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Chapter 3: The Great White North

A massive dome of shimmering red encapsulated the the centre of the metropolis of Toronto. As though of fluid glass, the field shone strong and blotted out much of the city from the outside. The tiny, ancient shuttle banked toward it swiftly on gleaming silver wings as it's pilot finally conceded control of it to his host.

Making sure to tap the auto-pilot, Jasyn slid almost grudgingly from his seat. Holding out a welcoming paw, he gestured the brown-haired human to sit. "Alright already, you can take her in," he finally relented.

With giddy anticipation, an overenthusiastic Leon Garret plunked down heavy in the pilot's chair. Quickly trying to emulate the wolf, he slid the thin metal band over his forehead and the ship shuddered tangibly around them. In a quick and frightened movement the man grasped at the controls, banking hard to the right and plummeting quickly from the sky.

"Ay! Gently! This thing is over a century old!" the wolf scolded, goading the human's hands to release their grip.

Several deep breaths later; the small, unsteady shuttle levelled out and flew much smoother. "Sorry... I hadn't expected her to be so sensitive," the lieutenant admitted with a flush in his face. His fingers glided quickly from the port control to the throttle and he pulled back just a little.

"Ensign," he spoke, clearly indicating Lynn. "I need you to put a general hail out," he added momentarily. The girl hesitated, uncertain whether to listen to this alien's command.

A low growl rose in Jasyn's throat, and he turned his head only slightly. Still watching the air in front of the ship he spat, "Listen to him Lynn, we're strangers here." She sent her hail quickly, clearly in respect of the wolf's prior status on the ship.

Moments following, the shuttle's speakers came alive and the smooth voice of a learned man came over them. "This is Toronto Entry Registry. Unnamed transport, please identify."

Leon spoke before anyone else had the chance, and in a clear and commanding voice he said, "This is the Sirian Shuttle; Earth-forces Lieutenant Leon Garret speaking. This ship is a relic, Registry. I need an allowance through the Barrier."

They waited quietly for a response, and as Axis opened his mouth with a question the registry came loud again. "Lieutenant. They have no Barrier?" they asked as though the thought was unfathomable

"Affirmed, Registry," the man said quickly. "Like I said, this ship is ancient."

On the other end, hushed voices seemed to be debating. This time, Axis managed to ask, "is that a coherent Energy Field?"

The human grinned to him. "Yeah, it's an antique too. The jewel in the crown of the twenty-second century's achievements," he boasted, his pride showing through. "If you didn't notice in the firefight, my little fighter has one too. Much smaller," he added after a moment more of silence. The two ships were circling the dome, as though some aerial game of tag were taking place between them.

Before another question came, the Registry replied. "Alright. We're lowering field strength to allow solid matter through. Hurry up," the man on the other end sounded annoyed.

His cue presented, the human grinned wide and banked hard, probably harder than he'd intended, into the bubble. The Sirians braced themselves, arms going up before them as the ship drew nearer the edge, though Leon was as calm as an eye in the centre of the chaotic cries from his companions.

The shuttle impacted the shield, a ripple spreading from the collision point. The Sirians were certain they were dead, but cautiously they each took a breath. Leon laughed at them all. "Oh come on... you think I'd fly all the way here just to crash us?" he asked them with a tease.

Collie and Dalmatian looked miffed, angered even. Jasyn's face curled into a tense smirk though, and Axis' lips were wide with a chuckle. "Of course! You had to get fresh air somehow!" he cried, a paw clasped to his forehead in a moment of eureka

"Exactly," smirked the human, banking towards a pair of tall towers in the centre of the massive dome. Axis watched the towers with fascination, and then looked over at the rest of the buildings in awe. He couldn't believe how smoothly the gigantic city seemed to run. There was little traffic, and even less litter.

"Those two towers over there are the Heritage Landmarks in this city. The CN Towers. I don't remember when the first one was built, but the second one went up around the same time as this shield did," Leon told them while tucking the ship into the space between them. "There are taller buildings in the world, but these two here both held the title of 'tallest freestanding structure on Earth'" the human boasted with a grin.

The massive towers stood of steel and stone, the taller looking much akin to a metal flower. Four large petals extended in a compass-rose from the top, and a faint red glow seemed to shine from the central apex.

Axis, excited by the designs, kneeled closer to the window to peek upward. Slowly, his tails flicked and swayed; capturing a lovestruck wolf's attention. Jasyn caught himself hypnotized by the straying metronome of fur and flesh, watching with rapt attention the way they each threaded into Axis' spine just over his-

The rocking of the ship as it set down upon a nearby rooftop yanked Jasyn from his thoughts, and not a moment too soon for the wolf. Axis' attention turned toward him just as he brought his eyes away from the base of the fox's tails.

