Blue Horizon PA1138

First Officer's Diary

There are times when being the one in charge of an interstellar cargo carrier takes an unexpected turn. Life aboard a freighter is supposed to be quiet. This is the main reason why I came to work on the Blue Horizon in the first place.

Some of our competitors describe our crew as a "family" that sits around, trades snack trays and gushy sentiments with one another for all occasions. Merlin does not deny that he handpicked his crew of individuals to be of good character. When we're locked into a tin can together for weeks at a time with no way out, what you don't want are enemies on board. Nerves are strained enough as they are at times, even in this group, but for the most part everyone on the crew does get along with one another.

There are always exceptions to the rule. Samantha and Lorelei sometimes argue about Holden Pharmaceutical, and Tanis and Renny have butted their heads together on more than one occasion lately. Those two have been friendly rivals since they first met, but some of us have had to break them up just short of a fistfight at least three times in a fortnight.

News of growing tensions between Tanis' homeworld of Nalirra and a neighboring non-PA planet has put our medic on edge and his temper has been touchy lately. Of course, Renny needles Tanis every chance he gets, which only causes more friction. I've counseled both of them separately, but it hasn't seemed to have done much good, as the two of them continue to bicker over things that would normally be shrugged off. If this continues, I'm going to have to recommend to the captain to penalize one or both of them with a pay docking.

It doesn't help matters that, after our current delivery, we'll be heading toward that very area. The Roppa system is a potential war-zone right now, and this makes us all uneasy, despite that we're being well-paid. Tanis has been in to see me a few times concerning the possibility of danger, and I think his nerves are getting worse. I've not seen him like this in a long time. He's been one of the more stable guys I've known.

We are currently nearing Alexandrius with a load of lumber from Ganis, and should be on the ground in a couple of hours. Apparently, virrin wood is in high demand on Alexandrius since the value of our cargo is rather expensive. Samantha is looking forward to a short visit to her hometown while we're here, and as a chance to get away for a couple days, I'm going with her. The rest of the crew can spend their standard shore leave as they wish.

The Hidalgo Sun has just delivered a load of textiles for a clothing factory on Hestra, but they didn't actually land on Hestra herself, but rather on the Vashon moon at Sharra Base.

When Hestra joined the Planetary Alignment, Sharra Base was established on Vashon as a transfer station for ships, personnel and visitors not equipped to handle the heavier Hestran gravity. Made up of transparent, pressurized geodesic domes, Sharra has grown over the years to the size of a small city. Hestran Drop Jumpers will be used to ferry the goods down to the planet afterward, but Rezo's crew won't be involved in that operation. Any shore leave he grants them will be on Vashon, but at least Sharra has plenty of hotels and shops for them to visit.

Rezo seems pleased with his new ship and crew, and the reports that Durant gets from the home office on Dennier tell him the combined profits of both vessels in the company are already looking good. Pockets and Patch communicate on a regular basis, as the Sun's crew is slowly getting used to the H-model freighter. Pockets and Maximillian have already worked out the particulars of this ship enough that when something new comes up to repair or maintain on the Hidalgo, all Patch or Paxton have to do is contact us. Apparently, there are a few bugs in the systems on that ship that we've not had to deal with ourselves, but so far, they have been able to handle everything that has come up.

Merlin has left me in charge of things while he takes a bit of personal leave. Bill and Shannon have been pestering him to get back to Dennier to see their new cubs, and the royal family of Tanthe has been awaiting a visit from him so he may meet the infant prince who bears his name. He booked a public transport from Ganis to Dennier and should arrive there sometime tomorrow. After a short vacation with his sister's family, Merlin is going to fly the Christopher Watson to a mountain fortress on Tanthe, where Prince Kal and Princess Tinara are currently staying with their infant son. Samantha wanted to go along, I'm sure, but I don't think she mentioned anything to the captain about it. Personally, I would have liked to have gone myself, but this is Merlin's time to spend with his extended families.

It's been a long while since I was placed in complete command of the Blue Horizon. Merlin rarely takes time away from his ship, so my position as First Officer does not usually see much more authority than the times when he's asleep or very busy and doesn't want to be bothered. Aside from the little altercations between Tanis and Renny, things seem to be going smoothly.

–Taro Nichols

"In news from Earth, another giant, fire-breathing turtle has risen from the sea and is on a march across the main island of Japan. Citizens are on the run, but aren't worried, as this common occurrence takes place on a regular basis. Tokyo Tower, the most destroyed and rebuilt structure on the planet, fell today amidst the monster's rampage. New construction materials are already being pulled from an awaiting warehouse and reconstruction workers are standing by. We'll let you know more as the information comes to us. In news from Pomen, the stock market –"

Penny clicked off the remote to the waiting room vidscreen, and cleared away the wrappers of her lunch. Cindy had gone to lunch with her architect boyfriend, and Keri was out running errands, so the lithe sparrow had the place to herself. It had been a quiet day. There had only been one call from Ganis for someone needing five sets of large Taiko drums delivered from Earth for some kind of ancient ritual, but the delivery would not be made for several months.

There was a small jingle of bells, and Penny looked up from the desk with a smile.

A short desert fox dressed in a dark green shirt and black slacks walked in with a small round watermelon wrapped up in a rope net dangling from one hand. He glanced around the office before moving to the receptionist's desk.

"Welcome to Blue Horizon Freight Transfer. May I help you?" Penny asked him.

"Hallo," the fennec said hesitantly, in a slightly accented voice. "I am looking for Arktanis TeVann. I was told he worked here."

Penny nodded. "He does work for this company," she told him, "but he is currently serving on board the Blue Horizon and won't be back on Dennier for quite some time."

"Ah," the tan fox replied, as he scratched one of his enormous ears. "I had hoped for the opportunity to see him. It's a matter of urgency that I contact him."

"May I know the nature of this emergency?" Penny asked. "If it's sufficiently important, I can relay a message to his ship's captain."

The fennec smiled down at the bird. "The message I have for him will affect his immediate future. I—"

"Are you his brother?" she asked him in an excited voice.

The fox shrugged. "In a manner of speaking, perhaps," he replied, "as we are both from the same region of Nalirra. My name is Shoji Locke, and—"

"What's the watermelon for?" Penny interrupted again.

The stranger sighed. He set the melon on the desk, and gave it a small push so that it rolled inside its net toward her. "As Arktanis is not here, you may share it with your office co-workers."

"Oh, thank you!" Penny replied with a grin. "The girls are gonna love this."

"Now, as I was—"

"You said you were from Nalirra," the bird interrupted yet again. "Are you here about the delivery?"

"No," he said with a dark frown. Talking to this sparrow was a chore. "I'm not here to make a delivery."

"No, silly," Penny replied, "we have a delivery to make to Nalirra next week— a full shipment of food, I believe. I thought maybe you were a representative. We have a second ship that's been hired to deliver more of the same, so we—"

The fox looked at her quietly for a moment, chewing on his lower lip as she rattled on. He was on Dennier on official business for his government, but had taken time out from his busy schedule to visit the offices of Tanis' employer. He had just about decided to turn and walk back out of the door when the desktop Com unit emitted three quick chirps.

"You're in luck, Mr. Locke," Penny said cheerily. "That's the Blue Horizon calling in now." The fennec waited patiently while she made the connection and then informed a grizzly bear on the screen of the visitor's request. "Tanis will be on the link in just a moment, sir," she said to him.

Blue Horizon PA1138

First Officer's Diary

The Blue Horizon is now on its way to Nalirra, under the pretense of making a standard delivery of emergency food the Nalirrans are stockpiling in preparation of war against their neighboring world, Oe'Tanata. The Hidalgo Sun is a day behind us, having been hired to deliver more of the same. Our delivery is a legitimate job for the company, but I say 'under the pretense' because our voyage to this world has another purpose that is more important.

