Like the rest of the ship, the dining area was utilitarian and functional: a basic galley along the starboard side, a long table in the middle of the room, and an assortment of sturdy chairs designed to accommodate mammals of various sizes. Unlike the rest of the ship, the walls here were covered with simple paintings. Brightly colored images of flowers, fruits, and vegetables were everywhere. Above the aft door were several animal faces: a red fox, a tiger, a cheetah, a cape buffalo, a gray bunny, and a gazelle.
Eight mammals were gathered between the table and the aft door. The five crew members were joined by three passengers: the large graying ram, who wore a simple shirt with a clerical collar; the weasel wearing sturdy clothes, who kept glancing uncomfortably at the enormous cape buffalo; and the young well-dressed bunny with light gray fur marked with darker gray stripes, whose steel blue eyes stared intently at the captain.
The fox smiled as he greeted the passengers. "Welcome aboard Serenity. I'm Captain Wilde. My friends call me Nick. This is First Officer Fangmeyer... I mean, Fangmeyer-Clawhauser. Her husband Benji is our pilot. Bogo is kinda hard to miss. And you've all met Judy, our mechanic, cruise director, and beaming ray of sunshine."
His eyes darted between the passengers and a scrap of paper with hastily scrawled notes, then he continued, "I assume that you're Shepherd Woolrich."
The ram smiled. "The collar must have given it away."
"And you must be... Mr. Wesselton?"
"Weaselton," the weasel corrected. "Call me Duke."
"Very well, Duke. And that leaves Mr. Savage."
"Doctor Savage, actually," the young, well-dressed bunny said with a guarded smile. Then he added, "But please call me Jack."
The captain then launched into a deliberately casual briefing, explaining the ship's routine to the new passengers: kitchen privileges, meal schedules, dietary options for both prey and predators, ship layout, and safety. Then he added, "Passengers without an escort are restricted to the staterooms and lounge downstairs and the dining area and kitchen up here. An escort is required for any passenger in the bridge, the engine room, or the cargo bay.
Jack spoke up. "Some of my personal effects are in the cargo bay."
Nick smiled. "I assume all of you will need to access your luggage, so as soon as we're done here, Fangmeyer will be happy to escort you downstairs to the cargo bay."
He dropped his smile and continued, "One last thing, and I apologize for the inconvenience. The Alliance has 'requested' that we deliver some medical supplies to Whitefall. It's just a slight detour, so you should all reach Boros no more than a day behind schedule."
"What medical supplies?" the doctor asked.
Without missing a beat, Nick replied, "I never asked. Probably whatever meds they need on the border moons." He shrugged and said, "When the Alliance says 'jump'... Anyway, Fangmeyer, you ready to take them down to the cargo bay?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Speak up if you need anything else. We're here to serve."
The passengers followed Sherani out the aft door and down the stairs. Nick and Benjamin headed out the forward door towards the bridge.
"Any word from Dawn?"
"Bellwether? Um, no, not yet," Benjamin said. "But, um, Nick, uh, didn't she shoot you? Y'know, back when-"
"Don't worry about that, Big Guy."
"Look, I remember Sherani patching you up. Well, starting to patch you up anyway. The rest is, y'know, kinda fuzzy. But the point is-"
"Benji, I said don't worry about it. Just let me know when you hear back from her."
In the cargo bay, the passengers collected their belongings. Jack placed several items into an elegant valise, keeping an eye on his metallic blue crate the whole time. Duke tripped and bumped the doctor, then apologized awkwardly. Jack nodded, unsmiling, and quickly closed his valise. Judy watched from the top of the stairs. Shepherd Woolrich climbed the stairs, showed her the contents of a large bag, and handed her a small wooden box. Judy opened the box, looked up at him, and smiled broadly.
"Ah, the Ambassador has arrived," came the captain's voice from the deck below.
Judy turned toward the port shuttle bay and exclaimed, "Hey, Gazelle! Welcome back!"
"Hey, Judy! It is good to be back," Gazelle replied while walking towards the stairs. "And I see some new faces."
