“A Close Port of Call” by Altivo Overo

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You’re listening to The Voice of Dog.

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I’m Khaki, your faithful fireside companion,

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and today’s story is

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“A Close Port of Call”

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by friend-of-the-fireplace Altivo Overo,

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who is a horse who stubbornly believes that there is good in every sentient being

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and that every cloud

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has a golden side.

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You can find more of his writing and artwork

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on FurAffinity, Weasyl,

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or Furry Amino under Altivo,

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and at Goodreads or Amazon under Altivo Overo. Read for you by Khaki, your faithful fireside companion.

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“A Close Port of Call”

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by Altivo Overo “What beast couldst thou be,

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that were not subject to a beast?”

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—William Shakespeare, Timon of Athens, Act IV, Scene 3

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Dockmaster Mark Partine looked up from his terminal when the proximity chime sounded.

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He expected it of course,

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but he liked watching the traffic pull into the station

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and he had a good viewport.

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The class two galactic skimmer glided smoothly toward a docking port

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with the usual flashing lights and associated comm chatter.

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He looked across the room to his communications officer,

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Lora Rojo, and she nodded to him with a little smile.

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The vixen was always competent and controlled,

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and sat erect on her stool with her tail curled around her legs.

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The dull clunk of the dock

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making magnetic contact with the skimmer vibrated through the flooring.

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Lora pushed the boom microphone on her headset aside,

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saying “That’s Captain Teftawn with the Leonia, Mark.”

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Mark nodded, returning his attention to the terminal where he had already called up the skimmer’s registry record.

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The ship was in the diplomatic service,

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a courier with top clearance

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and no crew other than the captain himself.

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Usually diplomatic corps had all the latest computer rig out, so it was surprising that Teftawn

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had messaged for computer service, saying his

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navigation system was down.

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Knowing that the courier’s captain would be in his office promptly,

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the master stood

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and shook out his tail and mane,

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though they were always well kept and black

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as polished ebony.

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He straightened his uniform jacket too. Valden 4 didn’t often get important traffic like this. Valden’s

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station was not large,

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and only had docking for eight ships.

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Most traffic was made up by trade freighters,

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bringing in manufactured goods or carrying out grain and other agricultural produce

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from the planet below.

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It took only minutes for the Leonia’s captain to reach the offices,

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and the portal slid aside for him

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with its automated rush of air.

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The dockmaster watched curiously as Captain Teftawn,

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a Leandrine of exceptional height and mass,

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stepped briskly into the room

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and let the door slide shut behind him.

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The leonine descendants were noted for their aloofness

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and attention to protocol, but Teftawn smiled

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and winked at Lora

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before turning to Mark and offering his identicap.

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“Teftawn with the Leonia,”

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he said in a quiet purr that was nonetheless perfectly clear and businesslike.

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“I hope you have a good computer tech on staff.”

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Mark accepted the capsule and slid it into the terminal’s validation port,

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then offered his hand in the traditional gesture of friendship and respect.

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“Mark Partine, dockmaster here,”

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he nickered, trying to keep his voice in the lower register.

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“Yes, sir, we have an excellent chief engineer with a computer specialty.

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What exactly seems to have happened?”

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The terminal blinked acceptance of the identicap and spit it back out,

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filling in sketchy information on the screen about Teftawn’s current mission

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even as the lion captain accepted Mark’s offered hand

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in a brief but warm grasp.

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Trade agreements and loan documents en route from Cassiopeia to the Cascade system

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appeared to be his only commission.

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The Leandrine shook his head,

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blinking, heavy mane and beard rustling against the peculiar shiny material of his uniform jacket. “Damned if I know,” he almost growled. “I was planning a stop here anyway because I’ve earned a few days off and the documents I have are not urgent. Navigation was locked on and confirmed,

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but I came out of the jump way inside planetary orbit and headed right for Valden’s Star.

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The alarms were coming up all over my board and

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the helm wouldn’t respond.

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I hit the manual override and it didn’t catch until the second try,

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but then the nav program dropped out and I still had time to steer out of the gravity well.

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I called in here and used the backup programs to get into the station.

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Thanks to your communication specialist for letting me right in.”

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He nodded again toward Lora, with a little smile.

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“We don’t usually have a traffic problem here, Captain,”

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Mark said. “And of course an emergency call gets top priority in any case.

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I’m glad you were able to use your overrides to get out of that.”

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He tapped a couple of keys on the terminal keyboard,

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trying not to let his nostrils flare and quiver

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at the oddly arousing musky scent that clung to Teftawn.

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His hindbrain told him it was something

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dead and yet in some way, it wasn’t that unpleasant.

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He looked up into the lion’s gilt-backed eyes

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and added, “I’ve booked you for immediate repair services, but it will still take at least 24 hours for engineering to run full diagnostics on your computer systems.

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We have some pleasant guest quarters if you’d like to take a room here on the station,

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or would you prefer to stay with your ship?”

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The desire to reach out and stroke the visitor’s jacket,

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to feel the odd material was almost overpowering. Teftawn

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met Mark’s gaze openly, appraisingly.

