Killer held Cedric closer and whispered into his ear, her delicate breath tickling his ear with her sultry tone.

"Are you ready Darling? I almost can't hold back - it's just so tantalizing."

Cedric nodded, he could not place if he was feeling excited as well - or if it was feedback from Killer. Strangely, he was ready. He gently closed his eyes, feeling Killer's clean black fur rub across his almost naked body as she shifted positions to the side of his body that had not already been bitten before. He could hear the slightly wet smacking of Killer's chops as she licked them, as though she was about to devour freshly caught prey.

"I'm ready."

Killer messaged his body as she had been doing already at this point, but picking up the pace. Fresh heat radiated from her fur and caressed Cedric's skin, the tension was palpable.

Hot breath lead the way as Killer gently began to touch her fangs upon his bared skin, he opened up his eyes for just a moment to see her return his gaze - after a few long seconds, she struck down.

Cedric felt the euphoric high of her feedback as she penetrated his skin, quickly closing his eyes and arching his back off the the comfortable bunk, his eyes shot wide open as though he had just injected himself with some unknown drug.

He remained in that position for several minutes as she drained him, he could not describe the feeling, such euphoria and pleasure pulsing through every tendril of his nervous system. It was as though he was a junkie dry of any product for months on end, finally acquiring a single elusive hit.

His eyes darted back and forth uncontrollably as he felt the hot blood barely drip from the wound, Killer's dextrous tongue quickly lapping it up before it could escape any further down his body. Their dual emotional feedbacks continued to soar before they had finally reached their peak, as though two microphones feeding into each other had finally reached their maximum possible volume.

Cedric relaxed once more, his body no longer locked by the surge as his endorphins rushed to meet his body's demand, creating a cacophony of pleasurable energy all about his nearly bare body. Cedric was completely blissed.

Cedric clutched the still pleasurably pulsing wound as she gently relaxed her jaw, still running through his high as much as he could as it drained away. Killer sat upright, still and with her eyes fluttering back and forth shortly after she closed them. She was riding the feedback of his high that still lingered, letting it tingle through every inch of her body.

The duo sat motionless for a few minutes, letting the druglike effect wear off. Killer was the first to speak, unveiling her body as she stretched out her wings and flapped ever so slowly, wisping Cedric's hot face and body with a gentle breeze.

"Darling? That was nothing like the first time." She cooed.

Quick raspy breaths permeated the walls of the room as Cedric's mask followed his exhalations, allowing the carbon dioxide to float to the tiny vents that were present in almost every segment of the ship, diligently scrubbing away tainted air and refilling it with nitrogen - which or course, was useless to him.

"No... No it wasn't..." He stuttered, still feeling the effects.

"Darling?" Killer asked, concern in her voice.

He simply nodded to the ceiling with his widened eyes.

"Yes?"

"You still feel it?"

"Yes."

Killer wasn't sure how to respond.

Cedric stared at her once more, slight drips of blood escaping from her satisfied maw, many did not escape thanks to her licking - sending satisfying chills down his spine. He wanted more - but he had been drained enough. Any more loss of blood would be detrimental to him. Cedric could taste a sweetness on his tongue, like that of a tropical fruit. Weakly, he tapped his tongue a few times after opening his mask ever so slightly.

"Is this what my blood tastes like? Like a sweet fruit?" He asked.

Killer bat her wings again, and rested a hand on his thigh as she shifted his gaze to further inspect his body - a satisfied smile forming between her canid lips.

"That's what your love tastes like, Darling."

"I see..." He said, beginning to feel a strong tiredness finally beginning to cloud his mind.

"I need to rest now... I'm tired."

"Of course." Killer replied simply. She found a comfortable position next to him. Instinctually, he rested an arm over her body as though he was cuddling a lover. Her winged membrane was soft to the touch, he considered using them as a blanket as some point - they were warm and comfortable. He did not know when he fell asleep, only that he did without warning.

Cedric raised his head groggily the next morning, without much though he desperately patted around the bed selecting for Killer's body. Where did she go?!

His spinning head darted around in every direction, desperately searching for his loyal companion.

"Darling."

Her voice, but from where? He turned his head in the direction of her speech, she was standing in front of the door, finishing her movement of closing it gently. A double tray with two mugs of hot liquid had their scent waft throughout his tiny repurposed room. Coffee?

"You are a fan of coffee, are you not Darling?"

