Lix was not an easy person to surprise, so when Jack eased the Gerthtrude out into the Great Black with nary a creak of the hull or pop of a rivet, she had to offer a curious tilt of her head. Wide vessels often creaked and groaned like the elderly making the arduous journey up from their favorite recliner, but she could hear no such strain in the Gerthtrude as her new mechanic twisted the big hauler on her axis and began a slow drift away from Koorka Station.

"She's built well." The Kux'lar rose with a stretch, her own bones popping nicely in contrast. On a whim, she set the Human's jacket aside to unzip her flight suit down to her waist, slipping her slender arms from the sleeves to tie them in front of her. Half-naked, she slung the sleeveless jacket over her shoulders and twirled, watching as the baggy cloth settled comfortably over her scales. It was official, this was her jacket now. The red was just a slightly darker tone than her own hide, and strangely worked with the harsh orange of her flight suit.

"Every rivet is secured with liquid weld. It'll be a bitch to remove any outer paneling but if I ever have to do that, we've got bigger problems." Jack turned to give her a proud grin, his face falling as he noticed her twisting and turning, one leg extended, to get a good view of herself in his unzipped jacket. "Oi! At least put a shirt on underneath it!"

"It's not like I've got mammal bags to flash, chill." Her ivory fangs glistened in the low overhead running lights, her claws spreading the jacket flaps to reveal her bare chest and belly. The racer's scales were lighter on her front, an off pinkish cream that started under her chin, ran down her slender torso, spread to cover her belly, and continued down past where her flight suit had been tied off at her waist. Jack stared for a moment, blinking, before shooting her a thumbs up.

"Very nice."

"I know. I'm keeping this." The Kux'lar's claws lightly tapped on the deck as she squeezed herself between the cockpit wall and the pilot's seat, practically sitting on the armrest as Jack deftly maneuvered the heavy craft on a long approach vector towards the very same docking tube Lix had used to secret the No Safety Measures into the Stripped Bolt. Jack idly watched his new reptilian companion smile at the stars before pulling the collar of the pilfered jacket to her nose, inhaling deeply.

"Why ya keep doin' that? Sniffin' my jacket?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It smells like you. I'm Kux'lar, my nose is way better than that puny little thing squeezed into the middle of your face. I can tell a lot about your scent, and it's kinda in my people's nature to smell our friends. It's a culture thing, helps me get more familiar with you."

"Smell your friends, huh?" Jack's signature grin joined his raised eyebrow. "So, what does my dirty jacket's smell tell you about me?" Lix blinked before pulling the collar back to her nose, the scaly ridges above her eyes furrowing as she thought.

"Well… you eat a lot of synthmeat, and you sweat pretty constant. You drink a ton of water, and you have pretty healthy blood. You… don't drink a lot of alcohol but you do some aerosols…" A quick glance told her his smile wavered for just a moment before returning to strength. "Painkillers… I think? Not my business… if you want any more I'll need a better source than old sweat and skin oil." Slit eyes pierced him as he gently thumbed the starboard thrusters to maintain his delta-v, finally shrugging with a non-committal grunt. Smiling, Lix gently pressed her nose against his exposed neck, breathing in what she now knew to be 'Jack'. "Hmmmm… let's see…" Her rumblings passed through the taught muscles of his neck and down into his chest. "You use a really unique soap? It's covering something… ah, the oils in your cybernetics. And… something else… you're… nervous! I can feel your heartbeat in my nose and the really slight tinge of stress chemicals." Grinning a row of wet fangs, Lix pulled away.

"It ain't every day a lady with more teeth than I care to count slaps her schnoz on my carotid! Ya really got a detective's sniffer, don't ya?"

"It helps that you actually smell good. A healthy diet can make even sweat smell okay. But you… you've got a pretty nice natural scent."

"Are you flirting? After only a day of knowing me?" Jack's grin grew wider as his eyes narrowed with mirth. Lix returned the look with a flick of her tail, her own smile predatory and wide with teeth.

"Why? Is your poor lonely heart hoping I am?" Like a sinuous snake, her tail wrapped around the pilot's seat to rest on Jack's opposite shoulder. "Buuut nah, my flirting is a little more… heated."

