Chapter 49

MFS Justice
Flagship of the Mrr'tani Federation
Near Earth orbit

After a while, the shuttle banked, and this time when the team looked through the viewport there was much more to see. The ship that blocked most of the view was enormous, hanging in space like something between a blade and a predator. It was all sharp edges, and along the broad side of it, there were openings, each one a portal into a landing bay. As they cruised along the side of it, Hotch could see bay after bay of what looked like fighters, and even with the small glimpses he could see, there had to be hundreds of them.

"What is that?" he asked.

"Is the Justice," Wind Dancer answered. "Flagship of Mrr'tani Federation. Will be home until you come to next destination."

"It's huge!" Radcliffe said from the doorway.

"Is heavy carrier class. Carries four hundred fighters, and has broadside weapons like a battleship."

Hotch could hear the pride in Wind Dancer's voice and he listened to it closely. The graceful Mrr'tani was a soldier through and through, that much was apparent through the way that she wore the armor she did, and the way that she spoke about the ship. But he didn't get that same sense from all of the Mrr'tani. Dream Catcher was different. She was more peaceful and curious, though Hotch heard the suspicion in her voice, the guardedness that was there when she spoke to them, and that had him wondering about the cause of her scars.

After passing most of the fighter bays, True Light banked the shuttle into the farthest bay, coasting through the force field that held the air in place within the ship, and with a gentle thump set the shuttle down on the deck.

"Come," Wind Dancer said, standing. "The Keeper waits."

The humans gave her room to get back to the rear compartment and get her armor back on, and the other Mrr'tani, introduced to McMillan and Radcliffe as Long Tail joined him.

"Take heed," Wind Dancer said as she buckled the last catch on the armor, "Humans have seen Mrr'tani as pets, as animals. Humans would do well to respect the Keeper."

Hotch had to wonder just who would have the gall to consider the people before him as pets, but he didn't ask. Something told him that he didn't want to know, because if he knew, then he'd have to put it in a report somewhere, and that was something that he didn't want to do. Instead he just nodded and followed Wind Dancerl out the hatch to the deck below.

Waiting in front of the hatch was a very small Mrr'tani female, standing just tall enough to clear Hotch's waist, but there was something about her that made her presence feel so much more substantial. Her sunflower yellow eyes regarded him with a sense of age and wisdom, looking out from the grey fur on her face. Around her neck, the white fur was thick and luxurious, and all down her body it was the same. She was one who looked adapted to cold weather.

Beside her stood a tall and broad Mrr'tani male, the hilt of a plasma sword hanging off his hip and what looked like an oversize assault rifle cradled in his arms. He stood with a sure stance that spoke of nothing but confidence, and his eyes were wary as he watched the team disembark, suspicion clear in his green eyes. His fur was different than the small one, reddish brown with a wavy pattern that made its way through the fur from head to toe.

"You are Aaron Hotchner, yes?" The small one asked, her voice strong, but gentle.

"I'm Aaron Hotchner," Hotch answered. "This is Derek Morgan, Audrey McMillan and Jason Radcliffe."

"I am Fleet Foot, the Keeper of Hearts. Welcome to the Justice."


Hotch left the rest of the team with Nimble Fingers, Fleet Foot's personal steward, to get themselves situated in the private quarters that were set aside for them, while he followed Fleet Foot and her Guardian, Steel Heart, towards the bridge.

"You have many questions, yes?" Fleet Foot asked as they walked.

Hotch still marveled at the tiny Mrr'tani, that she was the leader of the species, but there was no doubt about it. He could feel it from her, and he didn't know why.

"That's an understatement," he answered.

"Wind Dancer says has asked you be patient. Will ask the same for only one cycle longer. Want you to feel it before it is shown."

"Dream Catcher said something about the Memory."

"Yes, she said you could feel it. Will be stronger here. Can feel it already, yes?"

Hotch paused and paid closer attention to the ship around him and he could feel something there. It wasn't as peaceful as it was with Dream Catcher, this was more purposeful, driven, but he could feel it there, like something pressing against his mind.

"Yes. That's the Memory?" he asked.

"Is the mere passing of the Memory. The Memory is so much more. But you will see soon."

She smiled at him in the strange way that the Mrr'tani had, something that could almost be mistaken for a snarl if he wasn't looking at her eyes, or if he couldn't for some reason feel the mirth that came with the words. Then she turned and palmed open the hatch in front of them, and it opened on the bustling bridge of the craft.

