FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 7

Herik sat in his vehicle finishing up treatment on his wounds. He wrapped up his forearm, wincing slightly in pain. When it was done he rolled his bloody shirt sleeve back down and pulled his ragged jacket back on. He tossed the medical kit onto the back seat and rubbed his hands down his face. It was almost over. The night was almost over and he would be finished with this, one way or another. He had called Milaj and informed her of the warehouse and the thugs inside it. He told her about the humans left in there and assured those same humans that other peacekeepers were going to come and get them within a half hour at most. Herik confirmed the address of Em'hrar Nashurr's estate and prepared to make his way there. He cut communication with the viliti when she tried to talk him out of it, then to beg him to wait for backup. He couldn't do that. He had to make the ralai answer for all that he was responsible for. Tashk asked him to do that one thing before he died. Herik was not about to let that request go unfulfilled, even if he had to pay a harsh penalty in the eyes of the law afterwards.

He knew Milaj would take good care of those people he rescued. He wasn't worried about that at all. She was kind and caring and had more empathy than most of her kind. In fact, he thought she would have made a good lupari. She was just born into the wrong species. Herik lowered his head, smiled, and shook it side to side. He wished Reyet could have met her. His sister would have liked her so much, with her nervous habits and cute awkwardness. She would have pushed him into a relationship with her years ago. Reyet was never one who cared about species integrity. Her war cry was always that love only saw love, not race or social standing or sex. Love saw love. She even told him that not being able to have children was inconsequential. There were plenty of children in need of adoption from all species. So what if he didn't have a lupari son. His sister would have convinced him to wed a viliti and adopt two tordenchi and a jahkatian by the time she was through with him. Love saw love.

The lupari stared off into the distance, the direction he had to go. He had to leave now, before Milaj and other peacekeepers arrived at the warehouse. He wouldn't have too much time to deal with the ralai and save Amy before the law arrived. Milaj would give him what time she could, but the peacekeepers would follow him there eventually. He started his vehicle and drove off towards the city limits. It took him almost an hour to weave through the many streets of Darrintin. Buildings and lights and traffic signals and other vehicles all passed by in a blur. His mind raced with thoughts and his stomach slowly worked itself into a knot. Nothing could stop him now. Not when he was so close. He would get through whomever the ralai put in his way to rescue the one person in the world that mattered most to him.

Gaddol.

Herik gripped the vehicle's controls so tight his hands ached. He forced the thought from his mind. Even the neishor couldn't survive a cluster of plasma rounds slamming into his body. He refused to fear the bodyguard. He would get through him, had to get through him, to save her.

The drive took about three quarters of an hour. Herik saw that he was in a highly affluent outlaying district of the city. Here is where the super wealthy lived. Though the city on the whole maintained a good amount of foliage within its urban center, out here it sported a virtual forest of jarjerro trees and shrubberies and perfectly tended lawns and gardens. As he drove down the street leading towards Nashurr's estate he saw a private security vehicle drive up towards him. The wealthy employed their own local security in addition to calling the peacekeepers when needed. The advanced hovercraft pulled up at the side of his vehicle and two lupari looked out of it at Herik. One of them shone a light towards him. Herik grinned and held up his symbol. The two lupari nodded and proceeded to drive off.

Another few minutes later and Herik found the estate. A huge wall with a massive gate blocked entrance to the grounds. He saw no sign of any guards at the gate. Herik drove right up to it. He felt there was no sense in hiding. The ralai knew he was coming after all. As he reached it he saw an automated monitor unit focus on the vehicle, then a scanner light traced over it. From a speaker nearby Herik heard a voice call out for him to drive up the path to the manor and stop his vehicle before the front door. The gates opened automatically for him and Herik began to drive up the long and winding path. A thick canopy of trees bordered the path Herik drove slowly along. Far in the distance he saw the estate through the trees. It was a huge sprawling structure with three floors and likely near a hundred rooms in it. He pulled out his yutri and activated a module he had for it as he slowed down.

Another two minutes later and the vehicle rolled up to the front of the estate. Its windows were dark, set to almost ninety percent opacity. Five guards, all dressed in expensive grey suits and of various races, stood there on the wide front porch awaiting the lupari. Herik's vehicle pulled over and came to a full stop when one of the five stepped out onto the path and blocked the vehicle's forward progress. The ralai was bathed in the soft headlights of the vehicle.

