FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

3:26 am. That's what her digital clock said, but she knew it couldn't be true. Shirlene knew there was nothing in this world that could drag her out of bed before 1 in the afternoon and now her clock had the audacity to lie to her and claim it was some obscene time of day! Begrudgingly she slipped out of bed, putting on a ratty t-shirt and shorts. Examining herself in the mirror, she patted the fur back down on her ears and smiled. "Another day. Another problem." She continued her primping until she smelled the most delectable smell. "What on Alteria is that smell? It's smells like . . . heaven!" Rushing from her room, she bolted for the kitchen, to find a delightful scene.

"FOOD!" Jeeve gave Shirlene a puzzled look and said "Oh this? I just wanted to thank you for saving me and stuff. I know it's not much, but where I come from a good breakfast is great way to thank somebody!" Shirlene ignored him and sat down at the table, furiously beating her paws against it "I WANT FOOD! I WANT FOOD!" Jeeve chuckled and went back to preparing the dish. He had made a standard spread of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and coffee. After making Clover a plate, he passed Shirlene a plate too. Shirlene greedily took the plate, then grimaced as she saw it. "Um excuse me. What is this!? How come your dog and you have all the meat and my plate is just eggs and bread?!" Jeeve tilted his head in confusion asking "Well first off Clover is not a dog, she's a wolf pup and last time I checked rabbits were vegetarians." Shirlene flicked an egg at Jeeve and said "Are you crazy!? I needs meat to survive! I've always eaten meat and I don't plan on stopping today!" Jeeve opened his mouth to protest but she silenced him by reaching over to his plate and taking some of his bacon. Jeeve shook his head playfully saying "And here I was wondering why your fancy fridge was full of protein."

"Trust me protein is a must have in this line of work. A lot of heavy lifting and stuff." The trio continued eating and making small talk, until a loud beeping noise interrupted them. Jeeve looked all around then asked "Hey what's that noise?" She waved her paw dismissively and said "It's a news alert. Apparently something big has happened. Let's take a look see shall we?" Shirlene pulled out a small remote, then pressed a few buttons. Just then a small monitor over the stove came to life and the trio silently listened to the news.

"Hello Alteria! Welcome to the A.N.N or The Alterian News Network. I'm your host Ronald Furbuki and yesterday has been one hell of a ride for Kiren! We've got a lot of news to cover this morning so let's not dawdle! Ronald picked up some sort of tablet then said "Yesterday around 10:00am a mysterious robbery took place at the Alterian Museum of Natural History. Several exhibits were destroyed, including the never before seen 'Court of The Patriarchs' exhibit. The only item stolen was a green broadsword. Officials have not given any word on what happened or who the culprits were, but many speculate that this robbery was not just an isolated event. Which brings us to the next and probably most depressing of all . . . Commander Faze and Lieutenant Faux were both brutally murdered yesterday."

_ _

Shirlene grunted in frustration yelling "Brutally murdered my ass! They deserved what came to em'!" As the news reel continued Jeeve couldn't help but feel a little guilty. "Shirlene I feel really bad about what happened yesterday."

"What!? Why!? You didn't do anything wrong! You were just minding your business like a good little alien, when they were roughing me up. I mean without you I'd be six feet under."

"Yea I guess, but I still feel bad. My first day here and I've already wasted two people. . . ."

"Ah phooey! All you did was defend yourself. It's their fault they can't dodge laser bullets like you. Now you done feeling sorry for yourself?"

Jeeve rolled his eyes and replied "Yes ma'am."

"Good because I think the guy is talking about us now!"

"And following a chase through downtown, the culprits broke into the Kiren impounding facility and stole a ship and here's where it gets interesting folks. The thieves were able to successfully bypass and destroy an ARK watchtower. Never before in the history of their creation have they been taken out and now this poses several problems for the Kiren leaders.

_ _

_One of which is that animals are now able to come and go as they please. A rough figure published by the Kiren Commission of Public affairs and the Kiren Census Bureau found out that an estimated 21,000 animals have left Kiren and the number steadily grows every hour. Local law enforcement and the Kiren Guard have been patrolling the skies, stopping numerous ships from leaving the kingdom, but now with the attention focused on the air, ground based crimes have skyrocketed! _

_ _

Yes you heard right! Everything from petty robberies to murder is occurring in waves. Though the largest crime that seems to be happening is vandalism. Several murals, states, and portraits of his Honorable Kyoto Kydon have been defaced, destroyed, or desecrated in some fashion. Officials estimate that if this upward trend of vandalism continues, All of Kiren's statues and public art will be ruined within the hour.

