"The Choice" Copyright 2002 Standard disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and is not intended to portray any actual events, persons living or dead, or any character in a virtual environment or from any other printed work. Any resemblance to any of the above that may occur is purely incedental and unintentional. The skiltaire species is the invention of Mark Merlino. THE CHOICE ========== Lyssa woke as the first rays of the morning sunlight poured in from the partially shuttered glassless window over the head of the bed. She stretched her long musteline body out languidly before opening her eyes expecting to find her mistress still asleep beside her as usual, but this morning it seemed Ketli had awoken before her for a change and had seen fit to let her sleep in. Confident that all was well Lyssa padded over to the side of the bed and hopped down bouncing over to draw herself a warm bath in the adjacent bathroom. She checked the stream coming from the tap for optimal temperature and while the basin filled she collected her shampoo and towels and experimented with the fur dryer booth. Since her mistress had it installed a few weeks ago she had been having the best time playing with this little luxury, sometimes hopping in there just so she could get all floofy and parade around the house like that much to Ketli's amusement. The tub finished filling and she promtly slipped into the water and frolicked a bit in the warm bath before grabbing her shampoo and scrubbing her fur fastidiously as was her morning routine. She finished and stepped out onto one towel while using another to pat enough of the water out of her fur that she wouln't leave wet pawprints all over the floor on her way to the fur dryer booth. Satisfied she was suitably damp and no longer dripping she got into the fur dryer, closed the door, and hit the contact which started the multidirectional jets of warm air drying out her fur from virtualy every angle. It was over with far too soon and she emerged from the booth with her fur fluffed out comically. She considered momentarily prancing out into the main living area of the apartment she shared with her mistress but decided against it. She was a little less silly than usual and she wanted to find out what had called Ketli so urgently that she would have left their warm bed without their usual snuggle and furbrushing ritual. She brushed out her own fur, making it smooth and neat and fully presentable, and she then left the bedroom and padded down the hall to the living room looking for her mistress. She found her looking over her infoviewer, some piece of correspondance apparently absorbing so much of her attention that she didn't even notice Lyssa's arrival. "Mistress?" Lyssa chirred questioningly as she approached halfway, reluctant to distract the mink. Ketli turned with a start and then smiled warmly and held her arms open, inviting her little Skiltaire to hop into her lap. "Good morning, pet. Forgive me for leaving you alone this morning. I had something I wanted to check up on first thing and thought you might enjoy sleeping in a little. Lessa jumped up into her owner's lap and hugged her tight, her fluffy almost squirrel-like tail which was characteristic of the aboreal variety of her species flicking happily back and forth. "Not as much as I enjoy waking up with you, Mistress," she chirred softly, brushing the mink's cheek affectionately with the very tips of her antennae. "I know sweetie, but I have been waiting to hear back from someone," Ketli replied, warmly embracing her devoted pet. She pulled Lyssa a small ways from her and looked down at her, her face growing serious. "Lyssa, are you happy with me? I mean do you enjoy living as a pet?" she asked, watching the skiltaire's face. Lyssa looked completely confused. "Of course I do," she chittered softly in reply and then her ears flattened and she looked crestfallen. "Are you unhappy with me?" she said in a very small voice, thinking that perhaps the reason for the question was that her mistress was dissatisfied with her in some way. "Oh no! No, my dear," Ketli cried, scooping up her pet into her arms and petting her headfur reassuringly. "No, I only ask because there are so many options available to you now. Your species was finally officially recognized two years ago as an intelligent race and given full rights of citizenship in the Alliance. I don't want to hold you back from being all you can become." "But I'm happy being with you, being your pet," Lyssa replied, burying her nose in her mistress's chestfur. "I wouldn't want to be or do anything else. I love you," she chirred in heartfelt devotion. Ketli couldn't help but smile at her dear pet's open devotion and she stroked a paw down her long body, letting her fingertips trace each of the skiltaire's twin vermillion stripes that ran lengthwise down her back in stark contrast to her otherwise unblemished pelt of brilliant white. "I know my dear beloved pet. I know. I just don't want your love to be blind simply because you don't know anything else." She set Lyssa on her knee and continued. "Which is why I have arranged for you to spend some time working on a luxury liner for the next couple of thirtydays. Now, now," she said, cutting off any squeaks of protest from her pet. "I have been looking into something like this for some time now and it has taken a great deal of effort to arrange this particular cruise at this time." "But Mistress!" Lyssa protested as the mink paused to take a breath. "A couple of thirtydays.. away from you?! I can't do it, I just can't!" She clung to Ketli's fur, wrapping her tail around her owner's leg possessively. "Nonsense, it will do you good my dear. Just think of all the mud you won't have to wash out of your fur day after day; this will be just in time to miss the worst of the rainy season." She smiled tenderly at her little adorable skiltaire and gently tipped her head up with a fingertip under the mustelid's chin so that she was looking up into her mistresses face. "I have your best interests in mind, my sweet," she said softly. "You will be given a choice when the cruise is over whether you wish to continue your new independance or if you wish to return to me as my faithful and devoted pet again. I love you dearly, Lyssa. You know that don't you?" "I know," Lyssa replied, nodding and feeling a little reassured if a bit uncertain yet about the prospect of spending such a long time away from her mistress. "I will be able to teleview you every day while I'm away, right?" Ketli shook her head slowly, a shadow crossing her face. "No dear, not for this trip. The point is for you to get away from me for a long enough to make a clear decision and keeping in contact would defeat the purpose. But never fear," she added, brightening immediately. "When you get back you can tell me all about it, no matter what you choose. And I'll expect that of you, Lyssa. Do you understand?" Lyssa nodnodded enthusiastically and tried to smile bravely. "I do and I will!" she chirped and hugged her owner tight. "When am I leaving, Mistress?" "This afternoon," Ketli replied, all businesslike as she glanced back over at her infoviewer screen. "I just got the final confirmation this morning. It was a little tricky landing this particular liner but in the end I am pleased with how well it has all turned out all things considered." She scrolled down a few paragraphs and continued, Lyssa peeking over the edge of the table curiously. Normally she would not have the presumptuousness to read her mistress' mail but since it directly concerned her she didn't think Ketli would mind. "You'll be working aboard the Western Star, a cruiser which takes passengers along the outer rim resorts from Altair to Padriam 4 hitting all points of interest in between. It says here," she scrolled down a bit more, "that you'll be serving as a passenger assistant and your title will be 'hostess'." She turned the console away without reading the rest of the message. "I have been looking into this and these cruises are one of the most common transitional positions for pet skiltaire moving into independance. It looked perfect for you and I've met with the crew personally." "Yes mistress," Lyssa chirred compliantly, obviously not at all thrilled with the prospects. Ketli kissed the top of her pet's head. "You will enjoy it, you'll see," she said reassuringly. "And we