Dudley looked down at his plate and grimaced. The red-brown mush in front of him, unfortunately, tasted as it looked. Actually, it didn't really have a taste. He knew that they weren't an affluent society but he also knew the device René had installed.

So why was that the meal his mom had got for them? Or was that the only thing the molecular readjuster spat out this slime? Sure, it was nutritious, it at least tasted nutritious, and probably also healthy, it also tasted very healthy, but did they turn the flavor down like that on purpose?

Dudley remembered the first time he ate a meal prepared by a human that weren't part of a ship's cantina crew. It was Isaac who made it, and, in a retrospective, he had done everything right for a human palate but for Dudley the whole meal tasted like all the flavors mixed into a angry storm that struck his unsuspecting tongue with heavy rain, hail, and lightnings.

It was too strong, in every way he could imagine and not imagine. He learned over the course of the next weeks that the humans' tongues weren't susceptible for finer tastes anymore. They needed as much spices, salt and sugar as they could add into the meal, to get a reasonable taste out of it.

Dudley looked up from his plate to his mother and Nick who were both eating the mush. Peg eagerly while Nick was just drawing circles in the auburn mass.
"Mom… I don't want to be rude…"
"What is it sweety?" She looked up from her plate and gulped down a mouthful of slime.
"Have you…" he gestured at the plate. "Cooked that?"

"No, it's from this machine…" She explained. "It maybe isn't the best taste but it's so much of it!" she squealed happily. "It feels so good to finally feel full again."
"I bet so but…" Dudley leaned back in his chair and looked at the table pensively. "… Probably René has configured the machine wrong. How about we get something with more texture."

"Texture? What do you mean?" The first time since the start of the dinner Nick had looked at him. Since their little fight, Dudley and Nick weren't a merry father and son couple but at least the boy stopped insulting him with every word he said.

"You know, real food." He stood up from the chair and looked at the two of them. "What do you say?"
Nick pushed his plate away and stood up too. "I'm in."
"I don't know sweety, I mean this is actually not bad…" She meant and kept sitting on her chair.

"Now come on mom." Smiled Dudley.
Peg took a few more scoops from her plate and then jumped off her chair. "All right sweety…"
It was quite a journey from the little room they used for a private meal to the point where the readjuster was placed. A winding queue of people holding their plates in front of them waiting for getting a serving of the nutritious tasting paste.

As they entered Dudley spun on his heel and, with a gesture of his hand, he instructed his son and his mother to follow him.
"Where are we going?" Nick asked.
"There is another of these in the shuttle so let's go and eat there." Dudley replied smiling.

Of course, he wanted to show off the shuttle a little to his mother and Nick. Even though they both had already seen it. But the shuttle had so many little gadgets and accessories, there would have been enough there to show off.
As soon as the three of them were in the shuttle and the door had closed Dudley started smiling.

"Okay, now I want to know your favorite food."
"Oh I am actually not that hungry anymore…" Peg meant but then added. "But I would love having a desert."

"Can do that." Dudley walked to the readjusted and ordered ice cream for his mom. His recipe of course, otherwise the amount of sugar the humans usually put in would have made her spit the ice cream right on the ground. He handed the ice to his mom and then looked at Nick.

"What can I do for you, Nick?"
"And I can order anything?" He asked. "Really anything?"
"Everything I have a program of or can program into the machine." Dudley grinned confidently.

"Okay then I want…" Nick started sneering. "Lobster" He looked at his father thinking he was especially clever. He wanted to test him. Or maybe even provoke him a little?
Dudley simply shrugged in reply like it was nothing special. "You want extra butter?"

"Sure." Nick smirked still thinking that this wouldn't happen.
The old dog walked to the readjuster again and said a few words. A lobster on a plate appeared with a little sauce boat full of butter sauce. He handed it to the boy who looked in surprise at the plate.

"Okay… I bet it taste worse than it looks and… smells." Nick started drooling and sniffed on the lobster.
"It's okay… the replicated food is always a bit worse than the real food. It's always like a taste component is missing." He explained as he got himself a meal from the machine. As he turned around again Nick was eating his lobster like his life depended on it.

