Chapter 2

The Black Rock Clan Vengeance Squadron's Death Fang Class LACs landed aboard the LAC Carrier HMS Defiant. Breaking the tradition that the senior officer is the first out of the tube Tommy landed on the deck-plate first. Tommy walked to, came to attention in front of, and saluted the OD Lieutenant JG May saying, "Ensign Always a Kitten and the Black Rock Clan Vengeance Squadron request permission to come board, sir."

The Officer of the Deck had practiced the signs for permission to board ceremony, and had expected the treecat Lieutenant Jason not a six-year-old kid in an Ensign's uniform, but Tommy was what he got. "Permission granted. I thought you would all be cats what did they do rob the cradle to get a human to talk for them, kid?"

Tommy bristled at being called a kid, but not nearly as much as Jason who walked stiffly on all six limbs, fur bristled, ears folded back, extended claws clicking on the deck-plate, and his lips pulled back showing his fangs. When he arrived he reversed arch of his back freeing his true hands, and signed with extended claws flashing. "You will treat Ensign Always a Kitten with proper respect Lieutenant Junior Grade, or I shall either put you on report for insolence, or rend you myself! Now apologize to the Ensign, Lieutenant Junior Grade!" The twin silver bars of a full Lieutenant flashing from the sides of his white collar.

The Lieutenant JG gulped, two-hundred obviously very angry treecats were converging on him. Their extended claws clicking on the deck-plate sounded like old style chemical propellant machine guns, as all the bay sailors watched the drama in stunned silence. "I'm s-sorry I can't read your signs, but I a-apologize for any error, Sir."

Always a Kitten translate for me. and Tommy did, "We thought you humans would not be able to read our signs, and so we had Ensign Always a Kitten do the coming aboard ceremony rather than me. Ensign Always a Kitten was a sex slave for a perverted two leg, but he is now an Ensign in the RMN, and as such you and the other officers aboard will treat him with respect. If you do not either I will put them on report for breach of military courtesy, or we all will rend them with our claws and fangs. Am I clear Lieutenant Junior Grade?"

The terrified OD nodded his head, and Jason through Tommy continued, "Now apologize to Ensign Always a Kitten, or die."

The OD gulped knowing the angry cats were deadly serious, "M-My a-apologies Ensign Always a Kitten." Turning back to Jason, "I-I-It will never happen again, sir."

"See that is doesn't, and inform the other two leg officers, Lieutenant Junior Grade," Tommy translated. The cats retracted their claws and their ears and fur returned to normal at varying speeds. Some were still in full battle readiness rage when the lift ding sounded.

The lift arrived with Admiral Alexander-Harrington, Nimitz, Captain Andrew Jackson Honor's new Flag Captain, and COLAC John Simpson. Seeing many obviously still angry cats surrounding the clearly terrified OD Captain Jackson asked, "What to hell is going on here Lieutenant May?"

"M-My fault, sir. Ensign Always a Kitten reported the cat squadron aboard rather than Lieutenant Jason who I practiced the signs for, and well, sir, he looks like my kid brother in a sailor suit, sir. Well I used kid rather than his rank in the coming aboard ceremony, and the cats took extreme umbrage to that, sir."

Jason was signing to Honor, without the Lieutenant's excuses, the same story, but with his threats. He also said the cats would take personal umbrage if the crew and officers of the Defiant did not treat Ensign Always-a-Kitten with proper respect.

Admiral Alexander-Harrington knew that umbrage could lead to deaths after the incident on Saganami Island, as it almost had on this very deck moments ago, and ordered, "Captain Jackson issue a general order that although Ensign Always a Kitten looks like a six-year-old in a sailor suit he is a real RMN Ensign and will be treated as such on pain of death."

"WHAT?"

"These cats have and will kill anyone who attacks Ensign Always a Kitten he is a treasure to them, a small non mind blind human, but without an interfearing mind glow to deflect their memory singers from detecting and ploting cloaked enemy ships. He is their voice, and vital to the security of this fleet. The cats might consider disrespect to him an attack kicking in their kitten protective instinct, and if that instinct is engaged the man or woman doing it will become their next meal. The pressedent that such instinctual killings are justifiable homiside under Manticoreian law has already been set. Am I clear, Captain Jackson?"

"Yes, Admiral."

"Good, see to it then, Captain Jackson."

"Aye-aye, Admiral."

General orders were one thing, but the skutlebutt from the stories of the Black Rock Clan Vengeance Squadron's LAC bay crews in the wardrooms, goat lockers, and enlisted messes carried a warning, "Mess with or disrespect Ensign Always a Kitten, and this is no shit, you will die, and those damn cats will eat you alive." and this carried a lot more weight with the crew. These spacemen had intergrated with newly graduated spacecats for a month now, and they knew cats better now, and the rest of the crew blieved them. Because of the importance of the memory singers in the detection of the cloaked enemy Honor had transferred her flag to the HMS Defiant, and the crew knew of the cats' importance to the fleet.

There was also an intergrated cat-human company of marines aboard, and each squad had one or two treecat marines serving with it. The whole company could read cat sign language from the cats. The cats wore newly made special body armor with retractable claws in combat as firearms for cats were not available yet. Prototypes were in the works, but cat anatomy and firearms design needed a lot of tweeking before cat firearms went into production. The cats loved the clawed powered body armor, and thus generating the treecat nickname for marines, 'silver claws'. Human marine nicknames were jar heads or leather necks for no reason the cats could understand, but they knew the tearms anyway, and the humans soon embraced the cats' nickname 'silver claws' too. In fact the company's three armored pinances, were eventually named Silver Claws 1-3, the three shuttles named Silver Claws 4-6. They were in the same greatly reconfigured bay as the Death Fang class LACs. This first mixed company of cats and humans were officially called the Raging Treecats, but with time they were more frequently called the Silver Claws by human and cat alike by the crew of the HMS Defiant.

Quarters designed for treecats adjoined the bay along with quarters for the human marines, Tommy lived with the cats in the common nest, but often ate with the marines sick of grilled rabbit and cellery stew. Tommy even though a 'squid' was rapidly accepted by the marines in their mess although fear of the cats provided his initial acceptance. The cat marines ate and slept with their fellow cats in the nest as did Tommy as he was the only human who could stand in the nest they got few visitors. Captain Jessie Jenkins RMMC wore the same two silver bars as Jason, both he and his marines, and Jason and his cats were new strange elements on the LAC carrier. Since he could sign, both groups were initally outsiders and shuned, and misory loves company he and Jason became fast friends on the voyage to Mesa.

Thanks to help from the ROH missile production was approaching pre-atack levals, infact the RoHN learned to make many new toys from their RMN allies, but alliances are always a two way streets as formmer enemies became good friends. The fact that Mesa had spured wars between them helped bury hard feelings on both sides. Many of Honor's Eighth Fleet's ships with ships from the RoHN, AEN, and of course the Grayson to form Honor's now Joint Fleet 1.

