FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The planet Enaza was a golden yellow color from space, it's surface covered in soft sand. These barren deserts did nothing to deter its inhabitants, whose sprawling cities were visible on the night side of the planet, dotting the dark half with sparkling lights. Each planet they visited held its own captivating beauty, and Shade peered out the cockpit windows to admire it as Ami moved them below the atmosphere.

If she were an organic pilot, the landing would be a noisy affair, answering automated notification blips and messages from landing coordinators, but he knew she was tending to them all through DataLink. Her wordless, effortless connection to technology was something he envied at times, maneuvering the ship as if it were an extension of herself, flying smoothly down into the landing dock. She didn't even need to touch the controls, but she did anyway, just to keep her hands busy.

They disembarked, but not before he equipped a thermal shield system, attached to his upper back, to protect him from the overwhelming heat of the planet. It flashed up around him, a thin field of purple energy appearing just over his fur for a brief moment before it faded and the intense heat lessened to a pleasant warmth. Ami could simply rely on her internal coolant systems, of course. The shield itself had been a gift from an old friend the last time he had been here. He smiled at the memory. Perhaps he would revisit her later; He was here now to see different friends.

The citizens of this world, the jirans, were a sister species to the lup?ns--baring a slightly differed appearance, with taller ears, a thinner coat of fur, and a natural resistance to the planet's heat. They hadn't evolved this way; they were a distant genetic relative to the lup?n species, born from a bioengineered mutagenic virus. Shade wasn't up on his galactic history, but he knew there had been a revolution between the Lup?n Empire and the colonists who initially settled here, the struggle between them eventually ending when the lup?n colonists used a DNA-altering virus to become an entirely new species.

Today, this world's leadership took after the peaceful avian inhabitants of Arva, following aran teachings of non-violence and compassion. Their architecture was clearly of aran inspiration; lots of beautiful organic curves and amenities designed for a variety of species. There was a different color scheme here, though; while Arva's cities were vibrant and almost overwhelming to the senses with the bright colors and pungent scents, Enaza's cities were crafted from a combination of reflective white synthetic alloys and gleaming gold, crevices here and there pulsing with violet light, belying the peoples' unique energy systems. Clothes of citizens were thin and tight-fitting, of all different colors and patterns, while these inhabitants payed no mind to the garb of offworlders, welcoming visitors in all forms. The smell was mostly that of dusty, hot sand, but when the wind blew down from the market district, the mouth-watering scent of various meats filled the air. Shade realized just how long it had been since he'd had real food, and how much better that food usually tasted after spending so long in space eating cryogenically frozen meat.

"We're meeting the others this way," Ami said, turning down a wide road. She likely had a map of the city in her head; Shade again took a moment to appreciate her abilities as an android. He could've pulled up a map or guidance system on his own HUD, of course, but that would've taken time, and he trusted her.

"Tirra's here already," Ami reported, only a split second before Shade saw a message from Tirra herself appear in the corner of his vision.

"You guys here yet?? Can't wait!!!"

"Enthusiastic, as usual," Shade chuckled.

***

Tirra looked different almost each time Shade saw her, sometimes only slightly deviating from her signature white fur and blue eyes, sometimes differing wildly so he couldn't have picked her out of a crowd. Both he and Ami had, on occasion, been known to drastically alter their own fur or eye color, but this was usually in disguise rather than a lifestyle choice. Today, however, Tirra stood out plainly with her natural white fur and sparkling blue eyes, still the same as when he had last seen them, lighting up even more as she saw him, bolting up from the bar and nearly knocking her stool over.

But no matter how she looked, there was always her smell. He'd picked it up when he was outside, more than five blocks away, and it only grew stronger as she threw her arms around him, giggling.

