Lucas McGuire

The Lost and the Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 15:59:42 GMT

“Get that badger to the dropship, NOW!” The Imperial General yelled. The grey wolf hid himself behind an arch in the corridor, firing blind shots at the Hunters following his team. Behind the wolf was a long corridor that opened at the end to a cathedral-shaped public-access hangar. Through the door the soldiers could see their dropship waiting for them. The General had told them to keep the engines hot and white mist was venting off the engines. It took four soldiers to drag Bodie along down the hall towards the Imperial dropship. Even with his arms behind his back he was dangerous. The badger grunted as he fought against his restraints. The tricky monsters had not only cuffed his hands, but put a restraint around his elbows, making a quick roll and flip to get his arms to his front impossible. The soldier holding his left foot got a little too close and Bodie struck out at him, sending the hapless wolf barreling backwards. The wolf carrying him under his left shoulder growled at him.

“Hold still, Pagrian slime or i’ll–” A blaster bolt ended his sentence a few words early. Bodie slammed to the deck a moment later. He bent over and looked down the hall. Clay had a rifle pointed in his direction, Frank was under him firing his pistol wildly, and Anita was hurling shock discs at anyone who got in their way. As they progressed down the hall, Clay activated a big personal shield on his bracer and pulled Frank behind it as a hail of shots came their way.

“Frank! Watch your head!” Clay grumbled. Behind the crocodile a wild battle churned. Toby and Ty bounced from hunter to hunter, trading blows. Ty leapt right and fired a grappling cable around a wolverine’s arms, trapping him against a cheetah. Toby slammed smoke blasters into the ground and pulled shock sticks off his back as he rolled under a rhino and dove towards a warthog with a growling sneer.

It was becoming hard to keep track of where everyone was as Frank felt his heart thump under his chin. Clay’s armor bumped into his ear as he crouched behind the crocodile’s shield. His focus crystallized as he caught sight of his brother down the hall, being dragged by the feet towards the docks. It was like watching demons drag someone to hell. It simply wouldn’t do and Frank was going to stop them.

He looked up at Clay, then looked at the croc’s belt. He popped open one of the utility pockets and pulled out a pulse grenade. With a grunt he launched it at a wall, where it ricocheted, bounced off the floor, thumped off the side of an Imperial marine, and detonated. Everyone within ten paces of the blast fell to the floor. The pulse deactivated all the electrically controlled weapons within its radius. Luckily for Bodie, it also deactivated his cuffs.

The Imperial soldiers holding the badger’s limbs froze. He smiled up at them with a toothy grin. A second later, Bodie twisted himself free, kicked one of the soldiers against the wall, and hopped to his feet. His striped face turned to the white wolf, his eyes full of fury. They both growled and squared up. Clicks and beeps came from all the weapons around them as the previously disabled weapons reset themselves as the pulse dissipated. Then Vargana, in a flash, drew her pistol from under her coat. Before she could fire, Bodie rolled forward, plucked a pistol off a fallen imperial wolf, and fired a single shot through the plasma chamber of her weapon. It burst in her hand with a bright flash. She cried out in pain and held the paw close as she bared her teeth and backed away. Her pistol clanked to the ground as she looked at her smoking paw. The room seemed to shrink to just the two of them. The echoes of the battle in the Great Hall sounded far away. The wolf’s voice was scared and shrill.

“Stand down! That’s an ORDER!” She shouted. Bodie simply shook his head.

“Leave now, Vargana. End this before more people get hurt.”

“NO!” She screamed. “This is MY HOME! You’ll have to kill me first!”

“I think I can do better than that. Put your hands behind your back. You’re under arrest.”

Vargana laughed, pulled a knife out from under her jacket, and charged forward. When she was within striking distance, Bodie stepped back and to the side, letting her get off balance. He clamped onto her arm and struck into her ribs. She dropped the knife from her controlled hand and caught it with her free hand. As the blade swung towards him, Bodie twisted away, using his weight to draw her forward. Vargana flipped over. As she felt herself going over, she kicked off the ground and flipped onto her feet. She wrapped her arm around the badger’s neck and stabbed her knife into his back.

Frank cried out. He’d been watching the whole fight from behind Clay’s shield. The otter’s chest was tight. He choked down a breath as he waited to see what happened next. Vargana smiled and leaned into Bodie’s ear. “If I can’t give them you, your apprentice will do just fine.”

Bodie roared. He reached up over his head, grabbed the white wolf by the ear, and flipped her over his head. She thumped to the ground with a WHUMP and Bodie stood up. He turned and lifted up his arm, looking for the knife. He reached behind his back and tugged until the knife came out with a thin line of blood trickling off the tip. Bodie took a breath and winced before letting out a laugh.

“Awww, there’s a huge hole in my coat! Do you have any idea how expensive this under layer was?!” He threw the knife to the deck so hard it bounced. “Now I’m ticked off!”

Vargana rolled away from his paws as he reached for her and found a pistol on a dead leopard. Bodie dropped to the ground as she fired over him, swung his leg around, and knocked the pistol from her paw. With a twist he pushed off the ground and kicked hard into her side. The badger stood back up, fists at his sides, ready for the next round. “How many of those have you got, lady?”

Clay and Frank made their way down the hall to where Bodie and Vargana were squaring off. Just past them the Imperial soldiers were turning tail and heading for their dropship. The General ordered a retreat as he limped down the walkway to the boarding ramp of his ship. Behind Clay the rest of the guild was a sprawling, writhing tangle of Hunters of all kinds battling it out. To Toby and Anita’s surprise most of the other Hunters were lining up alongside them to keep the betraying Hunters from joining Vargana. One of them was already cuffed and hanging by the wrists from a light fixture.

“Fergus! Go help your brother!” Toby called over his shoulder.

“I still think you’re a buttmunch!” Frank said before he took off down the hall. “But I’m changing my mind a little! Thank you!”

Clay and Frank arrived at Bodie’s side. Vargana, realizing she was outnumbered, started backing away with a sneer. Bodie attacked first. He swung in sharp, precise arcs that Vargana blocked one at a time until she had an opening and kicked at Bodie’s knife wound. As Bodie rolled away, Clay rumbled in. The white wolf had to dodge the croc’s armored arms, then noticed Frank was moving towards her. Her white foot kicked out and stuck Frank in the chest, sending him spiraling to the floor. He sat up with a huff and got back to his feet as Bodie recovered. Vargana took three steps back. Bodie, Clay, and Frank faced her together.

Cheers erupted down the hall. The last of the betrayers had been captured. The last of the Imperial soldiers ran up the ramp to the dropship in the hangar. Vargana was alone.

“Vargana, stand down!” Bodie grunted as he straightened up. Her eyes darted back and forth between the badger, the otter, and the crocodile standing in front of her. Her chest heaved from her ragged breathing. Behind her the dropship rumbled off the deck and flew out into the afternoon sun.

“NO! I AM THE GUILD MASTER AND I–” Clay blasted her with a stun shot from his rifle. She folded on the ground like a piece of paper hit by a baseball. Frank and Bodie looked up at him. The croc smiled to himself.

“Huh. Think my trigger finger is getting a cramp.” The croc flexed his clawed hand for them to see. “Oops.”

Stunned laughter echoed in the hall as they breathed a sigh of relief. Bodie slapped cuffs on the white wolf. She was down. Vargana was no longer a threat. Frank stuck himself under Bodie’s arm and tried to hold him up on his feet. Bodie didn’t need the support, but let Frank bear his weight anyway. A groan spilled out of Vargana as Clay picked her up off the deck and carried her back to face the other hunters. Frank and Bodie lagged behind. Blood stained Bodie’s right side where he’d pulled the knife from.

“You’re hurt again?!” Frank lifted his arm and tried to see the wound. It was between armor plates and under his shirt. “Do you do this every time you go outside?”

“It’s just a scratch, Little Brother.” He ruffled Frank’s fur. “Though, maybe I should buy some stock in med tech. I’m probably keeping at least a few people employed somewhere.”

As they walked out into the Great Hall, the floor shook. The Hunters were stomping on the ground and whispering in a low rumbling voice ‘Sunder Sunder Sunder…’

“What’s happening?” Frank asked, trying to help Bodie walk. Bodie pushed him back with a smirk and shook his head.

“They’re calling for her badge to be broken.”

Out in the hall, Clay had hoisted Vargana up over his head, holding her like a pro wrestler about to power slam her into the ground. Her co-conspirators were lined up in front of the dais and forced to their knees. The crowd cheered, hooted, and hollered. As Bodie walked up behind him Clay lowered her back to the floor. She had woken up and was baring her teeth at him. The badger reached up and ripped the badge off her belt. The silver circle shined in the light coming through the big window at the end of the hall.

“Come along, Little Brother. It’s story time.” Bodie put a paw on Frank’s shoulder. They walked through the crowd, down two levels, and found their way to the Sundering Wall. Similar to the Great Hall, the Sundering Wall was cathedral shaped, had brown brick walls, and ancient iron forged fixtures along the walls. Frank followed behind Bodie, walking close enough to brush his whiskers against the badger’s arm with every step. The room smelled like long settled dirt, fine aged books, and melted candles. Above the stage there were four blue stained glass windows letting light into the room, bathing everyone in a somber glaze. In the center of the four windows was the Pagria seal. There was a stage at the front with a podium facing the crowd. Vargana and her minions were brought to the stage in front of the Hunters as Bodie, and Frank climbed the stage and took their place behind the podium. Anita, Toby, and Ty moved around the room, lighting candles, and were soon joined by other hunters until the whole room glowed with a flickering light. At the podium, Bodie found a blacksmith’s hammer and a strike plate along with a pair of metal tongs. Frank glanced around the room and noticed dozens of Hunter badges nailed to the wall. All of them were split down the middle, along the vertical line that every badge had. Some were cracked like a plate, some were sliced through, and some were broken by the spike driven through them to hold them to the wall. Bodie whacked the hammer against the strike plate and held up Vargana’s badge. The rumble of voices in the room lowered. He cleared his throat and spoke to the crowd.

“My brothers and sisters of the Guild. I am Master Thorne and I have been witness to a crime against the Guild by our Guild Master. While hunting the mark for the Emperor, I uncovered a generations-long scheme held up by Master Vargana’s family to ensure Pagrian freedom from the Empire. What you may not know is that the price the Guild has been paying once every generation is the life of a child. My apprentice and I saw fit to break this tradition and free the child Vargana was attempting to sacrifice. Of the people in the Guild, Clay Ironside, Anita Potts, Tyler Burrows, Toby Rayne, Frank Fergus, and myself are witnesses to what she tried to do. That is why she tried to hand me over to the Empire today.”

Frank watched his brother speak to the crowd. Not a hint of nervous energy flowed around him. A stern calm had settled on the badger. To Frank, it felt like realizing there was a roof over his head. Bodie continued.

“Thank you for rallying to my side. I have worked with you all for many years and it is good to know I am still in good company.” The crowd erupted into another wave of happy growling and rumbling. Then Bodie turned to Vargana. Clay held her upright and tightly in place. Anita held her at gunpoint with a smile. The badger held her badge in his paw and shook his head. “If you were anyone else we’d finish the night by chasing you into the fields and throwing you into the dungeon cells.”

He stepped over to the anvil in the center of the stage. Vargana’s badge made an ominous clank as it settled against the anvil’s surface. Generations and generations that had held the Guild together were in the heart of her badge. Sacrifices untold, pain unknown, blood spilled unmeasured. It was all about to end. The fury in her eyes burned red hot as Bodie raised the hammer back and swung with all his might. The room echoed from the clang. He swung again. And again. With every strike Frank felt the Guild around him shift like the tide flowing out. Not another noise could be heard except for Bodie striking his hammer. The Hunters watched as the Guild was broken in front of them, split apart into something new. Finally, with one big swing, the task was completed. The hammer split the badge in two, shooting sparks out from the hewn metal. With that the old Guild passed away and a new Guild was born. What form it would take, Bodie wasn’t sure, but they had every opportunity to make it better than it was.

Six more badges were broken and all of Vargana’s hunters and the Guild Master herself were banished from the Black Claw. Bodie, Frank, Toby, Clay, Tyler, and Anita took a badge each and nailed the pieces to the wall. Bodie drove the final spike through Vargana’s badge. He turned to face the white wolf.

“Go now, and do not return. We will not hunt you so long as you remain peaceful. You were our brothers and sisters and I hope someday we can find common ground again. Go in peace while you can.” Vargana’s cuffs were removed. A small pack was shoved into her paws and all of her hunters were given the same. Bodie opened the gate behind the stage that opened into the field. Every other time there had been a meeting at the Sundering Wall, hunters had chased the disgraced animals that had their badges broken into the hills until they were caught and dragged back to the dungeons under the Black Claw. Bodie insisted they be let go. The white wolf held her head high and walked slowly forward into the slowly darkening evening. Bodie nodded to the six hunters.

“Remember: you do not have to follow her.”

They all filed out in a line. Frank ambled up by Bodie’s side, crossed his arms, and leaned against his Big Brother’s arm. Slowly and gently, they closed the gate. Vargana, as she wandered through the fields outside the tower, heading for the spaceport, unsure where she would go now, looked back at the Black Claw. Varek was there with her, holding her hand. Everything she’d ever known was behind her. She wished her brother could’ve been with her. Tears ran from her eyes as she turned and continued on her way. She walked a little further and found she wasn’t alone. Rex, Anna, Hayden, the Hunters that stayed by her side were there, walking behind her in the grass.

“What?! What do you want?” She angrily yelled at them. Rex moved next to her. His brown wolf paw wiped the tear from her eye as he slightly tilted his head.

“We are with you, Master.”

The others nodded in agreement. Vargana stood up a little straighter, bowed her head once, then turned to march towards the spaceport.

Up in the Black Claw, in the Hunter’s hospital, Frank fought with Bodie to get him to let the doctors close up his knife wound. A big bear in a white coat was able to pin him to a wall and set a line of emergency staples in place before applying a line of healing gel over the wound. Bodie took a playful swing at him, then laughed while he grabbed his coat and headed for the exit. Frank chased after him.

“Hey! Slow down!”

“I’m sorry Little Brother. Things are moving fast around here. Just trying to keep up.”

“I know, but if you move too fast, you’re gonna really hurt yourself.” The otter hopped forwards and stopped the badger, pushing against his belly with both paws. “Please. I can’t take any more trouble.”

Bodie smiled. He knelt down, met Frank’s eyeline, and squeezed his shoulder. “Frankie…that’s nonsense. You’ve been through a lot worse lately.”

Frank glared at him and punched his arm.

“Hey, hey, easy.” Bodie laughed. His apprentice laughed once and avoided the badger’s eyes as he smiled. “I just got out of the hospital!”

The otter’s nose twitched back and forth with an irritated fury. Bodie was insufferable, but he loved every minute of being around him. “Haven’t we earned a little time off?”

“Nope. Sorry bud. People still need us.” Frank’s head slumped down. He took a deep breath and after a long moment, bobbed his head in agreement.

“What’s next, Bodie?”

“The Empire is looking for revenge. Their Emperor is dead. The badger they wanted to use to placate the Empire escaped. The Pagrian Hunters are rebelling. The easiest target they could look for is that small orange fluffball we saved. If they find Kreg he’s going to be in a world of trouble.”

“Rusty said they were headed for Alliance space. Won’t he be safe there?”

“There may not be Imperial destroyers there, but the Alliance still allows Imperial citizens to wander their shores. The Empire is going to send their sharpest knives into the black to find those two. No matter where they fly, they’ll always have a target on their backs.”

“So…what’s the plan?”

Bodie took a deep breath and stood up. He stepped over to Frank’s side and placed a warm paw against the otter’s back. “Frank…”

“No. Wait. I’m going to say what’s on my mind.” Frank pointed his finger up at the badger’s nose. “You do the same thing. Ready? Go!”

Bodie was flustered, but started blurting out what he thought. They spoke together.

“We need to fly to the outer reach and help Rusty look after Kreg.”

Bodie and Frank smiled at each other. Bodie grabbed the otter and slung him over his shoulder.

“Glad we’re on the same page, apprentice.”

“Wait! Wait!” Frank couldn’t control his giggles as he struggled to wriggle out of Bodie’s grip. “We can’t just leave!”

“You’re right! We need to get some supplies first. To the marketplace!”

“But what about my debt? Are we not bounty hunters anymore?”

“I can train you anywhere, Little Brother. And there’s plenty of contracts out in the far reaches of unsettled space. I’m sure we can work something out.”

Frank chuckled from his perch on Bodie’s back. They walked into the corridor to the hangars. Towards the Jade Fang. Towards home. But really, Frank realized, wherever Bodie was, that was home.

“Hey! Put me down! I can walk, you know.”

“Have you seen yourself walk? I’ve never been convinced.”

“Bodie!” They both chuckled. Frank’s feet lightly touched the floor and they continued the walk side by side.

The Lost and the Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 17:01:18 GMT

“Has anyone seen Kreg?” Rusty poked his head into the Wanderer’s breakroom. Winston and Amos were watching a drift race on the big comm screen. Neither one turned their head.

“No.”

“Sorry Cap.”

Rusty huffed and hurried down the hall. It had only been a week and Rusty still wasn’t comfortable letting the little fox out of his sight for too long. He rounded the corner into the reactor room and found Annalee surrounded by a pile of parts from a compression coil she’d disassembled.

“Annie, have you seen Kreg?”

“I think he’s down in the lower decks playing with the bounty hunters.”

“Who was he with?”

“Clay, I think.”

“Are you going to have this ship ready by tomorrow? We need to get Amos and Carter home.”

“She’ll be ready, Cap, don’t you worry.” She winked at him as she polished a part with a rag. “You better tell the Guild mechanics to wrap up their work.”

“They finished on the bridge yesterday. What else isn’t done?”

“You should check on the port hyperthruster assembly. Apparently Winston and Kreg put it together upside down. They said it was a miracle we didn’t have a burnout while we were flying here.”

“Huh. Yeah, okay, I’ll check on it.”

He smirked at her and made his way down to the cargo bay. As he got closer he heard the high-pitched squeaks of a fox echoing down the corridor. Then he heard the low rumbling growl of a crocodile vibrating the floor panels. He emerged from the inner cargo bay door and found a semicircle of bounty hunters around Clay who was stomping around the circle dragging his tail. And attached to his tail was a small russet patch of fur. Kreg held on tight to the croc’s tail, laughing so hard he was having trouble breathing as Clay knocked over cargo crates and stacks of supplies like a kaiju. The sight of Kreg having fun, surrounded by people who loved him, settled something deep in Rusty’s heart. He leaned against the airlock frame, crossed his arms, and enjoyed the chaos.

“Grrrah! Anita! Where is my bounty? I can’t find him anywhere!” Clay asked, starting another big stomping circle with a smile.

“Did you check under your nose?” Anita called from her perch atop a stack of crates.

“Ah! The nose knows! How right you are!” Clay said, chuckling to himself. “But how does a crocodile check his nose?”

“He checks his toes!” Frank called out.

“Hmm…Nope! Kreg’s not on my toes! Grrroarrr!” Clay’s stomping circular march continued, with bigger steps and louder giggles from Kreg. While Clay kept looking for Kreg, Bodie walked up behind Rusty and tapped his shoulder.

“Hey Cap.”

“XO.”

“I got a message from Vargana.”

Rusty gave the badger his full attention. “She’s back?”

“She sent a subspace comm. She’ll be dropping from hyperspace tomorrow some time.” Bodie said. He was uncharacteristically short on words. His stripes were almost touching between his eyebrows. “There’s more Cap. The Empire is demanding answers. They have video of us fighting our way to Kreg, but there were no cameras inside the room that we found him in. To them it looks like we made our way there, killed two people, then left.”

“Didn’t Vargana tell them what happened?”

“I’m guessing she couldn’t. If she told them that her brother suddenly grew a conscience and killed the Emperor, she might be in their crosshairs next. They might’ve thought she was a part of it.”

Rusty fell silent. Kreg was still wanted. “What should we do, Bodie?”

“You need to take your people and leave before Vargana and the Empire return.”

“I thought they weren’t going to watch over Pagria anymore.”

“Vargana said they are not honoring the Emperor’s decree. The Pagrian Hunter’s Guild might be taken over by the Imperial military.”

“What?!”

“Vargana didn’t give me all the details but she did order me to detain you and Kreg. Because the Imperial Council demanded it.”

Rusty didn’t even entertain the implication. “Do you think she is being coerced?”

“Depends on how angry she is about her brother dying.”

Rusty sighed and, after a deep breath, nodded. He put a paw on Bodie’s shoulder. “You sure you don’t want to come with us?”

“I’m not quite ready to walk away from everything. Frank’s debt still needs to be paid or he becomes a wanted criminal again. Clay, Anita, Ty, and lots of other hunters need looking after too….” Clay growled as he finally ‘found’ Kreg and snatched him off his tail, spinning him in the air before setting him back on his feet. Bodie glanced back at the Captain with a toothy grin. “It would be a lot of fun…but it’s not the right time.”

Rusty nodded again. “Take care of your brothers and sisters, would ya?”

“I will. Thanks for the ride, Captain.”

They both smirked at each other and stepped into the cargo bay. Rusty knelt down and opened his arms. A russet blur dashed through the cargo bay like a magnet and leapt into his arms. Kreg’s giggling squeaks were a melody to the Captain’s ears. He ruffled the fox’s ears as he addressed everyone.

“Alright team. We’ve got some news.” The Hunters gathered around. Frank flicked Bodie’s ear as he stepped next to him. Bodie elbowed him so hard he almost fell over. When the otter recovered and jumped at him Bodie caught him and put him in a headlock.

“Sorry Captain. Continue.”

“Right. So, we’ve received a message from Vargana. The Empire is headed this way. She has been instructed to arrest Kreg and I.” Kreg squeaked in his arms. His eyes were big but he listened close. “So, unfortunately, we will be leaving in the morning. I need all of you to get your things off the ship. If any of you want to come along for the ride, you’re more than welcome to make arrangements for your departure but please understand we will not be returning to this quadrant any time soon.”

“Hey Cap, can we hrk-” Frank was cut short by Bodie’s arm clamping down around his neck.

“Quiet now, Little Brother.”

He struggled back and freed himself just long enough to finish his sentence. “Can we have one more big dinner in the breakroom tonight? Bodie stop! Stahhp!”

“It’s alright XO, let him be.” Bodie grunted and released his apprentice. Frank slugged his arm. The room erupted into giggles as Bodie clutched his chest and pretended to be dying from the strike by falling to the ground with a loud groan. Frank stood above him, rolling his eyes. The otter crossed his arms as the giggles around them rose to laughter.

“Focus up, you two.” Rusty said between laughs. “Not sure we’ll have time Frank. I’m sorry buddy, but there is still a lot to do before we can take off.”

Frank’s ears drooped and he looked at his feet. Bodie was still there. His goofy striped face looked up at him and made him smirk. No matter what, he still had his big brother.

“We’ll be ready when she gets here. You and Kreg need to leave immediately.” Bodie said, popping up to his feet. “Clay, Anita, is there anything you need to get from the ship?”

“Just what we’ve got in our pockets, badger.” Clay grumbled.

“Nope, already cleared out a few days ago.” Anita shrugged her shoulders and looked up at Kreg. “Gonna miss you, kiddo. Stay safe, okay?”

Kreg jumped down and ran over to them. “Wait. When will I get to see you all again?”

The Hunters awkwardly looked at each other, unsure how to respond. Frank stepped forward and put his arms around the kit. “We’ll always be with you buddy. If you ever need help, just call and we’ll be there.”

Kreg quietly wept into Frank’s sleeve. Bodie put his arms around both of them, then Clay wrapped around all of them. Kreg knew it was goodbye. It hurt in a way he wasn’t prepared for. A new kind of pain. But as the three Hunters clamped down on him he remembered that these strangers risked everything to save him. They had already given him everything. He tried to hold on to every part of the memory of this moment. The warmth. Bodie’s smile. Clay’s gravelly grumble vibrating through his chest. Anita winking at him from a safe distance. If he really never got to see them again he hoped he could hold onto this moment forever.

“Okay.” Kreg sniffled as the hug ball unravelled. Clay turned to hide his watery eyes. Bodie squeezed his arm and walked away. Frank held on for a moment longer, then ruffled his ears as he returned to Bodie’s side. Kreg slowly stepped over to Rusty’s side again. He reached up and held onto the Captain’s finger as the conversation continued.

Clay and Anita made their way off the ship first. They made a deal with the Guild Quartermaster on a small vessel and moved their things in. Clay sent a message to Ty, asking if he still wanted to study under him if he was promoted to Master. Ty didn’t respond.

Bodie and Frank stayed to watch over the remaining repairs. Later in the evening they found themselves on the couch in the breakroom. The ship had settled into its evening rhythm. The final repairs were completed. Winston and Annalee were in their bunks. Rusty had said goodbye and carried Kreg to his room. They sat together enjoying the peaceful hum of the ship. After a long calm silence, Bodie spoke.

“I think it’s time, Little Brother.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Neither moved.

“Have you done this a lot? Letting a bounty go. Standing up to the Empire. Saving little kids. Is this normal for a Bounty Hunter?”

Bodie thought for a long moment. He reached over and pulled Frank into his side, hooking his arm around the otter’s neck. “Nah. Not before you came along. Just making money and posing in front of explosions.”

They both chuckled and took a deep breath. “What’s next then?”

“We’ll get you out of debt, get you a badge, start cleaning up the universe. Same as before, Little Brother.”

“Good.” Bodie’s grip tightened a little, but Frank didn’t mind. “Hey, we gotta talk about how often you get hurt. You gotta stop. I can’t take the stress.”

“We wouldn’t be heroes if we were safe all the time. Danger comes with living. We are in the lucky position of chasing after it. Sure we might get cuts and scrapes, and sometimes a bullet hole, but without those we wouldn’t have saved Kreg. Henry Hatoo wouldn’t be working in the noodle bodega in the commissary right now. He’d be breaking big rocks into little rocks on some air-starved asteroid. It’s rewarding work being the good guys, but no one said it would be safe.”

Frank nodded once. They sat together for another few minutes until Bodie grunted and sat up. “C’mon Frankie. Let’s head home.”

They both stood up. Bodie cracked his back and stretched his arms over his head. Frank yawned and they both began their slow walk to the Jade Fang. As they stepped through the airlock onto the gangplank Frank’s paw lingered on the doorframe. He couldn’t put his finger on it but it felt like he was leaving something important behind.

Early the next day the Hunters returned to watch the Wanderer take off. Kreg waved from the airlock before sealing up the ship. The reactor rumbled to life. Rusty lifted the ship off the ground and slipped out into the open air. The Wanderer banked left and flew up into the sky.

As the rumble faded into the distance the Hunters were left in silence. After a thoughtful moment Bodie asked, “So, anyone hungry?”

Clay and Frank laughed. Anita smirked and rolled her eyes. Frank gently elbowed him as he walked by. “Yeah, I could eat. Pancakes anyone?”

“Ooooh, yes. The commissary has a new cinnamon banana pancake I want to try.” Clay walked alongside Frank as they headed down the corridor. Anita and Bodie slowly followed after.

“And we can say hi to Henry too!”

Later in the afternoon all of the Hunters in the Black Claw were summoned to the Great Hall. Bodie stood at the front of the massive group with Frank just behind him. Tension made the air feel heavy. Frank could’ve sworn he saw a Hunter sizing him up. The otter fidgeted with his paws. A heavy arm looped around him to settle his nerves.

“It’ll be alright, Little Brother.” Bodie took his hat and placed it on Frank’s head. The trilby was too big and tilted off Frank’s head to the side. He grinned and looked up at the badger. “Remember, you’re a dangerous Pagrian Hunter. You’re not afraid of anything.”

The Kynosura rumbled into the airspace above the tower, shaking the dust off the light fixtures. A marine dropship floated down and docked in the public parking hangar. The Hunters watched as the double doors at the end of the Great Hall opened and a half dozen Imperial marines poured out in full armor, carrying plasma rifles. An Imperial general walked in flanked by two captains. Behind them, still in her blood-spattered white trenchcoat, walked Vargana, leader of the Pagria Hunter’s Guild. Her ear had a decorative silver circle around the bullet wound Rusty had given her. It was customary in high Pagrian society to celebrate wounds as a sign of survival. She could’ve easily healed it with healing gel but she chose to keep it.

“She looks like a bird that was trapped in a bag.” Frank whispered. Bodie chuckled, but elbowed him to keep him quiet. Vargana paced up to her podium on the raised dais in front of the large windows at the end of the hall. She clicked on the microphone and took a deep breath. The room stilled. Not a single hunter moved. Something was wrong and Bodie knew it. She opened her icy blue eyes and stared right at Bodie. The badger instinctively stepped in front of Frank and met her gaze. An icy chill ran down Bodie’s spine as she smiled at him. A cruel, self-satisfied smile. She cleared her throat and spoke to the crowd.

“Pagrian Hunters, I have returned from my sudden departure aboard the Kynosura. Due to the actions of a rogue Master Hunter the Emperor has died.” Bodie’s fists tightened. She was instructing the Hunters on what to believe. What the Guild believed the story was. “This Hunter was in league with the terrorist that was wanted by the Emperor for the destruction of the Royal Research Station in the Tryto Nebula. Would the Hunters I contacted please proceed as instructed.”

Six Hunters in white armor suddenly turned and faced Frank and Bodie. They had been in the crowd surrounding them the whole time. Bodie recognized them. Rex, Hannah, Damien, Ayda…they were Vargana’s inner circle. Her most trusted Hunters. He had been one of them once. Bodie had only a fraction of a second to react before a shock spear stabbed into his neck. He fell to the floor, muscles tense, confused, and reaching for Frank. Frank was lifted off the ground by an ox in power armor and a second later found himself cuffed and hanging in the air by the scruff of his neck. He thrashed in the ox’s grip as Bodie was dragged to the stage by the six heavily armored Hunters. A lioness hoisted the badger onto the stage where he was made to sit on his knees in front of Vargana. Bodie slowly regained his senses. His head spun, his ears were pinned back, and the sound of Frank crying out for him stung in his heart. He looked up at the white wolf as she lifted his chin to meet her eyes.

“Thank you for your sacrifice. Today, you will keep our great house at peace for another generation.” She spat the cold words like venom, the same words that had been spoken to her brother so long ago. Bodie pulled hard against the restraints that had been put on his arms and growled in her face. They tightened down in response. “I don’t know how long or what form your torture will take, but I know that it won’t bring back my brother, so it is not enough. Goodbye old friend.”

She motioned to the Imperial marines to take him away. Frank struggled against his cuffs and thrashed in the Ox’s grip. The crowd began to roar. Some of the hunters were furious. As Bodie neared the door to the public hangars a loud blast rang out in the crowd. Frank felt himself suddenly floating in the air, and then falling to the ground. He looked up from where he landed and saw someone he did not expect.

Toby stood with a blunderbuss shockwave blaster in his paws, smoking rising from the barrel. The ox had been blasted across the room into a bookcase. Ty and Toby helped Frank to his feet and freed his hands. Then Toby leapt over Frank up onto the dais and faced the crowd. He held his weapon over his head and yelled at the top of his lungs.

“Bodie stopped Vargana from killing a little fox kid in exchange for her brother’s return! If this badger has ever helped you, said a kind word to you, or shown you any kindness let not your blaster barrels be cold tonight! Help me free our brother!”

Clay growled so loud the floor vibrated. “FOR BODIE!”

The hall erupted into chaos. Toby turned his blaster on Vargana. She dove out of the way but the blast passed by her and wiped out one of the Imperial Captains behind her. The fight was bloody. Armor smashed against armor. Brother against brother. Hunter against hunter. Frank drew his pistol and charged forward with Anita, Clay, Ty, and a dozen other Hunters at his side.

The Lost and the Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 17:01:54 GMT

Rusty, Frank, and Bodie picked up their pace as the ship’s alarms started blaring. Kreg was still firmly tucked into the Captain’s arms and he didn’t mind one bit. They passed a panicked officer shouting ‘THE EMPEROR IS DEAD! THE EMPEROR IS DEAD!’ as he ran down the hall. The news was out. The panic was spreading. Bodie led them through the ship away from the trail of chaos they’d left behind. It wasn’t the fastest way back to the Jade Fang, but it got them there a few minutes later. They ran out of the corridor and Bodie activated the gangplank with his bracer. Inside the door Amos stood waiting. As soon as his eyes caught the orange and russet ears poking out of Rusty’s arms the biggest smile spread across his snout.

“They’re BACK!” He shouted into the ship. Clay fired up the engines and closed up the gangplank and airlock as soon as Frank stepped in behind everyone. Once they were all on board, Clay and Anita launched the ship. As they leapt off the deck a hyperspace incursion warning popped up on the pilot’s console.

“Everyone hold onto something! The Kynosura is about to jump to hyperspace. Diverting power to the engines!” Clay yelled out. The rest of the crew hunkered down as the ship spun around to face the hangar bay door. Clay punched the throttle and the Jade Fang lurched forward. As they cleared the hangar a brilliant blue light surrounded the Kynosura as she activated her hyperdrive and opened her portal to the higher dimension. The yoke vibrated and fought against Clay’s grip as the ship was pulled backward towards the portal’s opening. The Kynosura shot forward in a flash of light and the Jade Fang spun in a circle, suddenly sent on a new course. The portal closed behind the Kynosura as the Jade Fang shuddered in her wake. Kreg gripped Rusty’s arm as the ship vibrated around them. Slowly the motion settled. Everyone took a breath. Bodie raised his head and shouted down the corridor to the bridge.

“Clay?! Are we clear?” Bodie didn’t notice he had pulled Frank against his side and pinned him in place with his arm. The otter chuckled at him until the arm came up around his neck in a headlock. Bodie noogied his head until Clay responded.

“We’re clear Master Thorne. Stable orbit. Clear skies.”

Cheers echoed through the ship. Rusty’s grip on Kreg finally loosened. The little fox’s laugh, Rusty’s absolute favorite sound in the universe, joined the chorus of hoots and hollers around them. Amos’ huge paw slapped against the captain’s back, knocking half the wind out of him. The polar bear snatched Kreg out of his arms and booped his nose against the kit’s.

“Look who it is! The best fox in the universe!” Amos swung him around and finally set him back on his feet. Kreg giggled as Carter patted his head. From the bridge, Anita and Clay came to see everyone. A smile had settled on Kreg’s snout and wasn’t going anywhere. The whole ship was filled with warmth and it was seeping into the fox’s fur.

“Captain?!” Frank yelled out suddenly. He was standing over Bodie, holding his arm. The badger had passed out. Under him there was a small puddle of blood. The gash in his leg from the sword was still open.

“Amos, pick him up. Carter, follow them to the cargo bay. Frank, go activate the robodoc. Everyone MOVE!” Rusty shouted out commands as everyone snapped to attention and started moving. Giant white paws wrapped around Bodie’s middle and hoisted him off the ground. The badger grunted back to life as Amos took him to the medical bay.

“C’mon snowball, it’s just a scratch.”

“Quiet now, Stripes. You’re leaking.”

Frank rounded the corner in front of them and tapped controls into the robodoc screen. The bed folded down from the wall with a mechanical sigh. A monitor screen popped up next to the bed on the wall. The badger was gently laid down on the bed and a holographic scanner looked over his body, identifying several injuries.

“Internal bleeding, large laceration on right leg, three broken ribs, partially collapsed lung. Bodie!” Frank punched his brother in the arm. “You can’t just let yourself get broken like this!”

Carter was standing over him, customizing the care to his patient on the control screen. An IV poked into Bodie’s arm. He grunted and tried to get up. “Hey! Watch it Doc!”

“You stay in that bed or I’ll strap you down, Bodie.”

“I’d like to see you tuh…” The badger flopped back on the bed, unconscious. His heart rate normalized.

“There we go.” The wolf ruffled Frank’s fur before going back to work.

“Will he be alright?” Frank asked, smoothing his fur back.

“This ship has a better setup than that battlecruiser you just escaped from. He’ll be just fine kiddo.”

Carter applied healing gel to Bodie’s wound and used the robodoc’s arms to seal it shut. A small concerned squeak squeezed out of Frank as he watched the doctor work. He’d spent too much time in this medbay waiting for Bodie to get better lately. As Carter finished his business Frank stepped up to Bodie’s side and slipped his hand into Bodie’s. Frank jumped back, startled by Bodie’s paw closing around his.

“Gah! You’re like an undead mummy in a museum! Ugh!” He caught a slight smile on the badger’s snout. Frank chuckled and patted Bodie’s shoulder. “Get better goober. I’ll see you soon.”

The Captain’s voice carried down the corridor from the bridge. Frank went to investigate. “Clay, bring us down in that field outside the Black Claw. We’ll meet up with Winston and Annalee there.”

“Aye sir. Should we…tell someone what happened?”

“Probably not until we’re about to jump away from this system.”

“Yes sir.”

Frank slinked into his room for the first time in a few days. He expected Toby had cleared out all of Bodie’s stuff and threw it out the airlock, but the room was mostly how he left it. Except for the little fox curling up in his bed. His shoulder pressed against the doorframe as he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at the kit.

“Whatcha doin, lil guy?”

“Who’re you calling little guy…” Kreg yawned, “...um, big nose.”

“Ho HO! We got a funny one.” Frank walked over to the edge of his bunk and pulled the blanket around the fox. “You’re Kreg, huh?”

“Mhm.” His eyes were half closed.

“You’re sleeping in my bed, you know.”

“I knew. It smelled suspiciously of otter.” Kreg dug his shoulders into the mattress and smirked as he looked up at Frank.

They both laughed together for the first time.

“I’m Frank Fergus. Bounty Hunter.” He pulled a pillow over and slid it under Kreg’s head. “Here, this one’s really comfy.”

Kreg laid his head down for a half second and then the fox’s eyes burst open. His voice cracked as he whispered. “You’re like Mr. Toby?”

“I would be insulted to be compared to him.” Frank held his paw to his chest, dramatically outraged. Then the otter leaned his elbows on the bed and smiled. “One of the first times I met him I punched him right in the face.”

Kreg giggled. “Really?”

“Oh yeah. He’s a world-class jerk. Songs will be written about his jerkiness.”

They chuckled together again. Frank lowered his voice when he spoke.

“You okay buddy?”

The last few hours flickered through Kreg’s mind. Toby’s betrayal, Vargana and Varek, the Emperor. A wave of turmoil and grief hit the little fox like a shockwave. His eyes watered and his breath hitched. Frank’s heart leapt into his throat.

