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Hey! I present chapter 2! It is nearly twice as long as chapter one, at 17 pages versue 10. Hope y'all enjoy!

I do not own Star Trek or any of its stuff that they have rights too. I also do not own rights to any real world products I mention in the stories. The characters are mine though.

Chapter 2

We both talked for a few more hours, well into the evening. The planet was larger than earth so the setting sun took its time. About and earth hour after sundown, we decided to grab more food, and decided to do so at the mess hall versus either of our quarters.

"Hey, which way to the mess hall?" I asked of a passing man.

"Down that hall, take a left at the first intersection, it'll be at the end." He said with a polite smile.

"Thanks!" We both responded and went our ways.

"I feel comfortable being back in my own uniform, but it's odd the same time. We stand out even more!" She said, still fiddling with the empty holster.

"It is odd. Maybe tomorrow we can go into the city Orias talked about. It'd be nice to go do something."

"Yeah. I'm trying to see this as a vacation of sorts. Look on the bright side, eh?" She said with a semi-forced smile.

"Exactly." I said, as we entered the mess hall. We got a few smiles and nods from the people there. It wasn't as crowded as it was before. Knowing that everyone works different shifts, it didn't surprise me. We ordered our food, I had the soup Tanya had before, and Tanya had some sort of noodle one of the officers suggested.

Taking off our caps, we were about to sit down when someone waved us over. We looked at each other and back at the two young women sitting at table, one was human, the other the same species as Neven. Sure enough, they smiled at waved us over again. We shrugged and walked over. We removed our caps, set them on the table, and sat down with our meals.

"Hi! I'm Ensign Kelsey May, and this is Ensign Stella Boon." The young woman said smiling to us. "We just wanted to meet the new guests."

"Thanks! I'm Tanya Bondarenko." She said smiling back.

"I'm James Matrix."

"Y'all are cops?" Stella asked, looking at our ID badges on our right shoulders.

"Yup. London Metropolitan Police. He's the sergeant, I'm the lowly senior constable."

"You're the youngest senior constable on the force, let alone in the Fire Arms Unit." I said.

"True. I beat both parents and my brothers to the rank, age wise." She said triumphantly.

"Nice! I'm the only one in my family to join Starfleet. They were placated when my first posting was on an outpost in a safe region." Kelsey said.

"What do you do?" I asked.

"I'm an engineer." Kelsey said.

"I thought security wore yellow."

"Security and engineers. Red is operations and command, blue is science and medical." Stella said. "I was actually one of the nurses that helped Doctor Sanders operate. Never encountered your type of wound before. The best way I can describe it is a cross between a bullet wound and a phaser wound. We deal with phaser and disruptor burns."

"Yeah. We do have energy weapons, but we mostly use kinetic weapons. Small energized metal bullets fired at an immense speed the friction heats them up and turns them into something similar to a laser." Tanya said.

"Wow. I'm curious, your patrol craft is a hovercraft with shielding, are you a space faring civilization?" Kelsey asked.

"Yup. I was in the marines. I served mostly aboard assault ships made to fairy troops around." I said.

The small talk continued until the two women had to return to their shifts, and they left with a friendly goodbye, and a promise to hang out more.

"They were very friendly!" Tanya said, in a good mood.

"Yeah they were! Think I got a bad impression with Neven. She is kind of a bitch, but so far I have liked the people I have met."

"She is rough, but seems competent. I think she just reminds you of Sergeant Dillard." She said with a shiver, remembering the awful sergeant we were both assigned under when we first started out in patrol. She was a good cop, I can admit, but she pushed everyone hard and to their limits. In a way, it helped toughen us up, taught us to buckle down on work till we were done.

We walked around the outpost a bit, chatted with a few other people, and explored a bit, in the areas that weren't restricted. On our way back to our quarters, we ran into Orias, this time unarmed.

"Hey, guys." He said, jogging up behind us. "Just got off. You doing alright?"

"Yeah, we just walked around for a bit, grabbed a bite to eat, met a few people too. Do you know Ensigns Boon and May?" I asked.

"Yeah, they're friends of mine. Nice ladies." He said, pacing us.

"They are nice, I like them. We chatted while we ate, but they had to work the night shift." Tanya said.

"Yeah, all of us do. Neven runs a tight ship, but we do get a fair share of time off, and everyone has to work an even amount of night shifts, no matter your rank. Commander Neven wants us all to be used to that amount of demand."

"Sounds exactly like Dillard." I said, frowning a bit.

"Who?"

"Former boss." Tanya said.

"Ah, well, I'm heading off to bed. Your new clothes should be in your quarters by now. G'night!"

"Night." We both answered back.

Soon, we were both in bed after inspecting our new clothes. I quickly realized sleep wasn't an option with my busy brain, so I headed to the mess hall lounge, and spotted a poker game.