Nalirra is rumored to be building up their forces for a strike against Oe'Tanata. There have been recent aggressions between the two worlds over matters that INN has been vague on reporting. The tension is growing, and Nalirra is recalling past military personnel who are still capable. Recalls have been going out to all the worlds of the Planetary Alignment as they try to relocate bodies to match their records.

One of Tanis' trusted friends contacted him a couple weeks ago during a visit to the home office to let him know that his personnel file had been reclassified as a "rainbow document" – a collection of files made up of past military personnel currently off-world, but which have training the Nalirran military deems necessary for a first assault. Tanis' medical background and piloting skills have put him on a list that can only mean he will be among the first recalled into service if war actually breaks out. By Nalirran law, he's legally bound to return to service if recalled, no matter where he may be or what he may be doing.

Concerned that he will be drafted once again into the military service in a time of war, we are going to use our current scheduled job to Nalirra as a front for an attempt to infiltrate the world's personnel database. Locke has supplied coordinates on where to meet him, and will make arrangements to get Tanis inside. I don't want to worry Merlin about this during his vacation, so I've not said anything to him about this in my daily reports. I'm not entirely sure he would approve of getting involved in a covert operation like this, so I will take full responsibility should something go wrong.

We have an extra bit of help in this, as well. Tanis' friend, Clarence Duffy, took a quick flight from Fyn and met us just before we left Alexandrius. Duffy was contacted by Locke as well, also on the rainbow listing. The Siberian husky brought along several Nalirran desert uniforms that he thinks will fit some of us for this operation.

As if we did not have enough on our minds, Pockets and Duffy took an immediate disliking toward one another. There haven't been any arguments between them, but you can feel the tension in the air whenever the two of them are in the same room together. I have asked Pockets about it, but all he does is shrug me off, saying it's nothing. I don't like this, as Duffy seems on the up and up to me and Tanis seems to trust his friend.

As we approach the Roppa star system, Duffy has assembled a small team to infiltrate the compound consisting of Tanis, Samantha, himself, and me. We've been going over the plan and studying maps of the building we will be getting into. Locke was quite thorough in the information he's provided to us. Sam scanned the floor plan maps and is in the process of converting them to a 3D rendition for use with Pockets' VR software in an effort to help us all learn the layout of the facility.

Renny wanted to join the team, but Tanis pointed out that there are no feline types in the Nalirran military and that he would give them away immediately. The Nalirran enemies, the Tanatans, are almost primarily big cats such as leopards, cougars, lions, jaguars – and cheetahs.

This is okay by me since Durant still needs a crew to make a showing of a freighter delivering its cargo, and the tension between Tanis and Renny would a distraction where the team will need to stay alert. Those remaining with the Blue Horizon will have their hands full unloading a cargo hold packed with food containers nearly two stories high. It's a good thing this version of the Blue Horizon is equipped with cargo moving cranes in the hold – something the old ship didn't have. All in all, this could get tricky. I just hope all goes well.

Captain Sinclair reports he's had a nice visit with Bill, Shannon and the kids and he is now on his way to Tanthe. He reported in to the home office after he launched and wanted Pockets to know the Christopher Watson was operating just fine. Bill is flying with him, taking the trip as convenient to take care of business for his company at another part of Tanthe. Afterward, Bill will return to Dennier with the Watson and Merlin will take a public transport from Tanthe to rendezvous with the Blue Horizon on the next leg of our schedule after Nalirra.

–Taro Nichols

Tanis switched on the lights to the Infirmary and plucked a white lab coat from a wall hook near the door. He motioned a male Siberian husky into the room with a smile. "Welcome to mah la-bor-a-tory…" he said in the creepy accent of a popular horror film character from Earth.

"Cute," the canine said with a lopsided smile. "What do you need me to do?"

"Take off yer shirt and sit up on this stool," Tanis told him as he started to remove medical instruments from their stays in a wall cabinet. The husky closed the door behind him and did as he was told, while the medic placed the tools of his trade on a plastic tray.

"Do you remember the Well of Luck?" Duffy asked as he absently ran his fingers through the dusty grey fur of his chest and scratched at an itch.

Tanis smirked at him and nodded. "How can I forget?" he asked. "I got the chance to examine it from the inside out."

The husky chuckled as his friend took out a stethoscope, daubing the business end of it with a cleanser. "I bought the land it's on," Duffy said. "I started clearing away the brush around it, and I've made a nice, wide pathway to the nearby road."

Tanis put the stethoscope up to the canine's chest. "Take a deep breath, Clarence. Then ya can tell me why ya wasted yer money on that worthless pit."

"I'm going to open it as a tourist spot," the husky said before taking a deep breath.

The door opened and Maximillian walked in. "What going on?" he asked with a grin.

"Just giving Duffy a routine physical," Tanis said as he let the stethoscope drop to his chest. He scribbled down a few figures on a clipboard, and then looked over his other instruments. "He's not been off Fyn in so long that I'm surprised he was even allowed on Alexandrius without updated inoculations." He glanced up into his friend's pale blue eyes and asked, "Just how long has it been since yer last physical?"

Duffy shrugged his shoulders as Tanis consulted a chart on the husky's physiology. "I dunno," he replied. "Ten years, maybe."

"Why so long?" Max asked casually. He noticed a spot of grease on his denim shirt, and licked his finger to try to rub it out. He need not have bothered, as it only smeared and grew in size.

Duffy smiled at the youth. "After I got out of the Nalirran service, I went hopping around the Planetary Alignment as a space jockey for an interstellar transport for people who needed to get from one planet to another cheap. I got tired of being on the go all the time, so I found a nice and quiet place on Fyn to relax and live off some investment returns that were doing well." He winced when Tanis shined a bright penlight into his left eye. "Until I got that call from Shoji, I haven't been offworld since."

"Was there something you needed, Max?" Tanis asked absently as he prepared an instrument to take a tissue sample for routine DNA testing.

"Yeah," Max suddenly remembered. "Pockets wanted to borrow some of your rubbing alcohol."

The fennec did not look up as he calibrated the instrument in his hands. "Go ahead, but only one bottle this time," he said. "I don't know what he does with the stuff down in the engine room, but I need it up here where it belongs. I don't want to run out again like our last voyage, when he used up all I had in my stores."

"I'll tell him," Max said as he moved across the room to a supply closet.

"What's the little squint using it for?" Duffy asked with a frown.

The canine youth grinned at him as he headed for the doorway with a bottle in his hand. "Fuel," Max replied as he left the room.

Tanis glanced up at Duffy in surprise. "I'm not sure if I even want to know what it's for," he muttered.

The husky maintained a neutral expression as Tanis pricked his skin with a tiny needle. Just before the boy disappeared from sight, Duffy had seen a second bottle tucked under Max's arm, out of view from the desert fox. He allowed himself a small grin when Tanis turned the other way with his sample.

Durant awoke with a start, realizing he had drifted off to sleep while reading magazines he had picked up on Alexandrius. He had fallen asleep sitting up on the large bed in his quarters; all the cabin lights were still on. He had spent several hours at his desk downstairs poring over the accounts and felt he needed a break, so he had retired to his rooms with new comics and a box of chocolates.

There were nearly thirty of the publications scattered over the bed amidst the candy wrappers and he knew he must look like a slob. His eyes roved over the colorful cover of one publication and then gathered it together with the other magazines, stacking them neatly on a night stand. He tossed the empty candy wrappers into a waste bin beside the bed and brushed the crumbs from the Terran Southwest blanket that covered the mattress.

He crossed the room quietly to his closet, shedding his shirt and pants at the laundry basket. He needed a shower and quickly picked out clothing to put on afterward. As he peered into the closet, he heard a small beep from the front room. He grinned from ear to ear and grabbed a robe to wrap up in before he moved to the other room.

