FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Red lights tinted the metallic walls, sirens blaring for the speakers while every monitor had their contents replaced with yellow arrows. I rushed down the hallways with my toolbox in hand, dodging several frantic crew-mates as I made my way down to the communications room. I almost fell when the ship shook under my feet, my shoulder taking the worst of the hit when I hit the wall, forcing a grunt out of me. A haunting groan of metal coursed through the air, followed by another quake that toppled a couple of running shipmates. I held onto the wall until the quake stopped, swallowing the acidic flux that was burning my throat; worry weighted heavily on my mind, I didn't need a degree in engineering to know that such sounds weren't good news for us. My Personal Convenience Device blared to life with a high pitched whistle, a yellow and black symbol appearing on the edges of my glasses, shortly before a tired but firm voice spoke through the receiver on my ear.

“This is Captain Jacob Larke to all surviving crew, I repeat this is Captain Jacob Larke to all surviving crew," the voice said, the words “surviving crew" sending shivers down my spine, “a pirate vessel has attacked our ship; they have disabled our thrusters and have breached through most of our defenses."

The world grew silent around me, there was no siren, no cries, no voices, only a heavy and unsettling silence that reined over all. Cold sweat ran down my spine and bile burned my throat; my knees collapsed, the impact of the floor barely registering in my senses.

“They will breach the bridge soon and no doubt will try to capture many of you or worse." the captain's voice explained with dark resignation. “These are my last orders. All crew abandon ship. I repeat, all crew abandon ship. May God have mercy on you. “

The captain had barely finished speaking when the sound of an explosion blasted in my ear, the sound of fired lasers filled the comm channel before it was abruptly cut off, leaving only static behind.

My body felt like lumps of lead, unmoving and heavy, they laid by my sides while my shipmates raced across the hallways, bumping and hitting each other while they made their way to the escape pods. There was something both beautiful and terrible to their escape, beautiful for they all seemed to move at once, their movements all synchronized in some sort of twisted choreography and terrible in their fate, for screams soon came from down the hallway, the sounds of lasers cutting them off. Still they ran down the hallway, heedless to the dangers that lay there, their eyes frantic and desperate, their ears all but turned off, just like my body.

Pain flared from my hand the moment a giant boot crushed my fingers, the doberman it belonged to sparing but a frantic glare before he moved on, a hint of white foam forming in his muzzle. A scream left my mouth as I clutched my hand close to my chest, the feeling returning to my limbs all at once in a white sea of pain. I bit back the burning in my throat and pushed through the throbbing pain in my hand to get up. The ship shook again, the aftermath of another explosion to be sure, a signal that my time was running out.

I gave the end of the hallway one last look, hoping that at least someone would come back. But no one did, there was only the screams and the blasting of lasers. The taste of copper filled my mouth, my teeth digging harder into the skin to keep the sounds away as I ran away. The ship's schematics flashing through my mind as I looked for a way out of this mess. The port side pods were out and so were the ones at the bridge. The engine room was a quick no, if pirates hadn't overrun it already they surely would soon enough. I ducked into a hallway, pulling out my PCD with my good hand and loading the ship's logs. Bold red words flashed quickly through the screen, recounting every system failure and loss the ship suffered. It was all too fast for my eyes to catch it all, but the few names I could make out would be better than nothing. Option after option came to my mind, only for them to be discarded in light of new evidence, my chances of survival dwindling with every moment I wasted.

Desperation was starting to take hold of me when yellow letters flashed on my screen; a door had been forced near the cargo hold but that wasn't as important as the number. Those 5 digits, resounded in my mind, bringing a sliver of hope back into my heart. I stuffed the PCD in my pocket and took a few moments to plan the quickest way to that room. Once set, I ran down several hallways, turning left or right when the situation demanded it, leaving behind the sounds of death. I burst through the door just moments after a pod's door had closed, a soft wheezing filled the room shortly before it launched, leaving a sour taste in my mouth.

