FSE

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Chapter 13. Getting To Know You

Storm got up from his seat at the controls and walked back into the room. "We would do well to get comfortable. It will take us just over three tar to arrive at Arfurah."

Sarah thought briefly. "Three tar? That's...just over ten hours, I think. How fast are we going?"

"Our rate of travel is approximately 56 percent of the rate of travel of light," Storm replied.

"Holy crap!" exclaimed Sarah. "We're doing more than half the speed of light?" She stopped speaking and sat there with mouth agape, unable to think of anything else to say. She got up from her seat and walked back toward Storm while looking at him, then looked back out the front window. The view out the front was intermittently speckled with tiny points of light as the random molecules and dust particles in the vacuum of space were impacted by the protective energy field of the ship. "We're going to travel something like 4 billion miles in 10 hours?"

"Yes, that is close to the actual numbers," said Storm. "When I was learning your measurement system I practiced with the distance between Stamedigan and Arfurah. In your measurement of 'mile' the number I found was 3,855,609,000. Beyond that it is approximately another 105 million of your 'miles' to our center star."

Sarah walked back toward the controls and windows. "And to think...back home on my planet the best we can do is a few times faster than the speed of sound. The things we send to our moon or nearest planets are maybe twenty thousand miles an hour. And here we are, doing what...well over a hundred thousand miles a second? We have so far to go, so much to learn..." Sarah's speech trailed off as she looked out into space. "Now that we are clear of the other ships, can you point out where my galaxy is?"

Storm walked over beside her, looked out the window for a few seconds, and pointed. "It is there. Do you see that flat line of light with the bright center? Ajagi told me that is where you are from." Sarah picked out her home galaxy among the satellite galaxies and other objects in view and stood there gazing at it.

"It is so...beautiful...so huge and so distant," she said with poetic thought. "We are so small, so insignificant. Everybody I know is there, so far away. If I sent them a radio message saying 'hello' it wouldn't get there for a hundred thousand years...maybe millions, I don't know. By then, my species might not even exist any more. And yet all I have to do is open my eyes and I'm right back there, in an instant. Storm...this is all so beautiful, so wonderful...and it is so different from the reality I know, or thought I knew. It's like a dream."

Sarah turned to Storm and hugged him. "At home I have so few friends, so few people I can trust. The rest are corrupt, greedy, and selfish. Nearly all I read about is crimes against each other from all over the world, what we call 'man's inhumanity to man'. And here I am, an eternity away from home, with wonderful friends, being welcomed to their home and planet. I don't deserve such kindness."

Storm smiled as he hugged her in return. "You are the most kind person I have ever met from those we transferred here from any civilization. You do deserve such kindness." He broke the embrace and held her away slightly to look her in the eyes. "It is going to be a long trip to Arfurah. You are free to open your eyes and return home for that time if you are longing to go back. I understand what it is to miss home."

"Oh. No," Sarah replied. "I want to stay here with...I'd like to stay. If you don't mind."

"Not at all," Storm said with a smile. "I will enjoy your pleasant company for the journey." He then led her back into the more open area of the room with the table. She took a seat beside the table as he walked toward a control panel on the side of the room. "We are far from any dangerous zone now. We certainly do not need these awful things."

With that last sentence Storm pulled apart the front closure of his protection suit and pulled the material over his shoulders, pushing it down off his legs and tail and kicking it away. The quick motion left Sarah with wide eyes as she was presented with the sight of a nearly six and a half foot tall fox, naked except for the fur covering his body. As he stood there scratching his sides with his claws he said, "I must tell you, I sometimes feel those coverings are the worst part about being out here. We all feel so confined inside them."

Sarah sat there speechless. As Storm scratched he noticed she had not removed her suit. "We are in no danger of attack here. You are free to remove your protection cover."

"I...um...don't know if I can," Sarah said.

Storm stood there puzzled. "The temperature should be adequate in here. If you would prefer I can make it warmer, but I may begin to shed."

Sarah smiled largely with his joke and said, "No, it's not that. It's not the temperature, never has been. It's plenty warm. It's just that..."

Storm sat in the seat next to her, concerned. "Is there a problem you need to tell me? I do not understand."

Sarah sighed. "It's just that...on my planet, our people have a sort of rule that we must never be seen without clothes...we are taught from the youngest age to keep our bodies hidden, and that it is shameful to be seen without at least certain parts of the body covered at all times. Because of that, it is very...embarrassing for me to be seen nude. Without a covering, that is."

Storm sat there even more puzzled than before. "I know our civilizations are different by some ways. Without intending disrespect I must say this is the most strange rule I have ever heard. You have the same beauty you had when you were born, the same beauty you have always had by the every nature of your existence. How do you feel shame or embarrassment about that? You are a beautiful part of nature and there is no shame in that. Even if this body you have was constructed by us, it represents your natural body and retains that beauty."

"Thank you, Storm," Sarah said with a smile. "It's something I've tried to overcome my whole life. I've come a long way just by sleeping with nothing on, or occasionally remaining that way for a few minutes first thing in the morning."

"You may remain as you wish, however you find comfortable," said Storm. "Please know there is no shame to be felt here. Now if you will please allow me to take my attention away from you for a moment, I must set the navigation system to take us to Arfurah and wake us when we are approaching. Currently we are only headed in the general direction."

"Wake us up?" said Sarah.

"Yes," replied Storm. "We will be arriving just before it is light and we have a long day of work. We should get enough sleep that we may be refreshed when we arrive."

"Ok, that makes sense," said Sarah. While Storm stood there at the control panel programming in the flight, Sarah studied his body more fully now that he was completely visible. The white fur from the lower half of his muzzle extended back across his cheeks, down the front half of his neck, and over his chest and abdomen down to his thighs where it blended back with the reddish orange fur. His forearms were a dark brown fur that went from just below his elbows, where it blended from the orange fur, to the tips of his fingers. His lower legs and feet had the same dark brown fur, completing the resemblance to the fur of an Earthly fox. The orange fur on his back gradually blended with darker hairs as it went down his back to his tail, and the darker shade of orange continued onto his bushy tail before fading back to orange with a white tip. Sarah observed the shape of his body, the upper portion being very human-like, and couldn't help noticing his fur-covered genitals, which looked very similar to that of canines on Earth.