He sat down in the wide chair in front of his cabin computer terminal and smiled at a small animated figure of a dancing envelope prancing around the screen. He placed his finger on the monitor's surface over the envelope, and immediately a message opened up for him.

Dear Leo,

The Hidalgo Sun is running smoothly today, a welcome change from yesterday's excitement. Sheila is a decent enough cook, but three people got sick from a casserole she had made the day before; I had to pump one stomach and take care of the other two with medication and tender care. Littlefeather is still feeling the cramps from the pump and is not a very happy patient. I convinced the captain to let Mark rest up the few days before we get to Nalirra. He'll need all his strength in time to unload our cargo. Patch and Riki are faring better. I dispensed medication that took care of their sicknesses, but everyone else seems to be wary of our cook today.

I've heard Rezo talking to Jonesy about our current assignment, and he's nervous about the trip into a risky area. His plans are to deliver our cargo and get out of there as quickly as possible. He's denied us shore leave and Riki and Pax are rather upset about it. Both have been pacing the central corridor in agitation.

Tsarina wants me to ask you send her love to Renny. She was disappointed that she didn't have time to get together with him when we were all on Dennier together, even though he acted like he was interested in her. Tsarina is a big tease with the guys, but I think she's more than just a little taken with your navigator and can't wait until she can get him alone.

Anyway, enough about the others. How are you doing? The last letter I got from you mentioned that you've been feeling tired all of the time, no matter what you eat or how much rest you get. As your friend, this has me mildly concerned. As a doctor, this has me worried. Something like that does not happen without a cause. It could be something as trivial as a vitamin deficiency, or as serious as a disease. Please, get Tanis to give you a physical soon, darling. Whatever it is, you should get it taken care of as soon as possible.

As for me, I'm doing fine. Nothing really of interest to tell you, except perhaps to let you know my father has finally remarried. It's been nearly twenty years since we lost Mum, and it's good to know he's found someone again. My brother and his wife attended the small ceremony they had, and they say he looks ten years younger with his new bride. I wish them both well.

I miss you, Leo, and wish we were not on separate ships. If Tanis ever decides to leave the Blue Horizon and finish up his medical degree, please let Captain Sinclair know that I would transfer to your ship in a heartbeat. It's not bad here on the Hidalgo Sun, but I would rather be with you. You're warm and snuggly and I miss your arms around me. And seeing your smile. I think I miss that most of all. I do wish Rezo would change his mind and let us stay a couple days after landing. From what I understand, we'll be landing at the same warehouse where you'll have unloaded your cargo. Hopefully, your ship will still be there by the time we arrive.

Well, my dear friend, I will close for now and send this on its way. I look forward to your letters and hope you do the same for mine.

With great love,

Carmen

Durant smiled at the message. "Yes, Carmen," he said to the quiet room, "I do look forward to your letters very much." He closed his eyes for a moment, leaning back in his seat. He had not told her about their secondary operation concerning the rainbow documents. He did not think anyone would be specifically monitoring his mail, but he did not want to take that chance with the ship so close to Nalirra. In a potential war-zone, security measures were going to be heightened and he did not want to chance giving away their mission. He decided just to send her back a nice message to let her know how he had been doing since his last letter to her a week ago. He leaned forward to the terminal and began typing, his shower postponed.

Clarence Duffy walked quietly around the central corridor of the crew deck, his hands behind him and his thoughts on the upcoming mission. He was now dressed in the tan uniform of the Nalirran military, which consisted of nothing more than loose-fitting shorts adorned with pockets the Blue Horizon's engineer would love, and a simple vest, also with multiple pockets, that was adorned with no more than a spot for his rank insignia. Locke would provide those before they made planetfall. It had been over a decade since he had worn one of the uniforms and he had forgotten how stiff the material had been. He had suggested each member of the team wear them for several days to get used to the feel before they got to their destination. They needed to appear as if they were military personnel who wore them every day of their lives. Samantha had tried several fabric softeners, but the fibrous material refused to feel soft. Everyone, including himself, grumbled about having to wear them, but it was a necessity that Shoji had stressed to them.

When he had first come on board the Blue Horizon, Duffy had immediately felt out of place in this tight group. Tanis was the only one on board he had known, and he had been spending most of his spare time on board with him, chatting about old times. The spare moments were few, however, as he wanted to get the team prepared for their task ahead. He had also had trouble keeping his eyes off of the females who were going with them. The two buttons on the front of the vest barely contained the women's chests, and liberal amounts of cleavage were visible. Neither of them seemed to mind, however, especially the vixen. Still, he had to keep his mind on their task. He could not afford to be distracted once they were on Nalirra.

Basically, the details of the mission were simple. Shoji would meet them and take them in to the records facility with falsified identification, and then they would be split up and assigned to separate document storage areas. As paper and wire documents were not allowed off the grounds, they would have to destroy the folders for Tanis and Duffy on location, a difficult task with the place fully staffed. Samantha's expertise with computers would be needed to locate and delete the electronic backup.

Unfortunately for them, the locations they would have to infiltrate were at opposite corners of the building, some on different floors. The paper copy of the document could be in any one of the Rainbow Rooms. As a secondary course of action, if the document could not be eliminated, they were to alter the contents to show the person had perished somewhere. It would likely cut off any military benefits they still enjoyed, but would keep them from the war.

Security after hours was usually tight, even at a records facility, so the plan was to attempt the tasks during standard business hours. There were more people around, but he felt they would have better access to the material they needed and the bustle of activity would camouflage their acts.

Tired of walking in circles around the corridor, Duffy decided to see who was on bridge watch. If he remembered the schedule he had seen posted on the ship's network, it should be Samantha; he wanted to talk to her a little more about her computer programming background.

He heard a soft humming sound behind him and the husky turned to look. Moss floated toward him, its primary green eye fixed upon him. It rotated a couple of its metallic whiskers as if it were thinking about something.

"Hello, Moss," Duffy said with a grin.

"Meow!" the little flying saucer responded brightly. "Meooowrrr…" Then, without studying him further, it floated down the corridor to the nearest lift and activated the doors with a signal to the main computer system. Duffy watched it enter the lift and the panels close behind it.

He turned and headed toward the bridge.

"Taro, things like this are hard for me to say, but I wanted you to know that you are the first woman who has ever completely captured my heart… you've fulfilled all my fantasies, and all my dreams – and you're the only one I've ever felt this comfortable around. You're the best friend I've ever had and are the most wonderful, beautiful woman I've ever met."

The red fox looked up into his eyes, with moisture in her own. She gave him a tender smile, and gently brushed the fur on his left cheek. For most of her adult life, Taro had enjoyed pleasure where she found it, thinking nothing of a serious relationship, but this one had gotten deeply into her heart and she knew that she loved him. She opened her mouth to speak, but he put a finger to her lips with a quiet Shhhhhh.

"My head tells me to run the other direction," he said in a voice barely above a whisper, "but my heart is the one ruling me tonight." He moved his hand under her chin, and cupped it for a moment as he swallowed, never taking his eyes off her own. Finally, he steeled himself and said to her in a voice that was much more stable than he felt inside, "Marry me?"

Tears welled up in Taro's eyes. Somehow, she had known what he was going to ask her that night. He had been extra affectionate over the past few days and their lovemaking had been different. She had caught him looking at her more and more, no matter what room or chamber of the ship they were in, and whenever he was near, he had made an effort to make sure he had touched her at least once. She had never known anyone who enjoyed physical contact quite as much as he did.

Once again, she opened her mouth to speak, wondering to herself what reply would leave her lips. As a young girl, she had dreamed of getting married and settling down, but had later abandoned that fantasy when she could find no one with whom she would want to spend the rest of her life. She would not be able to have any children with him, she knew, but she did not care. She loved him.

