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For Reference:

Kyree (key ree): anthromorphic wolf-like race

Kenseng (ken sang): anthromorphic tiger-like race

Arastos (a rest tos): alien starship http://www.sofurry.com/page/248059

Arastos Crew:

Kanolos (ka no loss): male kyree, starship helmsman, mated to Riyla

Riyla (ri la): female kyree, starship captain, mated to Kanolos

Shyla (shy la): female kenseng, starship tactical officer/cook, mated to Yanashi

Yanashi (yana she): female kyree, starship tactical officer/physician, mated to Shyla

Eriras (ear rass): female kenseng, starship engineer, mated to Taylo

Taylo (tay low): male kenseng, starship engineer, mated to Eriras

Lumina (loo men na): holographic female kyree construct, starship supporting A.I.

Keith (key th): male human, human ambassador

Territory Map Diagram: http://www.sofurry.com/page/222716/

Sharpening the Sword

Written By: Spudz

Patience... the sole defining virtue of the sniper. Without this essential quality, a man could not hope to become part of such a revered community of professional marksmen.

The sniper was the scout ahead of the main force, sometimes dangerously concealed behind enemy lines... the lone gun whose only purpose was to furtively pick off adversaries from afar, instilling terror in the hearts of his victims. Consequently, the art of sniping in combat was as much a psychological assault as physical. What better way to disorganize and confuse your opponent than to keep their heads down with precise deadly fire?

However, such a profession bore incredible risk. Rarely was a sniper taken prisoner in the course of war, since they were typically the single man responsible for the death of a commanding officer, or a friend... to be caught almost always signified an end to a marksman's life.

Still there was no shortage of brave men, and in some cases women, volunteering to perform such demanding roles in the various armed forces across the globe. Together this small international group of elite soldiers comprised a formidable fighting force, capable of striking with precise, lethal effectiveness to harass and annoy an enemy. Now, with almost all major human military elements either captured or destroyed by the Domain, the job fell to the humble sniper to take up the resistance for humanity.

Major Derek Thomas was no exception to the outstanding qualities of the marksman profession. Standing at six foot three with a rather muscular build, chiseled face, and jet black hair shaved down to a crew cut, he was a man of quite an intimidating stature. Contrary to his appearance however, Derek was an easygoing guy who could make friends with anyone. When he wasn't assuming his role as a soldier, he usually was found with friends hoisting a beer in the local pub, typically while recounting quite a colorful tale of past exploits that never failed to elicit a good laugh from his audience.

Now, however, the easygoing demeanor of Major Thomas was gone, instead replaced by the stone cold intensity of a professional soldier. He had a job to do, and there certainly was no mercy or compassion spared for the sniper's adversary before him.

Derek had the honor to be part of the Special Air Service, more commonly known as the SAS. There was great respect amongst the various branches of the British armed forces, as well as many international Special Forces units, toward the esteemed professionalism of the regiment. In order to become a sniper within the SAS, a soldier first had to go through hell and back... just to make the initial cut in training. Subsequently, transferring to an active squadron upon completion of said training was an accomplishment unparalleled in significance within the armed service. There was arguably no greater accomplishment a British soldier could attain.

Major Thomas had himself gone through the hellish labyrinth of SAS training, graduating roughly two years ago. Now, with humanity finding itself thrust unexpectedly into a horrendous war, its adversary swooping down from the heavens mercilessly in a surprise attack of unprecedented ferocity, the responsibility of fighting back against the Domain fell squarely on his shoulders.

The SAS sniper currently found himself holed up within a guest room of a modest hotel, his attention focused intensely through the scope of his L96A1 PM Sniper Rifle. The balcony of the seventh story hotel room afforded both Derek, and his spotter Lt. Walter Cummings, a perfect view of the local airport field nearby. With the blinds of the balcony sliding glass door drawn almost completely shut, the door itself partially open, the intimidating profile of the rifle's muzzle was hard to see from an outside perspective. The situation could not have been more perfect for a sniping team, as the target of interest was keenly unaware of their presence nearby.

Over the course of the past few days, Major Thomas and Lt. Cummings had labored to hook up with the local English Resistance movement that had rapidly formed in defiance of the alien offensive. There was really nothing else that they could do, since their SAS unit had been ordered into hiding upon realization the military was no match against their enemy in a punch for punch fight. The idea, as Derek reasoned, was to form a surreptitious fighting force, capable of inflicting careful and precise attacks against the alien forces before melting away into the shadows once again. As such, the SAS fit perfectly into this new combat role.

Wearing plain clothes, the SAS sniping team had rapidly identified and made contact with a local Resistance group. Quickly thereafter, Derek was directed to the hotel he now occupied, with a simple yet dangerous mission... impose the deadly proficiency of his rifle against any key targets he could locate.

London City Airport was a relatively small facility given its location. Built in 1986, the small airfield handled primarily commuter aircraft operations, since the airport only possessed a single moderately long runway. What was unique about the location was the fact that most of the facility was bordered by a body of water, in effect creating a position that was easily defendable as a supply staging point... at least as far as the drala were concerned.

Currently, the airport grounds hosted a wide assortment of alien personnel, as temporary tents littered the runway and tarmac surface. Heavy equipment was also found on site, with boxy infantry transport vehicles that hovered roughly two feet off the ground, as well as what appeared to be artillery pieces, tanks, ammo depots, dropships, and a host of other strange vehicles Derek couldn't identify. However, what really interested him were the officer tents, which were located adjacent to the airport terminal building.

Slowly, Derek moved the sight of his weapon over to the tents in question, soon finding what he was looking for. Amidst the cluster of shelters, a rather large one stood encircled by the rest. Within this particular enclosure was the target Major Thomas sought.

Over the past hour or so the morning fog had begun to burn off, slowly giving the SAS sniper team a better view of their target. Now it was a matter of patience, as they settled in for what was assumed would be a long wait... there was no sense rushing the shot when you only had one chance to succeed. So, while keeping his sight trained on the tent's exit, Major Thomas rehashed the plan in his mind.

The information he had on hand was sketchy at best, but nonetheless valuable. The English Resistance, which was primarily comprised of courageous civilians, had been able to establish communication links with other groups via courier routes. Through this rapidly growing communication network, Derek had come to know the general capabilities of his adversary, as well as how the enemy carried out combat maneuvers. For one thing, the aliens possessed technology able to hunt down a target by some form of extra sensory identification, most likely by thermal heat emission. Furthermore, their infantry wore a form of body armor that could easily deflect projectile weapon fire... although the infantryman's face was usually exposed under the helmet.

Most of this info had stemmed from observation via scouts all across the region, some actually being children. The whole idea reminded Major Thomas of the French Resistance during World War II. In war, information was as much a weapon as a bullet. Now it was up to him to effectively utilize what he had learned.

The plan was simple... eliminate the target of interest, and then create a diversion to slip away in the resulting confusion. Once he pulled the trigger, there was no going back. Thankfully, the sniper team was not the only human presence near the alien supply staging point, which would help with their escape.

After the initial attacks all across the country, the various elements of the Domain invasion force had suddenly come to a standstill, with most units establishing bases of operation all across the region, much like the one at the airport. To Derek's observation, the occupation of Earth had gone relatively well for his opponent, but now the aliens seemed to be waiting for something... although he had no idea what that might be.

There was one nagging thought that continued to occupy Derek. That being, how did a certain particular event across the pond in the United States factor into this whole mess?

The picture seen on the news of the alien meeting with the American President showed a clear depiction of his strikingly wolfish appearance. Conversely, the soldiers Major Thomas could see through his scope were nothing of the sort, instead appearing more reptilian in nature. That fact left a perplexing question. Were there two separate alien powers at work in this situation? If so, how did the first wolf-like race play into the equation? Obviously the latter of the two was hostile in that they had already decimated most of humanity's military defenders.

That fact notwithstanding, the Domain had ceased most hostile acts across the region, and probably across the globe, as they appeared to reorganize and figure out what came next. Since the drala had avoided destruction of most civilian infrastructure, a general onset of confusion suddenly took hold. Unsure of just what was happening across the planet, most civilians were left to their own devices to cope with the situation at hand.

