<blockquote><div><cite>Kahmori wrote:</cite>"Hey, kid. Not a bad view, is it? Just think - few more minutes, you'll be exploring a new station. Eating new foods. Playing with new kiddos. Excited?"</div></blockquote><br/><br/>The white kitsune's words came as a surprise to both the young cat and his mother, their gazes alighting simultaneously on him as he spoke. A puzzled look crossed the feline boy's face, surprised that the big stranger even bothered to talk to him when most others hardly noticed him! However, his caretaker's concerns were far more serious, an uneasiness apparent in her anxious expression and fidgeting as she eyed Kahmori warily. A once-over of the large canine's body made it all too apparent what he could be capable of, and if his intentions towards her son were to turn dangerous... what could she possibly do to stop him? Fortunately for her, the kitsune seemed to carry a good will in his intimidating frame, and when his questions remained relatively innocent the mother cat soon settled down at again let her kitten do as he pleased.<br/><br/>"I dunno," the boy answered, plopping down on his rear. "I haven't seen a lot of other kids on here, and mom hasn't told me where we'll be staying. But yeah! I'm a little scared, but I wanna see what's there too!"<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Landing operations engaging. For your safety, please remain seated until the shuttle has come to a complete stop.</span><br/><br/>The cat's ears would perk up at the PA's voice again before looking at his mother, catching her gesture to return to her side and immediately sliding off the seat. "Goodbye, Mr. Fox!" he'd say happily before scrabbling across the aisle to hop onto her lap.<br/><br/>By then, the shuttle had neared the station enough to reveal the finer details of it's construction, the massive rivets, nuts, and bolts that had gone into it's construction and even the weathered texture of the heavy plates that made up most of it's body, easily showing the scale of the station in comparison to the relatively minuscule craft. As the transport ship descended towards the largest middle ring, the passengers would feel it tilting and shifting beneath them, aligning itself to slide into the wide landing dock carved into its side. Then, as it passed through the purple-tinted forcefield that separated the station's interior from the emptiness of space, a noticeable shudder worked its way through the hull as the effects of gravity began to weigh it down. From there, it didn't take long for it to hover past its numerous other transport shuttles in the wide open hangar towards the arriving terminal, and with a thud and a loud fizzle as the cabin depressurized, the transport finally came to rest.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">The shuttle has landed. Please exit via the front walkway, and have a nice day.</span><br/><br/>For the first time during the flight, the voice managed to rouse all of the passengers of the ship, each one heaving themselves up to crowd for the doorway. A few took a moment to stretch while some idle chatter drifted over several others, discussing their plans for when they would get off the ship. The mother feline was amongst the first to head for the front, picking up the small satchel that bulged with both her and her son's possessions and leading him by the hand towards the exit. The kitten would twist back to look at Kahmori and Sheva one last time, smiling and giving them a small wave. Then, he and his mother vanished into the growing crowd...<br/><br/><br/>It would take the two kitsunes a few minutes to get off the ship once they chose to do so, all the refugees being funneled through the two sliding doors near the shuttle's cockpit. Once they did, however, it would only be a short walk down the passenger walkway before they would finally take their first steps across the floor of the space station... and perhaps, the solace from their troubles for the time being. However, the sight of the inner halls of the station would likely differ from the image that had appeared in Kahmori's mind. The chamber they immediately found themselves in was rather wide, almost fifty feet square between the comparatively low floor and ceiling. It's walls and pillars bore the same color scheme as that of the exterior of the station, a dull bluish-gray completely layered with florescent lights and colored holographs filled with an assortment of messages, from safety warnings to advertisements for random products. Three openings could be seen from the shuttle's exit, the largest one spanning nearly the entire wall before them and just offering images of a more lively area beyond. A series of elevators were visible besides the tinted security booth built into the left wall, while a large darker stairwell lay to the right. However, one final detail would prove to be far more striking.<br/><br/>Almost immediately upon passing through the doorway, Kahmori and Sheva would notice a large number of military personal present in the chamber, easily recognized by the blue-and-white armor and helmets they wore, and it was these who had sectioned off most of the entry chamber to funnel the refugees down the right stairwell. Most of the soldiers brandished their weapons readily, clinging rifles, handguns, and electrified batons in their hands as they watched, paced, and chatted alongside the passengers. Not a single one of the travelers from the ship were allowed through the other two exits, and most of them seemed too intimidated by the heavily-armed personnel to inquire what was going on, content to remain under their radar and be swept off to wherever they may.