A day later the First Joint Fleet sailed in harms way for it was time to pay Mesa back, with interest. They would stop in Spindle System to confer with Admiral Henke before going to Mesa to get the latest intellegence on Mesa. Mike was two and one and the one loss was closest, and Honor wanted to chear her old firend up. Mike's report on a treecat spoting the enemy trap filled her with hope for the current mission, but she wanted some reassurance. Besides Ensign Rachel Mayhew GSN would have a job she was uniquely qualified for teaching a bunch of nearly wild treecats proper manners. Tension between the cats and humans was building, mostly because cats didn't know how to act arround humans, and most of the crew did not know how to interact with the cats. Captain Jackson was still upset over the insident in the Death Fang's bay. Maybe tonights dinner would help.

Tommy was very unconfortable at dinner, and woundered what he had done wrong, the other human officers were all looking at him. "I forgot Tommy did not go to officer training and he dosen't know he has to make the toast to the Queen. You better tell him he's susposed to propose the toast to the Queen now, Jason," Honor whispered into Jason's ear.

Allways a Kitten the lowest ranking officer starts dinner by proposing a toast to Soul of Steel. Stand, raise your wine glass, say 'To Soul of Steel,' and drink your wine.

Tommy stood, raised his wine glass, and said, "To Soul of Steel." The other officers looked even more dissaprovingly at him.

Honor said, "My fault Ladies and Gentlemen Ensign Always a Kitten dosent know the proper toast, and Jason must have used her treecat name when he told Tommy to make the Toast. To the Queen." And she sipped her wine, the others followed suit, the treecats just nodding their agreement with the toast before sipping. Honor sat and continued, "This little miscommunication illistrates our problem intergrating two species with very different cultures and ways of communication. The treecats have no word for Queen they know our word, but translate it to the name of the individual, and so Jason used her treecat name 'Soul of Steel' to Tommy. Some of you took offence. Two days ago Jason intrepreted Lieutenant JG May's use of the word kid as an insult to Tommy, and rushed to protect his little brother. Given time, patience, and good will this will on both sides we can become a team using the strength of each to make a more powerful whole. Ladies and Gentlemen 'To interspecies understanding, may we all work to achieve it.'" She drank the second toast,

All the others nodded or repeated, "To interspecies understanding, may we all work to achieve it."

The conversation turned to that goal, Tommy translating for the cats, on how to accomplish that. Most ideas had a fatal flaw, to generate understanding the two groups had to interact socially, but most of the officers and crew of the Difiant did not know sign language, and there was only one of Tommy to translate into spoken English. They did what they could, and progress was made in the three weeks to the Spindle System. Sign language courses helped fill the gap, but humans learned much more slowly than cats without memory singers.

On the first day in hyperspace Gunnery Seargent Bert Thomkins saw his two drawn cards did not improve his hand, but three of a kind was worth a quarter bet. He slid in a quarter saying, "I bet a qwarter."

Tommy pushed in a Manticoreian twenty-five cent coin to join the others in the pot, saing, "Call," even knowing his two of a kind would not beat the seargent's three of a kind. Tommy susspected he had three of a kind since he drew two cards.

Chief Petty Officer Kelly Addams said, "I see your quarter and raise you another quarter." A pure bluff with a busted flush

Petty Officer Moe, Broken Branch Grabber, slid in a Manticoreian dollar bill, and took a quarter out of the pot, and signed, "See your fifty cents and bump you a quarter." Marines and Bay sailors had the most practice with sign language and understood the cats 'speech' best

Gunnery Seargent Bert Thompkins who had put in the first quarter threw his cards face down, saying, "Too rich for me to stay in."

Tommy folded without comment, and Chief Addams put in another quarter, "I think your bluffing, call."

Moe bleeked a laugh and put his cards down face up, a full house.

Chief Addams put his cards down a busted flush. "Shit I should know better than to play poker with a furry mind reader.

Moe singed, "Not read mind you mind blind, but feel dissapointment when you drew the club. Always a Kitten had two pair, he not have poker face on last draw even though he has no glow, I see in his face. We cats can play poker with each other, we can control our mind glows. With you two legs is easy prey you can't control your mind glow. You see emotions on face so control face make poker face, but you have not developed a 'poker mind' at all."

Chief Addams said, "You're cheating, Moe."

Tommy translated Moe's reply at his request, "Moe says he's no more cheating than you do with young inexprienced players without a poker face. Keep playing with us cats and you'll get a poker mind, or not have enough money to play poker."

Gunney Thompkins said, "He's right about that, Chief. Did he tell you to fold, Tommy?"

Tommy said, "No, but he knew what I had two pair, and bet anyway. So I folded my hand."

Chief Addams asked, "How'd you know he wosen't bluffing, sir?"

"The cats have been playing with each other, they know glow control they have a poker mind already, but a bluff is a lie and a lie they can taste almost all the time, so they don't try to bluff. They can't taste me, but I have no poker face so I lose a lot."

Gunney Thomkins asked, "Then why play, son?"

Tommy laughed, and said, "It's the only game in town, gunney." They all shared a laugh even Moe Beeking.

A few days later the cats taught humans treecat frisby in return for more lessons in poker, they found out what a rough game was. Soon even battle hardened jar heads refused to play.

COLAC John Simpson said to Honor, "If the cats fight like that God help the Mesans."

Honor laughed, "There's not enough room for a real rough game, John. You want to see a rough game go to Honor Tree City Park. It's a good thing the hospital is across the pedestrian avenue some times arteries get accidentally cut."

Ensign Always a Kitten caught a throw from Moe and sent it on to Larry who sent it on to Curly who took it over the goal line. The cats cheered, a slightly different bleek than a laugh, Jason thought, Tommy the silver claws are getting rough so you better go watch, send in Root Biter, and I'm sorry but we cannot afford to lose you now that we have found you." Several of the marine cats were on the human team, and they were experts at the game and its dirty tricks.

Tommy sat with Phyllis Diller an apprentice memory singer, his watch's cook, and the Death Fang's Bane's medic, her treecat name was Bright Eyes, and her black collar had the three golden chevrons of a Petty Officer. Tommy thought to her Well bright eyes Explores Everything thinks the People on the silver claw team might injure me, and since I'm so valuable I now get to sit and watch the game.

You at least got to start, Always a Kitten, those big powerful males will not let Sings Brightly and me even start. She huffed her contempt at the cold cruel universe, and continued, Our time in the sun is coming when we render the enemy, and show our value as warriors. You Always a Kitten will be the voice of the memory singers letting the two-legs know when we discover the hidden enemy. Is it true that there are more humans like you who are not mind blind and have no glow?

