The next morning they wake up to the door opening.

  “Mr. Halley. You’re requested on the surface.” Says a man carrying a suitcase.

  He’s wearing an exo suit like the other security officers do. He’s middle-aged and of average height with a neat beard on a stern face.

  Cai sits up, rubbing his eyes, “What? You got the dome fixed?”

  “Not as such, no.”

  Nyx and the other adults except Twoey, who is using Cai’s leg as a hugging pillow, sit up. Though during the night, Nyx has draped her leg over Cai’s shoulder. Hadn’t she been with Roxy across the room?

  Cai just shrugs and stands, Twoey falling off, “Then you need the Donati.”

  The man puts forward the suitcase, “Here is a pressure suit. You’ll leave in ten minutes.”

  Roxy approaches the man, and Nyx can see she’s trembling if she pays close enough attention, “When can we leave this room? The children haven’t been able to go back to their rooms.”

  The woman Nyx saw leading the group of childcare workers steps forward, “Ms. Roxy is right. These children have been stuck in this room for the past day and need a change of clothing and a bath.”

  The man looks at the children, “I’ll relay your request to command. Until you hear back, stay here. We’re still investigating this facility, so we need the children to stay here until it’s finished.”

  He leaves.

  Cai takes the suit, “I’m betting they tried to break into the Donati, and came to me when they couldn’t.”

  Nyx looks confused, “They’d be stealin’ the Donati?”

  Cai shrugs, “Maybe just use it until they’ve got the parts needed to fix the dome, but the lab has one, so maybe I’m just being paranoid?”

  Roxy shakes her head, “I don’t think they would.”

  Nyx scoffs, “Of course they’re gonna be tryin’! People are lovin’ to be stealin’ things!”

  Cai chuckles, “Not everyone is a pirate, you know.” He leans over and opens the suitcase, “Better get changed.”

  Cai pulls out a light spacesuit and guesses it doesn’t need to be as tough in the thin Martian air. It’s fairly plain, with no breastplate or armor like the one Cai gave her.

  “I wanna be goin’ too!” Nyx really wants to get out of this room.

  “They just brought one.” He says as he pulls the suit over his clothing.

  Nyx growls, but she knows he’s right, “Go be gettin’ my suit off the Donati, then, before you’re gonna be off doin’ something fun.”

  Cai pats Nyx’s head and scratches her ears, “Got it. No adventures if I can’t help it.”

  Twoey grabs his leg again, “Me too.”

  Cai looks down, “I don’t have a spacesuit for you, sorry, Twoey.”

  She scowls, “Head pats. One. Now.”

  Her ears flick impatiently, and she whips his leg with her tail.

  Cai reaches down, grinning, “You’re all so adorable, I’m thinking of adopting all four of you.”

  Nyx bites Cai, “No!”

  “No!” Twoey bites his ankle and a muffled, “Harem.”

  “Ow! No harems!”

  Roxy fidgets, “Please stop talking about harems. And it’s Cai’s choice who he likes.”

  Cai shakes Nyx off, “They’re just playing. Actually, with Twoey, I’m not sure sometimes.” He reaches down and pats Twoey’s head, “There, happy?”

  Twoey lets go, a long string of saliva connecting her mouth to his leg long enough for them to stare before it finally breaks, “Yeah.”

  Cai pats Roxy’s head too, which causes her to blush, “Cai!”

  Cai stops himself, “Sorry.” He blushes, “I just thought I should give one to all three of you so you didn’t feel left out and didn’t think if you actually wanted one too.”

  Roxy lowers her head, but she’s still looking up at him, “It’s… it’s okay… I didn’t hate it.”

  Nyx feels a twinge in her heart, and she resists the urge to hug Roxy. Is this what the urge to protect someone at all costs feels like?

  Twoey is grinning as she lounges on the floor.

  Zone groans, “This is hard to watch.”

  Cai clears his throat, “Yeah, I better finish getting ready.”

  Cai quickly dons the spacesuit, and only his helmet is still off.

  The kids are mostly up now, so it’s getting noisy.

  Roxy turns to the door, “I hope they bring breakfast soon. I should help check diapers too.” She turns back to Cai, “Come back for us. I don’t want to be here anymore.”

  Nyx takes Roxy’s hand, “I’ll bite him ‘til he comes back if he tries to run away.”

  Cai laughs, “Good luck with that. I’ll be back on the Donati finally, in peace and quiet.”

  Nyx points to the drone hatch, “Don’t be makin’ me be sneakin’ outta this dum place with Twoey.”

  Twoey nods in enthusiastic agreement.

  Cai lets out a fake sigh, “Alright, for Zone’s and Roxy’s sake I’ll come back. I’ll take you and Twoey if I have to.”

