Marik was moaning the m, lying on his belly. It was not the muscle ache, no, his spine hurt, a sensitive red swelling. Just after half of the three days that the doctor had predicted. But he just got up, not wanting another visit at the ic. As a cat, she would ha called that idea thinking with his tail.

  The walking seemed to help, he soon looked again more rexed. They went for brunch to the Blended Followers. After having seen Fallerian, the panoramidow here looked so small. She chuckled at how awed she had been at her first glimpse into space from the statiohan a year ago.

  "Who wrote this menu? There are more spelling mistakes than a hatg's report."

  She shook her head, the pain must have made him grumpy. Or was it still his y? "First, we do not follow the transliteration of Standard. And sed, it is hand-written. Be kind."

  "Sorry, I mean, I did not." He took a deep breath. "I take the Corrolertz." He strongly emphasised the missing r.

  She waived for the waitress. "Two Corrolertz and one side of Krartz."

  He nodded approvingly and, when the waitress was gone, added, "Your Fallerian has really improved."

  His praise warmed her heart even if she disliked his teacher-attitude. "We will still go to the gym after this?"

  "Well, it still hurts, actually all from the hips down hurts. And in ot remember such bad muscle ache. But doctor's order. And, since you want to keep the ship, I better get in shape for it. There are still some days left in our tract."

  She smiled, did he still think she did this for the stupid tract? After all that they had eexperieogether?

  "Do you want to stay a little longer? I mean, I could go alone for one flight, more cargo spad."

  "No, no," he looked frightened. "No, I am a pilot, too. Do not leave me here. If there is a problem, and you ot return, no. Not leaving me behind, please. And I get everything cheaper on Fallerian."

  "Don't worry." This human his cute frightened kitten look perfect. If they were not in public ... She sighed.

  Her thoughts were interrupted as the waitress already returned with their order. She only realised of how she was lig her lips when the full aroma of the steaming pile of worms with a generous yer of Kranta reached her, when she saw the sterned look from the human. Well, not of her fought their instincts.

  "Enjoy," she smiled, this time showing all her teeth, teasing him. And took a good helping from the bowl.

  * * *

  She had to give him credit, Marik was training hard while the pain around his spine seemed unged while the swelling got thicker. The doctor at the ic guessed that it was due to new nerves eg and growing. After all, a tail was like aension of the spine and that was full of nerves. Now he had strong painkillers but was advised against using them. And they had no guidan what to expeext because a tail regrowth had been done back then only on newborn kittens, never on an adult. And never on a human. Even the AI did not know. What in Hopkins's name had driven Marik? Why did he desire a tail that badly?

  He certainly liked hers, pying and stroking it, and it was nice. Although, it was not her most pleasurable pce.

  Uhe typical tomcat, he did not pin about the pain, enduring it like a true cat warrior. She stretched and winced. Not only Marik had muscle aches. She was badly out of shape too, and the first time had been much worse than expected. Sihen she had gotten into the rhythm. It still felt strao pass the days like this, w out and otherwise rexing with Marik or at the Petra den. To the disappoi of Patty, Marik has joined her only ohe other times too tired after the training and probably also due whatever his body did to grow the tail. Sleeping like 2/3 of the day.

  She had thought of w in the shipyard; Trina had almost begged her, they were just fht now, the twins and the new Ketcher. But then, Marik certainly wao join too. She chuckled, the human tinkerer would not let her work at ships without him. But the near weightlesshere would immediately e the training tthen his bones. And with his stant tiredness, it was a too dangerous pce.

  Today, during the training, she had another idea. When fihey did not return to their room. Instead, they walked around half the station to flight trol. Roberta was there, sitting in one of the five chairs in front of the rge s, showing a sirajectory. There had beeainly busier times around the station.

  "Hello." She bowed even though Roberta did not turn her head.

  "So the human and the puppeteer."

  She missed a step. "What?"

  "Hello Roberta," said the human.

