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The Ferret and the Mrr'tani Pride drifted side by side in the void, the bulk of another tug, the Sisko, blocking the view of all but a small corner of the little ball of ice that was Omeron. There was hardly any population on the planet, as it was simply a research outpost for the Allied Planets. The data they'd found in the Ferret's computers regarding the planet said that there was at any give time a total of ten humans on the planet, without so much as an orbital station.

That fact alone made the taking of the Sisko even better than it would have been, since the tug was outfitted with a full complement of atmospheric shuttles. Apparently, the Allied Planets didn't find it cost-effective for each and every tug to carry the shuttles, so they allotted them only to the ones that would require them and arranged routes so that the tugs without them would only visit planets with an orbital station at which to dock so that the cargo could be trans-shipped with the already present shuttles from the station. The tugs with the shuttles took care of the other planets and generally had a bit more leeway when it came to their schedules to account for the time needed to ferry down cargo and also wait out any adverse weather patterns. Taken together, it meant that the Mrr'tani now not only had a new complement of small craft, but also that it would be longer for anyone to come looking for this particular tug.

The battle had gone as smoothly as the last with only one Mrr'tani injured in the fighting besides the obvious casualties among the trackers and overseers. There was, however, a higher casualty rate among the humans. Whereas the crew of the Ferret saw when things weren't going their way and settled for allowing themselves to be abandoned on the planet, the crew of the Sisko were more determined to keep hold of their ship. Among the casualties was the first officer and the chief engineer, but the remaining crew was alive and well and now locked in their mess hall, just as the others had been.

Strong Soul sat on the bridge of the Pride, watching the tugs maneuver closer to each other and finally dock. The new connection in her mind with the Sisko' AI, who called herself Mary, served her better than the readouts on the screen and she hardly paid any attention to the view through the windows, absorbed in the sensations of the sensors that she could access, surrounding her with data and sensation that she normally wouldn't have been able to access.

"I'm impressed," a familiar voice said beside her.

She turned and smiled at Night Star and slowly drew herself back to her own senses. Now that the tugs were joined, they could see to organizing the crews, ensuring that each tug had its own full crew of Mrr'tani. When they'd shipped out from Mss'ranaw with the Ferret, they'd brought along more bodies than they needed, knowing that they would be needed on the new capture. They wouldn't be going back this time to their home base, instead they would be traveling on to their next target almost immediately, once they'd found the perfect one with the more recent data in Mary's memory banks.

"Let's hope it goes this smoothly with the next one," she said.

"I don't doubt that we'll be successful, love, but I seriously doubt that it's going to be this easy."

"All the better that we have the Rrrahr'ss'tan'i," she answered.

While they were at Mss'ranaw, they'd met a group of Mrr'tani who had taken an oath between them to be the bodyguards and warriors of the Frr'a'narr'ahn, and the Frr'a'tan'lass'i'ah above them. Their training even impressed Stargazer, and while they were not as proficient individually as him, they had done everything they could with the data they had. They even inspired the old Mrr'tanou to come back out with them to oversee their training even more directly during the journey and to provide a single focus for them during the raids.

Part of that training, something that hadn't quite reached its potential yet, was the bond that was forming between Stargazer, her OuwRrrahr'a'tan'ou, and the others that tied them to both her and the other Frr'a'narr'ahn who were with them. Through Stargazer, she had begun to deepen her links with each one of her soldiers, while it wasn't as deep as the bond between her and her original companions, it was something very different than what she experienced with any other average Mrr'tani. In them, there was a determination that went to their very core, it gave them strength and purpose, but what made it different than any of the others was how strong it was made simply by being linked to her mind. With each day that passed, it grew stronger, and with each Frr'a'narr'ah who touched the new bond, it deepened.

