FSE

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"Understand that you are in my ship, Yukiomaru and you must reply to whatever I ask of you." Silver said, making a huge effort not to raise her tone at the little alien.

The little alien's ear twitched, betraying his dissatisfaction with the Silver's response. "I do not have to respond to anything," Yukiomaru said slowly, holding back his irate tone. He could feel his heart rate accelerating as he could sense the confrontation with this alien not going so smoothly. "I am choosing to be cooperative, and all I ask is that I don't have to repeat myself to ever alien I come in contact with."

Silver's right eyelid twitched, showing, as with Yukiomaru, that she was not pleased with how she was being spoken to. The fur around her neck puffed by the second, betraying her composure. She was trying so hard not to look weak before this little alien that glared at her not showing the slightest sign of weakness.

"You're in my ship and you do as I say. There are security protocols that need to be followed. Now, please sit down and answer the questions I will ask you. Then we will discuss about you going back home." Silver raised her tone towards the little white alien. Not on purpose, but because this furred creature was proving to be much stronger than her in every single aspect.

"Security protocols..." Yukiomaru muttered with his irate attitude leaking through his tone. A small growl had emphasized his mockery of the other white alien, but he was struggling to keep his lips from curling; instead they were now quivering while his eyes narrowed on Silver. "If following all your security protocols means turning me into a prisoner, then I will be forced to refuse. Allow me to leave peacefully, or your security protocols will all have been for naught."

Harsh words came out the apparently fragile furred alien... Silver didn't expect such a hurtful response. Memories of past events soon flooded her mind, drowning the anger that almost exploded through her.

How naïve they had been, believing that all their careful planning to maintain R105 and Canis Major safe was done correctly. Those machines managed to lure them using the lowest scheme they could've possibly expected. For that they almost paid with the life of both ships. Harsh were his words indeed, but so truthful.

"How dare you..." Silver muttered; her lips curled, showing her pearly white fangs. Her eyes were full of anger, but the very little light in the room revealed the crystalline shine of tears that had built up in them, evidence of how much these words had managed to hurt her.

It was unknown what Silver would do at that moment, as she glared directly into this little alien's powerful yellow eyes. But before anything bad could happen, a voice broke in through the darkness.

"Okay, enough!"

From the shadows, a male voice said firmly. Both Silver and Yukiomaru turned to where the voice came.

"I told you to stay there and keep silence!" Silver responded angered to this voice, as if previously knowing about his presence.

From the veil of darkness in one of the corners of the room a Retcan walked towards Yukiomaru and Silver. He walked passed by Silver, not taking his gaze from her as he approached the little alien.

Somehow the presence of this other Retcan managed to calm Silver down. Silver managed to regain her composure and rethink her words. This little furred alien of yellow eyes had certainly managed to hurt her, but she knew that he was unaware of what both Retcans and Evocanis had gone through. He was innocent, and all he wanted was to get back home, while they had done nothing but to delay the assistance that he much needed. He had done nothing to her or her ship.

"Yukiomaru." The male white Retcan said. "I'm sorry if this has taken so long. I believe we owe you an explanation for delaying the assistance that we promised you."

"I have been patient enough," Yukiomaru replied, his voice obviously calming from the stressed and pitched voice he had moments ago. "You all are bound to have more delays for any excuse you can think of, but I'm done. I will ask you once: Will you allow me to leave freely?"

"Please, Yukiomaru. Just let me speak with you for a moment!" Bo replied desperate. He knew this little alien had run out of patience, but he also knew he couldn't let him go. Not because he didn't have the right to do so, but because there was possibly no way for Yukiomaru to survive on his own, no matter how much he said he could.

Yukiomaru glared at the white alien; he was satisfied to know that at least they wanted to talk to him, instead of just interrogate him repeatedly. Still, they directly avoided answering his own questions.

"I will give you a moment but no more than that," Yukiomaru replied, his gaze still heavy with disdain.