The Blue Horizon suddenly jolted beneath them and they tumbled out of the bed together amidst the pillows and blankets. He looked up in alarm at the sound of another explosion that rocked the ship. The lights flickered and they could feel the sudden cessation of the constant vibration in the deck plates caused by the engines.

"What the–?"

"All hands! All hands!" Samantha's voice sounded over the ship's intercom speakers, "We're under attack! Pirates!"

Taro looked up in sudden fear when her lover scrambled to his feet and jumped into his pants. He looked back down at her with a worried look and then bent down to kiss her quickly. The ship jolted once more and without another word, he grabbed his sword from a wall board; then he was out the door heading toward the bridge, his shirt and boots left behind.

The vixen sat stunned for a moment longer. Had she been about to say what she thought she had been about to tell him? She climbed back up beside his bed, searching for her clothes scattered about the room. She felt as if she was moving in slow motion and time seemed to drag as she moved around his cabin. Pirates? she thought to herself. Now?

"The other ship just docked with us!" Samantha's voice exclaimed over the speakers. "We're being boarded!"

Taro suddenly shook her head free of its whirling thoughts and dressed quickly. A moment later, she bolted out the door. Pockets was standing in the corridor looking frightened, wrapped solely in a towel and dripping wet from an interrupted shower.

"Lock yourself in your room!" she told him and then she ran for the lift. Taro waited impatiently for the panel to open, and then jumped inside. As the elevator descended, she switched off the lights in the small chamber so she would not present herself a target when she got out. When the doors parted, she peeked out into the dim cargo hold, hearing grunting voices and the sounds of a fierce struggle. There was a sudden yelp that cut off too abruptly, and the sounds of fighting stopped. Taro's nerves felt as if they were suddenly on fire.

She eased herself out of the lift, skirting around the perimeter of the crates and containers of their cargo. She could still hear voices on the opposite side of the hold, but there did not seem to be any more fighting involved. The voices were hurried, but triumphant, and she recognized the sounds of plunder as the pirates began taking the contents of the Horizon's cargo.

Taro slipped on something slick on the floor, and looked down at her feet. Her nose picked up the scent of blood even before she saw the growing puddle in the dim light of the hold. She put a hand to her mouth to stop herself from screaming when she saw the body from which the precious liquid freely flowed. The vixen sank to her knees, her throat constricting in horror as she stretched out a shaking hand. It was him, and the murderers had done the job with a slash across his throat. The cougar's unseeing eyes were rolled upward, focused toward infinity; blood spilled from his nose and mouth, as well as the wide opening in his neck.

Taro tried to close his wound with her hands, even though she already knew he was dead, and for the first time in ages, she cried. The lift open again behind her, and a moment later she heard Merlin's gasp as he found them. The wolf's eyes blazed in anger as he gripped his broadsword, and then he ran out after the pirates who were raiding his ship. Durant arrived a moment later, similarly armed, and found the vixen sobbing over Jiro's body.

Taro felt a start and opened her eyes suddenly. She blinked a few times, realizing she was sitting up in bed, panting in heaves. Through the moisture in her eyes, she looked down at her hands in the dim light of the room, but saw no bloodstains there. She felt slightly sick to her stomach and the room was hot. It had been a long time since she had dreamed of that day Jiro had died at the hands of pirates – the same pirates that had later almost killed her as well. Perhaps it was anxiety of the upcoming mission that affected her dreams.

She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall beside her bed for a moment, willing her heartbeat to slow down. She got up after a bit and moved into the lavatory to wash her face in the sink. She dried her face fur with a soft pink towel, and then looked up at herself in the mirror for a moment, her nerves still raw. She cleared her throat, and felt the muscles still tight. Thirsty, she put a small paper cup under the faucet, but changed her mind. She wanted something stronger than water: Klovosk wine from Mainor.

Taro rarely drank liquor, as it clouded her mind and she did not like to lose control of her thoughts – especially when she was in command of the ship – but she felt a tiny amount would help calm her nerves and allow her to get back to sleep. She hung the towel neatly on a brass ring mounted to the wall, and then quietly moved through the rooms of her quarters to the corridor.

Moments later, she stepped out of the lift onto the recreation deck. All the lights were out except for the wall-sized vidscreen. Maximillian danced in choreographed time with a pop music video, dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a white shirt with billowed, long sleeves. On the screen, a lop-eared bunny not much older than himself danced and gyrated around a brightly lit stage with a large team of other male and female dancers of mixed species. He had not heard the lift door open, and he spun around with a flourish that perfectly matched the actions on the screen.

Max let out a yelp of surprise when he saw Taro watching him with an amused grin as she leaned casually against the galley counter. She was dressed in an oversized pink tee shirt that hung to her knees and her familiar silver ornamental disk with its blue-tipped white feather was clipped to the fur behind her left ear. He scrambled for the remote and muted the sound when she started clapping.

"You're a very good dancer, Max," she said with a wide smile. "Are you planning to sign up for her entourage?"

Max coughed into his hand, and glanced up at the screen. "No," he replied, embarrassed, "but I do like her music."

Her quest for a drink forgotten, Taro laughed and looked back up at the video that continued to play out. "Max," she said, "Pixly Dixly's energetic, choreographed music videos can't disguise the fact that she only has one hit with which she's re-done, re-arranged, re-filmed and re-released a half dozen times to fans like you who don't seem to notice…"

Maximillian looked back up at the screen, the expression in his eyes clearly showing that she was correct. He had not noticed Pixly's career pattern before. He frowned, feeling embarrassed, and turned back to look at the vixen. "I, uh, well…."

Taro smiled and walked over to him. She put a hand on his shoulder and said, "I'm sorry, Max. I didn't mean to tarnish your perception of someone you liked." Both of them looked back up at the screen yet again. In silence, they watched the lop dance around. Finally, Max shrugged his shoulders.

"That's okay," he told her with a grin. "I still like the song."

Taro shook her head and gave him a tsk, but she did it with a smile. "You're allowed to like who you want, Max," she said at last. "I'm heading back to bed now, kiddo. You can go back to your dancing."

Maximillian watched her until she disappeared into the lift before he took the mute off the sound system. He thumbed the control, reset the video to play again from the start, and grinned back up at the screen.

Arktanis TeVann sat on a small swivel stool at a counter in the Infirmary, quietly studying the results of Duffy's physical. He stared at the computer terminal as it presented its data, and he chewed absently on a tongue depressor while he scribbled notes onto his clipboard. Everything seemed to be normal and Clarence Duffy appeared to be in good health. His cholesterol was lower than usual, but that was not anything that would hinder him in anything he did. There were no Fynian viruses or bacteria that the inoculations had not been able to take care of, and the medic did not see anything to concern him. Despite his high profile living a decade earlier, the quiet life in mountains had apparently been good for Duffy.

The medical computer did find something of interest, however, and it had been flagged for his attention. Tanis was no expert with deoxyribonucleic acid, but a software routine had discovered similar DNA markers in the pattern with another on board the Blue Horizon. Tanis looked to see who it was, and raised his eyebrows when he read the name.

The desert fox put an elbow on the counter, resting his chin in his hand as his thoughts began to whirl. Was it possible? he thought to himself. He tapped out a few commands on the keyboard with his free hand and then waited for the results. He got his answer a moment later and then sat up with crossed arms.

Tanis tossed his chewed tongue depressor into the refuse bin without looking. He licked his lips and then calmly rubbed his eyes. After a moment in thought, he saved the information into a password-protected file, and then turned away from the terminal to begin pacing around the room.