will see each other again. I look forward to hearing all about your grand adventure. I've been thinking of going on one of these cruises myself sometime and I'd like to know what it is like; I'm depending on you to check this out for me." Lyssa smiled and hugged the mink again. "Yes my Mistress," she chirred a bit more heartedly. "Good!" Ketli replied, setting Lyssa down. "Let's get your things together. I've got a little backpack for your personal effects, though you'll have whatever clothing and necessities you might need provided to you by the cruise company." They spent the rest of the morning gathering the few things of importance to her such as her favorite furbrush and the expensive shampoo Ketli insisted on buying for her, and in the process enjoyed some much needed snuggle time, stocking up for the long days ahead. When the transport arrived to pick her up, Ketli walked with her pet to the door and then bent down and removed her collar, the only thing she ever wore. Lyssa started to protest and Ketli hushed her with a simple guesture with her finger. "From now on you are your own person. If you want it back when you return I'll give it to you, but until then you are freewoman Lyssa and it's time you started thinking of yourself like that." Her expression softened and she smiled warmly and a little sadly. "I love you dearly, Lyssa." Lyssa's tail drooped a little and she felt her neck with her hand, missing the familiar comforting weight of her collar, so much a part of her identity. "I love you too, Mis.. Ketli," she corrected herself mid-word, trying to comply with the mink's wishes. "Good girl!" Ketli exclaimed, "Now, tail up my dear. You don't want to be needing wash the mud out of your plume the minute you arrive. I don't know for sure but I wouldn't count on having the benefit of a fur drier either." She grinned and watched Lyssa climb into the transport and speed off for the cruise liner's crew training facility. She stood there for quite some time, watching as the transport faded to merely a dot and then turned a corner and was gone, yet still she stood watching in the distance as if by the force of her desire she could conjure up an image of the vehicle as it carried her beloved skiltaire to her destination. With a heavy sigh she turned and walked back inside and closed the door to her apartment. It was only a one-room apartment but for some reason it felt much bigger all of a sudden -- far to big for just her anyway. She walked over to the refrigerator and peeked inside, finally decided on a chocolate pudding she'd hidden in the back to keep Lyssa from finding and eating it, and then pulled a spoon from a drawer and a holocube from another drawer below and sat down on the couch. She pressed a hidden contact on the cube and set it on the coffee table while she tucked her legs under her and slowly spooned small bites of pudding. Pictures, both stillframes and some full motion, began to display in the air above the coffee table. Images and movies that Ketli had taken of Lyssa those first few years that she had had her. Lyssa had been a present from a friend who had rescued the tiny skiltaire from an illegal fur farm. Her friend had been part of a task force trying to stop furriers from using skiltaire as another one of their standard wares, especially with the decision as to whether the species should be given full rights as an intelligent species was nearing a conclusive verdict and it looked like the decision would fall in the skiltaires' favor. Lyssa had been barely old enough to be weaned at the time, a tiny ball of fluff and teeth who was as likely to nip at or zap an unwary hand as she was to curl up in a ball in just anyfur's lap and fall asleep at a moment's notice. Ketli grinned a bit at a couple of the pictures that flashed by: Lyssa learning how to eat with utensils; giving Lyssa a bath in the sink.. *That* had been quite a learning experience. There's no more painful way to discover just how effective a skiltaire's electrogenitive power is than to dunk an unwilling one into water without the proper protective gear. Ketli sighed softly as the display fell silent, the last of the images lingering for twice as long as the others before shutting off automatically -- Lyssa beaming at the camera with red berry juice from some desert absolutely coating her muzzle and paws. She took the uneaten portion of her pudding and set it in the sink to wash later and put the holocube away, making her way to the bedroom. She opened the closet door and got down a small wicker basket with an overstuffed pillow sized to fit settled inside. Lyssa's old bed. She'd only used it for the first few thirtydays they had been together, both having come to some kind of unspoken mutual agreement early on that whatever Ketli's bed was it was Lyssa's too. She dusted it off and set the pillow in the wash bin, then set the basket next to her bed. "We should have use of this again," she said softly to herself and with a small grin laid down to take a nap. ====================== Lyssa looked out the back window of the transport vehicle watching her mistress (Ketli, she corrected herself) until it rounded a corner and her dear mink was lost to sight. She turned around and looked a bit at the seat and the items close at hand; vidscreen showing some first-run flat-screen movie, outlets for earpieces, a channel selector. She punched the channel selector a few times but quickly bored with that game and decided to take a nap. It seemed as if she'd just shut her eyes when she was startled awake by a gentle tapping on her arm. She reflexively sent current through her before looking to see who had disturbed her sleep, frightfully disoriented not to wake up in her own bed. There was a soft chuckle and she turned to look into a face that could almost have been her own. Almost. A male skiltaire stood there next to the transport patiently, his solid white coat a mirror of her own except the single broad stripe of brilliant blue which she could see on the top of his head. She just looked at him for a few long moments as she slowly began to realize where she was and why she was here. "I suppose your former owner has the wherewithal to cover the additional cost of sitting here and looking at each other for hours on end in the transport miss Lyssa, but perhaps we can continue this lively banter in the comfort of the lobby? It will be raining again soon," he looked meaningfully up at the sky and then back at Lyssa and grinned warmly. "Oh!" she exclaimed and undid her saftey harness and stepped out of the transport. The door closed with a pneumatic hiss and then the vehicle was gone with a faint whirr of the gravitic engines. The male smiled and dipped his muzzle to her, sending her an empathic greeting in the manner of their species; his current perception of himself and his tenative expectation of his relationship to her as teacher and potential friend. She replied in kind sending her current perception of herself and her tenative expectation of her relationship to him as student and pet. The whole exchange took no more than about two seconds. The male frowned. "I am not your new owner, Lyssa," he said firmly. Lyssa lowered her eyes, her ears flatting. He shook his head and placed his paws on either side of her face and tilted her chin up to look at him again. "I know the adjustment is going to be difficult for you, especially at first," he said in a quiet voice, smiling reassuringly to her. "My name is Erik by the way. Well my REAL name is Erk, but the management doesn't think that sounds professional enough for the head host, so.." He rolled his eyes expressively and Lyssa couldn't help but giggle. She relaxed a bit and adjusted her small backpack as Erik looked her over. He frowned again. "I was told that you were eight years old, but you can't be more than five," he half accused. "I *am* eight," Lyssa replied defensively. "My mistress, I mean my friend Ketli thinks that the farm where I was born bred me for my fur pattern and that later generations would eventually be full sized," she explained, recalling an old conversation that she had had very little interest in at the time. Erik managed to suppress a shudder and simply nodded, offering his paw to the girl. "Let's get inside before it starts to rain," he said and started to walk her inside, silently cursing whoever was responsible for instilling the idea