"Do not threaten Bo ever again!" Silver suddenly jumped towards Yukiomaru. The little white alien probably had decided to listen to his hosts once again, but the patronizing tone in which he said it was interpreted as aggression by Silver. Bo, her son, didn't feel this and saw an imminent scuffle between both. Bo saw this and managed to get in between, stopping her from turning this interaction into a fight. Yukiomaru never moved a muscle.

"Silver! What are you doing? Look at him; he's smaller than you! Please let me handle this! You are definitely not thinking clear. You need to sit down and calm down." He said, while pushing Silver on the shoulder; not aggressively, but firmly.

"I told you not to intervene, Bo!" Silver yelled to the male Retcan. She intercepted the young Retcan's arm, showing him who was in charge.

"I will. You are scaring our guest." Bo the Retcan replied firmly to Silver's face. He could feel the superior strength of Silver, but never doubted when confronting her. He knew he had to intervene for the sake of theirs and their little alien friend's peace. "You are giving him the wrong impression! We Retcans are not like this. Look at him, Silver." The young Retcan's voice was soft and tender, yet for some reason it had a pacifying effect on the female Retcan. "He's just like the Evos; just like us. Understand the situation he is in. He doesn't deserve it."

There was a moment of silence. Bo looked at Yukiomaru and walked towards him. Silver walked away and sat down on her chair.

"Hey there, buddy. I'm sorry if Silver yelled at you." The young male Retcan said to Yukiomaru as he placed his handpaws on his shoulders.

At the touch of the taller white alien, Yukiomaru took an abrupt step back away from him and shrugged off the gesture. "You aliens say you want to help me but your actions make me feel I'm a prisoner."

Bo met these words with concern. It had been a long time since Retcans have heard that word. Memories of the Great War that almost destroyed Lusceonis and ended with his race at the hands of merciless beings came to him. He still wasn't born during that time, but he knew the story by the older Retcans that had the misfortune to leave through those terrible moments.

"Don't say that, Yukiomaru..." Bo said in a tone of disappointment. You are not our prisoner... We would never do such a thing with one of our kind." Bo was hurt, but he understood Yukiomaru had a reason to feel this way.

Yukiomaru could see that he struck a nerve with the alien, either because of what he said or how he had rudely pulled away from the friendly gesture. He felt his anger fade, and he composure drop from being so defensive.

"I..." Yukiomaru started. He glanced from the alien in front of him to the other mean-spirited alien that was sitting in the dark shadows of the room. Glancing back at the dark colored eyes of the alien called Bo, Yukiomaru continued to speak: "I just want to go home."

The tone in which the little alien said this made Bo's heart sink. There was something in the way he said it. It was far beyond just going home. This little alien of bright golden eyes was in pain.

Bo couldn't help it. He again got close to Yukiomaru and again placed his paws on him, caressing the little white alien's shoulders.

"I know you want to, Yukiomaru." Bo said, now kneeled to Yukiomaru's level. "Listen, Yukiomaru; we've been through a lot. We, especially Silver over there, want to make sure certain events don't repeat themselves. For that, we have to be very cautious."

"I understand that," Yukiomaru said. He now didn't move away from the alien, and stared up at the alien trying to keep his emotions stable. "Have I not proven that I am no threat? I have been cooperative and obeyed all the requests that have been made on me. I put my own safety at risk by doing so."

"Please. Just give us a few minutes to explain everything. I know how you feel and I'm sorry if we have caused any inconvenience to you."

"We are in what we call Stellar Void. As you may have noticed before you crashed, there are almost no stars visible around us. We are floating in pure darkness right now." Bo explained to Yukiomaru. With his natural gentle tone of voice, he tried to show as much empathy towards their little visitor as much as he could.

Bo soon stood up and gently held Yukiomaru from his paw, taking him to the table so he could sit.

"That means there are no planetary systems in millions of A.U. And saying millions is because we lack of a word for such a large number." Bo said as he guided Yukiomaru into one of the seats.

Yukiomaru reluctantly took a seat in one of the chairs, stealing a glance at the other alien before turning his attention toward the holographic image. There were images and reports of himself being displayed but the other white furred alien activated some controls that removed those images.

