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A DIFFERENT WAR

CPL Jonathan Smythe was a dead dog. The morph looked straight up through his helmet's HUD at the thousand pound combat drone dropping towards him. Jonathan, on some instinctive level, knew he was going to die. Even as time seemed to slow, the photoplasmic rifle attached to his right arm raised slowly. Oh so slowly. The morph knew it wouldn't be fast enough. His unit was moving through the strange alien foliage towards the enemy base in a classic "wedge" formation. Jonathan had heard the call across his bone-conduction receiver.

"Contact!"

The snap of a single branch in the strangely-twisted, purple-leafed tree above had caused him to look up in time to see his death coming. As the alien fell towards him, the young canine morph found his thoughts skittering across the front of his mind in that strange way they seemed to do when one was in the last seconds of their life. Regrets, memories, old loves, and more flashed cinematically through his head, all in the face of one of the ugliest drones he had ever seen. The alien closed the gap, spreading it's wickedly barbed arms and claws in anticipation of the kill.

A flash of white-hot heat and light blazed a line across his vision, activating his helmet's polarizers, but not before leaving a temporary spot in his eyes. Jonathan blinked away the brilliant afterimages and looked up again. The attacking alien was no longer above him. He blinked again and looked to the side. The combat drone lay sprawled in the dirt, a smoking crater in the side of its chest. A smooth voice, deep, and calm, clicked to life in his temple.

"Keep moving, Rookie. They know where we are now so we need ta pick up tha pace. And stop thinkin 2D! These things can jump and climb easy in this gravity!"

Jonathan breathed a huge sigh of relief. The momentary, near-death adrenalin rush passed quickly, leaving behind a feeling like a wrung-out rag. Turning his head, he nodded to the draft horse morph who just saved his life.

"Copy, Sergeant, I'll keep that in mind."

"Ya better, rook. Now yer supposed ta be our sneak, get ta work!"

The grizzled horse nodded in the direction of travel and shifted his gaze back to the front. The powered armor he wore shifted colors to blend as well as possible into the background, leaving Jonathan with the impression of a face hovering inside an eye-wrenching hole in the air. The photoplasmic rifle on the Sergeant's arm had long since gasped another breath of atmosphere, charging the molecules into a frenzied state in preparation for the next shot. The canine glanced down at the identical rifle on his arm and remembered the all-too-slow feeling as he had tried to counter the attack of the drone. Jonathan leveled the weapon, barrel slightly higher, and continued to move forward through the weird brush. His sweeping gaze passed over the body of the drone and he fought off an involuntary shudder. They're getting uglier... Jonathan grimaced in thought.

He took in the features of the combat drone. This particular one was in the classification "Hand to Hand Combat" drone, or as the soldiers commonly termed it, "Razor Ape". If you take a gorilla with no hair, replace the head with a horse's skull full of fangs, take away the eyes, scatter a couple of hundred deadly spines and protrusions all over the body, bump the thing up in size till it clocks in around a thousand pounds and add razor-sharp claws nearly three inches long, then you might be close to what was laying on the dirt nearby. The canine morph automatically picked out the few features that seemed to be shared by all of the Hive aliens. These features were specious in the original drones first encountered so long ago, and were apparently not a major concern for change to whatever entity was responsible for altering the alien genes. So far, all of the aliens were still bipedal, had digitigrade legs, thick saurian feet with heavy claws, a small two-foot long tail, and the apparent lack of eyes. Despite whatever bizarre modifications seemed to appear in the alien's bodies, these features had, to now, remained a constant in all of the alien types. Jonathan continued to glide through the brush, leaving the corpse of the combat drone behind. Across the radio he heard a voice mutter.

"Fuckin rookie. Gonna get us all done up..."

Immediately, the voice was overridden by MSG Craig Bolcher, the leader of the unit and recent savior of Jonathan's life.

"Keep this line clear! No bitchin across tha comms! And Tellerman? One more unnecessary word outta ya and I'll cram those horns of yers up yer ass, unnerstand?"

The draft horse morph had turned long enough to glare back with that statement. The rhino morph far off to his side had enough brains to look properly chastised and dipped his head in acknowledgement.

"Copy, Sarge..."

Bolcher gave a clipped nod back and turned to the front of the line.

"All right grunts. If we hit Razor Apes, then tha Belchers and Ass Cannons won't be far behind! Let's pick it up ta double time! We need ta hit that base now! Move out!"

All of the morphs switched easily to a ground eating lope that had them flying through the brush. Jonathan scanned ahead of him, even as his thoughts processed the latest encounter. The derogatory voice across the radio had been one SSG Janse Tellerman, Alpha team lead, walking tank, and all-around dick. As the strange foliage flew by, the canine's memories drifted back.

*********

For years, the human race thought itself alone in the universe as private corporations pushed the envelope in the race for the stars. Habitable worlds became more numerous as mankind finally conquered faster-than-light travel. Corporations took advantage as more planets stood ripe for the picking, or so it seemed. Then a group of explorers encountered an alien life form on a planet rich with resources. At first glance the aliens were remarkable similar to humans, on a galactic scale. They were bipedal, breathed oxygen, and had had the requisite number of arms and legs. The explorers sent a report back to Earth Prime, and sparked a sensation. Scientists rushed out to make first contact with the eyeless wonders. Reaching the planet, the science team found dozens of identical furred individuals, gathering minerals and organics in eerie silence. First contact was initiated, but the aliens were reclusive and reluctant to communicate. They would simply walk around any individual who attempted to communicate and continue diligently with their gathering.

After several attempts failed, a board member of the mega-corporation seeking the planets resources made the fateful decision to push the docile aliens off the world. That's when all hell broke loose. The aliens pushed back, with a ferocity that stunned the human race. It soon became apparent that the aliens were linked in some sort of hive mind, and that they were able to genetically alter their "drones" with a speed that was terrifying on an evolutionary scale. In no time at all, new and dangerous aliens started to appear in combat, causing massive casualties in fierce, conventional battles. To fight back, the corporations created a series of "improved" humans to try to match the aliens. The populace went into an uproar, unable to reconcile with the weird genetics added to the human gene matrix. Then researchers tried a different tack and created the Morphs, human and animal DNA blended together to make tougher, and better soldiers. These anthromorphic animals were actually easier for society to accept, having been a part of human culture for years in the form of cartoons, advertisements, and fiction. The Morphs joined the battle, fighting in the trenches against the aliens. Now, in a society that had trans-light space travel and near-miraculous technology, it still boiled down to a bunch of soldiers plugging away in an alien forest.

There were hundreds of different morph combinations, as researchers sought to add different animal traits to the mix in an effort to improve the overall strength of the corps. Jonathan was a Gene Class 1123, meaning his animal side was derived from a breed of canine on Earth called a "Cream Spitz". All Morphs were given intensive combat training, similar to the Special Forces of old Earth. The young canine morph had just completed his months long training before transferring out to the active lines. As he glided down on a cloaked shuttle, he learned that his new assignment was a temporary base thrown together just two weeks prior. The hastily constructed facility was pretty nice, thanks to modern engineering, and supplied regularly by low orbit "Scramblers" to avoid detection. Once he arrived, Jonathan quickly discovered the reason for the base's existence was the presence of an alien base, or "mound", on the other side of the small planet. It was also when he met his new unit for the first time.

MSG Craig Bolcher had met him at the dock. The towering horse morph was built like bodybuilder and had the calm, no-nonsense attitude of a long-time combat leader. He introduced Jonathan to all of the twenty others of the combat unit dirtside. Two teams consisting of ten morphs each. The young canine smiled and nodded to the others as he found his room and stowed his gear. Then, at chow on the very first day, he got his first taste of one SSG Tellerman.

Since the first moment Jonathan had arrived on planet, Tellerman seemed to make it his own private mission to make the canine's life hell. At first, Jonathan had been able to shrug off any number of snide comments, which seemed to make the arrogant rhino even more determined. Then, a foxy vixen morph from the science crew had taken an interest in one CPL Smythe. The vixen had led him, giggling and commenting on his "fluffy white tail", to her quarters for a pleasant romp in the sack. Two days later, the crude rhino was bragging to anyone who would listen how good his own session with the vixen had gone, once he got past "tha used part". Before Jonathan could even approach her, the vixen had hastily shipped out on the first supply shuttle available. Upset, the canine morph spent the next few days seething quietly at the looks and grins of the other crew.

Two weeks later, Jonathan was again approached. This time, a sweet, shy rabbit morph followed him to his own quarters and spent the night. The next morning, the two parted ways, and the young canine asked if she would consider joining him again. The rabbit morph didn't show that night. The next morning, Jonathan was on his way to the rabbit's room to see if she wanted to have breakfast together when he stumbled across her, limping awkwardly from Tellerman's doorway. The rabbit refused to meet his astonished eyes as she limped away. Tellerman, however, stood in his boxers in the door frame and sneered as he watched her go. The young canine almost jumped him then in anger, except for the timely arrival of Bolcher coming up the hallway. Ever since then, the evil grin of the rhino had been watching his every step, now that he knew what tactics worked to piss off the new rookie. Jonathan had refused offers from any and all females since.

*********

Shaking off his anger, the canine continued to scan his surroundings. The dense tree line had given way to a series of rolling hills covered in odd, purplish grass. In the distance, a mound of earth could be seen. With a start, Jonathan realized they had reached their objective. The radio clicked to life.

"Contact! Belchers at 11:00!!"

The steady whine-gulp of photoplasmic rifles began as a horde of ugly alien drones reared from the grass. Each drone had oddly shaped, oversized facial features that allowed them to vomit their acidic stomach contents over hundreds of yards. The drone in front of Jonathan reared back on its stubby legs and inhaled, looking all the more like a fat slob getting ready to hock a wad of phlegm. The canine fired his rifle on full auto, stitching the alien up through its furry, bloated gut and right through its head. The alien's body spun with the impact and fell even as Jonathan searched for other targets. Across the comms, Bolcher's voice rang out.

"Alpha team! Suppressive fire front! Keep them damn Belchers' heads down or off! Bravo team! Flank ta tha west! Make a run on tha mound and watch out fer Ass Cannons!"

Jonathan shuddered at the sound of that. Belchers were classified as "Direct Fire" drones, the aliens' response to rifles. Ass Cannons were more properly named "Indirect Fire" drones, but what other name could be so appropriate to a bloated round alien that turned and bent over to fire at you? The training vids in basic had been graphic...and terrifying. The steady rate of fire kept up as commands were followed. The blips on Jonathan's HUD showed Bravo team breaking off in their flank maneuver. Suddenly, the radio clicked on again.

"Corporal! This place is supposeta have a back door. Break east and go find it! Stay on comms and report everything! You know what we're lookin fer..."

Jonathan acknowledged the command and turned east, skirting the woodline for cover. The mission briefing had been clear. The whole reason their unit was here, in a hastily erected base, was that Intelligence had reported the possibility of an immature Queen in the mound ahead. In the past, whenever an alien mound had been attacked, the drones themselves had turned on the aliens inside, slaughtering and mutilating everything to the point where it was impossible to recognize what the bodies had been. There was speculation that many other specialized aliens existed inside the mounds, but no clear retrieval had been accomplished. The point of this mission had been secrecy. The objective was a small mound on an out-of-the-way planet. Jonathan's unit was flown in under strict stealth, ferrying in scientists in an effort to study any hitherto unknown aliens. Now, time was of the essence. Having encountered the first aliens at a distance, the other aliens were probably already cleaning house inside the mound. The strike unit needed to move very fast if they wanted to get inside before everything was dead or destroyed.

Jonathan dashed quickly through the trees, circling the mound as he went. Not that long ago, his trainers had scoffed at his choice of specialties. When he elected to become a Scout, the others had pointed out that his big, poofy white tail would be a distinct liability while trying to remain stealthy. Jonathan had surprised them all by scoring high on all of his training ops, concealing himself admirably. Now, that skill helped him as he hurried along, dodging the notice of the occasional drone. Most of the aliens he saw appeared to be rushing towards the main force anyway, so Jonathan bit down on his flip switch and spoke into the helmet mic.

"Strike Alpha, this is Ghost. More bogeys coming your way from the east."

The steady gulp-whine of fire carried across in the background of the return transmission.

"Copy Ghost, see tha back door yet?"

"Negative, Alpha. Still moving around the objective."

"Well put some warp innit, Ghost. Bravo team just made penetration..."

"Copy! Warping now..."

The young canine lowered his ears and shot forward using every bit of skill he had. As he started up a large fold in the ground, the radio came to life as Bravo team began to engage inside.

"Contact! Straight down this hallway!"

"What tha hell is that? Fire! Fire!"

"Strike Bravo, more coming up a side corridor!"

"Suppressive fire! Team two! Take that room!"

"Oh god, what is... Strike Bravo, we got blood and guts everywhere..."

"Damn it! Bravo to Alpha, they started killing everything in here..."

"Alpha ta Bravo, quick sitrep..."

"Alpha, we got some kind of HUGE drones in here killing the others! We're taking them down fast, but I don't know..."

"Do whatcha can. We caught these ones with their pants down. Should be able ta help inna few minutes..."

"Copy Alpha, moving in further now..."

Jonathan crested the ridge and slammed to a halt. Across the open expanse of ground, he spotted what looked to be the rear entrance to the mound. The opening resembled the entrance to an old fashioned mine shaft back on Earth Prime, except this one was lined with blocks of carefully placed white stone. Coming out of the mound was the biggest, nastiest drone he had seen to date. The thing stood close to nine feet tall and looked similar to the Razor Apes. From the distance, it looked to be covered in some kind of black armored plates, including a rounded black visor where its eyes should have been. Jonathan dropped to the dirt, reaching over and thumbing the release on his arm rifle. He pressed a control stud and the weapon immediately whirred as it converted to sniper mode. Another quick tap to the side of his helmet folded the HUD up and out of the way, allowing the canine to look through the scope, rising from the weapon's top surface.

The huge alien leaped into view through the scope. The canine morph watched as the alien seemed to glance around the clearing, then motioned back to the mound entrance. Another alien, twin to the first, appeared, dragging a figure by the hair. The figure was dressed in some sort of coarse robe that covered it from shoulders to the ground, making it near impossible to discern the body shape. The second alien pitched the figure forward on to the ground and Jonathan gasped when the figure lifted its head. It was a Morph!

Two eyes looked up at the aliens from where the figure had sprawled on hands and knees. It looked a lot like a pony Morph, but the young canine couldn't make out what species through the scope. The sprawled figure was looking up at the first alien, fear plainly evident on its features, when the huge drone raised a spiked arm in preparation to deliver a killing blow. Jonathan slid the sights of the scope up the huge alien's body, noting that the black plates appeared to be some kind of growths, not external armor. When the crosshairs reached a gap between the alien's chest and head plates, his finger squeezed smoothly. Down on the plain, the alien's neck exploded in a fountain of blood and superheated plasma. The impact threw the creature back even as the canine swung over to the other alien. Another finger twitch, and the second alien slammed backwards against the side of the entrance with a smoking hole in place of a face. Jonathan leapt to his feet and ran like hell down the gentle rise, configuring his rifle to re-attach to his arm.

The figure on the ground had turned its head at the shots, scanning in obvious surprise for the source of its salvation. Now, as Jonathan approached, the figure watched him dash up with wide eyes. The canine morph ignored the sprawled figure for a moment as he slid to a stop nearly right on top of it. His newly attached rifle gulp-whined twice more, ensuring the two alien drones would not get up again. Only then did Jonathan look down, his own eyes snapping open in surprise.

He looked down into a pair of violet colored eyes with no pupils! The eyes were in what would be the "normal" position, and only helped to enhance the natural beauty of the face looking back at him. It... no, she closely resembled a pony morph, with softly rounded features framed in a mane of golden-blonde hair. Delicate, scooped ears twitched in his direction as she nervously licked her full lips, her gaze flitting from his face to his weapon and back. Jonathan stood, stunned, for a moment more, and then offered her a hand to help her up. The strange morph looked at his hand for a moment, and then reached up with a strikingly beautiful hand of her own. The female rose to her feet with his assistance and turned towards him, finally giving the canine a chance to take her all in.

She was wearing a coarse, heavy robe that tied at her waist and dragged slightly in the dirt, obscuring nearly her entire body. The robe didn't hide the fact that she was obviously a female, the opening for her head descending in a "V" shape down across an impressive chest. Jonathan glanced in surprise at the amount of cleavage displayed. She easily possessed the biggest bust he had ever seen in real life! The rest of the robe was too lumpy and heavy to make out any other details, so the young morph looked back up at her face. Upon closer inspection, he noticed two tiny nubs nestled in her mane just between her ears. They appeared to be some sort of horns. Her nostrils were delicate as well, but shaped much like the pony she resembled. The only disconcerting feature was her lack of pupils. It gave her a very exotic look. Jonathan gazed in wonder at her eyes.

"What did they do to you? Why are your eyes like that?"

The female furrowed her brow in confusion and tilted her head to one side. She didn't speak, but seemed to study the canine thoughtfully. Jonathan blinked and shook his head to get his mind working again. Just then, a guttural roar sounded from the entrance of the mound. The canine spun in place, raising his arm rifle towards the entrance and reaching to his side with the other. With his free hand, his gathered in the exotic morph and tucked her protectively behind him. With the same hand gripping the front of her robe, he started to back away from the entrance. Another roar preceded the huge drone that came barreling out of the doorway. Jonathan reacted and fired immediately on full auto. The cyclic rate of fire for his weapon was relatively slow, only three rounds per second, but he managed to draw a line up the front of the huge alien. The black plates deflected the first few rounds, but the force of the energized plasma staggered the creature backwards. Then, a bolt struck between some plates and the alien dropped dead and smoking. Turning, the canine gathered up the robed female by taking her by the arm and started to move away.

"Come on! We have to move before more come out!"

The female looked at him in mild confusion before the tug on her arm got her moving. Soon, the pair was making good time for the treeline. Jonathan bit down to activate his mic.

"Strike Alpha this is Ghost. Ran into some big aliens at the rear entrance. They were trying to kill a prisoner, I think."

Till now, the canine had been semi-ignoring the sounds of combat chatter coming through the comms. Now, as he tried to listen to catch up, the authoritative voice of Bolcher clicked on.

"Prisoner? Are ya sure?"

"Copy, Alpha. Some kind of exotic morph. I'm pulling her back into the treeline with me."

"Copy Ghost. Soon as we get this Queen out, I'm blowing the base. Make sure yer down as soon as ya hit cover."

Queen? They found the Queen? Jonathan continued up the rise, slowing his pace enough to let his female companion keep up in the bulky robe. He turned his attention to his receiver to listen in. The voices of the other unit members rang in his head.

"Oof! Grab that edge!"

"How? She's got a hold of the net!"

"I don't care! Grab that edge and we can push her in!"

"Why do these damn things have to be so strong?"

"The squints say they're from a heavier gravity world, now start pushing!"

"Ow, ow, ow. Ok! She's in! Now let's get the hell outta here!"

"Bravo to Alpha, we're coming out with the package. Team two, did you set the charges?"

"Affirmative Bravo. Sounds like we have company coming though."

"Well then shoot and scoot. Let's rally at the main entrance."

"Copy Bravo! Team two in route..."

Jonathan reached the small hilltop from where he was sniping earlier and turned to the female. He put one arm across her shoulders and pointed to the ground. Mystified, the exotic morph just stared at his arm, then looked in his face. Chagrined, the young canine pushed down gently on her shoulders.

"We have to get down!"

Slowly, her eyes widened and she got down, crouching and then lying prostrate at Jonathan's urging. In his head, a new voice came across.

"What tha hell? Where are they goin?"

"Dammit! Alpha to Ghost! Got a flock of Razor Apes headin yer way!"

The canine morph grimaced and bit down for his own mic.

"Copy Alpha. How long till the big boom? Any chance it'll take them out?"

"Alpha, this is Bravo. We're dragging dead weight in here. Mark two minutes to detonate..."

Bolcher's voice came across.

"Copy Bravo. Ghost? Big boom in two mikes. Sending Team three ta help ya out. How copy?"

Jonathan went up to one knee and looked across the field next to the mound. Four bounding aliens could be seen heading towards him. He glanced down at the exotic morph, who was watching him intently, before returning across the communicator.

"Copy Alpha, but these things are moving. Going to try to take them from here."

"Good copy, Ghost. Do what ya can ta hold off till three gets there."

The young canine stood and took a few steps down the rise to get a better firing position on the incoming aliens. As he watched, something exploded from the side of the mound and suddenly three of the huge, armored drones started across the field directly behind the Razor Apes. Jonathan swore softly under his breath and braced himself. Down in the field, the huge drones loped along like earth apes, their "knuckles" slamming into the ground as they moved on all fours. They quickly caught up to the pack of smaller aliens tearing across the field. As the canine watched in surprise, the three huge drones nonchalantly swung their spiked arms as they moved through the group, slaughtering the Razor Apes without even breaking stride. As they crested a small rise in the field, Jonathan shrugged off his surprise and opened fire on the aliens. The first few shots stalled the lead creature's charge, pushing it back with multiple impacts until one of the bolts found a gap in the armor and stopped it permanently. The other two drones instantly separated, giving the young canine two wide targets. Jonathan grit his teeth and chose the closer alien, his shots already impacting on its chest. As the bolts finally found a gap, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to look. The violet-eyed female had risen to her feet, craning her neck to see the remaining incoming drone. The canine yelled at her.

"No! Get down!"

Startled, the female looked over at him with wide eyes. Jonathan cursed softly and returned his attention to the drone. It had already crossed the field and was starting up the long rise. At the sight of the female, the drone reached up and gripped a long spike embedded in its shoulder. In a spray of blood, the drone ripped the spike out, revealing something that looked like a crudely shaped boomerang with sharp ends. It drew back and hurled the makeshift weapon, not at the canine, but at the exotic female. Jonathan saw it coming, and reacted reflexively.

"No!"

The canine morph dove to the side, throwing himself in front of the incoming projectile. The weapon struck him in the chest, luckily hitting on the flat edge instead of a pointy end. Still, the impact rang on his armor and threw him backwards to land right at the foot of the female behind him. Stunned, the young morph gasped at the impact and shook his head. When he looked up, the drone was right there, roaring and raising a deadly arm. Jonathan moved his arm slightly, the short barrel of his weapon already pointing up from his sprawl in the dirt. As the barrel swung past the alien's face, the canine fired point blank into its mouth. The huge drone lifted straight up, standing stiff, and then fell backwards like a fallen tree, the back of its head raining across the field behind it. Jonathan panted loudly as the shock began to wear off. He turned his gaze over his shoulder at the female, still standing behind him. She looked down at him calmly, intently studying him. The canine took a deep breath and looked back.

"Are you ok?"

At his words, the female furrowed her brow a little and tilted her head quizzically to one side.

"O...ok?"

"Yeah. You ok?"

The female snorted, apparently not fully understanding his words, and then she held out a hand for him, exactly like he had done for her earlier. Startled, Jonathan reached up and took the proffered extremity, gasping as she helped him up with surprising ease.

"Whoa. You're stronger than you look. Thank you."

Still gripping his hand, the female looked into his eyes from the same height.

"Th...thank you?"

Her voice was rich and melodious. It reminded Jonathan of the purr of a cat.

"Um...you're welcome. So you can talk?"

Her head tilted again in confusion and her ears flicked back and forth as she studied him.

"Talk?"

"Yeah, talk. You know, like...speak?"

The canine pantomimed something coming out of his mouth as he moved his lips. The exotic female still watched him intently, but showed no signs of understanding. Jonathan sighed.

"Never mind. We'll figure it out later."

A tap on his helmet dropped his HUD back into position. Absently, he noticed the startled look from the female even as he noted the unit positions. One group was nearby and closing fast. He looked across the field and saw Team three gawking openly at the dead bodies of the Razor Apes as they passed through. When they reached the first body of the huge drone, two team members broke off and stopped to make sure it was dead. The others continued right up the rise, two more peeling off to the second drone. The team's leader, a compact feline morph by the name of SGT Brady Coral, glanced once at the body of the third drone, and stopped a few yards from Jonathan. His eyes widened at the sight of the robed female, who had promptly stepped closer to the canine at his approach. Jonathan opened his mouth to speak, and then was momentarily distracted as the female next to him clutched at his left arm. She pulled him close and trembled as she looked at the cat morph. Jonathan glanced at her in surprise and then turned back to the feline.

"Glad you could make it. It got a little hairy there for a minute."

SGT Coral gestured around with his arm rifle.

"Looks like you didn't need us anyway."

"Need or not, I welcome the help."

The feline opened his mouth to respond when the communicator clicked.

"Bravo team clear! Ready to detonate!"

Bolcher's voice followed right behind.

"All units get to cover! Sound off when in position!"

Jonathan turned and made for the other side of the rise. The female on his arm followed along without hesitation. The team members in the field were already moving. Once they were all in the trees, units started to call across the comms.

"Team one clear..."

"Team two clear..."

Coral turned and looked at Jonathan from where he was sprawled in the grass.

"Team three clear..."

The canine bit down and spoke into his mic.

"Ghost is clear...and my plus one."

Bolcher came back across the bone conduction unit.

"Nice ta hear yer still kickin, Ghost. Team four?"

"Team Four clear..."

The big horse morph immediately sounded out.

"All right Bravo, blow it!"

Instantly there was a huge explosion from the mound. Clods of dirt and rock lifted skyward as a fireball boiled out of the rear entrance. Jonathan had moved again, placing himself across the robed female to protect her from the blast. As the rain of debris settled, he shifted position to get a better look, and then glanced down at her. Two pupil-less, violet orbs studied him back, completely ignoring the explosion. As their eyes met, he couldn't help but feel she was watching everything he did with studious intent. He gave her a quick grin and scrambled to his feet, offering a hand to help her up. The female immediately took it and rose herself. After standing, she wove herself around his left arm again and pulled him close. Nearly nose to nose, her voice carried as she spoke softly.

"Thank you."

Jonathan raised his eyebrows at her.

"You're welcome?"

Before more could be said, another command came through.

"All units, rally at X-ray..."

Answering calls sounded in his temple as the canine started down the rise, the exotic female still tightly gripping his arm. Team three fell in around them, watching the trees and field. Coral walked alongside the pair, his gaze taking in the heavy robe on the female.

"So...what do you think is her story?"

Jonathan shrugged.

"I don't know. Captured and experimented on, maybe?"

"Heh...she seems to have taken a liking to you."

The female was turning her head back and forth at every sentence, watching as they conversed. The canine shrugged again.

"I'm not complaining. She's probably been through hell in there."

The feline morph nodded and turned his gaze back to the front. The group made their way across the field in silence, watching for any surprises. On his HUD, Jonathan saw the other units had already reached the rally point and were spaced out in a rough security perimeter. As they passed through the line, the other members of team three fanned out and filled in spots in the circle. Only Coral, Jonathan, and the robed female moved into the center where MSG Bolcher and the team leaders waited. As he approached, the canine noticed that the others had disengaged the stealth aspect of their armor, leaving them gleaming in the light. Jonathan tapped the control stud on his wrist and his own armor shimmered into view. The female on his arm jumped a little, and then wonderingly stroked his arm over the metal. Jonathan chuckled and looked at her.

"Yeah, that is a little surprising, huh?"

The female continued to touch the metal even as the small group approached the center of the circle. Bolcher looked up as they came close. Behind him, Tellerman and the other two team leads all turned their attention to the incoming trio. The big rhino morph snorted and grinned as he saw the female on Jonathan's arm.

"Whoa! What a looker!"

The smarmy gaze traveled down and up the female, stopping at the front of the robe.

"Hey...nice tits!"

Bolcher waved a hand at him.

"Stow it, Tellerman."