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It looked as if he were counting the Zebrine’s stripes,

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in fact, and an odd thrill ran down the dockmaster’s neck as the lion ran the tip of his tongue over his teeth before answering.

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“Quarters on a skimmer are tight and sparse,”

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he grinned. “If your rooms have a proper bath and bed, I’ll accept that offer regardless of price.”

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Mark blinked, reawakening from the odd feeling that had crept over him,

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and laughed nervously.

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“It’s only a hundred credits added to your repair bill, Captain.

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No great expense.”

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He tapped keys, and a repair authorization slid out of the printer.

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Placing it over a signature pad,

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he offered Teftawn a stylus.

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The lion captain signed without reading the document.

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He let his paw drift lightly over the dockmaster’s fingers

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as he handed the stylus back.

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“This is a small station,”

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he said quietly. “I’m sure you aren’t that formal with each other here.

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Call me Tef instead of Captain and I’ll feel more comfortable.”

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The zebra morph let his eyes run over the white diplomatic sash of Teftawn’s uniform before nodding slightly.

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He held out the printed document

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and the captain’s identicap.

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“Your copy... Tef. You’re right.

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Call me Mark, please.”

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He pulled a plasteel badge with a neck chain from a drawer

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and handed that over too.

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“This badge will let you into all publicly accessible areas of the station.

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It’s also the key to your rooms.

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You have suite 3 at the end of the beta corridor.

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That’s to your left as you leave this office.

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We have a self-service mess hall, and there’s a small gymnasium between the guest area and the crew’s quarters.

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You’re welcome to make use of those facilities if you wish.

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Station gravity is set to one half gee, but the gym has an independent axis so you can

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increase it to as much as one and a half if you prefer.

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Tap your intercom button to reach Lora here or whoever is on the comm panel

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if you have questions or need anything.

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Our chief engineer will be in touch with you about the repairs as soon as he can look over your systems.”

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Tef accepted the documents and the badge gravely.

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Then he laughed, a warm and not unfriendly sound.

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“Relax, zebra,” he said,

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looking Mark right in the eye.

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“I’m not going to eat you.

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I’m not here on a formal mission either.

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As far as I’m concerned, we’re just two guys stuck out here in space.

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Thanks for your help.”

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He made a little bow to the vixen at the communication panel,

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and headed for the door.

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“I’ll leave you to your work, dockmaster,”

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he added, pausing.

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“But when you get off your shift,

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I’d like to talk to Mark about Valden 4.

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You’re a native, I take it.”

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The dockmaster swallowed nervously

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and nodded. “I’ll be free in two hours,

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and usually go to the mess for something to eat then,”

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he volunteered. “Good,”

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Tef answered, and swiveled on a velveted footpaw

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to pad out the portal.

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After the door whooshed shut,

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Lora was taken with a fit of giggles.

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“You’d think you had never seen a lion before, Mark,”

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she chuckled. The zebra actually blushed, easily visible through the short white nap of his muzzle.

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“There were Leandrines at university, Lora. Of course I’ve seen them before.”

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He blinked and twitched one ear, thinking.

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“But there was something about this one.

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What was that odd scent?”

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The vixen laughed again, loudly this time.

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“Trust a vegan not to know,”

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she said, smiling.

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“It was leather. That uniform jacket he was wearing probably cost him 50 thousand at least.”

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Mark raised an eyebrow.

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“Real leather huh?

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You’re right, I’ve never seen it before.

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Ostentatious but

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interesting.” “I thought he smelled good,

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as well as looking good,”

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Lora offered. “But…

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he’s obviously more interested in zebra boys than he is in fox girls.”

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She ducked behind her terminal console

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as Mark threatened to toss his stylus at her,

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dartlike. The rest of the shift passed uneventfully.

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Mark filed reports and analyzed cargo vouchers while Lora handled routine communications,

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passing doppler-shifted mail between long haul ships

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and planetside below them.

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About 30 minutes before watch change, the chief engineer,

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who was actually their only fully qualified engineer,

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called in to report that his assistant was going to begin the diagnostics on the Leonia.

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Mark relayed the had given him.

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“That’s just weird, Mark,”

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the badger’s voice croaked over the comm link.

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“You know as well as I do that couriers have the best computers and nav

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systems there are.”

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Mark nodded, even though the engineer couldn’t see him over the voice intercom.

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“Yes, I know, Rob. But something happened to it.

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See what you can find out.”

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A few minutes later, the relief crew arrived.

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“Heading for the mess, Lora?”

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Mark asked. The fox girl shook her head and yawned.

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“I’m on a diet,” she told him,

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“and I need some sleep.”

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Mark chuckled. “You?

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The day you need to diet is the day this station takes off at FTL speed heading for Vega. Sweet dreams, lady.”

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Lora grinned widely,

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displaying her teeth

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and teasing with her tongue.

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“Enjoy your date with Teftawn,”

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she countered, and scurried off toward crew’s quarters,

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leaving Mark blinking and rattled in the corridor.

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Shaking his head,

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he turned toward the messroom, where he found Teftawn lolling at a table, waiting for him.

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He nodded and went to the counter,

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keying up tossed salad,

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warm bread, and a vegetable juice cocktail before taking his tray

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to join the lion.

