Cuddlefish - 11. 11

Louie hadn't taken well to space travel, at first. Zane had cleaned up several messes, which Louie looked extremely embarrassed about, before the canine had adjusted to zipping through the dark.

"One jump before, but that was insane. Driving like a bat outta hell," Pipolphi had told Zane, who was sitting on the floor with Louie overflowing his lap. "Three jumps safer."

Pip checked their trajectory and the jump plans. Everything was set on the computer. Pip pushed back from the console and stood.

"Need to get the thing," the Sepida said, patting Zane's head as he walked by.

Pip left the small bridge and strode back into the living space, trying to remember where they'd stored their Multispecies Prep Pack. Pipolphi and Tilbei had agreed to pay the extra to get it. The salesman had been very persuasive about being a good interspecies neighbor. You never knew when you might need to stop and help someone out, even if that someone wasn't your own kind. With Louie and Zane on board, Pip was doubly glad they'd gotten it. If he could find it.

It turned up, buried in the back of a closet. The pack was actually a suitcase, a big silver one that could have probably held Pip with room to spare for Louie. Tilly must have packed it because it was far too heavy for Pip to carry. The little alien groaned as he heaved on the handle, growling in frustration when it only scraped a few inches across the floor. Pipolphi glared at it, swearing in Sepida as he tried to at least get the damnable thing out of the closet.

"Need help with that?" Zane asked as he reached forward and lifted the suitcase out of the closet with ease. "Where do you need it?"

Pip sighed in utter exasperation; it was entirely not fair that Sepida were lithe and agile but could never be considered physically strong or intimidating. Although it certainly made Pipolphi appreciate all the power packed into Zane's big body. Pip shook away the desire to climb Zane like a tree, again, and pointed to a general use table.

"Thanks," Pip said as Zane set it down for him. Pip leaned up to give a thank you kiss, luckily Zane leaned down to take it on his cheek. The Sepida couldn't reach higher than Zane's shoulder, even on tiptoe.

Zane watched curiously as his little alien popped the ridiculously large suitcase open. Zane helped to lay it flat and open on the table. It seemed to contain boxes. Lots of white boxes of all different sizes. Pipolphi pulled out what looked like a handkerchief that had been laid on one of the boxes, but it seemed to have strange writing on it as though it were paper. Weird. Pip laid the cloth next to the suitcase and scanned it quickly, flipping it to the other side where it seemed to be laid out like a list. Pipolphi dragged his finger down the cloth until he gave a little chirp of triumph and dug into the suitcase, retrieving a box the size of a loaf of bread and setting it aside. The Sepida carefully put the other boxes back in their places and let Zane help him close the suitcase again.

"Louie an' Zay no sick as a dog," Pip said happily, patting the box lovingly before tearing it open.

Several things came out of the box. Zane cocked his head to the side, not realizing it made him look like an inquisitive Louie. He had absolutely no clue what any of the items were or what they could possibly be for. Another cloth square came out of the box, and Pip read it carefully, bands of lilac and yellow moving down his body as he concentrated. He laid out what he needed in order and turned to Zane.

"Zay first or Louie first?" Pip asked. The Sepida patted Zane's hand. "Don't be scared. Pip take care of Zay and Louie."

"Well, if it's something we both have to do," Zane mused aloud, still not quite sure what they were doing. "Then I can go first."

"Louie watch and know don't be scare," Pip said, nodding his approval. "Louie!" the Sepida called. "Come over! Zay get medicine then it's your turn!"

The English Setter rushed over and padded around in a circle around Pip before sitting down, his tail wagging, as he expected to be petted. Zane reached over to provide such petting.

"Good! The gang's all here," Pip chirped, rubbing behind Louie's ear and giggling when the canine stole a quick lick on the alien's wrist. The Sepida went back to the table and picked up the directions and the collection device. Pip read out loud, falling into Sepida, {"Prepare for sample collection. Circulatory samples obtain the most accurate results. Enter sample type. Gruk, hekkens, sweat, lymph, blood… Yes, blood."} Pip looked at Zane apologetically. He'd feel terrible having to prick Zane and Louie, but he'd feel worse if they got sick because their vaccinations weren't as good as they could have been. {"Choose hide thickness. Ahmmm, medium? Press non-vital extremity, if available, against slot X."}

Pip nibbled his lower lip and looked at Zane who was waiting patiently, seemingly fascinated by what had to be unintelligible babble to the human.

