FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 9. Forgiveness

Ajagi and Sarah roamed the halls of their interstellar ship. During that trip outside the room there were more Arfurans in the halls with them, going about the business of their duties. Each one stopped to meet her and describe what their job on the ship was. Sarah continued to be amazed at the striking similarity between the various individuals and different species of animal from back home. Each turn around a corner or opening of a door introduced her to new faces and new things to see on the ship.

The farther they walked, Sarah gained a greater understanding of how large the ship was. Each door was marked with the symbols of their language to indicate what was beyond it. One door had an extra symbol that gave her a strong indication of what was inside; it appeared to be a picture of a tree. "Garden?" she asked.

"Yes," Ajagi answered as he reached to slide the door open. Sarah gasped in astonishment as the garden came into full view. By her estimates the room had to be at least eighty feet high and a few hundred feet long with multiple levels, each with many different kinds of strange trees, bushes, and other plants. Overhead were multiple rows of artificial lights shining down on all the plant life along with nozzles for watering. A few individuals were tending to the plants while some others were filling containers with items they picked, and the room smelled of a sweet blend of flowers and leaves. "This is where all our food is grown," Ajagi said.

Sarah looked around and saw that almost every one had different kinds of fruit or berries growing on them. "This is just amazing," she said. "If I didn't know better I'd swear these could be plants from Earth. The biochemistry must be nearly identical!"

"Yes," said Ajagi, "we have found that plant life on other planets is quite similar to ours. The mechanics and chemistry of life must be fairly universal so I would agree that there is likely a strong similarity between these and the plants on your planet. Every plant here grows a fruit we can eat or has leaves that are edible. Some have both. Would you like to try something here?"

Sarah nodded and walked to a small tree nearby. Some of the fruits on it were red while others were shades of blue or purple. "Which ones are ripe?" she asked.

"The red ones may be eaten," Ajagi answered. "The others are not yet ready to eat. These are called pelonwa."

Sarah picked a bright red fruit and gave it a sniff, smelling its sweet aroma. She took a bite and found it to be quite delicious with a tender texture that was still a little crispy. "This tastes wonderful," she exclaimed. "It's like a combination of a few different things we have back home...kind of like a strawberry, a hint of apple, or maybe it's pear...and something else I don't recognize." As she ate it she thought about what she was tasting. "Since you all made this body and I'm tasting what it senses, how can I tell if this tastes the same to me as it would if I was eating it with my real body?"

"You can not," said Ajagi. "Without having something here from your world for you to eat, there is no method for us to compare how you perceive the sense of taste between this body and your natural body. If you enjoy what you taste, that is more important."

"True, I can't argue with that," said Sarah as she took another bite. "This is really good."

"I am glad you like it," said Ajagi as he picked one for himself. "It is not quite as good as the fruit growing naturally back home so I was afraid you may not enjoy it. Feel free to try anything you would like. Remember, this body needs to eat for its energy supply as well." Sarah picked another pelonwa and a few things from other plants, now realizing the hunger her synthetic body was telling her it felt.

The two left the garden and continued roaming the halls as they ate what they picked. Without very much more walking they arrived at the far side of the ship. Ajagi took her into another relaxation and dining lounge with a slightly different layout from the one she already knew, that one containing a few crew members talking, eating, or napping. Those who were awake exchanged welcoming greetings with the two wanderers. The room also had very large windows looking out into space. "There is the rest of our fleet in this region," Ajagi said as his hand swept outward toward the view. With her mouth agape Sarah looked out the windows at enormous ships, all about the same size as the one she was on but with varying shapes, stretching as far as her eyes could see.

"Holy crap," she exclaimed, "they're huge! How many are there?"

"This fleet contains eighty large vehicles, and each has several smaller transport vehicles," he answered.

"How many people are on each one?" Sarah asked.

Ajagi replied, "Each one contains 400 to 600 people. This vehicle is one that contains 400, but our current number is 360. The remaining forty have taken a transport to meet with the planet that orbits nearby to extract minerals. The planet has a good amount of metals we need for building and repairing things. Being so far from the center star there are no life forms to be disturbed by our collection. They will return when the planet passes near the fleet."

Sarah looked out over the rest of the fleet trying to see others in the windows of the nearest ship, but it was too far away and the windows too small to see anybody.

Ajagi paused, then started pointing and said, "Regarding your question from your previous visits, your galaxy is right over...your galaxy is now obscured from view by that vehicle. Thank you for moving up, Captain Tesa." Sarah glanced at Ajagi with a grin, believing she just heard sarcasm. "I apologize. You will have to look for your galaxy another time," he said. "She could not have known we would look this way when she moved her vehicle."