There are more like me who are not mind blind at least among us sex slaves. As to the glow since I cannot taste glows those others like me who are not mind blind share thoughts, but I have no way of knowing if they are glow blind, or even if emit glows or not, Bright Eyes. I suspect we are all glow blind, but some may emit glows and I would not know it.

If your fellow slaves are freed will they join us in our fight?

Some will and some will not, not all of the People are here either.

True, but you say some of those who can help us will volunteer?

We hate what has been done to us, but as essentially children we cannot fight back. Give them a chance to fight back, and they will take it. Were you in our place would you not take the chance to fight back?

Phyllis drew back in shock thinking about being so abused by others without a way to fight back, and then bleeked a laugh, Yes, I would grab such a chance with all twenty-four claws.

Three short days were spent in the Spindle system, Admiral Henke joined the expedition, the official reason to consult with the latest intelligence on the enemy, and having the most recent experience in the Mesan system. The real reason was Honor needed to cheer her life long friend up, her big loss in the last battle of Mesa had badly shaken her confidence, and frankly Honor needed a friend along to talk to.

A new ensign joined the Death Fangs, Rachel Mayhew GSN, her treecat companion, Hipper, and of course the Grayson Arms Men expected to accompany the Protector's eldest daughter. Her duty was to help intergrate the human and treecat elements into a naval whole. She had thought about the assignment. First treecats could understand human speech, however they could not produce the sounds needed to speak, but they had learned sign language. Second humans could neither understand nor produce the cats' mental speech, but most humans aboard did not know the cats' sign language.

Solution teach the humans the cats' sign language, simple? Wrong! For although many of the crew joined her classes to be able to understand the cats' sign language there was resistance, pride, lazyness, and arrogance provided reasons for some crew and officers to not learn the cats' language. In the end a full third of the crew remained ignorant of the cats' language, culture, and direct communication with the cats as such they were fertile ground for ethnocentrisim againt the cats.

Rachel and a few marine volenteers taught sign language classes, Hipper, some spacecats, and silver claws volenteered to sign to strudents so they could paractice communicating with a real live cat. During the month long hyperspace voyage to the Mesan System a third of the officers and crew of HMS Defiant became fluent in sign language often befriending one or more cats and having long discussions. The other third had varing flueancy from close to fluent to knowing just enough signs for brief stilted conversations, and the minimum needed to work with a cat.

The segment from Spindle to Mesa would require one and a half months even in hyper so Rachel and her volenteer teachers had plenty of time to teach sign language. The poker games continued, Ensign Always a Kitten, Chief Addams, Gunney Thompkins, and Chief Moe were the core group with two or three others joining.

PFC Frankenstein's treecat name was Bloody Claw. He had attacked a death fang in an attempt to save his mate, and although he killed the beast his mate died. Usually a mate would have starved themselves to death, but the attack that destroyed the Black Rock Clan had so enraged the people he had joined the marines. The death fang had scared his face, so the marines called him Frankenstein after an old story of a sewn together monster. Gunney Thompkins had brought him along to play poker.

PFC Jack the Ripper's treecat name was Long Hunter. The marines orriginaly called him just Jack, but in his first battle armor practice attack he grabed the dummy with the claws of his four uper limbs and gutted it with his back claws becoming Jack the Ripper.

Ordanary Spacecat Herman's treecat name was Bough Runner. He worked in the bay under Chief Addams, and had came to the poker game with him. He had two pair but had not drawn neither an ace nor a six. He slid in a quarter, signing, "I bet a quarter."

Gunney Thompkins slid in another quarter saying, "Call." He had drawn two cards to try for a full house, but had drawn an six and a duse.

OSC Herman lay his cards face down, signing "Fold."

Chief Addams had drawn two fours to go with his three nines, he put in two quarters, and said, "See your quarter and raise you a quarter."

Tommy lay his hand face down saying, "Fold."

PFC Frankenstein lay his hand face down signing, "I fold. If the next dealer gives me another lousey hand I may as well go back to my rack."

Moe had taken a chance to fill an inside straight, and not only got it, but the heart gave him a seven high straight flush, he pushed three quarters in the pot signing, "See your fifty cents and raise you a quarter."

Jack the Ripper lay his cards down, and signed "Fold."

Gunney Thompkins and Chief Addams folded. Moe put his cards down face down, scooped up the pot, but leaving a quarter to start the next pot. The others matched Moe's quarter as Gunney Thompkins slid his quarter in gathered the cards, shuffeled them, and allowing OSC Herman to cut the deck before dealing.

Tommy asked, "Gunney Chief you have been in battle before is it normal for your stomach to be, ugh queesy?"

Gunney Thompkins answered, "Any one going in harm's way gets a queesy stomach. Only fools are not afraid of battle. Bravery is not being unafraid it is just living with your fear and carring out your duties anyway, Tommy."

I knew my mate and I would die anyway when I attacked the death fang, but I wished to die with her, Frankenstein sighed. It was desperation not bravery that drove me to attack a death fang alone, but even desiring death I had the queesy stomach none the less.

"What did Frankenstein say?" Gunney Thompkins seeing Tommy look at Bloody Claw asked. Tommy translated exactly, and the gunney continued, "That happens in battle too. A fellow thinks he's dead anyway so he attacks the enemy. That's how heros are made, desperation." He pinted to the Navy Cross on his tunic, the second highest award in naval service, and said, "That's how I earned this one. No way to servive so to hell with it I'll take some of the dirty bastards with me, but I did survive." The game and small talk continued, and the cats were intergrating into the small community of the hanger bay well if not the ship as a whole.

Tommy wearing his skin suit under his uniform and with helmet on sat at his communication console. Death Fang's Bane sat sleek and deadly in her launch bay, her crew fully suited and the ship depressurized for instant battle after they launched.

"Hyper transition in ten-nine-eight …" the ship's anouncer droned down the countdown, and then they were in normal space. The anouncer droned on, "Launch death fangs." Tommy could see stars after his window cleared the launch bay.

Tommy report no enemy contacts yet," Sings Brightly thought.

Tommy pressed a stud, one of the few that put a communication station in direct contact with Admiral Alexander-Harrington. "The mind singers report no enemy in mind range yet, Admiral."

"Thanks, death fangs, but keep searching, over and out." Admiral Alexander-Harrington touched the fleet wide stud on her arm rest. "No enemy yet detected launch regular spy drones, and proceed as planed." She leaned back and turned to Mike, "So far so good, Mike"

Admiral Michelle Henke RMN and Countess Gold Peak (Mike) said, "Just what I said just before I got my butt kicked. These are serious enemies Honor, and mean bastards to boot."