With no government presence, and a formidable horde of alien weapons parked on the city's doorstep, London's populace had either elected to evacuate, or simply hunker down nervously. However, a small number of citizens chose to satisfy their curiosity. Thus, the area surrounding the airport was completely inundated with wary onlookers, most silently watching the aliens go about their business with varying expressions ranging from horror to outright astonishment. The circumstances as a whole were just simply surreal for the vast majority of observers, something right out of a science fiction story.

It was this throng of onlookers that would help Major Thomas and Lt. Cummings escape. Once he pulled the trigger, the sniper team needed to vacate the scene hastily. Having a crowd of fleeing humans accompany them only helped with that goal, since they could blend in. The notion was troubling, using civilians as a sort of moving shield. But it was the best option given the circumstances. In light of that, to mitigate the risk of human fatalities Derek planned to create quite a diversion to buy some time.

All that mattered now was the simple motto of the sniper: one shot, one kill. Major Thomas only needed to wait for his target to emerge from the temporary shelter, before all hell would break loose. Deliberately, he flexed his grip on the stock of the sniper rifle, while shifting his position slightly to ease stiff muscles. Since Lt. Cummings was currently looking through a wide angle telescopic scope, a typical spotter lens used to help direct a sniper on target, Derek could afford to narrow his focus down onto the single entrance of the tent.

Both sniper and spotter rested their scoped instruments atop a table, with the rifle bipod propping the weapon up so that Major Thomas could sit easily in a chair while still aiming down the sight. Given all of the previous firing positions he had shot from, this was by far the most comfortable.

Abruptly, movement caught Derek's attention through his scope, causing his attention to immediately snap back to the here and now... and sure enough, the target emerged out of his tent to greet the morning air.

Through the scope sight, Major Thomas could make out the mark clear as day. While this particular drala wore the same body armor as the general infantry, he was not sporting the typical bucket-like helmet, thus giving the human a good look at the alien's reptilian features. Furthermore, a bright red sash adorned his breastplate, with various smaller symbols displayed across the material... probably to convey rank or past accomplishments. Judging by how those around him seemed to shrink away from his presence, as well as how he walked with an air of authority, it was a safe bet this was the highest value target within the staging point.

"Target acquired," Major Thomas breathed softly.

In one fluid motion, he pulled the bolt action handle back to load a 7.62x51mm NATO round into the breach, before swiftly slapping the handle closed once again to ready the rifle. Meanwhile, Lt. Cummings panned his wide-angle scope onto the target of interest, and began carefully taking note of the atmospheric conditions. Now came the time when spotter and sniper had to work as one cohesive entity.

"Target acquired," Lt. Cummings echoed in response, his eye glued to the spotter scope readout. "Range... 780 meters. Humidity... 70 percent... temperature five degrees Celsius."

Derek mentally dialed the information into his mind, while systematically calculating how he needed to line his shot up. At 780 meters, the range was just within the effective threshold of the L96A1 rifle... but not undoable by any means. A soldier didn't become a sniper in the SAS without retaining extraordinary marksmanship prowess, and Major Thomas was no exception to that fact. At that moment, the target was engaged in conversation with another individual, probably concerning some sort of logistical topic as evidenced by the clipboard device passed between the two.

"...wind... calm... recommend no scope adjustment based on wind corrections." Lt. Cummings finished his brief report and again went silent, allowing his sniper to line up the shot.

The conditions could not be any more perfect. Now it was time to test their luck. So far the sniper team had remained undetected... at least as far as they could distinguish. There was no telling just how sophisticated the alien's technology was, or whether they stood any chance of making an escape once the shot was taken. However, the risk was just part of the occupation, and Major Thomas was more than willing to take his chances to enact a little personal revenge on part of humanity.

With expert precision, the scope's sight settled perfectly on the target, who by now was scrutinizing the clipboard device carefully. Slowly, Derek calmed his breathing, and loosened his body's muscles... all that mattered now was becoming one with his rifle. Carefully his thumb moved over to toggle the safety off, while his index finger gently caressed the trigger. The enemy had grown careless with their defenses, and Major Thomas was about to make them pay dearly for their mistake.

The bulky rifle held in his grip gradually became part of the sniper's body; seemingly melding with his figure to form a perfect harmony of man and weapon... every heartbeat could be felt... every breath composed and relaxed. He became the embodiment of tranquility.

"Fly fast, fly strong... fly true," Derek's mind commanded, his finger applying just a tad more pressure to the trigger.

Time slowly crept to a standstill... the world came to a stop all around Major Thomas...

1...2...3...

The calm morning air was shattered by the muffled report of the L96A1 rifle unleashing a single round from its muzzle, the normally loud shot stifled by the suppressor mounted to the barrel.

As the gun recoiled sharply against Derek's shoulder, the single 7.62 NATO slug swiftly traversed downrange toward the unsuspecting target. There was no sound beyond the echo of the sniper rifle's report.

Emotionlessly, Major Thomas watched through the scope while his shot reached out and hit the target squarely in the exposed face.

Initially, those around the base commander simply looked on in confusion as the mark's body crumpled lifelessly to the tarmac. Perhaps he had just tripped and lost his balance... or maybe he was still drunk from the night before. But, then everyone took notice of the blood...

Derek had absolutely no interest in viewing his handiwork. While the drala personnel around the now dispatched target suddenly realized what was occurring, the human sniper found himself working completely by instinct.

Expertly he yanked the bolt handle back to eject the spent ammo casing forcefully, while keeping his eye pinned to the scope as the rifle traversed onto the next target... time to make one hell of a diversion.

Abruptly Derek's sight was filled with a large stockpile of bulky cylindrical devices. Each stood a few feet tall at about the same height and dimensions as a standard barrel of crude oil. Drawing on various reports within the Resistance spy network, these devices were found to be some sort of power module for the heavy equipment used by the hostile alien forces. Essentially, the power cells were periodically changed out of vehicles, to be replaced with freshly charged units in much the same manner as one might change the batteries out of a toy.

It was also known that said power cells were quite fragile... and prone to explosions if improperly handled. That fact had been unexpectedly discovered when a scout observed an unlucky soldier drop one such module off a floating dolly, at another alien supply base further north. The resulting explosion was said to be akin to a 500 lb. bomb detonating... certainly a handy piece of intelligence.

Proficiently, Major Thomas zeroed his sight in on the rather large stockpile of energy cells stored on the tarmac of the airport. Simultaneously, the sniper worked the bolt handle to load a fresh round, before ramming it forward to secure the chamber for his second shot. These bastards had made no attempt to hide or shelter the stockpile from prying eyes. He would make sure to make them pay for that blunder dearly.

Roughly four seconds after taking his first shot, with chaos suddenly taking hold all across the Domain supply base, Derek had already picked out a module as his target, relaxed his body... lined up the shot... and fired.

There was a brief moment of utter stillness, while the second slug quickly traveled downrange. For the shooter, it was almost as if he had not fired the rifle at all.

Without warning, the power cell module suddenly disappeared behind a massive explosion plume, completely consuming the stockpile and causing Major Derek to instinctively back away from his scope. Just as the SAS sniper managed to gaze out with his eyes toward the distant airport, the initial blast of the one power cell was abruptly dwarfed by one of a much larger scale, completely enveloping the airport tarmac in a soundless inferno as the other modules ruptured all at once.

A hapless dropship hovering nearby quickly fell victim to the blast, the aircraft swiftly upended and tossed away from the explosion like a toy. As the SAS team watched in silence, the boxy transport impacted into a row of personnel tents, just as the rapidly expanding vapor cone of the explosive shockwave reached the hotel position in a one-two punch of deafening reports... causing both sniper and spotter to reel away from the opened sliding glass door of the balcony as a result of the auditory assault on their senses.

"Damn..." Derek breathed in surprise.

He had never imagined such a result from just a single bullet impact. For a fleeting moment, Major Thomas looked out to survey the damage, noting how a good portion of the tents and equipment positioned on the tarmac were destroyed, on fire, or simply overturned. No doubt, there was now a rather large crater where the explosion had originated, although he couldn't tell through all of the smoke and fire.

