"So you think these two are the only ones?" an officer asked to Dr. Streight.
"The only ones that were in Cuba," Dr. Streight answered, "the last one is likely in North Korea."
"So we can let the rest go as refugees... or at least transfer them a more civilian agency?" the officer asked.
"That I don't know," Dr. Streight replied and looked to Casey and Ryles. The Rattlekat and Foxkat only shrugged as neither really knew. "They could be grunts and assistants, largely getting things and carrying out orders... but they could also be real refugees that the scientists hid with to get out of the situation... I really don't know."
The officer sighed and then looked past the Kats to the remaining refugees. After a moment, "We may need to talk with the MPs (Military Police) to see they could bring up a lie detector... as since our units here are only defensive..."
"You mean what we brought will not go to Cuba?" Casey asked.
"Oh it well, we're just the link in the chain," the officer answered, "You bring it to us and we then deliver it to the units that will be going to Cuba... Though my commanding officer expected you to make the delivery at Fort Hood."
"No one told us that was where you wanted the delivery to be made," Ryles commented, "we passed that base on the way here..."
And they ultimately did pass Fort Hood, which was still the largest military base in the US, just outside of Killeen, Texas. The officer, however, didn't look too troubled by that.
"It'll get to where it needs to go, don't worry," the officer answered, "we'll fly your prisoners back to Janace. I trust you'll have security for the POWs when they get there?"
"Yesssssssssss," Casey answered.
The officer nodded when Casey felt a soft tug on hir tail. Shi turned to find Pinkie and hir own children there. The stowaways had apparently saw the trip as a way to go on an adventure, and Pinkie apparently came along either as a secret babysitter for Casey and Ryles' roughly six year old children and to sort out personal frustrations that shi had at home. Some of this was puzzling to Casey. Shi had said that Janice had coupled with Snowflake. It seemed to imply that the two twelve year olds had had sex, which Casey didn't think was possible. While both Chakats were old enough to be entering the first stages of puberty, that wasn't enough to expect things to be possible, and from what Casey remembered from hir own time growing up as a her, shi knew that such early mating could be potentially dangerous. Girls began to mature around twelve, but it was usually not until they were sixteen that a human woman would be capable of engaging in sexual acts. Mating earlier than that presented some risk to developing organs.
However, all Casey had was what Pinkie had said, and that had made hir worry a little. Pinkie and Janice were Sally and Charlie's oldest soughters and they had been together since they were born. Even if Janice and Snowflake hadn't had sex, it was clear that the two were in love and would grow up to become mates, which would mean the bond of sitherhood between Janice and Pinkie would grow weaker as the two grew apart, and Pinkie might be recognizing this already. Now, Pinkie had been rather friendly with the Unikat that had come from Philadelphia with hir mother, Alia, but the two had only just met and Casey didn't think that Pinkie and Alia had gotten any farther than platonic friendship.
"We got all the boxxxxxxxxxxxxes that they needed delivered, mom," Maras reported.
"Very good, dear," Casey smiled, "Thank you."
Shi really didn't want there be any stowaways, as it had forced hir to call Janace and let hir know that shi shouldn't worry about not finding Kiran, Jissa, Maras, Trenta, Sinasta, Missa, and Rissa as they were with their mother, as well as letting Charlie and Sally know that Pinkie had tagged along with them. However, Casey and Ryles could respect their soughters wanting to help them and that they weren't in a war zone.
"Issssssssssssssssssss there anything elsssssssssssssssssssssssssssse you require?" Casey asked to the army officer, "before we drive home."
"No, I don't think so," the officer replied, "I think we're actually good..."
Casey nodded and soon felt Ryles come up beside hir and hug hir humanoid torso. Their mission had proved easy and hoped things would get easier in time. Ryles was about to speak when Casey found hir cellphone buzzing. Shi pulled it out and found a text message that read: "Please return to the offices, Casey, there is more we need to talk about. - Herbert Lightyear, Director NASA."
"It lookssssssssssssss assssssssssssssssssssss though we aren't through in Housssssssssssssssssston," Casey commented to Ryles.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The return to NASA's offices was quiet and most of the "excitement" came from Kiran, Jissa, Maras, Trenta, Sinasta, Missa, and Rissa as they got a second look at where America's space agency had its headquarters and offices. Pinkie tried to help, but even shi had some curiosity about things. Casey did hir best to explain how things worked and the jobs that NASA performed with regard to space exploration. Some of the resulting questions came back to the outbreak in Houston and hir meeting Ryles for the first time, and their mating in hir old office. Casey and Ryles DIDN'T tell their soughters the story of their first mating. The story ended with them falling in love at fist sight. They eventually made way to the director's office, and Casey knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" came the director's voice from the other side of the door.
"Casssssssssssssssssssey Cain, ssssssssssssssir, I came assssssssssssssssssss assssssssssssssssssssssked," Casey answered.
"Come in," the director answered.
Casey opened the door and carefully ushered hir family in. Dr. Streight was dropped off at their hotel so that he could call Janace to update the UN officials there on their progress and that they would begin the drive back the next day. The director was checking a few papers as they entered and looked up with some confusion as Casey brought hir family in.
"Thissssssssssssssss issssssssssssssssss my mate, Rylesssssssssssssssssssssssss Cain," Casey spoke, using Jess's maiden name as Ryles's surname as Ryles had been Jess's pet, "and thessssssssssssssssse are our ssssssssssssssssssssssoughtersssssssssssssssss Kiran, Jisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssa, Mrasssssssssssssssssssssss, Trenta, Sssssssssssssssinassssssssssssssta, Misssssssssssssssssssssssa, and Rissssssssssssssssssssssssa."
