Purple stepped onto the bridge, his midnight purple fur absorbing the ambient light as his large, dragon-like wings folded tight against his back. Pip followed, her reddish-brown coat moving with the silent, spring-loaded grace of a digitigrade predator. As Purple made for his seat, he said, "Lyra, plot a course for Pip. It is time we got the fuel and ore from that asteroid, so we can leave this system."
Purple settled into the captain's chair, the leather cool beneath his paws. He tapped commands into the console by his arm rest, his yellow eyes scanning the data streams.
Pip took the pilot seat. For the first time, the seat adjusted to her smaller frame, the consoles lowering to meet her reach. Lyra's voice, soothing and calm, filled the bridge. "Course laid in. Sent to the pilot station for Pip."
"Pre-flight in progress," Pip announced, her emerald eyes focused intently on the readouts.
Purple read over the system readings as he waited, his tail giving a slow, rhythmic thump against the deck.
After a few minutes, Pip spoke. "Ready to lift off, and leave the gravity well of Alpha 3."
Purple nodded, his expression unreadable. "Make it so."
Pip was nervous. Her paws tightened on the controls, her claws retracted but ready. She double-checked, then triple-checked everything. She engaged the repulse engines, using the lever to slowly apply left.
The Starborn Prowl groaned, the metal protesting as the landing gear finally broke free from the ground where the ship had been sitting for ten rotations, sunk slightly into the dirt.
When the ship was high enough above the forest canopy, Pip engaged the atmospheric engines. The vessel lifted the air, flying towards the sky in a slow, graceful arc.
At fifteen thousand meters, Pip engaged the subliminal drive. The ship shook as they escaped the atmosphere then the gravity well of Alpha 3.
Purple watched Pip, his heart swelling with a rare pride. Lyra had guardrails on the pilot station so she could take over if there were any issues. Lyra's voice chimed in his ear-comm, quiet and calm. "She is doing great for her first time."
Pip worked the controls to get the ship on course for the asteroid belt, where their mining drones were almost ready for them. She couldn't help but look at the viewport. She had never seen space, or her planet from space before.
Pip stared out the viewport, her eyes wide with wonder. Below, the planet Alpha 3 receded, a vibrant sphere of deep blue oceans and sprawling green forests. It looked like a fragile jewel in the vast darkness. To the left, a massive gas giant loomed, its surface a swirling tapestry of orange and violet storms, casting long, dramatic shadows across the void. To the right, a small, grey moon drifted silently, its surface pockmarked with craters, a stark contrast to the living world she had left behind. Ahead, the asteroid belt began to take shape, a field of tumbling diamonds and jagged rocks stretching out into the darkness. She had never seen such beauty. It was overwhelming.
After about fifteen minutes, they reached the point where they needed to slow their approach. This was the tricky part for Pip. She studied the course data, her eyes narrowing in concentration as she tapped the controls. She hit the thruster brakes. On either side of the ship, the forward-facing engines engaged, slowing the vessel as they approached the jagged edge of the asteroid belt.
When they were slowed relative to the speed of the target asteroid, Pip used the azimuth thrusters to match the velocity. She had to be precise; a miscalculation here could send them spinning, and could damage the ship.
"Destination reached, we are now parked at the asteroid," Pip announced, her voice steady despite the tension in her shoulders.
Lyra's voice chimed in, soothing and calm. "Drones are almost full, another twelve minutes."
When that time passed, Lyra announced, "Retrieving mining drones."
Outside the ship, the mining drones that had been hard at work extracting ore and fuel for the superluminal drive detached from the asteroid. They maneuvered using their retro rockets and went to the refiner that was part of the package installed for the mining drones. The clank of metal on metal echoed through the hull as mag locks engaged, and the ore was transferred. One by one, the drones transferred their loads into the refiner storage. When each drone was done, it went back into the storage outside the ship that was just for them.
When the last one was done, the mining drone storage closed with a thrum that rang throughout the ship.
Lyra announced, "Refining started, it will take about an hour."
Purple nodded, his expression unreadable. "Right, Lyra, plot a course to the fringe, so we can warp out of system. Pip, when you get the course, take us there. After we leave the belt, and we are clear, have Lyra take over and meet me in the galley."
Pip responded, "Will do, captain."
With that, Purple released the magnetic restraints on his chair, got up, and left the bridge. "Pip, you have the bridge."
