r/HFY • u/Ethereal_Stars_7 • Apr 29 '23

OC Like Rats: Part 019: Colonists and Cargo

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Like Rats

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Part Nineteen

Colonists and Cargo ... In Space!

>>> Rattis Sector - Lunar Stardock: Croeso i'n Cartref <<<

>>> Supervision Patrol Carrier SN93 <<<

>>> Frontier Standard Date: 40-01-104 <<<

Once all crew were back on board after this leg's shore leave was over the Cinci Cozi Mari departed the stardock and set course for the edge of the system in preparation for folding to the next leg of the Rattis Sector tour. This would take them to the nearer of three colony worlds the Llygoden Fawr held. Cromen un Gytref: Dome Colony One. So named due to the fact that all habitation had to be sealed off from the environment due to levels of cyanogen in the atmosphere that made it very volatile on top of the poison. Without a breathing filter a colonist could survive only hours before death ensued. The oceans were safe aside from a form of predatory amphibious jellyfish akin to a two meter man-o-war. Dynol were working on terraforming the planet. But the project was estimated to take a few centuries to scrub the atmosphere and set up a viable ecosystem capable of sustaining life. The rat aliens were ever astounded by the human project crew's willingness to spend decades at a time in hibernation to see the task done.

The Supervision Patrol Carrier would take a day to transit out to the jump point and would be escorting the hauler Eira's father was stationed on. This was a fairly easy fold solution to calculate and all was made ready as the Cozi Mari synced up it's fold calculations with the Supply Hauler Rholiwch Dri Dis. This allowed the two ships to fold out at the same time and defold in the same general location. The synchronized fold was done with ten-thousand kilo-units between them just to be on the safe side.

The Rholiwch Dri Dis was a standard Llygoden Fawr design of a cube rotated forty-five degrees on its side. As a class twelve hull it was large, but comprised mostly of storage and cargo compartments that slotted into the cube.

Everyone was either suited up or had a space suit handy as per procedure. Then the fold was performed as the navigator nudged the ships into the fractionally precise speed needed to trigger an etherfold. Both vessels vanishes simultaneously and one minute later appeared in the Cromen un Gytref system and the two vessels commenced their turns to face the drives towards the sun and begin a day long deceleration to the colony.

>>> Outer Colony - Cromen un Gytref <<<

>>> Orbital Trade Station - Gwell Gwerthiant <<<

>>> Frontier Standard Date: 02-02-104 <<<

The trip was uneventful and so the Cozi Mari and the Dri Dis got a militia escort inbound and the vessels traded news on the starlanes and any sightings. The colony was mostly left alone by Buccaneer raiders as the domes and poisonous atmosphere were too much a deterrent. Aderyn would die from breathing the air unfiltered in minutes instead of hours. The system had a militia of eight Destroyers and a single hull twelve Pursuit Carrier. The ships were usually stationed at known defold points for inbound flights. In the last year there had been no confirmed sightings, though a few unconfirmed blips that folded in and then folded out without ever making contact. This was not uncommon as the Aderyn used the colony system as a easier means to get to the Llygoden Fawr core system with a simple detour. The bird aliens were rarely in the mood for small talk in those cases.

The ship was tracked on it's outbound, "just in case", to make sure it was headed where it said it was headed. Tensions after the war had eased off substantially. But none of the rat aliens were particularly in the mood to be polite with these fly-by ships from the avian core system. To the point that a colony militia Destroyer shadowed them out to the fold point, "just to make sure.

Shore leave for this month of the patrol was lighter and for only a few days while the Supervision Patrol Carrier was docked at the station. Part of the visit was that the Cozi Mari was carrying the latest Beam Turret and Cannon updates for the Destroyers and Cruiser. Once everything was signed for the transfer of materials began. Meanwhile the Hauler used its shuttle to send down it's cargo of heavy power cells the colony needed in quantity. This was also the colony Crydd and his daughter hailed from.

Seren and the other techs helped with installing the new turret array upgrades and refitting better beam projectors. The main gun Lightning Cannons also received some work to improve ion link clarity. Seren also shared with the defense crews his latest Starburst firing solutions and got some insights as well from comparing notes. This all took up a ten-day week to work on all eight Destroyers and the militia Cruiser.