"May I join?" I asked, noticing the officers were older and all at least lieutenant commanders, and included, surprisingly, Neven.

"Of course. We're not playing with chips though, you need collateral." One of the officers said.

"How about, this?" I said, pulling a small bottle of aged scotch from my pocket. It was something I kept in the car, never really new why, but just did.

"Hhhmmm." One of the officers said, taking a look, then passed it to Neven.

"It's older than me." I said.

"Good enough!" She said, handing it back. Soon the game started.

Within two hours, I left the game, pocket full of strips and slips, even a bar, of gold pressed latinum. My pocket a-jingle with loot, I returned to my quarters, and soon slipped into a dream filled sleep.

********************************************************************************************************************

I hated that smell. It was the smell of smoke, weapons discharge, burning fuel, sewage broken open, and death, all mingled into the smell of the flowery, grassy meadows the colony sat in. It was like paradise and hades came together in a clash. I barely registered the smell before barking orders. Intel was sketchy, and we didn't know exactly where the Genji were, or the holdouts. Communications were spotty, and from the sounds of it, there were holdouts outs all over the place, marines, cops, civilians, all hunkering down just trying to survive.

We departed the drop ship and ran to the loading dock gate, following a sign that led to the port authority building that supposedly was serving as the regional operating base. We passed a few turned over crates and entered a covered walkway made for maintenance personnel. Rounding a corner, I held my fist up, halting the 25 men and women following me. This loading dock showed signs of recent battle. Following my signals, the platoon split into squads and fanned out.

The crates, equipment, and vehicles looked like they were left in a hurry. Bullet holes and energy blasts riddled the area. I kept my rifle ready, the flashlight on, scanning the dock. I rounded a set of crates and found a dead marine, slumped against a crate, rifle still in his paw. I pressed my paw to his wrist, and shook my head. No pulse. We moved on, finding two dead Genji, those I also checked.

The Genji shock troops were bipedal, but had the weapons built into their bodies, their armor. No one really knew how to check for life, like a pulse or breathing, as they hardly showed life signs, even fully alive and functioning. They seemed dead, but I pulled my pistol, attached the silencer, and fired two shots, one to each head, and they jerked. Turned out they were alive. Everyone looked at me, startled.

"AMBUSH!" I shouted, sending everyone for cover as some of the 'dead' Genji got off the ground, sending energy beams right at us. One of my marines, a young pitbull, took a hit straight in the chest, sending him sprawling. Dennis fired eight rounds at the Genji trooper, dropping him before his second shot went off. I ran from cover, firing, dropping two more Genji, and pulled Abe into cover as Dennis and Getts dropped two more. They were everywhere, but in just two minutes, the exchange was over. Eleven Genji were dead, as was Abe. Dennis got grazed in the arm, but was patched up fast by the medic. More shots sounded as each Genji received one more bullet for good measure.

"Bastards." Fernandez growled, dropping his bloody paw from Abe's neck. "Sorry ell tee, didn't make it.

"Shit."

"Could've been much worse, boss, if you hadn't thought to check them." Dennis said, the mustang nodding her head at me, as did the rest of my platoon.

"Alright everyone, move out." I said, stepping over a dead dock worker.

***********************************************************************************************************************

I jerked awake, getting a bit dizzy from sitting up to fast. My bare chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. I got out of bed, the cool air biting my sweaty, damp fur. I walked into the small bathroom and splashed my face with some warm water. Checking the time piece, I realized I had been asleep for eight earth hours, though it was still dark outside. Damn large planets. Looking in the mirror, I saw a young husky gazing back at me. He was 27, still very young. Anthros lived up to two hundred and fifty. His bright blue eyes were sharp and clear, energetic and aware, yet hinted at something more, the sights no one should have to see. I sighed, stretching my furry muscular body, a few stiff joints popping. I heard a beep from the door.

"Come in!" I sad, rinsing my face again.

"Hey, I have the day off and-" Orias stopped, "Dude, you shouldn't have answered the door."

"What?" Then I realized he was referring to my nudity. "Sorry, with fur you don't really care much when it comes to being in privacy. Besides, we're both dudes."

"Yeah, still, warning would've been nice." Pretending he didn't glance quickly at my fuzzy white sheath and balls.

"Will do." I said, putting on a pair of shorts. "What were you saying?"

"Well, I wanted to know if you and Tanya wanted to go into town. I have the day off and figured I'd show you around." His nose wrinkled slightly for a miniscule instant.

"What now?" I said, slightly exasperated.

"Well, um. You stink." He said sheepishly.

"Sorry, kinda sweaty."

"How? It's like 60 in here."