  Only then Roberta turned around in her chair. "Hello Marik, Rerra," and then sighed. "You had forced me into more social iion i ten days than I had i ten years."

  Her tail thrashed left and right, and she felt the blood rushing to her face. "I am not that"

  "No, it has done me good. Holy, I have gotten too old for the shipyard. And dog operation is, well, about two iions per day via voily. After that frantic day, the right amount. I am still not sure how you lured me to the id theo the first cil meeting."

  She still thought on an answer but Roberta tinued. "So thanks again. And to you too, little human. Even in 100 years, nobody will believe that the station was saved by a renegade from Petra and a small human." Rrinned. "I am looking forward to a drama on that, actually."

  "You think they will make one?"

  "Sooner or ter. Might depend on how long the cil sts. But hey, this was the most fighting sihe founding wars back then. Prime drama material."

  "But the fighting barely sted a day. And then only suffering. Not very heroic."

  "e on, we have been without water or circution, without food and no prospeprovement. And suddenly, a new dawn. And a new power, even. As heroic as stories go. That gave us hope, and even gave the p hope."

  "No sure that Samul will be happy."

  "Oh, fet these old poopers. Don't you see: Suddenly the station is the future. The shuttles from the p are overcrowded and leave empty."

  "36 people per day at best."

  "It is not the number!"

  She shook her head. "Roberta, you misuood. I am happy for everyone ing up, everyone going out. But," she held up her hands, "but I have grown up at Curragh and that makes it hard to imagihat any of them or their minions will give up any power."

  Roberta smiled. "Of course not. They will g to every bit and only part screaming. But they will lose their power when their money runs out. Not today, not tomorrow, but with the station they lost the monopoly on trade with humans."

  "You mean, all systems are open?"

  "You spend your st days under a stohen Roberta looked at Marik and ughed. "Ah, ok, sorry, probably not under a stone."

  Even the human got her joke and blushed.

  "But you did not e to listen to the rambling of this old cat, or?"

  "All systems?" She just asked.

  "Yes, said so. They called it even Open Space Policy, should have been in the news yesterday."

  "e," she took Marik's hand. "Sorry for disturbing you."

  Roberta ughed again. "You are unbelievable. Please, e to my tonight. Or will you leave before?"

  She stopped. "Am I that transparent?"

  "When it s space travel - yes. So will you e?"

  She nodded. "Yes, the White Ocelot is not even cold."

  "I will ask Trina too."

  "But not more, please."

  "Antisocial, you fot," Rrinned, betraying her words.

  * * *

  They left the Petra dehey had spent the evening for a departure dinner. She still chuckled about how Patty had jumped at the ce to refresh her cim on the human "as soon as she would give him up". Too cute. But now, the light in the den had been dimmed and Patty was sleeping. Only Ely came with them to the entrand gave them four lunchboxes. "Take care and k you!" Ely whispered.

  "Yes, sister." She gulped, teary-eyed.

  Ely just o Marik and then closed the door. They walked towards the lift. Roberta’s was several decks inwards.

  "She sounded like she would never see you again."

  "It's just a jump. Let's see how things work out. Might be ba ten days"

  He shook his head. "Then why so serious? You are worried about selling the White Ocelot?" And then he removed a tear from the er of her eye.

  She looked to the side, embarrassed at showing that weakness. "If Ken knows a buyer, yes, sure. If we fly together, we need another ship. I don't want to hurt you."

  The human blushed to her fusion, then shook his head again. "This is the best for you too. You need cargo spaot speed."

  None of this was hey had discussed it already a lot. She took her hand as the lift doors opened.

  Inside Marik wrangled his hand out of hers, stacked the single lunchbox from him onto her three and stepped outside again. "I'll stay at the hotel. Rex, have fun."

  She was too surprised aated a moment too long. The doors closed before she said anything. The other lift passengers looked at her with pity, a cat that had been just rejected by a human. Actually had she?

