[b]language[/b]

      Jeremy buzzed the door, and looked inside timidly once it opened. The room was large, walls in comforting earth brown, and floor carpeted in dark green. There was a desk toward the back, two chairs in front of it, and one behind. In that chair was seated a female kelsirian, with light gray fur. Her face looked like that of a house cat, with small triangular ears

      "Please come in," she said, her English accented with a purr.

      "Hi," he said, softly, stepping inside the office. "I'm Jeremy."

      Her lips tightened and her eyes brighten. "I'm Leiha," she replied, standing and stepping around the desk to hug him. Jeremy froze for a moment, surprised. "What can I do for you?"

      "A friend of mine, one of the tech, said that you helped him learn English. I was wondering if you could help me learn Kelsirian."

      "I can." She smiled. "I don't know if you'll be able to speak it. You're voice box is different then ours. It's simple for us to speak English, we mostly tend to over pronounce the 'R', but I don't know if your voice box will be able to produce some of the sounds we use."

      "I know I won't be able to. I've already tried to pronounce some, it feels like I'm trying to rip out my vocal cords. I just want to be able to understand it. It isn't fair for me to force the kelsirians I'm working with to have to speak English, they tell me it isn't exactly comfortable for them to speak it."

      "I don't think it is as bad as you've been told."

      "Still, it would be nice to not have to rely of the few who speak English to translate for me."

      "Alright," she said. "Take a seat then."

      "How is this going to work?"

      "Just close your eyes." 

      She moved behind him, and after a moment, he felt something familiar. He opened his mouth to say something, but found his voice didn't want to work.

      "You won't be able to speak while I do this, just relax. It's normal while I'm interacting with your speech centers."

      He felt himself panicking slightly, so he called on his box, and calmed down. He couldn't do much, so he let his mind wonder.

      After some time, he felt her move away. He checked his chrono, and saw it had been thirty minutes. "You're a mentalist?"

      She replied, but his mind couldn't make out what she'd said.

      "I don't think it worked, I can't understand what you're saying."

      She said something else, which he also didn't understand, except for one word, English. He frown, and when she spoke again, he realized she was speaking English "It might take a few moments for your mind to be able to tell them apart."

      "What just happened? You were speaking English, and I couldn't understand."

      "Because I inserted some Kelsirian into your mind, it was expecting me to speak it. When I didn't it didn't know how to process the input. It happens with a lot of people who learn a language this way."

      "So now I'll be able to understand Kelsirian?"

      "Only a little. It could take up to five sessions for you to become fully fluent, and we should let you mind rest. We can do the next session tomorrow."

      "Okay. Thank you." He stood and offered his hand.

      She stood also, and looked at it. "Do you prefer this over a hug?" she asked.

      He looked at his hand. "That's how we greet and say goodbye. We're not as physical as you seem to be."

      She tilted her head. "You never hug?"

      "Just family, really. Maybe a very close friend."

      "Then I hope I didn't cause any awkwardness."

      "You surprised me, that's all." He blushed. "I didn't mind it, not really."

      She smiled and hugged him again.

[b]Relaxation[/b]

      "Bridge," Jeremy said, to the com.

      "Bridge here," came the reply. He through it was Haradrel, but he wasn't sure. He was trying to get to know everyone on the bridge, but recognizing voices still wasn't something he'd mastered.

      "Can we come to a full stop? I'm ready to do a test power up on the generator, and I want the backup offline, to avoid any chance of feedback messing up the readings."

      There was a conversation, one of the voice was Gral, that voice he could recognize easily. "We'll be in a zone we can safely power down in two hours and a half," Gral said. "You can do the test then."

      "Got it." Jeremy walked out of the office and went to the techs standing around the generator. "Okay, you guys are off work for two hours. Go eat, relax, have fun. Be back here on time." 

      Nods and smiles were the response, as they headed out. Jeremy turned to get back to his office, but Thuruk grabbed his arm.

      "You said we all get to go relax for two hours, that includes you."

      "I have . . ."

