"The galaxy at the moment is balanced on a knife edge, as delicate as a line of dominoes. Crios is the first world to begin to topple, and unfortunately, Foxarn is right behind it. The only question people are asking is this the start of a second and more devastating Galactic War" - anonymous Foxtaur, after seeing the attack of the Imperial Alliance Cruiser on Crios VII

The Dominante was near the Alliance Interdictor Cruiser Starflare. A smaller ship was caught in the tractor beam of the Dominante.

"Do you have the ship?" asked Arley Thorn.

The large white polar bear was the captain of the Dominante. There where a few polar bears within the fleet one had risen to the rank of Grand Admiral.

"We have the ship in the tractor beam. It will be in the hanger bay within a short time, Captain" announced the commander behind the bear.

"Inform Lord Mace and set course for the Toravan system, maximum warp as soon as it's aboard" ordered Thorn.

"The ships aboard Captain, helm has layed in a course for the Toravan system. Course is set in the navigational system and we are preparing for warp drive" replied the commander.

"Thank you commander, you have the Bridge. I'll be in my ready room" replied Thorn.

********

Tarin had helped Lyra and Silver up off the floor of the small ship.

"I don't like it" commented Tarin.

"Don't like what?" asked Silver.

"This ship is from the Alliance I spotted their symbol on a bulkhead as the ship was brought inside. We're in a hangerbay at least, we can't fight our way out of this" commented Tarin.

"We best surrender, we can't fight a whole crew of a starship" commented Silver.

"Let's see what they want" replied Tarin as his tail moved around slowly.

As he finished speaking four foxes came storming in the four troopers wearing grey uniforms entered the living areas of the ship. All covered the three with blasters.

"Stay where you are, no one move. Your all under Alliance detention" commented the leading officer.

Tarin, Silver and Lyra where bundled towards the ships hatch and boarding ramp. The officer waved them to the floor of their hangerbay. Before them was a tall figure who was dressed in grey and black he was wearing a black helmet of some sort. The three halted at the bottom of the ramp.

"Lord Mace, we've searched the ship and all we have found is these three. Also some weapons where found scans also showed that there was tri-cobalt charges and other munitions stored in the cargo hold" said the officer.

"Is that a full report?" asked Mace.

"That is my full report Lord Mace" replied their officer.

"Take the Fox and Tigeress to detention. The Skunkess is to come with me" commented Mace.

"Very well my Lord, I'll have two guards meet you at the turbolift" answered the officer.

Two troopers flanked Lord Mace while he and Silver went to a turbolift she turned and looked at Mace.

"Will they be safe?" asked Silver.

"Of course they will be unharmed. They are been taken to quarters and kept there while we talk" rasped Mace.

The turbolift deposited them and the guards near Mace's quarters Thee four went inside. The room was well furnished with couches and a few chairs. There where two large tables and large viewport at the end of the room.

"Please take a seat" commented Mace.

Silver sat down and eyed Mace and the guards over. Her instincts had kept her alive along while where others would be dead by now. She trusted none of those in the room with her. Mace looked to the troopers.

"You may leave us" commanded Mace.

The two troopers left the room but Silver heard at least one of them take up a position near the door. On one of the walls was a landscape of a planet with a blues sky and oddly a pink sea.

"You don't know who I am, do you?" asked Mace.

"To be honest no I can't say I do" replied Silver.

Mace's hands went to the neck of his mask, but then went back down as he thought better of it.

"Can I offer you a drink?" asked Mace.

"No thank you, why don't you just get on with it, you captured the ship for some reason" replied Silver.

"Very well, your name is Silhouette correct?" questioned Mace.

"That's correct, your well informed" replied Silver.

"You call your self, Silver though" said Mace.

"That's also correct" answered Silver.

"Silver, I am your father" announced Mace.

"No way, my father is dead he died in a ground car accident. He's gone and my mother to, anyway I know about the Alliance and the massacres they are responsible for. Your not my father I want to rejoin my friends now!" shouted Silver.

"Search your feelings, they will reveal the truth to you" advised Mace.