"Yeah, I like it cold. I'll take a shower, why don't you go check and see if Tanya wants to come with us. Just ask if she is decent, she wouldn't appreciate you looking over long at her boobs." I said, matter of factly, receiving a slightly shocked look from Orias.

"Do all of you walk around naked? Sheesh." He said, making for the door.

"Nope, but we aren't as shy about it. Not a big deal." I said flatly, leaning over the counter to inspect my teeth, swinging my butt and tail to unnerve him.

"Oi vey." He said, as the door closed behind him.

I chuckled to myself as I got into the shower and washed my fur quickly. After drying off, I picked out a pair of black shorts, and a light blue t-shirt. I decided no shoes, since I wasn't in uniform. It'd be nice to stretch my hind paws a bit. Dressed, short head fur fluffed, I exited my quarters.

"You realize it's still night, thus cold?" He said.

"You realize I'm a husky, and have fur?" I said, mimicking his tone.

"Okay, I'm ready!" Tanya nearly shouted as she burst from her quarters, making Orias and I jump a bit. "Wusses."

"Shall we?" Orias said, wisely ignoring the taunt.

We followed Orias through the compound to a small tram station, filled with other off duty personnel ready for a day, or night, or morning, on the town. Damn large planets. The tram doors opened and we all piled on. Once full, the doors shut after a short *ding*.

"Tram departing for Elesin City." A female voice announced, as the tram smoothly accelerated.

"You wore no shoes?" Orias said, looking down at our hind paws.

"We only need them when in uniform or there is bad weather. We are part dog." Tanya replied, looking out the window to the tunnel whipping by.

"Well, you aren't the only ones who don't wear shoes." He said. "Sorry if I come across as judgmental, just not used to your habits."

"Walk in on James naked?" She said, earning more than a few glances from the other passengers, making me chuckle.

"Wow. Just wow." He said, shaking his head, trying to conceal the blush forming on his light skin.

Tanya and were sharing a chuckle at his expense when the tram exited the tunnel, soaking wet from a sudden downpour of water. We gasped at the beauty before us. The tunnel exited out from the side of a massive, sheer cliff, behind a water fall, and we were now hanging from the track hundreds of feet above the ground. The sun was rising finally, revealing a beautiful, lush forest growing up to the base of the cliffs. The large planet afforded us a line of sight that extended for miles and miles of lush trees and canopies, an occasional river or pond breaking the sea of green. Scores of birds were flying from the trees, waking from a long night of rest.

We were practically pressed against the window like school children as we watched the ground below us. Slowly the forest gave way to grass lands, gold, green, orange, and even a royal blue, meshed together like the strokes of an artist's paintbrush. Amongst the tall grasses and flowers, large, reddish bovine looking creatures, with massive curling horns, grazed. They saw the tram above and, as one, began to run away in large, graceful bounds I was sure could clear at least four speeders. It was like nothing I had seen before.

"Wow." I said, still gazing in wonder, my tail swinging in sync with Tanya's, occasionally batting a fellow passenger.

"It is one of the most beautiful planets I have ever seen." Tanya said, "This is amazing."

Orias and a few others chuckled lightly at us, but we didn't care.

"Tram will be arriving at Elesin City in a moment. Please take the time to secure all belongings." The same voice announced, shaking us out of our gawking.

"Got your shoes?" I asked Tanya, making her giggle while Orias looked peeved.

"Don't forget to take your belongings." The tram voice said, as the doors opened with a hiss and ding.

The station was beautiful. Its curving stone arches, thin, wispy like pillars, and tall ceilings made up a simple but graceful building. Gold lanterns built directly into the curves, gave off a warm but bright glow, casting shadows that were themselves art, as they folded in and out of the curves and swirls of the stone. Everything here seemed to be painstakingly calculated to be an art itself. Tram stations were usually Spartan and utilitarian, but this was different, and I couldn't wait to see the rest.

We followed Orias out into the streets to find a city of such beauty the station looked like a dumpster. Once again, we were thunderstruck with the sheer artistic beauty of the city. Stone buildings twisted and swirled into the air, glass windows molded and seamlessly fit perfectly, not disrupting the flow. On some of the large ledges, balconies and gardens were integrated, yet still didn't disrupt the aesthetics. Vines with large yellow and orange blooms took advantage of the structures, and wrapped themselves around the gold stone, creating an affect that made you feel the buildings were built into the natural environment. The streets themselves were straight and wide, but were lined once again with beautiful grasses, flowers, and trees, so large they almost arched over streets fully. The rising sun just added to the effect, as the shadows cast were almost paintings themselves. The shadows looked organic, as the sun reflected off buildings and filtered through the trees and gardens.

"It has the same effect on everyone who visits." Orias said from my left, also looking at the city skyline.

"How did they do this?" I asked, awestruck.