  It still ate at her until she entered Roberta's . Roberta, Trina, and, she had not expected it, Fanny weled her. Distracted her, and soon, she was chatting like in old times with over a sed excellent dinner from Ely's lunchboxes.

  Her bad feeling only returned when she came back to their hotel room, seeing the human ed in all three bs and occasionally twitg. She cuddled behind him, and he did not reject her. To be fair, he did not move at all. His st filled her nostrils, and his heat was like the sun. She slept with a smile.

  * * *

  Marik nibbled her ear in the m, the first m siheir return that he awoke earlier than her. Relieving her of all fear of beied. However, he had woken but then pain when he had rolled on his back where the swelling near his spine had increased and reddened and got more sensitive. He also looked a little pale, and his st was wrong. He seemed even hotter than usual, and indeed, was running a fever.

  But he was bent on not deying their departure. So he sat o her on two extra tail-hole cushions, inally designed for tail injuries but leaving a rge enough hole for not sitting on the swollen spine region. He smiled. "Let the White Ocelot fly." Despite the pain, he was really enthusiastic about flying. He had smiled all the way while limping a little.

  She was very worried. But then, they were going to a human system. Maybe the doctor there could fix him. She hid her worries as she smiled bad released the cmp. Very gently she oriehem on their vector out of the shipyard dog bay.

  "Dear ship, say farewell to the cat's station," he ented.

  "Well, some advantage of having no AI. No objes from the ship."

  He winced wheated at only 0.3 g, then took a deep breath and rearrahe cushins.

  "We will check you out by a human doctor."

  "Yes, we talked about this," he said.

  After some course corres, each apanied by some suppressed moaning, Marik finally suggested "Maybe knock me out early." He fiddled with the sed navigation sole. "A nice course, never more than 2 g. Still, three days. If I go early, 3 days and a half." He had firmed their course and ordered the drugs, not waiting for her ahe drug-ced patches clicked in the dispenser box.

  She went back to 0.05 g, unbuckled, took the box from the dispenser and floated above him, a gently hug. She rubbed her muzzle along his neck, then looked at his eyes. "Sweet dreams." And stuck the first patch below his ear.

  Marik was still smiling, knocked out. She stuck the other patches, the bato her seat and ramped the White Ocelot up to speed. Well, more like a slow-paced walk for the fiery ship. But she was ferrying a fragile human.

  Everythi, she listeo some music streaming from the station, their course corres not requiring much attention. And no traffic was going out. Only a shuttle re-entering the p's atmosphere and an ining freighter at dog approach for the station.

  When too far from the station for data streaming, she switched to her music library, the rexiion. It would be a long run-up to the jump. And a rewarding one, for sure. Oher side, a new system, a human system. She was looking very much forward to that. How would it be with more than one human?

  Finally, nearly a day passed and their entry velocity was reached. All checks were green.

  She initiated the jump tdown. The automatic ted to zero and then - nothing. Well, the first side panel with the jump trol had gone dark, and several error messages were on the main s. She powered down the mains, sent a message to the station about why they had not jumped and then removed the panel cover. At least, they had no just their luggage, so it was easy to access.

  Inside was no smoke, no singed circuit, nothing out of the ordinary. She reset the fuse and then powered up the panel. Whump, it went dark again. So it was not the coil, at least. But time was tig. She had about 1500 before they reached their maximum delta V for a safe return to the station without jump capabilities. Even using all their xenon it would be almost ten days in the cramped cockpit, with not much food and little water.

  She sighed, manually isoted the whole primary coil trol circuit from that panel and switched to the backup on the sedary panel on Marik's side. She tried a short test jump and it worked. Zero redundanow, but she would tinue. Repairs would probably be easier at their destination. After all, this was a human ship.

  Only now came the answer of Roberta, who was still at flight trol. She told Roberta what she had done. If all went well, she would not receive Roberta’s a their current unication dey.

  The main drive came balihout a problem. This would be the st try, they had nearly passed the window. But all went well and this time, the space folded into 4D.