The death fangs formed their globe formation and now orbited the fleet arround the fleet's axis of flight. The globe formation orbiting the fleet gave the mind singers clear mind views of space in a three million mile diameter globe around the fleet. For an hour the fleet just sailed toward Mesa, and then, Sings Brightly stiffened, and began to enter numbers into the People's plot. Always a Kitten inform Admiral Dances on Clouds we have located twenty-four cloaked enemy ships. Have her activate the People's plot.

The short one sided battle saw eight cloaked enemy ships destroyed and the enemy's command ship englobed by the death fangs. Tommy worried is voice, that of a six-year-old, might not be ruff enough to demand the surrender of the single enemy survivor, "Mesan ship surrender or be destroyed you are centered in our globe." The Death Fangs demanded the surrender while still awaiting the slower Silver Claw # 1 with its marine and a naval boarding party to take control of the damaged enemy command ship.

Admiral Topolev of the Mesan Alignment Navy sat on the bridge of the powerless damaged Mako, and even with power his cloaked ship was much slower than the LACs surrounding him. Worse the enemy proved they could see through the cloak, and all his antimissile missiles were gone in the futile attempt to stop the Mantie missile swarm. His mouth opened in stunned disbelief as the surrender demand, from a kid no less, came in on the clear com. He thought The Manties must be robbing the cradle! None the less we must surrender, but how could this happen we nearly destroyed the first Mantie fleet sent against us? Having no desire to uselessly die for Mesa he keyed the mike, "Mesan Alignment Navy Ship Mako surrenders."

"Destroy no files, memory banks, or equipment, and prepare to be boarded by approaching penance. You are prisoners of the Sphinxian League of Clans' Death Fang Squadron Number One."

This polite fiction had been developed during conversations between Admiral Alexander-Harrington and Lieutenant Jason. Jason had pointed out through Tommy the fact that, "We cats of the Sphinxian League of Clans have not signed the Deneb Accords, and even if we were signatories the destruction of the Black Rock Clan was by an orbital kinetic weapon, and is a clear violation of the Deneb Accords by Mesans anyway. Thus we cats will be freer to interrogate their prisoners with, ugh, more vigor than you two legs of the RMN might dare."

PFC Frankenstein was the first aboard the MANS Mako, and he ran for engineering his two leg squad mates running, but still unable to keep up. A MAN PO had just finished smashing a control panel when Frankenstein sprang; his battle steel claws extended, and in one swipe he took out the man's throat. As the rest of the squad arrived Frankenstein signed with his bloody claws still extended, "I read the malevolent mind glow of that two leg, he knew he was violating the surrender, but thought we could do nothing, Gunny. They all know better now."

The MAN engineering officer angrily said, "That animal just murdered Petty Officer Blake without warning!"

Gunnery Seargent James Thompkins replied, "The conditions of your surrender included not destroying equipment, your crewman broke his parole with the cats, and he paid the price."

"But the Deneb Accords require a trial before executing a prisoner for violation of parole!"

Gunny Thompkins laughed, and finally said, "The cats are not signatories of the Deneb Accords, and even if they were a treecat clan was destroyed by orbital derbies bombardment as a result of your sneak attack the Christmas before last. Cats are not civilized, but are intelligent carnivorous hunting predators, and a terrible enemy that you created for yourselves. Now sit on the floor over there with your hands on your heads. Watch'em, Frankenstein." The now totally cowed enemy sat hands on head before a now sitting Frankenstein his still extended battle steel fore claws still bloody as he nervously clicked them on the deck plate. The Gunny turned to the other marines, "Frankenstein and I will watch the engineering section while you go report what happened here to the LT, and then bring that squid engineer and his boys back here."

CPO Davis arrived with two ratings, "What a mess, I take it that was the hammer guy well the bastard got what was coming to him. Gunny call for a tug we'll be at repairs for days at least." Looking at the sitting prisoners, he continued, "And Gunny, leave the Engineer and a couple of ratings to help, but get the rest to the brig."

Gunny Tompkins said, "Right, Chief. Pick your ratings, and I'll take the rest back to the Silver Claw One. I'll call the LT and have him call us a tow truck right away, and I'll leave Frankenstein here to keep your 'volunteers' properly motivated, ugh, you do understand cat signs?"

"We all do it was a mission requirement." Davis turned to the cat and signed, "You can scratch to motivate. but don't kill unless I give the order. We need their knowledge. Let me know if they are trying anything cute." He tapped the engineering officer, and two ratings saying, "You three just volunteered to help clean up this mess. I wouldn't try anything cute Frankenstein here reads minds, and you already know he has a nasty temper. Oh, words to the wise if you play poker with him bring lots of money." CPO Davis had lost his shirt twice to Frankenstein at the evening poker games.

Frankenstein bleeked a laugh, but he kept his predatory eyes on the prisoners. That unblinking green eyed slit pupil treecat stare from a bared fanged bloody clawed known killer was unnerving to the MAN prisoners. Those not selected were happy to go with the Gunny to a nice safe brig as far away from PFC Frankenstein as possible, or so they thought.

CPO Davis ordered, "Off your duffs we got work to do." The MAN Engineer was thinking of protesting, but a growl from Frankenstein silenced the protest.

Jack the Ripper was with the LT on the bridge, three MAN prisoners were aiding in the repairs, and the cat would keep them honest. The LT had just ordered a tug, while other marines were escorting prisoners to the Silver Claw One for a ride to HMS Defiant's brig, and he turned to Gunny Tompkins, "Gunny I'm leaving you in charge of the marines here, you'll have the two cats and two other PFCs any preference?"

"Baen and Roberts they work well with Jack the Ripper and Frankenstein, and can shoot if it comes to that."

"OK I'll send them up, be nice to Ensign Mathews he's a good kid, and keep Frankenstein and Jack the Ripper from fleecing the lad in poker."

The gunny laughed, "That pair will teach him good, might be an expensive lesson, but he will learn from the best. I already warned the engineering prisoners about playing with Frankenstein, and I'll put a buzz in Ensign Mathews' ear about playing with cats too. But what else we got to do here while we wait but play poker, LT."

Ensign Mathews came in, he looked as young as Tommy Always a Kitten just taller, and said, "My first command too bad she can't move under her own power. Your prisoners are loaded so see you latter Lieutenant Jefferson."

Even though a butter bar himself Jefferson was not as green as Ensign Mathews, "I'll send Baen and Roberts up, gunny." He shook Mathews' hand, "Good luck on your first command, Ensign. I'm leaving you five good marines to keep the Mesans honest. Now with your permission Captain I'll be on my way." At Mathews' nod he came to attention, saluted, preformed a parade ground about face, and hurriedly left the bridge before he laughed in the serious kid's face.