"That's alright, no need to apologize" replied Sarah.

"Nanida to Ajagi, please join our meeting in the navigation room," the intercom speaker announced. "Ajagi, you are needed in the navigation room." Sarah looked around but could not spot a speaker anywhere.

"Please excuse me, Sarah. I thought I had more time before the meeting began, and I must attend. You are welcome to continue exploring the vehicle if you desire. Everybody will know you are our guest and will be happy to answer any questions you may have for them," said Ajagi.

"Thanks, I will. I've been enjoying the tour you've given me so far," she said as she reached toward him with a hug. Ajagi returned a hug to Sarah and then swiftly left for his meeting. Sarah remained at the window to gaze out at the stars a while longer.

Alone in the transfer room, Storm had been searching through the repository of Sarah's memories to see and learn more about life on Earth. After viewing a few more wolf pictures following the departure of Ajagi and Sarah, he returned to the memories of foxes as they held his highest interest. He viewed pictures of numerous foxes--red, gray, white, black, orange, blends of multiple colors--and full motion memories. The advanced display the system used was able to duplicate the three-dimensional view as seen through her stereo vision. He found a clip of a fox Sarah had seen outside her bedroom window one winter as a teenage girl, and smiled at the sound of her voice commenting on how cute and beautiful the fox was.

He continued on to pictures of other species of animals, almost all of which he recognized as similar to people he knew personally or knew existed on his planet. He found pictures of raccoons similar to Nanida, pictures and videos of horses that reminded him of Antakiri, bears, rabbits similar to his crewmate friend Sharden, skunks, cats both large and small, rodents, reptiles, birds, and aquatic animals. Among the same categories he found cartoon animals and was puzzled about their significance, but figured it had to do with those images of his people that showed up in Earth art which Sarah had mentioned. Soon he was viewing memories of other humans and knew only by how each was labeled who anybody was. Storm also found it interesting what kind of similarities and differences there were between homes, workplaces, and other structures from Earth and those from his home.

Knowing it was research he had to do, Storm used the transfer system to search Sarah's memories for additional clues to what kind of person she was. He searched for memories having to do with her emotions, how she dealt with confrontation, love, remorse and regret, compassion, anger, and conflict. Among the memories he found there were interactions between her and other from her workplace, including her manipulative boss. He also found memories she had of the dog she had as a girl and how they were as close as best friends. Storm saw how Sarah was friendly, open hearted, avoided confrontation, and preferred peace to conflict.

As he browsed through the memories found in the personality research, he noticed the name of one memory file was the same as one he didn't view when searching for pictures of rabbits. There, the memory was labeled with the words rabbit, remorse, sadness, death, regret. Both curious and concerned, he selected the memory for viewing.

The full motion memory record showed the inside of Sarah's car as she was driving down a road at dusk. The car followed a bend in the road and the headlights didn't keep up with the veering pavement. Just as the street began to straighten there was a moving blur up close to the car right before it disappeared under the hood, followed by a thumping noise. The sound of Sarah screaming "NO!" and the squeal of braking tires followed immediately afterward. Viewing the memory clip, Storm watched through Sarah's eyes as she got out of the car and ran behind it, slowing to nearly a stop as her voice faded to a faint, "Oh...no...no..." She approached and knelt down next to the body of the rabbit who had run in front of her car. The memory clip became distorted and faded to black as Sarah's eyes were filling with tears and closing tight while she began sobbing. After a few moments the visual part resumed, her eyes lifting back up to look upon the rabbit. She reached out to pick up and cradle the lifeless rabbit, continuing to cry endlessly, her soft voice whispering, "I'm so sorry," over and over as she wept.

Storm sat there staring at the screen, his eyes shifting back and forth over the image to take in everything he saw, his ears listening intently to hear every sound of the memory. Soon the memory clip ended but he kept staring at the screen, replaying in his mind what he'd just seen. In a sudden burst he got out of his seat and headed for the door.

Fast walking turned to jogging and then running as Storm went through the halls, opening doors of common rooms to see who was inside. Not finding who he was looking for in the lounge, he continued to the garden, bathing area, recreation area, bridge, and another lounge area. When he got to a storage room he saw his friend and ran over. "Sharden!" Storm called out.

His rabbit friend turned around and responded with a wide smile, "Hello Storm! How are you doing?"

