Nyx yelps, her fur floofing as a beeping returns her to her thoughts and away from the bliss of head pats and ear scratches.

  Cai chuckles, “Relax, it’s just the colony.”

  He continues to pet her, and just the thought of her letting herself lose herself while being petted while curled up in his lap mortifies her. And the thought of seeing that old woman see her in his lap mortifies her even more, “Cai! Goddum it! Be stoppin’ it!”

  She hops off Cai and notices Blackie staring at her jealously.

  Cai chuckles, “Get over here, boy. I haven’t been giving you much cuddle time lately, have I?”

  Blackie meows and hops up to his lap, giving Nyx a look like he’d won, before curling under Cai’s petting, his own purr starting.

  Nyx blushes as she watches Cai while he pets Blackie. Did she look like that just now?

  Cai pushes a button on the desk, “This is the Donati.”

  The hologram returns. It’s the old woman with the angry face, “Mr. Halley, we’ve reviewed the footage and found it to be legitimate. We also used audio enhancement and discovered what Ms. Nyx heard was correct. There was mention of the criminals coming to Mars. We also managed to make out the faces of the ones who murdered the children. Currently, we’re using our database to see if we have any voice or face matches for the ones in the video.”

  Nyx’s heart races as she hears this. If they can find them on the database, it’ll save her lots of time.

  Cai nods as he pets the purring Blackie, and Nyx feels only a little jealous, “Is there anything I can do to help? I can use the Donati’s sensor suite. It can detect anomalous magnetic fields and such a fair distance underneath the surface.”

  She glances down at Blackie, then back to Cai, “Mr. Halley, we won’t stop you if you choose to scan the surface. However, it is us that has a request.” She closes her eyes and sighs, “Normally we stay out of the affairs of those who have partaken in genetic modification, as I’m sure you’re aware considering you lived through the war.”

  Cai looks a little confused, but nods, “I’m listening.”

  “I’m sure you’re aware of the attack on our colony, am I correct?”

  Another nod from Cai, “Yeah. I’ve heard you’re having food shortages because you can’t repair the hydroponics damaged in the attack.”

  “That is correct, Mr. Halley. We believe the attacks on Barnard Station and our colony were by a third party targeting the group you’re looking for.”

  Nyx gasps in surprise, “What the spark!?” Her crew hadn’t been in the attack, but they knew about it. She didn’t know why, but the captain always looked sour if anyone mentioned it. She wonders now if they should have talked to the captain to see if he knew anything.

  Cai glances at Nyx, then back, “It sounds like you already had suspicions before we came. But where do I come in?”

  Heidi looks like she isn’t happy with what she’s going to say next, “As for where you come in, Mr. Halley? Records show you have fabricators. The pirates damaged ours in the attack and stole the replacement parts. If you could make the parts for us we’re sending now, we’ll give you information as we get it and we’ll tell you what little we already know.”

  Cai looks at Nyx, then back to the woman, “I do have something else you can help me with, but I agree to the information exchange for part. Nyx has a heart defect probably caused by severe malnutrition. I could do the surgery here, but it would be safer if she had it done in a fully staffed hospital. Other than that, I’m fine with the information exchange.”

  Her face softens, “That is acceptable. I’m sending you what we have now, but it’s information limited to some captured pirates from the attack. They told us someone promised them food and parts if they found something. We’ve also attached intercepted communications we’ve had from listening posts.” She pauses, and different screens pop up around the video feed, one a list of parts Nyx can’t read well, “As for the other matter, bring Ms. Nyx here so I can talk to her.”

  Cai stands up, a disgruntled Blackie jumping to the floor as he does so.

  Nyx huffs at Blackie as she walks by him and sits in the chair.

  She looks at Heidi, “I’m bein’ here. What’cha be needin’?”

  Heidi glances at Nyx’s ears again, “Ms. Nyx. Do we have your permission to do this surgery?”

  Nyx nods one, “Dum right you do! If ya can be fixin’ my heart, I’m wantin’ ya to do it.” She pauses, “Uh… please.”