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Tef had shoved aside a plate that still held a patty of synthetic meat with only a small notch taken out of it.

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He was nursing a cup of tea or maybe broth of some sort,

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and eyed the gray meat substitute suspiciously.

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“What is that stuff made from, anyway?”

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he asked. “Vegetable protein, I guess,”

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Mark answered him.

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“I’m sorry. I didn’t promise top quality food.

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Most of us are used to this stuff and don’t think about it.

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Culture-grown flesh is expensive and difficult to ship and store.”

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The lion waved a dismissive paw.

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“Oh, I understand,” he growled.

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“But at least it could be seasoned with something to disguise the taste.”

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Mark laughed and slid open a panel in the wall next to their table,

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revealing squeeze bottles of dressings and condiments.

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“This keeps them from floating away if the artificial gravity goes out,”

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he grinned. “Maybe one of these would help.”

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He uncapped a container of salad dressing

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and squirted some onto his greens.

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Tef brightened a bit,

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and selected a spicy sauce

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which he applied liberally to the soy patty.

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“Duh,” he said. “I missed the latch for that door entirely.”

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He took a tentative bite and chewed,

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wrinkling his nose in an amusing fashion.

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“Well, that’s tolerable, if not actually good,”

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he said after swallowing.

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“Gotta eat something I guess.”

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Mark applied himself to the salad and bread.

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He was always hungry, but fortunately also young and active enough to stay trim in spite of his appetite.

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The bread was fairly tasty,

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since Valden was a grain producing planet.

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Tef watched with mild curiosity.

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“You really like that green stuff?”

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he asked, sticking out a

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pink tongue in amusement.

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The zebra laughed in spite of himself.

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“Actually, yes,” he smiled.

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“It’s in my genes of course.”

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He broke off a large chunk of the bread and offered it.

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“Try this with your protein.

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It’s quite good.” Accepting the proffered bread,

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the lion sniffed at it.

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“Smells good,” he agreed.

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“Sort of like Denebian ale, in fact.”

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He took a healthy bite and chewed for a while before swallowing.

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“Chewy but not bad,”

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he declared. “Local produce,”

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Mark nodded, pushing his own tray aside.

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“Fresh stuff, fresh made.

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Deneb imports our grain for the brewing industry in fact.

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So what else did you want to know about Valden 4?”

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“I understand there’s a little tourist attraction planetside.

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Some kind of hunting resort?”

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Tef finished his imitation meat patty

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and washed it down with the hot beverage, making a face.

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“Is it difficult to get a reservation or license or whatever?”

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With a surprised blink,

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Mark eyed the lion uncertainly.

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“You want to go hunting?”

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he asked. For some reason, that made him feel uncomfortable,

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even though he knew that hunting on Valden was more like

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playing laser tag with wild animals than anything else.

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No animals were actually killed.

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It was Tef’s turn to look surprised.

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“Is that so strange?

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Well, as you say, it’s in my genes.”

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He held out a paw and flexed the digits,

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allowing razor-like claws to emerge

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and then retract once more.

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“OK, I see.” The young dockmaster smiled weakly.

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“I’ve never been there, of course, but the southern continent is almost entirely a game preserve.

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Species from Old Terra,

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both grasslands and forest. The ecology is carefully balanced,

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and preserving the gene pool is the main purpose of the preserve.

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Visitors are allowed, and can either shoot photos or

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use special laser rifles to play hunter.

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Wildlife are tagged with serial numbers that respond to a laser flash and the rifle records the serial number of each hit.

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Trophies are awarded for stalking and shooting various numbers and classes of game. It’s all

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rather pricey, but the funds go to keep the preserve operating.”

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Tef nodded, smiling.

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“That’s pretty much what I heard about it.

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I’d like to give it a try.

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I’m entitled to a few days of leave and no one is pacing the floor waiting for my arrival in the Cascades.”

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He hesitated. “Listen, Mark.

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Would you consider going planetside with me for a few days?

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I know as a dockmaster you have a substantial education and as a

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native of Valden you are more familiar with the planet than I am just from reading about it.

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My treat as far as expense goes.”

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The zebra coughed.

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“Tef,” he said, “you can easily hire a trained guide down there.”

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Teftawn shifted his position as if nervous about asking,

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and a cloud of the leather scent enveloped Mark,

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distracting him briefly.

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“I know that,” the lion blinked.

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“But I like you. I already know you a little.

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Think about it, OK?”

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Before Mark could come up with a reply, the lights flickered and went dark.

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Dim emergency lighting clicked up at the two exits from the windowless dining area,

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and his pocket communicator beeped.

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He pulled it out and opened it. “Partine

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here,” he answered. “Susan

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at communications, dockmaster,”

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came the distant response.

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“We appear to have lost everything but emergency power.

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No departures or arrivals scheduled at the moment.”

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The soft hiss of life support recirculating air

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went silent. “I’m on it, Susan,”

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Mark said. “Hold the fort for a few minutes.”

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He pressed two buttons,

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and before engineering could answer him,

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nearly brayed into the communicator.

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“Rob, what’s going on?”

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“Main computer shut the power down, apparently,”

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the badger’s dry voice responded. “We’re on it.”