Silver searched her feelings she felt something long buried within her. But it was impossible she knew her father was dead.

"it's not true your a liar" commented Silver.

"I'm sorry I'll have the guard take you to your friends. There away to get me if you want to at a latter date. Take this homing beacon. If you change your mind just activate it. A ship will come for you. For now we'll release your friends and ship soon. Till then I bid you goodbye" finished Mace. Silver stood up and took the homing beacon a scowl crossed her face and here ears moved quickly with the anger she was feeling. A trooper came into the room and looked to Mace.

"Take her to her friends and have their ship released" commented Mace.

"Very well Lord Mace" replied the trooper.

In a large furnished room Tarin and Lyra where sat waiting. Tarin had tried the door but it wouldn't open. He surmised it was locked from the outside by a electronic key.

"What do you think that Mace wanted?" asked Lyra as she padded to a viewport.

Outside was just a starscape and a small type four comet. It was being brushed slightly by the solar winds from the nearby sun and gleamed like a jewel on a blanket.

"I'm not sure I just hope things turn out alright. How are you feeling now, you certainly took a tumble"" said Tarin.

"Fine now I was feeling a little dizzy. I don't know what's going on but I hope we get out of this" replied Lyra as she watched the comet.

Just after Lyra stopped speaking the main door into the room opened with a slight hiss. The trooper that brought them here stepped inside.

"Lord Mace has ordered your immediate release. Follow me please, we're going back to your ship"

"How about the Skunkette that was with us?" asked Tarin.

"She's waiting for you at your ship" answered the trooper.

The bounty hunter had been suffering problems of late, it was pushing her into jobs she normally did not take. She had meet with a youngish wolf early that morning in a older part of the city. He said he was now in control of Gal Tech. The number of credits he had put up was huge. But the was a catch to such a massive amount there normally always was. The wolf had ordered a no disintegrations, live capture bounty, for the individual know as Silhouette. She had been given a holo-graphic picture.

Of late the bounty hunter had lost her. She was making for the planet Foxarn, the Foxtaur homeworld.

The ship carrying Tarin, Silver and Lyra finally entered the atmosphere of Foxarn. The ship anti-grav's came on a rainbow of multicoloured light. The ship drives went to half power and it started it's descent in the main Foxarn space port.

"We're nearly home it won't be long now" commented Silver.

The ship started final approach to the large landing pads that ringed the spaceport. In the distance a large spaceliner coasted down towards the four kilometer runways. As soon as the ship landed Tarin opened the hatch and let down the boarding ramp from it's internal storage bay.

"What are the Foxtaurs like?" questioned Lyra.

"They are quite open about everything, including sex life. You'll love them, in fact I'll ask Nightwalker over so you can meet her" commented Tarin.

The three walked down the boarding ramp and into a small terminal building after going inside they found their ground car waiting for them.

"Nightwalker is a good choice she likes a good chat" commented Silver.

"Dispatch to Medic Five, dispatch to Medic Five, come in. Medic Five, repeat Medic Five, come in"

"Anything at all?" asked girl Raccoon.

"No controller, checking subroutine and systems" replied the technician.

"Anything at all?" questioned the controller.

"No.....I have to report that Medic Five has been destroyed"

"But why.....why would anyone destroy a medical ship?" asked the Raccoon girl.

A older white tigeress came into the room as they where speaking. She looked to the Raccoon girl.

"I'm afraid it's a sign of the times, not the best way of introducing you to your promotion, or to your team. I wonder who did it, could of it been the alliance?" asked the tigeress.

"It would be their kind of dirty unhanded calling card, or pirates. They have been on the increase" replied the Raccoon girl.

"We'll mourn the crew of medic five later, after the shift. Right now we have work to do" commented the tigeress.

"So who is Nightwalker?" asked Lyra.

"Nightwalker well she's quite nice really, she'll be over soon" replied Tarin.

There was a knock on the door, Tarin went and opened it. Framed by the door was what looked like a jet black young vixen. Lyra guessed that's where she got her name from. It was when she came in Lyra got a proper look at her. Nightwalker's lower body was shaped like a Centaur. Lyra was amazed with her.