As Storm stood there at the control panel he closed his eyes and opened his mouth in a large yawn, curling his extended tongue and drawing the corners of his mouth back as a canine would. Sarah noticed more clearly the size of his sharp fangs and other teeth, then giggled when he finished his yawn with a shake of his head that caused his ears to make a slight flopping sound. Storm sensed he was being watched. He glanced toward Sarah who quickly and bashfully looked away. "I notice that you are looking at me very closely," he said with a soft voice. "I understand that you would be interested in studying creatures not from your planet. I am flattered as well."

Sarah looked back toward him and replied, "Yes, it is very interesting to study and learn all about you. And if I may say...you were talking about my natural beauty...you are very beautiful as well." Sarah smiled more, and was sure she was blushing.

"Thank you," Storm said with a smile. Sarah thought about herself sitting there as he worked, decided she felt out of place, and felt she was silly to be embarrassed in front of somebody from another galaxy. It's not like he would tell all her friends what he saw, she reasoned to herself, and they had seen her with nothing on already when she first arrived. She also felt very comfortable with him, so she silently stood up and removed her protection suit and tossed it over next to his before sitting back down. A wave of exhilaration and relief flooded over her as she let go of her fears of nudity.

"I am finished setting the navigation system, and the other systems are working optimally," Storm said as he turned toward her. "Oh, I hope you are comfortable. Does that indicate you need to sleep now?"

"I'm not very tired yet...instead, would you like to talk for a while?" she replied, still feeling self conscious and fighting the instinct to cover herself up. "There is so much to learn about you...you all, that is, and your home, your planet..." Sarah felt silly about how the words stumbled out of her mouth.

"I would enjoy that," Storm said as he sat in the seat next to her. "What questions may I answer for you?" Without saying a word Sarah reached out and took one of his hands in hers, pulling it close for a look. His fingers were shaped like hers, slightly longer and thicker, with long claws that were sharp but slightly blunt at the tip from use. She turned his hand over to look at the palm, studying the dark skin pads on the fingertips and part of the palm that were exposed from lack of fur. The rest had a covering of very short fur hairs that laid flat on the rest of the palm and fingers, but was slightly longer and tufted on the back of his hands and wrists. She flexed his fingers slightly, feeling the knuckles and joints. Sarah turned his hand back over and lifted it up, pressing the palm of her hand flat against his to compare shape and size.

While she studied his hands he shifted his eyes between them and her deep brown eyes, where he spent most of his time looking. Sarah took his other hand in hers, holding them close together, then ran her hands up his forearms to study the shape of his elbows, then up his muscular biceps to his strong shoulders. "I hope you don't mind all this," Sarah said. "This is like some incredible dream, being able to study a creature from another planet so closely. An incredible opportunity is a better way to put it. Your people have the ability to meet and study species from other planets, but our people don't have that ability yet."

"I do not object at all," Storm said, a slight smile on his lips. Sarah ran her hands up his neck to his jaw line, cheeks, and muzzle. She looked up at the fluffy fur on the top of his head and studied his ears, with thick white fur inside and thinner dark brown fur covering the back. She then got to his lips and opened his mouth slightly, pulling it open farther to look at his sharp teeth and soft pink tongue. She closed his mouth again and studied his face briefly, enjoying the look of his pure black whiskers growing out the sides of his muzzle beside his black nose, then leaned back in her chair.

"If I may ask," she said, "all I have seen you eat is fruit, but you have the teeth of a carnivore. Do you eat meat?"

"Yes we do, but very little," he replied. "We respect life very greatly so there are very few creatures on our planet we take for food. All those I eat come from the water near my home. Nobody enjoys killing for food but we must eat them occasionally out of necessity for the nutrients. Some, like Antakiri, are able to survive on the plant life alone and be very healthy."

Sarah reached down and picked up one of his feet, and held it in her lap to study it. Storm leaned back in his seat to extend his leg more comfortably. Sarah felt the shape of his canine-like toes and paw pads, the strong ankle, and muscular calf. She didn't feel proper going any farther past his knee. "You have very cute feet," she said with a blushing smile as she released his foot.

"Thank you again for the compliments," Storm said. He then set his foot on the floor and reached out to take her hands in his to study her just the same, sniffing her hands and forearms to learn her scent more closely. "Before you I have never met someone of your species. I have only met people who transferred from planets other than yours. You are equally interesting to me, especially with your near total lack of fur. Your skin is lovely." She blushed while he studied her hands and arms just as she did to him, going up to her neck and face. She smiled as she opened her mouth wide for him to look in and study. "Do you eat only plants?"

"I eat a lot of plants, including fruits and berries like what you eat," she said. "I do eat some meat, but not very much by choice. There are some in my species who eat no meat, also by choice, and some who eat a lot, sometimes enough to affect their health in a bad way."

"That certainly could be bad," replied Storm as he stopped studying her face and leaned back in his seat to view the rest of her body. "Are those for feeding your young?" he asked, motioning toward her breasts.

Sarah blushed deeply with a bashful smile. "Yes, they are," she replied, "although I don't have any young. So far they are just for...decoration, I guess." She laughed and asked, "Do the females of your planet have them too? For that matter, do your people even have the same separation of genders with male and female? I mean, you appear to be what we call male."

Storm picked up one of her feet to study as he answered. "Yes, our females do have them for their young. They actually have six or eight, depending on the particular variety of person they are, but only two are prominent like yours. The rest do not develop and remain concealed under their body fur. As our species evolved over very many years we started having fewer offspring. With not as many young to feed, the extra breasts faded away over time. And yes, we do have male and female. The females become pregnant with young and are the ones to give birth, and the males cause them to become pregnant. Some are born with features to make them both male and female but that occurs rarely, perhaps one for every five hundred or a thousand births."

"That happens on our planet too, but far more rarely," said Sarah. "When it does happen, quite often the baby is put through a medical procedure that sets their body as one or the other."

Storm looked up inquisitively and asked, "Why do they alter what nature has selected?"

"I don't know," Sarah replied. "Probably so they aren't so different from the rest."