"Turn off the engine," commanded the ralai as he peered sharply at the darkly tinted window.

The engine shut down and the vehicle went silent. Herik's voice called out to the gathered guards through the vehicle's external speakers, "Quite a little welcoming party for me. I thought Nashurr wanted to..."

His voice was drowned out by the sharp staccato firing of plasma pistols. All five of the guards drew them from behind their backs and released shot after shot of blue energy at the vehicle. The blasts tore through the door and windows. Holes were seared, the edges of them glowing from the heat. Glass exploded from the opposite sides of the blasts as they burst out the back and far side of the vehicle. Fire began to fill the interior of the vehicle as the fabric of the seats was ignited by the plasma. They continued firing for over a dozen seconds. When it stopped the silence was almost deafening. Smoke poured out from the ruins of the vehicle.

One of the guards stepped over to the front passenger door and carefully yanked it open. The entire door fell off its hinges and some fire danced out along the inner roof of it. The male asishi saw no sight of the lupari that was supposed to be inside.

"Hey, there's no one..." His voice was cut off as the asishi stood back up and looked back at his companions. A sharp crack was heard and the plasma shot slammed into the head of the speaker. The impact sent the body sprawling to the ground. The four other guards began to look for the blast's origin point when a second shot was heard and the ralai at the front of the vehicle was shot through the chest. He too fell to the ground. The other three began to dash for cover. A third shot dropped a second ralai, hitting him in the back, but the remaining two guards took cover behind columns that held up the roof to the porch. The fourth blast slammed into a column one second after a guard slipped behind it; the plasma shattered some brick and stone off the side of it.

The remaining guards saw that the last blast came from far across the lawn and back to the start of the tree line. Herik was crouched down just inside the tree line, virtually invisible to the guards, using the darkness for cover. His pistol was in his hands, but he had hooked on both a stock extension for the weapon to steady his aim, as well as an advanced targeting scope atop it, converting it into a more accurate long range weapon. The modular nature of the peacekeeper sidearm gave it an edge in versatility against the more common energy pistols that found their ways onto the city streets.

Herik lowered his weapon and swiftly displaced to a new hiding spot a few body lengths from his previous position. Shots rang out from the two guards as they leaned out from their cover, firing roughly where Herik used to be. The lupari raised his weapon again, took quick aim, and shot one of the two remaining guards in the head. He barely let out a cry before he fell to the ground dead. The last guard tossed his pistol to the ground and raised his hands behind his head.

"Wait! Wait! Don't shoot! I give up," he cried out. The falashai stepped out into view and dropped to his knees.

Herik carefully stepped out of his cover and trotted the distance over to the guard. His eyes and ears scanned for any sign of threat as he moved. When he made it safely to the guard the lupari shoved him to the ground on his front. He bent down and used strip binders on his wrists and around his ankles to keep him in place. Herik lowered his head down at the falashai's ears and growled softly at him.

"How many more are inside?" he asked.

"S-six," he stammered as a reply.

"Is Nashurr here? Is Gaddol with him?"

"Yes, both of them are here. The other four are three more guards and a servant for the ralai."

"Good," said Herik. He butted the falashai on the back of the head with the weapon. The guard fell still with a groan. The lupari took off the stock and scope now and hooked them on a utility belt he had put on before he drove out to the estate. Herik gave a final sad look towards his vehicle. He raised his yutri and shut down the remote drone function. He had heard of other officers using it in conjunction with their patrol vehicle as a distraction before, but it was highly uncommon. Herik however, considered himself to be in a highly uncommon situation. All he cared about is that he trusted his intuition and evacuated the car before he was in sight.

Herik walked over to the front door of the estate. He cautiously opened it up and slipped inside. The lupari found himself standing in a large entrance hall filled with all the trappings one would expect of the ludicrously wealthy. A massive archaic light hung from the ceiling, multiple paintings of various nature scenes adorned the walls, and small statuary was placed tastefully in the room. Four doors allowed egress from the room, not including the one he had entered through. The most dominant feature of the room however, was a huge staircase that led upwards, covered in a violet carpet. An enormous stained glass window dominated the landing at the top of the steps, images of female ralai dancing about a circle of flame depicted on it.