We have reached out to the Kiren High Council about the recent developments and all they've supplied us with is a promise that the 'madness will be dealt with swiftly and with fiery cause.' We also tried to reach out to the Kydon administration for a response, but sadly we have received none. So while the madness continues down on the Kiren surface, animals from the nine other kingdoms can only ask 'When will the insanity stop? And I too have a question. To those who committed these crimes . . . Was all this worth your illegal leaving of Kiren?"

_ _

Shirlene laughed loudly saying "YOU BET FLUFFY TAIL IT WAS! I'M FREE! YES SIREE! FREEDOM! FREE- ERROR !ERROR! _ _ CONSOLE NEEDS YOUR ATTENTION CAPTAIN!" Shirlene stopped her celebrating and dashed off to the bridge. Jeeve and Clover exchanged worried glances and ran off after her. Once they arrived they witness an angry rabbit cursing and beating upon various electrical instruments. "Uh . . . Say Shirlene are you alright?" Shirlene turned back toward Jeeve, flashed a hollow smile saying "What?! Is everything alright? Of course it is! We're over an ocean and have 15% power left in the ship, so yes Jeeve. EVERYTHING is alright . . . " Jeeve looked past her toward the main computer and indeed saw a holographic 15 floating over the console. "Well why don't you just refuel then?" Shirlene let out a tired sigh saying "It's not that easy. Let me show you something."

Shirlene pushed a button on the computer and another image appeared on screen. Jeeve studied and came to the conclusion that it was some kind of crystal. "What exactly is this Shirlene?"

"This is a Renegade Ruby. It's a power crystal that fuels all of Alteria. All sorts of machines, vehicles, and buildings depend on it to work . . . including the C Wing."

_ _

"Okay pardon my potential ignorance, but why can't we just go get some more?"

"Because one the closest place to get more is Kiren and I'm sure you know why we can't go back there. Two, even if we could go back and get more, the C Wing's power supply won't last the trip. We need to get somewhere fast and snatch some crystals." Jeeve's mind began thinking of any way he could help his new friends, combing over his very limited knowledge of the area. After a few seconds he suddenly remembered something. "Look I know absolutely Jack diddly squat about this place or even you. But I remember hearing this drunk fox yell about some mines of Angorri? It's probably all bunk, but that really stuck with me."

Shirlene began silently tapping her paw against the desk in an effort to think, before she sprung up and screamed "THAT'S COMPLETELY GENIUS!"

"I-It I-Is?"

"Of course! Why didn't I think about it! I believe your drunken friend was referring to the Mines of Angorria. They're Renegade Ruby mines that are a little ways off the coast from Kiren and all on an island guarded by . . . You guessed it the ARK Tower!"

"Wait so you mean to tell me that there are Renegade Rubies all alone on an island, just waiting to be taken?"

"No I mean to tell you that there are Renegade Rubies all alone on an island, just waiting to be taken!" Jeeve tilted his head in confusion, then smiled as he realized the joke.

"Well the question is . . . Do we have enough energy to get there?" Shirlene suddenly looked like she had seen a ghost and then started nervously typing away on her computer. With a sigh of relief she replied "Yes just barely. With our current energy consumption, the C Wing will only expend 7% of power to get there. So buckle up kid . . . We're going on a treasure hunt!"

While Shirlene plugged in the coordinates, Jeeve took the time to freshen up in the bathroom. Jeeve looked at himself in the mirror and sighed. This was the first time in forever he had actually taken time to really look at himself . . . Boy was he a mess. His once straight and pristine Afro had now been reduced to a black, tightly curled mess. He turned his face to the side and took note of how much darker his skin had gotten. It was once a nice even shade of chocolate brown, but now it seemed as if it had grown a shade or two darker. He looked at his eyes and stepped back in shock . . . His eyes had changed colors! The once dark brown orbs that were his eyes were now stark green. He blinked multiple times in hopes that the color would go away but it never did._ He would've continued preening over himself, but Shirlene's voice over the intercom interrupted him. _"Hey kid! Get your alien ass up here right now! We're making our landing right now!" Jeeve nodded and quickly made his way to the bridge.

