Cedric awoke next to the soft feeling of fur, he fingered it delicately like one would test the temperature and quality of a fine glass of wine.

"Ah, right..." he remembered through a throbbing skull.

It pounded and resounded about his head, like concrete trapped within a drink mixer. Pound, pound, pound. The pain was immense, debilitating even, as he attempted to coax the crusts from his eyes. Cedric rose slowly, feeling as though he had been entombed in a coffin of inactivity for many moons. His muscles ached, and the damned pounding would not lift its assault for even a moment.

"Ugh, Grey..." Cedric whispered, licking his dry and cracked lips. He swore he could taste just the slightest tinge of blood. He silently cursed himself for drinking an inadequate amount of water during the celebration. Cedric laid a hand on her furry shoulder, shaking about. He stared aimlessly as the soft fur danced to and fro, almost entrancingly. She was so soft...

"Hm? Ugh, give me a few more minutes. Just a few." Grey groaned, clearly feeling the same as Cedric but in a much more mild manner. She sighed deeply, letting the air wisp from her lungs as though it was attempting to weakly grasp some invisible surface.

A loud pounding resounded throughout the small room, causing Cedric to recoil and hold his head in pain, like the bell of a church signifying a Sunday mass - except he was right next to it.

"Fuck!" Cedric called out, slumping back into his bed next to his furry companion, grasping the sides of his head in pain.

"Stop knocking on the fucking door!" He yelled, wanting nothing more than to be free of the atrociously loud sound.

"Waaaaake up fuck-bunnies!" The cheery ring of Kipper's voice was clearly audible on the other side of the door. Cedric held his head tight, and gazed about. He quite liked his room. It was quite small, with just enough space to hold his bed wide enough to fit himself and an average-sized Korellei comfortably. He gazed to his right side, observing the small clock that rested nobly on the faux wood desk.

"Hm, twelve-hundred." Cedric mouthed, mostly talking to himself.

Cedric thumbed the rough wool-like blanket that secured his body heat within the bed when he rested. It was somewhat scratchy, but at least he could not feel it thanks to its guardian - the top-sheet that lay beneath.

"Ugh, Kipper..." Cedric breathed, already retroactively annoyed by her notoriously promiscuous behavior.

More bangs rung about the room, angering Cedric.

"Hurry and get up, you both are gonna miss lunch!" Kipper's voice echoed within the small room once more, fueling Cedric's annoyance.

"We'll be there in thirty, just stop banging my fucking door Kipper!"

"Alright, fine fine - whatever! Grumpy..."

Relief washed over Cedric's demeanor as the diminutive otter had finally appeared to have vacated the premises of his door. He grumbled as he rose once more, his joints aching with an almost searing pain. He sat on the side of the bed now, the world spinning about him as though he had just rode the cyclotron at a town fair.

"Oh.. Whoa! Whoa..." He said aloud as he waited for the spinning room to cease. Bile bubbled from his throat, grossly hot and acidy in his mouth. It burned even further through his arid teeth - devoid of liquid - Like a desert that's been languishing in intense sunlight for many a week. He smacked the roof of his mouth a couple times, attempting to coax saliva to give him some semblance of wetness. Unsurprisingly, it was not a fruitful endeavor.

"Fuuuuck me..." Cedric whispered, again cursing his predicament. He felt a smooth paw caress his back, its fur slowly running about the smooth skin - giving him a strange sense of furry comfort. He felt a kiss on his cheek, the wet nose of Grey making the smallest amount of contact with his naked body.

"First time?" She whispered in his ear, all to well-aware of the side effect of a terrible hangover from lack of hydration during intense or long-term drinking.

"Yeah, I guess so." Cedric whispered, still slightly holding his soft palms to either side of his head in a vain hope to contain the pain.

"Ya get used to it." Grey rose and stretched meticulously, putting her body on full display to Cedric as though he were observing a well-crafted female sculpture in an art gallery.

"Maybe you have, but I don't think I could ever get used to it. God, that fucking hurts..."

Grey clapped her paw on his shoulder, offering some reinforcement to help contain his plight.

"Drink more water next time, it'll feel less shitty the more you drink during and after."

Cedric rubbed his tired eyes once more, slowing rising from the comfortable bed that had been his sanctuary during the previous night. Grey rose as well, following him and giving him a playful grasp on his bare penis. Cedric shook his head - man, he really wouldn't mind going for another round. Cedric quickly fixed the bed, ensuring that the bedding was ready for the next night. He felt a strange stiffness in the material, and sighed.