Before Herik could choose which way he wanted to proceed through the estate a well-dressed ralai stepped into view. He had tawny fur and a full mane of brown hair which was nicely matched by his cream colored suit. He stood at the top of the stairs and beckoned for Herik to come with him.

"Master Nashurr is awaiting you sir. If you would please accompany me, I shall lead you to him," said the ralai, obviously the personal servant of Nashurr.

"How can I trust a word you say?" snarled Herik. "You still have other guards in here."

"Yes sir. Quite correct, but Master Nashurr was highly impressed by your little display outside. He wants to meet you with no more bloodshed involved. So, if you will follow me please."

The ralai turned and began to walk along the right of the landing at the top of the stairs. Herik swore to himself under his breath then followed the servant. He took the steps two at a time until he was behind the ralai. Herik kept his pistol in hand the entire time as he followed the servant. He was led through an almost labyrinthine series of hallways, past myriad doors and open archways that led into many rooms, each one more opulent than the last. Herik never saw any sign of the remaining guards on his way to the meeting room.

He went down another set of stairs and found himself entering a long hall with a high ceiling. It was filled with a vast assortment of plants from several worlds. The lighting in here was subdued and the walls and ceiling were constructed of a sturdy transparent plastic. It was a highly stylized greenhouse of some manner, a kind of structure Herik had never before seen. His gaze traced over all of it as quickly as he could until it fell upon the far end of the hall. There he saw a raised platform with a few steps that led up to it. Atop it was a lavish chair carved from black wood with purple cushioning. A rich black wood table was at the side of it. A few small platters of food were on the table, a bottle and glass filled with red liquid, and a gilded ornate cage which held Amy in it. Sitting in the chair was the ralai he came to see.

Em'hrar had deep black fur, so dark it had an almost purple sheen to it as the subdued light fell upon him from above. His eyes were lilac and almost seemed to have a slight glow to them in the dim environment. The ralai wore an archaic style of robe, gold in color, with no sleeves upon it. A sash of black and gold held it closed at the waist. Em'hrar smiled as Herik looked upon him, his white teeth and fangs so bright against his dark fur and visage.

"Welcome Sergeant Rathan Herik, to my humble home," said the ralai as he lifted his hands up and casually swept them about, gesturing to the room in its entirety. His voice was low and rich in tone, often rolling the pronunciation of some words as most ralai had a tendency to do when speaking UTO basic. "I'm so delighted you could come meet me face to face. You look a little ragged but that is to be expected. I didn't make it all that easy for you to get this far, though it was by sheer happenstance, I assure you."

Amy heard Herik's name and pulled herself up off the bottom of the cage immediately. She was dressed in her regular clothes, unlike the other human captives Herik had seen. She rushed up to the side of the cage and gripped the golden wires. "Herik!" she shouted. "Herik, thank God! Get me out of here!"

Herik felt a lump in his throat just seeing her and hearing her voice. He fought back tears. She was still alive. He nodded and said in a low voice, "I will Amy. This is almost all over."

A soft chuckle escaped the ralai. He looked down at Amy and said, "Do be silent little thing. We are speaking, your Herik and I. This is a conversation between two whom are alive, not a half dead little creature that cannot see the truth of things."

"Let her go Em'hrar," snarled Herik. He began to walk towards the ralai across the great length of the greenhouse. "Your demented trade and crimes has come to an end. This Subjugation crap you followed has driven you mad and I'm going to put you down like a sick novuk."

The ralai never once looked disturbed as Herik approached. "Mad? No good lupari, I am far from mad. I have discovered the truth. Subjugation has led me to my purpose in life and allowed me to understand exactly who and what I am. Unlike an insane person, who cannot stop himself from performing whatever things he does, I can stop this any time I wish. I choose to do this. I enjoy this as much as I enjoy listening to a perfectly composed orchestral piece or eating a raw seasoned steak. I chose to do this until this very outcome would arise."

Herik frowned. "Are you telling me you wanted to be discovered?"

"Of course. I've been taking lives for twenty years now, first with others of similar size and varying species; lupari, asishi, tordenchi, ashar, arkatian, and more. I've savored the experience of all of them dying before me. The pleasure of following the ancient practice of eating the hearts of the fallen, like ralai warriors did thousands of years ago, is exquisite. Then when humans arrived, this tiny, primitive species, I knew I had to savor that experience as well. The hearts were too small of course so I had to... improvise... but the general result was the same. But oh, the taking of a life so fragile and helpless, they became my favored race. However, after the years passed and no one discovered my actions, I began to grow dissatisfied. It had become too easy. Society in the UTO has banished the idea of monsters, relegated them to mere myth. Most are too civilized to even believe someone sane could do what I have been doing, especially with how I contribute to society. So, I let things become a little more obvious. I sped up the capturing of humans, indulged in the act more frequently, left a trail."