Four seats were placed in the center of the room in a semi-circle, and two of them were occupied by Mrr'tani females hardly larger than Fleet Foot. Around the periphery of the bridge, consoles dominated every single surface, glowing with information that was attended to by a host of other Mrr'tani. None wore uniforms, and none wore anything that could possibly be taken for rank. Hotch had never seen a crew like this one. One thing was certain, though. They had a reverence for the little Mrr'tani who was leading him onto the bridge.

The other thing that was certain was their curiosity about the human that was walking onto the bridge as well. Seemingly in turn, they each took their eyes off their console to look at him with an appraising glance, and for a moment he felt like a bug underneath a microscope. A curiosity, or something in a zoo.

"Do not fear," Fleet Foot said with a reassuring pat on his arm. "You are first human they have seen outside the Memory. They are curious."

"I can't say that I blame them."

"This is Soft Tail," she said, indicating the smaller Mrr'tani on one side of the semi-circle of chairs. "She is Frr'a'narr'ah of Forest Clan."

Soft Tail was a head taller than Feet Foot, and her fur was spotted in a random, fractal pattern. It was clear where she got her name, given the long, fluffy tail that stuck out behind her, waving lazily.

"Pleasure to meet you," Hotch said, unsure of the protocol for greeting her.

Soft Tail seemed to sense the hesitation and she stood up to pad closer, then bowed and held out a paw.

"Humans shake hands, do they not?" she asked, her voice soft and gentle, reminding Hotch of the breath of wind through the trees in the park.

Hotch took her paw with a smile and nodded. "Yes, they do."

He could feel her claws against his palm and the soft fur, reminding him that this Mrr'tani was far from human, but he bowed in the same way she did as he held her paw a little longer.

"And this is Bright Star," Fleet Foot said when Hotch had released Soft Tail's paw. "She is Frr'a'narr'ah of the City Clan."

Bright Star was covered in black fur with lines and splotches of white, reminiscent of the digital camouflage he and his team wore, but a much looser pattern. She stood at her name and imitated Soft Tail's greeting, which Hotch was only too happy to return.

"Will be on our way, and then there will be answers for you, Aaron Hotchner. You will watch, and say what you have felt with it is done, yes?"

"Okay," Hotch said, nodding, wondering just what this was all about. The Mrr'tani queen reminded him of either a yogi, or Yoda from Star Wars, but he'd come this far, and this was their ship, so when in Rome…

"Mars control, is Mrr'tani carrier group Talon Prime," Fleet Foot said clearly as a quiet tone sounded through the bridge. "Request Mrr'tani priority outbound vector."

"Talon Prime, this is Mars control," came the answer in another language, a crisp, male voice heard faintly through the translator. "You have outbound vector Mrr'shaw five one. Bright Spark is your anchor. Mothers smile on your journey, Keeper."

"Thank you, Mars control. May the Mothers ease your path."

Another tone sounded on the bridge and together, Fleet Foot, Soft Tail and Bright Star closed their eyes.

Hotch didn't know what he expected to happen, or what he expected to feel, but what came next was something he couldn't have possibly prepared for. At first it felt like water flowing all around him, bathing him in an unseen current of peace and purpose. It was as if something was trying to catch his thoughts and his mind and carry them along with it. To where, he couldn't tell, because no matter how tantalizing and temping the pull was, he just couldn't quite seem to catch it, and he remained frustratingly rooted to the same spot.

Looking around the bridge, though, he could see that the Mrr'tani were all caught in the flow, and what he saw between True Light and Wind Dancer while they were piloting the shuttle was nothing compared to this.

The Mrr'tani moved in unison around the bridge, each one with a defined purpose, never once crossing into another's path. In seconds, the engines had powered up and the screen shifted, showing their movement away from the planet. When he directed his eyes to what looked to be a tactical display, he saw five more ships coming closer and closer, until their images nearly merged, and in the corner of the viewscreen, he saw the front quarters of two ships that looked close enough to touch.

As a single unit, the carrier group pulled away from the planet, and with a burst of speed launched themselves out of the gravity well. It wasn't more than a minute, though, before the screen shifted to red, and the stars streaked to lines across it.

And they leapt out to the stars.