She ran out of the shipyard and along the innermost deck to the terside, then paervously in front of the lift. It was already 9470, she had no time to shower. Her fur reeked of sweat and rubber from the radiation suit, and her hands tributed a chemical stink, a mixture of auto-shrinking insution tubing and tact spray with a dash of fme retardant. Her mind was still on the job. Had she ected everything correctly? Had she not fotten somethie triple-cheg?

  The address she had been given was in the posh part of the terside, owo, almost exactly one deck below the Petra den. She would have liked to get there first to ge, but she was really te.

  As soon as people ehe lift on its way to the outward decks, she could feel them staring at her. Not because of her ck of paws or her short fur, which was hard to see in her long work clothes. No, she stood out at night. They had e to celebrate the night and fet the day. And she remihem of manual bour, even her smell. They were high tier but reeked of overused expensive perfumes, drugs and copution.

  Finally, the car stopped owo. She almost jumped out, turned left and froze.

  The Ketcher ran the health ay services. This included trol of the suppressants, the key that had made them the sed ruling ow they trolled practically everything the Samul did not. So, of course, she had expected something big. But the pink of the Ketcher Beauty ic stretched as far as she could see oher side of the wide, upwardly curving corridor of deck two. It must cover at least ah of the station's circumference.

  And now an ex-Samul Petra member came to get the Ketcher fur pattern. She was worried, despite Trina's assurances. Even if Samul acher fought each other, they would join forces against an outside like Petra.

  "Hello dear, are you by any ce the pilot?" A rger-than-life ocelot cat looked down at her. She was stily a pink top and pink miniskirt, with more pink ribbons around her wrists and shoulders. She even had piufts.

  She bliwice seeing blue plement colors, "Er, yes, Rerra from Petra."

  "Great, Rerra, we've been expeg you. Please follow me!"

  She walked to the entrance, which looked more like a brothel from the dramas, with its pink facade a-shaped gate. Two eous hostesses icher double-ringed ocelot fur pattern were standing at a ter, waiting for any te arrivals. One came for her: "Wele, Rerra from Petra. You are booked for a treatment."

  She felt even more out of pce. "Yes, a fur makeover," she almost whispered, "already paid for, I think by - I don't really know."

  "Yes, no problem, in fact it was," she stopped, her ears flig bad her eyes widening, "paid for by mother Fiyul." Her perfect smile widened, fshing all her perfect teeth. "Please excuse h reception. I am very sorry to bother you further, but we need full biometrisent."

  She was not sure what had happened. Apparently, mother Fiyul was someone very important icher . She dimly remembered hearing the name on the news a few days ago. But she had fotten the text. "Er, how?"

  "Please leave this to us and be so kind as not to move for a moment. Thank you, there is just one final request, to synise this with your pad?"

  She fumbled her battered pad out of her pocket and ha over, her firembling. Something strange was about to happen. Full biometrics?

  "Thank you, Madam Rerra from Petra."

  "If madam would follow me, please," the first hostess also addressed her very politely. Being a VIP was quite a ge from being the grunt in the lift. Iired state, it only added to her fusion. She followed the first hostess closely, her big bushy tail almost at her chest height, just a hand's breadth from her snout. Distracted, she almost bumped into her as she stopped in front of an open door.

  "I'm so sorry, Madam Rerra," the hostess smiled, "please go inside where your doctor is waiting."

  "Thank you, um." Well, she didn't know the name, so she bowed and hurried inside.

  "Good evening, Miss Rerra from Petra," the cat said inside and only then looked up. "Oh!"

  She looked behind her, but the door was already closed.

  "Er, good evening," she stammered.

  "Wele, Miss Rerra. I am Greta, I will be your personal doctor for this evening," the ocelot-furred cat said with a half-hearted smile that was betrayed by her tired voice. The doctor was only a head taller than her, and an ordinary beauty pared to the rger-than-life hostesses. She did not look so youher, closer to 40. "To begin, I would like you to step into the ser." She poio the mae beside her.

  "Shall I take off everything?"

  The doctor's smile remained firm. "That is up to you. All your images will be sealed with your medical record and locked with your biometrics. The ser is not affected by your clothing. However, you will o remove everything for the pod ter."

  Well, her clothes were filthy anyway, so she undressed and stood on the mark. "Sorry, would you mind telling me od means?"