The ralai pointed to Herik. "The outcome of this is you. I knew someone would discover me. It was inevitable. I wanted to experience what it was like to be hunted. You came upon the answers swiftly and precisely. You fought your way through the fire and the pain and have reached your end, here, with me. Now, there are only two outcomes that will rise from this encounter. Either you shall die and I shall be hunted by others, staying one step before the law as I travel the worlds to find a safe haven, or you shall end me. Both outcomes are acceptable to me. I've lived long enough within the confines of our sanitized civilization, savored all that it can offer me. It bores me now. There are only two things left to subject myself to that has any meaning anymore; the fear and rush of being hunted... or death. After all, death is the final great adventure, is it not?"

Herik found he had stopped walking as he heard the ralai speak. He was utterly stunned by the alien's revelation. For the first time he truly looked upon a ralai and thought of it as an alien. How Em'hrar could have come to be what he was now was the work of a thought process that Herik might never be able to comprehend in his entire life.

Amy summed up all of Herik's reeling thoughts as he heard her say, "You are one seriously fucked up son of a bitch."

The ralai grinned down at Amy. "A pity you and your kind cannot fathom the wonders that Subjugation offers. I have given your Herik a taste of it. In one night I have let him know loss, hope, fear, rage, confusion, and other emotions far more intensely than he has likely ever felt before in his life. Then I gave him the experience of this revelation, finding me, and the greatest revelation of all. He now knows how it feels to take a life. He has been subjected to that grand experience and once it is felt, it forever changes you. There is no greater act of both domination and compassion, as the taking of a life. Thus, I am helping your Herik learn this lesson. I have taught him the purest meaning of Subjugation. I have made him... whole."

Herik let out a strangled cry and raised the pistol. He aimed it at the ralai. Em'hrar turned and looked to Herik, a smile spread on his face. He held his arms out wide, as if beckoning him to fire. Herik heard Amy shouting at him not do it, to not give in to what the ralai was. He had to do it. He had to end this monster. His UTO, the society he believed in and loved, the one he dedicated his life to protecting, had no place for something like Em'hrar. Herik slid his finger to the trigger...

The overwhelming amount of scents in the greenhouse from the hundreds and hundreds of different plants and flowers had blocked out most all other distinct scents from the lupari. He heard the scrape of hoof on tiled floor too late. The massive form of Gaddol slammed into Herik from the side, having come from some hiding spot Herik had not noticed. He was too distracted by the insane ralai to have noticed. Herik was flung two body lengths to the side and slammed against a large rectangular planter filled with bushes and flowers. He bounced off the wood and sprawled onto the floor, his gun skittering off to the side and out of sight behind another row of planters. Before he could recover Gaddol strode over and gripped Herik by his throat and lifted him off the ground like a rag doll. The neishor held him suspended in the air with both his hands, slowly strangling the life out of him. Amy screamed off to the side, though Herik could not make out what she said.

"Oh yes, I apologize for this. If you want to kill me, you have to get through Gaddol first. He is a true follower of Subjugation like me. He came to see the truth almost a decade ago while in my service. He told me he found you worthy, the first one he has faced in a while that he failed to kill on his first attempt. So, he wants this and I cannot deny him subjecting himself to you. I shall bear witness to his act," said Em'hrar. The ralai took his seat once more and watched.

Herik's paws waved in the air almost four meters off the ground. He gasped and gagged and his hands pulled and dug at the neishor's grip. Gaddol was too strong. He could not pull his hands free of his throat. Herik slammed his fists down on the neishor's forearms and failed to budge him again. The lupari then brought his hands up and slammed them to either side of Gaddol's ears, palms opened wide, slapping them hard against the neishor's head. That elicited a grunt of pain from Gaddol as his eardrums were ruptured. The neishor dropped Herik and stumbled back several steps, shaking his head. Herik fell to the ground, gasping and coughing. He scrambled away from Gaddol and pulled himself up to his paws a few moments later. Herik shook his head to clear it and rubbed at his throat.