"Ambassador, this is Shepherd Woolworth," Nick said as he walked up the stairs to join them.
"That's Shepherd Woolrich," corrected the ram gently. "I wasn't expecting to meet a state official on this trip." The fox snickered, and the ram tilted his head and looked at him. "Did I miss something funny?"
Judy glared at Nick. "Nothing's funny."
Gazelle gracefully explained, "Shepherd Woolrich, 'ambassador' is Nick's way of-"
"She's a whore, preacher," Nick said.
"The word's 'companion'," Judy corrected.
"In a way, she really is our ambassador, preacher," Nick said. "There are plenty of places where someone like... where a ship like this can't even buy a docking permit. With a registered companion on board, especially one as well-respected as Zellie here-"
"My name is Gazelle."
"Yeah, but what kind of a name is Gazelle, really? That's like me calling myself Fox, or Judy calling herself Bunny."
"It is my name," Gazelle retorted, her accent becoming sharp and staccato. "You have no problem with M'bogo's name, which means 'buffalo'. You have no problem with Sherani's name, which means 'tiger'. Why do you always refuse to accept that my name is Gazelle?"
"Well, I think it's a lovely name," remarked the ram. "But if you'll excuse me, I need to take these to the kitchen." And with that, he stepped between the quarreling mammals and carried the large bag to the kitchen.
"Captain," nodded Gazelle curtly, before returning to her shuttle.
Alone with the grinning fox, Judy continued to glare at him. "Why do you do that? Gazelle is our friend!" Her foot thumped as she waved the small wooden box and continued, "I don't think you deserve these." In response to Nick's quizzical look, she explained, "They're a gift, from the shepherd. But you don't deserve them." And with that, Judy followed the shepherd to the kitchen, taking the box with her.
An enticing, savory aroma filled the dining area as the crew and passengers passed plates and serving dishes filled with the food that Judy and Shepherd Woolrich had prepared. Benjamin exclaimed, "Oh... Em... Goodness! This is amazing!"
"It's not much, just a few things from my garden at the Abbey," explained the shepherd. "And I'm not really used to cooking for predators, so-"
"Preacher, you have nothing to apologize for," said Sherani. "Ben's right. This is amazing."
"It was very kind of you to share with all of us," Jack said quietly.
"Well, we should enjoy it now, while it lasts," the shepherd said. "But the key is the seasonings. A mammal can live on packaged food 'til Judgement Day with enough basil, rosemary, and ginger."
"Well, fresh food is certainly appreciated," said Nick with a nod.
For a few moments, everyone was silent, savoring the meal. Then Jack spoke up. "So, does this happen often? The Alliance commandeering your ship, telling you where to go?"
"What else are governments for?" replied Nick, "I mean, other than telling mammals where to go and what to do..."
"Well, you're doing a good thing," said Duke, "getting meds to mammals who need them. I hear things aren't so pleasant on the border moons. They're actually pretty unpleasant. Famine, disease-"
"Well, yeah, a lot of settlers are dumped on barely habitable moons with only the few things they can carry," replied Nick. "The lucky ones make it. The rest..."
"Then I guess it's good we're helping," commented Jack.
"You're a doctor, right?" asked Judy.
He turned towards her. "Yes. I... I was a trauma surgeon on Osiris, in Capital City."
"You're a long way from home," observed Nick.
Judy continued, "You seem so young, to be a doctor, a surgeon."
"Well, you're pretty young to be a ship's mechanic," Jack said.
"Not really. I just like figuring out how things work. I always have, ever since I was little."
The enormous cape buffalo snorted, suppressing a laugh. He noticed everyone looking up at him, then countered, "What? I didn't say anything."
Nick slowly descended the ladder to his quarters. Before reaching the floor, he stopped, grabbed the rung above him with both paws, and allowed his legs to dangle freely. The ship's artificial gravity stretched him to his full length, then after a few moments, he let go and dropped the remaining few inches to the floor. He looked towards his bunk and noticed the small wooden box on his pillow. Moving closer, he recognized Judy's writing on the note that was attached:
Dear Nick,
Sorry I snapped at you earlier. These are a gift from Shepherd Woolrich. I thought you'd enjoy them.