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“How long are we good for on emergency power?”

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“At least eight hours,”

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Rob said. “No need to start evacuating yet.”

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“Keep me posted.” Mark closed his device and pocketed it.

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“Looks like your repairs may be delayed a bit,”

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he said, peering at Teftawn through the gloom.

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The lion captain’s eyes had a definite glow to them,

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whether just from reflected light or actually from inside was hard to say.

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They blinked once.

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“Does this happen often?”

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he asked, with an air of amusement.

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“Never before during my two years here.

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Let’s go up to operations.

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At least there’s a window there.”

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They went out to the corridor and proceeded up to the room where they had first met,

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Mark leading the way since he was most familiar with the station, but also feeling Tef’s glowing eyes

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fixed on the back of his neck.

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For the first time since his earliest spacer training, he felt trapped inside the cavern of the station,

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as if the walls were closing in on him

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and something threatening from behind.

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The zebra quickened his pace,

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his rubber non-slip soles squeaking on the plasteel of the floor.

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It seemed to take forever to cover the hundred meters or so

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until the operations room came around the horizon, but at last it appeared

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and they used the manual release to slide the portal aside and enter.

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Susan, communications second and a vixen as dark as Lora was fair,

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was at the panel and looked up calmly as they walked in.

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Tef slid the port shut behind them without being asked,

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and Mark twitched,

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feeling suddenly trapped.

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“I’ve notified planetside control of the emergency, sir,”

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Susan advised. “They’re standing by for our instructions.

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They want an hour’s notice if we intend to evacuate, so they can send a shuttle to pick us up.”

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Mark nodded. “Tell them it isn’t that serious yet, but we’ll let them know if it becomes necessary.”

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There were only two ships in dock.

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Leonia wouldn’t be going anywhere with her computers presumably down.

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The other was an empty freighter waiting for a load of grain to be shuttled up from the surface.

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It took about 16 cargo shuttles to do the job,

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and only two had arrived so far.

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“Have you notified the Beltane of the emergency?”

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he asked. “Yes, sir,”

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said Susan immediately.

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“Captain Andrus volunteered the services of his engineer if we need

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him. I let engineering know and they’ve been talking to Beltane directly.”

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“Good,” Mark said and took a step backward toward his own desk only to bump into Teftawn, who was still behind him.

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He wobbled for a second

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and the lion put a paw on each of his shoulders to steady him and,

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forgetting where he was,

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the zebra startled and jumped.

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“Easy there, dockmaster,”

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rumbled Tef. “These are tight quarters.”

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He slipped quietly to one side to allow Mark access to his console and the zebra wasted no time

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putting the desk between him and the big captain.

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The room seemed full of the leather smell, and Mark’s head was spinning.

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He sat in his chair

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and stared at the blank monitor for a second.

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Then he pulled out his communicator again and punched the two digit code for engineering.

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When Rob answered, Mark simply said “Status, Rob?”

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“Still working on it.

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The problem hit shortly after we hooked the diagnostic lines to Leonia’s computer.

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There may have been an interaction.

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Our system is still live and running something,

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but I can’t figure out what. There’s

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processing going on, but no output.

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Jeff here thinks it’s some kind of

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trojan or worm,” the badger reported.

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“We’ve unhooked Leonia for the moment

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and are trying to pin it down.”

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“All right, Rob, keep us informed.” Teftawn’s

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eyes were glowing again in the dim emergency lighting.

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“Damn!” he exclaimed.

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“I knew better. Those encrypted diplomatic packets were delivered by a kid with no ID badge.

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The pouch looked authentic, and the cartridges loaded,

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so I figured they were legitimate.

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The computer is supposed to recognize the sealed wrappers and know if they are forgeries,

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but now I wonder.

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You know there have been hostilities between Cassiopeia and the Cascades for a couple of generations.

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Not open warfare, but trade interference, piracy, that sort of thing.”

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Mark looked at his wrist chronometer.

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Almost an hour had passed since the lights flickered and dimmed.

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He looked at Susan.

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“Give Captain Teftawn a line to Rob so he can explain that.”

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The dark vixen punched buttons and handed a communicator to Tef

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once she had engineering on the line.

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The lion explained what had happened,

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and Rob gruffly acknowledged the information.

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The badger’s voice came over the link.

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“That may be it,” he agreed.

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“We’ll go ahead with a disinfection procedure then.

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Halt the main computer and restart it to flush the worm or whatever it is out of memory.

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I have a dump captured already so we can analyze it later.”

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They waited, watching Valden 4 rise and set twice

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as the station revolved.

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Another hour had passed before the comm panel beeped.

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Susan acknowledged the signal and put Rob onto the speakers.

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“It’s the damnedest thing I’ve ever seen,”

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the badger told them.

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“The computer reboots,

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and then halts with a prompt on the console here.

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It says ‘Conan of Cimmeria’

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with a question mark as if waiting for a response.

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No matter what we do, it just keeps giving back that same prompt. Tef immediately

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laughed out loud.

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“That’s the passphrase for the Leonia’s computer.

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What’s it doing in your system?”