Jason detached Blue Mountain Dancing Clan's Revenge under Lieutenant JG Dahlgren (Branch Strider) to watch over the wounded shark and tug, and returned with the rest of the squadron at a thousand gravities to the fleet to resume watching for the cloaked enemy. The next four hours was spent in tense waiting, the memory singers sensed the enemy vaguely, but could not pin point them. During this time the Silver Claw One returned to the Defiant with its prisoners, the tug had the captured shark under tow and was slowly returning to the fleet, and Jason sent half the squadron at a time back to the Defiant to replenish reaction mass while the other half orbited the fleet searching for the cloaked enemy.

Five hours after the death fangs rejoined the fleet Sings Brightly began to enter data into the People's plot Always a Kitten we have two enemy flotillas of nine ships on plot for a total of eighteen enemy ships inform Dances on Clouds.

Tommy Always a Kitten spoke into his mike, "Admiral Alexander-Harrington, the memory singers have located another two enemy flotillas of nine ships for a total of eighteen cloaked enemy ships. They're on the treecat plot now, Admiral."

Using classic defensive techniques the enemy had divided their system protective fleet into three flotillas, one near each pole perpendicular to the system's orbital plane, and a third near the system's orbital plane's hyper limit near where Admiral Henke's fleet appeared during the first battle of Mesa. Had more sharks been available more flotillas would have ringed the circumfrence of the system's orbital plane. The third flotilla on the system's orbital plane was the first destroyed, and now the two polar flotillas were attacking the Manticoran fleet together.

The engagement was again brief the eighteen sharks were destroyed before they could attack with their own short range missiles by the fleet's massive Orion missile barrage. As they already had a shark for study all eighteen were destroyed. Shuttles were soon delivering pods from one of the massive ammunition ships to make room for the crippled shark captured in the first engagement currently still under tow.

Jason thought, Always a Kitten go and get some sleep, but stay in your skin suit with helmet on. I'm rotating the crew for rest, but we are still in battle condition. Jason also called Moe to relieve Groucho who had been piloting the demanding station keeping and orbiting the fleet for ten hours now. The rest of Port Watch was also ordered to rest. In four hours Port Watch would take over for Starboard Watch going to watch and watch extended operations mode.

Tommy stopped by the pressurized dining room for a quick meal removing his helmet to eat after coming through the air-lock. He nodded to Phyllis Diller, Harpo, Chico, Laurel, and Hardy also helmet-less grabbing a quick meal. See you cats in three and a half hours, Tommy thought to his watch after finishing his meal and putting on his helmet. The cats were licking their paws and washing their fur after eating. Tommy went to his cabin for an exhausted nap.

Daniel Detweiler had examined the sensor recordings of both engagements, the sensor detecting the cloaked sharks was obviously among the LACs orbiting the enemy fleet, and probably in the outermost one. That particular LAC had maintained that position since the Manti fleet appeared. He had modified Ghost Class Scout adding a powerful graser bow gun, and as luck would have it Commodore Karol Østby and his crew were on the research station determining if the graser modification should be put in all the scout ships. If they could take out that LAC the five remaining sharks had a chance of doing the enemy some damage, and perhaps even driving them away from the Mesa System altogether.

Luck was with Commodore Karol Østby the more powerful stealth fields prevented the mind singers from detecting his craft, and he closed to graser range on the Death Fang's Bane. He carefully maneuvered his ship to attack the vulnerable side wall just aft of the bridge's clear shield. The graser tore a hole clear through both sides of the LAC's thin hull, the beam and splinters killing Captain Explores Everything, Lieutenant JG Sings Brightly the Mind Singer, and Tactical Chief Petty Officer Far Hunter instantly. Of the bridge crew only Moe was alive although wounded by a sharp shard of hull, but he acted instantly rolling the ship to impose the impeller wedge, his cat reflexes faster than any two leg, the ship rolled faster than humanly possible. Then he hit the tactical repeater on the helm, the graser's heat highly visible he fired missiles destroying the attacker, and Commodore Karol Østby's lucky streak ended abruptly. Only then with his blood boiling from his torn skin suit did Moe deploy an emergency survival bubble, and then crawling inside he finally managed to seal it just before losing consciousness.

The jolt of the attack had knocked Tommy from his bunk to the deck-plate after only an hour of sleep. He got up, and in the hall met the rest of his rudely awakened Port Watch and Chief Petty Officer Pilot & Navigator Chief of the Starboard Watch Groucho. Let's go to the bridge and find out what that was, Tommy thought.

The bridge was a charnel house, Tommy was now Captain of the Death Fang's Bane, and he ordered, Phyllis Diller, take Moe to the sick bay, Curly and Shemp, help her.

The mass of the enemy debris is much less than those of the ships we have already destroyed. This must be a different class of enemy ship, sir. Black Paws thought from the Tactical Station.

Tommy, still somewhat in shock, went to his miraculously undamaged communications station, sat down and flicked the stud, "Captain Yamamoto, Captain Explores Everything, Lieutenant JG Sings Brightly the Mind Singer, and Tactical Chief Petty Officer Far Hunter are dead so you are now squadron commander. If you send Ensign Pretty Boy to take command here I'll transfer to your ship for communications. Death Fang's Bane is too damaged to remain with the squadron, and will have to return to the bay for extensive repair."

A typed message slowly appeared, COMEING, PREPARE TO TRANSFER, ALWAYS A KITTEN. ANY IDEA HOW THE ENEMY ELUDED OUR MIND SINGERS?

Tommy replied, "Not a clue, sir. Chief Petty Officer Second Pilot & Navigator Broken Branch Grabber was the only survivor on the bridge, he's unconscious now, but I doubt he knows either. However quickly he reacted to the attack it was obvious the bridge crew had not detected the enemy before they fired on us. This is another class of ship than we have encountered before, and Black Paws says the mass of the enemy debris is much less than those of the ships we have encountered already."

Tommy thought, Chases Leaves [Groucho,] Take command until relieved by Ensign Bark Shredder [Pretty Boy.] Prepare to return to the Defiant I'll inform Admiral Alexander-Harrington. Picking up the mike, hitting the stud for the Admiral, and Tommy said, "Admiral, Death Fang's Bane is damaged and returning to the Defiant. I'm transferring to the Black Rock Clan's Revenge for communications, and Pretty Boy is transferring here to command the Death Fang's Bane. Casualties as follows, CPO Moe wounded found unconscious in a survival bubble, I'll write a citation he saved the ship although wounded, and he barely made it into a survival bubble. The dead are Captain Jason, Memory Singer Minnie, and Tactical Chief Petty Officer Zeppo. The attacking ship's debris show a mass less than those ships we have encountered, and the cloaking is better even eluding the Memory Singers. Warn the fleet we may not feel the mind glow of all the enemy, and sudden attack is possible. The enemy ship was armed with a small graser."

Tommy could hear Nimitz's keen for his dead son in the background as Admiral Alexander-Harrington said, "Good luck, I concur with your decision to transfer command of the Death Fang's Bane so you can remain as squadron communicator. We'll talk about Moe's citation after the battle. Over and Out."

