Loose Ends: Cal & Howie

Chapter 3: Arrival

While Howard completed his morning routine with the other prisoners, nearly 660 miles and on rapid approach was the small scout ship, Falcon. It was on a direct course for the space station. Cal opted to sit in the rear cabin. He looked out the window on the overhead. He'd never been to space... not even during his time in the Omeocoon Military. Surface bound. He could tell it had quite a story to tell. Each star was carefully weaved into the sizeable black fabric known commonly as space. Kipp entered the rear cabin and stood in the doorway. He was watching. Cal said nothing at first, thinking the smaller kitty was popping in for something, a tool or an entertainment device, but as he watched Kipp walk over and sit on the seat opposite of him, hands placed neatly in his lap, he knew something was wrong.

From that point on, Kipp wouldn't leave Cal alone. The smaller one was watching him the entire time. His tail hung off the edge of his seat, swaying around hypnotically like a pendulum. He smiled at Cal weirdly, and the larger Goo-Bunny tried to smile back at least. He hoped a sliver of simple interaction would ward off the smaller one. But it didn't. Kipp continued to smile, to stare, to be odd. "Is something wrong?" Cal bluntly propelled the inquiry in Kipp's face. This was not a question so much as it was a statement. He did not like to be stared at, and he especially didn't like children doing the staring. "No, I haven't seen another survivor in two years! I didn't think anyone would be left down there, not anyone that wanted to join us at least." Kipp informed, and he continued to stare. "Where's the other one? I don't think I ever got his name." Cal asked.

"It's Tommy, and I'm Kipp. He's on the comm channel with Kori." The cat informed without hesitation. Cal clenched his jaw and inhaled deeply; he figured he needed to say something. That's how conversation worked, and he was a little rusty in that area. But he could improvise. "I see... and do you have to be over here?" Cal asked, biting his tongue and grimacing; his mind was thinking, but his mouth said something else that could be easily perceived as unfriendly. He immediately regretted his words. He wasn't trying to be rude, but Kipp was scrutinizing him like a specimen in a Xalorian laboratory... to say the least, it irritated him. Kipp's gaze didn't waver, nor did his attitude, which was unusually bubbly in the face of a stranger. "You're just really interesting, you know? Your fur is so... different," Kipp mused, his curiosity unabated. Cal sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah? Well, I'm an Omeocoon, just like you and Tommy. Nothing special," Cal replied, attempting to downplay his unique appearance. Kipp's eyes widened with excitement.

"No way! You're, like, super special. Look at your fur – it's like an earthy green," Kipp paused to rub his chin as he thought of a definition for Cal's secondary tone, "With a mix of the interior of maybe a hovercar? A really nice one, though, like really nice! I've never seen anything like it!" Kipp exclaimed, practically gushing. Cal shifted uncomfortably, not used to such attention, and he was pretty sure Kipp just compared his body to the interior of a car.

Tommy entered, breaking the awkward silence. He was much more hospitable now that they weren't in danger. "What's going on in here? Cal, are you making friends?" He teased, taking a seat across from Cal and Kipp.

Cal shot Tommy an exasperated look, then turned back to Kipp. "Listen, Kipp, I appreciate the interest, but I just want to relax and not feel under a microscope, okay?"

Kipp pouted but nodded, "Alright, I get it. I just thought you were cool. That's all."

Cal couldn't help but chuckle at Kipp's genuine enthusiasm. "Thanks, Kipp. Maybe we can all hang out without the staring contest later, okay?"

Kipp beamed, seemingly satisfied with the compromise. "So who's flying the ship..?" Cal tried not to appear alarmed. But it'd been a while since he'd been on a starship, "D1. I told you we needed her, and she's our best pilot."

"I see. How far until we reach the station?"

"A couple of minutes. This one's pretty fast."

"Okay."

"You said there was a special mission for me? Mind if I ask what?" Cal asked. Tommy told Cal not to worry, and he said it was fine. But Cal didn't even insinuate that it wasn't okay. What kind of situation would he be in?