Raff and the Starship of Knowledge

Chapter 4 - The Pirates and the Beast

© Copyrighted by Furryhart 11/07/2014 ©

Warning: This story contains some content of a mature nature!

We spent the next several weeks finding and repairing as many droids, as we could and soon got them back to work clearing up the debris, in engineering, as Mophit and I made some more repairs. We managed to get the number one power core working, but only at twenty percent. It was then I realized that the weapons tracking system and shield power systems were badly damaged, as they got their power from that particular power core and thought to myself “That little minks, she was bluffing, all along.” Mophit made a humph sound, when she found out and then said “All this time she was just bluffing us?” I grinned and said “Yes, she could move the weapons and power them up, but lacked the power to sustain them for more than a couple of shots and lacked the ability to track us.” We then decided that it was time to check out the cargo areas and search for the parts we needed.

It was like Loona had said, the passageways were completely blocked off from any normal size person and Mophit and me had to worm our way through, using crawl spaces, wire ways and access ways, to make our way there. When we got there, we found that the cargo had shifted and everything was strewn all about. Mophit looked all around and said, just what I was thinking “How will we ever find what we need in all this mess?” We looked around for a while and discover a powered down lifter droid nearby. I tried to switch it on, but it lacked enough power to start it up and I also could not sense it‘s control crystal. We searched around and finally found some power cable and hooked it up. It was then I heard a weak male voice, in my head, say “Is there… someone out there? Please… help… me.” Seta hovered near it and then said “He hurt, please help him Raff.” I use the access key in my micro-toolkit and opened up its head, finding its control crystal inside, but it was fractured, a hair line crack on its surface. Seta said sorrowfully “He suffering, Raff.”

I looked at it sadly and said “But what can I do?” I removed the crystal, looking closely at it and began to feel a searing pain hit me, as if its pain were my own. Mophit looked at me, deeply concerned and said “Raff, what’s wrong?” I closed my eyes tightly, gritting my teeth hard, against the pain and growl out through the tears “Move back… everyone!” I pulled the power lead from the lifter and then bit onto it hard and felt the power start to rush through my body. Mophit tried to move towards me, but Gyro pushed her back, as I felt the pain begin to subside. Then suddenly the power was gone, as the cable connector had melted off in my mouth, burning it. I quickly dropped the cable’s burnt connector and looked at the crystal. To my amazement the fracture was gone and I set the crystal back into the lifter droid and heard the crystal say, still a bit weakly “What happened? I feel so much better.” I looked at it and said, in a daze “I don’t know… I was trying to block the pain I was feeling and it seems you were healed by my ability.” Mophit push Gyro out of the way with determination and came up to me, hugging me tightly, saying “Oh Raff, I was so afraid, are you alright?”

I began to feel the intoxicating effects of the electric shock and began fondling her soft sleek furred body and squeezed her soft furred butt. She looked at me with wide eyes, saying with a gasp “Oh my!” and I then pushed her down onto the floor and we spent the next several hours making wild passionate love to each other. When we were finished, Gyro looked at us and said “If you two are about done, we could use some help getting this lifter droid fixed, you forgot to connect him up.” I got up off of Mophit, blushing a bit and helped her to her hind paws, as I said “Sorry, the electricity went to my head.” Mophit kissed me and said “I’ll have to shock you more often. That was wonderful.” I smiled at her and said “Promises, promises.” I then carefully reconnected the crystal and found another power cable, plugging him up. He then powered up and said “Thank you sir, for fixing me, I will rest and recharge for now.”

I nodded and then looked at Mophit, rubbing my belly and said “I don’t know about you, but I’m famished.” She smiled, giving me a swat on the butt and said “I can’t imagine why, tiger. Let’s got to the bridge and get something to eat, I‘m a bit famished too.” I looked at the lifter droid and said “Please start sorting and restacking the parts, after you have finished recharging.” He looked around and said “Oh my!” We then made our way back slowly to the bridge to eat. We then ate our fill, while I did some system checks on Loona, still seeing quite lot of red indications. We soon became tired, after our busy day and fell asleep together on the Captain‘s chair. We were wakened, sometime later, by Loona, who seemed a bit worried and said” Raff, I’m detecting a scout class ship entering our quadrant, but it’s not the Valiant Star.” and she brought it up on the main screen. I looked at its black hull and said “They found us, somehow the pirates have found us.”

