FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Laundry day. Trixi held her bag of laundry waiting for the machine to finish so that she may start her load. Richard's wash was constantly in use so she couldn't use the head's private utilities. Glad to be out of the boring office for a breather was nice. No matter how much the person she cared so deeply protested, she wouldn't leave his side. Not after she caught him trying to sneak out in his workout clothes. She saw it in his face that the pain in his back worsened, and just a few more days till his surgery. She did her best to watch over him so that he didn't exert himself. But she had to do her chores.

The women's laundry room was occupied by three other women. The fox was by herself in the alien corner of the room. She tried to mind her own business as a few machines rumbled around noisily, but the other girls spoke loud enough for her pointed ears to pick up the whispers.

“That's the HoS' girlfriend over there." One girl said to the other.

“Does he have a problem, is his dick too small for a normal woman?"

They giggled at each other when the third woman spoke up. “Nope, the man is hung, saw it for myself when he was on display in the stasis bed. The alien is probably a size queen."

Trixi didn't want to listen anymore to the conversation. The thought of a woman eyeing up the men she got to know like hunks of meat disgusted her. She felt her stomach turn as they continued to gossip, wondering if this is what Richard hated. The dryer buzzed and she took the yellow coveralls inside and stuffed them into the neighboring basket. They were very large, grease-stained. Several burn marks marred the cuffs. It wasn't long till the owner returned to pick up her uniforms.

The blue-scaled figure slowly walked up to her wearing her civilian coveralls. The diminutive fox felt even smaller next to the large lizardman. However, the normally cheerful Welds looked weak with her claws wrapped delicately across her arms. Trixi smiled at her, pleasant to see her out of the hospital, “You're back! How are you feeling!?" The lizardman nodded, her mouth curling slightly at the sight of the orange bushy-tailed critter.

Welds and Trixi caught up with each other. Trixi recanted her tale of heroism and how Richard and the others saved the day. Welds tried her best to keep up with her story but talking hurt, her voice rasped more than the usual lizardman. Then Trixi asked about her relationship with Roma.

This sudden shift turned Welds' slitted pupils toward the other women in the room. She spoke very softly, “Not in front of the other humansss."

Trixi looked at the three women who were now staring back. She dismissed the judgmental looks, “Why not? If they have a problem with it, I will gladly get some crayons and toss them into all the driers. They can't do a thing about it."

The other women quickly turned their heads away from the fox and pretended to not listen in on their conversation. Welds grabbed her basket angrily and left the room. Trixi followed closely behind her, concerned for her friend.

The empty 4th story walkway overlooked the dorm stairway. Trixi silently followed Welds' scaly tail. The door hissed open, Welds' room was small and clean, the same layout and size as Trixi's. Except instead of garish reds and sharp blues the lizard's color choice was more earthy, rich chocolate colored bedding with a warm red heat lamp affixed overhead. The basket was haphazardly dumped onto the bed. Trixi hopped up next to the pile and waited for her friend to speak up. It wasn't until the clothes were folded and put away that she finally spoke up.

“It's not sssafe to talk about that ssstuff."

“Safe? All I saw were glares from medical bimbos… And I think that's the default look they give." Trixi closed her eyes and tried to remember any other instances… outside of the normal clown occupational hazards. Her eyes opened, the three women were the first she witnessed that behavior.

“I worry, Roma told me many thingsss."

Trixi patted the bed wanting to hear her out. Welds hesitated, scratching some loose scales from her arm. The small vulpes bounced up from the weight shift as she sat down.

“Humansss have killed lizardmen for being in a relationship. When Roma worked in the outer rim a woman fell in love with my kind. When the crew found out, they grew jealousss, he wasss beaten to death. Roma tried to arressst them, but the head of the ssstation refusssed."

Trixi lowered her muzzle. “This station is different. Richard and the captain won't allow that abuse."

“We didn't know how the heads of this ssstation would handle an alien bond. We ssspent monthsss wondering if it would work out at all. Sssneaking around it getsss tiresssome." Welds relaxed, her tail lashed lazily to her side.

"You shouldn't live like this. The captain and Richard would never let something like that happen here." Trixi touched Welds' claw who nodded with the sentiment. “Speaking of that, how did you two meet?" There was a gleam in Trixi's blue eyes that beckoned to the dark green of the lizardman. “You HAVE to tell me!"

Welds choked back laughter, clearly an amusing memory. “We ran into each other in the engine room half a year ago. Literally into each other. I dropped some tempered glassss and it exploded when it hit the floor. I wasss mad. I cursssed him out in draconic and he just ssstared at me with a ssstupid look on his face." She covered her toothy smile with a claw as she laughed. “I called him a worthless pink sssmoothssskin."

Trixi joined in the laughter, “That's adorable! What happened next?"

