorry, Teck. I shouldn't have left you out there on your own. If I'd been there I coulda... I coulda..." she was on the edge of tears and didn't know what to say.

"Could have done what?" Teck reasoned. "Even if you were there with me, there was nothing you could have done."

"I could have killed power to the ADS!" Keighley jumped to her feet almost screaming now. "I could have caught you before you slammed face-first into that airlock! I shoulda been there for you, but I wasn't! You're always there for me, but when you needed me most I... I wasn't there!" she sighed, covering her tear filled eyes with one hand. "I let you down."

"No you didn't." Teck said firmly. "I already told you, there was nothing you could have done. Even if you believe otherwise, that's the way it is, and you can't change the way it is."

Keighley sniffed. They didn't say anything for a long while. The silence was only broken by the dull beep of the heart-beat monitor and a distant announcement on the intercom.

Teck's monitor double beeped, indicating a skip in his heartbeat. It was the kind of beat that would have been induced by a fright, or perhaps a moment of vertigo.

"Yes." Teck said simply.

Keighley sniffed again, and lowered her hand slowly. She looked up at him, fresh black stains on the fur on her cheeks as she eyed him curiously. "What?"

Another double beat as he opened his mouth, summing up the courage to repeat himself. This was probably the scariest thing he'd ever done... but he was going to do it. "Yes, I wanna hook up... I want to be your boyfriend, Keighley."

The fennec hybrid stared at him for a long while. Then, without a slightest premise to her action, she darted forward and jumped on top of the wolf. One hand grabbed a handful of his shirt as she straddled his waist, keeping him pinned to the bed. With her other hand she pointed her index finger in his face as a warning, leaning close enough to feel his hot breath on her nose. The sensation sent a pleasurable tingle down her spine to somewhere between her legs. Every ounce of her wanted to rip off her clothes and take him now... but she had to be absolutely sure.

"Don't bullshit me, boss." She said sternly, still snivelling a little. "Be straight with me. This is what you want?"

Teck smiled. "Keighley, I've been lost for a long time, caught between girls who want to be with me, and girls who want to be seen with me. I'm sick of it. I can't even have any female friends, that's how bad it is. Like I said, I'm a relationship repulsion unit. But with us... we've been friends for four months now. You like me and... I really like you, Keighley. I always have. But I was afraid if I said it, our friendship would be ruined."

Keighley took it in, then grabbed two handfuls of his shirt, pulling him a little closer to her. Her breaths were short and her heart was beating in time with the rapid beeps emanating from Teck's monitor. "Say it again... I need to hear the words, Teck."

"I want to be your boyfrie-" Teck's last words were muffled.

Keighley darted forward and pressed her lips against him. Her tongue slipped in past his teeth and slipped along the surface of his. He drew a sharp breath of surprise, looking at her closed eyes... then slowly shut his own eyes, lost in the moment.

They kissed deeply... it was shared... and for the first time in a very long time, the kiss felt like a joy to Teck, not a chore.

---****************************************************---

> Hope Recreational Wing / 12-03-2553

"Yes mom." Keighley sighed, rubbing a towel over her hair. She was mostly dry already, and completely naked as she crossed the women's locker room. The only thing she was wearing was her silver ring. "No not yet. I just finished up at the gym. I'm just getting out of the showers... yes, the women's showers are private." She added with a chuckle to the communicator hanging from her ear.

She was linked with the station's public sub-space communicator that allowed her to contact people across the galaxy with just a push of a button. Her mother was the only family Keighley had left, and they were separated my millions of light-years. But that didn't mean they never got to talk.

Keighley had just finished her daily workout and was towelling off after a shower. The locker room was empty as far as she could see, so she had a bit of privacy. Sitting down on the bench in front of her locker, she put the fluffy towel down, reached out and pulled her locker open. The entire unit pulled out and she looked over the shelves inside lined with her clothes and bag.