“No no, Kreg, Ohhh, oh no.” Frank involuntarily started tearing up too. He took Kreg’s paw as the fox sat up trying to catch his breath. Nonsense started forcing its way out of Frank as he tried to comfort Kreg between sobs. “Hu hav evy whez tespezy fvee.”

Kreg, though tears were running down his face, looked up at the strange creature in front of him with his ears tilted to the side. “...whu what?”

“I’m ghezny scateezy khee!” Frank cleared his throat. “I get…sometimes when other people cry I start cryin’.”

Kreg felt like he was seeing a new kind of animal for the first time. He didn’t realize that he’d immediately stopped thinking about all the bad stuff that had happened to him. The otter he was looking at wasn’t much older than he was. He didn’t look that big, or that strong. He wasn’t like Mr. Toby at all. “You’re a bounty hunter?”

“...apprentice.” Frank sniffed and rubbed his snout. “Bodie is my mentor.”

“Is he going to be okay? Did Doctor Carter make him better?”

“I don’t know!” Frank blurted out. He started crying again as he launched out his words. “I only just got him back after the whole shot in the back fiasco. I don’t know what I’d do without him. I’m such a lost little idiot.”

“Hey, no. I’m sure you’re good at…something. Right?”

“Not helping Kreg!”

A bright chuckle barked out of the fox. He sat up and put his paw on Frank’s back. “You just saved me from that spaceship. You’re not dead, so you must be good at saving people.”

“Yeah. I guueeeess.” Frank rolled his eyes. Two little brown arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him sideways.

“Thank you.”

Frank smiled and squeezed him back. “Everything’s gonna be okay buddy.”

They were back to laughing a moment later. Rusty stepped into the room with a smile.

“Hey Spark.”

“Hey Captain.”

Frank rubbed the tears from his eyes and squeezed around the Captain on his way out of the room. “I better not find a bunch of fox fur all over my bed later, squirt.”

“I’ll have to pull out a bunch of my fur to get the otter stink out!” Frank groaned as he made his way to the bridge. Kreg smiled as he watched him leave. A warm paw settled on his back as the Captain knelt down next to him. “These guys are funny.”

“Yeah, I kinda like them.” The Captain’s warm rumble filled Kreg’s ears. He turned and looked up at the lion. His brow was furrowed with concern. With a flash of tawny fur Kreg found himself wrapped up in the Captain’s arms. He closed his eyes and leaned into the warmth. “Why did you do that, Spark? You just…left. Felt like someone ripped my heart out.”

“I didn’t think you were safe with me around.”

“I know I’m not safe. That’s why I like being around you. I told you, Kreg, having you around is an adventure. It’s exciting and scary and I love every minute of it. I thought I’d lost you.”

The lion’s grip tightened a little and then released as he pulled back. Kreg smiled. He reached up and put his paw on the Captain’s nose. They both laughed once.

“You didn’t lose me.” Rusty smiled at Kreg. While they had a quiet moment together Carter stepped into the room swinging his stethoscope. He waited a minute before clearing his throat.

“Cap, you asked if I could take a look at Kreg?”

“Yeah. Thanks Carter.” The ship rumbled around them as they hit the atmosphere of Pagria. Clay was bringing the ship down slowly. Carter had Kreg lie back and checked him over with his handheld scanner. The wolf paused a few times around Kreg’s temples as he gathered data. He stopped and pulled up his comm. The data appeared above the comm unit as a small hologram. An orange flickering structure formed into the rough shape of a brain. Kreg’s brain. Carter tapped his claw against his chin and hummed to himself as he pawed through the hologram.

“Hmm…”

“Hmm, what?” Rusty asked.

“Just hmm.” Carter said. “There’s something odd about the Honeybee architecture.”

“What is it?”

“It’s become inactive.” Carter expanded a small part of the scan. “There’s little or no signal here. Kreg? Do you feel different?”

“Um, no?” Kreg’s voice squeaked. “Am I…broken?”

“I don’t think so. You’re just…it’s like when a comm unit won’t connect to the mainframe.”

“Oh.” Kreg sat up. “Varek and the Emperor are both gone. There’s no one to connect to.”

Carter smirked at Rusty. “Smart kid. He’s probably right. Since there are no other nodes he has nothing to connect to. His mind is the only remaining repository of Honeybee. Whatever little data was in his mind when those two died is all he has.”

“There’s still a lot in here.” Kreg pointed to his head. “I’m not empty up here.”

“No, of course not Spark.”

“Let me know if anything weird happens in that part of your brain. Who knows what kind of things might still be lingering out there waiting for you to connect to them.”

Rusty elbowed Carter in the side so hard he almost fell over. “You’ll be fine Kreg. That’s what Carter means.”

The wolf smoothed his white coat down and scoffed. “Yes, yes. You’ll be fine.”

The ship shuddered as the reverse thrusters fired to slow them for the final descent. As Carter left Kreg closed his eyes and pulled himself into the shared mindspace. It wasn’t shared now. It was just him. When he’d enter before he always had a sinking feeling of someone watching him from far away. But now, he felt truly alone. The fireflies he’d been able to see before were dimmer and harder to feel. It would have felt peaceful if all of the horrible things that had happened there weren’t right on the edge of his memory. He snapped himself out of the space. Rusty was standing over him.

“Hi.”

“You heard him. I’m okay.”

“Kreg.”

“What?”

“I…don’t believe you.” The Captain’s nose hovered just over Kreg’s forehead.

Kreg looked away from him as his eyes started to water. His mind clawed at the words he wanted to say but too many of them tried to get out at once. The horrible things waiting at the edge of his mind flooded in, reliving each one simultaneously. His paws gripped the top of his head as he started sobbing. Rusty formed a circle around him with his arms but didn’t press in. He just patiently waited while Kreg processed. The fox leapt up and wrapped his arms around Rusty’s neck, hiding his face in his mane. A warm paw settled at Kreg’s back and gently held him still.

“Take your time, Spark. I’ll be here till the storm passes.”

The ship rumbled around them as they slipped down into the thicker air of the lower atmosphere. Frank had made his way to the bridge and was watching over Clay’s shoulder as they made their approach. They slipped over a range of mountains, passed over Pagria city, and flew up the ridge towards the Black Claw. As the Guild headquarters grew bigger in the viewscreen, Clay pulled back on the throttle and pulled the yoke to the right. The Jade Fang sailed in a wide arc over the golden fields and slowly made its final descent. Clay set the ship down with a gentle thud. A flurry of dust flew up around the ship as the lift thrusters blasted one more time and shut off. The ship rang out a cheerful BING as Clay shut the engines off. He tapped one more command into the ship before shutting the navigation controls down. The ship sent their location to Winston up on the Wanderer. They were already on their way down. A silence settled over the bridge.

“Well…now what?” Clay asked. He stood up and stretched his scaly back. Frank shrugged at him and headed back to the cargo bay.

“Dunno Clay. But thanks for driving!”

“No, hey wait!” Frank was gone already. “Ugh. Bilge rat! What’re we going to do now, Anita?”

“I don’t know either, sweetheart.” She stood and ruffled the fur on her cheeks. “But I’m starving. Let’s go see what Bodie’s pantry has for us.”

The crocodile grumbled but followed her. “The Empire took Vargana on their ship. Shouldn’t we tell someone our leader was taken?”

“Who would we tell, Clay? The Empire? She’s a big girl, she can find her way home. Ooh, curly fries. Want some?”

Clay grunted and crossed his arms. A moment later he nodded. Anita had already submitted the order for him to the food printer. She retrieved them a minute later. She slid a bowl of what looked like curly fries coated in a creamy white sauce and finely chopped vegetables.

“What…is this?”

“Potato salad, dear.”

“That’s not how…give me a fork!” The combination of warm crunchy fries and cold creamy potato salad mix was the perfect snack. Clay sent a reorder to the printer before he finished his first bite. “Sweet stars above, Anita! This is incredible!”

“Glad you like it, dear.” Anita picked at her bowl with a smile.

Amos and Carter watched Frank and Bodie from across the Cargo Bay. The otter had collapsed on the floor and was talking to the unconscious badger. Amos flicked through his comm messages from home.

“Any news from home?”

“Garret made a big sale. Should cover the base for the next few months.” Amos read over the contract. The team back home were holding things together. He still wanted to be home. All of those critters were his family and he needed them.

“That’s good. Did any other bounty hunters come knocking?”

“I told Harvey to be transparent if anyone came by. And to keep a gun behind the door when he opened it. There’s no mention of visitors though.”

“Good. Are we going home soon?” Carter asked. He wanted to go home too. A couple of his patients would need specialized treatments soon and wouldn’t get it without him there.

“Not sure. We’ll have to wait till Rusty heads for the outer systems.”

“Does he still need to do that? The Emperor is dead. Do you think they’ll still come looking for Kreg?”

“You worked for them. What do you think?”

“Hmm.” Carter scratched his chin. “If they think Kreg killed him they’ll never stop looking for him.”

“Yeah. But I don’t think the Guild will be hunting for him. Especially if Bodie tells them all who Kreg really is and what happened to him.”

“Yup.” Carter fiddled with the cargo bay door controls. The door slowly yawned open, revealing the pleasant shimmering golden afternoon just outside. “C’mon. Let’s get some air.”

Roaring out of the sky came the Wanderer. Winston settled the ship into the grass right next to the Jade Fang. After a quick cycle down the Wanderer’s rear cargo door lowered and Annalee and Winston walked out into the evening sunlight to join the others. Rusty came out of Frank’s room quietly and joined Frank in the cargo bay. The otter was still standing over his brother, checking on his vitals.

“Finally got Kreg to sleep.”

“How is he?”

“It’s…going to take time. He’s pretty resilient though.”

Behind them Bodie groaned. “Oooough. That sneaky doctor slipped me something, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, a little bit. I helped.” Frank stood at his side. Bodie smiled at him.

“Hey Little Brother.”

“Hi Bodie.”

“Are you feeling up to a little walk outside?”

“Beats staying in this bed.”

“No! Bodie! You have to get better. Stay there!” Frank did his best to hold him back but Bodie stood up and picked him up off the floor. “Bodie! Put me down! You’re going to rip your stitches!”

“Nah, I’ll be fine.” Frank was slung over his shoulder as Bodie headed for the cargo bay door. “I think you could use some fresh air, Little Brother. Captain? You coming?”

Rusty laughed and followed them outside.

Later that night, after the sun had gone down and a cool wind settled over the plains, Kreg woke up alone in Frank’s bedroom. The ship was silent. His heart started thumping when his mind immediately assumed he’d been left behind. But then a gentle echo of laughter met his ears from down the hall. He hopped off Frank’s bunk and quietly headed down the hallway towards the cargo bay door. The door was wide open and a warm flickering orange glow illuminated the space. A cool evening breeze carried in the smell of crackling firewood. The fox stepped up to the edge of the cargo bay and peeked out.

Between the two ships, under the Wanderer’s port thruster wing, a campfire had been lit. Winston and Annalee were there, sitting together under a blanket. Bodie and Frank were next to them. The badger had a big bandage around his leg. Frank was tucked under his arm, laughing at a crocodile that was across the fire from them. The crocodile was pacing back and forth telling a story about a bounty he’d captured on a far away planet. A small white cat sat on a log behind him, adding details and backstory to the tale. Across from them Amos and Carter sat on a big crate. Carter was wrapped up in a blanket and Amos was sipping a drink in a small metal container. And seated alone, between Amos and Annalee, was the shaggy maned outline of the Captain. The lion was laughing and enjoying the warmth of the fire. Kreg didn’t need to be anywhere. There was no danger. No one in the galaxy wanted anything from him anymore. Honeybee was silent. For the first time in his life, everything was at peace. Kreg couldn’t wait another moment, so he sprinted out of the Jade Fang, through the brown grass, and jumped into his dad’s lap.

“Whoa! Spark! Where’s the fire buddy?” Rusty smiled down at him, his face glowing in the firelight.

“Hey Kreg!” Annalee waved at him.

“Hey buddy.” Amos said with a smile.

“Kiddo!” Bodie called out. “Come ‘ere! I’m gonna teach you what a noogie is!”

“No! Don’t trust him!” Frank called out from under Bodie’s arm. “It’s a trap!”

“Wanna sit with us Kreg?” Rusty asked.

Kreg nodded and sat down on his knee. Rusty put an arm around him and nodded to Clay to continue.

“So Master Raynes poked his head into the saloon and the people on the inside must’ve not liked the look of his face because a moment later a fist violently punched him back out the way he came. Anita and Ty had to grab the mark when he tried to escape out the back while I dragged Toby’s limp body back to the ship.”

The circle erupted in giggles. Anita wandered by, pressed a roasted marshmallow snack into Kreg’s paw, and gave him a wink. While he munched, Amos reached over and ruffled his fur with a growl. Clay sat down, chuckling to himself, and took a gulp from his canteen. Kreg looked around the circle. Each of these creatures had put themselves in harm’s way to save him. He couldn’t possibly be that important. Was he?

The crowd of animals had already answered the question by rescuing him. Kreg leaned his head against Rusty’s chest and closed his eyes while he listened to the conversation. His cheek felt the gentle warmth from the fire. The crisp smell of burning wood floated in the air. Not a single electric light lit up the space, just the orange and yellow firelight and the twinkling stars above. The Captain’s rumbling voice whispered to him while the stories continued.

“You okay buddy?”

“Yeah…” He glanced around the fire once more. Clay started another story. Annalee pulled her blanket tighter around Winston and set her head on his shoulder. Bodie laughed as Frank escaped from his grip and tried to ruffle his stripes. Amos laughed at the otter and pulled Carter into his side. Carter scowled at him but didn’t scoot away. Anita gently corrected Clay as he got an important detail wrong in the story. He thanked her and she smiled at him. Surrounded by all of the joyful noises around him, the new silence in his head was forgotten. This was home.

“I’ve got my family.”

The Lost and the Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:44:20 GMT

Bodie led the rescue team through the ship while following a path on his bracer’s display. Frank, surprisingly, was right on his tail, with Rusty covering their backs. The Kynosura’s corridors were lined with white plating over dark grey plating that showed through at the seams. The whole space was illuminated by long light strips on the ceiling. It made the ship feel like a hospital. The floor echoed with the sounds of their feet pounding the plating. As they rounded a corner they came face to face with a five-man squad returning from dinner. Imperial troopers, all in brown-grey fatigues, each a canine that looked roughly wolfish. Bodie didn’t slow down by even a step. Within a second of seeing each other the badger was on them. At his last step he pulled his battle wrench off his back and swung hard into the first creature. The front creature launched into the two in the back and the three of them fell to the ground and stayed there. One badger fist went left. The wrench flew right. Bodie dodged a punch that went past his ear. He grasped onto the arm next to his head with one hand and hoisted the creature up with the other. The canine found himself flying into the bulkhead a moment later. The remaining canine, still holding Bodie’s wrench, saw a flash of dark grey fur and then didn’t see anything for a few hours. The bounty hunter stood over them, chuckling to himself, then turned back to Frank and Rusty.

“C’mon! Don’t let me have all the fun!”

A blaster bolt bounced off Bodie’s armor. Before Bodie could react Rusty fired a return shot down the hall. A short yelp followed a half second later. The Captain smirked at his companions before motioning down the hall. “Watch your backs, Hunters.”

With a barking laugh Bodie charged down the hall again. Rusty’s heart thumped in his chest. He could almost feel Kreg’s fur on his fingertips. His arms ached from not being able to hug him. His feet ran a little faster than normal, urging him closer and closer to his Spark.

The corridor ended at an airlock that led into a stairwell. Frank had a hard time hopping up the stairs but suddenly found himself flying through the air, carried by the Captain’s paw. He landed on his feet at the next landing, a little flustered, and followed Bodie into the hallway. Bodie grabbed him and pulled him against the wall inside a small nook. Rusty pulled back and hid behind the door. Another squad marched by, failing to notice them.

“Frank, scan the hall with your comm.” Bodie whispered. From his perch in the crook of Bodie’s arm, Frank pulled his comm out and tapped through the controls.

“Put me down, goober.” Frank gently settled on the deck and poked his phone’s infrared sensor array out of cover. He pulled it back and looked at the reconstructed image. “The hallway is clear to the next corner.”

With a wave, Rusty motioned for them to follow as he silently, too silent for someone his size, paced to the corner at the hallway junction and peeked around the corner. He held his paw up for them to stop. Slowly he raised his pistol up. Small steps echoed around the corner. A loud thunk came from the unwitting grey wolf’s skull after Rusty knocked him in the head with the butt of his pistol.

Then a black paw latched onto his arm, pulling him across the hall. Rusty roared. He slammed to the ground, tripping over the grey wolf. A panther in black power armor pinned him to the wall. “Be still, IO scum. Or I’ll paint you across the wall.”

The lion bared his teeth, growling to keep the panther’s attention while Bodie slammed the open mouth of his wrench around the armored creature’s neck and activated the stun charge. Thousands of volts plunged into the panther. The black creature groaned, but didn’t let up. He turned slowly and looked at Bodie with fury in his eyes. Rusty was left on the ground as the panther squared up with the badger.

“I’ve always wanted to fight a Pagrian Hunter.”

“Let me grant your wish.” Their armors clashed into one another as the brawl began.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Kreg shook awake in Vargana’s arms. His father had been taken. He didn’t know where he was. For the first time he felt rage boil up from his belly. The fireflies returned as the world began to swirl around him. He shoved with all his might and broke free from the white wolf’s grip. His feet thumped to the deck as he backed away. Vargana was surprised, but not disturbed. Her paws went out to her sides as the little monster she’d put so much effort into catching had jumped out of her arms like a fish.

“You stay right where you are, Kreg.”

Kreg growled. He did his best to imitate Rusty, but it sounded much squeakier. He looked up over her head and focused on the firefly in the ceiling lamp. It burst apart a moment later. The narrow hallway they were in fell dark. The white wolf’s yellow eyes glared down at him, eyelid twitching with anger.

“You’ll keep your paws to yourself, if you know what’s good for you.” She pointed a clawed finger at him. Kreg started to gather the nerve to shout something back but was interrupted by the door at the end of the hall hissing open. At the end of the hall, in the low red light of the next hallway, stood a familiar black shape. Sharply pointed ears, narrowed glaring eyes, and a slowly swishing tail. Varek. In the fur. Not a smoky apparition. Not a fleeting voice Kreg could push away. Actually standing there in front of him like a towering monolith was the black wolf from his waking nightmares.

“Hello child.” Kreg instinctively stepped back and hid behind Vargana. Varek stepped into the hall, purposely taking each step decisively, like he was carving a sculpture with each footfall. “I’ve been waiting to meet you. And you. My sister.”

Vargana charged forward and wrapped her arms around him. The siblings held onto each other like they thought a sudden wind might blow them apart again. They had been apart for a lifetime. Vargana whimpered into her brother’s arm. “I was worried you wouldn’t be real. That the Emperor had killed you and kept your mind somehow.”

“He tried for a long time. But your brother was too strong. You made me strong and wise when our parents wouldn’t.”

“I missed you, Varek.”

“I missed you too, Gani.”

Kreg made himself as small as possible in the corner while they reunited. His whole being shook with terror at the sight of the wolf. He tried to focus on the fireflies, looking for a way to get out. At his back was a six inch blast door trapping him in here with the wolves. The steel felt cold beneath his paw pads as he placed his hand against the blast door’s surface and tried to find the opening mechanism with his mind. There was a large cog and motor assembly on the floor beneath them. The kit focused as hard as he could on opening the door. It started to rumble open and his heart leapt.

It screeched to a halt. Behind him Varek’s paw was outstretched towards the door. He’d stopped the machine in place. “You’re not going anywhere.”

The black wolf marched forward, a growl growing in his chest. Kreg shrank into a ball in the farthest corner he could reach. It wasn’t far enough. A thick, rough, black paw clamped onto his neck scruff and lifted him into the air. He whined in Varek’s grip, but couldn’t move. “You’ve caused enough trouble for one miserable lifetime. Luckily for you, it’s almost o–”

Varek’s mind was infiltrated by a sudden image. First it was the fox in his paw, scared, crying, wanting to go home. Then it was a small black wolf. A child in his grip. Himself. Then he was seeing the whole scene from the outside, watching the small black wolf be carried away by the Emperor. Gani watching the whole thing with tears running down her face. They stood in the Black Claw’s Great Hall, surrounded by solemn hunters, all bowing their heads to honor his sacrifice as he was dragged away, screaming for help that would never come.

Then it was Kreg again, staring up at him. They were together in their shared mind space. Kreg, though hanging helpless in the clutches of what he assumed was pure evil, felt the warmth of his father’s voice in his ear telling him not to give up. He remembered falling asleep in Rusty’s arms. Learning to control his mind with him in the hangar. The way Rusty searched for him after Kreg had blown up those ships. The thought of it stung like an icy needle. If after all Kreg had done, that Rusty could still see good in him, then maybe he needed to see whatever little good was left in this wolf, and hope the wolf would listen to it.

“If you do this to me, they’ll keep doing it to creatures like us. It will never end if people like us don’t stop him.” Kreg said, looking him dead in the eye. The wolf had the briefest of shudders as the thought flickered up and down his spine. Varek was still thinking about the little wolf being dragged away. Kreg had asked the question he’d always wanted the answer to. The one he’d scream at his imagined parents from his cell on Hydrantia. How many children had Pagrian rulers given up as an offering to continue living the lives they wanted? Why had no Pagrian ever stood up to the Empire and told them ‘NO’?

The question Kreg had asked before resurfaced. “What’s the point of going home if getting home turns you into a monster?”

The airlock door cycled open behind him. The door into the Emperor’s hall was open. The ritual was about to begin.

“Bring him forward, slave!” The Emperor’s voice sounded like screeching claws on a chalkboard.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Bodie took three steps back as the panther rose to his full height, looming over him. Rusty caught his bearings again as the two armored creatures squared up. Frank stood behind Bodie and peeked out at the giant black furred feline.

“Bodie…”

“Hold this, Little Brother.” Frank suddenly had to hold up his brother’s weighty wrench. “I want this to be a fair fight.”

The badger held his paws up like a boxer, making his pose, and grinned at the panther. A growl shook the room as the panther charged forward. Bodie slid effortlessly to the side as the armored creature charged past him. His paw reached out and grabbed onto the panther’s tail, tugging him off balance. The panther slapped to the floor as Bodie slipped backwards.

“Right O! On your feet now!” Bodie bobbed on his toes, ready for whatever came next. Frank had found his way to Rusty’s side and helped him up to his feet. A shout met their ears from down the hall.

“FREEZE!” An imperial soldier shouted, gun drawn. Rusty dragged Frank along as he dove behind a crate. Blaster bolts bounced off the deck near where they landed. Frank peeked his head up for just a second before Rusty snatched him back down into cover.

“Head down, otter. I don’t want to be dragging your corpse around while we look for Kreg.”

“No, wait. I’ve wanted to try this for a while.” Frank tapped a command into his bracer. A charging buzz vibrated from the circle around his wrist. When the blue charge indicator was full he flopped to the deck, popping out sideways from the crate, and fired his weapon at the soldier. The soldier’s gun ignited as the plasma chamber overloaded. The wolf tossed it to the ground, clutching his paw. Rusty leaned up and fired a bolt down the hall. The shot severed an airline, which blasted the soldier, sending him retreating down the hall. Their attention was drawn back to Bodie when the deck violently shook as the two creatures traded blows.

Bodie surged forward, roaring through his teeth. He shoved the panther against the wall, denting the metal plating. The panther swiped and clamped down on his vest. Bodie spun his arm, freed himself, and received a left hook in response. The panther, seeing an opening, kicked Bodie in the gut, launching the badger backwards. Bodie landed on his back, spun in a ball, and used the momentum to recover on all fours.

“Ho HO! He’s feisty!” Bodie let the panther take the next charge. Using the panther’s weight against him, Bodie lurched to the side and pulled his arm down to the ground. The panther tumbled forward. Borrowing momentum from his opponent, Bodie launched himself up and over the panther, and then crashed down, landing a solid elbow strike to the panther’s chest. A black clawed paw hooked under his arm as the panther attempted to pin him to the ground. Bodie slipped under and out of his grip, pulling the panther’s arm with him. He twisted as hard as he could until something popped under the armor. An angry growl chirped out of the soldier. The panther launched himself up and struck down, landing a clean, powerful hit to Bodie’s cheek.

Bodie stumbled back, trying to clear his eyes. He struggled to keep his paws up as the panther rained blows down on him from above.

“BODIE!” Frank called out. The otter ran forward and swung his brother’s wrench at the panther’s feet. He struck the panther in the ankle, knocking one of his feet out from under him. It gave Bodie an opening that he acted on through blurred vision. He clamped onto the panther’s arm. Stepped sideways. Spun hard. Then the wall shook as the panther collided against it upside down. Rusty appeared at his side. The lion kicked hard into the panther’s face. The panther kicked out, launching Rusty backwards. The panther rolled forward to get back on his feet. Bodie dodged out of the way.

“ENOUGH!” The panther yelled. He pulled a palm sized stick from his belt and flicked it with his wrist. A glowing metal sword extended out of the hilt. “Prepare to die, Pagrian.”

Frank shoved the wrench into Bodie’s hands. The badger spun it in his hand and crouched down, ready for the next round. “Ready when you are, furball!”

-_-_-_-_-_-

“Put him into the machine. Begin the transfer process!” The emperor shouted. Varek dragged Kreg further into the room by the wrist. The fox got his first look at the emperor as Varek took him to the middle of the chamber. They stopped in front of where the Emperor stood, his robes piling on the floor around his feet. Kreg looked up and saw white eyes and a dark snout just poking out from under the fabric.

“We held up our end.” Varek said, his voice on the edge of trembling.

“So you did.” The Emperor said. The robed figure took a breath and nodded. “Very well. Pagria will henceforth and forever more be free of imperial rule.”

Varek and Vargana smiled at each other. They had won the fight that every generation of their ancestors had failed to win. No one who came after them would ever have to sacrifice another child. Varek tried his best to hold onto that thought. That somehow saving all those future children would absolve him of what he was about to do to Kreg.

The fox’s whimpering cry echoed in his ears as he pulled him to a metal medical chair and strapped him down. Across from Kreg’s chair was a matching chair that the Emperor sat down in. A strap went across Kreg’s neck, trapping him in place. He breathed in short fast bursts. He reached out and tried to manipulate any machine he could. The lights in the room fluctuated. A groaning whirr came from the air recyclers. In a bank of showers two decks below them a dog got blasted out of the shower when the water pressure rose exponentially. Varek lowered a metal half circle over his head and the fireflies all disappeared in a wave of approaching darkness. A quiet, scared voice called out to the wolf.

“This isn’t who you are. Don’t become like him.”

Varek glanced over at the Emperor. He was leaning back in his own chair cackling to himself. “My perfect empire begins today!”

A big silver machine behind the Emperor glowed a brilliant blue as it spun to life. Then, what would normally feel like a gradual change when Kreg fell into the inky black shared mind space, snapped on like a light. Kreg found himself standing in the dark.

Alone.

Then, from out of the black, shone a brilliant fire wreathed wolf, eyes a burning yellow, slowly walking towards him. Kreg stepped back, his face lit up by the glow of the fire. An earthshaking voice rumbled out of the fiery form as it stopped in front of him.

“You pathetic creature. After all this time in this place you’ve barely scratched the surface of what is possible. You stand here in this pool of potential and you remain yourself.” The Emperor’s voice felt like sandpaper. His burning claws reached out at Kreg’s head. Kreg realized he couldn’t move in the shared space. “All of your thoughts, all of your dreams, all of your memories, will now be mine. The idea of you will fade away. The empire won’t remember your name. But we will be made better by your sacrifice.”

A violent pulse flowed through the Emperor’s hand into Kreg’s mind. The little fox cried out as he felt his mind begin to burn. “RUSTY!!!”

He tried desperately to hold onto something. Any memory that could pull him away. The pain held him firmly in the present, unable to latch on. He grit his teeth and tried to pull back again. A warm voice flowed in around his ear tips and whispered to him. “Kreg…don’t be afraid.”

The Captain’s voice. Rusty’s voice. Dad’s voice. It was the only solid thing in his tiny universe that he could hold onto. And he gripped it like a hydraulic clamp.

Behind the glowing, burning Emperor, a smoke wreathed Varek watched them. He fought to ignore the sound of his own voice calling out in the echo of his memory. Calling for help. Just like Kreg. Hot angry tears welled on his eyes as he watched the scene unfold. Knowing he was the cause of Kreg’s pain was melting his insides.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Bodie deftly dodged left as the panther charged with his sword. He spun up and shoved the butt end of his wrench into the panther’s ribs. They separated as the panther reeled, and regained his footing. The panther roared and charged forward, swinging his sword wildly. A bright clang rang down the hall as the sword’s point scraped along Bodie’s pauldron. Bodie did his best to spin out of the way, but the panther was speeding up. The sword’s blade slashed through the top of his thigh. He fell to one knee with a grunt, holding his wrench over his head to block a downward blow.

Frank ran over and tried to blast the panther with his pistol. The panther’s gloved hand slapped him so hard he flew into the wall. Bodie let the panther’s sword slide by him. His paw grabbed onto the panther’s arm and his wrench came up, pinning the arm in place. Bodie put his full weight into pulling the black cat’s hand down, breaking both of the bones in his forearm. The growling cry that came from the panther echoed down the halls. He backed away, holding his limb close to his body.

“Nobody slaps Frank around but me!” Bodie yelled.

The panther snarled and charged forward, swinging with his one good arm. Bodie swiftly sidestepped. He brought his wrench up, swung, and hit the panther so hard his helmet flew off. The huge cat stumbled back, holding the side of his face in his paw. With one eye open he glared at Bodie. The badger had blood running down his leg, coating his armor. His eye was swollen shut, and he looked exhausted. But he stood there, guarding his little brother, with all the strength he had. Frank slowly pushed himself to his feet and stood behind his brother, striking his best fighting pose, ready to help if he could.

“Get him, Bodie!” Frank barked.

Through his labored breathing, the black cat chuckled. He then rose up and lashed out with all the might he had left. Bodie launched a grappling coil from his bracer and pulled the panther off balance, sending him flying headfirst into the metal bulkhead. His head hit so hard he left a skull shaped impression in the frame. Frank, Bodie and Rusty joined each other again. Rusty picked up the panther’s sword and pondered the blade for a moment. He clicked the button on the side and the blade collapsed back into the handle.

Then the lights in the hall flickered and pulsed.

“Kreg!” Rusty shouted. “How far are we?”

Bodie pulled himself together, tightened a strap on his bracer and pulled the map up. “One more compartment and we’ll be there.”

“GO GO GO!” They took off again at a full sprint. Around the next corner they found the airlock to the next compartment open. There were a dozen ship security guards standing around a big, elegant doorway at the far side of the corridor. Each of them was a canine with pointed ears and brown fur. They stared with puzzled looks at the three out of place creatures on their beautiful ship. Everyone took a few breaths as they tried to decide what they wanted to do.

“Bodie?”

“yeah, Cap?”

“Get me through that door.”

“Aye sir.”

Bodie hucked a small spherical ball with a flashing blue light on it over the guards. It stopped at about head level and then exploded into a flash bang. Before any of them could recover, Bodie collided with the front most guard. He landed two solid hits to the mutt’s face before the creature crumpled to the floor. The next nearest creature served as an excellent bowling ball after Bodie snatched him off the floor, swung him around and chucked him into the stumbling, blinded crowd.

A guard on the left edge of the group had recovered enough to draw his pistol but didn’t get a shot off before Frank tackled him with a yelp. The otter whacked him with his fists repeatedly until the Captain plucked him up and tossed him across the room where Bodie caught him and shot him forward into another guard. A plucky guard leapt up onto Bodie’s shoulder and tried punching the top of his head but found himself flying suddenly into the deck face first. Another pair latched onto the badger’s arm and leg, trying to slow him down. The bounty hunter was momentarily distracted as a guard against the wall tried to take a shot at him. He blocked the shot with his bracer, spun, and fired a shock blast from his other arm in response.

Rusty plowed through the crowd. Each hit he landed sent whoever was unlucky enough to receive it spiraling through the air. The three of them whirled through the guards, dodging plasma blasts, swinging fists, and strikes with billy clubs. It was a symphony of punches and pain.

Frank laid the final blow on the last guard, yelling at the top of his lungs until his big brother pulled him back.

“You got him, Little Brother. You got him!” All three of them huffed and puffed, catching their breath at the threshold of the Emperor’s chamber. Frank waddled over to the door control and used his comm to convince it open. The big mechanical door looked like a bank vault door. It was twice as tall as Rusty and slowly rotated with a rumbling grinding noise. Frank and Bodie flanked the Captain, fists up, ready for anything.

“No matter what happens, I can’t thank you boys enough. If we get Kreg home I’ll owe you two everything.”

“Hugs and drinks later, Cap.” Bodie punched his arm.

“We’re heroes, sir! This is what we do.” Frank winked up at him.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Kreg screamed in pain. His mind was caught halfway between his outer self and the inky-black mind space. His memories, everything that had happened since Rusty had woken him up on that space station, flooded through his mind. Each part of himself was under attack simultaneously by the emperor. The beach front on Galdor fell dark. Amos’ base on Soja-4 felt like fire. His little bedroom on the Dawnbreaker dissolved. There was no safe place for him to retreat to. Just the blistering, unignorable present. Just as the Emperor wanted.

“Yes. YES. Feel the future of all animal kind flow through your neurons. I will take it all from them and give them the gift of obedience.” The burning image of the Emperor leaned in close to Kreg. “Now just. Let. Go.”

Kreg felt like he was spinning in a centrifuge. The force pushed him back until he couldn’t lift his arms. In the spinning torrent of pain he felt a cooling, reassuring voice echo through his mind. Rusty’s voice again.

“Stay with me, Spark.” Kreg felt the memory shift. The Emperor saw into it and tried to destroy it. The thought darkened. Rusty started to fade away. His warmth was gone. The light went out.

It was too much. Kreg had had enough. The little fox focused all of his mind, every thought he could muster, into violently shoving the Emperor out of his head. He felt it begin near his heart and grow outward from him. In the inky black space he found himself surrounded by a white sphere of light. A shield he was forming around himself. With great effort he pulled his memories to himself and the space around him changed. He felt himself get scooped up by Rusty and spun around the hangar in his arms. Amos was there the next moment, spooking him, and then rumbling his chest with a room shaking laugh. Winston was there, ruffling his fur as they looked over a schematic. From inside the bubble of warmth and love Kreg glared up at the Emperor in defiance, refusing to lie down and lose himself.

The ancient wolf roared in the dark, his flames burning hotter and brighter. “Give up you insolent child!”

Through glowing, angry eyes, Kreg stared up and said “No.”

The Emperor’s fury unleashed on Kreg. His little safe bubble shuddered under flames and fury. Watching from a few steps away, Varek grew angrier and angrier. He was forced into a chair just like the one Kreg was sitting in when he was young. The Emperor methodically broke his mind and put him back together again to develop Project Honey Bee. All those long years ago it was him in that chair, screaming, crying for help. It was the Emperor that trapped him in a hospital bed for decades, trying to trap his mind in his body. How had he let himself become that monster’s puppet? Varek growled low in his chest. He woke himself up in the real world and found himself standing between where Kreg sat and where the Emperor sat.

Vargana walked up to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Is it done?”

“No. Not yet.” He turned to his sister, roughly pulled her coat open, and stole her firearm from its holster. Vargana fell to the floor as Varek shoved her and turned back to the Emperor. He stood over the creature, yellow eyes burning, paw clamped around the pistol. His eyes darted up to the Emperor’s royal guards. They stood watch, rifles at the ready, black helmets glinting in the silvery lighting. He calculated the situation and accepted the outcome.

“Don’t you dare!” Gani yelled out. It was too late. Varek raised his pistol and fired two shots straight through the Emperor’s head. A dozen shots followed them from the guards, each passing through Varek. He fell to the floor, struggling to breathe.

Kreg saw the Emperor suddenly blink out of existence. The last look on his face was one of existential horror as he passed into the next life to receive the reward for everything he’d done. The darkness returned to the mindspace. But Kreg wasn’t alone. Varek laid at his feet, crumpled in a ball. Smoke rose from his body. The light in his eyes was going out. Kreg knelt next to him.

“Varek? Varek! What happened?”

“You’re safe now. The Emperor can’t get you. At least not this one.” Varek coughed. “I’m sorry Kreg. It should’ve never gone this far…”

“Did you…what did you do?”

“I shot him in the face. Twice.” Varek chuckled, then winced from the pain. Kreg took his paw in his hand. Then he woke up to the sound of Vargana firing her pistol. The two guards were too slow to react to her as she spun around and placed two perfectly aimed shots through their helmets. She stooped down to Varek’s side.

“It’s going to be alright, Varek. No no no…” Varek’s hand rose to her cheek and gently stroked her fur.

“I’m sorry to leave so soon, my sister. But you wouldn’t have loved the wolf who came home.”

“NO! No, you’re wrong.” Tears ran from her eyes. Kreg hopped down from his seat after the restraints lost power and popped open. Vargana’s voice cracked as she forced herself to keep talking. “No matter who you are, you’re my brother. I love you no matter what.”

“I love you too, Gani.” The black wolf smiled and held his sister’s hand as his eyes closed for the last time. Kreg knelt down and held his hand as he said goodbye. The room fell quiet. The only sounds in the room were Vargana quietly weeping and the whirr of the air recyclers.

Then the big door slowly ground itself open. Rusty, Frank, and Bodie stood in the doorway, pistols drawn. Kreg looked up through watery eyes in disbelief as his dad walked forward, calling him to his side. The little fox hesitated. He’d been whipped around from memory to memory for the last few minutes. The lion in front of him looked real enough. He wanted him to be real. His russet brown shape turned into a blur as he sprinted at full speed and leapt into the Captain’s arms.

Rusty instantly wrapped his arms around him, pulling Kreg against his chest in the tightest bear hug. His nose ruffled through the fur on top of Kreg’s head as he gently rocked his little spark back and forth. Kreg’s paws curled into the fabric of his jacket and held on tight. The Captain smiled so hard that tears slipped out of his eyes. This was the safest place in the universe and Kreg knew that it was right where he belonged. The fox tightened his grip again and then wiped his eyes as he settled into the Captain’s arms. Rusty chuckled into his fur and finally opened his eyes.