Storm continued studying Sarah's feet. "It is interesting that you walk on your ankles."

"That is why the heel has such thick padding," she said. Sarah giggled as Storm's furry hands tickled her feet and lower legs. "That's an involuntary reaction...I can't help it," she reassured him. He smiled at her giggle and put her feet down.

"How long do you live?" Sarah asked him.

Storm looked confused about her question. "How long?" he asked.

"Yes, how old do your people get? What is your average life span?" she asked again.

"I do not understand what you mean by 'life span,'" Storm responded.

Sarah thought how to ask more clearly. "On average people of my species live about seventy or eighty years before dying, assuming no other illness or event causes them to die. The oldest ever was somewhere around 115 years old. How many years do people of your species last?"

"We do not die from time," Storm finally replied. "We only die from accidental dangerous events such as drowning under water, fires, explosions, consuming something that poisons the body, falls from too great a height...events like those. Eventually something will happen that takes the life of a person. It all varies on how careful they are in their life, and what sort of unforeseen events take place."

Sarah was astonished. "You mean your people never age? How is that possible? What is the oldest anybody has lived?"

"It is the nature of our planet," said Storm. "The nutrition and biochemistry of the plant life we eat has caused us to develop over time so that we remain healthy and do not age. The most years I have ever heard of somebody living through is some amount past fourteen thousand. I have never met that person and do not know if he is still alive...or she, I am not sure of that either."

Sarah asked, "How old are you? I mean, how many years has it been since you were born?"

"It has been a little more than thirty years since I was born," replied Storm.

"Ok, that's about how old I am, I'm thirty-one," said Sarah. "Wait a sec...a year on my planet lasts about 365 days, the day-night cycle. How long is yours?"

"Our year lasts 400 days, and if I remember correctly our day lasts a few tar longer than yours," said Storm.

"That means you're..." Sarah said, trying to figure out what thirty Arfuran years equated to. "Never mind that, let's just say we're the same age. What about Ajagi or the others?"

"Ajagi has lived one hundred forty three years," said Storm. "My parents were almost three hundred when I was born. Nanida has lived one hundred twelve years, Antakiri has lived two hundred forty years...Sharden has lived fifty seven years..."

"That is incredible. Ajagi sure looks good for his age," Sarah said with a slight joke.

"Ajagi is as strong and healthy as he was when he was my age," said Storm.

"Wow, that's amazing," said Sarah. "If we met again in twenty years, I'd look pretty different...in fifty years I'll look very different. You probably wouldn't recognize me by then." Sarah then asked, "Can you tell me about your parents?"

"I would be happy to tell you," said Storm. "They live about a nine day walk from me. They study and teach at one of the knowledge centers. They study the past history of our people with special knowledge in past languages. That is why my name is what it is. It is from one of the past languages."

"What does your name mean?" asked Sarah.

Storm replied, "It is a rough translation meaning, 'small one who entered the world gently as a rain with the fury of a storm.' I was told I was born quickly and made a lot of noise. All those who lived nearby knew I was born because I alerted them."

"What a lovely name," Sarah said with a dreamy smile.

"Thank you," said Storm. "A long time ago there were many languages, but each one was specific to a variety of Arfurans. Each was difficult for others to speak. Over time all the varieties of our people settled on a language that everybody could speak easily, and the older languages were abandoned but not forgotten. My parents are among those who help prevent them from being forgotten."

"Why do I hear the word 'storm' when your name is spoken while others have names I don't recognize?" Sarah asked.

Storm replied, "That is because my name is a word with a meaning. It is the same word we use when speaking of a storm in the sky. You hear it translated into the word you recognize."

"Ok, I see. This automatic translation is a little confusing at times," Sarah said. "Do you have any siblings?"

"Yes. I have a sister, Grasata. She was born a few years after me and lives near my parents," replied Storm. "Her name is also from the old language and means 'eyes of fire.'"

"I was thinking," Sarah said, "since you mention your parents, and they had two children, but your people never age...isn't there a problem with overpopulation?"

"Nature seems to prevent that for us," replied Storm. "When there is enough of a population in an area, the body chemistry of a female alters naturally so that she can not become pregnant. Some males are altered in the same way so they may not cause a female to become pregnant. It is something they do not choose or think about in order to happen. If they move to an area with less population their bodies soon return to normal without any thought about it at all, and they may reproduce if they desire. Also there are others who choose to not have offspring because that is not what they desire in life. And some desire a mate who is the same gender. They can not reproduce together by the nature of their matched bodies."

"You have couples who are the same sex?" responded Sarah. "I guess that proves it's not just limited to people on my planet."

"Yes, replied Storm. "Nanida and Antakiri have been mates for a long time, as have been the three who you observed when you first visited our relaxation room."

"Wow, and I thought his use of the word 'mate' meant a rank of the crew, or a job on the ship. I didn't know they were a couple," Sarah said. She then thought of the other three he referred to. "You mean it's common to have more than one mate?" she asked.

"Yes. Some desire one mate, some desire more than one. Ajagi is mate with three others," said Storm.

"Again, wow," said Sarah. "I thought I was hearing a misinterpreted translation when I heard him say 'mates', plural. How did that happen?"

"He used to have only one mate, a lovely female named Gradoga," Storm replied. "When they moved to the area where they live now they met another pair of mates, and all four developed a very strong love. It was not long before they were all mates together."

Sarah was amazed. "On my planet, relationships with more than two individuals are looked down on and condemned. Even relationships of two who are the same gender are not widely accepted."

"Why?" asked Storm. "If their love brings them together as mates, why would that be condemned?"

"Again, I don't know," said Sarah. "It's not something I could clearly explain."

Storm asked, "What is 'wow'? You have said it many times. We must not have an equivalent word to hear in translation."

Sarah replied, "It is a word used to express amazement or excitement."

The pair sat there silently for a moment, not knowing what further to say. Sarah glanced down and saw Storm's tail waving slightly behind his chair. "You have a lovely tail," she said awkwardly. "I love how thick and bushy it is."

Storm lifted his tail up around the side of the chair and reached a hand over to pull it closer. "Thank you. Why do you not have a tail?"