Carrots
He opened the box and grinned when he saw the contents. He popped one of the fresh blueberries into his mouth, then closed his eyes, savoring the sweet flavor.
His reverie was interrupted by the cheetah's voice. "Nick, um, I need you on the bridge. Now. Please?"
In a flash, the fox was up the ladder and down the corridor to the bridge. He saw Benjamin staring at a screen. "Report," he said.
"A signal from inside the ship. Someone went on the Cortex and hailed the nearest Alliance vessel."
"You scrambled it, right?"
"Of course, but I don't know how much got through. At the very least, the Alliance got our location." The captain muttered under his breath, and the pilot continued, "We've got a mole on board. Well, not an actual mole, because, um... but you know, an agent, or something... on board."
Alone in the cargo hold, the young doctor examined an electronic display on the side of his metallic blue crate. Suddenly, he heard the captain's voice behind him, "Forget your chew stick?"
The fox's ambush sent the bunny sprawling across the floor. "What did you tell them?" demanded Nick. As the confused bunny protested, Nick pointed a gun at him. "No games. What do they know?"
"You're insane!" exclaimed the wide-eyed bunny, his nose trembling.
"And you're a lousy Fed," accused the captain.
The ram's voice resonated from the shadows. "I hate to interrupt, Captain, but you've got the wrong mammal." Nick and Jack looked towards his voice, then followed the shepherd's gaze. They saw the weasel pointing a gun at them.
"Drop the weapon, Captain Wilde," the weasel said stiffly. Nick complied, and the weasel continued, "Jonathan Simon Savage, you are hereby bound by law. Stand down."
"What?" the confused fox asked. "The doctor? Oh..."
"Get on the ground!" the weasel ordered. "Get on the ground! Both of you!"
In measured tones, the shepherd spoke, slowly moving towards the others. "I think everyone needs to calm down a bit."
"Keep your nose out of this, Shepherd!" exclaimed the weasel.
As the ram approached, Nick casually inched towards his dropped weapon, speaking with a cheerful, friendly voice. "The doctor isn't going anywhere, officer. We'll lock him in a passenger berth. On Whitefall, you can hand him over to-"
"Get away from that weapon!" demanded the weasel. "What kind of moron do you think I am? You're carrying a fugitive across interplanetary borders. And medical supplies for Whitefall? That's supposed to be believable? That's completely unbelievable! As far as I'm concerned, everyone on this ship should rot in jail!"
"Is that so?" Nick maintained his forced smile.
"Please," implored the shepherd, "we are on the verge of-"
"An Alliance cruiser is intercepting this ship, so talk all you want. You've got twenty minutes... maybe less!" exclaimed the weasel.
The cargo bay erupted in a cacophony of voices. The fox charmingly offered anything and everything to the weasel. The bunny steadfastly refused to surrender to anyone. The weasel desperately tried to gain control over the chaos. The ram calmly and gently attempted to avert the violence that seemed all but inevitable.
Just then, Judy entered from the passenger area and started to ask, "Why is everybody-"
Her question was cut short when the weasel turned and fired.
Judy shrieked. Then her body fell to the floor. Jack leapt towards her. Nick dove for his weapon as the weasel aimed at him. Nick raised his weapon, but saw only the ram, standing over the unconscious weasel and holding the disassembled gun in his hooves.
Gazelle ran in from her shuttle bay, screamed Judy's name, and raced down the stairs to her. She removed her outer robe and cushioned Judy's head with it. The doctor examined the injured bunny, cutting away her bloody coveralls. Judy offered only confused and incoherent responses.
Meanwhile, the cape buffalo looked at the ram, and then at the unconscious weasel at his feet. He held out a hoof and demanded, "Gun!" The ram looked at the buffalo, and then handed over the weasel's disassembled weapon.
From the catwalk overhead, Sherani ordered, "M'bogo, tie the weasel up!"