Mophit looked frightened and said “Oh gods Raff, what shall we do, Loona can’t defend herself and we can’t stop them if they try to board.” I thought for a moment and said “Loona play dead, leave only enough power for the life support systems, kill all other systems.” I looked at Mophit and smiled saying we’re going to play a little game of hide and seek, after we make a little trip to a weapons locker.” Mophit grinned wickedly and said “Let’s go have some fun.” I realized that a scout class ship could not have that many crew members. Also that they, being pirates, would not just go back and report to their leader, without first looking around for plunder.” We made our way to the bridge weapons locker, as all went dark. I then though to Loona “Can you still hear me, Loona?” I then heard her say “Yes Raff and you can still communicate with me through Seta and Gyro also.”

We found that most of the weapons were too big for us to handle. We could handle the small blaster pistols, like a rifle, but they often had a kick that we could not manage. I thought for a moment and then remembered my old stateroom and wondered if my things were still there. Sun-Salon had made for me a set of small blasters and a couple of force field belts for me to use. Also there was Bertha an energy stick that made my lighting stick look like a sparkler. I looked at Mophit and said “Would you like to see my old stateroom?” Mophit looked at me in desperation and said “Raff, we need to find some weapons and fast.” I nodded and said “Yes, and there might be some in my old stateroom, that are our size, if their still there.” I locked down the weapons locker and we then made our way through more debris, several decks down to my old stateroom. I had Loona open the door and then stepped into my old stateroom. A flood of memories hit me all at once and I staggered back, holding my head.

Mophit steadied me and said “Raff, what is it?” I stepped in slowly and said “This is where I was forcefully taken by their security, not even knowing what I had done wrong. I was frightened beyond reason, as they grabbed me and forcefully took me down into that dark cargo hold. I pleaded with them to stop, as they forced me into the hibernation chamber and held me down. I was then strapped down tight and then… they closed the hatch.” I backed up to the wall and slid down to the floor, trembling and wept, saying “I had never been so frightened and cold in all my life, as that machine started up and then… there was nothing. Until I awoke inside what was left of my damaged hibernation chamber, with my head hurting badly, not knowing where I was or even who I was. I remember pushing open the broken hatch and climbing out of a smoking crater. I saw the distant lights of a nearby city and I staggered towards it in a daze, hoping to find some help. Instead I only found hate, as time after time I pleaded to someone to help me and was chased away, like a diseased animal. I crawled, still hurt and hungry, into the abandoned warehouse number nineteen and had lived there alone and forlorn, until I found this damaged little sphere.” and looked at Seta hovering on my shoulder. Mophit hugged me, comforting me and said “I never realized the extent of what you had gone through, Raff. They were all so very cruel to you.”

I looked at her, shaking my head and said “The Grand Council had thought me a serious threat to their people and wanted me dealt with swiftly, I suppose, but I never meant them any harm. The people on my planet, only thought of me as a little troublesome mutant raccoon, never once giving me a chance, to prove myself to them.” Mophit snuggled into me and said “We’re a lot alike, you and I. I guess that’s why I‘m so attracted to you. We both lived tough lonely lives and came out stronger for it. I have finally found my place in the universe, by your side.” I held her lovingly and said “I was very lucky when I found Seta, because she had brought me to you, my love. But now we need to be even stronger and tougher than we ever were, if we hope to stand up to these pirates.”