“He wouldn't leave me alone, followed me around everywhere, eventually I asssked him why he said 'I'm gorgeousss'." Welds' scaled face turned a deep blue as she blushed. She looked over at Trixi who squeaked with joy.

“That's so cute!"

“What about you? I'm sure your bond is more interesssting." She couldn't help but be a little curious how a clown and the head of security could go out with one another.

Trixi happily told her, she opened her mouth and overshared her little heart out. Even things that should've been kept private. Her little adventures in the holodeck to showering together to help him recover from his injuries. By the end of her retelling Welds' maw hung open, that was a lot more than she expected.

"That… wasss an interesssting ssstory. Roma never ssspoke about Richard. We were both shocked when he tried to asssk me out."

The fox wasn't proud of herself, she frowned looking up at her friend. "That was my idea, I was just trying to help him get over his problems. I wouldn't have suggested it if I knew."

She chuckled at the sentiment. "I'm sssorry for not telling you. I never told anyone about my bond, not even my family, they hate humansss."

"That's awful. You told no one?" The lizard shook her head. Trixi wondered how things would be different if she didn't have her sister to help her. She probably wouldn't even be here if it weren't for her. She looked up again at her tall friend, "If you need anything, Richard and I will be there for you and Roma." The PDA beeped in Trixi's pocket, reminding her of the dryer. “Clothes are finished. I'll see you around Welds, I'm so happy you are feeling better now." Before the door shut she said her final goodbye "Message me when you want to talk more."

Welds' tail tip flicked beside her, the unexpected company of the vulpes was welcomed. “We should do this again sssometime, it was fun."

Back in the laundry room, Trixi thought about how to make things better for Welds. She got a wonderful idea, something that normal couples do all the time, double date. It would be great to have a normal couple's conversation without the constant fear of judgment.

Richard was in his office when Trixi arrived with her pile of clean clothes. The pain medication had knocked him out. The vulpes moved his head to the neck pillow, trying her best to not wake him as she folded her laundry in her makeshift home in corner of the office.

After she finished, she clambered up to her new favorite spot, her boyfriend's lap. She rested her head on his chest, listening to him gently breathe. Only two more days till the anticipated surgery. She grew tired of scolding him every time he left to do his work. He was stubborn.

The other night he tried to sneak out without waking her, but her acute senses picked up the slight squeak of the wheelchair. After yelling his ears off he lamented, knowing the pain in his back had worsened. He didn't mention what he was working on, but he eventually gave up and said it can wait till after the surgery.

His scent comforted her. She watched as he slowly stirred from his rest to the company of the vulpes' smile. “I'm glad you stayed."

Richard let out a long yawn and petted her soft fuzzy head. “Wouldn't want you to jump down my throat again," he said in a joking manner. "Did you get to wash your clothes?"

She nodded and then explained what happened. Then she told him her plans for the double date. He shifted his face, confused about how that would work.

“I don't know, Roma's much younger than me. We don't have much in common."

“Please… it will be good for the four of us." Her muzzle pouted with a quivering lower lip.

“What do you mean?"

“We're the only odd couples on the station. Welds had to keep her relationship a secret for such a long time. She doesn't even have family to speak about it. They don't like that she is working for humans. Probably disown her if they found out."

Trixi cared for the well-being of others. Even if it was to her detriment half the time. He thought about Welds and Roma. They were probably terrified of coming out to others. Richard feared for Trixi if their relationship was discovered. But his position would protect her. Others didn't have that luxury. “Humm, you're right."

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'll go ahead and message them. Where would you like it to be?"

“We could go to the holodeck."

“Too many people who will notice us all enter."

Richard looked down at her. She normally never worried about such things. “Did those women get to you that much?"

“No, of course not! Failed doctors don't bother me. I'm just worried about Welds. What if her family finds out?"

Richard sighed, the family ties would be a very complicated mess. He knew rival clans occupied the same station from Tizirian. Which ones he couldn't say, but they gossiped as much as humans. He thought of a secluded location. The abandoned sections of the station were still under repair, so most were still blocked from travel.

“We could go to the owlery. No one goes there."

“Perfect!" Her tail twitched happily, bopping him in the side. Trixi sent the message to Welds while Richard called in Roma.

Roma walked in seeing the vulpes rest on the security chief's lap. There was confusion on the man's face as he approached the desk. "Did you need me for something?"

Trixi hopped down and explained her plans. Upon the request, Roma stared at Richard with a hand stretched out as if to be handed an answer from his boss.

“Not my idea." Richard pointed at the excited vulpes.

Trixi hugged Roma. “It will be fun, trust me. Just like the shows."

Roma was as enthused with the idea as Richard was. Trixi prattled on and on about how this would be a good thing for everyone.

