They didn't have to walk far. Soon they were in a corridor with several doors. "Here is the males' den, there are"

  "No, I would like to stay with you for a moment, not more new faces. we go to a cafe?"

  Kora stood. "With me?"

  "Well, yes. Is that a problem?"

  "No, but, I mean," she fell silent. "Cafe?"

  "Yes, food and drinks. Maybe just a hot drink. And more talking because I'm still fused about all this."

  Kora sighed. "Of course. You're probably the only human I'll ever meet." She pulled out a battered pad with a cracked s and a dark er. He had never seen a pad so broken outside of dramas.

  "Ok, at 0030 there is an opening in the high T cafeteria."

  "You love that pad very much?" Her look made him question his nguage skills.

  "What, this cracked piece of" She looked down. "Sorry, don't worry about this poor cat. e." He walked beside her.

  "How much is a new pad?"

  "500 or so. That means another 25 escigs. Would have been 100 days before. After this disaster, who knows? All the high T have fled. Maybe I work as a fighter".

  500 for a pad? That -off, they sold for 35 on Fallerian. Or the money had a different value here. But Rerra told him that Fallerian repairs had been cheap. He was fused. For 500 you could get a cheap flight to Hopkins on top of a pad. "How much would it cost to go to Fallerian?"

  She paused again, looking at him. "Off system? Thousands, I guess. Normal cats only go if they get a tract for, well, what we do well. And I'm not, apparently."

  He was fused. He uood all the words, but it made no sense. "You know, I grew up on Fallerian, just a jump away," he ged the subject.

  "Then take me with you, mighty human," she snorted, "because I could never go there. After you." She held open the curtain to a dining hall. He entered and Patty, who had been silent during the adults' versation, became animated. The kitten licked her snout at the st. It smelled good, but he wasn't hungry. He had eaten too much of Petra's good food and would maybe try a dessert ter, and just have a hot drink now.

  Another of the same spotted striped ic cats stood oher side of the curtain, only more dressed: a knee-long buttoned shirt and a pink waistcoat showing way too much cleavage to be elegant.

  "Table for two and a kitten. Reserved for Kora," Kora whispered. The other cat looked down at her, though she was not taller, but then indicated to follow her to one of the may tables.

  Another cat brought a high chair for Patty. And a third brought two menus printed on pstic. He had to read them to Patty. There were only names, no prices.

  "They have ngue de chat. Please."

  He nodded.

  The miserable look oher cat's face made his decision clear.

  "Kora, I will pay, it was my idea."

  "No," and then tinued in a much lower voice as the head of the few occupied tables had turowards them, "No, you ot invite me. A female has to treat the male, it"

  "Kora, I am a human, not a helpless male."

  "Sorry, yes, but."

  "Instead of paying the bill, would you be my guide today?"

  She rexed, then nodded. "That I do. But only until your partner returns. But," she looked down. "It feels still wrong. I would do anything for you, for nothing. Meeting a human is"

  "Then take the 50. You . And add the cost of the food too."

  "No, please, let me pay," she almost begged. "I will not survive if you pay for the food. Please."

  "If you insist."

  She smiled and rexed. "Patty, do you know cote de verminieux?"

  "Oh, it's very chy and tastes a bit like Kranta. It's also from Fallerian."

  He had never heard that name before, so he was curious too about what was to e.

  She waved to the waiter; a pletely different pattern than on Fallerian, but iingly also a hand code, well, paw code. Or maybe just a wave?

  Anyway, the waiter appeared immediately. "Oe de verminieux, one ngue de chat and"

  "A kores." He ordered with the Fallerian name, but they should uand that here.

  "And a cup of cider," Kora added.

  The waiter bowed slightly. "Very well." She took the menus and walked, no, retreated back to the kit.

  * * *

  Before the food arrived, he transferred 50 to Kora's pad. The Fallerian token worked here, offlioo. Even if most cats never went to Fallerian, the proximity had meant that the Fallerian root certificate resided on her old, broken pad.

  "So I am yours for today," she almost purred.

  She had taken a much deeper meaning into his good deed for the day. He shook his head. "Nothing's ged, you know, just a guide. Sorry. Ah, here es the food."

  Huge ptes were pced in front of them. On his pte was a lone biscuit, and on Patty's some sweets that looked like three cut-off fingers, not helped by the red-purple almost blood-like sauce, although the chef had painted a nice floral pattero them. And Kora's pte had a morsel-sized blob of krantaworm purree with three small greens, probably local.

  There was also a gss of watered-down berry cider for Patty and him. It was a sour and slightly bitter drink, not his favourite. But Kora savoured it. So he donned his cider for her too.

