Housepets! In space! Vengeance!

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

He's just a little shaky.

[Amazee Dayzee]

If that is him being a little shaky, I would hate to see how he would be if he was really scared and unnerved about something.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 14: Rockett City

Allen stepped off the shuttle with his bag over his shoulder and looked around. The grass was reddish, the sky was pale blue with a faint tan undertone, and in the distance he could see the original colonial biodome, still standing shinily in the distance. It was odd, not hearing any birdsong. The air smelled like iron and sulfur.
He walked out of the spaceport and looked around with a sigh. There wasn’t much to do on Mars; the colony was under two hundred years old, so there was almost nothing here. There weren’t even very many trees aside from the oxygen factory. After looking around, he decided that finding a place to stay should be his priority.
He opened his holodisplay and searched for hotels close to the spaceport. The first several he checked told him they were human only and didn’t allow animals to stay there. He frowned and revised his search to add in the phrase “dog friendly.” After that, he had better luck, finding a nice dog-sized hotel that he could stay in. He got a small suite with a kitchenette; since he didn’t know how long he was going to be staying, he wanted the option to cook meals for himself instead of eating out every day, every meal for the foreseeable future.
Once he was settled in, he opened his magic book. “Hey. We’re in a hotel. How’s my mana level?”
The book rustled and flipped pages for a few moments. “You seem okay. Have you cast your burn resistance lately?”
Allen hesitated. “Er… no. I figured I would cast it if I started to feel symptoms again. No sense wasting the effort if I’m not in any danger.”
The book gave a thoughtful rustle, but didn't say anything. Allen scowled at it. “What? You got more bad news for me? Keep it to yourself. I don't think I can take any more.”
He pocketed his credit card. “I'm going out. Don't trash the room. If Housekeeping comes in, don't scare ‘em unless they try to steal something.”
The book rustled. “Where are you going?”
Allen grunted. “Don't worry, I'm coming back. I don't know how long I'm stuck here, so I'm going to go try to find some groceries. Maybe I'll do some sightseeing, too. I've heard the Mars Garden Towers are fascinating close up.” He closed the door behind him and made sure the door locked properly. He wasn't really sure he trusted this hotel.
He asked at the front counter where he could get some groceries, and was directed to a little grocery store a few blocks away. Of course, they only had human-sized shopping carts, so Allen had to wander the store pushing a cart taller than he was as he found stuff he could prepare in the hotel kitchenette. That turned out to be sandwiches and microwave dinners; he picked up some bread, mustard, cold cuts, and dehydrated noodles at prices he was glad were being paid for him. He'd heard things were more expensive on Mars because biomass hadn't started growing on its own, but he suspected they were ESPECIALLY expensive this close to the spaceport.
His overpriced groceries in tow, Allen trudged back to the hotel and found someone actively trying to pick the lock on his room. He snapped a picture discreetly with his wristband before shooing the pangolin away. It wouldn't hurt to have proof if the pangolin complained about him or tried to charge him with assault.
He stumbled back into his room with an exhausted sigh, putting his shopping away and flopping over on the bed. “I'd give anything to be bored out of my brain scanning planets from orbit about now. I've had enough excitement for one… eternity.”
He heard a rustle next to his head, and looked over at his book. “Oh, hey. One of these days I'm going to see how you move around.” He sat up to see what the book had to say.
“You seem tired. Not physically tired, but mentally.” The book stated sagely.
“Mm. Yeah. Been having a hard time sleeping with Richard after me. Keep expecting him to come out of nowhere and attack me. When I DO sleep, I have nightmares about it.” He flopped back and rubbed his eyes. “I'm EXHAUSTED. I know he most likely won't find me here, but I can't stop looking over my shoulder.”
The book flipped a few pages, and Allen scooped it up to hold it above his head and see what it said. “Sealed Chamber. Prevents all but the caster from entering a room uninvited. Needs recharged once per day. No active spell component.”
Allen sighed. “I appreciate the gesture, but I don't think it's going to help me sleep. Maybe keep people from breaking in and stealing my stuff. Not that I have more than a few changes of clothes.”
The book flipped a single page. Allen stared at the text. “Dreamless sleep. Gently lulls the target into a heavy sleep. They wake up feeling refreshed, having suffered no dreams of any kind. The length of sleep depends on the amount and potency of mana used.”
He blinked at the book. “You want me to put a protection charm on the room, then cast a sleep spell on myself?”
The book rustled. “You need to rest. If you need charms to help, then use them.”
Allen's ears went back as he considered. He WOULD be safer with the protection charm on the room, and he WAS tired. So tired.
“What happens if someone tries to come in with the protection charm in place?”
“The charm hides the room from outsider's notice. They'll be able to see the door, but it won't draw their attention to it even if they're looking for it. It'll be like it's not even there.”
He rubbed his face with both hands, groaning. “... All right. Show me the protection charm again.”
The book brought it up, and he followed the instructions, casting the spell and watching a golden wave of energy crawl along the floor from his paws, up the walls, and across the ceiling, where it merged, and the glowing light faded. He was quiet for a few moments. “Did it work?”
The book rustled. “This room is protected. Do you want to cast the sleep spell now?” It started to bring it up.
Allen shook his head. “I'm going to eat something first. But before I do that… show me that transparency spell again. The one you showed me a couple weeks ago.”
After a few moments, the spell Allen wanted appeared on the book pages. He skimmed it. “So if I only use a little energy, I should be able to make the door transparent from this side but normal from that side?”
“That is correct. What are you planning?”
Allen cast the spell on the door and watched it seemingly turn to glass. He opened it and checked it from the other side to be sure it still looked the same, then closed it again. “If someone does manage to find this door, I wanna see them before they see me. Extra security.”
He shut the door, making the unusual effect of having a fully lit hallway visible through it without any light actually making it into the room. Satisfied, he made himself a sandwich, eating in silence as he eyed the hallway through the door. As soon as he finished, the book rustled and displayed the sleep spell again with a message above it. “Please rest, Allen. I'm worried about you.”
Allen sighed and turned off all but the bed light. “All right, all right.” He read the spell. “I'll see you when I wake up.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Sleeping without having dreams can be very helpful sometimes when you are worried about having unnerving dreams. Though to be fair I don't know what happened with me but when I sleep I either don't dream or don't remember them when I get up.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

The ability to sleep without dreaming is especially useful if you've been having nightmares.

[IsraeliDisneyFan]

the question is, how can you do that?