"You never said they where like this, I think taurs are the most beautiful creatures in creation" commented Lyra a little to loudly.

Nightwalker chuckled at Lyra's comment and looked to her.

"Well thank you honey, hmmm" muttered Night.

"What's the matter?" asked Tarin.

"Nothing I was just thinking of something and someone" replied Nightwalker.

"Oh thinking about what?" asked Silver.

Something a Foxtaur told me a while ago. Her name is Sunwalker, her mate is Moonlight. I think I best explain about Moonlight, she's a hermaphrodite. She has the male and female reproductive organ's within one body. She's a very good person and both her and Sunwalker have doctorates in medicine and engineering. They told me a few weeks ago they were ready to perform a transformation of a subject, they just need a volunteer. It would work wonders on those harmed by disease and such" commented Nightwalker.

"Is she your sister Sunwalker I mean?" asked Silver.

"Oh no, not at all. The name walker is quite common really" replied Night.

"Transformation of a subject.....to anything?" asked Lyra.

"Yes that's what Sunwalker and Moonlight said" answered Nightwalker.

"I was just thinking about that how about if I under went it?" asked Lyra.

"You should think about what it means first. Your whole life would change if you did go through with it" answered Nightwaker.

Nightwalker's tail was low to the ground just about twitching from side to side. She always did this without noticing if she was thinking.

"Well if you really want to go thought with it, I'll just use Sliver's videophone and call Sunwalker" replied Night.

Lyra turned to Tarin and Silver as Nightwalker padded into the next room to use the videophone.

"You did mean what you said about a shop right?" asked Lyra.

"Of course we did, and we'll help you set up as soon as you like" replied Silver as she padded to a green glass table and picked up a small tuberler and poured a blue coloured drink from it.

"Thank you, it will mean a new start for me. It's really strange to think about all that as has happened over the last three days" said Lyra as she went to sit down in a white cushioned chair.

Nightwalker came back into the room and Tarin looked to her. She was smiling and chuckling lightly as she came and sat her taur body on a massive cushion.

"Finished?" asked Tarin.

"Yes, Moonlight was to say the least happy she's found someone. She's at home waiting for Sunwalker to come home. She said to come over to their labs tomorrow noon, so they can take measurements and readings of Lyra. Moonlight send's you her thanks" commented Night.

"I know about all the risks involved but there's no one else but me. No next of kin or anything like that" commented Lyra.

Tarin had sat down in a chair much like the one Lyra was sat in. As she spoke his eyes darkened at the mention of next of kin. He decided not to say anything and put the thoughts at the back of his mind. It wasn't something he wanted to bother Silver with or their house guest.

"Well I guess we'll be seeing you tomorrow, Nightwalker" commented Silver.

"Fine, I need to get back anyway. As I'm preparing evening meal, I'll see you all tomorrow" commented Nightwalker as she stood up and left by the front door.

Sunwalker padded into the large room. Moonlight was waiting for the four as they came in following a vixen. Moonlight was taking readings from a small hand held scanner.

"Are we all set?" asked Sunwalker.

The others are ready is this Lyra?" asked Moonlight as shi took the Tigeresses handpaw.

"It's been a while Sunwalker, this is Lyra. She knows all about what is to happen. Everything ready?" asked Nightwalker.

"Told you before call me sunny, everything is ready to go" replied Sunwalker.

Lyra was looking sunwalker over. Sunwalker saw this and smiled. She was a very light yellowed fur and white socks, because of a genetic mutation. A young wolfess tauroid came up to Sunwalker and gave her a electronic pad.

"This is our assistant Kairi Starmane. She's only fifteen but is already she's making a name for herself in the world of science" commented Sunwalker.

"Hello" said Kairi.

"Nice to meet you Kairi I'm Nightwalker and these are my friends Silver, Tarin and Lyra" replied Night.

Moonlight came over and touched Sunny on her shoulder.

"We're ready now to start scanning" commented Moonlight.