"The best artists, architects, astronomers, and mathematicians came together to build the most artistic city possible. Everything is precisely calculated to fit seamlessly into the environment, and use it to augment the beauty of the planet. In some places the shadows look like water, constantly changing as the sun sets and rises. You should see in on a clear and starry night. It's just as breathtaking." That's when my stomach growled.

"God, you ruin every freaking moment with your damn appetite." Tanya said, shaking her head.

"I haven't eaten breakfast yet."

"Well, I know a good café. Kelsey and Stella are there now, want to meet up with them?" He asked us.

"Yeah, I'm game." I said, following him through the gorgeous streets.

After a few minutes of listening to the sounds, seeing the sights, and smelling the smells, I smelled something else. Pancakes. Different, but definitely pancakes.

"Pancakes." Tanya said, looking at me, her nose twitched furiously like mine.

"Yup. That's where we're headed!" Orias said, picking up the pace as we followed our noses.

We came to a little café, part indoors, part outdoors, tucked underneath a swirl of the massive high rise above us. It smelled amazing, all sorts of exotic yet familiar smells, only getting stronger as we entered.

"Hi! How can I help you?" A cheery, alien waitress asked us.

"We're meeting some friends." Orias said.

"Ah, yes! Ms. Boon and Ms. May are waiting for you if you'd follow me." She said, smiling at us, her eyes lingering on me.

"Heh." Tanya huffed, elbowing me, receiving a "sshh!" from me and a glance from Orias.

"Hey guys!" Kelsey and Stella said in unison, getting up to give us cheery hugs.

We chatted for a bit while we decided what to order. I got the pancakes, juice, and some sort of bird eggs, sunny side up on toast. When our food arrived, a plate of bluish purple pancakes were set down before me.

"That blue grass you saw from the tram, that's it, made into pancakes. It's very good, and nutritious." Orias informed me. They smelled good to me, so I'd eat them.

As I started slathering golden butter and amber syrup on my pancakes, I started to sing a jingle.

"Got mah blue pancakes, gonna put some syrup on. Oops! Forgot the butter, take a bit, slather it on." I sang quietly humming to myself as I was lost in my own world of hunger and eagerness. "Got mah blue pancakes, gonna put some syrup on, got the butter now, so I'm gonna eat them all up!" Then I looked up.

Tanya was giggling, and Kelsey, Stella and Orias were just staring at me, eyebrows raised.

"He does this quite frequently, break into a little jingle. At his desk a few weeks ago, while we were all doing paperwork, he started singing a five minute song about laundry baskets and the advantages of using hypoallergenic detergent. Two minutes in, everyone in the squad room was humming along, providing chorus and drums, even McClyde was tapping his foot along. Kind of his thing when he is really focused on something mundane." Tanya explained.

"Yeah." I said, she explained it well, and I wanted pancake in my mouth, not words.

"Okay...Well....Lets eat!" Kelsey said, clinking glasses with Stella and Tanya. Orias just kept looking at me with an amused expression.

"You heard the lady! Eat damn it!" I said jokingly, then shoving half a pancake in my mouth.

"Classy." He said with a laugh before taking a bite of his food.

The food was delicious, hearty and rich. The pancakes were sweet, but had a nutty taste as well. The butter and syrup added to the scrumptuosity. The eggs were a hearty, gamey taste, I liked them, but they were not like anything else I has eaten before. The toast was lightly sweet as well, like the pancakes, but had a more starchy taste versus nutty.

We continued to eat and chat for about an hour. It wasn't until we were full and happy that Stella suggested going to the market. Tanya and Kelsey heartily agreed, as did Orias and I, despite what we knew would eventually come. As we were leaving, I noticed something wrong.

"Who paid the bill?" I asked, Tanya looking worried too.

"What bill?" Kelsey asked.

"The food bill!" I said, thinking we were stiffing the restaurant and waitress out of their due compensation.

"No currency here." Orias said.

"How do you pay?" I asked, skeptical. "I know about latinum, but no currency?"

"I left a strip of latinum on the table, under my napkin. Worth the food and tip."

"I'm not even going to try to understand how you get by without currency." I said, "We have galactic credits, easy, fun, and safe for the whole family."

"Right. To the market? There, we use latinum for the more valuable goods."

"See!" Tanya said, "you do use currency."

"Not officially." Orias stated again.

"Still currency." Tanya said with finality, as she walked the rest of the way into the street.

"Don't argue." I said to Orias, before more words could escape. "Confucius says: Don't argue with women."

"Not one of his better known sayings, but I'm sure all wise men have said that at least once." Orias said.

"I can hear you." Tanya said over her shoulder, arm in arm with Kelsey and Stella.