Sarah replied, "Over the millions of years that our species evolved, our tails faded away over time. We only have a hint of its former existence in our bones." She sat there silently for another moment before asking, "Do you have a mate?"

"No," said Storm. "I had a mate in the past, the sister of Sharden. That is how I met him and we became such good friends. We loved each other very much. We still do but as very close friends instead of mates. We wanted different things in life so she found another mate who had the same desires. I am very happy for them. It was not long after that I joined the crew of our fleet. After I joined I decided I would not have another mate until I was back home permanently because if I was killed in an attack I did not want a mate to feel the pain of losing me."

"I'm sorry you lost your mate," said Sarah. "I hope you aren't feeling too bad about it."

"No, not at all," Storm replied. "I was sad to lose a mate but never felt anger toward her. She is happy in her life with her mate, and I will find love and happiness with another mate when this is all over. The happiness and love is what is important." After a brief pause he continued to ask, "Do you have a mate?"

"Ha!" said Sarah with a laugh. "No, I'm not that lucky. I've dated a few guys but it never works out. They pour on the charm but then before too long they show what kind of jerks they really are. I dated one guy for two years and we even talked about marriage, but as soon as we talked seriously about it he started talking about how I'd just stay at home and not work. He expected me to give up the career I worked so hard for."

"What is 'mare ridge?'" Storm asked.

Sarah thought a moment. "When two people are mates, marriage is a ceremony or ritual that commits them to each other for life and is performed in front of their friends and family. It is a sort of public announcement saying, 'we're mates,' as a way for others to officially accept it."

"I understand," said Storm. "We do not have such a ceremony. When a mateship is formed it is recognized, respected, and encouraged by all. Sometimes we gather for a celebration."

Sarah smiled. "You know, even though our civilizations are different, they are a lot alike in some ways. You and I are a lot alike...we're the same, really. We may have different ways of life but we are each working hard to make it through life just the same."

Storm thought about what she said for a moment. "That is a very true thing to say." He leaned on the side of the table, supporting his head with a hand on his cheek. "You have not told me about your family. Do you have siblings? Please describe your parents as well."

Sarah looked down silently for a moment and took a deep breath before looking back up at him. "I don't have any siblings...I'm the only child my parents had. I have no parents any more. When I was very young my mother ran off. She had some mental problems from what I was told but I don't know if that's the real reason. I don't even know if she's still alive. My father raised me by himself. He worked hard to put me through school...worked hard at being the best dad he could."

Storm sat silently, understanding most of what he heard while listening to Sarah's story. "Dad died nine years ago, just after I graduated college. He was working in his store late one evening when some kid came in to rob him." Sarah paused silently for a moment to take another deep breath. "When Dad stood his ground and tried to protect his store, the kid shot him dead and ran off. They caught him and the kid is spending the rest of his life in prison, but that doesn't bring Dad back. That kid showed no remorse after he destroyed three lives...Dad's, mine, and his own...for nothing more than money. I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye."

Storm sensed her morosity and reached out to take her hand in his. "Sarah, after hearing what you said, I now share your pain. I hope your loss will become easier for you to carry."

"Thank you, Storm," she said, looking into his eyes. "The pain never fades but has become easier to bear over time. I always loved and appreciated what he did for me. He always told me to follow my heart to happiness, and when I was going through college I promised him I would make him proud, never be like my mother was. I've followed the career I wanted but unfortunately where I work I'm not very happy. When I can I'm going to find something else."

"There are some things I do not fully understand," said Storm, "possibly because of an incorrect translation I am hearing. I believe I understand your word of career as a special knowledge and service you pursue and perform through your life. And you told of the knowledge center where you did much of your learning. What did you mean when you said that person tried to 'rob' your father? What is 'rob?'"

Sarah replied, "Rob means to steal, to take something that belongs to somebody else without receiving any permission to take it. In this case it is done with force...as an example, the Kra have attempted to rob, or steal, your planet from all of you in the past."

"I understand completely. What is money?" Storm continued to ask.

"You don't know what money is?" asked Sarah. She paused for several seconds to think of how best to describe it. "Well...it's a set of small objects, usually made of paper or metal, that has value assigned to it by the practice of society. People work a job or task for somebody else to earn more of it, and then trade it for food, land, services, energy, or other materials."

"Your people need to trade this thing for food?" Storm asked. "It is a requirement of life."

"Yes," replied Sarah, "and water too, in some places."

"This is very strange," said Storm. "I also do not understand the trade for land. Does the land not belong to the planet?"

"Not as long as people claim to own it and tell others where they can and can't live," said Sarah. "It seems we do some things very differently."

"We do not have such a thing," said Storm. "Food is abundant and found everywhere, our people do many things for themselves, and everything they do for others is out of the value of friendship. Everything is done for the benefit of our people and our planet. If somebody has a special knowledge or skill they perform it for others out of desire to help."

"That sounds like a wonderful way of life," said Sarah. "It's just as well you don't have money because it leads to greed, corruption, and abused power. What if somebody doesn't want to do things for others, or has some physical problem that prevents them from doing much?"

"It is their choice," said Storm. "Some decide to take time away from their special skill and take care of daily life only. A common example is when offspring is born. All mates remain at home to raise and care for the young one. They return to the task when they feel the desire and feel ready to return. Everybody has the desire to help and give to others...it is in our nature to want to perform for the benefit of our species. If somebody is physically unable to do things...maybe he fell and injured his body...everybody around him does all they can to help him."

Sarah smiled. "I have to say again how wonderful that sounds. I wish there was more generosity like that in my world. I don't want to sound like my world is an awful place. It's just that there are some problems that need to be fixed." Sarah was afraid of asking too many questions and stayed silent for several moments but didn't want their conversation to end. Every time she looked at Storm or listened to him talk, she could feel her heart beat a little harder as it did back home. Before she could say anything new, Storm broke the silence.

"I can hear your heartbeat," he said.

"What?" Sarah replied with surprise.

Storm calmly responded, "It is very quiet in here. I can hear your heartbeat."

"But how..." she said, trailing off as she looked down at her chest and then back up at his ears. "Oh...your ears...you very closely resemble a fox from my planet. The animal life has very strong senses, much greater than humans. Exactly how sharp are your senses, like hearing and smell, things like that?"