When he found Shirlene, she was already dressed in what appeared to be some miner's outfit. "Hey Shirlene what's up with the outfit?" Shirlene grabbed her weapon and began playing with it "What's up with the outfit? Well didn't I tell you? The air is a little wonky down in the mines, so I gotta keep safe." Jeeve looked cross and said "Wait what do you mean the air is a little wonky down there?"

"Well awhile ago there was like this gas leak or something? I actually don't remember, but better safe than sorry!"

"What about us? Don't we get a cool little mining suit too?"

"Believe it or not. I actually have one for your little dog, but not one for you."

"She's a wolf and what's gonna happen to me when I go down there?"

Shirlene ignored Jeeve's questions and began landing the ship. Jeeve shook his head and looked out the window. With a name like 'Mines of Angorria' He would've figured that there'd be lots of mountainous expanses, but no. Just a tiny island with no mountains at all. As the trio made their way outside Jeeve asked "How come there are no mountains here? I thought you needed mountains to have mines?"

"You must've failed geography."

"How'd you know?!"

Jeeve watched as Shirlene fiddled with a device on her arm. To him it looked like a fancy watch, but to her it was her life line. "Alright so I've got a read on the mine's layout. There's an inlet straight ahead that'll take us straight down into the main chambers, but we have to be careful. There's still troops who monitor this place you know." The trio walked silently to the inlet with Shirlene in the lead. And that is where they found their first complication "DAMMIT!"

"What's the matter?"

"Oh nothing. It's just this stupid door won't open without native passkeys."

"You mean like a security card or something?"

"Yea kinda."

"I thought you took the ones from Faze and Faux?"

"Of course I did. But they don't work here. Faze and Faux credentials must only be for level four entrances and above."

"Well we have to do something!"

"Well . . . I c_ould_ blow the door straight to kingdom come, but I've only got two motion sensing bombs left." Jeeve looked at the door, then at Ethos and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe I can cut the door open like in the movies?"

"You mean with your magical sword friend? I highly doubt it, but at this point I'm not abject to you trying." Jeeve huffed at her indignance and shooed her away from the door. Trying to channel his strength, Jeeve closed his eyes and began breathing in and out slowly. Raising the sword diagonally above his head, Jeeve quickly brought the weapon down on the door, surprising everyone with the display.

"Well I'll be a coyote's fool. You actually did it! Say you think that thing can like slice animals in half?!"

"Uh . . . I don't think so?"

"Ah you're no fun!" The trio exchanged nervous looks, then entered the mines. As they made their way through, Jeeve couldn't help bu ask questions. "So where are we now? I thought mines were underground."

"We're in the commissary. It's the above ground portion where soldiers stationed here eat."

"So . . . Where are the soldiers? It's like a ghost town in here."

"Don't know. My sensors indicate that there are no_ _living animals down here."

"What do you mean no living animals down here?" Just then Clover began hopping up and down barking at the two. "What is it Clover?" Clover barked again, then took off running. Shirlene growled in frustration then said "Does she always do this?!"

"Well the last time she did this, she led me straight to you so . . . Maybe we should follow her." Jeeve ran after Clover, with Shirlene begrudgingly scooting behind him. Luckily for them, Clover hadn't ran far, only over to an elevator on the other side of the room. "Wow thanks mutt! I really wanted to exercise today!" Jeeve ignored her snark and bent down to pet Clover, but stopped when he noticed something under her paws. "Hey Shirlene what's this?"

Shirlene looked at the item for a second before replying "It's a small fragment of a Renegade Ruby. Though I'm curious as to why it's up here."

"Well it looks like Clover found us the elevator!"

"Yea whatever. Guess she's good for something." Shirlene began pressing buttons on the elevator, then shouted as she was electrocuted. "Shirlene! Oh my God! Are you alright?!"

"Yea yea I'm fine. I have sex toys that shock harder than this."

". . . "

"Anyways, this elevator here is out of order."

"That doesn't make sense! I thought people worked here! Where is everybody?!"

"Calm down. The less animals here the better I say. Though this isn't your average damage. No this panel here was sabotaged."

"Wait! Like you mean someone trashed it on purpose?! Why on Earth would someone do that?!"

"Don't know, but I got the strangest feeling we'll fond out as soon as we touch down in the mine's bottom. Keep watch while I jury rig this thing open will ya?"