With enough concentration, Strong Soul found she could link together any group of Mrr'tani, enabling them to act more efficiently together, but with her Rrrahr'ss'tan'i, she found that it was even more effective. It was as if she could link them all into a single mind, each of them fully aware of what was going on, but able to coordinate as a fully as her artificial leg coordinated with the rest of her body. Even more, As time went on, they were able to access the data from the AI's as well, integrating the internal ship sensors into their awareness to the point that, from what she had heard from the humans aboard the Sisko, they appeared clairvoyant. They knew where each of the humans were on board the ship when they had boarded because they were able to sense the life sign readings from Micah and Jules, as well as the internal cameras and sensors once they adjusted to Mary's new presence.

"I see Stargazer has them almost whipped into shape," Night Star said, grinning.

"There wasn't much he had to do, from his own admission," Strong Soul answered. "I honestly think he was proud of them before he even started training them."

"Love, I don't think I've seen him swell so much since you threw him onto the cargo containers."

"In that case, I'm not sure I want to be around when they get back to the Pride. After I did that, he went after me for a week. I'm surprised I don't still have bruises."

"Don't worry, love. I think he's found a new hobby now that you're all self-sufficient and everything. Besides, I think this is his new way of making sure you're safe."

Strong Soul just growled softly and turned back to the monitors. There was nothing more for her to do aboard the Pride, but there was much to be done to get everything ready for her next plan. Everything rode on getting finished here as quickly as possible. She'd already had to refuse suggestions from Fire Breather about what to do with the human crew since they were in such a hurry. Even with everything that had happened, she still wouldn't bow to the pressure for simple vengeance, and she'd made it quite clear that every human who survived the attack would survive to the planet, not that it would be easy for them once they got there.

"Micah, instructions to Mary and Jules," Strong Soul said, her voice strong and sure, "continue course to Omeron and have Jules open the aft cargo hatch. We'll be docking the Pride for the hyper journey."

"Understood," Micah said in his usual soft-spoken voice over the speakers.

It took less time than she was expecting to finally land the Pride in its customary hold, and Strong Soul used the time to start getting to know Mary. Jules was already becoming a familiar presence in her mind, and she found that each of the AI's that linked with her were their own separate personality, though both Mary and Jules were more rigid than Micah. It still didn't take much convincing for either of the Alliance AI's to become open about themselves with Strong Soul. Once they'd touched Micah's memory banks and discovered what he'd learned and experienced through her, their innate curiosity took over. She didn't hold back, either. She drew all of them fully into her link, letting them all experience everything with her as the Pride came closer and closer to the Ferret.

She smiled to herself at the familiar wash of wonder and awe that came from Mary, the same as it had from Jules and Micah before her. None had ever thought that they would be able to experience the world through the eyes of a flesh and blood creature, and the fact that Strong Soul could grant them that experience gave her new and unfettered respect from all of them.

As the Pride completed its landing inside the bay and the gravity generator kicked on once again, Strong Soul began to pull back into her body, stopping momentarily as something in Mary's databanks caught her attention. She grinned to herself as she studied the information she found and then finally pulled the rest of the way back, settling the walls of her own mind around her for the time being, even though she could never truly shut any of them out.

Stargazer and two of the Rrrahr'ss'tan'i waited at the bottom of the ramp for her, the pride still evident in her protector's eyes. He was flushed with it, and his mind overflowed with it, something she rarely was able to experience, and the sheer strength of it brought a larger smile to her face. It was reflected in the taste of the other minds next to him as well.

"Keeper," Stargazer said, bowing slightly at the waist when he spoke, "May I present Steel Heart and Wind Blade."

Having been singled out for special attention by Stargazer warranted a closer look and she let her eyes wander from one to the other. The one he'd named Steel Heart was tall and bulky, even taller than Stargazer, standing almost a head and a half taller than Strong Soul herself. He was bulky enough that she found herself wondering if there might be doors on the ship that he might not be able to fit through. The jagged stripes of the Mountain clan graced his short, tawny fur, and his tail was just as thick as the rest of him.