In the galley, Purple prepared a treat for Pip and himself. Clad in his black leather jacket, he approached the food printer interface on the side bulkhead. The machine hummed to life, and moments later, a flat cake of rich chocolate emerged and started baking. It was enriched with nutrients, a program he had created himself, something his mother had taught him years ago. It would make a very tasty lunch.
When Pip entered the galley, the printer was almost done. Purple smiled at her, his yellow eyes warm. "As a celebration of your first time piloting a starship, I'm making a treat for us. Take a seat, I'll serve us."
Pip's ears perked at the news. "That sounds great, thank you."
As Pip took a seat at the table, finding a place on the bench, Purple poured two fruit drinks from a pitcher. The juice was from a fruit that was purple on the outside but white on the inside, found on Alpha 3, just some of the delightful food he had found there. He placed the glasses on a tray.
Purple brought the tray to the table and sat on the opposite side of Pip. From the tray, he placed the cake, which was in a rectangular pan and enough for both of them, in the middle of the table. He placed plates in front of each of them, along with the glasses of juice and utensils.
Purple smiled at Pip as she sniffed the aroma from the cake and said, "This is something my mother made for me when I was younger. It is my favorite food. It is enriched of course, so it is healthy for both of us. The juice is from a local fruit from your world."
Purple cut a few squares out of the pan, using the knife to move them to his plate. When he was done, Pip copied him. On her plate now, she sniffed them, inhaling the aroma of chocolate. Pip grabbed one with her fork, and took a bite. They were so creamy and rich they almost melted in her mouth.
Pip's eyes opened wide, her tail waving in delight. She had never had anything so good before. After she swallowed, she said, "Wow, this is good. I can see why it is your favorite."
Purple smiled at Pip, his ears perked, tail waving happily as he enjoyed the praise and the food.
Purple took another bite, after he swallowed he said, "I am so proud of you, you did a great job of piloting the ship. Lyra was right about you, at the rate you are learning you will outclass many seasoned pilots."
Pip looked embarrassed, her ears lowered and turned to the sides a bit, and as she stabbed another piece of cake with her fork as she replied, "I want to be of use, I owe you everything. I would have been left for dead if not for you. Lyra focused the training on what I needed to get the drones. The hardest part was matching the asteroid's velocity. I had to run calculations in my head, so I would know just how much thrust to use, and for how long. I checked my numbers of course, but I wanted to challenge myself, to think on my paws."
Purple blinked, his tails swayed, impressed, he was not a pilot, but he knew what it took to be one. "That is impressive, I bet you would give Elowen a run if you went toe to toe. I'll have to have you two compete against each other in the simulator."
Pip nodded, "I would like that, Lyra told me she is a great pilot."
Purple looked into Pip's eyes, "You would stay on with me, as part of my crew after we retrieve them, wont you? I'll have you and Elowen switch off, or something, she would be a great teacher too, with all her experience."
Pip smiled, her ears perked, "I would like that. I would stay with you for as long as you allow me, I've got nowhere to go, and I don't want to leave."
After Pip had a few more squares, she set her fork down with a soft clatter against the plate. She looked up at Purple, her eyes bright with sincerity.
"You know, I had quite a bit of fun playing Six Kingdoms with you," Pip said. "I really liked how I could fight for myself, and by your side. It felt really good, it really gave me confidence in myself."
Purple, after placing another helping on his plate, nodded slowly. He chewed thoughtfully before replying. "I was hoping it would do that too. I think it would also help with us working on something together too. There are also training programs, where we fight with modern weapons against pirates, or defending ourselves as we are attacked, that sort of thing. I wanted to start with a game to get you more used to it, also closer to what you would be used to."
Pip reached across the table with her paw, extending it flat on the table. She motioned with her muzzle, her whiskers twitching slightly.
Purple grinned and placed his large paw over her paw. Pip took hold of two of his fingers, her paw pads warm against his. "I appreciate that," she said, her voice earnest. "And I think that is a good idea. We don't know what is waiting for us."
When Pip let go, Purple took his paw back and said, "Very good then, it will take several rotations to get to the fringe, we will go a few rounds." Then he started eating again.
Pip slowly chewed on her piece she had by the fork, and gave a slight nod.
Purple swallowed, then said, "Lyra, set up some training exercises in VR for us. Something that would help us learn to work together, get used to each other's strengths. Like having my ship boarded, or we are attacked on a station, stuff like that."
Lyra responded, her voice calm and soothing through the ship's speakers. "Understood, Captain. I'll have something ready in ten minutes."
Purple nodded, a satisfied look on his face. "Great, we can get started after our lunch."