The rhino's grin disappeared, but not before he gave her a lewd wink. Jonathan's teeth ground together in annoyance as he prepared to tell the big morph where to shove it. He reached up and tapped the control set for his helmet, causing it to fold back into his armor. Before he could speak, a hand reached up and brushed against his cheek. Startled, he turned to find the violet-eyed morph gazing at him in wonder. She softly touched his jaw, then his ears, her eyes wide in fascination. Suddenly, she leaned forward and tried to look down the front of his armor, the fingers of her hand hooking in the top. Bolcher chuckled at the surprised look on the canine's face.

"Guess she's never seen armor before. Didn't know ya was all furry under there!"

Jonathan leaned back a little as he gently pried her fingers from inside his armor. The female huffed at him in frustration but settled for wrapping herself back around his arm. Bolcher chuckled again and stepped forward, offering a hand in greeting.

"Hello Miss. My name is Master Sergeant Bolcher. And you are...?"

The female glanced down at the proffered hand, and then simply pulled herself tighter to Jonathan's arm. Bolcher looked stunned for moment, then dropped his hand and shrugged. He turned his head and looked at the canine.

"Looks like she's taken a shine ta ya, Corporal. Did ya get any info outta her?"

The young morph looked over as the female laid her head on his shoulder. She still watched closely at anyone who was talking.

"No Sergeant. I don't think she speaks Common Terran. Maybe she's an earlier model? Before Earth went standard?"

"Nah...that was fifty years ago. She might be a thrall, brought up from a baby from one of tha prisoners..."

Before the canine could answer, a piteous whine sounded loudly from a lump on the other side of the circle. Jonathan glanced over and saw a shape wrapped up in netting. Coral nodded at the shape.

"What's wrong with her?"

Her? The canine morph craned his neck for a better look. Beside him, the robed female also tried for a better view. Tellerman scoffed.

"Pshh. She's been moaning tha whole time. Some Queen..."

Bolcher turned and made a gesture to one of the team members. CPL Beth Sanders, a leopardess morph, strode over and knelt next to the netting. Sanders was the unit medic, and had damn near the skills of any civilian doctor. As the leopardess worked, Jonathan moved to the side to get a better look at their captive. Inside the net, an alien writhed and groaned. The alien was devoid of any spurs, spines, or other implements of a combat drone. The head was shaped much like a morph, rounded with long head hair and stubby pointed ears. In place of eyes, one long patch of skin reflected the light, giving the effect that the alien was wearing a visor. Her nostrils flared open and closed above a muzzle filled with small, sharp fangs. On her chest were two huge, undulating breasts which flopped around a distended, vein- covered stomach. Two muscular arms were tipped with very human-like hands, fingers ending in blunt claws that dimpled her stomach as she clutched at her middle and whined again. Digitigrade legs ending in the characteristic saurian-esque feet spasmed as if in pain, the blunt toe claws poked through the netting where the alien was holding them in the air. A downy coating of dull brown fur covered her from head to toe. As Jonathan watched, her bloated stomach rippled and she clutched at her middle again with a whine. Sanders frowned at the alien for a moment and then looked back at the group in surprise.

"Hey Sarge? If I'm not mistaken, I think she's in labor!"

"What? Are ya sure?"

As if in answer, the alien in the net gave a choked grunt, and something slid from between her open legs and plopped wetly into the net. It was some sort of amniotic sack, wriggling feebly as a spray of fluid followed behind. Collectively, the unit members started at the display.

"Oh gross..."

"What the hell?"

The sack wriggled some more, and then split open with a wet tearing sound. Inside, a small arm and shoulder began to struggle its way free. On the arm were some familiar black plates. Tellerman gave a shout.

"Ew! It's one of them big drones!"

Bolcher nodded grimly. Jonathan glanced over at the robed female still clutching his arm. Her lip was turned up in obvious disgust. He turned back to the group.

"Maybe the big ones are breeders? Like an ant colony on Earth? Only certain ones can mate with the Queen?"

Bolcher turned and looked at him thoughtfully.

"Ya may be right. Either way, we can't let it live."

The big horse morph nodded at the rhino, who stepped forward and raised his weapon at the newborn. Jonathan reached across his body and gently gripped the far shoulder of the female at his side. He turned her around to face him as the rhino morph aimed at the newborn alien. The robed female glanced up at him in surprise as he looked at her.

"You don't need to watch this..."

The canine watched over her shoulder as the rhino's weapon discharged. Inside, his stomach rolled slightly. Even in this time of war, something felt wrong to him about just casually killing a newborn. His eyes drifted sideways and spotted the female studying his face intently. Her thoughtful look made him realize his own face must have shown his apparent dislike. As the echo of the discharge faded away, the alien in the net whined one last time and curled into a fetal position, her long tail curling up protectively between her rounded buttocks. The whines faded away quickly as the heavy-hipped female covered her head in the netting. Sanders stood and regarded her thoughtfully.

"Seems a little weird, don't it?"

Bolcher turned to her.

"Besides what we just saw?"

The leopardess shrugged.

"I mean, we thought we were after an immature Queen, right? And here we find one already pregnant?"

Tellerman waved one big hand.

"Who cares? How do we know if that's normal fer them? Let's just get out of here."

Bolcher nodded his head.

"I agree. Coral, call in a shuttle. Team four, make one last circuit around tha mound, make sure we got all of em..."

As the named units smoothly broke off and started out across the field, the big horse turned to the canine and his clinging partner.

"Okay Corporal, I'm gonna take yer friend over here and see if I can get some understandin, ok?"

As the horse reached out a hand, the female stepped back and pulled herself even tighter to the canine's arm, her eyes wide. Bolcher stopped and grunted.

"Huh, guess that's not gonna happen. Smythe! Since she's hangin on yer arm, yer gonna hafta ta do tha talkin. Ya good with that?"

The canine nodded.

"I'll do my best, Sergeant."

"Fine. Ya got about twenty minutes till tha shuttle gets here. Make em count."

The canine gently led the female over to a tree root that jutted up and out of the ground, making a convenient bench. He sat down, forcing the clinging morph to sit with him. As she settled next to him, he thought about where to start.

"Do you have a name?"

The pupil-less eyes looked back at him, unchanging. The canine sighed and then pointed to himself.

"Jon."

The female looked at his pointing finger and recognition lit up her features.

"Jon. Jonathan. Smythe. Corporal!"

The canine looked at her, shocked.

"Whoa. Ok. How about just...Jon."

He pointed at himself again.

"Jon."

Then the pointing finger switched to her. The female brightened.

"Nessaqutla."

The canine tried to valiantly wrap his lips around that.

"Nessa...Ness...Nessakawhata? Nessa..."

The female touched his lips and stalled him out. Then she pointed to herself again.

"Nessa."

The canine smiled at her.

"Ok. Nessa it is."

She saw his smile and gave a little, throaty churr. It took a moment for Jon to realize she was laughing.

"Oh that's funny?"

Nessa churred and shook her head. With a big smile, she pointed at him.

"Jon funny ok?"

The canine morph chuckled and shook his head.

"Yeah, this is going to be interesting."

He started slowly, pointing to various objects and giving her the names. It quickly became apparent that she was a fast learner. In the space of just ten minutes, she was already naming everything he showed her. Then, she reached up and touched one of his pointed ears.

"Are?"

The canine just stared at her for a second.

"Wow. You learn faster than I thought. You mean 'What is'?"

The female stroked his ear again.

"What is?"

"That's an ear."

She touched his nose.

"What is?"

"That's my nose."

She pointed at his eye.

"What is?"

"That is my eye. And these are my eyes..."

The canine morph indicated both his orbs, stressing the different words for the plural. The female thought for a moment, then waggled her finger at both of his eyes.

"These are my eyes..."

Jon chuckled at her and pointed at his face.

"These are my eyes. Those are your eyes..."

He had pointed to her face on the last statement. Nessa thought carefully, and then stunned him by pointing at him again.

"Those are your eyes. Those are your ears. That is your nose. That is my nose..."

Jonathan clicked his open mouth shut as she sat back looking proud of herself. He chuckled and held up one finger.

"Just one is this, not that. This is my nose. Got it?"

"This is my nose. This is your nose."

"Now you're getting it."

Nessa looked at him confused.

"Got? Getting?"

"Oh boy. Let's see if I can explain this."

He continued to work with her, amazed at her ability to learn so quickly. It was as though she had a natural affinity for communication, and didn't forget anything. By the time the shuttle came into view, he was starting to explain the concept of past, present, and future tense. She quickly picked up on colors as the rest of the unit loaded on to the shuttle. Last to board, Jon and Nessa took seats next to the loading ramp. The female turned her head back and forth, looking at everything she could. As the shuttle lifted off, Tellerman leaned forward and nodded at the pair.

"Hey Corporal. Yer new girlfriend having fun yet? Let me know when she wants a real man!"

Jon ground his teeth and looked away. Nessa looked across at the rhino and frowned. She pointed to her chest.

"Nice tits?"

A chorus of laughs went up from the morphs nearby and Jonathan shook his head at her.

"No Nessa. I mean, they're nice, but Tellerman said that because he is a big penis."

She looked at him in confusion.

"Big penis?"

Jon groaned as the rhino leaned forward and laughed.

"That's all right baby. I do have a big penis!"

Nessa looked back and forth between them.

"What is...penis?"

Tellerman howled with laughter and then pointed at his crotch.

"That's a penis, baby! Wanna see what a big one looks like?"

The female looked at the rhino for a long moment, obviously starting to understand the joke. She leaned back and wrapped one arm around Jon's shoulders. With the other hand, she pointed at Tellerman.

"Big penis...little head?"

Everyone nearby in the shuttle froze in astonishment, and then suddenly burst out laughing. The rhino frowned at the pair while Jon grinned. The canine patted Nessa on the arm.

"Yes Nessa. I believe you got that right!"

The violet-eyed morph churred softly and whispered in the canine's ear.

"Jon have penis?"

Jonathan blushed furiously and tried to stammer out an answer. Nessa churred again and casually licked the inside of his ear. Startled, the canine turned and looked at her. Her return gaze was level and mischievous. One eyebrow rose up.

"Jon have?"

The canine closed his mouth and swallowed before replying.

"Yes?"

She gave a little nod of confirmation and immediately went back to asking "What is?" As they talked, the young canine couldn't shake the feeling he had when she had asked such a simple, but loaded, question. There was definitely more to this female than he first thought. Through the entire ride back to base, Jonathan continued his impromptu lessons. Nessa picked up everything quickly, only having to hear something once before she remembered. The shuttle landed and dropped the loading door. As they disembarked, Nessa once again gripped Jon's arm as they walked down the ramp and into the base. Bolcher watched as Team two unloaded the captured alien in the net. The plump creature had apparently fallen asleep after giving birth and was snoring softly as she swayed down the ramp. The big horse morph then turned to Jonathan.

"Ok Corporal, now what are we supposed ta do with yer new friend?"

Nessa saw his look and appeared to deduce its meaning. She stepped closer to the canine and gripped his arm tightly.

"Nessa Jon?"

The young morph blinked at her and turned to the horse.

"Um...I guess she wants to stay with me?"

Bolcher frowned and rubbed his chin.

"Not so sure I like that idea. We don't know where she's from or anything about her..."

The canine glanced at her again.

"She hasn't been aggressive or anything. Maybe I can just let her hang out with me and teach her some more Standard?"

Bolcher grunted.

"All right. But just temporary. We still gotta get her over ta medical, at least tomorrow. In tha meantime, ya can keep her with ya. But, at tha first sign of anything weird, I want ya ta comm me right away, understand?"

"Yes Sergeant."

"And I'll try ta find a rack fer her fer tha night."

The canine tried not to look sheepish.

"Um...there's only one open rack that I know about, Sergeant. It's in my room. I don't have a roommate because I was the last one to come to base."

The big horse morph scratched his chin and then rolled his eyes.

"Jeez. Ok. It's against my better judgment but I'll let ya go on this one. Just don't try anything ta traumatize her or I'll have ya cleaning latrines fer a week, understand?"

"Yes Sergeant."

The horse snorted and continued on into the base. Jonathan followed along behind till they reached the armory. As he shucked his armor and weapons, Nessa watched in obvious fascination. The canine hung is armor in his locker and turned in his rifle while the female murmured softly and plucked at the fatigues he was wearing underneath. Jonathan chuckled and touched his shirt.

"Clothing. Shirt...and pants."

Nessa watched as he pointed to each, and then fingered her own heavy robe.

"Clothing. What is...?"

The canine touched the fabric of her outfit.

"Robe."

The female nodded and continued to finger her attire as Jon led her further into the base. When they reached the mess hall, Jonathan looked at her.

"Do you want something to eat?"

"Want? Eat?"

The canine made gestures like he was putting something in his mouth and chewing.

"Eat."

Nessa brightened.

"Yes! Eat!...What is want?"

Jonathan chuckled and started to explain want as they went through the line and selected food. The human female behind the counter commented on her eyes even as she loaded the trays. The duo sat at a table and the canine showed her how to use the utensils. As they talked, Nessa picked up more and more of the language. Jonathan struggled to keep up as her questions outstripped his ability to explain. Then he had an epiphany. After showing Nessa where to return the trays, the canine led her into an adjacent room where some ruggedized computer setups were available to the troops. When he pulled two chairs together in front of a computer and gestured for her to sit, Nessa gazed in wonder. Jonathan logged on and called up some basic learning programs from the central database's massive archives. Normally the programs were used in remote areas for the purpose of long-term personnel who had their children along and whom couldn't attend school. When the screen brightened to life, Nessa clapped her hands together and churred happily. Jonathan opened the first lesson and started.

A long time later, Jonathan found himself sitting back and observing as Nessa ran through the programs. The exotic female had quickly picked up simple navigation, and seemed to absorb the information at such a tremendous rate; the young canine had simply turned control over to her. As she churred and clicked at the screen, Jon found himself staring and wondering what species she represented. Her ears, flicking forward and back as to almost dislodge the aural receiver, looked a lot like those of a pony morph, as well as her general head shape and nose. Her mane was golden blonde, and was remarkable healthy, if not ill kept. At such close distance, the young canine could see numerous tangles and snarls that would need attention. Her short, dense fur was bronze in color, and covered her exposed skin down to where it disappeared into the depths of her bulky robe. Aside from her eyes, and the two little nubs nestled in her mane, she could easily pass off as a palomino, or even a Shetland. The young canine's eyes returned to the vestigial horns on her head. Did she have antelope genes? He was speculating on that when suddenly Nessa gasped and turned to look at him. Startled, Jon looked at the screen to see what had caused her outburst. On the screen, Nessa had somehow opened the declassified description files for the morphs. On one side of the split screen was a prime example of an American Cream Spitz in full side pose. On the other was the genetic morph created from the DNA of the canine. Nessa pointed to the screen and looked at him.

"Jon?"

The canine morph nodded his head and smiled.

"Yes Nessa. That is what I look like."

The robed female studied the picture for a moment, then turned and touched Jonathan's face. Her soft hand caressed his broad, bear-like jaw and trailed down his short muzzle. She reached up and tweaked one of his erect, pointed ears before churring and smiling at him.

"Jon pretty!"

The canine chuckled at her.

"Now where did you learn that one? You're not so bad yourself..."

Then an inspiration hit him. Turning, he pointed to the monitor.

"Where is Nessa?"

The female furrowed her brow for a moment, and then started to scroll through the images. After what seemed like long minutes, she stopped on the split screen for a Shetland pony morph. Pointing, she turned to him.

"Nessa. Parent."

Jon's eyes flew open.

"This is your parent?"

Nessa nodded and took a breath. Her next words sounded practiced, as if she learned them from repetition.

"Colonel Joshua M. Grey. Second Fleet. 990254618..."

Jon sat back in his chair, stunned. He didn't recognize the name, but this bit of information was invaluable in discovering her origins. He pointed to the monitor again.

"Who is your other parent?"

The female tilted her head to one side.

"Other parent?"

"You know. It takes two parents to make a baby..."

Nessa furrowed her brow.

"Make...baby?"

Jon stammered a bit as this was getting into oddly uncomfortable territory. He took a deep breath and decided to try to make sense of it to her. Using gestures, he broadly explained how two people came together to reproduce. He was just scrolling his hands outward, mimicking a pregnant belly, when Nessa suddenly churred in excitement.

"Ah! Sex! Breeding!"

Jonathan stopped dead and gaped at her. He could have sworn he didn't see that lesson anywhere when she had been clicking through on the computer! Now that she understood, he tried again.

"Ok. COL Joshua Grey...and other parent make Nessa. Who is other parent?"

Surprisingly, the female suddenly lowered her ears and sat back in the chair. For some reason she was trying to avoid his eyes.

"No."

"No? As in...I have no other parent?"

Nessa crossed her arms across her expansive breasts and tucked her chin like an unruly child.

"No."

Jonathan sat back, puzzled. Why was she suddenly reticent now? Until this moment, the exotic female had been ready and willing to discuss virtually anything. Now she was closing him off quickly. Not wanting to spoil their budding relationship over something so seemingly trivial, Jon relented.

"Ok. Ok. We don't need to know that now."

The young canine glanced at the chrono on his arm and gasped. They had been in the computer lab for three hours! As it was getting late, he decided it might be a good time to go and get cleaned up for the night. Days always started early on base. He set one hand on one of Nessa's arms and spoke softly.

"Hey. It's getting late. How about we go show you where you're going to sleep tonight, ok?"

The female cocked an eyebrow at him, and then slowly relaxed. She leaned forward and smiled.

"Ok Jon."

Standing, Jonathan logged off the computer and turned. Nessa immediately wove herself around his left arm. The canine smiled at her and started moving. He led her down the rudimentary hallways to the door of his room. Opening the door, he ushered her inside. Two bunks, built to fold into the wall, where spaced against the walls to the left. Two small dressers, also attached to the wall, were situated next to each bunk. One bunk was made, Jon's, and the other had a small stack of linens, a blanket, and a pillow. A wall to the right of the door had a single doorway leading to a private, albeit small, bathroom and shower. Jonathan stepped around the first bunk, which he had claimed, and patted the one furthest from the door.

"This one is yours."

Nessa leaned over and ran a hand across the surface of the mattress, and then rubbed some of the linens between her fingers. Jon chuckled and dug into the stack, showing her how to make her bed. Nessa churred happily and helped him as soon as she saw him fix the first corner. Soon, the bed was made and the two sat on the bunks facing each other. Jonathan grinned at her.

"I think you're going to like it in here. The beds aren't the most comfortable, but they do in a pinch. Now I'm going to get a shower. Don't wander off, ok?"

Nessa tilted her head to one side, a sure signal of her lack of understanding.

"Shower?"

"Yeah. You know, wash and stuff?"

The female looked at the finger he had pointed at the bathroom. She stood up and went through the doorway. Jonathan sighed and got up to follow her. When he went into the bathroom, he found her looking around at the small sink, toilet, and shower stall. Scooting past her, he stood against the far wall of the room, underneath some inset hooks designed to hold clothing or towels. He pointed at the various facilities, naming them as he went. When he got to the shower, he reached in and turned on the water. Nessa jumped, and then stared at the falling water. Tentatively, she reached out and let some hit her hand. When she looked back at Jon with a big smile, he couldn't help but chuckle at her.

"Yes. That is a shower. You get in there and wash yourself!"

"Wash?"

The canine held up an arm and mimicked scrubbing his side.

"Wash. Make clean. No dirty?"

Nessa watched him thoughtfully, and then reached out and plucked at his shirt.

"Wash clothing?"

Jon chuckled again.

"No. We usually take these off. See?"

The canine pulled his shirt up over his head and smiled at her before turning and hanging the garment on a hook. He turned back around, momentarily expecting the female to leave him so he could continue with his shower. Nessa glanced at the shirt thoughtfully for a moment, and then, taking a deep breath, stepped forward, reaching for the knot at the front of her robe. Jonathan goggled at her as the garment slipped off her shoulders. She was standing right next to him in the small space, so all he could see was the tops of her shoulders, and a rather large expanse of her breasts. She looked over at him and grinned as she lifted her robe and hung it on the hook next to his shirt. The canine murmured an unintelligible excuse and stepped forward away from the wall. Steeling himself, he turned back and looked at her. As his eyes took in her naked form, a cold lump of ice filled his gut.

Nessa was facing him, her broad, softly rounded shoulders back against the wall. Her breasts were indeed massive, jutting from her chest and seemingly defying the existence of gravity. Thick nipples stood out from brown areolas in the cool air. She was what could only be described as "voluptuous". Stocky and thick, her belly was slightly rounded, her hips were broad and curvy, and everything from head to toe was covered in that same bronze, dense fur. Below the waist, her thick, muscled thighs blended seamlessly into stocky digitigrade legs. Her feet were saurian-like, with three blunt, shiny claws, not hooves. Jon realized, with a sinking feeling, that if she turned around, he would see a distinctive, long, dexterous tail. Nessa wasn't some exotic morph, she was an alien!

Heart pounding, the canine took an automatic step back till his shoulder blades collided with the doorframe. Even as his ears folded flat to his skull, he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. Around her stomach was her only clothing, a belt made of some kind of woven strands. Thumb-thick filaments of some black, shiny substance twisted in intricate patterns high on her waist. The strands culminated in an ornate buckle, a featureless hemisphere surrounded by a circle with strange inscriptions. The belt rode high on her hips, the buckle covering her stomach at the point where she should have a belly button. Jonathan began to pant, his knees weakening and his tail trying to crawl up between his legs. All this time, she had been right beside him and he didn't know! Nessa froze when she saw his face. Her voice was soft and quiet.

"Jon?"

The canine gasped and shook his head back and forth. He couldn't believe, didn't WANT to believe! How much time had he spent alone with her? In the back of his mind a nagging little voice gave him even worse news. He had actually started to REALLY like her! Now, his heart and mind struggled to come to terms with what his eyes were showing him. Nessa held up a hand, clearly worried.

"Jon?"

Jonathan held up his own hand.

"Stay there, Nessa! Please..."

The curvy female held up both hands and took a small step forward. Jon shied back, pressing himself hard against the wall. Nessa looked into his face with sad eyes.

"Is ok, Jon."

"Ok? How can it be ok? You're an alien, Nessa! We are on opposite sides of this fight!"

Nessa took another small step, her eyes filling with pain.

"No fight, Jon. Nessa no hurt."

The canine flinched a little as she stepped closer. One of her outstretched palms hovered barely an inch from his own.

"Jon. Nessa no hurt Jon. Nessa is Jon friend..."

Her quiet voice and demeanor began to seep through his panic. For a brief moment, he thought about what she was saying and he realized that if she really was going to hurt him, she had been provided with numerous opportunities throughout the day. He looked into her face and forced himself to hold his arm still as her approaching hand gently folded into his own. He couldn't help but flinch when her other hand ended on his chest, just below his ribcage. She slid her hand around to his side and rubbed him softly as her eyes met his. This close, Jonathan could now see that she did indeed have pupils of a sort. They were patches of sensory skin similar to the ones on the alien in the net that was captured earlier. Jon swallowed the cold lump in his throat and spoke, his voice barely audible over the running shower.

"Why, Nessa? Why did you hide this from me? What do you want?"

The female blinked and looked directly into his eyes.

"Want...no fight. Want...friend. Need...Jon help."

The canine's voice was incredulous.

"You need my help?"

"Yes."

Her touch was soft and gentle on his side. Jonathan exhaled slowly, fighting to calm down and get his bearings. Here he was, in his own bathroom, confronted with some sort of sexy alien asking for his help! The complete absurdity of the situation washed over him at that point and he found himself trying to grasp at his sanity. With the tension thick in the air, the thought made him actually giggle.

"You couldn't have mentioned this sooner?"

Nessa bit her lip. She was at least as tall as the canine, so he got a good view of her face as she tried to convey her words.

"Um...Nessa not knowing. Some friend, some make Nessa dead. Jon make Nessa safe, so Nessa make Jon friend."

Jonathan blinked at her in astonishment.

"You're saying you picked me because I saved you from the oth...oh..."

Suddenly, earlier events became a little clearer. The drones earlier weren't trying to execute a prisoner; they were slaughtering another member of the mound. Ironically, hearing her explanation drained most of Jon's fears away. He looked back at her, relaxing his shoulders and stance.

"Ok. I understand that. So now what do we do?"

Nessa leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. Pulled into a hug, Jonathan automatically returned it. The curvy female laid her head on his shoulder even as her chest pushed pleasantly into his. He couldn't be sure, but it felt like she gave a sigh of relief at his embrace. For the next few moments, the two just stood there, hugging each other. Jonathan had to admit, if there wasn't that nagging knowledge of just who she was, the hug would have ranked as one of the best he ever felt. Sighing, he felt his eyes close even as he rubbed a cheek against hers. Nessa took a deep breath and leaned back to look him in the face again.

"Jon ok?"

"Yeah. I think I'll be ok. But I'm not going to be able to keep you a secret. Someone is going to have to know."

Nessa nodded her head.

"Ok Jon. But..."

"But what?"

"Jon keep Nessa safe, please?"

With a start, the canine suddenly realized she was even more terrified than him. In his mind, he took a moment to review what she had gone through, looking at the situation from her point of view. Nearly executed, saved by strange people who were trying to kill her kind, and interacting with enemy soldiers who had shot a newborn alien right in front of her. In her shoes, Jonathan didn't know if he would have had the same courage to remain calm and hide her true origins. Other events of the day began to start making sense. There was the drone throwing that thing at her, her hanging on his arm, and her reluctance earlier to talk about her parents. Wait! Didn't he hear her say her at least one of her parents was a morph? The canine looked into her eyes and saw the trembling fear. He suddenly comprehended what it had taken for her to remove her robe in front of him. She HAD to have known that he would recognize her for what she was. She had placed all of her trust in him, and now she waited for his answer. Jonathan drew a breath.

"I'll...I'll do everything I can to keep you safe, Nessa. I promise."

The canine found himself pulled forward into another hug. Something wet soaked his cheek as a voice whispered in his ear.

"Thank you, Jon. Thank you..."

The canine morph held her softly, the only other sound in the room was the running shower. After several long minutes, she let go rather reluctantly and looked in his face. Jon was a little surprised to see fresh tear trails on her cheeks. Instinctively, he found himself concerned.

"Hey. You ok?"

Nessa wiped away a trail with one hand and stepped back. She gave him a small smile.

"Nessa ok."

Jonathan smiled back and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Well that was overly terrifying and traumatic. Now that your secret is out, what do we do now?"

The curvy female stared thoughtfully at him for just a few moments, and then her small smile instantly turned a little mischievous as she stepped back close. One hand dropped to the waist of his fatigue pants, a hooked finger tugging at the waistband.

"Shower?"

Jon's eyes shot open wide and he chuckled. Of all the things, he didn't expect that!

"Seriously?

Her eyes turned somber as she looked at his face.

"Nessa need...friend. Be Nessa friend?"

Jonathan sighed and uncrossed his arms to rub her shoulders. Despite the startling revelation, he couldn't help but feel that same friendliness again.

"Ok. Let's go."

As the canine morph undid his buckle and fly, the curvy alien stepped back and traced a finger around the designs of the strange belt around her middle. With a tiny hiss, the gleaming hemisphere separated. Jonathan bent over to remove his boots and pants. The boots were special made to his feet, which closely resembled the paws of his genetic heritage. As he took them off, tottering from one foot to another, the similarities of his legs to those of the aliens became apparent. Morphs also possessed digitigrade legs, but the backwards bend was situated very low on the leg, resembling more of a high ankle than a true hock. As he finally divested himself of his clothing, he stood up just as Nessa was hanging her odd belt on the hook with her robe.

He stopped for a moment to admire her form from behind. She was curvy in all the right spots, with a well-rounded, almost plump rear. The characteristic alien tail flowed snugly from her waist down between her curvy buttocks. Like the other aliens, it was thick at the base, gradually slimming down to a blunt tip. It had no tufts of hair or fur longer than her normal body covering anywhere on its near two foot length. Alien or not, the female was very attractive! Jonathan shook his head and quickly stepped into the shower. The water was warm, having plenty of time to get there. Nessa stepped over from the wall and peered in at the canine rubbing warm water across his thick, fawn-colored fur.

