A shaking.

And a crashing, screeching sound, and ...

... the desert mouse tumbled out of bed. Hit the floor. Squeaked! Oh, squeaked and twitched, and tried to sit up. By the whole ship was shaking.

What was going on?

The room was dark and dim. It was night. The middle of the night?

And where was Audrey?

She should be in bed. With him. Next to him.

His mate.

And his ship ...

... under attack?

Advance's mind reeled. He felt a bit ... dizzy?

He stumbled toward the door. Realized he wasn't dressed. In the fur. And he squeaked and stumbled back to the bed, the deck trembling under him. And he fished around for some clothes. The clothes he'd taken off ... a few hours ago?

They would do.

In lieu of his uniform ...

... no time, no time. He had to get to the bridge!

Stepping into some briefs and a pair of shorts, and ... tearing for his door. Which didn't open.

Squeak! Chitter ... dammit ... paw pounding at the door-pad! The ship still shaking!

Was Solstice under attack?

Where was Audrey?

"Aud!" A skipped heartbeat. "Aud ... please, Aud ... " Why wasn't she here? Where was his mate? He started to panic. Pounding at the door-pad, and ... using his claws to tear it off. And rip at the wires beneath the bulkhead.

The door swished open.

And Advance scurried out, only ... to bump into someone. He blinked and squeaked, the dim, blue lights (signaling ‘tactical alert') lighting the corridor here on C-Deck. And, there, standing in his way ...

" ... get back in your quarters!"

Advance blinked at the tactical officer. One of the furs assigned to Aria. An otter. By the name of Tuttle (or something).

"You're under lock-down," Tuttle continued.

"Lock-down? We're under attack. I ... I need to get to the bridge. Where's Audrey ... "

"Get back," the otter growled, "in your quarters ... "

Advance hesitated, and then ... paused. And then nodded, and ... spun! Kick! Kicking the otter's feet out from under him. His phase pistol clattered, and the mouse dove for it, squeaking. His ankle grabbed.

The otter clawed at him, but the mouse had the pistol, and fired.

Stun setting. Point-blank.

And the otter was unconscious.

And the corridor was still dim and blue. And the ship was still shaking. And, heart beating far faster than was healthy ... Advance picked himself up, scurrying to the nearest lift.

He had to get to the bridge.

Scurry, scurry ...

... hurry, hurry.

And getting there, stepping off the lift, and ... eyes widening. On the viewer, ships. Firing at Solstice. And Solstice firing back.

OTHER furry ships. And ... a human ship?

"What's," Advance stammered, feeling dizzy again. He almost collapsed. "What's going on ... Sub-Commander ... "

"Captain!" shouted a voice.

Advance, taking a shaky breath, trying to stay upright, swallowed, replying, "What?"

But the voice wasn't shouting to him ...

... but to Aria.

And, Aria, upon hearing her rank being called (her rank?), she turned, seeing Advance near the lift. Seeing him with a phase pistol.

"Restrain him!" she barked. "Get him off the bridge!"

"Ma'am, the Riparian is targeting our warp core ... " Some beeps. Several, gaseous coolant leaks. "Ma'am, they're ALL targeting our warp core."

The snow rabbit froze. Trying very hard to keep her emotional cool. Her ice-blue eyes darted, and her white, slender ears waggled. She glanced to the helm. "Can you get us out of here? Can we get away?"

"They're faster," replied Ensign Tess.

"Wait, wait," offered Bell-Bell, at the engineering station in the back. "We can VENT our warp plasma from the nacelles ... and ignite it was a phase blast. It should disable their shields AND targeting sensors."

"As well as ours," Aria replied.

"It'll buy us a few seconds. We can get away, and ... they won't be able to track us. With their sensors down ... "

" ... do it," the snow rabbit ordered, and bobtail flicking, barking again, "And get that mouse OFF the bridge!"