In the place of the images that were of Yukiomaru appeared an image of what appeared to be a map but there were very few stars and Yukiomaru did not recognize any of the constellations. He was actually a little surprised how smoothly the projections ran, considering that the Canideran technology was just barely breaching the holographic projection technology.

He didn't remember much from the crash, but he disliked the knowledge that they were in fact in a void. He's heard them theorized about before but no probe had gone far enough to reach an actual stellar void and returned.

"I know what a void is," Yukiomaru replied, trying to keep his irate tone mute. He wasn't irritated with the alien, but the fact that his options were made only more difficult by the fact of their location.

"Then you know that you have no choice, Yukiomaru." Bo replied. "You've been very lucky, and you know that."

Yukiomaru didn't respond this time. The little white alien observed the holographic projection, as he seemed to be going through his options.

"The possibilities of you crashing into a ship in these boundaries of space, and above that, a ship belonging to a non-hostile race like the Evos and us is just..." Bo tried his best to keep a friendly tone towards Yukiomaru, yet letting him know his position in that situation. "You probably won't be this lucky ever again. And I'm sure you understand this."

There was no response by Yukiomaru. He just glared at the darkness and locked his arms against his chest. Impatience was now all that this little alien expressed and Bo was trying his best to keep him calm. There were still things to discuss and Bo tried his best not to make Yukiomaru feel as he was losing more time.

"Here," Bo said as he handed out a strange looking mug to Yukiomaru. They had been discussing for close to five minutes already, and the little alien was much calmer, yet still demanding when given the chance.

"Thank you but I am not thirsty," Yukiomaru said, staring at the strange mug. He kept his arms folded across his chest and didn't move to accept the drink.

"Just try it. It's a beverage made from a fruit of Lusceonis Alpha. It tastes really good and makes you feel relaxed." Bo said with a smile in his face. "I just don't want you to feel upset or impatient by all this. And now that I've known you and seen you face to face, I'm feeling worst for having to make you wait."

Yukiomaru grew impatient on the insistence of this alien. He reluctantly unfolded his arms and took the drink from the alien's paws. Taking a sniff at it, the sweet scent did entice Yukiomaru but he didn't take a drink and instead set it on the table.

"Your appearance intrigues me, Yukiomaru. We've always thought we intelligent furred beings were rare. Seeing you makes me so happy to know that we are many more than we had originally imagined." Bo said sincerely, but trying his best to deviate Yukiomaru's thoughts from his situation.

Yukiomaru kept his almost immobile posture in that chair, but a twitch in his ear made it evident that although he was not facing Bo, he was listening carefully.

"I'm so full of joy, Yukiomaru. Encountering you only proves our theory that we, furred beings, are somehow related with each other. You are like us and the Evos; I can sense it." Bo continued. "It hurts me that we can't just let you do what you need to do to get home, but you have probably been told why we can't let you. This ship and Canis Major has seen days of terror in the hands of evil beings that hunt us to destroy us for no reason. Our enemy once used our own kind to lure us into a trap, and that almost cost us our lives. Just imagine that, Yukiomaru; they used our own against us..." Bo was now sitting next to Yukiomaru, talking very close to him without taking his eyes from him. This little alien gave him such a sense of peace. He didn't want nothing else than to hug him, get to know him better and be friends with him. "I'm sure you understand, my friend..."

Yukiomaru knew very well how a hostile race could use your own friends against you. That was the very nature of the Creepers; to use and manipulate the hosts that they infect.

There was a reaction in Yukiomaru at last. Bo rested his head on the table, looking directly at Yukiomaru's eyes, in hopes that he would calm down. It had worked apparently as he noticed how the little alien's frown relaxed a bit after he sighed.

"I understand your precaution," Yukiomaru said. His tone was now softer. Bo had done what apparently was impossible and calmed him down. "I have been called a 'furred one' by you aliens, and the Evocanis, and you all tell me how grateful of that you are. At the same time, it seems you all don't trust me by constantly interrogating me." Yukiomaru again glanced at the other alien, sitting across the table. "I have priorities too, and answering repetitive questions is just a waste of time."