"Nessa shower?"

Jon smiled at her and stepped back a little.

"Ok. Room for one more."

The curvy female stepped tentatively into the shower, gasping as the warm water hit her body. Immediately, she let out a contented chur and leaned back under the spray, letting the liquid cascade down over her face and chest. Jon tried not to look down where the close confines of the shower had her heavy breasts pressing against him. She tilted her face forward and blinked away the water before giving him a radiant smile.

"Shower...nice..."

Jonathan chuckled at her and reached for the liquid soap. Morphs with fur had long ago discovered it was easier to wash with body wash and a soft brush rather than cloth. He poured some soap out on to the hand brush and began to lather up. Nessa watched intently and then gave a happy chur when he handed a second brush to her. There followed a few awkward moments as each twisted and turned to reach all of their furry skin. Jonathan briefly considered offering to help her, but then decided to play things slow. It was one thing to discover she was a friendly alien, and a whole other thing to incite a sexually charged atmosphere, so he carefully avoided touching any of her intimate areas. Nessa, on the other hand, had no such compunctions. As she was bent over to scrub her legs, with Jon pressed back into the corner to give her room, she started to stand and noticed his genitals. Unlike true animals, the male morph genitalia was all external, with no sheaths or hidden pouches. Nessa simply reached out and wrapped her fingers around him causing Jon to nearly jump into the air.

"What is?"

Jon sucked in his breath and looked down at her.

"Err...that's my penis."

The curvy female churred and gave him a gentle squeeze.

"Oh! Penis! Sex. Breeding!"

The canine morph swallowed.

"Umm...yes?"

Nessa let him go and stood up. She pressed herself close and grinned into his face.

"Jon have penis. Good."

With that, the female turned around and finished washing herself. Jon stared at her back for a long moment, and then exhaled in relief. One more second, and he would have lost the iron control he was trying to maintain in the cramped shower. He wondered if she knew just what effect she was having on him!

The rest of the shower passed quickly, both of them rinsing off and stepping out. Jon fished some fresh towels from under the sink and showed Nessa how he used one to dry off. Then he pulled what looked like a metal suitcase from a small closet. Opening the case, he took a cord from the side and plugged it into a nearby outlet.

"This is a little something I brought from home. Don't be spooked, it makes noise..."

Opening the case so it lay flat revealed a sturdy grid, hinged in the middle. When Jon stepped on it, a blast of warmed air rushed up, lifting his fur like the old-fashioned hair dryers of Earth. Nessa churred loudly and watched him turn in place, raising his arms to let the air completely dry his fur. When he stepped off, she practically jumped on the thing, dancing around in little circles. The canine watched her with a grin. She looked like a juvenile morph discovering the joys of a fur-dryer for the first time. When she was all dry, he introduced her to a brush, and carefully put the dryer away as she stood and brushed out her long hair. When he was finished, Nessa handed him the brush and turned to frown as she fingered her coarse robe.

"Jon? Have clothes?"

He blinked at her in surprise.

"I don't know. Let me look."

Setting the brush aside, the canine went out into the room and looked through his dresser. He found a pair of sweatpants and an old white tank top that was a few sizes too large for him. Turning, he held out the clothes as Nessa came out of the bathroom.

"These might fit you."

The curvy female took the proffered garments and held them up. With a little guidance from Jon, she pulled on the sweats and then the top. The tank top strained hard to cover her chest, but managed to fit. Jon raised an eyebrow at her as she tugged it into place. The damn thing only enhanced her bust size! Last, Nessa retrieved her strange belt from the bathroom and clicked it back into place. The woven band pulled the tank tight around her middle, making her breasts seem even larger. Jon shook his head and turned to pull the covers down on her bed. Nessa shook her mane and crawled into the bunk, wiggling down under the covers at his urging. The canine knelt down next to the bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin. He was just tucking them around her when Nessa looked up at him and spoke softly.

"Jon?"

"Yes Nessa?"

"Jon is nice. Jon is Nessa friend."

The canine morph stopped fiddling with the blankets and sighed. His feelings couldn't lie.

"Yes, Nessa. I don't know what is going to happen after all this, but I am your friend."

The female lowered her eyes and stared thoughtfully past his shoulder at the far wall, gripping the blankets under her chin. Her gaze was distant and frightened.

"Nessa have one friend. Jon friends make Nessa dead?"

Jonathan felt his heart lurch. Lying there, she seemed so small and vulnerable. Alien or not, he really was starting to like her. He leaned over and kissed her softly on the forehead, right between her nubs. Nessa's eyes flicked up to his in surprise.

"What is?"

"That? It's called a kiss."

"Kiss?"

"It was in the computer screen earlier, but it's different when you feel one."

"Oh! Kiss..."

The curvy alien reached up and cupped him behind the head with one hand. She gently pulled him down and pressed her lips to his. For a long, sweet moment, their breath mingled, and then she released him. Jonathan drew back, shock on his face. Nessa smiled softly.

"Kiss."

The canine smiled back and then stood up. As he crawled into his own bunk and doused the lights, he turned his head to her.

"Good night, Nessa."

"Good sleep, Jon."

Chuckling to himself, the morph laid his head down on the pillow. He lay there, staring at the ceiling and listening as her breathing steadied and slowed into true sleep. His mind whirled at everything that had happened that day, from the battle at the mound to the kiss just a few minutes ago. Try as he might, he couldn't get the revelation of her alien form from his mind. He vividly recalled his shock when he discovered what she was. And then the shower! What the hell had he been thinking! As soon as he knew, he should have called someone, or taken her into custody himself. To have blatantly disregarded his own safety, let alone that of the others, was against all of his training. But the one thing that nagged at him the most was the way she had looked at him. Stepping across the bathroom, her eyes full of pain and terror. She had known what he was thinking; there was no doubt of that. She had risked everything by revealing herself to him and he had succumbed. In the emotional turmoil, he had agreed to the shower, his mind still in a blur.

Jonathan's thoughts turned to the shower, and he scrubbed at his face with one hand. When Nessa had stepped in with him, it took every last erg of his will not to get aroused. True, his mind had fixated on her alien differences when she first took off her robe, but the shower had INSTANTLY reminded him of her alluring and obvious femininity! Every brush against him, every glimpse of her body, and especially her touch played back over and over in his mind. The canine morph sighed loudly and looked over at the other bunk. Now that his eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness, he could make out Nessa, lying with her eyes closed and one arm wrapped over the blankets that covered her magnificent bosom. Jon's eyes fell on the spectacular display of cleavage left exposed by the tank top and he immediately remembered how nice it looked without any clothing at all. The canine groaned to himself softly and rolled to face the wall. Scrubbing his face again, he tried mightily not to think of her. It was going to be a long, long night.

The next morning, Jonathan slapped at his alarm chrono even before the first chime had finished sounding. He blinked his sleepy eyes and sat up in his bunk. The previous night had been horrible. When he had finally drifted off, his dreams were filled with attacking combat drones, all with Nessa's face. Thinking of her, he glanced over at the other bunk. The female was lying on her back, arms flung out to the sides and looking absolutely beautiful in the dimness. Jonathan sighed and reached to turn up the lights. When he had dialed them up to about half strength, he called over to the other bed.

"Nessa?"

The female stirred slowly and opened her eyes. Jonathan blinked when she looked at him. He couldn't be sure, but it looked like she was getting pupils! Nessa smiled over at him as she stretched and rolled on to her side.

"Hello Jon."

"Good morning, Nessa. Sleep well?"

The curvy female thought for a moment.

"Yes. Nessa sleep well."

Jon smiled and threw back the covers to sit up on the side of his bunk. Nessa copied his example till they were both perched on the edges of their beds facing each other. Reaching back, Jon slowly brought up the lights. When he turned back to her, Nessa had both arms stretched above her head, mouth open in a wide yawn. Jon leaned forward curiously and looked at her teeth. At first it seemed she had normal teeth for a pony morph, broad and flat. Closer inspection revealed two pairs of elongated, sharp canines on both the top and bottom of her mouth. When she had smiled or spoken the entire previous day, her lips had never opened far enough to reveal this abnormality. Now, in light of last night's revelation, it just seemed ordinary. Nessa finished her yawn and spotted him looking. She grinned broadly, displaying more of her smile than ever before. The whole friendliness of the gesture had Jon smiling back, and he was about to comment when Nessa stood up and frowned, clutching at her lower stomach.

"Uh...Jon? Nessa...um...make water?"

The canine blinked at her in confusion, and then suddenly understood.

"You need to use the toilet?"

The female turned and looked at the doorway to the bathroom.

"Toilet?"

"Yeah. Come on, I'll show you how..."

Jonathan led her in to the bathroom and, using gestures, explained how to use the facilities. She churred at him in amusement as he showed her how to use toilet paper, mimicking wiping his backside. Finally, he pointed to the flush handle and made wooshing noises.

"Push this down when you are done, ok?"

Nessa churred at him again.

"Ok!"

As she started to drop her sweats, Jon turned his back. Despite seeing her completely nude last night, he still felt a little embarrassed at her seeming lack of modesty. While she did her business, the canine stepped over to the small sink and looked into the mirror above it. Trying to ignore the sounds behind him, he got out his toothbrush and was just picking up the paste when the toilet flushed behind him. Nessa appeared behind him in the mirror, watching over his shoulder. She reached around him and pointed.

"What is?"

Jon smiled and put some toothpaste on the brush.

"It's a toothbrush...for cleaning your teeth."

"Nessa toothbrush?"

He smiled and dug into the small cabinet.

"Yeah. Hang on a sec. I have a spare in here somewhere..."

The next couple of minutes he spent showing her how to brush her teeth. It was really entertaining, the two of them standing shoulder to shoulder while Jon brushed and Nessa copied his movements. When he finished, he opened his mouth to check his work and chuckled as she did the same, gaping in the mirror. As he turned to put the brushes and paste away, her shoulder brushed his again, igniting those same feelings he had fought all night long. He turned his head and watched as she picked up his fur brush and started to drag it through her mane, watching the mirror intently. The act seemed so normal, so commonplace, that he momentarily forgot about her origins. It occurred to him that with the way she picked up on things so quickly; it wouldn't be long before she blended in easily at the base. With that thought, Jonathan groaned inwardly. The next thing he absolutely had to do was not going to be so pleasant. He sighed and spoke into the air.

"Nessa. It's time to let someone else in on your secret."

The female paused in her brushing and turned to look at him. This close, he noticed that the sensory patches that stood in place of her pupils had indeed darkened considerably, giving her a more normal look. Jonathan was momentarily puzzled by the phenomena, but mentally set it aside in light of what he had to do. Nessa didn't respond verbally, but nodded at him and turned back to the mirror, her face clearly worried. He patted her on the shoulder and exited the bathroom. On the wall comm, he typed in the key code for MSG Bolcher's belt communicator. The device beeped once, and then the rumbling bass of the horse morph sounded out.

"Bolcher"

"Sergeant? It's Corporal Smythe. Are you busy?"

"Just finishin up at tha gym. Whatcha need?"

Jon shook his head in grim amusement. When not in the field, the big horse spent nearly every waking moment in the gym. It was little wonder he was as large as a shuttle.

"I found out some important intel from Nessa. Can you come to my quarters?"

"On my way, Bolcher out."

Jon turned from the comm unit and saw Nessa standing in the bathroom doorway looking at him worriedly. He crossed the room and took her hands in his. He led her to her bunk and sat her down on the edge.

"This is going to work out, ok? I told you I would do everything I can to keep you safe."

Nessa gave him a small smile and then the door chimed. Jonathan rounded the bunk and opened the door to reveal Bolcher, still clad in a tank and shorts, towel hanging around his thick neck.

"Corporal? Everything all right?"

"Come on in, Sarge."

The big horse morph had a hand on each end of the towel around his neck as he stepped in through the door. His eyes scanned the room and came to rest on Nessa, who sat at the edge of the far bunk with her hands clasped in her lap. She had crossed her legs, one foot dangling in the air. Bolcher's eyes traveled down her outfit and spotted her tell-tale foot. The big horse morph froze and growled.

"Corporal! Is that what I think it is?"

Jonathan stepped around him and held up his hands.

"Sergeant, there's more to this than meets the eye..."

Bolcher's gaze snapped to his face.

"What tha fuck? She's one of THEM?"

One of the horse's hands twitched, probably starting to reach for a weapon he realized he didn't have. Jonathan made calming gestures at him.

"It's ok, Sergeant. She's friendly."

The horse swung his head back and forth between the two of them, face screwing up in anger.

"She's a fucking ALIEN, Corporal! What tha hell is she doin sitting here unsecured!"

"We were talking last night, Sarge. She asked me for help."

The horse goggled at him.

"LAST NIGHT? Ya knew about this last night? And she spent tha NIGHT in here? Do ya realize how DANGEROUS that coulda been? What in hell were ya THINKIN?"

The horse was panting visibly, anger etched in his features. As the two morphs stood facing each other, a soft voice interrupted.

"Sergeant?"

Bolcher snapped around in surprise. Nessa looked up at him warily.

"Nessa need...Jon secret."

The horse morph stalked over and stood in front of her, one finger unwaveringly thrust out at her face. His tone changed a little when he saw her wide eyes, but was still gruff.

"Lissen here. I don't care about yer secrets. Yer not one of us, that makes ya dangerous!"

Nessa trembled as she looked up at him.

"Nessa no hurt Jon. Nessa...no make dead. No fight. Nessa need help, please?"

The curvy female looked on the verge of tears. Bolcher gaped at her words for a moment, taking in her trembling lips, and then slumped backward on to Jon's bunk. He took a deep breath, shook his head, and then rubbed a spot between his eyes as he spoke.

"Ah hell...I'm sorry I yelled. This is all a little sudden, ya know?"

Jonathan walked over and sat down next to Nessa. The curvy female leaned against him and put her head on his shoulder. Bolcher saw them sitting there and frowned.

"Ok. So she's not aggressive. Dammit Corporal, ya still shoulda said something right away!"

The canine nodded at him.

"I'm sorry Sergeant. Believe me; I had the same reaction when I found out. But then I realized, she knew I would know when I saw the rest of her, but she showed me anyway. She's terrified, surrounded by the very people who blew away her home. It took a lot of guts to come clean, and my gut tells me that I believe her when she asked for help."

Bolcher stared at the couple for several long moments before replying.

"Smythe, we don't know anything about her. What if she's some kinda new infiltration drone?"

Jonathan closed his eyes for a moment and sighed.

"She told me her dad was a morph."

"What? Who was it?"

"A Colonel from Second Fleet."

The horse scrunched up his face.

"Second Fleet? They were lost in tha Sigma Quadrant nearly twenty years ago. I remember hearing about it on tha nets. There were no survivors..."

The horse trailed to a stop and widened his eyes at Nessa.

"Or mebbe there were! Yer some kinda crossbreed? Morph and alien?"

The female nodded at him meekly, one arm slithering in around Jon's. Bolcher leaned forward towards her.

"And now yer askin fer our help. With what?"

"Make...no fight, no make dead."

The horse gave her a puzzled look.

"Ya mean like a truce?"

Nessa leaned forward and nodded eagerly.

"Yes! Truce! No make dead, no hurt, no fight!"

Bolcher leaned back and rubbed one thick finger against his lip.

"Not sure how ya expect ta do that, but if yer not scamming us, that could be a pretty big coup fer everyone..."

After a few more moments of silent deliberation, the horse grunted and pointed at her.

"All right. As of right now, yer a guest of tha base. And by guest I mean yer only one short step ta gettin tossed inna cell. Ya hurt someone, or even think about it, and I'll have yer ass faster'n ya kin blink, unnerstand?"

Nessa blinked at him, trying to sort through the horse's thick drawl, when Jon came to her rescue.

"Nessa, Sergeant says that if you hurt someone, he'll make you dead."

The curvy female looked back and forth between them, and then nodded at Bolcher.

"Nessa...uh...behave. No hurt someone."

The horse nodded and glanced at her face.

"Waitaminnit. Did she grow pupils overnight?"

Jonathan shrugged his shoulders.

"They're sensory spots, like the others. They just started darkening up all of the sudden."

"Huh. Ok. Guess we'll figure that out when we her checked out. But fer now..."

He looked over at the chrono.

"All right kids, let's get movin. We got just enough time ta stop fer chow before we go ta Medical."

Jonathan looked at him in surprise.

"We?"

"Yep. Tha both of ya aren't leavin my sight till I'm absolutely convinced she's on tha up and up. Now let's go."

As the three stood and started for the door, the canine looked at Bolcher.

"Thank you, Sergeant, for listening to her at least."

The big horse shrugged and shook his head in puzzlement.

"Somethin about that girl. Got tha same look on her face as my daughter did every time I yelled at her. Suddenly I felt like I was tha bad guy..."

Nessa was in front of the two, closest to the door. She turned around at the horse's words and threw her arms around him. Bolcher reared back a little in surprise and then awkwardly patted her on the top of her head. The curvy female released him and smiled up at him.

"Sergeant no bad guy."

Jonathan chuckled as Bolcher sputtered and stammered, following the two into the hallway. The three traveled in silence till they came around a bend and the horse held up a hand near a doorway.

"Hold up a sec. I'm gonna duck in here and throw on some fatigues. Tha two of ya stay right here. I'll only be a minute, so don't move a muscle, unnerstand?"

"Yes, Sergeant."

Bolcher went into the room, leaving the door open a crack. While he was inside, Jonathan smiled over at Nessa. She smiled back and hugged him. As he returned the hug, the canine caught sight of another morph coming up the hallway. Inside, his stomach clenched. It was Tellerman. The big rhino grinned evilly as he approached the pair.

"What's up Corporal Puppy Pecker? And who's this fine female yer all wrapped around? Oh hellooooo..."

Nessa had turned to face him when she heard his voice. Tellerman blinked in surprise and glanced at her tank top.

"Well now. Ya cleaned up pretty good! And ain't that tha nicest set of tits I've seen inna loongg time! Ya make my eyes happy!"

Jonathan ground his teeth.

"You have a real way with women, Tellerman. Not crude at all."

The rhino crossed his arms and gave him a smug look.

"Seems ta work fine fer me. Just ask yer last two girlfriends."

Jonathan growled and started to move around Nessa. Just then, the door opened and Bolcher stepped out in uniform. He glanced at all of them and then frowned at Tellerman.

"Help ya with something?"

Tellerman smiled and nodded at Nessa.

"I was just complimenting this lady on how well she fills out those clothes."

Bolcher gave him a level look.

"Yeah? Why dontcha take yer eyes off her chest fer a minnit and look down?"

The rhino gave him a puzzled look and then glanced at Nessa's feet. Jonathan watched the transition as the confused look turned into one of understanding. Tellerman leapt backward, bouncing off the side of the hallway, his face in open shock.

"What tha hell? She's an ALIEN?"

The big horse gave him a satisfied grunt.

"Yeah. She's here ta have a little chat with me. Now, are ya goin somewhere or...?"

Tellerman recovered himself, glancing from the horse to Nessa's feet.

"Um...yes, Sergeant. Was just on my way ta chow."

"Then don't let us stop ya."

The big rhino nodded, unable to take his eyes off of Nessa. As he hurried away, he glanced back, and his face shifted from surprise to one of deep thought as he moved up the corridor. Jonathan sighed heavily.

"Great. Now the whole base is going to know before we even reach the mess hall."

Bolcher grunted again.

"Don't sweat it. They're gonna know sooner or later. Come on you two..."

The trio moved down the hallway and soon entered the mess hall. Close to two dozen morphs and a scattering of human personnel all stopped suddenly and stared over at Nessa as she walked in. Most of them had met her the day prior when she had eaten with Jonathan. Now, heads and necks craned in silence as nearly everyone struggled for a better view. Bolcher grunted again and stepped forward with his hands up.

"All right, all right. Lissen up. Apparently ya all heard we gotta visitor from tha other side here with us. In all tha years we been fightin, this is tha first opportunity we've had just ta talk with one of them and see what they're about. I'm not gonna pass that by. So, fer tha moment, she's a guest, here ta possibly negotiate some peace talks. I suggest ya be on yer best behavior."

Murmurs rippled across the mess as morphs and humans were suddenly confronted with the possibility of a truce. Abruptly, a loud voice sounded out near the back.

"Damn! I'll negotiate anything she wants! Where do I sign up?"

Jonathan ignored the smattering of laughter and looked for the owner of the voice. Tellerman sat at the far table, grinning lewdly and nodding at his own brilliance. Growling, the canine took a step in his direction before a hand on his chest caught his attention. He stopped and looked into Nessa's concerned face.

"Jon. No fight. Ok?"

Bolcher snorted next to him.

"Ya better listen ta her. She's smarter than she looks."

Jonathan swung around and looked at the horse.

"Sergeant, why do you let him get away with that?"

The big horse morph looked thoughtful for a moment as he reached for a tray out of the stack.

"Lissen kid. Tellerman's a good troop. He follows orders, don't screw off when I need him, and he's worth any three morphs inna firefight. As long as he's not breakin my rules, I put up with his attitude."

The canine blinked in surprise.

"But surely you know what he's doing to me? The guy is a pain in my ass..."

Bolcher handed him a tray as he replied.

"Smythe. It's like this. Tellerman likes ta haze tha rookies. When ya first got here, ya did pretty well ignorin his shit. Now he found yer button and yer gonna hafta deal with it in yer own way. As long as he ain't doin ennythin outside tha rules, I hafta stay outta it."

"What about the girls? Wasn't that a little much?"

The big horse gave him a level look.

"When I nosed around in that, I found out it was all above board. Both times was consensual. Why them girls agreed ta go with an oversexed, arrogant braggart is beyond me, but he didn do ennythin wrong as far as tha rules go."

Jonathan looked shocked again.

"So you...you did investigate?"

"Of course. I had ta make sure nothin nefarious was goin on."

Bolcher sighed.

"Look. Ya got a problem with Tellerman, fine. What he did was a prick move. I understand that. But I can't stick my nose innit if tha rules aren't being broke. If I go ta him and say somethin, then yer gonna have even more problems cause ya needed me ta intervene. I'll tell ya, step up and make yerself known. If ya feel ya need ta take a swing at him, take it ta tha gym and climb in tha ring. This whole thing is about ya needin ta prove yer worth ta be in this unit. Myself? I know yer supposed ta be here cause I read yer bio before I asked fer ya, but ya gotta show tha others what yer made of before they can decide ta count on ya..."

The canines jaw dropped at probably the longest conversation he had ever heard out of the big horse. Bolcher had requested him! Jonathan thought about what he had said and it made a sort of sense. He was going to have to deal with the rhino on his own. Still, it WAS nice to know that the big sergeant thought he was capable of handling it. It made Jonathan feel a little more confident.

"Thank you, Sergeant. I'll take care of it myself then."

Bolcher nodded at him as he handed an empty tray to Nessa, listening intently to their conversation.

"Just make sure whatever ya do is within tha rules. No startin a fight in tha halls or ennythin stupid, got it? Tellerman carries a huge ego, but he's a good guy ta have watchin yer back. Come ta an understandin and learn ta work together."

"Yes, Sergeant."

The big horse snorted and reached for a plate from the line. He set one on his own tray, and then grabbed another to, surprisingly, set it on Nessa's tray.

"Here girl. This is called Apple Pie. I think yer gonna like it..."

The three continued down through the line, Bolcher naming different foods and setting them on the curvy female's tray while Jon watched and thought. Every once in a while, Nessa would touch the canine on the arm, as if to make sure he was all right. Every time, Jonathan would smile at her, appreciating the gesture. The group was still drawing many looks as they left the line. Bolcher led them to an empty table on the far side of the cafeteria, next to the one occupied by the rhino and two other members of Alpha Team one. Each table was small to make them easier to transport, so only three chairs would fit comfortably around any of them. Jonathan pointedly sat down at the chair closest to Tellerman's table, his back to him. As they began to eat, Bolcher sat and conversed in low tones with Nessa, pointing with his fork at different parts of the meal. The female would try something at his suggestion and then chur and grin up at him when the taste agreed with her. As the two went back and forth across the table, Jonathan picked up a muted conversation from behind, tilting his ears back to listen.

"Wow! Who knew an alien could be such a damn hottie?"

"Yeah right? Wish the rest of em looked like her."

The next voice was definitely the rhino.

"And there she is, shackin up with tha rookie."

"Yeah, go figure. Why you so hard on this rook?"

"Hey. Every morph starts out with a weakness. Round here, there ain't no time or place ta be weak. Rook needs ta grow a set and man up. Else he gonna end up with an Ape foot broke off in his ass..."

"That's cold, Tellerman. What are you goin to do now? Make a play for the alien?"

"Heh. I'm just gonna see if I can talk her into a Close Encounter..."

A round of quiet laughter followed, and Jonathan stopped listening. He looked across the table where Nessa was grinning and haltingly talking to Bolcher. The big horse was even smiling back! After a while, Bolcher stood up.

"Ok. Time ta get ta Medical. Nessa, ya gotta be there, but it's up ta ya if ya want Smythe ta come along."

The female immediately stood up as well.

"Jon come...please?"

"Yeah, I figgered that's what ya would say. Come on then..."

Jonathan stood and followed them to the tray return. As they left the mess hall, Nessa wound herself around his arm again and kissed his cheek. Her presence felt very good, and went a long way to calming him down. By the time they reached the Medical section, he was grinning from ear to ear. The three of them stepped into the cramped room. Dozens of various tables, devices, and equipment were spread throughout the room or attached to the walls to maximize the available space. The upper half of one wall appeared to be a sheet of transparent plastic, angled outward at the top. Three technicians, two human and one kangaroo morph, turned at the group's arrival from where they were looking down through the plastic window. The older male human, one Doctor Richmond, waved his hands as he came across the room.

"Ah! Hello, hello Sergeant Bolcher! We have a lot to tell you this morning!"

"What's goin on Doc?"

The human scurried around a table full of equipment and nearly bumped into Nessa. He quickly stammered out an apology, and then stopped and gaped at her when he spotted her bare feet.

"Oh my! You must be Nessa? Nice to meet you! My name is Doctor Richmond. I am in charge of this section."

Nessa looked down at his proffered hand, and then tentatively grasped it with her own. She tilted her head and spoke.

"In charge?"

The doctor sputtered for an answer, and then Jonathan helped out.

"Doctor Richmond tells the other doctors what to do."

Nessa turned and looked at him.

"Tell Sergeant?"

The canine chuckled.

"No. Sergeant Bolcher tells everyone what to do. He's like the Queen of this base."

Richmond chuckled at that while Bolcher scowled and rolled his eyes. Nessa looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Queen...tell...every one?"

"Yeah. We have a different word for it here, but you would call it Queen."

The curvy female pursed her lips thoughtfully as Bolcher scoffed and addressed the doctor.

"Doc? What ya got ta tell me?"

The human stopped goggling at the female and turned to the big horse.

"Huh? Oh! Yes! We finished most of the testing on the Queen. The results are...well...unusual."

"Whattya mean, doc?"

"Well, first of all, it's hard to believe this is the Queen. Our scans of her brain and nervous system show a very low level of development. From a neurological standpoint, she's more equivalent to an eight or nine year old human child then someone who supervises hundreds of thousands of drones!"

The doctor turned and motioned for them to follow as he started toward the plastic window.

"Brain function aside, we did blood testing and a full taxonomy work up. Even though she gave birth just twelve hours ago, it appears that she is entering full estrus already. The subject has already started to emit some sort of universal pheromones. I've had to limit exposure to just the girls for feeding and bedding changes..."

The group joined the others at the window and everyone leaned forward to peer down. The plastic transparency overlooked a relatively modest, sterile room. The floor of the room was about ten feet lower than the floor of the lab, with metal walls, and no projections save an imbedded sink on one side. In the corner was a large mattress placed directly on the floor. A heavy door, magnetically locked, was positioned directly across from the sink. The alien, now upright and moving, paced back and forth in the room below, stopping occasionally and looking up at the window with her broad visual sensor patch.