He smiled a little and sat down with them on the table. "I would have never thought you like lobster."
Nick made some agreeing sounds as he swallowed the crustacean, barely separating the inner flesh from the crust.

"I can't stand lobster… or any kind of fish." He grinned.
"Oh! Nicky loves fish!" Peg smiled happily. "Since he was a little boy and had eaten his first fish when he was 8 months old."

"You definitely have your mom's taste." Laughed Dudley. "She loves every kind of fish."
"Mom and…" Nick gulped down the bite he had in his mouth. "Mom and I always went to this fish restaurant close to our old apartment once a month."
"That sounds nice." Dudley smiled softly. "I would have loved to join you two there."

"Well, no can do." Nick said and pushed the now empty plate away from him. "The restaurant is destroyed and our old apartment just a pile of rubble."
"I know… It's a shame…" Dudley sighed and shook his head.

Nick and Dudley stayed silent, just Peg made some noise as she ate her ice cream eagerly.
Finally Nick broke the silence. "I'll need something for mom… she's going to be hungry when she…"
"Don't worry Nick…" Dudley said and took the plates. He put the plates back into the molecular readjuster and they disappeared again. "She's getting a good meal before going on the mission."

"Are you sure?" He asked and looked doubtfully at his father who just smiled softly at him.
"It's nice that you take care of your mother. But she'll probably also eat some kind of fish while they go through the last briefing."

"Well, someone has to look after her... After all no one else was there for years." He huffed and Dudley took that verbal slap by closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.
"Nick!" Peg said in a scolding tone and turned to Nick. "You're going to apolo…"

"No, mom, he's not completely wrong." Dudley cut her off and opened his eyes again. "Nick, I am nervous too. I know you'd like to be out there with her, and I understand that, but that would just jeopardize her mission and put her into even more danger. Also, she's not alone out there."
"Yeah she's out there with this… whatever." He exclaimed angrily.

"His name is René." Dudley's voice was calm and friendly to this point. Now a hard sternness mixed into his voice. "And he is more than capable to protect her if necessary."
"And why shouldn't he bail in the first moment it gets dangerous?"

Dudley stepped closer to Nick and looked him deep into the eyes. "What makes you think he would? What do you know about him that you could get that idea?"
The boy looked at his father but didn't look so confident anymore. "I… I'm just…"

"You don't know a single thing about him. Do you think I would let your mom go with him if I didn't trust him?"
The boy said nothing and looked at the ground.

"Stop talking like that, got it?" Dudley said and tried not to let too much of the anger he felt into his voice.
"Yes…" mumbled the boy angrily with his fists clenched.
"Fine." Nodded Dudley and crossed his arms. "I can understand that you are afraid Nick, but all we can do is wait."

"You'll see…" growled Nick and walked out of the ship.
"Dammit…" Sighed Dudley as he looked behind the boy who paced with a determined walk away from the ship. The old dog sat down next to his mother adding. "I screwed up again."

"No, Dudley! Don't be too harsh to yourself." Peg took one of his hands and gently patted it. "You were a little stern but he shouldn't also say these things…"
"But why is he so hateful against them?" Dudley shook his head in disbelief. "I mean I was scared and confused at first too when I met the humans but… he knows them by now…"

"I blame his mother and this Rob." Peg meant with a grim expression on her face. "They spread a really hostile atmosphere..."
Rob, hearing this name made his guts contract. "Mom… what can you tell me about that guy."

"Rob?" Peg let his hand go. "He's not the right one for her."
"Mom… I know that you are on my side here but tell me the truth okay?"
Peg took a deep breath and sighed. "They are a sweet couple. Not as cute as you and her back then sweety but… I think he treats her well."

For Dudley this felt like a weight falling of his shoulders and a punch in the stomach at the same time. At least he knew now that Rob, this annoying idiot, wasn't an asshole towards her. As much as he wanted to be back together with Kitty, it was still calming to hear that this guy was treating her the way she deserved.