Tommy left the bridge stopping to pack his bag in his room, and then going to sick bay to check on his friend Moe. As Tommy came through the air-lock Phyllis Diller said Broken Branch Grabber [Moe] is still unconscious. I have sown up his wound, and am giving him blood, antibiotics, and pain medicine. He is stable and should recover fully although the would will hurt for a few days. Are we returning to the carrier?

Yes, but I'm transferring to the Black Rock Clan's Revenge for communications, and Bark Shredder is transferring here to command the Death Fang's Bane. I'm sorry to be leaving at a time like this, but the enemy is still out there, and Cluster Stalk Grower will need me. Tell Broken Branch Grabber I'll see him as soon as I can. He saved the ship, and the Admiral said we would talk about a citation for him after the battle.

Broken Branch Grabber did what he did for his clan-mates not a citation, Always a Kitten.

All heroes do what they do for their shipmates two leg or the People makes no difference, Bright Eyes [Phyllis Diller.]

Passing each other in the space between the Death Fang's Bane and the Black Rock Clan's Revenge Tommy waved to Bark Shredder, and thought Treat them well, Bark Shredder. They are still in shock. As the only surviving officer I feel I am deserting them.

You are doing your duty to the squadron, and the fleet. I will watch over them, and perhaps this is a permanent trade of assignments. Cluster Stalk Grower will need you for squadron communications more than your crew will need you to 'lick their bristled fur' [a treecat expression roughly equivalent to 'hold their hands'], Always a Kitten.

Crew of the Black Rock Clan's Revenge:

Officers:

Yamamoto, Cluster Stalk Grower —Captain Lieutenant JG second in command of the first Death Fang Squadron. The only surviving member of the Black Rock Clan

Yoko Ono, Sings Loudly—Memory singer ensign XO of Black Rock Clan's Revenge, Starboard Watch commander, and a member of the Bright Water Clan.

Pretty Boy, Bark Shredder—Port Watch Commander, a very handsome cat, and a member of Bright Water Clan. Note: Ensign Tommy Always a Kitten trades places with Pretty Boy here and, is replaced permanently with Annie Pretty Kitten later.

Enlisted Starboard Watch:

Tom, Bristle Back—Chief Petty Officer Pilot & Navigator Chief of the Starboard Watch cross trained as a keyboard communications, and a member of the Sun Leaf Clan

John, Cluster Stalk Biter—Missile PO member of the Fire Runs Fast Clan

Dick, Bad Hunter—Tactical Chief Petty Officer member of the Laughing River Clan

Harry, Big Gut—Cook and Environmental PO member of the Walks in Moonlight Clan

Martin, Bristle Neck—Ordinary Spacecat member of the Bright Water Clan

Lewis, Purple Leaf—Ordinary Spacecat member of the High Crag Clan

Enlisted Port Watch:

Jack Benny, Branch Runner—Chief Petty Officer Second Pilot & Navigator cross trained as a keyboard communications PO. Chief of the Port Watch a member of the Sun Leaf Clan

Carol Burnett, Sparkly Eyes—Medic and second cook apprentice mind singer, Petty Officer a member of the Fire Runs Fast Clan

Fred, Muddy Paws—Missile tech first, and a member of the Bright Heart Clan

Ralph, Fears the Lightning—Electronics Spacecat first, and a member of the Bright Heart Clan

Abbot, Folded Ear—Ordinary Spacecat a member of Blue Mountain Dancing Clan

Costello, Fatso—Ordinary Spacecat a member of the Blue Mountain Dancing Clan

Tommy felt like an interloper on the Black Rock Clan's Revenge he knew the crew, even played poker with Bark Shredder and Branch Runner, but he had not trained with them. Even though doing his duty he still felt he was abandoning his crew on the Death Fang's Bane. He approached the hatch of his new ship, a ship headed in harm's way, and a crewcat awaited to help him aboard. The crewcat was Jack Benny [Branch Runner] and he was the Starboard Watch's Chief Petty Officer also Pilot, Navigator, and Communications Keyboarder. Tommy was Ensign of the Starboard Watch, and Jack Benny's new commanding officer. Other than a few poker games, and a couple of wild Treecat Frisbee matches they did not know each other. Tommy thought, Permission to come aboard.

Permission Granted, Ensign Always a Kitten. We are all saddened by the deaths of Squadron Commander Explores Everything, Lieutenant JG Sings Brightly the Mind Singer, and Tactical Chief Petty Officer Far Hunter. However you are to report to the bridge immediately, I'll take your bag to your rack, sir.

Thank you, Chief.

Tommy arrived on the bridge in time to see the Death Fang's Bane leave formation to return to the Defiant. Ordinary Spacecat Purple Leaf was installing a child's chair in front of the communications console. Squadron Commander Explores Everything had foreseen the need for Tommy to serve on any of the other death fangs so he had ordered chairs stowed on each death fang. Cluster Stalk Grower welcomed him to his crew and expressed is regret at the deaths aboard the Death Fang's Bane.

We are all saddened, but as Captain Myers always said at the academy, 'The enemy also has plans, he gets his shots in, shipmates die, and all you can do is carry on with your duty.' So let's carry on, sir.

Now Squadron Commander Cluster Stalk Grower huffed, and thought, I though the old two leg talked too much, but perhaps in this he was correct, Ensign Always a Kitten. I see that Purple Leaf has finished installing your chair, so carry on with your duty, mister. He bleeked a laugh. The cats knew that the term 'mister' was used as a light rebuff or even frank disapproval when addressing an officer of higher rank by one of lower rank or enlisted man or vice versa, but when accompanied with a laugh from a higher ranking officer to a subordinate denoted playful disapproval when a beloved junior officer took on airs above his station. Cats had little patience with pontificating fools, but pontificating kittens were another mater. Others of the bridge crew bleeked their laughter joining their captain.

Suddenly Sings Loudly turned to the plot and began entering vectors from the other mind singers pin pointing cloaked enemy ships. Always a Kitten inform the Admiral five cloaked enemy on plot. Again the fleet's missiles flew, again the enemy was destroyed before firing in return. The other five sharks were leaving the Mesa System as fast as their spider drives with inefficient gravity plates could allow them to accelerate. The acceleration was slow running compared to ships with normal impeller drives and gravity compensators, near walking to normal naval ships, but near standing still to the new Death Fang Class LACs with their Star Flyer inertial compensators whose acceleration was two orders of magnitude greater. Only the limited detection range of the mind singers allowed them to escape.