  "In a moment. For now, I would ask you to stand still."

  The circles of the ser began to rotate around her and stopped. "Thank you, your s is plete. As for your question, it should have been expined before. You are booked for a full body skin mod. After that, your fur will groermaly icher pattern."

  "A mod? Permaly?" Even in her dead tired state, the few w brain cells of the night shift sounded an arm. She had expected a perma dye or something.

  "Didn't aell you?" She took a deep breath. "I must apologise that there was no proper expnation. A mod is short feic modification. You have signed up for a treatment that will ge the outer yer of your skin cells. Your skin will ge colour and trahat colour to your fur. The exact pattern is random, but it will be a Ketcher pattern."

  "Er, you mean this is not just a perma dye?"

  "No, your old skin will be repced by a new skin with a different DNA. From this new skin, your new fur will grow with the new pattern. But the ge is only skin deep, literally." The doctor had used this py on words so many times that her b delivery killed it. "Your children will not i it."

  " it be ged again?"

  "Yes, as often as you like. Well, I would advise at least a quarter of a year between two mods," the doctor tinued, "We also alter the density ah of the new fur. Please wait while the system processes yenes. May I ask how it is that a member of a Petra gets our pattern?"

  She curled her tail. Why not? "I'm a jump pilot for a special mission where no pilots outside of Ketcher were allowed. It is paid for by mother Fiyul, I was told," she replied.

  The doctor's smile remained firm as she lowered her pad in surprise, her tail flig. "From the mother, well, and the special mission was an easy guess with your strength."

  So maybe the VIP treatment would get her more extras. "So when the mission is over, I go back?"

  "It's not perma, as it does not affect your entire body's DNA. So another skin stripper mod could repce it with your inal skin. For that purpose, we keep the inal skin sample in cryogenic ste for 10 years." The doctor lowered the pad and looked her in the eyes. "To be ho, the treatment is extremely expehere are only three such pods, one here and two on the p. All the ables are imported. There are very few people who afford such treatment. Your best bet would be to ask the mother. And who am I to know the mother's pns?"

  She remained silent, not knowing what to say. So it was not perma. Just expeo remove.

  The doctor looked at her pad again and then almost whispered, "Since your booking is a carte bnche, Miss Rerra, you know that breasts are also soft tissue and susceptible to the skin mod. If you wish, we also increase your breasts a little."

  She was surprised and thought about it for a moment. It would be to be mistaken for a male from a distance. But then, in the narrow ducts ... "No, I think I like them as they are."

  The doctor nodded. "It is refreshing to see a ot unhappy with her body."

  "Er, no, I would really like to have normal paws on my feet and four fingers and longer fur and be a bit taller," she took a deep breath.

  "Sorry, such deep ges are not possible with a skin mod. In fact, I think there is only one medical mod on the phat might give you normal paws. However, I help you to hide the feet with a much longer fur on the ls. How about that?"

  She rongly. "That's a good idea, thank you."

  "And you mentiohat you wanted a bit longer fur in general. How about mine?" She held up her own fur, about half a finger's length.

  "Yes, please," she smiled. Longer fur! " you also pad the soles of my feet?"

  "That should be possible with the skin mod. A challehe doiled, typing and scrolling on her pad. "Hm, it is possible to make the foundations thicker. But a word of caution, the neads and the new fur will not be fully grown, 4000 in the pod will not nearly be enough. Your fur will grow faster over the wo or three days, we will give you medie to help. But tomorrow m, you will have even shorter fur than you have now."

  "Why?"

  "Because first we have to remove your old skin cells," the doctor said, still smiling professionally, "while the mod is ied into your DNA and the sequences are prepared. Please follow."

  She walked over to a bunk that had opened up at the side of the room. A 3D animation of her neearaated above it. The long fur looked so good, especially on the l where in covered her feet. Only the pattern was strao clude, I ask your approval for a Ketcher fur pattern, longer fur, much longer on the ls, and thicker padded soles as shown here. The actual pattern may be slightly different though."

  She took a deep breath. "Yes, I agree." The price to be paid for space travel and longer fur. And she could get a Petra pattern wheurned.