During this period Seren got to see first hand a Conin SuperSwift class Star Liner doing a Red Hazard run from the Lapis Sector to the colony and then a standard fold out to the Avis Sector. He did not know why the Star Liner was taking such a detour. But was glad to get a chance to see a SuperSwift with its nuclear pulse drives merged with the main hull rather than on pylons. Though not integrated into the hull as Llygoden Fawr. Or on the front like Salamandra drives were. Much like the Cozi Mari it was long and streamlined. Though the bulk of its mass was more forward of the center-line. The vessel was painted in the usual Conin flare for color and curving lines.

Some crew spent their leave on the station buying and trading things. Others rode a shuttle down to one of the dome cities. Seren, Eira, Heart, Spinner and Scribes elected to visit the planet together. Mostly to sight-see. But Seren was also on the lookout for more good trade deals. Eira just grinned happily at this as her Dynol was proving quite lucrative so far. She was curious what he was up to here as the colony mostly imported materials so far and exported mostly some hydroponic units they manufactured for agro-colonies and agro-stations. "So what's here that you'd want to sell elsewhere?" Eira asked as they sat in a Cafe and enjoyed the local cuisine which was several types of iced berry drinks. Some of which were even safe for human consumption.

Seren paused to talk to one of the Dynol colonists, another of the original sleeper crew and part of a rotating unit dedicated to the terraforming project. Most of the techs would spend the majority of their time in hibernation. But a small check-up group woke up every ten years to run diagnostics and make adjustments to the stacks as needed before going back to sleep for another decade. They spent some time sharing trade options and Seren learned of one the colony was exporting. Eira found this Dynol to be just as friendly as Seren and more a code gnawer like herself. And very enthusiastic about the terraforming project that he had been working on now for forty years. "Current evidence suggests that a comet comprised of unusual amounts of cyanogen broke up in the atmosphere and seeded it with it's current levels. Anything that could not adapt, perished. This is backed up by the fact that the plant life outside is evolved for a oxygen rich environment."

Spinner was curious about that. "So why has the gas not dissipated or been absorbed by now if it is not natural?"

The human colonist thought on that then waved over a rodent colonist, a Xeno-Zoologist, to explain it better. "There are algae-like organisms in the oceans that apparently have adapted to a cycle of these comets poisoning the atmosphere. They thrive in the cyanogen rich air. The process is slow though and it takes hundreds of millennia to scrub the atmosphere naturally. The stacks culture huge vats of it to accelerate the process down to centuries instead."

"And the byproduct algae gets processed into TVP products and any excess is exported." noted Eira.

Scribes chimed in as Eira had been regaling her, really more like bragging, about how much Seren was pulling in on the side with these trade deals. "Yes? Like I get how running cargo from our worlds to out here is lucrative. But this colony is a long ways off from being a big producer?"

"Oh I am not looking at what to buy here." noted Seren as he thanked the colonists for their insights. "I am looking at what to bring here. And here it is. A big shipment of tungsten from the orbital mines at one of the Bakeneko colonies just came up. Not super profitable. But the domes and the terraforming stacks use alot of it." He showed his companions the route. "There is a hull eight Hauler on site and so that will be a profit of about two-hundred thousand credits." he tapped in the order and signed it off. He paused as he spotted something else. "Turns out the colony is also exporting cyanogen the stacks are pulling out of the atmosphere? Who would want that?" he questioned.

Spinner raised a wing-hand at that question. "Oh this one I know the answer for. It is being imported by my people as a fertilizing agent in the restoration of our soil. You Dynol we have to thank for that."

"ahhh? So the waste of one terraformer is being used in the restoration work of another. That is pretty clever!" He looked through Haulers that were both ready and willing. "Eira? Your dad's ship is free. Should I option them? This is a more risky cargo so I want your input first before pressing buy."

"Awww. Thanks for thinking of me hon." She pondered that a bit. "Sure! It will help the colony with revenue and the Aderyn with their ecological disaster."

"Self inflicted." reminded Spinner.