"Damn it, right..."

Cedric flung the bedding from its position, wrapping it tightly like a ball of yarn as he stripped it. He placed the soft sphere back on his now bare bed, allowing Grey time to scooch over closer to his desk so he could open the closet. He donned one of the jumpsuits to protect his nakedness from prying eyes, and handed the other to Grey. It was large on her, as though a toddler was wearing a onesie designed for an older child. She didn't seem to mind.

"Suppose I'll put this in the vaporizer while we shower. Should be done before lunch ends." Cedric said idly, also hoping that saying the phrase aloud would ensure he would not forget where he placed the bedding.

"Second-guessing not cleaning up after our little rendevous yesterday?" Grey playfully chided.

"Hardly. I was so tired and exhausted. Even now, my head feels like it's gonna explode." He clutched his head in response to another pang of pain, as though to emphasize his point.

Grey shrugged, seemingly not minding his motives either way.

"Best we get started I suppose."

Cedric nodded. It did not take them long to gather their belongings now soiled from the night before. He stepped out first, before guiding Grey out with a few hand motions.

"Oh, such a gentleman now are we?" Grey teased.

"Oh fuck off." Cedric replied. He was simply being nice, and for some reason being called a gentleman irritated him.

The walk to the vaporizers and then the showers was a brisk one. The corridors of the Ravager didn't really lean much into decoration, with ease of access and modularity being the primary goal of its construction. Cedric's jackboots squeaked slightly as he tread on top of the grated floor, returning to his cabin with his ball of bedding now freshly clean and renewed. He missed the sensation of heat and extra softness garnered by traditional washer and dryers, but at least the vaporizers were incredibly efficient at removing soil from tainted cloth.

Cedric took extra time and care to ensure that the sheets and blanket were properly secured on his bed before taking a glance at his familiar clock - twelve fourteen, still enough time to eat. Grey had separated from him after their shower, emphasizing she wanted to make sure nobody messed with the things on her cot in the crew quarters that she found home. She informed him that she would save him a spot in the cafeteria, and have his food ready if he was later than twelve thirty. Ideally, he'd have a surprise waiting for him when he made his way there.

Satisfied with his handy work, Cedric put on his familiar attire, slightly sniffing the leather material of his trench coat. It smelled clean and ready to take on a new day. Cedric carefully closed his door behind him as he stepped out, observing the familiar hubbub of the Ravager's corridors. It was much more frantic today that it had been since he arrived, no doubt in preparation for hitting this major convoy - which was revealed the previous night. Cedric had no details, but he could guess based on the energy of the Ravager that it was huge.

It didn't take long for him to arrive at the cafeteria, and to find Grey who had saved him a spot at one of the many tables. A fresh plate of lunch lay steaming opposite of her, as well as her jacket in the chair facing it. He walked up with a smile, still remembering his previous experiences with Grey. It had been barely two days, and his world already felt radically different even more now than it seemed when he awoke two and half or so years ago. He sat down and scooted to get comfortable in the plain but cushioned cafeteria seats. He took care to remove Grey's jacket and hand it back to her before sitting all the way down. He scooted up gingerly, the chair awkwardly screeching as he shoved it forward.

"Appreciate it, Grey." He thanked.

"No problem. Hey uh, there's something I want to ask you." She asked, apprehension evident on her muzzle.

"Yeah? What's up?" Cedric dug lightly into the lunch - it consisted of a tossed salad and a sandwich with synthmeat taking the place of deli that he was used to.

"This uhm, this thing. Well... Normally, when two Korellei get intimate and want to go farther - they call each other 'Mate'. Mates, simply."

He nodded, not quite sure exactly where she was taking the conversation - though an inkling of what she was implying did cross his pounding head - much less intense now that he had garnered time to walk around and fetch some water from one of the fountains that lined the Ravager's corridors.

"As you know, I haven't been with a male in a long time - and I can see myself being with you, for longer than just a few days, you know?"

"Ah, I see..." Cedric replied with unease.

"Grey, I do like you - but I think you're wanting to take this too far too fast. Don't get me wrong, I've really REALLY enjoyed the past couple of days, especially last night. Then again, that's the issue - it's only been a short amount of time."