Richard offered a way out of the obligation, “Unless you're too tired and wish to rest, maybe spend some private time with Welds." Trixi was silent and looked up at Roma with the quivering look she gave Richard.

He was completely worn down at this point. “It won't be that long, I guess. We can spend a few hours together. The girls will be happy anyway."

Trixi gekkered happily. "Yay!"

The lift leading to the owlery opened. Located at the top level of the dormitory section of the station, formerly an observation deck. A 50-meter semispherical dome shielded the occupants from space, each star flickered dimly. Grow lamps populated the walkway, they kept the grass healthy and green. Fake trees helped give the illusion of a full park.

Generations ago it was a popular spot for astronomers and astrophysicists, but as the centuries went by, people no longer cared to see boring dots in the endless black void. As time passed the humans that occupied space were no longer scientists, but regular people. It was out of habit the structures are still ingrained into the Nanotrasen blueprints of the mass-produced stations across the galaxy. Currently, the deck was used to house owls. No reason was given, maybe an alliance with a secret cult to stop the end of the universe or some weird fetish by an administrator. Regardless, hooting from several species of owls echoed in the vast space.

Richard and Trixi brought some food with them. A basket of treats Trixi picked out for their little picnic. They waited at a bench in the center of the park. The air was chilly, Richard's head was racing. He figured since he was forced to go on this date, he would be able to glean some information for his investigation on the medical department. However, avoiding Roma getting involved would take priority. One thing he wished for was some alcohol to help him out.

Trixi on the other hand was ecstatic. She sat on Richard's lap and watched the door to the lift carefully. The cool air coupled with the man's warmth was comforting. "This place is nice."

He was brought back to the present to the warm orange vulpes leaning on his chest. "It's quiet, I forget it exists sometimes." A rather large space owl hooted disrupting the peace. "Somewhat quiet." She shifted in his lap and rubbed her snout into his chest. He wrapped her with his arms causing her to shrink into his grasp.

"Are you going to fall asleep here?"

"Maybe. It's so comfy."

He stared into her eyes, darkness caused her pupils to dilate reflecting the stars. She looked so beautiful with shiny fur and eyes full of stars. He couldn't help himself from stealing a kiss from the vulpes.

She was left breathless as he pushed the kiss deeper, penetrating her maw with his tongue. She felt temptation take her. It was a good thing she did laundry earlier, she would need a new pair of panties. She pulled away as her heart raced, "Not yet. I wanted to wait till you got better." The request was heartwarming. She recently complained about her selfish behavior, leaving the desire in Richard unfulfilled. He stroked her body tracing the curves to her feminine hips and down her fluffy orange tail. She straddled him and rotated her hips on his lap slowly. "I want our first time to be special, okay?" There was a disconnect somewhere as her body moved on him.

"Alright, but you're the one moving your hips." Richard teased.

She stopped moving, blushing feverishly. "Damn fox heat."

"You're in heat again?"

"It's natural. When my species gets in the mood we get into a type of heat."

"I could lend a hand if you'd like." There was a smug smile on his face that was subsequently wiped away as she put her paw over his mouth.

"Hardy har. Isn't this a public area? You already stopped me when I tried kissing you in the hallway."

Richard frowned. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but he still had a job to do. "C.C. 111 P.D.A. We were in the hallway, working environments forbid intimacy. Technically that would cover my office, but I'll be damned if they tell me what to do while I'm in recovery."

"So… I could pull off my panties, right now, and show you how dirty they got and you wouldn't arrest me." She now had the smug toothy smile on her muzzle.

He shook his head and chuckled to himself, "C.C. 106 I.E. Light kissing and hand-holding is all that is allowed in public recreation areas." He kissed her snout playfully, "I'd have to confiscate the evidence and put some handcuffs on you. Then I'd add it to that other pair you left in my laundry."

Trixi lost control of herself laughing at the prank she left him. She held herself steady on his chest. They were interrupted by a cough from behind. Roma and Welds stood across the table. Richard pursed his lips wondering how much of their conversation they heard while Trixi caught her breath.

Welds looked away with her face a deep blue while Roma was nervously scratching the back of his head upon seeing the two talk about intimate matters. Trixi smiled and invited the couple to sit. "You're getting good at walking in at the right time." Richard covered his unscarred portion of his face in embarrassment. It was an awkward silence as the couple unloaded what they brought to the picnic. Some cake and left-over pizza from the cafeteria.

Once everything was dished out Trixi started the conversation. "I'm glad you two could be here."

Welds smiled politely. "Thank you, I'm feeling better after resting in my bed." She patted Roma on the leg. "I probably wouldn't have pulled through if it wasssn't for him." Roma hugged her with one arm pulling her close.

