A few weeks after their first sexual encounter, Leo and Mikey were still sharing a bunk every night. The pair of mercenaries had a long trip ahead of them to the military-controlled warp gate. If they could slip through any security, and activate a jump, it would allow them to instantaneously transport the dragon’s small craft to the far reaches of the galaxy. They believed that in that unknown, alien territory is where they would find where Echo was originally salvaged from.

Retrieving the sentient suit’s administrative key was vital. If they ever had any hope of reigning in the self-aware software and allowing the drake to live a life free of the constant fear of discovery, they needed it. Harboring AI was highly illegal in every federation they could name, and due to its nature, Echo was particularly difficult to conceal. If they were able to alter the programming enough that the wyrm could remove it when appropriate their partnership would become significantly less stressful. After careful consideration they had decided that the far off star system would be their first stop, before even attempting to collect on their respective bounties (the dragon for uncovering Echo’s data chip in the abandoned research facility on the devastated planet shard, and the bunny for rescuing Leo).

The adventurers tended to pass the time in one another’s arms as they barrelled toward their destination. They mated everyday, several times a day, and regularly discovered new ways that the inflatable, AI-powered suit could assist them in that endeavor, willfully or not. While the scaled anthro’s maleness might be trapped within Echo’s plush confines, he still found a multitude of ways to pleasure his lover. On one occasion the environmental suit might loop its external cables around the hare’s wrist and ankles, anchoring him in place for Leo to toy with him using his gloved talons, or muzzle. On another it would attach vacuum sleeves over each of their erections in unison and milk them for hours on end in a cycle of agonizing pleasure, all the while probing either or both of their tailholes.

The suit was magnificent in many ways. With its cumbersome frame, brass valves, and strange, synthetic material assembled in a decidedly outdated and industrial style, it was far more advanced than its appearance would suggest, resembling more like an antique diver’s suit or early space exploration rig than a technological marvel. Despite this, it was able to eject tubes and hoses from its many ports, and was more capable of acting as the reptile’s sexual proxy.

Life settled into an orgasmic haze for the lovers, where Mikey was rarely if ever clothed.

The dragon, on the other paw, was constantly encased within Echo’s pillowy mass. Only his head protruded from the otherwise perfectly sealed suit. Even his long, sinuous tail was fully enclosed within a tube of rubbery material. He had become less self conscious about this over time. Mikey missed the timid grin the dragon would briefly display from their first days together, but still found the drake irresistibly handsome. The iridescent green of the scales on his head and neck looked even more vibrant in contrast to the off white fabric and bulky metal fittings that comprised most of his irremovable AI companion.

Since he had found out how to manually control Echo’s pressure he generally kept it partially deflated in order to less restrict his movement. Even at a lesser capacity the suit could be obnoxiously voluminous, cradling Leo’s slight physique. He looked forward to being able to remove it on a whim, and not just because he could be arrested or killed for possessing it- although he was starting to doubt how often he really would bother to take it off with how much it improved his quality of life...when it wasn’t humiliating him in front of Mikey.

The major issue with Echo was that it was programmed to be both very vocal with its robotic, simulated voice, and very attentive to its wearer’s safety and physical needs. With these components under control they could easily hide it from detection from authorities when in colonized space. As it was, drifting off in seclusion, this merely led to embarrassing incidents where his suit would suddenly announce things in front of his partner like its removal of his unexpected messing or that it had determined he was sufficiently aroused to require being immediately stimulated. It had no filter or concept of decorum, and despite their best efforts, without an administrative key to alter the coding, they were helpless to change that.

At least the dragon no longer had to worry about his incontinence, even if his rabbit mate still had to don spare diapers from Leo’s now-defunct stash to keep from ruining the bunk at night with his bedwetting. The wingless scalie would simply wet or soil himself whenever he needed to and Echo would siphon it away. 

One morning, he felt himself awoken in the same manner as usual. After he had steadily leaked a trickle of pee throughout the night, a hose deftly slip over his plump cock to suck away any rogue drops of urine that hadn’t dribbled down into the suit’s internal ports.

There was an audible whirring of an unseen vacuum pump within the suit revving to life. The inside of the sleeve that flexed taut around his morning erection was textured with bumps and ridges to maximize titillation. The soft rubber was mildly lubricated, sliding slickly over his engorged length as it stroked him. Suction came gently at first. This pulled him from his dreamy half-sleep with a sharp, blissful gasp. He felt the tube vibrate around his shaft until he was fully erect and trembling. The masturbator sleeve swelled and stiffened, squeezing him, then softened agained to massage his hardness while coaxing any last drips of piss from his penis. This had the added effect of making him undeniably aroused and aching for a release.

Echo was eager to please.