in his race that things like fur farms were simply another part of life. Lyssa picked up on his mood as she stumbled along, quite unused to walking bipedally for any length of time. "Have.. have I said something to upset you?" she chirred, looking downcast again. Erik shook his head firmly and continued to lead her towards the front door of the training center. "You are not upsetting me, Lyssa. It's nothing, don't worry about it." He chuckled at her attempts to keep up, even though he was walking slowly. "A big portion of your training is going to be learning to walk for long periods of time. Our customers prefer to be shown around by bipedal hosts and hostesses. It is a pride thing I think," he whispered to her conspiratorially. "If we led them in the way that is natural for us, many of them would feel like they were being led by someone's pet." Lessa grimaced a bit as she tripped and then righted herself with Erik's strong hand to steady her. She looked up at him and huffed. "Silly creatures anyway. I'd like to see *them* down on all paws and see how well they liked it." But that was only a token rebellion and she was starting to make her way a bit more surely as they reached the automatic sliding glass doors of the training center. The next 4 weeks were full of activity. Lyssa's days were quite full as she learned the layout of the cruiseliner she would be serving on and the names, rank, and responsibilities of the officers. At night, she and the other 19 skiltaire who would be working with her all slept together on a large round overstuffed pillow, oftentimes chittering happily and sharing the latest gossip until Erik came in and ordered lights out. Her days were usually far too busy to think about it and by nighttime she was so tired that she didn't have a chance to truly experience homesickness, but she still missed her mistress terribly. Finally the weekend of the liner's departure had arrived. Erik fitted all of the skiltaire (they were all female) with new navy blue collars bearing the name of the cruise company and then the bar and circle of their position as hostesses. Much to Lyssa's surprise and delight this was the extent of their uniform. She had in the weeks of her training become quite good at moving about bipedally and it was a confident and self-assured Lyssa that greeted the guests as they arrived in the main promenade. A middle-aged female indigo chromat caught her eye as she walked past the gangplank and then gazed around her looking lost. Lyssa walked over to her and chirped, "May I help you ma'am?" The chromat looked down and smiled. "Aren't you adorable! What is your name sweetie?" "I'm Lyssa," the little skiltaire piped up, smiling back. "Very pleased to meet you miss Lyssa," the chromat replied. "I'm Madeline. I wonder if you might be able to tell me where my room is so that put my things away before I start exploring?" She held out her passenger's information card. Lyssa took it and looked it over briefly. "Deck two cabin thirty-five. Certainly miss Madeline. If you like I can lead you there myself. Would you like me to summon an attendant to take your bags up there for you so that you can start looking around now instead?" "Oh my goodness, no," Madeline laughed, picking up her suitcase. "I packed light and I just wouldn't feel right roaming around aimlessly when I haven't got my things put away properly yet. Thank you very much for the offer miss Lyssa, and I would be delighted if you will show me the way." She leaned down and said in a low voice, "And it will save me the embarrassment of having to ask later." Lyssa grinned and nodded then led the chromat to her room, making sure to show her the guest card located on the nightstand which listed all the services available and how to get any other information she might need. By the time Lyssa returned to the promenade most of the guests had found or were on their way to finding their rooms. A young human woman, obviously in the later term of her pregnancy, was visibly alarmed as she looked at her. Her husband hurried to her side and led her down the hallway presumably to their cabin, but the woman gave a Lyssa a quick furtive glance. Erik slipped up behind her and whispered into her ear, "Be sure to leave them alone and unless you are helping other guests if they enter a room you are in leave it as quickly as you can graciously." "I don't understand," Lyssa replied in a low voice. Erik motioned her aside to a quiet side of the room. "There was a rumor spread by the early interstellar merchant fleets about how our species reproduced," he explained, keeping his voice low. "Someone came up with the silly idea that we could somehow influence the development of other species' children in the womb so that when they came to term the mother would deliver a Skiltaire child." Lyssa gave him an incredulous look. "I know. Crazy, hmm?" he chirped, grinning. "But still, a story that sensational spread as far and as long as it was.. Some believe it even though they don't consciously acknowlege it. So to make the trip more pleasant for everyone, we will give them their space. Understood?" Lyssa nodded her head and then they stepped back into the more densely populated portion of the promenade with the last influx of arrivals. One of the very last to board, a large human male with a shock of black slicked back hair and a 5 o'clock shadow casually scanned the room as he stepped off the gangplank. She could almost feel his eyes zero in on her and she stood there for a moment as he changed his direction to head towards her. She couldn't say why but something about the way he looked at her made her feel very uncomfortable, but she politely did her job and chirped, "May I help you sir?" "Perhaps, perhaps," the man drawled, looking her over. "What is your name, miss?" "My name is Lyssa and I will be one of your hostesses for this voyage," she replied. "Freewoman Lyssa?" he inquired. Lyssa nodded, quirking her head slightly to the side. The man seemed to consider something for a second and then hefted his backpack onto his shoulder. "I'll find my own way to my cabin, freewoman Lessa. Thank you very much for the offer. Perhaps we will have a chance to chat later." Lyssa looked after the man who hadn't even given her his name for a few moments longer and then turned back to what was left of the crowd of passengers on the promenade. The gangplank had been withdrawn and all was ready for launch so she walked to her assigned hallway to answer any guests questions or be of whatever kind of assistance she could as everyone readied themselves for takeoff. The launch itself was relatively uneventful. Everything ran on gravitic drives now and there wasn't even the sensation of liftoff or acceleration as the ship left the atmosphere and headed to the rim of the star system to make the jump into hyperspace. Though she desperately wanted to, Lyssa did not have the opportunity to get to a window to watch as the ship departed. By the time she was finally able to get free to look her home was far far behind, just another point of light among thousands of others. <<-------- out of ideas for cruise scenes - moving on.. -------->> The last port of call for the Western Star was Serak, and by this time most everyone both crew and passengers alike were ready to start heading for home. Which is why the itenerary only called for a one day stay and why Serak was chosen as the last port; within just a few minutes by transport from the stardock tourists could choose from a variety of sports, sights, and amusments from casino gambling to one of the finest visual art museums in the quadrant to cave diving in the nearby lagoon. Lyssa breezed through her morning duties and after a quick double-check and updating her log she signed out to take her alloted 4 hours of shore leave. She left the busy concourse of the starport through the large brass revolving door and took a deep breath of the fresh air outside. Every planet had it's own distinctive underlying scent - Serak's was quite pleasant, almost sweet, and Lyssa decided right then that no matter what she ended up doing today it would definitely be outdoors. She walked the dozen or so meters over to the large infoboard posted along the main walkway and watched the section devoted to sports and activities to see what might catch her eye. There! She touched a spot on the screen to pause it for a better look. Botanical