When the lupari had regained his bearings he turned towards the neishor and began to take a step towards him. Gaddol was also composed again. The burly neishor held a hand out towards Herik, motioning for him to stop for a moment. The lupari stood his ground. Gaddol pulled his well-tailored jacket off, folded it and put it to the side on the ground. He then unbuttoned the shirt he wore and took that off as well, dropping it atop his jacket. The neishor revealed a body so muscular that he had to have been a professional lifter of weights, or so Herik assumed. Gaddol rolled his shoulders forward, leaned over a little, then balled his hands into fists and held them at his waist before him. He flexed which made his muscles bulge out even more, flared his nostrils, and snorted at Herik.

Herik refused to show signs of intimidation and lunged at the neishor as the massive figure showed off. He was fast enough to punch Gaddol across his face, snapping the neishor's head to the side for a moment. Gaddol's head snapped right back, a look of anger in his eyes, as if insulted that Herik would dare strike him. The massive neishor swung out at the lupari. Herik did not even bother to try and parry his punches; the neishor was too strong for that. He backed up a few steps weaving and ducking to avoid them. Herik slid in close under the neishor's guard and delivered two fast knees to the brute's stomach. It felt like he struck a wood wall, there was barely any give to the neishor's body. Gaddol grabbed Herik by the back of his jacket and yanked on it. Herik twisted around and slipped out of it before the neishor got a good grip on him. Gaddol grunted in annoyance and tossed the empty jacket to the side.

The lupari released a small flurry of blows against his foe, Gaddol parrying them and even ducking under the last one as he dropped to the wide legged stance he displayed when he fought Herik hours earlier. This time his fist did not connect with Herik. The lupari spun around to the side and slammed a fist against Gaddol's head again. The neishor staggered two steps to the side from the blow and shook his head. As Herik closed to continue the assault, Gaddol let out a near roar of rage and shoved his body against Herik, forcing him backwards. The lupari was slammed against a column in the room, the impact making the plastic walls reverberate. Herik groaned in pain then barely ducked under Gaddol's punch in time. The column, composed of sturdy wood, cracked from the force of the blow.

Herik darted to the side of the neishor and struck him twice in his kidneys with all his might. Gaddol winced in pain and tried to elbow Herik in his face. The lupari avoided the attack and continued to take advantage of his more agile body as compared to the mass of muscle that Gaddol was. He landed three more unanswered blows upon Gaddol then dodged another two. Herik kicked low and slammed his paw against the neishor's shin. Gaddol let out a roar of pain and dropped to his knee. Herik grabbed the neishor behind his head and rammed his knee up into Gaddol's face. Blood splashed from the neishor's face and busted nose. The blow forced the neishor back up to his hooves and caused him to stumble backwards into the column. For a moment the two of them paused, both panting and catching their breath.

When Herik closed on Gaddol, leaping up to bring his fist down on him, the neishor was ready. He caught Herik in mid-air, hefted him over his head, and flung him to the side like a child. The lupari smashed into planters and pots, the ceramic and rigid plastic material shattering all about him. He gasped as he felt intense pain at his side; a large shard from one pot pierced him. Herik tried to stand up again but his paws scrambled for purchase on the floor. Pain clouded his senses for a moment. Gaddol stomped over to Herik and yanked him up with one hand. The neishor swung him around and slammed him against another column, still holding him with his hand. He smashed his fist into Herik's stomach three times in a row and Herik spit up blood. The lupari's entire world was flooded with pain now.

"This... was the only outcome," rumbled Gaddol. "You surely had... to know this... though you fought well... for a lupari."

Herik saw Gaddol rear back his massive arm, fist balled and prepared to smash him in his head. With his strength he could likely shatter his skull in a single hit. Time seemed to slow to a crawl to Herik. He heard Amy shouting, though he could not make out what she was saying. His eyes caught sight of her, so tiny and helpless in the gold cage, yet still a defiant look in her eyes. He saw the ralai at her side, a smug smile on his face. He was going to kill her. If he fell, Em'hrar was going to kill her and escape. Herik gripped the shard in his side and yanked it free as time returned to normal for him. He swung his hand up before Gaddol launched his fist. The bloody shard slid into the side of the neishor's thick neck and a spray of red spurted from the wound.