"I do not know what I may compare them to," said Storm. "I will do my best to describe what I am sensing. You may find the light in here to be low. In my eyes it is more than adequate light to see everything clearly."

Sarah nodded. "Yep, I thought it was pretty dim lighting. Your large pupils add a lot of warmth to your eyes, though," she said with a smile.

Storm smiled in return and responded, "Thank you. Your eyes have that same appearance. As I smell the air I can detect the scent of your body, and the scent of the water from the bathing room is still strong. And my sense of hearing...I am able to hear sounds as quiet as your heartbeat."

"Wow, that is absolutely amazing," said Sarah, looking down at her chest again. "I can't hear anything that quiet. Oops, sorry...I hope I'm not speaking too loudly for you."

"No, your speech is very tolerable. I am able to hear very quiet sounds but sounds at this level do not harm my ears."

Sarah quietly looked up at Storm and stammered bashfully, "Um...if I may ask...could I...listen to your heartbeat?"

"Yes, you are very welcome to listen," replied Storm. Sarah got up from her seat and leaned over next to Storm, placing an ear against his soft furry chest while her hair fell around her face. When she found the spot for hearing it best, she held her breath to be more silent as she heard the faint thumping sound of his heart. Sarah closed her eyes and let her breath out slowly in a long sigh as she continued to listen. "What a beautiful sound," she said, holding her ear to his warm chest longer than was necessary to hear his heart.

Storm remained silent so he wouldn't interrupt her listening to his heart, but he could not keep himself from yawning. In one motion he licked his chops and opened his mouth up wide to breathe deeply, catching Sarah's attention. She pulled herself back upright just high enough to be level with Storm's eyes as he finished his yawn and closed his mouth. "It sounds like you're pretty tired," she said, grinning.

"Yes, I am," he replied. "Usually I would be sleeping at this time. Our duty periods correspond to our day cycles on Arfurah. Those who are awake at very different times than me come from other distant places on the planet, or they are a variety who is active at night."

"Nice way to prevent jet lag, I bet," Sarah said. Realizing Storm probably wouldn't know what she meant she added, "I mean, a nice way to stay in your own comfortable sleep cycle. You must want to get some sleep now, huh?"

Storm nodded his agreement as he yawned another time, influencing Sarah to yawn as well from watching him. "You've got me started yawning, too!" she said. "Actually back home it's about the time I went to sleep as well. Before transferring back here I left my body in bed." Sarah looked around the room and asked, "Where are we supposed to sleep?"

Storm stood up out of his seat and motioned his hand toward the padded floor near the back corner wall. "The sleeping area is back here," he said. "I hope you will find it comfortable." The padded area on the floor had a fabric with a thin fur-like texture similar to velvet, the same as what they had sat on in the lounge back on the ship. Three sides also had raised padding to act as a built-in pillow. Sarah saw only the one large padded area.

"Are we both sleeping there?" she asked.

"Yes," Storm replied. "Will that be satisfactory?"

"Um...yes...that will be fine," she said, unsure of how to respond. "It looks quite comfortable. Where are the blankets?"

"What is that?" Storm curiously asked.

Sarah thought briefly and responded, "You might call it an insulation cover. It's something to lay over yourself when you sleep to keep warm."

"I understand what you mean," said Storm. "We do not have those. You may say we are wearing one at all times, growing from our skin. The only time any sort of insulation cover is needed is when someone is visiting a very cold climate and does not have the appropriate fur yet. If you feel cold I can adjust the ambient temperature to be warmer."

"No, that's alright. I wouldn't want you to start shedding," Sarah said with a sly smile. "It feels fine right now but when I am resting I start to feel cooler when my metabolism slows down."

Storm responded with a smile from her shedding joke. "I understand. If you desire, you may move closer to me as you feel cooler to benefit from my warmth."

"Thanks...I appreciate that," Sarah said. "Too bad this body wasn't made to grow fur."

As Storm stepped onto the padded floor and crouched down to his knees he replied, "If we had known that was something you desired we could have included that."

Sarah followed him down to the padding. "That's alright...I would have looked pretty funny if you did."

Storm stretched out and laid on his side, facing the back wall with his head resting on the pillow border. He tucked his legs up slightly and kept his tail stretched straight down, the tip extending just past his feet. "I hope you enjoy a restful sleep," he said.

"Thanks, I hope you do too," said Sarah as she laid down beside him and rested her head on the pillow border. For a minute or two Sarah laid on her back, first looking up at the ceiling and then turning her head to look at the back of Storm's head. "I am starting to feel a little cool," she whispered as she turned onto her side to face Storm. She slid over close to him, wrapped her arm around him to pull him close, and nuzzled her nose into the fluffy fur on the back of his neck.

The fur on his back felt soft against her skin with only the slightest hint of coarseness. Out of a natural habit to pet furry creatures Sarah rubbed the fur on his chest and abdomen, feeling his firm muscles and the vibration of his heartbeat. She liked the scent she smelled in his fur and deeply inhaled, enjoying his scent even more, then exhaled and made his fur all warm. His scent was slightly musky and pleasant; she found it slightly reminded her of the smell of dried leaves in autumn, and she enjoyed each breath of his scent even more. Sarah could hear the thumping sound of the end of his wagging tail hitting the surface of the bed as Storm enjoyed the friendly closeness, but she couldn't see the large smile that formed on his lips.

Chapter 14. Small Steps and Giant Leaps

After several hours of random dreams masquerading through Sarah's mind, she awoke and opened her eyes to see the ceiling of the transport ship. As her eyes became used to being open again she noticed the room had become quite a bit brighter. She felt so natural and comfortable in her synthetically produced body it took her a minute before she realized in subtle amazement that she slept, dreamed, and awoke just the same as she always had in her natural body.

Sarah heard the quiet sound of breathing in her left ear and turned her head to the side to look at Storm. He was still fast asleep; in his sleep through the night he had turned around to his other side and was then facing her. Sarah rolled up onto her side to face him, her nose a few inches away from his. In the brighter room she could clearly see all the details of his face. His black whiskers laid in stark contrast across the white fur on his muzzle just like his thin dark lips did as they peeked out from the short fur surrounding his mouth. His black nose looked dry as it twitched with his breath and had the typical seam that ran down his upper lip to separate his two sides of whiskers.