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 15: Well Rested

Allen’s sleep stopped gradually. He blinked at the dimly lit ceiling and yawned. Red daylight filtered in from the other side of the curtains, and it took several seconds for Allen to remember why he was in a hotel bed, and why the light seemed red. He sat up and rubbed his head quietly, then swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up.
He glanced through the transparent door at the empty hallway, then stretched, putting his hands together and reaching for the ceiling. “MMph!” He groaned out loud. It felt good. REALLY good. He walked across the room in the dark and turned on the light, turning to see his book waiting for him on the kitchenette counter. He walked over and flipped it open. “Good morning, Bookie. How long was I asleep?”
“About twelve hours. Feel better?” The book was using a gentle, curling font today. It must be feeling good, too. Or maybe it was worried he was still being paranoid.
“I feel so much better, actually. Thanks for the sleeping spell.” He went to the fridge and looked inside to see if he could find some breakfast. The book thumped its cover heavily on the counter to get his attention, and he lifted his head back out of the fridge, a slice of cheese hanging from his mouth. “Hmm?”
The book’s text changed. “Your wrist machine was singing earlier. It might be important.”
“Oh. Okay, thank you.” He grabbed the cheese out of his mouth with his hand and bit off a piece of it, chewing quietly as he crossed back to the bed and the charger on the bedside table. He clipped on his wristband and opened up the interface.
A series of messages appeared. Allen flipped through them. Some were just standard updates on his ship’s refit- engines need replaced, minor scratches getting replated, just standard dry dock stuff. It didn’t require any actions from him, so he ignored it. There was a message from Katie.
“Allen, just giving you an update. There’s been no further sightings of Howard, but those six officers we identified as working with him have been brought in for questioning. They haven’t talked yet, but we suspect he’s somewhere in Headquarters. We miss you, Allen, and hopefully we can bring you home soon. Wherever you are, I hope you’re having a good time.”
Allen smiled and watched the hologram float quietly in front of his face for a moment, then sat up. “All right. I WILL have a good time.” He popped the last of his cheese in his mouth and smiled. He stood up and walked back over to the book, leaving the last notification unread.
“Hey, Bookie. I’m going to go do some tourist stuff.” He stuck his head in the fridge again and grabbed a couple slices of ham, rolling them up and stuffing them into a slice of bread folded in half. “You good holding down the fort?”
“Put your hand here.” An outline of a handprint appeared on the page, and Allen set his hand down on it. There was a pause. “I was checking your mana. You’re good to go, just keep an eye out for shakes. If you start, cast the shield over your torso and hold it there as long as you can. It shouldn’t interfere with your fun.”
“Thanks. I'll be back this evening.” He patted Bookie gently on the pages. The book gave a pleased rustle.
Allen grinned and headed out of the hotel, pausing at the continental breakfast bar to snatch a starfruit. He had noticed that the fruits that were usually hard to find on Earth were cheaper and more common here, and he wondered if that had to do with the Martian soil and its high iron content.
He munched the fruit, wandering the street for a while and spitting out the seeds onto the sidewalk. He had decided to see the town first, and so he did.
Allen visited souvenir shops, buying trinkets for his friends upon his eventual return to Earth. For Katie, he collected a vase blown from Martian sand glass; bits of glittering iron sat suspended in the crystalized silicon, giving the whole thing an extra-sparkly appearance. For Howard, a squirrel-sized mug with an image of the city's skyline, the biodome in the background looking extra impressive in the artist's rendering. For Allison, he got an egg timer, a tiny hourglass filled with glittering red martian sand. She loved that kind of thing. On one end, it declared that “Rockett City, Mars” was its origin in big, ornately painted letters.
For himself, he got a miniature biodome full of a thick liquid and fine red dust that would cover the colony when shaken, looking like a miniature sandstorm. He had everything carefully wrapped and sent back to his hotel to be picked up at the front desk upon his return.
Of course, he had to stop at a candy shop and browse the collection of sweet treats uniquely made from Mars's limited resources. No chocolate lined the shelves to tease Allen with its sweet, tempting aroma and lethal ingredients; instead, lollipops made from the juices of what fruits grew well here decorated jars; crystalized sugar on strings, gummies made of citrus and berries, tantalizing multicolored marshmallows, and a puffed confection that must have been invented here that vaguely resembled puff pastry made of peanut flour held Allen's eyes and nose captive with their delightful colors and smells. Obviously, he got a small sampling of everything he could. He thanked the workers and eagerly dug into the bag as soon as he'd left the shop.
Next up was the oxygen factory, which was more of a purification system that had eight individual towers placed evenly around the edge of the city. They each offered tours, though they were all the same, so there was no point touring more than one. Allen eagerly followed the tour guide through a tower as they explained that the air inside the city mostly passed through these towers, filtered through an algal bloom to turn it into oxygen, and then was blown toward the center of the city. In the early days of the city, the air outside had been almost entirely toxic, though as more cities got built and time passed, more and more oxygen was being added to the atmosphere, so the air outside the cities was now surviveable, though not exactly pleasant to breathe. The increased oxygen in the atmosphere was starting to melt the hidden martian ice, and natural lakes and rivers were starting to form. They estimated that within another fifty years, the planet would begin experiencing natural rain, and wild flora would be able to start taking root, accelerating the process, filtering iron out of the soil, and allowing Mars to become more Earthlike.
After the oxygen factory, Allen grinned and turned his sights to the garden towers. This was where most of Mars's food came from; massive towers, five acres wide and hundreds of stories tall, each level boasting a sprinkler system to water the crops and keep everything clean. No pesticides were necessary because no pests existed; only beneficial species had been imported. And since the inside of the towers were completely climate controlled, nothing was ever “out of season.” After a harvest, crops could be replanted immediately.
Allen gaped eagerly as he toured the few floors of the towers that were open to the public, staring at how the leaves all seemed reddish, how the soil here was more brown than the soil outside after a hundred years of fertilization, nitrogenation, and agriculture. It was even more awe-inspiring than he’d heard, seeing how the Martian citizens had taken one of the most hostile environments known and beaten it into something liveable, all before the invention of the translight drive. Nobody would dare attempt anything like this now, not with dozens of known liveable planets already cataloged and uninhabited.
Leaving the garden towers, Allen grinned. He had one more thing he wanted to see, but it would take a full day by itself, so he would save it for tomorrow. He glanced over and grinned at the biodome.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Happy to see that he is no longer a nervous wreck now and Allen is going to be able to have some fun on Mars. What a difference a few hours of restful, deep and relaxing sleep can make in a person.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

And of course he went STRAIGHT for the snacks again.

[Amazee Dayzee]

I guess that I should assume that he is starting to put on weight and become a bit of a porker then> I was hoping that he would take after his several times removed cousin Fox and actually be a bit muscular like him. =D

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Nah, life on a starship keeps him fit.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 16: Biodome