With the still slumbering gray-furred adventurer cuddling against him, the intelligent suit drew in air and bulged out in every direction. Its exterior almost solidified with pressure as it ballooned enough to hold him completely helpless while it did its job of first cleaning, then pleasuring his thrumming cock. He throbbed against its unyielding rubber grip, whining softly with need as he did. The pumping steadily increased, drawing up in power until he could feel the strong pull on his length. Occasionally Echo would control the captain’s limbs and force him to rub a thickly gloved claw over his groin to help in the process or to stuff the same appendage into his maw (something that it had logged that he enjoyed early on though its myriad of sensors), but this time it simply kept him from even twitching. 

He could scarcely do anything more than breath with the weight bearing down on him, and he groaned and gasped while Echo expertly masturbated him. He felt the mechanisms pump endlessly over his hardness and he huffed. He hoped not to wake the bunny beside him. His lapine companion enjoyed watching these events when they occurred (a not uncommon occurrence aboard their tiny vessel), but it still made the wyrm blush furiously whenever it happened.

He bit his lower lip hard to keep from moaning out too loudly and stifled the sound into a throaty chirp. Mikey twitched and snuggled closer against him, disturbed almost to waking by Leo’s noisy fidgeting. 

The suit ratcheted up its power further and further, and also upped the pace of the kneading and suckling on his sensitive maleness. This made him utter the raspy whimpers that finally disturbed the lagomorph. The rabbit blinked himself to consciousness and quickly deduced what was occurring. He smirked mischievously despite himself. He tried not to take too much pleasure in watching the handsome anthro in bed with him being drawn to orgasm by the strange AI, but nobody was getting hurt and it was always an enticing show. He loved seeing every slight expression of pleasure cross his mate’s face as he was brought to the edge of orgasm. More often than not during these moments Echo would detect the subtle release of pheromones that suggested that Leo wanted to mate with the bunny and would drag him- often literally- into the fun as well. The drake noticed Mikey staring with his adorable, lop-sided grin and felt his face grow warm when the cute fur continued to hold onto him.

“Good morning,” he murmured with a sly grin, flipping his floppy ear out from where it had fallen in front of his face. “What’s happening? What’s Echo doing?”

He loved hearing exactly what the simulated intelligence was doing. In cases like this, he found it fascinating as well as hot.

“Proper hygiene is important,” Echo’s modulated tone relayed back to him, apparently either assuming the question was directed at it or answering in its host’s stead. “Cleaning residual urine from the most recent sleep cycle’s releases. Subsequent arousal has been detected and is being addressed.” The AI had grown even more vocal in recent days as it recorded and filed away more and more data on how its possessors interacted. Far from being bothered by the obvious learning and advancement taking place, both anthros had a deep appreciation for the impressive coding, even if it could come off particularly unnerving at times.

Mikey glanced shyly down at his own, soggy diaper, distended and tinged with pale yellow from a night of pissiing himself while he slept. He was fully exposed, having kicked their sheet down off and of himself, as he commonly did, and wearing nothing more than the spent padding and a tank top. They kept the artificial gravity on more often than not since the rabbit preferred it on, but Leo could imagine him floating, rotating in space, dressed as he was and found the mental image particularly invigorating

“I wish I had help with that,” Mikey joked with his mate. The outline of his own morning wood pressed visibly against the crinkling plastic of his diaper, making an inviting lump. He knew what he was doing when it came to manipulating Echo via his mate’s baser desires.

Already incredibly aroused from the treatment that Echo had been giving him, it didn’t take much to nudge Leo’s mind in the proper direction. Due to his fetish for technology he was horny more often than not just by wearing the extraordinary suit. With the lapine’s insatiable sexual appetite on top of that, the only reason the dragon wasn’t constantly erect was due to his suit’s insistence on pleasuring him- or making him pleasure himself- at the slightest sign of his physical needs rising, which happened several times a day. As the machine sucked on his reptilian length, causing him to spray blasts of pre into the hose over his cock, his mind flashed through a series of thoughts of doing the same to his lover with his muzzle.

He had savored every moment that he got to share with Mikey, and imagined he could still taste him on his tongue from the previous night. Far from being turned off by the AI’s interference into their sex lives, the lagomorph mercenary was still eager to experience every passion they could with each other, as often as possible.

“Urge to mate with one’s sexual partner detected. Allow me to assist you,” the Echo beeped, as cheerfully as a completely robotic voice could.

The draconic mercenary felt the pockets of air around his arms and torso shift to cause him to roll over and face his mate; Echo didn’t even cease pleasuring him as he changed position. He was made to hunch over Mikey’s groin, his padded suit pressing warmly against the bunny’s exposed legs. He found himself situated over the other adventurer’s crotch with his snout pressed to the thick, well-used diaper concealing his genitals. The plastic exterior rustled against his muzzle. 