Ryles then patted Pinkie's shoulder, "and this is our niphew, Pinkie."
"A pleasure to meet you all... but Casey... this was to be more formal... business type meeting," the director commented.
"You are exxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxpecting me to ressssssssssssssssssssssssign?" Casey asked, knowing that shi'd earlier told him that they would be leaving Earth.
"No," the director asked, "I still don't think that there is an explicit reason for you all to leave... I wasn't in NASA when the Outbreak happened... but I have seen the history and I can understand some of the panic these things caused. And i'm sure we can all work together..."
"Getting along may not be the issssssssssssssssssssssue," Casey answered, "We Katssssssssssssssssssssssssssss love having familiesssssssssssssssssssssss and Humansssssssssssssssssssssss love having familiessssssssssssssssssssssssss. Between the both of usssssssssssssssssss, we will over populate Earth."
"What if you could go back to being human?" the director wondered.
"I will never go back to being human, even if I could," Casey answered firmly. Shi, Ryles, Dr. Streight, an their stowaways had left Janace before Brent's change from Scorpkat to Hybrikat and then Kathy's becoming a Hybrikat, and thus didn't know about the Retrovirus Vaccine. The Retrovirus Vaccine would represent a delay in the Kats actually leaving Earth. Given that 75% of the planet's Kat population was the result of outbreaks and non-willing transformations, and that in Fee City 90% of the Kats there became human again, it would be obvious that the Retrovirus Vaccine would begin to decrease the world's Kat population by a large margin once the growing threat of war ended and the outbreaks were no longer a threat, though, even though Casey didn't know about vaccine, shi was a clear example of a victim who had come to love being a Kat. Shi loved having hir little ones, shi loved having Ryles with hir. And Ryles was probably the big thing for Casey. If exposed to the Retrovirus Vaccine, Ryles would likely revert back to a mundane Fennec Fox and would likely die of old age shortly after. Casey wanted to keep Ryles with hir as long as shi could and love hir as hard as shi could.
"I still think we could make it work," the director answered, "but you are certain all this will happen?"
"Not unlessssssssssssssssss this coming war wipesssssssssssssssssssss ussssssssssssssssssss all out," Casey answered.
"Well... if you're really wanting to go through with this... will you still be able to talk to us?" the director asked.
"Talia hassssssssssssssssssssssn't given usssssssssssssssssssssss a dessssssssssssssssssign on how it will all work," Casey admitted, "the idea issssssssssssssssssss to find an uninhabited world that will support ussssssssssssssssssssssssss."
"No world you'll find will be uninhabited," the director answered, "we have the satellite photos, but they will only only show images... you know that Casey. We can guess as to whether or not they support life, but that is entirely speculation. And despite all our technology, we haven't figured out how to make a faster than light engine or a vehicle that could do it..."
"Talia's ship probably could," Ryles commented.
"Kats in space!" Jissa cheered.
"An excited little astronaut you have there," the director chuckled, "that's partially why I wanted to talk with you, Casey."
"You want Talia'ssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssship?" Casey asked.
"No, we wish to help and to see how the engines work," the director answered, "Space is our final frontier... making voyages beyond our world, just as you've said you plan to do. But this "Ark" idea is not practical. You might be able to limp to another world, but it isn't good for exploration... and are your friends engineers?"
"Not to my knowledge," Casey admitted, "Talia issssssssssssssss a sssssssssssssssssschool teacher, asssssssssssssssss issssssssssssssss hir mate."
"And that's what I'm getting at, Casey," the director answered, "If you Kats wish to go off and colonize another world... that's fine. But we want the ability to explore... and not every human that is friends with you Kats will be able to go. I don't want to lose my daughter. I want you to work with us. We'll help engineer the ship the best we can... to make sure it fits exploration and that we can build more... Then we can explore the galaxy and keep in contact. We could make it so that the light-years that would separate us wouldn't be an issue and we'd still be able to work together. Whatever world you Kats eventually colonize would still be in contact with your home-world, Earth, and we will be able to work together for mutual benefit..."
"Like Star Trek?" Ryles wondered.
Pinkie lowered an ear in confusion, though Ryles and Casey's soughters began to whistle some of the musical themes from the television and movie series. Though it quickly became confusing as Kiran, Jissa, Maras, Trenta, Sinasta, Missa, and Rissa each whistled a different tune from the series.
"That would be the general idea," the director answered as he stood up, "and Mrs. Cain... we at NASA would like you to assume a leadership role in the new "Starfleet" as it were."
"Ssssssssssssssssir?" Casey wondered.
The present director of NASA had only taken the job a few years ago, and Casey didn't really didn't know him personally. Much of their interaction was due to hir reports on what they were monitoring in terms of tracking the scientists and occasionally looking through the photographs that various powerful telescopes mounted on satellites for photos of possible planets that might support life, which had been part of Casey's job with NASA before shi became a shi.
"Will you do it? Will you work with us? So that we can benefit each other and keep in contact with each other?" the director asked, "I don't want see my daughter go off to some far away planet and never see hir again... and I can't leave my son behind either..."
The director's clear fear of losing his soughter made Casey think of hir own children, and shi quickly pulled Maras and Trenta to hir, and wrapped hir tail around Sinasta and Rissa. Ryles gripped Jissa and Kiran. Pinkie looked at the parents hug the children that either hatched from eggs they laid or gave birth to, and wished Charlie was there to hug hir.
"I can," Casey finally said, "though, you'll need to ssssssssssssssssend your engineerssssssssssssssssssssss to Janacccccccccccccccccccccccce."