<br/><br/>It seemed that currently, a stroll in the park or a few slices of pizza seemed a far cry off...<br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">It felt so pointless. All of it.<br/><br/>The fox watched the scene unfolding before him, first from the wall of holograms linked to the cameras in the room, then more directly out the windows of the security kiosk. Ever since they had begun this protocol, he had tried to convince himself the higher-ups knew what they were doing, that such policies really would be in the benefit of the station's residents. Yet as he sat idly watching the soldiers under his command whisk away passengers to be stowed in the bottom levels of the station, the truth of the matter seemed glaringly obvious to him. The culprit was still on the lose, and this would in no way bring them any closer to finding it.<br/><br/>Grumbling, he shifted in his seat next to the other officers, lifting his gaze away from the passengers with an exhausted look on his face. He despised the idea of being tied down by protocol, locked under control of those above him when better solutions seemed right before their eyes. Yet he knew that he had little choice by to follow his orders, lest he again break the red tape tying him down and earn the chagrin of his superiors. He let out a tired sigh before again watching the screens, keeping an eye out for clues that he knew wouldn't be found.<br/><br/>However, it was then he caught sight of the two kitsune leaving the craft, bringing up the rear of the main crowd. Unbeknown to his fellow security officers, he found his gaze tracking them, watching them first through the screens then the window of the booth when they became more easily visible. Why did he seem so drawn to them? Perhaps it was that they looked like they could handle themselves, the tall muscular male looking capable of taking on a truck in a wrestling match and the slim lithe female looking like more of a soldier than most of the privates he had to deal with. He immediately found his mind wrapping around such possibilities, weaving around the strength he could sense in them, their capabilities, their lack of protocol to weigh them down...<br/><br/>Alas, it was clearly a distant possibility, one he soon shuffled away to the back of his mind, yet he couldn't help but keep watching them with interest as they slipped past the tinted glass...</div></div></div><br/><br/>It wouldn't be long before Kahmori and Sheva were ushered along with the rest of the refugees, the military present gesturing them to move along to avoid holding up any other incoming shuttles. However, although most were being relatively civil about the act, one male soldier in particular was being particularly obnoxious about the whole ordeal, barking out commands at the passing travelers as they walked. The shape of his helmet was an indication of his canid race, and from the way he carried himself (and his rifle, for that matter), it was clear he wasn't the most experienced guard around. Even so, he was getting a great deal of the passengers riled up, growling at them to get a move on even when the glut of people before them made such a thing impossible. And he only seemed to be getting more worked up by the minute.<br/><br/>"I said get a move on! We don't have all day! You should be happy we're letting you all onto our station if the first place instead of going through the usual proceedings, threatening our safety! What are you waiting for?! I said move it!"<br/><br/>Unfortunately, the canine soldier seemed to reach fever pitch just as the two kitsune passed by him, and a sudden stop in the line of passengers before them brought them to a temporary standstill. However, it was just long enough to catch the soldier's attention. "Did I tell you to stop? MOVE!" Unaware of her much larger companion, he used the butt of his rifle to give Sheva a harsh push on the shoulder, as if to highlight his already pointless commands.<br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">The fox's eyes would immediately go wide. Did he really just...?<br/><br/>An audible growl escaped his throat as he sat up, causing some of the other officers in the booth to turn towards him curiously. Private Rennings had been a pain in the ass since he had been placed under his command a week ago, causing more trouble in seven days than most soldiers did during their entire careers. Several times they had told the overexcited dog to curb his enthusiasm, control his excitement and save it for a much more dire situation, yet he never seem to listen. Most of the officers had given up on him by then, but now he had gone a yard way too far... and, Naya knew, with two of the worst people he probably could have picked.<br/><br/>"Damn it, Rennings," he cursed to himself, rising to his feet and turning to his fellow officers. "Watch the screens for me, will you? I need to give him a piece of my mind." He would soon head for the exit to the booth, but not before giving the two individuals of interest one last look through the screen...</div></div></div>