"Are you busy? I need you to do something for me," Storm said. "Actually, I need you to do something for somebody else."

Sharden replied, "Of course I can help. I am never too busy for you."

"Thank you. Please come with me and I will explain as we walk. Have you met our guest Sarah?" Storm said.

Sarah was just finishing up a happy conversation with a bear she met near one of the energy generators when she turned to continue on her self guided tour of the ship. She stopped in another hallway to admire a picture display of scenes on Arfurah, still smiling in delight from all the wonderful furry people she'd been meeting. As she stood there studying the detail of the landscape, Storm and Sharden approached from her side.

When the motion caught Sarah's eye she turned around in sudden surprise followed by the happiness of familiarity. "Hi there, Foxy," she said to Storm.

Storm smiled at the nickname and said, "Hello. Sarah, this is Sharden. Sharden, this is Sarah."

"Pleased to meet you," Sarah said.

"It is very nice to meet you as well," Sharden replied.

"I have asked Sharden to say something to you," Storm said.

Sharden stepped forward. "Storm told me about a time in your past when your ground vehicle struck and killed a creature that looked very much like me. He also told me about your remorse for the event. If I may, I will speak on behalf of someone who is no longer able. For what it is worth, I forgive you for killing me with your ground vehicle that evening. I know you intended no harm toward me." He then extended his arms out and pulled Sarah close for a hug.

Sarah hugged with puzzlement followed by realization as the pieces of her memory fell into place. When she realized what he meant, she closed her eyes and hugged him very tightly. After several moments they released each other, she looked into his eyes and said, "Thank you. I appreciate that. That was the first animal I'd ever killed with my car and I hope it's the last. It may have been an accident but I've never been able to forgive myself for it."

"Do not worry any longer. You did not intend for it to happen," said Sharden as he began to return to where Storm found him.

"I thank you as well, Sharden," said Storm.

"You are both very welcome. You may ask for anything at any time," replied Sharden before he walked around the next corner.

Sarah immediately looked at Storm with a curious smile and waited for him to look toward her. "What was that all about?" she asked. "How did you know?"

"You do have a right to know," replied Storm. "After you left I continued looking through pieces of your memory to see where you come from and what kind of creatures exist there. But there is another thing we look for by necessity. I began searching for memories having to do with what kind of person you are, what kind of personality and integrity you have. It is something we do for every being we transfer here for help regardless of what world they come from. This is due to all the problems in the past from those who were more interested in gaining the power and knowledge from our war to help themselves than to actually help stop our war.

"One of your memories I found was that of the evening when your ground transport vehicle struck and killed that creature who ran out in front of it. You were so remorseful and seeking forgiveness, that is why I asked Sharden to say what he did. In searching your memories I found that you are the most kind, compassionate, peaceful, and loving being we have ever transferred here from any planet. Those qualities make you the most trustworthy, as well. That is why I am telling you what I searched for. Those others who wanted the knowledge of war for their personal gain were never told. I apologize if my intrusion into your mind has offended you."

Sarah thought momentarily and looked at Storm. "You don't have to apologize...I'm not offended one bit. I understand why you have to check into things like that, especially when past people from my world have made it look like we can't be trusted. And you...you're very sweet to have your friend do that for me. Thanks."

Sarah then stepped closer and gave Storm a warm hug, which he quickly returned. Both friends were smiling happily as their hug lingered, and then parted. Sarah said, "I'm not sure how long I've been here but it's probably getting pretty late back home. I'm still a little hungry, though...would you like to return to the garden with me and get something to eat?"

Storm quickly replied, "I would be most happy to." Sarah then put an arm around his back as they walked down the hallway in the direction of their snack.

"You know," said Sarah, "I'm starting to get used to hugging furry aliens...even if you are all dressed in rubber suits."

Chapter 10. Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks

A long night of pleasant dreams about fur-covered people preceded a mid morning awakening. Sarah got up from her bed feeling refreshed, though her mind quickly went to work thinking about the project she was called to do. She went to the kitchen to make some tea and was reminded of her empty cabinets when she retrieved a tea bag. While she waited for the tea to steep she went and laid on the couch to continue thinking about the Arfuran weapon plan. Being so soon after waking up her brain wasn't fully engaged in such deep thought and her mind wandered to think about all the furry friends she'd been meeting every evening.

"Those are some of the sweetest friends I've ever had," she thought to herself with a smile. Since she always loved the beauty and cuteness of animals she couldn't help thinking how beautiful and cute all of the Arfurans were. She thought of the wagging tails she'd seen on Storm and Ajagi and began to laugh. How wonderful it was to know people so intelligent and so easy to communicate with, who could also show happiness in something as simple as a tail wag.