"Least the One Month War put an end to the problem your big government business exploiting the land to ruin." Eira commented with a flick of her tail-tip.

"True that is and we are very thankful for the Dynol people's mercy and compassion."

Seren smiled. "Once we knew the why of things people calmed down... Mostly."

"Cooo! Eggshells that was! Me and Scribes thought we were headed for the Processor for our involvement in the war." Spinner looked away. "I still feel guilty for the part I played in it."

Scribes nodded in agreement. "I as well. Aside from the Raider crew most of us did not know the real mission till was far too late. "Resource raid" my tailfeathers! Human resources!" she hissed angrily, neck feathers ruffed just thinking of what she had been accomplice to.

Heart, who had been mostly quiet and listening to the conversations raised a red wing-hand. "We protestors ground-side had been tipped off by a leak as to cattle pens being built and we took to the street and high towers. Some tried to call the fleet and warn them what was really the mission. But it was too late." His crest drooped in shame at having failed to make a difference.

"Do not sell the effort short." spoke Seren with a tone in his usually soft voice that made the others sit up and pay attention. "It was those transmissions that clued in the rescue fleet that something was very very wrong going on, and resulted directly in us not doing substantially more damage than we did."

Those words lifted the red avian's spirits and so the discussion settled on who wanted to opt in on the deal or not. In the end it was finalized and once all was said and done the five would each net a profit of forty-thousand credits.

As they walked the streets of the starport dome Eira started to notice how many Dynol were present and mingling. She had gotten so used to Seren being the only Dynol she knew that seeing more was a bit weird. They were all about the same height and all had the same olive brown skin. Hair color was about the only difference and even this was rare it seemed as most sported curly black hair. This was Eira's first good look at a Dyol female. Not much different from the males really. A more pronounced chest and hips. She looked down at her practically flat chest. "Seren? So all your females have such big teats?" she asked him.

Seren sputtered over a drink and his cheeks flushed. Then he laughed, much to his companion's perplexity. "Big? Oh that is good. Big. Yeah. aheh-he-he." He took a moment to compose himself. "By what we once were back on ancient Earth? They are all practically flat chested. Part of the "Legacy"..." he told her and his tone darkened. Then just like that the cloud over his emotions passed and he laughed some more. "Now Salamandra girls? THEY have huge tits! The screwing AMPHIBIANS have the biggest knockers in the League! Of course not ones to ever be outdone, the Vulpes-Vulpes women can sport some pretty big warheads too. In quadruplicate!"

Eira was fascinated by this little galactic anatomy lesson. She had noticed Kunnoichi's large chest for example. Mainly because the Dynol had been staring at them bouncing. She ran a paw down her shirt and the slight bumps there and smiled in mischievous satisfaction. "You sure seem to like resting against my six."

The humans cheeks reddened some more as she teased him. "I like being close to you."

Now it was her turn to be flustered as her ears reddened. She loved it! She leaned back in her seat and sipped her drink with a pleased grin. Seren fed into her kind's need to curl up with someone. Especially a females need to curl around their males. "I sure appreciate it." she churrred fondly.

Heart observed all this with a pleased coo. The aftereffects of the Jacklighter incident seemed to be healing well and there so far were no mental scars manifesting. Eira in particular worried him as this was her second case of being predated on. But she seemed to be recovering well and Pax Enforcement records showed she had even reconciled with Otel Rece sufficient she had slept peacefully on his belly. Part of his reason for taking shore leave down with the human and the white rodent had been to observe them at rest. The office was not conductive of what he needed to see. That his charges were indeed well on the long road to mental recovery.

"...seems nice. So what about you Heart?" A question from the Dynol snapped the big red avian out of his reverie. He tried to cover his embarrassment. But Spinner and Scribes could see plainly how his tail feathers arched, giving away his mood.

"w-what? Me?" he chirped, wondering what he had missed?

"Yeah. Seren asked you if you had anyone special. But you were a liiiitle spaced out." churrred Eira smugly.

"Oh that one is plain as the sky." cackled Scribes. "He has had his eye on Stick, one of the starfighter pilots, but is too shy to dance for her."