"Ahh, Zay?" Pipolphi said gently. "Need to steal a little ouchie. Better on Zay's finger or toesies?"

"Oh, uh, the finger's fine," Zane said as he held out his hand palm-side up for the Sepida.

Pip took Zane's thumb. Bigger was better, right? The Sepida gave the digit a quick kiss before pressing it to slot X and hitting the little screen with his own finger. There was a quick snick, Zane didn't even jump as a lancet poked him and withdrew. It was just like having his blood sugar checked. Then the odd device latched around the small wound and applied a vacuum. That was less like having his blood sugar checked. The contraption gave a cheerful ding and released his thumb. When Zane looked at it, there seemed to be something clear and shiny covering the place he'd been pricked. Wow.

{"Analyzing…"} Pip sighed, unconsciously cuddling up to Zane who put an arm around the Sepida. {"Hah, there we go. Do you know the species? Yes. Choose species from list of possibilities in dropdown menu… Human. Oh good, they have him. I was a little worried."} Pip grumbled through another analysis, Zane smiling softly and petting Pipolphi soothingly. {"Analysis complete. Necessary vaccination components as follows…"}

Pip scanned through the list and set to work putting the inoculation together. It was precise work, though the directions were quite easy to follow. Pipolphi was glad he had a halfway decent science background that allowed him to confidently load the components into another device that sat short and squat on the table, humming every time Pip snapped a new loading tube into the side. In minutes, it was complete. Pip slipped a small, empty, clean tube into the top. It filled with clear liquid. Pip pulled it free, careful not to disturb the seal. The tube went into what looked disturbingly to Zane like a little gun.

"S'ok, Zay. Look big here," Pip tapped the end of the tube that he'd inserted into the gun. "Mostly water. Water go 'way and just important stuff left in little ouchie. Just make a little circle of poke-pokes and all done." Pipolphi patted Zane's hand. "Promise."

"I'll just think of it like getting a flu shot, then," the taller man decided, in awe at how much work went into what the Sepida was doing. Shots back on earth didn't seem quite as complicated as the one that Pip needed to give him. "Go ahead Pip; I'm ready."

"Ahhmmm, need biggest squishy place on Zay," Pip said, not sure how to explain that he needed an area that was well padded with, if not fat, then at least muscle. The Sepida just wasn't entirely sure if where that would be on himself, or if his rump would be the same place on a human.

The human immediately rolled up his sleeve. "I usually get my flu shots here on my arm," he pointed out.

"Good," Pip said, rubbing around on the spot to try to locate the best target. The Sepida was glad he wouldn't have to shoot Zane's bottom. Pip was quite fond of that part of his human.

Pipolphi pressed the tip of the gun snug to Zane's arm and pulled the trigger. Zane noticed a feeling of cold, immediately replaced by a stinging burn. It only lasted a few seconds, and it was over. The gun dinged, and Pip put it on the table. The Sepida threw himself into Zane's arms.

"Zay, ok? Forgive me for ouchie?"

The gymnast was always too happy for his own good whenever the Sepida fell into his arms. For a moment, he simply held the smaller man close. "I'm just fine," he insisted. "Barely even hurt."

"Brave, Zay," Pip said proudly, kissing the human's collarbone since Pip didn't feel like crawling up to reach Zane's cheek. Pipolphi sighed, pulling away. "Louie turn, now." The Sepida crouched in front of the canine and hugged the big beast. "Sorry, Louie."

Zane knelt down to take hold of Louie's collar, helping to keep him in place. "This is only gonna hurt for a little, ok, buddy?" he urged gently as he did his best to distract him.

Pip cooed and encouraged as he took a bit of blood from the callused pad of Louie's paw. The canine twitched but didn't try to pull away. Pipolphi apologized profusely in Sepida and Louie licked Pip's face. The Sepida had to figure out what the English Setter might be called besides 'dog,' which involved a few minutes of confusion and hand gestures before Pip found 'canine' on the list of possible species. Making up the vaccine was faster than before, since Pip knew where all the components were and was comfortable with the system. Zane watched in fascination as his alien zipped through the process, Pip's hair tentacles snatching components that were out of reach. Before long, the Sepida was snapping the finished inoculation into the gun.