Advance, muzzle slightly open (breathing, and from ... well, shock). "I ... what's going on. Aria ... Aud! Audrey!" he exclaimed, glancing at the Comm station. "Darling ... what ... "

The squirrel, his mate, squinted at him. And shook her head sadly. "Don't look at me," she whispered, eyes welling up with ... tears?

"I don't ... I don't understand," Advance breathed, suddenly GRABBED (hard) by Advent, who growled. Who shoved him against a bulkhead.

"Permission to KILL him?" she growled aloud.

"You'll do nothing of the sort! Just ... lock him up somewhere. Do NOT harm him."

The jaguar's teeth were very close to the mouse's neck.

Advance squirmed, squeaking with terror, trying to writhe away ...

" ... and who's gonna stop me?" the feline purred. Very, very dangerously.

"I will." A clicking sound. A phase pistol activated.

The jaguar didn't need to turn around to know that Aria had a weapon trained on her ... pointed at her back. "You wouldn't," she huffed.

"We need him ... ALIVE. And if you so much shed the blood of any prey on this ship, it'll be YOUR pelt," the snow rabbit promised, "that gets stained."

"Shut up, rabbit."

A shot!

Advent arched, hissed, and ... slumped to the floor. Stunned unconscious.

And Advance shivering as Bell-Bell vented the plasma.

As whoever was at tactical ... fired. Ignited it.

The ship shook! Sparks flew from consoles, and ...

... shudder, shudder, shoot into the stars!

Warp speed!

And Solstice got away.

"We got away," breathed Ensign Tess, slumping at the helm. "Oh ... we made it."

Aria, her paws shaking (very slightly, enough to only be noticed if one was paying close attention), went back to the Captain's chair. "We are not ‘out of the woods' yet," she said. "Maintain tactical alert. And, PLEASE," she breathed, her emotional barriers a bit frayed, "get BOTH of them," she said, of the mouse and jaguar, "off the bridge. Lock them up somewhere."

"Aye, ma'am," said a voice.

"What's happening here?" the desert mouse demanded, squeaking, whiskers twitching. Ears swiveling. His mousey senses on overload, and ...

... a whir! A phase pistol shot!

And he sank to the floor. Everything went black.



It was hours later. He didn't know how much time had passed. But he was awake ... still only in shorts. Shirtless.

And his back to the wall. Eyes blank. He'd ... kept himself from crying, at least. Crying wouldn't do any good right now.

Anyway, desert mice weren't entirely like normal mice.

He was used to harshness.

He'd grown up in extreme heat. In sand. In ... barrenness.

There was a certain poetry in the more arid brands of light.

But ...

... Advent stirred. Blinking. Golden, slitted eyes ... opening. And she hissed from the throat. Showing her teeth, and ...

... crawled and lunged at the mouse.

He squeaked in surprise!

Strong, clawed paws around his throat. "You ... you idiot!" she hissed. "This is all your fault ... "

The mouse coiled his foot-paws and legs and ... delivered simultaneous kicks.

The feline huffed and wheezed, her grip lessening, and the mouse shoved her off, tensing. Tail snaking. "Do not ... TOUCH me!" he chittered.

She heaved, on all fours. Heaving. And nodded lightly. "Very well. But ... if I didn't think they'd stun me again, I'd ... TRY," she promised, "again. There's not much pleasure in hunting prey when you know that there are furs standing outside the door," she said, "waiting to stop you ... before the kill."

"You're a horrible fur," the mouse breathed.

"What a judgmental things to say ... what tolerance," she hissed, "you show. And what a hypocrite you are. This is all YOUR fault!"

"WHAT'S my fault? What's going on here?" he demanded.

"Heh ... oh, I forgot," she huffed. "I forgot, yes. The, uh, radiation," she breathed, "poisoning. It's preventing you from keeping long-term memories."

The mouse blinked. Whiskers twitching.

"Don't you remember? You messed up, mousey. BIG-TIME. Oh, but ... what glorious incompetence it was! Heh ... "

Another blink. The mouse slumped. They were both in a holding cell. The lights were dim. "What ... what did I do?" he whispered.