"It is very difficult for us, Yukiomaru. And I know it might seem like a waste of time for you." Bo replied. "We are already risking a lot, and we have to be very cautious." Bo didn't really have a concrete answer; as Yukiomaru, he wanted nothing more than to help him and stop with all the interrogating.

In a risky move, Bo slowly reached for Yukiomaru. He gently placed his paw in the little alien's and caressed it. Yukiomaru leaned away from the alien and pulled his paw free.

"Why do you insist on showing me so much kindness but won't help me get home?" Yukiomaru asked. He stared directly at the alien, confused and worried.

"There is nothing more than we would want. But I've told you our reasons. Can you accept them, Yukiomaru?" Bo asked the little alien with all sincerity. He had raised his head and now faced Yukiomaru very close, staring right into his eyes.

"I have no choice," Yukiomaru remarked. His eyes narrowed on the white alien. "As you said yourself." Yukiomaru turned his gaze toward an empty corner of the room and just kept his arms tight around his chest.

He hated the fact that he was at the mercy at these aliens. Even if he did leave, what could he really do to go home? The infected blood he has would allow him to survive longer than he normally would in the conditions of the vacuum but his ship was obviously in no condition to fly. Wherever they were, the beacon likely wouldn't reach back to one of the UDAS probes either. Yukiomaru knew that he probably wasn't anywhere near his galaxy.

"Please don't see it like that," Bo replied. He was worried that the alien was only suppressing his emotions rather than actually calming down. "Know that we are going to help you. We've told you that we would want nothing more than to do that. We were attacked very recently so we our being cautious. Please understand that, Yukiomaru."

"I..." Yukiomaru started. He wanted to express that he at least wanted to send a signal so that Jun wouldn't worry so much but he kept silent about it, fearing that he'd probably lose control of his emotions. "...will be patient. But please, no more delays."

"Thank you, Yukiomaru; and my deepest apologies for any misinterpretations or rudeness that you might've perceived from us or the Evocanis." Bo replied. He closed his eyes and bowed his head in front of Yukiomaru as a sign of respect.

A sudden beep drew their attention. At the center of the table, the holographic image of a brown Retcan appeared.

"Captain. Shadow here." He identified himself.

Yukiomaru remained staring at the nothing and blatantly ignored the communications. His expression had lost his scowl and now looked more worried than anything. It has been a day since his ship would have disappeared from the UDAS radars, and Jun would already be out looking for him. How would Jun feel not being able to find him? It was bad enough that Yukiomaru left so abruptly in the middle of the night, but now Jun would be worried that Yukiomaru's ship might have been destroyed.

"It's me, Shadow. The Captain is... not available at the moment. She's grounded." Bo replied to the hologram Rectan, taking the call. He stared at Silver who still sat silently in her chair, showing her his tongue in a friendly gesture. He was met with Silver rolling her eyes, but resisting not to smile at her son that she loved so much.

They're so serious about their safety but they don't act like it among their own, Yukiomaru thought. From the corner of his eye he had witnessed this light hearted behavior towards who had early identified herself as the Captain of that ship.

"Bo. D.E1 Squad is here. They are going up as we speak." Shadow reported.

"Excellent. I'll call in Titan, Doko and Cobalt so we can start preparations." He replied, looking at Yukiomaru and patting him on the shoulder.

Ignoring the gesture, Yukiomaru remained neutral to the whole situation. Having lost his motivation to be firm with these aliens, Yukiomaru's gaze fell on the hot drink that was still on the table. Hoping for some small comfort, Yukiomaru reached out for the drink and took another sniff at it. The drink did smell fine, so he took a quick lap at it. The tart taste of the fruit juice was different but very pleasant on his tongue. Yukiomaru tilted the cup back and he took a larger gulp.