Sarah was still smiling when she returned to the kitchen to prepare her tea with honey, a little lemon, and a dollop of milk to lighten it slightly. She sat at the stool beside the counter to sip her beverage, still lost in thought. After fifteen minutes of silent contemplation she returned to her bedroom to put on some clothes and prepare for a trip out. She didn't take much time to fix her hair, only pulling it back into a pony tail and figuring that was good enough. Taking her cup of tea, car keys, and purse, she headed for the store.

Sarah stocked up on the groceries she thought she would need for the week, including a good supply of fresh fruit, salad ingredients, and juices. When she browsed the produce she was hoping to find the things she'd eaten the night before but knew they didn't exist in her world. She bought some strawberries, pears, and other things in hopes of recreating what she tasted.

Back at home Sarah went out to get the morning paper before bringing her groceries in. Glancing over the front page while walking back she saw several articles having to do with wars around the world and was heavily reminded of the importance of her task. She knew she would have to get to work right away, coming up with more ideas that may help the project.

She brought the groceries in and put them away, keeping some fruit out for breakfast. Sarah sliced up strawberries and pears, tasting them together to see if it was the same. She found them to be a bit different from the fruit she tasted in the Arfuran garden, though there was some similarity. She tried it with pieces of apple, orange, pineapple, and various spices from her cabinet but nothing was quite the same. After several experiments she was beginning to fill up, so she finished off the rest and cleaned up her mess.

Sarah retrieved her notes from the living room and returned to the office to continue her research. As she went along she started writing down anything that may be useful, whether alone or in combination with other things. Her notes mentioned conventional items of warfare on Earth including bullets, bombs, missiles, electromagnetic pulse bombs, and biological warfare. She included possibilities that aren't in use as weapons such as high powered lasers, gamma rays, microwave beams, another mention of antimatter, and the idea of applying something to Kra ships that would make them quickly rust apart. When she got into her texts on theoretical physics she began writing down ideas of black holes, wormholes, gravity waves, time travel, and hurtling a planet or moon at the invading ships. She also wrote down the idea of harnessing dark matter and dark energy like the Kra were preparing to do. Sarah figured some of those ideas were impossible but didn't know exactly how far advanced the Arfurans were or what they were capable of doing.

For those ideas that were completely theoretical Sarah also wrote down formulas and theories that could be useful in making such things happen. As each idea was purely theoretical, the formulas and theorems were also theoretical and she had no idea if they would work.

Sarah didn't realize how quickly the time was passing as she worked through the afternoon. When she saw the sunlight starting to come through the windows on the west side of her office she glanced at a clock and saw it was going on 4:00. The comprehension of the time made her notice how stiff she was feeling after sitting hunched over books for so many hours. She got up with a groan, stretched, and walked stiff-legged to the kitchen to make another cup of tea.

After her tea was ready Sarah returned to her bedroom, undressed, and went into the bathroom to prepare a nice warm bubble bath. She knew she'd done all the research she could at that point. Without having a definitive plan to follow she didn't know what areas to pursue in her studies. Sarah set her laptop computer on the sink with a selection of some of her favorite relaxing music set to play, and sank under the suds of the warm tub. She closed her eyes and found the transfer system was still suspended. She stayed right were she was.

As Sarah soaked she tried to keep her mind clear of thoughts to maximize her tranquility. Despite her efforts, her mind was repeatedly filled with the images of a certain fox's face, a furry wolf, a cute mouse, adorable raccoon, tall horse...everybody she'd been meeting. She didn't mind, though. Each one made her smile and eased her tension.

No more than twenty minutes into her bubble bath the telephone began to ring. "You've got to be kidding me," Sarah said out loud as her eyes popped open. Not wanting to be disturbed she decided to let the answering machine do its job while she reached for her cup of tea with a foam covered arm. Two or three good sips of tea later, the phone stopped its disruptive noise, and Sarah was able to resume her relaxation to the sounds of Vivaldi and birds chirping outside her window.

Another instantaneous half hour later, Sarah found herself waking up. She never realized she was dozing off in the tub. Understanding her need for more sleep she pulled the plug on the tub drain and rinsed the suds off after it finished emptying. Getting out of the tub she dried off, stopped the music, and went to crawl under the covers for a nap. She wanted to be rested for her travels that evening. On most weekends she would be jogging in the park or going for a walk in the woods outside of town, but that was a most abnormal weekend.