gardens had never seemed very interesting to her before, but something about the peacefulness and beauty claimed by the ad of the Saldecott Memorial Gardens was very appealing, and it was located right beside the starport property. The walk was a brief one but long enough to let her unwind a bit and enjoy the pleasant weather. A large traditional stone wall and archway announced the entrance of the Gardens and an equally traditional brass plaque embedded in the stone to one side spelled out a short biography of the woman in whose name the gardens were established (which Lyssa didn't bother to read of course). Once inside, Lyssa took a moment to take in the whole sight before her before deciding to persue the path that seemed the more floral of the four that branched out from the main atrium. The colors and scents of the floral path were very pleasing inviting the curious skiltaire to sniff at least one of every kind that was close enough to the path to do so. As she leaned over to smell a patch of tiny blue blanket cover flowers, something glinted in the diffused sunlight not very far ahead. She lifted her head a few centimeters and peered closely. There it was again - something definitely shiny and moving back behind the main display. Lyssa cautiously dropped to all fours, looking around to make sure no one noticed her getting into the flower bed, and then weaved her way between the bushes and stands of larger stalks in the direction of the flashes of reflected sunlight. 4 meters or so from the walkway behind several rows of shrubs and flowers stood a cluster of the strangest plant Lyssa had ever seen. Long thick purple stalks almost bare of foliage stood at roughly twice her height. The few perfectly circular leaves along the trunk were attached at regular intervals on either side of it to form what looked like a natural ladder leading to the crown. At the top, a nest of the strange round leaves mostly obscured something that glinted tantalizingly, and Lyssa's curiousity was getting the better of her. She tested the strength of one of the leaves with her forepaw, then gingerly stepped onto one of the lower leaves with her foot. It held her easily. She slowly climbed the few steps to the crown, looking around nervously to make sure she wasn't being observed. She peeked her head over the top and there nestled into a nest-shaped depression of leaves was what appeared to be a shiny blue ball a little bit bigger around than her head. She wasn't exactly sure what to think of it, but she decided to reach over and touch it to see what it was exactly. It moved slightly but remained right where it was. She climbed up a little higher and leaned in to sniff it. That turned out to be a mistake - the whole stalk swayed dangerously and then broke near the top spilling Lyssa onto the ground. She chirped in surprise but rolled onto her feet immediately, unharmed by the short fall and ready to run as fast as her little legs would carry her. She knew she was in big trouble now. Surely someone would come find out what all the noise was and find out what she had done. She scurried over to a stand of bushes and hid among the dense foliage, waiting and hoping that they wouldn't find her. Several long anxious minutes passed but no one came. Slowly, cautiously, Lyssa peeked her head out and began to look for the best time and direction to find her way back to the path with none being the wiser for her detour. A flicker of light caught her eye. The 'ball' from the crown of the plant had broken free and now lay several meters from the stand of strange purple trunks. She padded quietly to go get it and put it near the plant it came from, thinking that she might delay discovery of her trespass long enough for her to leave and perhaps even long enough that she would be safely away in space before anyone found the broken plant. She picked it up and it slipped from her fingers, bouncing a little away from her. She bounced over to it and tried picking it up again with the same results. She smiled a little despite the desperation of her predicament. This ball was fun. She decided to bat it with her paw in the right direction since it was proving too slippery to hold. The ball did not roll in the way she had intended, instead it wobbled and moved jerkily as if something inside was causing it's center of gravity to be off. She giggled and tried it again, watching to see where it would end up. By now she was engrossed in playing with the ball and all thoughts of the danger she was in were very far away. She batted it around with her paws getting a feel for how it might move and wobble and then gave it a push and coiled her body into a crouch, waiting a moment with tail a-swish, and then pounced on the ball. It exploded, sending her sprawling and filling the air with a fine cloud of light blue pollen which drifted in the still air of the arboreatum. Lyssa rolled to a sitting position against the trunk of a nearby tree and as the shock and surprise wore off she laughed. How delightful! She simply had to have another one of those funny balls to play with, so she climbed another of the strange stalks and batted a pretty shiny pink one off of the crown of another plant, not breaking the stem this time. She played with it, laughing and chasing after it as she batted it around until she leaped onto it finally and it burst into a light blue cloud like the one before it. She was about to scale another of the ball plants when a firm hand grabbed her arm and spun her around to look into the angry face of a security officer. She was escorted to the stardock, her fur displaying her guilt for all to see as she was marched to the boarding area for the Western Star. Erik had been called and was waiting for her. One look though and he turned around and ran full tilt on all fours up the gangplank and disappeared somewhere inside. A few minutes later the captain walked down and after a few gruff words of apology he took Lyssa into custody, grabbing her by the scruff of her neck and carrying her bodily up into the ship. Lyssa played the part of the disgraced skiltaire very well, submitting to the humiliation with her head hung low, ears drooping, and tail dragging the ground as she was carried off without a squeak of protest. She was taken to her quarters and ordered to clean up; she would be dealt with later. It was well into the afternoon when someone finally knocked on her cabin door. She opened it and let Erik, who did not look the least bit upset, inside. He motioned for her to have a seat on the edge of her bed while he pulled up the chair from the small desk and turned it around to sit across from her. "I owe you an apology, Lyssa," he began in a quiet voice, reaching behind his head to rub a non-existant itch on the back of his neck. "I was supposed to be the one to meet you and the Saldecott people." Lyssa remained silent, waiting for him to continue. "But.." he began, his eyes lowered and a grin tugging at the corners of his muzzle, "when I saw your fur and realized exactly what had happened.." He looked up at her, a wide smile blossoming despite his obvious efforts to control it. "I almost burst out laughing right there," he said all in a rush. "I had to leave quickly before I made the situation even worse. The captain heared me yucking it up and came to see what was going on. Since I was basically incapacitated and the situation required someone with their wits about them in order to handle it in a way that would minimize the impact of this, er, event on the company, he took care of you himself." Lyssa nodded and sighed softly, her hands folded in her lap. She was feeling very small and foolish and wanted nothing more than to go home and cuddle with her mistress until she fell asleep in the mink's reassuring arms. Erik could see how badly she felt and he moved to sit on the bed beside her and wrap an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. "I know how awful things look right now but it really isn't as bad as you think. The BonBon plant is very rare, yes, but to the best that anyone's been able to determine so far it evolved to attract skiltaire to play with them. That's how it's pollen is dispersed, so you've probably done more good than harm today." Lyssa looked up at him curiously, her ears still drooping a little. "Besides," he continued, "if they didn't want us playing with them they should have put