FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The pain was back when Strong Soul opened her eyes. The lights had yet to be turned on in their small room off the boiler room, but even in the darkness, she felt like something was boring through her eyes and into the back of her skull. She couldn't remember a time that she'd hurt so badly.

She let out a small, quiet whimper and held her hands to her head. It didn't do much, but at least the physical contact gave her something to focus on besides the pressure that was slowly building to a point that she couldn't take any longer. She rolled over on the thin mattress and the bed squeaked. It was barely enough of a sound to register, even in the small room, but to her it sounded like a thousand screams straight from the underworld.

She groaned again and sat up, still holding her head. When she began to stand, though, she found her legs too shaky to support her and she fell to the floor in an inglorious heap. She knew that there were others very close, and that Stargazer was in the bed next to her. All she had to do was call out to him and he'd be there, but she couldn't find the words to even call for help. All that came out was sound halfway between a moan and a scream of pain.

She heard him sitting up in the bed, the squeaking of his bedsprings sounding only slightly quieter than her own. Then it was his soft footsteps across the small room to kneel by her side. Everything was full inside her mind, all the mind glows of the others in the shelter, all clamoring to get into her head, to find their place in the mass of links that she held in her mind. Her own mind screamed out to be joined with them, but she couldn't. Even if she wasn't afraid of being revealed for what she was, she didn't know how to reach them all.

"Keeper," Stargazer said quietly, his voice but a whisper in her ear, "you must share this with me."

She shook her head and squeezed her eyes even more tightly shut. "Can't find you," she muttered, finally finding the words through the haze. "Too many."

And there were too many, it was like standing in the center of a fire and trying to find an individual spark. There were so many blazing around her that she couldn't even find Stargazer's glow.

"I am right next to you, Keeper," he said. She focused on his words, the calm competence behind them, and something woke in her mind. It was the memory of what they shared, his voice brought it to the fore and let it shine over the other glows. Finally, his deep red aura stood out in her mind and she was able to cling to it.

"How?" she asked.

"Open to me and I will share this with you," he said. "I am not Frr'a'narr'ou, so it will not be complete, but if you do not share with someone, you will not survive this."

The last words he said quietly into her ears pierced through her reluctance and her hesitation. The pain was still blinding and she knew that something was very, very wrong, though she wasn't one to admit that she couldn't handle whatever it was. Finally, with almost a sigh of resignation and acceptance, she let the link open fully between her and Stargazer. Letting just that one open wide while keeping herself from touching all the others surrounding her took more concentration than she'd ever needed before, and she felt her mind struggling at the others, trying desperately to make the connections.

When Stargazer's link opened, the built-up energy flowed down it like a rushing river, leaving her mind feeling only half-full for a moment before more power simply filled in the space that was available. It was a slow process, though, and she had time to open her eyes. Stargazer's face was only centimeters away from hers and she watched the black bleed into his eyes and the red ring his irises. It was something she had seen before, only through someone else's eyes. The sight of it happening to someone she cared about was enough for her to try to shut the link again, but no matter how she tried, she couldn't. She shut her eyes again and she felt Stargazer's hand on her shoulder.

"Do not fight it, Keeper. It must be this way until we can take you somewhere safe. You cannot awaken here."

There was a knock on the door and Strong Soul opened her eyes again, turning towards the sound. First Spark's familiar aura was waiting right outside and she tasted a worried tinge to her mind.

"Come, Six," she called, hearing her voice echoed by Stargazer's. She turned her head to look at him as the door opened and together they shook their heads in the same manner as when she had joined with him through Night Star.

"Keeper," First Spark said quietly, stepping just inside the door, "Are you well?"

"No," Stargazer said. Strong Soul felt him pouring his own willpower and discipline into separating their minds so they could at least maintain their own separate identities. "We must leave this place or she will be in even more danger."

First Spark took only a moment to consider what Stargazer had said before nodding. "I can take you to your ship," she said simply.