“Say, you’re not wearing something that can zap us again, are ya?”

Kreg giggled and shook his head. “No sir.”

“Good.” He smiled and rested his chin on his boy’s head.

“How did you find me?”

“I had a lot of help.” Frank had been staring up at them with a smile. His insides felt all warm and fuzzy. Meanwhile Bodie had locked eyes with Vargana. The Bounty Hunter had his pistol trained on her, standing like a frozen statue. He hadn’t thought of what he would say when he came face to face with his boss. She was still clutching her brother’s hand, blood staining her white fur. Her eyes were wet with tears and filled with rage.

“Captain. Let’s go home.” Bodie said, his pistol still aimed at Vargana’s head.

“Good idea, XO.” Frank and Rusty turned to leave. Kreg looked over Rusty’s shoulder at Varek and Vargana. Vargana was so angry it sent chills down the fox’s spine. His ears bent down as he lowered his head to hide behind Rusty again. Bodie lingered for a moment longer. A silent statement to Vargana: Don’t follow us. Then he slowly backed up and left the Hunt Master alone.

The Lost and the Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 18:30:52 GMT

“The Kynosura is leaving! RUN!” Bodie roared. Amos, Carter, and Frank raced after him. The badger pulled his comm unit out and barked a command. “CLAY! Get your scaly hide down here and scoop us up!”

“Where? On the street?!” Clay replied. The Jade Fang had been circling above them, waiting to help.

“Yes! The middle of the road outside the base. We’re headed there now.” As they ran they passed many startled animals looking up into the sky. They watched, mouths agape, as the Kynosura sailed up into the atmosphere for the first time in recent memory. There were many buildings in the city that now had sunlight shining on them that they hadn’t seen in years. Cheers, hoots, and hollers rang out across the city at the sight. Bodie shoved through the security gate at the entrance to the base. The guard stumbled out of the way. As the guard started to yell after him, three more creatures collided with him, launching him across the ground, where he landed in a heap. Frank turned back for a moment.

“Sorry! Gotta run!”

Above them the Jade Fang swooped down out of the clouds. Her engines whined as Clay brought her down fast, pulled the nose up like a rearing horse, and settled the ship on her landing skids. The cargo bay doors swung open as Bodie jumped up the gangplank, followed soon after by Carter, Frank, and Amos. Amos tapped the door controls and sealed the back of the ship as Bodie charged down the main corridor into the bridge.

“Take off, NOW! Follow that battleship!” Bodie ordered. Clay yanked back on the yoke and the ship launched off the ground.

“We’re coming too, Bodie.” Winston’s called out over the comms. The Wanderer roared to life and lifted off the top of the East Port Gallery. Annalee and Winston were tightly buckled in on the bridge. The huge cargo ship swirled around a tower and pulled up behind the Jade Fang as the two ships rocketed up into the upper atmosphere. The Kynosura loomed ahead of them like a whale in a dark ocean.

“What’s the plan, Bodie?” Clay asked as he checked the ship’s atmosphere seals. The ship was entering vacuum. “The Kyno is going to start getting curious about the ships following her.”

“Is she activating her hyperdrive?”

“Not yet. Based on her trajectory, she’ll be settling into a stable orbit in about a minute.”

“Makes sense. Vargana isn’t about to go to Hydrantia for fun.” Bodie pulled up the navigation screen. The Kyno had cut thrust already. Bodie’s paw settled on Clay’s shoulder as he pointed at the orbital map. “Clay, fly us up here. Get us into a synchronous orbit above them. Winston, you there?”

“Yeah, Bodie. What’s up?”

“Hang back a little. Make it look like you’re settling into a maintenance orbit. Keep the reactor hot in case we need a ride.”

“Sure thing, Bounty Hunter.”

“How’re we getting onto that ship?” Frank asked.

“Not sure yet.” Bodie said as he eyed a scan of the Kynosura’s exterior. “I’m open to suggestions, team.”

“Do you think your credentials will get us a landing pad?”

“Doubtful. Unless there was a specific bounty I had under my name they’d never let us near them.”

Frank stared at the navigation screen. His whiskers twitched at the scans of the hulking battleship. The metallic skin must’ve been littered with airlocks and access hatches. The Kynosura had shut off her engines and was orbiting smoothly. Just waiting for them to arrive. Then a thought popped into his head and a big smile stretched across his snout. “Hey Bodie. You ever get fleas?”

Bodie looked over at him suspiciously. “What?”

“I walked past this raccoon once at a farmer’s market. He looked like he hadn’t bathed in months. Constantly scratching his side. I didn’t even have to touch him. The fleas leapt right over and dug into my fur.”

“Did he hit his head again?” Anita asked over her shoulder.

“I’ve got an idea.” Frank tugged Bodie’s sleeve and ran down the hall to his room. He pulled open his emergency vacuum suit drawer and pulled out the helmet. He put it on and stared up at Bodie with an eager smile.

“No.”

“Come on!”

“Absolutely not.”

“We’ll have Anita and Clay speed up, and launch us out the cargo bay doors at just the right angle, then we’ll float down and land on the Kynosura. Come on! This’ll be SO FUN!”

“It’s incredibly dangerous! We could miss. Or worse, we’ll go too fast and NOT miss.” Bodie crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. His eyes were darting back and forth, a sign that Frank recognized meant he was thinking it out. “We could get too close and get fired on!”

“Bodie!”

“We’ll get cooked by their shields!”

“The Kyno is an ancient battleship. It has armor, not shields.”

“But…but what about Clay and Anita, huh? How’re we going to get them on the ship?”

“We’ll use your hack stick thing to override the hangar doors and let the ship in.” Frank had a smug smile creeping across his snout.

“...Well you just have an answer for everything, don’t you?” Bodie frowned. He growled as he stomped back to the bridge. Clay turned as he walked in. “Clay, we’ve got a plan. Bring the ship to this height and speed.”

“Why?”

Bodie finished tapping out the plan into the ship’s computer. It plotted a safe approach via spacewalk and made a diagram for Clay to follow. The crocodile read through the operation steps and grunted at the horror of it. “You’re going to get yourselves killed, Bodie!”

“I’m going to get suited up in the cargo bay.”

Anita turned to yell at him. “This is INSANE Bodie!”

“It was thought up by an otter. Of course it’s insane.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

As Rusty came to, he had a stabbing headache. The world was swirling and his whole body felt numb and tingly. His arms were cuffed behind him. He groaned and was instantly hoisted off the ground by a large creature. Big paws looped under his arms and forced him to his feet. The Captain’s eyes cracked open and looked up. A brown bear in an Imperial navy uniform glared down at him. On his left a small canine swiped through a comm pad.

“Where…where’s…where is Kreg?”

“Quiet!” The bear shouted, punching him in his side. Rusty grunted and huffed in a labored breath. He took in the details of the room. They were on an observation deck facing Pagria. The room was illuminated by the blue and amber color of the planet below shining through a huge window. Steel plates lined the walls, broken by data columns running from floor to ceilings and white light sconces evenly spaced throughout the room. Near the window was a circular space where a large highbacked egg shaped chair faced the planet. Rusty thought it looked like a throne. The throne had a small group of highly ranked officers standing at the ready, listening to whoever was sitting in the chair.

“Bring him to me.” A gravely voice called out. The guards dragged Rusty forward towards the chair. As they rounded the chair, Rusty realized he was right. It was a throne. He was forced to his knees at the feet of the Emperor of the Hydrantian Empire, ruler of the Seven Sectors, King of all animalkind, and a dozen other pointless titles that Rusty had no interest in memorizing. The Captain slowly raised his head, grimacing and burning a hole right through the creature in front of him with his eyes. Before him sat an aging canine, the size of a wolf but of a weaker lineage, with brown fur and black spots over his eyes. He wore a flowing black hooded robe that mostly disguised his smaller frame. His half covered eyes studied Rusty as the Emperor smiled, poking a small fang out from his mouth.

“Your Highness, this is the rogue captain that has been keeping the child from us.”

“Where is my son?” Rusty growled.

“Your son?!” The Emperor responded, surprised by his impudence. “He does not belong to you, Captain Shepherd. That child is mine, just as every child in the empire is mine to do with as I please. That fox has been brought here to serve his purpose. To glorify the empire. To bring us into a beautiful tomorrow. One wholly bound to the guiding hand of the Emperor. You have stood in our way for too long.”

“You’re a weeping scab on the gangrenous foot of society. Release me and Kreg and go back to your backwater planet you useless dottering old fool.”

The Emperor blinked. “It has been so long since someone insulted me. I’d forgotten how it felt. The last person who did that was my mother and I had her incinerated.” The canine leaned forward and spoke quietly. “I was going to let you watch as I dragged that fox to the science bay and stripped his mind away, but now I’ll spare you the satisfaction of seeing him one more time before you die.”

The Emperor waved him away like a bad salad. “Throw him out the airlock.”

The guards hoisted Rusty away as the Emperor cackled to himself. The stuttering laughter echoed off the walls until the hallway door closed behind them.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Bodie and Frank stood in the Jade Fang’s cargo bay, sealing up their vacuum suits. Frank’s voice crackled over Bodie’s suit speakers.

“Ready!”

“Stand by, Little Brother.” Bodie checked his seals one last time, checked the volume of reaction fuel they had in their back mounted thruster packs, and motioned for Frank to step towards the back of the cargo bay. A panel rose up off the ground after Bodie tapped it with his foot, pointing an artificial gravity plate towards the open bay doors. Anita and Frank had reversed the polarity of the gravity generator and boosted the wave frequency to make it function as a big flat cannon. Bodie’s apprentice shook with nervous energy. He was pretty sure Frank was excited, but he wanted to be sure.

“Frank,” He put his gloved hand on Frank’s shoulder and turned him so they were face to face. “This is a good plan. We’re going to make it.”

Frank nodded slowly, then smiled and winked. “Let’s rock!”

Bodie smiled and taped into his comm. “Clay, start the maneuver.”

“Aye Master Thorne. Good Hunting.”

“We’ll call when it’s time for you to join in the fun.”

“You better. This seat is getting uncomfortable.”

Bodie laughed and took his position at the edge of the cargo bay. Frank stood next to him. They both activated the magnetic clamps on their boots and held onto the wall. Clay turned the ship and activated the thrusters, launching them up in a high arc. As they approached the peak he shut off the thrusters. The Jade Fang’s computer sounded an alarm to warn him he was on a collision course with the planet below. He acknowledged it and flipped the ship end over end with the thrusters so the cargo bay was facing towards the Kynosura. The battleship gently drifted along in its orbit, their course almost intersecting with theirs. Seconds clicked by as the whole crew waited for the launch to happen. As they floated along, falling down towards the planet, the clock reached zero.

“Firing.” Frank and Bodie kicked off their magnetic boots. A half second later the grav plate activated. Frank and Bodie were hurled out the cargo bay doors into the infinite inky black. High above them in a synchronous orbit Winston and Annalee tracked their position from the Wanderer. If something went wrong they had multiple ships ready to swoop in and get them. Bodie tracked their descent. Frank had a beaming smile.

“This is the most fun thing I’ve ever done.”

Bodie smiled at him through his suit’s visor.

“We’re moving a little too fast. Frank, rotate to 165 degrees and fire in short bursts until we reach the right speed.”

“Yes sir.” Frank clicked through his suit’s controls. The firing mechanism didn’t respond. He checked them again. No response. “Bodie. I’ve got a problem here.”

“What’s up?”

“I’ve got no control in my suit. The thruster pack isn’t working.”

Bodie put the mission timer up on his head up display. They had a minute and a half until they smashed into the Kynosura’s hull. He moved over to Frank and looked at his thruster pack.

“Your reaction bottle is frozen at the valve. The fuel can’t get to the nozzles.”

“What do we do?”

Then a massive laser blast flew past them. The Kynosura was firing on them.

“BODIE!” Frank called out. Bodie grabbed him and held him against his chest.

“Don’t let go. I’m going to try evasive maneuvers. Hold on tight!” Frank clamped his paws around the straps on Bodie’s suit as Bodie’s thruster pack fired. Another blast zipped by just under their feet.

“Didn’t think they’d notice us so fast. I thought we’d get a bit closer.” Bodie said, grunting from the g-forces of the sudden directional changes. “Are you nervous, Little Brother? WHOA!”

They zipped down and to the left just before another blast flew past them. They had maybe another 45 seconds before they’d be close enough to pick them off no matter how they moved.

“Bodie??”

“Our suit transponders are off. If they’re not looking through a window or actively pinging us with LIDAR they probably think we’re debris headed straight at them.”

“I don’t want to be debris!”

Another shot flew past them a second too slow.

“They’re not going to hit us.” They were close enough that Bodie could see the laser cannon charging up on the Kynosura’s deck. In the back of his mind he knew there was no way they could dodge forever. He pulled Frank against him and fired the thrusters once more. The cannon hesitated, lined up its shot again, and fired.

Just as the blast launched towards them, the Jade Fang roared past over their heads. Clay spun the ship sideways to cover them. The shields on the Jade Fang flared orange as they absorbed the shot. Bodie fired his thrusters as the Jade Fang decelerated and flew towards them. The crocodile’s voice yelled at them over the comms. “Go, Bodie, GO!”

They were coming in too fast, which was a good thing concerning the cannon, but a bad thing since they’d soon bounce off the ship and fly into space. The hulking, grey, mountain-sized ship rose up to meet them. As they approached the ship they passed out of range of the cannon around the far side of the ship. The thrusters on Bodie’s pack fired at full speed. Frank crashed into Bodie’s chest and Bodie held onto him for dear life. They both howled with fear as they flung towards the target. The hull came up under them rapidly. “Frank! Grapplers! NOW!”

They both fired wrist mounted magnetic grappling hooks at the deck. Bodie landed gracefully on his feet and slid to a stop. Frank bounced against the hull, floated up, fired backwards as he spun away, and clamped to the deck. Bodie walked over and reeled him in.

“Good work, Little Brother.” He tapped the otter’s helmet with his hand. Frank giggled, letting the energy out of his nerves.

“Again! Let’s go again!” Frank clicked his grappler and the line retracted.

“C’mon! We’ve got people to save.” The badger tugged him along by the arm. Frank chuckled. The bright sound echoed around in his suit. Bodie found the airlock they were aiming for and pulled out his bounty hunter kit to get to work on the door controller.

-_-_-_-_-_-

Rusty’s heart was broken. He couldn’t get the image of Kreg, sitting somewhere on this ship, alone and scared, out of his mind. He was so close. It was like a knife twisting in his side. How could he have failed Kreg so thoroughly? He clamped his eyes closed as a tear rolled out. His body felt heavy. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. He heard the sound of Kreg crying out in his mind. The pressure was rising and he had to scream. His fists flexed against the cuffs, then his muscles tensed.

“No.”

“Keep moving.” The bear rumbled.

Rusty planted his feet.

“MOVE!” The bear got a little too close. Rusty thrust his forehead into the bear’s skull. The bear went reeling back. The canine stepped back, trying to get free from the brawl. Rusty stepped forward, spun on his heel, and kicked out. The canine launched across the corridor into a bulkhead and fell to the ground. Rusty jolted backwards as the bear clamped onto his shoulders. He jumped backwards, launching his full weight onto the off balance bear. They tumbled to the ground. Rusty grunted as he rolled to his feet. He stepped back and found himself against the airlock door. The bear drew a pistol from his belt and aimed it at Rusty’s forehead. With a hiss the airlock suddenly cycled open and Rusty fell backwards into it with a roar. He found himself looking up at a very confused badger and otter in space suits. Bodie looked up first, drew his pistol from his hip quicker than lightning, and blasted a hole straight through the bear. The huge creature dropped to the deck with a loud thud.

“Huh.” Bodie said. “Who was that? It wasn’t somebody nice, was it?”

Rusty laughed the deep and full laugh of a man given a second chance. Bodie helped him to his feet and released the cuffs off Rusty’s hands. “You’ve already shot him, Bodie. It’s a little late to feel bad about it now.”

With a hiss, Frank pulled his helmet off and cracked open the pack Bodie had him bring. A pistol and a comm for the Captain. The pistol slid into Rusty’s holster with a faint click. He clipped the small comm barrel to his lapel. The Captain shook out his mane, straightened his jacket, and stood tall in the hallway, ready to get Kreg back. A minute later Frank and Bodie had removed and stowed their spacesuits. The airlock illuminated with a blue glow as Bodie pulled up a schematic of the Kynosura. The science bay they were preparing for Kreg was three decks down and halfway across the huge ship. Frank had Bodie’s hack stick stuck against an access terminal in the wall outside the airlock. His smile dropped and he looked up at Bodie with wide eyes.

“Clay and Anita were captured by the Kynosura’s tractor beam. The Jade Fang is being held in an auxiliary hangar two decks down. They haven’t been able to crack her open yet.”

“Is it nearby?”

“It’s on the way.” Frank said, pulling the stick back. He tapped it against Bodie’s bracer, adding access to his armor’s control systems. “Captain? Can we go?”

“What’re we waiting for? Move it boys!” The three of them rushed out into the grey corridor. Bodie led the way, followed by Frank, and Rusty guarding their backs. Faint thumps and clicks followed them as their feet tapped against the shiny and cold deck plates. They had to slow down a few times to avoid the two man patrols marching through the ship. Mostly the crew was focused on preparing the ship for hyperspace and the corridors were empty. After a long run they stumbled into the access stairwell for the auxiliary hangar control tower. Bodie waved his paw and the three of them pressed up against the wall outside the tower door. With a quick lean, Bodie peeked into the tower and saw one operator at a console.

“Wait here.” He whispered, stepping slowly through the open doorway. The badger, silent as a graveyard, crept into the room, sidled up the operator, and with one solid punch, knocked the unsuspecting canine unconscious. He smiled and waved the Captain and Frank into the room. There were soldiers down in the hangar trying to disable and breach the Jade Fang’s shields.

“Clay, what’s going on in there?”

“Bodie? Is that you?” Clay said, completely unbothered. “I’m having tea with Anita, could you come back in a little while?”

“What?”

“The shields on this bucket are incredible! They won’t be coming in here for months.”

“Clay! Quit fooling around!” The Captain called out.

“Captain Shepherd? Fancy finding you here. It’s not like you just got yourself arrested or anything.”

“Is his air contaminated or something?” Frank asked Bodie.

Frank was interrupted when the soldiers were able to open a hole through the shields with an imperial device none of them had seen before.

“Clay!”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake.” Clay tapped on the Jade Fang’s controls and a laser turret unfolded out from the bottom of the ship. The soldiers were taken by surprise and a moment later the squad were scattered across the deck with smoking laser blasts in their armor. Rusty, Bodie, and Frank ran down the stairs and into the hangar as the crocodile trudged down the gangplank. “Hey fellas. How’s the rescue going?”

“One down, one to go. Is the ship okay?”

“You’ll have to replace a relay and one of the hull panels has a serious dent, but she’ll survive.”

“Good. Keep the engines hot. We’ll be back shortly and we’ll probably have people hot on our tails.”

“Here, it’s the Kynosura’s schematics.” Bodie flicked a file from his bracer to Clay’s. ”In case we need you to come get us. I’ve been overriding the general alarm system to keep things quiet. If they start sending people our way can you send out some mixed signals to keep them off our backs?”

“Sounds like fun. We’ll keep them busy.”

“Now go get Kreg, boys. We’ll watch the ship.” Anita said, poking her head out of the Jade Fang. Rusty nodded to Frank and Bodie and the three of them dashed into the ship. Clay walked up to Anita and raised the gangplank, closing the airlock behind him.

“You think they’ll make it?” Anita asked, sitting back into her seat.

“There’s like an 85% chance they’ll all die.”

The Lost and the Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 18:45:32 GMT

Kreg woke up in the inky black dark of his mind. He sat up and started yelling for help. Sound didn’t seem to carry as it left his mouth. The space absorbed the sound until his throat was sore. His eyes clamped shut as he tried to reach out with his mind. His thoughts hit a wall as they searched, thumping up against it like lightning colliding with the ground. He perceived a shield around where he sat, keeping him from exploring in the real world.

“Mr. Toby?” He suddenly found his voice. The effort was dizzying. Kreg put his paw up to his head and experienced something like brain freeze centered around the space above his left eyebrow. When his finger touched the spot, a pulse flowed down his spine and through his body. The sensation was like a net tightly wrapped around him.

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” Varek’s voice called out from the dark. His wispy smoky form whirled into shape in front of where Kreg sat. “It took me a while to learn how to speak in here with it on.”

“With what on?” Kreg covered his mouth, but realized he hadn’t spoken. His thoughts had echoed out into the space without him meaning to.

“That can happen too. They don’t want you keeping secrets from them.” The black wolf knelt down and sat next to Kreg. His yellow eyes stared at the little fox. Kreg wanted to move away. To run. To wake up. But everything he tried was kept from him. “It’ll be over soon, child. My sister is taking you to see the Emperor.”

“What do you mean? Mister Toby said I’d be a bounty hunter.”

The wolf just slowly shook his head once. “I’m sorry Kreg. He shouldn’t have lied to you.”

Toby lied to him. It stabbed through his heart like a spear. The space they shared shook like a violent earthquake and burned blue at the edges. He wanted out of this place more than he thought possible. The more he pushed out, the tighter the space closed in and the more intense the brain freeze ached. He cried into his arms and rolled into a ball next to Varek. Kreg felt the weight of a warm paw press against his side as he wept.

“Try not to push out, Kreg, the more you do, the harder the neuro inhibitor squeezes you in. Just try to remain calm and still.”

Kreg fought hard, reaching out several times with his mind, trying to grasp onto anything in the inky dark. But Varek was right. The more he reached out, the smaller the space seemed. He shrank himself into a tight ball to hide from it.

“What do you want from me?” Kreg whined.

“The Emperor wants what’s in your head. I’m going to trade my freedom for it. I’m here, by the way. In another part of the ship. You’ll be brought to us in a little while.”

“What does he want from my head?” Kreg kept feeling out the edges of the space. Searching for the seam.

“When you destroyed those battlecruisers, those ships captured a glimpse of how your brain operates on Imperial technology…before they collapsed into a giant fireball. No other volunteer from Project Honeybee was able to bridge the connection like you do. You saw what connecting did to me. I’ve been trapped in a bed for most of my life while the Emperor tried his hardest to achieve just a fraction of what you’re capable of. You’re the final stage of the project. The template for the future of the empire.”

“I don’t get it. What is he going to do with it?” His mind felt the edge with a shudder. He traced the outline of it. Measured it. He imagined it as a mechanical claw with a circle in the middle. The inner part of the circle felt like touching television static. He focused all of his mind on probing into the static.

“His long term goal is to have chips implanted into every Imperial citizen. Through this chip he’ll control the entire empire with his mind. Imagine an army all acting in unison, starships flying in perfect unison, soldiers communicating faster than light. The possibilities are unimaginable.”

“But you’ll be a slave. We all will be.” Kreg suddenly felt a circular object in his fingertips. He could rotate it. It turned in slow circles, clicking every 120 degrees.

“Vargana and I have negotiated to have Pagria excluded from the Emperor’s plans. Our home and everyone who lives here will be ours to rule and protect from the future of the Empire.”

“How could you do that to all those people? You’re…you’re a monster…”

“I just want to go home, Kreg. I haven’t been home in thirty years.”

Kreg was infuriated. It was a jumble of feelings he wasn’t old enough to process. He tried to think of what Rusty would say. As the memory of his dad floated up into his mind the Captain’s warmth settled under his fur again. It felt like home.

“You’ll still have to live with it.” Kreg barked. “You do this horrible thing and it’ll eat you alive forever. What’s the point of going home if that’s who you turn into?”

It was the question that Varek had been running from. He’d told himself over and over that he’d just have to live through another day, do this one last thing, and he’d get to be home. It was a lie he’d told himself that he could shake off the horrible deeds he’d done and leave them behind. But this child knew the obvious answer. There is no leaving things behind. It always follows you. Clings to you like tar. The only way to avoid drowning in it was to not stick it to yourself.

Kreg shook his head. He knew he was looking into the eyes of a coward. Varek looked away without responding. The device Kreg was manipulating popped open between his fingers and instantly the cage he had been in evaporated. The brain freeze was gone. Without another word, Kreg pulled himself up out of the darkness and opened his eyes in the real world.

“How long until the Emperor launches the Kynosura?” It was the voice of the white wolf that Toby had given Kreg to. The fox was asleep and strapped into a flight seat. He opened his eyes just enough to look around. The wolf was seated in front of Kreg.

“Soon, Ma’am. Once your business is settled, the Emperor wants to make for Hydrantia Prime immediately.” The black wolf at the helm said. Kreg thought he must’ve been the guard that grabbed him earlier in Vargana’s office. Vargana turned around and Kreg clamped his eyes shut. She eyed him curiously, then went back to looking out the viewscreen. His paw slowly slipped up and probed around the device fashioned to his head. The neuro inhibitor was a headband around the side of Kreg’s head. He felt the circular part he’d managed to manipulate. There were three metal contacts jutting out from the center of the circle poking into Kreg’s fur. The cold contacts reminded him of a shock collar.

Kreg reached out with his mind and felt around the ship. There weren’t as many Imperial parts on Vargana’s ship as the Wanderer. His fingertips tingled as he explored the ship. A power relay near the aft maneuvering thruster pod glowed like a faint firefly. Annalee had taught him how to repair one just like it. He remembered her spotted arm wrapped around him as she disassembled the relay and they studied the relay conduits together. Her funny laugh made him smile. She rotated the relay out of alignment and pointed to the intake. The rumble of her voice echoed in Kreg’s ears as she told him that a thruster assembly would shake itself apart if the intake rotated forty-five degrees the wrong way. The relay pulsed in his mind. Without hesitation he reached out and grabbed a hold of it until he heard a loud bang at the back of the ship and they jolted to starboard.

“Ma’am, I’m reading a thruster failure.”

“Can we make it to the Kynosura?”

“Negative. We’ll need to land at the Imperial base under the ship. We’re losing too much altitude. I’ll adjust the power distribution to keep us flying smoothly.”

Vargana was extremely irritated. “Fine, Theodore. Land near the cargo lift and we’ll board that way.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

Kreg turned his head towards the front of the ship and his breath caught in his throat. Ahead of them was a shimmering bright green field of fireflies in the shape of a city. Above that city was a glowing green torpedo shaped ship. The ship grew larger and larger as they approached. Kreg kept himself from feeling around the ship. He didn’t want another unplanned explosion. Especially over all the people on the ground. His eyes blinked a few times and he was looking at the inside of Vargana’s ship again. Alarms filled his ears as they swung around and slowly curved down to the ground. The engines whined as the remaining thrusters blasted at the ground to slow them down. After a sharp twist and a heavy bank to the right, they landed with a thud. Through the viewport Kreg could see soldiers marching around. Each of them had rifles. Some of them had armor. There was little chance for him to escape on foot from this base. Vargana unbuckled and stood from her seat. Kreg went back to playing opossum before she walked by.

A black wolf came up behind Kreg and unbuckled him. The wolf’s arms gently hoisted him up and held him against the wolf’s chest as Kreg was carried out.

“You flying this thing back to the Black Claw Teddy?”

“Yup. Did she assign you to babysitting, James?”

“Yup. I’ll see you back at work.”

“Safe travels.” Kreg felt James grumble as they walked out into the sunlight. The device against his head poked through his fur and bothered his ear. As he centered his thoughts around it, a memory floated up out of the dark. He focused on it, ignoring the burning smell in his nose. A schematic of the device slipped into his mind.

‘Neural Inhibitor Headband.’ The parts exploded in his mind and arranged themselves in a useful way. He could see the circular part he’d used to turn it off. As he studied the parts he drifted into the inky black space again and found Varek standing in front of him. The wolf’s eyes moved from part to part and realized what Kreg was looking at.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Kreg didn’t respond. He looked up and around the space. Varek’s voice lowered to a growl.

“Where are you right now? Speak to me!”

“Go away, Varek.” Kreg stared him dead in the eye. Then something tickled his ear. It pulled his attention away from the fiery anger of the wolf staring him down. It started buzzing in his ear. Then it became a gentle familiar tone. He glanced around as the fireflies that surrounded him returned. He turned and stared up with a smile at a single, particular dot in the sky. His mind pulled forward and zoomed in on the dot. The dot had a familiar rumble to it from the vertical takeoff thrusters. The computer core clicked and stuttered as it processed navigation information. Kreg knew that ship. Leaky conduits, buzzing shield generators, loose armor plates. Flying through the Pagrian air, rumbling, shaking, with an unstable reactor signature, was his home.

The Wanderer had followed him here. Rusty was coming to save him.

He felt the blood rush through his ears as a smile spread across his snout and caused his eyes to water. Against all odds, dad was right on his tail, racing to snatch him out of the fire. His heart thumped in his chest. The memory of being crushed in a hug that blocked out the world flooded his senses. Rusty’s smell–engine grease and warm earth–flooded his nose. The Captain’s rumbling purr rattled his bones. The lion’s arms were the safest place in the world. The one place Kreg knew he belonged. He held on to the memory for as long as he could.

An echoing rumble came from above as the cargo lift separated from the Kynosura and lowered towards them. Vargana stood in her beige trenchcoat and pleated skirt, irritated by the wind. The lift landed and the lift doors slid open. Personnel poured out of the lift a moment later. Vargana and her men stood among them like boulders in a river until the lift was empty. They slowly stepped into the lift and found a spot to stand by a viewport. Kreg was still playing opossum on the guard’s shoulder. He cracked his eyes open to look around.

The lift was large and circular inside, and the space was broken up by wide cargo bays in the center of the lift. When Kreg closed his eyes again, he saw a small cluster of fireflies around him. He had never been so surrounded by imperial tech. Without knowing what they all were, he was afraid of interacting with the nodes. As he was considering manipulating the lift controls, a loud, wonderful, terrifying sound rippled through his fur. His father’s roar echoed around the lift. Kreg’s eyes burst open and saw the imposing tawny figure standing at the lift hatch, gun drawn, long duster coat blowing in the wind, and an angry scowl across his snout.

“Put my boy down and step back or I’ll riddle you with holes.”

Vargana froze. She hadn’t seen mane or tail of this lion before, and here he was, claiming the whelp she was trading for her brother. The expression on her face was pure amused bewilderment. As though the unexpected conflict entertained her. A click echoed in the room as the Captain cocked his pistol and straightened his aim.

“Do it,” Vargana said with a smirk. “Put him down James.”

James looked at her, then at the lion, then gently set Kreg on his feet and held his hands up. The fox stepped cautiously forward, ears pinned back, head down, until he stood toe to toe with him. Rusty glanced between the two wolves and growled.

“If either of you move in the next twenty seconds, it’ll be the last thing you do.” For just a moment there was nothing else in the entire universe. The Captain knelt down and pulled Kreg into his arms. Kreg wrapped his arms around the lion’s neck. The little creature trembled in the Captain’s grip. Rusty lowered his voice. “It’s alright son, I’ve got you.”

“I’m so sorry dad.”

“Me too, Kreg. Let’s go home.” Rusty stood up, fixing his aim again on the white wolf across from him. Vargana had slipped her paw into her pocket. “We’re leaving. Do not follow us. Do not send your men to take him. This is the end of it all. Kreg is gone. Understa–”

Vargana clicked a device in her pocket. Kreg was still wearing the inhibitor on his head. The inhibitor discharged thousands of volts into Kreg. The shock passed through the fox into Rusty. They both cried out as they crumpled to the ground. Rusty squeezed off a round. It cut a hole through the white wolf’s right ear, just missing her head. Vargana stood over them a moment later. She smiled through the pain and called for the Imperial guards to come and arrest Rusty. She took Kreg back herself and bound his little paws. Rusty, barely conscious, reached out for Kreg. Then one of the guards took his arm and cuffed it behind his back. A moment later, a rifle butt whacked against his head and he blacked out. Vargana snatched Kreg off the ground and tossed him over her shoulder. The last thing he saw was Rusty’s paw reaching out to him as the world faded into darkness.

Vargana felt her new wound. There was a notch now in her otherwise flawless ear. It ached and burned as the adrenaline began to wear off. The cargo lift rumbled and began to ascend. She stood over the lion. Neither Toby nor Bodie had mentioned a lion in their findings. The Captain’s coat was a dusty red with a peculiar series of notches in the lapel. It was the coat of an Interplanetary Organization officer. But not a current officer. He’d worn this uniform a decade ago while serving the IO.

A few thoughts collided in her mind and formed a hypothesis. This lion was the terrorist the Emperor was hunting. The one that had destroyed his research station. The fact that the lion had plunged headfirst into the fire to save the little orange furball told her everything. She wanted a status update from Bodie. He’d been given all of the intel to go and find that terrorist. As she pulled up his name to send him a message she noticed the estimated time for Bodie to receive it was instantaneous. The badger was on Pagria.

She cleared her throat and sent a connection request.

“Vargana? What can I do for ya?” His jovial voice rang through her comm’s speaker. She thought for a moment before responding.

“You there boss?” Bodie’s subtle veneer of innocence wore thin. Something about the strain in his voice told her he was hiding something.

“Where are you right now, Master Thorne?”

He paused. Bodie had never paused the entire time she’d known him. He’d stayed quiet in deference to her authority, he’d held back a laugh, he’d tilted his head and glared at people like they were morons. But he had never once been short on words.

“Tell me. NOW.”

“The Black Claw. I’m trying to get my ship back from Toby. You haven’t seen him, have you?”

That badger knew full well that she’d seen that rabbit. “Master Thorne, you are to return to your ship and stay at the Black Claw until I return. That is a direct order. Do you understand?”

Bodie paused again. She wanted to reach through the comm system and strangle him. “Sure thing, Vargana. Keep your head down out there.”

The connection was terminated. She tried immediately to trace his position. Instead of one location the tracer program returned twenty. Bodie was masking his location from her. She tapped quickly through her comm’s options to activate the location mask. If Bodie had been tracking her, he already knew right where she was. She instinctively tightened her grip on Kreg and put her back against a wall.

The lift rumbled into its position on the Kynosura. A series of thumps echoed through the lift as the locks activated, sealing the lift into the space ship. Vargana took a deep breath and walked towards the lift doors. As she stepped through the doors and into the Imperial battleship, a deep vibration rattled the bulkheads. The star thrusters were firing for the first time in decades. Vargana watched as Rusty was dragged out of the lift towards the holding cells.

Was that lion the terrorist? Was Bodie betraying her? What was the badger hiding from her?

None of it mattered. She was here to get her brother back. Varek. He was all that mattered to her.

Kreg groaned in her arms. She stepped over to the wide viewscreen across from the lift and watched as the Kynosura slowly lifted up into the atmosphere and passed into vacuum. Her ear wound burned but she did her best to ignore it.

The Lost and the Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:31:14 GMT

“Amos! Spin up the reactor. We’ll be on board in 60 seconds!” Bodie yelled into his comm. As Rusty and Bodie raced out into the visitor’s hangar the Wanderer’s thrusters began to howl. Frank came sprinting after them a moment later. Bodie waited at the airlock as Frank trudged up the gangplank. The otter fell to one knee and braced himself against the wall as he fought to catch his breath.

“In through the nose, out through the mouth, Little Brother. Deep breaths.” Bodie seemed unaffected by the long run from the elevator. Frank waved him away with a scowl and stood up on wobbly legs to follow them to the bridge. The ship lurched as Amos tugged back on the yoke and pressed on the throttle. His white fur glowed under the teal operations lights. A gentle hum settled over the ship as the Wanderer flew out into the sunlight and arced downhill towards the spaceport at Pagria city. The city was nestled against a tall snow-capped mountainside. Grey buildings with white trim and blue flags were built into every nook and cranny of the rocky landscape. A giant bowl-shaped spaceport was built in the center of the city. Dozens of ships were parked, waiting for refueling, cargo to be loaded, and launch windows to line up. Above all of them floated the humongous Imperial battleship Kynosura. The Kynosura was the flagship of the Emperor’s fleet. At four thousand feet long it loomed over the city like an unpleasant umbrella. Its grey and white hull glistened in the afternoon sun. The Emperor kept the ship there as a warning to the Guild: Do not betray us.

On the Wanderer’s radar another ship slipped in behind them and followed closely. “Looks like Clay made it to the Jade Fang. Bodie, raise them on the comms.”

“Aye, Captain.” Rusty shot the badger an incredulous look, but Bodie was too focused to notice. Rusty chuckled and turned back to his console to track Vargana’s ship. “Clay, this is Master Thorne. Clay?”

“How come you’re Master Thorne on the wireless and I’m just Clay?” The crocodile grumbled.

“Not the time Clay. Are you tracking the signal we sent to your comm?”

“Yeah, we see it. That’s Vargana’s personal shuttle. Why’re we chasing the ice queen?”

“Toby turned Kreg over to her. She’s got him on that ship.”

The ship was a faint dot on the horizon, but the Wanderer’s scopes were keeping it in view. Amos brought the ship lower to the ground and increased their speed. His huge white paws clamped down tightly on the yoke as he felt his spine straighten and his focus sharpen.

“Understood. We’ll keep an eye on her from up here. What’s your plan Thorne?”

“Working on it. Stand by.” Bodie clicked the mic off on the comm controls. Soon they were about halfway between the Guild headquarters and the city. The grey buildings were growing every moment in the viewscreen. Frank started to see windows and little specks of ships floating above the city. Small personal craft were flying in little schools like fish above the city, following paths marked by hovering directional buoys. While the others were busy Frank reached up and activated the comm screen again.

“Clay, it’s Frank, did Ty end up staying with you guys?”

“I can see your face goober.” Clay grumbled. Frank had activated the video comm function. “...and no, Ty decided to get off and stay at the Black Claw.”

“That’s disappointing. I really thought he’d come around.”

“He’s never been one for heroics.” Anita said over Clay’s shoulder. She was sitting in the copilot’s chair. Frank’s chair. He missed his chair on the Jade Fang.

“Hey gang, I kinda need to focus here. Quiet down now.” The Wanderer’s massive frame creaked as Amos barrel rolled her up and over a passing pleasure skiff. As they approached the city limits Amos had to back off on the throttle a little to avoid bashing into stray antennae and smaller ships. The Wanderer was no agile fighter craft and he was having trouble keeping her in the air as it was. He seemed to be enjoying himself anyway. “Wooo! This thing can fly!”