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he asked. “I have no frickin’ idea,”

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Rob answered gruffly.

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“Will you tell us the correct response

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then?” “Sure,” Tef said.

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“Give it ‘King of Aquilonia by his own hand’

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and see what it does.

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He spelled out “Aquilonia” in phonetics.

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Susan was giving them a blank look

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and then Mark recognized the name.

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He turned to Teftawn.

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“You’re a fan of ancient literature?”

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The lion nodded, smiling.

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“Robert E. Howard, to be exact.

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Ancient Terra. Twentieth Century.”

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They waited for a minute, and finally Mark called out

Please enjoy: 00:20:52

“Rob?” “I’ve got another cryptic message on the console,”

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the badger told them.

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“It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

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“Read it off,” the zebra said.

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“All right. Here it is: ‘Now

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could I, Cascadian,

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name to thee a man most like this dreadful night,

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that thunders, lightens, opens graves, and roars as doth the lion in the Capitol.’

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What in hell does that mean?”

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The badger’s frustration was very evident.

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Everyone looked at Teftawn,

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who shrugged. “No idea,”

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he said. It was now two hours and thirty minutes without full power and computer systems.

Please enjoy: 00:21:29

“Is there another prompt, Rob?”

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Mark wanted to know.

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“The same question mark.

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It expects a response,” was the reply.

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“Hold on, we’ll query ground control,”

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Mark told him. He looked at Susan, who began pressing buttons to bring up the planetside link again.

Please enjoy: 00:21:45

She patched engineering through to a ground administrator, who in turn queried the computer there.

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No link for the quote was found.

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Mark rubbed his forehead, closing his eyes.

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“Yet it sounds familiar,”

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he murmured. “Cascadian, of course, must have been inserted to refer to the Cascades.

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I wonder what was there originally.”

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Tef nodded. “The lion in the Capitol,”

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he said slowly. “The Cascades are no longer under Leandrine control, but they were up until twenty years ago.”

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Mark was still sitting with his eyes closed,

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trying to think, only an ear twitching now and then,

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when the portal opened slowly and Lora entered. “I couldn’t

Please enjoy: 00:22:21

sleep any more,” she said,

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pushing the sliding door closed behind her.

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“No lights, no air.

Please enjoy: 00:22:27

Played back the emergency messages on my communicator and thought I’d better see if you needed me.”

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Mark read off the cryptic message to her

Please enjoy: 00:22:34

and she frowned.

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“Sounds downright archaic,

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at least in the language.

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How old is it?” “If that’s the original English, it goes all the way back to Terra, before space travel and before the gene wars,”

Please enjoy: 00:22:46

Mark told her. “I’m guessing it might be 17th Century at the latest.”

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Susan pursed her lips.

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“Not much surviving from that era is there?” she asked.

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“More than you might think, actually.

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I think it’s probably Shakespeare, though, and not the Bible or Milton.

Please enjoy: 00:23:02

The question is, which play and what context.

Please enjoy: 00:23:05

context.” Tef nodded. “I think it’s Shakespeare too,”

Please enjoy: 00:23:08

he said. “But without any computer access...”

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“You asked ground control to check?”

Please enjoy: 00:23:13

Lora wanted to know.

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“Yes. They couldn’t find it,”

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Susan responded. “Wait!” Tef exclaimed. “Of course.

Please enjoy: 00:23:18

I have a pocket reader in my cabin on the Leonia that has, among other things, the complete works of Shakespeare on it.

Please enjoy: 00:23:26

If I can get there to retrieve

Please enjoy: 00:23:28

it...” “Should be able to,”

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Mark said, raising his head.

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“It will take a couple of manual overrides, but we can get there.”

Please enjoy: 00:23:34

“OK, let’s go then,”

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Tef growled. Mark nodded to Lora.

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“Take my place here in case things come back up,” he said.

Please enjoy: 00:23:42

“Let Rob know what we’re doing.

Please enjoy: 00:23:43

It’s not dangerous, just slow with no power or security.”

Please enjoy: 00:23:47

Tef opened the portal

Please enjoy: 00:23:48

and waited for the zebra to step through before following him again.

Please enjoy: 00:23:52

Mark continued in the other direction around the rim of the station,

Please enjoy: 00:23:55

away from ops and the sleeping quarters and toward the docking bays.

Please enjoy: 00:23:59

Before they had covered a fourth of the distance,

Please enjoy: 00:24:01

he began to feel closed in again,

Please enjoy: 00:24:03

and sensed the lion right on his tail.

Please enjoy: 00:24:05

He shivered and stopped,

Please enjoy: 00:24:06

expecting Tef to bang into him, but nothing happened.

Please enjoy: 00:24:09

Turning around, he saw the captain standing about six feet behind him,

Please enjoy: 00:24:13

not following that closely at all.

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However, his glowing eyes were uncanny in the dim light.

Please enjoy: 00:24:19

Mark mumbled something about hearing things and

Please enjoy: 00:24:21

continued forward.

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He could smell the leather material of Teftawn’s jacket.

Please enjoy: 00:24:26

In fact, he imagined, surely, that he could smell Teftawn,

Please enjoy: 00:24:30

a carnivorous predator riding his trail.