"Good, but we need Night Star. There is no way you or Keeper can jump without him, it would kill you both."

"I'll find Sand Stalker," First Spark said. She turned and headed out the door at a sprint, the sense of urgency another jolt into Strong Soul's mind.

Stargazer turned and looked back at Strong Soul who had watched the whole thing without speaking. "We do not have much time. With you joined with me like this, I know that we've only bought a little while." He stared hard into her eyes. "If the need arises, you must join with First Spark as well. She will provide more time."

"No," Strong Soul insisted with an emphatic shake of her head. "I can't. She's too young, I'll overwhelm her and it might kill her."

"Then you must be cautious about it, but if we are not away from here by the time you awaken, you will be discovered in mere moments by every tracker on this planet, or the awakening will destroy your mind."

Strong Soul nodded, finally managing to get to her feet as the pressure in her head lessened to a level that was bearable. She could tell by the power still welling up inside her that she didn't have long before she would again be at the breaking point. She also knew what Stargazer hadn't said. It was all through the joining and she was touching his mind. With him joined to her, not only would the awakening destroy her, it would take him as well.

Pounding steps got louder and louder until Sand Stalker burst through the door with First Spark on his heels.

"Six tells me you're ill," he said, looking her over with concern.

"She is awakening," Stargazer said simply. "You have heard the legends?"

Sand Stalker nodded, an expression of awe masking the inner concern Strong Soul could almost touch, boiling beneath the surface.

"There are trackers everywhere in this city and others. If she awakens..."

"Yes," Stargazer said, "that is why we must leave. Night Star is not fully healed, but I suspect he will be able to at least shield First Spark and Keeper for the jump."

"First Spark?" Sand Stalker asked, looking at Six.

"Yes," Strong Soul said. "She and I had a vision last night, and she was named by Catcher of Souls. She has great things ahead of her, but only if we can leave this place."

Sand Stalker stood thoughtfully for a moment and then turned to the door.

"Spinning Blades, Sun Runner!" he bellowed down the hallway before turning back to Stargazer and Strong Soul.

"If you have to leave, then we'll help you get out of here," he said.

A tall and lithe Mrr'tanou rounded the corner into the room with a small bow. He was easily the tallest Mrr'tanou Strong Soul had ever seen and his dark brown and gray fur was marked through with the telltale signs of the River clan. He was followed by a burly, muscled Mrr'tanah. She was a head shorter than the Mrr'tanou, but she stood with much more confidence if not as much grace. She was covered head to toe in pure white fur with not a speck of other color to her coat. Her eyes were as pale as the rest of her, broken only by the black of her pupils. On one shoulder, she bore a scar in the shape of a Mountain clan marking.

They both regarded Strong Soul and Stargazer for a moment and then turned to Sand Stalker.

"You summoned?" the Mrr'tanah asked.

"Collect the fighters," Sand Stalker said. "We'll be hitting the Habub in thirty minutes."

"We have enough food to last for at least thirty cycles," the Mrr'tanou said, glancing at the trio in the center of the room when he did, an accusatory glance on his face.

"Do as I say," Sand Stalker said, the edge of command and threat appearing at the side of his voice.

"As you say," they said together. With a small bow from each of them, the gave another glance to Strong Soul and then turned and jogged down the hall, calling out names as they did.

"The Habub is the main food storage for the entire city. It is a well-guarded target and it will take all our fighters to attempt a raid, but with sufficient numbers, it'll let you get to your ship."

Sand Stalker turned to First Spark. "You need to go to the clinic first. Speak with One Eye and tell him that I've requested his help. He needs to make sure that Night Star is prepared to be moved and he will need a canister of nanites for the rest of his treatment. You know how to use them, and you'll be the one taking care of him when you leave with them, understood?"

"Yes father," First Spark said with a small bow of her own.

"Good," he said, pulling her against him into a strong embrace. "Then go about it, and I will see you again, I promise."