Frantic eyes scanned the room, a sea of red screens stared back at me, a bold x crossing its surface, signaling the departure of the pod. Desperation started to take a hold on me, the cold fingers of fear digging deep into my heart as cold realization fell on me. I had been too late, there was no escape, death wouldn't wait too long for me. I tried to clench my fists, the spike of pain that came form my left hand bringing me out of my rut. I shook my head, pushing those dark thoughts out of my mind. I saw it then, a screen lit green, a big white circle resting on its center. My legs carried me there before my mind could process it, my hand landing on the screen with a bang. The screen turned yellow at my touch, the metal doors of the pod opening to reveal its cramped insides. A smile broke on my face, an almost maniac laugh leaving my throat as I stepped inside.

No sooner had I stepped in that the ship lurched to the side, the sudden movement bringing me to my knees while the pod's door closed with a hiss. I crawled the rest of the way to the seat and fastened the belt around my tired body, preparing the pod for launch as quickly as I could with only one hand. A few quick touches brought life to the monitors, a dozen more had overridden the security lock-down and by the time the ship shook again, the pod took launched into the black space. Luck was not on my side today however, for no sooner had I launched that something hit the pod from the side, sending it spiraling down out of control, the screen flashing red while a thousand error messages popped one after the other, a loud whining filling my ears. Slowly, I stretched my arms towards the controls, the centrifugal forces making even that simple move take forever. I clenched my teeth hard, the sudden spinning wreaking havoc with my weakened stomach and my injured hand. I could see black creeping at the edge of my vision, promising death. With a mighty push, my fingers reached the controls and managed to turn back on the autopilot. A yellow message popped on the screens just before I felt my body launch forward, the belt pushing me back towards the seat, the sudden move propelled my injured hand forward like a snake hunting for prey. I could see it all happen in slow motion, my hand flying through the air, the console drawing ever closer. A spike of sharp pain crossed my whole body, my gut threatening to release its content shortly before blackness consumed me.

My body felt like it was floating, weightless, it wandered through an endless ocean. Streams of colors flew before my eyes, painting the sky before coming together to form big white balls that blinded my eyes. Blurred memories crossed through the skies, the faint echoes of laughs and shouts crossing through the endless space, growing dimmer and dimmer as time went by. Bit by bit, a creeping coldness started to set in, my body growing number with each muscles that grew still. Fear settled in my heart, my body shaking with desperate resolution. Even in my delirium my mind knew one truth: Cold was death.

A painful screech sent shivers down my spine, images of red death filling my mind. A few seconds later, muffled sounds reached my ears, deep and husky, coming in short harsh bursts. There was something strange but familiar to those sounds, like a half forgotten memory, it hung at the edge of my tongue, teasing me with its presence; yet it always slipped away, laying just out of reach. I tried to move towards the sound, but tiredness refused to let go of my body, its numbing touch instead robbing me of what little strength I still had. More sounds reached my ears, deeper but at the same time softer, a tinge of emotion hanging to them; worry, sadness or maybe something deeper. They called to me, guided me back and they sent ripples through my body, Then, A hard warmness surrounded me, its firm hold reassuring and tender while my body rose higher in the air, the shivers banished by the newfound heat. A smile came to my face as the sounds grew closer to me, their meaning lost to me as they whispered in my ear; my body succumbed to exhaustion moments later, resting in a cradle of warm and safety,

A pungent smell woke me up a long time later, musky and thick, it dove deep into my nose, igniting a fire in my body and bringing tears to my eyes. My lungs begged for air, forcing my body to take deep breaths but only getting more of that musk into me. Coughs wracked my body, a last ditch attempt to get rid of the smell but my languid body could do nothing against the overpowering scent. Sharp desperation started to dig into my heart; my eyes opened wide, the harsh white light of the room forcing them shut soon enough. An anguished cry left my lips, words eluding my mind while my uninjured hand clenched in impotence. Just as I feared it all would end, strong hands took hold of my shoulders and guided me to lay on my side with gentle strength, a large hand rubbing soothing circles on my back; a deep rough voice followed a couple of seconds later, whispering harsh and guttural sounds that somehow felt soothing and tender, stemming the tide of fear that had taken hold of my body. A few moments later, a soft and wet fabric was pressed under my nose, the strong smell of mint and alcohol hitting me like a brick, but it was infinitely better than that other smell.