Lyra padded away with the two and stood in what looked like a blue ring on the floor. Moonlight went to a nearby console.

"Please try to keep still Lyra" commented Sunny.

"Start imaging scanning please Kairi" commented Moonlight.

"Imaging scanning starting now at the celluar level"

"Tell me when it's complete Kairi please?" asked Moonlight as shi looked over hir controls.

"Stage one completed, proceeding to level two deep tissue scanning. Skeletal scanning completed" answered Kairi.

"Fine start mid-level scans" announced Sunny.

"Standby level three scanning" advised Moonlight.

"Level two scanning completed" said Kairi.

"Fine, standby transporter systems" replied Sunny.

Level three scanning started and completed, scanning complete" advice Kairi.

"Lyra can you step up on the transporter dais and we'll get started" said Sunny gently.

"Of course Sunwalker" replied Lyra.

The tigeress stepped up on the nearby transporter platform. She smiled and looked to Tarin and Silver. Silver gave her a thumbs up sign and smiled back. A blue column appeared around Lyra as she stood there.

"Activating annular containment beam, starting beam down procedures" announced Kairi.

The beam down went fine until a explosion was heard. On the wall was a large screen, it showed that everything was fine and then turned a bright scarlet as a klaxon sounded. The screen started to flash two words repeatedly they where: Transporter Malfunction.

"Hell find out what happened someone. Kairi go over to the back up pattern buffer and rematerialise Lyra as soon as it's possible. Someone turn that damn klaxon off now!" shouted Sunwalker.

Kairi was checking the containment on the pattern buffer.

"There's been some cellular damage, I'm attempting to repair it" commented Kairi as her hands flew over the touch controls of the console.

The klaxon sound was quickly replaced by a slight hum as the transporter recycled. The blue collum reappeared and Lyra slowly reappeared on the platform. She quickly became whole. Her fur was quite unlike other foxtaurs as it was blue and white. Sunwalker ran to the platform as soon as the containment beam vanished.

"Are you alright Lyra?" asked Sunny.

"Yeah I'm fine" replied Lyra she took a step and promptly collapsed.

"Quick get her to the medical section" commented Sunwalker.

Silver's eyes where on Lyra's sexual area, there was something wrong and she started thinking. Lyra went in as a female and had come out as a hermaphrodite.

The wreckage of Medic Five span away from the massive Imperial Alliance Cruiser Starfall's energy shields. The bridge crew where not like anything the nearby sectors had ever seen not even in the core systems had they ever been seen. These where humans, but where not from Earth. They had come from a large star empire that spanned nearly a hundred and twenty worlds. They came from the Belt of Orion. Commander Mala read through her orders they came from no less than the Emperor himself. She was to take one planet and have it join the Imperial Alliance. She was also to make an example of another, it didn't matter which planet as long as it showed the might of the Imperial Alliance.

"Did the ship get any communications away Captain?" asked Mala.

Because Mala was a Imperial Commander she out ranked the ships captain.

"None Commander, however it did receive a hail" replied the Captain.

"Find where they come from and we will take the ship there, Captain" answered Mala.

"By your command" replied the Captain.

Tarin, Silver, Nightwalker, Kairi, Sunwalker and Moonlight where in a empty office Moonlight was working at a small computer terminal.

"What happened?" asked Tarin.

"Someone planted a explosive device near one of the three pattern buffers. It caused some cellular and atomic damage" replied Kairi.

"Who?" asked Silver.

"We're not sure till the preliminary report comes in, we'll know more then. But it was very dangerous" commented Sunny.

"What do you mean dangerous?" asked Tarin.

"We could have lost Lyra. Catastrophic failure with total pattern loss is a high risk in transporting subjects" replied Moonlight.

"The transporter scans you, converts you into energy, transmits you to your destination, then converts you back into matter. That's as much as I know" answered Silver.

"Nearly correct but you have some way to go. If you converted all that mass into energy, you'd have the equivalent of a nuclear bomb go off. There's no way of containing that much energy, it's beyond even today's science, or even a fraction of it actually. E=mc2, remember" replied Sunny.