  "Thank you." The light in the bunk came on, revealing a green surfaside. "This is the skin stripper mod chamber. Sihe geic mods only add, your old skin will be removed first. o worry. You will feel nothing and just have a deep rexing sleep. When you wake up, you will have the foundations for your new skin, fur coat and pads. And we will have your clothes washed too."

  She dropped her tail for a moment, embarrassed. "I came here on short notice."

  "No problem, Miss Rerra, it's all part of our service." The doctor was still standing beside the open pod, smiling.

  She hesitated. After this, she would be mistaken for Ketcher. Okay, she did not look like Petra her. She o herself. She would still be the small, strong Rerra from Petra. Only with a bit more dots. And nicer fur, not too high a price to pay for space travel. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Should I lie on my back?"

  "Just find a fortable position inside."

  She y down ohin green mattress. A mouthpiece dangled above her.

  The doctor pulled the mouthpiece down. "Here, this should fit you. Please bite on it. Make sure it doesn't leak."

  She opened her snout and the long mouthpiece fitted perfectly. She nodded.

  "Now I must plug your nose. Please do not remove it." The doctor ied two deep stubs into her nostrils, sealing the tip of her nose airtight. The doctor carried out a few more tests as she became very drowsy and sank into a dreamless sleep.

  * * *

  A bright light shone in her face while soft but annoying music pyed and a melodious voice said: "Miss Rerra from Petra, please get up!

  She was still sleepy and her whole body was itg like crazy, except for the tip of her snout. As she tio wake up, she realised that she was still breathing through the mouthpiece. She spat it out, removed the plug from her nostrils with her hands and then froze. Her arms looked so different. Her fur was very short, almost invisible, and her skin ink and raw with spots, the bck-ringed yellow spots of the Ketcher ocelot pattern. It was both terrifying and fasating.

  "Hello, Miss Rerra," another voice said. She turned her head slowly to the side. In front of the opening was a cat. Was it the doctor from before? No, one of the rger-than-life hostesses, smiling.

  She sat up and shivered with the slightly wet, raw skin and stubby fur. Her feet felt heavier, yes, she had asked for thicker sole pads. Theurned her head: Sad was the only word to describe the sorry state of her once fluffy tail. Now there was only a slender pink spotted appendage. She smelled straoo.

  "Miss Rerra, I strongly suggest a shower to wash off any residue from the pods."

  She nodded. A shower sounded good. Wheried to stand, she almost fell. Her soles were thicker now but not very even. She felt very weak as if her whole body had fallen asleep.

  The hostess held her up, gently but firmly, and led her to a bathroom with a shower and a bench. She turned oer and closed the outer door.

  The hot water got her circution going and drove the fatigue out of her legs. She stood up again, now steady. The hot water almost stung her raw skin. She shampooed her fur stubbles with the special lotion on the shelf, feelier by the moment. She would have liked to stay longer, but new fur or not, there was work to be done.

  "Miss Rerra, are you all right? I put the clothes on the bench outside."

  Without fur, drying was finished in no time. She opehe curtain and took up her clothes, thankful that she came yesterday with long-sleeved shirt and long trousers. Then she saw her pad fshing, requiring a full biometric s to renew her basitry iabase. Still naked, she held it up and soon sainning tiny ocelot-patterned Rerra figurine on the pad. She quickly dressed but tucked her tail into a tr. There was no way she was going to expose that embarrassing thin pink sausage. She opehe outer door.

  "Very nice, Miss Rerra. Rest assured, your fur will be fully regrown within three days. If there are any problems urities, do not hesitate to return and be from our full satisfa guarahe accelerated regrowth of your fur is very demanding on your body. To support the growth, please eat plenty of meat." The hostess spoke like a robot, just going through her usual script. She would not be able to return soon. If everythio pn, she would be off the station from tonight. So she only listened with one ear.

  Her attentiourned when the hostess handed her a small bag and made eye tact. "Here are pills to help with the regrowth, one per meal for the four days. Please also take these amino supplement dies." A much rger bag. 'For a shiny, long coat,' the purple packet promised. The cat on the box reminded her of Eli with her hah fur. "Eat as many as you like," the hostess tinued, "just listen to your body. Agai plenty and remember to take oablet per meal for the four days. This will also reduce the itg. With that" And then the hostess hesitated, looking at her checklist. Something ued. "There is o thing. Here is a private sealed package for you, Miss Rerra," she hid her surprise and poio the bench where a rger sealed package y.