Jonathan studied her for a moment, and then realized why her shape looked familiar. She looked very similar to an Old Earth fertility goddess statue he had once seen on the nets. All of her womanly features; hips, stomach, and breasts, were greatly exaggerated. Just since yesterday, the alien's stomach had shrunk somewhat in size, but her breasts had increased, the prominent areolas nearly doubled in diameter. She also sported a dark mane of hair that started from halfway down her back and ran up between her stubby ears to a spot on her broad forehead. Her muzzle was also broad, with flaring, almost-reptilian nostrils; plump, mobile lips; and a wide mouth full of tiny fangs. Nessa nodded at the alien in the room.

"Is no Queen. Is Jnaxion."

Bolcher's head snapped around.

"What? Ya mean ta tell me we did all this and we didn find tha Queen?"

Nessa nodded at the alien again.

"Is Jnaxion. Make babies. Jnaxion hurt now. Need...penis."

The female kangaroo morph snorted amusedly into her hand as the others just gaped at Nessa. Bolcher frowned and growled.

"That's just great. We go through all tha trouble ta set up this op, and we didn get tha Queen after all..."

Beside him, Jonathan felt Nessa stiffen and tighten her grip on his arm. She looked up at the big horse morph.

"Sergeant got Queen."

Bolcher stopped fuming and glared at her suspiciously.

"Whattya sayin girl?"

The curvy female took a deep breath.

"Nessa is Queen."

The room went dead silent as all eyes turned to her in surprise. The only sounds were the low, needy moans of the alien below. Jonathan closed his mouth with a click and whispered to the female on his arm. It rang out like a shout.

"You're the Queen?"

Nessa nodded at him, a slight twinge of fear in her eyes. Behind her, Bolcher shook his head.

"I shoulda figgered. Somehow, I shoulda known it..."

Jonathan's heart pounded against his ribcage, but he forced himself to reach up and touch her chin.

"You...you control the drones? This is all your doing?"

The curvy female shook her head.

"No. Nessa baby Queen. Nessa...parent...tell everyone what to do."

A huge weight lifted from Jon's chest at her words. He was loathe to accept that this sweet female had somehow been directing untold thousands of drones to fight and kill troops across several sectors of the galaxy. Bolcher put a big hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him.

"How much control do ya have? How many drones can ya tell what ta do? What's yer limits?"

The female looked up at him nervously.

"Nessa no hear...all drones. Little bit drones...no hear Nessa. Nessa hear Jnaxion. Nessa tell Jnaxion what to do. Jnaxion no hear Nessa tell what to do now."

The big horse frowned as he sorted out her words.

"So what yer saying is ya can hear tha drones, and talk ta tha drones, all except a few? And why can't ya talk ta this one now?"

"Uh...Nessa no hear, talk Vjanti. Big drone. Parent talk Vjanti. Nessa hear all drones. Need make head work talk one drone. No talk Jnaxion now. Jnaxion need...penis. Breeding. Sex."

Bolcher was still working through that one when Richmond snapped his fingers.

"Ah! I got it! She can't talk to those big drones we found at the mound! That's why she couldn't tell them to leave her alone when we raided! It must be the parent Queen who ordered the slaughter! And she can't talk to a drone without concentrating! It must take a lot to sort one drone out of all the ones she can hear! And, if I got this right, she can't talk to the Breeder drone down in holding because the estrus cycle must be somehow interfering with the communication! Am I right?"

Nessa nodded gratefully to the human.

"Yes."

Bolcher was scratching at his chin in thought when another plaintive moan sounded faintly through the plastic. The other human, a female, reached up and flicked a toggle on an intercom built into the window. The sound of the Breeder panting and whining came through the speaker. Nessa glanced down through the window again.

"Jnaxion hurt now. Need...Jon, what is morph, human with penis?"

The canine blinked.

"You mean, male?"

"Yes. Jnaxion need male. Make babies. No have male one day, hurt more. No have male two day, hurt more..."

"The longer with no male, the worse it hurts?"

"Ehh...no hurt. What is head work?"

"Think? Thinking?"

"Yes. Have no male, day, two day, Jnaxion less think working, think ONLY breeding. Make babies."

The female human winced at her words and shook her head.

"That must be awful! To just give birth and be compelled to breed again right away? And what of the offspring? They're obviously mammalian, do they feed their young for only the length of the gestational cycle? We don't know anything..."

Nessa turned to her.

"Jnaxion make baby. Baby eat...ninety day. Make new baby...ninety day. Ninety day, ninety day..."

The human female, a Doctor Michelson, was aghast.

"Ninety day gestation period? No wonder they have so many drones! What about..."

The doctor was interrupted by Bolcher, who stood frowning at Nessa when he coughed loudly.

"We're missin a critical issue here. Nessa, how many drones know yer here?"

The others stopped and focused on the curvy alien.

"Umm. All drones. Nessa tell them no come. Parent is...what is no happy?"

"Mad?"

"Yes. Parent is mad. Parent want make dead Nessa."

"Wait. Yer mom wants ta kill ya?"

"Yes. Nessa want no fight. No kill. Nessa not do? Do what parent think."

Jonathan sucked in a breath.

"Nessa, you're defying your mom to stop the war?"

The female looked into his eyes and Jonathan's breath caught in his throat. The depth and adoration he saw in that short look took his breath away. Nessa put a hand on his cheek.

"Nessa need Jon help to stop war."

Bolcher snorted behind her.

"What are we suppose ta do when yer mom tells tha drones ta come anyway?"

Nessa turned to face him.

"No drones...till...Mom...come here."

"Oh, fuck me runnin..."

Two hours later, Nessa was still seated in a chair at the far end of the room. Bolcher and Jonathan stood off to one side as the three medical technicians ran a series of tests on the curvy alien. The big horse morph had reluctantly agreed to let her stay at the base, figuring the female could provide invaluable information about the workings of the alien Hive. Nessa chatted amiably with all three techs as they took measurements, samples of fur, and looked into her eyes and mouth. The only thing she had refused to let them study was the unique belt around her waist, claiming it was "no touch...hurt". The female human, Dr. Michelson, produced a phlebotomy kit and looked down at her nervously.

"Nessa? May I take some of your blood?"

The female glanced up at her quizzically and then looked to Jon. Sighing, the canine offered his arm.

"Take mine first, doc. Just to show her what you mean."

Even though Nessa's eyes had widened considerably when she saw the first spurts of red in the tube, she agreed, and pretty soon Michelson had a few samples sitting on a rack on a nearby table. Afterwards, Richmond guided her to another chair that appeared to recline into a great hoop of a machine.

"I'm going to take a few pictures of your body, Nessa. Do you have any metal on you anywhere?"

The violet-eyed female bit her lip for a moment, and then traced her finger around her ornate buckle. The belt separated with a small hiss, startling the techs, and she handed the woven bands directly to Jonathan.

"Jon...hold. No everyone...Jon only."

The canine accepted the belt, surprised at how light it was. Richmond eyed the belt hungrily for a moment, and then proceeded to lean the chair back till she was fully reclined. Turning to a screen, he punched a series of buttons on the flat surface and the big hoop started to move very slowly.

"Ok Nessa. I need you to hold still for a little while please?"

"Ok."

As the hoop began to travel, a series of pictures popped up across several monitors above the worktable. Michelson and Richmond leaned in close, clearly excited.

"Good lord! Look at that! Her speech and cognitive function centers are massive! By these readings, I would say she probably has perfect memory, and an astounding ability to communicate!"

Bolcher and Jonathan both grinned. Then the horse chuckled.

"Yeah. Tell us somethin we don't know, doc."

The techs continued with the scans, murmuring to each other as the hoop slowly traveled down Nessa's body. Bored, Jonathan sat on a folding chair close to the machine and put his hand on her shoulder after the hoop had passed by. Nessa flashed him a look of gratitude and nuzzled his hand. After what seemed like hours, the hoop reached her feet and then suddenly returned quickly to its original starting point. Richmond turned around and started to raise the chair.

"Amazing! All of the internal organs we can see are remarkably similar to a morph. But her nervous system is more alien, giving her faster reflexes and a better sense of touch than us. Also, her muscle density is the same as a combat drone and the Breeder downstairs. With this new information, I can theorize that the entire race originated on possibly a class four or five planet. That's three to four times Earth norm gravity!"

Jonathan handed Nessa her belt and gave Richmond a confused look.

"What does that mean in layman's terms, doc?"

Bolcher grunted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"It MEANS, Corporal, that yer friend there can bench way more than I can...and I maxed at eight seventy-five this morning!"

Richmond nodded, his face a strange mixture of excitement and disbelief.

"Nessa is in fact far stronger than she looks, among other things."

Jonathan looked over at the curvy alien, who smiled back and gave a soft shrug of her shoulders. Jon smiled back as Richmond fiddled with some hand held equipment on a nearby table.

"If you are willing, Nessa, I would like to do some hand/eye coordination testing?"

The female's violet eyes blinked at him.

"Ok."

As Richmond started to explain to her how he was going to conduct the tests, Bolcher placed a hand on Jonathan's shoulder and drew him to the far side of the room. The big horse's face was wary.

"Rookie, yer new girlfriend seems ta be gettin along fine, but I have concerns."

"What kind of concerns?"

Bolcher held up a finger while he dialed on his personal communicator, after a single beep, a voice sounded out.

"Corporal Alabaster. Security room."

"Alabaster! What's tha status of our screens? Give me surface, sub, and air."

"No changes that I can see, Sergeant. Screens have been quiet since the mound went down."

Bolcher rubbed his lip in thought. Jonathan guessed from his expression that the big horse was wondering if the extensive array of subterranean, surface, and air-pointed sensors that currently surrounded the base was enough to allay his fears. The canine apparently guessed correct as Bolcher spoke into the comm.

"Ok. Double tha watch on screens and add an extra patrol between every third sweep."

"Company coming, Sergeant?"

"Turns out we got one of tha royal family as a guest. I wanna be well informed when her mom drops by ta see her, unnerstand?"

There was an audible gulp before the reply.

"Yes Sergeant. I'm all over it now."

"Good. Bolcher out."

As the horse turned off his comm, Jonathan looked up at him worriedly.

"Do you really think the parent Queen will come after her? She tried to have her killed."

Michelson glided up, easily overhearing his question.

"I think it's an inevitability that the Empress is going to come looking for her."

Bolcher frowned at the human female.

"Empress?"

"Sure? Why not? There's more than one queen, so the mother becomes the Empress. Now that we have the child Queen here, her mother is going to do anything she can to get her back."

"Ya seem absolutely sure."

"I am! Think about it. This girl knows everything about the aliens. It's not like us, she can literally feel them all. Every second she sits here and talks to us, we learn more about them. And if I remember correctly, the Empress was slaughtering her own kind to make sure that never happened. Of course she's going to come..."

All three of them turned and looked over at Nessa, who was chatting amiably with Richmond. Bolcher drew a breath and snorted before turning to Jonathan.

"Corporal. I gotta go inform command about what's goin on out here. More than likely I'll be tied up fer tha rest of tha night. When ya finish up in here, take Nessa ta get some chow, then watch a movie or somethin. Don't let her outta yer sight fer even a moment, unnerstand?"

"Yes Sergeant."

The big horse put a hand on his shoulder and dropped his voice.

"Lissen kid. I unnerstand what yer feeling right now. Ican't put my finger on it, but that girl seems almost too good ta be true. Whenever I'm around her, I feel like I should be signin her up fer school or somethin, just like my own daughter. She says she needs YER help ta stop tha war. I don't know how that's suppose ta happen, but it makes ya a very important grunt right now. Till we know more, keep her close. Got it?"

The canine nodded.

"Got it, Sergeant."

The big horse exhaled and rubbed his eyes.

"Ok. And since we only got one holdin area, she's gonna have ta stay in yer room again tonight. Normally, that wouldn't happen in light of what she is, but I can see how she is with ya, so fer now I'm gonna let it go. Are ya ok with that?"

"Absolutely, Sergeant!"

Bolcher cocked his head at him and gave him a level look.

"Just don't...not fer one second...ferget who she is. I'm dumpin a LOT of responsibility on ya."

Jonathan stiffened, standing a little straighter.

"I understand. I won't let you down."

"Good. If I don't get free tomorrow mornin, I'll send someone ta wake ya before chow. I know ya got a chrono, but this is my way of checkin on ya, unnerstand?"

"Yes Sergeant."

"Good. I'll see ya as soon as I can."

The big horse nodded and crossed the room towards the doorway. He stopped and said something to Nessa, who promptly stopped what she was doing long enough to give him a hug. As Bolcher continued out of the room, he looked back once with what could only be fatherly satisfaction. Jonathan watched him go, completely amazed. The canine then wandered over, Michelson trailing silently beside him. As they approached, the female kangaroo stepped up holding a thin sheet. She looked down with a kind smile at Nessa.

"Hello sweety. My name is Doctor Alyssa Grande. If you don't mind, I would like to give you a gynecological assessment."

Nessa looked up at her, head tilted.

"What is?"

The kangaroo chuckled warmly and waved her own hand in a circle around her crotch.

"I would like to take a look at your womanly parts. Is that ok? I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

The curvy female nodded.

"Is ok."

As Grande began to instruct Nessa on what was about to occur, Richmond excused himself and exited the room. Jonathan was about to leave as well, till a hand on his arm stopped him. Violet eyes regarded his own.

"Jon? No go please?"

"Are you sure? This is kind of personal."

"Yes. Jon no go please?"

"All right."

Grande helped Nessa remove her sweatpants, wrapping the sheet around her waist. The kangaroo was kind, calm, and motherly to the curvy alien. Jonathan liked her immediately. She helped Nessa on to the table and guided her feet into the stirrups. The curvy alien looked somewhat bemused as the kangaroo adjusted the sheet over her legs and pulled up a stool. After a few moments under the sheet, Grande turned and spoke into a recorder.

"Subject known simply as 'Nessa' has what appears to be normal morphic reproductive anatomy on the exterior. Vaginal and urethral openings are present, as well as labial folds and clitoris. I'm going to get a closer look at her cervix, if she has one."

The kangaroo reached back and picked up an odd device that Jonathan didn't immediately recognize, but could easily see its purpose. Grande shifted her position so she could meet Nessa's eyes.

"Ok sweety. This is called a speculum. I'm going to use this to take a look inside. If this hurts or makes you feel uncomfortable, tell me right away, ok?"

Nessa nodded and Grande ducked back under the sheet. A second later, Nessa sucked in a breath and increased her grip on Jon's hand. The canine looked down at her worriedly, but she just shook her head at him. After a few moments more, Grande popped back out from under the sheet.

"There we go. All finished up. It appears you have a cervix after all. Now we can...oh...wait a minute..."

The kangaroo morph waved at Michelson and pointed at some gauze pads. The human female handed them over as Grande looked up abashed.

"Oh my! I appear to have nicked her hymen with the speculum! I didn't realize she was a virgin!"

The kangaroo was doing something under the sheet with the gauze pads when she finally looked out and grimaced up at Nessa.

"I'm sorry dear! I thought it would be small enough!"

Nessa waved a hand at her.

"Is ok, Doctor Alyssa Grande. Nessa little hurt, no big."

The kangaroo had her ears laid flat as she turned and worked under the sheet.

"Oh I feel terrible. I didn't mean to hurt her..."

Nessa abruptly sat up and swung herself to the side of the exam table. She reached over and pulled the embarrassed kangaroo to her feet, dragging Grande into a hug.

"Is ok."

The kangaroo blinked in surprise, and then returned the hug. After a few moments, she stepped back and looked into Nessa's face.

"You really are a sweetheart. Ok, I'll give you a pad for the bleeding. It was a small tear, so you should be ok till bedtime. Watch and see if the bleeding stops tonight and I'll check on you tomorrow, ok?"

"Nessa is ok. Bleeding stop now."

Grande looked at her again.

"Really? Please, may I check and make sure?"

The curvy alien swung back up on to the table and set her feet in the stirrups. Grande ducked under the sheet and exclaimed in surprise.

"Amazing! It's as if there was no blood at all!"

Michelson frowned curiously.

"What? You mean she's a permanent virgin?"

"No, no. The tear is still there, but there is no bleeding. It's like her insides just healed up almost instantly."

The human female sighed.

"We should all be so lucky..."

Grande assisted Nessa with swinging back around and sitting upright on the table. The female alien hopped down to the floor as Michelson turned and looked at the chrono.

"It's almost supper time. How about we call it a day? I have to feed the Breeder drone, so I'll walk the two of you out."

Nessa nodded and started to pull her sweats back on. Grande stooped to assist, and then turned to a nearby console.

"I'm ordering you some new clothes, Nessa. I'll have them delivered to the Corporal's room."

The curvy female plucked at her tank worriedly.

"No Jon clothes?"

The canine wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"You need more than one set of clothes, Nessa. And if you want to keep those I gave you, I don't mind."

The female smiled and kissed his nose.

"Ok Jon. Thank you."

Grande eyed the display of affection, and then nonchalantly changed something Jonathan couldn't see on the screen. The display beeped as she sent the list off to Quartermaster and Michelson waved the two over as she bent to pull a tray from a warmer in the corner. Nessa gave a surprised Grande another quick hug, and then scurried to follow Michelson and Jonathan down a nearby short set of stairs. The female human led them halfway down a short hallway and stopped at an inset door. Next to the door was a standard, ten digit keypad. Michelson turned and looked at Jonathan.

"You might want to hold your breath."

The canine was startled.

"It's that bad in there?"

Michelson nodded.

"Pheromone count had increased by nearly sixty percent in just the last hour. If you breathe in this air, it'll hit you like a sledge hammer."

"Wait, you're going to go in there? Isn't that dangerous?"

"The Breeder drone hasn't displayed any aggression towards females. In fact, she practically fawns all over us when we are in there. I'll be fine, unless Nessa thinks otherwise?"

The human raised an eyebrow at the curvy female, who simply shook her head in agreement. Michelson punched the combination and waited for Jonathan to inhale deeply before opening the door. She ducked inside for a moment, closing the door partway. A few moments later, the female doctor reappeared, smiling and scrubbing at her face with a sleeve. She closed the door and indicated the party should move further up the hallway. A few steps along, Jonathan released the breath he was holding and gave a small sniff. Instantly, a powerful, musky odor slammed into his nostrils, tenting his pants with an almost painful erection. He coughed and turned awkwardly to adjust himself as Michelson led them to a similar set of steps on the far end of the hallway. She turned back and rubbed at her cheek again with a smile.

"Silly thing licked my face when I gave her that tray. Nessa, are they always so affectionate?"

The violet-eyed nodded.

"Jnaxion no fight. Only mad when male leave breeding. Jnaxion hurt male if leave breeding."

Michelson nodded thoughtfully and then pointed up the steps.

"Ok guys. Top of the steps and turn left. You should recognize the hallway from there. We'll see you when you come in tomorrow, ok?"

The pair said their goodbyes, Nessa hugging the doctor before they left. Jonathan led them back through the halls till they arrived at the mess hall. Unlike earlier, the tables were mostly empty. Many personnel ate at different times in the evening, or simply took food back to wherever they were working or playing at the time. Jonathan led Nessa through the line and then sat and identified the different types of food on her tray. As she ate, the curvy female would lean against him and occasionally lick the inside of his ear. Jonathan smiled at her and shifted around on his chair, the erection from the hallway earlier fading, but not completely. After eating, the canine led Nessa to a medium sized room with surround speakers, an inset panel on the wall, and several comfortable chairs all facing the panel. He dialed up a movie at random and sat down in a chair against the back wall. Nessa sat in the chair next to him, and then slid it closer, wrapping her arm across his chest and laying her head on his shoulder. When the panel on the wall flicked into life, her eyes widened in delight and she gave out a long chur of happiness.

Half an hour later, Jonathan glanced down at Nessa, wide-eyed and completely enraptured by the movie. The film turned out to be a drama/love story that involved several plot lines and twists in the events. As he watched, one of the main characters, a female antelope, crawled into the lap of another character, a male wolf, and began to profess her love. Nessa stirred at his Jon's side and turned to look over at him.

"What is doing?"

The canine smiled.

"She is telling him that she loves him."

Nessa thought about it for a moment, and then glanced up at him again.

"Jon? What is love?"

The canine sighed. What a question! How did you explain love to someone?

"Um...it's kind of difficult to explain. Love is a lot of things. It's when you really want to spend time around someone, and when you hurt when they aren't there. You accept them for who they are, even the bad stuff, and you support them when they need it. You try everything you can to make them feel better because you hurt when they hurt on the inside. Love is laughing and crying together; holding each other during bad stuff and good; and wanting to be there the rest of their life. Love is a connection between two people that is special just for them, and it makes them both better people. It's that and so much more that I can't begin to explain. Do you understand that at all?"

Nessa nodded slowly and looked back at the screen.

"Love make sex? Breeding?"

Jon smiled at her.

"That's part of it. The feelings of love can lead to sex, which is natural considering how close two individuals get when they make love."

Nessa nodded again and turned to watch the screen. Jonathan stared at her for a few moments, his mind whirling at the recent conversation, when he saw her gasp softly and lean forward. Turning, the canine looked back at the screen. In the movie, the antelope had straddled the wolf's legs and was currently kissing him rather deeply. Their muzzles were locked, tongues intertwined and moving as they tilted their heads back and forth passionately. As they kissed, the wolf clutched at the antelope's sides as she ran her fingers passionately through his thick neck fur. Suddenly, they started to peel off clothing. Jonathan watched in surprise as the antelope wriggled and bounced in the wolf's lap while he growled and nipped at her soft underthroat. What rating was this movie? Granted, the film didn't actually show anything below the waist, but it was obvious what the couple were doing. Jon looked sideways and found Nessa watching the whole scene with studious intensity. After the scene finally played out, the curvy alien tucked herself back on to his shoulder and they finished the film in silence.

Jonathan led Nessa out of the makeshift theater and back to his quarters. As they approached the door to his room, Beth Sanders stood waiting with a duffle at her feet.

"About time you two showed up!"

The canine shrugged his shoulders.

"We stopped for a movie after chow. What do you have there?"

The leopardess grinned and hefted the bag.

"Scanlon in supply sent over some clothing for Nessa. Said to make sure she tried it on WITHOUT you around..."

Jonathan looked at her in mock-indignation as Nessa began to peer at the duffel.

"Why without me?"

"Probably because you're a big perv and shouldn't take advantage of poor alien cuties?"

The canine feigned a look of hurt on his face as he opened the door to his room.

"Me? You haven't spent enough time around Nessa if you think I'm the one taking advantage!"

Sanders growled playfully and set the duffel bag on a bunk. She turned and grabbed Jon's tail.

"I'm just going to have to tell her that a cute, fluffy tail doesn't always make a nice guy, eh?"

Jonathan huffed and rescued his tail from her grip. Nessa, picking up on the playful tone, grinned as he lifted his chin and spoke haughtily.

"I am the epitome of nice, thank you."

Sanders chuckled and gave him a push towards the bathroom door.

"Fine, fine. Now go take a shower or something while us girls go through the bag."

Jonathan entered the bathroom and sighed deeply as the leopardess could be heard talking excitedly with Nessa. Jon started to remove his clothes, actually thankful for the opportunity to shower alone tonight. All that evening it had seemed that the whiff of pheromones he had received in the hallway earlier had affected him more than he wanted to admit. During chow, and especially the movie afterward, he had been dealing with frequent erections. Jonathan knew he wasn't the biggest male on the base, but it had become extremely difficult to hide his arousal from Nessa. Having a few moment s alone to calm down was a blessing in disguise.

Jonathan showered, dried, and brushed his teeth. He wrapped a towel around his middle and opened the bathroom door just in time to see Sanders showing Nessa how to put clothing in the dresser. The leopardess held up a folded garment that Jon couldn't immediately make out, and then placed it in one of the drawers. Nessa watched with focused attention as Sanders explained to her.

"Now remember. Those and the others are for special occasions, just like we talked about. After you wear some of this stuff, I'll show you how to take it down and wash it, ok?"

Nessa nodded and gave her a hug with a smile. The leopardess returned the hug and then winked as she gathered up the duffel. Opening the door, Sanders looked over her shoulder at Jonathan.

"Don't be peeking into a woman's drawers, either. Show a little etiquette for the lady. I'll see you both tomorrow."

Jon waved goodnight as Sanders closed the door. Inside, his mind was racing. What was so important about clothing that he shouldn't look? Nessa simply grinned and walked into the bathroom. Jon watched her go and just shrugged. It wasn't like he was going to look anyway. He opened his own drawer and proceeded to put on a pair of boxer briefs, his usual sleeping attire. In the bathroom, the running water told him that Nessa was currently brushing her teeth. He smiled at the thought. Only this morning she had been introduced to the concept of a toothbrush, and already it was commonplace for her! He grinned again and turned to throw his towel in the hamper. Flopping down on his bunk, the canine had a perfect view through the open door of the bathroom. Nessa finished with her teeth and turned around to spot him watching her through the doorway.

The curvy alien smiled and gave him a little wave. Jonathan grinned back and then sucked in a breath as she simply reached down and tugged the tank top up over her head. Jon's eyes bugged at the display. He had almost forgotten how well-endowed she was! The sweatpants and ornate belt followed quickly after and Jonathan averted his gaze until he heard her climb into the shower. He wasn't sure why he was suddenly so shy about looking at her nude. After all, they had taken a shower together! Jonathan figured it had to come from the fact that he was learning so much about her. He was beginning to recognize her moods, her feelings, and her general overall attitude. As she became more familiar to him, he couldn't help but find himself paying more attention to how they interacted. He found himself wanting to keep her around, and that thought both excited and depressed him.

The canine fiddled idly with his bedside chrono as the shower finally cut off and Nessa stepped out. The female pulled a towel from the cabinet and dried off as Jonathan struggled to not peek at her. He listened closely as she used his dryer, churring happily. There were a few minutes of muted noises as she dutifully put away the fur dryer and brushed her hair. The noises continued as she moved out of sight of the doorway. The canine had been tapping idly at the controls on the chrono, not really paying attention. He shuffled back under his covers and turned the light control down to ten percent. The glow of the light from the open bathroom door splashed across the room in a slanted rectangle. Jonathan watched the spill of light on the floor until it was suddenly interrupted with a very curvy shadow. The canine's eyes snapped up and his breath caught.

Nessa stood in the doorway wearing a pair of pink cotton panties and a blue sports bra that strained to contain her chest. Even in the low light, Jonathan could see her thick nipples protruding through the fabric. She held her ornate belt dangling in one hand and the other rested on the doorframe. She stood for a moment, letting him get a look, and then plucked at the fabric hugging her chest.

"Nessa pretty?"

The canine was unable to pull his eyes away.

"You were always pretty, Nessa. Now you're absolutely gorgeous."

The female churred happily at him and reached over to turn off the bathroom light. Jonathan marveled at her. Somehow, the simple addition of something as commonplace as undergarments had changed her from some unknown, exotic beauty to an incredibly gorgeous morph. He watched as she crossed the room and dropped the belt on to her bunk. The busty female leaned over, grasped her pillow, and then paused, her face deep in thought. Jonathan turned to the light control, preparing to darken the room, when his bunk shifted and swayed. Startled, the canine looked back to find Nessa slipping under the covers next to him.

"Nessa? Wha?"

The female wriggled in place, fluffing her pillow that she had brought from the other bunk. Jonathan could feel the warmth of her leg pressing against his own and his heart doubled in pace.

"Um...Nessa? What are you doing?"

The curvy female turned her head and grinned at him.

"Nessa have good sleep with Jon."

The canine gaped down at her in shock even as she settled in. The small bunk was barely more than a twin size, so the female was going to be pressed right up against him! His mind whirled at the idea even as his heart pounded away in his chest. What was he going to do? He looked down at her again as she regarded him levelly.

"Jon. Come sleep. Please?"