      "No you don't. You have to relax, and I'm not talking about a night of sex with your Heart. There's someone I want to introduce you to."

      Jeremy grumbled, half heartedly, as Thuruk dragged him along. They went up half a dozen levels to a section of the ship Jeremy hadn't been to before. It looked like a mall. He stopped.

      "There are stores?" he asked.

      "Of course we have stores," Thuruk replied, "don't your ships do too?"

      "Not our military ships."

      "Then where do the people on those ship get what they need, what their families need?"

      "Military ships don't have families on them."

      It was Thuruk's turn to stop. "No families? Where do they go to at the end of their work? Who comforts them on rough day?"

      "They go to their bunks, I guess. And they have shrinks for those who have trouble dealing with rough days."

      "Your peoples are weird," Thuruk said.

      "I don't know, it seems pretty weird to me to have families on a ship you expect to go into battle, what if they get hurt?"

      "That's why the family units are located in the core of the ship, so every wall acts as extra protection, and that whole section is reinforce. If it get too bad, it can be jettisoned and it will home in on Kelser, and got there. But it'll be pickup before that. Not that we'll ever let *that* happen."

      Thuruk pulled Jeremy inside one of the store. Males and females were standing around, talking. One of the walls was lined with beds, the rectangular kinds this time, and at waist height. He went to the group, moved behind one of the females without her noticing. He nibbled on her neck, just before wrapping his arms around her. "Can I pull you away from your team, love?" he asked tenderly.

      She turned and nuzzled him. "Of course you can." She looked up and saw Jeremy. "You finally brought him!" she let go of him and walked to Jeremy. She stepped around him, looking him over. "Please take off your clothes," she said.

      "Excuse me?"

      Thuruk grabbed her and pulled her into an embrace. "Calm yourself. At least, let me introduce you to him. Jeremy, this is Asarin, my Heart. She's been wanting to meet you since you joined the crew."

      "It's an honor to meet you," Jeremy said, "But I don't think this is a good idea." Beds, a group of people waiting for customers, yeah. He knew what this place was about. He'd figured out quickly the kelsirian were a lot more relaxed about sex than humans, he still couldn't stopped blushing at the memory of the couple he walked in on in one of the recreation rooms.

      "Why not?" Thuruk asked.

      "For one thing, you really should have told me what you were planning, for another. I'm with Gral. I know that you are comfortable fooling around outside of a relationship, but I'm not."

      There was a moment of confusion with Thuruk and Asarin, and then she brightened "Oh, sweets, I don't want to have sex with you." He looked him over. "Actually, I would like to, if you were so inclined, but this is about relaxation. I want to see your body because I'm curious about your musculature."

      "Asarin gives massages," Thuruk said, at Jeremy's confusion. "She owns the store, and she's been wanting to test her skill on your body. You won't regret it, I promise." He took off his clothes and climbed on one of the bed. One of the males in the group went to him.

      "I promise," Asarin said, "I simply want to massage your body. I wouldn't have sex here, it wouldn't be appropriate."

      Jeremy nodded, and watched as the male took a bottle from under the bed, poured liquid on his hand, probably oil, and start massaging Thuruk's back. Jeremy looked around, and turning beet red, took off his clothing, and before laying on his stomach on the bed.

      "Does your clothes keep your skin from tuning red?" she asked as she moved next to him. He shook his head. She placed he hands on his back. "You are radiating heat." She paused. "You're embarrassed?"

      Jeremy nodded. "Undressing in public will do that to me."

      "Oh, Sweets, you shouldn't. Even without fur, nakedness is nothing to be ashamed of." Her hands started moving on his back. Her touch was light.

      "Having fur must make it easier. No one can see of you're blushing."

      She leaned in. "Look at the inside pavilion of our ears," she whispered, "that's where our blush is the easiest to see."

      Jeremy smiled, decided he liked her, and let her melt his back.

[b]Alix[/b]

      Jeremy was in the Engineering office with Thuruk, Danil, Hosmelt and Jufdet, talking after their shift, when the kelsirian entered. He was about Jeremy's height, gold fur with black stripes, and with a leg in a brace. He looked around, scolding.