"But if you have the mind matrix you should be able to place it into a clone body?" asked Tarin.

Moonlight and Sunwalker looked to Tarin like he had gone insane.

"Cloning and improving the species are both highly illegal Tarin. The Foxarn system and Crios have both suffered terrible wars because of them" replied Sunwalker.

"Anyway if you could do it. Its dangerous interrupt the process at any time at the exact moment between receiving the matrix and the pattern, you would have virtually no chance whatsoever of surviving" commented Kairi.

"Lyra did come back as Foxtaur hermaphrodite" replied Nightwalker.

Yes the damage to the pattern buffer was quite light for what happened. We started to get damage in the molecular matrix. We had to use my transporter pattern to fix the cellular damage" answered Moonlight.

"But Lyra is alright?" asked Tarin.

"Yes shi is, we'll just have to wait till shi wakes up" replied Sunny.

Commander Mala stood on the bridge looking out of a veiwport. Her shoulders where bare but for the fine material of her cloak that covered them. Her cloak was of Imperial red with gold trim. Her jet black hair came down to her shoulders and was cut fine.

"Is the planet within range yet?" she asked.

"A few more moments Commander, a small fleet of enemy fighters have been launched from two carriers in orbit" replied the Captain.

Mala didn't bother turning round it was not needed, her commands would be carried out immediately.

"Intercept and destroy them" she said with a cold calculated voice.

"By your command" answered the captain.

A Foxtaur came into the small room where Tarin, Silver, Nightwalker, Sunwalker and Moonlight where waiting.

"Sunwalker, Moonlight why aren't you at the armoury. The president the general populance to a war footing. He was just on the Vid-com. They are even reactivating standing reserves" said the newcomer.

He was pushed out of his way by a tall Raccoon female. The look on her face told she was not happy with whatever job she had been given. She wore a blue uniform with gold braiding along it's shoulders.

"Are you Foxtaurs Sunwalker and Moonlight?" asked the Raccoon.

"I'm Sunwalker and this is my mate Moonlight, what do you want?" Sunny asked.

The Raccoon gave them both a small file with s silver herald on from a much large file.

"These are your reactivation papers. Report to transporter station four in the morning. Further orders will be given there. Both of you have been selected for medical duties planet side" commented the Raccoon before she left.

The word battle would not cover the massacre that followed in short order. I was in the long run very one sided.

"All weapons, open fire" ordered Mala from the command chair.

Not long afterwards half of the small fleet of fighters where spinning debris or expanding balls of yellow and white coloured plasma drifting on a background of stars.

"Launch our fighters have them finish off what's left" commanded Mala.

From the massive imperial ship four dozen fighter wings launched from the two sides of the ship. They screamed away towards the other fighters that where small dots in the vast distance.

"Charge the Impulse Cannons" commented Mala as she looked down at a status screen.

There was a audible hum of power as the cannons came on line. Two beams of bright yellow lanced from the front of the ship. They travelled the distance between the ship and the two carriers instantly. As soon as they connected with the first carries shields they light up in a rainbow of light. As the power was drained from the shields they went critical and collapsed. The carrier blossomed into something resembling a miniature sun. It expanded into a sphere of expanding ball of super heated gasses and plasma.

"All weapons power to the vortex cannon" ordered Mala.

"Two centons till the cannon is charged. Tactical reports that our fighters wings have nearly destroyed all enemy fighters. They are regrouping to destroy the carrier" reported the Captain.

"Instruct two fighter wings to cover us when we fire the cannon" ordered Mala.

"Vortex cannon powered and ready to fire, Commander" replied the tactical officer.

"Commence primary ignition" ordered Mala.

"Primary ignition engaged" answered the tactical officer.

A neon blue beam leapt away from the cruiser's belly Not long after the beam pierced straight through the planet. Yellow and blue tendrils of energy crackled visibly around the planet as it started to break up. The Planet suddenly exploded in a spectacular flash of yellow, red and white light. As it settled all that was left of Crios VIII was a large swarm of asteroids.