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No, that was ridiculous.

Please enjoy: 00:24:34

The courier captain was a gentleman and a diplomat.

Please enjoy: 00:24:37

Mark wanted to trust him,

Please enjoy: 00:24:38

not to fear him. The ruff of hairs at the base of his mane insisted on standing anyway.

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He shivered as they reached the Leonia’s berth.

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Teftawn noticed the shiver, evidently.

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“Chilly?” he asked. “No wonder.

Please enjoy: 00:24:52

You don’t have that much fur do you?

Please enjoy: 00:24:54

And that uniform wasn’t made for an unheated station.”

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The lion laughed softly

Please enjoy: 00:24:58

and Mark realized that their breath was visible now,

Please enjoy: 00:25:01

misting the air before their muzzles.

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“It will be even colder on board Leonia.

Please enjoy: 00:25:06

Everything is shut down there,”

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Tef continued. He unzipped his leather jacket and placed it around the zebra’s narrower shoulders.

Please enjoy: 00:25:12

Mark wanted to refuse it,

Please enjoy: 00:25:14

unwilling to wear the hide of anything dead,

Please enjoy: 00:25:16

but it was warm with the heat of the lion’s body,

Please enjoy: 00:25:18

and lined with something soft and insulating.

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He acquiesced, and let Tef operate the manual override

Please enjoy: 00:25:24

to open the hatch to his own ship.

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“Wait here,” the lion said,

Please enjoy: 00:25:28

his heavy mane spreading now over muscular shoulders and chest.

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The hatch squeaked as it opened,

Please enjoy: 00:25:33

and Tef climbed into the opening,

Please enjoy: 00:25:34

three steps up, his tail following and vanishing into what seemed like total blackness to Mark’s eyes.

Please enjoy: 00:25:40

Well, the old sayings claimed that cats could see in the dark, didn’t they?

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After what seemed like an age, but was only 15 minutes by Mark’s chronometer,

Please enjoy: 00:25:48

Tef returned and slammed the hatch behind himself.

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He handed a miniature electronic reader to the zebra, smiling.

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“Old Earth literature,”

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he said. “Almost four thousand volumes’ worth.”

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The dockmaster touched the key to illuminate the tiny screen,

Please enjoy: 00:26:03

and realized that he had seen one like it before.

Please enjoy: 00:26:05

“I used one at the university,”

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he said. “Borrowed.

Please enjoy: 00:26:08

I couldn’t afford to buy it.”

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“Get the lights back on,

Please enjoy: 00:26:11

and it’s yours,” Tef smiled.

Please enjoy: 00:26:13

“I’ll pick up another one eventually.

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You studied ancient literature?”

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“I took a full minor in diplomacy and another in history,”

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Mark told him. He was shivering from the cold and had difficulty entering the search terms to find what he wanted.

Please enjoy: 00:26:26

Teftawn stood behind him in the near darkness,

Please enjoy: 00:26:29

and wrapped massive arms around him gently,

Please enjoy: 00:26:31

letting his mane hang down around Mark’s shoulders.

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“There,” the lion whispered,

Please enjoy: 00:26:35

his greater height bringing his whiskers right against the zebra’s ear.

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“That should be warmer for you.”

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His tail curled around

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so that the tufted end lay against Mark’s hooves.

Please enjoy: 00:26:46

It was warmer all right.

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It would have been a blessing, but Mark’s nerves were already on edge.

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His reaction made him want to panic,

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struggle, break free.

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With force of will, he contained that instinct and focused on the tiny reader.

Please enjoy: 00:26:59

The answer appeared.

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“It’s from Julius Caesar, ”

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he said. “Cassius to Casca. Of course.

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All these names that start with CAS are what was rattling my brain back in ops.”

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He had to dig under the leather jacket to get to his communicator, but he found it.

Please enjoy: 00:27:14

Still shivering, he punched up engineering.

Please enjoy: 00:27:17

When Rob answered,

Please enjoy: 00:27:18

Mark told him what to try.

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They started back toward operations,

Please enjoy: 00:27:22

moving slowly, and were still on their way when the lights came back on

Please enjoy: 00:27:25

and the soft hiss of air circulation returned,

Please enjoy: 00:27:28

blanketing the silence with white noise that sounded like thunder after such a long period of time.

Please enjoy: 00:27:33

The door to operations slid open for them automatically, as it should.

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Both vixens looked up expectantly as they entered,

Please enjoy: 00:27:40

and Lora raised a quizzical eyebrow,

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staring down her pointed muzzle at Mark’s attire.

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He blushed and hastily removed the leather jacket from his shoulders,

Please enjoy: 00:27:48

passing it back to Teftawn.

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The lion captain grinned at the two foxes.

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“It was damned cold out there,

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and I didn’t want you to accuse me of letting your dockmaster be frozen into a

Please enjoy: 00:27:57

ponysicle.” Without missing a beat,

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Lora asked, “So what was the answer?”

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Tef made a bow and gestured grandiosely to Mark, who recited it:

Please enjoy: 00:28:07

“A man no mightier than thyself, or me, in personal action; yet prodigious grown, and fearful as these strange eruptions are.”