Allen stepped off the tour bus and grinned. The biodome was HUGE close-up; it arched up and away from him as far as he could see until it disappeared. The airlock- originally used to let people come and go as they worked on things outside the dome, such as the oxygen towers or external maintenance- now sported a big sign that read “Biodome Colonial Museum” in kitschy bubble letters over the top of it.
He stepped forward and paid his fare, then entered the historic airlock, feeling the woosh of air as it sprayed nothing from the decontamination hoses- now left empty but intact for historical accuracy- and then stepped out the other side into human history. The inside of the dome had been kept as close to historically accurate as possible, including having people work the shops in period styles- not entirely dissimilar to the modern style, but a bit more edgy- and even run the antique equipment.
Allen grinned and wandered through the historical buildings, looking at EVERYTHING. It was all human-sized, of course; pets hadn’t come to mars for almost a hundred years after the first colonists had settled. He tried to imagine that, a society of only humans, who had never seen a dog or a cat up close. He wondered if they’d thought animals were the same size as humans. He wondered what they’d thought when the first dog had arrived with a fresh supply of colonists and foods from home.
He stopped at the general store and sampled the period-style confections- a practical mix of dried fruit and nuts, glued together with a bit of honey mixed with starch, more of an early equivalent to a ration bar than actual candy. It wasn’t bad, but wasn’t as sweet as Allen preferred; sugar had been a scarce resource in the time when it took nearly three years to travel to Mars from Earth, and anything fresh would spoil long before it arrived, so it was all dehydrated, freeze-dried, and preserved with salt to make it keep longer.
In the living quarters, iron statues and plaques dotted the yards. “Here lived the first farmer to grow food on Mars.” Declared one. “There is where the first person to discover a fresh water source on Mars lived.” Another proudly stated, with statues of the long-since-deceased people with their names and their accomplishments. “The first martian baby,” “the first person to leave the dome without a suit,” “the first person to step barefoot on martian soil.”
Allen’s ears went back when he found a particularly depressing plaque. “The first death on Mars.” He stared at it for a few moments before moving on, paying his respects to the statue of “Morgan Anderson” with a paper flower, like so many had before him, thoughtfully provided by the museum curators in a basket hung in front of the statue.
On that depressing note, Allen came to the biodome’s graveyard- a wall of diamond bricks engraved with names and dates of birth and death and a short epitaph. A placard in front of the wall declared that these weren’t just ordinary diamond bricks- they were the cremated remains of the person themselves, pressed into a diamond so they took as little space as possible and laid to rest as close to their loved ones as they could be.
Allen stood in front of the wall for a long time, reading the names on the people-bricks and trying not to notice the bone fragments suspended in some of them, bits of them that hadn’t quite burned. He wondered quietly who these people had been, who they had loved, and how they had died- had they passed peacefully? Starved? Been murdered? What had Benjamin McAfee done for a living? Was he a doctor? An engineer? A farmer, trying to force life into the cold red soil of Earth’s inhospitable neighbor?
Eventually, Allen moved on from the sombering wall of diamond, tucked into the corner of the round dome, as far away from the rest of the colonial town as it could get, and continued with his tour.
There, in the center of it all, was THE rocket- the one that the town that had sprung up around the dome’s airlock was named for. It was stood upright, almost as tall as the dome itself, but the skid marks from its landing were still very visible all along one side; red clumps of martian soil stuck in the cracks between the hull plating, the cavity where the biodome’s components had been stored still open and gaping, the airlock open and a steel stairway installed so visitors could enter and see a select portion of the ship that had first brought humans to the red planet.
Allen’s hand slid along the railing as he ascended into the ship, and he wandered a tight corridor along the ship’s interior, barely wide enough for a man to stand, feeling claustrophobic even for the much-smaller dog, looking through plexiglass at the tiny rooms colonists had lived in for three years- barely wide enough for two sleeping bags to lay abreast on the outer wall, stuck there with velcro so they wouldn’t float away in the lack of gravity.
There was a small gym that colonists would have to take turns using every day- standing and pulling against thick rubber straps in the wall, so their muscles wouldn’t atrophy. There was a machine that would dispense packets of thick, gel-like nutrient slop and foil bags of water, then another machine that would reclaim them and wash them for reuse in a room that resembled a mess hall, with tables attached to every surface so people could pretend they were sitting. It was all oriented with the hallway as “up,” with the walls slightly wider at the bottom to account for the rocket’s rounded shape and to use every inch of available space.
Allen couldn’t imagine living like that for any length of time, let alone three years. He pondered how tough the colonists would have had to be as he disembarked the rocket and headed toward the next display, a demonstration of the antique devices that the colonists would have used. Allen had to laugh at how primitive they were. Imagine, a handheld device that would display images on a flat piece of glass- FLAT!- and you had to touch it to work it. And they took ages to transmit; even this close to Earth, communication time was anywhere from four to twenty-four minutes, just one way!
He shook his head. How could they even survive with that long of a communication gap at such a small distance? With no real sensors to speak of on their personal devices? It was unthinkable.
There wasn’t much else to look at; Allen wandered in and out of buildings and saw antique farming tools, projectile weapons, and spacesuits- far thicker and less functional than modern suits, effectively just bubbles made of plastic and canvas and glass with an air tank strapped to it. Allen shook his head at the audacity of primitive people to come into space looking like THAT and survive.
He boarded the tour bus heading back into town, setting his bag of souvenirs on his lap and watching the martian landscape pass by, all buildings and towers, growing gradually larger until they arrived at town center. He thanked the bus driver as he disembarked and walked back toward the hotel, humming to himself as he thought about what he’d seen- how hard colonists had had it trying to make it work, and how if they’d been born just a hundred years later, they could have picked any of a number of suitable planets that were already ready to live on. He wondered what life would be like another hundred years from now. Two hundred? Would it even be recognizable? Would they look back and think how silly modern people were, wearing bracelets that could communicate between stars and project holograms? How about communicating between galaxies and projecting images directly into the brain?
Allen shook his head. It was unthinkable. He brought up the display on his wristband to check the time- should he stop to get supper on his way back to the hotel?- when he noticed that he had a message. He vaguely remembered leaving it there the previous day before heading out- after all, it was probably just a work notification, and he was supposed to be on vacation.
He didn’t want the notification to be there, however, so he opened it anyway, then froze in his tracks. A text message from R. Richard hovered in front of him, a single line of text making his blood run cold. “Are you enjoying Mars, Mr. White?”

[Amazee Dayzee]

Didn't think that Richard would this quickly figure out where Allen was and reveal that information to him thus having him lose the element of surprise. So now we are going to go back to nervous, tense and squirrelly Allen aren't we? Well calm Allen was fun while it lasted.

Also I thought his last name was Wist?

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

It is. A couple chapters ago, Katie gave him a fake ID with the name White. He's letting him know that he knows his cover name.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Yeah I guess that makes sense but at least I was paying enough attention to point it out when I saw it. LOL

Does this mean I get my request of Allen being hit in the face with a pie granted?

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Maybe later.

[Amazee Dayzee]

I will be looking forward to it eventually happening even if it's just a quick little scene. The thought of Allen being covered in pie might make his sweet tooth stronger though. And the sight might make the book laugh.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 17: Panic! At the Hotel