He had mixed feelings over what he had found. Either it could be good news, or it could completely ruin someone's day. He wrestled with his thoughts for a moment on what he should do, and then decided that something of this nature should be handled delicately by someone better suited.

His mind made up, Tanis turned back to the computer and opened up a blank communication message. He addressed it to SS Christopher Watson, PA30578, and then wrote a quick message. When he finished, he attached the file he had saved with all the information he had on Duffy's DNA pattern and the data that had been brought to his attention, and then hit the Submit command to send it on its way.

The Blue Horizon was six hours away from Nalirra. Renny had all the lights on the bridge down to a minimum as he concentrated on keeping the ship steady. Another vessel was alongside, positioning itself to line up with the Horizon's main hatch.

"Extending the walkway tunnel," Durant's calm voice said from the bridge speakers.

"Aye to that," he responded.

The other ship was metallic green, its fuselage long and slender. There were three engine pods clustered together on the aft end and there were atmospheric wings folded back out of the way along its sides. The computer had identified it as an unnamed Nalirran-registered military transport merely given the designation, XK101. Renny had been uneasy when it had slipped in beside them with its weaponry calmly trained on the freighter.

Down in the cargo hold, Durant monitored the controls of the main airlock. Taro waited beside him for the tunnel to lock onto the other ship and pressurize. Tanis, Duffy and Samantha stood behind them, small duffel bags at their feet. Samantha consulted a datapak she had with her and then nodded to herself when she got the response she wanted.

A few moments later, Durant opened the internal airlock hatch. Standing just inside was a black Labrador in a Nalirran desert uniform that matched those the team was wearing. He wore an insignia that Durant did not recognize.

The senior officer on board, Taro stepped forward and offered a hand to the canine. The Labrador gave her a crisp salute before extending a massive hand to shake hers with a smile.

"Welcome," she said to him. "I'm Taro Nichols, presently in command of the Blue Horizon."

"Thank you, captain" the dark canine replied in a voice so deep it almost rumbled. "I am Kor-Chief Allano." He glanced at her uniform and then said, "The moon is exceptionally bright tonight."

Taro grinned, recognizing the code phrase. "It is indeed, Kor-Chief," she replied, "but the craters are dark."

"Kerchief is an odd first name," Samantha whispered to Tanis.

The medic replied in an equally quiet voice, "Kor-Chief is his rank, Sam, not his name."

"Oh."

"Bar-Lieutenant Locke sent me to transport your team down to the Mucot Airfield on Nalirra; he will meet with you there," Allano said to Taro. "Are you ready?" His large brown eyes glanced over at the others in uniform.

Taro turned to the grizzly at her side. "Durant," she said, "you're in command of the Blue Horizon until I return. If Merlin calls and happens to ask about me, just tell him I'm indisposed."

"Aye to that," Durant said. "You all be very, very careful," he said. "This whole thing makes me nervous."

"We plan to, Durant," the vixen said soberly. "Keep a candle lit for us."

"I will."

Taro turned toward Samantha, Tanis and Duffy. She nodded and everyone picked up their equipment bags, moving as one toward the hatch.

"After you, Kor-Chief," the vixen said.

Allano glanced up at the feather ornament in Taro's fur with a raised eyebrow. "You'll need to leave that behind," he said. "It's not a part of regulation uniform."

"Ah yes," Taro said with a smile. She reached up with one hand, unclipped it from her fur, and handed it to Durant without another word.

Durant watched the team file through the airlock until Samantha, the last in line, stopped and tiptoed up to give him a hug.

"We'll be back soon, Durant," she promised him.

"Take extra care, Sam," he replied. "I don't want to have to give the boss any bad news."

"See you soon," she replied and then trotted after the others. Durant closed both the inner and outer hatches after he watched the team disappear into the other vessel. He depressurized the walkway, and then detached it from the transport.

Moments later, the XK101 moved away and then quickly sped off into the darkness.

Merlin Sinclair laughed and grinned at the Border collie beside him. He was quite surprised to discover Alex Rogers in the mountain fortress when he had arrived. The new CEO for Holden Pharmaceutical was on Tanthe for a business conference concerning the company and while there, Alex had met Lady Ayana, representative for Royal Business Interests and cousin of Princess Tinara. The two of them were attracted with one another instantly and they had spent a good deal of time together even after the conference had ended. Lady Ayana had invited Alex to accompany her to visit her aunt, Queen Sechsi, and had been in the fortress at the time of Merlin's arrival.

The lupine captain knew that Alex had kept a lifelong crush on Samantha, but it was nice to see the handsome collie with a lady of his own. Merlin had always gotten along well with Alex, but there had always been an underlying tension due to the feelings they both shared for Samantha. Merlin did not feel that sensation from Alex this time, since the collie had someone new to occupy his attention.

They had enjoyed supper together, laughing and relating past adventures, but then he had left them together in the dining hall to retire for the evening.

When Merlin opened the door to the room he had been given, his attention was immediately drawn to a flashing red light on his laptop terminal. He closed the heavy wooden-plank door, unconsciously bolting it behind him. The room was lit by a single torch in an iron holder mounted into the stone block wall, and the wolf's amber eyes reflected the flames as he approached the heavy wooden table next to his bed.

The Aris mountain fortress was equipped with modern conveniences, but to maintain the castle's rustic medieval appearance, power and data lines were discreetly hidden behind draperies and wall boards. His room was equipped with hidden indirect lighting, but since the torch was already burning for him, he saw no need to change the illumination.

Merlin loosened the leather laces across the front of his tunic and pushed the billowing sleeves up his arms as he reached for the laptop. He sat in a heavy oak chair and then tapped out his passcode. At once, the screen came to life with three messages that awaited his attention. The first was from Taro. It was her routine report on the running of his ship. As there was usually nothing of importance in the reports, he tended to save those for last each night. The second message was from his sister as a follow-up to his visit, and the third one was from Tanis.

The wolf frowned when he saw "View In Private" written in as the subject of the last message. That was never a good sign. He glanced back toward the door to make sure he had locked it behind him and then keyed in their shared decryption code to unlock the message that Tanis had safeguarded. He did not mistrust the Aris royalty – they had helped him on more than one occasion out of friendship – but he still valued his privacy on matters concerning his ship.

When the message opened, the first thing he saw was Duffy's medical report. Merlin knew that Clarence Duffy was a former military buddy of Tanis' who lived on Fyn. The message was brief, although it did not explain why Duffy was on board the Blue Horizon, but Tanis had a theory that he wanted to bring to the captain's attention.

Merlin read the message twice and then pored over the data. He was no medical expert, but he understood enough of what Tanis reported to know why it had been sent to him. There were no detailed descriptions or fanciful opinions in the message. Tanis had simply given him the results of what he had found.

He sat there for several long moments, and mulled over what he had read. The odds of something like this ever coming to his attention were extremely slim, yet it had happened. Merlin shut down the laptop and then moved to the large bed that practically filled the room. He kicked off his soft-sided boots and then stretched out on his back. He stared into the flickering flames of the torch, letting his mind wander.

Now that he knew what he knew, there was a tough decision to make. What should he do about it?

Lorelei had her hands up on the glass of the forward windows of the bridge, her nose pressed up between them as she strained to see the landscape below them. She was standing between the Navigation and Communication stations, her fluffy tail practically in Renny's face as he calculated minute changes in their trajectory toward the Juxenlow Airfield. Normally this might have been enjoyable for the cheetah, but it was annoying while he was working. When she bumped into him for the third time, he reached up, grabbed her cottontail, and pulled her backward into the Com station chair beside him.

"Down!" he growled at the rabbit.

Lorelei looked over at him with a hurt expression. "What was that for?" she whined, rubbing the base of her tail. "I just wanted to see!"