Cedric nodded his head slowly. He breathed deeply a few times to check his air, plenty left it seemed. He recalled the two canisters together were supposed to last months - it seems Kipper was right. Of course she was, for all her flaws she was an excellent engineer.

Killer stepped in front of Cedric as he sat, clearly arching her back as she bent down to let him claim a mug from the tray. She batted her wings a few times to emphasize her gesture as she returned to a more normal position her ears swiveling about with an intense focus. One of her ears flicked. She claimed a mug for herself before resting the tray on what space was afforded on his tiny desk that held the computer-like device. He hadn't really touched it since he moved in. Then again, he hadn't been here long.

Killer gently sat down in his chair.

"You have a guest, Darling." She said simply.

"I do? Outside?"

She nodded.

Sighing, Cedric stood up - before he could blink, Killer was supporting him up.

"What? What's wrong?" He asked.

"Your balance Darling, careful."

Confused, he looked down - sure enough he was bent over in the midst of a stumble - he looked to his hand holding the mug - at least the coffee was safe. He didn't even notice!

Cedric clenched and opened his spare hand a few times, feeling a distinct weakness - he wasn't able to clutch his hand into a fist nearly as tightly as he liked - the tingling of weakness becoming louder as he applied force. He needed to pay better attention to himself, and his surroundings.

"A side effect of the feeding, most likely. Damn though, do I feel great."

Cedric straightened his back and stretched - he observed a glint in Killer's eye as his skin stretched over his visible musculature, like gentle waves crashing onto a beachhead. He was losing too much weight, he figured.

"One moment!" He called out, finishing his revivifying stretch before taking a deep gulp of his coffee. Black and a perfect temperature. For what little Killer spoke, it seemed she made up for it with careful study and observation of his habits and behaviors. She was smart indeed.

Cedric carefully trampsed to his door, opening it somewhat quicker than he meant to. Looking around, he saw nothing.

"Hello?"

Just then, he heard a very familiar sound - that of a mask exhaling. Looking down, he found the culprit. A rather small skunk, no taller than perhaps two and a half or three feet tall - half his height. He could not identify if they were male or female thanks to the mask and thick jumpsuit that reminded him of a firefighter's adornments, including a thick grey tank that rested on their back - a hose connecting to their gas mask.

"Chem?"

They simply nodded.

"So you've found me before I found you. Then you know why I was looking for you. What's your answer?"

Chem simply nodded once again.

"Uh..." Cedric began awkwardly, now realizing that he was staring down at a tiny skunk as he held a coffee in his hand to an open door, still in his skivvies.

"Look, I'm not playing the silent game with you. Are you in or not?"

"Yes Director." They responded quickly. Cedric could still not identify if they were male or female, and decided to leave it at that. It didn't matter to him either way. Unlike his own mask, Chem's did not have a micro speaker, so their words came put as somewhat mumbled. He noted their referring to him as Director without prompt - while he appreciated it, he still wasn't sure how to respond. Their almost instant willingness to call him Director and join his almost complete squad was questionable.

"That easy?" He pressed, which of course was simply replied to with a nod.

"Alright then... I trust you will find us when we finally come together for something."

Another nod.

Cedric shrugged, he would get no further with Chem. He now had four members in his squad, as did Grey. They both needed one more. With their repertoire, surely they could find two more today? They did not.

It was a day left before their deadline and training needed to begin. Despite their best efforts, Cedric and Grey were unable to find two more volunteers for their squads. Grey's group began training early, already instilling the values of loyalty and and the absolution of following orders from their betters. Tool was difficult, as to be expected, but it seemed he would stick around for now. Prez grew impatient, but hinted that if they were not able to find two more members to fill their teams - as per the agreement - she would ignore it. Cedric wanted no sympathy, he would abide by the agreement - any less than the expectation and he would only see it as failure. If he couldn't even break this hurdle, then how ineffective would all his future plans be?

"No." He said calmly to himself, making his way to the crew quarters - Killer always in tow. He didn't care if they didn't like advertisement - what would they do, challenge him? He had Killer, Tesla, Gunner, and Chem. They wouldn't dare. Recalling the perks of having such an eccentric team brought a smile to his face. This was the greatest achievement he had ever completed in his life - he felt strong, he felt smart - he felt satisfied. Not only that, but he was the leader of them all, and had the capabilities to back up his position of power. He just needed to keep pushing forward.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

As before, his heart sank for a few moments as he witnessed the crew of the Ravager enjoying games on tables and whatever their equivalent of TVs and game consoles were. He wouldn't mind being just another member of the crew, but to be so would gain him nothing in the long run.