Katie answered the call and stared at Allen. “You shouldn’t be sending me a video call. It could compromise your position. The idea is for nobody but you to know where you are.”
Allen put his ears back. “I got a text message from him. He asked me how I was enjoying… The planet I’m on.”
Katie’s ears mirrored Allen’s. “Oh, dear. When?”
“Two days ago. But I didn’t open it until today. Katie, he used the fake name you gave me. How can he POSSIBLY know that? You entered it in the computer as if I was an actual citizen, it should have been untraceable!” He was hyperventilating, his hand shaking as he leaned against the chair in his hotel room. He was sitting curled up in the seat, hugging his knees and staring through his transparent door as if expecting Roger Richard to appear at it any second.
Katie sighed. “Calm down, Allen, you’re making the whole vidcall shake. I’m not that surprised that he found out the name on your fake ID given what we found this morning. I hadn’t messaged you because we were still running tests.”
Allen’s ears perked. “You found him?!”
“Well… not exactly. We found… you know how there’s sometimes gaps in the walls of a building, little spaces that got blocked off because they couldn’t be incorporated usefully into the structure? Like gaps alongside the ductwork, or crawlspaces alongside the wiring. Stuff like that?”
Allen hesitated. “Yeah?”
“Well, we found one that had signs of someone living there. Empty chip bags, cup noodles, a blanket. Various bottles filled with… ahem… ‘liquids’…” She paused. “Thermal scan says he hasn’t been back there in about four days. DNA on the hairs we found on the blanket confirms it’s him, though.”
Allen stared at her for a few moments. “What makes you not surprised that he found out the name on my fake ID?”
She rubbed her temples. “It was right up against my office. Literally, in the ceiling of my office. He was accessing it from the office next door, as far as we can tell. Just ten feet square and three feet tall. He would have had to crawl, or at least crouch, the entire time he was in there.”
Allen paled. “You mean he was six feet away from me for a significant amount of time? How’d he get in and out? Of the base, I mean. There’s security at every external door.”
“The same way we got out when his guys tried to corner us. He had a ladder hidden in the bushes, and he would climb up, pull it up, and drop it down into that courtyard. Then he’d climb down and hide it in the bushes there. A rope ladder, with a grappling end. We found it hanging on the outside of the building facing the back, where nobody ever goes. We’re checking security footage now to see if we can figure out how he moved around inside the base without getting caught.”
Allen’s ears went back. “We don’t KNOW?! How can a guy we’re ACTIVELY LOOKING FOR be living in the ceiling of the admiral in charge?! How can this happen?!” He found it hard to breathe, and realized he was hyperventilating again. He closed his eyes and tried to get his breathing under control.
When he opened them, Katie stared at him, a look of concern in her eyes. “You good?”
He nodded. “I just need to calm down a little. Please tell me you at least have some idea where he is?”
“We’re looking, Allen. We have limited resources for this. I’ve got every person I can spare looking through footage all over town, trying to catch him. But he’s slippery, and I have no idea who’s working for him and who isn’t.”
He groaned and put his ears back. “That means he could have slipped onto a ship and gotten here by now.”
She was quiet for a few minutes. “Do you want to come home? We can put you in lockup so he can’t get to you. We can put you up somewhere else. On the station with Howard, maybe. They’re only halfway through rewriting the operating system of the Beagle, they have the engines pulled out. I’m sorry, Allen, but there’s nothing else I can do.”
Allen looked down at his hand. It was shaking. He tried to stop it. It wouldn’t stop. “I… I don’t think coming home would help. If he IS there, it’ll just make it easier for him to get to me. And if he ISN’T there, I’ll still just be a nervous wreck, waiting for him to get back and find me again.”
She gave him a sympathetic look. “You’re already a nervous wreck now, though.”
“And sitting on a spaceship for three days waiting to get home isn’t going to help that. I know, I tried it.” He groaned. “Besides, the groceries here are expensive and I don’t want to waste them. I’ll just… suck it up. Try not to think about it and hope he’s not here. Or on his way here.”
She sighed and watched him through the hologram for a few moments. “... Okay. If you change your mind, just drop me a line, let me know. I’ll be there to pick you up at the spaceport and take you… wherever you want to go.”
“Okay. Thanks, Katie. I… I have to go now. My hand’s shaking so bad, and it’s been days since I’ve purged any mana… I bet I’m about to explode or something.”
She smiled a sad smile. “Okay. I’m here if you need to talk.”
He smiled back, a forced, worried smile of his own, said his goodbyes, and hung up on her. He sat there for a few moments, taking deep breaths and trying to calm down before walking over to the counter, where his book was. He opened it up and placed his hand, shaking, on the pages. “How much energy do I need to burn? How much mana? Preferably in a spell that doesn’t draw attention to myself.”
The book was quiet for several moments, then a single word appeared on the facing page from where his hand was. “None.”
Allen frowned and pulled his hand away, watching it shake. “What do you mean, none? I’m shaking like a leaf here, I’ve GOT to be bursting with mana by now. It’s been DAYS, almost a week, since that incident where I burned off a ton.”
The book was silent, but the page slowly changed. “You’re not in danger from your mana.”
Allen gave a frustrated grunt. “What do you mean, I’m not in danger?”
“Calm down, Allen. Listen to me. You’re not in danger from your mana.” The book enlarged the last sentence. After a moment, it changed again. “The shaking is just from your nerves. You’re scared. But you’re not in danger from your mana.”
Allen huffed. “What does that even mean?! Of course I’m in danger from my mana! You said it was going to kill me a few weeks ago!”
“I said it would kill you if your body didn’t adapt.”
Allen stared at the text. His brain refused to process it. “You mean… I survived? I’m cured? No more mana sickness?”
“No more mana sickness. Draining it all helped your body adapt to it faster as it came back.”

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 18: Red Skies on Mars

Allen sat on the roof of the hotel, on the side of the pool, and watched the sunset. It was really pretty, burning in colors he’d never seen in a sunset on earth. He felt more relaxed than he had in months, happy with the knowledge that he was no longer burning from the inside out.
He remembered the book’s words, spoken as if in his own voice inside his own head as he read them: “You have the potential to do miracles now. Small miracles, perhaps, but miracles nonetheless. Your magic is more potent than any mortal’s. You’re no longer restricted to set spells; you can make your own magic using intent.”
He wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded to him like a lot of power, and therefore a lot of responsibility. He leaned back and splashed his paws a little. A pool on Mars had been a luxury only fifty years ago, before the ice caps had started melting. It was still uncommon, but not as unheard-of. He was glad for it; the machines pumping fresh air to the city made it very warm.
Someone sat next to him, and he looked up. It was a stranger, a human that he didn’t know. Probably just someone that needed company. Allen realized that he wouldn’t mind some company himself.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” The human stared at the sunset quietly, watching it. “Mars has a slightly longer day than earth, so the sunsets last longer.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Allen admitted, nodding. “It’s probably the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen. And I’m not just saying that because I just got good news that something that’s been hanging over my head for a while is over.”
“Good news always makes things prettier.” The human agreed, nodding. “And puts us in a great mood.” He looked down and slid his feet into the water. “Mm. That feels great.”
Allen smiled and sat in silence for a while. For just a few moments, the threat of Richard coming after him didn’t seem to be that big of a deal. That was something else, from a hundred thousand miles away, and couldn’t hurt him here.
“So what brings a guy like you to Mars?” The human looked down at Allen.
Allen glanced up at him, then back at the sunset, thinking. The colors had started to fade, but it was still pretty. “I guess it’s a vacation, of sorts. But I’m also hiding from something. SomeONE, really. An old acquaintance who isn’t very happy with me.”
“Ah. I moved here, myself. Not to this colony. I’m over in Farmer’s Gulch, downplanet a ways. I came out here to see the Biodome. Farmer’s Gulch didn’t keep theirs up, see. It’s more a farming town than a tourist destination. We try to get some life out of the soil. Sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t.” The human watched Allen for a few moments. “You don’t recognize me, do you?”
Allen looked over and looked at him up and down, then shook his head. “No, I’m sorry, you don’t look like anybody I’ve ever met.”
He laughed, rocking backward a bit before leaning forward. “No, I guess you wouldn’t. We only met the one time, and I didn’t look like… well, like THIS at the time.”
Allen tilted his head and glanced over at him again. “No? What did you look like?”
“Like a marmot. I guess it’s a bit much of a change to expect you to recognize me.”
Allen turned his whole body to face the human, looking him over. “... Solaris-Gamma-Station-One, three years ago?”
He nodded, leaning back on his arms and staring at the sky. “You were so nice when you were trying to sort out the whole mess. Not like any human commander I knew. Well.. I guess you’re a captain, now. Unless you got another promotion after I ended my enlistment. Your whole crew was nice, and understanding, and helpful. You made sure we didn’t hurt ourselves, you were polite and treated us like equals when even the humans who came to help after just treated us like criminals.”
Allen put his ears back. “If I recall, they put the entire crew into one room and locked the door. Didn’t ask any questions, and were just planning on eradicating the lot and trying to blame it on my crew.”
“That’s the story we got told, too. And then that book you wrote came out, the one about how to change back. I considered staying, you know.” He looked down at him. “I considered staying and trying to get on your ship, explore the far reaches of the galaxy with you. But in the end, I decided to become human again, resign, and move here. Try to make a difference. Like you did.”
Allen looked down at the water, letting his ears droop. “I didn’t make a difference. I made a mess. Did they tell you that the whole thing was my fault to begin with?”
“I was told it was an accident, and I believe it. And you did everything you could to fix your mistake.” He reached over and patted his back. “You know, some of my best friends decided to stay animals? It’s true. They’re so much happier now. And in my book, that’s a pretty good difference to make.”
Allen sighed. “Well, that mistake is STILL biting me in the tail. You remember Captain Richard? The guy in charge of the humans that came to help and tried to terminate everybody?”
“How could I not? I heard he turned into an animal after the fact and got a dishonorable discharge when the crew of the Beagle broadcast him admitting to the plan to the whole fleet.”
“That’s who I’m hiding from. He’s threatened to kill me. He’s got people on the inside, and half the ground-based troops are scrambling to try and catch him, but he’s really slippery. I had to cancel my shore leave on earth, where I came from, and come here instead, because he kept showing up everywhere I went.”
“Ah. No wonder you look like you haven’t slept in a month.” He nudged him. “Is that the good news you got? That they caught him?”
He shook his head. “No… I’ve also been dealing with… I guess you could call it a medical issue. Potentially lethal. That’s the news I just got, that that’s not a problem anymore. I’ve been fighting for my life for so long… I’m tired. I just want to charter the slowest ship I can find and sleep all the way back to earth.”
“What, like cancer?” He looked down at him.
“Well… not exactly, but something like that. It was pretty rough for a while. Kept getting worse. But I just got the message that I’m clear now, and honestly it’s a load off.”
The sky turned bright red for a few moments before the sun finally dipped below the horizon, and the human started laughing. Allen frowned and looked at him.
“Sorry, sorry, it’s just- I’ve been putting you up on this pedestal for so long- the fearless captain that saved an entire space station from a nefarious plot!- that I guess I kind of forgot that you’re a person with your own problems and worries. It kind of threw me for a loop for a minute that you might have a health issue, or be worried about a death threat, or need a vacation.”
Allen frowned. “You really put me up that high? It wasn’t really anything spectacular that I did. I didn’t even do it myself. I had a lot of help, and we still barely managed to survive. I was scared out of my wits the whole time.”
“Well… that makes you even more brave, doesn’t it? If you were scared and still did everything you could? By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m former Ensign John Whittaker.”