Without looking up at her, Renny leveled a hand toward the engineering station across the room, farthest from him. "Then go stand over there, Lori," he said. "You keep bumping in to me here and I can't concentrate. The airfield's homing beacon is broken, so we can't rely on the computer to get us there."

The white doe got up without a word, looking back at Durant. The grizzly occupied the center seat, guiding the Blue Horizon down toward a semi-barren desert littered with high rocky mesas standing guard over a wide, dry riverbed that meandered between them. Without taking his hands from the controls, the bear motioned with the nod of his head toward the other seat, but gave her a friendly smile to ease her injured pride.

Lorelei moved across the room and took her place at the forward window again so she could see. The sky was completely devoid of clouds, though she could see a dust storm off in the far distance. The mesas below were wind-carved into massive, towering columns. The ground beneath them was rocky and sandy, with only the occasional oasis here and there. They were still too high up for her to distinguish settlements, but she could imagine seeing people scurrying amongst the rocks below.

Durant followed the coordinates that Renny fed to his terminal, adjusting their trajectory to a lower altitude. Lori felt her stomach lurch with the drop and grinned as if she were enjoying a roller coaster ride. The ground jumped up toward them at an alarming rate, but Durant was in full control of the guidance shifts. It had been a while since he had handled a landing, as Merlin usually took care of that, but Durant enjoyed himself, knowing that Pockets and Max had the control systems in optimum order.

The Blue Horizon dropped ever further, and then leveled out over the dry riverbed. The mesas whisked by in a blur; Durant felt the smile on his face grow as he curved around one that came up in front of them.

Renny looked back at him with a grin. "You're enjoying this just a little too much," he said.

Durant responded only with a smile of his own, keeping his attention on the instruments. "Is the artificial gravity still on?" he asked casually.

Lorelei glanced down at the station beside her. "Yeah, want me to turn it off?" she asked.

"No, leave it on for the moment," Durant said with a twinkle in his eye. "Turn the inertial dampeners up to Full, please."

The rabbit did as requested and then looked over at him. "Why did you have me do that?"

Durant only smiled, and Renny suddenly knew. He had flown through thunderclouds with Merlin at the control too many times and recognized that particular look. "Lori," the navigator said, "You better sit down and buckle yourself in." Then he got on the intercom, and relayed the same suggestion to Max and Pockets in Engineering.

"We're already strapped in," said Pockets' voice from the bridge speaker.

Renny looked back at Durant and nodded. "Okay, big guy – have your fun!"

Without bothering to reply, Durant adjusted the guidance shifts, suddenly flipping the Blue Horizon up on its port side. The freighter zoomed in between two mesas that Renny quickly decided were too close together for his tastes. When they emerged on the other side, the ship spun around on its axis, and then righted itself so that Durant could lower its altitude and increase their velocity. The ship was suddenly speeding toward a distant range of hills, barely high enough to miss the tops of the occasional tropical trees below. A wave of sand billowed out behind them like the wake of a boat over water.

Suddenly there was a beeping from the Com station Renny glanced over to look at it. "Ah, it's about time," he said. He unbuckled his harness and moved to the other panel. He picked up the communication headset and adjusted it around his ears. "We've come into range of the secondary beacon. Better rein it in, Durant."

The load master nodded and altered course to gain altitude once more. When he was above the height of the oncoming hills, he lowered their speed and began watching for the new beacon coordinates to come across his station monitor.

The Blue Horizon moved slower over the low hills, but terrain still went by in a blur. Moments later, they left the hills behind and the topography below began to change. Green oases sprang up in abundance and the horizon before them appeared lush.

Durant slowed the ship even more and finally Renny gave him a thumbs-up. "We just received permission from Juxenlow to approach and land at the airfield," the cheetah reported. "Coordinates coming to you now."

"Aye," replied the grizzly. As he expected, Juxenlow was located near the lush area just ahead. Lorelei unbuckled her harness and moved back to the forward window. The Blue Horizon was low enough that the sparse vegetation below came and went at an incredible speed; the blur of the landscape began to change from mostly browns to a mixture with hues of green.

"There it is!" Lorelei said excitedly. She pointed to a small airfield at the edge of an area straddling the desert and forest. There were only a couple buildings with two cargo ships parked beside the largest structure. The landing strip for winged aircraft did not even have a real control tower. It was a small glass booth set into a top corner of the warehouse closest to the runway. Despite the forest a short distance away, the place looked desolate.

As Durant slowed the ship and extended the landing gear, Renny nodded quietly to himself as he received instructions over the Com headset. "Set us down on the west side of the warehouse," he said over his shoulder, "between the red and white Okami, and that light blue Prairie Dog freighter."

The load master proved a moment later that he was a capable pilot, despite his wild flying earlier. He set the Blue Horizon on the landing pad between the two freighters with only the barest of bumps. He and Renny began shutting down the systems when the Com system beeped. The navigator thumbed the control and said into the headset microphone, "This is the SS Blue Horizon."

He listened for a moment and then said, "Just one." He frowned suddenly and an angry expression crossed his features. "Now, wait just a—" Renny closed his mouth, and listened a moment more before finishing his conversation with "Aye, it's understood." He pulled the headset from his ears and tossed it irritably onto the console.

"What's the matter?" Lorelei asked.

Renny snorted. "That was the control tower," he explained with ears flattened against his head. "They wanted to know if we had any felines in our crew. I told them there was just one and they demanded that whoever it was stay on board the ship!"

Durant looked at the navigator and shrugged his broad shoulders. "Do you blame them?" he asked. "The enemy they're gearing up to fight is feline. That's why you couldn't join Duffy's team, remember?"

"But, I'm not their enemy!" Renny said in a huff. "We've been cooped up in here for two weeks. I need fresh air!"

"Sorry, Renny," Durant told him, "but you'll have to stay on the ship. After the cargo has been unloaded, you can keep the bay doors open and set up a chair near the door if you want – but, if you set foot onto Nalirran soil, you may be shot."

The cheetah grumbled something beneath his breath and stormed off the bridge, leaving the others to complete the system shutdown. Durant shook his head and then touched the intercom control. "Pockets?" he asked.

"He's already headed to the main hatch."

"Okay, that's fine, Max. I just wanted to remind everyone not to mention Tanis and the others while we're here."

"Aye to that," the youth replied. "Are the five of us going to unload the cargo, or are the Nalirrans going to do that for us?"

"I haven't heard yet, but I'll head out to the warehouse office in a moment to find out," Durant answered. "It wouldn't hurt to have your work gloves ready."

"Okay, I will."

Moments later, Durant stepped out onto the dusty ground and walked toward the buildings. The office beside the warehouse was unimpressive. It was a small box of a building with a roof of red tiles that had faded in the desert sun. The structure was made of dried clay and wood, and the windows were simply openings in the walls. There were hinged shutters to fasten against the occasional dust storm and thin curtains moved in a slight breeze, but otherwise the place was open-air. There was a small sign written in Standard beside the open door that read, "Juxenlow Airfield".

As Durant approached the single step up to the door, a large buffalo wearing what looked like a thin red robe suddenly filled up the opening. "Hello there," he said in a gravelly voice.

Durant gave him a nod and replied, "Hello back." The buffalo gave him a friendly nod and allowed Durant to step past him into the building. Once inside, the grizzly had to let his eyes adjust to the relative darkness of the interior.

"What is it now, Mr. Corwin?" a voice asked irritably.

Durant cleared his throat. A harried young hyena seated behind a desk piled with papers and folders glanced up at him. A half-buried nameplate on the desk identified him as Sal-Sgt. Veers. "You're not Corwin," he said flatly. "What do you want?"

"I'm Durant, load master of the Blue Horizon," the grizzly replied. "We just landed."