Jonathan gulped and turned off the light. He started to lower himself down when he found Nessa pressing her lips to his. For a long moment, her soft, full lips touched his, ratcheting his heart rate up a notch further. Then she was gone, turning her head to lie down on the pillow. Jon remained frozen in place, the tingle on his muzzle stunning him into immobility. He didn't know how long he stayed there, propped on one arm, until Nessa reached back impatiently and grabbed his other hand by the wrist. She pulled his arm up and over her body, nestling his hand on her stomach, just below her breasts. The motion pulled Jonathan down, forcing him to move his braced arm. He slid it up under her pillow and rested his cheek on his own. Before he could decide where to move again, Nessa wriggled backwards, pressing herself up against the full front of his body. She pulled his other hand out from under her pillow and tucked it around her upper shoulders. When all was done, Jonathan found himself pressed against her back and hugging her from behind. His muzzle and part of his cheek rested partially on his pillow and partially on her neck. She gave a large sigh and whispered.

"Nessa like..."

All thoughts of sleep fled from Jon's mind. When the curvy female had nestled up to him, she had inadvertently wriggled her luscious rump up against his crotch. The flustered canine suddenly found himself dealing with yet another burgeoning erection. He inhaled softly, drawing in the smell of her. Her body smelled of soap and a faint, intoxicating aroma he couldn't immediately identify. Under his hand, he could feel the steady rhythm of her heart. Her body was full and pliant, filling his arms perfectly. Jonathan sighed as quietly as he could, closing his eyes and preparing himself for another long night...

The sound of a door chime woke Jonathan. He was lying on his back and facing the ceiling. Nessa had shifted also during the night, rolling over and tucking her head under his chin. She was sprawled across him, one arm on his chest and one leg thrown across his thighs. Groggily, he became aware of her breasts pushed against his torso and her crotch pressing against his leg. The door chimed again, and then the latch clicked before swinging open.

"Hey guys? Time to get going! Sarge says you need to...Oh! Sorry!"

Jonathan blinked and reached up to turn up the lights. Halfway through the doorway, Coral was grinning and trying not to stare.

"Morning! Hope I'm not interrupting?"

The canine glanced at the chrono and gasped. It was at least half an hour past his usual wake time! With a start, he realized he must have accidentally shut off the alarm when he was playing with the controls the night prior. He plopped his head back on his pillow and groaned.

"Ah crap. I forgot the alarm!"

Coral stared at the two with a bemused expression.

"Well, you better get up and get a move on. Chow's in like...ten minutes!"

On his chest, Nessa stirred and lifted her head. She looked back at Coral and then down at Jonathan. Smiling, she gave him a quick peck before rolling over and throwing off the covers. Coral gaped at her as she jumped up and strolled into the bathroom. Jonathan shuffled over and sat up on the edge of the bunk, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The grinning feline morph rounded the end of the bunk and sat down next to him to whisper.

"Dude! Did you...?"

The canine glanced at him in surprise.

"No! We just slept together. I mean! We just literally slept in the same bed..."

Coral chuckled and elbowed him playfully.

"Uh huh. Got it. I would have, but you say anything you want..."

Jonathan punched him lightly on the arm.

"Oh be quiet. She just crawled in with me. What was I supposed to do?"

The cat morph raised an eyebrow.

"I can think of a few things. She is kind of hot..."

The canine gave him a scowl, which did nothing more than earn a few more chuckles. Jonathan stood and pulled some clothing from his dresser, hurrying to get dressed. In the bathroom, the toilet flushed and Nessa appeared in the doorway. Coral's eyebrows shot up and he watched the curvy female retrieve a button-up shirt and a pair of three-quarter length pants from the other dresser. As she pulled the clothing on, Jonathan leaned over the cat morph and hissed softly.

"Coral, you're staring."

The cat coughed and whispered back.

"Can I help it? She's down right beautiful..."

Eventually, Nessa and Jonathan were fully dressed. The canine shooed the bemused cat morph off of his bunk long enough to make it and the three turned to leave. Nessa scooped up her ornate belt and buckled it back around her waist. As the lock hissed softly in place, the female froze for just a second. Jonathan noticed the hesitation and looked over at her worriedly.

"Nessa? Are you ok?"

The curvy alien shook her head and smiled at him.

"Yes. Nessa ok. Go eat now?"

Jonathan chuckled and offered his arm.

"Yes. Let's go eat."

Taking her usual spot on his arm, Nessa snuggled against his shoulder as the three made their way to the mess hall. As they waited in the line, more and more base personnel stopped to say hello to the female. Nessa returned their greetings with a smile, churring at each individual and returning the kindness. Coral had wandered off into the room, moving from table to table. In just a few minutes, Sanders glided up and dragged Jonathan a short distance away. The look on her face was incredulous.

"Smythe! Coral says he caught the two of you in bed together this morning!"

Jonathan stammered out a reply.

"It isn't what it looks like! Nessa crawled in with me last night and we just went to sleep. Honest!"

Sanders tilted her head and frowned at him. Over her shoulder, Jon spotted Nessa moving into the line. Suddenly, the towering figure of a rhino slithered up next to her. As he watched, Tellerman leaned over and said something to the female and Nessa looked up at him with a confused frown. Jonathan growled under his breath and would have moved towards them but a hand on his chest stopped him short. He blinked down at the hand and then back up at its owner, who was still frowning at him.

"I don't care what it looks like! Nessa is a visiting dignitary! She isn't just some bit of fluff you can play with any time you want!"

The canine gaped at the leopardess.

"I don't think she's a bit of fluff! I didn't try anything last night because I respect her! Nessa crawled in with me because she wanted to be held, nothing more! I'm the last person who would take advantage of her! She's vulnerable right now. Someone has to look out for her. Someone needs to let her know its ok...and to be her friend..."

Sanders stopped frowning and widened her eyes at him.

"Oh my god...you're falling in love with her..."

The canine stopped short and stared at the leopardess. Falling in love? Is that what was happening? He searched his feelings and suddenly the conversation from the movie popped into his mind.

"Oh shit."

The leopardess' face lit up with delight.

"You are! You have real feelings for her!"

Jonathan took three tries to get his mouth moving.

"I...I guess I do. What the hell am I going to do?"

Sanders chuckled and tapped his nose with a finger.

"That's up to you, stud. I'm going to back off now and let nature take its course. But! If you do anything stupid, I'll be the first one to come box your ears in, understand?"

Jonathan nodded weakly, his mind in a whirl. The leopardess smiled at him again and excused herself to leave. As Sanders walked away, Jonathan turned his attention back to the line. Nessa and Tellerman were close to the end, the big rhino holding out a plate of sausages and grinning down at the female. Jonathan stepped over just in time to hear the last of what he was saying.

"...something like this, only bigger. Lemme know if yer interested."

Jon stepped up and put one hand on Nessa's shoulder. He frowned up at the rhino.

"You out bugging our guest today? Showing her what sleaze looks like?"

Tellerman sneered back at him.

"Just mentioning any alternatives she may have, Smythe. After you, she might want to step up to the gold standard."

Jonathan bit back a growl.

"Don't you have duty somewhere today? Like, away from us?"

The rhino grinned nastily.

"Nope. Day off. That means I got all kinds of time..."

He looked at Nessa

"...if someone would like to come keep me company? Heh..."

Before Jon could retort, the rhino chuckled and walked away with his tray. The canine glared after him until he felt a hand on his cheek. He turned and looked right into Nessa's eyes.

"Jon. Is ok. I stay with you."

Jonathan sighed and leaned in to touch his nose to her cheek.

"Sorry Nessa. That guy just gets me all pissed off."

"Pissed off?"

"Yeah. Mad? Angry?"

Nessa nodded and the canine looked down at his empty tray.

"Damn. I got to go back to the beginning of the line. I didn't get anything to eat."

The female grinned at him and displayed her full tray.

"Is ok. Got Nessa, Jon breakfast. Both eat..."

Jonathan smiled at her.

"Nessa, you are awesome..."

The two finished up their meal in relative time and proceeded to Medical. Upon entering the lab, Richmond looked up from where he was conversing with Bolcher.

"Ah! Right on time. Shall we get started?"

As the excited human led Nessa across the lab, the big horse morph drew Jonathan to one side.

"Heard a disturbing rumor this mornin, Corporal."

The canine looked up at him in exasperation.

"Does everyone know? We didn't have sex, I swear! She just wanted to cuddle!"

Nessa looked up from the table where she was seated.

"What is cuddle?"

Jonathan looked at her and mimed someone hugging someone else.

"Hugging. Snuggle. Get it?"

Bolcher frowned at her and rubbed his lip thoughtfully.

"That girl's got some damn good ears..."

The big horse peered closer and grunted.

"Is it me? Or does she have full pupils now?"

Richmond stepped to the side and looked into the bemused female's eyes.

"Wow. Her sensory patches have gone completely dark! I wonder why..."

The human mumbled as he picked up a tool and started to look into each eye. Bolcher stopped staring and turned back to Jonathan.

"Fine. Ya were just snuggling. But like I said, don't ferget who she is. If yer gonna go and get touchy-feely with her, ya might just bite off more'n any of us can chew. Know what I'm sayin?"

The canine sighed and slumped his shoulders.

"I do understand, Sergeant, but Nessa has been getting pretty bold with me. What am I supposed to do if she starts something?"

Bolcher snorted.

"Well...I can't tell ya ta say no. She is a looker...and she seems ta be hung up on ya. I guess tha best advice I can tell ya right now is ta make sure ya know what yer doin. Till we figure out what kinda help yer supposed ta be givin her, I don't want ya pissin away any chances of a peace settlement cause ya couldn't keep yer pecker in yer pants, unnerstand?"

Jonathan nodded.

"I understand, Sergeant."

The rest of the morning went by slowly. To Jonathan's disgust, Tellerman managed to find a way to make himself the delivery person every time one of the technicians called for supplies. He would stand around just long enough to wink at Nessa when only her and Jonathan were looking, and then vanish. Before long, Jon was clenching his gut every time a doctor reached for a comm unit. Several hours in, Michelson called the canine and horse over, her voice full of excitement.

"Sergeant Bolcher! Corporal! You may want to see this!"

The two morphs approached the table curiously. On the table surface, Michelson had set up one of the standard keypads installed all over the base. Nessa sat at the table, a folded piece of cardboard blocking her view of the keypad. Michelson gestured at the setup.

"Look here! I blocked Nessa's view of the keypad. Now watch what happens when I punch in a random code..."

Michelson leaned over and, reading from a piece of paper, began to push the numbers. Each key produced a different tone as she worked her way through the sequence on the paper. Finishing, she removed the cardboard and handed the paper to Bolcher. Nessa took her cue and leaned forward to the keypad. As both horse and canine watched in amazement, the curvy female began to punch the same numbers in perfect order. Michelson was on her toes with excitement.

"Perfect aural recall! And she can recognize each number just by its tone!"

Bolcher gaped for a moment, and then growled.

"That's not very reassuring, doc. These pads are standardized all over tha base! Now I gotta treat Nessa as even more of a security risk!"

"Nessa behave."

The big horse frowned down at her.

"I hear what yer sayin, girl, but I seem ta be puttin a lotta faith in yer behavin..."

Nessa gave him a sad look.

"Nessa promise not go in."

Bolcher grunted and was about to reply when a particularly loud moan sounded out from the intercom in the window. Startled, everyone moved to peer down at the drone. Nessa was first to comment.

"Jnaxion hurting. Need breeding."

The horse morph frowned at her.

"It's not like we got a drone round here we can just toss in. We don't even know what kind she needs..."

The busty alien waved a hand.

"Jnaxion breed all drone. Jnaxion breed Vjanti...make baby Vjanti. Jnaxion breed Clbera...make baby Clbera..."

Michelson looked astounded.

"She doesn't add any genetic material? She's just a living incubator..."

The group all turned to look down into the room. The breeder drone lay on the mattress, moaning and rubbing at her slit. Grande pursed her lips and then turned to the human female.

"Why don't we give her another piece of candy? It seemed to help take the edge off last time..."

Michelson nodded and went to retrieve a sugary treat from a drawer. As she turned to go down the steps, Nessa stepped forward.

"Nessa help? Make Jnaxion better..."

Michelson looked over at Bolcher, who grunted softly.

"I don't care...but yer not goin down there alone. I want ta keep ya in my sight."

Jonathan perked up.

"I'll go too."

Michelson frowned at the two morphs.

"I don't want you two near that door. The pheromones are ridiculous. If you have to keep Nessa in sight, at least wait at the end of the hall. That should be plenty close enough."

The two nodded agreement and followed the females down the steps. As the two girls reached the door, Michelson stopped and looked embarrassed.

"Ah...hang on. I forgot to change the toilet earlier. Let me just go get some gloves and mask. Here Nessa, hold this until I get back..."

The human handed her the candy and hurried back past the two males. As she went up the steps, the communicator on Bolcher's belt beeped. The horse put it to his ear.

"Bolcher."

As the voice on the other end started talking, Jonathan glanced down the hallway. To his surprise, he spotted Tellerman slink up the hallway from the other end and start talking to Nessa. Before he could say anything, the horse snapped into the comm unit.

"What? When? Did they say any more?"

Jon struggled to listen in even as he watched Tellerman lean over Nessa, one big hand on the wall over her head. The busty alien was leaning back and frowning up at him while he grinned and whispered to her. Bolcher continued on the comm.

"Dammit! It's gotta be because of us! Send a comm back and tell them we need sitreps as often as possible! And see if we can get a few more ships here!"

The horse grunted and snapped the comm unit off. Jonathan glanced back angrily at the rhino and Nessa before turning to face Bolcher.

"What's going on, Sergeant?"

The horse frowned.

"Reports are comin in from all over Fleet. Tha aliens are pullin out. Every world, every battle. They're retreatin and we can't track em! It's gotta be about her! It's gotta!"

Just as he finished, a resounding yell came from down the hallway.

"WHAT?"

Horse and canine turned just in time to see Tellerman slam against the far wall. Nessa stood, quivering with anger, as she pointed her finger in the rhino's face.

"Tellerman want BREED me?"

The rhino put up his hands defensively and assumed an innocent face.

"Whoa, whoa baby! I was just making a suggestion..."

Bolcher growled out at him.

"Tellerman! What tha hell are ya doin down there? Yer not supposed ta be near that door!"

The busty female pointed at him again.

"Tellerman want sex with Nessa! Want BREEDING!"

The rhino tried shushing her again.

"Ah come on...I was just tryin ta show ya a good time..."

Nessa frowned at him and then took a step back. Her face was cold and neutral.

"Tellerman want breed now? Need breeding now?"

"Hey, it was just a thought...Why? You wanna go back ta my room tonight? Maybe get a change of pace?"

Nessa narrowed her eyes and smiled.

"Nessa will give Tellerman breeding, ok?"

The rhino smiled and took a step forward, lowering his hands.

"All right. That's more like..."

Before he could finish his statement, Nessa's hand flashed to the keypad behind her. Without looking, she punched in a combination. Opening the door, she grabbed the surprised rhino by the scruff of his neck and tossed him over her hip through the opening. Then she slammed the door and stepped back with a satisfied look on her face. Up the hallway, Jonathan, Bolcher, and a shocked Michelson, who had just returned, dashed down the hallway. The big horse was the first to find a voice.

"What tha hell did ya just do!! He's gonna get killed in there!"

Nessa folded her arms across her massive chest and shook her head.

"Jnaxion no kill Tellerman. Tellerman want breeding. Jnaxion breed Tellerman now."

"What tha fuck, girl! Ya just put him in a deadly situation!!"

Nessa unfolded her arms and started to look ashamed. She looked up at Bolcher with a pleading tone in her voice.

"Sergeant. Tellerman stay with Jnaxion, Tellerman be ok. Tellerman try leave, Jnaxion hurt Tellerman, maybe kill. Tellerman need stay room with Jnaxion. Jnaxion done breeding, Tellerman come out ok."

Bolcher looked apoplectic as Jonathan gaped at her in shock.

"Nessa! Why would you do this to Tellerman? What did he say to you?"

The busty female took a deep breath.

"Tellerman say 'Hey baby. I see yer all alone over here. What's tha matter? Did tha puppy dog not give ya what ya need? Come see me later and I'll show ya a good time, what do ya say?'. Then Nessa say 'No'. Then Tellerman say 'Aww come on. Ya know ya need something more after having the rookie. I can show ya things that'll make your mind go in circles'. Then Nessa say 'No, thank you. Want stay with Jon'. Then Tellerman say 'Really? I can do so much more. Don't ya want a real man who can fill ya up and sex ya right?'. That when Nessa yell Tellerman..."

Bolcher had gone still at her words. He glanced over at Jonathan, who was currently trembling with fury, and then snorted once.

"Michelson. Leave him in there."

Both canine and human turned to him in surprise. The doctor was the first to respond.

"Sergeant? Are you sure about this?"

Bolcher nodded grimly.

"Damn arrogant fool broke my rule. When a girl says no, don't keep pushin. If he really isn't gonna be hurt by this, maybe it'll teach him a lesson."

Nessa put a hand on the horse's chest.

"Sergeant. Tellerman ok. Need breed Jnaxion lots, then Tellerman leave. No hurt."

"Yer sure about this?"

"Yes."

Jon glanced between Nessa and the door. Faint shouts could be heard.

"Um Nessa? How long will it take before Tellerman can come out?"

The busty alien pursed her lips in thought.

"Need breed Jnaxion one day, maybe little bit more..."

The faint shouts behind the door grew louder. Bolcher squinted at the noises and glanced at Nessa.

"What is that? I thought ya said he wouldn't be hurt."

Nessa pointed at the door.

"Jnaxion need Tellerman penis. No need clothes. Tellerman no want breed, Jnaxion breed any way..."

The entire group turned and darted back the hallway to the steps. When they reached the top, they turned and joined Richmond and Grande at the window. Richmond was staring agape and Grande had one hand over her muzzle, trying desperately not to giggle. Jonathan looked down into the room and his eyes bugged. The Breeder drone had Tellerman pinned on his back on the mattress. Remnants of his clothing were scattered haphazardly around the room. Clawed hands on his shoulders, the drone was impaling herself repeatedly on the rhino's erection. From the window, everyone could easily see the drone bouncing up and down on his crotch. Jonathan gasped.

"How can he DO that? Maintain an erection like that?"

Richmond pulled his eyes away from the spectacle below to answer.

"It's the pheromones. They've increased over four hundred percent in the last fourteen hours. He doesn't have a choice in that environment."

Grande looked over at him.

"How is he going to...you know...finish? The pheromones won't help with that!"

Nessa pointed at her own crotch.

"Jnaxion very strong here. Jnaxion breed very good."

The others looked at her in surprise as Bolcher reached up to turn on the two way feature of the intercom.

"Better let Janse know what he's in fer..."

The comm clicked to life and Tellerman's howls came through the speaker.

"No! No! No! Dammit! Get offa me! This isn't what I wanted! Someone get her offa me!"

The rhythmic slaps of flesh grew faster and the rhino's howls changed.

"Oh no! Oh no! This can't be happening! How tha hell is this happening? Oh god...I'm gonna...I'm gonna...NOOO!"

Tellerman's back arched off the mattress as the drone ground herself down on him and squealed with joy. After a few long moments, the breeder fell off the rhino to one side and lay there, panting, with what could only be an obvious smile painting her broad features. Tellerman jumped up from the mattress, watching the drone warily, and then turned and gestured up to the window.

"Sarge! Ya gotta get me out of here! This is crazy! This alien just raped me!"

Bolcher reached over and pressed the talk button.

"Sorry Janse. We can't pull ya out till she's done getting hers."

"WHAT!? Forget that! Get me out of here!"

"We try ta pull ya out now, tha drone is gonna kill ya. Yer gonna have ta stay in there and do yer duty till she lets ya go."

The rhino stood, flabbergasted, as the drone rose from the floor and slunk up behind him. Tellerman flinched when the taller alien wrapped her big arms around his torso and tenderly licked his ear.

"Oh get off! Didn't ya get enough? Sergeant! Help me!"

Bolcher frowned down at him.

"Tellerman. I'm tellin ya again. Ya gotta stay in there and service tha drone till she lets ya out!"

The rhino gaped up at him, and then looked over at the drone. He shuddered and looked back up at the window.

"I gotta do this thing till she lets me go? How long is that suppose ta take?"

Bolcher's lip curled ever so slightly.

"Bout a day, maybe a little bit more..."

Tellerman's mouth dropped again. The Breeder slid one clawed hand down over his stomach, heading for his crotch. To the rhino's horror, his shaft began to rise once more. In seconds, his impressive length stood stiff, the drone slowly stroking it up and down. Tellerman groaned through the speaker.

"Oh god. I can't believe this is happening..."

The rhino turned reluctantly and allowed himself to be led back to the mattress, the grinning Breeder pulling him along with both hands on his shaft. Bolcher reached over and snapped off the intercom. Michelson and Grande were giggling as they watched the scene below. The kangaroo whispered loudly.

"Wow. Tellerman is impressive! He must be over a foot long at least!"

Bolcher snorted and muttered under his breath.

"Pshh...That's what tha fool has been braggin up all this time? My wife works with more than that every time I come home on leave..."

The big horse stiffened, his eyes widening so far that the whites showed. He turned his head and looked at the rest of the group, staring at him in astonishment. For the first time Jonathan could remember, the horse ducked his head, ears turning red with embarrassment.

"Uhh...ferget I said that...that's an order."

Michelson and Grande stared at the horse in shock as Richmond cleared his throat and moved away from the window. Bolcher rolled his eyes and turned, putting a hand on Jonathan and Nessa's shoulders to indicate they should come with him. The trio crossed the lab to get out of earshot of the technicians. The big horse turned and scowled at the busty alien.

"I am not happy with ya right now. Ya know that?"

Nessa lowered her head and looked up at him through long eyelashes.

"Yes Sergeant. Nessa sorry for make trouble."

Bolcher crossed his arms and continued to frown.

"Just cause he's an ass don't mean it's ok fer ya ta put him in a potentially dangerous situation. I wouldn't allow somethin like that ta happen with any of tha girls, and that goes tha same with tha guys as well."

Nessa flinched at the big horse's admonishment.

"Nessa sorry. Tellerman make Nessa very mad. Nessa think Tellerman need Jnaxion touch. Make Tellerman think no more breeding when Nessa say no. Jnaxion no hurt Tellerman. Jnaxion make baby with Tellerman. Be ok."

Bolcher snorted and unfolded his arms.

"Girl, I realize that where ya come from, yer tha boss. But around here, yer suppose ta come ta ME if ya have any problems with tha troops...unnerstand?"

"Ok Sergeant. Nessa have problem, come Sergeant."

The curvy female continued to hang her head. Bolcher snorted again and rubbed the spot between his eyes.

"Ok. Don't make me regret keepin ya here. All I ask is not ta get any of my people hurt, no matter how much they may or may not deserve it."

Nessa bobbed her head as the big horse sighed and shook his head.

"Now then. I just got word that yer people have suddenly pulled back. I mean like, everywhere. Do ya have any idea where they are goin?"

The female nodded her head.

"Drones going with Mom. With...Empress."

Bolcher leaned over questioningly.

"And do ya know where she's plannin ta take em?"

"Nessa feel Empress still mad. No hear Empress think..."

The horse regarded her thoughtfully for a few moments and then motioned for Richmond.

"I gotta go report in and see if we can get a few more ships out here. We may hafta abandon this base in a hurry. Ya think ya can keep an eye on Tellerman?"

As Richmond opened his mouth to reply, Michelson and Grande interjected from their spots at the window.

"We can keep a watch!"

"For scientific purposes of course..."

Bolcher rolled his eyes and turned back to Richmond.

"Doc, get ready fer a quick bug out. Anythin ya can't take in one trip, rig it ta blow. If we gotta leave in a hurry, I don't wanna leave any equipment behind, got it?"

The human nodded and hurried across the lab to the exit. Jonathan pointed at himself with the hand that wasn't currently in Nessa's grip.

"What do you want me to do, Sergeant?"

The horse grunted.

"First thing in tha mornin, I'm gearin up tha troops ta get outta here. Till then, yer job is goin ta be stickin ta this one like another coat of fur, copy?"

Nessa brightened at the horse's words as Jonathan nodded slowly.

"You don't want to start tonight? It's only mid-day."

"Nah, this base was temp anyway. Everyone only needs ta pack their own personals, which should take less than thirty minutes, tops. Most of tha gear ta go is gonna be in tha lab. We take two shuttles, I pull tha core, and we blow this thing when we leave. Tha supply freighter is due tomorrow, so that gives us tha two shuttles. Plus, it also gives me time ta get my Alpha Team leader back..."

He punctuated the statement by giving Nessa a significant look...

"In tha meantime, tha two of ya stay mum about tha Hive pullin back. I'll brief everyone else at chow tonight. Now get on outta here and let these people work."

Jonathan glanced around.

"Any suggestions what we should do?"

Bolcher nodded at Nessa.

"Yer girl is still all worked up over Tellerman. Take her ta tha gym and blow off some steam. Works fer me every time."

The canine nodded and turned to go. Nessa clung to his arm as he led her down the hallways. Before long, the couple reached the entrance to the gym and stepped in. In the back, behind the rows of weight stations, every combat member of the unit stood in a circle around some thick mats on the floor. Each individual was dressed in a t-shirt and fatigue pants, and were currently watching two morphs moving around each other in the center of the pads. Jonathan skidded to a halt and swore softly under his breath.

"Ah crap. Combative training. Maybe we should go..."

Before he could turn them to leave, Sanders spotted the couple and bounced over with a huge grin on her face.

"Hey you two! You're just in time to watch the training! Or should I say, Nessa is in time. Jonathan should be getting his fluffy butt in there..."

The canine bugged his eyes out at the leopardess.

"Fluffy?"

"If the shoe fits..."

Nessa leaned over and whispered something in Sanders' ear. Jon caught the words "special occasion" before the leopardess turned and beamed at her.

"Oh really? I can help with that! Why don't you and I go over here to the bench and chat. Jonathan can take my place at the mat for a while."

Sputtering, the canine found himself shooed away as the two females found a spot on a bench near the wall. He turned and approached the floor-coverings even as the two bent their heads together in quiet conversation. He was still craning his neck and trying to figure out the topic when a voice called out from the side.

"Hey rookie! Come to get a few lessons?"

Jonathan turned to find Coral grinning from across the circle. Every morph had stopped and turned to regard him. Some looked at him levelly, others with open contempt. Jonathan swallowed audibly and returned the greeting.

"I had a few lessons in training. I think I can hold my own."

One of the morphs already standing on the pads, a large wolf morph by the name of Michaels, pointed over at him.

"Around here, rookie, ya got to earn your place. Let's see what you got."

Jonathan recognized the morph. He was a member of Alpha team, and one of Tellerman's constant companions. The young canine sighed and reached for the buttons on his fatigue top. As he removed his outer shirt, he glanced over at Nessa and Sanders. The two females were grinning from ear to ear, completely oblivious to the events at the mats. Jonathan dropped his shirt and stepped out on to the pad. One of the other female morphs called out.

"I'll be damned! He's built for a puppy!"

Jon winced. It was true that he worked hard for his form. Not only was his genetic donor animal a broad-chested breed of canine, his combat training had left him well-muscled and toned. The wolf looked him up and down before sneering.

"Ya need more than a couple of muscles to make it here, rookie. Let's see what you got."

The wolf immediately dashed across the mats and started in with a flurry of offensive strikes and kicks. Jonathan countered them all, moving around in a circle and trying to get loose for the fight. Surprised, the wolf backed off a little and regarded him with grudging respect as they circled.

"Not bad for a start. Let's see what ya really got..."

Another round of strikes followed, coming in fast and hard. Jonathan cleared his mind and focused on the match. As he blocked and moved, he started to return a few well-placed strikes of his own. The wolf countered and struck back, reverting to aerial maneuvers and dazzling spin kicks as he pressed. Jon ducked low and dodged, his body remembering the motions before he could think. Once again, the two found themselves circling. The wolf grinned at him.