Wind Blade was just as tall, if not a few centimeters taller, but where Steel Heart was quite obviously strong and bulky, Wind Blade was thin and lithe, with the swirls and waves of the River clan washing through dark red fur. Had she run into her on Mss'ranaw, she might have been worried that she was being underfed, but she'd seen through both of their eyes and she knew that her thin frame hid an inner strength and a quickness that surprised even Stargazer. Where Steel Heart carried one of the few large, recoilless mag rifles they brought from Mss'ranaw, Wind Blade lived up to her name with the hilt of a plasma blade hanging from each side of her belt.

"I know Stargazer is quite proud of you both," she said, opening her mind between him and them and letting them feel the pride for themselves. "As am I. Thank you."

"Wasn't nothing," Steel Heart said. Strong Soul stifled a chuckle at his voice, the deepest baritone she'd ever heard from any Mrr'tani.

"It was you that made it possible, Keeper of Hearts," Wind Blade said shortly after.

"I'm going to talk to the humans," Strong Soul said, turning her attention to Stargazer, "I assume you want to come with me."

"Of course, Keeper," Stargazer said with a smile, "and if you'll permit, I have chosen these two as your personal Rrrahr'ss'tan'i."

"I had a feeling," she replied, shaking her head. Were she to refuse them, she would be saying that she lacked confidence in their abilities, something that was totally untrue. They were two of the best of the Guardians and she could find no fault with their abilities. At least if she assented, Stargazer would finally be able to get some sleep without her pestering him constantly about it as she had on the trip to Mss'ranaw.

"Come with me, then," she said as she headed to the hatch, "all three of you."

She knew her way around the Ferret and the Sisko was a similar model, though a few revisions newer. While they were both middle aged by starship standards, there was still plenty of life left in both of them. The Allied Planets never sent their newer ships out to the outer systems, preferring to use the newer and more advanced ones within the core systems. They did, however, make up for it slightly with their load of shuttles. As they walked through the airlock into the Sisko, Strong Soul stopped and gazed over the bay in which they found themselves, her breathing stopped for a moment with her heart hammering in her chest.

She'd seen the same bay through the eyes of her Rrrahr'ss'tan'i, but she hadn't paid much attention to what she was seeing at the time, more concerned with the taking of the ship. Six shuttles sat in the bay, each one fresh and new with little signs of wear. What was more, though, was that these were not simply atmospheric shuttles. The six of them were quite obviously well armed with thick armor and larger than a standard cargo shuttle. She'd seen a design similar to these on Duat.

"These are assault shuttles," she said quietly.

"Indeed," Stargazer said. "According to the manifest, scheduled to be delivered to Sergay Four and the Vetur prison colony."

Strong Soul breathed a sigh of relief at the explanation and started walking again, letting Stargazer lead the way a step ahead of her.

"They must be having issues out here in the rim," she said as they walked, "I found a full load of weapons in the cargo container on Mary's manifest while we were docking."

"Perhaps," Stargazer replied, "or it could be a simple resupply. Prison planets are not generally chosen for their kindness to the local infrastructure. Weapons and shuttles both require maintenance, and even the most diligent technician cannot keep them intact forever, especially on a planet such as Vetur." He was silent a moment, but the link between them flared with activity. She could tell he was thinking deeply.

"Both possibilities serve your intent, however," he said. "If they are, indeed, suffering some form of unrest that required more advanced weapons and craft, then perhaps we can use that to our advantage. If it is simply to replace old and malfunctioning equipment, then we have delayed their new show of power and opened the doors to potential unrest."

"But can we trust a bunch of notchers?" she asked.

"You are allowing your prejudice from your old life to show, Keeper," Stargazer chided. "The only reason many of them were notched was to quell rebellion and remove them from where they could incite the other peaceful Mrr'tani on a Master's world. Living alongside Master Marcus should have taught you better."

"I'm sorry," she said, projecting the genuine depth of it across to him. "I should be more open. My last experience with a notcher was Jacques."