"In the future then - a possibility maybe?"

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Cedric nodded, "You know, if we jive together that well even a few months from now - then yeah, sure. Why not."

Cedric partially answered with a half-truth. If they indeed got along well, he'd consider such a bold phrase to be used between them regularly. Whether that would only take a few months from now though, perhaps not. He shifted uneasy in the chair as it squeaked against his weight in protest like a mouse trapped within a box. He noticed her tail wagged slightly at his response, it's bushy softness occasionally fluffing about his legs that rested underneath the table sturdily.

Obnoxious grating came from Cedric's right side, causing him to slightly jump in his chair and quickly look in its direction. It was Kipper scooting up a chair, he could recognize that slick brown fur pattern anywhere. She wore half of an orange jumpsuit, with her somewhat webbed feet exposed to the ground. A dusty white a-shirt covered her topside - the top half of the jumpsuit was tied about her slim waist - like one would secure a sweater or hoodie no longer in use.

"Looks like you two had a fun night, huh?" She teased, her voice already retroactively angering Cedric.

"You could say that." He replied flatly, more out of annoyance than anything else.

"Hey Scourge, you wanna hook up later? If you caught Grey's attention, then I want a piece too."

Before he could reply, Grey spoke up - her voice growling with an edge, "Back the fuck off sister, he's mine."

Grey bared her fangs with her ears flat - her tail was no longer wagging.

"Not even a little?" Kipper pressed.

Grey jolted from her seat, getting dangerously close to Kipper's face. "Back. The fuck. Off. He's mine." Grey voiced the threat with a snarl, more growls erupting from deep within her throat. Cedric could sense the predator energy between the two as Kipper instinctually bared her own diminutive fangs, "Who said he was yours?" She growled, which sounded a bit more like a lightly chittering series of vibrations from her throat. Cedric raised a hand in an attempt to calm the both of them down.

"Chill out, I don't belong to anybody. What are you doing here at our table, Kipper?"

"What, I can't eat with my best buddies?" Kipper asked innocently.

"I feel like you still have a reason. Bit random is it not?"

Kipper sighed, and without warning grabbed Cedric's sandwich from his plate and took a large bite (large for an otter, anyways) before setting it back on his plate. Cedric's shoulders and arms sprung up as he quickly shook his head in a 'Seriously?' manner.

"Well, you aren't wrong I guess. Captain wants you in on the tac ops meeting today. Guess you're going to be an officer for your job! Man, you are lucky."

"I-what?" Cedric asked incredulously.

Grey narrowed her eyes to Kipper, "Tac ops? Really? Alright then, who's gonna be his chaperone?"

"Me, of course!" Exclaimed Kipper, stealing another bite of Cedric's sandwich.

"What?!" Grey exclaimed, both surprise and irritation spitting from her maw, "It should be me, why did the Captain not designate me as his chaperone?"

Kipper shrugged her shoulders, shooting Grey a look of superiority that caused her to let loose her low rumble once more as Kipper swirled a small straw around her ice water.

"Guess the Captain thinks it's just better to have myself and Scourge together, hm?" She bragged.

Grey slammed her fists on the table, and rose once more from her chair. Cedric had to stifle her down with an open palm from his hand.

"Look, it doesn't matter who's my Chaperone. Why does Captain Garrera want me to head to Tac Ops already? I only just got here. If that's an officer position, that's kind of a big deal."

Kipper shrugged once more, either clearly having not understanding as to why or doing a very good job of hiding it.

"Dunno, but we gotta leave soon. You're going to be late for the meeting if we don't, so hurry up!"

Cedric shook his head and quickly finished his food, rising from the table in a much more controlled manner unlike Grey.

"Alright then." He said finally, "Let's get going. The sooner the better, right?"

"Sure, leave the plates for Grey, she can take care of them." Kipper responded, quickly stepping up and away from the table - also leaving her empty tray where she ate at.

"No no, it's fine. I'll get it, won't take long." Cedric was beginning to pick up his empty tray when a familiar paw on his shoulder halted him.

"No no, I got it. You need to go to your meeting, Scourge. Won't take me long."

"You sure?"

Grey nodded quickly as she scooped up hers and Cedric's trays, leaving Kipper's out in the open all but too obviously intentionally. She winked to Cedric, drawing him to a low but noticeable amount of heat as it flushed throughout his body.