“Vargana is slowing down. Her flight path shows she’s descending in a spiral towards…” Carter trailed off as he traced her path on the computer. “She’s landing in the Imperial base beneath the Kynosura.”

“What’s she doing there?” Rusty’s mane brushed Carter’s ears as he leaned down to get a better look at the base.

“Either handing Kreg off or getting ready to board their giant ship on the grav lift.” Carter expanded the Guild’s intel of the Imperial base on his control screen. There were several ships parked at the base. A platoon of soldiers were housed there in the barracks. The walk from the outside to the grav lift would be a minefield if they went in guns blazing.

“Set the Wanderer down as close as you can to the base without drawing suspicion.” A map of the city appeared and zoomed into the area around the base. “There, land at that shopping district. The large pad on the roof of the mall. It’s a short walk from the base’s main entrance.”

The Captain was nearly vibrating. A distant thought wondered if he could still handle a situation like this. He did everything he could to keep Kreg at the front of his mind. As long as he focused on getting his Spark home, anything seemed possible. He took a deep breath and swiped the flight plan to Amos’ station.

“Understood Cap. Stand by.”

“What about us, Rusty?” Clay called out.

“Do laps above the city. Look like tourists and stay as close as you can to that hulking cruiser. We might need you to get us out of there in a hurry.”

“Aww. Babysitting? That’s what we’re doing?”

“Calm down, dear. I’d love a tour of the city.” Anita interrupted. “Call when you’re in need, Captain.”

“Thanks Anita.”

“Rusty, are you sure about this plan? We’re basically charging face first into a hedgehog. There’ll be no shortage of bullets pointed our way when we get to the front gate.” Carter nervously looked up at the lion.

“I know how dangerous this is for all of us. You especially if they recognize who you are. If you want to stay behind, I’d understand.”

“No. I’m helping get Kreg back. Just don’t want to go down before we get the chance.”

“Leave it to me Doc. We’ll get on the base just fine.” Bodie said as he swiped through the weapons screen.

The Wanderer shook as the thrusters pushed against the tall grey building they were settling down on. The landing feet extended with a whirr and a whump a moment later. Frank felt himself rock on his feet as Amos set the ship down and cut thrust. Bodie grabbed his collar and pulled him along behind him.

“Hey!” Frank slapped his paw away and followed him. “Please and thank you, hairball!”

Bodie gave him a look that said ‘I’ll punish you later.’ They arrived at the airlock and started the opening cycle. Rusty, Amos, and Carter joined them a moment later. Annalee was the last one to walk around the corner. She was stopped in her tracks by the Captain shaking his head.

“No, no. You’re staying here and watching the ship with Winston. The Wanderer is our home and I need you to keep it safe. If things go south for us I want you two to take this ship and get somewhere safe.”

“Captain! I want to help!” The hyena pressed forward. “Kreg is important to me too!”

“You will, when the time is right. Please stay here and do as I asked.”

She huffed and turned back towards engineering. “Fine. Go have all the fun, see if I care!”

Then she ran back and kissed the Captain on the cheek. “Don’t die today. Or ever. You come back here with Kreg no matter what.”

“Yes ma’am.” Rusty squeezed her shoulder, then stepped through the airlock, his red-brown duster jacket flowing behind him. The rest of the little army followed the Captain out onto the landing pad. Clicks and clanks echoed in the small space from the various pistols, hidden tech, and weapons they’d each strapped on quickly on the way to the airlock. They stood in a small circle for a brief second, and then, like a starter’s pistol had fired, the five creatures bolted down the landing walkway towards the gallery entrance. Winston came up behind Annalee and closed the airlock with a flick of his wrist. The panther slid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her back towards the reactor room.

“C’mon kiddo. A little bit of work will do ya good.”

The thunder of footsteps followed the little rescue party as they descended through the East Port Gallery. Frank deftly dodged through a packed crowd, followed by Amos parting the sea like an iceberg. Rusty, Carter, and Bodie followed in Amos’ wake. After getting thumped several times by wagging tails, Frank noticed that most of the creatures around them were canines. It had been a long time since he’d been in an Imperial controlled city and hadn’t seen so many different types of dog and wolf in the same place in years. They bumped along through a crowd towards the elevators to the ground level. The Pagrian city locals all wore crisp sharp clothing. Three-piece suits and sensible hats for the men. The ladies fashion of the day included skirts with heavy fabric, matching short-sleeved tops, white gloves, and flowery round hats. Frank had to resist the urge to pop hats off people’s heads as they ran by. It was one of his favorite activities when he was younger and lived in touristy places.

The party crashed together at the elevator bank. Bodie put a paw on Frank’s shoulder to steady him and pressed the call button. A low growl vibrated the floor as Rusty paced back and forth, his tail whipping back and forth with each turn as they waited for the doors to open. When the car arrived, they piled in, joining a brown dog in a blue suit, who was irritated with the sudden crowd. The poor creature was pinned to the wall under Amos’ bulk. Bodie pulled his badge up and swiped it against the car’s control panel and gave himself priority control. The car shot downward at a speed so high Frank thought he’d lift off the floor.

“Did you see that place with the spinning circle of cinnamon coated fry bread? We gotta go back there later.”

“Not now, Little Brother.”

“Just thought it looked tasty. We gotta go back to that place with the pocket tools too. Oh, and the guitar store. Maybe we could grab a toy for Kreg on the way out if we–”

“Frank! Focus!” Amos chirped.

“We’re gonna be alright, buddy. Don’t worry.” Rusty placed a paw on Frank’s shoulder, noticing the concern written all over his eyes. Bodie looked at his brother, then at the Captain. The warm weight settled Frank’s nerves a little.

“Can I get out?” A little squeaky voice from under Amos’ fur mumbled.

“NO!” The five of them responded.

“Ugh…” The car raced towards the ground floor, slowed hard, then gently stopped.

“Ground floor. Parking, transit, and street access.” The saccharin overhead speaker voice told them. The elevator doors slid open and they rushed out. Their footsteps echoed off the concrete walls and floors of the parking garage. They passed by a row of personal hovercraft, all plugged into the plasma chargers on the wall. A rectangle of bright light opened ahead as they made their way into the open street. Ahead of them on the left was a row of apartment buildings and on the right a short stack of grey and white offices. In between them was a large bronze archway with the Emperor’s sigil hanging down in the middle. There were two armored guards posted at either foot of the arch and a single opening in the metal bollards in the middle where an officer was checking people coming and going. An antipersonnel tank sat thirty feet behind the gate watching the entrance and deeper in the base there were squads of five running drills in the courtyard. Vargana’s ship sat deeper in the base. Only the tail of her ship was visible, sticking out from a wall on the left. The five of them hunkered down behind a low wall along the street and took in the scene.

“That’s a fortress. How are we getting in there without getting riddled with holes?” Carter asked, hiding behind a blue and grey utility box.

“We’re up, Little Brother.” Bodie stepped forward and rolled his shoulders. “Captain, Amos, Carter, turn around and put your arms behind your backs.”

The three of them blinked.

“Trust me.”

Rusty stared at him for a moment, then turned and did what he asked. Amos and Carter begrudgingly did the same. Each of them a moment later felt a pair of handcuffs clamp onto their hands. “I want all of you to act grumpy and sad. You’ve been caught by a Guild bounty hunter and are being transported to the Black Claw for processing. At any time Frank or I can click on our comm units and release the cuffs. If you guys pull on the cuffs for five seconds the internal clamps will loosen enough for you to slip them. I’ll get us on that base, but you have to play your parts. Understood?”

“They’re going to want to ID us before we get in there. We’ll get caught at the door, badger.”

“Winnie helped me with that. I’ve dummied cover IDs for each of you that includes bounties on your heads. When they scan my ID the files will overwrite onto their systems and we’ll get a brief window to pass undetected.”

“Wait.” Rusty said. His eyes were locked on something in the base. He was frozen in place and breathing shallow. “It’s Kreg.”

Deep in the base the far off figure of a white wolf was followed by two black wolves. A small russet colored ball of fur was nestled in the arms of one of the black wolves. The kit wasn’t moving but was still alive. They walked steadily towards the grav lift. Rusty’s eyes welled up as he fought back the urge to roar out his kit’s name.

“Now. We have to move NOW.” Rusty said, clamping the cuffs on. Carter and Amos did the same.

Bodie led them across the street and Frank followed behind them. The badger skipped a step and settled into his happy heavy stomp steps he would make when he was in a good mood. He walked right up to the gate officer. The spindly canine with tan fur stood stiffly behind his post and held up his paw.

“Stop right there, Hunter. What business do you have here?”

Without waiting to be asked, Bodie produced his data transfer stick and held it against the officer’s comm pad. Data flooded into the comm unit as Winston’s code began its work. “I’m Master Thorne of the Pagrian Hunter’s Guild, and you’ll address me as sir, you runt.”

The officer did his best to puff out his chest and control the scene, but Bodie craned over him and smiled a toothy smile to show his fangs. The officer held his clipboard to his chest and spoke from behind it. “The base isn’t taking visitors right now, Mr Thorne. Please come back at another time.”

“My master has just landed and I’m here to return her ship to the Black Claw along with these prisoners.” Bodie leaned closer, sniffing the air around the scared canine. “Do you want to explain yourself in Master Vargana’s office when these bounties aren’t turned in on time? Would you like to be charged for delaying capture and obstructing official Hunter business?”

The dog gulped. Vargana’s reputation as a cold heartless spider-like creature was well known across Pagria. This officer no doubt grew up hearing stories about her for the last few decades. Images of cold stone pits where wailing creatures served out unnumbered days underneath the Guild flashed through his mind. Most of the rumors were untrue, but the Guild had a reputation to uphold. Bodie’s ID flashed on the screen, along with Frank’s and the altered IDs. The dog dared to look down for a moment to check the files.

“It all looks in order sir. Sorry for the delay.”

“Forward! March!” Bodie continued his walk, followed by Rusty and Carter. Amos hesitated for a moment, then Frank kicked him in the leg and yelled at him. “Keep moving, snowball!”

Amos growled at him in a tone that rattled Frank’s bones. The otter took some quick breaths and pointed forward. The polar bear grunted and stomped after the rest of the crew. Frank knew he was going to die when they got back to the Wanderer, but the bit was worth it.

“Gotta keep them in line. That’s what Master Thorne says.” Frank winked at the gate guard as he passed and trotted after them to keep up. Bodie led them through the courtyard, smirking to himself. That was one giant hurdle down. On to the next one.

They walked past squads doing marching drills, surviving inspections, and being dressed down by an angry sergeant. Rusty’s eyes stayed locked on the last place they’d seen Kreg disappear into. He hadn’t seen them reappear in the courtyard. They must’ve been waiting to ride the lift up to the ship. An answer to his curiosity came a moment later when a wide, flat, cylindrical platform lowered from the battleship above. They stopped at the aft of Vargana’s ship and watched the lift come down from above. Under any other circumstances the lift would’ve been used to drop tanks, personnel, or supplies to the ground, but since the ship had been sitting there for decades, the lift was mostly to avoid wasting fuel on ships going up and down from the hangar bays on the Kynosura. That’s why when the platform landed with a loud thundering whomp, the courtyard was filled instantly with Imperial navy personnel, Imperial marines, and a few local politicians returning from meetings on the ship. Bodie and Rusty watched closely. Carter, Amos, and Frank hid under the tail wing of Vargana’s ship as the crowd passed by.

“It’ll sit there for about fifteen minutes before it heads back up to the ship.”

“We need to get over there, Bodie. Get these cuffs off me before–” Rusty saw Kreg again. He was being carried into the lift behind Vargana through two large sliding doors on the side of the lift. The little rocks on the floor seemed to vibrate from the growl emanating from Rusty’s chest. If he had to claw his way through those wolves to get his kit back, he was ready for it. His cuffs dropped to the ground and he took a step forward.

“Captain, wait. Not yet.” Bodie put his hand on Rusty’s shoulder. Rusty shook him off and took another step. The badger stepped forward, grabbed Rusty by the lapels, spun him around and thumped him against the ship’s bulkhead. “If we trigger the alarm, Kreg will get taken up into that ship and we’ll never see him again.”

“I have to get him! He’s RIGHT THERE!”

“We have time. Let’s make sure we do it right.”

Kreg was close enough to see the lighter patches of fur on his snout. The darker tips of his ears flicked idly. He looked asleep. There was some kind of medical device strapped to his head. Rusty’s paws shook with rage. Vargana and her goons disappeared into the lift with Kreg.

“Move fast badger.” Rusty said through gritted teeth.

“Master Thorne?”

“Oh no.” Frank whispered.

“Teddy?” Bodie let Rusty go and stepped between the team and the black wolf guarding Vargana’s ship. “What’re you doing here, ya old rascal.”

Teddy was stiff and watched him with a fixed gaze. “What business do you have here, Master Thorne?”

“I saw Vargana’s ship land and I thought I’d ask her for a ride. Is she around?”

“Vargana is on personal business. I suggest you find your own way back home, Master Thorne.”

The wolf eyed Rusty, who was trying to not look like he was hiding his face. Sparks flew from the fur on the back of Bodie’s neck. A silent understanding passed between the two Hunters. With raised paws, Bodie closed the space between them. From the wolf’s sleeve a shock stick emerged in a flash and sparked at the Wolf’s side as a warning of what was to come. The business end shot forward. Bodie dodged left, then right, then caught the middle of the stick and forced it over his head as he stepped into closer range and planted a bonecrushing punch to the wolf’s chest. The wolf stumbled back into the ship and Bodie advanced. Inside the airlock the wolf got his footing again and braced himself against the inner frame. Bodie’s next attack was caught in the wolf’s arms. The badger was spun around and forced against the wall.

“What are you doing here, Thorne?”

“Oh, just taking in the sights. Might grab dinner later. Want to join us?”

With a grunt Bodie shoved off the wall, swung his foot down and hooked the wolf’s ankle. He spun around, twisting the wolf off balance. The wolf crashed against the opposite wall. Frank danced on his toes outside the airlock holding the sides of his snout in his paws. He was both amazed and terrified of watching the two giants battle each other. They both crashed together and began grappling. Amos ran in to break it up. The wolf spun around and kicked out and a moment later Amos tumbled down the gangplank, crashing into Frank. Frank crawled out from under him and huffed.

“How do we keep ending up like this?” Frank sighed, standing back up. The polar bear roared and rolled back up to his feet. He charged forward into the ship again. Bodie and Teddy had fought their way into the small bridge of the ship. As Amos poked his head into the bridge, Bodie saw him, spun around, and kicked as hard as he could into the wolf’s gut. Teddy flew back where Amos caught him, and locked him in a headlock. Bodie reached behind his back and flicked out his battle wrench. He held the taser prongs at Teddy’s neck and bared his fangs. Frank looked around Amos’ arm, eyes wide with awe. The otter smiled like a goofball as Bodie leaned in and growled in Teddy’s face.

“We’re here to rescue a little fox kit. You’ve probably seen him. Small, orange, controls machines with his mind. Vargana is going to turn him over to the Emperor and we’re here to stop that. He belongs safe at home with his dad, and if you get in the way of us saving him I’ll have this nice polar bear snap your neck with his pinky.”

Teddy squirmed and fought against Amos’ grip but found no freedom. The threatening shock of Bodie’s battle wrench focused his concerns forward. He took a breath, then nodded. “I won’t stop you. But you’d better hurry.”

“Why?”

“She’s on her way up right now. The Emperor gave her priority access to his ship. He’s up there right now waiting for them.”

“If we let you go, are you going to tell anyone about us?”

“...No! I would never!”

Bodie shocked him with his wrench. The wolf went slack in Amos’ arms. When the wolf would wake up in an hour or so he’d find himself handcuffed and stuck in a storage locker. Bodie made sure to leave Teddy’s comm within his reach. As the badger dusted his paws off Carter rushed in.

“I tried to stop him. I–I tried but he was too strong, too determined…”

“What happened?”

“Captain Rusty. He’s gone. He charged into the lift as they were closing the doors. Vargana’s men and the Imperial marines arrested him.” The four of them rushed out into the courtyard and watched the lift rumble and begin its ascent.

Bodie sighed and shouldered his battle wrench. “...Aw nuts.”

The Lost and the Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:50:27 GMT

“Wow. What is that?” Kreg marveled at the ship-keeper bots that floated out of Bodie’s hangar towards the Jade Fang. Their whirring anti-grav motors filled the space with a low hum as they checked Bodie’s ship over for damage. Kreg walked over to one of the bots as it inspected one of the landing struts. The bot turned and studied the fox with its large round optical sensor. Kreg patted the bot on the head and smiled. The bot waved him off and went back to work. Toby scowled and ground his teeth as he walked down the gang plank.

“For the hundredth time, I don’t care. Stop asking questions.”

“Okay. Sorry sir.”

The gang plank folded up suddenly behind them and the airlock cycled closed. The ship’s reactor shut down. The external speakers of the Jade Fang started shouting in a familiar voice.

“TOBY! STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING! STAY WHERE YOU ARE OR SO HELP ME…TOBY!” It was Bodie. Toby pulled the little fox along with him out of the hangar. Bodie continued shouting as they left. Toby wondered how the badger had done that from wherever he was. Kreg followed him closely as they stepped into the corridor leading to the Great Hall. Honeybee briefly flickered on as they walked. Kreg saw hundreds of firefly-like access points light up around him. The building was packed full of machines he could manipulate. He smiled for a second but the memory of the battle cruisers made him shake his head and ignore them. It was simply too dangerous. That was why he was here to begin with anyway. He didn’t want to start his first day by hurting someone.

Even so, he tried to make sure Varek wasn’t hiding at the edges somewhere. His ears tipped back as he tried to focus inward to check around himself. He took a breath. Then another. Only silence echoed back. Varek wasn’t watching. He sighed in relief and slowly moved forward into his new life.

The Black Claw was still mostly empty since no one knew Toby had brought in the big mark and all the Hunters were still out in the galaxy. The comm in Toby’s pocket buzzed. It had buzzed a dozen times since they’d landed. He peeked at the screen. They were all missed calls from Bodie. That badger had somehow found his way onto another ship and followed right behind him. Toby rolled his eyes, deleted the notifications, and turned to check on his ‘apprentice’. The sleek, decorated walls of the Guild were a marvel in Kreg’s eyes. He drifted behind Toby, studying the ornamentation, the decorative features, the effortlessly integrated technology. Compared to his hangar on Galdor, this was almost heaven.

“Hey! Keep up!” The rabbit called from the end of the hall. Toby’s comm beeped again. Fifteen missed calls and one video message. Toby smirked and pulled the message up, hoping to hear the badger begging for him to split the bounty. Bodie’s striped head looked angrily into the camera as the message began.

“Toby, answer your comm immediately or call me back. You have no idea what that kit is. He needs to be back with his father. Stay where you are and let me meet with you. He’s just a little lost kid. Please…don’t hand him over to Vargana.”

Toby’s face turned pale. They stepped into the Great Hall and Kreg fell behind again. Kreg’s eyes followed up the wooden beams to the intricate chandeliers hanging over the plush seating and relaxed Hunters enjoying the afternoon sun. The rich smell of the dark oiled wood was intoxicating. Kreg took it in as fast as he could, enjoying every sensation. Toby wrapped his paw around Kreg’s and tugged him along.

“Wow!” Kreg watched two huge hunters, a buffalo and a wolf, spar down the hall of the training center. He pulled back and watched the wolf duck a giant hoofed hand swinging past his head. The wolf sprang up and delivered a powerful uppercut to the buffalo’s jaw, sending him flying back and crashing to the ground. Kreg’s mouth gaped open in a loose smile until Toby pulled him forward. As they passed the next opening he caught a glance into a weapons forge where a beaver stood on a table with a long barreled pulse rifle and fired a shot straight through a thick block of steel. His attention was drawn back by the sound of deep laughter from an ox and a cougar. The two hunters didn’t notice his little paw wave at them before he was dragged along again.

“Five million credits…five million credits…” Toby muttered under his breath.

“Huh?”

“Nothing squirt. Keep moving.” Kreg noticed the Hunter didn’t seem like himself. He was breathing heavier, his eyes were wide and darting back and forth, and his whiskers twitched up and down. The last thing Kreg wanted to do was make him upset, so he hustled along and stayed by his side, still craning to see as much of the Great Hall as he could. They passed a few Hunters on the way: A bear in blue power armor standing with a bull in red armor, a ram scratching his ear while a weasel poured him a drink at a little bar, and a tiger so focused on his comm unit he didn’t see them walk by. He waved at the bear Hunter. The bear gave him a finger gun with a wink. Kreg giggled and hid his face. The sound was a knife in Toby’s side. Taking this kit in was killing him and the thin veneer of grumpy heartless Hunter was wearing thin. His comm dinged again as another dozen missed calls piled up. He shoved it back in his pocket without looking.

“Ffff…five milliyuh…million credits. Five million credits…” The rabbit’s breathing sped up again as they arrived at the elevator. As they waited Kreg stepped in front of him and tapped the rabbit’s chest gently.

“Mister Toby? Are you okay?”

Toby tried to summon the angry vindictive part of himself he’d relied on for so long but no words surfaced. Instead he just looked into Kreg’s eyes. The kit’s ears tilted to the side as his dumb adorable face smiled with concern. “You want to get some water or a snack? You look like you could use a break. I…I could get it for you. Is that what I do now as your apprentice?”

He hadn’t figured it out yet. Toby wanted to scream. He gritted his teeth to stop the tears from welling up in his eyes. The elevator arrived with a ding. “I’m fine. Get in.”

Kreg smiled and nodded before he turned and walked into the elevator. Toby stood in the elevator, leaning over to one side like he could slump to the floor at any moment. Kreg reached up to press the buttons but Toby swatted him away before swiping his badge and sending the car to Vargana’s office level. As the car jolted upward Toby held himself up against the wall. Kreg giggled under the force of the antigravity lift. The door opened a minute later. They walked out into the hall. Every step Toby took felt like walking on the surface of a world with double gravity. The space was empty. No guards. No hunters. Just a hallway that felt a mile long. He wobbled to and fro as they approached the towering black stone doors to Vargana’s office. The room fell silent as they stood and watched the icy fog spill out from under the doors. Kreg put his paw in Toby’s. Toby immediately felt a stabbing pain in his heart as he looked down and saw Kreg, scared, but trying to be brave. His little white eyebrows furrowed with forced fortitude.

‘You can still turn back.’ He thought. ‘It’s not too late.’

“Five million…” The words caught in his throat. He couldn’t say it anymore. The doors groaned as the huge mechanism ground to life and turned the massive stone doors. Darkness lay before them, waiting to swallow Kreg up. And Toby was about to throw him in.

They stepped slowly forward. The black stone walls leeched icy air into the room. It made Kreg shiver in the cold fog. He looked up at the walls and found no decorations, no pictures of friends on the walls, not even a comm screen built in anywhere. Whoever owned this office had deliberately kept the big black space empty. Kreg thought it looked like a cave and wondered if there were monsters hiding in the shadows. Toby’s breathing became labored as they got closer to their destination. Vargana smiled from behind her desk. A single spotlight illuminated her at her desk, casting her in a cold blue light. It bounced off her white fur and surrounded her in a faint glow. A ceremonial knife was displayed at the front of her desk, blade open, made of onyx, in the same shape as the Black Claw itself. Kreg squinted to see her. The glint in her eyes drew up a memory in the fox’s mind.

“Is your name Gani?”

She shuddered. “Where did you hear that name?”

“I think…your brother called you that.”

The words shook her. Her eyes widened and she took in a short breath. She hadn’t been called that in decades. How could he have known that name? Her claws flicked on the glass of her desk before she blinked slowly once.

“When did you speak with my brother?”

Kreg regretted bringing it up. “Um…on the way here.”

Vargana seemed to hear a voice. She looked to the side like she was listening to a whisper then turned back to Kreg. Kreg felt a tingle in his fingertips and smelt a slight burning in his nose. Honeybee was trying to turn on. Trying to make a connection to something in the room. He glanced around expecting to see Varek appear in a whirl of smoke but didn’t see him. Vargana looked down at Kreg’s hands and nodded. She stood from her chair and stepped around to meet them. She knelt down and frowned immediately.

“Why didn’t you restrain him?” She leaned back, snarling. “Guards!”

Kreg whined, confused and afraid as two guards emerged from the shadows. Two black wolves, almost invisible in the shadows of her office, stepped out of an alcove towards them. Kreg leaned into Toby’s side, gripping his arm. “Mister Toby, what’s happening?”

Toby felt like the room was collapsing. Kreg was snatched up into the air, his little claws rasping across his fur as he was taken. His hand reached after him involuntarily, then fell back to his side.

“Mister Toby? What did I do?” Kreg cried. The guards wrenched his arms behind him and clamped heavy-duty restraint cuffs on his arms. Kreg cried out, begging for Toby to help him. The sound almost killed him. “Mister Toby, I’m scared. Please! Mister Toby? Mister To–huh…”

One of the guards clamped a neural inhibitor to his ear and set the probe over his forehead. Kreg’s eyes fluttered closed and he passed out in the guard’s arms. Then he was carried out of the room. Toby stared at the ground. His heart had been ripped out and he was trying to catch his breath. The white wolf stood over him. She tilted his chin up with her paw and smiled into his eyes.

“I’ll have the funds sent to your account, Master Rayne.” Toby wondered if he was still a person or just a husk. Her words echoed through him like he wasn’t there. Her fingers tapped against the glass as she closed out the bounty and processed the payment. “Excellent work.”

“Is there…is there any way I could…” Toby choked on the words he should’ve said thirty seconds earlier. “...can I take him on as an apprentice?”

“Impossible, Master Rayne. The Emperor himself asked for this one to be brought in.” She eyed him as she returned to her seat. His comm unit chimed happily as the payment was processed. “Five million credits. You can go now.”

It was more money than he’d ever imagined getting. Each credit hit him like a drop of rain until he was drowning in it. He wanted to throw them from the top of the tower to get them away from him. Toby raised his finger, attempting to renegotiate, but the icy glare he received in return told him there was no point.

“Thank you, ma’am.” He slowly turned and stumbled out into the hall. He grasped his fist in front of his heart. The pain was overwhelming. The sound of Kreg’s pleading echoed in his ears. He held his hands over his ears to drown out the sound but found no relief. He wallowed in misery as several minutes passed without his notice.

The elevator down the hall dinged and broke the silence. Three sets of thundering footsteps raced towards him in slow motion. He’d slumped against the outer wall of the hallway, ears drooped back, breathing short ragged breaths. Huge black furred fists gripped his collar and hoisted him off the ground. His long feet dangled in the air and his head bobbled back. Bodie’s furious voice roared into his ears.

“WHERE IS HE?!”

Toby slowly regained his focus. Bodie held him up, growling in his face. A huge lion stood behind him in a hooded cloak and Frank’s nose poked up by the badger’s shoulder. They were all equally angry.

“Where’s my son?” Rusty said, his fangs beginning to show.

Toby couldn’t look him in the eye. “He’s gone.”

“Tell me you didn’t do it.” Bodie said through his teeth.

Toby freed himself from Bodie’s grip and stumbled back. He took a deep breath. Then another. Then he glared at Bodie. He fought with all his might to draw his past self into existence. His old scowl briefly passed over his face, then vanished. It just wasn’t there anymore. Then something else came up. He tripped over his feet, grasped onto a tall potted plant, then puked into the soil. He crashed against the wall and wiped his chin with his thumb.

“She…took him.”

“Took him where, rabbit?” The lion towered over him. His paws trembled as he spoke. “I still haven’t decided if you’re worth keeping alive yet. You better give us something to work with.”

“Captain, let me handle this.” The lion growled but stepped back as Bodie knelt down and looked Toby in the eye. The rabbit quietly begged to himself that Bodie wouldn’t ask what he was about to. The words stung like a thousand needles.

“Was it worth it?”

He looked up into Bodie’s eyes and shook his head. Toby’s shoulders trembled. He clamped his eyes shut as they began to water. Bodie pulled him up by the collar and crushed him against the wall. The badger’s fists jolted him, thumping Toby’s head against the window, punctuating each word as Bodie spoke. “If you’re going to be evil, at least have the backbone to be proud of your choices.”

The tower vibrated. Then rumbled. A loud whine roared above them. Through the wide window they watched as Vargana’s personal cruiser slipped out of its berth above them and flew off towards Pagria city. Rusty tapped his comm and captured the ship’s transponder code with the Wanderer’s scanners. They had a track on the ship. Bodie spun Toby around and slammed the rabbit into another wall. “I go to the trouble of pulling you out of that IO prison and this is what you do?”

Toby wouldn’t look at him. He just hung limp in the badger’s grip.

“You feel that hollowed out space in your chest? That’s where your conscience goes. And you just spent the last three days scooping it out and tossing it away.” Bodie shook him. “Does it feel good? Does it?”

Frank tapped his big brother’s arm. Bodie was angry, actually angry, and it terrified Frank. The thought of a full-blown badger rage scared Frank down to his bones. After a long moment Bodie finally looked over. Frank shook his head at him. “There’s no time, Bodie. We have to go.”

Bodie nodded, tossed Toby to the ground, and turned to follow the Captain and Frank. They stood at the elevator and waited for the cab. Once the door opened, Bodie looked at him one more time. That empty space in Toby’s chest ached as Bodie’s disappointment sliced right through him. The rabbit laid back and stared at the ceiling as his head spun.

In the elevator Rusty growled, holding his fury back as best as he could. He had gotten so close. Within twenty feet. Kreg still slipped away. Bodie similarly was trying to center himself with some deep breaths. Frank glanced between the two giants that flanked him and smirked. A feeling he was unfamiliar with passed over him and he started whistling. Bodie and Rusty turned and briefly focused their rage at him. He smiled up at them like a ray of otter shaped sunshine.

“We’re gonna win.”

“What?”

“We’re getting Kreg back.” Frank said, crossing his arms. “Don’t know how yet, but I know it for sure. We’re going to win today.”

“How do you keep yourself from strangling him every day?” Rusty asked with a smirk.

“It’s a challenge, I assure you.” The badger’s ears flicked as he shook his head and chuckled.

Quietly, to himself, Frank whispered with a smile. “We’re coming kiddo.”

The elevator door dinged open and the three of them rushed out into the Great Hall.

The Lost and the Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:31:06 GMT

The Wanderer continued her journey through hyperspace towards Pagria. Rusty poked his head into the bridge to check on things. Amos was in the co-pilot’s seat fiddling with the control screen on his left. His huge paw raised and waved at the Captain without the polar bear looking up. The otter bounty hunter was sitting on Amos’ knee, arguing with him about the engineering readout.

“If we adjust the aperture of the hyperthrusters and increase the cycle frequency of the reactor, we’ll get to Pagria a few hours faster.” Frank leaned forward and tapped the controls, trying to figure out how to demonstrate his idea on the unfamiliar control interface. Amos’ paw pulled him back and tapped the screen closed. Behind them, Winston chimed in.

“Yeah, or we’ll cause a category four reactor crisis and melt the outer hull while traveling through hyperspace. You want to fall into infinite nothing and suddenly appear in real space as every one of your atoms bursts apart?”

“That won’t happen,” Frank said, leaning around Amos’ shoulder to glare at the panther.

“We’ve pushed this bucket to the limit to match the Jade Fang’s hyperspace velocity, Frank. Getting there when Toby does is enough of a risk.”

Frank grumbled as he hopped down to the deck. Carter’s tail thwacked him in the snout as he walked towards the bridge door. The black wolf mouthed ‘sorry’ and turned back to the weapons console to finish his game of Asteroid Blaster. Frank muttered under his breath. “It’s getting crowded in here.”

As he approached the bridge door, he looked up at Rusty like he was at the foot of a skyscraper. Rusty smirked at him and bumped his arm with his fist. “It was a good idea, rookie, but Kreg needs us to get there in one piece.”

Frank smiled and nodded as he brushed past the Captain. “You seen my boss around?”

“The badger? I think he’s still with Annalee in engineering helping with the plasma distributor.”

“What about Clay?”

“Which one is Clay?”

“The grumpy crocodile.”

“Oh, right. He’s somewhere on deck two looking for a place to sleep. I think that cat was with him.”

“I should go check on them. Anita never told us if Clay came around or not.” Frank started down the hall.

“It is getting crowded in here, isn’t it?” Rusty laughed. “I’m not even sure the Wanderer was meant to have this big of a crew on board.”

“Well, we’ve all got homes to get back to…erm, I guess all of us but you and Kreg.” The words hung in the air between them. The Captain’s smile disappeared. Frank’s eyes widened and his small brown ears flicked down. “I, uh, sorry.”

The otter ran down the corridor and disappeared into the staircase to the lower decks. Rusty looked around at the Wanderer’s hull. This ship was his home now. He’d be adrift until he found somewhere safe for Kreg to hide.

“You want some backup?” The Captain called after him. “You know, in case…”

“From you, fugitive?” The otter’s smile widened at the offer. “Thanks, but I don’t want to startle them.”

“Alright. You holler if they decide to take over the ship.”

“Yessir!” The otter’s little feet tippy tapped down the stairs. He rounded the corner and jogged into deck 2. As he passed an open hatch a green clawed reptilian hand snatched him off the ground and swung him into the dark of the crew quarters. Clay held him against the metal wall and growled in his face with a hundred crocodile teeth.

“Now you listen, and you listen good,” he grumbled. “I’ve been a Bounty Hunter for a long time and I’m not about to give that up for some squirmy otter and a refrigerator shaped badger!”

“We’re not–asking for that–” Frank struggled against Clay’s grip. “We just want to save one kid.”

Anger flitted around in Clay’s eyes but Frank saw no rage. It looked almost like fear. The crocodile took quick breaths, huffing through his nose like a dragon. Anita popped up between Clay’s arms and nervously smiled at Frank.

“I’m still working on him. He’ll come around, don’t worry.” The white cat reached up and poked Clay’s chin. “Clay, dear, please put him down. No sense ruffling any feathers or snapping otter necks until we get home.”

Clay tightened his grip, grunted, then dropped Frank on the ground and stormed across the room. “I’m not changing my mind, Anita!”

“Yes you are, dear.” Anita helped Frank to his feet, then bounded after her friend. “You’re going to help them save that kit.”

“No, I won’t.” Clay crossed his arms and flopped into a bunk built into the wall. He stared at the ceiling, avoiding her gaze. Frank rubbed his sore neck and leaned against the wall. Quick angry taps echoed through the floor as Anita stomped her foot. Her arms were at her hips and she had a mean scowl across her snout.

“You listen to me, you thick-headed dink! You’re going to help us get that fox kit back to his dad and that’s final!” She hopped up onto the bed and looked into Clay’s face. “Besides, you and I both know that if you don’t, and something horrible happens to him, it’ll eat you up inside for the rest of your life that you stood by and did nothing.”

The crocodile’s eyes clenched shut as a low growl formed in his chest and rolled out as a loud, irritated sigh. “AAAGH! FINE! We’ll help Bodie get this kit back.”

“Thank you, Clay.” She turned and sat down, leaning against the crocodile’s tough hide. Her big yellow eye winked at Frank as she smiled. The otter’s tail slid quickly after him as he hurried out of the bunk room. He bumped into Ty in the hall, who was walking back from the breakroom with an armful of printed snacks for Clay, Anita, and himself.

“Hey Ty, Clay’s come around finally. You in too?”

The rabbit shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t feel strongly about it either way. Might just shuffle off when we land.”

“What Toby did doesn’t bother you?”

“There doesn’t seem to be any money in it. I’m like you, otter. Toby bought my criminal debt.” Ty popped a nugget of fried broccoli in his mouth. “I’m here to get paid, but no one pays for hero work.”

“Fair enough, I guess.” Frank patted his arm as he passed him. “We’ll make sure you get home.”

Ty nodded and walked into the bunk room. After a few minutes wandering around the ship, Frank found his way into the reactor room. Badger feet and a badger tail poked out from an access hatch to the right of the reactor. A hyena smiled a toothy grin as the otter slid around the corner and hopped over the airlock frame. She had a panel off the wall and was manually checking wires with a probe with one hand and resetting breaker switches with the other. He waved and crept over to Bodie’s side. The badger was shouting out adjustments Annalee needed to make as he dialed in a capacitor bypass.

“Set the charge to 23 point 19. Okay, I’ve got the core aligned, decouple the feed line. Good. Gimme a second.” A bright ratchet wrench sound clicked away as he tightened a connection. “The capacitor is reset. Now set the charge to 45 point 71. Green on the board. Good. I’ll close it up.”

Frank waited a moment until he heard his brother gathering his tools. Then he bent down and roughly grabbed Bodie’s side and shouted. A loud ‘DONK’ came from inside the access hatch followed by a groan. “Frank!”

The otter hopped out of the way of Bodie’s paws as they grasped at him. He circled the reactor and hid behind Annalee. Bodie crawled out from his workspace, wrench in hand, and scowled around the room. The hyena was barely holding in her howling laughter and Frank’s tail was sticking out from behind her. She had her paws into her overalls pockets and did her best to look innocent. “Everything alright, XO?”

‘XO’ Short for executive officer. They were already giving him nicknames. Bodie rolled his eyes and smirked as Frank’s head poked out from his hiding spot with mischief written across his snout. The badger hopped to his feet in a flash and wiggled the stiffness from his shoulders. “Alright, you no good rascal, COME HERE!”

Bodie darted forward with a laugh and a growl. His little brother squeaked and dove away from him, rolling across the ground and sprinting into the hall. Annalee burst into a fit of laughter as the two of them barreled into the corridor. Frank had the lead and sprinted as fast as his heart would let him. He hadn’t memorized the ship’s layout and was blindly running wherever he thought he could get away from the mountain of fur and claws that was chasing him. They wound up in the cargo bay a few minutes later, Bodie’s thundering steps following Frank’s short clawed taps on the bulkhead. Rusty and Carter were looking over a cargo crate by the bay doors and watched them come rushing in. Bodie tackled Frank to the ground, rolled the two of them over and over, until he was able to flip himself up on all fours and pin the squirming otter under his paw. Frank’s laughter echoed through the huge space, mixed with Bodie’s chuckles. The Captain and the doctor smiled at the sight of the two brothers’ youthful exuberance.

“Let me GO!” The otter squeaked out between laughs.

“Hoooo, NO! Little brother, it’s straight to jail for you!” Bodie reached up and flicked the otter on the nose.

“Ow!” Frank covered his nose, smiling under his paws. They both noticed the lion and the wolf watching them. Bodie hauled the otter off the deck and slung him over his shoulder like a bounty.

