Vacation: Entry Point

                            By:

                        Fox Cutter

2/24/96:

Feet propped up, head back, lounging over the plastic chair
in the startport. I sure I must have been a strange sight
for the passers by. Not that I noticed really, all my
concentration was on the PADD in my hands.

"Fox," Oria said, "the shuttle docks in three minutes. Ready
to go?"

"Um-hum," I said, making a quick edit on my current 'Dream
Time' story.

Suddenly Oria ripped it from my hands, "Fox, are you ready
to go?"

I nodded, sitting up, "Yep, ready and willing."

"Good," she said, turing away, her tail whipping a bit. She
seemed a bit nervous to me.

I stood and taped her on the shoulder. "The PADD please?"

She sighed and handed it to me, "When are you going to let
me read that anyway?"

I shrugged, saving the file, "When I finish it."

She turned and looked at me, "What exactly is it anyways?
You've been so secretive about it."

I laughed evilly, "Something either extremely cool, or
totally bad. Any way though, it should be interesting."

Nodding she handed me may backpack, at the same time the
voice on the intercom rang out, "All passengers boarding for
the cruise ship _Greythral_ please report to gate
twenty-seven."

"That's us," she said, picking up her own carry on bag. We
also had two large suitcases a piece, where would meet us in
are cabin.

I followed as Oriana lead the way down the crowded all of
the starport. Passing two shops, some vending machines, the
usual compliment of bathrooms, all the way to the end of the
docking pillion.

Getting into the line at the gate, I noticed that Oria was
swishing her tail at break neck speed. "Something wrong?" I
asked her.

She shook her head, her hair flying about, "No... no, not at
all, everything is all right. Just a bit nervous, that's
all." She gave a forced laughed.

I gave her a skeptical look, but she didn't notice. Giving
are tickets to the clerk we headed down into the shuttle.

The shuttle it's self wasn't all that bad, a lot like an
airplane back home. I sat myself down next to the window for
the hell of it, and Oria sat down next to me.

I looked at her, she was shivering a bit.

"Oria, are you sure you're all right?"

She nodded, "Fine." She said, setting her paw on top of my
hand.

I looked at her, worried, but she had turned away, and was
looking at the floor.

I sighed, and looked out the window, out at the open stars.
In the distance I could see the outlines of many ships, some
transport, most cargo.

Below us was a large green planet, who's name escapes me
right now. Circling it, shimmering in the sunlight, was a
ring and gas and debree. I could have just have imagined
what it would have looked like from the surface.

As I was thinking about all this, there was a slight lurch
as the ship undocked, and started to move. Apparently I had
missed the safety instructions.

A few seconds later there was a second lurch as the shuttle
started to move towards the ship. At the exact same instant,
I felt four sharp points of pain on my right hand.

Looking over, I saw Oria, her eyes closed. Her claws had
come out, and where digging into my hand, and starting to
draw blood.

"Oriana, what is wrong?"

She shook her head violently, keeping her eyes tightly
closed, "Nothing is wrong."

I nodded, "Then what reason do you have for trying to gouge
out the knuckles of my good hand?"

In a flash she opened her eyes, and looked at what she was
doing. Slowly she retracted her claws, leaving four small
rips in my skin. "I'm sorry Fox."

"Tell me what's wrong." I said, licking the wounds, while I
dug some band-aids out of my pack.

She balled her paws into fists, and set them in her lap. "My
mind is telling me to run like hell off this ship."

I blink, "Why, you've been on shuttles before, never had a
problem then."

She slowly nodded, closing her eyes shut tight, "Something
happened while you where in exile."

"What?" I asked, leaning forwarded a bit.

A single tear rolled from her eye, and down the fur of her
muzzle, "Don't ask, please," She whispered.

I didn't.

* * *

An hour and a half later we stood at the receiving area on
board the cruise ship. Oria had regained her composer the
second she had step off the shuttle, though she was still
nervously swishing her tail.

Taking a deep breath, she started for the check in counter.
There wasn't much of a line, as everyone one else had check
in while Oria was in the bathroom, probably loosing her
lunch.

It was a quick check in, and we where both handed room keys,
"Room 27,483." the young wolf behind the desk said, "Inside
cabin, forward part of the ship."

I nodded, taking my key, "Thank you kindly." Then moved over
to Oria as she stood, waiting for the elevator.

I stood next to her, "Doesn't this ship have stairs?"

"Yes," she replied, "but I prefer the elevator."

"Ok," I said, "onto my fears this time."

She looked at me, perplexed, then 'ohhed', "That's right,
your fear of elevators."

I nodded, "Nothing that I haven't gotten over before." I
said, stepping into the elevator. "It's just gotten worse
lately."

Steeping in, she hit the button for are floor. "Why worse?
Another cable break on you again?" She grinned lightly.

I rolled my eyes, "That is _not_ funny."

She placed her paw on my shoulder, "Sorry, I was just trying
to make you feel better."

"I see," I said, literally jumping out of the elevator as
the doors opened on are floor.

Oria shook her head at this, "Who am I to complain!" she
said, rolling her eyes.

"Which way?" she asked.