Jeeve and Clover nodded and turned around to keep watch. Jeeve idly tapped on Ethos while watching the eating area. "Nothing to report here captain!"

"Well keep watching. It'll take another minute or two to get this thing up and running." Clover yawned at the boredom, then rolled over to take a nap. "You're always napping. Is that a wolf thing?" Clover yawned again in response, leaving Jeeve to watch duty by himself. Jeeve lazily watched the entrance, then jumped back when he saw a flash of white. "What the hell?" He thought as he squinted his eyes. "Calm down Jeeve. Just the stress of life kicking your ass." Taking a deep breath Jeeve exhaled calmly and continued watching the area. Another minute passed then without warning, a large crash could be heard from the kitchen.

"Shirlene! Did you hear that?!"

"Well I have these large ass ears, so what do you think?"

"Now is not the time for being sarcastic! There's something out there! Watching us!"

_ _

"Stop being a paranoid freak. I heard the crash too you know, but look around. We're in a large, bright, open room. If anything were to happen I'd shoot the fucker between his eyes."

"Ho can you be so calm about this?! Nothing is adding up! Where are the guards? Why is this place abandoned? Why can't you get the elevator opened?!'

"Yes, No, and 24!"

" . . . . That literally answers none of my questions!"

"So you would say that I am not being helpful to the current situation?"

_ _

"Yes I would say that!"

"Well then by your logic, you're not being helpful either."

" . . . Wha?!"

"Sooooo . . . GET BACK TO WORK!"

Sighing in defeat, Jeeve slumped against the wall and returned to guarding Shirlene's back. Another minute passed, and that's when it happened . . . The lights shut down. "Oh no! NO WAY! I can deal with creepy atmospheres and loud scary noises, but when the lights go out?! Sorry but that is where I draw the line!!"

"Quit you're whining. I got a superscope flashlight right here."

"IT"S NOT THE SAME! Don't you see?! This is a trap! I bet someone figured that we'd try to come here and now they're setting this trap for us!!"

" . . . You are all kinds of messed up. Look here kid. One crate. That's all we need to be set for life! All it takes is one crate! We need to spring this place."

Jeeve's eyes darted back and forth before he replied "Okay but can we hurry! I get this creepy feeling we're being watched!" Shirlene pressed a button on her arm device, then stood back as the door opened. "Alright all aboard. Bitches and kids first!" Jeeve rolled his eyes and and stepped in the elevator with Clover. Shirlene pressed the down button and braced herself as the elevator started its rocky descent.

"Alright guys this is the plan. Jeeve and his magical sword friend will slice and dice up the ruby deposit, while the dog and I will pick up the residuals. Sound like a plan?" Shirlene said while placing her paw in front of her.

"Sounds like a simple one, but I'm in too." Jeeve placed his hand on top of Shirlene's. Clover yipped happily, then wobbly stood on her hind legs and placed her paw on the other two.

"One. Two Three . . Go ME!" Shirlene shouted while throwing the appendages up in the air. Clover and Jeeve exchanged eye rolls and went back to minding their own business. The ride continued without a hitch until the elevator lost power. Jeeve began panicking, hyperventilating like a mad man.

"Calm down Jeeve! A nervous animal in an elevator does no one any good. Now look here. The elevator has a backup generator, and I'm gonna get it working. All I want you to do is lie down on the floor and calm down."

Jeeve obeyed and lied on the floor trying to control his breathing. He smiled weakly as Clover came and plopped down on his chest in an effort to calm him down. "Thanks girl. I really needed that." Clover licked his cheek happily then relaxed as Shirlene continued working. The trio sat in silence before a loud thud sounded from the top of the elevator. "What the hell is that?!" Shirlen said while reaching for her gun. Jeeve closed his eyes to concentrate and said "Someone's on top of the elevator. I think they're gonna cut the elevator cables."

Shirlene suddenly looked pale and said "Shit shit shit shit shit shit! If they cut the cables from this height, we'll all die!" Shirlene pointed the gun at the elevator roof and listened for the footsteps. She followed the animal as it made its way to the center, then fired crazily as the animal stopped. Several bullets pierced the roof, causing fleeting glimpses of what was pursuing them. Suddenly they heard a screeching noise come from the elevator roof. "Shit! They're trying to cut through the ropes!" Shirlene quickly reached for the control panel and began mashing several buttons. The trio looked to the roof as the screeching stopped and was replaced with a ungodly shriek.