First Spark stepped away from him and wiped the tears from her eyes, then turned to Strong Soul. "I will be in the clinic waiting for you. We will be ready."

Strong Soul nodded. "Thank you both," she said.

"Come, Keeper," Stargazer said. "We must make ready ourselves."

It didn't take long for Stargazer and Strong Soul to collect their things, as everything they had when they arrived at the shelter was what they had on them and in their pockets when they ran from the clinic. Sand Stalker waited for them and then together they made their way back through the city towards the clinic.

A few blocks away from the clinic, Sand Stalker tapped a command into the small interface on his wrist. Moments afterward, a loud alarm sounded in the distance and when Strong Soul focused, she could hear the far-off sound of gunfire. She turned quickly around to face Sand Stalker.

"What are they doing?" she asked, an edge to her voice.

"They're giving us cover," he answered simply.

"You're going to get them killed."

"They understand that, and they're willing to give their lives for the good of the others. If the raid succeeds, then we'll be able to save even more outcasts and the ones already in the refuge will not have to worry about food for a long time."

"Accept their gift, Strong Soul," Sand Stalker said, laying a hand on her head. "You might not recognize it yet, but you're more important than any of us."

"We are wasting time," Stargazer hissed, ears flat. "They are doing this for us, and we must make sure we use the time they give us well."

Strong Soul hesitated for a moment longer, her instincts saying that she wasn't worth what they were doing, and that she should go and help, or at least call it off, but in the end, Stargazer's advice won out. The pressure in her head was still increasing, and though she wanted to deny it, there was only so much time that she had to get off the planet and away from others.

"Fine," she said finally. Her ears lay flat against her head and she shook her head, but she turned and put her hand on Stargazer's shoulder. "Let's go."

They started off at a jog towards the clinic. When they got closer, the side door opened and a Mrr'tanah in the clinic's garb stepped out to beckon them towards her. Just inside the door, a transport vehicle sat waiting for them, similar to the one that had met the Pride after they'd landed.

"Your friends are waiting in the triage area. Take this cart and leave it on the surface. A work crew will come and get it later."

"Thank you," Strong Soul said.

The Mrr'tanah looked at her with wide eyes and then reached out to take her hand. "Safe travels, Strong Soul."

Strong Soul blushed and pulled her hand back as soon as she felt she could without offending her. Together the trio climbed into the cart with Sand Stalker driving. Within seconds, they were stopped outside a door while First Spark loaded a still-sleeping Night Star into the rear. With him loaded, they sped down the familiar street and tunnel to the lift that led to the surface.

At last, Strong Soul could lay her head back and close her eyes. The pressure was starting to build to painful levels again, pushing at the sides of her consciousness.

"Your warriors have done well," Stargazer said. "I expected at least some resistance."

"They know their roles well. We have done this many times before, just never this big."

The doors on the lift opened and they rolled out into the light of New Mecca's binary suns. The pride was still standing where they'd landed it, though through the glare, Strong Soul could make out two human shapes at the base of the ramp.

"Sand Stalker and I will deal with the humans," Stargazer said. "You and First Spark take Night Star on board, then get the Pride ready to go. I will be on board as soon as I can."

Strong Soul only nodded as Sand Stalker pulled around behind one of the massive landing struts. He and Stargazer climbed out of the cart and silently loped towards the humans.

"Come, Keeper," First Spark said, sliding out the back of the cart. "It will take both of us."

"I've carried heavier than him," Strong Soul said, climbing out behind her. The movement aggravated her headache and she closed her mouth tightly to keep from groaning. "Help me lift him and I'll carry him."

They pulled him out of the back of the cart and together got him flopped up and over Strong Soul's shoulders. She took hold of his arm and his leg and hoisted him. She felt his mind prickling in the back of hers and she let herself open a little more to him. He was aware of what was happening, at least in a general sense and she sent a quick caress of competent reassurance to him. Along the link, a little more of the power buildup flowed to him, easing the pressure a little.