“Captain. Doctor.” The badger bowed his striped head while trying to keep the brown noodle shaped creature under control.

“XO.” Rusty shook his head with a smile as the two bounty hunters left as quickly as they came. The otter saluted them from where he hung over the badger’s back as they disappeared into the ship.

“Some gaggle of misfits we’ve got here, huh?” Carter said, flicking his comm unit back on.

“Honestly, it’s starting to feel like home.” The cargo bay settled again. Rusty took a deep breath and went back to his task.

After a short walk, Bodie had carried Frank into the break room. He tossed the otter onto the couch and stepped into the galley. Frank rolled over and sat up, watching Bodie grab a cup from the cabinet and pull on the valve to get some water.

“So, no jail then?” He said with a laugh. Bodie didn’t turn around as he activated the food printer.

“Jail later, hydration first. Thirsty?”

“Yeah, fill up that teal bottle, would ya?” Frank hopped off the couch and joined him in the galley. “Whatcha cooking? Fried fish?”

“...I can make that too. I think. Let me look through the menu.” Bodie didn’t notice Frank looking across the room at the huge table surrounded by chairs. Seats for a dozen critters.

“No, wait.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I…just give me a minute…ten minutes, gimme ten minutes.” Frank went running out of the break room while Bodie watched, sipping on his drink. A few minutes later Clay, Anita, and Ty walked in and sat down at the table. Clay nodded to Bodie as he came in.

“Master Thorne.”

“Ironside. Thought you were taking a nap.”

“I was, until your apprentice came barging in and told us to come up here.”

“Did he say why?”

“He didn’t tell us either,” Winston said. Clay didn’t get to answer as Winston, Annalee, and Amos walked in. A moment later Carter walked in, carrying his doctor kit.

“Bodie? What happened to your leg?”

“My what?” The wolf was at his side a moment later.

“Frank told me you’d shot a hole in your leg and I needed to come up here immediately.”

“No, what? I’m fine. FRANK!” Bodie growled out.

The otter’s snout poked through the door a moment later, followed by his arms, which were firmly grasped around Rusty’s paw, dragging the Captain into the room. His grip slipped and he tumbled forward, rolled into a ball, and sprang to his feet. “Alright. Sit down.”

The crew all looked at each other, confused. Frank grabbed a fork off the counter and banged it against a cabinet. “It’s dinner time!”

A silence fell over the room. Then they all started heading back towards the door. Frank, defeated, tried to beg them, one by one as they passed. “Hey! Guys? Please?”

Rusty, still standing in the doorway, smiled at the little bounty hunter. “Hey. Sit down. All of you.”

“Rusty.” The polar bear growled.

“Amos.”

“We’ll probably never get a chance to be together again after today.” Frank said. They all turned and looked at him again. His ears drooped and his whiskers hung low. “Please?”

The room fell silent again, filled only with the sounds of a crew sharing the same air. The same warmth. Bodie stepped forward and put his arm around Frank. “Send your orders to the printer and I’ll bring them to ya. Go have a seat. Annalee, can you get drinks for everybody?”

“Sure thing XO.” The engineer smiled as she stepped over to the galley counter and started getting glasses for everyone. The others started taking their seats. Clay shrugged and sat down. Anita sat next to him and Ty sat next to her. Rusty thumped his paw against Amos’ shoulder and guided him back to the table.

“C’mon snowball.”

“You keep pushing your luck and I’ll pick you up and spin you around in front of everyone.” They both chuckled as they took their seats. Amos sat at the far end next to Carter and Winston. Rusty sat in the chair at the opposite end. Frank helped Bodie bring food from the printer as people ordered. Annalee sat down after a few minutes, squeezing into the seat next to Winston. The panther blushed when she bumped her head against his and made a low ‘mrow’ sound at him. Bodie and Frank finally were able to sit down next to Rusty and everyone dug in.

“So, I don’t remember if you told us, Captain. How did Kreg get his…what should we call them…powers?” Frank took a big gulp of his drink and set the glass down.

“He’s not a super hero, Frank.” Bodie said.

“He doesn’t fly, does he?” Ty added. “Or breathe fire? I’m not prepared for that.”

“No, nothing like that.” Rusty said between bites of printed marbled steak. “It’s like I said before: he’s got, like, a comm unit in his head. He can control things like a furry remote.”

“That’d make a good comedy. A little kit wreaking havoc in a space station. Doors opening at random, robots suddenly fighting, toilets exploding. I’d watch that.”

“Clay!” Anita punched the croc’s arm. “This kit was tortured. Sorry Captain.”

“It’s alright.”

“Who would do that to kids? I didn’t realize there were such horrible monsters in the Empire.” Annalee, disgusted with the thought, sipped at her spring water. “Can’t believe I share a universe with people like that.”

“They didn’t start with that. They started with fun science projects and weekends off at the beach, and then a creep in a cape comes in and tells you that your medical unit will be performing research for the emperor. They tell you the implants are to help people. That the intracranial recalibration testing is going to cure brain injuries. Before you know it the shuttle with ‘volunteers’ arrives and when the airlock opens a dozen kids are standing there staring at you.” Carter said, ears tipped back, shame written across his face. The table fell silent. The black wolf stared at his paws. “People rarely start out being monsters. They’re made into them.”

The silence stretched for a moment, then Amos’s huge paw thumped against Carter’s back. “You’ve spent every single second of your life since I’ve known you trying your best to fix your mistakes. And you haven’t told them what happened next.”

Amos shook Carter’s shoulder but the wolf just looked away. The white giant next to him continued the story. “So those kids are taken into the base and Carter here decides enough is enough. He orders a marine to hand over his rifle, convinces the other scientists to fight back, and they all escape by stealing a general’s cruising yacht, taking the kids with them.”

“Why wouldn’t you tell people that part, you nutball!?” Frank asked, his hands gesturing wildly in front of him. “That last part sounds awesome!”

“The part that hurts is the part I remember.” He looked up, still not wanting to make eye contact. “If it hurts it means I won’t forget it.”

“We all carry things, Carter.” Rusty rumbled. “Don’t let it hold you back.”

“Wait, did you develop the tech that they put in Kreg?” Bodie looked up from his spring vegetable soup.

“I was a part of a team that did some of that, yes. It was called Project Honey Bee. It was pitched to us as a neurological augmentation for the Emperor’s finest soldiers. The Project created a hollow architecture inside the patient that the control program could insert memories into to assist with situations outside the patient’s skills and knowledge. It also allowed the patient to access Imperial tech through wireless telepathic communications.”

“It’s like a machine that’s in his head, right?” Frank set his fork down.

“That’s a very crude way of thinking about it, but not totally wrong.”

“Can it be turned off?” Frank’s optimistic attempt at solving the problem drew them all in.

“It’s risky. But yes, it’s possible.” Carter nodded and sipped at his coffee. The table fell silent again as they worked through the information.

“Where would the equipment you’d need for that be? Would it be on an imperial cruiser?” Clay tilted his head at Carter.

“The Guild probably has what he needs at the Black Claw. We’ve got every medical device and tech in our hospital.” Bodie leaned back in his chair, his earthy tea steaming under his nose.

“Both of those are good options, but extremely dangerous for the patient if we’re caught.” Carter pointed out. “I mean Kreg. Dangerous for Kreg.”

“What risk is there?”

“Hmm?”

“You said it was risky to turn Honey Bee off. What risk?” Rusty asked.

Carter hesitated before answering. “When we were trialing the tech we found that in some cases the patient would lose their memory after shutting down the program in their architecture. Emptying out the implanted memories dragged out whatever else was in the patient’s mind with it.”

The table turned to Rusty. Rusty was staring at the empty chair next to him, thinking. He took a deep breath and looked up. “He’s always been less dangerous when he’s surrounded by people who care about him. If we can get him home, keep him safe, I think he can learn to live with it. Or, if he wants to, we can try turning it off. Whatever happens, it’s up to him.”

“Captain, he’s a kid. Is he really the right person to decide that?” Amos raised an eyebrow.

“He’s had enough people tell him who and what he is. I don’t want to be another one.”

“That is exactly what he needs, Captain.” Anita said. “Not from anyone else, just you.”

Rusty listened, took a breath, and nodded. The crew went back to idly poking at their food. Annalee went to the galley and returned with a caramel and cream coffee. Carter turned his nose up at the smell. “How can you do that to a wonderful drink like coffee?”

“Maybe you need a little more sweet in your life, Doctor.” She winked at him. His spine tingled and his neck fur stood up. He rolled his eyes and sipped his drink.

“Mmmm, bitter and black. Just like my heart.”

Amos chuckled. The others joined in and eventually the room rumbled with the symphony of laughter. The sound spread across the table like a wave rolling across the shore. Frank felt the warmth of the room soaking into his fur. He leaned forward on his elbows and smiled.

“Say, otter, how’re you enjoying jail?” Carter asked, waving a brussels sprout around on his fork.

“Huh?”

“We watched Bodie arrest you in the cargo bay.” Rusty laughed. “What was your crime again?”

“Battery on a Hunter.” Bodie poked the otter with his elbow.

“More like battery on a buttmunch.”

“Oh really? You know, I took you down pretty easily and it’s been a few days since we’ve done any training. I think we need to get you back on your regimen of being batted around like a screaming pinball.”

“No, no-no. I’m fine. Still recovering from the last session. I’ll be ready in the next few…months.”

“What do you think, team?” Bodie’s paw clamped onto Frank’s shoulder and shook him a little. Frank used both arms to push as hard as he could at Bodie’s side but couldn’t get free. “Does Frank need some additional training?”

Without hesitating a second:

“Oh, absolutely.”

“For sure.”

“Yup.”

Nods of approval and chuckles answered Bodie’s question. Frank crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. “I bring the crew together and they all turn on me. Story of my life.”

The Lost and the Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Mon, 25 May 2026 17:02:22 GMT

Kreg was curled up in the bed he’d been given by Toby. The bed smelled like otter fur and fish sticks, but was otherwise warm and comfy. Every time he curled tighter into a ball he’d think about Rusty. Big tawny arms wrapping around him. A rumbling deep voice whispering in his ear. The steady thumping of the Captain’s heart against his side. Each memory stung in its own way as it floated into his mind. He kept rolling over, trying to run from them, but couldn’t escape. After an hour of tossing and turning, he gave up and lay in the dark staring at the wall.

He hadn’t slept in two days.

His mind reached out and felt around the ship. There were imperial devices in every compartment. Green glowing spots in his mind’s eye, waiting for him to manipulate. Waiting for him to mess up again. The image of the battle cruisers detonating flashed into his mind like a bomb. The kit sat up with a squeak, breathing fast in the cool dark room. His paws hit the deck a moment later. He tripped a motion detector on the floor and the lights came on low. A big yawn escaped him as he wobbled over to the comm unit built into the desk. His fingers tapped along the keyboard, making idle keystrokes until a red warning flashed on the screen.

Unauthorized Access Detected

It wasn’t home, but he hoped the further away he got from the Wanderer, the better he would feel. So far that turned out to be wrong. He took a few deep breaths, put his head down on the desk, and sobbed. The room shook around him as the tears streamed down his face. The airlock slid open without him noticing. Toby stepped into the room. A crooked smile grew across his snout and his eyes glinted in the low light. The sight before him tickled his eyes like a banana split. It looked like five million credits to him. As he enjoyed the sight, a tingle went up his spine. Suddenly the sobs weren’t Kreg’s anymore. A memory flashed through Toby’s mind.

Mom? MOM! Where are you? The rabbit’s voice echoed. The cargo container they were living in had collapsed. He remembered his throat closing up as he screamed and was met with silence.

His breath hitched as Kreg’s muffled sobs hit his ears again. A sound too similar, too familiar to be ignored. Blood flushed through his ears as he fought to catch his breath. He stepped backwards through the door and stumbled down the hall towards the bridge. That sound ripped him in two. An agonizing moment later Toby found himself lying on the floor in Bodie’s quarters, a paw over his chest, gasping for breath. He forced his eyes shut and rolled on his side, holding his head in his hands. That scared child was alive in his heart again and the rabbit he had become laughed at the sight of him. The rattling din was broken a moment later by the fox kit’s little worried voice.

“Are you okay, Mister Toby?” The Hunter didn’t know how long he’d been lying on the floor before the fox had broken the silence. Toby cleared his throat and stood up in a flash. He walked over to Kreg and lifted his chin up with his thumb.

“Look better than you, squirt. Looks like you’ve been bawlin’.” Kreg looked away sheepishly and rubbed his eyes with his palms.

“Sorry sir.”

The apology was somehow the worst thing he could’ve done. Toby’s shrivelled heart cracked a little. He looked away, not wanting to make eye contact with the kit. There was a picture on the wall of Bodie with his otter apprentice in his arms in a headlock. The rabbit wondered what Bodie might’ve said to him. That stupid badger would’ve had the perfect words to make him feel better. Toby awkwardly reached out and patted him on the head.

“That’s…alright…sport…” Toby cleared his throat. He was not made for this. His eyes rolled as he turned around. A bright squeaky voice came out of Toby unexpectedly. “Go get something to eat in the galley, would ya?”

“Okay.” Kreg turned and disappeared down the corridor while rubbing his eyes. The faint sound of the food printer hummed in the air as Toby forced himself to focus and walk down to the bridge. He slumped heavily into the pilot’s seat and did his best to clear his mind.

“You have a job to do, Toby.” His paw idly swiped through the engineering panel showing the reactor status. “You’re here to make five million credits. Get rich, then you can do whatever you want.”

In the galley Kreg sat alone eating a flakey chocolate pastry. The food on this ship was amazing. He flicked through the ship’s menu while he ate. There were thousands of recipes from across the galaxy. As he flicked through the dessert menu, he felt the familiar sinking feeling of falling into the Honeybee part of his mind. A connection clicked in the background of his thoughts. Across the table the image of the wolf materialized in his vision. Kreg froze in place. The last time he’d tried to fight the wolf off, two ships full of people had been vaporized. His shimmering yellow eyes studied him for a moment. Smoke billowed from the tips of the wolf’s fur as he drew a deep breath.

“Hello child.”

Kreg refused to move. The wolf reached over and placed his paw over Kreg’s. It felt like embers on his fur.

“You’re safe, Kreg. I won’t let you break anything.”

The fox’s chest heaved with heavy breaths. His wide-open eyes were locked with the wolf’s. “What do you want?”

“You left that planet.” The wolf glanced around. Not at the ship, but through the ship, to the inky black nothing outside. “You’re in hyperspace right now. Where are you going?”

“A place where I won’t hurt anyone.” Kreg mumbled as he gathered his fortitude.

“Oh, there’s no place like that.” The wolf squeezed his paw gently. It was an odd sensation; being squeezed by someone that wasn’t there. His paw knew it wasn’t real, but his mind believed it. “You’re dangerous everywhere.”

“I’m going to become a Hunter on Pagria. They’ll teach me to be safe.”

“You’ve been caught by a Pagrian Hunter?”

“He didn’t catch me. He…”

The wolf raised an eyebrow. Kreg shook his head.

“No, I’m going to train under a Master Hunter. Toby said so.”

“Toby Rayne? Toby Rayne?! That fool caught you?” The wolf chuckled. Kreg’s ears lowered as a whimper squeaked in his throat. It was unsettling that the wolf was so familiar with this world that he was stepping into. It felt like jumping into a pool with a shark swimming in it. “That’s embarrassing.”

“How would you know? You’re stuck in an imperial lab somewhere.”

“My sister runs the Black Claw. We grew up there. I know it well.”

“Who?”

“You’ll know her soon enough, child. Toby must be racing you there to receive the bounty.” Kreg tried to pull his hand back, but the wolf wasn’t done with him. The wolf’s lip curled with a cruel smile, causing one of his fangs to poke out. “Congratulations on your victory, by the way.”

“Huh?”

“Destroying those Imperial ships. That was marvelous. Such a raw display of talent and power. I’m proud of what you’re becoming.”

Kreg’s heart sank. The way the wolf looked at him made his skin crawl. Kreg’s voice cracked as he started yelling. “That’s not who I am! Rusty knew me. He said I’d never hurt anybody! I’m not–”

The world started swirling around them. The black Honeybee mindspace was pulling them in. Smoke spun in a circle around the table until Kreg closed his eyes and pushed out with his thoughts. A violent pulse rippled through the connection between Kreg and the Wolf and the darkness receded. They sat across from each other again.

“You should learn to take a compliment, Kreg.” The wolf leaned back and crossed his arms.

“It’s–it’s not who I am.” Kreg was becoming stubborn about it.

“Kreg, no matter what you think of yourself. You’re the one that destroyed those ships. No one else did that.”

The wolf’s words hit Kreg like a rock. He closed his eyes as tight as he could to hide from the wolf. A snickering laugh echoed in his ears from across the table. Guilt was stuck to him like oil. Amidst the darkness he was sliding into, Kreg reached for the only thing that had helped him before. The only person that helped him stay above the water. Rusty’s warm voice echoed into his ears.

“Kreg. It’s gonna be alright.” The lion’s rumbling voice flowed around Kreg like a summer breeze. He remembered how he had thought of the Captain before. Safe. The only person in the galaxy that didn’t want anything from him. The fox’s ear twitched, remembering Rusty’s whiskers tickling his ears when he spoke next to him. “You have an advantage here, Kreg.”

Kreg’s ears perked up.

“If he’s connected to you…” Kreg imagined Rusty’s arms squeezing around him. “...then you’re connected to him.”

Kreg slowly glanced up, brow furrowed, eyes narrowed, and stared right into the wolf’s mind. A searing pulse flowed through their connection and infiltrated the wolf’s mental space. The thought of the destroyed ships floated out in front of him. Painful, shameful, and horrifying. But it also wasn’t Kreg’s. He hadn’t brought it into his mind. The wolf had forced the memory upon him like a splinter stuck into his paw. If he let it in, allowed it to be there, it would fester. But accepting the thought was optional. He plucked the splinter out and a great shift happened. The intrusive thoughts separated from him. He pushed them away and they flowed around him, like glitter in a snow globe. From the center of his mind he saw the wolf clearly for the first time. Scared, trapped, alone. Kind of like him.

“How old were you when they took you? Were you like me?”

The question hit the wolf sideways, ripping open a wound that had long been closed. A flicker of two young wolves playing together in a golden field flashed in front of Kreg. A white wolf in a flowing icy blue skirt, and a black wolf in a dark blue flight suit. Laughter floated in the air as they chased each other through the grass. They were under the shadow of a giant black building that looked like a knife poking up through the earth. The sky thundered and they both came to a stop. A big grey and white ship was descending from space. The ship was emblazoned with the sigil of the Emperor. The white wolf took the black wolf’s paw and held on tight. The black wolf whimpered as he pulled in close to her side. ‘Gani…’

‘I’m with you, Varek.’ She was scared as she spoke, but forced herself to sound sure. ‘I won’t let them take you.’

A loud horn blared from the Emperor’s ship. Then the memory disintegrated in a flurry of little shapes.

They sat across from each other again on the Jade Fang. The wolf was furious but trying to hide that Kreg had gotten to him. His snarling voice rattled the room. But not Kreg. “Stop that. NOW.”

Kreg was still trying to piece together what he had seen. But he’d already stopped feeling afraid. “Or what?”

Their connection pulsed again. The memory flooded back in. It was later. They were inside a big hall, surrounded by animals in armor. They had the same silvery badge Toby did. The little wolves stood at the front with two enormous wolves on either side. Their mother and father. Across the room the Emperor stood hunched over on the top of a dais looking down at them. Kreg couldn’t quite make out the image of him. It was blurry. Like looking at someone in a waxy mirror. The best he could make out was the shape of a canine in a green cape. The blur held out a paw. A claw pointing to a prize. Two imperial marines stepped forward. One of the huge wolves stepped aside as the marines stepped forward and grabbed Varek by the arm.

‘Be brave, my son.’ The huge wolf spoke in a deep growl. Gani held on tightly to the other huge wolf, tears running down her face. “Your sacrifice will keep our house at peace for another generation.”

Varek was dragged away to the emperor’s ship, howling for his family to save him. Instead, the hall of animals and the little wolf family watched him be taken, still as statues, except for Gani, weeping into her mother’s arm. The room closed behind an airlock and blurred into darkness.

The memory flickered out like a light. The black wolf roared at Kreg from across the table. “STAY OUT OF MY MY M HRRRUUUUR HEA HEAD AAAAHHH–”

The form of the wolf broke into pieces, each dissolving into nothing as he raged. Kreg held his paw up to his head. The connection hurt, but he wasn’t afraid. His nose burned and his fingers tingled. He took several deep breaths. After a few moments a tingle ran up his spine and the fur on his back stood on end. The wolf reappeared in front of him. His teeth were bared.

“You have no business wandering around in my head, you little whelp!”

Kreg leaned forward, placing his paw over the wolf’s. “You’re the one wandering around in mine. It’s only fair… Varek.”

Varek growled and disappeared.

Kreg leaned back in his chair. The room returned to normal. A gentle reactor hum filled the air. That was that. He had stood up against the wolf made of darkness and smoke and held his ground. Varek. Somehow knowing the monster’s name made him smaller. Like he could be measured. Studied. Maybe one day he could be defeated. With Rusty’s help it seemed possible.

Rusty.

The one person in the galaxy that would do anything for him. And Kreg was rocketing away from him faster than light. Kreg’s head hit the table with a thump as the energy drained right out of him.

Down the hall on the bridge, Toby tightly gripped the Jade Fang’s yoke. He’d been unsuccessful at keeping the memory of his childhood screams from the front of his mind. The beeps and chirps of the ship had done little to distract him from the noise. Bodie’s ship was frustratingly quiet and well maintained. The rabbit closed his eyes, gulping in deep breaths, hoping to settle himself.

“It’s just a bounty, it’s just a bounty, it’s just a bounty…” He kept repeating. Something deep in his mind whispered back. Are you sure? Before he had a chance to consider which one he wanted to believe the hyperspace arrival alarm chirped. He strapped into his seat, rolled his shoulders, and pulled up the navigation screen on his right. The countdown ticked away the last ten seconds of their journey and then Toby yanked the hyperspace throttle back. A portal opened in front of the ship and they reappeared in real space, floating high above Pagria. There was a huge orbital cargo station floating along the horizon to port. Toby had the ship skimming the atmosphere, aiming to descend above the Black Claw. He pinged Vargana’s comm directly.

She denied the request. Toby frowned and tried again, attaching a simple message: Emperor’s bounty in tow. Requesting direction for delivery. The comm rang three times, then the white wolf’s face appeared on the ship’s comm screen.

“Thorne, I’m not in the mood for games, so you’d better have–” She noticed the angry rabbit staring back at her. Toby had called from the Jade Fang without attaching his comm signature. “Rayne. Why are you flying Master Thorne’s ship? What is going on here?”

“I’ve caught the mark for the Emperor. I’ll be expecting payment in full when I arrive.”

“...You have them on your ship right now?” Vargana asked, suddenly very interested. Toby nodded and flashed a picture of Kreg on her comm unit. The white wolf smiled briefly. “Bring him directly to me. Do NOT let him out of your sight.”

The Lost and the Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Mon, 18 May 2026 19:45:59 GMT

“...Then Toby shot Bodie in the back and we kinda gave up the chase because he was injured. We were taking Toby’s apprentices home before we continued the hunt. Then we found Toby’s ship and learned he was alive. We broke him out of the IO holding cells and were about to escape when he took…What was his name again?”

“Kreg.” Rusty said with a huff.

“Kreg, right. Sorry. And you know the rest.” Frank finished with a shrug.

“So…Toby shot you, badger?” Rusty said, still pacing in front of them.

“In the back…while Bodie was stopping Carter from obliterating him with a scattergun.” Frank mimed holding a gun at Toby’s head and pretended to blast him as punctuation. The breakroom had settled into a gentle hum once they’d passed into hyperspace. At the back of the room Clay and Anita were at a small table, pretending not to listen while they munched on some fresh printed food. The fur on Bodie’s snout tingled when he saw the glare in Rusty’s eyes. “Why in the stars was that rabbit on your ship?”

“The Hunters in the Guild are like a family.” Bodie’s face grimaced. “I’m not one to leave my brothers behind.”

“I feel like if my brother shot me he’d lose the right to be my brother.”

“Family is family. We don’t abandon the ones we don’t like.”

Rusty didn’t respond. He thought of Kreg. If he could put up with Kreg doing the things he did, he could understand Bodie’s point of view. Even if it was absurd. “Why do you think he turned on you?”

“Money.” Clay grumbled from across the room.

“What?”

“The bounty on your head is five million credits, sweetheart.” Anita said, like it was trivial, as she fiddled with her comm unit.

“Oh.” Rusty’s face dropped. That was an unthinkable amount of money to him. His tail dropped to the floor as he stopped pacing. “Five…million!?”

“The report said you stole imperial data and blew up a research station full of people.”

“That didn’t–that’s not what…” Rusty sat down next to Frank. His weight pressed down on the cushions and pulled the otter into his side. The otter crawled his way back to a seated position and looked up at the dismayed lion. The Captain held his head in his paws. “It wasn’t like that at all.”

“Can you tell us what happened?” A thick badger paw settled on the Captain’s shoulder. Rusty took a few breaths, then leaned back into the couch and glanced up at Bodie.

“I was running cargo for the IO and came across a huge dead object in deep space. I discovered it was an abandoned research station. Something horrible had happened on board. There were claw marks on the wall and blood. From what I saw they had been experimenting on children. But it wasn’t empty. I found Kreg in a cryo pod. He had been discarded and left to rot in the cold. But I woke him up and a second later the station started to self-destruct. We escaped a heartbeat before the reactor detonated. Kreg couldn’t speak. He couldn’t…” Rusty trailed off. The thought of his helpless little fox out there alone in the universe closed up his throat and filled his eyes with tears. “He uh, he was special. Different. You could tell just by being near him. I didn’t understand it until I had Carter take a look at him.”

“The Emperor messed up his brain. Essentially turned him into a living comm unit with unlimited access to any nearby Imperial tech and a giant database of people’s memories to tap into. It was a project I was a part of while I worked for the military called Project Honeybee. He’s got an altered brain structure that lets him control things with his mind.”

“A living comm unit? Like his brain has voicemail?” Frank asked, arms crossed.

“No. Well, maybe. We don’t really know.” Rusty scratched the back of his head. “Should we just show them, Carter?”

“Might as well.” The wolf sipped on his coffee and shrugged. The comm unit on the wall flashed to life as Rusty pulled up some surveillance footage of Kreg working in the maintenance hangar on Galdor. Kreg walked over carrying an armful of tools into a dark part of the hangar. The fox paused, stared hard at a worklight, raised his arm up and closed his eyes. The worklight flickered for a second, then buzzed to life, brightening up the room. Frank sat silent, unsure what to make of it. Bodie scoffed under his breath.

“Ha, cute. You turned the light on from somewhere off screen, right?”

Rusty shook his head and put up another video, still in the maintenance bay. Parts were spread out in a circle with Kreg in the middle with a huge plasma pump on the deck in front of him. He needed to move a big part and looked up to an overhead crane. His paw reached up and a moment later the crane lowered on its own down to where he needed it.

“C’mon, that’s not real.”

“Bodie, why do you think the Emperor is paying so much to get back a little fox?”

Frank had never seen this level of disbelief on Bodie’s face. The badger’s eyes flicked back and forth between the Captain and the comm screen. Another video of the fox standing in a circle of machines started playing. Kreg turned them on one by one, then every machine in the hangar turned on all at once and then abruptly shut off. Bodie’s heart thumped in his chest.

“They told us you’d stolen Imperial research, not…not a…”

“A child?”

Bodie paused.

“Rusty. Can I talk to you in the hall?”

The badger moved toward the door. He was stiff, like he was expecting a sting to come. Frank stood to go with him but Bodie shook his head and pointed at the couch. The otter crossed his arms and sat down with a huff. The image of the fox activating the row of machines replayed on the screen. His stomach turned at the thought of it.

The Captain followed Bodie into the corridor. He watched the Hunter pace up and down the hall, flexing his claws, purposely slowing his breath. Rusty leaned against the bulkhead and crossed his arms as he watched Bodie gather his thoughts and come to a calm stop in the middle of the hall. Bodie’s eyes narrowed.

“I was sent personally to arrest you and Kreg by the leader of the Guild. How do you feel about that?”

“Don’t really want you on my boat. But you’re the only chance I have of finding Kreg again. What choice do I have?”

“When we get to Pagria we will be surrounded by Hunters that are looking for you and won’t know what you’ve told me. I don’t know that I’ll be able to stop them if they find you and decide they want to take you.”

“I understand.”

Bodie took a half step forward. “You’ll have to let me be in charge when we get there. You’re flying into my world and I need to guide you. It’s your only chance to save your kit.”

Rusty nodded. “So, you’re going to help me get him back?”

The badger stared down at his feet and shuffled his foot across the deck. “The Emperor took this kid, experimented on him, and wanted to use what he learned to control all of us, right?”

“Right.”

“I didn’t agree to be a part of that. What I choose to do is on me. Not on the Guild, not on the Emperor, on me. Right now I can choose to save a little kid from whatever horrors the Emperor has planned for him, or I can choose to turn you in and get a little money.”

“Yup.”

“There’s no price they could pay me to trade my soul away. We’re going to save Kreg.”

Rusty stood up straight and nodded once. He held out his huge paw in front of Bodie. The badger clamped onto his hand and shook it firmly once. “Good. Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah.”

“If you help us–if you help criminals subvert the Emperor’s plans–what’s going to happen to you after?”

“If Vargana doesn’t see things the way we do…well, my life as I know it is over. I won’t be a Bounty Hunter anymore. Frank will owe his debt again to the Guild and might end up in prison for the rest of his life. So, nothing good.”

“I’m not sure I can ask that of you.”

“You can. Whether it’s worth it or not is up to me.” Bodie noticed a sliver of Frank’s face poking into the hall from the breakroom door. He smiled and chuffed to invite him into the conversation. “Come ‘ere bud.”

The otter shuffled out to his brother’s side, gently tapping along on each foot. The lion towered over him with a smile. “Were you eavesdropping?”

“A little bit.” He said quietly. “Are we going to get in trouble with Vargana?”

“We’re doing what’s right, Little Brother. What is there to be afraid of?”

Frank’s little hands curled into fists and his brow furrowed sharply. He shoved Bodie’s arm and stomped down the hall. “That’s what you said before we saved Toby.”

Bodie and Rusty turned, watching him go. Frank yelled over his shoulder. “How much are we going to sacrifice to satiate your morals?”

His little paws stomped down the hall into the stairwell as he trudged down the stairs. Frank found his way down to the cargo hold. He stormed in and climbed up on a cargo crate. Tears welled up at the corners of his eyes. How could Bodie be so flippant about what he was risking? If he was kicked out of the Guild, they might never see each other again. It felt like Bodie was on that medbay table slipping through his fingers again. Frank squeezed his eyes closed, trying to push the thoughts away. He forced himself to sit up straight and slow his breathing. Tears spilled down his snout as he did his best to deal with it alone. A minute passed. Frank didn’t notice he was shaking. His breath caught in his throat as he felt warmth wrapping around him. He leaned over to his right and fell into Bodie’s shoulder. The badger’s arms wrapped around him where he sat. “Hey Little Brother.”

“Why can’t we be choosing between vanilla or chocolate? Cinevids or video games? Red shirt or blue? Things are so confusing and complicated. Why can’t it be easy for once?” Frank closed his eyes. Bodie lowered his chin against his Little Brother’s head and spoke with a soft grumble.

“If it was easy it wouldn’t mean anything. Life only has meaning if the choices we make matter. I’m sorry we’ve had to make so many recently. If I could’ve avoided it I would have. All I wanted was to be your partner and bring in idiots like Henry Hatoo for the rest of time but that’s not what’s on the table today. Sometimes the only thing you get to do is deal with what’s put in front of you.”

“I don’t want to lose you, Bodie.”

Bodie pulled Frank in front of his nose with his paws. “You are not going to lose me.”

“But what if–”

“Frank, no matter what, even if Vargana personally decides to chase us across the galaxy, I’ll be at your side. We’re brothers. There’s no take backs.”

Frank smiled, still unconvinced. He nodded weakly. “Okay.”

Bodie pulled him in again, wrapping his arms around him. “It’s going to be okay, Little Brother.”

“You’ve been wrong about that a lot lately.”

Bodie chuckled and squeezed him tighter. “We’re both still alive and together. I think I’m batting a thousand here.”

They laughed together in the quiet of the cargo bay. Rusty watched them from the airlock. He’d never seen Hunters up close like this. In their Guild clothing. One big one cradling a littler one. It was either heartwarming or weird and Rusty hadn’t decided. The badger patted the otter on the back and the otter jumped down off the cargo crate. Bodie and Frank. Not just Hunters. Not the enemy. Bodie and Frank. Two brothers that were sacrificing themselves to save Kreg.

“Feeling alright, Frank?”

“I’ll be fine.” Frank lightly punched Bodie’s arm. Bodie smirked and roughly ruffled his fur.

“Let’s all take a few hours to settle and we’ll join up again for dinner. Sound good, Captain?”

“Sounds good, XO.”

“What?”

“Might as well put you in charge of everyone. You’re the only one who knows most of these critters.”

“Huh…Alright.”

“I’m still not calling you sir.” Frank snarked. Rusty left them in the cargo bay and lumbered down the corridor into the ship. A worried paw tapped on Bodie’s arm. “Hey! How are we going to explain this to Clay and Anita?”

“I don’t know, but I took them down once already. If they come at us it’s your turn.” Bodie said. He walked into the corridor after Rusty. “Better toughen up, Little Brother.”

“Are…are you serious? Bodie? Bodie!” Frank chased after him. Bodie jogged up the stairs, laughing the whole way as the otter followed him. A few minutes later they had taken Anita and Clay aside and explained what Bodie was planning to do. The room echoed with a crocodile’s guttural growl.

“Are you out of your stripped head?!”

“This is INSANE Bodie!” Anita added.

“You’re going to get strung up by your tail!” Clay dragged his tail behind him as he circled the badger. His clawed hands balled up into angry fists as the berating continued. “Is that what you want? You want the Hunt Master to snap your badge in front of everyone and nail it to the Sundering Wall?”

“Sundering Wall?” Frank asked as he stood close to Bodie. The huge croc was circling him too.

“It’s where expelled Hunters are stripped of their rank in a public ceremony. The Hunt Master uses an anvil and a hammer to break their badge and nails the pieces up on a wall for everyone to see.”

“That’s it?”

“Afterwards the Hunters chase you out of the Guild so they can be the one to drag you back in to pay for your crimes.”

“You ought to know better, Bodie. You’re a Master. You have more to lose than any of us.”

“They sent us to kidnap a kid. A scared abused kid the Emperor wants to experiment on. Which one of you agreed to do that for the Guild?” Bodie pointed an accusing finger at them.

Clay slowed and stopped in front of Bodie holding a claw up to the badger’s nose. “I don’t like it.”

“C’mon, Ironside!” Anita chimed in. “We might get a chance to brain that rabbit during their rescue. Might be worth it just for that.”

Clay grumbled and went back to circling. When he came around again Bodie stopped him. “Look, go check on Ty. He’s still out cold in the med bay. Make sure he’s alright. If you don’t want to help us, I’ll tell them I ordered you to come with us and the three of you can go back to Guild life when we get to Pagria.”

A grumbling growl echoed out of Clay as he nodded and stomped out of the breakroom. Anita chuckled and turned to follow him. “Give me a few minutes. I’ll bring him around.”

She stalked out after Clay, her tiny cat claws lightly tapping against the metal floor. Frank looked up at Bodie. “Do all crocodiles do that circling thing when they’re angry?”

“I’ve seen it a few times. Clay’s was great though. Almost a perfect circle.” They both chuckled. Amos appeared in the doorway as they stepped over to the kitchen. The polar bear lumbered over to them and reached over Frank to grab a mug off the counter, then poured himself coffee. Frank ducked out of the way with the protein block he’d grabbed in his paw. With a laugh Bodie smiled up at Amos after grabbing himself a slice of toast. “Hey snowball! Good to see you again!”

“Guess that Rabbit got the better of you finally.” Amos sipped on his coffee, grimaced at the taste, and poured in some sugar.

“Technically he only got half the bounty, we caught the other half.” Frank said. Amos lowered his head at him and growled.

“You taking us in, big guy?”

“Hmf ahm-” Frank hit his head on the cabinet under the counter, rolled across the ground and jumped behind the couch. Amos’ deep laugh filled the room as he stood up again. “It’s good to see you two as well. You got a plan to get Kreg back yet?”

“Not yet. Still trying to get everyone on the same team.”

“Good luck, badger.” A huge white paw thumped Bodie’s shoulder as Amos turned to leave. “Let me know when the big meeting is.”

“Sure thing.” Bodie crossed to the couch munching on his toast. He sat down next to Frank and they both relaxed until they noticed the remote sitting between them. A breathless moment passed until they both dove onto the remote, wrestling for control across the cushions. Out in the hall Amos ran into Rusty. The Captain had a panel open and was checking a connection with a probe and his comm unit.

“Hey! You owe me a ship, goober.” He leaned against the bulkhead and drank his coffee.

“What ship?” Rusty asked without looking up.

“I flew to Galdor on my cruiser. The Adanato is still sitting there with your crazy ex-wife. I’m guessing she won’t be dropping it off with a full tank and a fresh coat of paint. I bet she’s lifted the whole base and flown off to who knows where to hide after that mess.”

Rusty yanked the probe and slammed the panel harder than he meant to. He flopped against the wall and crossed his arms. “I’m sorry Amos. I’ll make it up to you somehow.”

“Hey.” Amos punched his arm. “Don’t go soft on me now.”

Rusty grunted as pain sparked through his shoulder. He wouldn’t look Amos in the eye. “I failed Amos. I couldn’t keep him safe.”

Amos grunted and kept staring hard at him. “Mmhmm.”

“I told you I wasn’t made for this.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“What?” He finally looked up.

“You’re all he’s got, Rusty.”

“What if I’m not enough for him?”

“Again, doesn’t matter.”

Rusty stood up off the wall and looked right at Amos.

“There’s a little kit that needs his dad to come save him. He knows exactly who and what you are and he needs you.”