"Hey . . I think you hit it?!"

"I quickly restored the power back to the cables, so I'm guessing it got a healthy dose of 5,000 volts."

"We gotta get out of here! I couldn't see it!"

Shirlene shook her head in confusion asking "What do you mean you couldn't see it?"

_ _

"It's kinda hard to explain, but when it happened when Faze shot at me. It's like the world slows down and gives me time to react to to what's happening around me. I can see everything and everyone, and what they're going to do before they do it. But when that thing ran across the hall earlier I couldn't see it! It was just a fast moving moving blur!"

"Hey don't worry. As long as we watch our six, this thing's got no chance against us!"

"God I hope you're right. . ."

The elevator made it's way to the mine's core without another incident, putting the trio on even more of an edge. Once the door opened they leaped out ready for fight, but were greeted with the dark silent bowels of the mine. "Alright guys. According I'm getting readings of a ruby deposit just east of here. Literally around the corner All we have to do is grab a few crystals and bounce."

"You make it sound so simple."

"Well that's because it is. Look we've come too far to turn tail now! So are you in or out?"

"I'm in, just a little apprehensive is all." The trio walked to the deposit in silence, praying that they wouldn't be ambushed. Once they turned the corner, Shirlene shrieked, frightening Clover and Jeeve. "WHAT?! WHAT IS IT?! IS IT HERE FOR US!?"

"No you dolt! Look at this! It's amazing!"

Jeeve rounded the corner and took in the sights. Reddish crystals everywhere! Every crook, cranny, and space was littered with them. Whistling to himself Jeeve said "How much is all this worth?"

Shirlene ran full speed ahead and jumped in a pile of crystals saying "More than you know pal! Hey pup! Go grab me a crate." Clover yipped excitedly and ran off to get a crate. Jeeve tentatively took a few steps closer and asked "This may be great and all, but aren't you nervous?"

"About what?"

"Well this whole scenario?! We come to a mining facility, there are no guards, no protection, there's not even any miners?! And to top it all off, we were just attacked by some creature in the elevator! This whole thing is screaming a trap to me! Why else would this whole place be evacuated!"

Shirlene lazily slid off her pile of crystals and said "Look. I get it, no I really do. You're the nervous skittish type, that's fine in my book, but I grew up never questioning a miracle. And this right here is as big a miracle as they get. Just look! So many rubies . . . ripe for the taking!" Shirlene snatched the crate from Clover and began greedily stuffing it with rubies. Jeeve face palmed himself, then resorted to keeping watch. Once Shirlene was done, she sealed up the crate and strapped it to Clover's back.

"Hey! Don't put that on her back! She's just a kid!"

"Nah don't let looks deceive you. She's a work wolf, her breed lifts heavy things all the time. This crate right here can't weigh any more than twelve pounds."

"12 pounds!? She's just a little pup! Clover are you alright?"

Clover sounded off with a happy bark and began wagging her tail. Jeeve relented and said "Alright you win, but we need to get out of here before something else happens."

"Way ahead of you! There's another service elevator straight ahead! All we got to do is ride it to the surface and BAM! We're home free!"

"I have to disagree with you captain."

The trio exchanged confused looks and began looking for the source of the voice. Forming a protective circle, the trio readied themselves for a fight. Shirlene pulled out the two pistols she had taken earlier, while Jeeve drew Ethos from his back. Shirlene pointed her guns towards the shadows and said "Alright coward! Show yourself! I don't like playing fuck-fuck games!" Jeeve suppressed a chuckle and said "That's right! You better come out before we . . . uh well you better come out!"

The trio watched as a wolf, white as snow, stepped from the shadows. By her looks they could tell she was female and by her uniform Shirlene could tell she was trouble. Shirlene kept her weapons pointed and said "Who are you?!"

"I believe we have already met Captain . . . Spitfire was it?"

"Yea that's the name. Who's asking?"

The white wolfess chuckled before saying "You know when I got reports of a ship destroying the ARK Tower, I almost swore up and down that it couldn't be true, but now seeing this . . . Makes my heart expand with joy."

Shirlene growled saying "What are you talking about?! I Don't like vague answers!"