Her eyes gazed into his soft eyelids, covered with very short eyelashes and even shorter orange fur. Sarah shifted her eyes up to look where his eyebrows would be; the slight ridges instead had whiskers sprouting from them as well. She was beginning to feel slightly overwhelmed at how beautiful, handsome, and cute he was all at the same time. As she had loved animals and their natural beauty so much throughout her life, the sweet sleeping vulpine face in front of her stirred very strong emotions.

Sarah looked up higher to Storm's ears, studying the detail of their pointed shape and the soft tufts of fur growing out from inside them. They looked so soft, she could not stop herself from reaching up and gently touching them. She squeezed very lightly with her thumb inside and her fingers wrapped around the back, feeling the softness of the fur and massaging with a soft circular motion between her thumb and fingers. Storm stirred slightly in his sleep, twitching his whiskers and eyelids for a moment before coming to a rest again. As Sarah continued to rub his ear, Storm started to smile in his sleep. When Sarah saw that, she couldn't resist smiling herself, her eyes squinting slightly from the happiness she felt.

Storm's eyelids twitched again, and then slowly opened with intermittent blinking. His eyes shifted around slightly as he regained awareness of where he was and what was happening, then settled his gaze into Sarah's eyes. He felt the massaging rub she was doing on his ear and smiled again, enjoying the sensation. Neither one felt the need to say anything and remained silent. Sarah continued to smile as she released his ear and moved her hand to his face, gently placing it against his cheek and caressing his muzzle. Her thumb rubbed over his whiskers while her palm stroked the side of his muzzle, sliding back to his cheek. The moment reminded her of times when she was a young girl, snuggling with her German Shepherd and caressing his face in much the same way.

Sarah could see the reflection of the brightened room glistening in Storm's golden eyes as he looked back at her. His eyes had slitted pupils like a feline and his irises were deep brown with elongated striations of yellow that gave them the appearance of some sort of dark golden jewel. Surrounding his eyes were eyelids with dark edges that blended into the fur running away from them, giving him the look of an ancient Egyptian. The silence was broken by the sound of animal noises similar to the yipping of a pack of coyote pups. "What's that?" Sarah asked softly.

"That is the alert I set to wake us," Storm replied. "We are approaching Arfurah."

"How far out are we?" Sarah continued to inquire.

Storm responded, "We have passed the orbit of the fifth planet. At this speed we will be there in approximately fifteen taren, but it will be longer because we will have to slow our approach." He then raised himself, stretched with a large yawn, and got up off the padded floor. "I will have to contact the surface and notify them of our arrival."

Sarah turned her head to follow him with disappointed eyes as he moved away. "Yeah...that, um...sounds like a good idea."

Storm stopped and looked back at Sarah. "Thank you, for the way you awoke me. That was far more pleasant than waking by a sound recording."

Sarah smiled happily and said, "It was my pleasure." She then stretched and yawned, partially in an attempt to imitate his action a few moments before, and got up to follow him to the controls at the front. When she approached the front windows her eyes were filled with the brightness of the planetary system's center star, now much larger and brighter than the faint speck it had appeared to be from Stamedigan. It was angled off to the side, and directly ahead she could see a bright spot calling out from the blackness of space.

"Is that it?" asked Sarah.

"Yes," replied Storm with a deep sigh. "That is home."

"It looks so close yet so distant," said Sarah. "And also so lovely."

"I agree completely," said Storm.

Sarah said, "While you contact home, I'm going to open my eyes and transfer home for a few minutes...a few taren, that is...and take care of myself there so I don't have to worry about it for a while."

"That is a very good idea," said Storm. "You should have enough time. I will be slowing the transport vehicle as we get closer."

"Alright, sounds good," said Sarah. "I'll be back shortly." She then returned to the padded floor bed and laid down so she wouldn't have to be concerned about falling over, and concentrated on opening her eyes at home. After several seconds of attempts her body back home awoke and opened its eyes, and she found herself lying in her bed just as she left herself the night before.

Sarah laid there for a minute, gathering her senses and reassuring herself that what she had just awoke from was not a dream, before she remembered the shortness of available time. She grabbed her glasses from the nightstand and saw the time was ten minutes before 8:00 in the morning. She put her glasses on and got out of bed. Her glasses felt like a boat anchor sitting on her face, making her realize just how little she missed them when transferred. Just as she reached for her fuzzy pink bathrobe she stopped herself and thought, "What do I need this for? The temperature is fine in here." Leaving it behind, she headed for the kitchen.

Without very much time to spare Sarah decided against making a hot cup of tea and instead chose juice to go with her breakfast. Bread in the toaster, the room filled with the smell of toast while she pulled her usual fruit out of the refrigerator. Sarah was feeling a bit hungry and knew she had a long day ahead of her, so she cut up a bit more fruit than she usually ate. Retrieving the hot toast, she covered it with orange marmalade to have along side.

While she sat on the stool next to the counter, Sarah found the fruit she ate to be disappointing. It was as delicious as it always was, but it was missing something. It wasn't from Arfurah. She realized how she felt about the fruit and knew there was nothing wrong with it; she figured it was because the fruit on Arfurah was new to her and still exciting to taste for the first time. Sarah quickly started into the toast while it was still warm, and as she bit into it the orange color of the marmalade mixed with the darker brown of the toast reminded her of Storm's fur.

"Storm," she thought to herself. "What was I thinking? I was caressing him like he was..." The words in her mind trailed off as she started to smile while thinking about how nice it felt to snuggle, pet his fur, and rub his furry face. As Sarah continued to eat, her memories flowed to their conversation the night before, all the questions and answers they shared with each other, and questions she forgot to ask. Before she realized it she was done with her fruit and toast with only a small amount of juice left to swallow into her full stomach. She set her dishes in the sink without the usual amount of care and headed back to her room.

The clock announced it was a minute past eight when Sarah glanced at it on her way to the bathroom. She was still well aware of the long day ahead of her so she took care of everything she could before jumping in the shower. While she waited for the water to warm up she was reminded of the cool flowing water in the bathing room of the ship, so for fun she left her shower set to the same temperature. "How neat it would be to squeeze fresh body wash out of a plant leaf," she thought to herself as she used her regular liquid in a bottle.