No more words needed to be spoken while the duo deftly packed up their equipment. In no time, Derek had his rifle broken down and stored neatly in a duffle bag, while Lt. Cummings secured his spotter scope inside a backpack. Both men were now armed with concealed 9mm pistols, although it was generally known that if they ran into opposition, the firearms would do little good.

Once ready, the pair quickly exited the hotel room and made for the emergency stairway, soon joined by a handful of civilians that had decided to vacate their seventh story vantage points. Suddenly none of the curious human onlookers wanted to be around... not when explosions were ripping through the immediate area.

Blending in with their plain clothing, both Major Thomas and Lt. Cummings exited the hotel to emerge into a throng of fleeing civilians. As he walked, duffle bag slung over a shoulder carefully, Derek looked back to the large plume of acrid smoke billowing up from the airport behind. Meanwhile, numerous secondary blasts continued to emanate from the tarmac, filling the SAS sniper with satisfaction as he turned and melted away into the crowd.

"Let them chew on that one for a while..."

******************************

Status reports, tactical analysis reports, fleet reports... there were just too many goddamned reports! Couldn't anyone around here actually make a decision without having to ask him?!

Admiral Taeskea uttered a deep sigh of frustration, as he dismally read over a linguistic update just handed to him by an aide. Before that, a briefing on fleet maneuvering... and just prior to that a consultation with a regional general on logistical problems he was experiencing in his sector. The commanding drala just could not get a moment to himself.

Fretfully, Taeskea ran a hand across the scales of his face, his expression weary from the endless onslaught of information that continuously bombarded the admiral without mercy. There was no rest when you were in command of an entire planetary invasion.

He couldn't very well ignore all of the decisions brought to his feet, not when the success of this mission hinged directly on his every decision. For instance, the unanticipated problem Taeskea now considered was the simple, but no less critical, problem that almost no drala military personnel were capable of speaking any human languages. So unsurprisingly, complications arose concerning all of the political figureheads currently detained. There was no way to effectively control the various human governments across the planet when no one could communicate with their political leaders.

In response, he had petitioned the Domain Council leadership to have every known drala scholar capable of speaking any human dialectic pressed into military service as impromptu translators. There weren't all that many individuals that fit the bill. Nonetheless, a good number of interpreters had already been rounded up from every corner of the Domain Empire, with a few already positioned across Earth in key locations.

"Very well," Taeskea stated blearily to his aide, who continued to stand nearby with an unreadable expression. Slowly the elder drala lowered himself into his chair overseeing the command bridge, uttering a groan as he did so. "Continue coordinating with the inbound transports containing the translators. The Japanese occupation division is still without one. Have at least two dispatched to that human territory."

The nameless aide simply nodded his head slightly in acknowledge, before accepting the report pad back from his superior. However, much to Taeskea's disappointment, as the first assistant removed himself from the Admiral's presence; a new one quickly took his place.

In a show of irritation, Taeskea leaned back slightly in his chair while resting his head contemptuously on a hand. Instead of speaking, he simply shot the hapless drala before him a nasty look... almost daring him to speak. The gesture had the desired effect, causing the aide to shrink away from his presence noticeably.

"What do I need to look at now?" the Admiral spoke, his voice laced with exasperation. "What is it? Let me guess... some insignificant problem that a regional commander couldn't figure out himself... so he decides to waste my time instead?"

In reply, the nervous drala assistant opened and shut his mouth a few times in false starts before he could utter a word. "Sir... I have news concerning a troubling development." He paused to allow Taeskea to speak. However the admiral simply made a haphazard motion with his hand to continue. "There is some sort of sickness spreading throughout the fleet sir."

His words suddenly snapped Admiral Taeskea's attention back into the here and now like a whip. "Some sort of sickness?"

"Yes sir... there isn't much information I have at this moment. All I am aware of is that multiple cases of illness are popping up all across the fleet. At first it wasn't worth mentioning... but there are enough cases now to warrant attention."

The aide went silent in alarm as his superior literally bolted upright in his chair. "What are the symptoms?" Taeskea demanded fervently.

"Well... erm..." The aide quickly scanned over the datapad he held in hand. "Common illness symptoms... fever, sore throat, headache... your everyday cold."

Taeskea mulled over the assistant's words carefully. Since the start of the planetary invasion, the admiral had tried desperately to plan for every problem, every contingency that could be thrown against his forces. From the human military, to supply logistical problems... Federation counterattacks, political troubles, hierarchical command issues... Taeskea faced difficulties on all fronts of his campaign. Yet, there was a wholly different enemy that he had not initially considered, one that possessed the capacity to completely dismantle this entire operation.

He had been completely floored to learn that absolutely no research had been done concerning known human viruses and bacterial agents; something the admiral had automatically assumed was performed prior to this ill-fated invasion. Just how could the higher-ups overlook such a fundamental element of interplanetary interaction?

While dissimilar biological physiologies normally hindered the spread of infectious agents between intelligent species within the stellar community, there were still instances where such an event occurred, normally with disastrous results on a planetary scale. The risk of said catastrophe transpiring was relatively small, but nowhere near trivial enough to ignore... not by a long shot.

Admiral Taeskea wanted to punch the blithering idiots that were his superiors squarely in the face when he learned of the oversight. Supposedly time had not allowed this crucial research to be performed... or so the Domain Council had stated matter-of-factly. The underlying reason notwithstanding, it was truly a mistake of the grandest scale. Now, with millions of soldiers in play all across the globe of this alien planet, there was no telling what pathogens could be spread, whether deadly or not.

The prospect of a debilitating human illness dispersing rampantly across the fleet was a notion that turned Taeskea's stomach. Not only was that a troubling concern, if the humans possessed biological weapons, a real possibility that absolutely horrified him, then there was no telling how many could possibly die at the hands of such an engineered pathogen.

Taeskea could track the human nuclear armaments with relative ease, although not all of them. It was rightfully assumed that some of the smaller weapons would escape his notice. In that regard there was not much damage a nuclear device could do against the Domain armada. However, a biological weapon was far more difficult to defend against on a global scale. Add to that, a general lack of bio protection on part of the common drala infantryman, and you had one hell of a dangerous situation.

And now Taeskea was receiving a report, although decidedly vague, concerning a possible outbreak of a human borne illness of which its deadly potential was unknown. His mind practically screamed at him that this was definitely something of the gravest significance, which needed to be addressed right away. Thankfully he had already ordered a halt to all offensive operations across the planet, so that supply lines and logistical infrastructure could be built up.

"Everything stops!" Admiral spoke with authority, making the aide jump in surprise. "Order all forces to stand fast at current positions." He fixed his assistant with a pointed look. "I want you to establish a team and quickly backtrack where this illness originated from. I have to know right away just what we're dealing with."

Taeskea's abrupt command momentarily confused the aide. However, after blinking several times the drala quickly snapped to attention. "Yes sir... I'll get on it right away." And with those words, the assistant took his leave hastily, leaving the admiral to his thoughts.

With a labored sigh, Taeskea reclined back slightly in his chair, his mind racing with possible solutions to an uncontained outbreak. If this pathogen did indeed turn out to be a serious problem, then his first objective would be to quarantine all infected hosts who showed the first hint of symptoms. By keeping the sickness from spreading, the admiral could minimize fatalities and hopefully prevent an epidemic.

However, if the human virus managed to make it off planet to another Domain world, there was no telling how devastating the resulting pandemic would be. In order to prevent that, Taeskea needed to halt all transports and capital starships leaving the human solar system.

Unfortunately for him and the rest of the Domain territory, his actions would prove to be too little, too late.

******************************

Submarines were by definition cramped and isolated tin buckets that no ordinary man would ever step foot within... or at least that was what the rest of the Navy personnel always thought. Not many could muster up the fortitude to tough out a 90 day cruise isolated away from the rest of the world, submerged beneath the waves in an enclosed and confined vessel unlike any other. It was truly an occupation only a select few could undertake.