He was already wavering on the precipice of orgasm, but unable to quite achieve it. The sentient system seemed adept at keeping him hovering there, trembling and aching for release until he had finished thoroughly gratifying his lover. That decision, to always have him finish Mikey off first, was one that Echo had made early on and seemed intent to stick with. He felt the ribs of the sleeve continue to drag along his erection, creating a suction as it worked his length.

Leo felt a buzzing near his spine as a writhing mass of robotic tendrils ejected and started to coil around his companion’s limbs. They wrapped tighter until they were holding the rabbit completely immobile before beginning to lift him from the bunk. The reptile’s thickly gloved talons moved toward his partner’s hips. Somehow he managed to pinch the edge of the tapes of his diaper between his rubber-clad claws. The plastic protested loudly as the tabs were torn free. The first two- the upper ones- came off in rapid succession. The second set was slightly delayed as the drake scrabbled for the thin, adhesive strips. His fingers were clumsy in their bulky confines, but eventually they managed to unfasten the remaining tapes. The flightless dragon found himself pulling down the front of the sodden protection at Echo’s insistence. It was certainly something he didn’t need to be spurred on to do, but still the program puppeteered his frame.

With a deep breath he inhaled the hare’s heady scent. It was an intoxicating mix of his pheromones and the potent aroma of his mark. The wyrm nuzzled into the damp fur of Mikey’s groin of his own accord, pausing only to briefly tease him by lapping once along his tumescence. Mikey giggled gleefully. It was a joyous laugh that he had heard on many occasions now; a sound he often uttered as he was held helpless and immobile by the sentient AI’s tentacles for Leo to play with. 

The starship captain felt the lagomorph’s turgid shaft against his cheek, radiating heat and desire. Leo extended his long, serpentine tongue and dragged it beneath the bunny’s fuzzy sac. The hefty orbs rolled about on his tongue, somehow full of essence and prepared for another go after all of their exhaustive use the previous night. He let his moist, warm tongue pull higher, rising to his lover’s twitching shaft again and up the entirety of his penis. He licked away the rivulets of pre that glistened down its form. He savored the salty flavor and paused only to wet his lips with his tongue before sliding the tip of his muzzle down his mate’s hardness. He could taste the bitter edge of piss along with his fresh emissions.

Mikey murred and squirmed, but was held fast by Echo’s unyielding grip. Meanwhile, the drake started to bob, slowly lowering his maw up and down the entirety of the rabbit’s cock. He was immediately rewarded with healthy splashes of pre against his throat. He swallowed them greedily. Leo knew just where to let the tip of his tongue linger, just how hard to suck, just how quickly to slurp to make the hare delirious with want. With his own cock trapped within the cushioned suit, his mouth was the best tool at his disposal to treat his mate, and he had learned to use it well. Echo was doing the same for him, kneading and stroking his throbbing length. He noticed the bunny’s abdomen tighten and could sense his little trembles and spasms of his body. That, along with the soft moans and huffs from his fellow spacer, told him that he was drawing near completion. He paused and flickered his tongue against the rosey tip, sparing a quick glance up to Mikey’s face. He flashed a flirtatious grin when he saw his blissful expression, then returned to his duties, ready to please.

“How does it feel when Echo paws you off?” The lapine rasped between pants.

“Good, usually,” Leo responded, stopping his sucking to whisk pre and spit from his lips with his tongue. He was curious what aroused Mikey’s sudden interest.

“Do you think it would do to me what it does for you?” He asked. “I know you can’t really command it, but it seems to do -or at least make you do- what you really want when it comes to sex.” He blushed suddenly, strongly enough that the soft crimson was faintly visible beneath the washed-out gray of his fur. He wasn’t typically a demure anthro, cluing the drake into just how into his idea he really was. “So if, you know...you asked it- it might let me experience it.”

“Request registered,” Echo replied without even waiting for Leo to respond. “Updating mating information.”

Surprised by the immediate reaction, the dragon was pulled back. An extra robotic tendril with a textured rubber sleeve at the tip slithered forth from the apparatus and wound its way toward the lapine’s groin. Something that both of them had noticed in recent days was that the AI seemed to be increasingly caring for the both of them, though for Mikey more so as an extension of Leo rather than his own entity. It was learning and adapting and realizing how much the anthro valued his new mate, and wished to bring him pleasure too.

Mikey beamed as the hose approached and gasped loudly as its lubricated port slipped over his erection. The size and pressure immediately adjusted to fit his exact shape and size. Each bump and ridge inside the sleeve seemed designed specifically to maximize his pleasure. He arched his back to thrust his hips forward and up into it. His eyes rolled back before closing in ecstasy. He groaned incoherent sounds of joy while Leo watched and was continually stroked by the alien machine. He bucked his own hips forward, lining himself up with and imagining that he was thrusting into his lover’s heat. 