After ending the call, Bo took notice that Yukiomaru finally tried some of the hot fruity drink. "We call it Sun Fruit." Bo said when he ended the call. "It grows in tropical areas of our main planet. It's probably one of the best tasting fruits that we have. Our crops inside Rage of Lusceonis were destroyed unfortunately, but we've been growing these trees in Canis Major's Crop Sectors for a while now." Bo said as he took a sip from Yukiomaru's mug. He not only did it as a friendly gesture, as sharing meals or drinks was another way Retcans bonded with each other, but also in case Yukiomaru felt suspicious about being handed a strange beverage.

"It's different," Yukiomaru replied softly. It was obvious for Bo that Yukiomaru was trying to be as stern and emotionless as possible, but he knew the alien had managed to soften up a little bit.

Bo giggled softly and gently caressed Yukiomaru's head. The little alien's ears pulled back at the contact. "The Evocanis will be here in a minute or two. Our scientists will join us as well and we will explain you what will happen with your situation. Okay, Yukiomaru?"

"Fine..." Yukiomaru practically whispered. "... Thank you."

True to Bo's words, it didn't take long for three Retcans to walk in. The fascination they had when they were face to face with Yukiomaru was evident. One of them seemed noticeably excited by Yukiomaru's presence and didn't waste any time to introduce herself to their visitor.

Greetings!" A blue furred Retcan cheerfully greeted Yukiomaru. "I never expected the resemblance to the Evocanis to be this obvious, now that I see you face to face."

Yukiomaru didn't seem to enthusiastic to be greeted that way. He would be thankful for the friendliness of these creatures, but other things were priority in his mind at the moment.

"I'm Cobalt. We are so glad to have you here in Rage of Lusceonis, Yukiomaru." The blue furred Retcan told him with the characteristic accent the Retcans exhibited.

Yukiomaru's ear twitched at the sound of his name. He wasn't used to having strangers know his name, but these were completely alien creatures that he had only met earlier this morning. He knew he shouldn't be surprised though so he remained silent.

"I hope my sister treated you right, Yukiomaru." Now a beige Retcan of icy blue eyes said. He looked very serious, but didn't waste the opportunity of having contact with their visitor. "My name is Titan. I'm Lead Engineering Scientist on board Rage of Lusceonis. I am also Commander Second in charge and Captain Silver's older brother.

"She... has a unique greeting," Yukiomaru muttered, glaring briefly at Silver.

"I'm sure she didn't mean it, Yukiomaru Arekusanda. Right, Silver?"

Silver again showed a non-impressed expression and stood up. "Okay..." She said. "The Evos are almost here, so let's not waste time and prepare everything."

Silver again showed a non-impressed expression and stood up. "Okay..." She said. "The Evos are almost here, so let's not waste time and prepare everything."

Obeying their Captain, everyone took a place around the large table. Titan and his colleagues didn't waste time and connected their ComPods to the room's holographic projector. Yukiomaru noticed that whatever they were planning, it not only had to do with his problem, but something else. This was evidenced when in the holographic projector, the image of what seemed to be a comet or some sort planetoid appeared.

True to their words, the Evocanis soon appeared at the entrance of the strategy room. Hasky, Husky, Fx, Anubis, Zulu, Kala, Spot, Nanook, Ace, Lya, Laser, Lay, Hemi, Nebo, Blitz and Captain K9 proudly wore their D.E1 uniforms. Behind them, Zonda and Alpha also joined the meeting.

Husky and his family didn't loose any time, and immediately after greeting their Retcan friends, they searched for Yukiomaru.

"Yukiomaru?" Husky called to his new friend. For a second he couldn't find him, until he noticed a long tail laying over the side of a large seat. His radiant white fur sure managed to overwhelm the darkness of that room.

"Yukiomaru!" Husky said excited. He didn't lose any time and approached his fluffy alien friend. Yukiomaru didn't make eye contact with Husky until the Evocanis knelt down next to him. "Hey, how are you doing?" Husky said, a bit worried because of the frustrated expression that Yukiomaru had.