While she slept Sarah was back to the usual random dreams, occasionally mixed with fur covered creatures similar to Arfurans but who were an odd mix of forms. She went through a dream where she knew she was at work but the university offices were nothing like any place she'd seen before despite the feeling of familiarity. Eventually she found herself back in the transfer room on the Arfuran ship. Several moments later she realized she was no longer dreaming.

Sarah was facing a direction parallel to the wall of windows. To her left were stars and the colorful nebula. To her right were Ajagi and Storm, just turning back toward her from the transfer system console.

"Hi, guys," Sarah said, surprising her friends. They stopped in their tracks, and then continued toward her.

"Hello Sarah," said Storm with a growing smile on his muzzle.

"Hello. You transferred here very quickly," said Ajagi. "We just activated the transfer system."

Sarah met her friends with open arms to hug them both, and they reciprocated with hugs and licks to her cheeks. Sarah giggled at the licks. "My eyes were already closed because I was asleep. I didn't know this could work without me being awake, but it looks like it does. It's funny, I was in the middle of a dream and suddenly I was here and fully aware of where I was. How do I know this isn't all some weird dream?"

"The transfer system indicates a successful transfer," replied Ajagi, "but that does not provide you with clear proof. It could be a part of your dream as well."

Storm responded, "Your previous transfers occurred when you were awake. Do you sense anything different between those occasions and this transfer?"

"No, it feels the same. I was just wondering," said Sarah. "My body back home is still asleep, right?"

"Yes," answered Ajagi. "You will continue to sleep as you were. Only your consciousness has been transferred and does not affect the sleep of your natural body."

"Then I wonder if my body is still dreaming," said Sarah. "I was also wondering, do you all dream when you sleep? I mean, you seem familiar with the word, so there must be something similar that happens when you sleep, right?"

"Yes," said Storm, "when we sleep our brains go through a period of neural activity that causes us to see and do things that are not real even if they are similar to real parts of our lives. All of our senses take part in those dreams."

"Amazing," said Sarah. "It must be a universal part of biological nature, at least for some species."

"How has your research progressed?" asked Ajagi. "We have been continuing our research here as well as those on other vehicles and in other fleets, and researchers at home on Arfurah."

"Glad to know you have everybody working on this," replied Sarah. "I've come up with a few more ideas and wrote down formulas and theorems that may help if an idea works. Can we get the memory from the transfer system?"

"Yes," said Ajagi as he headed over to the transfer console. Sarah and Storm stood behind him, Storm putting his arm behind Sarah with a hand up on her shoulder. Sarah smiled at the closeness with her friend. Soon the new memories were gathered and the data sent over to the large research table. The three went back over to it as before and brought up the information.

Sarah said, "Now, some of these ideas are quite a bit out there and may be impossible, but I didn't know what things you all are able to do. I've categorized things into weapons we have on our planet, weapons that our technology could do but are not yet used, and things that are completely theoretical or impossible. Maybe you have ways to work with those things."

Storm and Ajagi read down through the list of her ideas. "What is this electromagnetic pulse bomb?" Storm asked.

Sarah answered, "That is a device that uses a little bit of explosives along with electricity and wire coils to create enormous electromagnetic fields in a burst. The magnetic field interferes with electronic devices badly enough to create an electric surge and burn them out instantly. You've said you have a weapon that makes a strong magnetic field to disrupt their electronic systems, but they've adapted to defend against it. This bomb creates an instantaneous electromagnetic field rather than a sustained field. Their system might not be able to defend against such a sudden large burst. If it would be effective against the Kra ships, it may take out their weapons and navigation systems, if not make the ships entirely useless."

"That is a very interesting possibility," said Ajagi, "but their shield generators would destroy the bomb before it impacted like any of these other solid projectiles. And if we did get one to hit, would that magnetic pulse destroy the same electronic systems in our vehicles? We also must be careful because of the inner workings of your synthetic body. Just as a small electric magnetic field will give it energy, a large burst of magnetic energy may destroy it."

Sarah thought briefly and said, "The bomb doesn't have to actually hit their ships. It just has to be detonated when it is very close. The electromagnetic field should take out their systems as long as their shields aren't made to block such strong magnetic fields and if their electronic systems are susceptible to the field. And the pulse of the field shouldn't affect our systems because of how far away they will be from us, especially if you adapt some sort of shielding to protect your systems. But to be on the safe side, all we have to do is shut down our critical systems before the bombs detonate to prevent interference. When we test one, I will transfer back home to keep safe. If anything happens to this body, you can repair or replace it before I transfer back. Can you disconnect the electromagnetic charging system in this body so it won't be affected?"