"Hoh hoh! Guess I have something to look forward to!" A roll of reptilian eyes was his only response before Lix yawned, her fang filled maw splitting like a hydraulic scissor lift. "Later it seems, you want a nap in a real bed?" Curiosity bubbled in the raptor lady's eyes as Jack set the Gerthtrude on an autopilot routine, slow and lumbering to avoid the traffic that flit around her bulky fuselage. "Come on, I'll give you a quick tour first."

"I mean… I'll just sleep in the No Safety once we get her doc-" Lix flinched, nearly falling, as the pilot seat receded and swiveled to release the trapped Human. Squawking like a startled bird, the Kux'lar fell into the man's waiting arms where she proceeded to nip his neck, earning him the coveted title of 'Most Nips in a Single Day' award. He didn't react, already used to her rougher touches, pushing the lizard towards the lift.

"Shuddup! I'm a mechanic, if you forgot, and with my eye implants I can measure shit just by looking at it. You," Lix wilted under the man's stare as he pushed her into the cramped elevator, his steel finger pressing the button for the second deck. "Are nearly a foot longer than the cot in the No Safety Measures."

"You can tell all that from looking at me?"

"You can tell I eat a lot of synthmeat by snorfing up my sweat. We both have superpowers, it seems. The secrets between us are dwindling!" His cold hands fell upon her slender shoulders as the lift rumbled to a stop, Lix padding forward to explore a comfortably wide hallway. Several hatches lined the sides but the far end terminated in a lowered social pit filled with well-loved sectionals and a hexagonal table, the walls hidden behind cold storage for securing food and drink. One wall was dominated by a wide holo-screen for playing whatever a crew might want to watch, while the other held a small but well-equipped kitchen. The first door they passed simply said 'Storage', while the one opposite was labeled 'Security'. Lix's curious wanderings led her to the third room, however, the one with Jack's name stenciled above. Without permission, the Kux'lar swiped at the motion sensor set into the wall with a claw, watching as the hatch hissed into the ceiling on smooth bearings. "Welcome to my real abode! Man, I missed this room." Jack gently pushed her inside as her nose went into overdrive. By starship standards, the captain's quarters were massive, long enough to take her five steps from the entrance to the wall that boasted a built-in bed. Not a cot, a bed. One that held a mattress and a fluffy quilt and a pillow! Curiosity turned the reptile on her paws, her eyes roaming the bulkhead that displayed pictures of ships she assumed Jack had worked on since coming into ownership of the vessel before coming to a rest before a wide desk. Several dusty terminal screens lay dormant atop its smooth surface, her clawed hand running along what she believed to be faux wood. Eyes wide, she swiped over it again. "That's Orelea ironwood, the old owner had expensive tastes. If I'm doing any job where I need this baby, this is where the boring business stuff happens." Lix nodded before continuing on, swiping at the door panel to lower the door, closing her inside with the man. Jack raised an inquisitive eyebrow but decided that silence was the better tool for this situation. Lastly, a quaint closet held several of Jack's clothes, all of them smelling of dust mixed with traces of the Human's unique scent. Lix tilted her head as her eyes traveled upwards to a sealed case stored on the closet's overhead shelf.

"What's in that?"

"Nothing I care to share." Lix turned at the man's almost… melancholy tone. Gone was the near constant jovial light in his eyes, and his legs were tense. "Just some old junk that I haven't gotten around to spacing yet."

"I won't pry," Lix closed the closet with a solid thunk of the metal latch. "Even if I am curious." Huffing to dispel the uncharacteristic aura, Lix lumbered passed the man to flop onto his bed, wriggling and writhing until she had twisted the quilt about her like a nest. Now this smelt like Jack, and the Kux'lar made no effort to hide her nostril rattling inhalations as she buried her nose in its folds.

"Weird."

"Piss off, oh by the stars this is so soooooft." Lix melted into the mattress, her tail falling limp with a truly content sigh of pleasure.

"One thing… prolly shoulda mentioned it. That's the only bed on the Gerthtrude so if you want to use it, it'll have to be when I'm awake." Lix sniffed, almost telling the Human she didn't mind company. His warm-blooded body had felt amazing when he'd almost froze her, yet his earlier words of having just met hovered in the back of her mind. For Kux'lar, huddling for warmth was just part of their social structure. But for a Human? That could be taken… wrong.