Richard perked up out of his embarrassment, "How was recovery? Between my pain medication and trying to heal I haven't been able to check up on the xeno wing."

"It wasss rough, cold. Very cold…"

Roma helped warm her with his body rubbing her scales through her coveralls. "I spent hours arguing with the CMO about the heating. Once the captain recovered, she finally bumped up the heat."

Richard squinted, questioning as to why Allison would do something like that. It's not like the heating is coming out of her paycheck. He wasn't a doctor, but he knew the cold-blooded reptilian race needed outside warmth. "Any reason why?"

"She said it was designed to give rest for humans, if she changed it, it would mess with the systems in the entirety of med bay."

Welds interrupted with a chuckle. A hazy memory lying in bed came to her, "I woke up once from the sssound of him yelling outssside the room."

"That's cute! You got to hear him fight for you." Trixi said while lifting a toolbox to the table, ice water sloshed around inside.

"What do you have there?" Welds asked.

"Bakes gave me this drink for everyone to enjoy. He said it was really good." Trixi produced a bottle of kotare from the toolbox. The draconic writing on the bottle indicated it was from Tizira. She proceeded to pour the contents into glasses for everyone. Welds' eyes lit up at the sight of the milky fermented crème.

As the alcohol flowed the girls began to gossip. It quickly turned to talk about their human partners, a topic Trixi desperately wanted to talk about. Topics included, the weird quirks about humans not having a strong sense of smell, the jewelry human females wear, and how the thin chains always got caught in scales and fur. The alcohol started to get to the ladies.

"Letsss not forget human warmth."

Trixi enjoyed Richard's warmth because he had no fur, she got to feel his heat radiation directly. Then she thought about her cold-blooded friend. "He must feel so much warmer to you. I'm jealous."

Welds hissed out a laugh. "It's incredible. He'sss my little heat blanket." The larger woman wrapped her arms around Roma. He leaned in and accepted his fate.

"I bet the sex feels amazing."

Welds' eyes shot open, and a blush took the young couple's faces. Richard sat there stone-faced knowing that it was bound to happen.

"Aw, come on. It's natural. I can't wait till we finally get to do it."

Richard covered his face with one of his hands. His other hand wrapped around her snout. "That's a private matter."

Welds smirked and leaned her long neck over toward Trixi. She whispered to the group, "I can't go back to my kind now." Roma was mortified, hiding his face until Welds leaned into him once more.

Trixi pushed Richard's hand away from her snout. "Now I have to know! It took my sister a while to get used to it. Humans are just so much larger. You'd think they were bred to have big dicks."

Richard barked out ordering the women to stop, "Alright, enough of that talk please discuss something else."

Welds and Trixi giggled as he scowled at the two non-humans.

Despite the direction of the conversation, it pleased the men to see the females act without judgmental eyes. They shared some embarrassing childhood stories of their alien backgrounds and what brought them to the station.

Welds told her military background when she served as an engineer in the Tizirian defense force. Once she was discharged, she left the planet to find a better life for herself. Roma shared his experience joining Nanotrasen when he was 17 years old. He nearly died on his first month in the outer rim.

Richard frowned, drinking from his nearly empty glass. "It's rough out there. I don't think I would survive if I were to go back."

Roma's curiosity piqued, "What about you Richard? You never spoke about what happened on your last duty station."

"Didn't I tell you that already?" Roma just shook his head. It was a story Richard told many times to Jack, to the point he was sick of it. An abridged version of heroism would do for now. He topped off his glass, "Well, there isn't much to tell. The station doesn't exist anymore, self-destruction. A spy sabotaged the super matter crystal. Thankfully we evacuated with the saboteur in custody."

Roma chuckled pouring the bottle of the lizard drink into his glass. "You know how to stop enemies don't you."

"It's all about how incompetent the enemy is. He had contraband equipment, so I broke his knees." There was a smug smile on Richard's face.

Trixi nudged Richard, "Please don't talk about fighting now, we are supposed to be celebrating." The direction the stories were taking disturbed the vulpes.

He brushed the side of her furry face comforting her.

Welds flicked her tongue out. Her dilated pupils were almost as large as Trixi's. "How did you become head of sssecurity? I heard rumorsss that humansss take the position after one perishesss."

"Look at Roma, that is how it usually goes." Roma frowned and Richard drank heavily from the cup to drown his feelings. "We must prove ourselves capable to keep the position. Substituting an absent head is one way. If the administration liked how you performed, you keep the position. Other positions can be attained through academic achievements or have connections in very high places." The alcohol loosened up Richard, he smiled to lighten up the mood. "So, Roma, have I told you how I got promoted to department head?"

"No, Miller asked Jack ages ago, he just laughed his ass off mumbling about a wizard."