"Yes, I'm taking care of myself." Keighley said. "And yes, I'm... err... healthy..." she chuckled. "God, you must be the only mom who asks her daughter that." She heard her mother share a laugh before she furthered her questions. Keighley had no choice but answer. "Well, funny you should mention it." One finger started playing with the ends of her hair, swirling and gently curling a few stray strands. "I met someone... well, actually, I met him after I arrived... no, we met at work. We work together... of course that's allowed. We're civilians... he's nice. Cute too. He looks out for others, and... well, we've been friends since I started. He took care of me when I first arrived... no, we haven't gotten that far yet. We decided to take it a little slow." She heard her mother giggle on the other end of the line before everything went crackly. "Uh-oh. Sounds like the relay is being overloaded again. I'll call you a little earlier tomorrow, okay? Bye mom... I love you too."

They both hung up and Keighley sighed, putting the communicator down on her towel.

Teck and Keighley had agreed to take it slow. But for Keighley especially, which was odd, it was particularly difficult. She was coming up on that time of the month. Not the 'grouchy-don't-talk-to-me' time of the month. The four day period that came some time after that. Four days of pure, hot, uncontrollable hell. A period of time known as heat.

Sighing, she could already feel her body heat up. A hot shower and the mentioning of her having sex with Teck wasn't helping. Her hormones were raging... and her body seemed to move on its own. One hand was stroking up along her body. Her other hand had been resting on her knee...

It was now gliding up along her inner thigh. Higher, and higher. Her left hand rubbed over her hard, erect nipples, sending a tingle of pleasure across her bust. It sent a ricochet through her body and caused a longing ache to form just below her stomach.

Her nether-lips parted with the lightest touch, peeling aside to expose the hot, pink flesh inside to the comparatively cool air outside. A smile formed on her lips and a tremble ran up her spine as her fingers touched the slick, wet folds of her pussy. Slowly her index finger felt around, swirling over the wet flesh, gently massaging a particular nub just above the opening sending a wave of pleasure rippling outward. Her mouth fell open as she let out a soft: "Ah!"

As her hips bucked forward, she slid her finger down and found what she needed. With a sigh, she felt her inner walls part, and just the narrow tip of her finger enter the tight passage. Soothing waves of enjoyment took over her body as she played with her entrance. Her legs were weak. She was taking short, rapid breaths. Only her chest heaved, and her finger pumped smoothly in and out. Her hips bucked ever so slightly to meet each light thrust...

Then someone suddenly entered the locker room. It was an older woman, a lithe gecko her early thirties, but she maintained a very attractive, limber physique. Her scales were emerald green, and she had short black hair down to her shoulders. She was clad in a t-shirt that exposed her shoulders and narrow mid-riff, her sweat-pants hugging her long slender legs. She carried a backpack over one shoulder and a towel in one hand.

Keighley squeaked and straightened up, pulling her own towel up, covering her chest at the sight of the gecko. The reptilian woman cocked her head at the sight, the smiled as she suddenly understood, hearing Keighley's soft, unsatisfied moan following the slick sound of her fingers leaving her wet snatch.

"I-I'm sor-rry." Keighley stammered with a tremble, fighting to keep her hormones under control. She had only taken a small taste, and her body longed for more. "I t-thought I w-was a-a-alone." She took a shuddering breath, looking away as the top of her muzzle turned pink, glowing through the parted fur.

Putting down her backpack and towel, the gecko laughed, shaking her head. "No, don't be sorry." She said in a kind tone. "I shouldn't have snuck up on you... oh, you're blushing. Don't be embarrassed. You're not the only girl on this station that has needs, y'know." She added with a girlish giggle, which seemed funny for a woman her age.

As Keighley gulped and nodded, feeling the heat in her cheeks dissipate as she realised this woman wasn't going to think less of her for what she'd been doing in a public place, the fennec hybrid quickly looked away.