Ajagi said, "Yes, your charging system can be disconnected. At that time you will only have metabolism of food to gain energy. My larger concern is whether the transfer system is adequately protected from such a force. Even if you have transferred home, if the transfer system becomes damaged it will lose the connection link and there will be almost no chance of finding you again among all the life energy it detects."

Sarah said, "You think of a way to test the protection on the transfer system. When I get back home I'll look up how they are made and see what it takes to make them larger and more powerful."

"This idea sounds quite possible," said Storm, "but we will have to come up with more ideas in case these weapons do not work against them. We will send the idea to all the other teams so plans for its development can begin."

Storm and Ajagi continued looking through Sarah's list. They enjoyed the idea of making the invading ships rust. "As amusing as that would be, they construct their vehicles from a metal alloy that is not affected by oxidation or acid disintegration," Ajagi said. "The molecules are highly stable."

"We have concentrated light weapons and are developing more powerful units," Storm said. "We have also tried the gamma ray weapons with very limited effect. The surface of their vehicles reflects most of the photon particles at that frequency."

"We do not know enough of their biological makeup to create a weapon that will harm their health," said Ajagi, referring to the idea of biological warfare. "There would still be the challenge of getting such a weapon into their vehicles to contact them directly."

They read through the parts with completely theoretical ideas and considered each one carefully. "We do not have any way to create or manipulate a black hole due to its power and mass," said Ajagi. "If we somehow could, it would consume all of us with the Kra and would be too dangerously close to our planet and star."

"We do not have any means of propelling an entire planet or a moon at them," said Storm. "The energy required would be far too great. We also do not have any means of traveling through time. While it has been studied by our people for thousands of years, we have not yet found a way to do it. What is this gravity wave?"

Sarah replied, "When a very massive star collapses or moves rapidly it sends out a gravitational wave through space and time."

"Alright, I know what you are referring to," said Ajagi. "While we understand them we have no means of creating one of those either."

"What is this worm hole?" asked Storm.

"That is a theoretical tunnel that directly connects two points in time and space. If somebody or something could go through it, they would arrive at the other side without the time and distance to travel that would be normally required."

"We know what you are referring to with that as well," said Ajagi. "We use a different term for it, a dimension fistula, or to be more descriptive we call it a dimension vein, because of the tube shape that is similar to our blood veins. We have been researching them for as long a time as the idea of time travel. Very few times have they been observed by our detection probes and those we did detect existed an extremely short span of time. We do not yet know how to create them, if we can at all. Based on theories from our research into them, if we could create them we may be able to control where they go."

The three continued discussing various possibilities for weapon systems with Ajagi and Storm telling Sarah about their ideas and those from other research teams. As they spoke, Sarah was startled with the sudden loud ringing sound. "What is that?" she asked as she looked around the room.

"What are you referring to?" Ajagi asked in return.

"That noise. It sounds like a phone ring...Oh, crap, you've gotta be kidding me," said Sarah as she realized what the sound was. "Please excuse me for a minute. I have to return home for a moment. The phone is ringing." Leaving her two puzzled friends behind, she opened her eyes after the noise of the phone awoke her body.

Searching around in the dark she found the phone and answered. "Hello?"

"Miss Shepherd, this is Dr. Berglund. I tried calling earlier but got no answer."

"Yes...I was out and haven't checked the machine. What is it?" she asked.

"I wanted to check that you would be in the office tomorrow morning. We'll be having a meeting at eight o'clock sharp and I wanted to make sure you would attend. I hope you are feeling well after the affliction that took you from us early on Friday."

"Yes...yes, I'll be there. I'll be in at seven."

"Very good, Miss Shepherd. Have a good evening."

"You too, have a *click*..." Berglund hung up before Sarah could finish her parting words. "Bastard," she said before hanging up the phone and shutting off the ringer.

Sarah looked at the clock and saw it was just before 10:00. Figuring there was much left to do and that she didn't know how long it would take, she set her morning alarm and ran to the bathroom to brush her teeth quickly. As fast as she could she finished up and ran back to her bed, getting comfortable under the covers before sinking her head into the soft pillow and closing her eyes again.

A blue ceiling with brightly lit squares filled Sarah's field of view, accompanied by the sight of a fox and wolf looking down at her. "What happened?" she asked.

"You were still standing when you opened your eyes and transferred back," Storm answered.

