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© 2023 by Walter Reimer

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“Outphase point in three . . . two . . . one,” the wolf said, “outphased.”  The starfield flipped back to normal.  “TCS-5409, A Quiet Life, Transcosm, to Downtime Traffic Control,” and Jemel Fikset smiled as the main display showed one of the station’s traffic monitors.
“Downtime Control, hello,” the beaver femme said.  “Your transponder signal checks out.  Cleared for approach lane C-4 to Dock 9,” and an inset showed the course.  “Keep sharp, though, please.”
“Oh?” the wolf asked.
“Yeah.  We’re expecting a lot of military traffic incoming, ETA about two hours.”
Jemel glanced over his shoulder at his captain, and Jax touched his own intercom headset.  “Understood, Downtime.  We’ll give them a wide berth.”  The transmission ended and the rat settled back in his chair.  “Take us on in, Jemel.”
“Right, Boss,” and the freighter started forward.  The main display showed two insets, the ship’s orientation and its course, while the remainder of the screen displayed the total area of space around the station.  “Military traffic,” Jemel remarked.  “Hope it’s nothing rough.”
“Heh, yeah,” Ginny said from her assistant engineer’s position, the rabbit’s ears swiveling.  “We’ve had enough of being shot at for a while.”
“A few lifetimes, at least,” Elroy, her husband, agreed.  The beagle and the rabbit exchanged grins.
The freighter maneuvered in closer, lined up carefully with the dock, and advanced at a relative crawl toward the station.  Several meters from the docking clamps, Jemel’s ears went up at a sensor alarm.  “Boss, we’re getting sensor feed from the station.  Power surge.”
“Ships outphasing?” Jax asked.
“Yeah – wow,” and the main display began to light up with hundreds of transponder signatures, all Kashlanin.
Ginny gulped.  “Elroy?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you watch my station, please?  I have to pee.”
“Yeah, if I can go next,” the beagle said as he watched the rest of the Kashlanin Second Fleet appear in normal space around Downtime Station.

***

“You should have seen it,” Jax said to Meredith.  “Scared me at first.”
The mare nodded at the rat as he took a sip of his whisky.  The A Quiet Life had been met and welcomed by Meredith and Fuji, and now the entire crew was stationside and visiting one of the bars.  “I saw it on the traffic display as you came into dock, and it startled me too.  Last I heard, they were still at Wangguan.”
“Heard that from Varan?” the rat asked.
Meredith nodded as her padd started to buzz.  She glanced at it and her eyes widened.
To Jax’s surprise, the golden palomino downed her vodka and fruit juice in one gulp, winced momentarily, and said, “That was Varan.  If you’ll excuse me, Dashufenke?”
Jax smiled.  “Sure, Merry,” and he watched as the mare went to collect her mate.

***

Varan had spent a few days exercising in higher gravity, but moving from one side of the station to the other still made her stagger a little at first.
Still, Joe’s was exactly as she recalled it, and the vir was shown to a seat.  One or two shlani were also seated here and there, station personnel who had chosen to have their midday meal at a Terran eatery.  It was a heartening glimpse of what the two races were capable of.
She had a glass of henal and was perusing the menu when her ears twitched at the clopping sound of Terran hooves.  Varan looked up.
And smiled.
The vir got to her feet as Meredith darted ahead of Fuji and fairly collided with her lover, the two embracing as Varan’s tail thrashed in an effort to keep her balance.  She bent down and the two shared a kiss as Fuji walked up.
The monitor was drawn into the embrace, and for a long moment the three of them held the tableau before separating.
“You look wonderful, Varan,” Fuji said.
“As do you, Fuji.  Meredith, you are looking wonderful.”
“I’ve missed you,” the mare said. “We both have.”
Varan smiled.  “And I’ve missed both of you terribly.  Where is your daughter?”
Meredith and Fuji looked at each other before they took each other’s paws.  “A Quiet Life had docked,” the monitor said, “shortly before you called.”
He and the golden palomino mare reached out with their free paws.
Varan smiled and took their paws in hers, reaching across the table.