Gaddol gasped and his breath came out in a terrible wet gurgling sound. He released Herik for a moment and grabbed the spike. The neishor pulled it free and clamped his hand over the wound, blood pouring out between his fingers. His eyes went wild with rage and disbelief. Herik crawled along then ground after the neishor released him. He made his way between two planters. The neishor's hooves slammed down as the relentless juggernaut stood over Herik once again. He reached down for the lupari. Herik rolled onto his back and met Gaddol's gaze. Pistol in hand once again, Herik fired three times into the neishor's chest. The blasts pushed Gaddol back and caused him to drop onto his knees, three gaping scorch marks on his chest. Gaddol wheezed a few more times, his eyes rolled up into his head, and he toppled onto his front. Blood pooled around his head as the neishor died.

With great effort Herik got back up. He limped towards Em'hrar and Amy, his free hand pressed against his bloody wound at his side. The lupari raised his pistol and aimed at Em'hrar, his hand shaking a little. The ralai smiled at Herik and slowly clapped his hands together. He stood up and looked down at the injured lupari.

"Magnificent. I have seen Gaddol defeat opponents twice your age in experience, yet look at you. Look what determination has brought you. You wanted her to live more than anything else, so you did what you had to do. I admire that. Now, finish this," said Em'hrar. He lowered his hands and folded them behind his back. His long tail swayed slowly behind him.

As Herik prepared to fire Amy called out, "Please Herik. Don't. Don't give him what he wants. Let him suffer and rot in some cell or on a penal planet. You've taken enough lives already. You don't need this thing's blood on your hands as well. You're better than that. I know you are."

He looked down at Amy and hesitated. "Amy I... he... I promised my lieutenant to make him pay. To make him suffer for what he's done."

She gripped the wire of the cage and nodded. "He will Herik. He'll suffer. He will have to live out the rest of his miserable life in some dark hole somewhere with nothing to do except count the days as they go by. Don't stain yourself any more than you have to. He's unarmed Herik. If you kill him like this, you'll be charged with a crime."

"But all the people he's killed, so many senseless deaths. He deserves to die for what he's done," whispered Herik. His hand still wavered.

"He may, yes, but it's not up to us to mete out his punishment like that. We're peacekeepers Herik. Not executioners. Don't let him make you a monster too."

Herik slowly lowered his weapon as he stared at the ralai for over a minute. He finally nodded. "Em'hrar Nashurr, by the authority vested in me as a peacekeeper of Darrintin City, you are hereby detained for crimes against the laws of the UTO including, but not limited to, murder."

A look of disgust crossed the ralai's face. "You place such value in a pathetic little thing like a human? I gave you this night. I gave you an experience that will live with you forever," he growled.

Herik continued, "You are to lay face down on the ground with your hands behind your back. You shall be brought to a Center for processing at which time you will be allowed to contact a legal consular to represent you when you stand before a tribunal."

Em'hrar snarled, "I GAVE you this! I let you see who you really are! I bore witness to what you have become; let you understand your true self!"

"It is this peacekeeper's duty to inform you that any words and actions you undertake now and henceforth will be presented before the tribunal as evidence of your crimes and as a mark of your character."

"You won't take this final moment from me, nor shall I let you take it from yourself! I give you this one last thing!" he snarled. Em'hrar's hand came out from behind his back, a pistol in it. Herik raised his and pointed it at the ralai.

"Drop your weapon! Drop it!" Herik shouted.

"I give you absolution from punishment. Subject yourself to feeling what it is like to kill the thing you hate and let me discover the final answer. She will bear witness for you." Em'hrar aimed his pistol at Amy.

Herik fired his weapon without hesitation. The blast struck Em'hrar in his chest and slammed him back into his massive chair. The ralai slumped down, moaned in pain, and dropped the pistol to the ground. He raised his head slowly and stared at Herik, a slow smile spread across his face.

"Now... you understand... me..." The ralai's head dropped back down and his last breath escaped him.

Herik moved as quickly as he could to the table and the cage upon it. He put his pistol down and opened the cage up. The lupari slid his hand over to the side of it and watched as Amy pulled herself up and out of the cage and onto Herik's palm. A slight shiver of delight ran through Herik. He almost could not believe he was holding her in his hand again. Herik raised his hand up to his face to see her clearly. Her shaggy blonde hair was a bit of a mess but her smile was just like he always remembered. When Amy was right by his snout she leaned forward and hugged him then placed a kiss on his nose. Tears ran down her cheeks and Herik began to cry along with her.