However, the Ohio class missile submarine was considered by many within the Silent Service to be a ship of rather spacious commodities. Compared to the smaller fast attack boats, the Ohio hosted compartments of a much roomier quality, helping to ease the feeling of claustrophobia that otherwise prevailed in submarine design. Still, the lack of sunlight always reminded a sailor that he was still trapped hundreds of feet underwater, protected only by several thin layers of steel.

Kanolos certainly didn't find the accommodations all that cramped... although the lack of windows unnerved him slightly. At the moment, the fox-furred kyree had just entered the con of the USS Maryland from the opened hatch above, his paws plopping down on the deck after letting go of the hatch ladder above him. While nowhere near as spacious and open as the decks of Arastos, the control room still boasted plenty of room for the human crew to perform their tasks without bumping into one another. Still, there wasn't all that much extra room given how many personnel occupied the space during ship maneuvers.

The kyree offered the Maryland personnel on the con a warm smile in greeting, which was returned in kind. Over the past couple days the relationship between Federation and human crews had grown substantially. Together the two had come together to function as a single cohesive team, which had accomplished enormous feats of engineering to prepare for the coming conflict. As such, all of the humans had grown comfortable working alongside their furry counterparts, allowing for mutual collaboration and friendly conversation. The aliens had turned out to be much like their human colleagues in that they were quite sociable individuals... who just happened to possess fur coats, tails, and the outward appearance of bipedal wolves and tigers.

Kanolos himself had to greatly admire the humans' tenacious work ethic to get the job done. The entire crew of the submarine all had stepped up to help ready their boat for war, showing a stunning knack for thinking innovatively that had surprised the kyree... especially when it came to troubleshooting problems. If not for humanity's technological disadvantage against the Domain, Kano reckoned the conflict thus far would have turned out completely different.

"Are you going to stand there blocking the hatch all day? Or... do I have to land on your goofy head to get you to move?"

The sudden voice from above jarred the fox-furred kyree out of his thoughts abruptly. Turning his gaze upward, Kano came to find a black furry canine tail hanging down from the hatch threshold, accompanied by two paws clad in working shoes resting on a rung of the ladder.

"Any time now..." Riyla's voice echoed down with feigned irritation from just out of Kano's viewpoint.

In reply, he simply reached up and lightly grasped his mate's wolfish tail, eliciting a yelp of surprise above him. Grinning, Kanolos then stepped to the side to allow the captain to make her way down onto the deck somewhat awkwardly.

The black kyree wore a mischievous smile, her muzzle parting enough to display Riyla's canine fangs wickedly. "Now... was that really necessary?"

"But of course. Since when have I ever passed up an opportunity to tease you?"

The captain simply shook her head in exasperation before stepping closer to her mate, her voice dropping down to a mere whisper so to not be overheard by the humans standing nearby. "When this is all over... I'm going to rock your world..." Riyla punctuated her statement by lightly slapping Kano on his butt, in turn making him yelp.

Kanolos blushed furiously under his fur, as his ears folded flat with embarrassment. He had not expected his mate to do that, certainly not while standing in front of a handful of humans. Riyla always knew how to mortify him dearly when she was feeling evil enough... although Kano couldn't help but feel a little turned on. When this was all over, he would definitely make sure to take her up on her offer. The fox-furred kyree's sudden roguish expression communicated that very idea to Riyla, who only grinned once more.

Thankfully, the crew of the Maryland's control room continued to go about their business, while appearing to be unaware of Riyla's little butt slap. However, that didn't mean they hadn't taken notice with a few raised eyebrows.

Each man of the Maryland had come to greatly respect the unique personalities of the Federation crew; from their witty humor and lighthearted dispositions, to their ability to befriend anyone aboard with a charming and sometimes mischievous demeanor.

There was actually a great deal of envy toward Kanolos specifically, for he, as a fellow male, had snagged one hell of an awesome mate as his significant other. Not many had such a pleasure, both human and kyree alike. On more than one occasion over the previous few days, a human eye had lingered for some time upon Riyla's strikingly feminine physique... not to stay that the other female crew members were not receiving the same envious scrutiny. They may have possessed fur, tails, and other animalistic qualities; but, that hardly hampered the aliens' attractiveness.

"I know you enjoy abusing your mate, Riyla," Taylo's voice emanated from the hatch above. "...but could you move out of the way so the rest of us can come down?"

Quickly the black-furred kyree moved aside to allow the four remaining members of her crew to make their way down the hatch ladder. Soon all six of the Federation contingent, minus Keith and Lumina who had elected to stay aboard Arastos, found themselves standing together within the control room of the missile submarine. As it turned out, they each had been invited aboard to partake in a meal hosted by Captain Rubin... and there was certainly no hesitation on the matter as each member anticipated enjoying the finer qualities of human submarine cuisine.

Contrary to popular belief, the food found aboard an American submarine was by no means your average canned variety. Actually, the exact opposite was true, with the US Navy considering submarine chow to be the military's finest dining experience. What better way to make up for a grueling 90 day patrol submerged beneath the ocean waves than to serve some of the best food tax-payer money could buy? Prime rib, lobster tail, freshly baked bread, baked potatoes, hand-crafted chocolate cake, and a wide range of other delicious cuisine selections... no expense was spared when it came to food aboard the Maryland. There really wasn't much else to look forward to as a submariner rather than meals, not when stuck within a hollow metal can day in and day out.

As the group of Federation crew stood patiently on the con with stomachs rumbling, a petty officer quickly phoned back to the captain's dining room to inform his skipper of their arrival. After a quick exchange of words, the sailor then replaced the communication horn and turned to regard Riyla.

"If you'll follow me ma'am, I will lead you to the dining room," the submariner spoke politely with a smile, while gesturing to a nearby opened hatch that led out of the compartment.

Riyla nodded her head graciously with a warm smile of her own. "I would greatly appreciate that. I've been told that your cooks will knock our socks off. We all look forward to lunch." Her golden eyes twinkled with mirth as the sailor grinned.

"Nothing better in all of the armed services... I can guarantee you that."

Quickly the group followed their guide through the compartment hatch threshold, emerging into a narrow hallway beyond. To the outside observer, the throng of human personnel moving to and fore along the corridor suddenly parted like the Red Sea, allowing the kyree and kenseng crew to pass through with relative ease. There were still a couple individuals that shied away from the aliens' presence. But for the most part, the Federation contingent was met with warm smiles and nods of greeting from their human counterparts.

After some initials twists and turns, Riyla and her colleagues came across a somewhat small compartment. Here, a large table dominated the space with chairs positioned all around the circumference, the table itself adorned with various plates, drinking glasses and silverware. From the captain's observation, there wasn't all that much room to maneuver around, since the table and chairs practically consumed the entire footprint of the space... so this was the officer's dining room. Given how much space the designers of the submarine had to work with, it was no less than a great luxury to have such a private dining room to begin with, cramped or not.

Abruptly, Riyla's attention was drawn to a man standing politely near the table. Possessing a generally unassuming appearance, he was quite an ordinary looking human. However, the black kyree knew better.

Captain Ian Rubin of the USS Maryland was a man of outstanding intellect, a skipper revered by his crew for his strategic originality and performance under pressure. Already his quick thinking through unconventional means had saved the ship from certain destruction at the hands of the Domain, through a tactic that unfortunately had required a bit of luck... but when faced with terrible odds, one took the victories he could get.

The human skipper regarded his kyree counterpart with keen perceptive eyes framed behind simple eyeglasses, as he smiled warmly upon his guests' arrival.

"Glad you all could finally make it," Ian spoke cordially. He made a broad gesture with his hand to the table between the two parties. "Sorry about the relatively cramped quarters... we don't really have much room to work with aboard unfortunately."

Captain Riyla came to stand behind a nearby chair with her hands resting atop the backrest. "For a submarine, this is actually quite roomy," the black kyree replied with a grin.

"Well, I hope y'all are hungry... had a couple days of working our butts off... might as well be Vikings and have a filling meal before venturing off to battle, eh?"