I check the numbers on the wall, "That way," I said pointing
to the left.

"Good" she said, picking up her bag and heading down the
hall.

She had barely gotten three feet before a door flew open,
and someone ran out, crashing right into Oria. She went
sprawling, and the guy who had hit her, fell right on top of
her.

I walked over, "Hello." I said.

The guy looked at me, his mane of hair (and I do mean mane,
he was a lion-morph) falling around his face. "Hi, sorry
about that, just in a bit of a rush."

"I noticed," I said, "and I'm sure Oriana did to."

"Oriana?" He asked, then looked down at her, "Oh, sorry,
didn't mean to do that." He rolled off of her, and stood up,
brushing off his pants.

I held my hand out to help Oria up, which she took a hold
of. "It's all right," she said, "I've done it before
myself."

He grinned, and stuck his paw out, "Steven Mason."

Oria shook it, "Oriana Shripon."

"Pleasure to meet you, and your friend as well. Your
boyfriend I take it?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me? Aren't you being just a
little to forward?"

He shrugged, "What can I say, that's me. Who are you?"

I put my hand out, "Fox Cutter, and if you must know, Oria
and I are just sidekicks of sorts."

I looked me up and down, "Bull Shit!"

"No, really," Oria said, "I don't date outside of my
species."

Looking at her, he said, "That I believe. What I don't
believe is this goof is Cutter."

Oria and I looked at each other, both of us seamed stunned.
"You know of me?"

He scoffed, "Of course I know of Cutter! Who in the Twelve
Empires hasn't?"

I rolled that over in my mind, I had no recollection of ever
visiting anyplace called the Twelve Empires before. "What
did I do here?"

I stared at me, growling a bit. "Cutter," he said, spiting
my name out, "saved Meridia from killing off the source of
it's one major export."

I blinked, then blinked again, then glanced at my left hand.
Even though it was nearly fifteen months before, I
remembered that VERY vividly.

"Pure luck really." I said, shrugging.

Steven shook his head, "Listen you little squirt, there is
no way you can be Cutter!"

"Really?"

No crossed his arms, "Really."

I pulled my passport out of my back pocket, handing it to
him.

He opened it up, and rubbed his chin (his main was more like
short hair, as it didn't cover his jaw). His eyes moved back
and fourth, reading it (thankfully it was written in the
standard for this verse).

He looked at me, then back at the passport, "Holly shit!" He
looked at Oria, "Is this for real?"

She nodded, grinning.

He looked back at me, "I sorry, it just seemed impossible
for me to actually run into you here!"

I grinned, pocketing the passport, "I've been in the same
situation before myself."

He ran his paws through his mane, "Damn, this has suddenly
become a very interesting trip."

"It may get even more interesting," Oria said, grinning at
him.

Steven raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

I shook my head a bit, grinning slightly, "Steven, you
heading anyplace?"

He shrugged, "Not really, I was just try to get to the upper
deck for the sending off. I wanted to get there before the
food left. A bit late now though"

"Ah, when does this sending off start?"

He glanced at his wrist watch, "In about an hour."

"And the food is gone already?"

He nodded, "It goes extremely fast."

"I bet. Oria, should we go to this sending off?"

She shook her head, "I have stuff to do first, though if you
want to you can."

I shrugged, "Sure, why not. I'll drop my stuff off in are
room and head up."

Oria shook her head slightly, "Just give me your pack, and
head up. I'll get us unpacked."

I patted her on the back, "Thanks Oria."

"No problem," she said, picking my backpack up from where I
drooped it. "I'll see you in a few hours?"

"Ok," I said, as she turned and headed down the hall.

Beside me Steven chuckled, "Nice tail on that one."

I half grinned, "I noticed."

He let out a full belly laugh, "Come on, lets go get some
food!"

* * *

Three hours, and way to much food, later. I was opening the
door to my room. Slipping in, I sat down on the bed inside,
"Oria?"

She stuck her head out from the bathroom, her hair wrapped
in a towel, "Hi Fox. Sorry about not unpacking, I had some
problems with are arrangements."

"What kind of problems?"

She ducked back into the room, "Take a look around, and tell
me what's missing?"

I rolled my eyes, and scanned the room. There was the closet
on one wall, bathroom of to the side, a small kitchen to the
other side, a desk, nightstand, couch, and a bed.

I blinked, "I see, one bed."

Oria nodded, as she came out, her hair still wrapped up, and
wearing a robe. "They had a mix up, gave us a one king sized
instead of two twin sized."

I nodded, "Did you call the desk?"

"Yep, all the rooms are full. So we're stuck with it."

I stood, and walked over to the couch, "No problem, I spent
two years sleeping on a couch, two weeks isn't a big deal."
I reached over, and grabbed a folded up blanket.

"Really?" Oria asked, sounding a bit disappointed.

I nodded, "No problem at all."

She shrugged, grabbing some clothing, and heading back to
the bathroom. "Ok, if you say so," she said, closing the
bathroom door, sounding a pit pived.

I tilted my head, "What's gotten into her?" I muttered to
myself. The shrugged, and pull my PADD back out, and got
back to work.