"Husky," Yukiomaru said, his tone wavering. He was obviously upset after they left him at the mercy of the Retcans. "You had promised me that there'd be no more secrets."

"Yukiomaru... I'm sorry..." Husky said. He knew Yukiomaru would be upset, but there was no way he could've known that the Retcans would take Yukiomaru themselves. Husky tried to wrap his arms around him but he was met by Yukiomaru pulling back.

"Why are you doing all this?" Yukiomaru nearly yelled. His voice was obviously strained and on the verge of breaking. "You keep apologizing and showing empathy towards me, but at the same time you're doing anything but helping me." Yukiomaru inhaled shakily and tears were starting to shine his eyes. His eyes were narrowed but his lips quivered as if about to cry or growl. "You're not helping me. Ever since I've been here, I've been imprisoned, been denied access to my property and been yelled at."

Husky felt how Yukiomaru somehow had placed his trust on them, and now he expressed nothing but disappointment. Seeing this little furred friend on the verge of crying broke Husky's heart to the point he didn't know how to answer.

"Who yelled at you?" Hasky soon jumped in when she noticed how upset Yukiomaru was, and how her son couldn't justify whatever the Retcans did to their little furred alien friend. Fx was also very close to the little alien that had shared the warmth of their bed last evening.

"It doesn't matter anymore," remarked Yukiomaru. "You have no idea how important it is for me to at least let Jun--" Yukiomaru's voice not only broke at these words, but an involuntary sob escaped him. He felt a tear fall into his soft fur around his eyes and he dry-swallowed, trying to keep his emotions in check. He saw the Evocanis' reaction and he just held his silence.

Something in these words affected the little alien of bright golden eyes. It was that name Husky had heard from him before. Hasky and Fx knew this as well.

"Yukiomaru?" Husky felt worried when Yukiomaru suddenly went to complete silence. Husky tried once again to get hold of the little furred alien and this time he didn't pull back. As he held him in a warm embrace, he could feel his little body shaking.

"I need to let Jun know that I'm all right," Yukiomaru's tone dropped completely from frustrated to a near silent whisper. Who had once that confident and demanding tone, now spoke with broken voice.

"Puppy..." Hasky kneeled down next to Yukiomaru's chair and wrapped her arms around him too. She could feel the little alien's pain. There was something that bothered Yukiomaru greatly; something he hadn't mentioned, but that Husky had witnessed the night before.

While Hasky tried to comfort Yukiomaru, it suddenly became clear for Husky. Could this be the source of Yukiomaru's anxiety and impatience? That name... Jun... Yukiomaru had once mentioned he was someone very important to him, but it didn't hit until now how much he really was.

"Listen up, everyone!" Husky stood and spoke out loud. "I think our visitor has had enough vague answers and delays on the resolution of his problem. If we are going to do this, we are going to do it now!"

Everyone in the room suddenly went quiet, and listened to Husky's words. Very few times had Husky shown authority, but now that he understood why Yukiomaru suffered, he knew there was no time to waste.

"If you let me, Captain Silver, will all respect" Husky now spoke directly to Silver. "I know we do all this for precaution, but by now we should know he's not a threat. He is lost, alone and misses his friends and family. And we are the only ones that can help him. I think we have taken this too far. It's time to help him."

Silver looked at Husky for a second and close her eyes nodding. "Fair enough, Husky..." Silver softly replied. "Everyone. Have a seat." She then ordered.

D.E1 Squad members and Retcans as well; they all gathered around the table and got ready to begin with the plans for helping Yukiomaru. Titan now took the lead.

"As you all know, Captain Kalem and I have been working the past days on bringing the D.E cruiser back to space. And the reason is we have found a new source of Blue Mineral." Titan spoke as he zoomed in a strange planetoid.

"Another comet?" Some of the older D.E1 Squad members gasped.

"Not again..." Others said.

"Please, Evos. Listen up." Titan regained order. "I'm afraid this is a much bigger deal than before. This is a dwarf planet orbiting a system two-point-five A.U from the nearest cluster." The image of the planetoid zoomed out to show the location of Canis Major and Rage and their position in relation to this point of interest.