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 19: Reflection

Allen laid in bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about the past few weeks of his life. He put events in order: Getting a call to come home from the outer reaches of explored space, rushing home to find that Richard was after him, taking shore leave, running away to Mars…
He paused and sat up, reaching for his wristband on its charger. After a moment’s flipping through, he found the video message and watched it. He’d had a thought that he wasn’t sure about, and had to double check. He watched Katie tell him that there had been an access on his position, the hyped-up Fleet Admiral Rickie screaming that he was in danger… He frowned and started going through the rest of his messages. Message after message between himself and Katie, looking for something and not finding it.
Finally, he texted Katie. “Sorry to wake you in the middle of the night. I forget, did you say Richard actually made any threats toward me, or did he just look up my location and then follow me?”
There was a few minutes’ pause, then his wristband chimed the return message. “It’s early morning here. He never actually made any threats toward you at this time, but he did three years ago, so we just kind of assumed he meant you harm. Why?”
Allen smiled. “I was just wondering. I think I might come home soon.”
“Let me know your flight number and I’ll meet you at the spaceport.”
He didn’t reply to that message right away, instead switching to look at the messages from R. Richards. It didn’t make sense to him. Why would Richards give him his personal wristband number instead of using a burner? Even most pets could afford a cheap wristband on their allowances. He read the messages through again.
“That was clever, Captain. Very clever. This was fun. Next time, you won’t slip away from me.”
The first message hovered in front of his face, and he thought about it, about what it really meant. He thought about that day. Richard had been inches from him several times and hadn’t done anything, hadn’t grabbed him or tried to hurt him, just watched. He looked at the second message, then the third.
“Enjoy your meal, Captain?”
“Are you enjoying Mars, Mr. White?”
No threats of violence, no “I’m coming after you,” just “are you enjoying where you are? And by the way, I know your fake name.” Allen stared at it quietly for a few moments. It didn’t make sense. These messages had felt ominous at the time, but looking at them now, with a clear head, they seemed completely innocuous. Why had they felt like threats in the moment? Was it just because Howard had said that Richard was after him? Had he gone in on the assumption he was in danger?
He put his wristband back on the charger and looked at the ceiling some more.
His thoughts began to organize. Without the double threat of burning from the inside from mana overload and Richard being right on his tail, he felt calm, really calm. Calmer than he had in weeks. What he knew about Richard’s recent obsession with him came down to this: He had been looking for him six months ago, then disappeared, then suddenly reappeared, looking up his location, which wasn’t classified even if he did do it in an unusual way, followed him around in public, not illegal, and sent him messages. Nothing was inherently threatening about that.
And on top of that, if he’d been hiding in a crawlspace directly above Katie’s office, he’d known Allen’s address when he was staying on earth, and had never come there. The only thing he could think of that would be somewhat threatening would be having his friends surround Allen and Katie when they were in the courtyard, but come to think of it, even then, they could easily have just fired weapons through the glass instead of waiting for them to notice.
Allen reached over and grabbed his wristband again, opening the messages from R. Richard and passing his fingers through the reply button. He swiped his fingers through the air, typing out a message, then sent it. “Are you still on Earth, or did you come to Mars?”
There was a pause. Allen wasn’t sure his gamble would pay off. Then, a message appeared. “So you DID get my messages.” A few moments later, another appeared. “I’m on Earth. I’m hiding.”
Allen nodded and sent a reply. “I know. They think you’re trying to hurt me.” He paused, then sent another message. “But you aren’t, are you? You had lots of chances and didn’t.”
He stared at the floating orb, waiting for the response. “No. I just wanna talk.”
Allen smiled. He was right. “I’ll tell them to leave you alone.”
“They won’t listen. Like you said, they think I want to hurt you.” The bubble floated for a few moments. “And why shouldn’t they? I said I would, didn’t I?”
Allen rolled to his side, clipping on his wristband. “And you don’t intend to anymore?”
“No.” There was a pause. “But why should you believe me?”
Allen put his ears back. Why SHOULD he believe him? “Because somebody has to.” He smiled quietly to himself. “Because you’re reaching out for help, and we’re just responding by chasing you.”
He fidgeted thoughtfully for a few moments, then opened up the spaceport’s ticket purchasing program. He selected a flight out that didn’t leave too terribly early the next morning, then went back to the messages with Richard. “I’m coming home. I’m leaving in the morning. It’s night here.”
Richard didn’t answer, and Allen sat up, putting his wristband back on the charger. If he was leaving, he needed to pack. The souvenirs he had collected were tucked safely inside his outfits, still in the boxes they had been carefully packed in to prevent them from breaking. He tucked away his clothes, got out his passport and credit card, and tucked his book into the bag before stacking the whole pile by the door. He looked through the transparent door for a moment before casting dispel on the door and the protection charm around the room.
Then, he climbed back into bed and messaged Katie. “Flight 193 from Rockett City to River Ridge.” He thought a moment, then sent, “I want you to call off the search for Richard. Leave him alone.”
“Why?” Katie’s reply came through. “Aren’t you worried about him?”
Allen shook his head and typed, “No, I don’t think he’s a danger. Leave him alone. He hasn’t actually done anything illegal. He has a right to be at headquarters as a veteran, even a dishonorably discharged one. He hasn’t actually threatened or attacked me in any way.”
Katie didn’t answer for a long time, and Allen almost went to sleep when his wristband chimed. “Okay. I’m calling off the search. But I’m still going to bring security with me when I come pick you up. Just in case.”
“Okay. I need to get some sleep before checkout time. See you in about three days.”
“See you then.”