"Blue Horizon?" the hyena repeated as he rifled through the worn pages of a ledger. "Oh yes, right. There are two other ships to be unloaded ahead of yours. Tell your crew to stay put and we will get to you as soon as we can. No felines are allowed outside of your ship, if you have any on board."

Veers went back to his paperwork, ignoring Durant further, so the bear turned and went back outside. The buffalo was still standing there, his hands in the pockets of his robe, staring off across the tarmac.

"Little snot's strung rather tight, wouldn't you say?" the buffalo said with a smirk.

Durant nodded and managed a weak smile. "A bit, yes."

The buffalo turned to him with an extended hand. "Name's Abner Corwin," he said. "I'm captain of the Sandburr over yonder."

"I'm Durant, load master of the Blue Horizon," the grizzly repeated what he had said earlier. He glanced over to the Sandburr with the notion that while the Prairie Dog-class of freighter had a lot of cargo space inside, its rectangular shape looked unwieldy for atmospheric flight.

"Where is your Cap'n, Mr. Durant? Still on his bridge?"

"Captain Sinclair is currently taking personal leave," Durant replied. "I'm in command in his absence."

The buffalo nodded. "Let's hope you aren't in any hurry," Corwin said. "I've been here since yesterday and they still haven't brought in anyone to unload my ship. They're short-handed, y'know. I told him we usually unloaded our own ship, but Veers told me in no uncertain terms that it was not allowed here."

"Are you next to be unloaded?" Durant asked.

"The Cherry Blossom is ahead of me, and then I'm next before you." He rocked back and forth on his heels and added, "Captain Ros isn't too happy right now. They won't let anyone from her ship outside, and she's been here longer than me and my bunch."

"Why won't they let them off the ship?"

"They're all feline -- the whole lot of them is cats," Corwin replied with the shake of his head. "The Nalirrans threatened to shoot anyone from that ship that sets foot on their dirt."

"I have one on board they've forbidden to leave," Durant said. He shielded his eyes from the sunlight to watch movement inside the Horizon's open bay door. "If you've been here since yesterday, what is there to do while we're waiting?"

Corwin looked at him and shrugged his shoulders. "There's a cafe inside the warehouse where you can get coffee and a bite to eat, but otherwise there's nothing here. The nearest village is ten miles to the east, but there's no public transportation to get there. I haven't even seen a military transport for the poor souls who work here. I don't know what else to suggest, unless if some of your crew would like to get together with mine for cards or something."

"We appreciate the offer, Captain Corwin," Durant told him. "I'll inform my crew." He gave the buffalo a friendly nod and then walked back out to the Blue Horizon. With nothing to do off the ship, the rest of them were just about as limited as Renny.

The XK101 touched down on an isolated airstrip in the middle of the desert, three hundred miles to the west of Juxenlow at almost the same time the Blue Horizon landed. From all appearances, Mucot Airfield had not been in use for some time. There was a single shack next to the end of the runway so sandblasted by desert winds that holes had been worn into the corrugated metal sides. Its roof had also been peeled back partway at some time in the past.

There was a tan truck parked next to the shack waiting for the winged transport. A single individual stepped out when the ship taxied up to it. A fennec fox in a Nalirran military uniform walked toward the main hatch. Moments later, the airlock opened and a mechanical set of steps unfolded to touch the dusty ground. Tanis was the first to emerge from the ship into the hot, arid air. He twitched his left ear and looked down at the other desert fox waiting for them below.

Tanis grinned when he stepped onto the sand, immediately extending a hand. "Locke!" he said in recognition. "I can't say I'm glad to be here, but it's good to see yer face again."

Locke grinned and clasped hands with him. "Likewise," he replied. He glanced up toward the hatch when Taro stepped out into the sunlight. "Wow…" he said in open appreciation of the red fox's form. Taro grinned and made her way down the steps, followed by Duffy, Samantha and Kor-Chief Allano. The Labrador saluted Locke.

"Bar-Lieutenant," he said.

Locke returned the salute, but gave the pilot a frown. "You're a half-hour overdue from your reconnaissance, my friend," he said. "You'd better get the XK101 back to your base before they send someone else out looking for you."

"On my way, sir," Allano replied. He hopped back up the steps as Locke led the others toward the truck. The steps retracted, the hatch closed automatically, and the engines began to spin up. Locke waited until the ship taxied back down the strip before he turned to the team he had gathered.

"My name is Bar-Lieutenant Shoji Locke," he said to the two newcomers. "I've been tasked with gathering information for our government on past military personnel in order to draft them back into service preceding an attack on our neighboring world, Oe'Tanata." He nodded toward Tanis and Duffy. "I've known these two for ages, and I'd rather not see them have to go into combat, especially since both of them have already served twice in military, Nalirra's service term limit."

"Shoji," Tanis said, "this is Taro Nichols and Samantha Holden. They'll be helping us with Operation Rainbow. They have skills that will be an asset."

"Hello," Sam and Taro said in unison.

Locke nodded to the both of them with a cordial smile, "I recognize you both from your photos. Pleased to have you with us, ladies," he said. "The facility where the documents are stored is staffed eighty percent by women, so you should fit right in. Your help is greatly appreciated." He tilted his head and looked at Samantha once more. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "Are your injuries healed well enough for this?"

Sam rubbed her middle absently. "No worries. I can do this," she said.  Locke took her words at face value, giving her a nod.

He glanced over at Duffy. "How are you, Clarence?" he asked.

"I'm a little rusty," Duffy replied as he scratched an ear, "but anxious to get my name out of the running for this senseless war Sed Amittias is planning. Good to see you again, Shoji."

Locke reached into the truck, retrieving a packet of material. He handed this to Tanis. "These are falsified IDs, rank insignia for your uniforms, and transfer papers authorizing you entrance to the Personnel Facility," he explained in a louder voice as the XK101 took off toward the horizon. "With this sudden increase in workload, numerous others have been transferred to our facility on a daily basis to help out. Your presence will be explained to anyone who asks that you've been brought in to assist."

Tanis pulled out several smaller envelopes from the larger one and distributed them to the team. "Taro," he said as he handed one to her, "is now Sal-Sgt. Genera Ralaney, transferred over from Balan Command. Sam, yer new identity is Sal-Sgt. Jeska Anteola. Ya have come in from the computer facility at Yasha-Nor. Duffy will be Bar-Lieutenant Ridel Roscom from Fengail Station, an ex-pilot who's been grounded by an injury." He glanced at his own envelope and said, "I am Den-Medic Lylas Kykendol, and I've been demoted from Kor-Chief at Sardis."

"If everyone will climb into the back of the truck, we'll be on our way," said Locke. "We still have a two-hour drive to the facility and there's another stop to make before we report in. I suggest all of you try to get familiar with your new identities."

"How did you get away from your job to come get us?" Samantha asked.

Locke opened the door to the truck. " I had orders to pick up more personnel. That's the other stop I have to make – to pick up my legit transfers."

The truck had been rumbling along the dusty desert road for nearly an hour. Locke informed them it would be another half hour before they would pick up his other personnel. Taro rode up front with the short tan fox, casually chatting to while away the time; the others rode out the bumps in the canvas-covered back.

They had discussed their mission until they were all tired of the subject and had fallen silent during the hot and dusty ride. Tanis stared dully out the open back of the truck, letting his eyes unfocus with the retreating terrain. Duffy had his eyes closed and Samantha was toying with a palm-sized datapak programmed with all her familiar decryption software.

After a long while, Tanis rubbed his eyes and glanced back at the Siberian husky who seemed to be unaffected by the heat. He assumed the canine's double coat of fur insulated him against the heat as well as cold temperatures. "Hey, Duffy," he said quietly.

The husky opened his ice blue eyes and looked over at him. "Yeah?" he replied.

"Have ya ever been to the pleasure houses on Quet?" Tanis asked casually.