The three women immediately starting chattering over the goods we passed as we entered the market. It was still early in the morning, but it was alive with activity. Stone walls arched over the market, providing the perfect place for outdoor stalls to set up, tucked into the protective ached walls. People moved about, hawking wares, negotiating prices, and browsing their options.

I noticed a young man, in a Starfleet uniform, different, but definitely Starfleet. He was negotiating, very poorly, with a short fellow with sharp teeth and massive ears, his beady eyes had that look that predators get when they know their prey has lost. I walked over to the stall, seeing large amounts of jewelry and accessories laid out. The two were talking about a gold brooch for the young man's girl back home.

"May I?" I asked politely of the vendor.

"Of course my good sir!" The man said rushing over to display his wares. "These cufflinks would look magnificent with your lush fur."

I looked to see he was presenting a pair of onyx and mother of pearl cufflinks. The two rectangles of the material were surrounded by a border of silver platinum. Very nice.

"Very nice!" I said, carefully studying the links. "Onyx and mother of pearl, set in platinum. Earthling I presume?"

"Very astute! You do have an eye! How does one bar of gold pressed latinum sound?" He said, grinning, displaying his teeth.

"Hmmm. I say five strips." I said, grinning as well, displaying my own array of chompers.

"That's a quarter of a bar! Hardly fair. Seventeen strips!" He said feigning hurt. He was good.

"Fine. You swayed me. Thirteen strips."

"Fifteen. These are all the way from Earth! Hard to get out here." He said.

"Deal." I said, said, shaking his hand, handing him a bar and receiving change.

"Here you are my good sir. I'll put them in a decorative box for five slips."

"No thanks." I said with a polite bow, and putting the cuff links in my pocket.

"Not bad." Orias said, from behind my shoulder. "Where'd you get all that latinum?"

"Won it off Neven and a bunch of commanders." I said, checking my bill fold to see what remained, tucking the five slips in with the others. My fold also contained my now useless credit chit, as well as my banking ID, and my Skycar Opperators License.

"Really? They let you in on their game and you beat them?" He said, looking skeptical.

"Yes, I left after a couple hours. They were kind enough to let me join, and I didn't want to drain them dry. Not yet at least." I said winking.

"Well then, Mr. Big Spender, let's catch up to the girls before they run off." He said.

"Sure!" Then I turned to the young man still at the stall looking at the brooch. "That's not real gold, neither are those." I said, pointing to the closer display. "Those are." I said, pointing to a further one.

I walked away, leaving an annoyed merchant and dumbfound teenager behind.

"You meet the Ferengi before? They are notorious merchants and dealers." He said to me as we caught up with the girls.

"Nope. I just like negotiating. It's fun now and then."

"Hey! What'd you buy?" Tanya asked.

"These." Said, presenting the cuff links.

"Oooo." She and Stella crooned. "Those are gorgeous! Where'd you get the latinum?"

"Poker game." I said. "Planning on using these with that suit the tailor made for me, the jet black one with silk collar and lapels."

"Perfect. They will look amazing with your grey and white fur." Tanya said, agreeing. "Look what I found!" She held up red, sheer scarf, swirled with orange and black.

"Fierce!"

"I like it! It looks good on you." I said, agreeing with Kelsey. The vixen easily pulled it off.

"Thanks! It's more for decoration than anything."

We continued to shop for a few the rest of the day, taking a lunch break in the middle. We didn't buy anything more, but just enjoyed each other's company.

"You up for a pint? I don't know any places, but I could really go for one." I said, looking at the group, all nodding.

"We can go to a tavern I know of a block over, nice enough place. A little seedy, but they have one of the widest selections of booze." Kelsey said.

"Lead on."

We walked the streets, passing by people heading to the market or, like us, finishing up. We arrived at the tavern. It was tucked away, back from the street, but it was my kind of place. It was dim, and a band played music in the background. The air was thick, but there weren't too many offensive odors yet, still a young night. We all sat at a table and ordered our drinks, but before I could even take a sip, a large hand gripped my shoulder. I paused, and turned, looking into the five ugliest faces I'd ever seen. I shook off the hand, and stood, Tanya, Kelsey, Stella and Orias as well. The whole place froze and watched. Two more walked up behind us.

"Nausicaans. They fight dirty." Orias whispered, just loud enough for Tanya and I.

"Dess says you cheated him. Return the goods and we leave." The leader said with ghoulish English, inching closer.

"I bought them in a fair deal we shook on. Let me buy you a drink before you do something you may or may not live to regret." I said. I knew their type, no reasoning. The only way to avoid a fight was to intimidate them enough, which rarely worked.

"Threats? MUTT." He inched closer, and spat. My hackles rose, I bared my teeth and a growl rose. Tanya stepped beside me, also ready for a fight, and equally riled.