"If you had come just earlier…" Peg shook her head. "Rob wouldn't be here and you two…"
"Mom if I had been here earlier, we wouldn't be in a bunker now." He moaned angrily. "We could have saved you and Nick and Kitty and all the others… and I wouldn't be as useless as I am right now." Dudley stopped talking and looked at the wall.

He knew that the Leviathan was big but was it big enough for all of them? After all the ship was damaged. The next hours would show how badly, if Kitty and Meternagel were able to establish a communication link.

"Sweety, I don't want to bug you but… is there anything new from your friends?"
"They are still thinking." He said with a tone of voice that tried to calm her even though he didn't feel so calm about the whole affair. He probably was as tensed as she was about it. "I'll join them later and try helping a little."

"I bet with your help they can find a solution." Peg smiled at her son and he smiled back at her before their mother son moment was interrupted by a voice that was emitted from the shuttles inner wall.

"Dudley, we need your help here." It was Isaac's voice that sounded more formal than he was used to.
"See sweety, I bet they want your help." Peg meant now smiling widely.
Dudley giggled amused and said. "What's wrong Isaac."

"Well, your son got into some trouble… you want to come and see this."
Dudley smile immediately faded and he asked concernedly. "What happened?"
"You want to come and see this." Isaac repeated impatiently.

"I'm on my way." He nodded and then said to his mother. "I'll take care of him, don't worry."
"I won't, I know you can handle that…" she smiled after him as he ran out of the ship.
Dudley wasn't sprinting, he knew that Isaac was probably handling the situation, nonetheless he didn't let him wait.

Who knew, maybe he would say something wrong and just made someone really angry. Dudley knew that most of the people were quite thankful towards the new arrivals, but this would probably change due to the lizard Powers dragged here.

And of course, the message of their dying homeworld would fuel some emotional deeds. He already saw how the chief reacted. Staying calm and logical were the most necessary virtues in this situation. And he knew Isaac possessed only one of these at all time.

As Dudley arrived at the hallway, he quickly saw the small crowd of kids standing around Isaac who held an angry looking Nick and a confused looking black dog by their collars. Dudley recognized the other dog as the one he met in the little room where the kids had a meetup two days ago. Isaac on the other hand looked pretty angry. Dudley just hope he wouldn't snap any moment.

"Someone, tell it to let me go!" panted the black dog scared.
"You should be very glad that I have a soft spot for dogs." Isaac said and softly shook the dog who started whimpering.

"Isaac, dammit, let them down!" Dudley called and then added in Isaac's language. "Do you want people to lynch you?"
"I just stepped between them." Isaac meant but complied. He let the boys down and Dudley walked through the circle of youngsters.

Dudley could eye the two boys more closely as he stood in front of Isaac. The black dog had a black eye and looked quite scared. As it seemed, more because of Isaac than of everything else. Nick on the other hand looked like he just received a proper beating. But his eyes were still full of anger and his gaze was fixed on the black dog.

"What happened here?" Dudley crossed his arms and looked alternately from Nick to the other dog.
"He attacked me!" the black bulldog exclaimed and pointed with his fingers at Nick. Dudley could see the calluses on the knuckles of the bulldog and the mental image of them emerging as he beat at his son, again and again, made Dudley furious.

He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes for a moment, and remembered the two important virtues. He opened his eyes again and looked at Nick.
"He provoked me!" barked Nick. "He called me a…"

"Sure now it's his fault!" said the female rat Dudley also knew from the kid's room. "Get real Nick."
"Yeah right!" nodded the black dog. "You should grow up."
"Okay, stop all of you." Dudley said. "Isaac, what happened here?"

"Well, the brief version." Isaac cleared his throat and then started explaining with quick words. "Nick wanted to come into the conference room. I told him that he could not because we were in a meeting. I closed the door and then heard some noises before I could get back to my chair. I went out of the room and separated these two."