Ajagi added, "Without your consciousness controlling the body, it does not automatically keep its balance. You fell over backwards after only a few moments."

Storm started to crack a grin. "I apologize but I must admit...I began to laugh and could not stop myself. Are you alright?"

Sarah saw him unable to contain his smirk, thought about what she must have looked like falling over, and began to uncontrollably laugh herself. Soon Ajagi joined in and all three were laughing like they'd watched a comedy show. As their laughter began to dwindle, Storm and Ajagi each extended a hand down to Sarah who took their hands in hers to be helped up. Once she was on her feet again she threw her arms around the waists of her two friends and pulled them close. They each put an arm around her back and pulled her close too, nuzzling against the sides of her face.

"I'm fine. You two are so wonderful. Is everybody on your planet always this close and friendly?" she asked.

"Yes, at the very least," replied Storm. "We have never known it to be any less."

Ajagi asked, "Did we understand the translation correctly that a communication device was making a noise?"

"Yes," said Sarah, "it is a system that allows people to talk with each other over great distances using wires or radio waves to connect them. When a connection is coming in it makes noise to alert me. It was my boss at work telling me about some stupid meeting in the morning...I really did NOT want to hear from him today."

"Why would he call a stupid meeting to order? Would not a useful and intelligent meeting be more appropriate?" asked Ajagi.

"It's because...it's just an expression," answered Sarah. "I'll explain what it means another time, but you interpreted correctly that it is neither useful nor intelligent. It'll probably be another one of his projects that he makes us all scramble to get done and then he'll steal credit for it."

"I see. That does not sound pleasant at all," said Ajagi.

"You've got that right," replied Sarah.

Returning to the side of the large work table the team of three worked for a few hours more. They discussed the ideas that various Arfuran research teams had devised, each applying their thoughts and knowledge into whether the idea could work. Sarah, as sharp as ever in her skills of physics, flew through formulas and theorems to determine answers for or against each particular idea. Having learned new physical formulas from the Arfuran study of physics she had new tools to use in finding answers, and knew which of her Earth-based theories were right or wrong. They talked more about various energy weapons that generated beams of protons, electrons, plasma, and various types of photons from the electromagnetic spectrum. Some types of weapon were more effective against the shielding on the Kra ships, and some were not effective at all.

After doing all the work they could with what they had, they decided to call it quits for the night. "I will send our new information to the other research teams," Ajagi said. "Thank you for the work you have done to give us answers for our ideas, Sarah."

"You are more than welcome," said Sarah. "I'm happy to help." She then shifted her eyes between her two friends. "So...what are you guys doing after this?"

Storm responded, "It is approaching our relaxation time after our duty period before we go to sleep."

"Would you mind if I stayed a while longer?" Sarah inquired bashfully. "I'd like to hang out with you some more, if you have nothing else to do. I mean, spend time with you."

"It would be our pleasure to share more time with you," Storm replied with a smile. "If you would enjoy we could go to the relaxation room and show you one of our games."

Sarah also smiled and said, "That sounds great. Will you join us when you're finished with that, Ajagi?"

Ajagi looked toward them from the screen where he was working to send the information. "I would like to, but I will decline. I want to contact my mates at home, or at least send a message. If you are still here when I am finished with that I will join you."

"Ok, hope to see you soon," said Sarah. Storm opened the door for her, and she preceded him out.

"I am not sure I heard the correct interpretation," said Storm. "What was 'okay', the first word you said before saying you hoped to see him soon?"

"That is an old expression," said Sarah, "meaning 'yes,' 'alright,' or 'I hear and understand'. It has a lot of different meanings depending on the context."

"Alright...or should I say 'okay'?" said Storm.

Sarah smiled her affirmation as the two headed to the lounge.

Nanida and Antakiri were at the refreshment counter to get a small snack when Sarah and Storm entered the room. "Hi guys!" Sarah said energetically when she saw them.

"Hello Sarah, it is good to see you again," they both said almost simultaneously. Sarah walked right up to them and gave them each a big hug.

"I am glad to see you are becoming comfortable with us," Nanida said.

Antakiri added, "Some beings never become that comfortable with us, probably because they find us too different or maintain too much caution. I have heard that beings from your planet in the past were the same and did not become comfortable with us."

"Well, I guess they didn't know a good friend when they saw one," Sarah replied with a grin.

Storm greeted both of their friends with the customary hug, nuzzle, and licks. "I was going to teach Sarah one of our recreation games. Would you two like to join us?"