Tirra smelled like the planet Arva, like exotic spices and fresh air and the intermingled scents of several partners from the most diverse planet in the galaxy, pheromones of various races that clung to her fur in the way those partners probably had, but beneath it all there was that scent that was just... her. Most notably, it was the scent of intoxicating lust, the unique mix of female scent and male musk denoting her hermaphroditism, but also a lighter and more fragrant aroma he could never quite describe.

"Gods, Tirra, you still smell incredible," he sighed, letting out his breath. "I missed you."

"?You always say that," she tittered.

"Yeah, 'cause I always miss you," he said.

"Aww!" she crooned. "And you're still so sweet!"

He chuckled, then released her, but she didn't relax her grasp on him.

"Oh no, I'm not done with you yet, you rascal!" she laughed, hugging tighter. He laughed too and put his arms around her again.

Afterward, she gave Ami an equally long hug and they sat down, ordering drinks, Shade a simple ale, Tirra an exotic cocktail.

"And for you?" the jiran bartender asked, turning to Ami. "We have a variety of options for androids."

Shade had expected Ami to maintain her cover as an organic, but evidently she had chosen to relax a bit. If the bartender had been able to identify her as an android, it meant she had chosen not to hack his visual implants. Usually, she had a habit of remotely hacking the occular implants of anyone who scanned her. These very same implants were present in nearly every organic in the galaxy for this very purpose; in addition to general communication--like with the message Tirra had sent earlier--they helped to identify androids that were otherwise indistinguishable from common organics, like Ami was.

"Our establishment offers an empowering conductive mixture to restore energy, or a glass of liquid coolant nanites to help cool off and prevent your power core from overheating!" the bartender continued.

"Mmm, that sounds good," Ami said with a nod. She turned to Tirra and asked, "How'd you find out about this place?"

"Oh, I just wanted to try somewhere new!" she said. "We always meet in that same dive bar on Earth, there's a whole galaxy full of nice spots to meet up!"

Shade was about to respond, but was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Sorry I'm late!"

They turned to see Rayne walking toward them, smiling brightly, silvery blue eyes equally as bright, charming smirk the same as ever. His grey fur was ruffled, not as neat as it was when he was at the UGDF precinct or on patrol; clearly he was enjoying his vacation. He was, of course, greeted by a hug from Tirra before anything else.

***

"Sooo, anything I should know about...?" Tirra asked, raising her eyebrows with a smirk as she sat back down, glancing between Shade and Ami.

"Mmm, nope. Nothin' I can think of!" Shade said idly.

He knew what it was she was after, of course. She asked about the same thing every time they met up, and while some would've considered it annoying, he found it just made her all the more adorable.

"Awww, come oonnn! The two of you spend most of your time flying back and forth across the galaxy on that ship! Plenty of time alooone! You suuure nothing happened I should know about?"

"Plenty happened," Ami chuckled. "Just nothing you're hoping for."

Tirra was a hopeless romantic, as ever, and was always eager to see if there had been any sort of spark between Shade and Ami. Whereas the same inquiry by Rayne would've meant he was just curious for details on their sex life, that always came second in Tirra's line of questioning.

She slumped in her seat, ears drooping a little, but understanding that she couldn't just wish people together and make it so. She moved on.

"But the sex is still fun, right?" she said.

Shade snorted.

"Oh, yeah," Ami said. "We did it by a supernova once. Esra-29?"

"Ooo, I saw that one!" Tirra said. "Never had sex next to it, though...~"

"Thought about using one of my vacation days to go see it," Rayne said idly. "Was it cool?"

"It was nice..." Shade murmured. "Especially when you get close enough that the thing fills the view from the cockpit, looks like a nebula. Really something else."

"And by 'close enough' he means about 12 light years away, because it's still a supernova," Ami said. "but it was fine. The ship's shields held up to any radiation."

"Oh!" Tirra gasped suddenly. "Have you gotten back with Kerra yet?"

"No," Shade sighed, his tone as flat as his ears as he kept his eyes on the countertop.

"Wow, still sore about her, huh?" Rayne said.

Shade scowled.