"Got it now Nick… what did he call you?" Dudley said sternly and looked Nick deep into the eyes.
Nick couldn't stand the gaze of his father and looked down saying. "Half bred."
Again Dudley closed his eyes taking a deep heavy breath before his head turned like a slow millstone to the black dog.

"I am… very interested… how you will explain that."
"Explain what?" the black dog said confused. "He's a disgusting half bred."
The crowd around them mostly nodded consensual to that statement.

"Is that so?" Dudley said and stared angrily at him. "I want you to apologize to him."
"Apologize? I mean I would consider it if he wasn't such a disgusting thing." The dog said and his peers around him laughed. The longer they laughed the more the bulldog seemed to gain confidence. "Also, you should apologize to him..."

Dudley had now turned completely to him and stepped close to the dog.
"What's your name?"
"Kat fogger." The dog grinned widely at him and some in the crowd howled in laughter.

The laughter functioned like a broom sweeping the two virtues out of Dudley's mind. This time he didn't close his eyes. Instead he swiftly foot swept the dog making him gasp as he fell hard on the ground. He lunged out his foot and kicked at the boys chin which made a ghastly cracking sound as soon as his boot hit it.

Howling and crying the black dog lay on the ground and Dudley, still enraged, didn't take any time to savor this sound. He grabbed him by the collar and pulled him on his feet saying. "I still want an apology. You will apologize now." He pushed him towards Nick and the boy fell to his knees.

"I…" the black dog cried and tried forming sounds with his broken jaw. "I… sowry."
"Fine, good dog." Dudley pulled him back to his feet. "And now get out of my sight you little disgusting piece of dirt." Immediately the little dog ran away crying while the rest of the kids around him stood there shocked.

Even Isaac seemed more than surprised by what happened. Dudley simply turned to Nick and grabbed him by the collar dragging him into the conference room. He put him down on a chair and turned to Meternagel and Powers who were looking at a hologram pad.

"I need a medi glove." Dudley meant baldly and Meternagel simply pointed at a desk in the corner of the room. The dog marched there, grabbed a red glove that was lying in a grey plastic box under the table and returned to his son.

"You're going to explain to me now, what happened… In detail. And you'll tell me why you did that." He growled angrily and put the glove on.
"Dad…I…" The boy stammered perplexed.
"Now!" The dog ordered and started scanning the boy with the glove.

"I… I just… wanted to know if mom was okay!" the boy fought his tears as he tried to bring his thoughts back into order. "I came here and this Isaac th… guy shooed me away. I was so angry and then Terry found me and said..."

"I know what he said." Dudley cut his son short and sighed. "How long are they doing this to you Nick?"
"Since they noticed that I look like a dog and my mother is a cat." Nick whispered shakily. "That happened in the first week since we're here."

"And it'll end now." Dudley took off the glove and looked at Nick. "You'll stay away from them…"
"He did what?!" Powers yelled behind Dudley. Isaac must have put him into picture right then and there.

Dudley grimaced as he had just bitten into a lemon. He knew what he was in for now.
"Nick, wait here for me. Right here." He said before Powers had built himself up behind him. "Try to talk to John… or Isaac if you feel lucky." Dudley turned around and stared into the angular face of Powers.

"We'll need to talk." Powers said and walked away with Dudley into a little chamber next to the conference room. It was a former broom chamber but now filled with most of the supplies and equipment that was on the shuttle.

"Seems like your dad is getting lectured." Isaac stepped to Nick and looked down at him. "What were you thinking?"
"Why couldn't you just let me in?!" Nick retorted angrily.
"For what? So that you can annoy your mother?" Isaac huffed and shook his head. "Let her do her job and stop nagging. I mean what do you…" the scientist stopped speaking and looked at the broom closets door.

"What happened?" Nick asked.
Isaac grinned a little and then said. "The captain just called your dad a diplomatic catastrophe... Interesting choice of words"
Nick looked at the door and could relate to how his father must feel in this moment. Back in his school days Nick was scolded by the teachers almost every second day.