[Amazee Dayzee]

I am hoping that Allen is right about this and that Richard doesn't want to hurt him like he initially assumed. Maybe just embarrass him but not to do any harm to him seriously.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 20: Homeworld Bound

Allen’s alarm went off, and he stopped snoring with a gentle “snrk” sound, blinking drowsily. The sun wasn’t even up yet to lighten the room through the windows, so he turned on the light and gave the room one final sweep to be sure he had all his stuff.
He grabbed the complimentary notepad of hotel stationery and scrawled out a note to housekeeping. “I’d rather my leftover food not go to waste, so eat it or feed it to your coworkers if you like. There’s cold cuts and bread, and half a bottle of mustard. Enjoy.”
He had no idea if housekeeping was even allowed to do that, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to invite them to do so.
Satisfied that he had all his stuff, he picked up his bag- much heavier now than it had been when he arrived- and exited the room, locking it tight. He rode the elevator back down to the ground floor and stopped by the continental breakfast bar, grabbing a piece of fruit. It was probably the only thing he’d have today, at least until supper was served on the ship home. His fruit pocketed, he walked up to the counter and checked himself out, thanking the concierge for a relatively nice stay.
That done, he hefted his bag, placing the strap on his shoulder, and walking the ten blocks to the spaceport. He picked up his ticket, then went to sit and wait in the terminal. The wait wasn’t long; he’d intentionally chosen a morning flight so that he wouldn’t have to wait longer than necessary.
The shuttle ride was less nerve wracking than the one on the way off Earth, now that he knew he was in no danger. He actually kind of enjoyed being able to ride without having to worry about any of the navigating or commanding any crew.
He boarded the ship with the rest of his row and smiled as he looked around. The ship looked more or less the same, but he knew he’d be able to enjoy himself this time. But first, he needed to stop at his room. He checked his ticket to see what cabin he was in, then meandered down the corridors to find it.
After seeing the cabins in the colony ship that had first landed on Mars back in Rockett City, this cabin seemed downright spacious. He sat on the bed and put his bag next to himself, unzipping it to pull out his book and open it. “Hey… sorry I left you in there overnight. I wanted to make sure I didn’t forget you.”
The book rustled. “I almost suffocated, you jerk!”
“You don’t need to BREATHE, Bookie.” Allen rolled his eyes and poked at the book’s pages playfully.
“You don’t know that!” The book flashed at him huffily.
“I do know, actually. You’re a magically animated stack of paper and leather. You don’t need to breathe.” He set the book aside and activated his holodisplay, messaging Katie. “Hey. Just boarded the ship. Getting settled in.”
She called him, and he opened the vidcall eagerly. She grinned at him. “Hey! How was Mars? You get any touristing done, or did you just hide in your hotel room the whole time?”
He grimaced. “Expensive. But I got you some souvenirs. Some for Howard and Allison, too.”
She laughed. “Allen, I swear to the Opener if you brought home some candy-!”
“I did, but I’m not sharing.” He stuck his tongue out, then laughed when a chipmunk head appeared behind Katie. “Hi, Howard.”
The chipmunk suddenly leaped Katie’s shoulder and got a little too close to the sensor. “Hi, Allen! What’d you get me? What’d you GEEETTT?”
Allen laughed. “You’ll have to wait until I get home to find out. You been drinking coffee again?”
Katie snickered. “Believe it or not, this is him UNcaffeinated. He’s usually much less mellow.”
“That’s a scary thought.” Allen snickered, watching Howard scurry back up to Katie’s shoulder.
“I’m not THAT bad.” He pouted at them. “I just get a little jittery sometimes. A lot. Most of the time.”
“That’s because you keep drinking coffee even though it’s bad for you.” Katie snickered. “If you’d even just switch to decaf…”
“Blasphemy! Full-caff or nothing!” Howard squeaked, scurrying from shoulder to shoulder.
Allen laughed, watching them. “I’m glad you guys get along better now. Three years ago, you were at each others’s throats.”
Katie grinned. “Well… he’s not that bad a guy, now that he’s not stealing from us.”
Allen grinned back. “Well… I’ll see you in a few days. I’m going to go take advantage of the premium movie plan Katie paid for for my return trip.”
“Now hold on a minute-” Katie started, then cut off when Allen hung up on her with a laugh.
After a few moments of consideration, he texted Richard. “I asked Admiral James to call off the search for you.”
The message came back almost immediately. “I know. I heard her do it.”
“Did you manage to sneak back into the little hidey-hole of yours that they found?”
“No, I have a different one. I move every few days in case they find me. This one’s in the crawlspace under the floor. It doesn’t smell nice, but it keeps the rain off me.”
Allen laughed. “You know, you COULD ask them to put you up. You do still get housing benefits even though you were dishonorably discharged.”
“I know.” Allen frowned. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he detected some sadness in that text. It could be hard to tell.
“I’m on my way back. Boarded the ship about an hour ago.”
“I’m glad. I’m sorry I ruined your shore leave.”
“You didn’t mean to.” He paused, then sent another message after the last one. “Besides, it was fun exploring the Rockett City Biodome. Seeing how people lived when they first started colonizing Mars.”
“I’m not meeting you at the spaceport. Just in case.”
Allen thought about it for a few moments. “I’ll set up a meeting when I get back. Someplace where there’s no officers.”
“Thank you.”
Allen stared at the screen for a few more moments, then decided he had nothing to add, so he closed the holodisplay. “Bookie, I’m going out. I wanna enjoy this flight.”

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 21: Homecoming

Allen hefted his bag over his shoulder and disembarked the shuttle, grinning as he glanced around the terminal. He knew nobody would be here; he was going to have to go back past the security checkpoint into the general access area of the spaceport to meet his pickup crew. Nonetheless, he was glad to be home, back on earth, where the gravity was just right and the air didn’t smell like iron and sulfur.
He meandered a bit, looking around and enjoying his last few minutes as a tourist before he rejoined his colleagues. He didn’t technically have to go back to work for another few weeks, but once he rejoined Katie, she would insist on talking shop with him, and he wouldn’t be able to enjoy it as much.
Finally, as the last of the passengers from his flight started filing out of the terminal, he sighed and followed them, shuffling through the narrow passage out past the incoming security and into the public access portion of the airport. He stepped out of the flow of traffic and looked around for Katie. After a few moments of looking around, he felt something start clawing its way up his back and hug into his ear, followed shortly after by another, slightly heavier something climbing up to his other shoulder. He laughed.
“Hey, Howard. Hi, Allison.” He leaned each direction to let the chipmunk and squirrel give him a nuzzle, then turned around to find Katie standing behind him, watching with a smirk. He grinned and walked over, listening to the two rodents on his shoulder both chatter at him at once, neither one getting a single understandable word into his ears in all the commotion. He reached out to shake Katie’s hand, and she shook her head, grabbing his hand and pulling him in for a hug.
He smiled and hugged her back, then snickered and ducked away when she took a swipe at him. “You idiot! Why did you have me call off the search?! I swear we were about to find him!”
Howard nipped Allen’s ear. “You did WHAT?! Why?!”
“Guys, relax. I have it all under control.” He glanced around the noisy spaceport, then grinned. “Let’s retire to the officer’s lounge at headquarters. It’s much quieter there, and we won’t have to shout to hear each other.”
Allison raised her hand a little bit. “I can’t go to the officer’s lounge, I’m not an officer.”
Katie scoffed. “You think anybody’s going to say anything? You’re with the Fleet Admiral, an Admiral, and a Captain. You’re fine.”
Allen grinned and started walking toward the exit. “Besides, it’s going to be hard to give you your souvenirs if you’re not there.”
Allison’s ears perked. “You got ME souvenirs? But I’m just one of your crew members!”
Katie winked. “Maybe. But I have seen your name on some paperwork crossing my desk recently. And the Beagle still doesn’t have a first officer…” She hinted playfully.
Allen laughed and swatted at Katie. “You’re not supposed to disclose that until the promotion ceremony! Who are you and where’s my by-the-book commanding officer that I worked with for so many years?”
Howard howled with laughter. “Ah, that’s my fault. I’m a bad influence, I’m afraid.” He smirked wickedly. “I’ve got her running around so ragged that she doesn’t have time to worry about protocol.”
Allen snickered. “Liar. I tried that for years and it never worked before.”
“You should try it as a caffeinated rodent. It works WAY better.” He snickered and plopped down to a seated position on Allen’s shoulder, closing his eyes to enjoy the breeze as Allen walked outside. “Mm.. The wind in my fur is ALWAYS refreshing.”
Allison nodded in eager agreement, twitching her big fluffy tail. “Nothing as a human quite matches up to it.”
Katie laughed. “It is one of life’s greatest pleasures.” They walked across the field that separated the public spaceport with the space fleet one. About halfway there, Allen suddenly remembered that he had news.
“Oh… by the way… Bookie says I’m out of the danger zone with my mana sickness. I’m going to be all right.” He grinned.
Katie’s ears perked, then laid out sideways. “Assuming Richard doesn’t get you because you had me call off the search.”
“That was a poor decision.” Howard mumbled. Allen could tell he was trying his best to contain his energy. Allen reached up and gently flicked his nose. “I told you, I’ve got it under control. I’m not worried about Roger Richard any more.”
Katie looked over at him strangely. “You know something we don’t, don’t you? What is it? Did he get arrested on Mars or something?”
Allen shook his head. “He was never on Mars. I do know something you don’t, but I’ll act on it before I tell you so you don’t ruin it.”
“I can make it an order.” Howard grumbled into his ear. “I can MAKE you tell me.”
Allen shook his head, reaching out to open the door into headquarters. “You’d have to court-martial me, I’m afraid. I can’t tell you right now.”
“That’s a demerit.” Katie joked playfully, poking him and leading the way to the officer’s lounge. As Allison entered on Allen’s shoulder, a few of the other officers in there gave her a dirty look, but as expected didn’t say anything. Allen took a seat on a couch and set his bag on the coffee table, watching Howard skitter over to one arm of the couch and Allison skitter to the other. Katie took the other seat.
Allen smirked and unzipped the bag a little. “First… Bookie wants to say hi.” He set the book down between himself and Katie, and it flopped open, opening and closing its front cover as if gasping for breath before opening fully and displaying a message.
“You could have left the zipper open a bit! I can’t breathe!”
Katie snickered and stroked the book’s pages. “Awww, poor baby. That mean ol’ Allen keeps putting you in a bag, doesn’t he?”
“I almost died!” The book complained, rustling its pages happily at the sympathy.
Allen chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Such a drama queen.” After a moment, he reached into his bag. “First, I have snacks! These are period-accurate representations of what the first colonists would have as a treat on Mars…” He pulled out a handful of wrapped confection bars, passing them around to his friends.
Hours passed as Allen distributed the goodies he’d brought everybody, sweets and keepsakes and stories, telling them about everything he’d seen on Mars and how it had made him feel. He told them about the oxygen factories, the biodome museum, the tightly-packed rocket ship, and the wall of diamond bricks; he told them about the sunsets and the farm towers.
He told them about John Whittaker and how he had thanked Allen for saving his life and the lives of all his friends. And when he was done, he smiled around at everybody gathered around to listen and thanked them for being there for him when he needed them.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Well of course he is going to have people loyal to him and be there for him after what he did making sure that Richard's plans for them all back when he was on the Beagle failed. I can't see anybody not wanting to be there for him. I can't see anybody not wanting him as a husband honestly but that is another thing entirely.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