"It's only been two years since we broke up," he said bitterly.

"That's a pretty long time," Rayne chuckled.

"Aww, I didn't mean to make you feel bad!" Tirra pouted, standing and walking over to wrap her arms around him.

"Oh, gods, don't--" he started, but gave in with a sigh as she pulled him into a warm hug, nearly pulling him right off the barstool.

"Thank you Tirra, I'm fine," he said.

She gave a little laugh and ruffled the fur on his nose, leaving a bit of her scent behind, before wandering over and sitting down. What she lacked in respect for personal space, she more than made up for in sweetness.

"Hey, you'll get over her," Rayne said. "Just give it time."

He nodded and they clinked bottles in old Earth fashion, and Shade was thankful for the less publicly embarrassing method of easing his discomfort. Just before putting his bottle to his lips, he caught a look from Ami that said you know I'm here if you need me.

"So, let's change topics," Tirra said quickly. "Oo, hey! You two've never actually told me how you met!" She pointed between Rayne and Shade.

Shade looked up.

"What?" he said. "We haven't?"

"Really?" Rayne said. "All the stories we've swapped with you over the years, Tirra, and we never...?"

She shook her head.

"Nope!" she said. "Just all the adventures in between. Not that they're not nice, but I wanna know how you two hit it off! Was it in a place like this? It was, wasn't it?"

"Actually, yeah," Shade laughed.

Tirra giggled lightly.

"Oh! Let me guess, Rayne saw the two of you and decided to hit on Ami!" she said.

This time they all laughed.

"No, I wasn't there at the time, actually," Ami said. "but that's likely what would have happened if I were."

"Yeaaah, can't argue with you there," Rayne chuckled. "Especially after I found out you were an android."

Shade rolled his eyes and this time Ami giggled, followed shortly by another round of light laughter from Tirra.

"What?" Rayne laughed, shrugging. "I work all day in an android-free zone! I've gotta go to a whole different district to--"

"Okay, okay, okay!" Tirra cut in, still giggling a bit. "So what's the actual story?"

"Well, there was this lup?n waitress," Shade began.

"Ah..." Tirra said, eyes lighting with realization.

"We were both going for her, but I'm pretty sure she was more into his badge than him," Shade said, smirking toward Rayne.

"Whatever you wanna tell yourself," he chuckled.

"Anyway, she happened to mention she'd heard of this place that was profiling people--mostly hiring humans and firing anyone else for stupid reasons--"

"She mentioned it to me, you mean," Rayne said.

"Right, yeah," Shade continued, "but I overheard, and--"

"Eavesdropped," Rayne corrected.

"Do you want to tell it?" Shade sighed.

Rayne snickered.

"Let me guess, you took down a bad guy and saved the day and now you work together to protect the galaxy, right?" Tirra said.

"That's... surprisingly accurate, actually," Rayne chuckled.

"We each handled it our own way," Shade said. "Me by taking care of the corrupt head of the company and getting a confession out of him, Ami by taking care of the guy's entire guard detail on another floor while I beat him senseless until he talked, and Rayne by swooping in and locking him up before he could escape."

"Ohh, I always wondered how you fought off those guys," Rayne said. "Place was a mess when I got there. Also, you left out the part where you almost let him escape."

Shade rolled his eyes.

"For the last time, how the hell was I supposed to know he'd have a modified fuckin' pulse breaker in his desk??"

"A pulse...?" Tirra said inquisitively.

"Pulse breaker," Ami said. "Military-grade Jiran assault rifle. Like an aran suppressor with a kill setting."

"Oh," Tirra said, eyes wide.

"Idiot should've just surrendered," Rayne chuckled. "That weapon alone would've put him away for life. Pleading guilty to racial discrimination would've been way less severe."

"I still don't understand your planet's judicial system," Shade sighed.

"I'm with you on that one," Rayne said.

There was a brief silence between them, each one taking a drink of their own beverage.