Pip looked ready to cry at the thought of hurting Louie with the shot. The Sepida's solid turquoise eyes blinked rapidly as he squared his slender shoulders.

"Where Louie squishy for ouchie?" Pipolphi asked.

"His hind legs, that's where he was vaccinated last time," Zane explained as he continued to pet Louie's head and held his collar steadily.

Pip blew out a breath and gently probed Louie's hip, looking for the spot with the most muscle. The Sepida parted a fluffy section of fur and pressed the vaccination gun to the canine's skin. The English Setter wagged his tail, delighted with the attention he was receiving.

"Sorry, Louie-baby," Pipolphi said apologetically and pulled the trigger with a click and a hiss.

Louie didn't flinch or move. He didn't even seem to notice. His tail kept wagging, and he turned his head to look at Pip, tongue lolling.

"Sorry-Sorry!" Pip chirped, dropping the gun and hugging Louie's backend. "Was bad? Louie angry? Can bite me. Tear me a new one. Let me have it. Let 'er rip, Louie." The Sepida clenched his eyes tight and stuck his arm in front of Louie's face while still clinging to the dog's tail-wagging bottom.

The canine merely licked the offered arm enthusiastically.

Both Salty Pup and his Leader were were doting on him. Louie was happy.

"No bite?" Pip said, a tremble in his voice. The little alien hugged the canine. "Louie is a good friend."

Zane couldn't help but smile at the sight. "I'm sure he thinks the same way about you, too," he commented. His gaze then once again fell on the complicated medical equipment that the Sepida had been using. The gymnast had a hard time just reading the instructions on a bag of cookie mix. He wondered if all Sepida were taught how to use such equipment of it was just Pip's unique ingenuity. The human would bet on the latter rather than the former. "So, does this mean that the two of us won't get sick now?" he asked when a familiar voice drew their attention.

{"Approaching Therubi Port,"} the computer chimed. {"Docking Segments A-C are full. Clearance given for Docking Segment D."}

"We're here," Pip said, standing with a last stroke to Louie's velvety ears. Pipolphi took Zane's hand and led him to the bridge, Louie at their heels. "Can still get a little sick. No big sick now," the Sepida explained quickly.

Pip slid into his seat and tapped in his acceptance of the rules and regulations of the space port. He didn't bother to read it, just flicked to the bottom and accepted. Pip knew the rules. Well, mostly. He'd skimmed the rules the last time he'd been there. But if the port let the Hunnars run around snatching people it didn't seem likely things were strictly enforced. Pip shook his head. They'd get Tilly back, safe. Zane and Louie would help. Louie had big teeth, and Zane was big all over. Maybe Pipolphi was soft and squishy, an easy target, but he wasn't alone. There was a pang in the Sepida's heart as he thought of Tilbei again. Tilly had been his protector more times than he could count. It was in the nature of all Nubra and woven into the symbiotic culture of the Sepida and Nubra. A balance of give and take that had evolved over millennia.

Pip set the ship to automatically dock and turned to Zane and Louie. "Space, the final frontier." The Sepida pointed at the viewscreen showing Therubi Port as they approached. "Sort of Deep Space Nine. Hmmm, maybe more Babylon 5. More bad guys." Pipolphi shivered. "Tilly…"

"We'll find her," Zane assured Pip as he placed a hand on the Sepida's shoulder. "Even if we have to fight the 'bad guys.'"

Louie added his silent support by gently butting his head against the Sepida's thigh, or he just wanted pets. Pip drew comfort and strength from his friends' touches. He laid his hand over Zane's and stroked the top of Louie's big head.

"Thank you," Pip whispered. "Never have I known such a stalwart friend as thee. You've got a friend in me."

The ship gave a slight jerk, then shuddered before stilling again. Pip stood, keeping a hand on Louie's head and taking Zane's hand with the other.