"Just saying Scourge, could do more than this for you in the future."

Cedric smiled unintentionally, "Maybe so, but give it some time."

She shrugged in an acceptable manner, understanding his position. "Yeah I gotcha - now stop stalling, go talk to the big boys."

"Thanks Grey." He said.

"No problem." Grey responded as she walked off to return the trays to their positions of origin on the bar counter - quickly scooped up by some mess hall workers as he stepped out of the cafeteria. Kipper skipped in front of him, constantly looking back to where Grey was. When she assumed they were 'safely' away, she began to talk to Cedric once more.

"So cutie, how'd it go with Grey?" She prompted.

"Hm? It went well, why?"

Kipper shrugged, "Just wanna know. Smells like you two enjoyed yourselves, hard to notice with such a thin door - ya know?"

Cedric rubbed his temple, here we go again - he thought.

"Kipper, what Grey and I did is none of your business." He grimaced.

"You kidding? You could smell the satisfaction. Say, after the meeting - why don't we get together? I want a piece, ya know, just a taste~"

Anger welled within Cedric like a kettle about to blow, he knew Kipper was a promiscuous female - but this was just too far! Had she no semblance of respect for his personal space?

"Look, take a fucking hint Kipper - I don't want to be intimate with you. Your job is to chaperone me, so are you gonna fucking do it or not?"

"Hey!" Kipper turned on him, surprising him. She thrust her finger into his chest, even managing to knock him back just the slightest bit, "You've got a good looking female chasing after you, you should at least consider it big guy."

Cedric's mouth formed into the shape of a tsk, the sound itself wisping out shortly after. He grabbed Kipper's diminutive and slim body with a single hand, thrusting her against the wall with a slight bang.

"Listen here you little shit, no means no - understand? Take a fucking hint!" He growled.

Kipper raised her hands in surrender, clearly scared of this new side of him she had not seen before.

"Whoa, hey. I get it." She whispered through her throat, his grip unintentionally applying pressure to her lungs - like attempting to suck a thick shake through a small straw, she gasped for air.

Cedric released his grip, feeling somewhat bad for applying more force than he meant to, "Good, also sorry - I uh, did that a bit too hard."

He thrust his hands into his trench coat pockets, feeling the soft leather within. He pulled out a bacco stick and lit it with his lighter, stuffing his hands back in shortly after. He felt as though that action would remind him to not use force against the other crew members unless he really needed to. He took a deep draw as Kipper took the lead once more, messaging her bruised throat.

"Fuck Scourge, you're a strong man. You're not gonna get any females like - be a little bit of a bitch, the females will crawl all over you. Except maybe the Farai, if that's what you're going for."

Cedric shook his head in denial, "I have absolutely no intention to change who I am. Besides, even if we did - get intimate... You wouldn't be able to handle me."

"Oh yeah?" She bragged, flashing her small fangs - "If I can take a Farai, I can take you, big guy."

"You've done it with a Farai?" He questioned, his curiosity outweighed his sense to end the conversation.

"Oh, I might've - Once or twice... Or a lot of times." She giggled, clearly proud of her prowess. Cedric of course, didn't relate. Before he had realized it - they were face to face with a large hex door, wide and tall enough to fit eight or nine six foot tall human simultaneously.

"Oh, here we are." Kipper quipped, "The Tac Ops room. Well, on in with you - good luck Scourgie~" She teased the last word, failing to bemuse Cedric.

"Yeah sure..." He looked at the door for a moment - and realized he had an excellent opportunity to present some flair with his entrance. He had been so busy adjusting to the Ravager, he hadn't really taken any time to amuse himself. This was kind of a big deal though, he thought. Ah, fuck it - it'd be entertaining. If nothing else, it would add some grandiose to his repertoire. He eyed the door carefully once more, confirming that they opened inward. Based on the hinges he could see, it did. Cedric intook a deep a breath, and thrust the doors open - or at least, he tried to.

The doors held strong to his advance. Why the hell weren't they opening? As if to answer his unspoken question, the doors slid open as he now was face to face with the Tac Ops team, arms outstretched forward obviously signaling that he attempted to push the doors open. His face grew hotly red like that of a freshly heated electrical stove, the red straining metal almost synonymous with the hue of his cheeks.

"Are you fucking kidding me..." He said aloud.