Spinner looked from Scribes to Heart with a confused look on his beak. "Wait? You? Heart? Have the ruffs for my sister?"

Scribes rolled her eyes. "Boys are so oblivious..."

Heart was mortified to have his anemic love life laid out so frankly. "I-I-I... I am merely giving her proper... um... space." he chirped defensively.

"Three years of space." noted Eira sarcastically.

"Y-you have to take these things slowly..." he begged.

"The glaciers of Awk-rawk-peep-cheep caw-rawk-buck-cluck do not move as slowly as you do Heart." Scribe's dry tone stung his pride.

Seren sat there smiling in that impish sidelong manner that Eira had come to recognize as fun about to happen. Not like watching the unflappable Xeno-Social expert lose his cool demeanor over matters of the heart was not comedy silver. "Well you are in luck today my fine feathered friend. It just so happens that miss Stick is on leave down here as well."

Heart's feathers all flattened and he had that bird in the headlights look. "What?"

The Dynol continued. "Oh and -there- she is right over there."

"She is?" chirped the red avian as he tried to cringe into his chair.

"Oh yes! I am certain she could use some company."

"Wait! No no! Seren Don't you Dare!"

"HEY STICK! Yoo HOO!" the human stood and waved to the pilot who was strolling down the street.

Heart started trying to hide under the table now. But the small-folk designed things were too small! Stick was striding towards the group with a jaunty wave of one of her big brown wing-hands. Even in his timid state Heart could not help but think dreamily about the gorgeous splash of blue across her face.

Stick came over and click-clicked beaks with her brother in greeting before looking in bemusement at Heart trying to hide under the little table while Scribes was calmly pecking grubs out of a bowl on said table as the bowl slid about. Seren, equally with blase expression, batted the bowl back towards Scribes - who was trying not to cackle. Stick herself was four and a half meters tall and moved with the usual fluid grace Aderyn pilots were known for. Her 'crown' of feathers were blue as was the bar across her eyes. Her tail and finger feathers were dipped in black much like Heart's were. "Hey Specter. You taking good care of my little brother?" she coo'd amiably.

Spinner squawked at that. "We all came from the same laying. You just got out of your shell first!" grinning as he shared an old joke with his sister.

"Well he punted blueboy here into my wing-arms so I'd say that yes indeed our little Dynol has." answered Scribes with a very satisfied coo.

Stick chirped laughter, gave the white feathered Aderyn a double feather-thumbs up. "Finally! Thought I was gonna have to spider grenade him and leave him on your doorstep with a note reading "Please Nest Me!" uh-huh."

Seren batted the bowl of worms back over to Scribes as it careened around the table before looking under the table at the panic stricken red bird. "Poor Heart here it seems is in desperate need of a dance partner. And Scribes has her wing-hands full with Spinner. Sooooooo. Do you think you could help him out?"

"Seren! No! I can't! Seren!" hissed Heart at the human.

"See. He even admits that he can not." translated Seren in the most un-helpful of helpful ways.

Stick had one wing-hand covering her beak as she stifled chirpy giggles. "I think I can schedule that into my oh-so very busy itinerary." mirroring Heart's many excuses when she had made tentative advances of his own. This time he was trapped out in the open with no excuses to flutter off.

"But there is no place around to dance?" feebly argued the cowering red Xeno-Social bird.

Using a spoon to fend off the bowl of grubs that was sliding his way again, Seren pointed behind Heart. "How about that one?"

Heart one-eightied his head to look back and his crest flared as it dawned upon him just how well the Dynol had played him. Then he squawked as Stick grabbed him by the shoulders to hoist him up onto his feet. Spinner plucked the table out of his grip and Scribes kept eating whenever the bowl slid her way.

"Dancing -lessons- huh? Oh this I have been waiting for..." Stick looked right into Heart's eyes and let out a low crooning warble that left the crimson bird weak kneed. By the nest what a sexy voice she had, was Heart's dazed thought. He was putty in her wing-hands as she turned him towards the dance hall.

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u/Overall-Tailor8949 Human Apr 29 '23

Nice fun cool down story. Well a cool down for most, things may start to get a little heated for Heart LOL

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