  The drink that he had ordered, the Kores was okay, well, it tasted as if they had used a powder for the trets and the spices were a bit weak. But then, the station had been cut off from the outside for several days. And most important, it was hot, just what he needed. Even if the ic was not as cold as most of the station.

  "Thank you, Marik."

  Either the suppressant had stopped w, or the cider was affeg her, Kora was rexing. Without any encement, she told her story, of the seventh and you of her tribe. Her mother was raped when she was as young as Kora. She then decided to keep the child and sought another ce to get pregnant. She gave birth to seven children by unknown fathers, male guests at parties, until she was too old to be called upon for such escort services. She then worked as an assistant nurse and made sure that her children got an education.

  Because of the different fathers, her sister had been very different. She had the stro Ketcher pattern. But she was not the smartest, she admitted. She pleted the mandated seven years of school and started w as soon as she showed signs of adolesce, four years ago. Her mother still watched over her, keeping her out of dodgy gigs, and she had her reading medical books too.

  Patty listened with her snout half open aail wagging. Kora was certainly not a good role model for an easily impressed kitten. Then again, being a pilot was not much better. But let the hatgs dream, a Fallerian saying goes.

  "So what brings a human here? How are human families?

  "I was found on the Fallerian III station," he began. "You know Fallerians?" She shook her head. "They are not human. They are beetles, most of them smaller than I am."

  "Beetles?"

  "Is, er. Hard shell, six or more limbs. Like very rge Krataz." At least she nodded. "Anyway, so I had tarents, beetles. But on Fallerian are a lot of intelligent races, so it wasn't too bad growing up as a human; almost everyone in the css was of a different shape. At about 13 standard years, school ends for everyone. I had passed the pilot exam, did some in-system work a out, spent the wo standard years oher side of the gaxy."

  "The other side of the gaxy. A you chose a cat!" Kora sounded proud; and defiipsy.

  "I haven't met many humans, only modded ones. By human ws, I am too young to work. So I avoided their systems."

  That sobered her a little. "Poor thing, so lonely."

  "No, I'm fine. Solo flying is ok, and you have the AI too. And sometimes passengers. That's how I met Rerra." He spoke briefly about that first wild ride on her ship. Again, Kot at best half of it, never been even in spaot helped by her background and being tipsy. She grabbed his arm again, but then the words seemed to have fled from her.

  Maybe they should leave this restaurant. So he turo Patty. "Patty, you see, I am safe. We should get you back to the den."

  "You mean go outside?" Kora looked again more sober.

  "One deck up, it's very close."

  Kora stood and took a few deep breaths. "Let's go." She was very steady for such a rge person, walking ooes and with the three ciders.

  * * *

  Patty protested but finally yielded to Kora's authority who did as he told her. But his word did not t for Patty. A male had no and, she said. Kora just smiled knowingly.

  At Petra, they were happy to hear that the fighting was over. Still, Kit stood with them in the corridor with a long bread knife while Eli only came out oo offer Kora and him a snack.

  They returned quickly, not wanting to linger on a station with no one in charge and things not improving. The fighting may start any time again. At least that would happen in the dramas.

  He only realised how tense he had beehey stood inside of the ic.

  Just before them, a silver-grey cat had ehe id was received by two of the ic cats. But it was not the grey of old age, even though the best days of that cat were in her past. They waited at the entrance as the three cats quickly disappeared.

  "That was a Samul," Kora whispered, "maybe things are gettier."

  He did not know much. But Samul was the other leading , Rerra's other friend was also from Samul. Maybe iations had beguer than fighting, for sure. He would not mind having wasted money on the guns.

  "Marik."

  He looked up.

  "Eyes straight!" and she wiggled her top.

  He felt the blood rush to his fad looked down.

  "Sorry," Kora said, "but in the dramas that work. You are not like the rollic humans there."

  He didn't know what to say. And although he did not know the word rollic, the meaning was clear. So he decided to ge the subject. "She had a very nice long tail. Even lohan yours."

  Kora peered down the corridor, but the Samul cat was long gone, again not in full view. Sighing, she her tail tip in her paws and held it in front, wearing a very uncatlike expression. Finally, "You really care about tails?"

  "Yes, tails are cool. And in zero g you could hook onto something. All hands free."

  "Ouch, even thinking about it." Kora looked at him, then shook her head.

  "But you don't need much strength with low acceleration. And a good terweight too. And so much expression. And good for cuddling."

  Kora smiled again. "On those points, I agree. You really do like tails."

  He blushed but nodded anyway. "Yes, must be cool to have one."

  Kora smiled. "We have some time it seems. Let's meet my oldest sister."