"That was so fantastic and I can't believe it's over already," Jake sighed laying in his lover's arms on his old bed at what was once his home for so many years.
Genus leaned down and kissed the small Kat on his head. "Yea, vacations are like that. So are you still happy to leave with me now?"
Jake tilted his head up so he could look into the wolf's eyes. "More than anything. Guess I better get myself packed before Chance's return from his family visit."
"I'm glad he decided to come. I was worried about you," Genus murmured, hugging Jake tightly.
"So was I. We've been together and through so much for a long time. It would have been so agonizing to part from him," Jake said quietly, pulling forward a bit to let Genus know he wanted up.
Boxes made of alien materials were stacked outside his room door waiting for him to fill them. Might as well get started. He and Genus had returned only yesterday and now it was time to pack up and have his stuff taken to the Wotan. Outside, behind the garage was the shuttle. Outside, he heard a large vehicle pull into the yard.
He went to the window and stared out. He watched as Burke and Murray drove the truck to a section of the yard and dump their load. Smiling, he turned to go get a box and begin putting his technical manuals and plans into it.
It had been a joyful day some months ago now, to tell those two bozos that he and Chance were leaving, permanently, from the garage and the salvage yard. The pair were furious but there was nothing they could do about it. To insure they didn't disturb his and Chance's personal belongings until they could pack them up, Jake had set a nasty security system at the bottom of the stairs.
When he'd returned yesterday, he saw it had been tripped then reset like he'd programmed it to do. He laughed making Genus stare at him questioningly. When he was let in on what was funny, the wolf roared with laughter.
"The security guys are going to love you," he'd said.
"Aw, I'm sure they have much better stuff," Jake said modestly.
"Nope, your world might be a little behind technologically but you most certainly are not," Genus said with certainty.
Jake glowed from the praise. It made him feel less inferior and nervous to be going to a place beyond anything he'd seen on his world.
Returning his attention to his work, it really didn't take long for he and Genus to pack up what meager belongings he had in his room. The hangar, though, was a whole different matter.
The Captain had told him the Turbokat was welcome in his hangar as well as all their other cool land vehicles. A section of the landing bay had been set aside for it all. Jake was pleased by that concession. Moving would be easier as all they had to do was load it all aboard the jet.
As if reading his lover's mind, Genus said, "We going ahead and loading the jet without Chance?"
Jake nodded. "Yea, he hates packing so we might as well. I'm glad he said yes so I could allow him more time with his family. The time he and I want to spend is just to see our old haunts and that won't take too long since he's coming with me. Let's load up the shuttle, have lunch, then do rest." Genus nodded.
After loading the shuttle with all of Jake's things except for the few things he needed for he and Chance to go out together. Well after noon, they took a break and had lunch delivered and watched some TV before setting to work loading the jet. With more of those boxes, Jake packed all his inventions, finished and still being developed, while Genus drove the Turbo Mole then the Hovercraft aboard. It was a bit of a tight fit but he managed to get them all aboard and tied down. Next, he loaded the missiles, insuring they were tightly secured.
Jake's cyclotron sat near the work bench. It wasn't being loaded as he would need it and Chance's was with him.
By the time dinner time came around, everything the SWAT Kats owned were packed. Jake had packed Chance's personal SK equipment and uniforms in separate boxes so he could take those off to his quarters aboard the ship easier.
Before leaving, he took a long walk around the facility to insure he hadn't left anything behind, old memories following him. What good time's they'd had here, he sighed.
"We'll that's it then. Want to order in or go out?" Jake asked returning to his lover's side.
"Hmm, want to go back to the ship since you have nothing here now?" Genus counter-asked.
"Oh, yea, good idea. The jet is secured, so all I have to do is move the security device to Chance's door since there's nothing else for those two clowns to take that we care about here," Jake decided.
He and Chance had already removed the stuff they wanted to keep to their rooms and emptied out the cupboards, giving the food stuffs away to the poor before each left their separate ways to go on vacation. The place felt truly empty now except for all the things that had been there when they'd arrived some ten years earlier. Just old pieces of furniture and worn carpets to remind them of the life they'd had here.
The tow truck had been given to some friend's of Chance's who owned a garage too, as well as the list of their clients, including Ms. Briggs which made his friends overjoyed. Money was of no use aboard the Wotan but each kept what they'd had in their bank accounts when they closed them and what was in their pockets for keepsakes and possibly to use whenever they came back.
Genus leaned against the door to the waiting room as he watched his lover remove the security device and go upstairs to affix it to his partner's bedroom. Minutes later, the small tom returned, gave his former home a fond last look before gesturing for them to leave. Genus went outside followed by Jake who locked the door behind him.