Cedric eyed the prospects as he darted back and forth, desperate to find some kind of weakness. Some outlier, some kind of Korellei that was shunned by the rest - an easy target. Sensing his motives, many of the crew intentionally ignored him. Cedric growled idly, a gentle rub from Killer sparked his attention.

"That was sexy, Darling." She cooed.

"Thanks." He responded idly, desperately scanning the large quarters. Gunner was not in his usual spot, perhaps he could challenge someone to a game? No, his luck was already burned. Dissatisfied, he left the quarters. Upon exiting, he witnessed Grey smoking one of her bacco sticks as she walked back to the quarters he had just left. Shit.

He waited patiently, it didn't take her long to meet with him.

"Scourge..." She said simply, eyeing back and forth between himself and the entrance to the quarters.

"Did you seriously?"

He nodded, "No luck."

Grey sighed deeply, almost defeated in fact.

"I managed to convince Quickclaw. He'll do well, even if he does tend to keep to himself. I should've figured you were growing desperate. You could have at least invited me to your quarters."

Now was as good of a time as ever...

Cedric thought to himself. He wouldn't enjoy this.

"Don't bother. I already kind of figured."

Cedric's eyes grew wide, "Grey?"

Was he about to lose her and her team?!

"I get it, Cedric. You have a goal, and you're locked in. I'm not going to stop supporting you, I meant what I said. Besides, you have Killer now."

He looked back and forth between them. What could he say? Killer did not wear any expression, but he could feel slight grief in his heart. Did Killer feel guilty about their relationship? Did she actually support it? He just couldn't tell.

"Grey..." He said again, struggling to find the correct words to convey.

"Look." She said, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"I wanted it to go further, don't feel guilty about my arm or anything else. It didnt go further, and that's okay. You have a larger goal now, and I will support that goal. Maybe one day you will change your mind and we'll be mates, or maybe not. Even if I'm not your girl, I'm still your friend. That still means something, even if it's awkward. Did you enjoy the time we had together?"

He nodded slowly, "I did... I genuinely did."

"Then that's good enough for me. Good luck cowboy, you're going to need it."

She pat his shoulder with her cybernetic arm that rested on it, and placed a peck on his cheek before presumably going to her bunk.

"I don't understand..." He whispered.

"How could somebody just be... So nonchalant about such a thing?" He said, mostly to himself.

"Perhaps Darling, this isn't the first time? Do recall that Gunner stated that Grey used to be one of his old flairs." Killer offered.

"So... What, I was some kind of rare opportunity or rebound or something?" He asked, looking for some sort of answer.

Killer shook her head, "I don't think so. Of everyone Grey has associated with, you're the first one that she has clung so tightly to."

"She's a fool." He said simply, before entering the next quarters. It was similar to the previous one, just with different set ups and slightly less rowdy. Again, he found no potential targets.

"Damn it." He whispered under his breath. The next quarters was his last, as there were no more to search thanks to their great sizes and triple bunks.

Looking around, this particular chamber was a bit smaller than the last two. Most of the crew here were quiet, many were reading on their holopads - and one particular game was set up in a far table, five younger Korellei playing a game of pretend fantasy with dice and small figurines, several laughs broke the silence of the chamber has one of the Korellei howled "Natural one!"

Cedric wished he could join them.

Scanning further, he was about to give up - and then he saw a smaller male, a short and striped grey felis catus staring intently at a holopad, his scrolling movements slow and intentional. He was alone, and appeared to be occupying a bunk that was devoid if neighbors or other occupants. In fact, most if these quarters were devoid of crew members. There was plenty of space available, if the Ravager took on more crew. While not his first pick, he was desperate - and this may be an easy target.

Silent as he could, Cedric approached the feline - before he could react, he relieved him of his holopad to inspect the contents.

It seemed that this particular Korellei had an intense liking of gay romance novels, depicting large burly ursine and lions amongst other 'participants'. A few entries described entire steamy scenes. Cedric sneezed and looked around, what an odd reaction to have - he thought. These ones were particularly detailed, more interesting than his own redevous, he concluded. Alas, he thought, reality is unfortunately not the same as a dedicated novella on the subject. He sneezed again, taking care to cover his mouth with an elbow - before realizing that the mask would have blocked any spittle regardless.

"Wait, no - stop!" The feline pleaded, his voice somewhat high pitched. Cedric observed him up and down, he was thin - with somewhat of a feminine body shape. He noticed this was common amongst Korellei felis catus, but even so this particular one was more prominent.