That's when he made the first move, pulling a knife and stabbing it at me quickly, short, precise, and deadly. Not enough though. I grabbed his wrist with both paws, and twisted him arm backwards, while sweeping a leg into his knees, knocking him to the ground and disarming him. I threw the knife, and it collided with a small pistol that was pulled, rendering it useless. Two others charged. I blocked a blow from a fist, but could only twist to deflect a boot to my ribs. I felt the impact, but no pain. I grabbed the boot and twisted, hearing a distinct snap, the owner of the leg barely flinching. Another blow caught my ribs, and I responded with punching the first attacker with a blow to the throat, and a kick to the knee, snapping it.

I quickly glanced at my friends. Tanya just tossed a Nausicaan into the bar, knocking him out, but got grabbed from behind in a bear hug, while the leader charged with another knife. She leaned back, one kick sent the knife flying, another landed on his face, dropping him. She then hunched forward, and grabbed at the arms, lifting the Nausicaan off her back and tossing him over her head to crash into a table and land on the recovering leader.

One of the Nausicaans came up from behind, with a freaking sword, but I dove just in time to avoid the slash. I stood back up in a full defensive stance. He charged and I took a step back, grabbed a chair and swung it full force at his head, shattering it and slowing him. He hit me like a ton of bricks and we fell, the point of the sword digging into the flooring barely and inch from my neck. The Nausicaan dropped the sword, and pressed both hands into my wind pipe. I wasn't about to stand for that, so I slammed my hands into his elbows, loosening his grip, the hooked his right leg in my left, thrusted up with my hips, and pushed to my left, throwing him off. I stood and resumed a defensive stance.

Just then, fives guards, with rifles at the ready, beamed in. They shot the Nausicaans with stun beams, and took them into custody. Then the taverns front door opened, and Neven silently strode into the bar, and surveyed the mess with a blank expression.

She gazed at us each in turn, taking in our appearance and superficial injuries.

"Explain." That one word held power, and all the Starfleet personnel that had joined in to our aid looked intimidated and scared, like deer in the headlights of a freight train. Still a bitch.

"They attacked us for no reason, claiming I cheated their boss. They pulled weapons and we defended ourselves as is our right. The others came to our aid" I said, wiping a bit of blood from my nose.

"I didn't ask you Mr. Matrix. Orias?"

"It is Sergeant Matrix commander. They targeted me, we did nothing wrong." I said, gritting my teeth in annoyance.

"I didn't ask you Mister-"

"Sergeant."

"Sergeant Matrix. Starfleet personnel were involved in a brawl they shouldn't have been in. All of you, back to the outpost now." She said, glaring at us all in turn. The Starfleet people began filing out, emptying half the place, but I stood firm.

"You too, Senior Constable Bondarenko, Sergeant Matrix." She said.

"No. I haven't finished my drink yet." I said sitting, taking a long drink of the delicious liquor. Tanya sat next to me as well.

"You were involved in this brawl, we need a report. NOW."

"Commander, I've been in law enforcement for years, I know what I did was perfect self-defense, and after reviewing your laws the other night, I know I did nothing wrong, if you wish to arrest me, try it. If you want a statement, I will gladly give one here, but I am not leaving. I am not Starfleet, and I'm not ready to leave." I said, angering her even more.

"Ensign Rig will take your statement." She said, leaving in a huff.

"You really dislike her don't you?"

"Yup." I said, downing the rest of my drink and signaling for another.

It took a few minutes but I gave a statement, and cooperated fully. I disliked Neven for many reasons, but I wasn't about to take it out on her men. They had to put up with her as it was. Tanya and I finished our drinks, and headed back to the outpost, taking the tram. I entered the sickbay, needing to get my ribs checked out. The adrenaline finally wore off and they were starting to hurt.

"Hey doc."

"Ah, sergeant. I've been dealing with bruises and bumps the last hour or so. What can I do?" She said, walking over as I sat on an examination bed.

"Got kicked a few times in the ribs, they're a little sore."

"Alright, let me take a look."

She began with a scan of my ribs, using a small beeping, pill bottle sized device linked with a medical tricorder.

"They are bruised a bit, but no breaks or fractures. Looks like the swelling is already starting to go down a bit, you are a very robust species. I'll do some work to help it along, get ya patched up real quick. Take off your shirt and we'll get started."

I did so, and she began her scans and treatment. After a few minutes she frowned a bit, then scanned my shoulder and thigh.

"Wow. No signs at all you were shot. I had thought it would've taken longer."

"Robust, as you said."

"Very." She said smiling, her blue eyes meeting mine, causing me to smile too. I really liked her, not in "that" way, but she was still very nice.

"So, you use those holodecks any? We don't have anything like that at home."