The sharks were not the only rats leaving the Mesan Alignment's sinking ship. The King Rat AKA Albrecht Detweiler's "private yacht" MANS Genesis was about the size of most navies' battlecruisers, almost as heavily armed, but that didn't prevent it from being one of the most luxuriously appointed vessels in the galaxy. Detweiler's family, a few chosen friends and their families, and enough servants to make them extremely comfortable were preparing to leave the Mesa system before the Manticoran Navy arrived to make escape inpossable. Genesis could out run anything in hyper, but had to reach the hyper limit to kick her heals.

Genesis' acceleration of four hundred and fifty gravities gave Albrecht Detweiler confidence that they would easily reach the hyper limit first, even if the Manticoran Navy gave chase. But unfortunately the Mesans had not encountered the Death Fang Class LACs' full capabilities yet. Shooting missiles at LACs whose acceleration was greater than your missiles' was a loosing proposition and the cats had missiles to fire beyond energy weapon range. In short a single Death Fang Class LAC could take on a heavy battlecruser and win, and a squadron would make short work of one.

Sings Loudly was within mind glow range of the Genesis, as it skirted the fleet's course, Always a Kitten inform the Admiral that the leadership of the enemy is on that ship, and we should capture or kill them.

"Admiral Alexander-Harrington, the mind singers say that the enemy leadership is on that ship, and suggests we capture or kill them. The Death Fangs can catch them if we leave now."

"Go get'em, Death Fangs."

The squadron all turned and accelerated at 2,450 gravities, 98% of the maximum theoretical limit, only vengeful carnivores bent on revenge would take such chances, but to the cats the chase was on, and the devil take the hind most.

Daniel Detweiler was enjoying sexual release with his PGT Mary. Mary was skinny, with an extremely fair complexion, with red hair, and lots of freckles, the Orphan Anne Genotype derived from old Earth's Irish stock. Her development was stopped at the age of six, and she has been a friend of Tommy at the crèche. Although mostly boys and girls were friends only with the same sex at that developmental age, she was telepathic and this created their friendship. Of the twenty of their age grade in the 'six-year-old' Crèche, only Mary and Tommy were telepathic. Although in the twelve age grades post developmental age permanence surgery that made them 'six-year-olds' for life there were a total of twenty-five telepaths interactions between age grades were rare. Tommy was of the same genotype but in males it was called the Tom Sawyer Genotype with light skin, freckles, and red hair.

The speaker blared just after Daniel Detweiler's sexual release in his PGT's mouth. Albrecht Detweiler's voice sounded tinny from the speaker, "Dannie get your butt to the bridge at once those damn new Manti LACs are coming for us at an acceleration of nearly twenty-five hundred gravities!"

"Dad, that's faster than our missiles accelerate, they can stand off beyond graser range, and use their own missiles to destroy us. I'll be there soon." He hastily dressed leaving the naked little girl on the bed without a word for to him she was just a sex toy. Mary went to the bathroom rinsed her mouth out, went to her small room, and there put on her tunic, she liked to hide in clothes when she could. She lay on her bunk and dreamed of freedom. Perhaps the Manti attack will free me that is if the coming battle does not kill me. She sighed Oh well I can't do anything to affect the outcome.

The fur ball between the Death Fangs and the Enemy missiles was fast and furious. The Death Fangs piloted by the cats easily avoiding enemy missiles, and pouring in antimissiles of their own to destroy the enemies missiles. Soon the enemy was out of missiles and the cats began to destroy the remaining wall of battles along the ship's sides. Tommy radioed, "Decelerate and surrender to the Sphinxian League of Clans' Death Fang Squadron Number One or be destroyed."

Albrecht asked his son, "Any chance we can escape?"

Daniel answered, "Only if they run out of missiles before they either destroy the drive, or our whole ship. Dad we are defenseless, we can't out run them, and we are out of time. We either surrender or we die."

"And if we surrender how will the Manties treat us?"

"Up to now the Manties have a good record of following the Deneb Accords, but after our sneak attack last year I would not count on that record too much. Also note we will surrender to the Sphinxian League of Clans' Death Fang Squadron Number One who ever to hell they are, and not the Manties. If we fight we die for sure, but with surrender there is a chance of survival, dad."

Albrecht sighed, "Well some chance is better than none I suppose, son." He hit the stud connecting his mike to the enemy via radio. "We are surrendering to the Sphinxian League of Clans' Death Fang Squadron Number One, and will begin to decelerate." He turned to Captain Hayden Milne, and ordered, "Decelerate us, Hayden." Then he depressed the stud for the ship wide intercom, "We are surrendering to the enemy any who wish have time to commit suicide, but destroy any incriminating documents or those giving technical information to the enemy first. Those wishing to surrender destroy any incriminating documents or those giving technical information to the enemy first, and then manumit your slaves for the Manties kill slavers transporting slaves."

After helping to destroy the papers and memory cores that had came from the Mesan research station Mary stood with Daniel Detweiler's other slaves, was handed the papers freeing her, and listened to her former master. "You are all now my hired servants, understand."

"Yes, master." They all chorused in unison for they were all well trained slaves, and the response was automatic. Behind the masks that all slaves wore the thoughts ranged from 'About fucking time,' through 'And I'll quit the first chance I get,' to 'I'll find a way to get back at you, you bastard!' As none of the other servants were telepathic Mary heard none of them in her mind, but she thought, Now that I'm free what will I do. I'm a kid who will hire me as anything but a child sex toy. That bitter thought and the reality behind it extinguished the joy of realizing her dream of freedom. The slower Silver Claws two and three were still an hour from boarding the enemy battlecruser, but had began to decelerate to the enemies speed.

Mary had again relieved her 'master's?' tension' had again washed out her mouth, and yet again put on her tunic. She sat in the main room of the suite to open the door when the Manties came. Her master had said, "I'll lay here for a while, you answer the door. Don't be afraid I doubt even as pissed off as the Manties are that they will kill a little girl."

The door bell rang; it was a Royal Manticoran Marine in a hardened skin suit. He rasised the muzzle of his weapon and asked, "Whose suite is this, little girl?"

"Daniel Detweiler's he's the head of the Mesan Alliance's Research Department, but he ordered us to destroy all the research records he brought with him from the research station . And I'm not a little girl I'm, twenty-one, and was his PGT. He freed all us slaves after the surrender so you wouldn't kill him as a slaver, but he is one. All of the other 'hired servants' aboard were slaves when we came aboard and slaves until just after the surrender. I hope you kill him and the others as slavers they all are especially the Detweilers who practically own Man Power Inc. Our master treated us all as furniture or toys not as human beings."

The Marine's face behind his clear steel helmet changed from shock to hate, "We are separating the masters from servants, and you'll be kept separate, but the officers will decide what to do with the masters. Since you might be needed for testimony you'll be kept in the brig too, but don't worry you'll get out eventually." Marry nodded her understanding, and smiled her master looked to get what was coming to him.

Mary got her first glimpse of a treecat guarding the important Mesan prisoners as she passed the hatch. The servants had two human guards, and Mary, always curious, asked one of the guards about the strange small six legged creature.