Ian motioned for the others to have a seat, while he himself took possession of a chair. One by one the Federation crew filed into the dining room with Riyla and Kanolos leading the way. Behind them were the two kenseng engineers Eriras and Taylo, followed by the kyree and kenseng mated pair of Yanashi and Shyla respectfully. After a few awkward moments of shuffling about, each individual managed to take their place at the table.

"I wasn't sure what to ask the cooks to prepare," Captain Rubin continued. He shrugged. "Figured it'd be best to just have a wide range of cuisine to choose from."

"I believe we're open to pretty much anything," Kanolos proclaimed, while rubbing his stomach for emphasis. "All I know is that I can't eat any seafood... makes me sicker than all hell."

That particular discovery had not been pleasant at all for the unfortunate kyree. Several weeks prior, he had tried a seafood dish while planetside. The resulting stomach illness had practically crippled him for a whole day, leaving Kano stricken in a hotel bathroom in absolute misery. There was just no describing the immense relief he had felt upon returning to Arastos for some much needed treatment from Yanashi after that ill-fated trip.

Ian's expression took on a sympathetic look. "Oh... food allergies are never fun. If it's any consolation I'm allergic to shellfish." The skipper leaned back in his seat slightly while adjusting his glasses. "I'm from Louisiana as it turns out, a state that prides itself on seafood cuisine... particularly crawfish. Never had em... but I hear they are quite delicious."

Kanolos made a sour face at that, his canine tongue poking out the side of the kyree's muzzle. "I've seen humans suck the meat right out of the shell when they eat those... that's... not the food for me." He shook his head to try ridding himself of the thought.

"You're turning a little green there Kano," Shyla spoke with mirth upon seeing the kyree's nauseated look. "Don't puke all over poor Ian's table."

Kano shot the kenseng an evil glare in response, while Riyla tenderly reached over to rub a hand across her mate's back in a gentle soothing motion.

"Well, you don't have to suck the head and pinch the tail here, pal," Ian chimed in with a grin. He motioned with a hand over his shoulder in the general direction of the galley. "I know canines have a particular taste for chicken, so I asked the cooks if they could prepare some chicken and sausage gumbo... figured a little Louisiana cooking might be a refreshing change."

Riyla tilted her head to the side in curiosity. "Gumbo?"

"Oh yes, it's quite a delicious stew with humble origins in Louisiana. Serve it over rice and you have yourself one hell of a good meal."

At that moment, several cooks materialized at the compartment doorway with various dishes held in hand, each filled with a generous portion of food that stunned the Federation crew. From Riyla's astonished observation, there appeared to be a large hand-tossed pepperoni pizza, Caesar salad, Buffalo wings, prime rib, steak, crab legs, lasagna, the before mentioned gumbo contained in a sizeable pot, freshly baked bread... and a handful of chocolate chip cookies to wrap up what was indeed one hell of a meal.

An awkward silence hung in the air while the cooks carefully moved to deposit their plates onto the center table, a task made difficult as each human cautiously worked around several furry tails poking out from behind the folding chairs occupied by the kyree and kenseng guests. After a few moments, the entire meal was placed before the Federation crew, who simply looked on flabbergasted.

Finally Taylo broke the quiet as his words echoed his peers. "This is all for us?!"

"You bet your fuzzy ass," one of the cooks replied, smirking while he again moved toward the doorway to join his counterparts. "We haven't been able to really offer a helping hand getting our boat back into fighting shape... so when the captain invited you over for a meal... well, we wanted to make it something special."

"Ah... well... thank you kindly for your generosity." Abruptly Taylo's stomach rumbled audibly, causing the engineer to blush under his fur. "My stomach thanks you too."

The rest of the Federation crew expressed their gratitude as well.

"It's absolutely no problem. Don't worry about eating everything here. Whatever is left over will be quickly devoured by the crew." With those words, the cooks quickly exited the dining compartment, leaving Captain Rubin with his guests.

Ian decided to lead things off as he reached for a slice of pizza. "Say... what happened to Keith and the President? I could've sworn I invited those two."

"Well, Keith wanted to stay aboard Arastos and help Lumina with a few tasks," Riyla responded. The black kyree swept her gaze across the table, before settling on a few Buffalo wings, which she deftly plucked onto her plate. "As for President Schrader and his Secret Service... he was quite exhausted after today's work. He wished to convey his thanks... but he decided to get a few hours of shuteye instead." The captain took a cautious bite of a wing drenched in sauce, resulting in her expression melting into pure bliss. "Oh... this is quite delicious!"

Seeing the kyree attack her food with fervor filled Ian with delight. No doubt, this meal far surpassed the replicated stuff they were forced to live with aboard Arastos. "That's too bad. They are both missing out on the Navy's finest food."

Quickly the others joined in, with everyone picking a different assortment of human cuisine to sample. There was certainly more than enough to go around, as the kyree and kenseng all enjoyed wonderful authentic food... their first real meal in several days that wasn't canned or eaten on the go.

"So... how're things going with all of the prep work?" Ian suddenly asked roughly a minute later, once everyone was engaged with their food. The skipper reached over and procured a nearby soft drink of Coca-Cola, before popping the can's tab with an audible hiss. "We have certainly made a lot of progress for sure."

Riyla paused in her unrelenting destruction of the remaining Buffalo wings. Her muzzle and hands were absolutely covered in wing sauce, providing quite the funny look given the captain's jet black fur. Realizing this, the kyree quickly parted her muzzle slightly to curl her tongue up across her muzzle fur... licking her chops in a typical canine fashion.

"Ah... erm... everything is going as planned so far," Riyla proclaimed sheepishly after cleaning her muzzle. "I don't see any problems hindering us wrapping up on time." She quickly reached over for a napkin to wipe her hands clean of sticky Buffalo sauce. "Kano and I have been coordinating with Admiral Ja'laski to build an attack strategy. The current plan will center specifically on the USS Maryland as it so happens."

This information caused Captain Rubin to raise an eyebrow. He had not known his ship was going to play a key part in the coming conflict. "Oh? Taylo and Eriras both informed me that the new weapon modifications to the missiles were designed as capital ship killers... but I won't be able to inflict all that much damage stuck beneath the waves down here, blindly lobbing missile skyward."

"Actually, the exact opposite is true. After dinner, come on over to Arastos and I'll show you what we've been cooking up."

Ian's mind raced as he tried to figure out what the kyree had up her sleeve. Yes, the new warheads for the SLBMs were far more potent than that of the MIRV nukes, but the skipper was under the impression that this new weapon only worked in close proximity to a target... which posed a problem as the enemy was spread out all across low Earth orbit in small tactical clusters.

"I'll certainly take you up on that offer, Captain Riyla," Ian proclaimed, while he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"The weapon change outs have been going fairly smoothly," Taylo chimed in from his seat. The kenseng had just finished off the last remnants of his steak, which he had thoroughly enjoyed. "Thanks to Eriras's quick thinking, we managed to design the new weapon bus faster than I had initially calculated." He lovingly wrapped an arm around his mate's shoulder next to him, causing her to purr softly with contentment. "Without her help, we probably wouldn't have figured out a way around the vibration issue we encountered with the SLBM launching phase."

The russet-furred kenseng turned his attention to Ian. "And your crew has been absolutely outstanding with all of their help Captain Rubin. They were always there to help with anything I needed... I couldn't have asked for better helping hands. We only have two more SLBMs to retrofit."

"I think they all know what's at stake here," Ian replied simply with a proud regard. "I trust these folks to the ends of the Earth and they haven't let me down yet... that's for sure." His expression suddenly became introspective. "...though admittedly, the whole "ends of the Earth" idea is a little more literal now than before."

"No kidding," Shyla spoke, joining in on the conversation. "Once this whole mess is over, you humans are going to have to reevaluate a lot of your idioms and sayings."

The kenseng grinned impishly while Ian mulled over her words. That was something he had never considered either. The notion was just one of countless humanity would have to come to grips with, whether the Federation managed to expel the invasion fleet from Earth, or the Domain prevailed and annexed the planet into its territory. All of that hinged on the coming conflict, which would prove a key turning point for either side depending on the outcome.