"Yeah." She said, using a device on the bruises, making them feel better almost instantly. "I am working on a detective novel right now, based in the roaring twenties, a few centuries back. I think I have the killer in my sights, but I have yet to spring the trap."

"Sounds fun! Personally, detective novels never had an appeal to me, but living one out sounds pretty epic." I said, sighing as the pain was now gone."

"It really is. Well, I'm done here. I must say, you are in peak health, and from the stories I've heard of you tossing Nausicaans around, you have impressive strength beyond what's expected with your already impressive physique."

"Yeah, we are a strong species. Not too many can rival ours, not to brag." I said, putting my shirt back on.

"And you clearly take care of your fur. It's nice to see people who care for themselves, especially me being a doc, makes my job easier."

"Heh. I bet. Thanks doc! I'll see ya later."

"Hopefully you won't be injured next time. And you can call me Jamie." She said smiling.

"Thanks Dr. Jaime." I said leaving. I returned to my quarters and walked out onto the balcony. Even though I had been out all day, I could use some air.

**************************************************************************************************************************

The husky woke as the ship bucked underneath her, knocking her out of her bunk. Impact klaxons and proximity warnings began to blare as the lights dimmed and the ship rocked again.

"Red alert! All personnel to battle stations! Repeat! All personnel to battle stations!"

The middle aged husky quickly dressed in her uniform, and headed to the bridge, just one deck up.

"Report!" She said, sitting in her command chair.

"Six Genji Adima-class assault cruisers just came out of hyperspace, they fired a few shots but the range was too far to pierce the shields. Their shields are on full, and they are assuming an attack posture." The lieutenant on duty answered.

"Attack posture, intercept course on those ships. I want all fighter squadrons on standby. Alert the rest of the fleet, though we should be done here before they arrive. Let's see this ship in action." The Admiral said, wanting to see the capabilities of her new flagship in person, and not just in simulations. The bridge officers began carrying out their orders immediately.

"On intercept course, weapons range in thirty seconds. There shouldn't be any Genji this far out, I thought they passed this sector up."

"Bring main batteries to bear on those Genji. Concentrate all fire on the closest once we're in range." The Admiral said, ignoring the comment. Leave the investigations for later, when six Genji cruisers weren't bearing down on the lone dreadnought.

"Weapons range in five seconds, Genji weapons range in fifteen."

"Fire!"

The massive ship shuddered and the lights dimmed as the five forward facing magnetic hydronamic quad cannons fired their first live action salvo. The rounds lance out towards the nearest cruiser. In seconds each round impacted with four times the force of the Hiroshima bomb, tearing holes in the shields and cracking open the armored hull. The ship broke formation, and began to flee as it vented atmosphere and drive plasma. The five remaining ships still continued their course, ignoring the second salvo as it smacked into their shields. The five cruisers broke formation, each taking a different course, intending to broadside the massive dreadnaught from five different angels.

"Attack pattern lima six. Bring all cannons to bear."

The helm activated the rear port thrusters, swinging the rear around, opening the five enemy ships to an unexpected full broadside. The maneuver surprised the Genji since they did not expect the dreadnaught to be so maneuverable, as the older Alliance dreadnaughts were slow and lumbering. The twenty starboard side main batteries opened fire, as did the eight torpedo tubes, twenty medium rail guns, and thirty light mass drivers. The cruisers returned fire as they tried to flee, but took massive amounts of fire, as their momentum was difficult to slow and passed closely to the massive ship. They dreadnaught shuddered as it was hit with the powerful Genji energy weapons, but its shields and outer armored hull held with minimal damage.

"Starboard grids four, five and six are holding at seventy five percent. I'm routing power to reinforce." The operations officer reported

"Ma'am, the Genji cruisers are falling back."

"Set course to follow. Concentrate fire on their engines." The admiral stated, as she watched a cruiser crumple.

"Three ships just entered hyperspace. Two cruisers remain, both heavily damaged."

"Ma'am! The cruisers are changing their course, they are headed right for us, collision in one minute."

"Fire all batteries. Finish them off." The admiral calmly stated.

The cannons fired another salvo at the suicidal cruisers, the smaller mass drivers and the rail gun beams pelted the hull and shields in a constant barrage. Anti-ship rounds soon found their mark, and the cruisers crumpled under a far superior barrage.

"All hands brace for impact!" The ops officers shouted, just as the two shockwaves rocked the dreadnought.

"Shields held admiral. All systems are online, no casualties reported."

"Good. The C.S.V. Echo Star and her crew performed admirably. Now the Genji will think twice before attacking the system with the Alliance's newest dreadnought on patrol." The admiral said. She pressed a few buttons on a small console next to her chair. "All ships this is Admiral Matrix, all Genji have been dispatched. Resume normal patrols and surveys."

The admiral received conformations from the thirty two battle ships and science/survey vessels, as well as the four supply transports under her command.

