>>"We have two heavily damaged freightors, and we took some really bad hits.
>>The other teams made it back with about 6 captives."
>
>"Casualties?" she asked, looking around and doing a quick mental tally.
>
"About 10 in total from the Special Ops teams between the dead and the wounded. On
the Hathor, about 35 injured and wounded."
>
>"Damn," she cursed. It was more than she had anticipated, but still not as
>bad as it could have been. First encounters were the worst. Now they
>would know what to expect and train for it. "Make sure the prisoners are
>tended to."
>
"Yes, sir. Brig accomodations with extra security. Sickbay will have folks
waiting for them at the Brig." was the reply.
>
>She checked on the team members in the bay, then went to see the wounded.
>She told them how well they fought and how proud their empires were of
>them. Then she found the ranking Caitian and went to the security
>observation room to watch the prisoners and listen to what they were saying
>to one another. <[They speak something like our language,]> she said.
><[They must be another offshoot of the Kzinti, like we are. The Preservers
>were busier than we thought.]>
>
>The major nodded. <[That may change things.]>
>
>Kit shook her head. <[No, not really. We fought the Kzinti when they
>attacked the Federation, and we will fight this enemy if they continue on
>their course. I don't like it, but I will not side with slavers and
>tyrants, no matter how much they look like us. Their fur may be the same
>color, but their hearts are filled with conquest, and that is not the
>Caitian or the Mikan way.]>
>
>The major nodded slowly, realizing the truth of the words. The Mikan way
>was to protect, not to conquer. And the Kzinti had taught them that not
>all felinids were alike. But it would be hard to convince everyone of
>that. The Kzinti war had caused serious political and social unrest at
>home; this had the potential to do the same.
>
>They sat down in the monitor room to see what they could learn from the
>captives.
>
The felinids were testing out their homes in captivity- examining the furnishings
(bed, sink...), banging on the walls, and testing the forcefield. They were talking
in their native language, so their jailers could not understand them. A few of them
also growled, roared voicing their displeasure. Or that was what an untrained being
would say. They were communicating in "other means" that non-felinids could not even
hope to comprehend. It was more primitive, primal so to speak. They identified their
captives as prey species...
{reactions}
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