Sensing this shift in position, Echo sent forth a probe that wriggled its way beneath the hare’s spade shaped tail. The rubbery substance at the tip undulated and shifted like a viscous liquid, altering itself until it resembled an exact replica of the dragon’s trapped length. It slicked its exterior with an oily lubricant from a hole near its tip as it prodded at Mikey’s cleft. He moaned and writhed while it poked at his ring, easily finding his entrance just beneath his upturned tuft, The tendril vibrated to gain purchase and slid a couple of centimeters into his aperture. 

The rabbit bit his lip to stifle the cry as he was penetrated. Since the dildo formed at the tentacle’s tip emulated the drake’s penis rather than simply being a tapered plug, the initial entry was rough. The probe continued its pressure, slowly forcing itself deeper and deeper within him. Its protean form twitched and wobbled inside of him. It shifted and swelled, never quite changing shape, but altering itself enough to press against every pleasure center that he had. Gentle ridges like those beneath the dragon’s tip rolled along his prostate, making him splatter more pre into the sleeve enveloping his cock. He felt Leo grind against his rump, mimicking that it was him lodged inside his tight heat. The robotic coils kept his belly up and his leg’s splayed. He was already near climax and wasn’t going to last long as the tentacle plunged deeper into him, exploring just how much he could take while leaving him whimpering in ecstasy.

As that occurred, Echo used its mastery over Leo's body to cause him to shove his own padded talon into his muzzle. His teeth bit into the bulky rubber of his gloves and his fingers were far enough back that he needed to suck on them or risk gagging. Then, with a final jerking of his hips, the lapine came. He splattered several thick ropes of spunk into the port, where an immediate suction siphoned it all away. The thin hose that carried his seed was made of a reliant, clear silicone, and both anthro’s could see the shimmering strands of his cum splash their way through the tube. His essence eventually ejected from near the drake’s wrist and oozed down over his glove and into his maw. The lizard licked the treat off of his claw and swallowed all of the heavy load. Even though it had cooled in transit, he had come to associate a certain flavor with Mikey’s spunk. He delighted in it, even if he was made to imbibe it in a less than distinguished fashion.

Leo downed every drop and made sure to suckle any last remnant of his mate’s seed from his fingers before he was permitted to remove the talon from his maw. Having fulfilled his desire to bring pleasure to his partner, Echo finally allowed him his own completion. It slipped the tube from the lagomorph’s spent length and retracted it as it focused its efforts fully on the wyrm. The intensity of its ministrations instantly revved higher, making him moan out loudly. He hadn’t yet been allowed to fully shift positions and he rested his forehead against Mikey’s torso with the bunny’s softening erection inches from his muzzle, once again inhaling his scent.

His own breathing grew ragged and every muscle in his body tensed. Even with the artificial gravity enabled he felt a sudden weightlessness as he jerked and came with a series of grunts.

Afterward, the pair slumped together for a while, basking in their shared afterglow.

Echo could be controlling but he had grown so used to its soft, snug embrace, soothing presence, and quality of life features that he would rarely want to be separated from it. Even sleeping, which was difficult at first with the overfilled suit preventing him from laying flat or rolling to more comfortable positions, came more easily than it initially had. He did miss being able to take a proper bath, but that would be an opportunity he would have missed out on either way, since his small starship didn’t accommodate a bathroom large enough to have more than a shower spigot in a tiny alcove with tepid, recycled water.

Being a species that didn’t sweat and not having his scales exposed to outside contaminants, his body didn’t get particularly dirty. The notable exception to this being his incontinence, but Echo tended to take care of that immediately as it happened. He had felt his scales staying immaculate and knew that there were processes happening within Echo to make that reality. It was often unnerving when he felt his scales bristle and feel more pristine than they had the previous day. 

Leo and Mikey’s explorations into what little of Echo’s code that they could access and understand showed that it seemed to have some control over a whole host of microscopic nanobots that did everything from repair and maintain the suit itself to help care for the host. The adventurers concluded that this was also how the scalie’s AI captor managed to dispose of his messes, although this was merely a guess. There were still many unsolved mysteries surrounding how it actually functioned.

The drake had made the mistake of lamenting not having the experience of properly bathing available to his new lover aloud during a day of casual conversation interspaced with sex. The programmed intelligence of his suit must have filed this information away, because, while it had regularly managed to keep him clean it changed its tactics shortly thereafter. Echo must have “decided,” if that was the proper word, to treat him to a more traditional bath. One day, between bouts of mating with Mikey, the AI slithered a hose about the craft. This wasn't uncommon enough of an occurrence to trigger alarm in either anthro, as Echo often connected to the ship’s navigation systems, data logs, and power sources. The pair of mercs panicked the first time this had happened, but they barely noticed it anymore.