"Well… just be awake all the time then."

"Aye ma'am!" Jack saluted with a grin, his smile falling from 'shit-eating' to something more warm and sincere as the sound of her soft snoring began to drift from the tiny nest she'd made on his bed. Shuffling, the already asleep Kux'lar twisted and stretched, her long legs and tail making full use of the large mattress. Silently, the mechanic left, killing the lights and shutting his new friend inside.

Friend…

Acquaintances, comrades, partners, underhanded crime deals even… Jack was used to these. One had to be in order to find success on Koorka Station. Friends however… that was something he hadn't had in quite some time, years in fact. It was something he tried to avoid ruminating on as he took a quick jaunt down to the lower deck for a hefty crate of tools, his mind still churning as his boots led him back up to the cockpit. His favorite tool, the oxyacetylene torch, found its way into his hands as the deeply thinking man settled in behind the pilot's seat, his brows furrowed. Sparks flew as the hot flame began to eat away at the base of the seat, his optical implants scanning for internal wiring and leading him on a path that avoided damage, and dampening the sight damaging light.

Friend…

The thought spiked a sense of uncharacteristic longing in Jack's breast that he stamped down like the flaming trash that spewed from Koorka's overworked recycling system. His and Lix's situation was one where two straggling swimmers were using each other to stay afloat and maybe, maybe, swim to land. The Kux'lar was, apparently, a successful racer and she needed a mechanic. He had the wrench slinging skills to help her get to the big leagues and he'd use that fat race money to get out of his tiny shop and somewhere his meals weren't a daily goal but chump change consideration. At least… that's what he was telling himself.

Jack Morgan wasn't a fool though, regardless of what one asked around the station. The man knew when he was lying to himself. He liked having Lix around, the fact that he was cutting out the back panel of the Gerthtrude's pilot seat was a testament to that. Steam rose from his steel fingers as the Human set the removed panel aside, Jack looking back at the dark and silent lift as the mask of joviality fell from his face. The wrinkles vanished from his smile, the crow's feet eased at the edges of his eyes, the deep-set dimples slid from his constant smile, all fell away as he tossed the panel at the wall. Jack fell heavy to his rear, rubbing at his forehead.

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"The fuck are you doin' Jack…" It had been a day. It had been only a day and here he was cutting apart his most treasured belonging. "She needs a wrench and ya need her flyin'. Get smart, ya stupid shit." Steel fingers ran through his sweaty hair as his eyes were drawn to the still piping hot cutout in his pilot's seat. Protected wires were ready to be pushed aside and secured so he could weld in a strip of aluminum and line it with silky cloth, creating a comfy tail hole for his new Kux'lar frien- partner! "Stars damn it…" Jack hung his head, his fingers scratching at his neck as old scars itched and burned and crawled. "Ya know better, man."

Begrudgingly, his mechanical arms reached into his toolbox for a strip of metal, the cybernetic implants easily forcing it into shape before getting to work tacking it into place with the integrated TIG machine in his toolbox. The strip of cloth came next, glued and riveted in place before the metal had even cooled. Being able to turn one's hand one-hundred-and-eighty degrees was a boon in tight spaces after all. Shame welled in the mechanic's chest as the angel on his shoulder whipped him for using the obviously misfortunate Kux'lar just like every other filthy soul on Koorka Station would, while the devil on his other shoulder whispered that he was just doing what was necessary to survive out in the Great Black. For the third time that day, Jack reminded himself that Lix needed a wrench and he needed a windfall…

Friend…

"Bleedin' heart gonna bite ya again, Morgan…" Even still, his unfeeling metal fingers rose to the angry red mark on his neck where fangs had already bitten him not half an hour ago…

***

Lix woke with a lip-smacking disorientation peppered by a distinct lack of knowledge pertaining to what solar cycle she was currently in that only a real good dive into REM sleep could provide. Yawning, the Kux'lar slipped from Jack's bed, slithered across the deck, contemplated falling back asleep right then and there, sighed, and decided it was time to start the day. That is, if enough time had passed to call it a new day, anyway. No amount of blinking saved her from slithering softly into the wall, however, Lix groaning at the slight pain in her nose as she rose with a stretch. Or tried to, at the very least, for this unnatural splay of limbs was one of those body expanding reaches into the nothing that forced one to twist and contort against their will. Lix let her legs and arms and tail go as they please, grimacing at the pleasurable release of tension in her muscles as she groaned and whined, and finally, screeched like she was eating the souls of the damned.