His father even had the same crushed expression on his face as he left the broom closet with Powers. The older dog walked straight back to his son and sighed. "We go."
"But what about mom?" Nick said and sounded not like an aggressive teen for a change but simply genuinely concerned.

Dudley sighed and turned to Meternagel. "John, can you give me a quick reading? Are my fiancé and René still alive?"
"Sure, but just if you greet your mom from me." He chortled and opened a new holographic window while Dudley shivered with gritted teeth. "They are… odd…"

"Odd, what do you mean with odd?"
"I just had some jitter there… I guess it's the projector. They are fine by the way. I got some high heart rates right now but I guess they are just doing a little run." Meternagel closed the window and looked back down at the data he was checking before.

"Thanks a lot." Dudley said. "They're both fine Nick, no need to worry."
"Still, I'd wish I was with mom right now…" the boy meant.
"Nick, she's fine." Dudley said and laid his hand on Nick's shoulder. "Let's get out of here and distract us until she's back."

"With what?" The boy looked into his father's face. Dudley could see the fear and the desperation in his eyes, even if he usually tried to be cool and aloof he after all was just a scared child.
"With work." Isaac said and put a hologram pad into Dudley's hand. "Want to see your father in pain? Let him do logical thinking."

"Oh come on…" Dudley sighed. "Can't I…"
"Sure, go and have fun. I mean, it is not like there is a dead planet with a culture at the verge of extinction right now."

"Wait what?" Nick looked downright terrified at Isaac. "Extinction?"
"Dammit Isaac…" Dudley cursed and looked at his son. "I think I have some explaining to do…"
"What does he mean by that?" Nick almost had problems speaking the words.

"We have done some research and have enough evidence to prove that this planet is in the middle of an irreversible terraforming process." Isaac said soberly, he sounded almost like a robot saying that. Even though it boiled the situation straight down to its essence, it wasn't helping in this situation.
"What did he say?" Nick asked breathing quickly.

"It's hard to explain in detail but this planet isn't habitable for us anymore. We need to leave."
"Leave?!" The boy stammered frightened. "But… but how?"
Dudley sighed and activated the hologram pad and showed Nick list full of numbers and words in a language the boy couldn't understand. "We're still working on it…"

As he heard these words it looked like Nick was pinched with a needle. He jumped up and ran in panic to the door mumbling "I need to get out! I need…". As soon as he had managed to get the door open, he ran outside down the hallway.

"No Nick!" Dudley jumped up and tried to reach him but the boy was fast. Dudley had probably caught him if he had been able to chase him long enough but his hunt was interrupted by a tall furry wall. He fell to the ground and gazed into the face of a grim looking wolf with white fur and a big scar in his face.

For a moment Dudley's brain needed to connect this face with a name. Rob.
"What is going on here?" Rob asked with a hoarse deep voice.
"I…" Dudley immediately stood up and cleared his throat. "What exactly are you referring to?"

"Oh well, let's see." Rob crossed his arms. "I just saw Nick running like he was chased by the devil himself. But more importantly, Larry's boy, Terry has a broken chin and the kids say it was you."
Dudley mimicked his posture and baldly said "So?"

"So? You got nothing more? You don't even want to deny beating a poor child?"
Dudley exhaled a brief bitter laugh. "I'd like to, but I won't."
"Are you like… insane?" Rob meant angrily. "What's gotten into you?!"
"Oh sorry I can't stand next to the guy who bullies my son. And sorry I won't let him insult Nick, Kitty or me."

"What are you even talking about?" Rob asked confused. "What do you mean with he bullies him?"
"Don't you see that?" Dudley asked angry about Rob's ignorance. "Nick is an outsider, the other kids don't even spend time with him!"