He gave them a hook by telling the punchline, it always stuck with his men when he told it to them this way. "I put a man's balls in my mouth." Confusion passed over the party. Richard's smile widened further on their reactions. "15 years ago, a wizard infiltrated the station around an asteroid field near Balista. The lunatic was upset that we were mining through a space carp's den. Why they care so much about mindless space fish I couldn't say. Anyway, he was throwing spells left and right and ripped through several bulkheads by turning himself into a rod slamming through the station. We were quite fucked."

Wizards were an enigma to everyone outside of their special cult. The last time anyone heard of them was a treaty between Nanotrasen and their guild. Roma asked, "Wasn't there a ceasefire with the wizard federation?"

"Not back then, and even if there is one, those nerds don't care. They have no moral values of right or wrong. If they want to do something, they'll do it. And the robe-wearing megalomaniac did, he toyed with the crew, doing horrible experiments. He turned the, at the time, head of security into a monkey and kicked him into space."

Richard felt Trixi tremble into his chest. She pouted up at him. He sighed and shortened the story up, skipping over the other horrible things to prevent her from having more nightmares. "And then I was transformed into a corgi along with three other officers."

Welds tilted her head, "What wasss that like?"

"My head was swimming in a completely different body. It felt like a dream. I didn't get to experience it for very long. I saw that cackling mug of his and charged at him with my stubby little legs. I was filled with rage. An angry, fuzzy, sausage roll. Biting him right on his ball sack." He let out a burst of bellowing laughter as he finished the story.

Roma joined in the infectious laughter. "Seriously?! And that's how you beat a level five magical presence?"

"Yup broke his concentration and we all turned back to normal. I still held onto his sack with my teeth as he screamed like a little girl. He was shot dead when the others grabbed their guns."

Trixi sipped on her own smaller glass. The idea of bizarre encounters gave her more satisfaction with her current work. She would rather sit in his office being bored out of her mind than dealing with deadly magical demi-humans.

The bottle was empty. The cold started to bite at them more as the station's heating switched tonight. Roma's arms were wrapped around Welds, her cold-blooded body soaking in his heat as the night arrived. Trixi was feeling chilly herself and was content to stay put on Richard.

"We should probably get back, it was a nice night out though, thank you for the invitation, Trixi," Roma said as he helped Welds back to the lift.

Trixi waved goodbye. "Thank you for coming. I'll see you tomorrow." Once they were out of sight the vulpes hopped out and started to push Richard in the same direction, the grow lights flicked off as they walked down the trail. "Are you feeling better too?"

"Tired, but that's normal. A good night's sleep will help." Richard mulled over how Welds felt about her treatments. He wanted to ask more about the ward. Sadly, the whole ordeal would have to wait till after he recovered. He prayed that it would be a quick and easy operation so he could get to work.

_____

The following day was much like the rest. He was rather stir-crazy, days of being confined to an office would do that to anyone. Trixi picked up on his mood quickly.

"Do you want to patrol the station?"

She sat on the little pillow den she made. Just looking at it would make one want to curl up and take a nap. She wanted to get out and see the station too. Outside of the few hours she dressed up in her clown uniform she was stuck in his office as well, refusing to leave his side.

Richard shook his head staring down at his PDA reading random articles from the net. "No, I don't want to cause any more inflammation." He pulled his eyes up from his device. Like a guard dog, she watched over him. "You can do whatever you want, I'm not going anywhere." She winced at every movement he made. The surgery worried her more than it did him.

"No. I want to make sure everything is perfect. If something happens…"

Every day that passed her worry grew. He wanted to wheel over and comfort her and let her know that nothing would go wrong. But deep down he didn't trust his own words. Countless hours of lost sleep kept it on the forefront of his mind. Everyone did their part to try and give him his rest, and he couldn't even do that properly. A false bravado was all he mustered, "Nothing will happen. The surgeon installed hundreds of bionic spines."

"Please don't say 'nothing will happen', you said the same thing about the attack." Her eyes water on the verge of tears. Richard tilted his head back and swallowed, he patted his lap for her to sit. Before he looked back, she embraced him on the spot. Her legs were curled to her chest as she cried, "Please be okay."

He petted her fur, the blisters on his hand were now just white scars that marked up to his elbow. The feeling hasn't fully returned, but he was glad to at least touch her soft fur without pain. He kissed the top of her head as she held him tightly, "You worry enough for the both of us. Once the surgery is done, I'll be better than before the attack."

Trixi the gesture calmed her a bit. She rested her snout on his chest. He was warm to the touch, she greedily nuzzled into him. "If something does happen, I'll be there for you the entire way."

He frowned, the thought of being a permanent plant was a fate worse than death for the man. Worse than that she would force herself to deal with his uselessness. He wanted to argue with her but, he was grateful that she said that. He didn't want to be alone. He leaned forward and kissed her on her dark lips, thanking his vulpes for staying with him.