"Alright," spoke the human as he made to stand. "PM Kaine wants to meet you, so if you'll just follow me," he lead, hoping that the others would move to the hatch.

Jasyn's curiosity got the better of him as he spoke. "P-M?" he asked in intrigue, and a flick of his ears matched the sparkle of his eyes.

"Oh, heh. It's a title, and an office of power. She's the figurehead leader of Canada, based here in Toronto. Ms. Prime Minister, or Ms. Kaine is formal enough, I suppose," Leon explained with a grin.

As the rear hatch fell to the concrete; the smell of fresh night air greeted the lungs of the Sirians. Standing before the hatch with all the confidence of a hurricane and the stoicism of a mountain, was a sanguine-haired woman in a skirtsuit of red-gray. Her bright green eyes were sharp, and her skin was spotless tan.

With a respectful bow, she spoke the words, "Opee aka Terra, Welcome to Earth. I'm Prime Minister Susan Kaine." The rooftop was lit with artificial lights, and the ever present shimmer of the barrier cast a ruddy glow on all of the city.

Jasyn bowed in kind, and thinking on the way Leon had greeted them he held out a paw in greeting. "It is a pleasure to meet you Ms. Kaine. I am ensign Jasyn Emitt, formerly of the Falchion," he said with a charming smile.

A firm handshake met the two, Jasyn had gotten better at the action. The Prime Minister's attention was drawn quickly to the pure-white fox to Jasyn's side soon after. His proximity to the wolf made it seem as though he was the second voice of this group, and his stature marked him as a proud and intelligent figure. She eagerly extended her hand to him as well and smiled a disarming, warm smile.

He tentatively reached out a hand and with a nervous care enclosed the woman's own. His pawshake was loose, at first, but grew firm on feeling her's. Drawing back his hand, he spoke shortly, "Augustus Levi, ma'am, though I prefer Axis."

"We have much to discuss," she said and quickly turned. Waving Jasyn to follow to a sleek and spacious transport. "Mr. Emitt, Axis. Please," she beckoned, motioning them inside.

The small craft rested gently on the rooftop, a second one landing nearby to ferry the other two. There was obviously plenty of space in this one, but she hadn't even seemed to recognize presence of the Collie and Dalmatian. It's curves were almost sensual, a ring-shaped wing passing over the roof with a line of blue across the back. It looked, decidedly, like a large, white, cigar.

Axis stepped in first, and the other two followed quickly after. The inside was decorated in deep blues, and where the fox had stepped looked like a tiny sitting area. It was easily as big as the shuttle in just this compartment alone as he took a seat on the back wall.

The woman's bodyguards milled about outside, and Axis watched them rush the other companions into the other vehicle. He saw Leon slip quickly into his fighter and the small silver dart shot away into the distance. Jasyn sat with Axis, opposite Ms. Kaine who sat along one side, and the small craft quickly lifted into the air to fly away as the guard at the door closed the hatch.

"So, Axis?" Kaine began, breaking the momentary silence cleanly to ask a question. "You're different than Jasyn, I see," she asked, looking to Axis' left at the wolf.

"Well, of course ma'am. I believe I resemble a fox, to you," he made the comparison briefly. The woman's head tilted and he continued, "an Arctic Fox, specifically. Remarkable the similarities though."

"Yes," the woman grinned and nodded. "Yes I had been wondering. Your race strikes us as curious, in that respect. We had expected other intelligent life would look and act much different than we."

Axis smirked thinly and shrugged. "Well, maybe we share a common ancestor A piece of the same things that seeded your world may have seeded ours as well," he reasoned, making banter.

"Well, I don't see how it's impossible. Very improbable, but then you're here aren't you?" she said with a jovial snicker. "Anyway, I'm sorry to hear about your ship, it must be hard losing your families," she apologized, and her face took on grim lines of upset. "If they'd sent an escort like I'd asked, it wouldn't have happened..." she added with a sigh.

"Please, Ms. Kaine. Don't blame yourself. Have they given you any trouble?" asked the wolf with a nervous undertone.

"That other ship? They've stayed out of range and haven't tried to communicate," she told them quietly. "I think they're biding their time."

Jasyn sighed, and shook his head in exasperation. He didn't have the training to best them at the game of War, and he was sure they had advanced since the Falchion left. As far as he had known, they'd departed in the midst of a tense peace.

"We haven't gotten word from your planet in a long time... Despite our marked improvement on slipstream, it would seem your home world hasn't thought to send another message."