"I thought I... that I'd never..." he stammered.

"Shh shh... it's okay. It's over now. You saved me and that's all that matters. We're together again, you and me against the world Herik."

"You and me against the world Amy," he whispered.

Herik smiled at her and just held her there. The sounds of sirens slowly came to his ears as vehicles approached the estate. As he glanced towards the clear walls of the greenhouse Herik noticed the first hints of light creeping over the trees. Dawn had finally come.

* * * *

Epilogue

Herik sat at the usual table that he and Amy always took for their meetings in Union Hall. It was a lazy night after work and few people were there at this hour, as usual. They preferred it that way. Amy wore the black and gold uniform of a peacekeeper and looked quite fetching in it, for a human, thought the lupari. Both of them sipped on something the humans called a strawberry milkshake. To Herik, it was surprisingly good. Both of them exchanged glances and Amy pulled away from her drink and started laughing.

"What? What is it?" asked Herik a moment later. He immediately went on the defensive. He had to. With Amy, he always felt like he was the underdog in all situations.

"I see you like strawberry a lot," she said, still chuckling afterwards.

"How do you... oh, right. My tail," he grumbled. The lupari's tail swished rapidly side to side, brushing along the back of the seat he was on.

"I promise I won't let those under you know you're a sucker for strawberries, okay? I mean, imagine, big tough old lupari likes tiny red fruits. Aww, how cute it is. Who's the cute little wolf, huh?" she teased him.

Herik groaned and rolled his eyes. He leaned back in his seat and smiled. He too wore the peacekeeper uniform, though his now sported lieutenant markings. The lupari slid his hand over towards the little seat atop the table and he went to poke at Amy. She leaned to the side and playfully kicked at his fingers a few times. "Back off fluffy or I'm pulling out the stun stick. You know how much you don't like getting poked by that, even a tiny one."

Milaj called out as she approached, "Are you abusing Herik again?" The big viliti took a seat at Herik's side. She put down a tray filled with sweets and fruits on it then slid her hand over and squeezed Herik's hand. The two of them shared a quick kiss.

"Always," said Amy. "Someone has to keep him honest you know. Ever since his promotion he's gone totally insane; all snarls and growls and orders and everything. In fact, we were going to spend some time in a sim later on. My favorite one." Amy leered up at Herik. The lupari let out a light whimper and his ears folded back. "Would you like to join us in it Milaj? I think you'd get a real kick out of it. It's how I keep his ego in check."

"Ooh, I'd love to see that," said the viliti, an ear to ear smile on her face.

"Listen, th-that's totally not necessary you two. Besides, I don't have the time to spend playing in simulations like I used to. I have more responsibilities now," whined Herik.

Milaj playfully nudged Herik's side. "I know when someone is trying to make up an excuse and this is totally an excuse. I do most of your report filing as it is. You have plenty of free time."

Herik shut her up by giving Milaj another kiss. The viliti's ears wiggled at the affection while Amy smiled thoughtfully and nodded. The trio was interrupted when an unfamiliar voice was heard.

"Excuse me. Am I correct in identifying you as one Lieutenant Rathan Herik of Center 12?"

All three of them looked over at once to see two figures standing a little distance away from their table. The one that spoke was a ralai, a short slim female with night black fur so dark it had an almost purple sheen to it. Her eyes were a deep shade of violet. She wore odd clothes that looked like they may have been hand tailored. Her long black jacket was asymmetrical with a shoulder pad on one side and a large folded sleeve on the other. The left side of the jacket went down to her knees while the right reached her hip. She had a skirt and knee high leggings on that left her heels and toes free. Herik noticed she had a lot of silver necklaces too, many of them sporting numerous religious markings and symbols. One of them was a simple circle, the mark of Subjugation.

The second figure was a slightly taller viliti with immense, pierced ears and simply stunning looks. She wore a stylish white outfit that looked like it had severe trouble covering up her huge curves. It contrasted nicely to her mix of tawny fur with dark patches on it and her deep blue eyes. A small pin was on the left lapel of her attire. The pin had the terran letter and number N7 on it, with a small red wedge shape at the side of them. Herik felt a blush creep up in his ears when his eyes fell on this viliti. He never knew the species could get quite that big before. The lupari suddenly felt his paw get stomped on when Milaj noticed his expression. Herik struggled to not cry out in pain and managed to stammer out an answer to the ralai.