"Say," the gecko suddenly said. "Aren't you Teck's friend? I think I saw you in the infirmary with him. Small world! Well, station." As Keighley looked up, she saw the woman move closer, holding out a hand. "I'm Ashley. Ashley Brooke."

Keighley eyed her hand as Ashley Brooke sat down beside her. "Ah, you're the doc. I'm Keighley. Teck's girlfriend." She said softly as she awkwardly shook Ashley's hand with the one that had been half-buried in her snatch only a few moments ago. Ashley didn't seem to realise... or she didn't mind.

"Girlfriend?" Ashley nearly exclaimed with some excitement. "Oh, that's so cute!" it was impossible to tell if the gecko was being serious.

A little uncomfortable, Keighley slid a few centimetres away from the gecko. But Ashley slid closer. One of her hands rested on the towel half hiding Keighley's nakedness from view, the other touched the back of the fennec's bare waist.

"Are you alright, Keighley? You seem uncomfortable." the gecko who had been a complete stranger until only a few seconds ago was talking as if she'd known the fennec hybrid all her life.

"Well..." Keighley wasn't sure how to say it tactfully, so she just laid it down as it was. "To be honest, I'm naked, horny and I've got a hot stranger practically cuddling me." She smiled politely at the ground as she said it, before angling her eyes up to the gecko. "I can't help feel a mite uncomfortable."

Ashley just smiled back. "Well, then. Maybe you shouldn't consider me a stranger then." She said in a soft whisper. Her eyes half closed as she slid closer to Keighley, pressing her firm breasts against the fennec's arm. Keighley could feel the texture of her bra through the thin cloth of her t-shirt, and quickly closed her eyes with disbelief.

This wasn't happening... was it?

"Uh... I... err... uh..." Keighley stammered, trying to slide away, but she froze. She wasn't being held down... she just chose not to move. Her hormones were raging again, and it got worse when she felt a hand slip under the towel and run through the fur inside her thigh. Without thinking, she slowly parted her legs, taking slow, deep breaths. She felt Ashley's other hand slide up along her back, gently massaging her soft fur. Keighley's body was on automatic as she rocked her head sideways, silently aching for more.

"Shhhhh." Ashley cooed, bringing Keighley's stammers to an end. They were quickly replaced with a sweet murr as Ashley's hand made its way up her inner thigh and touched something wet. "I'm a doctor. Just relax and let me take care of you."

"Oh, God..." Keighley whispered, feeling two fingers gently part her soft lips.

Ashley didn't waste a second, pressing her middle finger tenderly on a particular spot. She rubbed downward, the dry-ness of her finger causing enough friction to cause Keighley to twitch and shift uncomfortably. Soon Ashley's finger reached her opening, and Keighley felt a single digit play with the folds of her vagina. Taking a long breath, she tried to force her heart to slow down...

But as she opened her mouth to sigh deeply, Ashley plunged her middle finger into her tight hole, causing the fennec girl to moan out loud. Slick, wet and soft walls hugged the single digit as she continued to probe deeper, and deeper in one elegant move. Keighley quickly clapped one hand over her mouth, eyes shut tight as she attempted to muffle her moans in her hand.

And suddenly Ashley felt resistance. A tight wall blocking her passage about halfway into Keighley's vagina. The gecko's eyes widened for a moment and she looked down at her middle-finger half delved into the fennec's trove. Her eyes then flitted to the girl's hand, and she noted the ring on her finger.

"Oh, my." Ashley suddenly said sweetly. "You're a very bad girl, aren't you?" she gave an evil smirk. "Wearing a purity ring, but pleasing yourself like this? You're very naughty, aren't you?"

"I... ah, I'm wait-waiting for the r-right... uh... aaaah, God... the right maaaaaahnngggh..." Keighley managed to force out. Every time she tried to speak, Ashley would teasingly wiggle her finger, or give the fennec girl in her arms a quick thrust. In response, Keighley moved her hand from her mouth and clamped it around Ashley's neck, pressing her back tight against the gecko's front.