"We've also made significant progress with the repair job to the aft assembly," Shyla continued, electing to pluck a cookie from a nearby tray after having devoured a helping of prime rib. "All of the internal assembly damage to the stern diving planes and rudder controls are repaired. We've also finished installing a new control surface to the bottom rudder assembly... since our drala friends decided to blow the original clean off of your boat."

The crimson-furred kenseng eyed the chocolate chip cookie held in her hand for a moment, before Shyla's gaze fell back on Ian. "Just like Taylo said, your crew has indeed been a great help. Reproducing the propulsion screw proved to be the most difficult task, but we are poised to install the new prop right after this dinner as a matter of fact." She returned her attention to the cookie and took a sizeable bite, causing her feline facial features to crinkle with delight. As the ship's cook, Shyla had attempted baking the delicious treats herself with mixed results... she definitely had to get this recipe from the cooks.

"That's very good news indeed," Ian proclaimed with relief. Sitting down here on the ocean floor had been driving him absolutely mad. A submarine was designed to be invisible, able to silently sneak about beneath the ocean surface in order to strike surreptitiously at a given target. In that regard, having the Maryland stricken with her bow buried in the soot of the seafloor was definitely not the ideal circumstances given the deadly potency of his adversary.

The dinner proceeded on uneventfully, with the Federation crew and Ian exchanging casual conversation. There were stories shared and humorous accounts recalled, including the recollection by Riyla of Kano getting himself stuck in a vent, with his butt and tail sticking out of the access point helplessly. Her mate always hated when she told that story as he buried his face in a hand to hide his blush... there was just no saving face for him.

Ian couldn't help but laugh at the black kyree's recount of her mate's misery. While she talked, he had to reflect upon how similar these intrepid aliens were to that of his closest friends. They chatted and laughed just like any good companion, told good-natured jokes, and compelling accounts of past experiences. He hoped that if they made it out of this war alive, he could become close friends with this Federation crew.

Never mind the fact that Ian was part of certain subculture known as the furry community. While, the female kenseng and kyree were quite attractive in his eye... actually very much so, he had no notion of pursuing that interest whatsoever. Not when all six of them were already mated couples anyway. Still, what were the odds that another intelligent race, let alone two, would possess physical characteristics one and the same with the typical furry depiction? That thought always made the skipper shake his head in amazement every time he thought about the probabilities.

"Well... I'm glad y'all could enjoy a nice meal for a change," Captain Rubin spoke with a chuckle 20 minutes later, after everyone had stuffed bellies and sated appetites. Almost all of the food was gone, astonishing Ian. How could the six of them eat so much?!

"We'll have to thank your cooks again," Kano replied. The fox-furred kyree leaned back slightly in his chair with a groan, patting his stomach contentedly as he did so. "We didn't deserve such a good meal."

"Nonsense. This is our way of saying thanks for all of the help you have given us. It is the least we can do... so don't worry."

At that moment, Eriras decided to get back to business. "Since I'm already aboard, Captain Rubin, I was wondering if you'd like me to install a dampening countermeasure," the white kenseng spoke, while she reached down to the deck where a satchel rested, of which the engineer had brought aboard with her earlier.

Ian turned to regard Eriras inquisitively. "What would this dampener do, if you don't mind me asking?"

In reply, the female kenseng simply smiled as she pulled a device out of her bag and placed it on the dining table. To Captain Rubin's observation, the mechanism was roughly the size and shape of a small handheld toolbox. On the one vertical surface a small readout screen was positioned, along with a series of button toggles underneath. Aside from those features, the instrument was for all intents and purposes just a simple black box with a carrying handle attached to the top.

"This is a portable dampening field generator," Eriras began, motioning to the unassuming box now resting on the table. "It was designed as an emergency defensive countermeasure for use on the battlefield... namely for a group of friendlies stuck behind enemy lines." The kenseng engineer gestured to the small readout display and button interface. "The dampener was designed with simplicity in mind, so that the device can be deployed quickly. This display shows battery life, and the type and size of the dampening field being generated."

Ian eyed the mechanism with a scrupulous gaze, studying the controls and the alien dialectic written beneath carefully. "So are we talking thermal and electrical?" he asked tentatively, while standing up to move over toward the box.

"That and much more. Thermal, electrical, acoustical, gravitational, magnetic, radar... just to name a few." The female kenseng fixed Ian with a knowing look. "Your motto as a boomer skipper is to make like a hole in the ocean... well this little baby here will frankly... make your boat completely disappear."

Captain Rubin came to stand before the dampening mechanism, his expression guarded. "So this thing can generate a field around my sub, and effectively mask our presence from the outside world? Even the Domain?"

"Correct... their sensor capabilities aren't as sophisticated as ours, so we can effectively generate a cloak around a given area and completely mask our presence. To the outside observer the area in question will only exhibit general background noise for all types of detection techniques... barring line of sight of course."

"Alright, so this works on long range detection techniques like sonar," Ian concluded, his voice laced with amazement. "Jesus... I cannot begin to think how such a device could alter the rules of submarine warfare." He rubbed a hand through the back of his hair. "So you said this little bastard was battery powered?"

"The internal battery can sustain the field for roughly a day," Eriras responded. The kenseng moved her hand over to thumb open a small port along the side of the dampener case. "However, you can plug in an external power source here and keep it operational indefinitely."

"How do we install this onto the Maryland?"

Eriras again closed the external power latch to the dampener and moved to stand upright with a hand placed on her hip. "That is where I come into the picture. You can just simply set this on a table... it doesn't have to be bolted down or anything. The only problem is the external power." The white-furred kenseng motioned to her work satchel nearby, which contained several tools and lengths of power cable. "I ran some tests earlier and found that we can tie the mechanism into your sub's power grid without compromising any systems. I just need to fabricate a custom cable from the parts there and splice it into the grid."

The notion that such a small mechanism was capable of masking the presence of the skipper's entire boomer sub was absolutely astounding. Ian supposed he could familiarize himself with it later. Right now all he cared about was readying his boat for war. And this little gem would unquestionably help him against his adversaries... you couldn't hit what you couldn't see.

However, a question dawned on Ian. "So... can you use this dampener technology in conjunction with the holographic cloak you mentioned earlier?"

Eriras shook her head. "Unfortunately we can't. When the holo cloak is activated, it disrupts the stability of the dampening field... and vice versa. That is why a holo cloak can't mask radiation signatures such as thermal and magnetic." The kenseng patted the dampener with a hand. "If you want to use a defensive countermeasure, it has to be one or the other.... In a sense, it is basically a tradeoff."

"Oh... well that does make sense."

"If you'd like, I can quickly set this up for you," Eriras continued, while she again picked up the mechanism and moved to deposit it back into her satchel.

There was a moment's hesitation, with Ian quickly running through a to-do list in his head. He had no immediate tasks to complete... so why not? "Sure... I can take you down to the engineering compartment right now... that is, if the rest of you are ok with that?"

Riyla politely stood from her seat in reply, discomfort momentarily washing across her muzzle as the kyree's full stomach protested the sudden motion. "It's no problem... we can find our way back to the control room from here."

And so the Federation crew followed their captain's lead and exited the dining compartment, making sure to again thank the cooks standing just out in the hallway on their way out. The wonderful meal had been quite the welcomed distraction everyone needed to recharge and refocus. Now with full stomachs, and newfound determination, the kyree and kenseng again moved to tackle their various assignments. They were almost ready for war... but almost wasn't good enough.

******************************

Ian almost didn't recognize the bridge for what it was. While the compartment had been tidied up slightly since Kano and Riyla had begun to brainstorm an attack strategy, there was still quite a mess to be had.

Datapads, empty drinking cups, food wrappers... even several blankets and pillows littered the deck. Obviously the mated kyree had turned the bridge into their personal workshop as far as Captain Rubin could tell. From the looks of it, they had even slept here judging by the bedding.

However, what really caught the human's eye was the huge array of floating holographic displays hovering in midair all around the helm console in a roughly semi-circular fashion. The barrage of information dominated the compartment, as the eerie glow of the holo projections bathed the surrounding dark space in brilliant light. The sight was rather overwhelming for Ian to look at.