"Ok. Ya can keep from being hit. Now impress me rookie!"

Jon waited for the wolf to strike again, and then launched into a series of acrobatic maneuvers of his own. He spun, twisted, and lashed out with a combination of high and low strikes that made the air pop. The wolf twisted and spun to block, but it was obvious he wasn't prepared for the sudden offensive. Whirling high, Jonathan connected with a back spinning kick to the wolf's head, and the morph went down to the mat. The smaller canine landed on the balls of his feet and paused. The wolf rubbed the side of his head and grinned up at him from the floor.

"Now that was impressive! Good job rookie!"

The wolf hopped up and gestured to the rest of the group.

"I'm good. Who's next?"

As the next morph stepped out to replace the wolf, Jonathan realized what was happening. Each and every member of the unit wanted a shot at the rookie. He was to be tested. Sighing, Jon looked over at the two females on the bench. Sanders was explaining something in detail, using a lot of hand motions, and Nessa was listening intently. Before he could discern what the topic was, the morph across the pads hissed at him. Jonathan turned to face Coral, rolling his shoulders and grinning.

"Better pay attention, rookie. You're in for a long afternoon."

It was indeed a long afternoon as morph followed after morph on to the floor mat. Jon faced male and female, friendly and not, winning some matches easily and others ending in a sort of draw. Sweat rolled down his face and his body ached as the last morph in the circle finally succumbed to a well-timed hip roll. He stood there, panting, as the morph stood up and joined the circle around the floor-covering. The canine was just starting to feel a little relief when a deep bass sounded from behind.

"Hope yer warmed up, rookie. Now it's my turn!"

Spinning, Jon gaped as Sergeant Bolcher stepped through the circle of morphs and into the center of the mats. The massive horse wore a tank top with his fatigue pants, stretching the fabric to the very limits. Jonathan goggled at the big morph.

"Oh you can't be serious!"

Bolcher popped his neck and rolled his shoulders as he started to move to one side.

"Ya bet I'm serious. Ya got some nice moves, but if ya can't take me on, whatcha gonna do with a thousand pound Razor Ape?"

The canine swallowed the lump in his throat and started automatically moving across from the big horse. Bolcher was right. He was just going to have to do his best. Across the floor, Sanders and Nessa had stopped talking long enough to watch. Sanders was smiling and Nessa was looking obviously worried. Jonathan shrugged off the stares and concentrated on the match. It was going to take everything he had to come out of this in one piece. Behind him, he heard the voice of the wolf morph as he talked to someone nearby.

"Oh damn! Big Sarge going ta tear him up! Nobody beats him! Not even Tellerman!"

The two morphs circled warily, the smaller canine thinking furiously. Bolcher made a pre-emptive dash, going for a leg. Jon leaped high into the air and tumbled across the mat to end up facing the horse again. Bolcher spun and, in an amazing display of ability, took to the air with a series of spinning kicks. Jonathan dodged and weaved as the horse's hooves missed him by inches. He tucked tight as a kick hissed by, and then exploded with a series of strikes to Bolcher's side. The big horse leaned away, dodging most of the blows. The one shot that Jonathan did manage to land felt like hitting a concrete statue. Shaking his hand out, the canine disengaged and circled again. Bolcher touched his side and grinned at him.

"Not bad, rookie. Yer fast, but yer gonna hafta do better than that!"

"Next time, Sergeant, I'll warm up on the metal wall. It's almost as hard as you..."

The big horse laughed loudly and grinned.

"Nice one rookie. I'll remember that fer later!"

Bolcher punctuated his statement by leaping forward and unleashing a volley of strikes and punches. Jonathan moved to block each, wincing as the raw power behind each blow stung his limbs to the bone. He started twisting with the strikes, letting the force of each slide off his defenses. It was a risky move, as the blows came very close to hitting him that way, but he knew he couldn't last trying to blatantly stop such power. Bolcher disengaged and grinned across the pads at him.

"Better, rookie. We'll make a troop outta ya yet!"

The big horse followed his statement with another round of aerial kicks. Jonathan began to dodge and weave again, his breath coming in greats gasps as his muscles felt like water. He knew he had to do something fast, or he was never going to last. Bolcher spun smoothly, aiming yet another spinning back kick at the canine. Jonathan summoned his flagging strength and twisted also, crouching and spinning low with his own kick. As the horse's leg passed by overhead, the canine connected solidly with the back of Bolcher's supporting knee. With a grunt of surprise, the big horse was tossed into the air and came down on his back...hard. Even as the air rushed out of Bolcher's mouth, Jonathan was up and moving. He dove over the horse and spun around the arm that was in the air. Maneuvering his legs in to position, he dropped to his back and held the massive forearm of the horse in a picture-perfect armbar. Bolcher grunted in surprise and then frowned. Just like that, the arm in Jon's grasp flexed mightily, muscles and tendons standing out under the skin. The canine held on for all he was worth, putting the last of his energy into keeping arm from getting away. For one brief moment, Jon thought he was going to lose the arm...Bolcher was REALLY strong! Then, the horse chuckled and just relaxed.

"Yep...that'll work. I yield, rookie..."

Jonathan let go instantly and flopped on his back. He was still lying there, gasping for breath, as the horse slowly stood and held out one big hand. Jon cracked a grin and reached up to take the offered extremity.

"I know you know a few ways to escape that, Sergeant."

Bolcher pulled him to his feet easily and clapped him on the back.

"Yeah, I do. But only with someone who didn have tha proper counter trainin. I wanted ta get yer mettle, Smythe, not go inta an all-out death match. Ya did good. Welcome ta tha teams..."

There was a split second of silence, and then the circle exploded into a series of cheers. Morphs rushed on to the mat to clap the canine on the back and offer praise. Jonathan's head swam at each acclaim. For the very first time since he had arrived, he truly felt like one of the team. He was still grinning and nodding when he looked over at the bench. The two females were approaching, Sanders still whispering into Nessa's ear. As the curvy alien female wrapped her arms around him, the leopardess finished her statement.

"Remember! Save it for last!"

Jonathan gave her a confused look.

"Save what for last?"

Nessa churred at him.

"Nessa and Sanders have secret. Don't think."

The canine's response was stalled by Bolcher clapping his hands for attention.

"All right grunts! Smythe warmed ya all up, now it's everyone else's turn fer a while. Sanders, I saw ya playin tha bench before, so get yer butt in there. Ya can face Michaels. Smythe, have a seat. Ya earned it..."

Jonathan crossed to the bench and sank down on it gratefully. Nessa crawled into his lap and snuggled close. The canine inhaled deeply as her soft bottom hit his thighs. She was a warm and comfortable weight as he wrapped his arms around her middle. A faint, familiar odor struck his nose.

"You must have spent too much time in that hallway earlier, Nessa. I can still smell those pheromones on you."

The curvy female churred throatily and licked the inside of his ear.

"Nessa smell good?"

Jonathan chuckled at her.

"Very good..."

The canine continued to just sit and rest, enjoying every second of the cuddle time. The faint smell gave him an erection, but he was too tired to try to hide it. Nessa, for her part, didn't fidget or move much, so the entire experience was quite enjoyable. She continued to chur quietly and occasionally lick his ear. After what seemed a very brief time, the training finished, and Bolcher called for attention.

"Ok grunts! Good job today! Everyone hit tha showers and I'll see ya at chow! Got some briefing ta do so make sure ya be there!"

As Jon and Nessa stood up, Sanders rushed over and took the alien by the hand.

"Come on, Nessa! You can come with me while I shower! Let fluffy butt get cleaned up and meet us at chow!"

Jonathan scowled at her.

"Umm...I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on her?"

"Oh pooh. She'll be just fine with me."

Bolcher stopped nearby and raised an eyebrow.

"It's fine, Smythe. Sanders? Yer sittin tha girl, ya better stick right next ta her..."

The leopardess threw one arm around the busty alien.

"No problem, Sergeant. We still have plenty to chat about!"

Jonathan shook his head as Sanders led Nessa away. He made his way back to his quarters and crawled into the shower. Three quarters of an hour later, washed and refreshed, the canine entered the mess hall. He went through the line, spotting Sanders and Nessa at a table across the room. When he approached with his full tray, Michaels and two other members of Alpha Team greeted him from an adjoining table.

"Hey Smythe! Good job today! Have ya seen Tellerman anywhere? He wasn't in his room..."

Bolcher, his hair still damp, passed by on the other side of the table.

"Tellerman's on extra duty. He won't be done till sometime tomorrow."

"Oh. Copy that, Sarge."

The big horse continued to the front of the room where he stopped and clapped his hands for attention. When the room grew silent, he raised his voice.

"Lissen up! We just received word from Command that tha alien forces are retreatin!"

A round of cheers went up and a few eyes turned towards Nessa. Bolcher continued.

"This may be a good thing, or this may mean we're about ta get a whole lotta visitors. Either way, I want every troop packed and ready ta leave here tomorrow. I want full clearance of post in less than thirty minutes once tha word comes down. Everyone get that?"

There were some excited murmurs and a chorus of affirmatives from the group. Bolcher nodded and went to get a tray. Sanders leaned forward and winked at Jonathan.

"Well, I guess that means I know what you have planned tonight."

The canine stared at her in confusion.

"What?"

The leopardess just laughed and shook her head.

"Never mind. You'll catch on eventually."

Puzzled, Jon continued with his meal. Nessa just smiled and ate her food next to him. The rest of the meal passed by amiably as various members of the teams stopped and clapped him on the back, or nodded their approval. After chow, Nessa wrapped herself around his arm and snuggled warmly against him as they headed back to his room. Jonathan enjoyed her touch, but was still puzzled at the conversation from earlier. And to make matters worse, the faint aroma of pheromones still clung to Nessa's fur, despite the fact that she had obviously showered and changed her clothes. He was still pondering that fact when the couple entered his quarters. Nessa immediately turned to him and smiled.

"Jon ready sleep now?"

"What? It's still a little early, Nessa."

She cupped his face and smiled even more.

"Jon, Nessa sleep. Please?"

The canine blinked at her and then sighed.

"Umm...ok. If that's what you want..."

The busty alien churred and went to her dresser. As Jonathan turned to shuck his shirt and pants, he heard the bathroom door shut behind him. The canine sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. Running water from the bathroom told him that Nessa was brushing her teeth again. He smiled, happy that he was able to teach her something that she seemed to adopt rather excitedly. Jon shuffled backward across the bunk until his shoulder blades were resting against the wall. He was still sitting there, arms crossed over his chest, when Nessa opened the bathroom door. When the busty alien filled the doorway, the canine's jaw dropped open in astonishment.

Nessa stood, one hand high on the doorway and the other on her hip, ornate belt dangling loose in her fingers. Her only piece of clothing was a completely transparent robe, tied with two attached strings under her bulging breasts. The robe hung to just below her curvy hips and was a little open in the front, revealing a complete lack of underwear. One soft curl of her mane trailed down across her forehead and over one brilliant violet eye. As she stood there, shifting her weight from foot to foot, she gave Jonathan a mischievous grin.

"Jon like?"

The canine gulped audibly and stammered to find his words.

"Oh. My. God...Nessa. Where did you get that?"

The busty female ran a hand down over the silky fabric as if she were smoothing away an invisible wrinkle.

"Sanders say Scranton give for special occasion. Jon like?"

"I love it. It looks wonderful on you..."

Nessa churred throatily and sauntered across the room towards Jon's bunk. The canine watched her come closer in astonishment. Up to now, her walk and mannerisms had been attractive and endearing as one would expect from a pretty woman who didn't realize her effect on a male. Nessa crossed the small open space with all the mannerisms of a predator intent on her prey. Every step swayed her full hips as she seemed to glide across the floor. She reached the edge of the bunk near Jon's feet, tossing her belt casually on to the other bed, and leaned over slowly, one hand on each side of his legs. As she began to crawl across the mattress, her eyes bored into his.

"Nessa need Jon now..."

The canine gasped softly as the curvy female drew closer. Without stopping, her hands worked their way up the wall on either side and she simply crawled forward till her impressive thighs were straddling his lap. With her magnificent chest pressed forward into his view, Nessa churred softly and settled her weight down into his crotch. She pulled his hands away from where they were clutching the blankets and slid them around her hips to rest on the upper swell of her buttocks. Then, both hands tucked in behind his neck, leaving her to look down at him from only inches away.

Jonathan stared up into her violet eyes in surprise. His mind raced as the various sensations threatened to overwhelm his senses. He could feel her weight in his lap, the soft curves of her bottom under his fingertips, and the gentle swell of her incredible bosom pressing into his upper chest. In this position he became even more acutely aware of her body. She was voluptuous and larger than he normally liked, but her sensuous curves filled his grasp in a way that was exceedingly pleasant and arousing. On the air, Jonathan caught a whiff of the same musky pheromones from the hallway. That, coupled with the smoky warmth of her loins pressing against his boxers, had his own genitals swiftly hardening underneath her. Jonathan shifted his hips a tiny bit as his erection began to strain against the fabric.

"Nessa? Are you sure this is what you want?"

The female in his lap gave him a half-lidded, hungry smile.

"Yes. Nessa want Jon."

She punctuated her statement by leaning down and pressing her lips to his. Jon automatically returned the kiss, relishing the contact. Unlike every time before, Nessa held the kiss, gently changing the pressure and intensity. After a brief few seconds, he heard her chur low and deep in the back of her throat and suddenly she opened her mouth and pressed her tongue between his lips. Her hands slid up the back of his head, burying her fingers in his thick fur and pulling him tight into the kiss. Jonathan tilted his head to the side, wrestling her tongue with his own. As the kiss deepened and continued, Nessa began to grind her hips, pressing her sex against his boxers. The canine twitched under the ministrations, bucking his hips softly and sliding his hands over her taut rump. He found himself tugging and pulling on her body, trying to press more of her close to him. Nessa continued to writhe in his lap, sliding herself back and forth with startling intensity. After several minutes, she pulled back and panted at him, mouth partially open. In her eyes, there was a deep, hungry look. Jonathan stared back, also lightly panting.

Nessa gave another throaty chur, and suddenly began to wriggle backwards off of Jon's lap. The canine reluctantly released her as she used his chest to push herself back. Immediately, his nose was filled with that scent of pheromones, much stronger than it was earlier. With a start, Jonathan realized the pheromone scent was coming from Nessa! Even as the thought entered his mind, the busty alien reached the end of the bed and stood up. She leaned over and dug her fingers into the top band of his boxers. With an impatient huff, she simply yanked his underwear down to his knees. Jon yipped at the sudden tug as the fabric scraped his own buttocks in the passing.

"Whoa! Go easy on the clothing, hon..."

Nessa paused a second and looked up.

"Um...Nessa sorry. Want Jon now."

The canine chuckled at her as he lifted first one leg, then the other to remove his boxers.

"It's all right, Nessa. Just have to remember I have a little more than you to get caught in the fabric, ok?"

As if on cue, Jonathan's erection was revealed in his lap, so hard and stiff, steel bars seemed soft to him in comparison. Nessa eyed the shaft jutting up and looked nervous for the first time, but also very curious. She slid forward, her breasts gliding along Jon's legs, until she was nose to tip with his pole. She tilted her head back to give him a little smile.

"Mm...pretty!"

The canine grinned down at her, thoroughly enjoying the view of her hovering just above his erection. Her beautiful face looked so innocent, and yet so naughty, he found himself wishing time would stop for a while right then. Suddenly, Nessa drove all those thoughts out of his head by dipping down and taking him into her mouth. Jonathan sucked in a gulp of air through his teeth as her incredible warmth slid down his shaft.

"Oh...Nessa. Where did you...? Never mind..."

The busty alien churred again, engulfing his pole slowly. The vibrations she created rippled through his crotch, ratcheting up the sensations. In just a few moments, her descent stopped abruptly when he felt the tip hit the back of her throat. Nessa pulled back suddenly, one hand wrapped firmly around his base, and frowned at his erection.

"Hmph...Jon big. Need work more."

The canine widened his eyes.

"Um...what do you mean by that?"

In response, Nessa sucked him in again, immediately filling her mouth so that her lips pressed against her hand where it encircled his girth. She paused there a moment, working her jaw and caressing the underside of him with her tongue. Jon's fell open, and then repeatedly closed over and over as Nessa teased him with her tongue. The busty alien moved her hand, and then in a move that bugged the canine's eyes, slid his length back into the confines of her throat. When her nose pressed into his lower abdomen, she swallowed reflexively, sending a powerful ripple along his shaft. Jonathan nearly ripped his bedsheets as he spasmed in reaction. Slowly, the curvy female backed off his length, slathering his underside with her tongue. She popped off the end and looked up at him with a little smile.

"Jon like?"

Panting again, he looked down at her in mild disbelief.

"Are you kidding? That was incredible! How did you...? You know what? Never mind."

Nessa churred happily, one hand stroking him while the other pressed into the mattress. She leaned over and gave his tip a little lick, churring again when he jumped, and then released him entirely. The canine blinked, and suddenly she was crawling back up his body again. Along the way, she made sure to brush the head of his erection with her breasts as she moved. Jonathan instantly wrapped his arms around her waist again, massaging her full posterior as she settled into his lap and trapped his throbbing length between their bodies. Nessa leaned back and untied her robe, slipping the garment off and tossing over her shoulder to the floor. Then, her hands dug into the fur on the back of his head again, pulling him into a passionate kiss as she slowly ground her hips back and forth.

Jonathan kissed her back, massaging her posterior and tugging her close. He slid one hand up and over her hip, trailing his fingertips through her fur. Behind her, he could feel her tail slap against his legs as it twitched in response to his touch. The canine glided his hand down over the soft swell of her belly, past her waist line, and slowly pushed into the space between where their bodies were pressed together. Nessa started to chur again in his mouth, which suddenly turned into a deep, throaty moan when his fingertips slid across her dripping wet folds. He stopped and cupped her sex with his hand, rubbing the slick surface in circles with his middle fingers. Nessa bucked her hips and gave a little whine at his touch. She reached down and placed her own hand over the back of his. With a soft sigh, she folded her fingers, forcing the two middle fingers of his hand up inside her body.

Jonathan was ecstatic. Nessa's opening was soft, slick with wetness, and gripped his fingers with amazing strength. His questing digits only went a little way in as an unseen barrier flexed at his touch. While he explored her, Nessa kissed him hungrily, her questing tongue wrestling with his. The air was thick with her scent, driving his fervor to incredible heights. Her hand pulled back and rested on his wrist, allowing him to softly rub at her and elicit even more groans of pleasure. Occasionally, he pulled back a little and rubbed a fingertip around her soft bud, causing her to moan and buck her hips delightfully. For several minutes, the couple continued in this fashion as Nessa flooded his hand with her juices. Then, the curvy female gasped and shuddered, flinging her head back as her body rocked forward against him. Down below, Jonathan felt her tighten tremendously around his fingers and a warm gush of fluids ran down the back of his hand. For several long seconds, she twitched and bucked, emitting a long, continuous moan. Jonathan leaned his head forward and nibbled at her throat as she finally came to her senses and slumped forward on him.

They stayed this way for a moment, with Nessa panting softly and resting her head on his shoulder. Then, with a soft chur, Nessa moved her hand down below and gently pulled Jonathan's wrist out from in between their bodies. The canine tilted his head to look up into her eyes and she looked back, her gaze full of lust, longing, and warmth. He watched as she bit cutely on her tongue tip in concentration and shifted her weight forward, standing up on her knees to lift herself out of his lap. Her fingertips found the head of his erection and tugged it outward. Jonathan sucked in a breath as she guided him to her soaking wet sex. Soft warmth enveloped him as she slowly lowered herself on to his shaft. A low, throaty groan came from his own lips as his eyelids fluttered in pleasure. Nessa continued slowly until she abruptly halted, his tip pressing against that unseen barrier. The canine looked up at her.

"You ok?"

Nessa leaned her head down and kissed him softly, and then she grinned in his face.

"Yes Jon. Nessa is very, very ok."

With that statement, the curvy female simply dropped into his lap, tearing through her maidenhead and taking him fully into her body. Jonathan gasped as her walls bore down on his length, pulsing and quivering around him. Nessa grunted softly at the penetration, her fingers digging into his shoulders where she had rested her hands. The two stayed still for long moments while Nessa huffed and panted, slowly adjusting to the intrusion. Finally, she relaxed with a sigh and leaned down to kiss him again. Slowly, her hips began to rock, sliding his organ in and out of her wet orifice in small strokes. With every movement, her inner muscles would clench powerfully, gripping his shaft and milking him in a way he had never experienced before. The enraptured canine found himself unable to do more than hold her hips as she worked him back and forth. Each subtle motion caused a new wave of pleasure, zinging up his spine and exploding in his head in a storm cloud of ecstasy. He returned her kiss for many long minutes, thoroughly enjoying the sensations of her sex on his and her body brushing against his chest.

After some time, Nessa leaned back away from his mouth and smiled at him. With a small grunt of effort, she pulled away and slumped to one side to fall to the bed. Jonathan stifled a whine as she pulled free of his erection and his hands. The curvy alien grinned up at him as she wiggled around to reposition herself on the bunk. She lay on her back, her head facing towards the bottom of the bed, and spread her well-rounded thighs to either side. She then lifted her head up to look at him and smiled, arms reaching toward him while her fingers waggled in a "come here" gesture. Jonathan immediately sprang to his hands and knees to start crawling over her. He paused as his nose passed over her waist, dipping his head to taste her exposed slit. The musky aroma was most powerful here, adding to the exquisite flavor of her juices as they blossomed on his tongue. Nessa gasped and grabbed at the back of his head as he licked her again, plying his tongue over her soft folds and across her budding clit. The canine continued for some moments happily, grinning around his tongue as she bucked into the air to meet it. After a few minutes more, Nessa tugged at the fur on the back of his head.

"Ngh! Jon come here! Please?"

The canine gave her gorgeous treasure one last long swipe and then moved up her body. He stopped only long enough to take a quick suckle at one of her breasts before she tugged on his sides. As he positioned himself above her, Nessa reached down and guided his throbbing shaft directly back into her sex, her hot walls enfolding him as he rolled his hips forward. As he hilted inside her, the curvy female closed her eyes and hissed with pleasure. Jonathan marveled at his luck. This beautiful creature below him, so wanting and needing him, groaned as she ran her hands up his sides and then gripped his arms. He gave a slow grind with his hips, eliciting another soft moan, before pulling back for his first thrust. As their bodies collided, Nessa's eyes snapped open, her face a mixture of surprise and delight. She churred up at him throatily and rocked her own hips upward to meet his next thrust.

Over and over, he plunged into her depths. He started out slowly, but soon his pace increased to a fervent pounding that had both of them panting in its intensity. Nessa thrashed and moaned beneath him, her fingers digging into the backs of his arms. With every push, her walls would clench on him strongly, increasing the amazing friction of their lovemaking. Jonathan quickly felt a familiar pressure building in his loins. The sensations from where their bodies joined, combined with the beautiful sight of Nessa's spectacular bosom bouncing in rhythm to his movements, were quickly bringing him to his climax. The curvy female had her head tilted slightly to the side, eyes closed, and mouth open with her tongue protruding ever so little from behind her full lips.

Every motion dragged out deliciously, his throbbing shaft scraping wetly against the insides of her tunnel. As his orgasm approached, Jonathan struggled to fend it off, wanting so badly to make each moment last as long as possible. Never before had he felt something so perfect, Nessa's body fitting tightly to his own, her soft fullness absorbing every collision. The air was heavy with the scent of their lovemaking, and the sweet pheromone odor. The canine tucked his hands in under her waist, balancing on the backs of his knuckles, and used the leverage to literally pull her into every thrust. Nessa moaned again and shifted her hands to his chest, running her fingers through his thick fur as she trailed them across his ribs and started down his sides. When she reached his plunging hips, her eyes snapped open and looked up at him. Their startling intensity caught Jon's gaze, and then he leaned his upper body down to engage her in a veracious, deep liplock.

Nessa returned the kiss, groaning and panting as she wrestled his tongue with her own. The canine continued to drive into her, partially propelled by eager tugs from the sexy female beneath him. The position slightly altered the incredible sensations he was receiving, and then suddenly it was extremely difficult to hold back. The sights, sounds, and smells of their coupling drove Jonathan's senses to a fever pitch. His feral instincts came to the fore and his hips bucked and jerked with relentless speed. Nessa gasped at the new passionate motions, breaking off the kiss and throwing her head back to keen at the intensity. Jonathan's mind was overwhelmed as he felt himself start to tip over the breaking point.

"N...Nessa! I'm about to...I mean, I'm going to...!"

The curvy alien looked up at him with a ferocious hunger dancing in her eyes.

"Jon! Breed Nessa! Breed me!"

The canine lurched, his hurried rhythm faltering as his thrusts shortened and increased in power. He gave a few short bucks of his hips, and then slammed himself as deep as he could go, growling under his breath as his climax burst past the point of no return. His stomach clenched tightly in rapid spasms, pumping his thick, hot seed deep into Nessa's core. The female clutched at his sides, pulling him into her tightly even as her velvet walls clamped down around his length, her body milking him for everything he could offer. The two trembled and quivered together as their dual climaxes stole their breath for a long, agonizing second. Jonathan gasped deeply and collapsed as gently as possible on to his lover. Nessa groaned happily and wrapped her legs around his waist, using her arms to hug him to her body. Inside, his shaft twitched its last few feeble times as the female's walls flexed around him. When Jonathan turned his head to look at her, Nessa crushed her muzzle to his, kissing him intensely. For several long minutes the two kissed as their tremendous orgasms faded to a warm afterglow. Jonathan pulled back and looked at the smiling female.

"Oh god, Nessa. That was...the most incredible thing I have ever experienced..."

One soft hand brushed through the thick fur on the back of his head.

"Mm...Nessa is very happy with Jon. Very good make love..."

He smiled back at her as he felt her soft, pillowy chest rise and fall beneath him.

"I'm glad I was good for you. I really wanted to make this special for you. I care...deeply...for you. I..."

Nessa licked his nose and stared into his eyes. Her own violet orbs were intense with longing.

"Jon. Love Nessa?"

The canine paused and searched her face. The conversation in the theater came to his mind, as well as the later talk with Sanders. Inside, he felt burgeoning warmth fill him. Just like that, the truth of his feelings made themselves known.

"I do love you, Nessa. I know we've only known each other for a few days, but I don't know what I would do without you..."

The curvy female blossomed at his quiet words, hugging him tightly and whispering in his ear.

"Oh Jon. Nessa love Jon too. Jon have saved Nessa, saved everyone..."

The canine pulled back to look at her quizzically.

"What do you mean?"

She grinned back and shook her head.

"Show Jon...tomorrow."

The canine puzzled over the response for a second, but decided to save his questions for later and just enjoy this wonderful moment. He smiled at her brightly.

"Ok. But now what? It's still a little early for bed..."

Nessa grinned and pushed at his shoulders. Jonathan levered himself up and backed away at her urging. His flagging organ pulled free with a wet flop as she sat up and gently guided him to sit against the wall again. Then, the buxom female rolled over on to her hands and knees. She pressed her huge chest to the mattress, arching her back with her magnificent posterior in the air. Her rope-like tail lifted high and to one side, exposing her slick, wet slit as she grinned at him over her shoulder. Giving her rump a little shake, she winked at him.

"Jon have Nessa again?"

At the sight of her, back arched and sex exposed, Jonathan's flagging erection reversed almost instantly.

"Wow. How could I say no?"

The alarm on the chrono beeped for several long seconds before the canine blinked sleepily and slapped at the button. He lay on his back, Nessa sprawled wonderfully over his body just as she had done the previous morning. This time, however, the both of them were completely naked, allowing Jonathan to feel every soft curve of her physique pressed against his. Nessa had encouraged him the previous night to make love to her three more times, each repeat coupling more sensuous and passionate than the last. The buxom alien had overcome her initial hesitance quickly, fully committing herself to satisfy both their desires in any way that came to mind. When they had at last tired, Nessa had pulled his lips from her breast and crawled off of him to drag him into the shower with her. Later, she had snuggled with him till at last they had both drifted off in blissful slumber. As he lay there in the morning, he mentally reviewed each and every wonderful moment. Beside him, Nessa stirred and blinked at him lazily.