  Heidi types something as she continues, “This is more personal, but we could have you meet an older Felis woman. She lives here with her husband and half-Felis child, and she’s requested that if we find other Felis, she wants to meet them. You and she are the last two Felis we know of.”

  This catches Nyx off guard, “There’s bein’ another Felis?”

  “Yes, there were others, but they’ve left.”

  Nyx’s ears perk up, “Spark yeah, I wanna be seein’ her. What’s her name bein’?”

  “Allison Keys. We’ll let her know you’re coming.”

  Nyx feels excited. She likes Cai, but just the thought of being with another Felis makes her feel less alone, “Thanks! Do I need to be doin’ anything before commin’?”

  Heidi shakes her head, “No.” She enters something into her console, “Mr. Halley, I will send you coordinates within the hour to land.”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Cai moves into frame, putting his hand on Nyx’s head, “Alright, I’ll get to making the parts you requested. Some of them will take a few days, so I’ll prioritize the things that can be made quickly.”

  Heidi gives a curt nod, “Very well. We will keep in touch.”

  The video call ends.

  Nyx looks at Cai, “Cai! I’m not bein’ the only dum Felis!”

  He scratches her ears, causing her to purr, “That’s awesome, Nyx. Since you’re staying with her, you should pack some clothes. And no boxers unless you wear them under something else. People will give you strange looks if you do.”

  “Why the spark not? They’re bein’ very nice and happy.”

  “Nyx, just trust me on this.” He steps away, “Now, I’m going to prepare some food to take. There’s us, and three of them in the family? I should have enough meat for that many people…”

  He leaves the room, and Nyx is drooling, thinking about meat.

  Nyx goes to her room, and digs around. She finds a bag and packs.

  Cai’s made a lot of clothing for her, and most of it she hasn’t looked at yet. There’s another sundress that’s the color of her hair, a soft gold. There’s a few sets of clothing made from the same soft fabric that are fairly cute, labeled: Pajamas. Some shorts made of a stretchy material that look like they’ll fit her snugly: exercise shorts. Shirts that look like they won’t billow in zero g or show much of her curves in soft blues, pinks, and white. Some are short enough to expose her belly, which she likes: blouses, and such. There are boxers, of course. Then there're thin scraps labeled ‘panties’ that she tosses aside in disgust. He wants her to walk around in those? There’s even something labeled ‘bras’ but she has zero idea what they’re for so tosses them to the side with the panties.

  Nyx shoves the clothes into a bag, then goes into the bathroom and cleans herself up.

  She finds Cai packing a large insulated box with food, “Cai! I’m bein’ hungry!”

  She drops her bag onto the floor, and peers into the box. It’s got eggs, beef, two types of pink meats, apples, the yellow fruit that she guesses are the lemon things, some of the orange plants that remind her of nails, a round red fruit that isn’t an apple, and other things.

  Cai nods, “Okay, let’s make a light lunch while we wait. How about cheese and crackers?”

  Nyx perks up, “Ya be meanin’ the stuff that’s smellin’ like feet?”

  She recalls Cai speaking fondly of the stuff and is curious how something that smells like that could taste good.

  Cai goes to the fridge and pulls out some cheese and some fruit that’s some purple balls attached to the plant and places everything in front of her.

  Cai also opens a cupboard and takes out a box of crackers, “Here. Some grapes to go with it.” He places the crackers and a knife in front of her. “I’m going to milk Alice. Do you want to watch?”

  Nyx turns to find Alice lazily chewing on something next to her food.

  The critter still creeps her out, so she’s been ignoring it.

  “Spark no. That critter’s bein’ weird.”

  Cai shrugs and takes a bucket out of a cupboard, “I guess cows do have weird faces.”

  Alice stands as Cai approaches her.

  Nyx stares at the cow’s udders. Milk really came from those, and Cai drinks it? Other thoughts appear in her mind that she pushes out of her head, and she blushes.