As if in response, we heard a loud clank and Loona said “They have attached their ship to my hull, Raff, what shall I do?” I thought back to her “Keep playing dead, Mophit and I will try to stop them. Where are they now, Loona?” She then sounded worried and said “Their now attached to landing bay two’s main hatch and Raff, their cutting through!” I opened my personal safe and retrieved the blasters, force field belts and a box of twenty power cells, handing Mophit one each and ten of the power cells. I then took out Bertha, with a smile, saying to Loona “Keep me posted. Mophit and I are heading there now.” We then proceeded to hanger bay two quietly, using the access ways and crawl spaces. We popped out of an air vent near a catwalk, overlooking the hanger bay and could see the hatch already starting to glow red, in the dark, as a hole was being cut. We laid down on the catwalk and waited for them to come through and I looked at Gyro and said “For now you should return to your support areas and wait for us, this is going to get a little rough.” He looked at me and said “I understand sir, good luck.” and it left us. Soon they had cut through, as the metal plating, they had cut out, fell to the deck loudly. A ramp then lowered and they started to come through in pressurized suits, fully armed and carrying lights. One of them held out an instrument and nodded to another and they all removed their helmets.

A tall gruff looking human looked around, holding onto another by a chain, attached to shackles on their wrists and said “Now why is there fresh air and gravity, if this is supposedly old ancient derelict starship, my pretty?” and he looked back at his prisoner, who was still wearing their helmets and said, to the others “Be careful boys and spread out.” His crew then started spreading out around the hanger bay, as he removed the prisoner helmets and to our surprise, it was Sun-Tarry. Mophit looked at me and whispered “They have our Captain, what are we going to do, Raff?” Sun-Tarry looked around and said “How should I know, I never made it inside. I guess you will just have to find out for yourself, Mr. Lamar.” and the human slapped her hard, saying “That’s Captain Lamar to you and I know that you did make it inside, thanks to our little informer here.” and Reva then stepped down the ramp. Mophit became angry and accidentally knocked something, laying on the catwalk, off and it hit the deck, with a loud clank.

They all froze and looked in the direction of the sound, but fortunately, no one looked up, except the Sun-Tarry and I saw her smile knowingly. A few of them moved up under us and I pointed to a large metal toolbox setting on the catwalk nearby, right above them. Mophit nodded, smiling wickedly and we moved up silently behind it. We waited and then pushed it off on top of a humanoid badger and it hit him hard. We then ran along the catwalk, on all fours, as it was lit up with many lights and we ducked back into the vent. As we laid there inside, panting hard, I heard one of them say “Mr. Harper is dead.” and another say “Did you see the size of those large space rats?” I then heard the cold voice of the pirate Captain, as he said “Take his gear and space the body. The rest of you, bring me the hide of those vermin. I could use a fine coat, when I become Captain of this ship. Now spread out.”

We watched, as they moved away from the entrance of the ship and Mophit whispered “The others must be inside and by all accounts, most of their crew has left the ship. Maybe we can get to them, before they come back.” I nodded and we made our way down to the deck and cautiously moved up to the entrance. Suddenly a large humanoid bear, lumbered out of the ship and we hid under the ramp, as it creaked under his weight. We waited for him to pass and scurried up behind him, running quietly up the ramp. Luckily he though himself alone, leaving the inside hatch open and we moved inside of the ship. Mophit looked around and then said “This is an old hunter class scout ship, my old mentor trained me on a ship much like this one. I know just where we will find our friends.” She remove a panel, disappearing inside a moment and then pulled me inside with her and closing it up again. We moved silently through a repair access ways a while and she cautiously cracked open a panel and looked out, closing it up quickly and said “There is a big wolf inside and he don‘t look very friendly.”