There were detailed schematics of Domain capital warships, crew complement manifests, enemy weapon loadouts and capabilities, hostile fleet trajectory analysis... everything and anything under the sun that might possibly be useful information was thrown up for Captain Rubin to see. Kanolos and Riyla had been quite busy to say the least.

Ian followed the two aforementioned kyree onto the bridge, passing through the doorway threshold into the relative darkness compared to the brightly lit corridor behind. Already the compartment was occupied by Keith, the crew's human ambassador, and Lumina's white-furred kyree holo projection, who stood waiting patiently... their expressions one of concern. Obviously they had learned some bad news while the others enjoyed their dinner, serving to put Ian on guard.

"I thought I had accounted for all known variables," Lumina began, as she shook her head disbelievingly. "However, time and time again I am proven wrong."

Riyla came to stand before the A.I. construct with concern. "What is wrong? Judging by your look, this is some grave news."

"That is quite an understatement!" Lumina pulled up a new floating display, this one depicting a top-down satellite view of a nondescript human city... located somewhere in a snow covered region. "Our drala friends have rolled the dice too many times, and now they are paying for it in spades."

"Just what are we looking at?" Kano chimed in, while he folded his arms across the chest in a study of curiosity. Judging by the satellite feed, the region was under Domain control.

"This is a Russian bio research facility," Lumina replied matter-of-factly.

Her words made both Keith and Ian's blood run cold. It was a foe that neither human had considered previously during this whole conflict, but one that both knew was not to be taken lightly... biological pathogens. Humanity had come to greatly respect, and fear, the deadly potency of the many diverse invisible killers that populated planet Earth... a respect that was not shared by their alien foes.

"At first I disregarded the reports coming in from across the Domain fleet," Lumina continued, her tone worried. "I had other matters I had to deal with... however, the drala's activities abruptly changed... prompting me to take notice." The A.I. sighed deeply before she continued. "All forces are to stand fast at current positions... maintain defensive operations only per directives... that was the order passed down to the entire, and I mean entire, invasion fleet. Their command was spooked by something... so I decided to dig deeper."

The top-down view of the human city expanded outward to quickly depict the entire planet. Once the viewpoint stabilized, a myriad of pinpoint dots materialized all across the holo display, some spread out across the planet's surface... others located up in low Earth orbit. The sheer number of marks startled both the humans and kyree looking on.

Lumina allowed the crew to observe the floating satellite feed for a few moments before she spoke again. "All of these points mark a reported drala who has become stricken by a strange illness. Typical cold symptoms... headache, sore throat, cough. But, one new troubling symptom has suddenly begun to surface. Several of the first patients are starting to show signs of internal bleeding."

That statement elicited a startled response from the A.I.'s audience.

"Internal bleeding?" Riyla inquired in shock. That was quite a serious symptom that did not bode well.

"Yes... and the Domain isn't sure what is causing the sickness yet."

As the group watched, small lines slowly branched out from the numerous points with each flowing out toward another location across the holographic planet. Quickly Lumina backtracked the route each of the infected drala had traversed, using backlog information in the Domain network to piece together just where each individual had traveled over the past couple days.

In some instances the trajectory would terminate at a temporary location, marking a point where the drala had remained stationary for some time... before the tracer again moved off in a new direction. It was quite astonishing to watch the points move about all across the globe, seemingly playing out in some sort of futuristic video game.

However, slowly the lines merged together, until finally only one single one remained... and that one in particular settled squarely on a small icon in a southern region of Russia, named Koltsovo.

"It took some intense investigation... but I finally managed to trace the pathogen's spread back to this location," Lumina continued flatly, her brow still furrowed with concern. "As I said, there is a bio research facility located within the city shown there on the display. I dug a little deeper by tapping into the security system of the compound in question... and I discovered something utterly horrifying."

A new floating display materialized alongside the first, showing what appeared to be a security camera feed within a building. While the recording played on, a single female human stood nervously beside an opened cabinet of some sort, hastily loading small vials into an opened suitcase while taking great care not to drop any of the containers she held.

Suddenly, the door leading out to the hallway beyond flew open, the resulting clatter of noise muted by the lack of audio from the camera. A standoff quickly ensued with three drala infantrymen holding the human at bay with pointed rifles... and then a vial was suddenly tossed directly at the leading rifleman.

The sheer look of horror painted across the drala's expression was clearly evident from the camera's viewpoint, as the vial smashed directly into his exposed face underneath the helmet, shattering in a spray of clear liquid. The Federation crew and their human counterparts could only watch with dread as his plasma rifle abruptly fired in response, the owner of the weapon apparently surprised he had pulled the trigger.

And just like that the standoff was over, while the human slowly crumpled to the floor... her face twisting in pain before her gaze became lifeless. At that moment, the camera feed froze.

"What just happened?" Kano asked, scratching his wolfish ear with confusion. The kyree couldn't figure out why the human had tossed the small ampoule at three heavily armed riflemen... let alone the fact that they were also armored. In that regard, Kanolos could sympathize with the drala who had accidentally pulled the trigger. Judging by the infantryman's reaction, he was himself horrified of the outcome.

Lumina didn't offer a verbal reply. Instead the camera replay was cropped down to show only the opened cabinet of which the human had been removing vials from. From there the A.I. zoomed the angle down to frame only a small sentence inscribed on the door's metal surface in Russian.

The last word of the writing jumped out at Ian and Keith like a slap squarely across the face, resulting in an icy chill running down their spines... "Ebola."

"I can't speak Russian unfortunately, Lumina," Kanolos spoke, still eying the writing in question without realizing what it meant.

Ian stepped forward to take up the conversation. "You don't have to know the language to understand what deadly horror is stored inside that cabinet." The skipper pointed toward the display and the writing shown, while calling upon his somewhat decent grasp of Russian. "In any case, it roughly translates to 'Experimental Pressure of Transfer Aerosol - Modified Type of Zaire B. Virus Ebola.'"

"Which is arguably one of the deadliest pathogens known to humanity," Keith added in a dismal tone. "The fatality rate for anyone unfortunate enough to become infected by this foul virus is about 80 to 90 percent." That statement caused Riyla and Kano to cringe noticeably. "I can safely say that Ebola is one of the nastiest ways to die, which is through massive blood loss and organ failure."

"Not only that," Lumina spoke again, rejoining the conversation from alongside Keith with arms crossed. "...but what our hapless drala friends have unwittingly come across is a weaponized variant of the pathogen." The white kyree unfolded her arms and motioned toward the cabinet on the frozen screen. "The Ebola strain that was contained in that storage locker was a manmade experimental fabrication, designed to boost the lethality of the virus... judging by the records I could recover from the facility's damaged computer systems."

"My God," Riyla breathed in alarm, her tail going rigid behind her figure. "So that ampoule the human threw at that drala infantryman..."

"Contained a sizeable quantity of the modified Ebola strain," Lumina finished bluntly. "Considering all of the information I have found... we are dealing with a nightmare epidemic of the grandest proportion. The infected hosts are already spread out across orbit and on the planet... and the Domain doesn't even realize the severity of the problem."

A heavy silence hung in the air of the starship bridge, as Lumina's ominous statement shocked the humans and kyree deeply. This was a crisis that no one had ever considered.

"How do they not know about this disaster?" Ian inquired, anger laced in his voice. If this sinister virus had been set loose on Earth's soil, there was a horribly good chance that humans would lose their lives as well as the Domain. However, the blame could not be placed squarely on alien shoulders... for humanity had first developed the instrument of death to begin with.

Riyla decided to take up that reply, while the black-furred kyree sighed deeply. "The Domain's medical technology and healthcare system is... well, it's piss poor. The value of the common soldier and civilian within the drala society isn't as highly valued as most other advanced races. So as a result, the Domain doesn't invest much in medical research and development... at least outside the noble hierarchy." The captain shrugged perplexedly. "I hate to say it... but they are roughly on par with humanity when it comes to the medical field, perhaps even more primitive in ways."