The tube this time was not a cable connecting itself to an electronic or mechanical system, but rather a hose for transporting water. It easily found a valve in the ship’s hydration storage, adjusted itself until it connected seamlessly, and started to siphon what it needed. It wasn’t until Leo felt the sudden wetness around his whole body that the starship captain even realized what was happening. He was used to feeling randomly wet around his groin due to his bladder issues, but when the moisture spread swiftly across his body he knew that something was different. He was actually sitting in the dining area when this happened, just after sharing a meal with Mikey. He suddenly sat bolt upright as he felt more and more water rush into the suit, eliciting a curious cock of the head from the rabbit.

“New bathing protocol initiated,” Echo announced, just as the dragon opened his mouth to ask. He clamped his maw shut again.

Water continued to surge in, causing the environmental suit to swell out spherically. The arms seemed to shorten as the influx of water filled its interior and gave him a decidedly orb-like appearance. Much like when the suit was completely inflated with air, there was little Leo could do to move or control himself. The water sloshed about his body as he shifted in his seat. He noticed a faint floral aroma in the air, the soothing scent of soap, and felt suds foam around his body. The exterior of the suit gurgled and throbbed. Jets of pressure caused currents of soapy water to foam about against his flesh. It felt as though he were trapped in a gigantic whirlpool as the force of water rushed around him. Every time he tried to explain to Mikey what was happening a new strange sensation suddenly demanded his attention. It was as enthralling as it was weird, and sure enough as slick bubbles rippled past his length he felt inexplicably aroused.

There was a powerful suction all around his body and the exterior of the suit compressed like a gigantic sponge, forcing moisture back into the hose with tremendous pressure. The force of the current pulled anything and everything unclean from him. He was able to fidget, and he felt a rubbery squish around his body as he did. As quickly as it went, the torrent came flooding back in as a sudsy deluge. This process repeated several times, cleansing him as thoroughly as any pressure washer taking the space dust and debris off the exterior of his ship after a particularly rough re-entry would. It actually became a rather enjoyable experience once he had adjusted to it, something halfway between a hot tub and a massage.

The ebb and flow around his body cleaned every last part of him. The roiling soapy water splashed across his chest and belly, up along his legs, beneath his tail, and even around his maleness. His body twitched and reacted immediately as the tickle of water flowed gently beneath his foreskin and across the tip of his penis. Within seconds his erection started to grow. It swelled a bit harder- a bit thicker- with every beat of his heart. He gasped, somehow still surprised when Echo discovered a new way to tease him into a horny, needy mess. 

“Sensors indicate that new bathing protocols incite physical stimulation,” Echo observed, increasing its focus on the currents around his groin. The suit created a vortex of slippery soap around his shaft. The eddy dragged on it, creating a spiral of suction. It narrowed and widened and shifted this way and that. 

The dragon’s breath rapidly grew uneven and his legs felt weak. Luckily the suit was so inflated with water that should he lose his footing the worst that would happen is that he would safely roll backward like a jiggly marble. He felt his length tingle as the jets of water vibrated against it and flexed his talons into fists as he drew close to the precipice of orgasm. He whimpered when he was finally pushed over the edge. He shuddered as he came, shooting a healthy spray of reptilian semen into the churning, soapy water.

The bath lasted for a long while, and afterward Leo hoped that he could get Echo to repeat the experience for him on a semi-regular basis.

Once it had ended the mercenary captain was finally able to articulate to his mate everything that he felt beneath the surface of the suit, and how it differed from how he had been “bathed” by Echo previously. Mikey’s sparkling, seafoam eyes lit up at his hypothesis of the AI controlling a swarm of nanobots to maintain the suit and its host. He hastily retrieved some tools and popped open a small access panel to poke around in the code and see if there was anything he missed with this new nugget of information in mind.

Sure enough, he found that the reason the programming was so advanced was not only did it simulate an intelligence capable of learning and advancement, but also one capable of “thinking” for countless microscopic machines. Without the administration key, he couldn’t be quite certain, but it was a safe assumption that after any mess was siphoned away, the tiny robots broke it apart into atom-sized pieces and completely destroyed it. It seemed that the force field that had saved them before was only a slight portion of the great power the suit had at its disposal.