them in a glass enclosure or something. This isn't the first time this has happened." Lyssa was just about to ask Erik who and when had played with the BonBon plant display before, but as she opened her mouth to speak there was a quiet knock on the door. Erik gave her paw a little squeeze and then opened the door to let Lt. Marten, the ship's First Mate, in. He nodded to Erik and after a quick reassuring smile and wink the other skiltaire exited. Lt. Marten turned to Lyssa. "I have come with word from the captain, miss Lyssa. Off the record, we all find this pretty amusing and if it weren't for the need to appease certain important people here we would be just as happy to let you off with a warning and a note in your record." He smiled just the tiniest bit. "Unfortunately, there are certain people who need to feel like we are taking this very seriously," the man continued, "so the captain has ordered that I escort you to the brig where you will remain for the remainder of the day until we are off-planet." Lyssa nodded softly, her eyes downcast. "Everything considered though, the company won't be taking this out of your pay and there will be no record of this even in your file. I am sure the humiliation of this will be suitable deterrent to any repeat behavior, yes?" Lyssa nodded again. He smiled and held out his hand and Lyssa hopped down to her feet to take it and the two left the room for the lift to the lower deck where the brig lay. As they were descending she looked up at the officer and chirred, "May I ask you something?" "Certainly," he replied. "Erik mentioned just before you came in that this had happened before?" The big man smiled. "Yes, two years ago we had this same situation." "Who was it?" she asked. The lift settled and the doors opened. "Erik," Lt. Marten replied, grinning. He walked her down the short hallway to the open doorway leading to three bare cells. He pressed a contact on a control panel at the desk and the door to one cell slid open noislessly. He motioned her inside and once she was in fully he touched another button and the clear panel door slid closed again with a small hiss and a click of magnetic locks clamping it in place. "I am sorry Lyssa, but there will be no one to keep you company. We will be lifting off in just under 4 hours and all officers are busy making ready for departure. As soon as we are safely away, someone will be down to come get you." Lyssa nodded and sat down on the edge of the hard resin slab which served as a bed as he left the room. There is no worse punishment for a skiltaire than to leave him or her in an empty room with nothing to do and no one to talk to. She fidgeted, trying her best to stay still for a while, but after about 10 minutes she stood up and walked the perimeter of her small 3m X 3m cell examining anything that looked like it might be of interest. That took almost a minute. She turned on the sink and splashed cold water on her face and then shook it out, making her facefur all stick-outy and silly. Then she thought the best thing she could do is take a nap to wait out her time, but she just couldn't figure out a way to get comfortable either on or under the bed. Jumping on the bed was no fun without springs in the mattress and various gymnastics she tried to keep herself occupied weren't helping a lot. She was bored and lonely and although she knew she had put herself in this position she was so miserable she sat down on the floor and yowled, hoping someone would hear and come rescue her. After about 10 minutes, a face did peek around the corner of the door. "Will you knock off with the racket already?" It was the gentleman who had made her feel so uneasy that first day when all the passengers were boarding. He looked back behind him and then stepped in and up to the cell where Lyssa sat, wiping her eyes. "Hello," she chirred softly. "Hello yourself, freewoman Lyssa," he said, putting his hands on his hips. "We've all heared what happened and there's nobody too thrilled to hear how the cap'n treated ya." He squatted down to get eye level with her. "Look, how 'bout I get you out of here for a couple of hours and when we're just about to fly the coup I bring you back with no one the wiser? Whaddaya say, huh?" Lyssa wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of spending any time with this guest, but she was desperately lonely and no other options presented themselves. She nodded quietly and the man stood and walked over to the desk and pressed the release for her cell door. She padded out on all fours, then stood and walked over to the man. "I really appreciate this," she chirred softly. "I didn't think I was going to be able to take another minute in there!" "No problem," the man replied, doing something on the desktop that she couldn't see, "I've been wanting to get a chance for us to spend some time together since the minute I first laid eyes on ya." Lyssa took a little half step back and started to stammer something in reply but with a swift motion he pinned her back to his chest and a cloth with something that smelled terrible was placed over her nose and the end of her muzzle, forcing her to hold her breath or breathe in the fumes. She struggled in his arms and sent several large jolts of electricity coursing through her body, but he had prepared for this, wearing gloves and a wire leading from his shirt was attached to the metal bench, presumably a grounding point. She started to black out from the fumes and with her last conscious thought she sent a desperate plea for help to her mistress.. ------------- Ketli woke with a start. What a terrible dream she had been having! The details of the nightmare began to unravel from conscious thought quickly upon her awakening and she could not recall exactly what events had taken place but she still had that uneasy feeling that someone was stalking her. She looked over at the clock; 4:02am. She groaned and crawled out from under the covers, grabbing her bathrobe as she headed into the kitchen to make herself some warm milk in the hopes it would calm her and let her salvage another couple of hours of sleep. She got out a small saucepan and poured a little more than a glass worth of milk into it and set it to simmer on the stove, then grabbed a book she wasn't really interested in to read while she waited for the milk to heat up. After just a couple of minutes she tested the milk with her finger, decided it was sufficiently warm for her purposes and then picked up the saucepan and turned to the counter on the other side of the small kitchen where her milk glass sat. She lost her hold on the saucepan as sensations flooded over her, being restrained and terrified, suffocating, and a picture of a metal desk in a stark utilitarian room. The saucepan bounced and splashed warm milk all over the floor and her feet but Ketli barely noticed. "Lyssa?" she said quietly. "My god, Lyssa what's happening?!" she cried and ran for the videophone, dialing frantically.. ------------- "Erik, sir?" A young page walked over to the head skiltaire and handed him a note. "We got a call from corporate; seems Lyssa's former owner wants someone to check on her." Erik opened the note and read quickly, his tailtip twitching a bit. "Thank you Randy, I'll look into it immediately." The page nodded and went back to his duties and Erik walked to the nearest lift, climing on as the doors opened. He did not know Ketli well but what communication he had had with her as she was arranging for Lyssa to be a part of the crew compliment had lead him to believe she was not a nut nor an alarmist. Why she would think that Lyssa was in danger and needed someone to check on her immediately was baffling and certainly worthy of prompt attention. The lift stopped and he walked down the hall to the brig. There was no one there, not even Lyssa. He pressed a contact on the desk and the intercom chirped to life. "Lt. Marten, please come to the nearest comlink. Lt. Marten to the com." he declared. A few seconds passed before the two-way indicator flared and the first mate's voice replied, "Marten here." "Lieutennant, didn't you put Lyssa in the brig after I left?" Erik asked. "Yes, I walked her down just moments afterwards, why?" "She's not here," Erik replied, the fur on his neck rising. "What do you mean she's not there? I put here there myself." "I'm telling you she's not here. I'm down in the brig right now