The door to the office beeped, it had been so long that thing was used Richard forgot what it sounded like. Everyone usually just barged in unannounced. Trixi hopped off Richard's lap and sat back on her pillow fort.

"Come in."

The captain walked into the office with another individual. Trixi stood up at attention and Richard saluted from his chair. "At ease." A young human stranger followed closely behind the happy rotund man. He wore a lab coat, looked like every other scientist, glasses, pencil frame, except with bionic hands. Not the cheap discount prosthetics either, fully articulated silver-lined metal gauntlets. The captain introduced him, "This is Dr. Plano, the man that will perform the operation tomorrow."

Richard smiled and shook the doctor's hand. "Welcome aboard, I hope your trip was pleasant." The hand was warm to the touch and firm. He could sense the metal appendage could crush his hand like an empty soda can if the doctor wanted it to.

"I had rougher travels. I just wanted to meet my patient face to face. You know how Nanotrasen keeps their medical records."

"I lost count of how many times they lost my records."

They shared the common humor and then he pulled out a clipboard and asked the usual doctor questions. The standard rigmarole every doctor asks every time they see an individual. Dr. Plano filled out the checkboxes and was pleased to see the head of security wasn't a donut-eating desk jockey like the others at the company. "Everything is in order. Don't eat or drink tonight and I will see you bright and early in the morning."

Trixi injected herself into the conversation, "Are there going to be any side effects? What are some complications that will happen? If something goes wrong, can it be reversed? …" She was going through every possible combination of questions her mind could think of so fast that the doctor couldn't get a word in.

"It's going to be okay Trixi," Richard said to the anxious vulpes. She stopped talking and looked down, her tail whipping around signaling her nervousness.

"Ho!" The captain laughed out. "You're going to need a doctor yourself if you keep worrying like that. He's the best nano surgeon in the inner sphere."

"Indeed, I performed countless spinal replacements, installed bypass spinal columns on disabled children. A healthy adult is as simple as rewiring a wiring harness." He lifted his hand and it split open across the dorsal and palmar into a web of tiny prongs. They all started to move independently, faster than any of them could see. "Plus, I have the greatest tools mankind has come up with to date."

Trixi looked on with awe. Her worries vanished as the wired fingertips retreated into his silver hand.

With the medical questions out of the way, the captain escorted the doctor out of the security wing. Richard smiled, one more day and he can get out of the wheelchair and further his investigation. Being free to walk around would make that process lightning fast. The ability to interrogate some of the doctors without altering Allison put a smile on his face. And then there was Trixi, sure she could help in her way but if things got… complicated...

Trixi's tail batted around timidly, breaking his concentration.

"Is there something you want to do?" Richard asked.

"No, I'm fine. I'm glad we got to meet the doctor."

"I'm surprised they went and got that doctor. I just looked up his name." He pulled up his PDA and showed it to the vulpes. "He is one of the highest-rated bionic surgeons in known space."

_____

The following morning Trixi waited outside the operating room. She paced back and forth. Richard's wheelchair was folded up against the steel wall. She wished it was done in the observation room, but Richard refused. He hated the idea of being a spectacle for everyone in such a vulnerable state.

A woman's voice sounded overhead, creaking like rusted gears. "You can go now vulpes. You aren't needed anymore." Spinning around she saw the chief medical officer. Her aged face sagged more than usual, green daggers for eyes judged vulpes. "The security head will be fine to walk back on his own."

The older woman's demeanor was very different than the rest of the staff. Trixi always avoided her while she messed around in the medical department. An uncomfortable crawling swept up her spine. Refusing to move she stared at the door to the operating room again.

"I insist, you aliens seem to think you run things around here. Not in my department." The woman mumbled under her breath, but Trixi's ears still picked up what she said to herself, "Wouldn't have this problem back then…"

The surgery was going to take another 8 hours. She didn't want to abandon him. "No. I don't want to leave."

The woman's forehead creased causing her to look even older than she was. "Like a dog wanting nothing more than to be at your master's side. Get back to where you belong, in the service wing. Or I will-" She cut herself off with a cough. "Just leave, I'm sure the head will contact you when things are finished."

Trixi's fur stood on end. She should be furious, but something was off with this woman. Her back twitched incessantly. Instincts told her to get away from her.

Reluctantly, she left the medical department. With no real destination in mind she headed back to her room to think, but Jacques stopped her in the hallway toward her room. His white painted face was a warm sight to the vulpes. The mime spoke by mouthing words asking if she was feeling alright.

"I was kicked out of the medical department, the CMO doesn't want me waiting for Richard."