Rusty took a deep breath. Amos was right. His Spark was waiting for him and no matter what he’d be there when he needed him. Whatever he needed to be, he would become. He nodded and punched Amos’ arm back as he passed by. “Thanks, Amos.”

Amos smiled and watched him head down the hall. A moment later an otter-shaped blur came out of the break room and clambered up his arm like he was a jungle gym. He growled as Frank clutched onto his neck. “Hey! Can I help you?”

“That badger’s crazy!” Frank laughed from his perch, the remote held tightly in his paw. “He tried to snap my neck over the tv remote!”

“You better come down here, Fergus!” Bodie stood in front of Amos as he targeted Frank for a quick grab. He looked up at Amos between chuckles. “Amos, surrender your stowaway! That’s an order!”

“A what?! Who are you to be giving orders?”

“The XO. Rusty promoted me a few minutes ago. Now give me that scallywag!”

“XO. Of course.” Amos rolled his eyes. He plucked Frank from his neck and dropped him into Bodie’s arms. The otter squeaked as Bodie clamped down on him like a vice.

“Alrighty now. You can either hand over the remote or I’ll squeeze you until the channel changes. Your choice.”

The otter in his grip defiantly squeaked as he was carried back into the break room.

Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.

The Lost and the Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Mon, 11 May 2026 18:30:40 GMT

“We shouldn’t have come here, Rusty.” Amos grumbled. The polar bear paced back and forth on the metal floor of the break room aboard the Wanderer. Rusty sat on the couch, arms crossed, narrowing his eyes at his friend. They’d taken a risk and landed on IO-controlled Cerdano, right on the edge of the empty space between galactic arms called the Driftlands.

“There was nowhere else for us to go with so little fuel. We need to resupply and rearm before we head for Star Alliance space in the Outer Reach. Besides, they won’t hear from Fiona for at least a couple days while the information travels through subspace.”

“You don’t know that Rus. A ship could come here from Galdor to warn them and we’ll be trapped.”

“We’d better move fast then, huh?”

“The Outer Reach? When did we decide we were going there?” Annalee asked as she sipped her tea. She sat down into a metal chair at the dining table across from the kitchen counter.

“Kreg and I have to get as far away from the Empire and the IO as we can. Space is pretty wild out there, but no one will be hunting us so far from Hydrantia.”

“You can stay with us if you’d like. Rusty’s going to drop us off at home on Soja-4 on his way.” Amos said as he sat across from her. He placed a huge white paw over hers. He’d noticed the weight of running from her old life was starting to weigh on her for the first time.

“Do you like the cold and the dark? We’ve got plenty of both.” Carter grumbled. He was fiddling with the food printer, trying to find a recipe for a spicy rice and vegetable dish he’d had before. The local free recipe downloads from the Weave were not appetizing. Annalee frowned as she took another sip.

“I liked living on the beach.”

“I’m sorry Annie. We can take you wherever you want to go. I…I didn’t mean for this to happen.” Rusty huffed into the seat next to her.

“I know. I decided to help Kreg. It was my choice.”

“You should try Novala. It’s a lot like Galdor, but sunny and warm with lots of people.” Carter watched the printer hum to life and start printing his lunch.

“I knew an otter that lived there. Maybe I could look her up.”

“How is Kreg, by the by?” Amos asked.

“He’s awake. He hasn’t left Medbay since he woke up yesterday.” Carter pulled his meal from the printer and sat at the table with the others.

“He wasn’t there ten minutes ago.” Amos said. Rusty’s eyes shot over to him.

“He wasn’t?”

“I thought he’d be with you or asleep in his room.”

Rusty’s chair groaned across the metal floor as he shoved it back and rushed into the hall. Carter spun his spork between his fingers and started munching. His spicy rice smelled like warm pepper and butter. He spoke between mouthfuls. “Try staying with us for a while. We can help you find a new home if you don’t like it, but I think you’d like our little family. We’ve got a pretty good business running and everyone is tight-knit.”

“Mmm, I’ll think about it.” Annalee smiled and patted Amos’ paw.

Down the corridor Rusty shouted for Kreg. He’d shouted his name a dozen times but heard no response. He got frustrated and decided he’d have to properly hunt his kit. His nose twitched as he took in a whiff of the ship’s air, searching for Kreg’s scent. There was a faint trail leading down to the cargo bay. Rusty followed along until he came to an access hatch down to the ship’s underbelly. He pulled the iris door open and stuck his head down into the crawl space. He carefully lowered himself into the space and lay still, listening to the silence.

A small sniffle met his ears. He listened closer. A shuddering sob echoed from around the corner of the crawl space. The lion inched his way forward until he could see around the corner. Kreg’s tail was hanging out of a small engineering hatch under and behind a coolant line. Rusty whispered as quietly as he could, trying to not startle him.

“Kreg?”

Kreg’s tail twitched. He didn’t respond. Rusty could tell he was still crying.

“What’s wrong Spark?” He reached over and tapped the fox’s tail to let him know he was there. Kreg still didn’t respond. “Talk to me buddy.”

A quiet wet voice squeaked out of the access hatch. “I’m a monster.”

“You’re not a monster, Spark.”

“I killed all those people.” Kreg’s voice shuddered. He breathed in roughly.

“Please… just come here, Kreg. You shouldn’t be alone right now.”

“I shouldn’t…I should–” Kreg couldn’t get the words out.

“Please Kreg. Come here.”

“Fiona was right Dad. I’m broken. I don’t belong here.” Kreg sobbed through the words. Rusty tried to reach out to him but couldn’t fit through the hatch. “I don’t belong anywhere.”

Rusty’s eyes filled with tears at Kreg’s words. He couldn’t believe that. How could Rusty have let him believe that? His little spark was hurt and he didn’t know how to fix it. The lion’s voice wobbled. “Kreg. No matter what, you belong right here. You’re safe with me. Please come here…”

Rusty couldn’t speak. Tears ran down his face as he waited, hoping Kreg would turn and crawl out.

“Please?” He whispered again. A long silence stretched between them. Then Kreg’s tail pulled up into the hatch and a moment later his little orange face poked out. He carefully crawled down. Rusty reached his arms out. Kreg crawled in between his arms and curled against his side. Rusty wrapped him up gently in his arms and buried his nose in the fox’s fur. They lay together in the dim light of the crawlspace, breathing, letting each other block out the world for just a minute so they could fit the pieces of themselves back together. Kreg tangled his paw into the lion’s mane. Rusty wiped his tears away with his thumb. The kit shook in his grip, but the vibration slowed the longer he let the warmth sneak in. “Kreg. Even if you are broken, you belong with me. I’m broken too…and I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Kreg slowly nodded against his side. Several minutes later Rusty crawled out of the crawlspace with Kreg in the crook of his arm. He carried him up into the ship back to the break room. Amos was sitting on the couch returning messages on his comm unit. Rusty carefully sat down next to the polar bear, holding Kreg close as he settled into the cushions. He glanced down at the kit in his arm and saw his eyes closed, breathing in and out. A chirp from the Captain’s comm told him Winston had finished loading the torpedoes and the food supplies. He ignored it for now, focusing on Kreg. Amos whispered, trying to not wake the orange bundle in the Captain’s arms.

“Is he okay?”

“Not sure yet.” Rusty quietly rumbled. Kreg kept his eyes closed but listened to the deep vibrations of the two giants next to him.

“He’s getting worse, Rusty.”

The memory of the battlecruisers exploding flashed through Rusty’s mind. “He’ll get through it.”

“Will you?”

Rusty didn’t respond. The answer wasn’t materializing for him. If Kreg kept getting worse, he didn’t know at what point the danger would consume him too.

Kreg felt the silence like a stab in the heart. Amos was asking at what point he’d end up hurting Rusty. Like it was inevitable. Like Kreg was so inherently dangerous that he’d never be able to stop himself. And Kreg was pretty sure that Amos was right. He hated himself more in that moment than he thought possible. The fox crawled out of Rusty’s grip and onto his feet.

“Kreg? Are you alright?” Both Rusty and Amos leaned over him.

“Yeah.” He wasn’t. “I just need some sleep. I’ll be in my room.”

“I’ll come with you.” Rusty said, starting to get up.

“NO.” Kreg waved him back. “I’m fine, Captain.”

Kreg turned to leave the room, ears pinned back. Rusty wanted to go after him and wrap around him like a shield. But Kreg wanted some space. He understood that. “Hey Spark.”

“Yeah?”

“Love ya kiddo.”

The words stung. Kreg nodded and left the breakroom. The empty air where Kreg’s ‘love you too’ should’ve been hung heavy over Rusty. The fox walked down to his room and got his jacket out of his footlocker. The walk down to the cargo bay felt like it dragged on for miles. The air in the huge space was heavy with the humidity of the rain outside. Kreg walked up to the cargo bay door controls and pressed the activator to open the port side door. The door swung open with a hiss. The cargo bay filled with the steady roar of rain hitting the landing deck outside. Kreg just wanted some air. He stepped towards the opening.

Then he paused.

The outside world was so empty and lonely. He climbed up onto a cargo crate and pulled his knees against his chest as he sat down, curling his tail around himself. That was as close as he wanted to get to leaving.

In the next landing spot to the right the Jade Fang was humming in the rain, getting ready to launch. Clay Ironside was outside the ship inspecting the lower starboard hyperthruster. He had the access panel open and was trying to align a power conduit with the intake. His comm chirped in his ear.

“Clay? Is it ready?”

“Hold on. It’s fighting me.” The crocodile twisted his wrench. The line was still misaligned. “Bodie, come down here and help. I’ll need some extra muscle to get this fixed.”

“On my way.” The crocodile didn’t notice Toby slipping out of the back of the ship. Toby had sat still in the Medbay bed for all of five minutes before wanting some air. He’d spent two days stuck in a jail cell and was about to be stuck on a spaceship for a few days on his way home. He thought he’d just go take a look at his ship one more time before they left to say goodbye. The ground hardly made a sound as he padded across the concrete. He heard a patrol coming by and quickly jogged behind the ship parked next to the Jade Fang. It was a huge ugly green cargo hauler. He slipped around the back of the ship and discovered the cargo bay door was half open. A minute passed while he waited to see if anyone was nearby. His head poked around the corner and looked inside the ship. There was a small orange creature curled up on a cargo crate near the doorway. Their eyes met and they both froze. Toby walked out into the open with his paws up and waved.

“Hey.”

The little creature, a fox judging by his ears, waved back with a small brown paw.

Toby noticed the creature’s eyes were wet. For possibly the first time in his life he felt concern for another being and took an unsteady step forward. The cargo deck came up to his waist. He leaned on his elbows on the cargo deck and leaned in. While looking at the fox’s eyes he felt a distant familiarity in his mind but couldn’t quite place it. “You okay buddy? You’re looking a little down.”

“It’s been a rough couple of days. Weeks really. Kinda hard to explain.” The creature was avoiding eye contact. A part of Toby’s mind kicked in, treating the child like an evasive mark.

“You want to tell me about it, sport?”

“It’s complicated.” Kreg said. “I’ll be okay.”

“What’s your name, lil’ guy?”

The fox hesitated for a moment, glanced deeper into the ship, then turned back. “My name is Kreg.”

“I’m Toby.” He said. He wasn’t accustomed to speaking to children, but he did his best to be kind. “Are you sure you’re okay? Because I see a little kid crying and I feel kinda wrong about walking away from him. I’m kinda involved now.”

“I…I don’t think I belong here anymore.” Kreg said, hiding his face in his paws. “They’re afraid of me.”

“How could anyone possibly be afraid of you, kiddo?” Toby realized he might’ve just insulted the little guy, but luckily the fox didn’t register it.

“It’s hard to explain.” Kreg said. Rusty said to never tell anyone about his brain. The fox didn’t quite believe the words he was about to say, but they felt true anyway. “I just don’t think my dad wants me around anymore.”

“Hey now, I’m sure that’s not true.”

The fox’s eyes were watering again.

“Who’s your dad anyway? Some grumpy old fox?”

“No, he’s…” Kreg chuckled once and wiped his eyes. “...he’s a lion.”

“A what?”

“A lion. He kinda…adopted me. He took me in a long time ago. He’s taking care of me.”

That familiar feeling came over Toby again as the image of what he was remembering formed in his mind. It was a security recording that he’d stolen from Soja-4’s data cores. The recording showed a ship land in the hidden base and a lion and a fox came out. It had been the end of the trail that led to Vargana’s big bounty. His fingertips began tingling as his mind put the pieces together. This was the fox they’d all been looking for. A fox worth five million credits. The rabbit’s voice stuttered as he struggled to decide what to do next. “Uh…oh.”

“I just…I don’t think I belong anywhere.”

“You know, I used to think that I didn’t belong anywhere either. When I grew up I was the smallest of my brothers. They constantly kicked me down. I was always the last one to be fed, always fighting for scraps. Then one day a fox slipped out of the dark and snatched my dad off the ground, cuffed him, and slung him over his shoulder. Turns out my dad had been stealing credits from work and had a bounty on his head. He had a shiny silver badge on his belt that made people listen to him. Like this one.”

Toby held up his badge. Kreg had climbed down off the crate and closed the distance between them. He sat down cross-legged while he listened to the story. “I chased that fox down and asked how I could be like him. My brothers laughed at me but I did my best to listen. He said there’s a place where strong people fit in. Where the lost find their true family. Where anyone can belong.”

Kreg leaned in, eyes big and ears tipped forward. “Where was the fox from?”

“The fox was a Master Bounty Hunter in the Pagrian Hunter’s Guild. Just like I am now.”

“Wow.” Kreg marveled at his badge. “How did you become a bounty hunter?”

“I studied under a Master Hunter. He taught me to harness my strength, to control myself, and to focus my energy into helping others. I’ve captured hundreds of bounties over the years. I even have my own spaceship.”

“Wow.”

“You know kiddo, I’ll bet one day you’ll find where you belong. Just don’t be afraid to keep looking.”

“Okay.”

Toby smiled, patted his head and turned to leave. “I hope you feel better kiddo. See ya in the stars.”

Kreg thought about Rusty, about the ships he’d destroyed, and was overwhelmed by the thought of Rusty dying because of something he’d done. The image of the Wanderer exploding in a flash of plasma replayed over and over in his head. Amos, Carter, Winston, Annalee, they could all vanish in an instant because of him. Because of how broken he was.

“Wait.”

Toby smiled, then turned around. “Yeah buddy?”

“Can I…Can I come with you? To Pagria?”

“Are you sure? It won’t be an easy road.”

“I just…can’t stay.” Kreg hopped off the back of the cargo bay and walked up to Toby. It felt like he was tearing himself in two. But staying and hurting people would’ve been worse. “I promise I’ll try my best.”

Toby held out his paw. “Good.”

They walked out into the rain together towards the Jade Fang. Bodie, Frank, and Clay were arguing over the broken thruster in the rain. Anita watched them from the cargo bay ramp. Toby took Kreg up the ramp into the ship while Anita yelled something at the boys.

“Who were those guys?” Kreg asked, looking over his shoulder. Toby gripped his paw tightly as they hurried through the ship.

“Local mechanics. They won’t be coming with us.” Toby smirked as he led Kreg through the ship. He opened the door to Frank’s room and took Kreg inside. “This’ll be your room while we travel to Pagria buddy. Stay here while I get the ship ready.”

Toby winked at him before turning and closing the door with an excited slam. The room was fancier than any room Kreg had ever been in. His room at home was a metal box with a bed compared to this. It was crafted with curves and soft lines. There was a gentle warm light from above. It even smelled nice. Kreg climbed up into the desk chair. He tried to use the comm unit but it quickly flashed an ‘ACCESS DENIED’. He tried to not think of Rusty. To not think of the warmth of his mane. How tightly he could hug. Leaving seemed like the best thing to do for everyone. But why did it hurt so much?

Toby walked into the bridge and found Tyler seated in the pilot’s seat. He’d have to go. “Ty, Bodie needs some help with that thruster. Can you go check on them?”

“Sorry Boss. Bodie told me under no circumstances am I to leave you alone on the bridge.”

Ty turned and didn’t notice the fire shooting from Toby’s eyes.

“I’ll stay here.” Ty said. “Why don’t you give them a ha–”

Toby struck him as hard as he could across the jaw. Ty collapsed into a ball on the floor. With a huff Toby hauled him off the floor and dragged him to the port airlock. He kicked the door open, waiting while it cycled open, then tossed Ty out onto the deck. Bodie saw Ty hit the ground with a thump. He rushed over as the door cycled closed. Frank followed a few feet behind. Clay and Anita watched them from the thruster. Clay had just wrenched the part into place and closed the access hatch. Bodie bent down to check on the rabbit with a chuckle.

“You alright Ty? Ty?”

Ty was out cold. Bodie checked his pulse. Still beating. Then he heard a sound that made his stomach turn. The Jade Fang’s engines spooled up and the launch thrusters fired. He roared at the ship as it lifted off the ground. He knew immediately what had happened. Toby was sitting at the controls, laughing to himself. He’d used his Master badge to override the lockout on Bodie’s ship and forced it to launch. Frank ran up next to him as they watched the Jade Fang fly up into the sky, its cargo bay closing just before the afterburners kicked in. The ship slipped through the low clouds and vanished.

“Any chance that was on purpose?” Bodie was so angry he didn’t respond. He just kept staring up into the clouds, hoping he could draw the ship back with his fury. The rain blocked out the chaos that unfolded behind him. A polar bear snuck up on Anita and knocked her in the head with a pipe. A lion caught Clay’s fist and hit his many toothed jaw with a lightning fast left and right, knocking him to the ground. A black wolf stood over Anita and Clay with pistols in each hand as the bear and the lion advanced on Bodie and Frank. Bodie’s tail twitched, warning him just in time to duck as the polar bear grabbed at him. He ducked under his arm and swung his leg out, knocking the polar bear on his back and then froze as he turned to the lion and saw Frank in his grip with a pistol shoved into his neck.

“You two?!” Amos yelled. “What are you doing here?”

“Amos? Simon?” Bodie yelled, confused. “What is going on here?”

“If you two don’t tell me where that rabbit is taking my boy, I’ll kill all of you.” Rusty growled through his teeth. Then the spaceport general alarms sounded. Soldiers were running towards them from the arrival gate. Bodie and Frank thought they must’ve found the people they’d attacked to free Toby. Rusty and Amos thought they must’ve gotten word from Fiona.

“Everyone into the ship!” Rusty and Bodie yelled simultaneously. They both paused and growled at each other.

“I’m the Captain! Now MOVE!” Rusty yelled. The seven creatures rushed into the big green cargo hauler. Frank was still firmly gripped in the lion’s arm as they ran up the ramp into the port airlock. Bodie had Ty over his shoulder. Clay pulled Anita along behind him. The gangplank pulled up behind Carter as they cycled the airlock closed. Amos rushed up to the bridge and started an emergency launch sequence. The Wanderer leapt off the landing pad, her vertical take off engines roaring to life and dumping thrust exhaust on the ground as the ship lurched into the air and banked hard to starboard. Plasma blasts whipped past them from the IO base as Amos did his best to fly in the same heading the Jade Fang had disappeared.

“Pagria. Toby is taking him to Pagria.” Bodie yelled. He held his paws out in front of him, almost begging the Captain. “Please put my Little Brother down.”

Rusty was watching the ship launch and didn’t notice the otter trying to free himself from his arms. He set Frank down on his feet and forgot about him as he walked into the bridge and sat down in the co-pilot’s chair. Winston was behind him at the engineer’s console and Amos was in the pilot’s seat. As he buckled in the ship rattled to starboard. An alarm raised on the overhead and an impact warning flashed on Amos’ control screen.

“The IO destroyer is firing on us from orbit. They’re moving into an intercept vector.”

“Stay low in the atmosphere. Their targeting systems will have trouble staying with us with the interference.”

“Wait. We’re getting a hail.”

An angry voice came over the wireless. Rusty only kind of recognized the voice as someone he knew a few years ago. “Captain Shepherd, what are you doing here?”

Rusty looked at Amos and shrugged, then tapped the comm connection. “This is Captain Shepherd. I am tracking a Pagrian Hunter that assaulted base personnel. Please keep the sky clear and transmit the probable hyperspace trajectory of the last ship to leave the space port.”

A quiet moment passed. Amos pulled back on the yoke and the ship pulled higher into the atmosphere. The pilot’s console chirped as the incoming trajectory appeared laid over the radar display. Amos set a course that would follow the Jade Fang into Hyperspace. Rusty pulled up the galactic map. “How many days is it to Pagria?”

“Three days. We have to pass through the Driftlands on our way there.” Bodie said, leaning into the bridge. Amos pushed forward on the hyperspace throttle and the ship shot into the black. Rusty stood and drew his pistol, shoving the business end into Bodie’s chest. Bodie backed away, covering Frank with his body. Frank’s little heart started beating so fast he started hyperventilating.

“If either of you, if ANY of you even think of double crossing us I’ll–”

Bodie snatched the pistol out of the Captain’s paws and in a flash ripped the slide off and ejected the plasma chamber. He threw the pieces on the ground and pointed a finger in the Captain’s face. “I think you and I better have a talk before something bad happens.”

They both growled at each other, leaning closer with each heartbeat. Then the Captain spoke through his teeth. “Follow me.”

Bodie pulled Frank along with him. He still wasn’t sure if they were really in danger or not. Amos and Simon were safe enough. Amos didn’t seem like the kind to tolerate crazy or violent people. The lion led them down to the next deck, along a corridor and into the galley. Frank noticed they had a couch, a comm screen, and a dining table. It was more akin to a family vessel than a military cruiser. Simon was getting himself water in the galley. He watched them come in and sipped on his beverage, nonplussed about the whole situation. Bodie and Frank sat down on the couch while Rusty paced in front of them. Frank leaned into Bodie’s side, still trying to catch his breath. Bodie smirked at him and wrapped an arm tightly around his shoulders.

“I want you two to start from the beginning. Tell me how you ended up on my tail and what the Empire has told you. Then I’ll tell you who we are and why we’ve been hiding from the Empire. Hopefully I’ll be able to convince you that my son is worth saving.”

Bodie nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay. It started a few weeks ago…”

The Lost and the Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Mon, 04 May 2026 17:01:28 GMT

Toby Rayne huddled against the cold stone wall of the Stripe’s Crossing spaceport holding cell. He had broken several ribs during his unplanned surface collision. He’d used a neckerchief tied around his elbow as a temporary splint for his broken arm. His whole body hurt. The world had shrunk down to the tiny cell the IO varmints had thrown him in. There was nothing left to do but wait.

The cell door slid open. A tiny nutrient brick and a sealed bottle of water bounced across the floor at the rabbit. Then the door slammed closed. Toby crawled across the floor and grabbed them. He bit into the brick angrily. In his mind, just behind his eyes, Toby was going to kill them all. Each and every IO soldier. They’d all have to suffer his fury.

He coughed, then sipped on the water.

‘All I have left is rage.’

It had been two days.

Outside the spaceport, in the thickly pouring rain, Bodie and Frank carefully walked along the stone wall outside the security office. The fifteen foot tall security wall completely encircled the entire launch area and was only broken by the arrival gate, the cargo and customs gate, and the command tower. Bodie pulled Frank down behind a grey crate and wrapped his raincoat over him. They waited silently as a four-man IO patrol marched by. The badger leaned down and whispered to Frank.

“There’s a window up above us. I’ll lift you up on my shoulders. Look inside but don’t be seen.”

Frank nodded. He was suddenly swooped up as Bodie grabbed his waist and lifted him up over his head. The window looked down into an office space. There was an old horse in a tight uniform working at a holo comm station. Two IO marines were in the corner tossing bullets into an upturned hat. At the back of the room was an open door that showed into the next room where there were cell doors along a wall. Frank fell backwards and landed snugly in Bodie’s arms. Bodie set him back on his feet and they both knelt down again behind the crate.

“There’s a hallway in there that looks like the holding cells. A horse is sitting at a desk by the entrance and there are two marines guarding him.”

“Hmm…you remember what I taught you about knocking someone out?”

“Don’t do it…It’s super dangerous for them and not like the movies?”

“Right, but also…”

“Aim for the head?”

“Correct.” Bodie tapped his earpiece. “Clay, has Dax delivered the cargo? …Clay?”

Inside the spaceport, Clay Ironside watched as the food and fuel supplies were dropped in the Jade Fang’s cargo hold. Bodie’s contact Dax took payment from Clay and, without a word, turned and walked back out into the rain. Anita stood behind Clay and leaned out to wave.

“Bye. And thanks.” Dax waved and walked back to the arrival gate. Anita glanced up at Clay. “Is that what’s gonna happen to us? Are we going to turn all mysterious and quiet when we retire?”

“You? No.” Clay chuckled. “You have no poker face. I can look at you and know what you ate for breakfast.”

Anita punched his arm. Clay laughed as he felt his ear buzz with an incoming connection. He reached his clawed finger up to his ear. “This is Clay.”

“It’s Bodie. Is the ship ready?”

“We’ll be ready in ten minutes or so. Have you two picked up your package?”

“We’re still waiting to pick it up. There’s someone watching over it.”

“Understood. How long until you’re back on the ship?”

“Within the hour. Get the reactor spinning. We’ll be there soon. Keep the wireless active and keep your eyes open.”

“Yes sir.”

The channel went quiet. On the outside wall of the holding cell Bodie and Frank worked out their plan.

“You didn’t bring any of your tools?!” Frank quietly whisper-yelled through his teeth. “No zap disks? No stun batons? No cuffs!?”

“They would’ve told the IO that we were Hunters. I didn’t want to end up in a cell next to Toby.”

“Well, what’s the plan, Master?”

“Just, just hold still for a second.”

“For what?” Then Bodie knocked the otter right in the nose. Frank reeled back, confused and furious. “Bodie, what in the flying fish was that?”

Bodie checked his nose. Frank had a little blood on his fingertip. “Perfect. Now, just play along.”

Bodie lifted him up and dragged him through the mud around to the main entrance to the holding cell. Frank groaned and scowled in his grip, but had no choice but to go along for the ride. The badger kicked the door open as hard as he could, nearly knocking the door off its hinges. Inside the two guards fell out of their chairs. One, a raccoon, knocked his blaster off the table and the other, a fox, fell backwards in his chair. Bodie carried Frank in like he was rushing into a hospital.

“OH HELP! HELP! Someone just beat the life out of my crew mate! Please help him!” Bodie gently placed Frank down on their table. Frank flopped onto his back and played dead.

“Who hurt him?” The raccoon guard asked.

“Did you see what they looked like?” The fox said.

“Oooh!” Frank groaned. He held his paws up on his belly as he curled into a ball. “My spleen!”

The two soldiers stood over the otter. Bodie’s booming voice shook the room. “His eyes glowed like fireflies! He came outta the dark and struck him like thunder!”

“We’ll go look for him, just tell us what he was wearing.”

“He had a long red coat and a hood over his eyes. His tail said he was of a feline breed, a striped tiger with orange fur!” Bodie fell over himself, catching his balance on the guards. As his paws slid across the raccoon’s belt he pulled a pair of cuffs into his palm and kept spinning around like a stripe-faced whirlwind. “OooOH! I don’t know if my heart can take it. I need to sit down!”

The fox led him over to a chair. Frank squirmed on the table, rolling back and forth. The raccoon did his best to hold him in place while he checked him over for injuries. When the raccoon poked at Frank’s ribs, Frank sat up and wrapped his arms around the raccoon in a tight hug, as a high pitched whine came out of him. “Ohhh, not my trick rib! That yellow eyed devil snapped my rib!”

“It’ll be alright, just rela-” Then the raccoon flew across the room with a zap. Frank turned and aimed the raccoon’s stun blaster at the fox and fired before the fox could respond. Bodie twisted and pulled the fox’s plasma blaster from his holster and aimed it at the horse, still sitting behind his desk.

“Ah-Ah! Hooves up, long nose.” The horse slowly pulled his split hooved hands up from under the desk and glared at Bodie. “Let’s see that blaster you’ve got under your desk. Nice and slow… toss it on the floor. Good.”

Frank slipped off the table and grabbed the horse’s blaster. “I feel like we could’ve done that without you punching me.”

“Needed to sell it, Little Brother.” Bodie walked behind the horse and cuffed his hands behind his back through one of the chair arms. The cuffs cinched closed with a mechanical whirr. “Now, can you stay quiet while we get our friend from back there?”

The horse didn’t respond. He just huffed and glared at Frank.

“I’ll watch them, Bodie. Go get that sack of carrots and let’s get out of here.” The fox started to wake up with a groan. He looked up at Frank, confused, until the otter, without looking, pointed the stun blaster in his direction and fired again. The fox fell limp against the wall as Frank smiled. “Hurry up, Bodie.”

“You enjoy that too much.” Bodie turned and pulled the sliding door to the next hall open. He left the door open and walked in. There were eight cells in the room, four on each side. They were all empty save for one at the end on the left. Bodie paced quietly to the cell and peered inside. In the back, crumpled against the wall, was the most miserable rabbit he’d ever seen. Bodie leaned against the bars and stuck his snout through with a smile.

“Leave.” Toby growled as best he could. He pulled himself up to a seated position against the wall.

“I really had to convince the others to let me come get you. Frank wanted to leave you here.”

Toby hadn’t made eye contact with him. “No good otter.”

“Nah, he’s a good one. He knew the right thing to do was to help you. He’s been more angry with you about shooting me in the back than I have.”

“You’ve never been good at holding grudges.” Toby huffed a small laugh. Bodie smiled with him. A silence stretched between them. Toby still wouldn’t look Bodie in the eye. That was enough for Bodie, that some small shame was still inside him.

“C’mon. On your feet now. I’m taking you home.”

“You gonna kill me when we get there?”

“Only if you give me a reason to.”

Toby took a deep breath, nodded, then struggled his way up to his feet. Bodie pulled on a lever on the wall and the door slid open. Toby tried his best to walk on his own but once he was at Bodie’s side he fell over as his knees buckled under him. Bodie caught him under the arm and held him up. A grunt escaped Toby as his body ached from moving for the first time since the crash. They walked out of the holding cell room into the main office. Frank was sitting on the desk in front of the horse twirling the stun blaster. The otter glared at Toby as they came into the room. A buzz filled the air after Frank pulled the trigger on his blaster, knocking the horse out.

“Frank.”

“Menace.”

“Frank!” Bodie yelled like an angry parent.

“Nuh-uh, if he even thinks a crooked thought I’ll use this blaster to turn him into a cheese grater! You long eared, soft nosed, backstabbing-OW!”

Bodie flicked his ear as he walked by. Frank smiled as he hopped down and followed them out. This part of helping Toby felt good. He hoped the rest would feel good later on. They walked out into the rain and followed the big exterior wall of the spaceport towards the control tower.

Back on the Jade Fang Clay and Tyler stood at the cargo ramp. The crocodile had been eyeing Toby’s ship since he’d come back from eating with Bodie and Frank. That data that would lead to the big bounty was probably just sitting there in that wreck. Five million credits. Just a short walk away.

“Tyler.”

“Yeah.”

“Go swap with Anita.”

Tyler eyed him suspiciously. Clay grunted at him. Tyler turned and walked towards the bridge. “Ooookay boss.”

Clay waited till he was out of the cargo bay before he trundled off into the pouring rain. The crocodile scurried along the landing platform and ran up to the side of a big green cargo hauler, using the ship for cover as he made his way forward. There was a pair of IO marines in power armor patrolling the landing pad. He lowered himself and walked to the back of the green ship. One of the cargo bay doors was cracked open on the back of the ship. A long moment passed as he waited for the marines to pass by. He leaned down and tried to track their feet under the ship. They passed by without noticing him. He sneaked over to Toby’s ship and found a way in.

The airlock was tilted over at a sharp angle from the collapse of the fuselage. Clay clambered up into the crushed space and worked his way down the main hall to where he knew the black box was located behind the double glass dome bridge. Rain dripped in all over the ship where the IO had riddled her with holes. As he passed Anita’s room he stuck his head in, found Anita’s keepsake box, and shoved it in his pocket. He pictured her getting it back and smiled. Clay heard a metallic stomp outside the ship and knelt down. Through a hole in the ship he could see a security bot walking towards the arrival gate. It scanned the area, thought for a moment, then continued on its way. Clay let out a breath and continued down the hall. He arrived at the black box after crawling through a hatch. A pair of pliers clicked in his hands as he raised them up and started prying the data core casing from the bulkhead. Sharp snaps indicated the wiring was beginning to break off inside the black box. With a rough wrench of the metal box he yanked it from the wall. His clawed fingers tucked it under his coat in his shirt pocket as he turned and crawled back out of the Firemaw’s hull.

The rain fell a little thicker as he dropped to the ground. He circled around the big green cargo hauler, now able to see the ship’s name on the port side by the bridge. The Wanderer. The coast was clear as he leaned around the front of the ship and looked down the landing pad. His tail dragged along behind him as he shuffled into the Jade Fang’s cargo bay. Anita was leaning against the inside wall with her arms crossed. Her white fur shined in the dull grey light from the storm. “Where’d you run off to, big guy?”

He sighed, walked over to her, and pulled the keepsake box from his pocket. Her face lit up immediately. “How…How did you-?”

“Just looked around Toby’s wreckage. Look what else I found.” Clay produced the data core. “Think you can get Toby’s files off it? Maybe we can get that big bounty after all.”

Anita snatched it from his clawed hand and ran to Bodie’s holo-comm terminal. She got to work plugging in the data core and pulling files from the device. Clay resumed his post at the cargo bay’s entrance, watching the rain come down.

Across the spaceport Frank, Bodie, and a rumpled lump in the shape of Toby walked along the outer wall of the control tower. Frank was disappointed that Toby was doing better. He’d found his stride again, though he still clearly winced in pain every few paces. Bodie lowered to one knee and motioned for them to lower down with him.

“There’s the main entry door. If we pick the right moment we’ll be able to sneak in, cross the lobby, and get onto the launch deck on the other side.”

“Except as soon as any of them see Toby, they’ll arrest us and we’re back to square one.” Frank said. They huffed at each other and thought for a moment. Bodie held his finger to his chin. Toby scratched an itch on his ear. Then Frank spoke up. “Wait, I’ve got an idea. But Toby’s not going to like it.”

A few minutes later Frank and Bodie waltzed into the command center. Frank had taken his coat off and wrapped it around Toby. Just the little tips of his ears were hanging out of the collar. Bodie had slung Toby over his shoulder and was carrying him like a passed out friend. They passed through the first set of doors with no issue. There were just a pair of guards standing watch at the elevator to the command tower. Bodie’s claws tapped against the tile floor beneath his feet as he quietly walked past the two guards.

“Hey!”

Bodie froze. “Sir?”

“Whatcha got there on your shoulder?”

Bodie swallowed hard and turned around. Before he could speak Frank had stepped between them. “Our buddy went down to that lovely tavern across from the arrival dock and had three of something called a tank cleaner. He’s a lightweight and after the first one he was a drooling mess but we kept giving him drinks because…well, because it was funny. And we’ve been stuck on our ship for over a month without fresh air.”

The guard eyed them suspiciously. Frank leaned in and whispered. “He’s going to be really mad when he wakes up and realizes he slept through half of his one day of leave. We were hoping to avoid that a little longer. Is that alright?”

The tension that followed was almost enough to make Frank crawl out of his fur. It was broken by the other guard leaning over and elbowing the first. “I’ve had those tank cleaners. After two I woke up in a tree and found my unders strung up on a flag pole. Sarge had me running laps for three days straight. These guys are fine. Get to your ship spacers.”

“Thanks.” Frank said. He was interrupted by a low groan from the lump over Bodie’s shoulder. Frank smiled and held up his finger in front of his lips as they left. The guards spoke softly to each other behind them. The inner doors to the spaceport slid open a moment later and they walked out onto the launch deck. They hurried through the rain down the launch walkway and practically ran up the cargo ramp into the Jade Fang. Bodie tapped the wall, activating the robodoc and set Toby down on the table. Clay and Anita stood over him with the darkest, angriest scowls. The rabbit leaned over to Bodie. “They’re going to kill me now, aren’t they?”

“Well, they’ve got a good reason to. If I were you, I’d start apologizing. I’d hate to scrape you off the hull after they space you.”

Clay slammed his fist on the table and made a sound that was like a growling bark. He walked away before he did something he’d regret. Anita shook her head and followed him. The room filled with the whirr of the cargo bay ramp folding and the bay doors closing. Frank stared out into the rain, holding the controls. The room fell silent for a while.

“So…they’re really angry about the whole being ditched on an ice ball planet, huh?”

“Does it matter to you?” Frank asked, walking over to Bodie’s side. “Didn’t think you worried about things like that.”

Toby fell silent. Frank waited for a sarcastic comment, a death threat, even just a scoff would’ve been normal. But Toby sat there, hooked up to the robodoc, and thought about what he’d done. Bodie tapped the robodoc to start the program. He turned, tapped Frank on the shoulder, and they left Toby to sit with his thoughts. Frank smiled up at his brother as they went into the corridor. “He’s still a buttmunch.”

“Give him a chance. He might surprise you.”

The Lost and the Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 18:36:58 GMT

Kreg’s heart thumped in his chest. He was crouched behind a crate as IO marines marched down the corridor. The elevator bank was at the end of the hall, but there were several doors along the way that held any number of animals that might snatch him up, ending his escape effort. When the echo of boots trailed down the hall, the fox risked a peek. His ears were folded flat behind his head. A little twitching nose and big curious eyes crept up over the edge of the crate and found his path clear. He crouched back down and took a few deep breaths, mentally preparing himself with his eyes clenched shut. Honeybee flickered to life behind his eyes. The elevator shaft assembled itself in his mind’s eye-three cars, one at the bottom floor, one rising, another a few floors below him. Kreg’s eyes burst open.

Not now. He told it. Rusty was outside somewhere. That person who’d pulled him out of the dark, pulled him close in his arms, gave him a home, gave him a reason to be, was waiting just outside this building for him to come back. Kreg felt a longing arise in his fingertips. He was going home.

His little feet fluttered under him as he skittered along the wet stone floor towards the elevator. He carefully placed each step as he followed a power conduit running along the floor like a thick tree root. The corridor ended at a junction with the elevator shafts. He reached the controls and pressed the call button. A rumble of motion vibrated the floor under his feet. One of the cars was coming down from the control tower. He took one step back and heard the gentle tone announcing the car stopping. The doors opened and he stepped forward. To his horror, as the doors slid open, they revealed the tawny fur of a lioness, with eyes filled with rage. Fiona drew a pistol from her hip and fixed her aim on the little orange creature. The creature that threatened every one of her friends on the base that she was responsible for protecting. The miserable creature her husband had chosen over her. Kreg whimpered, unable to do anything else. His small brown paws were in the air, begging for mercy. The thought passed briefly through her mind that she could end him right here and now. With one small plasma blast she could steal back the life she’d worked so hard to claim from the empire. Was this child’s life really worth so much?