  Cai places the bucket under Alice and grabs her nipples. With? squeezing and pulling motions, milk shoots out of the nipples. Instead of drooling, she unconsciously covers her chest and turns away. Watching was making her uncomfortable in ways she’d never been uncomfortable before.

  She looks at the cheese. Cai really made this using milk?

  She takes a knife and a cracker and scoops up some of it. It’s soft and gives off a rich smell that’s not as strong as the other cheese in the fridge.

  She takes a lick.

  It’s rich and creamy, and she purrs at the flavor. No wonder Cai makes it.

  Nyx spreads the cheese on the cracker and eats it. The cracker adds a hint of saltiness and adds a flavor that completes the flavor. So she digs in and discovers the grape things are just as delicious.

  Some time later, Cai returns with a cup of milk, “Wow, leave some for me.” He chuckles as he sits next to her and prepares his own cracker. “Fresh milk straight from Alice.”

  Nyx sniffs the milk. It’s still warm, which only makes her a little creeped out. This was inside Alice only a few minutes ago, and now she would drink it.

  Cai’s wrist computer beeps, “Yes, this is the Donati. Cai Halley speaking.”

  “This is Sandel Colony’s port authority. You are cleared for landing at pad 3.”

  “Roger, port, we’ll send you our approach vector.”

  “Understood, Donati, Sandel Colony out.”

  Cai turns to Nyx, “You packed? We still have a few minutes.”

  Nyx looks at her bag, “Yep. Even was putin’ my hair and toothbrush.”

  Cai nods, “Good. Let’s secure them, then we can pass the time doing something.”

  They both get up.

  Nyx looks at Mars below them as they approach. She’d been to Mars before, and even used her spacesuit to leave the Gaper with an excuse to repair something so she could look.

  It was beautiful, even with the scars on its surface where several colonies and outposts had been before being destroyed in the war.

  “Cai, what was the Earth bein’ like?”

  Cai swallows one of the last crackers, “Beautiful. Mars is nice to look at, but Earth’s blue oceans, white clouds, and the greens and browns of the continents put Mars to shame.” He pauses, “Donati, show us the Earth.”

  The table’s holo projector comes to life. She’s seen pictures of Earth before and wished she could see it out the window like they could see Mars. That’s where all life came from. The world that was now missing, “What are ya thinkin’ happened to it?”

  Cai shrugs, “No one left knows. Some think it was some FTL accident from some megaproject that made the Earth jump to FTL, but the energy required for that is beyond human tech by orders of magnitude. Some say an artificial black hole swallowed it, but since there’s no black hole left, there’s no way it’s that. Others think it was God, and the Earth was raptured and he took it to… wherever God lives. As for what I think? I have no clue.”

  He gets up and cleans the table while Nyx studies the Earth, “Ya be thinkin’ we’ll be findin’ another Earth out there?”

  He shrugs, “That’s the plan. Sandel Colony was setting up Mars for terraforming, but the pirates set them back decades. Mining ships attacked, construction crews robbed… And with no shipbuilding capabilities and pirates having control of the surviving military ships, there’s not much anyone can do. Part of the reason I never came back. I’m honestly surprised no pirates have approached yet, but I guess we’ve only been here for an hour or so, so they might not have spotted us.”

  He cleans the knife and puts it away.

  Nyx drinks her milk. She’s mostly gotten over the source of it considering how delicious it is.

  She gets up, “We bein’ safe on Mars?”

  Nyx walks to the sink and looks at the soap, she’s not going to make Cai clean up all of her mess.

  Cai shrugs again, “Yeah, should be safe. So safe, I’m actually thinking of telling the Donati to refuel while we’re on Mars, then come back in two days to drop off the parts and pick us up if we need to leave.”

  He straps in as she washes and puts the dishes away.

  Mars now fills the Donati’s window, and she realizes for the first time, she’ll be setting foot on a planet. Well, one that isn’t simulated.

  Soon, she’s buckled in, and the Donati shakes as they enter Mar’s atmosphere.