I looked at her and smiled, unclipping Bertha from my belt. The wolf stood outside guarding the prisoners and suddenly heard a knock coming from a panel. He moved up slowly to it brandishing his weapon and opened it up and looked inside. There was a bright light and he went flying back and hit the deck hard, as I gave him a taste of Bertha. We then moved into the brig and quickly looked around for anyone else, but found that, luckily, we were now all alone. We made our way down the hall to several cells and found Marshal, Jamar and Areanon-Solack, but Jamar was lying motionless on a bench. Areanon-Solack was in chains with a steel muzzle covering her beak. Marshal jumped up and said “I never have felt so happy to see you two again, Raff.” Mophit looked at him with a smirk and said “Not bad for a couple of mutant vermin, huh?” He looked down and said “You’re of course right Mophit… I have been so wrong about your kind and I’m sorry. But we have to help Jamar, he’s hurt badly. They have Doctor Marcus, locked up in medical.”

I let Marshal out and he took the wolf’s weapons, cuffing his hands and then kicked him hard, saying “That’s for hurting my friend, when he was cuffed, bastard.” He then took the keys from him and freed Solack. He then threw the wolf in his old cell and shut the door locking it, as we went in to check on Jamar. He was beaten and bruised all over, but still managed to smile when he saw me and said weakly “Good to see… you again… Raff.” and coughed up some blood.” Marshal looked at him sadly and said “I was locked up in my cell when they did this to him and could not help him. When we were boarded, he fought like a lion instead of a tiger and they made him pay for it.” Mophit looked concerned and said “We have to get him to medical, I know the way.” Marshal helped Jamar up onto his feet and supported him, saying “Lead the way Mophit.” and she cocked her pistol and said “They are going to pay for this.” and we left the brig. The ship was silent except for the sounds of running machines and equipment, as Mophit lead us through the passageways to medical.

Solack looked at me and said “Did Loona set you free, when the pirates showed up, Raff?” I looked at her and said “No, she let us go just after you left, saying she just could not do it to me. Mophit and I have been making repairs on her ever sense, until the pirates showed up.” Solack looked perplexed and said “Perhaps the Grand Counsel was right about her. She is of no use to us, if she can’t follow through with her orders.” I looked at her angrily and said “It’s your people’s limited vision and greed to use them for your own purposes, which made the Grand Councils decision about her. I found out the truth, about what she is and for that I was placed unjustly on ice to keep me quiet.” She snapped at me, barely missing me and said “You impertinent little beast, how dare you speak of my people that way.” Marshal then stood between us and said “Look you two, save it for later or we’re all going to find ourselves back in the brig. Now let’s go.”

Suddenly, as if to prove his point, we were confronted by the bear, who came at us quickly, for his size. Mophit tried to stop him with her blaster, but he grabbed her, by the waist, making her drop it and cry out in pain. Marshal was holding Jamar and could not help her and Solack just stood there in shock. I however, suddenly saw red, as she cried out to me “Help me… Raff… he‘s crushing me.” I jumped on him and he tossed me aside like a rag doll and hit the wall hard, falling to the deck. In my pain and anger, I felt a change coming over me, as I felt myself growing even more angrier. I felt my body start to grow larger, my claws longer, as my rage grew even hotter. I suddenly roared out loudly and then turned to look at him viciously. The bear’s eyes opened wide in surprise and fear, dropping Mophit to the deck. He tried to shoot at me, but I jumped on him first and began tearing at him with a primal ferocity.

He screamed out, as I tore viciously at his large body and then he fell down on the deck. I then finished him off, by biting his throat and holding it tightly, while he gurgled up blood and his body lurched, till he moved no more. I then let go of him and looked around, growling, my body covered in the bear’s blood. I then saw the terror in my friend’s eyes, as they looked at me and heard Solack say in fear “My gods, my people were right to fear you, you are a danger to us. Everyone get back!“ I then saw Mophit getting up slowly looking at me with a deep terror in her eyes. I tried to approach her, but she backed away from me in fear. I howled out in anguish and then ran away, finding the main hatch and running off into the vast darkness of Loona. I soon came across a few more of the pirates and quickly did the same to them, leaving their torn bloodied bodies where they dropped, for the others to find, as a warning.