"Ah... yes. Yes, I'm Lieutenant Herik. Can I help you? You look... familiar," he said slowly as he stared at the ralai. A feeling of unease crept over him.

She nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you sir. My name is Mahr'rii Nashurr." She motioned to the viliti by her. "This is my close associate, Seiska Tiann. I'm Em'hrar's daughter. I believe it was you who stopped my father."

Amy, Milaj, and Herik all tensed up at her words. It had been two quarters and they were doing their best to put all that behind them. Herik slowly stood up and looked down at the duo before him. His hand slipped towards the holster at his side.

"What do you want?" he asked cautiously.

"I wanted to thank you. I wanted to let you know that you did a great service to the ralai people as a whole, not just for me, by putting an end to the terrible things he had done," she said. Her voice had the same rolling cadence to it that Em'hrar had.

"You helped bring closure to a terrible time in Mahr'rii's life," said the viliti. Her hand slid forward and squeezed tightly around the ralai's hand. The ralai squeezed back.

"I wanted to let you know that his belief, what my father did, was not what Subjugation was about. Because of his actions the ancient practice of Subjugation has come under much harsher scrutiny now. I follow it and have done so for years, but never once have I fallen to such terrible practices as he had. He warped it into something to use as an excuse for his sick urges. So, I'm sorry. So terribly sorry for what happened due to him. I've been spending the last quarter making amends for what he has done and now I'm here. I hope you can find it in your hearts to accept my apology, not to forgive my father, but to forgive Subjugation."

Herik's hand slid away from his sidearm and up to his head. He ran his hand along his fur a little then glanced back to Milaj. The viliti shrugged. He looked over to Amy. Amy simply nodded and smiled. "I guess so. I mean, you can't blame the philosophy for what he made of it. From what I know, your practice isn't cruel by nature, though there are things in it I disagree with. As long as you don't let it get to you like him, apology accepted," said Herik.

"Thank you so much. It has been a struggle and will continue to be so for me in the years to come to help undo all the damage my father has done, but I believe we can do it. The UTO is all about tolerance and acceptance. I want to show everyone that they can place that trust back with us as it was before. In both my belief and in my father's company, which is now mine."

Herik nodded and said, "I'm glad to hear the company is in better hands now. So, is the viliti here your version of Gaddol?"

Both Mahr'rii and Seiska stared up at Herik with confused expressions. Milaj and Amy both groaned and Milaj hid her face in her hands. Herik glanced about and mumbled a moment later, "Never mind."

The ralai shrugged the awkward moment off and gave a slight bow to Herik then to Milaj and Amy. "We'll be taking our leave and I thank you for listening to me and understanding how deeply sorry I am. It has been a pleasure. Seiska will leave you a card you can use to contact me if you ever need some manner of assistance in the future. If it is within my capacity to do so, you will have it. She will also leave you another card with a small showing of appreciation for your actions. Good evening to you all and lead fulfilling lives."

The ralai turned and moved off. Seiska quickly moved to the table, put two small data cards upon it then trotted off after the ralai with an almost unnatural amount of bounce to her body. Herik stared at the viliti as she left, his tail wagging behind him excitedly. When he turned around he saw Milaj glaring at him with such intensity it was a miracle he did not burst into flames. His ears went flat and his tail slid between his legs as he slipped back into the seat next to Milaj.

"I was only looking," he whimpered. "I didn't know your species... ow!" Milaj swatted him sharply on his snout.

Amy burst out laughing as she got up and walked over to the two data cards. She turned the first over to see it was a contact card for both an extranet address and six different direct comm call numbers when on different planets. The second card she flipped over was a credit account card. She left Herik some money. Amy had read that those humans who had been killed that had actual families, what few there were, were being compensated for their loss. It was obvious that this ralai was doing the compensating. She heard Milaj continue to gripe at Herik and the lupari continue to whimper as she activated the card to see what was given. Amy stared wide eyed as the total of ten million credits showed up on its data screen. A lopsided grin crossed her face as she looked to Herik and Milaj. She put her hands on her hips and nodded.

"Happily ever after indeed."