"Interesting read." Cedric said, "I wonder if these two will end up getting back together?" He mused, before sneezing once more. Was he allergic to cats?

"You... You don't think it's weird?" He asked lowly, almost to a whisper of a guilt.

"Hardly." He responded, handing it back to him. He hoped it was something informational on lockpicking or similar, hoping that his luck would hold out here as it did with Shy - as he did need a specialist in breaking through security systems. It seemed that for now, his luck had failed him. This cat wouldn't last a day - he thought, but he needed a fifth. He would suffice.

"A lot of the others think so... Wait a minute." He shot his small head up towards Cedric's, "Scourge? The guy that beat Bengal?"

Cedric nodded, perhaps this would be easier than he previously thought.

"Oh, goddess. Uh - hi? I'm um, I'm-"

Cedric raised a brow, "Your name is 'Um'?"

"Um? Yes! No! It's..."

"Speak up!" Cedric pressed, garnering flashbacks to Shy's interaction. Perhaps they would get along well.

"It's Weirdo, sir!" He snapped.

Cedric messaged his forehead, unbelievable.

"The crew thinks you're weird, so they nicknamed you 'Weirdo?', my understanding is that the crew was more open to that sort of thing."

"They are..." He whispered.

"Bit on the nose, isn't it? I suppose you're an outlier in some other fashion?"

Cedric lit up a bacco stick. He'd need to grab more packs from the massive store of them, perhaps laser grooming tools as well. He did not recall if he already got them or not, but he did not see them in his closet in his small room. Couldn't hurt to procure more.

"I guess..." The feline squeaked.

Looking closely through the small plume of smoke, he noticed that Weirdo had particularly bright and well-maintained paw pads. Most of the crew's paws were rugged from work, or in Killer's case smaller and more rigid from highly attuned tendons. He could give him a much better nickname.

"Wait, are you about to..." He asked in earnest.

"I am - I assume you know I've been-"

"Yes! Yes I will! I will be in your squad sir, I won't let you down. Just teach me."

Cedric gave him a quizzical look, the eager light in his eyes blazing brightly against shining irises.

"Alright then..." Cedric replied cautiously. Too easy!

"Weirdo no longer applies, I don't care what you do that's considered 'weird' here. You're Paws now. Is that fine?"

"Yes Master! Sir... Director... Sorry..."

Cedric blinked. He understood now.

"Director is fine. Your training will begin tomorrow, with Grey. You are still in my squad - but you need training just like the rest."

"Of course! I'll gather my things now, I don't have clothes for working out specifically, but-"

"It's almost twenty-two hundred." Cedric interupted.

"Oh, right. Morning - of course." Paws somewhat stuttered.

"Do you know where to go?" Cedric asked, somewhat curiously studying Paws's reactions.

"Uh, yeah. The training room at the back? With the armory?"

"Correct. I expect you to be there every morning, oh-eight hundred. Do not be late." Cedric commanded.

Paws nodded rapaciously, his small ears somewhat bouncing with the movement.

"Good. I expect good reports from Sergant Grey about you in the coming weeks."

"Of course! I'll do my best!"

"Okay..." Cedric said slowly, unsure of how to end the conversation. The two of them stood awkwardly in place for a few moments, Paws did not remove his gaze from Cedric's discerning orbs. Deciding to not let the moment linger any longer, he turned around. His next destination would be Prez's cabin. He didn't care that it was so late, he had accomplished his objective. Now he needed to immediately begin planning for the 'opportunity' that Prez had presented before. His heart swelled with pride, he had done what felt like the impossible. Now, he had to go even higher.

The walk to Prez's personal cabin was a short one - the Ravager had three decks. The primary deck, which Cedric spent all his time up until this point. The second deck contained officer quarters, but he wasn't sure what else. The final deck was simply the bridge, mounted on top and towards the front of the vessel - based on the models presented in the programs of the holo table in the officer's meeting room, the bridge stretched down from the top of the vessel and down, almost covering all three decks with its height. The cargo pods also covered all three decks, but he rarely saw personnel on their catwalks - almost exclusively magitech maintenance crews.

Cedric took a deep breath as the familiar tan metal doors opened up to reveal a good sized elevator, large enough to fit carts that the crew used to transport material between levels. He stepped inside and turned around, punching the number two on a nearby console. The elevator began to ascend with a shuttering shake. For a few moments, Cedric wondered if the elevator would stop midway. Thankfully, it did not.