"I'm not telling," she purred. "Only ... it led to this. All-out war between the humans and furs. Furs being turned into half-human/half-fur hybrids. Humans turning THEMSELVES into half-furs. They've taken over furry ships. Riparian ... she used to be an otter-heavy vessel. But ... look at her now. She's JOINED the humans. They've CORRUPTED her. All because of YOU."

"Me?" Advance squeaked. "What? Me? How?!"

"It's a wonder they haven't executed you. It's because you're prey. And you're on a prey ship. If you a predator, you would've been executed." A nod. Another nod. "If this were a PREDATORY ship," she said, voice rising, "we would fight back fang and claw ... we would be WINNING this conflict. Not losing it."

"Losing?" Advance squeaked.

The cat's eyes darted. She swallowed. Her voice lowered. "Rumor has it ... at the current rate," she confided, "the humans will prevail in seven more months." Her gaze was quiet. Was serious. Suddenly. Her breath shook. "I've seen them. We fought them paw-to-hand," she whispered, "on a planet two weeks ago. There used to be a rodent colony there."

Advance listened. Leaning forward.

"They'd all been ... TURNED."

"Turned?"

"They were mice, squirrels, chipmunks, but ... they were human, too. They were hybrids. MUTANTS! And ... they fought us! Their minds had been ... the humans controlled them. Something was wrong."

The desert mouse swallowed.

"After you ... made your catastrophic mistake," the jaguar explained, "Aria was made Captain." The jaguar squirmed. Her golden, black-spotted fur rising and falling with her breaths. She swallowed. "As much as I detest prey, I must ... admit," the told him, "to having a certain ... grudging respect," she whispered, "for you. But HER? She's intolerable! She's ... a snow-fur. She killed SO many predators back in the war."

"The snow rabbits and Arctic foxes?"

A quick nod. "You've never killed, have you? You've never killed a predator?"

A small shake of the head. "No ... "

"Good. See, I can respect that. But her? I can't forgive her ... she has it in for me. She watches me very closely. Waiting for me to make a move. But it's her own diligence ... that will be her undoing. When I DO pounce, she'll never see it coming."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because, mousey," she replied, grinning ... " ... you're an outcast now. Like ME. They don't trust you. They never will. After what you did ... "

"What did I do?!"

"Heh ... no, they hate you now. They may say they don't. But why keep you locked away? Why not treat you? Your radiation poisoning ... they claim they can't cure you. But I think they want you incapacitated. They want you out of the way. Best KEEP you sick."

Advance's eyes darted. He blinked ... " ... I ... I don't ... "

"You lost your mate. You saw how she looked at you on the bridge ... she betrayed you. They ALL betrayed you," the feline whispered. Leaning closer to him, crawling, slinking toward Advance. "I would never betray you. I'm still loyal to you ... maybe," she said, her paw slipping to his thigh, "we can be loyal to each other? Mm?"

The mouse's heart pounded.

"Together, we can escape this ship. We can do what we want. Go where we want."

Advance swallowed, shutting his eyes. "No ... no ... "

"You need it," Advance purred, nose in his chest-fur. "Oh, you NEED it ... "

"You ... you're a master manipulator," the mouse huffed. "I'll ... I'll grant you that."

Her paws were roving all over his chest. "You're being paranoid, mousey ... "

"I saw what you did to Herkimer. Everyone knows ... "

" ... nothing. They know nothing. They're all biased. They're all BIASED against predators. It's a shame, really. Don't you wanna know the TRUTH about us? About ME?"

"I'm a mouse. I'm prey. My species has been hunted and harassed by the likes of you ... for thousands of years." A heavy swallow. "Your INSTINCT is to control me."

"And your instinct is to obey. Now, STOP fighting me ... come on ... " She licked at his neck.

A huff. And a ... hazy blink, and ... no, no, no! Push!

She hissed as she was pushed away. "Stubborn mouse!"