"Anything new with you, Ami?" Rayne asked.

"Sure," Ami said. "I went and upgraded my DNA scanner recently."

"I've been meaning to ask why you have that," Rayne murmured, setting his bottle down.

"It's actually come in handy once or twice," Shade said. "Helps confirm identities. That, and, well..."

"It also comes in handy when Shade runs into one of his many exes or one-night-stands," Ami chuckled.

"Mm-hmm," Shade muttered. "You wouldn't believe how many girls track me down and demand child support."

"Half of them don't even have kids with them," Ami laughed. "but if they do, I can always check to see if they share his DNA."

Tirra's ear flicked toward him and she turned with a curious look.

"I thought you said you were sterile?" she said.

"Yep, all my life," he said. "Which makes the DNA tests totally unnecessary. Still, it's nice to have verifiable proof."

"Hmm..." Tirra sighed, sounding wistful. "Still, though. Might be interesting to see what our kids could look like."

"Actually..." Ami said with a smirk. "I do sometimes entertain myself by running a little program I built that calculates just that!"

"What?" Shade coughed. "You what?"

"Really?" Tirra asked, leaning forward. Ami nodded.

"I run it on everyone he hooks up with," Ami said. She giggled. "And some of the ones he doesn't. Just for fun."

"Ooo, you've gotta tell me what our kids look like!" Tirra pleaded. "How many? Are they cute?"

"Oh, gods..." Shade sighed, turning back to his drink.

"Three," Ami said. "Two girls and a boy. Very cute!"

Tirra squealed and Rayne chuckled.

"Glad you're also enjoying this," Shade muttered, casting a sidelong glance at him.

"I've run one on you too, Rayne," Ami said.

Rayne's smile vanished. Shade's drink almost came out his nose.

"Yooou mean me and my exes, right?" Rayne asked nervously.

"Nope," Ami said. "You and Shade."

"But..." Shade stammered. "But we couldn't-- How...??"

"You can't get anyone pregnant, the entire program is purely theoretical," Ami said flatly. "And by the way, you have a very pretty daughter. She has her father's eyes."

"Wait," Rayne said. "Which... Which one of us is-- No. You know what? Don't answer that."

"Good call," Shade said.

"Awww, but now I have to know what color eyes she has!" Tirra said, squirming atop her barstool.

"You ever run that program on yourself, Ami?" Rayne asked. This was transparently a tactic to switch the conversation from himself to someone else as soon as possible, but it worked.

Ami's ears flattened and a blush colored her cheeks.

"Sure..." she said.

"Aaaaand...?" Tirra prompted. Ami cleared her throat.

"A girl. Black and brown fur. Shade's eyes," she said, not making eye contact with anyone.

Tirra let out the loudest and longest "Awww" he had ever heard from her, and it grew higher in pitch as it got closer to the end. Several of the bar's patrons looked at them strangely.

"You know you're blushing, right?" Rayne chuckled.

"Yes!" Ami said, loudly. "It's not my fault I'm programmed with organic behavioral responses!"

This time there was a round of laughter, both from them and the strangers in earshot. There was a brief silence as it died down and they all turned to their drinks for a moment.

"She gets cybernetic upgrades later in life..." Ami said, smiling softly now. "To be more like me. Part organic, part machine--the best of both of us."

For reasons he couldn't quite describe, a grin slowly spread over Shade's face.

"That was the first calculation, anyway," Ami murmured quietly into her cup.

"How many times did you run it?" Tirra asked, wriggling giddily.

"Oh, you know. Only a few," Ami said. "Thousand."

Tirra broke into a round of joyous laughter, almost falling off of her stool, and the rest of them couldn't help but join. Admittedly, it was strangely heart-warming, thinking of a bright future, even one that could never be.

Shade stood up and Ami followed.

"'Scuse us for a bit," Shade said. "We're going to go simulate some offspring."

Rayne cracked up at the joke. Tirra hadn't stopped laughing.