"I take it you're Scourge..." Said a rather striking Vixen that was at the head of a round table. The room itself glowed with a pearlescent light, seeming to reflect off all the furniture that presented itself in the room. Blue-hued walls with little decoration reflected the bright blue lights from the lighting sources above, casting the room in a moonlit glow. Multiple screens on the glass-top that was the round table shown their lights above, coalescing with the glow. Reds, greens, and light blues intermingled with the prism of colors - casting a whited hue shadow on the staring faces of the Tac Ops team. In front of Cedric was a Vixen in a prim and proper uniform he could only compare to school uniforms in eastern media - it was of a standard brown and tan make of colors. She wore a knee-length plaid skirt of a plain tan, with thin strips of white, red, and greys forming a plaid pattern. it was complimented by a white dress shirt adorned with a tan tie, a tan blazer of the same plaid as the skirt covered the upper part of her body, the sleeves ending satisfyingly to her elbows. He large, bushy, foxy tail swished back and forth - he could sense the curiosity, though her stern facial expression questioned that sense.

"You can't even tell that all the doors on the ship slide open?" Her voice was high pitched and haughty, clearly she seemed to be the commander of the joint. In human years, she couldn't have been more than sixteen or seventeen - at least in appearance.

Cedric wasn't sure how to respond as he stepped further inside, "Well, I guess I thought this one was different?" Was all he could manage in his hot-flushed embarrassment.

The vixen crossed her arms, the material stretching only the slightest in response to her movement. The skirt swayed slowly back and forth as he she adopted a more stable stance, "That's pathetic."

Cedric was about to respond in protest, but he felt a short tug on his trench coat from below. He looked down, and observed the small form of yet another otter. He was smaller and thinner than Kipper, and wore large rounded glasses. A small tan trench coat covered the majority of his body, a white dress shirt with a black tie and plain black slacks finished off his appearance. He looked more like an accountant traveling to work on foot in the fall than an officer.

"E-e-e-excuse me, t-t-t-they call me S-Smarts. It's a p-p-pleasure to m-m-meet you." He said with a somewhat pained grin.

Cedric nodded empathetically to his distinct stutter, even pleased that someone here had actually decided to introduce themselves in a civil manner.

"Smarts huh? A pleasure." Cedric stretched his hand out and down, which Smarts gratefully accepted.

"A pleasure indeed." he responded, pushing up his glasses that had somewhat slid down his muzzle. He returned to the table, sitting in a position to the left of the Vixen relative to where Cedric was looking - in other words, her right side - but his left.

Cedric gazed about the room as he stepped further close to the semi-holographic glass-top table. He counted five in total.

There it is again, the number five. I wonder what significance it has? Cedric thought to himself.

The Vixen spoke again, her attitude already grating Cedric - he felt as though his patience was being tested, as a chef with methodically shave cheese into a dish. Slowly, surely, he grew more irritated with her voice.

"Scourge huh? Well you already met Smarts. You shouldn't be here, I don't know why Captain Garrera assigned you here - but let me make something abundantly clear - you sit there, and you observe. That's it, got it?"

Cedric took a long drag on his cigarette, he was hardly willing to just lay down and let her tell him what to do. He started to enjoy the taste of tobacco, it had a certain distinct taste to it that he couldn't quite place. Many people he knew was not a fan of the smell of tobacco smoke, but for him it had a certain odd comfort to it.

"No, I don't got it." he started, catching the Vixen aback. "Captain Garrera assigned me here, therefore I have the right to offer input and ask questions."

"No, you don't." She retorted, "You're not an officer, you're just the 'new guy' - so you sit there, and you listen -is that clear?"

Cedric shook his head, "I have a right to be involved. You don't want input? Fine, but I reserve the right to ask questions. How am I supposed to get better at any of this if you don't even give me an opportunity to do so?"

The Vixen clasped her index finger and thumb to her chin thoughtfully, lightly stroking her white fur that lay underneath her thick red coat.

"Fine, you can ask questions - but that's it!" She said finally, crossing her arms.

"Now then, before we have anymore interruptions - let's begin the tactical meeting for the upcoming convoy."

Cedric gazed at the Ravager's equivalent of the pentarchy, and stared intently at the flashing lights of the console that was the entirety of the table - identifying the obvious symbols that differentiated between friend and foe. He took another deep inhale of his cigarette pensively - time to prove himself to the officers of the Ravager.