"We're here," Pip said, not relinquishing contact with the others on the way to the exit. The little Sepida took a deep breath and blew it out, his hair shifting anxiously as his body flickered from pink to gray and back again. Pipolphi lifted his hand from Louie's head just long enough to activate the door. There was a hiss as pressure equalized and the door opened, revealing the tube-like corridor that was the airlock. It wasn't fancy, serviceable and worn, but clean. The door to the ship shut behind them, and they walked the short distance to the interior hatch.

"Lotsa aliens here. Big, small, nice, mean. I try to warn you about bad guys I see, okie-dokie? Most are just," Pip paused, trying to find the words, "funny-looking people."

"Got it," Zane responded. He glanced down at Louie to give him instruction. "Stay close, buddy."

As the three of them made their way to the check-in, Zane was having a hard time not gaping at all the different species they passed. They ranged from human-like to shapeless forms. He was so distracted that he nearly bumped into what looked to be humans with animal ears, a rabbit and mouse. The pair were striking. The rabbit was albino with snowy white lop ears that fell to his chest. His petal pink eyes sparkled as he leaned down to talk to his companion, a cutely freckled mouse with strawberry blond hair and a cute little button nose.

{"Yay!"} the rabbit said happily as they passed. {"We found the Radirberries for Nixie's recipe!"}

{"Now we can head back and feed the kids,"} the other one replied, his smile as wide as the rabbit's.

Zane didn't have the slightest idea what they were saying. The port reminded him of the Olympics; people from all kinds of places and dialects gathering in one area. The only difference was that he had been able to understand a phrase or two when he was competing. At the moment, he couldn't even understand a single word in the crowd.

The tall human kept to Pip's side with Louie next to them at heel. The crowd broke, and they found themselves in a patch of empty space that allowed Zane to see that they were heading toward a wall with several doors. Each had an alien next to it. They walked to a door that had no one in line to exit. It was watched over by an alien that appeared to be a head shorter than Zane but built wide and muscular. He was covered in shining black and green scales.

The alien was definitely a he, since he wore nothing but a vest that the other aliens at the doors were also wearing. Zane forced his eyes back to the being's face which was more lizard than humanoid, which made it difficult to tell if the alien was smiling or snarling. Pip continued walking confidently, and Zane followed, though it wouldn't have been the door the human would have chosen. Maybe the one with the vested alien that looked like an Ewok.

("GREETINGS AND WELCOME TO THERUBI PORT!") the scaled alien bellowed when they stepped up to the door. ("MAPS CAN BE FOUND AT ANY OF THE HELP DESKS THROUGHOUT THE STATION WHERE STAFF WILL ALSO BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS! ENJOY YOUR STAY AT THERUBI PORT!")

Startled at the loudness of the alien, Zane instinctively lowered his arm to shield the Sepida, should the reptilian man attack them. "Whoa, he's shouting. Is he angry?" He asked in wary concern. Slate grey eyes peered down to assess Louie, but the English Setter just laid down next to them in a relaxed manner.

In those few moments of speech, a complex dance of biology and technology was happening. Pipolphi, like most people who interacted with others from different planets, had a tiny language chip in the superior frontal lobe of his brain. It was a spot relatively equivalent to Broca's area in the left frontal lobe of Zane's. The station employee had a chip as well. The lizard-like alien had an impressive data set of languages and dialects stored, a perk of working at a station that had a decent union. Any language in his chip would be translated and adjusted into his own language with only a fraction of a fraction of a second delay. How the chip could work that quickly without needing time to process a complete sentence or context was an avidly guarded secret that, so far, hadn't been cracked by reverse engineering or industrial espionage.

All employees of the station had to be fluent in one of the common languages included in all language chips to ensure all visitors could be understood and translated by those visitors' chips. The lizard man spoke Ssahli with only a slight accent, which he was proud of, and hadn't needed to take any extra speech classes to get his job.

Luckily, English as well as all other common Earth languages had been in the last data upgrade for employees. Allowing Zane's words to be almost instantaneously translated to the alien's mother tongue, overriding what the lizard man actually heard and seamlessly replacing it with the alien's native language.

("SIR, I AM NOT ENRAGED, I ASSURE YOU,") the greeter said in Ssahli, flashing a friendly, sharp-toothed smile. ("AND I'M NOT SHOUTING!") he yelled, causing Zane to tug Pip closer and take a step back.