Later, I grew tired and found myself a place to sleep, laying there with tears in my eyes and thinking only of Mophit. I wept long, howling out my misery and not caring if anyone heard me, but no one dared to come looking for me, after the carnage I had left behind. I awoke many hours later, unsure of what had happened to me and thinking it all a just bad nightmare. Then I smelt and could feel their dried blood on my thick matted fur and could taste their blood still in my mouth. I then threw up, my now large body heaving and shivering violently, with the realization of what I had done. I remembered the terror filled look on Mophit‘s face and the others and knew I could never go back to them again like this and wept. I then heard Seta’s soft voice say, nearby “Raff are you alright?”

I huddled into a ball and said “I’m a monster, Seta. Your people was right to fear me and lock me up, but now I‘m loose.” I then heard Loona’s soft voice sing out to me, as she said “No, Raff, you are not a monster, you are a Verimorph, a mutated creature that was designed, by an unknown alien race, to change and adapt to you environment and, or needs. Our researchers had been doing tests on you sense you were brought onboard me, long ago. That’s why you were often called to medical so many times. However, I later found a flaw in your DNA structure, sometime after I… lost your body. I surmised that whenever you were made to feel rage, the adrenaline flow in your body would change your physical structure into a strong, very fearsome wild beast, very similar to what is known, as a werewolf, on other worlds. More like a wereraccoon actually, although I didn’t know what you would look like until now.” I closed my eyes and said “So, I am just a monster, unable to control myself and just killing at will.”

I then heard Seta’s soft voice chime up “No, you have still retain enough of yourself, to know friend from foe and can obviously think clearly enough to make rational decisions and talk to me intelligently. The way you hunted down those pirates you killed, hours ago, was very cunning and you still knew your way around Loona’s passageways and crawl ways, using them to your advantage. I can also sense that your mind is still your own and although you are a bit more aggressive and fearsome, in your actions, then Loona had anticipated. I can still feel your gentleness, when you think of your mate, Mophit. You cannot be a monster and still feel love for her, Raff.”

Tears filled my eyes, once more and I looked at Seta saying “But I’ve lost her forever, Seta. She will never be able to look at me in the same way, ever again. She was deathly frightened of what I had become and what I did, right in front of her. I don‘t blame her, I would be too.” Seta then said “So what will you do now, Raff?” I hit the deck hard, with my large paw hand, denting it and said coldly “I will save them all and make the pirates pay dearly.” I then walked out of my hiding place boldly and went on the hunt, hearing Seta trying to stop me, but shutting her out of my mind and moved swiftly towards their ship. I suddenly stopped, sometime later and sniffed around, finding myself now surrounded, by the pirates, as they came out of hiding. I growled menacingly, as their Captain came forward, with Mophit in chains and said “I know that it’s you Raff, you evil cur and I know your fond of this miserable little creature. Surrender yourself now, or I will kill this mutant trash right in front of you.” I roared loudly and said in a cold gruff voice “Kill my mate and I will show you your heart before you die.” I then lunged forward so fast, that he had no time to react to me, as I snatched up Mophit and dodged blaster fire, escaping into the darkness once more.

I ran swiftly, holding Mophit’s trembling little body, gently in my mouth and soon found a hatch, opening it up and ducking inside, closing it quickly behind me. I lowered Mophit gently to the deck and she shrank away from me in fear and pleaded “P… please don’t k… kill me.” I hung my head sadly and said, as gently as I could “I could never hurt you, Mophit, I love you more than life itself. I am still Raff, inside this monstrous form.” She looked at me, unsure and said “W… what happened to you, Raff?” I looked away from her, saying “When the bear started hurting you, I became enraged and it sparked this mutant change in me, making me become this hideous form. All I wanted inside, was to stop him from hurting you, but in my rage, I killed him. I then saw you and the others looking at me in terror and ran away in anguish, knowing that I had lost you forever, killing other pirates I came across in my anger and frustration.”