and there's no one here." The lieutenant cursed and then replied, "Someone must have let her out then because when I left she was sealed in there good and tight. I didn't have anyone free to watch her." "Marten, I'd like the ship searched quietly. I got a note from her owner that she was in trouble which is why I came down here in the first place to check. IF someone has her and he or she hears us make some kind of announcement about it.." He let his voice trail off. "Have your girls tell the guests that liftoff will be slightly delayed because of some local weather anomaly or something and I'll get some of the crew to looking for her. If she's snuck off with someone though she's going to be in the brig for the rest of the trip." "I understand and thank you, Lieutenant. I'll have the girls looking too while we talk to the guests." He cut the com link and then ran over to the lift, heading for the main promenade level. As he walked the floor, he instructed the other skiltaire what to tell the guests and had them use the delay as an opportunity for a quality check of the rooms. He himself covered Lyssa's floor, going from door to door and checking the rooms for any sign of her discretely while explaining to the guests that were there about the 'weather delays'. He finished with the guest rooms and opened the door to a supply closet that the housekeeping staff used for the cabins on that floor. Everything was as expected, but as he heared the soft sound of metal scraping against a hard surface. He opened the door again and stepped inside. The sound repeated itself and it almost seemed as if it was in front of him. He pushed some towels aside that were covering the back wall of the closet and found that a section of the bulkhead here had been cut with some kind of precision torch which allowed the original piece to be placed back in it's original spot so that a casual glance would reveal nothing was wrong. Erik closed himself in the closet and slowly cautiously peeled the cut section back. There was light beyond revealing various crates and excess supplies - and a scene from something one expects to find only in fiction. Lyssa was tied spread eagle to the side of one large crate, her wrists and ankles bound tightly with yellow nylon rope. She appeared to have been drugged, her head and tail drooped lifelessly but every once in a while she'd moan softly and Erik could see her eyes were open. She was also gagged and muzzled. As Erik quietly padded closer the man sharpened a small scalpel against what looked like a steel grey brick. He was humming something softly to himself as he worked. He finally set both knife and stone aside and reached for a small phial which had been sitting on the crate he was using as a makeshift workbench. "Wake up dear," he sang waving the phial under Lyssa's nose a few times. Lyssa groaned and lifted her head, her nose wrinkling in displeasure at the smell of whatever was in that phial. The man smiled and reached for her face, holding her muzzled jaw in his fingers as he turned her head this way and that, looking her over appraisingly. "You are the prettiest thing," the man mused. "I can't say that I've ever seen one of your kind that was quite so lovely 'cept maybe your boyfriend with the blue stripe." Erik realized the man was referring to him. "but one at a time. There's always time, my dear, but not for you I'm afraid." He reached for the knife, picking up the silver blade in one leather-enclosed glove. "Your pelt will bring me a good deal of money, enough for 5 cruises at least." Erik's blood turned to ice as he realized what the man was about to do. He stayed where he was hiding behind some crates two short meters away and tried to figure out what to do. There wasn't time to go for help. Lyssa's eyes widened in fear and she started straining at her bonds in a desperate attempt to free herself. The man smiled a little, watching her. "I hope you don't think me too cruel if I let you stay awake while I take your pelt? I have always felt it was rude to remove such personal property from a freewoman like yourself without her knowlege of it. And since you have no owner the legal machine will conduct only a cursory investigation and then drop it. After all you're only just another skiltaire and one with poor judgement at that." the man declared and tilted her head up exposing her throat and underside of her chin. Erik slowly slipped out of his hiding place crouched low to the ground. He wasn't sure what, but he was going to have to do something and right now if he was going to save Lyssa. He creeped a little closer just to make sure he was close enough and crouched in preparation for a pounce. He leaped at the man, not yelling or making any unnecessary sound to give him the maximum advantage of surprise he could manage. Tough aboreal skiltaire claws met fabric and flesh and dug in, hooking Erik to the back of Lyssa's torturer and the man whirled around with a cry of surprise and pain slashing blindly behind him with the scalpel. It was Erik's turn to cry in pain as the blade opened his thigh almost from his hip to his knee. It was a shallow cut however and despite the fount of blood that started to pour down his leg he did not lose his grip on his attacker. He sent a powerful charge through him and into the man - with no effect! The now enraged man was wearing electric-dissipative clothing. The poacher, for that is what he truly was, reached over his head and tried to stab at Erik's face. The male skiltaire avoided the blade and sent another shock through him with equal results as the first time. He was tiring fast and had to think up something. Then an image and an idea flashed in his head unbidden - Lyssa was sending him a picture of him mating her and his teeth clamped onto the scruff of her neck. It only took the briefest of moments but he understood what she meant completely. Another dodge from the knife blade and he opened his jaws wide, tilted his head, and bit down on the back of the man's neck. Hard. His teeth scraped bone and then crushed it. The poacher fell forward with a strangled scream, his body unable to respond anymore to his brain's commands. Erik jumped off as his attacker crumbled beneath him and he picked up the knife and quickly cut Lyssa free. Shaking fingers managed somehow to remove the muzzle and gag and he held her shaking sobbing form tightly to him as he panted and tried to catch his breath. He tasted blood and his leg was stinging with the pain of the still bleeding wound. He closed his eyes to the scene in front of him and held her face to his chest so she would not have to see it either. He was still holding her like that when a door opened at the far side of the room and one of the command officers stepped in calling Lyssa's name. "She's back here," Erik called back, "And you're going to need to call a medic. There's someone hurt." The officer ran back to where Erik was comforting Lyssa, took in the scene and after looking at the man on the floor he said, "and an undertaker too it looks like. My god, are you two alright?" Erik shook his head. "I.. don't think we are going to be alright for a very long time. But she's unharmed and I'm not in bad shape." "I think the captain is going to want a doctor's opinion on that. You'd think your fur was the same color as her stripes the way your leg has been bleeding. Is that your blood or his?" he indicated Erik's chin and throat which were painted with gore. Eric looked down, not able to see much of it. "I think it's his." The crewman nodded and extended his hand. "C'mon, let's get you two out of here. Can you walk on that?" Erik maneuvered Lyssa to his side and she clung to him with both paws, eyes still squeezed tightly shut. He took a step and winced as he moved his leg, but it supported his weight and he nodded, leading he and Lyssa out of the overflow supply closet. The officer called for someone to clear the hallway; it simply wouldn't do for the guests to catch a glimpse of Erik like this. The doctor declared them both physically sound, though Erik ended up with a bare patch on his leg where the fur was shaved off in order to stitch his cut. They were both given medication to help them sleep and sent back to their quarters to recover. Lyssa wouldn't leave Erik's side and he was more than happy for her company so he took her to his cabin and drew a bath for her. She insisted on him