A sterile white room surrounded them. Purple looked up, his yellow eyes scanning the empty space, and said, "Guns. Lots of guns."
Standing by Purple, Pip looked over. With a soft whoosh, racks of guns slid into view. The next thing she knew, rows of different kinds of blaster guns, pistols, long guns, rifles, stretched on for as far as she could see.
Pip turned around, her head looking all around. All she saw was guns, and she committed, "Now that is; lots of guns."
Both of them wore special body harnesses over their ship uniforms, fitted with holsters and pockets for multiple blaster weapons, and rings to hold assault blasters, sub machine blasters, or a long gun blaster and ammo holders. There were two sizes available; the other was a smaller version of each for Pip.
Purple started grabbing weapons and ammo, lifting his leather jacket to put them on his harness. After watching Purple for a minute, Pip padded over to the other rack and picked some of her own, lifting her leather jacket—a miniature version of Purple's—to holster her weapons of choice.
Lyra started giving them the introduction, "When ready, you will start at the entrance to a busy space station. It is not any station, but something I pieced together from a number of stations. There are hostiles attempting to stop you. You are at the station to gather supplies, you will have a marker on your HUD for your destination. There are also civilians about. You get one point for each hostile, and negative five hundred for each civilian. If you make it to the supplier, that is a hundred points, if you make it back to the dock, that is another hundred points."
Pip and Purple were wearing a wrap-around visor as small as sun glasses and were held on with a strap going under their ears, and a strap going over their head that connected at the back. It functioned as a HUD and could also project virtual screens for text. They were called Arc and could also darken if needed, to help against a flash bang for instance. It was a virtual version of what the crew used when away from the ship, using the comm system so they could stay in touch using text if needed, and they could even gesture with their paws to type if they needed to remain silent. Pip had already been instructed in its use before they started.
Finally, Pip looked up at Purple with an assault rifle in her paws, held at Port Arms.
Purple smiled, he did the same, and said, "We are ready."
The white room vanished for them, and the next thing they knew they were standing in a hall, in front of a door.
Purple looked down at Pip. She gave a small, determined nod. He reached out and opened the heavy blast door.
They stepped out of the docking bay and into the space station security checkpoint. It was a bustling hub, a nerve center where all docking bays on that level converged. To enter the main station, everyone had to pass through here.
Inside, the air hummed with the sound of distant traffic and the shuffling of feet. A long counter stretched out, with agents helping other arrivals. Behind it, a queue of beings snaked back and forth, following a series of rails that zigzagged toward the front. Armed guards stood in strategic positions around the room, their eyes scanning the crowd.
Purple led Pip down the queue. They waited their turn, flanked by a variety of aliens—some tall and spindly, others short and stout. There were currently five agents working the station, all of them reptilian. Their scales shimmered under the artificial lights, and they moved with a synchronized, cold efficiency.
Finally, their turn came. Purple stepped up to the counter, his posture relaxed but alert.
"Here for supplies for my ship," Purple said to the agent.
The reptilian agent nodded, its slit-pupiled eyes flicking over Purple. "Check in all your and your crew weapons you are bringing into the station, please."
Purple nodded to Pip. She stepped forward, getting onto her tiptoes to reach the counter. She unholstered her blasters and a knife, placing them carefully on the metal surface. Purple placed his own weapons beside hers, stacking them neatly.
The agent scanned each weapon with a handheld device. Beep, beep, beep. As each one was processed, they placed them on a tray.
The agent had them walk through a sensor, one at a time. When they passed through, they stepped to the side and handed their weapons back on a tray. Pip and Purple holstered their weapons, checking them to ensure they were secure.
"Enjoy your stay," the agent said, dismissing them.
They made their way to the exit, which led down a corridor lined with elevators. Purple called one, and they stepped inside. The doors slid shut, and they were on their way to the station main concourse.
Pip was not worried. She knew she was in a training simulation, and if things went wrong, she would feel pain, but she would not be hurt.
The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. Purple looked around. This was both like every station he had been to, and not. It was a chaotic mix of cultures and commerce. This would be really good for Pip, get her used to all the sights and noise. It was very noisy; various beings were all around them, shouting over one another. Lyra was doing a great job so far.
Pip, distracted like a tourist, could not help but look around in wonder. Neon and holographic signs everywhere advertised anything and everything, flickering with vibrant colors. Above them and the buildings was the bulkhead, painted a blue so dark it was almost black and studded with lights that twinkled like stars.
As they walked past shops of all sorts, Purple looked down at Pip and whispered, "Now be careful, there are beings that take advantage of tourists, you don't want to look like one."
