Marik was with the doctor and the other two hostesses at the entrance. He looked much better, standing without support, even chatting with the doctor. The hostesses were standing a little to the side, torween their sole task of finishing the usual paperwork but not wanting to interrupt a doctor, even if one from a lower tier. And very unsure of how to hahe human male. No tourists came to the iot because of the i. Even ier times, humans were handled in a separate i the dog ring.

  The i human did not notice it, but every cat around him tried very hard to be noticed by him, all of them purring. The doctor had the best self-trol (or maybe had some perma shot, who knew) but the hostesses purred so hard that they trembled. And she was not immuoo, happy to see him well.

  When Marik saw her, he ran over and hugged her, that puny human. The surrounding cats badly hid their jealousy, even the prospective shipyard worker o her inhaled sharply.

  "You look so much better," she smiled purring and held him over her head, theing him down again. "Sorry."

  "No problem, Kira had done a great job. I had pneumonia. The pain was from a nerve rupture, probably from the rattling. All fine now."

  She looked at him sceptically, All fine, really? "A nerve ruptured by jumping in a spaceship? hought you were that fragile."

  The doctor turo her, rare to have a cat almost at eye level. "Miss Rerra, he is drugged, a depot shot good for three days. But then." She turo Marik. "It will hurt like hell for a few more days. And she is right, I have never heard of rupturing a nerve from jumping in a spaceship either. And the first case of pneumonia at this station in my lifetime. But it matches the blood test, you have spent too much time ilessness without the proper medies and exercises, your immune system is in bad shape, your calcium is wly low and the white blood cell t is arming. Booster nanites only do so much. You must get your calcium up and exercise, maybe hunt." She stopped. "Er, eat a lot of meat, at least and move around, stairs, no elevatet your circution up, that will help your immune system and should increase your blood cell t. Stay at the outer ring. You have five depot shots for calcium, some S- T- and CH-cell boosters, and growth hormones for your bones and muscles. This is the absolute maximum, please monitor your calcium, GH and LCCUR for the weeks. And maybe follow your," She shook her head, inhaled deeply, then turain. "Miss Rerra, please, get him to workout with you, at minimum strength. Building stamina, not power."

  She suppressed her grin. She could not imagine Marik other than a stick figure.

  But the doctor was not finished. "And Miss Rerra, keep him warm. I am not sure where he was able to pick up pneumonia, but humans like it warm and." The doctor stopped, blushed, then trembled as she realised what she just said. Everybody was unfortably silent.

  Well, everybody but the human who just nodded. "I will get a thicker coat. And thank you again." Oh, by Hopkins, his cute innoce.

  "Please firm here." A hostess shoved one of the unwieldy ic pads in front of her face, her hand trembling. She ided it, gave it bad took Marik's small hand, suppressing a hiss. He took it and smilled to her, turning her legs to pudding while he was walking steadily. They passed through the door and turned left to the stairs. The Ketcher cats looked hungrily after him, as hungrily as she. "Let's find a hotel room and then I will sell the cargo. No, that's all low g there. Remember, doctor's order," she stopped his yet unvoiced protest to help.

  It was a short but satisfying quicky as soon as they had ehe room. But she left the warm bed. He had to stay here, warm and in the 0.85 g of this room at the outer dock, while she went back to the weightlessness of the hub, delivering their cargo to the buyers. With the small size of the White Ocelot, it was just three pces. And then, we a few rejects and some special spices to the den. It was early m still, the kitten had just woken, too cute a view to miss. She then stayed for a quick breakfast, tiering her even more. With her st willpower, she mao get to their hotel room, fell on the bed and cuddled o him. Keeping the human warm, the best doctor’s order ever given.

  * * *

  She woke from the swelteri, hot and humid as if she were still on Fallerian III. But it was just him, lying on top of her, solid asleep with his two bs ing around them. Carefully, she rolled him into the bs o her. He did not stir.

  The air in the room was thick with his musk st, her sweat and from the quicky. But she would not yet shower, she wao workout. As should he. She took her pad, distracted her a little with the test news and gossip, and then searched fyms. Lead's Gym en again. Only it was no longer Lead's Gym, it was now called The Lead Tribe. So, Lead had settled down for a tribe. She was curious about who had stolen his heart.

  Si was te afternoon station time, she gently woke him by lig his face, which would have brought any tomcat into the mood. Not the humaed it. Though, it never failed to wake him.

  0030 ter, she stood with a sleepy Marik at the door to stairwell VI, he too in his dirty clothes. She had a ge in her bag for both of them. Opening the door assaulted her nostrils, the stairs were as dirty and rundown as ever. She wondered if she would live to the day when maintenance would send some ing bots into the stairwells. But today both of them also reeked badly, not having showered for three days plus the time in 4D. And it was just a single flight of stairs anyway.

  At the reception of Lead’s Tribe was the tallest and stro calico cat she had ever seen, t over her by almost two heads and simir wide shoulders. Probably five years older. It was hard to tell because half her head was covered with scars, as was her left lower arm. She tried hard, not to stare and bowed slightly. "Hello."

  The calico cat tried hard not to stare at Marik who hid half behind her. "Wele to The Lead Tribe. I am Zerra."

  Marik did not answer.

  "Zerra, a niame. Is my old subscription still valid?" She sed the pad, notig that Zerra was also missing two cws on the right hand-paw.

  "Yes, for old subscriptions we " The calico ow looked straight down into her eyes. "Oh, you are Rerra!" The calico’s stare was more than a mild challenge.

  She ig and smiled at her. "Then, you are half of the Lead tribe, I assume?"

  Before she answered, the door to the ba opened and Lead ran out with wide strides. "Hello Rerra, long time not see."