joining her and she helped wash the dried blood from his fur. Afterwards, they both snuggled in his bed and thanks to the medication they drifted off into oblivion no sooner than their heads hit the pillows. The poacher was declared dead on the scene. Fortunately he kept a log book of his clientele and several arrests were made across the galaxy of folks who had 'placed orders' with him for rare fur patterns of skiltaire pelts. Explaining to the passengers what had happened was understandably difficult and there were questions questions questions.. By the time things had settled for the night though, there was a general feeling of relief that the danger was over and that at least the cruise would be complete in only a few more days. Erik awoke the next morning to find a pair of curious green eyes watching him from the next pillow. He smiled and wrapped an arm around the girl, "Good morning, Lyssa." he chirred softly. The very corners of her muzzle turned up just a little. "You know, you look very relaxed when you sleep." she replied. He leaned up on one elbow and grinned at her. "I would think so," he said. She rolled over on her back and looked at the ceiling. "No, I mean normally you look like, oh I don't know, like you have a lot on your mind. Too much to do to enjoy what you're doing." He thought about that for a moment, then she piped up, "Can I ask you something, Erik?" "Sure, anything," he replied, looking at her. "I have been wondering all morning how you knew to look for me. I mean no one had any reason to think I might be anywhere but in the brig. How did you know I was in trouble?" "I wanted to ask you about that actually," he replied, settling next to her again. "I got a note from Ketli. She was sure you were in trouble and wanted someone to go check on you. I went to the brig and you weren't there, so we started looking. Did you 'call' to her?" Lyssa rolled to face him, her bright green eyes locked to his crystal blue ones and welling up with tears. "I.. she has always taken care of me and I knew she'd hear me. Oh Erik, I miss her so!" She started bawling and Erik wrapped his arms around her shaking form. "I've been very good keeping from calling her or writing to her or trying to contact her these long lonely weeks, but I miss my Mistress and want to go home!" She was crying too hard now for speech and Erik sat up in bed and pulled her into his lap, rocking her gently as the weeks of loneliness and grief poured out in a torrent of tears and sobs that wracked her poor body. For more than 20 minutes they stayed like this, he rocking her while she cried. Eventually her desperate sobbing faded to quiet tears and finally she became silent altogether, her chest rising and falling in a gentle even rhythm. She had fallen asleep in his arms and he was loathe to move lest he wake her up again. "Poor girl," he whispered softly half to himself as he stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers. The intercom chirped and he lightly placed his paw over her ear hoping the sound would not wake her. "Are you awake yet, Erik?" the voice of the first mate inquired. "Yes!" he hissed in a loud whisper. "Give me a minute, ok?" There was the faint click of the intercom being closed and then there was silence again. Lyssa stirred only a little and after a few minutes to make sure she was sound asleep again, he shifted her from his lap to the bed and tucked the covers around her. He quietly padded to his small office adjoining his quarters and almost shut the door, leaving it open only the smallest fraction so that he could hear if Lyssa woke up and rush immediately to her. He opened the com link to Lt. Marten's office. "Ok, she's sleeping again. What is it?" he chirred into the intercom in as soft a voice as he thought he could get away with and still be heared. "The captain just asked me to check on you two is all. I know neither of you will be reporting today and I've got one of the girls who has been with us for a while covering your duties, Erik." "That's great, Lieutenant. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. I .. don't know if Lyssa is going to be able to continue her duties for the remainder of the trip. She's pretty shook up," he said, glancing at the partially open door. "But I should be ok in a day or two I think." "Understood," Marten replied, "You two rest up and talk things out. You know the numbers for the ship's councilor and room service. I expect you to call both of them at some point today." Erik smiled a bit. "I understand. My best to the captain." He closed the com link and returned to the bed curling up around Lyssa. She sighed softly in her sleep and then fell silent again. Erik smiled. "I could get used to this in a hurry," he thought to himself and promptly dropped off to sleep. His nose detected a familiar scent but he was far too tired and too stressed to try to figure out what it was. He woke to the sound of water running. Erik yawned and stretched and reached over to snuggle Lyssa but she was no longer laying next to him. Eyes opened immediately and he looked around the room for her but she was nowhere to be seen. The partially open door to the bathroom revealed her location and he smiled and stretched again before hopping out of bed and walking to the bathroom door. He knocked. "Lyssa?" Her voice drifted out to him from the bathroom. "I'm in here," she chirred, opening the just enough to stick her head out and lick him playfully on the nose. "My fur is a wreck," she announced, smiling at him. "Would you be a dear and order some breakfast for us? Thanks!" The bathroom door closed before Erik could get a word in. He grinned and shook his head, turning to the comlink to order the lunch special after a brief glance at the clock revealed it was well past midday. He busied himself with making the bed and tidying up a bit while Lyssa bathed, the whole time trying to make some kind of sense of his feelings. Just hours before he had been fighting for his and Lyssa's life and yet what his mind kept going back to was the image she had sent him to give him an idea of what to do to finally subdue their attacker. Was that particular thought something that occured to her in the frenzy of the moment, or was that something she had been considering that popped into her mind at the right time..? He shook his head and tried to think about something - anything - else before he ended up with an embarassing problem. Room service delivered just moments before Lyssa finally emerged from the bathroom, her fur dried and brushed. Eric thanked the servicefur who brought the trays and passed him a couple of credits for his trouble, then turned to her and smiled warmly. "Lunch is up. Did you enjoy your bath?" "Immensely," she replied, padding over to him to give him a hug. "Thank you for ordering us something to eat. I'm starving!" He chuckled and hugged her back, then led her to his desk and pulled out the chair for her to sit down. "I should imagine so. What's the last meal you had? Lunch yesterday?" "Breakfast," she chirped, looking over at the lunch trays. Erik set her lunch and place setting at the desk for her and his own on the corner, pulling up a chair from beside the bed to sit next to her. "Goodness!" he replied, "Eat up then dear. We'll chat after you've got some sustenance in you, ok?" She nodded and practically attacked her meal. As Erik ate also his nose picked up an undertone of that familiar scent again, barely detectable but impossible to mistake or ignore. He paused mid bite and looked at Lyssa for a moment, then quickly stuffed it into his mouth before she noticed. Skiltaire in season.. He suspected he had his answer to his earlier musing and he shifted a little in his seat to hide the beginings of a growing problem from her. Lyssa finally slowed down after her plate was mostly empty. She was feeling much more herself and chattered happily away with Erik making small talk while they finished. She did almost all of the talking. For his part, Eric tried to act as though he was hanging on her every word but his mind was somewhere else. He was watching her as she talked, noticing how truly beautiful she really was and thinking just how much he enjoyed her company and her lively spirit. He had noticed before now of course but it was the first time he had a chance to *think* about it. She was right - he was so busy he didn't have time to enjoy himself