His surprise at the transfer registered and she tried to close the link again, but his mind kept her from doing it, his genuine desire to help her loud and clear. She shook her head and let her exasperation with everyone finally flow out. It was returned by a low sense of amusement and love.

With another sigh, she started walking towards the loading ramp. When they arrived, there was no sign of either Sand Stalker or Stargazer, though there were four sets of footprints that led away from the ramp. The tracker in her wanted to follow them and join in the hunt, but the weight on her shoulders reminded her that she had other obligations. Stargazer had proven his prowess and Sand Stalker didn't seem like the kind of person to let an unaware human get the better of him. Besides, they had their roles to play and if they didn't do them right, then none of them were going to get off the planet.

Strong Soul was the first up the ramp with First Spark on her heels, watching behind them. Strong Soul waved her hand in front of the reader to announce her presence. The door swung open with a hiss and she barreled into the airlock.

"Welcome home, Strong Soul," Micah's soft voice said. "I see you have Master Jason with you."

"He's better but he's still unconscious, Micah. I'm taking charge of the Pride until he wakes up. Prep the med bay and give full access to the medical systems to First Spark here. She will be staying with him."

"Of course, Strong Soul."

The inner door opened and Strong Soul led the way down the corridor to the medical bay where she could finally lay him down on the bed. She sank into the seat next to the bed, panting with shaking legs that she hadn't even noticed while First Spark started moving about, getting her equipment set up. Strong Soul watched her move, looking through the cabinets and putting things together as if she'd been doing it all her life. She envied her sure manner and then smiled when she realized she was watching First Spark's version of her hunting. Where she took life, First Spark gave it back.

When her legs had stopped shaking enough, she stood and headed to the door. "I'm going to get the ship ready. Ask for Micah if you need anything, and he'll find me. I'll be back for you when we're in atmo, okay?"

"Go, I'm fine here. There's lots to do to make sure that he heals right," First Spark said, not even looking up from her rummaging.

Strong Soul smiled and then ducked out the door, letting it close behind her.

"Micah, I'm going to need some help getting the Pride ready," she said as she jogged along the corridor to the bridge.

"Of course Strong Soul," he said. "You've watched many times, and I will help you through it."

She hit the hatch release with both hands and threw herself into her customary chair. Even though she was the acting captain of the ship and she could take Night Star's seat, her own seat still felt right and she could still control everything she needed from the right side that she could with the left.

The monitor was already on by the time she had herself situated, the standard checklist showing in the corner while the views from the external cameras cycled behind it. There was little to see, just the featureless sandscape of the surface of the sun-baked planet. She kept one eye on them, hoping that Stargazer was going to appear on the monitors soon, but she could only spare so much attention while she ran through the checkslist and began warming up the Pride's engines.

"Pardon me, Strong Soul," Micah intoned as she finished the last item, "but there are three craft approaching, bearing one eight zero by one zero zero. Five hundred kilometers and closing."

"How long, Micah?" she asked.

"Time to zero intercept is one five minutes."

Strong Soul chewed lightly on her lip and watched the screen as she cycled through the cameras one more time, hoping that she would see Stargazer, but he was nowhere to be seen.

It went against everything that she ever learned or believed to leave Stargazer behind, especially with what she shared with him, but she also had to think about First Spark. She'd given Sand Stalker her word that she would look out for the girl and protect her as she had been protected by the others.

"Light the main engine," she said, making up her mind, "and set a countdown for sixty milicycles. When it ends, secure the lock."

"Acknowledged," Micah said.

A countdown appeared in the corner of her screen, flashing a dark crimson. The deep rumble of the engine flared under her and shook the ship as the large plasma thrusters came online and the central core began to heat.

"Tune the scanners for Mrr'tani bio signs and scan maximum range, surface only."

"Commencing scan."

Strong Soul sat back and watched as information scrolled on her screen. She didn't understand most of it, but Night Star had taught her enough that she could make at least rudimentary sense of the results.