  "Yes, long time," she replied mely. A deep breath, it still felt like defeat to her lower brain. "So you have finally settled down. gratutions to you and Zerra."

  "Not to be too nosey, but it seems you also know this human very well," Lead remarked. Of course, she had his smell all over.

  Said human blushed hard and hid again behind her. Oh, she how she wao cuddle that cutie right now.

  "Yes, but we came for training. He has never worked out and o build stamina and strengthen his bones, not for muscles. Also, his body is full of bone growth accelerators and simir stuff. Medical training. Could you?"

  Instead of answering her, Lead smiled at Marik. "Hello, I am Lead," and bowed.

  "Marik," whispered the human, ging to her fur, clearly intimidated by Lead and Zerra, the tter almost twice his height.

  "arik, let's go to the male gym. I will access your strength and you tell me more of the doctor's order."

  She shoved him a little towards Lead who still showed his most polite smile. After stumbling from her shove, he straightened and followed Lead, not without looking several times back to her. She smiled until they vanished in the male's locker.

  Then Zerra turo her. "Where did you find a human iimes?"

  "On Fallerian, the closest destination for indepe pilots. And," she grinned, "the first time I had scared him, and then ran away, embarrassed. He still insisted oing when I went there for the sed time, fleeing the station with Trina from Samul and Fanny from Ketcher."

  Zerra's eyes went wide. "Wow, you are high-T?" Then she looked her up again.

  "I certainly don't look like. I knew both Trina and Fanny from w at the shipyard and once piloting for Ketcher. Otherwise, my father's human."

  "Mioo." Zerra nodded, "Maybe that helps with bulking up."

  "Maybe, stro cat I've ever seen."

  Zerra's tail told her embarrassment in its furious loops while her shruggi a wave rippling through her body. "I've been always strong, even before starting serious training."

  "So tell, how did you win Lead over?" When she saw Zerra fletg her lips, she added, "Woh, rex, no challenge. Don't want to die."

  Zerra suddenly defted, her shoulders hanging, her head down. "No. Never again!" she whispered.

  "Sorry, Zerra, I did not"

  "No, fine. Just - bad memories." She took a deep breath. "And evero cat was not strong enough. You have seen the modded monsters after the takeover?"

  She shuddered. "Yes, killing Trina's mother and then ter, ugh."

  Zerra gestured at her scars. "I killed oh Lead. With my cws and fangs, ripping out its throat while Lead distracted it."

  "So that's where your scars - sorry. Any idea why the monster went for you?"

  "No, it had killed the you of the kittens under my care. I always came here with six kittens, you know, I worked with Torita."

  "Yes, the new cil member?"

  "Yes, her. I told you my father was human. Well, my mother, a calico too, wao start a proper tribe but was high most of the time. And died when I was six. So, yes, I am also one of the many strays whom Torita took in. She is so selfless. After turning 16, I stayed with her, looking after the adolests, using my strength to rein them in. Somehow, I had bee their idol, and they wanted muscles too. Lead was the closest gym. Even back then, he knew of Torita. Free training for me and the strays."

  "But you?"

  "With the kittens? Even if Lead is special."

  They both looked at the entry of the male's gym.

  "Sorry," she said, "Be assured, I do not wreck tribes. Please tinue."

  Zerra took a deep breath. "I was here during the coup. When the power went off, we stopped. Outside, was chaos. Everybody was looking for transport off the station, some desperate even peeked ihe gym. Orail, the monsters. A few looked ioo, trag st trails. Still sane enough to immediately leave again, following their targets." She took a deep breath, her eyes got teary. "So many cats were killed on that day. And." She sobbed.

  She y her hand on Zerra's shoulder, her arm stretched. "Sorry, I did not."

  But Zerra gripped her hand. "Then the monster went insane. One of them came bad - Lera!" she suddenly wailed.

  Moments ter, Lead shot out of the male's gym and Zerra threw herself at him. "What did you do?" Lead hissed at her, fur raised all over.

  She fttened her ears, looked down. "Sorry." She took a step back.

  "I could not save her," sobbed Zerra.

  "But you killed the monster." Lead had turned his head to Zerra and stroked her back.

  She stood frozen on the spot, not wanting to flee without Marik.

  Lead went on, talked to Zerra softly. "You killed the monster, you went at it before it could move a step. Overwhelmed it. I have never seen" Lead stopped. "You only cared about the strays."

  "You attacked too," Zerra whispered.

  "When it was nearly over. No, the love for them that you showed with yht. How could I ever see another cat." He looked at Zerra with the sweetest smile.

  "A tomcat fighting for me," she smiled. "and then, not just"

  She hrmphed, "I'll get ged."

  Zerra loosened her hug with Lead but she was quickly out of sight. Maybe she should look for anym.

  * * *

  Whe out, a good 2000 ter, tired and ag after too long not trained, Marik stood o Zerra and Lead, talking.

  "How was your first session?" she asked and put her hand on his shoulder.

  He winced. "Hurt all over."

  Lead smiled. "This is normal. You were very stiff. But you did well. And tomorrow's training will be better."

  "I think my face is the only part not hurting. we eat something," the human asked.

  "Oh, Lead had mentioned your lunchboxes. You had set the bar very high."

  Now she ughed. "Sorry, actually, they were leftovers from Petra catering. My cooking skills are bad."

  Zerra's face brighteheright grinned. "Oh!"

  "I said, I am no petition." She looked at Lead. "Marik should e tomorrow too?"

  "Yes, repeating low-key exercises, about 0750 in the m and evening."

  Marik looked frightened.

  "And Zerra?" She looked at her. "Make Lead happy!"

  Zerra grinned and Lead's tail showed his embarrassment.

  "See you tomorrow."