anymore. He couldn't remember a cruise he had worked that he had truly enjoyed in quite some time. Except for this one, and Lyssa was the main reason for that he admitted to himself. "Are you listening to me?" He snapped out of his reverie, only now becoming aware that he had been watching her with a silly grin on his face. "Huh? Oh.. of course I am!" he stammered, his ears flushing red. Lyssa giggled. "Uh huh. I can see how intensely interesting I am," she replied. "No! No, it's not that. I mean I love talking with you." He reached behind his head and smoothed out a non-existant errant bit of fur. "Is that so? Well, perhaps you'd like to tell me what part of our conversation has been the most entralling?" she chirped, crossing her arms. That overwhelming feeling of doom that comes when one is in deep trouble overshadowed Erik as he tried to recall something that she had said to him over the past several minutes. He was drawing a total blank. "Lyssa, I..," he started and then sighed hanging his head. "Oh, you're right; I haven't heared much of what you've said." "I didn't think so. I could tell you tuned me out a while ago." Her ears drooped as she said softly, "I'm sorry I'm such a bore." She looked instantly downfallen and Erik was afraid she was about to cry again. He reached over and held her shoulders, looking into her eyes. "You are not a bore, Lyssa. Not in the least. This is just the first time that I've had nothing on my agenda in I can't remember how long. I've had a lot of things bouncing around in the back of my mind that I am just now having the opportunity to get out and mull over." He stopped there and bit his lip. He was sure that sounded terrible and he was trying to figure out a way to soften it. "I see," Lyssa said quietly. "I know how busy it has been these past several weeks and after what we've been through.." her voice trailed off and she shuddered. "Can I ask what is on your mind?" Erik smiled sheepishly. "You mostly," he replied. Lyssa smiled a little. "Nice save," she chirped. Erik quickly replied, "No, I really mean that, Lyssa." He captured and held her gaze as he continued. "Do you remember when we first met?" He waited for her to nod. "I should have known from the very begining that you would end up on my mind a lot. With you, everything seems new and exciting and your excitement and joy spill over to everyone around you. The passengers love you. The crew thinks you're adorable." Lyssa looked into his eyes, waiting to see if he would continue. When he didn't she asked in a quiet voice, "And you, Erik? How do you feel about me?" He lowered his eyes for a moment and his paws trailed down her arms til they met her paws. He clasped them in his. "You are very special to me, Lyssa and I can't get you out of my mind," he replied, meeting her gaze again. Lyssa's heart was racing and the end of her tail was slowly swishing back and forth as she looked deeply into Erik's azure eyes. She knew it was her turn to say something, but she was having a hard time finding words to fit what she was feeling. "I have been attracted to you for most of the time I have known you," she finally confessed after a long awkward silence. "You are so unlike me: responsible, ordered, in control. All the things I wish that I was you are, and you're kind and fun to be with." She was slowly leaning forward as she talked. Erik was too and as she finished their lips touched and whiskers meshed as they shared a long, tender kiss. Erik was the one to reluctantly break the moment, drawing back to admire her lovely face. Having her in his arms, the kiss, and the almost overwhelming scent of her heat was having a profound effect on him. An effect he was not at all happy about and something he didn't want Lyssa to notice. "Lyssa," he chirred softly, still holding her paws in his, "I.. I should go. This is wonderful and I don't want to mess things up. You are in.. I mean you're... I mean *I* am.." He stammered, trying to find some way to gracefully get away before they ended up doing something they both might regret later. She smiled and squeezed his paws in hers. "You mean I'm in heat, don't you?" His ears were burning a deep crimson as he nodded and looked away from her. "And you are becoming interested." It was a statement of fact. He nodded again, refusing to meet her gaze. She let go of his paws and gently placed her paws on his cheeks and turned his head so that he was looking into her face. She wordlessly leaned forward and touched her nose to his, their antennae touching and sending faint blue sparks where they made contact. She shivered at the touch then looked deeply into his crystal blue eyes and sent empathically to him her current perception of herself and her tenatitive expectation of her relationship to him - as his mate. Unlike when they shared this form of greeting with one another that first day, his reply was several seconds in coming. When he did, he sent her his current perception of himself and his relationship to her as her mate. There was nothing tenative about it, nor was there any doubt as to the conviction of his reply in the way that he pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. The com link to Erik's quarters was changed to 'privacy' at some point in the afternoon and stayed that way for the remainder of the night. The acting head hostess made a note of it in her logbook and grinned. That night Erik and Lyssa were the subject of the most choice bit of gossip for the day among the skiltaire girls. They both took the next day off and no one but room service heared anthing from them until the following day when they both resumed their duties. Lt. Marten tracked down Erik late in the morning. "You two never did call the ship's councilor like I told you to," he reprimanded the skiltaire. Erik glanced across the hallway to where Lyssa was directing a guest. She turned and smiled radiantly back at him then went back to talking with the passenger. "We worked things out ourselves," he replied, still looking at his lovely mate. The lieutenant noticed the look that passed between them and managed somehow to keep the smile that threatened to crack his muzzle from revealing itself. "That's good to hear," he replied. "We were all worried about you two but it looks like you're both in good shape. Still, it's a good thing we only have two more days before we reach our home port." Erik finally looked back up to Marten. "Oh! Speaking of home I need to talk with you or the captain about taking the next cruise off. I have some vacation time coming to me and I think that I would like to use it." Marten smiled and nodded. "I am sure that won't be a problem. Going to take the missus for a bit of a honeymoon, are you?" Erik's eyes widened and then his ears flushed red in a blush as he smiled and looked down at his feet. "That obvious, huh?" The lieutenant clapped Erik on the back and laughed. "It's not like we didn't see it coming. Between you and me," he leaned down and lowered his voice to speak conspiratorially in the skiltaire's ear, "some of the officers have had a pool going as to whether you two would get together." He winked and straightened back up again. "I'm happy for you, Erik, and perhaps a tad envious. You've got yourself a wonderful girl. Will you be making some kind of official announcement?" Erik grinned and nodded. "Yes, this evening at dinner we're planning on telling everyone. We want to tell her owner first so when we get some time this afternoon we'll be putting in a call to her." "You mean former owner, don't you?" Marten inquired. Erik shook his head. "No. Lyssa has decided that after this cruise is over the day after tomorrow that she is going to go back to being a house pet again, at least for the time being." "Isn't that going to be awkward? I mean she being your mate but also someone's pet?" A smile spread across Erik's muzzle and he shrugged. "Not particularly we don't think. This kind of situation is not uncommon among our species. That's part of what we are going to be figuring out during the next few thirtydays while I take time off." Lt. Marten smiled and nodded his agreement then gave Erik a friendly pat on the back. "Bully for you then. My congratulations to you both and I'll keep this under my hat until you make the announcement this evening." "Thanks! I appreciate it," Erik replied. They both returned to their duties and the day passed quickly.