"They're Sphinxian treecats and make marines mean as hell too. Guy on the first ship we took was smashing panels in engineering after the surrender one of the cats cut his throat no muss no fuss. Now find a seat please."

Tommy now had the silver bar of a Lieutenant JG, officially Captain of the Death Fang's Bane although he would stay with the Black Rock Clan's Revenge while his badly damaged ship was repaired. For the first time in two days the whole squadron had stood down, and all the captains wanted to see their prisoners, and so they were going to the brig area of the HMS Defiant.

Mary had been in the brig just over a day when the door opened, Tommy and the nine other captains of the Death Fangs came in. She recognized the face of her friend instantly, but did not want to call others attention to herself, so she used her telepathic voice, Tommy is that you? It's me Mary.

All the cats and Tommy turned to her. It's me, hey do you want a job with the cats you speak their language.

The cats have a language?

Cluster Stalk Grower said, Of course we do ignorant two leg and we are speaking it now. I am Cluster Stalk Grower, and I offer you an Ensign's birth on my ship the Black Rock Clan's Revenge are you interested?

Best offer I've had all day, ugh, Cluster Stalk Grower?

Yes, Pretty Kitten that's my name. Lieutenant Yamamoto had given Mary her treecat name. Always a Kitten, tell the jailor to release Pretty Kitten.

"Jailor release this girl."

"No can do without an order from the Admiral, Lieutenant." The nine cat captains, and the two silver claws converged on him, ears back, fur bristled, backs arched, and claws clicking on the deck plates. A very frightened jailor asked, "What's going on with these cats?"

"The girl speaks their language like me, they just adopted her as their kitten, you refused to release her and thus became a danger to their kitten, and so they preparing to kill and eat you."

The now terrified jailor said, "I'll let her out, but you should have told me the cats wanted her out these are officially their prisoners, lieutenant."

"Lieutenant Yamamoto says that I am the voice of the cats, and to consider any orders from me as from the cats concerning the prisoners."

"Ugh, Yes, Sir!"

Mary and Tommy hugged and kissed each other like brother and sister, and since they were essentially from the same genotype were essentially brother and sister. Their only difference was Mary had two X chromosomes while Tommy had an X and a Y chromosome.

Cluster Stalk Grower not fully mollified from his encounter with the insolent jailor, and thought gruffly, Enough kitten caressing it is work time. Pretty Kitten, this is Branch Runner a silver claw, he will take you to get you in uniform, fill out your paperwork, and bring you to your quarters in our nest. Branch Runner, guard Pretty Kitten, kill any threats, and take her where she needs to go. This is your job until you are relieved. He waited until the pair left the brig, turned to Tommy You will keep Ensign Bark Shredder for your crew's new Starboard Watch Commander, and we'll assign memory singer Ensign Thunder Voice as your new second in command and Port Watch Commander. We'll train a new Tactical PO from one of the spare space cats. Now let us question our prisoners.

"Where are the pedophile toy crèches located?"

"Why should I tell you I'm dead anyway. I saw you hug Mary," Daniel Detweiler's sneer of superiority was wasted on the cats, and Tommy.

Tommy sneered back, "While I was a cadet an upper classman sexually assaulted me in the shower, I called for help from the cats, and they killed the kitten attacker, and Full Belly here ate his reproductive organs as a light snack. He likes the taste and will do the same for you if you don't tell me. He wants you to remove your clothing as he dislikes the taste of clothes with his snack, and if you can get an erection he does like the taste of extra blood. I would remove your clothes if I were you as the cats tend to take meat when they rip them off people so why endure the extra pain?"

Daniel's sneer was gone as he stripped, "They are on the small continental island on the planet Gamma in the Darius System all twelve of the year of maturity crèche clusters the younger the age of maturity the more age grade crèches, you see, and the main pre-surgery crèche is in the center. But the Darius System is also our fleet base and construction yard, and they will know you're coming from the escapees." A ghost of the sneer had returned.

"No problem this is a big fleet. Now tell us what you know about the defenses of the Darius System, I should warn you the cats can tell when you are lying, and Full Belly has permission to eat his snack if you do."

The three captured Detweilers provided much good intelligence, resisting torture is one thing, resisting being eaten alive is something else, and they talked to the inhuman lie detectors losing a mouth full of flesh for each lie. Admiral Alexander-Harrington agreed that the Darius System was the next target of the fleet. Three new crewcats and a crew female two-leg kitten were trained while they consolidated their conquest of the Mesan system, and during the flight to the Darius System. The cats confiscated a pair of cruse ships to take the rescued kittens home to Sphinx. The telepathic kittens too large or who did not want to serve in the fleet would be very useful as translators for the cats on Sphinx, and by the way providing a home and work for the rescued sex slaves. The non telepathic kittens would be offered work in a society where their lack of physical maturity would not be so much of a handicap they could learn the cat's sign language.

Tommy Always A Kitten and Annie Pretty Kitten spent their time with the mindsingers taking academy courses. Also Tommy learning to be a captain of Death Fang's Bane and, Annie leaning to be a communications ensign and Port Watch commander of the Black Rock Clan's Revenge. It was a hectic time for both of them but, the treecats were proud that both kittens persevered without complaint.

A little before entering the Darius System Admiral Alexander-Harrington briefed Tommy on a special mission he would share with now Marine Sergeant Frankenstein, recruiting telepathic PBTs and PGTs after the battle. Annie would be the voice of the treecats in the coming battle. While Tommy and the marines would secure the island containing the crèches where the PBTs and PGTs were created and trained.

Honor said, "I know you would rather be with the squadron but, this is more important in the long run, and I'm assigning the whole marine force of the fleet to it. I want Death Fang squadrons in the whole fleet after we finish off the Mesans. Not only is the stealth technology going to spread but, they are the most potent LACs in the whole fleet. The Mesan leadership would have escaped without them in the Battle of the Mesa System and you know it. Yamato reports Annie Pretty Kitten can handle communications and, the treecats trust only you for this mission."

Sergeant Frankenstein thought and signed, That's right Always A Kitten we voted while you were with the mindsingers. This is too important to all the clans to be entrusted to any other Two Leg even Cloud Rider. You are one of those we wish to aid the People and thus are the only one who can properly speak to them and encourage them to join our fight against those who wrong them.

Tommy said, "But Admiral just one more battle and the Mesans are history."

Honor sighed, "Even with the evidence that the Solar League Journalists on Mesa uncovered may not stop our war with the League. There are midlevel Mesan operatives out there spurring on the war, now the leadership of the Mesans and, I don't think they will stop promoting further war in the League. Also I suspect any surviving Mesan forces will join them and so we will need those Death Fang Squadrons I fear."

Tommy nodded, "Yes, Admiral."