"Don't touch me," he quivered, holding the sides of his head. His ears swiveling. "What's ... what's REALLY going on here? Where am I?"

"Go on. Try to imagine this is all a dream ... try. It won't help. This is real."

"I don't know what THIS is."

"This," she emphasized, "is the sorry state your life has become. Because of what YOU did ... and because of what YOU caused. And if you don't want a piece of my tail, then you're as big a moron then they all claim you to be. Or an even BIGGER one."

The mouse's nose sniff-twitched. He tried to keep her scent out of his mind. She was SO devious. She was such a ...

" ... bitch? Mm?" She was reading his eyes. She was a feline. She was VERY adept at reading rodents. "You think I'm a bitch?"

Advance said nothing. He just looked at the locked door of their cell. They were in the brig. And he tried to stand, but ... couldn't. He felt SO dizzy. The radiation they'd said was in his body ... must've been making him dizzy, right?

"You might be right," the jaguar whispered to him. "But is that so bad? Is that a bad thing ... at least I'm not a pastry puff like that Audrey ... who abandoned you at the FIRST sign of trouble. At least I'm not an icicle like Aria. At least I'm not a walking identity crisis like that Ross, or a walking, talking orgasm like that flirt of a skunk ... at least I have CHARACTER. At least I have depth."

"You're the most arrogant fur I've ever seen ... you never stop, do you? You're insatiable. You're just ... you're SO full of it."

"Full of what?" she whispered.

"I don't know," Advance admitted, swallowing. He needed water. He swallowed again, his nose sniffing. "I don't know, but ... no, you don't have character, Advent. You ARE a character. And there's a distinct difference."

"I'm the only one still on your side!" she hissed.

"I don't even know what I did!" he squeaked back at her.

And a head-tilting grin ... " ... no ... that's what makes this so fun." A pause. And her eyes roved over his body. "You look good without a shirt on. Most mice do. You're all so ... slender and trim. All that energy you burn." A lick of her lips. And a sigh. "It's fun to see you fall to pieces. Mice are SO entertaining."
"I'm sure we are," Advance whispered darkly, swallowing. And he sighed and slumped against the wall.

"Well, when you want my tail ... just tell me," Advent supplied, settling against the opposite wall.

"I'm prey ... so, you know that, as prey, I'm a Christian. I won't yiff outside of a mate-ship. It has to be for real love ... and I do NOT love you. I could NEVER love you. Not like that ... "

"Blah, blah ... you're SO righteous, aren't you? Gag me, mouse. Please." A squinting shake of her head. "Anyway, your loss ... but the offer's still there, all the same."

The mouse sighed. Made a face.

And she showed her teeth. In what looked to a grin, but ... with her, you could never be sure. "How is it, mouse, that one can keep faith ... when it keeps you from SO much?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said, matching her gaze.

"Infinite diversity in infinite combinations. It's the nature of life. Yet you ... are AGAINST that, aren't you?"

"Against diversity?"

"Yes ... "

"It's not diversity I'm against. It's perversity."

"And how does one tell what's perverse and what's not?"

"One has a soul," was his response.

"How charming. A soul, huh? Predators don't believe in souls. Or any of that ... what we believe in ... "

"What do you believe in?" Advance challenged.

"Passion, drive ... the freedom of each individual ... "

"Oh, I see ... the freedom of each individual? As long as that individual doesn't question you? As long as that individual isn't PREY?"

"Prey are ... misguided," the feline said, tilting her head.

"Yet you NEED us," Advance replied. "More than we need you," he whispered, nodding slightly. "Isn't that so?"

Her eyes went to a dangerous squint. "I believe you are ... grasping," she hissed, "for straws."

"Am I?" he asked levelly.

A click. At the door. The lock being undone, and the door swishing open ... letting in the light.

Advance and Advent, mouse and jaguar, squinted heavily.

It was Welly. "Furs," he said simply. "I'm here to ... tend to you." His voice indicated he wasn't happy about it. Wasn't happy about being in the company of either of them.