I laid there for a couple of minutes, breathing in that blessed scent while the nausea dimmed down to a slight bother. Cautiously, I opened my eyes, getting them used to the brilliant light of the room. A sea of blurry shapes met me at first, but ever so slowly shape and depth returned to the world and with them, I had my third surprise of the day. Gone were the control panels and the endless black of space, replaced by ivory austere walls and giant metallic drawers; instead of red emergency lights there were incandescent white lights while the cramped cockpit was exchanged for a wide room, unlike any I had ever seen. It was big and imposing, but at the same time bare and utilitarian, filled with angular shapes and muted colors. I swallowed hard, the implications of such a place weighting heavily on my mind, shivers running down my spine.

The soothing rubs stopped then, dreaded silence feeling the air. Curiosity clawed at my mind, urging me to take a look behind me yet my body wouldn't budge, my muscles stiff as a rock. The deep voice said something in its strange language before large hand brought me to lay on my back, revealing the form of my mysterious caretaker.

He was a beast of a man, easily taller than me by a head even when sitting and certainly twice as wide; a mane of charcoal black covered his head and fell down to his neck while his skin of a deep emerald green set a sharp contrast with his dark red uniform. Orbs of a deep purple stared into my own, filled with determination and worry. Large meaty hands took my uninjured one into a careful but firm hold before he brought it to hold the fabric near my nose. A soft rumble leaving his throat when I complied without putting a fuss, an amused smile coming to his face. A string of words left his mouth, their harsh unforgiving tones going right over my head. My look of confusion must have been clear, for a frown soon appeared on his masculine face. Another string of words came this time, more melodic and soft, but still carrying his bass tone. Unfortunately, beauty did not translate to meaning and I could only reply with silence as my mind struggled to make sense of this all. He stared at me for a few more moments, one hand gripping his chin while the other calmly rubbed my arm. Then a fire seemed to ignite in his eyes, his lips shifting to form a confident grin.

“I believe you should understand me now, don't you?" he said with his baritone voice, his grin growing wider after I gave him a small nod.

“Good, I was running out of languages and we wouldn't want that now, would we?" he gave me a conspiratorial wink, giving my arm a few light pats. “Now, I'm sure you have a lot of questions and I'll do my best to answer them all."

“First and foremost, my name is Doctor Pfenrg, you may call me Doctor Fen. I'm the medical officer charged with looking after the crew of this fine ship and, in some cases, civilians like yourself little hume. Can you tell me your name?"

“ I'm- ehem, I'm Daniel Teran, sir." I told him with a hoarse voice, bringing a smile to his face.

“Nice to meet you Daniel. Now, we found your escape pod, or what was left of it, as we responded to another distress call. I must say you're quite the lucky guy, a few more hours and we wouldn't be having this conversation.

“Unfortunately, you took quite a beating during your escape, a few hits to the head and a nasty compound fracture to your hand" his meaty fingers pointed at my injured hand, the limb covered by a glove like cloth that prevented any movement.

“Will I be okay?" I asked him with a quiver to my voice as held my injured hand to my chest, sending a spark of pain down my arm.

“ It was nothing I couldn't fix but I had to put more than your fair share of analgesics into you before I got to work, no need to put any additional trauma on you little guy. No need to worry about the numbness and the heaviness in your body either, the meds should wear off soon." He shot me a small smile at the end, gripping my shoulder in a reassuring hold. I returned his smile, relief coursing through my body.