That evening, as they lay in bed and relived the memory from each of their perspectives, Leo’s nostrils flared. He scented the bunny’s arousal above the smell of the powder he used, and helped massage the bulge in his diaper with his gloved fingers. He kneaded the rabbit’s hardness and drummed his fingers on the outer plastic of his protection. The lapine responded by kissing him deeply and passionately, and pressing his paw against his lover’s groin in kind. Mikey forced Echo’s silken interior against the drake, triggering the wyrm’s need and the suit’s usual response.

While they felt they could drift through space eternally this way, they did have work to do, and only a few days later, they finally approached the military checkpoint that they would need to punch through in order to warp closer to the far off system. They had discussed at great length just how they intended to make it though. They did have options at their disposal, although few of them were likely to succeed. Fighting wasn’t going to be a great choice- it would be one small craft against an entire blockade. Neither anthro were keen on firing on soldiers anyway. Not only would they be better armed than a single merc ship, but they were just doing their jobs preventing errant entry into the restricted space where AI had apparently been developed to an extent that it needed to be gated off. Leo wondered if there was still civilization at those distant coordinates, if their system had suffered some long ago catastrophe and ended biological life. Their small, two-person craft could likely slip by undetected if they found a large enough gap between warships. They were spaced many kilometers apart, after all, and intended to detect fighters, not miniature starships. It wouldn’t be the first time either of them had to use stealth, though they were usually trying to elude and evade pirates rather than law enforcement.

All ships were capable of using warp points to jump. They were basically glorified tunnels burrowed through space and time to connect unfathomably far-flung places together, allowing the gulf between them to be traveled expeditiously. When the tech was first developed, it turned light years of travel into something manageable in a lifetime, but over the past several generations, warping had advanced to the point that it was practically instantaneous, even if it had to be done from and to specific points. Particularly large distances could put stress on ships not optimized for it, but being the technophile that he was, Leo kept his craft outfitted well above what its class would normally require, even for his line of work.

As the pair piloted within range of the blockade they slowed their approach. Leo waddled over to his captain’s chair, which he barely fit into with Echo’s increased bulk around his frame. He often left the flying to his onboard computers and preset systems, but he figured that such delicate and dangerous work should take a more involved and focused mind. Since his pilot’s seat was more often than not used for lounging about between missions or on route between destinations, he had to kick away some excess refuse that had built up since the last time he was docked at a port. He wasn’t necessarily messy (except for when it came to tools and sensors, but that was more “cluttered” than dirty), but he still had many cycles of build up with no place to recycle the packaging of his food and entertainment and he was using it at an increased rate with his new partner aboard.

It struck him that he hoped he had enough supplies for a return trip. He didn’t know how long to expect their exploration for the administration key to go, how close to the coordinates the warp point would drop them, and what danger they would face. It was too late to back out at that point, however, and he started flipping switching and pulling up digital displays to wrest manual control of the craft with a grim determination. He was willing to drain power for every cloaking and stealth system that he had ever purchased. What had once been an expensive fascination with unnecessary upgrades proved to be a valuable investment. The equipment well outpaced any pirates or rival mercenaries he had ever dealt with and wasn’t really needed, but to compete with a federations military budget he was going to need every advantage he could get.

Mikey, his equal in technological competence, set to monitoring and controlling everything that a pilot shouldn’t be burdened with so that Leo could focus solely on evading the attention of the fighters. They hadn’t actually spent much thought on this leg of their journey as they had spent so much time locked in one another’s arms exploring one another’s bodies, and now that it was moment’s away, both became tense. Even taking a breath seemed to be a calculated choice as they prepared all they could for the upcoming run. Both the rabbit and the dragon had fought brigands while outnumbered and outgunned, but an army was a bit beyond their comprehension when it came to tactics, especially nonviolent ones. 

Finally they had made all of the preparations they could. They positioned themselves so that the gate, an invisible vortex surrounded by a halo of space-time bending satellites, was directly ahead of them, just beyond a blockade of deadly ships. The ring of blinking crimson lights scintillated before them, beckoning them as surely as a siren’s song. They had scrambled or blocked every form of scanner that they could and even manipulated the exterior of their ship to be as black and glossy as the endless reach of space. Despite how close the blips on his holographic screen appeared to be, it would take several minutes to make it to the warp point and another few to activate every safety mechanism that was required to jump. If they didn’t alert the fleet to their presence while they were incoming, the tremendous power required to send them hurtling through to the far reaches of alien space would certainly draw attention as it gathered.

They had to hope that the mission to guard to the gate didn’t include pursuing trespassers through it.

Not willing to fire on soldiers, which not only would result in their almost certain obliteration but would get their mercenary licenses revoked if they somehow survived, they removed their focus from any munitions and worked only on maximizing whatever defenses and stealth apparatuses they could muster. When they had finished the last of their preparations they turned and looked at one another. Their eyes met and they tried in unison to bolster one another’s spirits with a supportive smile. With a deep breath, Leo started increasing their speed again to the point where he felt he was as fast as they could possibly go before attracting attention for being more than a speck of space debris gliding in a random direction.