"Welly ... Doctor ... what's wrong? What happened to me?" Advance asked, the questions spilling out. "No one will tell me!"

"I'm not allowed to ... talk to you," he said quietly. "I'm under orders."

"Orders?"

"Just cooperate, okay?" he said, snapping. Showing his teeth. His silky, black and white-striped skunk tail ... drooping behind him. "I have casualties in sickbay! Four furs died in that attack. FOUR. I ... I ... " He shook. Went quiet, eyes closing. He had blood on his paws. Licking his lips, he opened his eyes. "You two aren't worth it," he whispered. "But I've been ordered to tend to you. So ... cooperate, okay? And let me get back to sickbay. There are others who need me ... "

Advance blinked. Sagging. "Yeah," he whispered. Whiskers twitching.

Advent just grimaced, growling from the throat.

Welly pulled out a hypo, and prepared to press it to Advance's neck, when ...

... another skunk came into view.

Another Welly!

Advance blinked, blinked. "What ... what?"

The first Welly turned.

The second Welly delivered a paw-punch to the first Welly's face, and ... the first Welly fell. Slumping to the floor. Unconscious.

"What?" Advance asked again.

"Captain, come on ... up, up, up!" The remaining Welly picked him up.

"I don't understand!" Advance squeaked, almost wailing it.

"I'll explain on the way ... we have to get out of here. The others are waiting for us ... "

Advent started to get up, too, but ... Welly (the remaining Welly ... oh, this was TOO confusing!) ... pulled out a phase pistol. "Stop it. Get back down."

"I'm coming with you!"

"No, you're NOT ... " Fire! And the jaguar slumped unconscious.

"What ... "

"Stop saying ‘what'!" the skunk exclaimed, flustered. "We have to get out of the scattering field."

"Scattering field?"

The skunk started hurrying down the corridor, weapon wielded.

Advance scurried after, the desert mouse's lightly-furred tail and his big, dishy ears ... twitching as he went. He squeaked out. "What's going on? Doctor?!"

"You were captured," panted the skunk, reaching a divergence in the corridor. "Um ... left!" He darted left.

Advance scurried after.

"You were captured ... we were still searching for a shore leave planet. We were sending a pod down to this one planet we'd found, and ... you were on the pod. They captured you. Only you. We didn't understand ... "

"They?"

A pause. A huff. The skunk's eyes darting. "The ... the humans," he panted.

Advance's eyes widened. His heart picked up pace. His senses flared.

"They put you in this simulation ... I guess they wanted to monitor your physical and mental responses. Under stress. Under ... they wanted to gage your battle tactics, your ... they wanted to STUDY you. To KNOW us better. So that, in an ACTUAL war ... they would know what to expect, reaction-wise, from our side."

Advance's eyes darted. He felt very, very weak ... suddenly. "Um ... um ... "

"We're getting you out of here ... "

"Um ... "

"Sir!"

Advance blinked. Looked to the skunk.

"We're inside a holographic field ... we have to get outside the perimeter. They've given you psycho-tropic drugs ... that's why you feel woozy. It's not radiation."

"Welly ... " The mouse whimper-squeaked.

"Captain, come on ... " The skunk tugged at him. "I'm real, okay? I'm here? Audrey? She's on the ship. She's worried sick about you ... we'll get you back to her. Back to Solstice. Just ... scurry!" he barked.

Advance did so. Following the skunk.

Foot-paws padding and pounding on the carpeted corridor floors. Running past rooms, through doors, and ...

... reaching the perimeter of the field, and ...

... as soon as they crossed over it, the simulation was gone. Just ... WASN'T there. Instead, a rocky room. A cave-like room. With monitors and equipment and ...

... " ... humans," whispered Advance, with a tinge of terror.

Three ... no, FOUR humans. Unconscious.

"We took care of them," said a purring voice.

Advance swallowed and looked up. "Advent."

"At your service," she said teasingly, giving a mock-salute.