“There's a bit more of bad news for you little hume. You see, this is an all Gorumn ship, so all 50 crew members are grown up Gorumns like myself and well, you already got a taste of what that means. Hey, hey, no need to glare at me like that, I used the last of my scent neutralizing spray on that towel just for you. I'm afraid there's not much we can do about that now, unless you would like me to cut an onion for you, I heard they help with the smell." I shook my head, the mere thought of the onion bringing tears to my eyes.

“Yeah, I thought so. You will have to endure until we arrive to the nearest port, don't worry, we don't bite, at least not without your say so." He said with mirth in his voice, giving me a playful wink that brought heat to my cheeks. “Which leads me to the next bits of bad news, even thought I said the nearest port, it'll still take about a week to get there."

“A week?! With this damn smell?!" I yelled as I sat up, a wave of dizziness rewarding my efforts. Doctor Fen clicked his tongue, his firm hands pushing me back into the bed.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, it's a long time, no need to be so dramatic." he chided me, a hint of anger to his voice.

“Sorry, that was uncalled for." Doctor Fen only gave me a nod before he continued.

“It's okay, I know you humes have sensitive noses. Anyway, as a civilian on a military ship, you're not allowed to roam the ship freely, military secrets and whatnot. The captain has already assigned you an escort and due to some choice of words during the election, you will be staying in his quarters for the duration of the trip. Against doctor's order I must add." His voice tinted with anger at he said the last part, a tinge of defiance shining in his eyes.

“I see. Thank you, doctor. For everything."

“You're welcome Daniel. Now, how about we give up a little check up before I send for your escort?" He said while taking out a small flashlight from his pockets.

The whole check up didn't last more than ten minutes, Doctor Fen's dexterous hands and warm character pulling me through the experience with only a slight discomfort and a bottle of pills as my reward. The door opened with a whoosh of air a couple of minutes after we were done, making way for a heavy seat Gorumn clad in a dark gray uniform; with steps that sounded like thunder, he marched into the room, sparing me a single calculating glance before he turned towards the doctor. His pose grew stiff like marble, the amicable air of the room replaced by one of solemn respect as the newcomer saluted Doctor Fen. A quick set of harsh words left the newcomer's lips, his voice both deep and husky.

“Officer, our guest doesn't understand our mother language." Doctor Fen pointed out with a low growl to his voice. The officer took it in stride, politely clearing his throat before speaking.

“Officer Tomrn reporting for duty sir." the soldier said with a thick accent, clearly not used to the language.

“At ease officer. Tell me soldier, has the captain changed her mind?"

“I don't know sir, I'm just here to take our guest to his new quarters."

Doctor Fen led out a sigh and rubbed his temples with his meaty hands, the large man looked so small in front of the behemoth that was officer Tomrn. Doctor Fen remained quite for a few seconds before he turned his worried gaze on me.

“Very well officer, you may escort our guest after I have a few words with him." the doctor said with authority clear in his tone. Officer Tomrn nodded once and after a quick salute, left the room in three long strides.

“You don't need to worry about him, he's a bit too straight laced but he's a nice lad." the doctor told me, shooting me his disarming smile. “Now, remember to take those pills exactly as I told you, no ifs or buts about it. And, the onion is still on the table if you need it."

I laughed at his horrible humor and got off the table with caution. Strong arms held me up the moment my legs were about to betray me; I was held closely against the doctor's body, the potent Gorumn musk piercing through even the mint scented towel I held to my nose. With his help, I managed to make it to the door, the short walk helping return some feeling to my legs. Officer Tomrn took the doctor's place as soon as we stepped out, replacing the doctor's minty scent with one more masculine and musky, almost making me gag. I kept a smile through it all and did all I could to ignore the heat in my groin. Sharing one last look, the doctor smiled before he returned to his sickbay, his eyes clear of worry for the first time since we met.

I turned to my escort, flashing him one wide smile. His scarlet eyes met mine, confidence clear in his eyes as he adjusted his hold on me before his husky voice said. “Well, shall we?" and he took me into the depths of the ship.