Judy shrieked again.
"Is the infirmary working?" the doctor demanded of the captain.
"It's good to go."
Jack instructed Gazelle and Nick, "Okay, together, on the count of three-"
The pilot's voice blared over the ship's intercom, "Captain, an Alliance cruiser just ordered us to maintain course and dock for prisoner transfer."
The doctor stood and backed away from Judy. He locked eyes with the captain, and spoke in a quiet, steady voice, "Change course. Run."
"What? No! This is your mess! I'm leaving you with the Feds!"
Sherani shouted, "Nick, the Feds won't just let us walk."
"Then we dump him in the other shuttle and-"
Judy shrieked again.
Calmly, the doctor asked, "Do you know what a belly wound like this does to an animal?"
The captain snarled. "Yes, yes I do!"
Still calm, the doctor continued, "Then you know how crucial the next few minutes are."
"You... rich kid! Do your damned job!" shouted Nick.
"Turn the ship around."
Gazelle demanded, "Enough! Nick, just do it!"
"Don't you ever tell me what to do on my ship!"
Nick cringed as Judy shrieked a fourth time. Glaring at the doctor, he spoke through gritted teeth, "Fangmeyer, change course."
Quickly, the doctor instructed the others. As Gazelle and Nick gently carried Judy to the infirmary, Sherani called on the intercom, "Ben, change course. Hard burn. We're rabbiting. Oh... sorry Judy."
In the infirmary, the doctor worked furiously to treat the wounded bunny while directing the others to assist. They worked like a well-practiced trauma team: retrieving supplies from the infirmary cabinets, retrieving a medical kit from his room, prepping the patient, assisting with the surgery, and tending to the patient in various ways. Finally, after more than two hours, he backed away, removed his gloves and gown, and collapsed against the wall.
"Now we wait," he said.
"Will she be okay?" Nick asked.
"I am cautiously optimistic."
Her face hard, Gazelle demanded, "Then someone tell me what is going on. Now!"
"Let's find out," Nick said as he briskly exited the infirmary.
Jack's face transitioned from exhaustion to confusion to realization. He desperately ran after the fox, shouting, "No! No! Stay away from that! Stay away-"
M'bogo had been intently watching Judy's treatment from just outside the infirmary. Before Jack could pass him, the enormous buffalo grabbed the bunny, immobilizing him with his massive arms, pushing Jack's face into the crook of his elbow to muzzle him.
"Where's the Fed?" Nick asked.
M'bogo replied, "His room. Secure. Shepherd's making sure he doesn't die on us." The bunny in his arms struggled futilely.
As Nick operated the controls on the metallic blue crate, he remarked, "Let's see what a bunny like this would kill for." The display flashed a sequence of messages, then the latches at the four corners opened. A few wisps of mist escaped as the pressurized seal released.
The others watched as Nick pushed the lid off the top of the crate. He looked inside, then at the thrashing bunny in M'bogo's arms. He looked back inside and cocked his ear. "Huh..."
Author Notes:
I considered a few existing Zootopia characters for Shepherd Book's role, but none of them seemed to fit. Then I thought about casting an OC sheep for the shepherd, just for the "shepherd is a sheep" silliness. The Firefly scene where River was terrified of Book's woolly hair cemented that choice in my mind, and Shepherd Woolrich joined the cast.
I considered a few options for Simon (the doctor), including Nick. But ultimately, I ended up adapting the original Jack Savage concept from the early pitches that eventually yielded the movie Zootopia. And when the weasel arrested him, it seemed like he should use the doctor's full name, so I gave him the middle name Simon.
And Dobson became Duke Weaselton. Although I briefly considered casting Duke Weaselton as Wash, given that Alan Tudyk played both of them.
And yes, I know Gazelle's translations aren't quite right, but no one has spoken those ancient languages from Zootopia That Was for centuries. And for what it's worth, if I continue this crossover beyond this story, then I plan to maintain her "ambassador" title.
So, what is inside Jack's metallic blue crate? (Firefly fans have a pretty good idea, I'm sure.)