Malina found the camouflaged tunnel easily and went down it. The tunnel snaked down and around so sinuously that someone who used it would have to be graceful and as boneless as one of her own kind, Malina thought.
She arrived at a small chamber. The only thing around was a metallic ring set into the ground. Malina stepped into the ring and then opened her pouch. She keyed a device there and there was a soft shimmer.
She was then in the starship that orbited Earth's North Pole. The massive solar radiation of the sun and the magnetic fields of the planet below them cloaked it from any observers that were specifically looking for the Prowler, Malinaās starship. One of her crewmates, an ensign, saluted her and said, "Lieutenant Malina, Captain Rasil wants to see you right away. He is in the forward observation bubble."
Malina's tail jerked in surprise, but she saluted the ensign and exited. She made her way through the ship. Now that she was back among her own kind she was seeing things that she had never noticed before. They all looked the same for one. Oh sure, they were different colors, but after being with the humans for the past week, she had found that their differences were mostly cosmetic.
Lieutenant Commander Learl saw her down the corridor and altered his steps to intercept hers. Malina shook her head. She didn't want to deal with the cocky male right now. Learl thought that he was a gift to all females on board ship and while Malina had engaged in sex with him in the past, he was terribly unimaginative. Malina smiled remembering last night.
Learl took Malina's smile to be one of welcome for her and his tail whipped in excitement. Learl's fur was a dark brown, almost black. Malina had thought the contrast of the coats was very delicious, once. But not now. Not after experiencing Daniel Cockran.
"Lieutenant, welcome home. The Prowler has missed you." Then he stepped closer and in a lower voice said, "I've missed you." His voice had the edge of that purr underneath, one that told Malina that Learl wanted more than to just welcome her aboard.
"Thank you, Commander," Malina said softly and continued on her way.
Learl placed a paw on her arm stopping her. Malina looked at him with her blue eyes. Learl returned the gaze with golden ones. "I have an appointment with the captain, Commander. Is there something else?" Malina couldnāt help it; her tone had dropped several degrees, startling the older male.
Learl blinked once and removed his paw. "Forgive me. I thought you had returned for good."
Malina looked at him but she had no idea what to say. So she nodded and then continued towards the forward observation bubble. She was sure she left a very confused Learl behind her, but what could she do?
Learl watched Lieutenant Malina retreat down the tube away from him. Something was different about her, but Learl couldnāt place his claw on what exactly it was. Learl turned to return to his duties, but his thoughts were on the silky white female he had wanted for so long, and even now still lusted after.
He shook his head, he had work to do, he didnāt need to be mooning over a prickly queen, even is she was⦠Learl stopped his ears lying flat back against he head. No. Malina couldnāt haveā¦
Learl growled deep in his chest. Malina was acting like she had mated. Learlās and Malinaās kind were very sexually active, but once they had chosen a mate, they were almost always exclusive to that one partner. And Malina had that attitude about her. She used to flirtatious, carefree, and curious about all things. Granted, Malina wouldnāt lift her tail for anyone, but she was always open to the suggestion of sex. But not now. Could she have someone someone among the primitives on the planet below? He doubted it, but such pairings have occurred before among their people.
Still Malina was so beautiful and sexy. For her to be wasted on the monkeys below⦠well, the thought was enough to drive Learl to distraction. Learl moved to the nearest communication panel and opened a link to the bridge. āBridge, Lieutenant Crall here.ā Learl recognized the big tomās voice. Crall was his friend and would help Learl do what he wanted to do.
āCrall, this is Learl, I need your helpā¦ā Lieutenant Commander Laerl began.
*****
She reached the door and placed her paw on the pad beside it. The computer chimed and then the door slid open, revealing the observation bubble. The Prowled hung upside down over the planet Earth and in the glass of the bubble all of the Northern Hemisphere could be seen. Sunlight caused half the planet to glow white, azure, and brown. On the night side, the lights of man's cities revealed the fact of his presence.
Malina came to attention in front of Captain Rasil's desk. Rasil was working on something at his data terminal and did not immediately acknowledge Malina. Rasil was an older cat, his coat gray, starting to edge towards white. He was wise beyond his years having served in the Expeditionary Forces all his life. This was his last mission before retirement and Malina knew that Rasil was looking forward to returning home to his wife.
Rasil finished what he was working on, saved it, then clicked off the terminal. He examined Malina, noticing everything with large blue eyes, identical to Malina's own.
"Report Lieutenant," Rasil ordered.
Malina saluted and then took an 'at ease' stance, but did not sit down. "Sir, I've almost finished my studies of the humans assigned to me." She didn't tell him that two of them had been closed cases for two weeks, but that wasn't necessary...yet. "I believe I may have found the one we've been looking for, Captain. He is open to life other than humans on earth and is a historical student and teacher very well respected in his community."
"And how did you discover this unusual information, Lieutenant?" he asked, steepling his fingers across his chest and peering at her closely. She was definitely different than when he'd last seen her.