He frowned deeply and then kneeled to hug her. She welcomed the comfort and a small smile spread on her muzzle.

"How have you been? Is the bar doing okay without me?"

He mouthed saying everything was alright. Bakes has been feeling much better after hearing the lizardmen were returning to their work. The mime then congratulated Trixi with breaking through to Richard.

She was shocked, she has yet to tell him about that yet. "How did you know?"

The mime let out a silent laugh tilting his head back in an overacted arch. He then told in his silent way how her body language was relaxed around Richard, and that his eyes dilated 20% when he was around her. It was clear to anyone who could pay attention to body language.

The vulpes giggled at how obvious it must have seemed to the mime. "It has been quite the trip." The mime silently agreed. "I should probably get on my make-up. Maybe spend some time at the bar. Pass some time."

Her silent friend gave a thumbs up to the idea, wiping his brow of invisible sweat.

"You can take a break. I'll man the stage."

Once she got dressed, she greeted the patrons at the saloon. Telling bad jokes and helping Bakes keep things clean helped melt away the time and keep her mind occupied. It was a nice distraction.

_____

"The anesthesia will wear off shortly." Dr. Plano said as he finished his diagnostics with a vitals scanner.

Pain shot through Richard's back as the feeling returned. He was on his stomach, his head poking through the headrest. Tingling sparked through his waist and legs, felt like pinpricks and fire spread down to his toes.

"Sensations will subside as your brain receives the signals from your nerve endings once again."

He flexed his toes. The joints cracked and popped, he sighed when they moved, it felt great.

"Good, that was the first on my checklist. I'll have to make sure everything is calibrated correctly. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much pain are you in."

"5, it feels too warm." Dr. Plano nodded and then asked him to elaborate as he poked and prodded his legs with a wooden tongue depressor. "Tingling and burning on my leg-" There was pressure on his lower back then a whirling noise. The extra sensations slowly dulled to non-existence.

"Alright, go ahead and try to stand. Careful your back is still open."

Richard couldn't wait for this, he slid himself up. His legs felt like gelatin. He looked down at the small table his bare legs flexing under him. The doctor grabbed his hand and helped him off the table. Every movement of his legs sent them too far one direction or the next. It felt like he was wearing skates and he couldn't balance himself. As soon as he was still the doctor released his hand.

"Keep it slow. You're going to need to relearn how to use your legs. You got a new interface for your body; it's not going to be the same." He instructed him further, "Slow and steady movements." Richard's heart was racing after that. He calmed down with steady breathing and moved one foot at a time along with the table. "Good, now try to walk toward the door and back here. Let me know if there is sharp unbearable pain."

Richard didn't know if he was joking or not. A bullet pretending to be a molar was unbearable. With that in mind, he released his grip on the table and took one heavy footstep after another. He wouldn't call what he was doing walking, he kind of shuffled across the floor like a toddler. The cold steel floor was a welcome relief as he inched to the door.

Just when he thought the hard part was over, he realized he needed to face the other direction. A deep breath in he lifted one foot trying his best to keep balanced. He stumbled to the wall catching himself on the counter.

Dr. Plano shook his head approvingly. He wrote down all his observations on a clipboard. "You are learning quite fast. With a crutch, you should be walking around unassisted in no time." The words of encouragement helped restore Richard's injured ego. Stumbling around naked learning to walk again wasn't a great feeling. "Just one more adjustment and then I can stitch the rest of your back up."

Richard looked over his shoulder to see himself in the mirror. His back was sliced open vertically. Half the vertical cut was stitched up. Gauze that had been stained red with blood was stuffed into the open wound. Three small wires hung out on the lower part of his back outside of the wound.

"The muscles bonded nicely to the prosthetic. There should be minimal scarring from the installation." Richard looked at the man with a dismissive roll of the eyes. His back already looked like a map of a mech battle. Just take it easy for the first few days. Now come back to the table."

Richard put his face through the hole on the table and then there was some more buzzing followed by the sound of a shaving cream canister. His back felt cold as something was applied to his back, then it spiked up his back. His back felt like it was freezing solid. "Ah!"

"It will be over soon, I'm applying neutroamine antibiotic foam."

Richard shot a glare at the doctor. "You could have warned me about that!"

The ordeal was over. Richard looked at his back in the mirror once again. The cut was completely stitched up and the wires were gone.

"Oh shoot where did my watch go?" Richard twisted his head toward Dr. Plano who had a mocking smile on his face, "Sorry. Bad joke." Richard shook his head unamused. The doctor then applied another coat of the freezing foam. "There, sealed and ready. I have you scheduled to see me every day for a week to fine-tune the spine. I have sent you a video of some exercises to help you ease into it."

"Thank you, doc, I know one thing I'm going to do first."