"Thank you but we must decline this time," said Nanida. "We were going to have something to eat and drink quickly and then go spend some time in the rear observation room."

"I had the idea of looking back toward the center star and trying to see Arfurah," said Antakiri. "Even if we do not see it we can still enjoy the view together."

"That sounds like a wonderful time," replied Storm. "Perhaps we can share a game another time."

"That does sound nice. Have fun," said Sarah. She and Storm retrieved some berries and juices from the counter attendant and took an empty table. "Do they always go off duty at the same time?" she asked.

Storm answered, "As the captain, Nanida is never really off duty. He has his active duty periods and his inactive duty periods. Those periods are similar to an off duty period for the rest of us, but he immediately responds if he is needed. Antakiri performs his duties in the storage and construction areas, which he is well suited for due to his size and strength. He has regular off duty periods like the rest."

Sarah silently wondered why the first mate would be doing jobs like that as she sipped her juice, and figured things must work differently for an alien crew. "You know, this is really nice," she said. "Back home I love to drink juice and eat fresh fruit, and you have that in abundance here."

"I am glad you are enjoying it," said Storm as he started setting up their game. "This very old game is called 'Pulkon' and it is quite simple. We each have equal numbers of rectangular blocks with three random colors equally dividing it, two on the ends and one in the center. We take turns placing a block to build a structure upwards or outwards with matching colors touching if it contacts any other block. The first player to place the last block without toppling the structure wins, and any player who topples the structure does not win. If the last block is placed, the other player has a final turn to place their last block, and if successful the game ends with both players evenly matched."

"That sounds easy enough," said Sarah. "These blocks feel heavy for their size. What are they made of?"

"Stone," replied Storm. "They just had colors applied after they were shaped. You may go first if you desire."

The game began when Sarah picked up a piece and set it on the table between them. As they alternated their turns to place a piece, Sarah watched Storm closely, taking in his subtle behavior and mannerisms. "It really is incredible how much you look like a fox from my planet," she said. "The shape of your ears, your dark golden eyes with vertical slit pupils, your whiskers, your tail...a look that is cute, beautiful, and handsome all at the same time."

"Thank you for the compliment," said Storm with a smile. "I enjoyed looking at pictures of them from your memory. They were all very attractive."

After several rounds and countless laughs during a very enjoyable conversation, Sarah thought about the time. "Storm, I wish I didn't have to go but I haven't been keeping track of how long I've been here," Sarah said. "I have work in the morning and I don't know if my body back home is getting any sleep."

"I understand completely," said Storm. "You have duties to attend to at home. We all need our sleep, and it is approaching the time I slept as well. Our sleep times have fallen into the same time again. I will return to the transfer room with you."

As they walked the halls Sarah asked, "Is it required that I return home from the transfer room? Or could I open my eyes no matter where my body here is located?"

"You can transfer home from any place and at any time," said Storm. "You could be on Arfurah and transfer home. The transfer system in that room only acts as a middle connection point between your body at home and your body here."

"Ok," said Sarah. "I'll still transfer home from that room, though, so this body isn't getting in anybody's way."

When they arrived at the transfer room, Ajagi wasn't there. "I wonder where he went," pondered Sarah.

"He may have been called away to assist somebody, or he could be still communicating with home," said Storm.

"Oh well," said Sarah, "we'll just have to play a game with him some other time." Sarah looked over at the transfer system and asked, "Can you tell from that thing if my body has been asleep?"

"I will check," replied Storm as he looked toward the console. "The main indication shows you are asleep, and the record shows you have been asleep for just more than sixteen taren. I believe that is about thirty of your minutes, correct?"

"Yes, so if it's really late then I haven't had much sleep," said Sarah.

Sarah led Storm over to the corner of the room where she planned to leave her body. Looking into his furry face she said, "Storm, I know I was brought here to help with a war, but I want to tell you I am really enjoying the time I spend with you and getting to know everybody."

"I am very happy you feel that way. I have been enjoying the time I spend with you as well, and I know everybody else has enjoyed meeting you," Storm said.

Sarah and Storm reached out to hug each other at the same time, with Storm giving Sarah some goodbye licks to her cheek. She smiled and giggled at the licks and said, "This is how close friends in my world say hello and goodbye." She then gave him a kiss on his fuzzy cheek, making him smile more than he already was.

After their embrace ended Sarah sat on the floor against the wall under the window. "I'll see you tomorrow evening."

"I will see you then," replied Storm.

With the concentration required to awaken her sleeping body at home, Sarah opened her eyes.