Sarah bathed quickly, toweled off, and returned to her bedroom. She reasoned the bed would be the most comfortable even though she couldn't really feel it after she transferred. A glance out the window showed her a lovely morning with wispy clouds in a blue sky. She decided against closing the drapes, reasoning again that her body would be unaffected by the surroundings after she transferred. Turning toward her bed she saw the time was 8:10. She hoped she hadn't spent too much time at home because she wanted to see Arfurah approach from a distance. When Sarah laid back down on the bed she felt quite comfortable with the temperature as it was and found no need to pull the comforter up over herself.

Thoughts of her adventure and new friends left her smiling when Sarah closed her eyes. The sights inside her eyelids immediately presented her with a few of the ceiling of the transport. Quickly she stretched and got up off the padded floor. "I'm back, Stormy," she said.

Storm turned his head around from his position at the front controls and smiled when he saw her. "I am glad you returned so soon. Is everything alright at home?" he asked.

"Yes, everything's fine. I should be set for the day pretty well," Sarah replied. "Funny thing is, I still feel hungry, but full at the same time."

"That is your body here," said Storm. "You sense your hunger here and also sense your full stomach at home. That helps you to always remember to feed both bodies."

"Ok, makes sense," said Sarah. "You must be hungry too. Would you like me to get some of the food from storage?"

"Thank you but I will decline," replied Storm. "We are so close to home...I look forward to tasting the food that grows from the trees, fed by air, light, and rain. Our garden attendants do a wonderful job in the garden on the large vehicle and we are all thankful to them, but it is..."

"I understand completely," said Sarah. "It's just not the same, is it? I like your idea, and I'll wait, too." Storm nodded and smiled as Sarah moved closer.

As she approached the front of the ship she was awestruck to see a planet in front of her. "It's breathtaking!" she exclaimed, resting her hands on Storm's shoulders from behind. Due to the angle between the ship, the planet, and the center star, Arfurah was lit like a crescent moon with much of the planet completely dark. The parts they could see were a mix of blue, green, and white.

"It looks like Earth," Sarah said. "The shapes of the land are different, but it looks like my planet!"

"I hope you will find it as comfortable and familiar on the surface," said Storm.

Sarah thought for a moment and said, "I'm just guessing here...is the name 'Arfurah' a word from one of the old languages that means 'home?'"

"Yes, you are absolutely correct," said Storm. "The same word in a different old language means 'life.'"

With their rapid approach the planet was visibly growing larger. Sarah could see a half-lit moon, tinted a medium green color, off to the right of Arfurah. As they continued along, a black spot passed in front of the star, nearly blocking it out for a moment. "What's that?" Sarah asked as she pointed. "It was right there."

"That is one of our moons, Bletisl," said Storm. "The second moon over there is Deskalth."

The thin atmosphere of Bletisl gave it a dim aura that grew larger very quickly as they approached it. Sarah followed it with her eyes the best she could as the moon streaked past their left side, giving her a sense of the sheer speed they were traveling. The lit portions disappeared past the edge of the window before she could get more than a glimpse of it but she was more concerned about their speed.

"Storm..." she said, hesitating, "I'm a little scared. We're going so fast."

"Please do not be afraid," Storm responded in a calm, reassuring voice. "We are perfectly safe and there is nothing to cause you fear. Not long ago we were traveling five hundred times faster."

Sarah could only look at him with her mouth silently open. She had no words to further express her amazement at the abilities and achievements of his people. She sat down in the seat beside Storm and looked forward at the planet that was filling the front window. Glancing at the display screens in front of Storm, Sarah wished she could read the alien language to understand where they were going or how fast they were traveling.

Storm placed his hands on the controls and manipulated them gently. The ship rolled to the side and the nose lifted up, tilting them so the lit crescent of the planet was their new horizon. As they got closer he pulled up the nose of the transport a little farther, and the bright star beyond the planet disappeared behind the dark silhouette in a glorious blaze of fading light.

With no visual cues among the darkness to guide them, Storm tapped a symbol on one of the display screens to summon help. Instantly the front window was covered with a holographic display showing them all the navigation guidance they needed. Sarah could understand the visual display showing them the path to their destination but could still not read the alien text.

As they got closer to the planet the view outside the front windows began to glow a dim red, followed by bright orange. Storm activated the transmitter and said, "This is Storm again. We have entered the atmosphere. Arrival will be in four or five taren."

"Welcome home, Storm. We will be waiting for you at the landing area," replied the voice from hidden speakers. With the ship tearing through the planet's atmosphere Sarah could feel no buffeting, instead thinking it was quite a comfortable ride.

"Why is this so smooth?" Sarah asked. "When our space vehicles reenter our atmosphere they shake the passengers violently, and this steep of an angle would burn our ships to vapors."

Storm replied, "It is because of the generated energy shielding. It absorbs the impacts of the atmospheric particles and clears the way for our travel to be smooth."

"Good design," said Sarah.

"If the shielding somehow failed," added Storm, "the vehicle would need to protect itself with its physical shielding, and we would be severely shaken.

"Let's hope that doesn't happen, then," said Sarah.

Storm nodded his agreement and looked back at the synthetic vision display in front of him. From around the edges Sarah could see that it was pitch black in front of them with no indication of how close the ground was or where they were going. Looking at the holographic display she could clearly see the shape of the distant terrain and how fast they were approaching. Feeling tense she reached over and grabbed hold of Storm's arm, squeezing lightly at first but more firmly as they got closer to the surface.

"Please do not be nervous," said Storm. "Everything is proceeding very well." He manipulated the controls and pulled the nose of the ship up away from the dive. The ship slowed and Sarah felt more at ease, but she could tell it was still going several hundred miles per hour at tens of thousands of feet up. As they continued on the sky appeared to begin getting lighter as they approached the region where night was turning into dawn.