It was a good stretch, one that ended in a little twirl that none but the dust in the corners were ever allowed to witness. The raptor smiled, smacking her lips a final time and straightening her new jacket with a victorious huff. A little long and baggy perhaps, but weren't all stol- conquered masculine articles the same? And they had pockets, which was one of the most important bits. Content with her morning rituals, or whatever time it was, Lix padded from Jack's quarters with a spring in her reptilian gait. Darkness shrouded the galley at the end of the hall, and hunger had yet to rear its head, so the racer went for the lift instead. Perhaps Jack was in the cockpit still? Surely not, it wouldn't take that long to get around to his shop's entrance. That being said, she was most curious to see how he docked the big troop transport. Another post nap yawn split her maw as she stepped onto the diminutive bridge, her fangs clacking as her head snapped about like a curious bird. Jack wasn't here either, his scent was too weak. The Kux'lar turned to leave before the cockpit vista stopped her still.

The far edge of Koorka Station's outer ring stretched beyond the Gerthtrude like a massive, gently turning snake of off gray alloy, docking tubes and hanger bays spotting the otherwise unadorned hull. It was majestic, in a way, how trails of ships flew to and from the different parts of the station like drifting little birds coming to nest or fleeing for adventure. Her head turned, the thin raptor lady having to lean over the pilot's seat to try and get a view of the inner ring. Unfortunately, the Gerthtrude was too far down the side of the station, so all she saw was a metal wall. Groaning in minor disappointment, Lix turned to leave, only to stop when she saw the new cushioned tail hole cut into the back of the seat.

"That… wasn't there before, am I going crazy?" Lix blinked, eyeing the new welds and spotless rivets holding the soft looking cloth in place. With a grin, the racer slipped into the pilot's seat, her tail threading through the hole as if it was custom made for a Kux'lar. The chair swiveled into place, turning and sliding forward to lock Lix in a half horseshoe of controls, one being a flight stick on her right, and a ball on a gimble to her left. The ball would give her full control of the many thrusters around the Gerthtrude's hull, and pushing or pulling it on the gimble would engage or kill the main drive, while raising or lowering it would activate belly or dorsal thrusters to guide her in the corresponding direction up or down.

The big girl was the exact opposite of the No Safety Measures, and needed a completely different kind of ace pilot to get the most out of her. The transport was a tank, all power and accurate maneuverability. A wave of… acceptance flooded the Kux'lar as she wiggled her tail in the seat's hole. The fabric was soft, and the hole just snug enough to keep it in place. Jack had changed his ship just for her… The thought made her smile and pull the collar of his jacket to her nose, smelling it gently as she rested in his chair.

Her reverie was shattered as a massive THUNG rang out across the Gerthtrude's interior, Lix jumping in her seat as about three years of her life vanished with a pathetic yelp. Her comms unit was already in her claws as her head swiveled about, the words 'Smelly Man' flashing across its screen before Jack answered the call.

"I thought that'd wake ya up!" He chuckled across the line. His voice was muffled, as if he was talking through cloth. Lix glared at the little device before forwarding the call to her ear-bug, a specialized reptilian version that was nestled inside her tympanum.

"The heck was that? How long was I out?"

"Only about five hours. I took the scenic route. I'm anchoring the big girl below my shop. That big bang was a magnet anchor. I've got two more to go." Lix tilted her head at that, her killing claws clacking against one another.

"Mag tethers? You're outside?" She turned, pressing her face against the cockpit window. Sure enough, several thick cables ran from heavy looking disks set into Koorka Station and ran back towards the Gerthtrude. The view wasn't enough to see the other ends, however, so Lix abandoned her vigil over the stars to move towards the lift.