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The vixens stared at him blankly.

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“Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 3,”

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he told them. “It’s the scene where they are plotting the assassination of Caesar.” Tef nodded. “Julius V was the Leandrine dictator over the Cascades System until about 20 years ago,”

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he said. “He was an isolationist, and blocked all trade agreements with the outside.

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My guess is that someone wanted to remind the Cascadians not to fall back into their old ways,

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and set this up to do it forcefully.”

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“But...” Susan wondered,

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“how does interfering with the computers on your ship or this station achieve that?”

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“It doesn’t,” Mark answered

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her. “When Rob’s crew made their link to the Leonia’s computer, they naturally validated the encrypted seals on the diplomatic data packets.

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Normally that wouldn’t have happened until the packets were transferred to the systems on Cascade 7.

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The worm was supposed to shut down the government systems in the Cascadian capital,

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not ours. Call ground control and tell them the emergency is cleared and

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I’ll give them a full report in four hours.

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Then you’re relieved.

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Lora will take the watch here while the rest of us get some sleep.”

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“Absolutely, I will.

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Go find a warm drink first, Mark. Your teeth are chattering,”

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Lora said. Walking back down the now lighted corridor to the mess room seemed only a tenth of the distance it had been in the dark.

Please enjoy: 00:29:30

Nonetheless, Mark was still acutely conscious of the lion’s presence just behind him.

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“This is ridiculous,” he wanted to tell himself.

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“Lions haven’t been predators upon zebras for over four hundred years back on Terra.

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And lion morphs were never really predators.

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Sure, they need to eat flesh or a reasonable facsimile,

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but we grow that in culture now.

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He even said he wasn’t going to eat me...”

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Wait, where did that come from?

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Oh yeah, Tef did say it, didn’t he?

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Yeah. Finding the reader in his pocket, the dockmaster offered it back to Teftawn who only waved a paw in refusal.

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“I meant what I said.

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It’s yours now, so enjoy it,”

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the lion told him.

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Mark selected hot cocoa,

Please enjoy: 00:30:11

a rare indulgence for him,

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and Tef got himself some coffee.

Please enjoy: 00:30:14

They sat facing each other, sipping the hot liquids.

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“Well done, dockmaster,”

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Tef said to him,

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smiling so that his sharp fangs showed and Mark shivered again.

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“You really do know your ancient literature.

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I hope we get a chance to discuss it when we go down to the surface.

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I really meant that offer,

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and I hope you’ll accept it.”

Please enjoy: 00:30:33

The soft pads of a pawfoot found Mark’s fetlock under the table

Please enjoy: 00:30:36

and stroked it slowly.

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Mark froze, about to refuse,

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and then decided that he had to learn to override his fearful instincts if he wanted to have a real career in space.

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He sipped cocoa, relishing the bittersweet warmth of it

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and wrapping his hands around the cup.

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Finally he nodded.

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“I have R&R time coming,”

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he said, “and now I need it.

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I’ll go.” Teftawn smiled,

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set his cup down on the table,

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and reached out with his right paw to stroke Mark’s cheek.

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“Those stripes are fascinating,”

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he said softly. “I’ve wanted to do that all day.

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How do we book our time hunting and camping then?”

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“Susan or Lora can do it.

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They are masters of any kind of reservations or communication,” the dockmaster answered.

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He put down his own cup,

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and laid his hand on the tabletop.

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It was immediately covered by a big furry paw.

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“Good,” said Tef. “I can’t wait.” ***

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The shuttle landed smoothly on the southern continent of Valden 4.

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Mark watched Teftawn sorting out their two packs from the jumble of luggage

Please enjoy: 00:31:40

in the forward racks, and followed him down the gangplank.

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He hadn’t set hoof on solid ground for about a year

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and it felt good in spite of the excess of gravity.

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Fortunately, all station crew were required to work out in the gym regularly,

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so he was not overly weak for the nine-tenths gee of Valden’s only habitable planet.

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They followed signs to the ground transport

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that bumped over a couple of miles of road to the main resort hotel,

Please enjoy: 00:32:04

Tef keeping up a constant stream of questions about Mark’s foalhood

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and family on the planet,

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and how he came to choose a space career.

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Obviously, the lion wasn’t bothered by either the gravity or the heat of the heavy atmosphere.

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The reservation clerk checked their identicaps and pulled out a packet of maps.

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“Camping out are we?”

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the burro asked brightly,

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as if she didn’t know it already from what she had just read from her screen.

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“Here are your maps, and the rule sheets.

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You can pick up your kit in room four down the hall.

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Just use these badges.”

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She handed them each a plasteel badge with their name and a number on it.

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“Oh, and don’t miss the restaurant.

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I hear the trail food they provide is pretty meager, so you may want to have a good lunch before starting out.”

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Mark trailed behind Tef to the restaurant,

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where the lion smoothly negotiated a pleasant and private booth for them.

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A waiter arrived and took their orders.

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Mark had a very large salad with bread and olive oil,

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while Tef ordered cultured beef in gravy

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and a glass of wine.

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The zebra wrinkled his nose when the plate of meat was set on the table, and Tef laughed.