"We are able to detect a stronger emanation of Blue Mineral energy than we felt back with the comet. And that comet was not even the slightest fraction away from our location. This means we might be dealing with the largest concentration of Blue Mineral that not only we have encountered, but probably the biggest we might ever encounter."

Chattering filled the room when everyone was in absolute astonishment at this finding. But someone didn't find it interesting at all.

Yukiomaru looked around at the excitement of the others, but he was losing his patience. He knew that they brought him here to talk about his situation but they were talking about something completely unexpected. Maybe it was related but Husky just promised to keep him from waiting.

"Husky," Yukiomaru said, his voice strained still but he obviously had a lot more control over it now. He spoke discretely so only to gain the attention of the one Evocanis. "What is going on? Will Blue Mineral somehow help?"

"This Blue Mineral is very important for us, Yukiomaru. It's what powers our ships and everything inside it." Husky told the little alien. All this time he had his arm wrapped around Yukiomaru to calm him down from the discussion he had earlier. "As you might've heard already, we found a planetoid full of this mineral and we will use this planetoid to set your beacon, Yukiomaru."

Kalem, D.E1's Captain overheard Husky's explanation. "You can send your signal from there, Yukiomaru. We will keep permanent surveillance in the case that someone responds to the distress call. If someone does, I can assure you that you will know." He said, to reassure the little furred alien that something would be done.

Husky could feel how Yukiomaru's muscles relaxed as soon as Kalem said these words. This was the entire little alien had to hear. This is all he wanted.

"You see? I told you, Yukiomaru. We were going to help." Husky said, as he caressed him gently.

The meeting went on for almost an hour. The priority was to help Yukiomaru send his distress signal as quickly and efficiently as possible. Once done, they could take care of the exploration to that planetoid and the possible gathering of Blue Mineral.

After witnessing how much the Retcans and Evocanis had carefully planned all this, Yukiomaru understood better how good the intentions of these aliens were. He started acting more open, but also let them know that he was sorry for acting rashly. Evos and Retcans had nothing to forgive.

"We are done." Silver said. "Communications will be kept open for further planning. Captain Kalem, you and your Squad are free to leave. D.E1 and our Special Operations fleet are making the jump at 2000 hours this evening. Any questions let us know."

"Yes, Silver. You can count on that." The light brown Evocanis replied.

"Yukiomaru," Silver called the small alien. "You are going with the D.E1 Squad. You are going to stay in their ship until your situation is dealt with. You will have full support from my Engineering team on board the Special Operations fleet. Feel free to make any requests."

"Thank you... Captain." Yukiomaru replied with calmness that they hadn't witnessed until now.

"Yukiomaru..." Before everyone left the room, Silver called the little alien once again.

Yukiomaru turned to face Silver, wondering why she had called him. "Yes?" He said.

"Come here." Silver kneeled in front of Yukiomaru, and looked at him at the eyes. So far, Silver had shown her familiar glare, but her icy blue eyes were now calm and full of warmth. "I'm sorry if I acted harshly against you earlier." Silver placed her paws on Yukiomaru's arms and pulled him closer to her very subtly. "It was not my intention. I feel very bad because of it."

"It's... okay." Yukiomaru replied confused.

"You're beautiful, Yukiomaru. You're one of us. I have no excuse for the way I acted. I don't want you to think my brothers are like this."

"I know. You are just protecting your ship the same way I would protect mine." Yukiomaru replied, still keeping his neutral tone.

"It's such an honor to meet someone like you, little Yukiomaru." Silver said, now giving the little alien a warm hug. "I promise my brothers and the Evocanis will help you in every way they can. I know something is hurting you and that's probably because you miss someone very special to you. I can feel it."

There was no response from Yukiomaru. He just maintained himself almost immobile in Silver's embrace. She didn't show any resistance either.

"We won't rest until you are reunited with that special one you miss."

Silver again got no response, but she felt the little alien's warm head nodding against her's.

"His name is Jun..."