Pip patted his human's hand, the Sepida's own language chip easily making the greeter understood. Pipolphi had been more than startled the first time he'd been near a Khassith. The species were well known to be friendly and easy-going, if incredibly loud.

"No problem, Zay. Person nice but loud," Pip explained. "Deaf as a post," the Sepida added, pointing to his own finned ear. "Just doing my job, ma'am," Pip said, not quite getting the words right for what he was trying to convey but hoping Zane would understand. The Sepida had a moment to wonder how Khassith understood other people when they spoke if the reptilian species couldn't hear well.

Louie continued to sit calmly and wondered if any of the funny people might give him treats. He didn't smell any milkbones, but there were a vast number of new smells in the place that could hide the scent. Louie did his best to look like a good doggy, just in case.

"Nice, but loud?" Zane mused. "Then, I apologize," he added as he turned towards the scaled man. Whether the alien was truly deaf or not, he made a note to ask Pip later. The last thing he wanted was to offend anyone.

The Khassith's smile broadened, and Pip attempted to translate that the greeter wasn't bothered by Zane's reaction.

{"Sir, do you know if there are any Hunnar ships docked right now and where we could find them?"} Pipolphi asked politely. He shifted from foot to foot, unable to contain his nerves that were painted on his skin in shades of pink and gray.

The greeter's green-gold eyes narrowed. He leaned forward and seemed to be sniffing Pip. The Sepida noticed slits on either side of the Khassith's flat nose widening, the insides black and glistening. The Khassith blinked twice and straightened.

("I CAN GIVE YOU THAT INFORMATION, BUT I WORRY FOR YOUR SAFETY,") The Khassith shouted, fighting the protective urge to gather up the small Sepida, take him to the greeter's nest, and sit on the little one for his own well-being. The Khassith refrained. He'd gotten in trouble twice for such behavior, and he didn't want to get written up again.

{"Please,"} Pip said earnestly, {"It's very important."}

The Kassith frowned but sighed in defeat. He pulled a handheld device from his vest and tapped on it. A card the size of Pipolphi's palm popped out of the top. The greeter handed it to Pip, who was surprised to see it was printed in Sepida.

("MY NAME IS SS'RAH. MY CONTACT NUMBER IS ON THE BACK. PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME FOR ANY REASON. I'VE NO DESIRE TO FIND YOUR LITTLE SELF INJURED OR DEAD WHEN I AM ASSIGNED TO PATROL.") Ss'rah couldn't keep himself from gently patting Pip on the top of his head as though he were a hatchling. ("THE INFORMATION YOU SEEK IS PRINTED ON THE FRONT. PLEASE TAKE EVERY CARE WITH YOUR WELL-BEING.")

Pipolphi was touched by the Khassith's concern. He reached out and patted Ss'rah's hand, the scales cool and smooth under his fingers. {"Thank you."}

When Zane finally got used to the volume, he realized that the lizard man really did seem to be nice. He even patted Pip's head in a gentle manner, and Louie gave no indication of hostility towards him, so the scaled man was officially a good guy in his eyes. "So, where are we going now?" He asked Pip.

"Find bad guys," Pip said, waving the small card as he led Zane and Louie through the doors, leaving Ss'rah behind. "Get Tilly. Save the day."

The gymnast had nearly forgotten that Pipolphi was naked. On Earth, the Sepida had only worn clothing when Zane had taken him around humans. As soon as they'd returned to Zane's little island, Pip had stripped off as quick as he could. The tall man thought that it had something to do with the Sepida's mercurial coloring combined with how Pip seemed much more comfortable out of clothing rather than in it. The human's petite lover certainly seemed to have no qualms about walking confidently without a stitch on among the multitude of species that surrounded them. Pip didn't even have shoes or a bag to carry the paper the lizard alien had given him.

As he looked around, Zane noted that Pip was not the only species that seemed to prefer to walk around in the buff. He made a mental note to ask the Sepida more about it later, as it didn't seem to be the time to discuss such things. Not to mention that there was a certain noise level surrounding them with the crowd milling about. As the three of them continued to walk, the human couldn't have been more grateful at how obedient Louie was. Though he was clearly glancing about left and right, he didn't seem to give into the urge to sniff at anyone. They had a close call when a massive man with husky ears and a tail walked past them, but Zane had been able to draw Louie's focus back.