She slowly came up to me, as I began to weep and turned my large head towards her and she looked deep into my trembling, tear filled eyes. She then smiled at me and said ”It is you, Raff, but can you ever change back?” I shook my head and said “Right now… I don’t know, Mophit.” I heard her chains rattle and reached down gently, braking them loose from her easily. She rubbed her wrists and said “My… your very strong, in this form, Raff.” I smiled and said “You almost saw me change into this, on our ship, when I lost my micro-toolkit and went mad.” a sudden chill took me and I looked myself over and found it missing again. Mophit looked concerned and said “Alright Raff, calm yourself. It fell off of you, when you changed and the pirates have it now, after they captured us, threatening to kill the Captain, right in front of us, if we didn‘t surrender.” I smiled and said “Don’t worry, I’m not the smelly insane little raccoon you first met, only more hideous to look at, but I have to get it back, to finish making the repairs to Loona.”

She held my big muzzle and said “I happened to love that smelly, insane raccoon and I still do, no matter what he look like, now.” and she kissed me. All sadness, anger and frustration left me, as I felt the love for her, growing inside of me once more and I felt myself begin to change, growing smaller, this time. She stepped back, in surprise, as I changed back into my old self and then she threw her arms around me and hugged me, something fierce. She then pushed me down, climbing onto me, giving herself to me and I never felt so warm and happy in all my life. This time however, it felt different, when we climaxed together, as she stopped and looked down at her belly, caressing it softly and smiling to herself. I was then enveloped in a warmth like never before, realizing she had just somehow conceived, as she dropped down on my body and kissed me deeply.

She slid off of me and we laid there, a while, holding each other enjoying the warmth of our love. She ran her hands over my chest fur and said “What are we going to do about these pirates, Raff?” I closed my eyes and said “Well, we are slowly decreasing their numbers, but they still have our Captain and our crewmembers and we need to get them free, somehow. I’m sure that pirate Captain is not going to just give up, as long as he has got them and we don’t want to let him go for help ether. We need to sabotage his ship somehow, so he can’t leave.” She snuggled into me and said sleepily “I can do that… I’m sure… if you can… distract… them… some… how.” and she then fell asleep.” I then gently rolled her over and got up, looking down at her, saying “I’m not going to take a chance that they hurt you, my love. It’s my job to do.” and I left her there and headed for the pirate starship.

They now had it all lit up around, with most of the crew outside guarding the ship and I thought wryly to myself “This is going to be fun.” I then moved in close to one of the guards, a straggly looking warthog and I jumped up on a power box. He saw me right away and brandished his blaster, pointing it at me. I smiled and said “What… you’re not soiling your pants at the sight of me.” and stuck my tongue out at him, jumping down, running away swiftly, dodging his wild blaster fire and hearing him yell out “I’ll get you, you little pest!” and came running for me, as the others followed him. I quickly out distanced them, a bit and ducked into an opened crawl space, making my way back under the deck, to the ship. I popped up near the entrance and climbed out, suddenly being pinched on the butt. I nearly dropped dead from a heart attack and heard Mophit say “You think you’re going to have all the fun, huh.” I placed my hand over my heart and gasped out “Don’t do that to me.”

She smiled, walking past me and said “Then stop trying to protect me, I can handle myself.” and promptly walked right into a human pirate, as he was coming out of the ship.” We looked up at him for a moment and he was as stun to see us, as we were to see him. We then simultaneously jumped him, clawing and biting him, as he screamed, drawing his blaster “Get them off of me… get them off of me!” but there was no one outside to help him. Mophit bit his hand, making him drop his blaster and jumped down to retrieve it. She pointed it at the human and before I could warn her, she pulled the trigger hitting the human square in the chest and killing him, but the recoil threw her back and she rolled away, down the ramp. I jumped off the human, as he hit the deck dead and ran down the ramp after her.