  She took the sealed package. 'Only for K. from P. Open in a private setting' was written iters. Now she really did feel like an undercover spy in a drama, with new fur, a still fresh Petra identity, a provisional css C lice soon, and now possibly secret instrus in that sealed package.

  "There would be a plimentary lunposed to support yrowth", the hostess began.

  "Lunch?" she interrupted her and looked at her pad. 5200 already! "No, I have to go."

  "I see, but make sure you eat well and often. Please walk slowly."

  Walking was still different, her thicker soles makieps softer and wobblier. But her strength was back, and the itg overwhelmed most other sensations anyway, with the exception of the cramped tail ir.

  The hostess walked slowly beside her, matg her pace.

  After a few steps, she had gotteo the soles and soon they were arrived at the reception. She had to do another full biometric identification to firm the treatment and then she was released.

  She had spent almost 5000 in the ic, sleeping aing a makeover, while her co-workers had probably pulled an all-nighter to get the ship ready. This was very much against her work ethic. But she had her personal punishment: With every step, her clothes rubbed against her bare, itchy skin. The worst was the tail. There was nothing she could do, except to wait for the new fur to grow. A a lot.

  U night, the corridor was crowded. A lot of office workers and higher-ups were ing back from lund entering the ic through more inspicuous side doors.

  She didn't want to wait for the lift, the stairs were close by. They were empty, but still reeked of urine, sex and drugs. One floor up was short enough not to bother her as there were no puddles. And then she was standing in front of the Petra den. The biometrio longer reised her, so she spoke the passphrase and the door opened.

  "Eli," Kit called from the kit, "the order for"

  "It's me, Rerra," she called back.

  Kit was immediately at the entraowel in hand, and froze. "Rerra what? Has there been an act?"

  "Sorry, I'll expin in a minute. Have you had lunch already?"

  "I was just loading the trolley."

  "Then I'll help and tell everyo lunch."

  Kit nodded and they walked bato the kit. "There must be quite a story behind this."

  "Sorry, yes there is. Just be patient."

  She took the ptes out.

  "No, so many, it's only fht. Everyone else is at work or school."

  She returhe extra ptes and took out the right number of bowls. "How many kittens?"

  "Three," Kit replied as she arrahe food. Then Kit opehe door to the den while she pushed the trolley. The three you kittens raced to the door, then stopped in surprise, expeg only food, not a new guest. They stood fused, sniffing at a half-old, half-new st.

  She bowed. "Greetings, mother."

  The mother looked up. "Rerra, you have ged your fur."

  Now the kits called "Rerra" and charged at her, still sniffing.

  "Shh!" the mother scolded the kittens. They were running around her feet.

  She nodded again. "Many ued developments. As you see, I have been given a new fur pattern in preparation for a new job. I will have a test jump and the a C lice. Then I will be the sed pilot on a jump ship leaving tonight."

  "No," cried a kitten.

  "Shh!" the mother silehe kitten again.

  "But I must wear the Ketcher pattern." She took off her sweater and trousers, and there was a loud gasp. Only the kittens jumped pyfully at the new spots on her legs. It hurt with the short fur. But she let them have their fun. She would be away for a while from tonight.

  "Dear Rerra, it was your dream to bee a pilot. I am a little sad that you had to lose your fur for it."

  "mother, I wish I could have kept it. This flight is very secret, all for someone from Ketcher, someone high up on the p."

  The mother nodded. "Be careful thecher is in turmoil at the moment." She sighed. "It will take time to get used to your new colours. But the fur is not important, only the person in it."

  "And that has not ged, rest assured," she smiled.

  "Ah, the Patingo!" Kit shouted, running bato the kit, from which a faint smell of burning wafted into the den.

  "Are you staying for lunch?"

  "Yes, it will be our st meal together for a while."

  "No," cried the kittens.

  "Do you know when you will be back?"

  "No, very secret, I have no idea where we are going."

  "Well, kittens, get your ptes," Kit called as she entered again from the kit.

  The kittens' attention shifted in an instant, and they quickly filled their ptes and thahe mother.

  The adults were . She was still eating fast, she was starving. And she had to get back to the shipyards, after pag some clothes for the journey.