Ashley giggled. "Of course you are." She whispered, her finger slipping out of the girl's wet tunnel.

As her finger left the girl, she slid up a bit and touched the nub just above her opening again. This time her finger was slick with the fennec's juices. Keighley couldn't control herself anymore as Ashley's wet finger started pressing and playing with her clitoris. Pleasure exploded inside her, sending burning shrapnel through every nerve of her body, setting her blood on fire and wiping every through from her mind.

All Keighley focused on was the pleasure. The burning passion that raged and swirled like an inferno swallowing up everything in its path. Her hips bucked against Ashley's finger, harder and hard each time as her whole body twitched.

"I... I'm cu... cumming." Keighley breathed. "Oh, I-I'm cumming so... ah, so hard... I... AAAAAHH!"

She couldn't hold it in anymore and nearly screamed. If she had been biting her lip she would have bit right through. As she cried out, she gritted her teeth, groaning loud enough for her voice to echo throughout the locker room. Her body convulsed and twitched involuntarily as Ashley stopped wriggling her finger. Instead, she slid it down and penetrated the fennec hybrid again.

That was what made her orgasm worse. Normally when she came while pleasing herself, Keighley could hold it in. But thanks to Ashley, she couldn't help but explode. She went rigid as she felt the finger slide into her opening again.

Every muscle in her body locked up. All that was working was her pussy as it squeezed on Ashley's finger, as if trying to milk it. Keighley came, her fluids flowing as free as a river, coating the gecko's fingers.

For as long as the afterglow lasted, Keighley couldn't move. She was frozen in place, her eyes shut as the fire slowly burned out, like a flickering candle very slowly dying.

"Oh, God." Keighley finally whispered, slowly sitting up, still twitching. She trembled and hummed as she felt Ashley's fingers slide out of her. She felt empty, almost cold as the gecko's touch left her. Relieved and satisfied, Keighley opened her eyes and stared at the reptilian woman a little slack jawed. "That... that was..."

She wasn't sure what to say. It had come out of nowhere. That was as spontaneous as a sane situation could get. Not as if that was a bad thing.

"I know." Ashley grinned as she stood up.

"W-wait." As Keighley's head stopped spinning, one question bobbed to the surface of her mind. She had intended to ask earlier, but sexual unwinding had gotten in the way. "How do you know Teck exactly?"

Ashley smiled sweetly as she licked the fennec's juices from her fingers. "Oh, we're pretty close." That was all she said. She didn't even get changed and head into the gym. Smiling, she picked up her bag and left the way she had come, disappearing as the door swished shut.

Alone again Keighley doubled over, one hand touching the cum-drenched fur between her legs. She sighed deeply. She still felt hot and bothered, even after the kind 'servicing' the doctor had given her. She hated to admit it, but she wanted more... but not just to relieve herself. She wanted one person in particular. She had agreed with Teck that they were going to take it slow... but if Teck were to walk in those locker-room doors she swore she wouldn't be able to prevent herself from jumping on him and fucking his brains out.

"I think I need another shower." She murmured softly to herself.

Maybe a cold one this time.

---****************************************************---

> Hope Residential District / 12-03-2553

The residential district was the biggest area on the station. A massive structure in the centre of Hope, most of the standard housing was on the first four levels. Standard apartments were down on 'ground' level, by the streets and what-not. The higher class stuff for those who could afford it were higher up, in the towering apartment buildings stretching up and out, surrounded by silent space with views over the cosmic dust that glowed like morning waves lapping the shore all around Hope.

It was where Ashley was spending a lot of time this evening. The doctor was in plain clothes. And she was pacing.

Up and down the hall, every time she passed her eyes nervously flitted upward to look at the closed door of apartment number 117. That was his apartment. The object of his desire. She was inside. That harlot. The one from the infirmary. Ashley's visit to her in the locker rooms was recon. She had to be sure.