"I suppose you could say the common foot soldier is expendable for the Domain," Kanolos added, while placing a hand gently on his mate's shoulder. "They don't have much in the way of medical equipment in the field... which is probably why they haven't been able to isolate the virus strain yet. If Ebola can manifest itself within a drala host... the pathogen couldn't possibly ask for a better environment to propagate and spread."

At that moment, Lumina's kyree hologram visibly jumped in shock, her expression one of utter horror. "Khurragh!" she cried, the A.I's curse in the kyree's native tongue catching Kano and Riyla completely by surprise. Never, ever, had the two of them heard her curse like that... let alone in their race's own dialect, which was not typically spoken outside kyree native soil.

"What is it!?" Riyla spoke with alarm in English.

The black kyree's pointy wolfish ears twitched keenly, her tail perking up noticeably as the captain instinctively looked about for any sign of danger. Kano was also startled into a hyper state of awareness, while his predatory instincts briefly took over. However, the danger was not on the bridge... or even toward the Federation crew.

"The virus is already off-planet!" Lumina exclaimed dreadfully, having just made a new appalling discovery. "Several infected hosts left on a transport back to Helmos... the drala homeworld. We're now looking at a system-wide plague that could wipe out countless lives."

Riyla felt her herself go numb from the construct's words. Already a disastrous chain of events was in play, and the Domain didn't even realize just how seriously susceptible they were to falling victim to a pandemic of the greatest scale. The general drala populous didn't deserve such a cruel fate. They were just hardworking civilians not unlike any other respectable race, unwittingly thrown into war by power-hungry politicians. And now it seemed that only the innocent would pay the price of this already bloody conflict.

"What can we do?" Kano breathed quietly. The fox-furred kyree rubbed a hand fretfully across the soft fur of his head, toying with his pointy ear in a manner his mate recognized as a sign of Kanolos's agitation.

That was indeed a perplexing question. A silence descended upon the group of humans and kyree crew, while each individual tried coming to grips with this new troubling development.

Just what could they do?

******************************

Taylo stood carefully atop the deck of the USS Maryland, his attention focused singularly on the task at hand. At the moment his hodgepodge group of human engineers, missile techs, weapon officers, and President Schrader plus his Secret Service, labored to install one of two remaining missile bus assemblies to the boomer's SLBMs.

The team was not aware of the growing trouble brewing on the bridge of Arastos. Nevertheless, Taylo's only goal now was to complete his task, and get the human submarine into fighting shape. He had learned only a day earlier that the entire counterattack hinged directly on the Maryland's battle readiness... and his human helpers definitely understood the necessity of haste.

The russet kenseng watched anxiously while the human submariners carefully moved the newly fabricated missile bus into position above the vertical launch tube, his tiger-like tail twitching about keenly. Thankfully, Taylo had discovered that he only had to lift the entire SLBM assembly a few feet out of the submarine launch tube... just enough so that the warheads could be removed. As such, the current missile being worked on protruded out roughly five feet above the threshold of the boat's upper deck, held in place by several anti-gravity magnetic constraints.

Taylo could do nothing but watch nervously while the humans performed their various tasks. No one knew the intricacies of the submarine better than her crew, and thus the kenseng had elected to step aside and let them perform the final mating of the new warhead components to the base rocket construction. He had even taught one of the technicians how to operate the magnetic lifting constraints currently holding the rocket and warhead in place.

The kenseng engineer had been floored to learn that the massive SLBMs were merely held in place by gravity and tight-fitting rubber bumpers around the cylindrical circumference. In light of that fact, lifting the missile out of the vertical launch tube only constituted pulling the assembly upward... typically accomplished via the use of a simple crane. Watching from nearby, it was obvious the human crew had plenty of experience dealing with moving and working on SLBMs.

Slowly, the new warhead bus was moved into place above the exposed mating collar atop the missile booster stage. To accomplish this, the operator carefully adjusted inputs on a datapad he held controlling the magnetic field outputs of the constraints attached to the structure. Once the alignment was fairly close, several crew members moved in to manhandle the piece into place.

The whole process was an expertly coordinated performance by the Maryland's crew, who had impressed Taylo with their skill and ability to get the job done quickly and accurately.

Already the SLBM next to the one being worked on was pulled out of the launch tube with its warhead bus removed. Just a moment ago, one of Lumina's robotic helpers had taken the nuclear MIRV assembly back to Arastos to be decompiled into sub-atomic particles, in order to be used in the fabrication of the new Federation weapon to take its place... one far more powerful and deadly.

Suddenly, the kenseng was called back away from his thoughts as Eriras appeared out of nowhere and tenderly wrapped her arms around her mate's midsection from behind, purring richly as she did so. Taylo welcomed her familiar warmth by in turn gently placing his hands atop her own resting against his stomach.

"With this awesome bunch of helpers, we can finish the last missile in just a couple hours," Eriras spoke into his feline ear, the kenseng's words rolling off her tongue like a sensual caress. "By the way, I've missed sharing time with you over these past few days."

Taylo felt her hands wander down underneath the bottom hem of his work shirt, her digits lovingly working their way through his supple stomach fur as they traced around his slightly toned abs. In a panic, the kenseng looked around while his ears swiveled about. Thankfully, all of the humans were still focused on the missile work... and not the white-furred tiger feeling up her mate right there on the sub deck.

"Oof... what's gotten into you Eri," Taylo barely managed to stammer, feeling her hand toying with the notion of heading south. The male kenseng thought his skin would burst into flame, he was blushing so deeply. "We're not exactly... in an appropriate place." It was no small miracle that the humans still hadn't taken notice of this little spectacle.

Eriras elected to forgo venturing downward with her roving digits. Instead she dexterously arched her back to press her petite feminine figure up against her mate lovingly. "I didn't realize earlier that it was that time... until it was too late. I took the suppressants just in time... but the need... it's still there."

Taylo visibly started as realization dawned on him. "Oh... OH..."

Leave it to Eriras's internal time clock to have the worst possible timing. First during finals test week at the academy... then during the mateship ceremony... and now here. It was as if her bio chemistry was trying to make things difficult at every turn. At least he knew now what had been the source of his mate's discomfort over the past day or so.

Usually a female kyree or kenseng could withstand the feral desires that welled up during a typical heat, especially with suppressants... but if a mate was handy, or another readily available male able to alleviate the burning itch, then it was only a matter of time until the willpower crumbled... sometimes bringing out deeper feral instincts long subdued.

The professional side of Taylo demanded that he stay and finish the task at hand... but those damned incessant hands of his mate continued working gently across his russet stomach fur, while the wonderful feeling of her distinct feminine physique grinding up against his backside began to cloud his mind. Damn... she always knew just what buttons to push to get him worked up. At least the suppressants saved his nose from becoming inundated with the sweet intoxicating scent of a female in heat.

Quickly the engineer turned his attention back to the humans. They had things under control and really didn't need him at the moment... so there was really no harm in sneaking off to sate his mate's burning desire. Besides, Lumina would still be on hand in robotic form for assistance.

The wonderful feeling of Eriras's white-furred tail gently wrapping around his thigh broke the last piece of the male's resolve. With a shake of the head, Taylo tried to steady his thoughts and moved toward the human engineer operating the gravity lift datapad.

"Hey... since you guys have this under control... I'm going to go fetch some more supplies from the starship." He barely managed to speak with an even tone. "If you need anything, give Lumina a holler."

The submariner turned to regard his furry counterpart and took notice of the kenseng's mate, who was now practically wrapped around Taylo's shoulder. Not even paying the human any mind, Eriras licked her chops in anticipation while her golden predatory eyes remained locked on her mate, making no effort to hide her growing lust.

There was no question what the real reason behind Taylo's statement was. However, the Maryland engineer could only envy the two kenseng for their loving mateship. So he simply smiled with a nod of the head. "Take all the time you need."

Taylo mouthed a silent thank you, before Eriras abruptly dragged her mate toward a waiting transport bucket... she had taken those suppressants to avoid the obvious result of mating while in heat... and she was damned sure going to take advantage of that fact.

The submariner could only chuckle softy to himself, as he turned his attention back to the warhead. They both deserved some time to themselves.