"Welcome back, my young feline friend!" chirped the doctor as Aki skipped into sickbay three days later. The doors slid closed behind the cheerful-looking cat boy. "I assume you're here for your spectrographic ear scan?"
Aki nodded, beaming a smile. His eyes sparkled with curiosity and excitement.
"Splendid," the doctor said, patting one of the biobeds and gesturing for Aki to sit while he fetched the scanner from nearby, wheeling it across the room. "I'm so glad you chose to go through with the scan. I hope you'll find this as fascinating as I anticipate it to be."
At the doctor's direction, Aki lay back on the biobed. The doctor engaged in idle chit-chat as he set up the scanner equipment around the boy's head. "I trust you are settling in well? I heard you've been assigned your own quarters."
Aki nodded. "At first, I wanted to live with Kathryn, and she did offer that option to me, but I realized how disruptive it was going to be for her. She tried to deny it and said it would be fine, but I could sense stress in her voice when we talked about it. The last thing I want to be is a burden to her or anyone else, or to outstay my welcome, so I chose the other option she offered me: to have my own quarters."
"A noble gesture," noted the doctor, his voice softening.
"But it's fine. I am still getting to spend time with Kathryn every day," added Aki, his eyes lighting up. "And some of the crew too."
"I'm glad to hear that," replied the doctor, nodding. "So, can I assume from your obvious enthusiasm that you are settling in and adapting well to starship life here on Voyager?"
"Yes, thank you. It is so wonderful here, it feels like magic, and everyone has been so kind to me. I really do love my quarters. They are very luxurious. I have my own bed and a food replicator and everything!"
The doctor couldn't help but smile at the excitement the young Neko boy showed for the most basic things that had come into his life. "I'm glad you find it so agreeable. I'm pleased for you. After all, you've made a significant change to your life: finding a new home and family, moving away from the only life you've ever known. Your enthusiasm and love for Voyager and her crew have hopefully helped smooth the transition for you."
Aki nodded. "It is true. I cannot think of a time when I have ever felt this happy or safe. On Mylar, my whole life was dominated by a constant fear of starvation or death. We were anxious all the time, in constant fear of being killed, always needing to be vigilant and ready to flee at any moment. It was a horrible existence. Living in permanent fear was stressful and exhausting. Voyager has taken me away from all of that. Here I have a place to live that is safe and warm, where I do not have to keep fearing for my life or wonder if I am going to starve. I just do not have the words to express how wonderful, and how valuable that is to me. Right now, I feel like I am the luckiest Neko who ever lived."
The doctor paused, taking in Aki's words. "It's remarkable, Aki. You've come so far in such a short time. The courage you've shown is extraordinary." He gently placed a hand on Aki's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Now, let's see what makes those ears of yours so special, shall we?"
The doctor finished setting up the equipment and began the scan on Aki's ears. As the scanner hummed and moved, Aki lay still, his ears twitching slightly from the sensation. It only took a few minutes, and afterwards, the doctor showed the resulting 3D image to the cat-boy, who was fascinated by it and the doctor's explanation.
"Your ears are truly remarkable, Aki. The structure is incredibly complex, allowing for exceptional hearing abilities. It's no wonder you can hear so well," the doctor explained, pointing to different parts of the 3D image.
Aki's eyes widened with amazement. "Wow, that's incredible! I never knew they were so intricate."
The doctor smiled, pleased with Aki's reaction. "Yes, they are quite extraordinary. Understanding how they work can help us ensure they remain healthy and functioning properly."
Aki skipped out of sickbay that day feeling a lot more informed about how his ears worked, and in particular, why they worked so well. He felt a renewed sense of appreciation for his unique abilities and a deeper connection to his new life aboard Voyager.
After a couple of months on board, Aki had settled in nicely. With his gentle benevolent, trusting, and openly affectionate nature, he quickly became widely adored by the crew.
He was constantly thrilled to be surrounded by such good people who treated him with genuine care, love, and kindness. The crew were always looking out for him, inviting him to join them in whatever fun or interesting activities they were up to, and he would happily participate.
He had enjoyed several hours of holodeck time with Harry and Tom, who both treated him fondly, like a favoured kid brother. They'd let him join them in some Captain Proton adventures, which he found to be great fun, albeit a little scary at times.
Aki also spent a lot of his daytimes napping; he was a cat-boy, after all.
Because he cherished the company of others and wanted to be around people as much as possible, Aki preferred to take naps in the more populated areas of the ship rather than alone in his quarters. He could often be found curled up asleep in the mess hall or in some of the community holodeck programs. He'd even ended up napping in sickbay on a few occasions. The doctor didn't mind, as long as he wasn't busy and seemed to enjoy the company.
Life on Voyager was a constant source of joy for Aki. He found himself integrating seamlessly into the ship's daily routines. His affectionate nature and eagerness to help with small tasks endeared him to everyone. Neelix often had Aki assist with preparations in the mess hall, where the cat-boy's enthusiasm for learning new recipes was infectious.
Fairhaven on the Holodeck was one of Aki's favourite places. He would spend hours just sitting and snoozing outside on one of the street benches, often near the railway station. He adored basking in the warm sunshine as life in the little Irish coastal town bustled all around him. Some of the holodeck characters would come and interact with him, and he sometimes awoke to find one of them, often one of the children, sitting on the bench with him, petting his big soft cat ears, which he found very soothing, usually causing him to fall back to sleep again.
Just like a real cat, Aki made no secret of the fact he loved having his big furry cat ears and head petted. At first, most of the Voyager crew were polite and restrained enough not to touch them, even though many felt an instinctive and quite compelling desire to do so, just like they would with a regular cat.
It was Ensign Jurot who eventually broke that particular trend for restraint. She saw Aki fast asleep in the busy mess hall one lunchtime and without giving it a second thought, went over to him, sat next to his head, and began petting his ears like it was the most normal and natural thing in the world.
Aki stirred, smiled, and shuffled up closer to her, placing his head onto her lap, and encouraging her to continue. She carried on, and Aki soon started purring loudly just like a cat would, clearly adoring the attention. His purring was loud and very cat-like and could be heard all across the mess hall. It was the first time the crew had ever heard Aki, in his human form, purring, and it triggered grins and wide comments of affection.
After that, word got around, and the crew became far less restrained once they'd learned those adorable fluffy ears were not as "off-limits" as they'd first assumed. Henceforth, unsolicited and spontaneous ear and head rubs became a normal, welcome, and regular part of interactions with Aki.
The more time Aki spent among the crew, the more he became a fixture in their lives. His presence was a reminder of the unexpected joys that could be found even in the far reaches of space.
He brought a sense of home and warmth that Voyager hadn't known before. The once lonely corners of the ship now often echoed with his laughter and the gentle sounds of his purring.
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YOU ARE READING
Star Trek Voyager: The Mylar Cat. (Complete) (+Audiobook Option) (PG-Rated)
Science FictionA cute little stray cat facing a grim future, and a starship captain in need of companionship. It felt like destiny had brought them together, but not all was as it seemed. Written as a heartwarming little tale to lift your spirits and bring comfort...
