FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The journey to the central markets of the city took the better part of half an hour, during which Feo and her team made their way through most of the slums. Their landing pad was obviously one of the lesser-priority ones, situated about halfway between the inner and outer walls. But for everyone there, it was a depressing trek; the sight of so many people huddled around fires and clutching desperately at the few possessions they had as they watched the newcomers pass by was gut-wrenching. More than anything, Feo was confused; with all the wealth in the galaxy, how was this still such an apparently common occurrence? The Aeteri model wasn’t perfect, that much was sure, but no-one went without a roof over their head, no-one starved. Then she spotted a pair of fearful eyes belonging to a young Pariean hatchling, and her heart broke.

She felt a large paw rest on her shoulder, and she tore her view away from the hatchling to look up at Kanire beside her. He offered her a sad smile and rubbed reassuringly, but their guide seemed to be wholly unmoved as they continued their trek.

It wasn’t long before they made their way to a large gate set in the wall, flanked on both sides by a pair of guards. People were streaming in and out past the guards, but Feo noticed that they were paying close attention to anyone who looked like they belonged in the slums. Tharen nodded at them as they walked past them and into a short, wide tunnel, before turning to them as they walked, “Now, we’re making our way to the closest of the three markets. It should have everything you need, but if it doesn’t, there are another two spaced equally apart around the inner ring,” he explained as they broke out back into the ruddy light.

At this point, the crowd had thickened to such a degree that it was all Feo and her team could do to stick together. Their guide seemed to have no such trouble leading them through the throng of people, until they finally made their way to a bustling square, around which stood dozens, if not tens of dozens of stalls, selling practically everything under the sun.

Their guide turned back to them, “From here, if you go straight towards the dish, then take the second street on the right after you leave the square, you’ll find your accommodations. Just let them know your name and they’ll take care of you. I need to return to my post.”

At that, he turned tail and hurriedly made his way back through the tunnel, leaving Feo and her team alone. They exchanged bemused smirks, before Feo tapped the side of her head lightly twice, “Maryn, set up a direct comm link with everyone,” she whispered in her mind, to which her AI obliged.

Feo sighed a little and pretended to inspect the produce in a nearby stall, “I’m gunna leave first with Geist. Wraith and Phantom, follow after us in about five minutes,” she ordered, making a point to use their callsigns over other identifiers; now that they were back working in the field, secrecy was absolutely paramount.

Feo returned a large, lumpy fruit to the stall she had taken it from, before beckoning for Kanire to follow her. She flashed him a warm smile as they left the square, but inside her mind, she was keeping a constant eye on everything around her. Kanire next to her was also paying careful attention, something their hundreds of years of infiltration experience was urging insistently.

The planet’s star was starting to near overhead by the time Feo and Kanire reached the outer wall of the Relay complex. Feo gazed up at it; it was easily twenty metres tall and was entirely devoid of handholds. She tapped Kanire on the arm and gestured for them to start moving along the wall.

Minutes later, they found themselves outside a gate leading in, which was being guarded by a pair of Serani soldiers. Feo winked slyly at Kanire, before walking over to the soldiers.

They stiffened at her approach and raised their rifles to her, to which she took a step back with her paws raised, “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” she said in a demure, soft tone of voice that was entirely and completely unlike her, “I-I was just wondering what a pair of highly trained soldiers like you were doing here?”

They both looked at her, confused, before Feo reached out and grabbed Kanire by the arm, “Me and my husband here, we just came in on a tourist freighter. I admit, I don’t quite know much about this place, the brochure wasn’t too clear…”

The two soldiers glanced at Feo, before lowering their weapons, “This is the Relay Archives, ma’am,” the one on the left said, “Every transmission that enters and leaves the Relay Array is logged here.”

Feo stared at them in faux surprise, “Wow, really? Ever transmission ever? Where do you keep them all!”

That same soldier chuckled good-naturedly, “Well, it’s all stored underground, ma’am,” he explained, glancing across at his companion who had rolled his eyes and returned to his post.

Feo tilted her head to one side, “So is this the only entrance?” she inquired, to which the soldier shook his head.

“Nah, there are another three, one on each of the cardinal directions,” he explained, before the other soldier cleared his throat loudly. He glanced back curiously, before turning to face Feo again, “I’m sorry, I should probably get back to work. I hope you enjoy your stay, ma’am.”

Feo smiled happily at him as she clung to Kanire’s arm, “Thank you so very much!” she exclaimed, her long, thin tail swaying contentedly behind her. She waved them goodbye as they both turned back around, moving back in the direction they came from.

It wasn’t until they were out of earshot that Kanire glanced down at Feo, “Husband, huh?” he asked, chuckling a little under his breath, to which Feo replied by batting at his arm.

“Hey, at least it got us information, okay?” she retorted, “So, four entrances, and it’s buried deep underground. We already knew the last one, but the confirmation is nice…”

They took a detour down a side-street, still arm in arm, looking for all the world to be just an ordinary couple exploring the city, “Wraith, Phantom, what’s your status?” she whispered in her mind.

There was nothing but silence on the comm channel for a moment, before Zarpa finally responded, “Not much to report, Shadow, just sheer walls and lots of guards.”