Chapter 22: Roger Richard

Allen sat on the park bench, leaning back and putting his arm over the back of it. He looked around for a while, then pulled up his holodisplay. “I’m here. I’m alone. It’s safe.”
There was a pause. “You’re sure?” Came the reply. He smiled.
“Yes, I double checked. I didn’t tell anyone that I was leaving or where I was going.” He leaned back and watched a cloud drift through the sky, listening to the rustle of wind in the trees and the sound of children playing on a nearby playground.
“All right. I’m on my way. It’ll be a while.”
“No rush. I have nowhere to be.” He smiled to himself quietly. A week ago, he’d been terrified Roger Richard would find him alone. Now, he was waiting for him.
Time passed, the minutes ticking by quietly as Allen waited. After about half an hour, he spotted a familiar hooded figure walking toward him, and grinned. How had he ever been intimidated by this? He looked nervous, walking toward Allen, glancing around as if expecting to be attacked at any moment.
Allen stood up and waved at him, watching him almost run right there before slowly approaching. He smiled. “Don’t worry, I promise, I didn’t bring any security. Nobody from the force at all.”
The hooded figure hesitated, then slowly took his hood down. Allen smiled at the dog standing before him, similar enough that they could be brothers, but different enough that nobody would confuse the two. Allen’s brown eyes stared into the blue eyes of the dog that had had him panicking for so long. Roger’s eyes looked so tired; they had bags under them that seemed a mile deep.
“Roger.”
“Allen.”
Allen reached out for a handshake, and Roger hesitantly took it, putting his ears back. Allen gave him a firm handshake, then gestured for him to sit with him. They sat together in silence for a few minutes, and then Allen decided to break the silence.
“So… last time I saw you… before all this, I mean… you were in jail, and I was heading up to oversee the refit on the Beagle to prepare for deep space exploration. You were… less than happy with me at that time. Why don’t you catch me up on what happened after that?”
Roger was quiet for a moment, then slowly took a deep breath. “Well… Since nobody was actually hurt during my… um… incident… no actual charges were pressed, but my commission was, shall we say, forcibly resigned. After my stay in Headquarters’ brig, I was tossed out on the street with nothing to my name. No clothes that fit, no place to go, not even a valid ID.”
He shook his head, then continued. “I managed to find a job doing animal work… you know, cleaning up local playgrounds, janitorial duties in state buildings, nothing where I might have had access to anything classified. Not going to get a job like THAT with a record like MINE. I realized just how underpaid animals are. It was hard, grueling work, but with a full time position, I was ALMOST able to pay partial rent on an apartment with eight other dogs.”
He stared at Allen for a few moments. “It was awful. It was the worst year of my life. Even ship barracks have more privacy. After about a year of that, I couldn’t take it anymore. I left, and I tried everything I could to get my own place. Eventually, I found a series of hidey-holes inside Headquarters, and started living there. Nobody really noticed a dog like me. I would shower in the gym showers at night after everybody went home, stay in my hidey-holes during the day except during mess, when everybody would go to the cafeteria. I’d put a collar on, and nobody would ever question who I was or why I was there. They’d just serve me lunch, assuming I was somebody’s pet. I did that for about eight months until I made a mistake.”
He put his ears back. ”I’d found a little money lying around over the months, a quarter here, a dime there… and eventually, I decided that I would treat myself. I went to the vending machine and put all my money in.”
Allen gasped. “Oh… you bought orange sodas, didn’t you?”
He nodded quietly. “It was the cheapest option, so I thought I’d get several of them instead of just two or three of the other stuff, and I’d be able to enjoy myself longer. Nobody told ME that it acts like alcohol when dogs drink it!”
Allen gave a sympathetic look. “That would have been about six or seven months ago, when Katie said you showed up plastered off your skull and demanded to speak to me.”
Roger flinched. “I was… maybe… still holding a bit of a grudge. I don’t remember much of that day. I remember being escorted out by security. After that, I was too embarrassed to come BACK, so I just… wandered. I gave being a pet a try. Let a shuttle pilot pick me up and led him to believe I was just some stray, not… well… me. I didn’t know he was a shuttle pilot at the time, I just heard him say he was looking to adopt a dog and gave it a shot.”
He rubbed his arm nervously. “I… um… I tried. I tried for about six months to be a pet, but… cod, it was boring. It was so DULL. Letting him treat me like a child, calling him dad, acting like I wanted to be there and hoping that it would become true… I don’t know, I just… couldn’t. I would rather have been still living in the walls, listening to officers discuss what orders to give out. So I reached out to some friends of mine, buddies that I worked with back in the day, and I asked them to help me get in touch with you so I could say…”
He took a deep, shaky breath, then turned and hugged into Allen with a choked sob. “I’m sorry, I’m SO, SO sorry for what I did. I was awful. I was a horrible, AWFUL person. This world treats animals TERRIBLY and I made it so, SO much worse for my own personal gain. Not even just the incident up on the space station, I did so much other stuff. I used to demote animal officers on my crew just for fun, did you know? Write them up for tiny, minor infringements and let them add up so I could demote them when they didn’t even do anything wrong!”
Allen gave a sympathetic look down at Roger and hugged him, patting his back. “Hey, it’s okay. I know, you were part of the problem, but it doesn’t matter now. You didn’t know better.”
“I DID, though, I did know better. I knew I was making their lives miserable, I knew it was already hard enough for them to get promoted, animal officers are held to such high standards, it’s next to impossible for them to gain a rank as it is, and I was just making it worse because I liked their misery…” He sobbed a little.
Allen closed his eyes. He wanted to be angry about what he was hearing. Tormenting people just because they happened to be a different species. But he couldn’t be angry, because he had promised himself he wouldn’t, and he could tell that Roger was actually sorry for his former behavior. He pulled Roger in and hugged him. “You’re okay, you’re okay. I know, you did some stuff you’re not proud of. We all have.”
After a while, Roger sniffled and sat up, rubbing his eyes and scrubbing the moisture out of his cheeks. “That’s embarrassing. I’m sorry… I don’t know how my emotions got away from me like that.”
Allen smiled and patted his back. “It’s fine, you just had a lot of pent-up emotions, and they had to come out some time. Trying to make do as an animal in this world is difficult at the best of times, and you’ve been trying to do it by yourself, with no friends helping you and no experience BEING an animal.”
Roger’s ears went back. “I… don’t think I mind being a dog so much, anymore. I hated it at first, and I hated you for doing this to me, but… I don’t think being a dog, itself, is that bad.”