Before she had a chance to find the answer, a brown mass of spotted fur collided with her left side, knocking the blaster from her hand and tackling her to the ground. Kreg backed away and found the blaster under his foot. He picked it up. It was heavy in his paws, too big for a creature like him. He tossed it into the recycler hatch on the wall. Meanwhile, a hyena and a lioness rolled back and forth trading slugs and punches.

“Kreg! Run!” Annalee cried out, just before a fist hit her ribs, stealing her breath. Fiona’s wild golden eyes flashed in his direction, her teeth bared, before Annalee whacked her cheek with an open palm. They went back to wrestling and Kreg took off running. He followed the power conduit down the hall to the right, passed several doors, then went into the room the conduit fed into. He nearly tumbled down as he realized the room was really a staircase. Growls and guttural feline screeches echoed down the hall behind him. Annalee had saved him. He knew she was a good cookie. The stairs passed under him so fast he felt as though he was levitating. He grunted as he hit the landing on the next floor. There was a wolf in plate armor standing in the doorway. The wolf turned too late to catch Kreg as he dove down the next flight of stairs, rolled across the floor and hopped to his feet as he arrived at the ground floor. He barely maintained his balance as he continued down the hall, steadying himself with his paw on the wall. His palm pressed against a metal box and his mind instantly clouded over as he fell into the inky black Honeybee space. The wolf was waiting for him there.

“Hello little one. Why are you out of breath? Running somewhere?”

“NO! NOT NOW!” He screamed. The anger seemed to help pull him back up out of the dark. His paw pulled back from the imperial data junction on the wall. He felt a surge from his fingertips as he closed his fist and pulled back. The device burst apart in a blur of blue and green sparks. It flickered, then died. Kreg stood with his arm covering his face. He peeked through his fur and saw the wires sticking out of the wall where the data junction was a minute ago. His paws trembled in front of his snout. A burning smell filled his nose. Kreg looked up slowly at the lights along the ceiling leading down the hallway. He swallowed hard, reached his paw up, and thought about grabbing them out of the air. The lights popped one after the other with a burst of sparks in a line down the hall. The darkness Kreg had created surrounded him.

“Huh.” There wasn’t time to deal with whatever that was. Kreg carefully felt his way down the hall to where the corridor opened into a large entry space. The light spilled in from the front archway. Kreg hid behind a radio control console as a half dozen marines passed by. Then his fur stood on end as he heard a familiar voice.

“Keep your eyes open for that hyena. She took my sidearm and ran off. Has Captain Shepherd taken a position in front of his ship?”

“He’s waiting for you, ma’am. What are your orders? Would you like us to arrest him?”

“I told him I’d meet him. Keep your distance, but have your weapons aimed and ready to fire on my signal.” Fiona said. She stopped a few feet from where Kreg was hiding. Kreg closed his eyes again and slipped into Honeybee mode. The room they were in had several Imperial devices in it. The echoes from the little machines bounced around the room, giving Kreg a blue and green type of echolocation. He could roughly see where Fiona was and where the three armed guards stood. The feeling tickled his mind at the edges. He smirked as his mind sorted the information and the image became clearer. His fur stood up again as a familiar voice whispered into his ear.

“What’re you seeing little one?” The wolf said. “We’re getting closer. Are you beginning to grasp the potential the Emperor has blessed you with?”

“GET OUT!” He growled in his mind. The shared mental space collapsed as he opened his eyes. Fiona had walked out of the entry way towards where Rusty had parked the Wanderer. Her guards followed behind.

—-------------

Rusty walked calmly out of the Wanderer’s airlock, his coat flowing behind him in the balmy afternoon beach breeze. The warm smell of the sea salt lingered on his snout as he turned and walked towards the control tower. There must’ve been two dozen creatures with rifles pointed at his chest. His mane ruffled in the wind. Through narrow eyes he glared at the IO soldiers dotting the landscape. His friends, his colleagues, people he’d trained, ready at a moment’s notice to put him down. They had become loyal to the cause and lost the loyalty they once had to people. To each other. How many of them were ready to swap places with him if the cause called for it? Rusty knew they would all learn the answer in the end.

Fiona showed herself, stepping out of the control center, slowly pacing down the walkway towards the Wanderer. Her half closed golden eyes reflected the afternoon sun. All at once she was the mythical goddess that he’d drawn close to in his youth and the woman who was planning to experiment on a child. The feelings he had for each woman were mixing together in a way that made him nauseous. She closed the distance between them.

“Where is he, Fiona?!” He roared.

“The threat to this base has been contained. If you were concerned about anyone but yourself you would’ve done that the moment you brought him here.”

“I’m taking him with me Fi. He won’t be a danger to anyone if you let him go.” Rusty had unconsciously placed his paw on his holster.

“You should’ve told me what he was!” Fiona yelled. She took another step forward. “When did you know for sure that he was an Imperial drone?”

“If I thought you would’ve listened I might have.” Rusty said. His ears drooped and his anger shifted into sadness. “I don’t want to have to take him Fi. You know what I’ll do to save him.”

“You may try, Captain Shepherd.”

They both tensed up. Rusty wasn’t sure what he’d do, but he was getting ready for it. Fiona was anticipating his next move, ready to signal her troops. A loud noise in the sky caught their attention.

—----------

Kreg noticed all of the soldiers were tensely watching something outside. He felt the ground under his paws rattling. His legs wobbled and refused to move. His nose poked out behind the crate and saw the Wanderer on the walkway. The point defence laser turrets were extended and pointed at something in front of the ship. There were two creatures by the bow. Kreg strained to see them. He recognized the Captain’s coat.

“RUSTY!” He squeaked. His little claws popped out as he instantly prepared to sprint out to him. The moment before he was about to take off running the familiar voice of the wolf whispered into his ear as he was pulled into the shared mind space again. The wolf stood there in front of him, yellow eyes glowing, fangs poking out of a smug smile. His arms were folded behind his back and he was wreathed in smoke. Kreg looked up at him and bared his fangs, crouched on the ground like a furry little gremlin. He wasn’t backing down. And for the first time he wasn’t afraid of the wolf.

“The time has come little one.”

“I’m not afraid of you! Get out of my way, I’m going home!” Kreg yelled. He swung his arms around like he was fighting a cloud.

The wolf leaned down and smiled. “The empire is here. Surrender yourself or be destroyed.”

“You’re lying!” Kreg yelled.

“You’ll find out soon enough.” Then the shared space dissolved. Kreg shook his head, clearing his mind of the smoke. He took a deep breath and sprinted out of the command center’s entrance. A rhino yelled after him as he zipped by. Kreg turned to look over his shoulder and ran into a raccoon. He shoved the soldier out of the way and kept running. The raccoon wasn’t chasing him. Everything had grown quiet. He barely heard two gentle THOOMs hit the atmosphere. His ears were ringing from the blood pounding through his veins. The whole environment changed color, as though someone had slipped an orange filter over a camera. The shadows were darker, the bright sun had dimmed, and everything seemed to be on fire. Kreg’s little feet tap tap tapped out from behind the row of IO soldiers watching Fiona’s back, though they seemed to be looking at something in the sky together. The little fox didn’t give it a second thought, he just wanted to get home. He ran up behind Fiona towards the Captain. As he got close he expected Rusty to sweep him off the ground, to pull him close, but the Captain was looking up into the sky, just like Fiona and the soldiers were. Kreg slowed to a stop in between them and slowly turned left to look up.

Floating in the sky, ten miles away from the base, were two Imperial battlecruisers. The hulking grey and white ships held their positions above the base. The sun was caught behind the shields of one of the ships, altering the light flowing down to the island. Kreg felt a tingling burning sensation in his nose and a pulse in his fingertips. He turned and to his great horror, the wolf appeared in broad daylight, outside his mind, on the walkway in front of the battle cruisers. His horrible yellow eyes glared down at him with a smile.

“If you won’t come with us, I’ll take what I need.” The wolf held out his paw. Kreg sensed something in his head pull him forward, drawing him closer, like a magnet trying to get to a big piece of metal. He felt like he was watching himself from the outside, taking slow step after slow step towards the wolf. The wolf’s shape was wispy like smoke and burning orange like a fire. As he got closer Kreg felt like his memories were draining away like sand through an hourglass. Kreg thought the wolf might be eating his mind. He pulled back, straining to move like he was walking upstream in a powerful river.

Rusty finally noticed him. The lion knelt down and placed a paw on his kit’s back. “Kreg? Are you alright?”

His rumbling voice broke the spell. Kreg looked up at him, saw the warmth in the Captain’s eyes, and smiled. Then something happened that he wasn’t prepared for. In the same way that the rooms in the IO control room had manifested in his mind like 3d blueprints, the bridge of the lead Imperial battlecruiser flashed into his mind. There were a dozen officers at control panels and battle stations surrounding a seat in the middle that was occupied by a bear in a crisp black uniform. The bear looked at the read out and received a report from his executive officer. They had identified the IO ships and the IO base and were preparing to fire their main weapons to obliterate the threat. A weapons panel showed the main battery powering up and targeting the island. Kreg could see the cannons charging, plasma being compressed and charged in the firing chamber. He looked around at the people around him. They’d all be gone in an instant. Rusty’s voice rumbled in his ear again. Kreg took a deep breath and turned to the wolf. He reached his paws up into the air, right at the battle cruisers.

“What’re you doing?” The wolf raged. His claws reached out and touched Kreg’s mind. The contact burned like red-hot needles. “Answer me!”

Kreg didn’t respond. He saw the cannons about to fire. Out of desperation he reached a paw up at the ship and reached blindly into the cruiser’s weapons system. The cannon fired. The blast flew forward and vaporized a huge circle of ocean, sending a plume of white vapor into the air. It missed.

Everyone had crouched down instinctively except for Kreg. He wobbled on his feet and took a step back. The effort of reaching through so many systems at once was taking its toll. He held his head in his paw, but looked up at the ship. They were recharging the cannons for another shot. He didn’t think he’d be able to stop them this time. His paws reached up again, feeling his way through the cruiser.

There must be a way to shut it down. Kreg thought. As fast as his mind would allow he scanned through the ship looking for anything that looked like a master shutoff for the cannons. Mental images of engineers that had worked on the ship passed through his mind. He could see their paws working, see the control systems, feel the panels. As he narrowed down his search the wolf pulled him into a dark shared space and screamed. “This place is not for you, you weakling!”

“I’m not going to let you hurt my friends!” Kreg said through gritted teeth. The wolf stepped towards him, the space dissolving back into the real world. It was suffocating. His glowing yellow eyes focused on Kreg like a searchlight. As Kreg tried to focus on the battle cruiser he felt the tingle of the control systems passing under his fingers. The space between them swirled with smoke. The kit felt his strength draining out of him from the effort of resisting the wolf’s attack. The ships were preparing to fire again. He frantically reached for anything within the battle cruisers he could shut down or deactivate to stop them. He flicked open doors, activated machinery, and shut systems down at random. Nothing seemed to be working. The mental image of the island burning manifested before him as the ship finished charging the cannons.

Then the wolf grabbed his arm. Pain surged through his whole body like an electric shock. Kreg opened his eyes, reached at the wolf, extended his claws, and ripped his paws through the wolf’s form.

Something clicked in his mind.

PORT FUEL LINE ACCESS VALVE - OPEN.

An alarm blared on the battle cruiser. Kreg cried out, knowing what he’d done, but unable to stop it.

The next moment the sky was filled with the blinding light of two green-white spheres of burning plasma. Everything was bathed in a lime green light as the battle cruisers vanished in a ball of fire. The fox fell to his knees. As the ships fell to pieces and descended to the water below Kreg felt the undeniable weight of what he’d just done. He wanted to throw up. Kreg fell backwards as all of the energy left his tiny body. Rusty caught him in his paws. The Captain’s worried eyes looked him over. The Captain was scared. He’d never seen him scared. It was a mix of horrified confusion that looked down at Kreg, like Rusty was looking at a monster. Kreg’s eyes filled with tears as he lost consciousness. He didn’t want to wake up. He’d killed all those people. How could the Captain still want the monster he’d become?

Rusty looked up at Fiona. She was equally horrified. All they’d seen was a little fox come running out between them, reach his paws up in the air and destroy two battle cruisers. She drew herself away from them, crawling backwards on the ground. Their eyes met. For a second Rusty felt the same way Fiona had felt about Kreg. It hurt Rusty’s heart almost more than he could bear. The lion looked down at the limp creature in his hands. The kit was drawn in and held firm against the Captain’s side. The fox’s eyes watched as the sky wobbled overhead, felt the thump of Rusty running, and saw the Wanderer’s airlock swallow the world as they dove inside and closed it behind themselves. Annalee followed the Captain into the ship and was lying on the deck beside them. Rusty roared for the ship to launch as he kicked the airlock controls with his foot.

Amos fired the ship’s reactor and the Wanderer pulled away. Small blasts pinged off the ship’s shields as the soldiers fired on her. Fiona’s fur blew in the wind from the ship flying off. She watched Rusty leave her. His warmth, his strength, his laugh, they were all leaving on that ship, never to return. Deep inside something hurt, but it was covered by the relief of that imperial monster leaving her base. Fiona tried to stand, but fell to her knees at the sight of the battle cruisers falling into the sea. She had been right. Kreg was a weapon.

As the Wanderer broke orbit and sailed along into the deep dark, Rusty carried Kreg into the med bay with Doctor Carter. Kreg lay on the table a moment later, unconscious but breathing. Carter hooked him up to the monitor and checked his vitals. “Blood pressure is okay, temperature good, heart rate…very fast. We need to get him to calm down.”

Carter opened the medical cabinet. It was mostly empty. “Captain, where are all the supplies?”

“We hadn’t raided the base’s medical supplies to stock her yet.”

“I don’t have what I need to lower his heart rate.”

“Is that bad?”

“We need him to calm down before he has a heart attack.”

Rusty felt helpless. His little Spark lay still on the bed, his little chest puffing up and down rapidly. He couldn’t help. Carter walked over and knelt down next to him. “Captain, we need to get him to a proper medical center as soon as possible.”

“Don’t you carry your doctor things with you?”

“I left them on Amos’ ship. I didn’t realize we’d be leaving so fast.”

Rusty tapped on the intercom and connected to the bridge. “Amos. Get us to the closest habitable station, planet, moon, anywhere that has a medical facility. Put us in overdrive if you have to.”

“Aye Cap.” Amos grumbled.

Carter put his paw on Rusty’s shoulder. “I’ll see if I can manipulate the food printer to print what I need. Stay with him and call me if he gets worse.”

Rusty leaned down and wrapped his arms around Kreg where he lay on the table. His mane covered the small creature’s body. He closed his eyes and took a breath. The image of the battle cruisers crashing into the sea was still burned into his mind. And the cause of the calamity was here between his arms.

The Lost and The Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 18:53:56 GMT

—Chapter 31— Frank, Bodie, and Clay

Buckets of rain poured down as Frank, Bodie, and Clay walked to the arrivals terminal at Stripe’s Crossing. A monolithic concrete arch loomed in the air over them as they passed between two heavily armed IO marines. The marine on Bodie’s left flinched as Frank emerged from under Bodie’s coat. The otter shook his head to liberate the water from his fur and flexed his whiskers. Frank waved at the marine, who returned his wave with a sharp frown. He lingered, confused for a moment, then Bodie hooked his paw under Frank’s arm and tugged him along.

“Stay close, Little Brother.” The arrival entry walkway narrowed to a point where an IO officer was questioning spacers on their business. Clay’s clawed fist tightened. Ahead of them a spacer was dragged off into a hallway for ‘further inspection.’ Bodie noticed the otter next to him was practically vibrating. He placed a heavy paw against his back to soften some of his nervous energy. “It’s gonna be alright, buddy. Let me do the talking.”

Frank nodded and stepped back to let Bodie take the lead. They stepped up to the front to speak with the officer. A ram with sharply curled horns looked down at them from his raised desk through half glasses. He studied them for a long moment, letting the tension settle on their shoulders, and then huffed a breath out of his nose. “State your business.”

“We’re refueling and resupplying. We’d also like to take a stroll through the trader’s market outside the station if the rain hasn’t closed it down.”

“All spare fuel and food have been allotted for IO use on patrol ships. If you’re looking for food and fuel you’ll have to go looking outside the space port. Do you have any weapons to claim?”

“Just this old repeater pistol. Can’t be too careful.” Bodie pulled his coat back and revealed his sidearm.

“Hand that over for inspection.” Bodie took a deep breath, then pulled his pistol out, turned the barrel on himself, and placed it down in front of the officer. The ram picked it up in his hoofed hand and turned it over to get a better look. “Weapons are not allowed for non-IO personnel. We’ll be keeping this. Consider it a donation to the cause.”

Frank was about to protest but Bodie subtly elbowed him. “Happy to be of service, sir. May it bring victory to the free planets.”

“Welcome to Cerdano.” The door to the left of the ram slid open with a mechanical whirr. Bodie nodded politely and led the group into the space port.

“What the heck was that?” Frank whispered.

“Quiet, Little Brother.”

“We’re just letting people take our guns now?”

“Did you see that paperweight? I won’t be missing it.”

“Why didn’t you deck that guy, Bodie?”

“Didn’t feel like getting all of us arrested today.”

Metallic drumming filled the air overhead as the rain fell on the tin roof. All around them creatures walked along like small schools of fish. The space opened up to an arched walkway that revealed a row of roughly rectangular buildings along a dirt street. Frank squinted down one of the streets, straining to see through the thick precipitation. The cold grey buildings were punctuated by orange worklights strung seemingly at random along the row of businesses. A tingle rang up Frank’s spine as he had the uncanny feeling that there were eyes looking out each of the darkened windows. Bodie led them across the street to a windowed pub with a red door. The smell of pan fried fish and stir fried vegetables filled the thick air of the pub. Creatures big and small were scattered across the tables, eating away at their meals. A fox, a wolf, and a tiger sat on barstools facing a white furred primate pouring drinks behind the bar. There was a stage along the left wall where a digital piano built into the wall was being played by a smiling boar while a raccoon watched through blurry eyes. Bodie walked them up to the bar and leaned against the wood counter. Frank hopped up on a barstool between the badger and the crocodile.

“What’ll it be, strangers?”

“Three bilge blasters.” Clay rumbled. He knocked his knuckles against the counter before looking over his shoulder to check the room. Bodie caught his glance with a subtle head shake ‘no’ as he’d already checked the room when they came in. The primate poured their drinks, took payment from Bodie, and went back to wiping dry a row of glasses. Frank picked up the blue and green drink and sniffed the surface of the liquid. It smelled like window cleaner and concrete acid with a berry twist. He took a sip and his face took on the shape of a squinching black hole. The sour punch of the drink was too much and Frank wheezed. Bodie and Clay snickered. Clay clapped his back.

“What’s the matter, otter? Too strong?”

Frank wanted simultaneously to drink all the water on this planet and to never drink another drop again. If he’d been a dragon, he would’ve breathed fire. Bodie and Clay both threw back their drinks and placed their cups upside down on the counter.

“Barkeep, is there a public terminal nearby? I’d like to make a call.” Bodie asked, wiping his chin.

“Calls off world are banned by our current hosts.”

“That’s alright, I'm calling locally.”

“To your right, just past the restroom.”

“Thanks. Frank, stay with Clay. I’ll be right back.”

“No, don’t leave me with this goober. OW!”

Bodie flicked Frank’s ear as he walked away from them. Frank rubbed his ear and nervously glanced up at Clay. Clay winked at him and ordered another drink. “Here buddy, I’ll get you something you’ll like.”

Frank grumbled until a silver cup with a spoon slid in front of him. It was cold in his paws as he pulled it in front of him with a suspicious grin. The inside was bright blue. “A crackle berry milkshake!”

Frank squeaked. He didn’t care that multiple people around the room looked his way as he whipped the spoon out of the frosty concoction and dug in with a youthful fervor. Clay laughed and put his arm around Frank’s shoulders as he sipped at his new beverage: a swamp cooler. Bodie walked into the booth for the public comm unit and slid the glass door closed behind him. He pulled a small device out of his pocket, twisted the top, and pressed down on the two parts. The surface of the device pulsed twice with a neon blue light, then Bodie pressed the device’s port against the comm unit’s power unit. With his free hand he tapped the plastiglass surface, bringing the holographic interface to life. The comm unit’s audio played half of a welcome chime, buzzed and sputtered, and then the hologram blinked out of existence. A moment later the Guild sigil appeared in the center of the screen as Bodie’s device took over the central processor, laying over the operating system and pulling the Guild system’s to life on the device. Bodie put the small device back in his pocket and flicked through the menus. He opened the local system’s records and pulled up the file for Stripe’s Crossing. A list of contacts appeared. First an iguana that traded watermelons in the market that would provide a Hunter a place to hide for the night. Then a cheetah that provided information to Hunters about the wider planet. At the bottom of the list a Puma’s face appeared with a short paragraph description. Dax Rodane, former Hunter, Guild contact, active. Bodie tapped the connection request icon and sent a short message:

Dax,

Stopped in town while flying home. Need fuel and food for 5. If available for contact, send a ping to my comm.

Master Thorne.

Bodie dug a little deeper, trying to find his way into the IO military database. The security measures had been upgraded since he’d needed to look through their files in the past. Several of his Guild programs were unable to break past their firewall but he was able to bypass their security measures for the space port arrivals and departures. He pulled up the arrivals and looked through the last few days. The file from two days ago had what he was looking for. “Firemaw on approach.” Toby’s ship. He tapped a few commands and pulled up the log. The IO had warned him to leave, but he insisted on landing, stating he had Guild jurisdiction. He was met with a hail of fire from the orbiting ships. He pleaded for mercy and was allowed to limp his way to the surface. His ship burst into flames as he crashed into the landing platform. Bodie pulled up a short security feed of the crash. Gnarly, he thought. He cringed at the sight of the ship buckling and bending in ways it was definitely not designed for. The ventral fuel lines ignited and blasted the engines. Another explosion rocked the ship and a moment later the port airlock burst open. The escaping air blasted a figure out of the ship to the deck with a thick thump. The lump of a creature crawled away from the craft, dragging itself away from the flames.

Toby had survived. The rabbit stopped moving once he’d crawled to a safe distance from the burning ship. A half dozen IO marines scooped him off the ground and dragged him off screen. The final entry stated Toby was being held in the space port’s holding cell.

Bodie deactivated his device and the comm returned to normal. He pulled his comm out and connected to the local network. Dax hadn’t answered yet. The badger huffed and stepped out of the comm booth. He grumbled to himself while he tried to decide what he wanted to do. Frank and Clay were still at the bar. His apprentice was eating something that looked cold and sugary and was looking up at Clay like he’d solved galactic peace. Clay chuckled to himself while he enjoyed his drink. Bodie took his place beside them again and ordered another round.

“Whatcha got there, Little Brother?”

“Milkshake.” Frank said, his mouth half-full. His stupid, adorable, satisfied eyes rolled over at Bodie. The badger smiled and wanted to smack him. Even more so when the otter leaned his cup over to him to offer some of his prize. Bodie ruffled his head fur and took a sip of his drink.

“Hear anything?” Clay asked.

“Not yet. Sent a note to an old friend.” Frank noticed Bodie’s nose was twitching the way he did when he was thinking really hard. He caught Bodie’s eyeline and shrugged with a smile. It was his subtle way of asking ‘What’s wrong?’ Bodie furrowed his brow and frowned. Clay and Frank both leaned in, their interest piqued. Bodie sighed and whispered to them. “Toby’s alive. He’s being held at the space port.”

The three of them sat in silence as they processed the information. Frank took an angry sip of his milkshake. Clay clicked his many teeth together. Bodie crossed his arms and leaned on the bar, resting on his elbows. The buzz of the overhead lights and the quiet chatter of the other patrons was the only noise for a long moment.

“Good. Leave him there. That’s what he’d do to us.” Frank said, breaking the silence. Bodie saw, for the first time, a dark look pass over his Little Brother’s face. Like all of the pain he’d felt over the last few days gathered up into his eyes. “It’s what he deserves.”

Bodie turned to them, took a deep breath, and spoke calmly. “You think he deserves to die there?”

“...yeah?”

“Why?”

Frank had assumed the reason Toby deserved that was self-evident but the way Bodie was asking made him look down and think about it. “I…because he…because he shot you.”

“Mmhmm.” Bodie waited for him to continue.

“I stood between him and that giant polar bear, fighting to give him mercy when Amos wanted to snap his neck and like five minutes later he shoots you in the back? And when that happened you were defending him from Carter. What kind of monster is that?”

“The kid has a point.” Clay said. Bodie shot him an annoyed glare, like Clay was disrupting Bodie’s groove.

“Why did you stop Amos?” The badger said.

“Because I thought…” Frank stumbled on the words. “...I thought it was the right thing to do.”

“Because Toby deserved mercy then?”

“Yes.”

“But not now?”

“It’s different.” Frank replied, turning to face him. “He hurt people. If it were us in there, you think Toby would be coming to save us?”

Bodie had to sit with that for a moment. “If Toby decided to do that, would it be wrong?”

“Yes.” Frank said. “I mean…no? I don’t know.”

“Why? Why is it different? How come it would be wrong for Toby to leave us but okay for us to leave him?”

“It just is.”

“How?” Bodie was being really irritating. His voice was calm and kind. Frank felt so annoyed he wanted to have a shouting match but couldn’t because he’d look crazy. “Toby is exactly the same now as he was when you saved him from Amos. You’re the one who changed.”

Frank’s face flushed. He looked down and frowned, pulling his brow down so tight he squinted. Bodie was pointing at something inside Frank that he didn’t want to recognize. A little pearl of hate had begun to form in his heart. His quiet little voice tried to form around words he was quickly learning he had a distaste for. There was no real way for him to justify it that didn’t bounce off Toby and point back at him. “It’s not…he wasn’t…he just…”

Bodie let him process for a moment before responding. “What does it say about us if we would like the idea of Toby dying alone somewhere in a cell?”

The otter shrugged, looking away from Bodie. Frank knew what it said about him, even if a minute ago he felt good about it. A huff came out of him after he took a slow breath. He nodded the tiniest little nod in agreement.

“Maybe…if helping Toby opened the door to him rethinking some things…” Frank grumbled. “Maybe it doesn’t matter if he deserves it or not?”

“Why not?”

“Because helping Toby isn’t about him.”

Frank was silent for a moment. He crossed his arms and pouted. He spoke with a quiet voice. “Do I have to be happy about it?”

Bodie’s big paw rested warmly against his back. “No buddy, you don’t have to be happy about it. Doing what’s right sucks sometimes.”

Frank leaned over and thumped his head into Bodie’s arm. The dark Bodie had seen in his eyes had lifted. Clay grunted. He’d been mysteriously silent the whole time. He smirked and looked over at Bodie. “You always teach your apprentice little lessons like that?”

“It’s kinda my thing.”

“So, we’re going to fetch Toby then?”

“Yup.”

“Can I get something to eat first? The sugar from the milkshake is making my hands tremble.” Frank sat up, a smile returning to his snout.

“Go ahead, Little Brother.”

The Lost and The Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:35:27 GMT

The room was spinning and dark. Kreg’s head ached. He rolled to one side and felt the cold stone floor beneath him.

“Rusty?” he cried out. The strain made his head throb. His paw came up and cradled his head. A slot in the door slid open, filling the room with a cold blue light from the other side. The image of the creature on the other side was limited to a small rectangle which showed his eyes. Unmistakably canine. The brown eyes of a lesser dog. He said something that Kreg couldn’t make out. His ears were still ringing from having his head thumped by something hard.

The steel of the door felt cold against his fingers as he braced himself against the surface. It was locked. A whimper rolled out of him. Then a squeak. He hopped up and down, trying to push the door open, to get a better look outside, to get someone to see him. But no one came. The slot closed again, filling the room with darkness once again. Kreg backed away from the door and found a cot in the corner. He crawled up onto it and curled into a ball against the wall.

“Rusty. Please. Where are you?” He whispered. The silence screamed no reply. Kreg’s eyes filled with tears as he clamped his eyes closed. He slammed his fist against the door until it hurt. “Rusty…”

“He won’t hear you, child.” A voice rang out in the darkness.

Kreg didn’t notice he was in the inky black of his mind. He looked up and saw the smoke shaped mass of the wolf burning itself into existence in front of him.

“Get BACK!” Kreg yelled.

“I just want to know where you are, little one. Let me help you.” The wolf slowly approached him and knelt down. His yellow eyes betrayed the kindness of his words.

“You want to kill me!” Kreg scrambled away, but didn’t really move. He swatted at the smoke. “Go away!”

“Something has changed. I want to bring you home. Your rightful place. At the Emperor’s side. With what you have in your head we can change the galaxy for the better.”

“I am home. I have a room, friends, and a dad…”

“The lion? He doesn’t want you.” The wolf’s voice was calm, almost reassuring. It made Kreg’s fur stand on end. “You’re a burden to him. You know deep down that he’d be better off without you.”

Kreg’s eyes shimmered with tears. He shook his head back and forth, his words getting caught in his throat.

“Come home where you’ll be safe. Please Kreg. I don’t want to lose you again.”

Kreg felt something float up out of the deeper recesses of his mind. It slotted into place and his ears lowered. The little fox looked up at the wolf with burning orange eyes. His teeth were bared.

“I said I am home.” Kreg felt Rusty’s roar growling in his throat. “GET OUT!”

The space they shared violently burst apart and Kreg found himself alone again. His chest was heaving as he tried to gulp in the air. He blinked his eyes open in the dark of the stone room he was in. His heart thumped in his chest and his ears rang. His nose tingled with a burning smell. His head slumped forward as his breathing slowed.

“Interesting. That was a good trick, little one. Who taught you that?”

Kreg shrieked and fell to the ground. The lights outside the room he was in flickered erratically. In the distance Kreg heard machines grinding and buzzing loudly. His ears pinned back as he covered his snout with his arms. A sensation like a raging wind blew under his fur. He clamped his eyes shut and fell back into the darkness. The wolf was waiting for him.

“Leave me alone, creep!”

“Tell me where you are and I’ll leave.”

Kreg curled into himself. The swirling smoke and ash of the shared mental space whirled around him. He desperately searched for anything to help hold the wolf back. Then a thought hit him like a raindrop down the back of his shirt. His little hand reaching up and holding onto Rusty’s finger. Rusty’s big toothy grin looking down at him. The warmth between them pulled him back from the wolf, his voice fading into the distance. He reached up towards the wolf without thinking, palm outward. With his eyes clamped shut he could see better in the shared space. The wolf glowed in front of him, looking down at Kreg’s hand suspiciously. Kreg felt a pulse flash through his fingertips.

“What are you–?” The inky black space burst open and Kreg found himself in an unfamiliar dim room. He was surrounded by imperial hardware. The room was filled with silence punctuated only by a slow air pump and a heart monitor. There was a window with a shaft of light glowing down onto a raised platform. A bed. There was someone in it. Kreg inched forward. The room blurred at the edges with the same smoke the wolf appeared in.

I’m not really here, Kreg thought. He stood up on his toes to get a good look at the creature in the bed. It was a medical bed. The creature had tubes and sensors all over him. He breathed slowly. So slow Kreg worried he might stop suddenly. Through the facemask Kreg saw what he was.

A wolf.

Kreg’s heart beat a little faster. A clawed hand clamped onto his wrist and the sleeping wolf’s eyes broke open in an angry glare. Kreg screamed, yanking himself backward, unable to get himself free. Then the smoke curled around him and the same wolf appeared before him, shoving him backwards, growling through bared teeth. They passed into a shared black space together.

“What do you think you are doing?”

“Let me go!” Kreg whined. He sunk his claws into the wolf’s arm as he tried to free himself. “What was that?”

“You were not supposed to see that.”

“Was that you? Are you trapped somewhere?”

The wolf shoved him to the ground. “A runt like you has no business at the Emperor’s side. I’ll–”

Kreg felt another pulse in his finger tips. They both looked up. Kreg’s cold stone cell surrounded them. The fox’s head spun. The wolf looked confused and startled.

“Why are you in a cell? Oh, that’s interesting…” Kreg watched in horror as the wolf walked through the door like a ghost. Kreg hopped off the cot and banged on the door.

“Come back here! COME BACK! HEY!” Kreg glanced behind him and froze. He was still curled up in a ball on the cot. He covered his snout with his hands and squeaked out a gasp. “I’m dead!”

He leaned against the door, hands still over his mouth, and fell backwards through the door. He stopped himself on the floor outside the cell. The hall didn’t look like his cell. It was glowing green and blue, like a ship schematic. The image reminded him of what it was like when he imagined something he needed for a repair. His fingertips tingled the same way they did when he felt a machine across the room.

“Oh.” He was still in his mind. There must’ve been imperial equipment in the IO base that was allowing him to see outside. He briefly glanced down and saw layers of the base beneath his feet. Anywhere there was imperial equipment, his mind was able to make an image of the space. It was fascinating, but he had a wolf to catch. The jail had a central hallway that led to an exterior corridor along the building’s outer wall. The wolf was at the opening to the corridor. His paws were on the edge of a balcony looking down into the base. Kreg sprinted after him.

The wolf turned and smiled at him. “So, you’ve been hiding with the rebels, huh? Is the Interplanetary Organization treating you well?”

Kreg launched himself at the wolf’s waist in a brave attempt to tackle him. He flew through the wolf’s smoky image and smacked into the wall. He shook his head, growled and looked up.

“You don’t belong here creep.” Kreg spat.

“I’m only here because you looked into my mind. Thanks by the way.”

Kreg wound himself up like a spring and launched again, claws out, and swiped as fast and hard as he could at the wolf’s face. He wasn’t sure he made contact, but he got the outcome he wanted. The wolf’s image fully broke apart in front of him. The wolf smiled as he faded, his glowing yellow eyes staying for just a moment after the rest of him.

“I’ll see you soon, little one.”

Kreg was in his stone cell again, alone this time. He stood up and tried to pass through the door but found it solid. This was reality. His mind raced. Somehow the wolf had figured out where he was. A sharp pang stabbed into his chest as a thought formed. He’d just betrayed everyone. Rusty, Winston, Annalee, they were all in danger now because of him.

Fiona was right to be afraid.

Tears flowed hot down his face as he sobbed into his cot. His breathing shook the frame. Images of the Empire began flashing through his mind. Troops arresting civilians, IO rebels being lined up and shot, an orbital strike on an innocent village. Those monsters were coming here. And he had told them where they were. The guilt fell hard against his body like a broken artificial gravity panel pulling him down. His heart hurt in a new way. He stared at the wall, unable to do anything but breathe for a minute as the room settled.

“Don’t give up, Spark.” Kreg heard Rusty’s voice. It wasn’t real, he wasn’t here, but it didn’t matter. His voice rumbled through his chest just the same. “Don’t give up.”

Rusty was with him, even from far away. While he waited for the wolf to inevitably return, he felt the familiar burning tingle in his nose. He could feel a piece of equipment on the other side of the door. He climbed off the bed and put his paws on the steel. He closed his eyes and reached out, through the door. He found it like a high pitched ringing in his ear. The mechanism felt old, but his mind was able to see it. A blueprint of the machine appeared in his head. The air flowed slowly into his lungs, then back out. His eyebrows squinched down hard. A scraping sound of metal slid on the other side of the door was followed by a click and a loud tone. The door pushed open and Kreg fell into the hall.

It was a hall of jail cells, just like he’d seen. He’d manipulated the door control on the opposite wall. The guard wasn’t in the hall. Kreg crept out and made his way out of the jail. He held back a whimper while his head throbbed. He passed a comm screen, not noticing the flicker of glowing yellow eyes. Kreg took a long moment to clear his head and catch his breath.

It was going to be a long walk back to the Wanderer.

---------

“Where is Kreg?”

“I don’t know.”

“RUSTY!” Amos growled.

“I DON’T KNOW!” Rusty replied. “Fiona–she must’ve taken him. Amos, what are you doing here?”

“My base on Soja-4 was attacked by Guild Bounty Hunters. They were looking for you.”

“We came to warn you.” Carter said. He was watching the area around them. “Inside, let’s get inside fast.”

Amos pulled Rusty up by his arm and shoved him forward. Carter had seen a flurry of IO soldiers pouring out of the command center taking up defensive positions around the entrance. Rusty led them into the Wanderer’s airlock. Winston was waiting for them as they went up the boarding ramp.

“Winston, fire up the reactor. Amos, you and Carter come with me to the bridge.” They all raced along the corridors and up the stairs to their stations. Rusty jumped into the pilot’s seat. Winston already had the reactor hot. In a few seconds Rusty had already initiated the launch sequence and the ship floated off the ground. He pushed down the throttle and the ship lurched forward, swinging out of the hangar, nose pointed directly at the command tower. Rusty pulled the ship right up to the front of the tower and hovered in place.

“Captain, the tower’s defence systems are targeting us.” Carter yelled. “Three missile launch systems are preparing to fire.”

“Activate the Wanderer’s defence systems. Amos, target the launchers with the point defence lasers.”

Amos punched commands into the copilot’s screen. On the exterior of the ship eight ports folded open and laser cannon turrets deployed, rotating to target the command center’s launch platforms. As Rusty diverted reactor charge to the weapons and the shields, an alarm blared over the master speakers. A missile was about to launch. Rusty pulled hard on the yoke and the Wanderer rolled over, blasting the ground beneath them as a missile whizzed past her belly, then exploded behind her tail as the PDL fired and vaporized it. The PDLs whirred around as Rusty recentered the ship. They hovered in place again in front of the command center.

“We should disable the launch platforms before they fire again.”

“No. No direct attacks.”

“Rusty, we’ll only have luck on our side for so long before-”

“That’s an order Amos.” Rusty growled as he tightened his grip on the yoke. Amos grumbled and typed in a command on the weapons console. The missile battery fired again, but the PDLs shot it down half a second after it left the launcher. The explosion damaged the battery and detonated the other missiles, sending a violent rumble through the command center.

“Amos?”

“Whoops.”