"Oh that!" Rob rolled his eyes. "That's just kids being kids."
"They call him half bred!" Dudley exclaimed angrily. "They ignore him he spends most of his time in a small chamber alone!"
"Wait let me stop you there, they call him wh…"

"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" A short black bulldog with broad shoulders walked angrily towards Dudley. The bulldog immediately grabbed him by the collar as soon as he got in reach and started shaking him. Dudley gripped onto the other dog's wrists as soon as they were near his neck but he didn't take any countermeasures against the bulldog, at least not yet. He wanted to know who he was and what was going on first.

"Geez, Larry, stop it!" Rob said and separated the two. "Do you want to get yourself killed!"
"I can deal with this child beating wimp!" Larry yelled towards Dudley. Angry saliva dropped from the corners of his mouth that was sent as a mist towards Dudley every time he said a word.

"Oh, so you're his father?" Dudley meant and his expression darkened.
"Rob let me through I want to fucking break his neck!" Larry yelled and Dudley could feel some drops of saliva on his face.

Dudley wanted to pass a comment that was containing the words glass chin, but then remembered the diplomatic catastrophe comment by Powers. Also, this whole discussion just took time, he had to find Nick. He took a deep breath and said. "I'm willing to discuss that later with you, Mr. Larry, but I got to have look for my son right now."

"I don't care about that little piece of shit." Larry growled and again he sent a mist of spit into the air. "My boy has a broken chin and you are going to pay for that."
"Larry, what exactly do you want?" Sighed Rob. "Because beating up him won't bring us any further."

"I don't care, this fucking degenerate needs a beating." Larry barked furiously. "Comes here and thinks is something better, breaks my son's jaw, what's next? And don't think I don't see the looks he gets from the woman around here!"

"Oh come on…" Rob sighed once again.
"I saw it! There's no need to deny it! I saw how my Helene looks at him, also your Kitty…"
"Larry, you're not the one who should talk." Rob interrupted him. "After all you can't hold your hands to yourself either. So, don't be a hypocrite."

"I really don't have time for this now." Dudley said and pushed Rob and then Larry away.
"You'll stay here!" Larry said and wanted to grab Dudley's shoulder but this time he did something against that. In a split second, even before Larry's hand could touch him, he turned around and grabbed him by the wrist.

"Larry, I said not now." Dudley tried to sound as diplomatic as he could while still holding Larry's wrist with a tight grip. "We will talk about this later, do you understand me?"
The bulldog, still surprised by how quick Dudley moved, pulled his arm back and then growled angrily.

"He accepts." Rob said and laid a hand on the black dog's shoulder. "And now go before this situation gets out of hand."
Dudley simply nodded at Rob before starting to jog through the bunker's hallways. The accelerated his movement to a sprint to maybe have the chance to catch up with Nick.

A part of him was happy about the burning in his lung that slowly started because of the way he sprinted down the hallways. It at least eradicated the weird feeling in his chest that he had as Rob defended him from this Larry guy.

The best thing was not thinking about Rob and focus at the task on hand. Dudley stopped at a crossing of two hallways and looked around. Nick could be everywhere, and the bunker was a labyrinth.

The dog took a second and tried thinking where his son was. He wouldn't run forever, that was for sure. He would search for a place where he was alone and could hide. In that moment his train of thoughts reached the station.

He took the hallway to his right and started running again to the boiler room. This time he burst inside without knocking. "Nick!" He panted and looked around. Behind the boiler sitting with his knees under his chin the boy sat.

Dudley rushed to his son and knelt down in front of him. "Don't run away like that…"
The boy just looked down at his knees and said nothing.
"I don't want to die…" Nick whispered crying. "I… I…"
"Shh… I know…" Dudley pulled the boy into an hug. "We are working on it. I promise, no matter what, I won't let you die out here."

The number of words spoken after that were scarce, just father and son embracing each other until the panic condensed into somber fear.

[Author's note: Took me quite some time to come back, huh? I got to apologize to leave these loose threads dangling for so long. But, at least in case of this story, I want to tie everything together and bring some. About the other stories and maybe new we'll see. I hope you'll enjoy reading as much as I did writing. Oh and maybe leave me a review, would you? Stay tuned]