They walked around to the back of the garage and boarded the shuttle. Soon they were silently gliding up toward the stars.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Chance had enjoyed his time with his family. His siblings took vacations so they could spend time with him. They enjoyed going to picnics, the beach, the parks, and just having fun around the old homestead. When the rest of the Furlongs learned of what Chance was going to do, they came swarming to town to be with him, trade old memories, be awed by the fact he was a SWAT Kat, and take tons of pictures. Everyone was excited about the fact one of their own was so famous and would be more so when he went into space.
He smiled from his old bedroom window at the dusk falling. He'd taken a nap as his family planned an outdoor barbeque in the back yard, planning fireworks and dancing on the porch. His mother had looked up all his old friends from school and they had been arriving over the past hour.
This was supposed to be a farewell party. He was leaving tomorrow to pack his things, spend a little time at old haunts with Jake then the two of them would leave. After what Tara and Captain Ing had told him, it was easy to make the decision to go, after all. His whole family were proudly behind him on his decision, no doubts left. They only demanded he send many pictures and call them whenever he could.
He was deliriously happy and excited. Only a twinge of regret bothered him about leaving but all the events that had happened all month and a half long had made the regret smaller and easier to bear.
A knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts. "Yes?"
"Chance? Time to get out of there and greet your guests," his mother called to him.
Grinning widely, he tugged on his new blue shirt his mom had gotten him that went well with his new black jeans and black tennis shoes, and opened the bedroom door.
"I'm coming."
"Don't you look nice, son," his mother smiled warmly as she gave him a hug then led the way back downstairs to where the party was already going strong.
As he reached the bottom of the stairs he was set upon by toms and a few fems that pounded him on the back and nearly talked at the same time. These were the friends he'd had when he graduated high school and a couple from the Enforcers who had turned on him when he'd been booted out. All were amazed and some skeptical that he was a SWAT Kat.
"Look, I promise to show off a little later, okay? Meanwhile, my cyclotron is in the garage if you want to look at it but be careful, the security system is set to insure no one accidentally discharges some of the deadly armaments on board. I'll be happy to take on a few of you louts in some wrestling and martial arts if you insist," he snorted at some of the jibs he was getting.
"So is it true you're going into outer space," one rather obnoxious but not really nasty friend, called out loudly.
"Yea, it is. Matter of fact..." Chance looked around but there was simply too many people milling about. "Sis?" he called out when he spotted his sister passing by. She stopped and came over to him, nodding at his friends standing near him with drinks in their paws.
"What's up bro?"
"Has Tara arrived?"
"Uh, no..." she squinted a moment in thought and looked around. "I think she said she'd be here soon, though, and would be coming by shuttle. Lt. Donar is flying her down."
"Thanks sis."
"No prob! Hey, mom says to have everyone go and get something to eat before it's all gone. We made a mountain of food but it's already disappearing." With a smirk, she left him and went to find her husband.
"Tara? Is that the hot wolf chick we heard is your girlfriend," one of his buddies asked, excitedly.
"Yea, she's cool and really smart," Chance grinned then looked up suddenly as his eyes had caught something in the sky. "And here she comes," he yelled, moving to the back fence. The shuttle would be landing in the field behind as the back yard was full of people.
Excitement swept through the crowd as those who hadn't seen the shuttle before watched in awe as it got closer and closer then came in for a landing.
"Stay back along the fence for your safety," Chance shouted. "It won't land until its sure you're out of the way."
His friends did as ordered and hung on each other in amazed awe. "Man, is that what you'll be able to fly one day?" one asked.
"Yep!"
"Wow!" "How cool!" I wish I could do that!" "Aw you're too scared to go into space!" "Says you chicken!" Comments flew from many of those watching as the ship landed smoothly and nearly silently to the ground.
Five minutes later, the door slid opened and Tara stepped down the suddenly appearing steps.
"Hubba hubba! Damn! She's hot!" the one who hadn't believed, gasped. Whistles of appreciation sounded, making Tara blush a bit as she made her way to her boy friend.
She smiled warmly at everyone but her eyes were all for Chance as they came together half way and shared a hot kiss that earned them howls of amusement. Keeping an arm around his girlfriend, he asked, "hey, is Donar staying...he can you know, there's plenty of food."
"Hmm, well he was just planning on going into town and looking around a bit. He hasn't really made time to do that yet but let me ask," Tara said. Chance let her go as she scampered back to the shuttle before the door could close.
She leaned her head in a moment. Nothing seemed to happen for long minutes then the engines of the shuttle shut down and a moment later a tall, gangly, red wolf with gold hair stepped out to join Tara. Many ooohs met his appearance.