Samantha looked up the medic, giving him an odd look for asking such a thing, but Duffy did not seem bothered by the query. He answered the question without really seeming to think about it. "Yeah, a long time ago," he replied, "after I left Nalirra." He stretched and arched his back. He glanced at his watch, and saw there was still plenty of time to kill. He closed his eyes again and said, "I transported miners to Quet several times and usually stopped in to play while there. Not much else to do on that rotted planet, but I was paid well to ferry workers in so they could dig for micronite."

"When was that?" Tanis asked carefully. Samantha gave him another dirty look. Perhaps this was what old military buddies talked about, but it did not seem the kind of topic Tanis would normally bring up; he was usually vocal about avoiding pleasure houses like a plague. He ignored Sam's gazes, staring back out at the receding road behind them.

"I dunno…" Duffy replied lazily, "probably around eighteen years since I was there last. Why – you thinking of going and need a recommendation?"

"Not making any plans to that place," Tanis answered, "but I've heard things about the spaceport there. Just wondered."

"Forget it," Duffy said after a moment. "Unless you're just desperate for attention, I wouldn't bother with Quet's pleasure houses. The best ones are on Mainor."

"Were on Mainor," Tanis reminded him with a frown.

"Yeah… I suppose that moves Kantus up to the number one spot, then," Duffy replied. "Not that there's much chance of me ever getting back there again -- not for that reason, anyway."

Tanis nodded in understanding and let the conversation die. Samantha watched Tanis closely and he seemed to be turning something over in his mind. If she knew him as well as she thought she did, his question to Duffy had been anything but casual.

Durant was against the idea, but Renny's insistence had finally won out. Since they were informed that it would be another day before the Blue Horizon could be unloaded, the navigator had no intention of just sitting on his hands. He had struck up a friendship with Captain Victoria Ros of the Cherry Blossom wanting to visit with her and the rest of her feline crew. With the Nalirran restrictions, however, he was forbidden to leave his ship just to get over to the other freighter. Finally, after making a suggestion to Ros, it was decided to couple the two ships together with their extendable walkway so they could move between the two freighters without violating the Nalirran edict. Durant had been opposed to it, not so much for the logistics of aligning the ship hatches, but for the fact that the extendable walkway was designed only for zero-gee use. Its bottom was not built to withstand weight in a planetary environment. When Pockets suggested that Renny could float across on Samantha's anti-grav computer cushion, Durant finally relented.

The Blue Horizon had to lift off a few meters above the ground, and then rotate on its axis until its hatch lined up with the Cherry Blossom's main airlock. The move caused quite a stir with Sal-Sgt. Veers, but by the time the hyena had managed to get someone to answer his rants over the Com channel, the deed had been completed and the Horizon was resting on the ground once more.

Renny could hardly wait to visit with Captain Ros; he was on his way to find the floating pillow as soon as he had powered down the flight systems.

"Report in to your supervisors," Locke told the new transfers after the truck had come to a halt outside the Personnel Facility. He pulled a notepad from his vest pocket and flipped it open. "Guidonay, report to Gun-Sergeant Wibberly on the third floor in section four. Masari, you and Jitloff report in to Raf-Captain Bokmun on the fourth floor in section three."

"Yessir," replied a young jackal who had been leering at Samantha's cleavage for the past hour. The other two, a cocker spaniel and a golden retriever muttered their acknowledgement and trudged toward the building without looking back. It was clear neither were happy with this reassignment.

Locke moved closer to his team and lowered his voice after the others had gone. "Just a final word…" he said.  "As you can tell from those two, morale is not very high at this place, so when you meet someone in the halls, try not to look anyone directly in the eye. You might give yourself away if you seem too friendly or direct. Don't seem too cowed if a superior officer confronts you, either. They don't expect much cooperation from the new personnel brought in, and they don't really even care. The work is important to Nalirra, but I can tell you that nobody here gives a rip."

The desert fox gestured toward a small metallic insect clinging beneath the lapel of his vest collar. "I'll be monitoring Duffy's miniature DataCom units if you get into any trouble. Try not to use them if you can keep from it. They have a short range that won't extend far beyond the walls of this building, but I have no way of knowing if their signals can be monitored here." He looked at each one of them and then asked, "Any last questions before we go in?"

No one said anything. They had gone over their plans and rehearsed their parts so much in the last couple of weeks that they all knew what they were to do. Locke nodded, and then motioned for them to follow him to the main entrance to the place.

The Personnel Facility was a multi-level block building, the outside appearance nondescript against the surrounding scrub vegetation, tropical trees, and sand dunes of the oasis. Samantha was beginning to wonder if all of Nalirra was this arid and dusty, even though Tanis had assured her that only a small part of the planet was desert region. The claycrete blocks of the building's exterior were weather worn and crumbling in places, and the solar panels atop the roof were in poor shape. There were other outbuildings surrounding the structure in the small post and all looked as if they were in serious need of repair. Locke opened the front door gently; the rusted metal handle was loose and the hinges protested against the grit between them.

The team moved inside. It took them a moment to let their eyes adjust to the dimness inside while people hustled up and down the hallways, most laden with stacks of paper folders. Taro blinked several times and noted that the interior was not getting much brighter. Half the bulbs in the light sockets above were off, and those that did burn illuminated the entrance hall only enough for them to see where they were going.

"No wonder morale's down," she whispered to Samantha. "I'd be depressed if I had to work in this dim light all the time, too."

"We had a severe dust storm last week that damaged the solar panels on the roof," Locke explained. "Power is low and is limited only to important equipment. Of course, everyone feels there is a need to run their systems due to the increased workload, but things like coffee pots and water fountains aren't currently allowed."

Tanis moved up to Locke's side to whisper something to him and Taro smiled to herself at the sight of the two fennec foxes walking side by side. Tanis was an inch shorter than Locke was, and his facial markings were a little different, but to someone who did not know Tanis as well as she and Samantha did, the two of them might have looked like brothers.

Locke led them across the small entrance hall to a cross corridor, and without a final word, Locke led Sam and Taro toward the right, while Tanis and Duffy turned to the left toward a nearby stairwell. Operation Rainbow had begun, and each of them would now have to rely upon their memorization of the building's floor plan and their current identities.

At the stairwell, Tanis and Duffy separated. One file storeroom was on the first floor around the next corner, but another redundant file room was on the fourth floor at the opposite side of the building near the Infirmary. Duffy continued down the hallway. Tanis disappeared up the stairs.

Tanis fought the urge to take the steps two at a time, but someone was descending from the second floor with an armful of folders. An Irish setter glanced over at him above the top of her load, but she did not smile. She stumbled on a step, almost falling headfirst, but Tanis stretched out an arm and caught her about the waist. Papers from the top three folders plunged off her stack and scattered below, but at least the young canine had not joined them.

"Th-thank you, sir," she muttered to Tanis. "I might have…"

"Pick up yer papers," the desert fox grumbled. He resisted the urge to give her hand, but he had to play his part, being inconsiderate to the lowly file clerk.

"Yessir," she mumbled. Tanis left her to navigate the rest of the paper-strewn stairs with the armload of folders. When he reached the second floor landing, he proceeded through a door into a busy office and skirted between the cubicles as if he were familiar with where he were going. No one looked up at him. None asked his business. They were used to seeing new faces on practically an hourly basis, so he was not even noticed.

He had to mount two more sets of stairs to get to the document center he had been assigned to work, and from memory, he placed the next stairwell at the other end of his current room. Uniformed canine personnel sat at their desks poring through documents, new and old. Only a select few actually had working computer terminals to research those offworld who had separated from Nalirran service. The overall disarray of the entire undertaking encouraged Tanis. Operation Rainbow could actually work out as planned.