I found her sprawled out at the bottom of the ramp, the blaster some distance away and helped her up saying “So you can handle yourself?” She smiled at me sheepishly and said “Not one of my best moments, huh?” we then scurried up the ramp and made it inside as the pirates quickly started to return. Mophit opened a panel and said “Follow me, I know how to stop them from leaving.” and I climbed inside with her, closing the panel, as the pirates ran up the ramp, finding the dead human. I heard the warthog say, as we made our way down along a wire way “They’re here, find those troublesome vermin.” We went along quietly and came to a large power distribution controller and Mophit looked at it a moment and pulled a cable off. She looked at me and bit the end off of the cable and said “This will stop them from disengaging the landing claw, right away. Now let’s go find our friends.“

We then went along another wire way to the panel by the brig once more. We cracked it open to find several pirates guarding it, I saw another wire way going up and pointed to it. Mophit nodded and we climbed up to the ceiling and I began loosening the catches on a ceiling panel that was above where the pirates were sitting and guarding our friends. I then stood on the panel and waited, as Mophit finished and then I hit the release. The panel and I then plummeted down on the unsuspecting pirates and I jumped off heading down the passageway to the cells. I found them all empty and I realized it was a trap, as the brig door swished open and I was quickly surrounded by other pirates. The guards were helped to their feet, as a big jaguar looked at me and said “Don’t move rodent or I will splash the wall with your blood.”

As I looked up at him, I could tell Mophit had left and would soon probably start causing great havoc and braced myself for it, saying “Why don’t you all just surrender to me now and save yourselves all the trouble?” They all laughed out loud and then alarms started going off all over the place and as they looked around in confusion, I made a b-line between all their legs, saying “I give you a chance.” I quickly rushed out the door that for some reason had just opened back up again. Then things onboard started going haywire, as Mophit played with their automated systems. Doors were opening and closing on their own, lights were going on and off and alarms of all kinds, were going off all over the place. Then suddenly everything went completely dark and I then moved around silently, as the pirates searched the ship for us in the dark, with lanterns. I removed a ventilation duct and slipped inside, moving down the shaft to the main air shaft. It was very quiet now and I could hear many angry voices, cursing our names. I moved around for quite a while, peering out of duct after duct, trying to find my friends and then thought I heard Reva’s voice.

I peered out of a ventilation duct and saw her and another pirate talking angrily, in a passage way and then she slapped him, as he tried to fondle her. He then grabbed her and pushed her down on the deck, attempting to rape her. I grew angry and hit the duct breaking it open and he looked up, just as I landed on his face and dug my claws into him. He fell to the deck trying to get me off his face and Reva grabbed his blaster and shot him. He stopped moving beneath me and I looked up to find her pointing the blaster at me. I slowly got up, holding my paw hands up and said “Why are you in with these swine, Reva. They almost killed you, if I had not repaired what you had done to the temporal core.” She lowered her blaster and sat down on the floor saying “I have no choice, Raff, Sun-Tarry and the others will never trust me again and I have nowhere else to go.” I walked up to her and said “I will trust you, Reva, if you will trust me and help me find the others. They are not in the brig, where are they being kept?” She looked at me a moment and then said “I use to think of your kind, as just mutant trash, but you’re are not so bad and are beginning to change my mind, Raff, let’s go.”

She led me down the passage way, with me in front of her, just in case we came across anyone else. I know I was taking an awful big risk, but I figured she had had enough of these pirates and was looking for a way out. We came to a door marked medical and she said “Their inside here, but we can’t get in with the power off.” I looked around and found a panel and opened it, disappearing inside. I came out holding a handle and slipped it into the hole in the door. I began cranking it and the door slowly opened, revealing two others, brandishing their weapons and Reva said “It’s me boys I have another prisoner for you and they smiled and one said “You got one of the mutant vermin, good work, Reva.” and they stepped back and let us in.

The room was lit with lanterns and I could see the Captain and the others strapped tightly to the tables and a big humanoid weasel said, fingering his knife “Your just in time, we were just about to have a little fun with them. “, and the other one, a k-noid, reached down and grabbed me roughly. Reva started to raise her weapon, but the weasel knocked it out of her hands, easily, pushing her up against the wall and said “I’ve just been waiting for you to try something, missy.” and he placed his blaster to her head. I screamed “NO!” and to my surprise, the k-noid holding onto me began to tremble, as I began to light him up with an electric burst. The weasel looked back, at us, startled and Reva hit him hard. I growled viciously, as I held tightly onto the k-noid, until his body hit the ground, under my weight, as I had changed back into the creature once again and then finished him off.