"Yup. I don't have launchers for these things, so I gotta do a freakin' EVA to use 'em." Lix shivered as she fingered the switch for the bottom deck. EVA's, or extra-vehicular activity, terrified her. Once, she'd had to perform a spacewalk to remove debris from the No Safety Measure's anterior thrusters and her tether had gotten caught on an antenna. The sparse few moments where her motion had been suddenly jerked in a different direction other than toward her ship's airlock had nearly made her pee her flight suit. Another massive thud, followed several moments by a second, greeted her as she stepped into the wide belly bay of the transport, her eyes flickering to the airlock at the back of the troop area that had been turned into a fabrication bench.

A blaring klaxon rotated above, indicating it was currently undergoing a pressurization process. Jack was already shucking off his EVA suit before the airlock hatch had even opened. It was a bulky thing, covered in tubes and protective plates and pouches with an armored helmet covered in optical cameras that fed into an internal hud. The sleeves had been removed and replaced with thick cuffs that sealed around the mechanic's limb implants, ones that hissed as said seals broke. Jack huffed in relief as he pulled the helmet off, the gentle lights inside dying.

"Pahhhh, there. All secured to the station. Got about… eh… two days before I get a parking ticket."

"I see the airlock isn't attached to a dock…" Lix mumbled as she leaned around him while glancing at the suit. It looked… familiar but the Kux'lar couldn't quite put her claw on it. It wasn't a civilian model, that was for sure, but beyond that was a mystery. "Don't tell me you're going to make me space walk into your shop?"

"Ha! No, only got this one suit anyway. I'll pull the No Safety in here myself. Besides, I'm guessing there's a schedule to keep if we're going to make it to your next race right?" A vicious grin split the man's face, one Lix mirrored.

"Oh yes, the next one is in the Kuppa Belt. We'll have to make an FTL jump." Recognition lit in Jack's eyes.

"Ah, that's why you came to Koorka to hide instead of just running. Getting stuck in a que line for the twister would leave you open for your friends uhhhhh…" Jack went silent as he tried to remember the names of Lix's pursuers and 'coworkers'.

"Yeah, Ters and Mo'Ona. A couple of jackasses who keep new racers out of the later races and bribe anyone who can actually fly. Or kill them, if they don't play ball. They had me cornered in a station near the starting line of the last race and I played ball and… gnah! I hate them. They chased me here and… well I'm surprised they haven't found me with all the running around and killing goo people we've been doing."

"Oh, that's real juicy station talk. Dock twenty seven saw way more business the moment everyone found out Saf had his tragic accident!" Jack wrapped his arm around Lix's shoulders, bending down to press his face twisted by grief into her neck. "Oh, it's horrible, rumors say he was flattened! My poor heart froze when I got the news! We were such good friends!" Lix bit her tongue before she could chuckle as she tried, and failed, to push the man off.

"Geeeet off me."

"So many years of friendship… gone in a flash…" A fake tear found itself wiped away via a mechanical finger as Jack grieved for a moment longer. "Anyway, these two punks, Ters and Mo'Ona, might have already tried. When I got back in range of my shop's AI it gave me the peachy news that the security system ran off several punks."

"You… think it might be them?" Lix leaned away from Jack's hold before giving in. She'd blame it on still being cold if he asked, it wasn't like the man knew Kux'lar bodily functions right?

"Maybe, who knows. Those things target a couple of people every other week. The other half of my security system, the people of Koorka Station's outer ring who really want to keep a good mechanic on hand, are going to get back to me about who tried to break in and get crispy fried."

"Crispy fried?"

"I've a couple of automated fire suppression turrets I modified to blast the entry way with a nice little combo of gelled gasoline and fire if someone tries to break in." Jack beamed as he released the reptilian racer.

"You modified fire suppression turrets to spew fire?"

"Technically they still do the same thing. They suppress trespassers with fire."

"That's… kinda cool. Can you do that to my cabin on the No Safety?" Lix grinned, imagining a ne'er-do-well trying to peek on her sleeping only to flee in flames.

"One, why not just put it on the main entrance, and two, the only flamethrower that tiny hab is getting is an aerosol and a match." A chuckle escaped the man as Lix stuck out her tongue, crossing her arms. "Anyway, I just came in here to catch my breath." Jack rolled his shoulders as he began to zip up his suit and re-engage the seals, his grin vanishing back into his helmet shortly after. "Gotta get your girl in here and get a move on. Shop AI just finished refueling her about thirty minutes ago." Lix tilted her head, her killing claws tapping the deck.

