#drahk

He had first encountered Hammer on a mission, of course. After completing his sabotage of several mining machines, the lone drahk had sprinted after him and knocked him down; a feat amazing enough in itself.

She hadn't attacked him, however. The female had looked at him and then waited at his feet as he drew his Scindo Prime.

For an instant he considered killing the beast, since it would surely starve alone without its master, but he couldn't bring himself to when he saw the scars along her body from whips edged in electricity or fire. That coupled with the pleading dark eyes embedded deep in her bulky, wrinkled head was just too heart-wrenching to ignore.

And now here she was. A large mouth to feed and listen to, but she loved him dearly, and he made sure to care for her as much as she protected him in missions. She was the only female he needed, he often thought to himself in amusement.

Finally after his kill he checked his radar. The only remaining enemy was a crewman in the distance.

“Come on, girl.” he murmured.

The pair of tanks slowly crept forward, then once they were close enough, the Rhino grinned and slapped her shoulder. “Go get 'im.”

She didn't need any other words.

In a few moments she was snuffling through the corpse, and then began chewing on something the Rhino pulled from her mouth instantly.

“I could have used this neural sensor.” he brandished it with mock anger, curious as to what her reaction would be.

Hammer simply sat down and tilted her head, then snapped it up again when he looked away and resumed crushing it with her strong molars.

He sighed with a grudging smile, watching to make sure she spat it out and left it before both headed to extraction.

“Welcome back, Operator. I trust your mission was –and that thing is still with you?” his ship's AI growled instantly.

“Hammer has been with us for quite some time, Odion.” he chuckled, sitting in front of navigation with Hammer crawling into his lap. “It's high time you accept it.”

“Other Cephalons only have to endure kubrows; what have I ever done in the past to deserve a filthy drahk in my flawless ship?” Odion grumbled off, then continued in a more even tone. “Your mission went well, Operator?”

“Yes, it did.”

“I noticed that no security precautions were used. It makes me proud to have such a skilled Operator to serve.” the AI said proudly, then paused. “Though his choice of companions makes me less than content.”

“You'll get over it.” the Tenno smiled, rubbing the female's head affectionately while she drooled on his lap.

“Ugh.” the Cephalon closed off and the ship fell silent while he thought with ease, looking down at the drahk sleeping as dignified as a baby in his lap. Saliva was slowly dripping from her lips as she snored loudly and rolled off.

The Rhino was happy. Between her and Odion, he had all the companions he needed.