On the horizon appeared a small distant area of flashing white lights. As they got closer the lights appeared much brighter and grew in size. Sarah could see that it outlined a large square area, and she assumed that was the landing pad. Storm slowed the ship gradually until it was moving very slowly. When they got within a few thousand yards away they could see area lights come on to illuminate the landing area, at which time Storm deactivated the holographic display. Large symbols of the Arfuran language were visible on the surface of the lit landing zone, and Sarah could see the silhouettes of a half dozen Arfurans standing around the perimeter with tails wagging. She couldn't help smiling about the welcoming image.

"Friends of yours?" she asked.

"Yes, everybody is," replied Storm as he slowed the ship to a crawl. Once it was over the center of the pad its movement stopped and he gently descended down to the surface. A very light bump to the structure of the transport indicated their touchdown, and at that moment the white lights outside stopped flashing. Storm deactivated the display screens and several of the other systems, then got up from his seat. Sarah stood with him and followed him to the back of the ship where the doors were. Pressing a button Storm activated the large doors which let out a pneumatic sound from the airlock before opening.

As the doors silently slid open the two were met with an inflow of fresh, cool morning air, and six smiling, wagging Arfurans. Storm took a very deep breath, savoring the sweet scent of the unfiltered air, then held his arms open wide as he exhaled. "Friends!" he exclaimed.

The six Arfurans of various varieties ran over and pounced Storm in a wonderful friendly greeting of hugs, nuzzles, and licks. Sarah couldn't quite distinguish all of what everybody was saying but could hear many friendly greetings welcoming him home. They all helped Storm up, and once on his feet he took another deep breath through his nose before exhaling it with a long sigh. "The scent of home! I have missed it so much," he said. "I've missed you all very much too."

Everybody hugged him again and he hugged as many people as he could wrap his arms around. He then turned toward Sarah and everybody looked her way. She was feeling a bit self conscious again due to her nudity but knew she had nothing to be concerned about because it would go unnoticed.

"Friends, this is Sarah," said Storm. "She will be here for a few days while we work on our new project." Everybody continued to smile and wag their tails as they looked at her, making her feel quite at ease.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," said Sarah with a smile. As soon as she started to open her arms the way Storm did, all six furry bodies quickly came over to give her a proper greeting of a hug, nuzzle, and lick. Sarah hugged them all, still smiling because of their friendliness and giggling because of the feel of all the fur brushing against her skin. Out of a sense of fun Storm bounded over to the group and joined everybody in hugging Sarah.

"There are items from the other members of the fleet," said Storm when the hug broke up, "plus a good amount of food remaining from the trip." Storm and the group of six walked back into the ship to unload, and Sarah followed to help out. She didn't see who activated the lights but appreciated that it made things easier to see. One by one the large containers were carried outside to the landing pad, completing the task within a few minutes. Sarah admired that Storm didn't just leave the task to the others, instead taking part in the work himself.

After they were finished the furry group stood outside the ship talking for a few moments about people and events on the fleet and on the ground. While they chatted Sarah looked around and noticed between the lit areas that she could see tree tops at about the same level that they were standing. The twilight sky was beginning to lighten, making it easier to see the silhouettes of the trees and lighting the high clouds in the dark early sky. Overhead was the tan glow of the moon Bletisl, surrounded by stars and half lit by the center star. She inhaled a deep breath as Storm did, similarly enjoying the sweet fresh scent provided by all the plant life.

Storm shared a parting hug with the group and then walked over to Sarah, carrying only the small elongated box he retrieved before departing the large ship. The group all shared a parting hug with her, and she followed Storm to a doorway at the corner of the landing area. "That was a wonderful way to be welcomed home," said Sarah.

"Yes, I agree," said Storm as he looked back with a smile toward the rest. "You should have seen how many people were here when our fleet departed for our outpost. There were hundreds of thousands."

"Wow...I can't imagine that many people," responded Sarah. The entrance to the doorway presented a dimly lit stairway leading down. As they descended Sarah asked, "Stairs for the able body instead of wasting energy on an elevator?"

"You are correct," replied Storm. "The lifting unit is through the adjacent door at the top but it is only used for equipment and cargo that is too heavy to carry."

"Good idea," said Sarah. "Conveniences like that on my planet have made people so lazy."

At the bottom of the stairs another open doorway led the pair to an upper walkway overlooking a huge indoor atrium with enormous open windows on the far side. She could tell by sensing the air that the openings had no glass over them, and there were a few people walking among the plants below while going about their business. "Are there so few people here because of the early time?" Sarah asked.

"Yes," said Storm. "It is usually much busier here."

Sarah said, "I like the open air feel in here but don't bugs get in? The windows are all open."

"Bugs?" asked Storm.

"Yeah, bugs...insects..." Sarah said before stopping herself to think about the differences in life forms between this planet and hers.

"I am not entirely sure what you mean," said Storm. "If you are referring to the small creatures that feed on the flowers, they may freely enter but there are very few of them. The openings are covered only if there is very bad weather. The weather is bad enough for that only once or twice per year."

"Ok, I see," replied Sarah. She and Storm continued along the upper walkway to another set of stairs that brought them to the lower level, then proceeded out a large open door. Outside the door was a ramp that went down to the ground, and Sarah saw the building was in a large clearing surrounded by a forest of trees native to the planet. As they got to the bottom of the ramp Sarah stopped before reaching the dirt. Storm stopped and turned around after a few steps, wondering what she was doing.

"Here's another small step for man," said Sarah as she stepped onto the ground and pressed her footprints into the dirt.

"What do you mean?" inquired Storm.

Sarah looked up at him with a smile and replied, "For our people it was a monumental achievement to set foot on our moon. Since then we have had aspirations to set foot on another planet but have done nothing more than send unmanned probes to our other nearest planets. And here I am, setting foot on another planet in another solar system in another galaxy next to a friend who is not from my planet and breathing air without the aid of a space suit. This is an extraordinarily humbling experience. I just wish I could show somebody back home."

Storm stepped back next to her and placed an arm around her shoulders. "That is how we felt when we first ventured to the other planets around our center star. We were proud of what we had accomplished, and humbled that we were only touching the edge of all the universe had to offer."

Sarah placed her arm around his back and squeezed him with a slight hug. "I owe you a lot for this opportunity," she said.

Storm replied, "When this project is finished and we are safe, we owe you our lives."