"I didn't ask for that."

"And you won't pay either, so spicy today! Think of it as a down payment on our new partnership from my end." He waved, heading back towards the airlock.

"Jack!" Lix wrung her hands as she smiled, not used to genuine conversation. "The hole. In the pilot's seat?" She pointed at the roof with her tail. "It feels great. Thanks." Jack's helmet stared at her but… she felt he was smiling. "Could have been a few inches over though, you know my tail curves to the left naturally so if you could get on tha- gah!" Lix ducked as an empty nutrient bar wrapper, balled up for extra velocity, sailed at her head. This time, she did chuckle, padding up to the airlock viewport as the hatch sealed Jack inside the small pressure chamber beyond. "I'll clear out of the hanger, be careful with my baby!" Lix found herself watching until Jack had floated out of sight, a small canister of pressurized hydrogen gas propelling him along towards the same docking tube Lix herself had used yesterday. Soon, her precious ship would be hidden inside this big, bulky, wonderful transport, and she'd be on her way to the next race!

***

Jack was a man who had become accustomed to hiding his emotions. Customer service did that to you, at least when the customer's money went directly into your pocket and not some bottomless corporate account. His shop greeted him as it always did, with automatic lighting and hissing hydraulics as the launch tube sealed behind him. Melancholy was the pervading feeling of the day, one that sat heavy and fat in his mind. Slowly, he let his helmet twist and turn so he could take in his home for the last three years. The place had been earned, first in blood, then in sweat from endless hours of proving himself to the lawless people of Koorka Station that he did indeed know what he was doing with it. Years that he spent dreaming of a day that he could fix up the Gerthtrude and sail her out into the Great Black and onto new horizons. Yet… the moment he had… he'd put her up in drydock and returned to this demure little garage.

The front entrance was half the size of his room turned office stuffed into the back, so he spent most of his time in… in here. In the garage proper. Removing his helmet, he looked over to the defunct workboat, his account a little heavier with the payment of removing her faulty AI. His customers had paid him for a new module then ended up getting diced by the Hools, a gang of rowdy shipbreakers, down on deck nine. Thankfully, they'd paid him before they died, expecting him to use a cut of the profit to retrofit them a new AI. His shop would dissect the workboat for parts instead. Slowly, the Human drifted down to the decking as he ordered his AI to lock the front door and engage the long term security system, the lights flickering off one by one to be replaced by dim overheads so his internal cameras had something to see by.

"AI, prep for recording…" Jack said quietly as he fished an inhaler with a custom mouthpiece from the depths of his suit. It found its way to his mouth moments later, the narcotics inside chasing away the pain in his shoulders… the melancholy in his head… and reinforcing his confidence in this new venture. "People of Koorka station, I trust you all know the value of opportunity. Be it something we make or something that comes knocking on our door…" The man trailed off as he took another drag of painkillers, his eyes drifting to his distant workbench where he'd spent hours fabricating brackets and hoses and whatnot… "So it's with both a heavy and excited heart that I say I've found an opportunity. I'm not leaving the shop, at least not to vultures. I'll be back, eventually, for a bit. If I ever leave permanently then I'll figure something out. Until then, maybe take your shit to the Rusty Keel over on deck eight. This is Jack, signing off."

Three years…

Three long years of work and… survival…

Which meant nothing had changed from before Koorka. Jack raised one of his mechanical arms, the source of his nickname… the source of the lie he told everyone…

Jack…

He felt secure here in this tiny garage where he could slave away on shitty ships and repair people's attempts at fixing their own problems. More though… he wanted more. He wanted those old thrills, to stare down death and flip it off as he screamed and laughed in its face. He wanted to sail the black again, to see stars stretch in FTL and feel the roaring hum of an engine pushed to its limits… In order to do that, however, he'd have to leave behind his home a second time. The thought left a bitter taste on his tongue. Perhaps this was the galaxy's way of telling him he didn't belong in a single place for too long. Besides, it wasn't like his shop would be gone. They'd need to return between races for repair and tweaks… With a sigh, Jack righted himself in the zero gravity and began to disengage the docking clamps holding the No Safety Measures in place.

"Alright big girl, let's get you in your new home."

Home…