"Good morning, Jon."

"Good morning, beautiful..."

Nessa churred and kissed him briefly.

"Mm...Nessa hungry. Want eat with Jon?"

The canine chuckled at her.

"Sure. I could use a few nutrients after last night!"

The curvy female grinned and flipped back the covers. As the couple rose and began to dress, Nessa was giddy with happiness, playfully stroking Jonathan's tail or gently pinching his bottom. In return, he would pull her close from behind and nip lightly at her neck, running his hands up and down her body. Despite the antics, the two managed to finally get dressed and brush their teeth. Nessa strolled over to the other bunk and retrieved her belt. When the intricate buckle hissed closed around her waist, the female paused with a faraway look on her face. Jonathan noticed the tiny hiatus and queried her worriedly.

"You ok?"

Nessa blinked and smiled at him.

"Nessa ok. Show Jon later."

The busty female gathered up his arm and led him out of the room. As they walked through the corridors, arm in arm, Nessa alternated between laying her head on Jon's shoulder and kissing his cheek warmly. In very little time the couple found themselves at the entrance to the mess hall. In the cafeteria, the kitchen techs had stowed some of the tables, leaving four chairs to each remaining. While it made things a bit crowded, it wasn't impossible to sit at a full table. Giggling and churring, Nessa barely left go of the canine's arm as they went through the line and got their food. Turning, the duo spotted Sanders waving at them from a table where she was the only occupant. The couple grinned and made their way over. As they sat in adjoining chairs, the leopardess looked back and forth at each of their faces excitedly.

"Well? How did it go last night?"

Warily, Jonathan raised an eyebrow at her.

"How did what go?"

"Oh come on! You can't tell me nothing happened after everything her and I discussed yesterday!"

Surprised, the canine glanced between Sanders and Nessa. The curvy alien smiling as she picked up a fork full of eggs. He turned back to the spotted feline morph.

"Yesterday? What the hell did you talk about?"

Sanders laughed and sat back in her chair.

"Nessa asked me for some help yesterday while you were playing with the teams on the mats."

"Help with what?"

The leopardess grinned.

"Help with how to make love to a man."

Shocked, Jonathan turned to look at Nessa, who just smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"Nessa not know. Need Beth help make Jon happy."

The stunned canine sat back in his own chair.

"You asked for help on how to make me happy? In bed?"

The curvy alien put down her fork warily.

"Jon no happy last night? Nessa try make Jon feel good."

Instantly, Jonathan regretted his question. The sweet female had been a virgin, after all, and had done what she had always done since she had come to the base...learned. The canine softened his gaze and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.

"I'm so sorry, Nessa. You absolutely, without a doubt, made me feel like the luckiest guy in the galaxy last night."

Nessa beamed at his reply and kissed him gently. Across the table, Sanders lit up with delight.

"I knew it! You two did the horizontal tango! That's awesome! So Nessa, how was it?"

As the stunned canine gaped, the buxom alien grinned and winked at Sanders.

"Jon is very, very good. Love Nessa four time. Make Nessa walk hurt in morning."

The leopardess burst into tittering laughter, which in turn set off the alien female's churs. Jonathan glanced back and forth at the two of them and just sat, stunned.

"Oh my god. I think I'm going to perish of embarrassment now..."

This set Sanders and Nessa off in another round of giggles. As the curvy alien leaned over to pat him on knee, another familiar morph walked up to the table.

"Wow. What has you two all happy?"

Jonathan turned to regard the kangaroo morph, Doctor Grande, holding a tray and smiling at the entire table.

"Oh nothing. These two find my chronic mortification to be hilarious. Have a seat."

Grande deftly slid into the empty chair and grinned at the giggling females. Jonathan noticed how tired she looked and commented.

"Hey doc, were you up all night? You look beat."

The kangaroo shook her head.

"No. Michelson and I took turns watching over Tellerman. I got a little sleep, but not much."

Sanders stopped giggling and leaned forward in curiosity.

"Wait. Tellerman? Where has HE been? I thought Bolcher put him on extra duty."

Grande suddenly looked uncomfortable that she had revealed so much already.

"Um...yeah. Extra duty."

The leopardess noticed the look and frowned.

"Oh no you don't. There's more to that, isn't there? Come on, girl, spill."

Grande sighed and looked around before leaning forward.

"Tellerman ended up in the containment cage with the Breeder drone."

Sanders' eyes snapped open in shock.

"What? Why the hell did he go in there? Last we heard, she was in a nasty heat or something..."

The kangaroo looked pointedly at Nessa, who ducked her head a little and continued eating. Jonathan leaned forward to explain.

"Tellerman tried to hit on Nessa in the hallway. She kept telling him no but he was really pushing because he thought her and I had got together. Nessa got a little ticked and hip tossed him through the door."

Sanders leaned back in her chair in surprise.

"Oh my god! What happened?"

"What do you think happened? The Breeder drone took advantage of having a male in her room."

The leopardess morph's jaw opened and closed a few times, and then she burst out laughing.

"Hah! That's karma right there! That slimy bastard has been hitting on every female in sight since I've known him! Serves him right!"

Grande eyed her in surprise, and then chuckled.

"Oh Beth. If you had seen what I have seen. But you can't tell anyone! It's supposed to be classified!"

Sanders snort-laughed a little and waved her hand.

"All right, all right, I won't tell. But I got to know, what happened?"

The kangaroo suddenly look mystified.

"It was the damnest thing. She started out like an animal in heat, jumping his bones every chance she got. Just down and dirty. Then all of a sudden, she changed it up. Got all cozy and creative! That drone did things to get him worked up that I thought I would only see in adult flicks! By early this morning, I would have sworn Tellerman was ready to beg for it!"

The other two morphs at the table gaped at her in surprise. Jonathan was the first to reply.

"Creative? Like she knew what to do?"

Grande nodded.

"I'm telling you, I should have taken notes. It was like she had a coach telling her what worked with guys."

Sanders and Jonathan turned as one and looked right at Nessa. The sexy alien simply shrugged again.

"Sanders help Nessa. Nessa help Jnaxion."

The kangaroo morph was the first to ask.

"How? Why? I thought you couldn't talk to the Breeder! And for that matter, you were the one who tossed Tellerman in there in the first place!"

The violet-eyed female pursed her lips for a moment before replying.

"Tellerman help Jnaxion talk Nessa. Nessa help Tellerman when help Jnaxion. Nessa help make easier for Tellerman. Nessa sorry put Tellerman in room. Nessa angry. Nessa need think no angry."

Jonathan touched her arm.

"You were feeling guilty for tossing him in there, so you helped by telling the Jn..Jna...the Breeder drone how to be nicer to him."

Nessa smiled in relief.

"Yes."

Sanders chuckled at the news.

"I'll be damned. And here I thought I was just giving you pointers!"

Jonathan smiled.

"Some pointers...maybe I should get you to write them down anyway."

The leopardess was about to respond when Bolcher stepped up to the table and interrupted her. Before he could even get a word out, Michaels stepped up and handed the big horse a stack of folded clothing topped with boots.

"Here's those things ya wanted, Sergeant"

Bolcher accepted the stack and placed them on the table in front of Jonathan.

"Thanks Michaels. Swing through Alpha then and make sure everyone is packed. I'll talk ta ya at tha briefing at noon."

"Copy, Sergeant."

The wolf turned and moved off as Bolcher looked back at the table.

"Ok. Grande, I want ya ta escort tha Corporal down ta Medical. Tellerman just came off his extra duty. I talked ta him a minute ago and he politely requested Smythe's assistance. When Tellerman gets cleared, have him see me right away."

The entire table looked surprised, but Jonathan was the first to find his voice.

"He wants to see me? What about Nessa?"

Bolcher nodded at her.

"I'm gonna take her with me fer a bit. Got some old astrometric maps in Tactical I want her ta look at. In tha meantime, don't get all worked up. Tellerman managed ta finish up early and he told me he just wants ta talk ta ya."

The big horse gave Sanders a look and continued.

"Take them fatigues with ya. You'll understand tha rest when ya get ta Medical."

Bolcher held out his hand to Nessa, who promptly took it and rose from her seat. Jonathan and Grande rose as well. The big horse looked down at the leopardess morph.

"Sanders, since ya seem ta already know what's goin on, ya can help speed tha process by disposin of tha trays fer them. Then we are gonna talk later..."

Bolcher ignored the look of incredulous shock on Sanders' face and turned to go. He paused and rolled his eyes when Nessa hurriedly kissed Jonathan before leaving. As horse and alien walked away, the leopardess whispered.

"How does he do that? Are we bugged?"

Jonathan scooped up the stack of clothing and grinned.

"He's just that good I guess. Are you ready, Doc?"

Grande nodded and the two left the flustered leopardess to clean up the table behind them. As they traveled down the hallway to Medical, Jonathan voiced his thoughts to the technician.

"I wish I knew what Tellerman wants. He was only in there for what, twenty hours? Nessa said it would be a day or more."

Grande shook her head.

"I don't have a clue what he wants to talk to you about. I know what happened in there all night, but I don't know why she let him go so soon. Last thing I knew, we couldn't even slip in to give them food."

The canine glanced at her, eyebrows raised.

"No food for twenty plus hours? Tellerman must be starving and exhausted."

The kangaroo bit her lip, and then sighed.

"Um. No. Exhausted maybe, but I doubt he's starving."

"What do you mean?"

The kangaroo gave him an odd smile.

"The drone was lactating, remember? Turns out she was quite generous..."

Jonathan's jaw dropped as a series of mental images ran unbidden through his mind. He shook his head to try to clear it as the two stepped through the entrance to Medical. Tellerman sat on the exam table with one of Grande's sheets tied around his waist. He was staring thoughtfully at the window, eyes unfocused. His whole general demeanor, from the circles under his eyes to the slump of his shoulders, spoke of weariness. Michelson and Richmond were at the window talking quietly. Grande crossed the room to the other two technicians as Jonathan swallowed the lump in his throat and approached the big rhino. The sight of him gave him mixed feelings. He was still mad at him, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel sorry for what had happened. He closed the distance to a few steps away and held out the stack of clothing.

"Brought you some fatigues."

Tellerman blinked out of his thoughts and turned to look at the canine. His face was solemn and tired. He took the stack and set it on the table next to him.

"Thanks man."

Jonathan paused, feeling awkward at the silence. Across the room, the kangaroo drew the human male away for a quiet discussion. Michelson remained at the window, watching some activity down in the holding room. The rhino morph sighed and looked down at the floor.

"We need ta talk."

Before the canine could answer, Tellerman held up a hand.

"Just hear me out first, ok?"

Jonathan waited. The rhino took a breath and then looked up at him.

"Listen. I know you're not so fond of me. I get that. I've kind of been a prick since ya got here. The thing is, I wanted ta push your buttons. See what ya were made of. I'll be damned if ya weren't solid right from the start. Seemed like anything I said just bounced off. Ta be honest, I kind of respected that, but at the same time it pissed me off. So when I talked that vixen into coming back to my room, it was mostly ta see if I could just get some dirt on you. Turns out it was the button I was looking for. So I pushed the issue ta get you ta crack. Yesterday, I pushed it too far."

The canine just stared. The rhino took another breath and continued quietly.

"Now I'm not gonna lie and say I'm real fond of your girlfriend right now. But...now that I look back, I really did cross the line. I guess I was thinking that if I could just convince her ta come with me, I could get you ta finally crack and show me what you're made of. Turns out ya showed me anyway. I was the one acting like an idiot, and you kept your cool. When your girl tossed me in with B, I started asking myself why the hell was I the one getting punished? Then it dawned on me that I was the one that made it happen by acting the way I did."

Jonathan struggled to find words. This amazing confession had his brain spinning in circles with his feelings. As he stood there, he grasped at something totally random.

"B?"

The rhino nodded towards the window.

"Bianca...I had ta call her something. Alien and it were just a little...well...you know."

The canine blinked at him and cleared his throat.

"Um...Tellerman? I was mad at you, but I never wanted this to happen. I was shocked too."

Tellerman nodded.

"Yeah, I know. Sergeant Bolcher and I had a nice long talk right after I came out. Told me what happened. He helped me realize I had no one ta blame but myself."

The rhino paused and raised an eyebrow at Jonathan.

"He also told me that ya beat him in Combative Training at the gym. Is that true?"

Jonathan shrugged and lowered his ears a little.

"Oh I got him down. He probably could have escaped and beat my ass but he yielded to stop the match."

Tellerman blinked and exhaled a little.

"Well damn. I couldn't even get him ta go down. I've been trying for at least two years. I guess ya got some spunk after all, Smythe."

For the first time since they met, Jonathan smiled at him.

"It wasn't that easy. That horse is fucking strong!"

"You're telling me. I've been hitting the gym all the time, but I can't touch his bench!"

Tellerman grinned. Jonathan was pleasantly surprised to discover that the rhino was capable of giving a good, honest grin instead of a smarmy leer. The big morph looked over and fingered the stack of clothes, his face becoming serious again.

"Hey uh...thanks for bringing me some clothes. And...um...thanks for making it easy for me ta say I'm sorry..."

It was roundabout, but Jonathan decided he would accept it anyway.

"You're welcome?"

Tellerman chuckled and reached to pick up the boots off the stack. He looked at the fatigues underneath and sighed again.

"Man. I just wished Bianca would have been in a little less hurry ta rip my duds off. I didn't care about the clothes, but my comm unit, cred stick, and wallet were in the pockets."

A voice came from across the room.

"Uhh...Tellerman? I think she heard you..."

Both rhino and canine turned to the window. Michelson was looking at them, but pointing down into the room. Tellerman slid off the table and started across the room, sheet flapping. Jonathan joined him at the window and looked down. In the room, the Breeder drone was moving around, picking up pieces of ripped clothing and carefully stacking them on a pile on the mattress. When she finished with the fabric, she searched until she found Tellerman's pocket items and set them lovingly on top of the stack. Picking the pile up with both clawed hands, the drone turned and held it up to the window. From the speaker on the intercom, a soft, gentle whine echoed in the lab. The rhino smiled softly and whispered under his breath.

"Aww, B. You still blow my mind..."

Michelson gaped at him in surprise.

"You sound almost fond of her."

Tellerman shrugged and looked at the human female.

"Ain't her fault, Doc. She ain't the prettiest face I've ever been with, but I do have to say that she went out of her way to take care of me, once she could start thinking again. Got some sweet moves too, for an alien. I...I guess I just started feeling...I dunno."

The big rhino sighed and looked back into the window.

"Hey Doc. Can I go get my stuff?"

"Err...ok. Come on. I'll let you in."

Tellerman followed her out and down the steps. Jonathan watched at the window as the door in the room opened. The drone turned at the sound and held out the pile as the rhino stepped into the room. Tellerman walked over to her, smiling, and took the stack from her grasp. He turned and went back to the door where Michelson stood waiting. Behind him, the drone clasped her hands together and stood quietly, her head hanging. The rhino paused, thinking, and then handed the pile of remnants to the human.

"Here Doc. Hold these for a sec, please?"

Speechless, Michelson took the stack. Tellerman turned around and strode back across the floor. Without a pause, he reached out and pulled the taller alien into a hug. The drone brightened and enfolded him tenderly, rubbing her cheek against his. On the intercom, Jonathan could make out his quiet whispers.

"Ya turned me out good, babe. Didn't think ya were anything at first, but I think you're ok in my book. Take care of yourself, ok?"

The canine stood in shock. Below him, the drone continued to hug the rhino tenderly. Then it dawned on him. Nessa had transferred information to the Breeder to help her make it easier on Tellerman. Was it possible that she transferred the concept of affection and love as well? Watching how the drone was holding Tellerman and softly licking his cheek, he couldn't help but be surprised. Even more surprising was the rhino's obvious change in attitude. The canine would have thought Tellerman to be the last person who would ever show affection after what had occurred. Jonathan's curiosity flared. What exactly had Bianca done to him? As he watched, Richmond and Grande stepped up quietly next to him. Richmond commented even as the big rhino finished his goodbyes and exited the room below.

"That's surprising."

Jonathan watched the drone return to the mattress and lie down, curling up with her tail tucked in tightly.

"What is? The Breeder or Tellerman?"

"Well, both actually. I'm interested that the drone has appeared to have gained emotions. This has never been documented anywhere before. But what really surprises me is the change in Tellerman."

Jonathan turned towards the human.

"Why? People change, Doc. Yeah, Tellerman was thrown into the situation, literally, but even he is capable of feelings. True, it's enough to freak a person out, me especially, but the concept of being affectionate towards an alien is not exactly new. Just look at Nessa and I. Besides, too many people are already aware of what happened in there. Let's cut the guy some slack, eh?"

The canine trailed off as he noticed that Richmond wasn't looking at him anymore. The human's eyes were fixated on a point over his shoulder. Spinning around, Jon came face to face with the rhino, standing quietly behind him. Tellerman nodded at the canine.

"Ya ready? I just need ta get dressed and we can report in ta Sergeant Bolcher."

"Yeah. Let's do this."

Jonathan waited patiently while the rhino dressed. Over at the window, the three technicians were whispering and glancing down into the holding room. With a last slap at his boot fasteners, Tellerman wordlessly stood and started out of the lab. Jonathan fell in beside him silently. After rounding the first corner in the hallway, the rhino spoke up without looking anywhere but straight ahead.

"Heard what ya said, Smythe. Thanks for that."

The canine nodded.

"We are all on the same team, right?"

"That we are, rook. That we are..."

The two continued down the hallway with no further exchange. A few corners later, they spotted Bolcher, Nessa, and Sanders standing just outside the door leading to Tactical. Jonathan's stomach tightened up when he saw the curvy alien. He glanced at Tellerman, who continued to show no emotion. As they approached, Bolcher caught the rhino's look and nodded to the both of them.

"Everything ok, Tellerman?"

The rhino glanced at Nessa once, expressionless, and replied in a low voice.

"I'm fine, Sergeant."

Sanders opened her mouth, eyes twinkling, and then snapped it back shut when she caught Jonathan shaking his head almost imperceptibly. Before the big horse could continue, Nessa stepped forward across the group and stood right in front of Tellerman. Jonathan nearly jumped between them, and Bolcher frowned, ready to leap. The buxom female looked up into the rhino's face.

"Nessa is sorry."

Tellerman's eyes widened in surprise, and then he frowned down at her.

"Why?"

Nessa blinked.

"Nessa gave Bianca Tellerman. Bianca tell Nessa she hurt Tellerman. Bianca sorry, want no hurt Tellerman."

The rhino stiffened.

"How did ya know that name? Ya know what? Nevermind. It doesn't matter. B was a little aggressive at first, but she figured it out. Was actually pretty nice near the end."

The bosomy female nodded.

"Bianca asked Nessa help. Sanders give Nessa good advice. Nessa gave Bianca advice."

Jonathan raised an eyebrow and spoke up before the rhino could reply.

"Wait. Bianca asked for you to help her make him more comfortable?"

"Yes. Bianca like Tellerman. Want no hurt, make happy."

Tellerman watched the exchange with a cool expression, and then the ghost of a smile crossed his lips.

"Heh, go figure. I knew she cared..."

The violet-eyed female held up a hand for a shake.

"Nessa is sorry, Tellerman. Apology."

The rhino stared at her hand for a moment, then reached out and shook it.

"Apology accepted. I was a bit of a dick, so I also apologize."

Nessa beamed at him.

"Apology accepted!"

Bolcher snorted and waved a hand at the group.

"Good. Now that we're all back ta not rippin heads off, we need ta get goin on gettin this place ready fer departure. Nessa tells me tha Hive is all in space right now, but she can't pinpoint them on tha old maps. What I want is..."

Nessa had inserted herself in between Jonathan and Tellerman, snuggling up to the canine and holding his arm. As Bolcher spoke, the female suddenly went rigid, her eyes snapping open with an audible gasp. The horse stopped in mid-sentence as Jonathan turned to look at her.

"Nessa? What's wrong?"

The female alien was staring at nothing, her mouth hanging open a little. She shook her head and looked worriedly at the others.

"No good. Empress come."

As if the name summoned it, Bolcher's comm unit began to beep. The horse yanked it from his belt and pressed the button.

"Bolcher"

The voice on the other end was so loud and excited, everyone nearby could clearly make out the words.

"Master Sergeant!! This is Glass Shield!! Our scanners just picked up alien vessels arriving in system! A LOT of alien vessels!!"

Bolcher frowned.

"What direction are they coming from?"

"EVERYWHERE!! Telemetry just informed me that the aliens have parked their ships in a sphere approximately two planetary diameters from the surface! We're cut off! They have us surrounded!"

The big horse swore softly, and then barked into the comm.

"What about tha freighter? Did it make it in-system before tha blockade?"

"Negative! It's still at the edge of the system! What are we going to do? I'm going to power up the ship's weapons. Maybe I can make us a hole..."

Nessa stepped forward and laid a hand on Bolcher's arm.

"No! No shoot!"

The horse looked at her.

"That ship is all we have. I can't stand by and let it be destroyed!"

"Please Sergeant. No shoot. Trust Nessa."

Bolcher stared into her face as the comm came to life again.

"Sergeant? We just picked up a vessel breaking off and heading for the surface. It doesn't match anything in our data banks! What do you want us to do?"

The buxom alien took on a pleading tone as she squeezed the horse's arm gently.

"No shoot, please? Trust Nessa now."

Bolcher chewed the inside of his mouth for a moment, then lifted the comm to his lips.

"Shield? This is Bolcher. Do not fire. I repeat, do not fire. There's too many of them and we may still be able ta get outta here if yer not blown ta bits. How copy?"

"Copy Sergeant. Will hold orbital position as long as possible. Let me know when you're coming if you can."

"Will do, Shield. Bolcher out."

He looked down at Nessa's earnest face.

"Girl, I sure do hope ya know what yer doin. But either way I'm callin a scramble. That ship headin dirtside means we're in fer company. I don't wanna be caught with our pants around our ankles..."

Bolcher turned to the wall and smashed the glass over top of a large red button. The force of his blow drove right through the glass and nearly crushed the control. All over the post, warning klaxons began to sound, accompanied by rotating lights. Immediately, morphs and humans began to rush up and down the hallway. Bolcher tapped a control on his comm and suddenly his voice was all over the public address system.

"All units! This is not a drill! I want defense plan Gamma! All non-combatants report ta tha shuttle with whatever ya can carry. Stand by there fer further orders..."

The big horse waved the rest of them to follow and began to trot through the hallways. When they reached the armor room, the morphs split up to their lockers, dodging and weaving through the rest of the personnel who were there. Jonathan was hurrying into his armor while Nessa stared vacantly at the wall. Suddenly, she grabbed his arm.

"Jon! Come!"

Turning, the female pulled the surprised canine towards the outer door.

"Nessa wait! I didn't get my rifle..."

The buxom alien tugged even harder.

"Jon come with Nessa now! Please?"

Jonathan stumbled and tried to finish fastening his armor as Nessa turned and tapped the door control. Before he could blink, she was dragging him across the open field that had been cut around the base. The foliage was trimmed to the ground in a huge circle around the facility to allow visual line-of-sight in case of attack. At about the halfway point between the buildings and the tree line, Nessa stopped and watched the trees. Beside her, Jonathan finally managed to get his helmet to activate and slide up on his head. As soon as the helmet settled into place and the armor established, a voice came across the comms.

"...mit Smythe! Where tha hell are ya goin? Yer not even armed!"

The canine keyed his mic.

"I'm in the clearing, Sergeant. I think something is up with Nessa."

"Don't move. We're comin out there!"

Another voice interrupted.

"Sergeant! This is Tactical! Screens show a ship landing less than a click due north of here!"

Bolcher's voice answered.

"Just one?"

"Copy Sergeant. It's down...and now there are...holy shit!"

"Talk ta me, Tactical."

"Sergeant, screens show multiple hostiles leaving the ship and heading our way. A LOT of hostiles!"

Bolcher swore across the comm.

"Tactical, throw tha feed ta tha helmets, then get yer fanny up on one of those gun mounts!"

"Copy, Sergeant!"

Jonathan watched as his HUD lit up with dots. Nearly two dozen of them were green, indicating the morphs exiting the base behind him. The others showed up in red. The canine watched in sinking despair as a virtual flood of red dots began to pour towards him. There were too many to count! He looked to the side and saw Nessa glance over at him, her face set grimly. The red dots in his vision split as they neared the clearing, and he watched as they began to circle around both directions to completely surround the base. He looked up at the trees. Even with his good eyes, he couldn't spot any movement in the foliage. Nessa turned and suddenly tugged at his chest plate.

"Jon. Take off please..."

"What? You want me to take off this armor?"

"Yes. Please?"

Her eyes pleaded with him silently as she gave another small tug. Behind the couple, the other units poured out of the doorway and began to move into position, forming a defensive circle around the base. As Bolcher loped up to them, Nessa tugged again.

"Jon take off, please? Trust Nessa now..."

The canine glanced back at the base, and then sighed and reached for his helmet control. Bolcher skidded to a stop next to him.

"Corporal? What tha hell are ya doin?"

Jon retracted his helmet and reached for his armor fasteners.

"I'm trusting Nessa."

The female nodded and glanced at the trees.

"Jon is helping Nessa now."

The big horse frowned.

"I don't like this. Not at all."

Before the canine could reply, shouts came from all over the field.

"Contact!"

The three spun and looked at the tree line. For the entire circumference of the clearing, drones stepped from the foliage and stopped just a few meters inside the circle. There were hundreds of them, ranging from Razor Apes to the big drones from the mound. Ass Cannons, Belchers, and a few that Jonathan didn't immediately recognize all stopped inside the circle. They stood, shuffling their weight from foot to foot, and just watching the morphs. Bolcher slid his gaze left and right, discovering no gaps in the lines of drones, and then swore again softly.

"This is not good at all..."

"No shoot, Sergeant."

The horse just frowned at her and rolled his eyes. He keyed his mic.

"All Strike units. Do not fire! I repeat, do not fire! Wait fer my order. All non-combatants, get in tha shuttle. Strike, if it comes ta a firefight, we need ta hold em off till tha shuttle clears..."

The rest of the message was not said, but every morph realized that if it came to a shoot-out, they were stuck on the ground with no evacuation. Jonathan stumbled out of his boots and glanced at the rest of the troops. Most of them were looking around at the surrounding drones with nervousness plain on their features. Tellerman stood on the other side of Bolcher, his face a mask of concentration and serenity. Nessa stepped close to the canine and pulled his arm close. Jon turned to look at her and saw her studying a point in the trees. Suddenly, she stiffened and murmured.

"Empress come."

The canine spun to face the tree line. Directly ahead, the massed drones parted to allow an amazing procession come through their lines. There was a mass of oddly-shaped drones arranged in a small circle. Jonathan spotted tall, thin drones with gangly arms and features. There were short, slinky-looking drones with what appeared to be extra limbs attached to their long tails. One drone was near perfectly round, draped with a shiny cloth. In the center of the procession, a massive, thick-bodied drone lumbered along on all fours. The drone was huge, with tree trunk legs, massive neck, and a blunt, wide skull. The thing was covered in the black armor plates, including one right over its forehead. The legs ended in blunt, elephantine feet, making the creature resemble some sort of odd feral rhinoceros. From the sides of its wide muzzle, two long, thick whiskers sprouted and curled backwards to be held in the grasp of the figure riding on its back.