"What a hottie!" his adult cousin shouted, others whistling their agreement, making Donar smile broadly and wave at them.
He walked up to Chance and nodded. "Thanks for the invite. Looks like a cool party."
"Glad to have you," the tabby said, clapping him on the back. "Everyone, this is Lt. Donar. Give him a big Furlong welcome."
A bunch of fems of various ages took Chance up on that and gathered Donar up, pulling him along much to his amusement.
"He'll have a good time I'm sure," Tara said, smirking, wrapping an arm around Chance who did the same to her.
"Hope you're hungry as mom and my female relatives have been busy since early this morning making this feast."
"It smells divine and I'm starved." Tara grinned as they made for the busy food area.
To make the party even better, a second shuttle arrived bearing Jake and Genus some thirty minutes later. His friends went crazy realizing this was Chance's longtime partner who was the SWAT Kat known as Razor. They all traded stories of what they'd seen this Kat do from news casts.
The evening went long into the night with Tara, Genus, and Donar being the focus of many questions about their lives aboard the Wotan. Chance's friends plied him with questions about being a SWAT Kat, as they now believed him and included Jake in their interrogations.
Many went out to the garage and ogled the cyclotron in fascination and were amazed Jake was the one who had invented it. Many begged Chance to give them rides. He gave in and did that for an hour then Jake did it for another hour before calling a halt.
Some of his more muscular friends who had stayed in shape, challenged him and Jake to wrestling and martial arts bouts but learned very quickly how powerful their friend and his partner were. Despite how small the cinnamon tom was, they learned quickly that he was fast and strong, though, not as powerful as Chance. None were able to lay a paw on him nor bring down the tabby either. That more than anything told them just how skilled and deadly the pair were. It was a small blow to their egos to realize the two were actually holding back too.
Shaking their heads, the toms conceded Chance and Jake were everything they'd heard about. But rather than be upset by that knowledge, they were proud to say they were friends of the SWAT Kats and had actually met them in person, besides the fact one was their old school friend.
By the time the moon was rising, the kittens were beside themselves to see fireworks which the more experienced of them set off way out in the field from the shuttle. The kittens squealed in excitement and joy. It was a grand farewell.
His mother insured lots of pictures were taken with all his friends and even had Chance and Jake get into their SWAT Kat suits for more pics. A bright teen that was a photography student, quickly processed the pictures and insured all that wanted them got some before leaving the party which finally broke up close to dawn.
Many willing paws helped clean up everything until the yard and home was spotless then friends went home, family from out of town went to their hotels, Donar opted to sleep in the shuttle as he needed to transport Tara back to the ship. Jake and Genus chose to sleep in their shuttle as they were taking Chance back to the garage, exhausted kittens were laid to bed, already asleep on their fee, and everyone else drifted off to their assigned rooms to get what sleep they could.
Before they parted for the night, Jake pulled his partner aside a moment.
"Hey buddy, Genus and I already loaded the Turbokat with everything we owned in the hangar and my room is done. I put my security device on your door and left boxes for you. Genus will take and drop us off. We'll fly the jet up when we've finished our we time. Sound good?"
"Oh cool, thanks, Jake. I wasn't looking forward to all that packing of the jet. But you forgot, I'll be driving back on my bike so I'll meet you back at the garage unless you want to ride with me?"
"Oh, right, that's a good idea, actually," Jake said, blushing that he'd forgotten that especially after driving the bike around earlier.
"It won't take me long to pack up my stuff but is there any room left for it," his friend asked, smirking.
"Of course, but it is tight. Just enough room for the cyclotrons too," Jake laughed. "I've never seen the Turbokat that filled before."
"Hope I can get her into the air with it that full," Chance joked. "I'll see you in the morning or later today since it is morning. Sleep well and thanks for coming to the party buddy. It was just as much for you as me you know."
"Yea, thanks, it was a blast and I appreciated being invited. I won't forget this that's for sure," Jake smiled then eyed his partner more seriously. "Are you really ready for this, Chance? It's a big step for both of us."
Chance stared back at the house where Tara waited for him then back to his friend. "Yea, I'm ready. Now that I know I can always see and talk to my family by subspace communications, it won't be so hard to be away from them. And I can't wait to fly one of those things." He stared at the two shuttles glinting in the dawn light.
Jake grinned and clapped his friend on the back. "And you'll be just as good a pilot with one of those as you are with the Turbokat. See you later."
"You too." Chance turned away as Jake headed for the shuttle and he made for the house.
Tara joined Chance in his room. They undressed each other and made languid love before falling asleep in each others arms. Before sleep pulled him down, Chance smiled in the rosy light of dawn and thought, 'That was one hell of a farewell party.'