The tension was palpable as they closed in on their destination. The dragon dared to use the camera to look at an exterior visual of their surrounding space to see if they were passing closely enough to a scout or battleship to actually catch a glimpse of its lights twinkling in the distance. 

He wished that he hadn’t.

Not only could he see the telltale flicker of golden lights in the distance, but he could see dozens of them. The defenses were even tighter than he imagined- and even more numerous than his overpriced sensors had managed to detect from further out. The fleet protecting the gate was dense, vast, well equipped, and constantly on alert. The wyrm wondered how many credits must have changed paws in order to smuggle Echo through to the research facility. Maybe they had found the AI before the military checkpoint was erected? He thought. Maybe that is why the planet the laboratory was on had been annihilated? It was a manufactured disaster, that much was clear, but up until now he had been under the assumption that it was the researchers at the university who were to blame. If this much firepower was being used to prevent someone from even accidentally stumbling close to the system the alien tech was found at, who knew what lengths the local federation was willing to go through to destroy evidence of previous trespass?

Static crackled from their starship’s communication screen and speaker. Despite having them turned off it seemed that the military had the power to override his system’s manual inputs.

Leo swallowed.

“Blood pressure rising. Muscle tension detected,” Echo stated, breaking the silence along with their concentration.

The reptile heard a familiar buzzing and clicking and felt vibrations from within the suit as once again a textured sleeve was positioned over his penis. It seemed to have mistaken his increased heart rate for sexual arousal. He wasn’t hard, however, and the AI seemed to have difficulty sliding it over his flaccid length. The sensation was immediately distracting.

“Not the time, Echo!” He growled as he returned his focus to tapping his gloved claws along keys and dials.

“What’s happening?” Mikey asked, furrowing his brow as he looked over to his mate.

“Echo thinks I’m horny because my blood pressure is high and all it has to go off of is some biological scans and us being together for the last few weeks.”

Several lines of text in a dozen commonly recognized languages started to scroll across one of his screens as a voice punctuated by audio snaps and pops began to speak authoritatively, forcing its signal through from a military ship. Leo and Mikey both recognized many of the scripts and a brief survey of them told the pair that they were all stating essentially the same thing: That they were in restricted space and that they would be brought aboard a cruiser and detained. They would be released at an undetermined point later after their vessel had been searched and their motives ascertained. 

“You are to keep still and identify the number of crew aboard your ship. An officer will gravity tether your vessel and you will be apprehended for questioning, after which point it will be decided if you are to be released in free space or kept under arrest pending trial for criminal trespass,” the anthro on the other end of the line stated. He was speaking a different language, but his ship’s translator program overlaid the message with an inappropriately cheerful lilt to its computerized voice.

Echo, thankfully, had gone silent during this relay, but bursts of light and color on Leo’s holographic HUD caught his attention and distracted him during the brief exchange. The AI seemed to be scanning and calculating values that the dragon couldn’t begin to guess the meaning of. It had ceased trying to pleasure the wyrm and uncharacteristically seemed almost completely still and silent whenever the officer spoke, as though it were listening intently. The duo of mercs had seen it adapt several times now and knew that learning was taking place, but what it was advancing toward- what arcane conclusions it could be drawing- they could only guess at.

“We see that your ship is registered as a mercenary vessel. You are to respond immediately with your relevant identification numbers.”

“What should we do?” Mikey asked. His ears both drooped nervously. The lagomorph adventurer was usually collected and upbeat, and his anxiety worried his mate who was thinking as fast as he could despite being distracted by whatever it was that Echo was doing.

“I repeat,” the voice on the other end of the line said sternly. “Reply immediately. Failure to comply will result in us opening fire.”

“We’re dead anyway when they find out we have illegal AI,” Leo thought aloud. He kept his voice at a whisper as though the military officer might hear him despite him not holding down the key to transmit. Still utterly silent, Echo continued to flash through graphs and mathematical calculations in the lower corner of his peripheral vision. It began extending cables in several directions. The nodes at the tips of each found various access panels and analogue ports and jacked into every aspect of the ship. The formulae and charts started scrolling by quicker, so fast that the drake’s brain couldn’t even fully comprehend one image before a new one whizzed by.

“I think Echo’s accessing the ship’s systems to increase its power,” the dragon said in an astounded hush.

“This is your final warning before we will be forced to take lethal action,” the officer threatened. “Respond.”

“We have to make a decision,” Mikey urged. “We can’t fight them. We either have to punch it or give up, and I really don’t want to get arrested for this. The best case scenario is that we lose our licenses and never get legit work again.”