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“Oh come on, Stripes,”

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he said, having taken to calling Mark by that nickname.

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“You don’t have to eat it, and nothing was hurt making it.”

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“Well, that’s true, I guess,”

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Mark had to agree.

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He tried not to watch the lion appreciatively devouring the roasted flesh, but it fascinated him.

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Tef only raised an eyebrow at him

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and stole a chunk of his bread to soak up the gravy.

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After lunch they picked up their rental gear

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and took another bumpy transport to the trail head.

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Mark was glad he had eaten lightly because the jolting of the ground car was quite upsetting to him.

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Still, he recovered quickly once his hooves were on the ground again

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and they hiked about ten kilometers into the grassland

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and up to a hilltop before making camp.

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Mark prepared a meal from freeze dried rations

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while Tef laid out bedrolls

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and played with his laser rifle, sighting at imaginary animals in the distance.

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Mark himself had chosen the camera option,

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and took several shots of Teftawn playing with the rifle

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and grinning toothily.

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They ate, and slept the sleep of the justly tired.

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It was only on the third full day,

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when Teftawn had already exceeded a thousand points with his laser

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and Mark had filled an image chip with photos of wildlife,

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that the fears began to return.

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The lion was enjoying himself immensely,

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full of energy and curiosity,

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large of appetite, and broad of gesture.

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He continued to quiz Mark about the fauna,

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the culture, and the history of Valden 4, until Mark had to say he knew no more.

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Tef got a blister on his paw from pressing the rifle trigger so often,

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and produced a sharp beltknife to puncture and drain it.

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Mark stared, because all weapons, including knives, were forbidden.

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They had been warned of it repeatedly.

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Tef noticed the zebra’s gaze.

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“Oh, this?” he asked.

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“It’s just a little manicure tool.

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I refuse to be caught in the wilderness bare pawed.”

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He grinned, showing his fangs,

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and Mark remembered the razor claws in those big paws.

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Tef was hardly weaponless,

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even without the knife.

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Late that afternoon,

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they found a herd of zebras:

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the original, Terran species

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with four hooves

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and a nasty attitude,

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from which Mark’s ancestral genes had been derived

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back before the gene wars put an end to morphic experimentation on the human homeworld.

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Mark had a telephoto lens, and snapped a dozen photos

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while Teftawn discovered that the herd

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was just out of range of his laser rifle.

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“Let’s stalk them and get closer,”

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the lion whispered.

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So they crawled through tall grass,

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Mark leading and watching for snakes which might possibly be present.

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The thought of the lion right at his tail almost gave him pause,

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and as the stalking dragged on for an hour and more,

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the feelings from the dark corridors of the station came back

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and crept up from his hindbrain into his consciousness.

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No matter what you might say,

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Tef was a predator.

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He moved like one,

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thought like one,

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had the powerful muscles and speed of one.

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Mark caught himself imagining what it would be like to feel those fangs at his throat,

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or Tef’s claws on his flank,

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and shivered. The lion

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had moved a bit to one side, and they were very close to the unsuspecting herd when a stallion raised his head

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and tested the air,

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then gave a scream of warning.

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Almost as one, the herd of a hundred or more striped creatures wheeled

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and took off across the grassy plain at a gallop.

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Mark smelled their fear,

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and heard them calling to one another.

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In an instant, he was running after them,

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and swiftly for a biped.

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Tef stared for only a second,

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and followed. The zebra morph was closing the distance between himself and the herd,

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but the lion was catching up to him as well.

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He looked over his shoulder

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and saw Tef running straight for him,

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open mouthed and roaring,

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and picked up his speed when he thought he could do no more.

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He turned to the side, toward a tumble of rock and brush,

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hoping that the lion morph’s enthusiasm would make him follow the larger herd,

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but to no avail. Terrified,

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with his instincts raging and shouting down all rationality,

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Mark plunged in among the rocks

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and hid himself, listening to Tef rustling through the grasses not far away.

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His heart was pounding like a huge hammer,

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and he was sure the sound of it alone would give him away.

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Convinced that the lion must have brought him out here into the wilderness only to kill him for reasons unknown,

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the zebra lay still,

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panting as quietly as he could.

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There was silence,

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and he had almost relaxed

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when the heavy weight of Teftawn’s larger body enveloped his back,

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and he felt those fangs on the back of his neck

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right through his own heavy mane.

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Mark squeezed his eyes shut

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and tried to prepare himself for what he thought was coming.

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Tef nipped the zebra’s neck lightly,

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growled with laughter,

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and turned Mark easily in his arms,

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only to kiss him full on the mouth.

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The lion’s tongue was soft and smooth,

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not like a feline at all.

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He kissed very well indeed,

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and Mark melted into his arms, wondering what on earth he had been running from.

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They broke the kiss,

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and Teftawn pinched Mark’s cheek

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with his paw. “That was a fun game,”

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he said. “But I like this one better.”

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He kissed the zebra once more, before asking softly,

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“Now why have you been running away from me ever since I set paw on your station?”

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This was “A Close Port of Call”

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by Altivo Overo, read for you by Khaki,

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your faithful fireside companion.

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Thank you for listening

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to The Voice of Dog