Pip focused on the training. She could get used to the environment later on her own.
Purple made a subtle gesture with his hand, and their HUD displayed the route they were to take.
Pip's ears swiveled, catching a sound that no one else could hear—a charging blaster piston. Before Purple could react, she tackled him, the two of them diving for the ground. The virtual walls dinged as blaster rounds struck them. Pip rolled off Purple, springing to her feet and leaping into a roll to gain distance. Purple used his powerful wings and arms to propel himself quickly to his feet, moving backward to create distance.
Pip flattened herself against a wall far enough back to be out of view, her blaster SMG at the ready, facing the alley where the shots had originated. Purple hit the opposite wall, on the other side of the alleyway, his assault blaster at the ready. This position allowed them to hit the tangos from opposite sides.
A message flashed on Purple's HUD, originating from Pip. "I hear at least four tangos, two on each side. Get ready, I hear them approaching our positions, about to exit the allies."
Purple thought to himself that those huge ears of hers were not just for show. He saw a shadow fall at the edge of the alley opposite him. He got ready to fire that way. As soon as one of them came into view, Purple opened fire, on semi-auto hitting one of them twice at the center of mass. At the same time, he heard Pip's SMG rattle off a dozen shots into her targets, almost one second worth. She got them both.
Purple went low on his side of the walkway, to get an angle into the alley. Pip ran out into the walkway, turned, then leaped to the ground and slid on her belly, firing six shots into her target.
Purple padded over towards Pip, as she stood, brushed off her leather jacket with one paw, while looking around for more trouble, her ears rotating like radar.
Purple said with a grin, "You could have let me have them, I was almost in position."
Pip did not even look his way, but patted his side with her free paw, "I need the practice more than you."
Purple grunted before he said, "Ready to continue?"
Pip nodded, and followed Purple to their destination. Purple opened the door, and went inside, with Pip right beside him.
****
Over the last few rotations, the training had become a grueling routine. After the VR sessions, they worked out together in the gym. Purple added martial arts training to Pip's workout regimen. Pip was to train in VR to help with that too, that way her muscle memory would build up faster.
That was how they spent the last few rotations. Purple was sitting in his captain's chair in the center of the bridge, Pip was at her station, piloting the ship. They were nearly far enough away from the sun to initiate the superluminal drive.
Purple gazed at the stars, the Starborn Prowl was coasting. They would take their velocity with them, so when they exited at the other side, they would be going the same velocity. They could not be accelerating while the superluminal drive capacitors were charging; that took all the ship's remaining power. The rest was for minimum life support, even the lights were running on batteries. The antimatter reactor would power the warp transit, but at the start they needed an enormous amount of power.
Purple closed his leather jacket, it was getting cold, even his fur was not enough. Purple had gone ahead and made Pip a copy of his jacket that she also now wore.
Pip studied the distance, waiting for the ship to be far enough away. Every system was different, it all depended on the mass of the star. The numbers turned green, letting her know it was time. Pip entered in the coordinates Lyra had given her; they were going to Station 7, the closest outpost on the edge of known space.
Pip quickly pressed her palm pad onto the button. The ship's systems made sounds that made Pip's fur stand on end. This was her first time, and Lyra had warned her, but the sounds she heard made her feel like her insides were going to stretch. Then nothing. The stars in the viewscreen stretched and turned into rainbows, then blank. The viewscreen switched to a simulated view, stars flowing towards and past them to give the illusion of movement.
Pip sat back in her seat. The transition was over, and things felt normal again. She did not like that feeling; she was glad it was short-lived.
Purple unbuckled his harness and slid out of the captain's chair. "Time for some lunch," he said. "There's nothing for us to do now; the navigation computer does all the work."
Pip nodded, unstrapping herself with practiced ease. She took a few quick steps to catch up, joining Purple as he exited the bridge, heading down the ramp to the main deck. The galley was situated in the middle of the ship, while the crew quarters were located on the opposite side.
As Pip passed the medbay, she paused and glanced inside. Memories of her first day on the ship flashed through her mind, and a soft smile touched her muzzle.
Purple went ahead and entered their orders into the keypad of the food printer. He selected an assortment of nutrient-filled meal bars—about a dozen, mostly for himself.
Purple turned when he heard Pip sit down at their table next to the printer. Her leather jacket rustled softly as she moved, and he thought she made that jacket look good.
It still felt strange to sit in a galley that had a maximum capacity of fifty average-sized beings, yet only two were using it.