He then turned his attention to the bathroom, his first act of freedom. It was liberating feeling his equipment again. When he got dressed, he strolled out of the medical wing with a big smile on his face. Stroll in his mind anyway, it was a slow process and he leaned heavily on a pair of crutches as he moved his legs by half steps.

He looked around the waiting room and saw the folded-up wheelchair. Trixi was gone. He hoped the first person to see would be her. He looked at his PDA, no messages. At the end of the hallway, he grew bolder, making longer strides. Checking the bar would be his best bet, plus he could loosen up his new spine with alcohol.

The crew in the mess hall greeted Richard as he passed by. Some offered a helping hand up the stairs, he politely refused. He needed to do this on his own, a small victory on the road to recovery. One leg followed by his crutch, he ascended to the bar. He burst into the door and was welcomed with open arms by the drunken crew. They were pleased to see his smiling face. He walked over to the Bakes who set out two foaming rockbreaker stouts for him.

Trixi was on the stage juggling three full glasses of beer. She took her eyes off the mugs when Richard sat down on the stool. His large frame and onyx black jumpsuit weren't hard to miss in the crowd. The mugs clattered to the floor spilling their contents on the wood. Some observers expressed their disapproval of her reckless waste of beer.

Richard sighed with relief as he felt the cushion of the uncomfortable stool on his butt. Then there was a familiar tug on his coveralls. He spun around and smiled brightly at the clown below. She hopped up and wrapped her arms around him. Her tail shivered in delight behind her. She whimpered helplessly lost in her words.

He set her down just as more people accosted him. The security lead was much more approachable than his wheelchair-bound self. Trixi laughed as he was offered as many drinks as he could stomach.

The night was long, Richard practically spoke to everyone in the station. The captain even stopped by before calling it a night. The crowd died down to the normal late-night attendants, the two entertainers, the bartender, and the security head.

Standing on his own two feet, he took several slightly too large steps toward the stage where Trixi was cleaning her mess. He stumbled forward grabbing a hold of a nearby table. She stopped her work and leaped to his side.

"Are you okay?"

Richard just laughed drunkenly and sat at the table. "Got to break in the legs. I'm like a newborn learnin' to walk."

"O-okay." She was confused by that statement but then spotted the crutches leaning on the wall. She disappeared and reappeared in the blink of his drunken gaze. "Here, these should probably be used so you don't get hurt."

"Thanks, I forgot." He picked them up and placed them under his armpits. He started to swing his legs under himself. "Thish feels great."

She closed her muzzle with her paw trying to stop herself from laughing at his antics. "How much did you drink?"

"Yes."

Bakes was out from behind the bar cleaning up around the place. "I think Richard should probably go home before he sssleepsss here."

"Not yet I want to help clean up first. It was a big night, everyone wanted to see the station's hero."

The man in question had just finished a half-consumed mug of beer that was discarded on the table. He let out a hearty sigh when he finished the slightly chilled drink.

The mime patted Trixi on the shoulder and mouthed to her that he could take over.

"Thank you, Jacques." She hugged him, then she turned to her drunken boyfriend, "Alright let's go get you to your room."

He stared at her for a moment, head bobbing back and forth. She grabbed his hand and he stood up on his shaky legs. With a little more coaxing she got him to use the crutches to take the back lift. All the while her tail couldn't stop expressing her happiness.

Richard slurred a sentence out. She looked up to see his eyes staring down into her. He was smiling warmly. It was the happiest she has seen him act in a while.

"I'm glad you are feeling so much better."

He rested his arm on the top of her fuzzy head and stroked it softly. "You're so pretty." His hand rubbed the side of her face and she blushed as the lift opened to the lower level. She took his hand and led him back to his quarters. Her shoes squeaked with every step as he stepped slowly with heavy footfalls. They passed one of the late-night security officers on their way through the security hall.

"Hey Trixi, are you going to make sure he sleeps well tonight?"

The man's innuendo caused her to blush. She stuttered out, "M-maybe."

Richard wore a half-smile. Normally a comment like that would piss him off, but he was in a great mood. "Go check the safety actuators on the guns, make sure they work properly." The officer just chuckled at the phony order as they shuffled by.

Trixi sat on his bed and watched him shuffle to the bathroom. He yelled out in a deep sigh as he relieved himself. She let out some laughter as he did that. Drunk Richard was always funny. He stammered out of the bathroom slowly and looked at the fox who was giggling like mad.

"Feels good to have everything under control again."

"Hehe, I can't even imagine what it must have been like."

He approached her, one heavy footstep at a time. The cold floor stung his bare feet. Their eyes met when he sat on the bed. Her clown make-up had rubbed off slightly, orange fur peaking from the side of her face. She was trembling in anticipation of what was going to happen next. A long-awaited union they both craved.