Carefully, she probed the link between her and Stargazer, beginning the process of the formal joining that she knew so well already. She closed her eyes and focused on his mind, and as she did, the power inside her pulsed even higher, bringing tears to her eyes. The link coalesced, though and she felt warm blood on her hands. The roar of the engines penetrated a killing haze in her mind and she felt Stargazer look up. Sand Stalker was laying still on the sand, his fur blowing in the wind kicked up by the thrusters.

She sent a wave of urgency down the link and she felt his recognition as well as his concern about the increased pain. She knew that he was feeling something similar, though he kept it buried far enough that she could barely feel it. His eyes turned to Sand Stalker's body again and then he turned and ran towards the ship.

She closed the link as far as she could and she wiped the tears from her eyes. She tapped the screen icons until the ramp camera filled her screen and she waited, watching the countdown go faster than it should.

Finally, with ten milicycles left on the timer, Stargazer climbed the ramp. Strong Soul opened the door for him even before he reached the top. When he was inside the airlock, she hit the button that raised the ramp.

"Thrusters to full, Micah. Get us out of here."

She reached for the throttle and threw it to full, then pulled back on the stick to settle it into neutral position. She'd never taken off on her own, and the ship lurched as she took the controls.

With a deep breath, she slowly pulled back on the thruster control and felt the ship respond to her.

Remember, it's like an extension of you, she heard Night Star's voice in her head from the first time he'd let her have control. The words echoed in the back of her mind and she relaxed, letting the tension from her hands and her arms. Her motions were more fluid and easy and as she relaxed, her mind opened a little more, taking in First Spark, Night Star and Stargazer. It felt like waves of herself flowing over the whole of the ship, feeling it all.

But there was someone else there, again, this one even more foreign than her father had been when she linked with him. This was utterly different than any of the others, but it was still there. Where the others were warm and welcoming, this one was cold and hard, something that didn't belong.

Micah, she thought.

She felt Stargazer's astonishment and immediate suspicion and caution. Night Star was too far beneath the surface to recognize what was happening, and First Spark was too busy wondering about this new feeling.

Without any further hesitation, she reached out and touched that cold, hard-edged mind glow, and when she did, the universe seemed to open to her. But it wasn't the universe she knew. This was a universe of electricity and circuits, of metal and power. Nothing was familiar, and there was very little that she could understand. It didn't matter, though, because Micah understood it all. This was his domain, and when she touched his mind, it became her domain.

I'm sorry, she thought. I didn't understand.

No mortal does, Micah said.

We have to go. Help me.

Follow me, he said.

She followed. She followed him through the circuits and the unforgiving landscape of his mind. Her vision cleared enough that she could see what she was doing in the physical world, though she let Micah direct her. Engines flared and roared and the Pride surged off the ground faster than she'd ever felt. The sheer exhilaration was more than just her. Micah shared it, for the first time able to feel the ship the way they did.

She gave a shove with her mind to make sure that together they kept the acceleration within the realm of tolerable for the Mrr'tani on board. Even then, it was still uncomfortable, and the ship moved faster than they'd ever pushed it. She felt First Spark's protest as the gravity pressed against her.

"Intertial compensators to full," she said.

The gravity lessened and started to return to normal as the sky outside blackened. She pushed deeper with her mind into Micah's and she became aware of the outside of the ship as her mind translated the sensor readings into more physical sensations. Off to the corner of her mind, she saw the ships pursuing them. They were still far enough off that she could only just make out their hulls. With her awareness fused with Micah's, she knew that they were <insert cool Arabic word here> fighters.

The <>'s were older models and from the acceleration they were displaying, Micah projected that they were not well-maintained.

Behind her, she heard Stargazer come into the bridge and take his seat behind her. After a moment, his hand landed on her shoulder and she felt his mind open a little more to her. His shock at feeling Micah there with her was palpable

"What are you doing, Keeper?" he asked, the concern plain.

"What needs to be done," she answered.