Feo hummed to herself, glancing back over her shoulder at the wall surrounding the Relay, before sighing, “Alright, I don’t think we can get much more information while it’s still light, let’s fall back to the accommodations that our guide prepared for us and plan our next move from there.”

Zarpa and Horon had already made it back to their room and were lounging around inside by the time Feo and Kanire walked in. Feo glanced at Zarpa with a chuckle; the brown Ilfemyoo was reclined back on the couch with his eyes closed, but looked over at his captain through half-lidded eyes as he heard her smirk.

Feo opened her mouth to speak, but Zarpa beat her to the punch, “Don’t worry about the cameras, we’ve already disabled them,” he commented, stretching out luxuriously.

Feo raised an eyebrow, before glancing at Senara hovering in her field of view. The diminutive, yellow AI glanced around the room, before nodding at Feo, “He’s got all of them, even the hidden ones,” she confirmed in her soft, squeaky voice.

Feo breathed a soft sigh and slumped next to Zarpa on the couch while Kanire stood near the door, peeking out every so often. She brought up her displays and opened up a three-dimensional map of the city, “I snagged this on our way back, so we’ll have something to plan our op around,” she explained, focussing in on the area around the satellite dish.

Feo reached up and tapped at the wall surrounding the complex, highlighting the gates, “These are the only direct routes in and out of the complex. Each one is guarded by a pair of soldiers with standard armour and weapons, but it’s likely that their vitals are being monitored, which rules out knocking them out. The only real alternative is to scale the wall, which shouldn’t be too hard, especially with our stealth systems. There are guards who patrol on top of it too, but as long as we time it right, we should be able to slip past.”

Horon walked over and tapped at one of the taller buildings surrounding the satellite complex, “I can take up a position over here, to provide covering fire if you get into trouble,” he mumbled hesitantly.

Feo nodded, “Sounds good. Kanire, I want you to provide backup for him. Zarpa and I can manage the infiltration proper,” she said, before pausing for a moment, “Horon, Zarpa, I want you to head over there and begin a watch with your stealth systems engaged. Keep an eye on guard movements and shift changes. Kanire and I will come to relieve you in a few hours. If anything happens, report it in the comm channel.”

The Ilfemyoo and the Quanoci both saluted her, before quietly slipping away, leaving Feo and Kanire alone again. Feo sighed and leaned forwards, rubbing lightly at her temples, prompting her Serani companion to walk over and sit next to her, “Everything okay, Feo?” he asked softly.

Feo shook her head a little, “I guess it’s finally starting to hit me…” she explained, her voice barely more than a whisper, “We thought for so long that the Sarek’pa turned on us because of a fault in their programming. But to find out that it was an intentional attack on our people that killed my Elansi…”

She glanced up at him, her purple eyes glowing with anger, “I’m gunna find them, and I’m gunna make them pay for every second they stole from us…” she growled, “Even if I have to tear that whole array apart with my bare claws, I’ll find out who did this, and make them suffer as much as I did…”

Kanire suddenly poked her firmly on the nose, an action so out of the blue that it stunned Feo out of her anger momentarily. She wriggled it a little, before looking at the now-frowning canine with a questioning look on her face. He rubbed lightly at her shoulders, “Feo, I know hard this is for you, but you need to calm down and focus, okay?” he said softly, “We need you at your best, and that isn’t when your mind is clouded by anger.”

Feo glared at him obstinately for a second, before sighing and resting her head against his shoulder, her ears drooped in resignation, “I know you’re right, I’m sorry,” she mumbled softly, the fire in her belly seemingly extinguished, “Part of me wishes that none of this happened, that I never found that untouched unit at Feren. At least then, I was at peace with what happened…”

Kanire wrapped his large arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, “I never had the pleasure of meeting her before the war, but from everything you’ve told me about her, I think she’d be proud of you, Feo,” he said quietly, eliciting a slight smile from the fox-turned-feline, “And I know that you would still be pursuing the truth, no matter the cost…”

Feo nodded reluctantly, “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she admitted quietly, pressing her hand to her chest where her amulet hung, as if holding her memory close to her heart.

The doors of the small, dimly lit tavern swung open as a short, brown-furred Eoburus walked in, glancing around at the crowd who were only too happy to continue consuming their drinks. She strode over to the bar and leaned against it, then glanced around furtively; the music in the tavern was loud and thumping, and the lights above didn’t seem to be the best, given that the whole place was only dimly lit.

“Can I get you anything, miss?” a voice suddenly asked, startling Feo slightly.

She glanced over; behind the bar stood a rather smartly dressed, golden-furred Ilfemyoo with a dish rag sticking out of his side pocket. Feo thought for a moment, before shrugging, “Just some water, thanks. My captain would kill me if he found out I was drinking while on duty.”

He snickered as he grabbed a glass for her, “And yet you decided to come to my tavern?” he countered, flashing her a knowing look.

Feo shrugged a little, “I like the atmosphere and it reminds me of home,” she replied, casting another glance around the room, “Besides, I’m curious about the place.”

The Ilfemyoo raised an eyebrow at her, “Surely a tour guide would be better suited for that, right?”

Feo smirked softly and flipped him a large, golden coin, but didn’t otherwise say a word. He inspected the coin for a moment, before slipping it into his free pocket and leaning on the counter, “So what do you want to know?” he inquired, his voice dropping low, with a sly grin on his muzzle.