Reva and the weasel both stepped back, in terror, as I stepped towards them and said, gruffly “Reva take his blaster and free the others.” She quickly did so, as I backed the weasel up against the wall and said “Now what was that about mutant vermin.” and he wet his pants. Reva quickly released the Captain and the others and they all looked at me unsure and afraid. I then looked at the weasel and said, with mocked concern “Now why don’t you go lay down for a while, you don’t look so good.” and he quickly climbed into the nearest bed and lied down, as the others strapped him down good. I then sat down and said “There is nothing to fear, my friends, it’s me Raff.” and the Captain slowly came up to me and said “If I hadn’t seen you change, I never would have believed it was you.” She then reached out and touched me and I leaned into her touch and said “See, nothing to fear.” Jamar limped up to me looking at the dead k-noid and said “I’m sure glad you’re on our side, Raff and it‘s sure good to see you again.” and he picked up the k-noid’s blaster.”

Marshal came up to me smiling and looking all around, saying “Where is Mophit?” We all then heard a cold voice say “She’s right here.” and we turned to see the pirate Captain holding Mophit, by the throat, with a blaster held to her little furred head. She struggled in his hand, gasping for air, as I approached him and then stood before him, saying ”Let her go and I will surrender to you now.“ He grinned and said “I think not.” and then turned the blaster on me and just as he fired, Mophit bit his hand and his shot went wild, grazing my left shoulder. He then looked at her angrily and said “Why you miserable little cur. “, and started to shoot her. Taking his eye off of me, was the last mistake he ever made, as I lunged at him and hit him in the chest, biting down on his throat, as he screamed. I pushed him down to the ground and then tore him apart, right in front of his crew. I then turned to what remained of the pirates standing there, as they backed up and I growled menacingly at them, saying in a cold voice “whose next!”

They looked in shock, at me covered in their Captain’s blood and they all dropped their weapons to the deck and raised their hands. Marshal and Jamar gathered their weapons up and covered them, as Dr. Marcus went to help Mophit. Sun-Tarry came up to me, cautiously keeping her distance and said “Raff, are you alright, your hurt?” I stood there, my left shoulder bleeding, and said “Nothing a couple of hundred volts won’t cure, once Mophit turns the power back on.” Mophit then ran up to me and hugged me saying “Oh Raff, it finally over.” I nuzzled her and said “Not yet.” and I walked up to Reva and said “Thanks you for helping me, Reva, you were true to your word.” and I turned to the Captain and said “Reva had a chance to kill me, or turn me in earlier, but she decided to help me find you all instead, Captain. Just moment ago, she risked her life to rescue you and me, also. Please give her another chance.” Sun-Tarry looked at her, hesitated a moment and then handed Reva a blaster and said “Help Marshal and Jamar gather the prisoners and take them to the brig.” She then turned to Mophit and said “Master Engineer Mophit, if you would please, turn the power back on.” Mophit beamed with pride and disappeared for a little while and then the power came back up and the lights came back on.”

I saw Solack still eying me with great distrust, but she said “Good work Raff, maybe I am wrong about you, but only time will tell for sure. “, and she walked past me not giving me another thought. The Captain then turned to me and said, sternly “Mr. Raff, if you will please be so kind, as to clean yourself up, you’re quite a mess and you also smell quite atrocious…” and I lowered my ears and looked sadly at her. She then leaned down and whispered into my ear “But I don‘t think Jamar and Marshal will try to give you a bath, this time.” and then she giggled. As I walked away, I looked back over my shoulder and said with a grin “By the way, Captain Mophit is pregnant.” Her eyes went wide in surprise and I walked away grinning to myself.”

To be continued!