"Micah, set course for the gate, maximum acceleration. No turnover, we'll hit the gate full speed."

"That may damage the systems," Micah advised.

"We need to get away. What's the status on the fighters?"

"They appear to be turning back," Micah said.

Strong Soul turned her attention to the sensors again and the fighters were turning around.

"Perhaps they cannot function outside the atmosphere. New Mecca is not known for its kindness to spacecraft hulls."

"Either way, I'm not going to question a stroke of luck. What's the ETA to the gate?"

"Gate intercept in five six zero milicycles at current acceleration," Micah answered.

"Any sign of other ships?" Stargazer asked.

"There are no other ships from the surface, but sensors read two Hawk class light cruisers on station at the gate."

"Hawks will shoot us out of the stars," Stargazer said. "And if they're blocking the gate, there's no way we're going to get through."

"Micah, what happens if we engage the jump engines before we reach the gate?" Strong Soul asked.

"The hyper wall must be thin enough, but the engines will carry us across. However, without the precise tuning of the gate, the Pride will enter hyper on an unpredictable course. If there is a wave on the other side of the wall and in our path, then the ship will be destroyed."

"How likely is that to happen?"

"Unlikely," Micah answered, "waves seldom form where the wall is thin, but it has been known. This is the phenomenon known as 'wormholes.'"

"We'll engage the engines fifty thousand kilometers short of the gate," Strong Soul said, making up her mind. "Micah, do your best to put us on a course that we can correct. Stargazer, I'm going to need you to pilot."

Stargazer nodded and climbed into the right hand seat, strapping himself in.

"I'm going to go to the med bay. We need Night Star to shield me and First Spark. Whatever happens, take us out of here."

"As you wish, Keeper," Stargazer said, reaching out to take her hand in his.

She held his hand for a moment and then turned and hurried to the cargo bay. She remembered going through the cargo containers and finding some rolling beds, and they were right where she remembered them. She wheeled them down the hall with her as she trotted to the med bay and palmed her way into the door.

"How is he?" she asked.

"He is stable," First Spark responded. "It will be six cycles before he can be safely awakened."

Strong Soul nodded and rolled one of the beds to First Spark. "Set that up and get comfortable. We can't be in our own minds when we cross the hyper wall."

First Spark nodded and unfolded the bed while Strong Soul did the same. They locked them in position and then laid down.

"Don't worry," Strong Soul said. "We've done this many times. Just don't fight it."

"I trust you," First Spark said, laying back and closing her eyes.

Strong Soul did the same, noting with amusement that the bed was nowhere near as comfortable as her usual one in her cabin. It hardly mattered, though, as she let loose of the control on her mind, throwing open the links between her and her companions. The familiar sensation of multiplicity started once again and she felt First Spark's wonder at the first rush of feeling. She didn't have time to spend showing her around, and she would learn soon enough when she touched the rest of their minds. She was busy seeking through Night Star's mind, trying to find that spot in his mind that let him shield her.

His welcoming embrace took her in and somehow he knew what she was looking for. He took her right to it, and she poured her energy into it, feeling the answering blackness and the feeling of silence around her.

We're ready, Stargazer, she thought to him.

Hold fast, Keeper, came the answer.

She folded her mind around First Spark, giving her an extra layer of protection from the barrier between dimensions and then held tight to her.

The crossing was harder than any they'd done and even through the buffering effects of Night Star's shield the links were blown wide open. It was simultaneously more painful and less than the first time they'd jumped, but the pain was still white hot and it filled her entire skull. There wasn't the sense of so many connections this time, just a swell in the power such that she thought her head would burst. It was shared between the four of them and she heard First Spark's scream matching with her own.

She held tightly, trying to contain the extra energy in her own skull until the transition ended. It seemed like it went on forever, but eventually it died down and she could open her eyes. Everything was too sensitive and she could feel every fiber of the sheets against her fur.

"Keeper," Stargazer said over the intercom, "we are safe. But you should come to the bridge."