"That's alright. I'm just glad the important things are still around," the wolf grinned at her.

"Such as?" she pushed him onward.

"Hospitality, and Axis here," the wolf grinned out. The fox's ears flicked quietly backward and his cheeks and ears grew hot with embarrassment

The woman's eyes flicked between the two and she smiled wide. "So, you two are close then? Childhood friends, no doubt," was her quick explanation.

"Or something..." Axis smirked shyly, trailing off.

"Well, stay close boys," she instructed them. "I don't know how things work with Sirians, but on Earth, a good friendship can be hard to find."

"Toronto is one of the few Canadian cities that survived the third great war of our planet," she explained, looking out the far window. "It didn't get a scratch on it, because of a revolutionary new technology that was being tested at the time. We refer to them as 'the barriers'," she boasted with a quiet grin. She was proud of this accomplishment. "The Council of Twelve Cities is actually a coalition of the cities closed off from that war.

"Wait, third great war? Our planet has had only one great war, and that is against the Crag Empire. You humans must have a lot of enemies..." said Jasyn, looking up at the woman.

"Well, all three of our wars were between different factions of Earth... the war ended about two decades ago, and first to recover was Canada. We've started to unify the world under one flag, and soon enough, we will be one government, one system, under the banner of peace. It won't be 'Toronto, Ontario, Canada' anymore, it'll be 'Toronto, Canada, Earth'. At least, that's the plan."

The adolescents were quiet for a long time; little comfort found in knowing that their new friends had warred amongst themselves thrice before, at least. They sat silently until they pulled up to a colossal building, much like a hangar. An electric sign on the front read 'Reaching Out: Research for a new millennium'.

"Why are we stopping?" asked Jasyn, examining the sign not at all pleased with the word 'research'. His heart nearly stopped when he saw a man with a Dalmatian walk by. This was, of course, an earth Dalmatian; still, the subservient creature brought a pang of distress to his heart. He looked over at the woman and raised an eyebrow in query.

The Prime Minister shook her head and sighed, knowing that this was an inevitable event. "They aren't sentient like you; can't talk, and they're barely able to learn by our standards. We take care of them in exchange for their services. They help guide our blind, they are our companions. But, they're pets to us... You aren't mind you; you are sentient, and you can take care of yourselves in a world like this."

Jasyn nodded, cautiously understanding of the words the woman spoke. He looked over at Axis and the fox's eyes were trusting. "We have to trust them Jayse. They're the only friends we have now," he comforted, and kept the wolf's eyes.

"If you're sure of them, I am too," he said with conviction, and turned back to the woman. "I trust you, Ms. Kaine," he nodded.

"Well, I'm glad. I hope what we have to show you will bolster your trust. We've been building it for years, and we're still some months from being really done," she paused briefly and made towards the hatch. "But with your arrival, and our 'friends' up there," she made a sigh. "Well... we're going to be getting her out there a little early."

She lead them quickly into the building with more of that pride so deep in humanity's heart.

--

The building walls were plated with sheets of brushed steel, dulled so as not to blind the occupants. The fluorescent lighting burned into the eyes of the Sirian youths. Axis squinted as his vision adjusted, and Jasyn looked away from the lights, his eyes being less quick to respond. The three of them walked quickly, Susan pointing out various aspects of the facility from time-to-time. Axis caught a glimpse of something brightly reflecting the light through a window, and he turned his head to take a look.

The sight before him nearly toppled him. There, standing in military rows, were some thirty-something gleaming steel warriors. Axis reeled and stopped, stepping closer to the window in curiosity. Susan stopped also, and turned to look, then chuckled. "Our new Mechas. Top-of-the-line 'Mobile Powered Neuro-linking Triennium-Alloy Exoskeletal Armour Suits'. But the team here just call them 'M.P.N.L.-T.A.E.A.S' or just 'MPNs' for short. But these aren't what we wanted to show you, come over here and take a look."

Jasyn was already at the window, having no interest in the MPNs. He was reeling at the sight before him, and Axis came up behind him and put a paw on his shoulder, looking through the window as well. There before them was a gleaming silver hull. Many orders of magnitude larger than the fighters, and yet with a similarity in design. Long, dark channels lay pitted in the surface of the ship, certain to light up in operation.

"This, gentlemen, is the T619-B Carrier, our top-of-the-line star cruiser, Codenamed: The Echo Wind," Kain began with a pleased grin upon her face. "This is what I wanted to show you. This is the craft that will take you, and a compliment of human crew, back to Sirius Beta. Jasyn, you are young, but judging from that amazing piloting you performed on your arrival, we would like you to pilot the ship."

