Love and Blood; Regulars Space AU

Chapter Four

The apisera's wings buzzed slightly as he watched the outskirts of the base. Cargo ships came and went, pilots lounged somewhere with gravity, maintenance workers cleaned the walkways.

Very normal stuff to see at Mira.

Biffle sighed and took a sip of his drink. It was sweet. It boosted his energy. He flicked his wings back and stood, glancing back at his small ship. It was a deep blue with accents of gold and white streaking the sides. It was rounded, looking more like a civilian shuttle than a transporter ship. It functioned more like one as well.

Biffle tucked his four arms into his pockets and reached for the cup with his free hand, then made his way back to his ship. As he walked, he drank the last of the sugar water, then dropped it into the trash bin just under the wing of his ship. Biffle whirled away from the can to face the underside of the space craft. He grabbed the ladder and hoisted himself up, climbing until he reached the hatch and entered.

A bark echoed through the empty bay as Biffle's dog trotted down the stairs and padded up to his owner. Biffle smiled and pet his dog as he rose to his feet.

"Hey, Flash," Biffle greeted his dog. He pulled away for a moment to drag the ladder back into the bay and shut the hatch. His dog followed faithfully until Biffle was done. The two turned and made their way up the staircase, over to the living quarters. Biffle checked the food bowl as he passed it to enter the kitchen. Biffle began to make himself some coffee while his dog leaped onto the couch and curled up beside the pillows.

"Where's the other two?" Biffle asked, tilting his head towards the fluffy white dog.

Flash blinked at him, ears perked. As if summoned, claws scrambled at the other end of the ship. Around the corner came his other two dogs, tails wagging and tongues hanging out of their jaws. Biffle pet their heads with his lower arms while carefully picking up his coffee mug with his upper set.

He moved to the couch and sat down, making sure to carefully navigate his wings through the slits in the back of the couch. Biffle lifted the mug to his mouth and took a long drink while dropping his arms over the shoulders of his dogs.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, so he set down the mug on the coffee table and pulled the phone out and held it up to his face. Biffle turned it on and followed the notification that revealed an email.

Addressed to: Biffle; Pilot #183206
Sent from: SSundee; Insane Division

Hello, Biffle. I know you have been grounded for quite a while, but I finally have a mission for you take on. It's a long one, spanning at least two weeks. It's a heist trip across the Inner Circle, traveling through the Blue Hemisphere. The pay is 16,000,000 C that will be split between you and three other pilots that you are required to adventure with. If you wish to join the mission, please meet me in my office at 5.

-SSundee, Mafia Insane Division Boss

Biffle blinked a few times.

That was...

A lot of money.

He looked around his ship. He didn't necessarily need the money, but it would be very nice to get back out into space. To make friends.

Biffle had been losing his mind for the past week. He's had nothing really to do and it was starting to get to his head.

Biffle turned back to his phone and started typing.

Addressed to: SSundee; Insane Division
Sent From: Biffle; Pilot #183206

I would be thrilled to join this mission! I'll meet you at 5:00 to discuss it.

-Biffle; Pilot #183206

The message seemed dry, but he sent it anyway as a chill crept up his spine. He fluttered his wings and stood. He had about an hour until the meeting, which gave him plenty of time to find a daycare for his dogs and pack his belongings. Biffle made his way to the cockpit and sat down in the pilot's chair. He pulled up a tab and after a few quick searches, he pinpointed somewhere he could take his dogs. With a satisfied nod, he made a booking and fired up the ship's engines. He was about to take off when he earned another notification.

Addressed to: 4 Pilots
Sent from: SSundee; Insane Division Boss

We have a slight change of plans. We will be meeting at Hangar 200 in the Western Wing at 5:00 MTZ. A few issues have come up, so I won't be able to explain your mission at this time. I will be leaving you with a briefcase of files for the different locations you have to visit. Your ID cards have been granted access to the Hangar. I will see you there.

-SSundee

Biffle felt a small nagging in the back of his mind, but chose to ignore it. He brushed the hair out of his eyes and pushed the window away and lifted the ship into the air. He navigated through the minimal flight traffic and tight turns as he made his way to the daycare. Biffle located the building and slowed, carefully pulling into the parking lot. Biffle switched off the power and stood. He whistled to grab the attention of his dogs and lead them to the cargo bay, where he grabbed their leashes off of the wall and clipped one to each of their collars. He opened the bay door and led the animals down the ramp, then turned back to shut the door.

Biffle approached the small building and pushed the door open, making the doorbell ring cheerfully. A wolfbrid glanced up from behind the counter and gave a smile while waving.

"Hi!" She cheerfully greeted, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Biffle nodded, "Hello, I was looking to see if you could take care of my dogs for the next few weeks? I don't have an exact date when I will be back, due to me being gone on a mission."

The wolfbrid waved her hand, "That's alright! Could I have your contact information?"

The two exchanged contacts, then the wolfbrid motioned to Biffle's dogs, "We'll be sure to keep them safe while you're away. I can go ahead and take them to the playpen if you'd like!"

Biffle nodded, bent down to pet his dogs one more time, then handed the leashes to the wolfbrid. She turned to the dogs, talking kindly to them as she led them away. Biffle lingered for a moment then turned, heading back to the door. He started to form a mental list of all the stuff he needed to bring.

He paused as the bell rang. Biffle snapped his gaze up, feeling his heart race as he met eyes with an avian.