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  Nyx growls, “Yer just teasin’ me! Spark you Cai! I’ll be showin’ you how I’m bein’ a pirate by stealin’ a dum ship if I’m havin’ to.”

  Cai laughs, “Looks like I’m stuck with you, huh.”

  Twoey purrs, “Me too.”

  Nyx grins, “Goddum right you’re bein’!”

  The door opens, “Mr. Halley.” The same man walks into the room, “Are you ready to go?”

  A familiar soldier walks into the room with a cart of Nufuud.

  Roxy turns to Cai, “Good luck.” She pulls Nyx and Twoey, “Come on. The kids are hungry.”

  Nyx watches Cai leave and wishes she could go with him if only so she could get away from the kids and mewls, her ears pulled back and her tail limp, as Roxy pulls her to the cart, “Be hurryin’ Cai!”

  Hours pass as she battles the children. She still didn’t understand how people did this for work. Why would you subject yourself to snot, food-covered hands, and wiping butts all day every day? Maybe she’d do it if it were her kid, but others?

  The door opens, but it’s lunch.

  A mewl.

  And finally, two hours past lunch, Cai comes back, this time in his spacesuit and not the borrowed one, “I’m back. And don’t worry, I brought things for everyone so I don’t have to worry about biting.”

  He’s pulling a large piece of luggage.

  Nyx turns, “Mya! Mya! Mya! Cai! You’re savin’ me!” She runs and tackles him, biting him anyway, though softly this time.

  Twoey bowls into his side, “Save Nyx!” Then bites him too.

  “Why do you two keep biting me?”

  Roxy walks over and pokes Twoey, “This one thinks it’s funny.”

  Twoey grins, “Yep!” She goes back to biting Cai.

  Cai tries to shake her off, “Well, at least it doesn’t hurt through the suit. Now get off so I can give you your spacesuits. It’s going to be a few more days until they patch the dome, so if you want to leave you’ll need one. The Donati’s fabricator just isn’t made for patching large holes and neither is the one down here so they have to get the colony fabricators up and running again before they can start. And no, they didn’t try to break into the Donati. Though I imagine the fact that they had a mining laser pointed at them helped them stay back.”

  Nyx is about to open the luggage when Zone and Twoey beat her to it.

  Zone pulls out pieces of space suit, “Oh thank God I’m getting out of here.”

  Nyx finds her suit on the top, “This one’s bein’ mine.”

  Twoey pulls out another, then tosses it to the side.

  Roxy watches them pull out the space suits, then to her chest, then back, “Will they fit us?”

  Cai shrugs, “I had to guess your sizes.”

  Nyx finds the pieces of her suit, “Be bein’ back before you can flush the bilge lines.”

  Twoey finds one with her name on it and follows her.

  Roxy finds hers, “I’ll change when you’re finished.”

  As they’re both in dresses, they have to strip and, for the first time since she can remember, she realizes that she’ll have to be naked around someone.

  Twoey notices, gives her a thumbs up, and turns her back to her.

  Soon, they’re both finished, and Roxy heads in, though not after some grumbling from Twoey about not getting a tail and ear modifications like Nyx’s. She also notices hers feels a little more snug than it used to.

  They see Zone already in his suit, and waiting by the door, bouncing on his feet.

  Roxy’s voice comes from the bathroom as if she’s having trouble.

  Nyx knocks on the door, “You’re needin’ helpin’?”

  “No… It’s just a bit tight.”

  An image flashes in Nyx’s mind of Roxy trying to fit in the suit, and she quickly dismisses it.

  Roxy exits later, looking uncomfortable.

  Her suit is definitely too tight, and Nyx wonders how painful it is with how stretched it is, not just at her top, but her hips, too.

  Nyx is simultaneously jealous and relieved she doesn’t have Roxy’s figure.

  “Let’s be gettin’ goin’.” Nyx says, hoping to distract Roxy from her discomfort. But with how much she keeps tugging on it, she doubts it’ll help much.

  Cai’s eyes go wide for a second when he sees Roxy, then he coughs once, “Uh… Sorry. They didn’t have a lot of choices. I’ll make you a new one like Nyx’s when we get on the Donati.” He looks at Twoey and Zone, “You too.”

  Twoey cheers.

  Zone points to the door, “We done talking or we gonna go?”

  Cai nods, “Right. Oh, I should tell you that they didn’t capture the ship, because of the railgun. So we’re going to help.”

  Nyx recalls the damage, “The Donati’s legs and engines are bein’ fixed?”

  Cai shakes his head, “No. But the nozzles were mostly for steering with thrust vectoring, so the Donati’s turning won’t be as good. And the landing legs can’t retract, but they’re still good enough to keep her from tipping over even without the thrusters.”