From their vantage, they saw only the three massive engine-wells; ion rings inactive before their eyes as they gazed up at the silver behemoth. Clearly, more than half of the ship was below them. It was as though the building had been built for the vessel itself.

Susan motioned them to a nearby hatch, passing through onto a catwalk. Several airlock-like hatches lay open to the walkway as she spoke. "It's leaving in the morning. Your companions should already be aboard. Lieutenant Garret has been posted aboard, so if you have any trouble integrating you should talk to him."

The pair nodded as they stepped aboard the ship, carpeted deck plates making light thumps as they looked about the corridor. It gleamed, off-white surrounding them in the completely new ship. "If you'll come this way, I'll show you to the bridge," the woman said with a soft gesture.

"Um, Ms. Kaine? I'm sure we'll find the bridge tomorrow. I mean, there's signs everywhere, and we were taught Earth English," Axis began, the stuffy corridors reminding him immediately of his destroyed home. "I don't mean to be rude, of course," he added, feeling for some reason that he could speak openly to these people.

"Not at all, Axis. Please, what is on your mind?" the woman asked with a kindly smile.

"Well, I don't think either of us got much sleep last night... Could we be shown to our quarters please?" he finished with a hopeful smile. He had really wanted to talk to the wolf.

The woman took the request with a bright smile and canted her head in the other direction. "Of course, son. How silly of me. This way," she smiled. Her ever-present guards followed close behind as they walked the corridors of the ship.

"I am certain you have much to talk about. I would like to apologize on behalf of all Canadians. The destruction of the Falchion was a grim fate and I hope sincerely that it wasn't a violent precursor of things yet to come," the woman sympathized. Her hands were locked with one another, and she wore a grim face, aged from years of public service and clearly visible in the bright light.

"Please, Ms. Kaine. Your people are clearly committed to helping us. No apology is really necessary," Jasyn dismissed, a look of contempt for the insistence the woman had for apology.

"I still feel as though I could have done more," she frowned, rounding a corner into a gently sweeping curved hall. "I think you'll find the quarters here are remarkably spacious, likely moreso than to what you're used. I hope it will make up for some of our inadequacies..." she said, and managed a passable chuckle of humour.

Axis and Jasyn smiled forced smiles, and eyed one-another carefully. They both clearly thought her demeanour was over-the-top, but they did appreciate the hospitable nature most humans thus far had shown them.

Towards the end of the hallway, at the corner to a three-way juncture, the woman stopped and peered carefully at the writing on the walls. "I believe... yes. These two rooms are vacant. Right next to one another. I hope that's alright?" she asked them, turning to smile a ruby smile.

"It will be perfect, Madam Prime Minister," Axis smiled, bowing his head warmly. Fluttery tresses of silver hair dipped down like vines of gossamer from a frosted canopy and as he lifted his head once more to smile, he said; "Our thanks to you, for your help."

He was clearly very happy with the humans' sense of morality.

Short small talk passed, and the woman left the two in the hallway, staring across at one another like a cloud must stare at the earth below. Tension built between them, like static in a rainstorm, until finally the lightning struck and Axis closed the distance. His head leaning on the wolf's chest, he whimpered.

Jasyn lay his hand atop the grieving fox's head, flattening one ear as he stroked softly, lovingly. His breath was not forthcoming, stuck in his throat at just the closeness of the one thing he would make certain he never lost.

He pulled his body away, holding kit at arms length with a fingertip tilting violet to meet cerulean. In that gaze Jasyn saw it all. The hurt he knew the fox endured, the anguish. It was hard for him to bear it, knowing Axis had lost a brother, and probably more friends than the wolf could count.

'Sure, he's my favourite,' the upset fox began. 'Nobody on that ship meant as much to me as him, except mom, and dad, and-' his breath hitched too. A sudden, dawning hurt rose quickly in the fox's chest as he realized, "Atlas is dead... Jayse."

He couldn't bear the sight anymore. He quickly pulled his dearest friend close and rested his cheek against the side of Axis' head. Arms wrapped tightly around the whimpering fox, Jasyn hugged him close and could not bring himself to tears. His only thought was that this fox, his Axis, was hurting.

'I need to be here for him,' he told himself, and as he cherished that decision he felt the beginnings of a warm, wetness forming on his chest. "A-axis?" he asked, unsure of himself, while in his mind he questioned, 'Are those tears?'

"Jasyn... they're gone..." said the fox, his hurt burning through his words like fire. Jasyn's heart sank hearing Axis like this.

"Shh, Kit," cooed Jasyn, trying to comfort his friend. "Come on... Stay with me for awhile," he invited, leading the fox and all of the hurt into the room he would soon be calling home.