      "Alix!" Thuruk exclaimed, and everyone stood. "You're out of med bay." Jeremy looked at the other four, and stood too.

      Alix grunted, and stepped to the window looking out onto engineering. He looked down at the techs working there, and then moved to the terminal. He entered a few commands, looked at the results, and then at Jeremy.

      Jeremy extended a hand. "Hi. I'm Jeremy. I did the repairs on th generator."

      The kelsirian snorted, and looked back at the screen, entering more commands. Surprised at the gesture, Jeremy looked at his friends, who all wore a worried look.

      "What did you do to my generator?" Alix demanded.

      "I repaired it."

      "You call that repairing? We're not even getting eighty percent of the normal output."

      "Excuse me?" Jeremy glared at him, "but when I started working on it I didn't know how it was built. I had to learn as I went."

      "It shows," Alix said with derision.

      "What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Jeremy couldn't believe the gall of him. "You should be thanking me."

      "Thanking you? For what? The botched work you call repairs"

      "Hey! I did the fucking best I could. I'm not the one who blew the thing up. You should be thanking me. If it wasn't for my work we'd still be limping along."

      Alix glared at him.

      Thuruk grabbed Jeremy by the arm, and pulled him toward the door. "We'll leave you to it, Alix. Our work's done, so we're off to eat."

      Alix grunted and turned back to the screens.

      They walked in silence for a moment, Jeremy fuming. How could that guy call his work botched. It worked fine. So what if it wasn't up to a hundred percent yet. He'd have gotten it there in time.

      "You have to forgive Alix," Hosmlet said. "He always gets cranky when someone else works on his generator."

      Jeremy stopped in his track.

      "Do you remember how he got when they did the refit two years ago?" Thuruk said.

      "Gods," Danil answered, laughing. "He was fuming the entire time, always getting under foot, telling them how to do their job. If the captain hadn't forced him off the ship, I'm sure someone would have decked him."

      How could he have done that? Jeremy asked himself, he couldn't believe that he'd lost his temper like that.

      "Jeremy, are you okay?" Thuruk said, once he realized they had left him behind.

      "You guys go ahead," Jeremy said, turning around. "I'll join you. I have to do something first." He walked back to the engineering office, without waiting for their reply. He almost opened the door when he reached it, but stopped himself. Instead, he buzzed it.

      "Come in," Alix said, and Jeremy entered. The kelsirian looked at him, frowned and went back to the screen. "What do you want?"

      "I'm sorry I lost my temper." Jeremy said, and Alix looked at him, tilting his head after a moment. "It's your generator, you have the right to judge the quality of the work as you see fit."

      Alix studied him for a moment. "I accept your apology. Is there anything else?"

      "I'd like to learn from you."

      Alix crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned back against the console. "Don't you mean, you want a chance to show me just how much better your human way of doing thing is over mine?"

      Jeremy opened his mouth to protest, then closed it, realizing that at the back of his mind had been that exact hope.

      "I thought so." He turned his back to Jeremy.

      "I do want to learn," Jeremy stated. "I want to be useful on the ship, and for that I need to know how things work."

      "You're the captain's mate. You don't need to do anything on the ship."

      Jeremy gritted his teeth. "I'm not some freeloader. I'm an engineer. I know I don't know how your systems work, but if you teach me, I can be useful."

      Alix looked over his shoulder, doubt on his face. "So you're going to be happy being one of the tech?"

      "If I can help, yes. I'm not afraid of work."

      Alix looked at the screen again, entered some information, nodded at the result. "Be here first thing tomorrow morning."