Girlfriend? The thought of them together made Ashley's heart burn. It made her grip tighten on the handle of the scalpel in her right hand.

She wouldn't let Keighley have Teck. Not now. Not ever!

Soon Ashley started muttering random profanities and curses in Keighley's name under her breath. The more she went on, the more she thought of what those two might be doing in Teck's apartment the more she got worked up. It came to a point where every time she quietly moved past door 117, she would make a slashing motion with her scalpel.

"Bitch!" she breathed. "Whore! Fucking whore!"

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" a voice suddenly cut through the hall.

Ashley whirled around and nearly stood nose to nose with a figure a little broader than she was. Lieutenant Victoria Temple wasn't alone. She was accompanied by two fully armoured up riot officers donning S-Sec insignias and wielding matte black batons. The lieutenant had come prepared to deal with a dangerous perp.

Ashley was stunned. How? How could she have known...

"Mister Eckleson reported you wandering outside his apartment holding a knife about twenty minutes ago." Victoria said with a light smirk, folding her arms across her chest. We were wondering if you'd actually do something. It would add weight to the conviction I've got brewing, but I figured after all this time you'd just pussy out."

Ashley just stared, her right fist trembling with the scalpel in her grip.

"You know, of all the people to suffer from space dementia," Victoria continued to say, moving closer. "I didn't expect you, doctor. But, I suppose it happens to everyone. I figure Doctor Blair attempting to report you was just the final push that sent you over the edge. You probably didn't even know what you were doing when you killed him."

"No, shut up!" Ashley suddenly shouted. "I loved Fergal. He loved me! I would never..."

"The same way you would never rig the ADS to take out that SCU unit so we wouldn't catch you?" Victoria interrupted. "I had Mister Eckleson check the ADS logs. You were the last to log into those systems before the... eh... incident."

"Bullshit, you can't prove anything!" Ashley suddenly moved forward holding up the knife.

"The way you're going, I'm needing less and less proof." Victoria casually pointed at the scalpel. "Put it down, Ashley. It's over."

"No! It's not over. He loves me!" Ashley darted closer.

Victoria didn't hesitate for a second. Lieutenant Temple wasn't the kind of person who gave someone suspected of murder and conspiracy to commit murder the benefit of the doubt. All the time her eyes had remained on the knife.

The scalpel flashed closer in a streak of silver. Victoria deflected it to her side with one arm, her other hand scything closer at the same time. An open handed strike slammed into the side of Ashley's head and a boot swung around, kicking her legs out from under her. In seconds the knife was taken from her and the two riot cops were on top of the gecko, securing restraints around her wrists.

As the two other S-Sec cops dragged Ashley away, door 117 slid open. Light from the inside spilled into the dim hallway, and Victoria turned her head to see Teck. The wolf was leaning against the door frame, his expression a little grave and his hands stuffed into his jean-pockets.

"Okay?" Teck asked a little concerned.

"Attacking an S-Sec officer will put her away for good." Victoria assured. "Don't worry."

"I'm not worried." Teck suddenly defended, raising his eyebrows.

"You had a dementia ridden psychopath stalking outside your door with a knife." Victoria chuckled. "You should be worried, pretty-boy."

There was a short pause before the wolf sighed and shrugged. "Thanks, Vic."

Victoria Temple just nodded and walked away. No words as they parted ways again. Some things didn't change.

A figure walked up behind Teck. The slender girl wrapped her slim arms over his shoulders and embraced the wolf from behind. Keighley was only wearing a white shirt, the top few buttons hanging loose and the bottom hem of the shirt just about covering her hips. Smiling, Teck turned on the spot and faced her, their noses separated by an inch of hot air blown between them.

"Are you okay, honey?" Keighley asked with an unknowing smile. She didn't know what was going on. She was probably better off not knowing.

"Yeah." Teck nodded. "I'm better than okay." Slowly edging back into his apartment, he sealed the door, enclosing them in privacy.

Some things didn't change... but other things did. Usually for the better.