Aria, who was here also ... flashed the jaguar a glare. "We must focus. We must get back to the shuttle-pod."

"Agreed," said Advance, starting to come back to his senses. "Are there any more humans in the vicinity? Ships? Anything?"

"No ... just the four. We believe a supply ship will return for them shortly. This is a remote planet."

"I take it ... NOT suitable for shore leave."

"The stench of humans ... would disturb any attempts at relaxation," Advent assured.

"Let's just get out of here!" Welly barked, starting to leave the caves.

The other three following.



Hours later. Back on the REAL Solstice.

And Advance in his quarters. Welly had given him some hypos of ... some stuff. To help him rest and relax. To help him heal. The desert mouse had wanted, of course, to go RIGHT back to duty. But ... the doctor had insisted he take a day or two off. Anyway, the ship was STILL searching for a place to take a week's shore leave at.

It wasn't as if he were desperately needed on the bridge right now.

"Just get some rest," the skunk had advised.

"I'm a mouse," Advance had replied.

"I know. Just ... TRY, then."

So, he was. Was trying, and ...

... Audrey entered. "Hey," she whispered, sighing, starting to unbutton her uniform. "Mm ... long shift."

"I should've been on duty."

"Hey ... it's okay."

"No." A twitch. He closed his eyes. "No, I ... I ... " The mouse's eyes watered.

"Hey," the squirrel whispered.

"I almost believed it was real," he sniffled. "I ... I started to believe it."

The squirrel was now on her knees, in front of the couch (where the mouse was curled up). And she leaned forward, nosing him ... and then crawling onto the couch with him. "Hey," she said (yet again). "It's okay."

"In that ... that simulation they put me in ... they made me feel like I was insane. I ... you left me."

"I'm not leaving you. I haven't. I'm here."

"I know ... "

"None of it was real."

"I was just a ... mouse in a maze, wasn't I?" Advance breathed, shuddering. Disturbed.

"We destroyed their facility from orbit," the squirrel said quietly. Pausing. "None of the information they'll extracted from you ... will ever reach them."

"Unless they were streaming it ... "

"They might have been. I don't know. But ... they won't be subjecting anymore furs to that, okay?"

Advance let out a shaky breath. Nodded weakly.

"Baby ... " The squirrel pressed her muzzle forward. Tilted her head. And put her lips to his. A soft, warm, and wet kiss. A lingering kiss.

And his eyes closed upon it.

And she broke it briefly. To breathe. And whisper, "I love you ... know that, okay?"

"I do ... I know ... I ... "

"I know, lately, things have been happening fast. This human threat, and ... everything. Sometimes, our relationship feels more like ... a relationship. And not a ROMANCE. I know we ... but it is. I love you, darling. I ... am not gonna lose you to them. Or to the predators. Or to anyone, alright? I'm here," the squirrel vowed. Resolutely. Meeting his eyes.

He looked back at her, eyes watering. And he nodded slightly. "I do LOVE you ... Audrey. I'm sorry if I haven't been very romantic."

"You've been fine ... you're just worked up." A pause. "We both are."

A slow, deep breath. And Advance gave a little smile.

"You tired?"

"Mm ... a bit. Why?" he whispered.

Her muzzle was exhaling on his neck. Was sucking, mouthing his neck.

And his paws, instinctually, went around her back ... she'd unbuttoned her uniform and ...

" ... I, uh ... wanna prove to you that I'm really here. I'm not a simulation. I'm ... and this love is TRUE."

"I already believe it," he huffed, as her body wriggled and wormed atop of his. As their two, warm furry forms, male and female, wriggled together atop the couch. In this, the dim living room of their quarters.

"Baby ... "

"Mm?"

Another kiss. A succulent, saliva-exchanging kiss.

And little huffs. Little chitter-squeaks. And she asked again, "You tired?"

And his huffy, squeaking reply, pinned beneath her, half-bare now ... was, "Not ... oh, not tired enough ... "

A loving, melting smile. Eyes closed. Her nose on his upper chest. "Good."