Jonathan's breath caught as he spotted the figure riding the drone. She was tall, with well-toned arms and a massive bust. Light brown fur covered her from wedge-shaped, saurian feet to the base of her black mane of hair that crested up and over her head to disappear down her back. Two massive, curled horns sprouted from her forehead to coil back on both sides of her stiff mane. Her face resembled a large lizard, with two eyes composed of sensory material. Overall, she had the appearance of a furry lizard morph of some middle age, dressed in a fine, silken shift. The center of the garment was cut in the shape of a large oval, right where the buckle of yet another strange, ornate belt similar to Nessa's rested on her stomach. Unlike Nessa's belt, the one worn by the riding female contained many more of the strange metallic strands. At some unseen signal, the entire procession stopped just inside the ring of drones. The lizard-like female shook her hair back and forth, twitching her small triangular ears, and stared intently at Nessa. Jonathan felt her tug on his arm and took a step forward. He turned as she whispered to him.

"Jon...trust Nessa?"

"Of course. I love you."

The curvy alien smiled and kissed him softly.

"Nessa love Jon too. Now Jon help Nessa."

The female reached down and traced the buckle on her stomach. It separated with a small hiss. In one quick motion, she swung it around and wrapped it around Jonathan's waist. As the buckle hissed again, an answering hiss sounded from the other female riding on the drone. Jonathan had one quick impression of the belt around his middle squirming to adjust to him, and then his mind exploded.

In just a split second, he was suddenly aware. There was no other way for him to describe it. It was like the most impressive pull-away shot ever filmed...in fast forward. Massive amounts of information cascaded across his brain, overwhelming his vision. He struggled to make sense of what he was experiencing. It was though he suddenly could view the entire galaxy, stars, planets, and other spacial bodies revolving around his current location. Without trying, he could easily identify any one object, although their names came to him in another language. The galactic bodies faded instantly, although he could still feel them and their locations in his mind. In what seemed like hours but was really only a few seconds, the awareness faded into the background and left him with the sure knowledge of his own location in the galaxy. With his eyes closed, he began to notice what appeared to be smaller stars, all spaced out in a perfect sphere around him in the blackness. Another huge group of stars were even closer, scattered in a loose circle in every direction. With a shock, Jonathan realized that each star represented a drone. He could see the Hive! One star in particular blazed brightly behind his eyelids. When his attention fixed on it, the star began to shine out with more than just perceived light. He could feel the star. Annoyance, anger, and a trace of fear radiated off of the star in waves. There was also the overwhelming feeling of command, the need to obey the star. In a flash of understanding, Jonathan identified the blazing point of light. It was the Empress!

Without opening his eyes, he turned his head towards Nessa. Here, he found another blazing star. This one radiated hope and affection. Without knowing exactly how he did it, Jonathan peered closer. Nessa's emotions boiled and shifted in swirls of light deep inside her. He could feel her fear in the presence of the Empress. Somehow, he spotted her feelings for him, a softly shifting display of love and happiness that filled him with joy. As he mentally peered closer, he found another pinpoint of light nestled deep within her aura, a tiny spark, just beginning to take shape. With a dawning realization, Jonathan identified the tiny spark. Nessa was pregnant! The canine's eyes snapped open. The beautiful alien stood next to him, positioned directly within her star. She smiled and reached out to touch his face. Inside his head, a voice filled his mind.

<You have taught me so much, my love, but now please let me use your thoughts?>

Stunned, Jonathan could only nod his head. Then, an ephemeral wisp brushed his mind. It was warmth, and love, seeking to make a connection. The canine opened himself, without fully understanding how, and the wisp settled into him. The connection blossomed, and he felt Nessa searching his understanding of speech. As the connection settled into place, the buxom alien turned and addressed the female across the field.

"It is done."

On the back of the riding drone, the Empress hissed again. Inside his head, the canine could hear her words.

<What have you done? This is not allowed!>

Bolcher stepped up next to Jonathan and murmured in a low voice.

"Corporal? Are ya ok? What's goin on?"

The canine looked at him in awe.

"I...I can feel them. I'm connected to the Hive!"

The big horse's eyes went wide.

"What? Yer connected? Are ya all right?"

"Yeah. I'm ok. Just don't shoot. I think this is what Nessa was planning. Just...back me up, please?"

Bolcher nodded and turned his attention to the drones. On his other side, Nessa spoke again.

"If you are to speak, then speak this language. Everyone must hear this equally."

Both canine and horse glanced at her in surprise. It was so odd hearing her talk so fluidly. Even as Bolcher started to lean in to ask, Jonathan smiled at him.

"She's borrowing it from me."

Across the distance, the Empress hissed once, a short burst of sound. Another ephemeral wisp brushed against Jon's mind. Carefully, he allowed it to come in, guiding it only to his speech centers. The wisp connected solidly and grabbed hold. Next to him, Nessa growled softly.

"Gently! Don't you dare hurt him!"

The Empress snorted, her voice rich and deep, but with a tendency to drag out her "s" sounds.

"You care for this one?"

Nessa narrowed her eyes at the female.

"Yes. Very much so. He is my Chosen."

The Empress responded.

"Your Chosen! You would choose one of them? And you have given him the Ooraquai! How dare you betray us!"

Nessa stiffened and gazed at her coldly.

"Betray? How do you dare say that when just a few days ago I was dragged from the Mnag and about to be executed? Where were you then? Jonathan protected me! He saved my life more than once!"

The Empress stared at her for a moment, and then slid sideways off of her mount. She started across the field, waving away the big drones as they began to follow. Jonathan watched her come, hips swaying as she strolled across the low cut foliage. His earlier estimation fell way short of the mark. She did indeed resemble some kind of furry lizard morph, but she was incredibly beautiful. Her shift was sleeveless, displaying her well-toned arms. At the waistline, it was slit on both sides so that only the front draped down below. Her shapely legs swished back and forth uncovered by any cloth. Various bits of jewelry adorned her strong ankles and wrists. As she came closer, Jonathan could see a small band of metal resting on her head just below the hair line. Nestled in her enormous cleavage, displayed by the low-cut garment, a small piece of metal hung on a fine chain. She stopped about two paces away, her voice low.

"I had no choice. It is our law. I never wanted you to come to harm."

Nessa snorted.

"Our law? A law that was started by this war in the first place? We never used to slaughter our own!"

Now it was the other female's turn to snort.

"What would you have me do? I didn't start this conflict! Our gatherers were attacked first by these...these Terrans!"

Jonathan spoke up.

"That was a mistake on our part. But it happened years ago. Isn't there any way to find a truce?"

The Empress regarded him thoughtfully. Her eyes were so close to human, despite being composed solely of sensory material. She frowned with remarkably similar eyebrows and eyelids.

"Truce? Why would I consider a truce? Your kind wants nothing but to kill us."

"That's not true. There are many of us who don't want this war."

The Empress scoffed, but then Nessa spoke up.

"He's right. Isn't that what Father said?"

The older female jerked visibly, her hand going for the metal on her necklace. Jonathan was surprised to notice it was a Colonel's insignia, glinting in the light. Rubbing the metal between her clawed fingertips, the Empress took on a sad tone.

"He was different. I only wanted to talk. To learn something about them. I had no idea he would respond to the breeding sickness..."

Now it was Bolcher who spoke up.

"Ya cared about him, didn ya?"

The Empress snapped her gaze up at the big horse.

"What does it matter? Joshua died when your forces destroyed the ship he was on. He was taken from me by your people! He wanted to talk about peace as well, and he died for it!"

Jonathan stepped forward and laid a hand on her arm. The Empress was tall, even taller than Bolcher. He looked up into her odd eyes.

"We have all lost something in this war. Do you really want to lose even more? You almost lost Nessa, what else will it take?"

The tall female glanced down at his hand on her arm, and then looked back at him.

"I have to protect what is mine. I won't just stand aside and let our culture die."

Nessa stepped up next to Jonathan.

"Mother! Look at our culture now! No longer do we have Gnarash discovering the secrets of the universe. Instead, they look for more ways to create new warriors! The Jnaxion don't even tend the Mnag any longer, they just produce more combatants! We twist the bodies of the Gatherers till they don't even resemble us anymore! What kind of culture is that?"

The Empress frowned at her.

"What would you have me do? I gave you the Ooraquai so that one day you could take my place, not give it to our enemies! Now you talk of peace, even as this one's offspring rests in your womb!"

Bolcher and several other troops jerked at that statement. All around him, morphs regarded him in surprise. Jonathan spoke loudly.

"What better reason for peace? Did not the same thoughts go through your mind when Nessa was conceived?"

The Empress looked flustered.

"I...I wanted to trust Joshua. He almost had me talked into negotiating, and then I lost him. I was so mad! All I could think about was...fighting back..."

Nessa regarded her with a soft look.

"I miss him too. But we can stop it now. This is the time to end the war."

The larger female paused and looked around thoughtfully. Her eyes fell on Bolcher.

"You. You're in command here, are you not? Would you sue for peace?"

The big horse nodded his head.

"I gotta wife and two kids I wanna see again. If we could end tha war right now, I'd be happy."

The Empress regarded him for a moment, her fingers idly stroking the metal between her breasts.

"I would...be willing to...talk, but I need assurances. I have all of my people here. What can you show me that would prove you are willing to negotiate?"

Bolcher stared at her a moment, his face unreadable. Then, he reached over and powered off his rifle. He bit into his link control and spoke clearly.

"Strike...stand down."

There were several startled glances in his direction by the morphs. Then, one by one, Jonathan heard soldiers standing up and powering off their weapons. The big horse glanced calmly at the alien ruler.

"We woulda never had a chance if ya were plannin on wiping this post out, but we were ready ta make ya pay fer it. I'm not tha type ta surrender, but I'm willin ta talk if it will let me see my family again. Is that enough of a start?"

The Empress regarded him for a moment, and then nodded.

"Willingness is enough to start. I accept your proposal."

The alien royal turned and gestured. In his head, Jonathan felt the silent command go out. Instantly, the drones in the surrounding circle stepped back into the trees. Only a few of the ones who were in the procession stayed behind, watching from the edge of the clearing. He observed in fascination as the stars in his mind began to return to the ship. He turned to the horse morph.

"They're going back to the ship."

Bolcher relaxed visibly. Jonathan turned as Nessa leaned forward.

"You have made the right choice. We can all profit from this."

The Empress nodded at her.

"We shall see, Daughter. I'm glad now that the Vjanti did not complete their task. I would have missed you greatly."

Jonathan snorted.

"You make it hard to believe. Why didn't you call them off?"

The tall female looked abashed.

"I did not pay attention till it was too late. The Vjanti have more freedom than others. It allows them to do what is decreed without my direct influence. By the time I knew, the Mnag was gone and only Nessaqutla and a Jnaxion remained. I sent her here to hide. She was supposed to continue when I was gone."

Nessa frowned up at her and Jonathan looked puzzled.

"Gone? You act as though you expected to die soon."

The Empress looked at him pointedly.

"You wear the Ooraquai, see for yourself."

Puzzled, the canine turned his attention inward. His awareness took in the mass of the Hive, holding formation around the planet. He stretched out, searching for other stars in the vast distance, but there were only those nearby. He thought about the vast swathes of space, all the sectors that were in combat. It came upon him with a dawning realization and his eyes went wide again.

"We were winning..."

Bolcher turned and looked at him.

"What?"

Jonathan cleared his throat, his wide gaze still looking at the tall female in front of him.

"We were winning? If this is all of your people, then you must have been only a step away from extinction."

The Empress nodded at him.

"You have discovered our secret. Our numbers have dwindled to the point where we could no longer occupy all of the territories that we once owned. My daughter was supposed to create a new civilization after this one was gone..."

Jonathan' mind raced even as Bolcher spoke up.

"No wonder ya want a truce. Ya were about ta be wiped out fer good."

The canine watched the Empress nod at the horse, and then he looked over at Nessa. The curvy alien stared back, her eyes full of love and compassion. He thought about his feelings for her, and her condition. Inside, something small and heartfelt shifted into place. He turned back to the alien matriarch.

"There is still time to save us. I will lobby on behalf of both of our races."

Bolcher turned and regarded him with surprise.

"What are ya gettin at?"

Jonathan looked at him levelly.

"I'm one of them too now, Sergeant. I'm the connection. This is what Nessa was asking for when she requested my help."

At the mention of her name, Nessa snuggled in close and kissed him on the cheek. Bolcher stared at him, stunned, while the Empress nodded.

"It is true. He is my daughter's Chosen, and now he wears the Ooraquai. To remove it takes away the power to command, but he will now always hear our thoughts..."

The canine felt Nessa lean closer to whisper.

"I had to prepare you for it. Anyone else would have been unable to wear it."

Jonathan looked at her, startled.

"Prepare? How?"

The curvy alien smiled at him.

"There was an amount of contact needed...to make the exchange. I needed to hold on to you as much as possible."

The canine found the secret almost instantly.

"My arm. You were holding my arm all the time."

"Yes. I had to give you some of myself, and take something from you as well."

Jonathan gave her a puzzled look.

"Umm...what did you take? Was it when we...?"

Nessa churred and grinned.

"No. That was something else entirely. I took your eyes, Jon, so that I would look better for you."

The canine gaped at her for a moment as realization set in.

"Your pupils? That's why they went dark?"

Nessa churred again and kissed him softly. Jonathan looked quizzical.

"What did you give me?"

"A little part of myself. The ability to feel what I was feeling..."

The canine kissed her back and spoke softly.

"I think I like that...a lot."

The couple smiled and hugged each other as Bolcher snorted beside them.

"So what now? Yer changing sides?"

Jonathan waved a hand in a circle.

"No! Think of it this way, Sergeant. Now I can be like...an Ambassador?"

The big horse closed his jaw with a snap and shook his head, muttering.

"Ambassador Smythe, negotiating a truce. Command's gonna shit a brick..."

Jonathan chuckled.

"That sounds pretty good. I guess the first thing we should negotiate is the release of the Breeder? I'm sure she would like to get out of that room by now."

Bolcher stared for a moment, and then nodded. As he bit down on his comm link, the Empress narrowed her eyes and looked at the troops behind him.

"Yes. That brings me to another question. Where is this one whom placated a Jnaxion in the throes of the breeding sickness?"

To one side, Tellerman suddenly went rigid. The tall female spotted his wide eyes and stepped over to regard him closely.

"Amazing. I didn't think a Terran could perform such a feat. You must be truly gifted."

The rhino shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"Um...I sorta didn't have a choice. Had ta step up and all..."

The other morphs in earshot were staring at Tellerman in surprise. Bolcher was still calling for the Breeder's release across the comm.

"...and I don't care. Just show her an open door! We'll take it from there..."

Moments later, the steady footfalls of the drone announced her presence long before she came loping out of the base. The big drone slowed to a walk as she approached the line, sniffing the air. Suddenly, she angled straight towards the rhino and threw her arms around him. The Empress watched her curiously and then churred in amusement.

"Oh yes. Truly gifted. Maybe I should look to this unit for another Chosen once we have peace, eh?"

The entire group chuckled as they watched Tellerman make a half-hearted attempt to feebly fend off the affectionate drone. Jonathan turned and looked at Nessa.

"What do you think, hon? We have a shot at this?"

The curvy alien wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him thoroughly before replying.

"With you by my side, I think we can do anything. I'm so glad I found you, my love."

"And I'm glad too. I love you, Nessa."

"And I love you too, Jonathan Smythe, Ambassador...and Prince of my heart."

The canine chuckled and turned to look at the rest of the group.

"Ok. We may as well get started..."

Epilogue:

*********

Jonathan sat at the ornate desk and typed in the end of the notes from his last meeting on Earth Prime. The trip had been very successful, as the corporations negotiated strenuously for the secrets of Hive organic technology. He looked up as a Jnaxion, belly rounded with child, cleaned the last traces of dust from the flash-grown table in the corner. The canine's office sat in an ornate room of the flagship, every surface but his desk grown directly from the material of the ship. It gave the space an odd, biological symmetry, but was at the same time a comforting, relaxing feel. The Jnaxion turned and bowed deeply, her feelings projecting a question. Jonathan smiled and projected back, but still using speech as he wasn't completely comfortable with mental-only communication.

"Thank you dear, I think that's everything in here. How is your baby doing?"

The Jnaxion stood and rubbed at her swollen belly with one clawed hand. Her emotions were radiant, but not strong in the communications department. The canine smiled again when he realized she was of the older Breeders, with limited ability to express herself articulately. The emotions were clear, though. Contentment and happiness washed across the connection. Jonathan nodded at her.

"Good! Glad to hear you are doing well! See you tomorrow then?"

The tall alien nodded once and exited the room. At the edge of his awareness, a warm, glowing star approached the entrance to the room. Jonathan smiled and communed across the bond with his spoken words.

"Do come in, my love. I've been expecting you!"

Nessa glided into the room, all smiles. Her elegant, close-fitting dress enhanced her perfect curves, with no sleeves, a plunging neckline, and the bulk of the material gathered around her own swollen belly. The Ooraquai around her waist, a twin to Jonathan's, accented the pregnant bulge rather than detract. The canine stood and crossed the room to take her in his arms. Nessa kissed him and spoke aloud, knowing he was more comfortable that way.

"Are you ready? They're going to be here soon."

Jonathan concentrated briefly, his awareness fixed on the general region of the docking bay. He grinned at his pregnant mate.

"I think everyone is already here. We better go say hello."

Nessa took her place on his arm and the couple strolled down the hallway. They passed several drones, cleaning and maintaining the freshly-grown interior. Jonathan nodded at each drone as they passed, smiling. The couple turned and entered an arched doorway into the largest room on the ship. The new Reception room was immense, with a partially-curved, ribbed ceiling, an organic dais, and various nooks and crannies in the smooth walls to hold ornamentation. A series of hastily grown tables were arranged along some of the walls to hold food and drink. The tall, lanky Brtnosh trotted in and out of the room, stocking the tables with ornate bowls and dishes of foodstuffs. Across the expanse, the couple noticed a group coming up the other hallway, led by a far-less-menacing new breed of Vjanti. The massive drones were still considered royal guards, but now only bore their defensive plating. Jonathan chuckled and addressed the first few members of the group.

"Hello everyone! Glad to see you could make it!"

Directly behind the Vjanti, a familiar horse smiled, one arm around a pretty, middle-aged mare and the other arm gently guiding a younger female horse up the hallway. The older of the two females wore a nice, conservative gown that accented her curves and the younger was dressed in a sweater and cotton pants. The big horse between them grinned as they stepped into the room. Bolcher tugged at his suit as he looked at Jonathan and Nessa.

"Hey there! Look at tha two of ya. Workin on another one already?"

The canine grinned as he side-hugged his smiling mate.

"Nessa couldn't say no. She loves the idea of a big family."

The pregnant alien smacked him playfully on the arm and grinned.

"Who couldn't say no?"

Jonathan flattened his ears and smiled.

"Ok, ok...but you always smell so scrumptious..."

Nessa churred and turned to the three horses, her eyes fixed on the male in the middle.

"So! We hear congratulations are in order! I am told you are now...what's that called? Command Sergeant Major?"

The older female to his side smirked.

"That would be Command Sergeant Major...retired."

Jonathan lit up.

"Really? Finally came home? Good for you!"

Bolcher grinned and kissed the female on the cheek before replying.

"Yep. It was all show now that tha war is over fer good. Have I introduced my wife? Honey, this is Nessa and Jonathan Smythe. Ambassadors, this is my wife, Halene."

The couple greeted the mare with smiles. Nessa stepped forward and gave her a hug, much to Halene's surprise. Bolcher turned and indicated the younger mare to his other side.

"And this is my daughter, Renne."

The youngest horse was gazing around the room with wide eyes. She turned and watched a drone walk by before replying.

"Wow...this really is an alien ship?"

Jonathan chuckled at her.

"Yep. It used to be the flagship for the Empress, but we reconfigured it for peacetime operations."

"This is so cool!"

Bolcher rolled his eyes as he smiled.

"Renne? Ya could at least say hello..."

The horse girl looked abashed.

"Oh! Sorry! I'm so used to talking to you on the vids, I forgot this is our first time meeting in person!"

Nessa smiled and gave her a hug.

"That's ok. Why don't I show you and your mom around? That way the guys can catch up?"

The pregnant alien led the two mares off into the room. Jonathan and Bolcher watched them go before the big horse rumbled quietly.

"Hard ta believe it was five years ago today, but I sure am glad ta finally be home."

Jonathan replied just as quietly.

"So am I. I'm really happy being here."

Bolcher raised one eyebrow at him.

"So...tha Alien Prince is still happy? Good ta hear. Hard ta believe ya were a green rookie just five little years ago."

The canine opened his mouth in mock-indignation.

"Gasp! What a thing to say! After all, I had this mean, tough, horrible Master Sergeant around, busting my balls every chance he got..."

The horse guffawed and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Yeah. That guy was an ass. And then they went and promoted him fer startin tha peace talks and crap..."

Jonathan chuckled at the humorous interplay while his mind thought back. It really did seem like only yesterday when his life had changed on that little backwater planet. Everything that had happened since; the truce, the peace negotiations, the revelation of his status among the aliens, all of it had been well worth what he had today. He looked across the room at his mate entertaining their friends...Yeah, it was worth every second. The canine smiled up at the big horse.

"Speaking of promotions...where is everyone else?"

Bolcher turned and looked back the hallway.

"They were on tha next shuttle. I don't know if it landed yet..."

Before he could respond, another set of Vjanti led the rest of the old Strike team up the hallway. Jonathan turned and waved as several morphs entered the room. Sanders, her belly swollen with child, waddled over and gave him a tight hug. Coral wandered over after, his grin wide, and rubbed the leopardess on her back when she finally let go. Jonathan beamed at both of them.

"Hey! Glad you could make it! When are you going to finally have this kid?"

Sanders snuggled up next to the male feline and grinned.

"Any time in the next two weeks. Brady is ready to freak at any moment..."

The compact feline shook his head at her.

"Puh-leeze. Just because it's our first, I will not freak out. I am...or was, a highly trained soldier, after all."

The leopardess stuck her tongue out at him and winked at Jon.

"Total freak out...you'll see."

The canine laughed as other members of the team gathered around and said hello. There was a lot of joking and laughter. Some commented on Beth Sanders finally landing a man and a round of cheers went up. Coral bent forward and gave her a smooch while rubbing her tummy. The science team had also come, and Grande turned and pointed over at Jonathan.

"Speaking of kids, where is your little one?"

Jon thumbed over his shoulder.

"They're all in the playroom with Bianca."

A bunch of surprised looks followed the statement, and then Michelson spoke up.

"They?"

As if on cue, a door banged open across the room. A four year old rhino morph dashed, squealing, across the floor, followed avidly by what appeared to be a miniature copy of Nessa. Both children were in dresses and being actively pursued by a familiar-looking Jnaxion. The Breeder drone huffed in frustration as she followed the two across the room. Both girls collided with Jonathan's legs and wrapped themselves around him. Two little faces looked up earnestly.

"Daaaaadddddyyyy..."

"Unca Jooooooonnnn..."

The canine held up his hands for silence.

"Whoa! What's the matter?"

The tiny rhino shook her head, making the ribbons in her hair dance back and forth.

"Mummy won't let us play wif the Clbera!"

The other child blinked her brilliant violet eyes at him.

"Yeah! She's not being fun!"

The canine frowned gently at both of them.

"Now hold on. How many times have I told you two that you can't roll the Clbera around? They get dizzy for hours when you do that!"

Two little sets of eyes went wide, and then both faces tucked down in embarrassment. Both girls spoke in unison, as if they had said the same thing dozens of times before.

"Sorry..."

The group of morphs who had been listening in broke out in chuckles. Jonathan sighed and turned to the tall drone to the other side. The familiar Jnaxion was dressed in soft, stretchy pants and a loose cotton top. Her once-short mane of hair was now long and intricately braided on one side. Her claws were trimmed and lacquered, her fur brushed out, and her neck held a simple gold chain. Soon after her release some five years ago, Jonathan had asked the Gnarash if they could help her blend in better with Terrans, as she was carrying a Terran baby. The crafty drones had whisked her away into surgery, and then returned her with a new set of eyes. Instead of the visor-like band, Bianca now sported two individual orbs of sensory material, complete with brows, lids, and lashes. Both eyes were currently focused on the children, a soft frown on her broad features. Jonathan could feel her minor annoyance through the Ooraquai.

"Relax Bianca, I was going to have them come out and say hello soon anyway."

The tall drone gave one last significant glance before calming, and then she snorted and crooked a finger at the girls. Both little ones wandered over to be picked up. As they turned to look at the group, Jonathan made the introductions.

"Everyone, now you can finally meet Telsa and Brinne. My niece and my daughter..."

There was a bunch of smiles and hellos. Both girls preened under the attention until Jonathan turned to ask.

"Telsa? Where's your daddy?"

The little rhino morph pointed back through the doorway.

"Him comin in that way."

Bianca leaned over and licked her face, at which point Telsa tried to hold her off with both hands.

"Moooomm! I not dirty! Clean Brinne!"

Brinne stiffened in the drone's arm and shook her head.

"No Aunt B! I not dirty!"

Nessa stepped up from the side and took the little female from the drone's embrace.

"I'll be the judge of that, young lady."

There was another round of chuckles from the group as Brinne squirmed under her mother's attentions. Jonathan smiled at his family, and then noticed the entrance of three individuals across the room. Tellerman, the Empress, and a familiar wolf morph all stepped through the doorway. The Empress was talking animatedly with the rhino, one arm across the wolf's shoulders. Her other hand rubbed at the swollen lump of her stomach, encased in a silk dress. As the three approached, Tellerman excused himself and moved to join Bianca, who was still nuzzling at Telsa. At his approach, the taller drone turned and nibbled at his ear. The big rhino chuckled and put an arm around the drone before using his other hand to tickle his daughter. Jonathan smiled at the sight before turning to the Empress.

"Greetings Mother, how are you feeling today?"

The regal alien smiled and touched her stomach again. Beside her, Michaels spotted the gesture and grinned. The Empress nodded towards the canine.

"Much better, Ambassador. I anticipate this gathering very much, as we have much to celebrate."

Jonathan smiled at her as Nessa and Brinne snuggled up next to him.

"Yes. The latest talks have been extremely fruitful. Our two races are about to embark on the first joint mission to the outer sectors. Apparently we may find habitable worlds on the galactic rim!"

The alien's reply was forestalled by Telsa, grumbling at some conversation with her father.

"Awww, do I hafta? Brinne gets ta be here!"

Tellerman frowned at her.

"Just for a little while, squirt. I'm sure Uncle Jon won't mind if you come back afterwards. And don't roll tha Clbera around..."

The rhino had raised a questioning eyebrow at Jonathan while he made his little speech. The canine chuckled at him and smiled.

"Oh I'm sure it won't be too long till the kids can come out and play. As Head of Security, you could always lock them up somewhere?"

Tellerman picked up on his playful tone and rolled his eyes.

"Pshh...not this one. Houdini could take notes..."

Another round of laughter followed as Bianca gathered up both girls and made for the hallway. Jonathan leaned over and whispered to the big rhino.

"So...you thinking about having another one?"

Tellerman's lips twitched upwards as he watched the drone carry the girls off.

"Maybe. Just got ta get the Gnarash ta turn her baby factory back on."

"I can make that happen."

The rhino raised one eyebrow.

"We'll talk later."

Jonathan chuckled and smiled. Behind him, the Empress kissed Michaels and nodded after the retreating group.

"So, my Chosen, are you prepared for what lies ahead? Does this make you worry about our eminent parenthood?"

The wolf grinned up at her.

"Nah. I can't wait!"

As the group chuckled and mingled, Jonathan gathered Nessa up and kissed her softly.

"I hope the rest of our lives goes this well."

Violet eyes twinkled back.

"Even if it does not, we will always have each other."

He kissed her again and then turned to the rest of the group.

"How about we get this party started?"

At the murmur of agreements, Jonathan stepped up on the dais and turned to face the others. In a clear voice, he began to speak.

"My friends and family, today we have come together to celebrate the end of a war and the start of a new life. It's been five years now to the day since the enactment of the truce between Terran and Hive. As I look back, it occurs to me that, on that little back-water planet, we started a different war. A war of the heart. And I say to you all, this war was full of winners..."