A strangely familiar audio ping signalled the elevator's arrival to the second deck, stepping out - Cedric took in the vast difference between the decks. The second deck was much more similar to the meeting room - small hallways were reinforced by clean, whitewashed metallic plating. There was no grating underneath, but rather a bluish colored floor made of a shiny material he could not identify, similar to a hospital. The white walls each featured a long, blue stripe beginning and ending at either ends of the hallway. The corridor curved upward slightly, offering a somewhat sleek look that reminded him of the UCSC interiors, unlike them however - another striking lack of ropes and handholds to navigate a zero-g environment similar to the primary deck. In fact, most of the craft he had witnessed so far reminded him more of planes than omnidirectional vessels designed for movement in space.

If at any point the equipment designed for offering gravity malfunctioned, they would all be done for.

Cedric spun right, down the well-maintained hall and feeling slight unease as his jackboots did not click satisfying against the floor. Many of the slightly curved white double sliding doors had no markings, save for those in use by the Ravager's officers. Perhaps he would get his own if the upcoming operation was a success. He would cherish the privacy more than the badge of rank. He wondered why Captain Garrera chose to host her quarters on the first deck, instead of this one. Perhaps it just wasn't her style.

He stood now before Prez's cabin. He looked to Killer to see if she had anything to advise, she simply rubbed his back in support. With a nod, he rapped on the door. No response. Cocking his head, he knocked again - no response. Cedric narrowed his eyes, was she not present? No, she should be readying herself for bed. He considered breaking through the door in case something was wrong, but he had no love for Prez. She was a commanding officer, nothing more. He would simply knock until she answered. He waited a few more minutes, and as he rose a fist to knock yet again the door slid open - making him jump ever so slightly.

Before him now stood a half-dressed Prez, the Vixen in charge of the Ravager's operations. She was scantily clad in pink sleeping underwear, rapidly tying together what appeared to be a bath robe of sorts made of a white, fluffy material.

"Goddess Scourge, what the hell do you want? I'm trying to sleep!"

"You appear quite comfortable." He responded flatly.

"Of course I am, I was in bed. What do you want?"

Cedric took a glance beyond her, easy thanks to her short height (compared to himself). The officer rooms were large, and extremely well kept - at least Prez's was. A blindingly pink carpet-like material donned the floor, while white and sleek furniture complimented each other. A few cushioned chairs, and a nice desk with a holopad rested easy in the far left corner - dwarfed by her bed, clad in a pink comforter and clearly designed for two larger individuals. Cedric once again questioned whether or not he really was on a repurposed freighter ran by cutthroat pirates. He recalled Faring's room, she preferred blues - if he recalled correctly. His heart panged, but less than it had before when remembering her. Perhaps he was finally accepting that terrible experience.

"Enjoying your perks, I see."

"Define perks!" She demanded, moving to cover her exposed body.

"Stop being so self-centered, that's not what I was referring to. It doesn't matter, I've held up my end of the deal - now you hold up yours."

"No no no." She wagged a finger in his face, "You've only completed half of the deal. You still need to do the second part of it without casualties, and ensuring that your 'squads' listen to you. Then, I said I'd consider it."

"I understand that." He replied, "We will complete your next job. There will be no consideration, you will make me the field operations officer when we succeed. So what is this 'redemption' you have in mind?"

"Did you seriously wake me up just because you wanted to go over the next raid?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes, our squads begin training tomorrow. There's now way we can teach them everything they need to know and make sure they memorize and understand it. Therefore, we need to focus their training on this operation specifically."

"Look." She started sternly, Cedric could detect a modicum of fear in her voice. Good.

"Tomorrow after breakfast, we'll cover it then using the meeting room. I suggest you sleep, because that's what I am going straight back to, no thanks to your intrusion!" She snapped.

Cedric nodded, pleased. The sooner, the better.

"Alright then, I'll see you then-"

Before he could finish, Prez forced the door closed. Fiery as she was, she earned her place somehow - and had to at least respect that. He made his way back to his cabin, wondering what it would look like when he moved into one of the officer dorms. He liked it, but he wouldn't say no to an upgrade. Cedric rested easy that night, excited to wake early and enjoy a cup of coffee provided by Killer. She had taken a liking to enjoying mugs of coffee by his side, though they didn't converse much. Anything that could be shared was already experienced by both. He would succeed in his future goals - because he would not allow anything to stand in his way. Not even Grey.