“What would you like to do? I will be happy to assist you,” Echo stated. Despite being in the same, monotone voice that it always had, there was something definitive in its tone that brought a chill down the mercenaries’ spines.

“We need to get through that warp gate,” Leo declared, punching one gloved fist into his opposing palm.

“Please secure yourselves. I will handle everything,” Echo answered. In addition to what the sentient suit had already sent forth, a vast array of cords and cables and tubes and hoses erupted in a tangled mass from the rig as both obeyed and scrambled to lock themselves into a seat. The tendrils connected themselves to every electronic in the anthros’ vision. The craft’s lights and screens blinked and died for a half-second before being rebooted with a new vibrant light. The starship stuttered and listed to one side in space before righting itself. The engines were fed with power well exceeding what should be their maximum capacity. The raw energy caused the ship to vibrate and rattle around them. A glance at his displays told him that every safety mechanism had been disabled.

Suddenly they blasted forward with so much force that the mates couldn’t even move from their seats. Echo swelled with excess air to cushion and protect its host. A shimmering, spherical field emitted from it surrounding the pair. While within the glittering blue glow, they felt the extreme forces lessened. They immediately recognized the effect of an inertia dampening field, something difficult to isolate and localize in that small of an area even with the most potent tech available. The power was at such a level that without the stabilization that Echo provided they surely would have passed out from the propulsion. While this happened Leo could see that his ship was transmitting to the warp gate at the AI’s behest, causing it to boot up and prepare a launch.

The military took this sudden motion to be indicative of a hostile action. On the external view of the ship streaks of light of lasers and missiles flared. Weapons and smaller combat ships were mobilized and ejected from the federation's warships.

“Defenses activating,” Echo declared, suddenly shutting off the camera view, presumably to not alarm its charges as deadly munitions rocketed their way. Consoles that controlled Leo’s various weaponry lit up and started to activate. 

“Don’t hurt anyone!” Leo managed to choke out. 

The screens dulled immediately, and with a glance at his HUD Leo could tell that Echo respected his command and routed power elsewhere, though to his surprise it wasn’t to propulsion or shields, but rather to the suit itself. He stared at it dumbly trying to figure out what it had planned. 

There was an immediately rocking of the ship and the groan of titanium resisting damage. The vibrations caused a dreadful, discordant song as they were struck. The drake was prepared to see his hull rent apart and be pulled out into the cold reaches of space at any moment. Even as equipped as his fighter was, he had one small ship that wasn’t meant to withstand that level of firepower...but to his surprise, his vessel’s readouts displayed no serious damage despite taking a direct hit.

The hare and wyrm glanced at one another, confused, until a realization hit Mikey and his perplexed expression twisted into his mirth.

“Wait!” The bunny exclaimed. “Remember when the planet shard was exploding?”

Leo did. He remembered it well. Just as they were going to be engulfed in a deadly fireball filled with molten rubble, the suit had projected an impenetrable field of force around them. With the extra energy that it was drawing and amplifying it seemed to have managed to expand that small barrier to cover the entirety of their ship even as it barrelled toward the unknown.

“I have scrambled the ID sensors of the enemy scanners,” Echo offered unprompted. They could almost hear the sass in its voice. “You won’t be able to identified after escape, should we be successful.”

It was the first time that either of them had heard the AI refer to them as “we” rather than itself as a singular or them as distinct entities.

“Success of fleeing hostile threat is a near certainty. I have already hacked the jump systems and sent a single-use activation code to the warp gate. I also installed a temporary shutdown to be enacted immediately after we pass through. There will be a period of 12 hours after we pass that the gate will be inactive.”

The assurance with which the statement was made would have been horrifying if Echo hadn’t been on “their” side. Leo didn’t have the time to muse on just how self-aware it was. The question would keep him awake on later nights as he wondered if it knew that they were undertaking this journey to control it, and why it was still helping them if it did, but in that moment he was simply grateful that it supported what he wanted even as it unnerved him. As strange as it was, he respected the alien intelligence implanted into the suit. Not just its power or utility, but Irving respected it as its own being.

As its own self.

They approached the jump point at a breakneck pace. Both Leo and Mikey had always hated hyperspace jumps. They felt the familiar and unpleasant pull as their very existence was being stretched and distorted. Warps dispersed travelers into a trillion tiny particles to beam quicker than light to distant frontiers. All they could focus on were the physical sensations of everything being dissolved around them, only to be drawn together again in alien reaches of space. Leo wondered every time he jumped if anything was lost that he was unaware of. If consciousness could be destroyed if the brain wasn’t reassembled quite right.

They were all naught but lines of data to be put together. If he was nothing but quarks and consciousness, in that same moment, was Echo as real as he?

The pieces came back together.