      * * * * *

      Jeremy put different types of meat on a plate, and added that to his tray that already contained a bowl with vegetables, then poured some hot liquid that smelled spicy, in a cup. With that he joined his friends. He was still trying a variety of the food they served. He'd tried enough of the meats to believe he would enjoy all of them, so long as the sauce they were prepared in wasn't too sweet, or too spicy. He was amazed at how varied the taste of the foods were. The fruits and vegetables were also all palatable, so long as they were on their own. Kelsirians had a very different idea of what deserts should taste like from him. He wouldn't say the baked good made with fruits were bad, but when they were mostly savory, instead of sweet, that was too much for him, so he stayed away from them. The one thing still hadn't found to his liking, was the selection of hot drinks. 

      He missed coffee.

      "What's wrong with this one?" Thuruk asked, seeing the face Jeremy made.

      "I don't like the spice."

      Thuruk took the cup and had a sip. "Areeze, with a bit of Granom and Junn. Not my kind of thing either."

      Jufdet lifted his cup. "I love the stuff."

      "I wish you guys had coffee."

      "What's that?" Hosmelt asked.

      "A human drink," Thuruk replied. "It's quite bitter, has a hint of Junn and maybe dried Hildes leaves, and other tastes I couldn't place." The three other kelsirians stared at him. "Jeremy brought himself some while we were at the station, and I had a taste."

      "You can probably get one of the cook to make something like that," Hosmelt commented. "Might take some time to get it right, though."

      "I doubt it would ever be right," Jeremy sighed. "I wish I'd been able to bring some, I could brew it myself."

      "Then just order some," Hosmelt said, before spearing some meat with a claw and popping it in his mouth.

      "Somehow I doubt we'd be able to buy any," Danil said, "they would know it's for him, and they aren't happy with him."

      Thuruk and Jufdet exchanged a look. "There's always Xenial," Jufdet said.

      "Who's that?" Jeremy asked.

      "He works in procurement," Thuruk said. "His family owns multiple 'trading' ship."

      "They're smugglers," Jufdet clarified.

      "He claims there's nothing he can't get a claw on, if you can pay for it."

      "I don't have any money."

      "Talk to the captain," Thuruk said. "You're part of the crew, so you have a salary. Even if you become a civilian, now that Alix's back, you'll still have something for the work you did."

      Jeremy though it over for a moment. "Where can I find this Xenial?"

      * * * * *

      The procurement room wasn't very large, maybe enough room for three people. Immediately in front of the door was a large window, with rows and rows of shelves behind it. A kelsirian with fur, that was a swirl of brown and gray, was putting boxes on one of the shelves.

      "Hi," Jeremy said. The kelsirian turned toward him, and he realized she was a woman, with the only thing covering her breast being fur. He looked down at he counter. "I'm looking for someone, I was told I could find him here."

      "I'm sorry," she replied, "I don't understand your language. You must be the human we took in."

      Jeremy quickly looked up, to her face. "Yes, I am. I'm looking for Xenial. Right, you don't understand me."

      "Xenial!" she yelled, and a moment later another kelsirian joined them, this one had light orange fur with patches of white. "I think he said your name, do you know him? Do you speak human?"

      The newcomer looked Jeremy over. "No, I don't. But I wouldn't mind getting to know him better. I've never had sex with a human before."

      Jeremy blushed, and looked through his pockets, pulling out his datapad. It's was a kelsirian one, and he'd gotten Leiha to teach him how to read and write. He quickly typed on it. "I understand Kelsirian."

      "Oh, good." Xenial said. "Are you interested in having sex?"

      Jeremy stared at him. It took him a few times to manage to type what he wanted "no! I just need to talk to you."

      "That's too bad. What do you want to talk about?"

      "Can we talk in private?" Jeremy typed.

      Xenial looked to his colleague, Jeremy and then the datapad. "That conversation, is it urgent?" Jeremy shook his head. "Then how about I learn Human, and we can have it once I'm fluent."

      "A private conversation, huh?" the brown and gray kelsirian said. "Watch if he doesn't want to have sex, but doesn't want to admit it."

      Jeremy's eyes grew wide.

      "He understands you, remember?" Xenial said.

      She looked at Jeremy, ears folded back and quickly left.

      Xenial chuckled. "I'll find you in a few days, and we can talk business."