  He opens the door.

  They file out, Roxy hesitating as she looks back, but the women wave her off with encouragement.

  Nyx stretches, “Finally outta that goddum place!”

  Zone pats her on the shoulder, “Yeah. I was going crazy!”

  Twoey jumps on Cai’s back and slips her head into Cai’s helmet that’s clipped to his back, and with a muffled voice says, “Go, horsey!”

  Cai makes some animal noise and Nyx recognizes the name the kids used for one of the animal toys.

  They enter the elevator.

  Roxy shifts nervously, “I’ve never been to the surface before. I thought I’d always be down here.”

  Zone shift uncomfortably, “Yeah. My first time too.”

  Cai pulls his helmet off of Twoey, “Well, it’s a ghost town now since everyone is stuck in the shelters other than maintenance and security, so you won’t have to worry about crowds.”

  Roxy relaxes noticeably, “Oh. I hope they can go home soon.”

  The rest of them put on their helmets as the elevator ascends, then they wait for it to normalize to Mars’ atmosphere.

  Twoey jumps off of Cai and is the first out of the elevator and the house.

  Roxy chases after, “Twoey! It might not be safe!”

  Zone just shakes his head and heads out after them.

  Nyx smiles, and she follows right after Zone, “Let’s be racin’ to the Donati!”

  Cai rushes past Nyx with surprising speed, “I’ll lead you!”

  Cai then powers past Zone, Roxy, and Twoey as if they’re walking.

  None of them except Cai make it much past the building before they’re all gasping for air.

  Cai stops, “Oh… I’m guessing none of you have had to run much or gotten much exercise?”

  Twoey jumps onto him and climbs on his back, then up onto to his shoulders.

  Nyx laughs, then jumps on his back, “I’m doin’ it too!”

  Roxy looks amused as she catches her breath, but looks at Cai uncertainly.

  Zone is shaking his head.

  Cai turns to Roxy, “Looks like I’m the train. Want me to carry you too?”

  Roxy blushes, then nods once.

  Cai scoops her up into his arms, “This okay?”

  Roxy’s face is close to his, and they both blush.

  Zone groans, “Don’t even think about picking me up, bud.”

  Cai sets off at a slow jog so Zone can keep up.

  “Yeah!” Twoey yells as Cai carries them down the street.

  Nyx holds Cai tighter and feels jealous that Roxy gets to be held like she is. But when she thinks of Roxy on Cai’s back like she is and her large chest pressing into his back, she suddenly feels relief that it’s her and not Roxy even though his oxygen tank makes it impossible for him to feel anything pressed against his back.

  Zone quickly tires, but Cai slows enough for him.

  Soon, they’re where Nyx recognizes where they are as they approach the spaceport. She even spots the bench where she and Cai got their portrait, and she wonders how Casey is doing.

  As they near the airlock, several security and dock workers stare at them as Cai walks up with three women on him, including a furiously blushing Roxy, and a mildly blushing Nyx when she realizes they’re looking at her. Several also look at Roxy, which causes her to shrink in Cai’s arms and shiver. Were they looking at her chest?

  The Donati appears and an exhausted Zone stops, “Whoa! That’s the Donati!? It’s so tall!”

  Twoey hops off, blatantly pulling at her tail inside the suit, and Nyx feels for her having had to deal with it herself.

  Nyx hops down and stops next to the window. The Donati is being held up by the dock’s maintenance arms as drones disassemble the landing legs and take off the last three crushed nozzles.

  Cai has forgotten he’s holding Roxy, “Once the last nozzles are off, we’re leaving. The colony is tracking the ship, we just need to jump in with it, disable their weapons, then the soldiers on the colony’s ship will board and capture them.”

  Nyx growls, “I’m gonna be goin’ too.”

  Zone crosses his arms, “Me too. I’m getting my son.”

  Twoey continues to watch the Donati, “Can I shoot the laser?”

  Cai shrugs, “Why not. It’s just voice command, though I’ll add holographic buttons to make it more fun.”

  Zone’s eyes widen a little, before he returns to a scowl, “Me too.”

  Cai shakes his head and chuckles, “I forgot what it’s like to have kids.”

  “I’m not bein’ a dum kid!”

  “I’m not a kid!”

  Zone and Nyx say at the same time.

  Roxy giggles, and Cai remembers he’s still holding her and sets her down, “Oh! Sorry!”

  Roxy blushes, “It’s okay.”

  Cai pauses, touches his wrist computer, and Nyx realizes she can’t hear him as he talks. His eyes open in surprise, replies, then touches his computer again, “Okay. I just got word that a group of pirates has joined the enemy. We need to go.”