Purple turned back, retrieved the tray of food and some water from the printer, and brought it to the table. He sat opposite Pip, placing the tray between them.
Pip grabbed one of the bars and started eating. They were traveling to another system, and Pip was pretty excited about traveling the stars—something she never would have even dreamed of a dozen rotations ago.
Purple smiled when he noticed Pip staring off into the distance. "How are you dealing with all the changes in your life?" he asked.
Pip swallowed the last of the bar before answering. "I have to admit, I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything. The lessons with Lyra are helping, sure, but it is all going so fast."
Purple nodded and softly replied, "Yeah, I know I'm rushing things, but my crew... I have to return to them. I must find out if they survived, and if so, if they need help. I'm responsible for them."
Pip reached across the table, getting up to stand on the bench to reach Purple's arm. "Don't blame yourself," she said. "They knew it was a dangerous job, and from what I've been told, they can handle themselves. Lyra told me about how they got your butt out of the fire a few times."
Purple nodded. He had given Lyra permission to tell Pip about a few jobs, just so she would know what kind of world she was going to be living in now. He looked softly into Pip's eyes. "That is why I must know about them."
Purple was sitting in his usual place on the bridge, having completed two more training sessions and a workout in the gym before returning to his station. Pip was at the helm, her paws dancing over the controls, her eyes scanning the readouts as she prepared for entry into subluminal space. Lyra's voice was a soothing hum in Pip's ear-comm, guiding her through the complex calculations.
With a building whine from the ship's systems, the Starborn Prowl shuddered as it exited superluminal travel. The view screens shifted back to a real-time display of the space surrounding the ship.
"We have successfully traveled to the Station 7 system," Pip announced, her voice steady. "Course for the station plotted."
"Get underway, nominal speed," Purple commanded. "Station 7 is little more than a starship fueling station."
Pip smiled as the hum of the subluminal drives started up. "One hour to target," she reported.
Purple nodded. "Keep your eyes peeled. Even if we are on the edge of known space, other ships do come this way. Lyra, let us know if anything is out of the ordinary."
"Of course, Captain," Lyra replied, her voice calm. "Our sensors are currently... Receiving a message."
Purple sat up in his chair, his posture shifting instantly to alert. "Play it over the speakers."
The message played back, the voice sounding strained but relieved. "Captain, we know you escaped. Thank you for making what could have been our last stand worth it. We all made it out alive, but not unscathed. Along with this message, you will receive an encrypted data packet. You will find the decryption key in my locker. Good luck, Captain."
Purple quickly asked, "Anything on sensors?"
Lyra sounded slightly annoyed, "As I was saying before I interrupted myself, nothing out of the ordinary detected."
Purple looked at Pip. "You have the bridge."
Purple unbuckled, got up, and left the bridge in a rush, his tail lashing behind him in agitation.
He entered the crew quarters and located Krell's locker. Using his security override, Purple opened it. He dug through Krell's belongings, knowing the tactical officer well enough to know where he would hide something important. He found it inside Krell's blaster cleaning kit.
Hurrying to his own quarters, Purple sat down at his desk. He placed the decryption key into the slot by the terminal.
"Lyra, send me that encrypted packet."
Purple waited as the ship's systems worked. Finally, the packet was decrypted and displayed on the screen. It was text only. The message read: "Captain, we had to split up. The crew ended up staying on the Stellar Citadel star base. Krell was captured, and as of the making of this message, he is still there. He had set up this message ahead of time so I could get this to you. Krell always thought one step ahead. We fear Krell is being tortured for information—that is what tipped us off that you escaped. We learned more after that, including that they have written you off for dead, but we know you. We have much to discuss on your return. Along with this message are coordinates to our hideout. Your officers will be waiting for you there."
The message from his crew triggered a flood of memories, pulling Purple back to the Stellar Citadel, a massive star base orbiting the sun just inside the outer asteroid belt, the system had one gas giant and two smaller lifeless rocky planets, but the asteroid belt was huge and rich with platinum metals, and the gas giant was a great source of hydrogen and helium, used to power fusion reactors. The station was a sprawling hub of industry and commerce, a place where smugglers and traders rubbed shoulders with the desperate and the wealthy.
Purple and his bridge officers—Zor'ak, Elowen, Vessa, and Zara—had docked the Starborn Prowl after a successful haul. The credits from the sale were sitting safely in their accounts, enough to set them up for a long shore leave. The crew had scattered to enjoy the station's amenities, leaving Purple and his officers to meet the buyer in the commercial district.