Stargazer nodded and left the silence in place, allowing her to think her own thoughts as they walked. Prisons were built and maintained so that a small complement could contain and subjugate a large population. It was simple logic that there would be thousands more Mrr'tani than humans on one of the planets, eager for a way to leave. But there were so many that would have such anger and hostility that she couldn't count on them simply taking their vengeance, something that she wanted to avoid at all costs.

It was something to consider, though, and she put the thought aside to think on and discuss later. For now, Stargazer stopped in front of a sealed hatch flanked by two more Rrrahr'ss'tan'i. They both came to attention and stood aside as they watched her approach. It would have made her feel very differently before they'd taken the Ferret, but she was starting to get used to it. Stargazer would say that she was starting to grow into her role.

"You two will stay by the door," she said to Wind Blade and Steel Heart. "Stay wary and alert. These humans know where they're going to be let off, and I don't suspect they're going to be happy about it. Don't antagonize them, though."

"As you say, Keeper," Wind Blade said. Steel Heart merely nodded and gripped his rifle tighter.

She palmed the door open and stepped inside, her two Guardians flanking to either side of the door while Stargazer stepped in a step behind her and slightly to one side. Her eyes scanned the mess hall, finding the highest ranking insignia she could.

"Captain Matthews," she called into the room.

A sullen face lifted from the table nearest the door, the man's complexion pasty while his eyes didn't quite focus correctly. She took a step forward and stopped when the scent of alcohol hit her nose. She stood in place and stared at the man who a few hours before was as a god on this ship. She couldn't stop the upturn of her lip in a quiet, fang-bearing sneer. She respected humans, at least the ones that were generally decent, but this one was weak, and one scent of the air around him told her that he was terrified. Not necessarily of her, she knew. The Alliance didn't look kindly on those that lost their ships.

"What do you want, furball bitch?" he slurred.

It took all her mental energy to keep Wind Blade and Steel Heart in place, but there was nothing in the galaxy she could do about Stargazer. Before she could say anything, he'd crossed the deck from just behind her, grabbed the man by his stained uniform shirt and hauled him bodily from the chair, tossing him across the room, demonstrating quite handily that despite Stargazer's age and stature, he was still a powerful force to be reckoned with.

Matthews landed with an indignant squawk and though he tried to soften his landing, he was already heavier than most humans Strong Soul had met. The other Mrr'tani on the Sisko thought so little of him that the sound brought a touch of joy to their thoughts. It was no wonder she'd had trouble holding them back from assaulting the crew.

"Is that what you're going to do, then, furball?" Matthews called, struggling to get to his feet. "Toss me around a little before you slaughter us all?"

Strong Soul drew on Micah's calm, but she let the smoldering she felt deep inside bubble to the surface as she crossed the deck towards him. Every last bit of her hunter's training seeped from her fur and she moved like the predator she knew herself to be. The quiet blowing of the ventilation in the room was the only sound that could be heard, and her footsteps were perfectly silent, tail held straight and taut behind her as she stalked towards the former captain.

"I intended to simply leave you at the station," she hissed, drawing her lips back in a snarl, "and I still intend to do so. But from this point forward, I will waste no more time with a spineless human such as you. Were you my prey, I would not even consider you worthy of the hunt." Each word was said through hissing breath with a growl at the back of her throat. "You would be dead by winter of your own indolence."

She stopped less than a meter from him and crouched down, letting each centimeter of her radiate her feline nature as she bared her fangs the rest of the way. Then she stopped and took another scent of the air while Matthews sputtered incoherently.

"Get the hell away from me, you -"

"You will remain silent," she growled.

His words ceased as if a switch had been thrown. She held his eyes until he looked away, then stood and faced the other humans in the mess hall.

"Now that your captain has pissed himself at the thought of dealing with me, who here has the courage to do so?" she asked, her voice loud and sure. Matthews was a coward, but he served one very important purpose. She was more sure of herself and her path than she'd ever been. If the Alliance was going to leave her Mrr'tani to men like him, then she had not other options but to ensure that they were safe. After all, they were HER Mrr'tani.