[Amazee Dayzee]

It is kind of cathartic to see that Richard has been humbled MAJORLY by his experience as he definitely deserved it after all that he pulled and now he knows the difficulties animals face. Still after this chapter I can't help but feel just a little bit bad for him, but not that much.

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

It seems like he may have learned his lesson about making other peoples' lives harder just to increase his own standing. It was a hard-learned lesson, but at least he did learn it.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Yes that is true but since the name of the fanfiction you started includes the title "Vengeance", I can't help but feel there is somebody else out there with a grudge against Allen. I wonder if they will try to use Richard as a scapegoat for any attempts they make to harm Allen?

[GingaDensetsuAleu]

That about wraps up this story! I'm glad you all read and enjoyed it, and I hope we can join Captain Allen Wist on another adventure in space some time soon!

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Chapter 23: At Last

Roger hesitated, putting his ears back and tucking his hands into his pockets, hunching his shoulders to try and hide his head. “... This feels… wrong.”
Allen turned and reached for his arm. “Come on, it’ll be fine.” He smiled at him and led him through security, showing his ID to get past the guards and into Space Fleet Headquarters. They let Roger in without a fuss, barely even acknowledging him.
Allen smiled and patted Roger on the back. “See? No problem.”
Roger stared at him. His tired eyes kept Allen’s gaze for a few moments, and he sighed. “All right, so maybe I’m still a bit jumpy. I just spent the last month being hunted by a dozen Space Fleet officers.”
“Understandable. Come on.” Allen grinned and waved for him to follow, leading him further into the building. Roger put his ears back and flipped up his hood before following. Allen paused, waiting for him to catch up, then walking next to him. “What’s the matter? Why the hood?”
Roger shrugged quietly. “I don’t know, I just feel like I’m not welcome here.”
Allen stared at him quietly for a few more moments, then nodded. “Okay. You’ve had a hard few years, I’ll excuse it. Come on, we’re almost there.”
“Wait.” Allen paused and turned around to face him again. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. I mean… what if she says no? What if she has me arrested immediately and doesn’t even hear me out?”
Allen patted his shoulder. “What if she says yes?”
The other dog stood there, looking droopy. “I just… The last time I saw her, aside from the orange soda incident, it wasn’t really on the best of terms… She’s not going to be happy to see me.”
“Aww, it’ll be fine. She doesn’t hold grudges.” Allen grinned at him and ushered him along.
Roger dug in his paws. “Yes she does! While I was hiding in the ceiling over her office I listened to her threaten to fire someone because they put too much sugar in her tea!”
Allen snickered. “Aww. She blusters a lot, but she doesn’t really mean it. She’s a sweetheart, really.”
“But-” Roger started, but Allen put a finger to his muzzle.
“Hush. Besides, it doesn’t matter. We’re here.” He knocked on the door to Katie’s office. After a moment, she spoke. “Come in.”
Allen opened the door and stepped through first, grabbing Roger’s arm when he started to run away. “Hey, Katie. I brought someone to talk to you.”
Katie pushed aside a file from her desktop and dropped the display. “Oh? Who?”
After a moment’s struggle, Allen pulled Roger into the room and sat him firmly on the chair across from Katie before going to shut the door. Roger gave a nervous little smile, raised one hand, and wiggled his fingers at her. “Er… hi?”
Katie stared at Roger quietly for a few moments, then leaned back. “How did you manage to catch him, Allen? I had guys looking for him for over a month.”
Allen pulled up another chair and sat down. “Well… first, I had you stop hunting him down like a prey species. And then I promised him I wouldn’t have him arrested.”
She let her gaze drift over to Allen. “And then you brought him in here so I could do it?”
Roger gulped nervously, fidgeting in his chair and looking very much like he’d rather run away. Allen shook his head. “No, I brought him here to talk to you. We have a proposition to make.”
Katie glared at Roger, then sat back in her chair. “I must be crazy… fine. You have five minutes to convince me not to have security come in here and throw him in the brig for threatening an officer.”
Allen raised a hand. “I can do that in thirty seconds: He never actually threatened me. You just IMAGINED that he was threatening me because he was looking for me. It seemed ominous, so you assumed the worst, but I was never in any danger.”
Katie’s eyes widened, and she seemed to consider that for a few moments. Her eyes drifted from Allen to Roger and back again. “... Fine. Then you have five minutes before I have security escort you from the premises unless you can convince me you have a good reason for being here.”
Roger looked at the ground. “It wasn’t MY idea… I was getting ready to disappear to Feraga.”
Allen cleared his throat. “I want you to hire him as an enlisted security consultant.”
The silence that filled the office for almost a minute after that statement was deafening. Katie stared at Allen like he’d grown an extra head. “... What?”
Allen nodded. “You heard me. A security consultant. At a decent salary. This guy was living under your nose for nearly a month while you were actively looking for him. He was able to enter and leave a secured facility undetected and move around without being noticed for almost a year, then get back in AGAIN when he needed to hide out because there was a price on his head.”
Katie stared at Roger for a moment. “Explain.”
Allen opened his mouth to do so, and she raised a hand to him. “Not you. I want to hear it from him.” She pointed at Roger. “You. Explain.”
Roger cleared his throat awkwardly, putting his ears back. “I… um… I lived here for almost a year before the… ah… incident in which you had me escorted off the premises. I just walked in, found a hiding place, and bunkered down. I would switch hiding places every week or so, between half a dozen like the one you found over your office, and come out during Mess and at night to eat and exercise. I just put on a collar and nobody questioned my presence.”
Katie leaned back in her chair again and drummed her fingers on the desk. “I see. And as a consultant, you would help patch up those security holes?”
Roger nodded quietly. “If you’d have me.”
Katie stared at Roger for a few more moments, then nodded. “I’d have to pass it through Howard, since he’s in charge, but I don’t foresee it being a problem.”
Roger gave a weak smile. “Thank you. Both for considering it, and for not just arresting me on sight.”
Allen stared at Roger for a moment, then sighed. “Look… I can TRY to have your species lock removed. I’ve come into a bit of magical power, and I might be able to make it so my book… The one about how to change species… will work for you.”
Roger blinked at him, then hesitantly shook his head. “N-no, I think… having my species locked was punishment for what I did. I thought it was unfair at first, but… I think I deserved it.” He gave a tired smile. “I think I’ll stay a dog. At least for now. I’ve got some security issues to help fix.”

END OF INCIDENT REPORT