They entered the sleek office building, flanked by private security guards who scanned their IDs at every turn. The atmosphere was tense, the air thick with the smell of ozone and apprehension. That was when everything went wrong.
The buyer was a nervous reptilian male who stammered out a greeting before the room went silent. The guards didn't lower their weapons; instead, they raised them, their faces hidden behind visors.
"It's a setup," Zor'ak hissed, his hand drifting to his sidearm.
Blaster fire erupted instantly. Purple and his officers dove behind desks and filing cabinets, using the heavy furniture for cover. The sound of blaster bolts ricocheting off metal was deafening. Elowen and Vessa returned fire, their shots tearing through the air, while Zara provided covering fire from the side.
They were making slow progress toward the exit, but the heavy blast doors leading out of the office were sealed shut. The guards were pressing the attack, their numbers overwhelming.
Krell, the tactical officer, was the last one at the door. He slammed his palm against the control panel, his fingers flying across the interface. Sparks showered down as he bypassed the security lock. With a hiss of hydraulics, the door slid open.
"Go!" Krell shouted, shoving Purple through the gap.
Purple stumbled out into the corridor, turning to see Krell and the others still firing. The blast doors slid shut with a thunderous clang, sealing them inside.
"Get out of here," Krell's voice crackled in Purple's ear-comm, strained and urgent. "We will take care of the rest. Go!"
Purple knew that staying would mean the end for them all. He had to trust Krell. He turned and sprinted back toward the docking bay, his feet pounding against the metal deck.
The problem was, when he was halfway between the entrance to the docks and his ship, another ambush awaited. Syndicate hit-squads had blocked the corridor. Purple dropped behind a stack of cargo boxes, his wings tucked tight against his back. He drew his assault blaster, firing round after round to clear a path. He shot his way back to the Starborn Prowl, the adrenaline pumping through his veins.
He tumbled onto the ramp and slammed the hatch shut, locking it down. He slumped against the bulkhead, his chest heaving.
"Captain, we have company," Lyra's voice cut through the silence, calm but urgent. "If we don't undock, and leave this system now, we are going to be in a world of hurt. There are syndicate ships warping into the system!"
Purple ran down the corridors, up the ramp to the bridge and looked at the monitor just in time to see the red warning lights flashing on consoles. Syndicate cruisers were dropping out of superluminal travel, other smaller ships appeared on the sensors that had been hiding in the asteroids. His life had been going so well after his father retired, up until now. Panic seized him, cold and sharp.
Purple gasped, his chest heaving as the memory of the ambush faded, leaving him gasping for air. He wrapped his arms around his chest, clutching his jacket as he returned to the present moment.
Slowly, he got a hold of himself. He closed his eyes, taking slow, deep breaths to steady his racing heart. When he opened them again, his expression was hard and focused. He copied the coordinates to an open file on his personal terminal, ensuring there was no reference name or tag attached to it—Lyra could not access encrypted files.
"Save those coordinates," Purple told Lyra, his voice low. "Keep them safe, don't associate them with anything. Save the encrypted packet in the archive."
"As ordered, Captain," Lyra chirped, her tone cheerful despite the gravity of the situation.
Purple grunted, unplugging the decryption key from the port. He stood up and walked to the crew quarters. He found Krell's locker and used his override to open it. He dug through the tactical officer's belongings until he found the small metal box inside Krell's blaster cleaning kit. He placed the key back inside, locked the box, and returned it to the locker, locking the locker once more.
Purple leaned over the locker, his paw resting on the cold metal surface. He looked down, his mind racing as he thought about his next move. After they finished fueling up at Station 7, the Stellar Citadel was his next destination. If the syndicate thought he was dead, he should be able to move through the station undetected, looking for clues as to what happened to his crew.
He pushed off the locker, brushing his leather jacket with his paw to smooth out any wrinkles, making sure everything was in order.
He padded back into the bridge. Looking up at the viewscreen, he could see they were not far out. Pip was at the helm, her eyes focused on the readouts.
"We are almost there," Pip announced. "Lyra contacted them, we have permission to dock and refuel."
Purple nodded, a faint smile touching his muzzle. "Good, good. Let's get this over with, we have places to be."
As they approached the station, the massive docking arms extended, and a heavy docking clamp met the hull of the Starborn Prowl with a loud clang.
After a few minutes, the docking clamps released with a hiss of hydraulics. Lyra's voice chimed in. "Refueling complete. Account charged."
Purple smiled as he looked at Pip. "Pip, take us to the fridge, then Citadel."