They had been walking for a few minutes when Pipolphi sucked in a breath and grabbed Zane's arm, pulling him between two food stalls against one wall.

"Zay," Pip said, voice strained as he pointed. "Hunnars."

It only took a moment for the human to find the group of five Pipolphi had indicated. Zane's first impression was of large, walking rats. Scruffy, ill-tempered rats. They were smaller than Zane had expected, certainly taller than Pip's five feet but nowhere near the gymnast's six foot four. They were covered in scruffy fur in shades of brown. The Hunnars snarled at any person smaller or weaker that got in their way while deftly avoiding any that looked as though they might be more than a match for the rat-like aliens. Thick, stiff whiskers seemed to be constantly moving as lips curled away from crooked, pointed teeth set in a pointed muzzle. Shiny, black eyes darted constantly looking for threats, advantages, or easy prey.

Each Hunnar had a belt, bandolier, or both worn with black leather pants. Weapons weren't allowed on Therubi Station, but it was clear what the empty slots and holsters in the leather were meant to hold. As Zane watched, one of the group side-stepped to avoid an alien that looked like a cross between a polar bear and a porcupine. That Hunnar bumped into another, and suddenly there was a snarling, snapping fight in the middle of the crowd. People stepped back quickly, but it was over in moments. It had been quick and brutal. The winner continued walking with the others, his position closer to the front of the pack while the loser limped painfully at the back, trying to keep up while keeping pressure on a bleeding arm wound and pretending he felt no pain.

Pip let out a ragged breath as the Hunnars disappeared in the crowd.

Zane looked down before they left their hiding spot and found Louie wasn't at his side. He was worried until he saw the big English Setter sitting in front of one of the aliens that appeared to be running the vendor stall on one side of them. The alien was striking with thick auburn hair tucked behind elfin ears and creamy, pale yellow skin with brown stripes. The vendor was as nude as Pip, large breasts noticeable as the alien crouched in front of Louie, seeming to be deep in conversation with the dog. Louie even seemed to respond back. The other alien running the stand appeared to be the same species if the hair and skin coloring was any indication.

Where the alien chatting with Louie was petite, the other could only be described as burly. Auburn hair was pulled back in a tight braid that trailed over a shoulder that bulged with muscle and ended just over flat pectorals. The big alien watched the smaller one with indulgent golden eyes. The customer being served left and the larger alien turned to the other and revealed it was as naked as half of the people that were around.

Zane couldn't help but notice that where the human would expect a penis, said penis was noticeably lacking. The alien in front of Louie stood with a smile, and the human found a penis where he hadn't expected one, namely on what the gymnast had assumed was a plump-breasted woman. A quick glance (that Zane tried to stop but couldn't) showed what seemed to definitely be lady-parts below the waist of the big alien.

Louie's tail thumped the floor as Zane and Pip took the few steps it took to reach the canine. The smaller, tiger-striped alien smiled at them, flashing long canines and sparkling whiskey-brown eyes.

("Hello,") the alien greeted in a smooth lyrical voice that Pip's language chip had no difficulty translating. ("Sorry if I stole your companion. My roommate in college was a Kaynen studying her home planet's early languages. I used to help her study all the time. It was fun to find out I remember more of it than I'd thought. Your friend is very kind to let me use my questionable verbal skills from years ago.")

("As if my boy ever lets anything get lost in that clever head of his,") The large alien huffed in a deep, growling voice, tugging the smaller male close and touching their noses together. The male flushed, pleased.

{"We have to go, but if we're able and Louie would like it we will try to stop back so you can visit with him before we leave the station,"} Pip said. {"I'm afraid we have important business that we have to get to right now, though. I'm very sorry to cut your talk short."} The Sepida looked down at the English Setter. {"Sorry, Louie-baby. Can we go find Tilly?"}

Louie gave a definitive bark, and the three of them carefully followed the Hunnar group that they had seen.

Though he was quite lost and confused with everything that was going on and with all the different conversations Pip had with other aliens, he knew that they had a mission to fulfill. When they reached the dock that housed the ship, Zane took Pip's hand in his and gave it a firm squeeze. "Ready?"

Pip nodded. "Tilly is in there. My turn to protect and serve."