"Lieutenant, you have the bridge. I'll be in my quarters."

**********************************************************************************************************************

"Hey, you okay?" Orias said, as he walked up behind me on the balcony.

"Yeah. Tired, homesick, annoyed, and lonely."

"Well, I'm here, so is Tanya, Kelsey, and Stella." He said, squeezing my shoulder, making me smile a little.

"Thanks, but not that kind of lonely. I just miss everyone at home. It's the lonely you get from not being around familiar people, like family and good friends. It's the familiar scents, the sounds they make when they breathe, the wag of a tail or flick of an ear. Dogs are a very social group, and very affectionate. It's hard not to be when we show emotions with not just expressions, but with fur, tails, and ears. I've spent time from my group, my pack if you will, but I've always been able to return." I said with a sigh, and turning to Orias. "It's not you, or Tanya, or Kelsey or Stella. You guys here have been great, and it's been nice to keep busy and have fun, keep my mind off of unpleasant things, the reality of the situation. You're a good man, and a good friend." I said, placing my paws on his shoulders, leaning in and touching the tip of my nose with his. He jumped a little, and pulled away.

"Sorry! I hope I didn't offend." I said quickly, my ears drooping a bit.

"Its, uh, okay. I've never had anyone do that." He said, wiping the cool dampness from the tip of his nose. "It was just a little, urm..."

"Intimate?" I said, receiving a nod. "Sorry, It's a sign of friendship with us, a greeting. Hugs, nose touching, hand holding, all common among friends."

"Okay, I can see that. Explains why you and Tanya are so unashamed about nudity." He said, blushing a smidgen. "Why have I never seen you and Tanya do that? Seems you are friends."

"Well, yeah, but not that level. We are partners too, plus I'm her superior. We mess with each other, but we keep it at a professional level, or used too. I guess being here, we're all we have of our home. We also have been spending more free time together. On patrol, it's all business."

"Okay, I get that. Kelsey and Stella are comrades, coworkers, but they are different departments, so we can be close friends. With my security colleagues, we mess with each other and chat at work when Neven isn't around, but we aren't really friends."

"Pretty much." I said, leaning on the railing, looking out at the crappy view of a courtyard and a cliff wall.

"Well, you're a good guy. I'd like to be friends." He said, smiling at me.

"I'd like that too." I said, turning my gaze on his kind, roguish, handsome face and intelligent hazel eyes.

"I'm still getting used to seeing a wagging tail on a man, husky or not." He said with a chuckle.

"Hey, don't diss the tail. It's my best feature." I said, giving him a better view of my fluffy, slightly curly tail, which was wagging ferociously.

"By the way, great job in the bar. You kicked major ass. You and Tanya literally threw those Nausicaans around!"

"Hah. Yeah. We're a strong species I guess. Compared to each other it's normal, but to the other species, we are strong." I said, giving him a flex of my strong bicep.

"No kidding."

"You didn't get in trouble did you?"

"No. Commander Neven was pissed, but she knew we did the right thing. She sent a couple guards after the Ferengi, Dess. He'll be pissing his pants when she gets a piece of him. The Naussicans have been arrested too."

"Good. I'm glad everyone is ok."

"I didn't see you come back with us."

"Nope." I said, "I stayed. Gave an officer our statements, and finished a few more rounds. I'm not Starfleet, she can't order me around the city. On post, yeah, it's her base, but not there."

"Going against her is gutsy, man. She is a good officer, but a hard ass too. She won't forget you disrespecting her." He said with a worried look.

"Yeah, maybe. She can't do anything when I get back though."

"No. I guess not." He said, quickly masking his look of sadness at the thought.

****************************************************************************************************************

The husky woke with an annoyed sigh when her console beeped. She got out of bed and walked over to the console, seeing a message marked urgent and private, and from three days before. The fleet was performing missions in the far outer rim so standard transmissions took long to reach the fleet. She sat down and opened the message.

"Fleet Admiral Jenna-Lee Matrix, Terran Colonial Alliance Fleet, Fifth Fleet, C.S.V. Echo Star.

This morning, three armed suspects robbed a bank in London, and shot a patrol officer. Sergeant James Matrix and Senior Constable Tanya Bondarenko were the first Fire Arms Unit officers to respond. During the exchange of fire, a transport carrying power cells was damaged, and crashed near the bank, setting of the cells and causing them to explode. I regret to inform you, but both Sergeant James Matrix, and Senior Constable Tanya Bondarenko were killed in the explosion. Both officers were honored members of the police force, and will be missed. I know you are on assignment, so the department is willing to hold the funeral, full police honors of course, until you are able to return. I'm so sorry for your loss.

With condolences,

Inspector Donald McClyde, London Metropolitan Police, Central District."