Rusty was about to start yelling but the comms alerted an incoming hail. Fiona’s voice came through the bridge’s overhead speakers.

“Captain Shepherd, stand down at once. That’s an order!”

“Give me Kreg and I’ll leave.”

“It’s not that simple.” Her voice was calm, steady, different than the last few days. “You didn’t tell me what he was, Captain. The IO can learn a lot from him.”

“What do you think he is, Fi?! He’s just a kit!”

“Our med techs scanned his head, Rusty. We saw what you’ve been hiding from us. Kreg is covered in Imperial signatures.” She sighed, like she knew Rusty wouldn’t like what she was about to say. “Our med team will learn what we can from him, but he is a danger to everyone on this base. Once they are done…he will be disposed of.”

Rusty growled, barely containing his rage. He breathed for a moment, letting the anger solidify into resolve, and spoke quietly. “Fiona, if you hurt a hair on that kid’s head I’ll–”

“Land your ship, Captain, or we’ll destroy you. That’ll be all.”

The comm clicked off and the Wanderer fell into silence. Then the comms beeped again. A secure line reaching out. Rusty’s heart jumped.

“Captain? Captain! It’s Annalee.” The hyena’s voice whispered. “Hello?”

“Annalee, where are you?”

“I heard what happened to Kreg on the comms system and snuck into the command center. I’m trying to get to the cell block, but there are a lot of people around.”

“Stay where you are. We’ll try to draw the people out. Keep this channel open. You might have to run for the ship at any moment.”

“Sure thing Cap, standing by.”

Rusty hailed the command center again.

“You really think Annalee can get him out?” Carter asked.

“Not sure we have any other options, Carter.”

The hail was answered. “This is General Shepherd.”

“Fi. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” He took a deep breath and settled the Wanderer on the ground. “I want to talk to you, face to face, on the ground.”

A silence stretched between them. Rusty held his breath. The comm system crackled.

“Face to face. I’ll see you in three minutes. Come alone.”

The comm clicked off again. “Amos, if I don’t come back, take Winston and Annalee with you back to Soja-4.”

Amos nodded. Rusty rose from his seat, cracked his neck, and walked towards the airlock.

“I’m getting my boy.”

Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.

The Lost and the Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 18:39:37 GMT

It started with a twitch. Then a jolt. And then a groan that vibrated through Frank’s ribs. Bodie was waking up. Frank flipped over onto his feet like a startled cat. He hadn’t realized he’d been asleep for several hours. His whiskers twitched in the cold air of the cargo bay as he leaned over to look Bodie in the eye. The badger’s eyes half opened. An oxygen mask was still over his snout. He reached his paw up towards Frank, but about halfway there an injured muscle in his side stopped him. Frank reached over, tapped the bed controls, and Bodie slowly sat up. The otter sat down on his knees at Bodie’s side, patiently waiting to help. Bodie’s voice quietly broke the silence.

“Little Brother… you look terrible.”

Frank wrinkled the skin on top of his snout and smacked Bodie’s arm. “I’ve been worried sick, you butt munch. You’re lucky I don’t punch your lights right back out.”

Bodie laughed to himself. Frank joined him. After a moment, once Bodie had gotten his bearings, his eyes seemed to brighten up. Bodie reached up and pulled his oxygen mask off.

“Where… where are we?” His eyes wandered around the cargo bay.

“The Jade Fang.” Frank leaned a little closer and put his hand on Bodie’s arm. “You’re home, Bodie.”

“What happened? Why am I in… the robodoc?”

“You were shot in the back.” Frank tilted his head to the side. “You don’t remember?”

His ears twitched as a thought passed through his mind. “Where is Toby? I’m going to kill him.”

“Easy, Bodie. He’s lightyears away and flying to who knows where.”

“No, he’s dead. Get my gun. The BIG one.” Bodie tried to get up, half joking, half furious. Frank pushed him back.

“Bodie! You stay in that bed or I’ll have Clay and Anita come in here and strap you down!”

“Ironside and Potts are here?”

“And Burrows. Toby abandoned them on Soja once he got the data he needed to track the bounty.”

“Wow. He’s the worst.”

“I know.”

“...punch him again when you see him.”

“I plan to.”

Bodie noticed that the room around them was humming.

“...and who’s the dead otter walking that’s been flying my ship without permission?”

Frank gulped. “That would be me…”

Bodie growled low in his chest. Frank crossed his arms and shook his snout at the badger. Bodie’s huge paw reached up again and ruffled the otter’s fur.

“Oh, the heck with this.” Then Frank collapsed forward and clamped his arms around as much of his badger as he could. Bodie was stunned at first, just frozen as a little bounty hunter grabbed onto him. Then slowly he lowered his arms and squeezed tightly. Frank mumbled against his fur. “I was so scared, you jerk. Why didn’t your armor protect you? I thought you were dead!”

Frank shook a little as he forced the words out. “I don’t-I don’t…What would I do without you, you goober? I was so scared I thought my insides were exploding, I-”

“Shh, shh, it’s alright buddy.” Bodie held him close as the panic flowed out, patiently waiting for Frank to get out what he needed to. His chin rested against the top of Frank’s head as Frank fought to settle his ragged breaths. They both breathed in the gentle hum of the ship for a minute.

“Toby must’ve had armor-piercing rounds in his pistol. The only rounds in the galaxy that can go through Pagrian armor are Pagrian whistlers. Pricey. Ostentatious. And lethal. I’d bet he had no more than three on him.” Bodie’s voice was a quiet rumble. The badger gently tipped from side to side. Frank tightened his grip and smiled. Bodie groaned through a smile. “Hey, I got shot you know, this kinda hurts.”

“It’s good for you. It’ll toughen you up.” Frank hugged him tighter. They both chuckled. “I’m glad you’re ok, Bodie.”

“Thanks for looking out for me, Little Brother.” He reached over and tapped the robodoc to check his status. The numbers looked good enough for him to consider getting up. “Alright. I need to go to the bridge. Up up!”

“No, no, you stay in that bed!” Bodie didn’t listen to Frank’s protests and climbed up to his feet. He wobbled as his strength tried to come back to him. Frank held his hand against his snout to keep from laughing at the sight of a huge patch of Bodie’s fur missing from where the robodoc had done surgery on his back. The Guild’s healing gel must’ve had magical properties because the wound was almost invisible already. But Bodie’s insides must’ve still been healing because he grunted in pain, fell to one knee, and rolled on his back. He grimaced and bared his teeth as pain flared through his back and chest. A deep whimper squeaked out of him as he laid his head back on the cold cargo bay deck.

Frank leaned over him, perched on the side of the bed, whiskers twitching with a stifled smile. “Did that hurt? It was hard to tell.”

Bodie slowly rolled over, grunting and growling at each flash of pain, and got himself back to his feet. His knees wobbled, his breath hitched with every exhale, but Bodie was putting himself back in charge, no matter what. “Get my clothes, Little Brother.”

Getting himself dressed was a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. Every time he reached his hands up past the pivot point of his shoulders, his wound would scream in pain and the air would rush out of his lungs. Bodie took a moment to look through what the robodoc had done while he was out. He’d gotten a transfusion of roughly 25% of his blood, a deep bullet wound had been closed and the bullet removed, and healing gel had been applied to the wound for a couple days. The readout showed he was still healing inside. He’d have to come back in a few hours and choke down some of the healing slurry to keep getting better. His belt clinked as he tightened it across his waist and wiggled his tail. Good enough.

Frank had the robodoc print out a cane for him. He forced it into the badger’s hands. Bodie twirled it in his fingers as Frank deactivated the robodoc and the bed folded back into the wall. Bodie thanked him, but left the cane on the bed. They started towards the bridge with careful steps. Anita and Tyler were talking in the corridor. The cat and the rabbit snapped to attention as Bodie lumbered towards them. Even hunched over, trying to ignore throbbing pain, Bodie commanded the room.

“Master Thorne. Good to see you on your feet.” Tyler said.

“Thanks for the ride, sir. Would’ve been impossible to get off that ice ball without you.” Anita crossed her arms and leaned against the bulkhead.

Frank rolled his eyes. The badger’s paw landed on his shoulder as Bodie spoke. “We’re happy to be of assistance. Will you be rejoining Master Rayne when we reach Pagria?”

Anita and Tyler looked at each other. “We’ve made no specific plans, sir.”

“I’ll be asking Vargana if I can take Anita and Tyler’s contracts under my badge, if they’re interested.” Clay came around the corner. “I’m far enough along in my career that I’m ready to take on apprentices.”

“Clay! You big softy!” Anita jumped at the crocodile’s side. “Of course I’ll stay with you!”

Tyler’s whiskers flicked back and forth like he was chewing on the idea. He took a deep breath. “Yeah, what the heck.”

Claw ruffled his ears with a clawed hand.

“Good choice, Hunters. The best way to survive this life is sticking by people you can trust.” Bodie said. Frank looked up at him with a smile. “For now, you’re my crew. Continue your watch cycle and keep up with your responsibilities. I’ll take over piloting the ship for first watch. Who wants to tell me how long it’ll be until we reach Pagria?”

“Four days, sir. We’re cruising comfortably through hyperspace.” Clay grumbled happily.

“The reactor is spinning like a top. We have plenty of fuel, but I would recommend a stop to refill the food stores for the printer. We’ll be passing a great spaceport in a few hours that we can stop at if you’d like.” Anita said.

“Send the location to my comm and adjust course.” Bodie nodded along with the conversation. He turned to Tyler to see if he had anything to offer.

“Yeah, the Fang is fine. No problems. Weapons are charged and ready.” The rabbit was short on words.

“Good. As you were Hunters. Frank…” Bodie motioned for Frank to follow him into his quarters. The rest of the crew parted ways and went back to their duties. Frank closed the hatch to Bodie’s room behind him.

“What’s up boss?”

“I’m going to approve Anita’s refueling plan. Can you keep an eye on things while I write a report for Vargana and get some sleep?”

Frank shrugged and nodded. Bodie lowered his nose and looked him in the eye.

“You did a good thing taking them home, Little Brother. Don’t be a brat about it.”

The otter huffed. “I never get credit for anything.”

“Just doing good should be good enough, goober.” Bodie carefully lowered himself into his desk chair and tapped the desk surface. A keyboard rose from the surface and a holographic screen appeared in front of him. “They all know you saved them. It’s just customary to thank the captain.”

“Whatever.” Frank hid a smirk. Bodie was teaching him a lesson again. He was getting back to his irritating self. “Are you okay? Can I get you anything?”

“Can you print me something to eat? I’m starving. Maybe a number three?”

Bodie’s number three, saved in the printer’s user preferences: fried green beans, mashed potatoes, and grilled pink protein slices. “Sure. Can I join you? Haven’t eaten in a while either.”

“Sure buddy.” Frank ducked out of the room and headed to the galley. Anita’s flight path recommendation popped into Bodie’s comm screen. He opened it. She’d planned for them to land on Cerdano at Stripe’s Crossing, a large space port on the surface surrounded by a dense tropical rainforest. Bodie approved the flight plan and sent it back to Anita. Frank marched in a few moments later, proudly holding dinner in each hand. About halfway through the meal Bodie noticed Frank’s shoulders droop for the first time since he’d been awake. He had a brighter smile and his head bopped back and forth as he ate. Bodie smiled at the sight as he munched on a green bean. While Frank finished up his fish and chips, Bodie pulled up the ship’s hyperspace comm system. He addressed the message to Vargana.

Vargana

–Survived encounter with Rayne

–If he returns empty handed arrest him

–Have good evidence that he violated several Guild codes

–He shot me in the back while I was protecting my quarry

–Trail turned cold after encounter, status of Bounty unknown

–Despite what Rayne might tell you I am alive and well

–Fergus performed admirably in my stead while I recovered

–En route to Pagria, carrying Rayne’s discarded apprentices

–Will come straight to your office upon arrival

–Thorne

Bodie fired off the message into subspace where it bounced off a deep space relay and worked its way to Vargana’s desk. Frank pretended not to notice the kind words Bodie was sending to the Guild Master.

“Alright buddy. Get out. Gotta sleep a little. Come get me when we drop out of hyperspace.”

“Can I PLEASE hook you up to the robodoc, just to keep getting you healed up?”

“No need, Little Brother.” Bodie stood and handed Frank his plate. “I’m 95% better. I’ll get myself to 100% in no time.”

“Would be faster with the robodoc.” Frank muttered to himself as he scooped up his plate and headed for the door. “If you need anything, just yell for me.”

“You should go get some sleep too, Frank. I’m sure you’re a little worn out.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Frank looked over his shoulder. “I think I’ll take a shower first. Gotta get the badger stink out of my fur.”

A boot sailed out of Bodie’s room past his head as the otter ducked and ran to his quarters, laughter filling the corridor between them. Frank showered and hunkered down to rest. Half a watch later Bodie’s knuckle rapped against his door. It wasn’t long enough. Frank groaned to himself as he rolled over. His door slid open and his lights flipped on, burning his retinas.

“Get to the bridge, Little Brother. We’re on approach.”

“I’ve been asleep for five minutes, get out!”

“It’s been half a day, hustle hustle.”

Frank rolled out of his bed, slipped into his clothes again and dragged his webbed feet down the corridor. Bodie met him at the bridge door with a clear tube filled with water. He popped the top open and took a big swig. Tyler and Anita were flying the ship. The screen next to Tyler showed that they were on a long and gentle slope, angling down into the atmosphere towards the spaceport. Anita’s screen blurted an alert and flashed a red warning announcing a passive weapons lock. A hail opened on her screen.

“Attention unidentified vessel. This is The Temperance. You have entered Interplanetary Organization controlled space. Transmit your transponder codes and destination now or you risk being fired upon.” An angry gruff voice called out to them. They hadn’t sent a video, just a voice.

“Typical IO rats. Hiding their faces, making threats. Should I get a weapons lock on them, Master Thorne?”

“No, no, wait a second.” Bodie pulled down a sliding access door next to the pilot’s console and a notebook fell out. He flipped through the pages until he found a handwritten list. “Tell them we are the Hollow Heart, a private vessel looking to refuel at Stripe’s Crossing.”

He pulled on another panel and a sliding access panel opened behind the pilot’s seat on the wall. There were three clear tubes with machinery inside. Frank recognized them as transponders immediately. Based on the wiring they were interchangeable and could be triggered individually. Bodie flicked a valve and tapped through the transponder control panel and the center transponder switched from orange to blue at the same moment the bottom transponder switched from blue to orange.

“We have multiple transponders?!” Tyler asked.

“Courtesy of the Guild flight techs. We got tired of ships disappearing after the IO took over a few systems and started blasting every known Hunter vessel that passed through. This planet must’ve changed hands recently.”

“We’ll have to change clothes.” Clay said, leaning through the bridge door. “Can’t wander around in our hunter armor here.”

“Good instincts Clay. Just our tunics. See if I have anything in the cargo bay you want to use to cover up.”

The five of them watched Anita deliver the message Bodie had instructed her to. The five of them held their breath as the IO comms officer decided their fate on the destroyer slowly approaching them. The ship read the destroyer’s transponder. The Jade Fang brought up a likely layout of her hull and highlighted weapons placements it had detected.

“You’re clear to proceed to Stripe’s crossing. Keep all weapons powered down in this system or you may be fired upon.”

“Loud and clear Temperance. Over.”

“Bring us in Tyler.”

The ship slipped into the atmosphere, slowly plunging into a grey afternoon cloudy sky. A clear path through the clouds formed as a projection on the viewport in front of Tyler. A lush green rainforest appeared as they dropped down on their final approach. Rain streaked across the view screen. There were other ships launching one at a time from the spaceport. Tyler set the ship down like a leaf landing on grass. The ship clunked as they made contact. A small faded orange robot held its glowing guide rods in position for a moment, took a scan of the ship, then charged Bodie for the parking fee. It whirred and rolled away as it pulled the guide rods into its metal body.

“Keep the engines hot, Tyler. We’ll go get the food supplies, you wait here for the station’s refueling crew to stop by and have them fill her up.”

“Sir, I think I’ll stay with Tyler.” Anita said before shaking the tension out of her fur. “Someone needs to watch this bunny’s back.”

“Good idea. Clay, you’re with us. Frank, go get your things and meet in the cargo bay.”

Five minutes later they stood together by the cargo bay door. Clay had found a flight crew vest in Bodie’s foot locker and squeezed his wide shoulders into it. Bodie brought him a hat. Frank put on a canvas jacket. Bodie’s regular clothes looked generic enough to blend in anywhere, but he also put on a raincoat and raised the hood. They walked down into the grey moist air and walked along the landing strip towards the spaceport’s arrival terminal. The strip had a hulking red cargo hauler, a yellow and grey transport ship, and several smaller personal craft lined up along the walkway.

As they got closer to the terminal they noticed four heavily armed guards in green IO uniforms checking each visitor as they walked through. The large concrete arch over the terminal entrance had banners with the split circle symbol of the IO in gold on a red background. Frank nudged Bodie’s side and nodded at the gun emplacements on the raised walkway. The control tower had anti-spacecraft batteries around the roof. Bodie and Clay were too busy strategizing what to do if they were discovered to notice the burned out wreck sitting on a small landing pad. Frank stared at the ship. It had broken clear globes at the front of the ship where the pilot and copilot would sit, a long skinny triangular frame leading down to three circular hyper thrusters at the aft, and a blasted out airlock in the rear of the craft. The thing was covered in weapons from bow to tail. The entire frame was riddled with plasma blast holes and covered in scorch marks. Clay turned back to pull Frank along when he noticed the ship and growled.

“Master Thorne. That’s Master– That’s Toby’s ship. That’s the Firemaw.”

The three of them studied the ship for a moment. Toby had either died in that thing, or crawled away from the wreck. “Come along Ironside. We’ll look into it at another time.”

“But Sir, shouldn’t we–”

Bodie pulled him close. “We’re not hunters here. If we want to get home, we’ll have to look at that wreck later.”

Clay nodded and marched toward the terminal. The rain picked up. Bodie held his raincoat over Frank. The crocodile muttered under his breath. “He’s here somewhere. I can feel it.”

The Lost and the Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:41:47 GMT

“We can’t stay Rusty. Fiona’s lost her marbles.”

Rusty didn’t respond. He didn’t know how. How could she have done that to Kreg? The little red ball of fur was still curled tightly in his arm. They’d made their way down from the command center and crossed the launch deck to the maintenance hangar. A warm breeze flowed across the deck and stirred the palm trees overhead. Winston struggled to keep up with the Captain. Rusty’s voice carried a low growl with it. “Is the ship ready?”

“She needs fuel and reaction material for the food printer. If I move fast I can probably get what we need for a short trip. Probably make it to Benjar.” Winston was practically bouncing on his toes with nervous energy. The mechanic hadn’t been through a lot of conflict recently and his adrenaline flowed through his veins like ice water. He paced back and forth as they talked.

“Keep your head down. She’ll probably try to restrict us to the repair hangar.”

“Will do Cap.” Rusty walked up the ramp into the ship. Winston turned to leave.

“Winnie…”

The panther turned back. “Yeah Rus?”

“You sure you want to do this?”

Winnie furrowed his brow. His black ears twitched while something rolled around in his head. “That wasn’t what I signed up for.”

Rusty nodded and Winston headed out. The breakroom hummed gently around them as the lion slumped into the couch. Kreg still vibrated against his side. Rusty just sat still and breathed. Kreg slowly stopped shaking. The Wanderer’s reactor hummed gently at idle. He was almost able to pretend the outside world was calm and his wife hadn’t just aggressively interrogated a child. Rusty leaned his snout down and bumped his nose against Kreg’s head. Kreg whined and his ears, which had been pinned back, relaxed a little. The fox’s left ear slowly popped up. Rusty bumped him again. “You’re safe Kreg. We’re on the Wanderer.”

Kreg didn’t speak. He slowly raised his head and met Rusty’s eyes.

“It’ll be okay Spark. If Fiona and this bunch of IO goobers are all we have to worry about, we’re doing just fine.”

Kreg smirked. Then he looked down and tears welled in his eyes again.

“What’s wrong buddy, how can I help?”

Kreg thought about it for a moment. The words he needed to describe what he saw were difficult to put together. But he didn’t want to have to hold them in anymore.

“Rusty, do you…do you remember that space station where I tripped the alarm?”

“I–yeah. Why Spark?”

Kreg closed his eyes hard and tears ran down his face. The wolf he saw in the smoke was in his memory. “When you found me in the hallway, I was asleep. I fell asleep because…because…”

Rusty brushed his fur back and smiled at him. “What happened, Kreg?”

“Sometimes, when I’m close to an imperial machine, a wolf made of smoke appears in my mind, in the honeybee part. I think he’s another…honeybee like me.”

Rusty stared at the fox in between his paws. “Is the wolf in the room with us right now…?”

Kreg saw the faintest smirk on the lion’s face. He reached up and flicked the Captain on the nose. Rusty made a noise that sounded roughly like groouff and started laughing.

“Ow, Spark. Be careful! I’ve only got one nose!” Rusty rubbed his snout as Kreg felt the seriousness slip out of him.

“It’s not a joke! He’s real!”

Rusty scritched behind Kreg’s ears and leaned a little closer.

“Has he hurt you?”

“Um…no?”

“Can he hurt you just in your mind?”

“It feels real. But I don’t really know. When we’re together in that dark space, it feels like real life.”

“But, what if he’s not real? Maybe the Empire just put something into Honeybee to keep the bees from stepping out of line. Maybe the wolf is like a control program.”

“I don’t know. He doesn’t seem like he wants to keep me working right. He seemed like he wanted to kill me.”

Those words hit Rusty in the gut. His chest tightened and his breath caught. He wanted to growl, to shred something with his claws, to beat the nonsense out of this wolf. But it was only in Kreg’s mind. It’d be like trying to fight a nightmare with your fists. The best he could manage at the moment was a hearty harumph!

Kreg giggled. Rusty hugged him tighter. “What else?”

“He said the Emperor wanted something in my brain, but he was going to kill me to stop that from happening.”

“Did he say what it was?”

“The wolf said the Emperor put the best the Empire had to offer into my head. There’s all kinds of stuff up there.”

“Like what?”

“Dunno. Doesn’t work like that.” Kreg’s ears titled at that angle that told Rusty he was thinking hard about something. “It’s like when I control those machines in the hangar. I don’t know where it comes from. First I can’t and then…I can. It’s like walking through a library with your eyes closed. You never know what you’ll find. And sometimes there is a scary wolf monster librarian trying to kill you.”

“So, like a normal library then.” They both giggled. Rusty brushed his ears back. He didn’t know how to help Kreg and it melted his insides. This little furball trusted him to keep the lights on, to shield him from danger, to keep food in the printer, but Kreg was haunted and broken in a way Rusty didn’t know how to fix. But sitting here laughing with him made him feel like he could still fit the pieces back together.

“I’ll send a message to Dr. Carter and see what he knows about it. Amos and Carter sent me a message that I’ve been ignoring. We’ll have to read it once we’re on our way. I’m sure he and Amos have gone back to a boring quiet life selling black market water.”

“They sell what?”

“Rusty!” Annalee came running in. “Where’s Kreg!?”

Kreg retreated under Rusty’s arm, apparently not ready for people to run towards him. Rusty squeezed him into his side and held up his paw as Annalee slid to a stop in front of them.

“Is he okay?? I heard about what happened.” Annalee’s eyes could’ve melted holes through the hull. “I’m so ANGRY!”

She saw Kreg cowering and quieted herself. She tried to whisper but ended up yelling through her teeth. “Oh, no. Sorry Kreggy. I’m. Just. SO. MAD!”

Kreg smiled. Her big goofy teeth stuck out while she seethed. She stomped her foot and continued, a little quieter. She shoved her paws in her pockets and fiddled with something flat and metallic that clicked between her fingers. “I don’t know who she thinks she is, Rusty, but I’m not working for her for even another second. What kind of monster talks like that to a kid?”

“I don’t-”

“Oh! And the real reason I came down here. Winston said you were planning to leave and I want to come with you.”

“Um, sure. I guess, but what-”

“Oh, and another thing.” Annalee was pacing now, words spilling out of her. “Fiona called me up to the command center and asked me about the Wanderer. I didn’t tell her anything, but she asked me to join her and a couple other people to come take over the ship and capture Kreg. And arrest you, and probably Winston.”

“What’d you tell her?”

“I told her I’d scout the ship out first and report back.” She crossed her arms and looked very pleased with herself. “I’m not doing that. Duh!”

Rusty stood to his feet leaving Kreg on the couch. He put a paw on Annalee’s shoulder. “Go get your things and hurry back. We’ll try to leave as soon as you and Winston are back on board.”

“You betcha furball!” She ran off towards her quarters deeper in the base. Rusty turned and waved at Kreg to follow him. Kreg scampered behind him as they walked to the bridge. If they wanted to have a chance of slipping the ship out of the hangar and launching before anyone noticed they’d have to move fast. It was time for the pre-flight checks. Kreg hopped up into his seat as Rusty started flicking switches.

“Let’s get her ready, Spark.”

“Aye, Captain!” Kreg pulled up the reactor control and began the spin up sequence. The engines started vibrating as plasma flowed through the power conduits. An alarm beeped on the exterior port thruster display. A valve was stuck closed and the system couldn’t get it to flip open and the bypass was faulted.

“Rusty, look!”

The Captain growled at the screen. The screen didn’t respond to his threats. Rusty tried getting the system to fix itself but nothing worked. Kreg’s mind felt blurry for a moment as he accessed the hive. He shook his head and refocused his eyes.

“I can fix it, Captain. Just need a few tools. It’ll take two minutes.”

“No!” Kreg was already halfway out of the bridge as Rusty stopped him. “It’s not safe.”

An alarm blared on the pilot’s console. They both went to see what it was.

“There’s a coolant line about to rupture in engineering. Pressure is dropping in the aft hyperdrive line.”

“Go fix that, Rusty, I’ll get the thruster working.”

“No, I don’t want you alone.”

“Dad!” The word hit Rusty like a train. Kreg pulled back and ran. “I’ll be fine. Just go!”

Rusty watched him leave. He’d specifically told him not to call him that. Rusty grinned.

Little twerp.

The alarm beeped again and he rushed towards engineering. He was going to have words with Winnie once they’d launched about the condition of his ship. There shouldn’t be this many things breaking down on this spacecraft they welded together from spare parts and junk.

Kreg rushed down the stairs to the port airlock and ran down the boarding ramp. The big empty hangar glowed in the afternoon sunlight. He wriggled his way under the ship by the forward landing strut and had the panel off in a flash. A memory that wasn’t his floated into his mind of someone else’s paws repairing a conduit. His fingertips tingled as he pulled the conduit access open. The valve was stuck in place. A thick washer was wedged into the pivot point.

“Huh. How’d you get in there?” Kreg pondered. When the valve cycled during start up the washer wedged itself in place, preventing the valve from being able to rotate. “Why would there be a washer in here?”

Did someone stick it in here? He thought.

It didn’t matter right now. The light from his mini torch briefly flashed under the ship as he worked to get it free. He pulled out a hammer and banged against the valve to slide it into the open position. The noise was so close and so loud he didn’t hear the footsteps slowly approaching his tail.

“General, I’ve located the target.” A quiet voice whispered into a mic. “Should I proceed?”

Kreg hit the valve once more and it swung free. The glowing hot washer bounced against the deck next to his head. He pressed the cycle control and the valve swung both ways freely. The status monitor switched to green.

“Do it.”

The fox bolted the panel closed and packed his tools into his bag. He screamed as something grabbed onto his tail and yanked him out from under the ship. A big paw roughly grabbed the scruff on the back of his neck and hoisted him off the ground. Kreg’s wide eyes stared into the grey wrinkled snout of a rhino in power armor. The soldier was flanked by a deer with shaved antlers and a boar, both aiming rifles at him.

“RUSTY! HELP!” The sound bounced through the ship and hit Rusty’s ears like a shockwave. Kreg was quickly silenced as the rhino stuffed him into a canvas bag and slung him over his shoulder. He fought as much as he could muster until something hard hit his head and everything went blurry and dark. Rusty had just enough time to see them on the ship’s exterior monitors before the team headed for the hangar doors. He roared as he raced out of the ship.

He stumbled down the ramp. His eyes darted around, searching, hoping for some sign of his kit. He stormed towards the entrance to the hangar with his pistol drawn. The door nearly flew off its hinges as he kicked it open. The launch deck was clear except for one small cargo hauler parked in front of the hangar still cycling down its thrusters. Rusty almost didn’t hear the familiar voices that called out to him from the ship.

“Rusty! Rusty!” Amos called out. The polar bear lumbered down his ship’s boarding ramp. Carter poked his head out nervously and followed after him. Rusty’s heart thumped in his chest. He fell to one knee as he tried to catch his breath. Amos and Carter knelt down next to him. The lion looked up, eyes wide and teeth bared as Amos placed a heavy paw on his back. Amos’ voice was heavy and sharp.

“Rusty. Where is Kreg?”

Kreg was gone.

The Lost and the Wanderer

Lucas McGuire — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 18:40:32 GMT

Frank had not left Bodie’s side the entire trip from Soja-4 into hyperspace. The otter was asleep on the medical bed next to his brother, gently jostling along with the ship as it sailed through the inky black nothing. He’d taken his armor off and dropped it on the deck beneath the bed. After a few hours Clay Ironside walked into the cargo bay and found him curled into a ball at Bodie’s side. The otter had been asleep for a full watch and needed to cover the bridge. Clay knelt beside him and placed his clawed hand on Frank’s shoulder.

“Rookie. Get up.” Clay croaked.

Frank jolted up, looked at Clay, then looked at Bodie. He was still breathing. The monitor showed his stats were normal and rising. It wouldn’t be enough until he could talk to him–hear his voice tell him that he was fine.

“It’s your turn to be on watch. Potts and Burrows need a break.”

Frank didn’t want to leave. He looked back at Bodie and squeezed his paw. He shook his head gently without knowing it.

“He’s getting better. He’ll keep getting better whether you’re next to him or not. And I know Master Thorne would bat you around with his paws if he knew you were sleeping the day away instead of covering your duties.”

Frank chuckled. It hurt deep in his chest as it came out.

“Okay.” Frank said with a heavy sigh. “I’ll be right there.”

Clay’s tail dragged behind him as he walked towards the front of the ship. Frank took one long look at his brother before hopping down to his feet. He walked into the galley, printed himself something to eat, thought about Bodie, forgot about the food he was printing, then walked up to the bridge. Anita Potts and Tyler Burrows brushed past him on their way to the galley. Tyler gave him a short nod and Anita squeezed his arm. Bodie was right. They were like his brothers and sisters. It made Toby’s betrayal all the more confusing and hurtful.

Frank walked into the Jade Fang’s bridge and hopped up into the pilot’s chair. Clay was busy looking at a control panel behind the co-pilot’s seat and grunted as he turned to him.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Flying the ship, what’s it look like?”

“Master Thorne trained you to fly his ship?”

“No, but I’m fine flying it. It’s not the first ship I’ve flown.”

“No, no. Out of that chair rookie.”

“Make me–whoa, HEY!”

Clay grabbed him by the scruff, hoisted him out of the chair, and dropped Frank into the co-pilot’s seat. The crocodile sat down a moment later, adjusted his armor, and cracked his neck with a grunt.

“MUTINY!” Frank cried, stuck upside down, feet in the air, and half hanging out of his seat.

“Calm down, furball.” Clay pulled up the flight tracker. The ship’s computer calculated that they had six days left until they reached Pagria. “Your brother was just shot, you’re tired, hungry, and a little bratty. You’re in no state to be flying this ship. And I’m not in the mood to be vaporized by an accidental hyperspace reentry. Just sit over there and look out the viewport for a while.”

Frank righted himself, huffed, and smoothed his fur. He crossed his arms and leaned against the armrest as he pulled up the ship’s master systems display. He pulled up Bodie’s vitals with a flick of his wrist and put them front and center in his display. The robodoc predicted he’d be awake in a little less than a day. Maybe Clay was right. But those words would absolutely not be leaving his mouth.

“How did you two end up on Soja-4? We thought we were the only ones with any clue to the bounty’s whereabouts.”

“Umm…” Frank wasn’t sure if he should share that information. They were both sort of competing to capture the bounty.

“Don’t worry kid, we’re out of this hunt. Toby was footing our travel expenses. Now that we don’t have a ship we’ll just be working at HQ until we can get picked up by another master.”

“Oh, well, Bodie was able to reconstruct the flight data of the ship they were traveling in thanks to a tip from Vargana. We found a crash site on the outskirts of the Soja system where a ship transponder had been loaded into a torpedo and crashed into an asteroid.”

“What?” Clay said, his scaled head tilting suspiciously. “Why would they do that?”

“To throw us off their trail. But it only kind of worked. Bodie traced the torpedo’s flight path back to Soja-4 so we went there to look for clues. We checked a number of stations before we ended up in Amos’ hangar. That’s where we ran into you.”

“Huh. What were you looking for in Amos’ hangar?”

“We asked directly about the torpedo, but he wouldn’t tell us. He must’ve known who they were. So we were planning to sneak into their tower and steal the flight tracking data. We hoped we could find the ship somewhere in the logs. But that’s when Toby called us and you guys came in like a sledgehammer inspecting a mirror.”

“Right. And it seems Toby’s collected the data for himself so he can collect the bounty on his own?”

“Sounds like him.”

Clay growled in his throat and huffed out his nostrils like a steam engine.

“But hey, at least you didn’t end up stuck there. I’d bet he was planning to do that from the moment he hired you guys.”

“Well, he’s still owed one beating and the three of us, or five if you want to join, will deliver it the next time we lay eyes on him.”

Bodie would’ve probably said something to talk Clay out of wanting revenge. He would’ve been right too. And irritating about it. But Frank just wanted to see Toby get his face smashed in by a crocodile. “Yeah, I’m in too.”

Clay reached his fist out to Frank. He chuckled and bumped his against Clay’s. A quiet moment passed between them. Bodie’s vitals still looked good. Frank fidgeted looking at the screen. He watched each heart beat flicker by on the monitor.

His claws tapped against the armrest as he looked out the viewscreen. Inky black nothing streamed by, featureless, formless, and as boring as staring at a wall. The chair squeaked as he shifted to the other armrest and ground his spine into the backrest. Frank huffed a breath and looked at Bodie’s vitals again.

His knuckles ached and the tension in his toes was screaming at him to move. He stood up quickly from his chair.

“I’m gonna go check on Bodie. Just to make sure he’s alright. NO HEY–”

Clay grabbed him by the scruff and hauled him back to his seat.

“It’s been five minutes you bilge rat!” Clay’s clawed hand dropped Frank into his chair. “You stay in that chair until Bodie wakes up or until your watch ends. That’s an order!”

Frank swatted his hand away. “Who’re you to give orders on this ship anyway?”

“I outrank you, I think, and it’s not good for you to be hovering over him. You’ll drive yourself crazy.”

“That’s fine! I’m already crazy!” Frank tried to stand up again. Clay held him down, now with both hands.

“He’s just your Master!” Clay barked. Frank looked him in the eye and saw a mix of regret and anger. “Explain to me why he’s so important!”

Frank tried to wriggle free, but Clay was putting his weight down on him and he was stuck between scales and a hard place. Clay growled in his face.

“I have been betrayed and abandoned by my friend. Why do you think this badger is any different?”

Frank whined under the pressure. His eyes darted back and forth. A hundred angry teeth hovered over his snout. Despite the huge growling crocodile crushing his chest, Bodie flashed through his mind. Every punch he landed to toughen Frank up, every joke growl, every time he called him Little Brother. The moments flashed through his mind and he kept thinking that somehow they were in the past. Because the last thing he could remember with Bodie was watching him get shot and seeing the pain and confusion in his eyes. He tried desperately to form the words he wanted to say but all he managed to do was force tears out of his eyes.

“He’s my brother.” Frank squeezed out. He breathed in a shaky breath. “I’ve never had someone just be there. Be there when I’m tired, or angry, or when I’ve punched someone in the face and got in trouble. Bodie is always there. And I don’t have any way to pay him back for it and I’m scared one day he’s going to realize that and leave.”

Clay fell silent. Frank’s breath hitched, his chest rising and falling in shakes. His eyes shimmered in the low light of the cockpit. The two of them just breathed for a moment. The crocodile’s jaw tightened, then relaxed. Clay gently let him go. He sat back into the pilot’s chair and flicked through the display screens.

Frank stood and turned to walk out. Clay’s hand shot out and held him back.

“Seriously Clay? I will go nuts on you! Stop giving me reasons!”

“SHH!” Clay patted Frank’s chest and moved out of his way. “Just be back here in ten minutes.”

Frank patted his shoulder and nodded.

“Hey, for what it’s worth I wouldn’t leave you behind.”

Clay snorted. “Get out of here before I change my mind.”

Frank smiled and trotted down the corridor to the cargo bay. He practically ran around the corner to the medical bay. Bodie was still there. Just waiting for him. Breathing in and out slowly. The medical monitors showed his vitals were normal. The bed squeaked as Frank climbed up by Bodie’s side and sat down. He rolled on his back and squeezed himself under Bodie’s arm. They laid there for a moment, Frank staring at the bulkhead with a frown and Bodie quietly working on a snore.

“I don’t know about these Bounty Hunters Bodie.” Frank turned his head over and rested against Bodie’s side. “Clay’s nice though, he can stay. I’m worried about Anita. But cats have always made me nervous. Maybe it’s just me, I don’t know.”

It still hurt that Bodie couldn’t respond. He wanted so badly for Bodie to wake up, to whisper that he was a goober with a hoarse voice. But he didn’t, he just breathed slowly. In and out.

“I’m flying the ship. I hope you don’t mind.” Frank quietly laughed. “I’m way better at it than you are. We should make it a new thing. I’ll fly, you watch. It’ll be great.”

Frank shuddered, tears suddenly gathering in his eyes. He took as deep a breath as he could manage. “Please wake up soon, Big Brother.”

Bodie didn’t respond but Frank thought he felt a gentle, reflexive squeeze against his side from Bodie’s arm. Frank smiled. He listened to Bodie breathe for a minute. The cargo bay quietly rumbled around them. Anita and Tyler had gone to sleep in Frank’s quarters. Clay was diligently flying the ship. And Frank felt like he was safe. Even out cold, Bodie was watching over him. Frank watched over him back.

“I’m glad you’re still here.”

Bodie breathed in.

And breathed out.

Clay wouldn’t see Frank again for hours.