"You are feisty for a prey animal. Most prey know their place and give proper respects when I address them, but you . . . . You are different."

Jeeve looked at the exchange between the two and quickly whispered to Clover "Psst! Listen Clover! If things get bad between us and the wolf, you run straight to the ship! You understand?!" Clover nodded her head subtly, giving Jeeve a little relief. " . . . And you."

Jeeve looked to his left and right before replying "Who me!?"

"Yes you. Your presence here has caused many problems."

"Yea so I heard. Sorry about the chaos down on Kiren. I didn't chose to come here."

The white wolfess seemed to be lost in thought before she replied " I believe you're a good lad, so I'm going to give you a choice. Come with me and pledge your allegiance to Kyoto Kydon or . . . Die with these vagrants."

" . . . . those are pretty stark choices. Maybe we can come to some kind of agreement here?" The white wolfess reached behind her back and pulled out her weapon of choice.

"Wait?! That's the double edged spear from the museum!"

The wolfess smiled saying "You have a keen eye. This is Jericho, a weapon from old. She belonged to one of the original patriarchs and now . . . She belongs to me. As I'm sure you've come to learn, you have a patriarchal weapon too, though not for much longer."

The wolfess got in a fighting stance, threatening to charge the trio any second. It came so fast even Jeeve had trouble blocking it. The wolfess ran blazingly fast to Jeeve and slashed at him as soon as he was in range. Jeeve barely had time to block it, so he rolled out of the way to dodge it. Not letting up, the wolfess ran right back to him, slashing again with unnatural ferocity. Jeeve brought Ethos up to meet her slash, but the force of swing caused him to bend under her pressure.

Watching him squirm, she taunted him saying "I expected more of a fight from you! Where is your warrior spirit?" Jeeve grunted under the pressure, giving his all in hopes that he could last out longer. Suddenly the pressure on his weapon lifted and he fell on his back. Jeeve looked up in confusion, then suddenly tensed as he saw Shirlene drawing the wolfess away.

"You're fight's with me bitch! Leave him alone!" The wolfess ignored her taunts and instead charged for her, slashing and swiping with anger. Shirlene kept dodging and shooting, a hopeful combination of agility and luck.

"Shirlene! We need to get outta here! We can't hold her off forever!"

Shirlene fired a few shots her attacker, all of which were blocked.

"Yea I know! But we're not going to hold her off forever, just until your little mutt gets back to the C Wing." getting his bearings, Jeeve dashed to the wolfess and swung Ethos with great vigor. The wolfess quickly refocused her attention to Jeeve and blocked his attack. As the two traded blows, Shirlene crept on the wolfess and planted something on her. Feeling the sensation on her back she immediately turned to attack, but stopped once she saw the rabbit's smiling face.

"I wouldn't do that Wolfy. One false move and those motion sensing bombs will make a crater out of you." The wolfess said nothing and remained silent as she glared daggers at Shirlene. Jeeve carefully moved around to Shirlene and said "We gotta get outta here! I think she broke something." Shirlene nodded saying "Oh but before I go . . . " Shirlene reached into the wolfess' breast pocket and took something out "Hmm . . . KIRA KYDON!? Jeeve we need to leave now!"

"THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING SINCE WE GOT HERE!!"

"Yea yea! But that was before I figured out who she was. Lets book it!" The duo ran from the frozen wolf in hopes of getting to the ship before she got to them. Once inside the elevator Jeeve asked "How long will the bombs last on her?"

"Not long enough. We got about another minute or so before they time out and have to be reactivated." She pressed a button on the elevator and cringed as she heard a explosion. Jeeve and Shirlene exchanged worried looks. "Shirlene . . . What was that?"

"That would be the sound of the motion sensing bombs going off."

"Wait so did we get her?!" Shirlene checked the device on her arm and began spouting foul obscenities "No. Somehow she survived and is making her here now!" The duo anxiously rode the elevator to the surface and bolted out as soon as it was open. Running through the commissary, they could hear loud clangs and bangs as they got closer to the exit. Once outside Shirlene called for the ship, by yelling into her watch "Hey Computer! Get your engines rolling and ready to fly! We're coming in hot!" The two made it to the C wing unharmed and almost made it on board before Kira's voice startled them.

"Take one more step and I will smite you both."

"Get on the ship Shirlene."

"What? I beg your pardon!?"

"Get on the ship. I'll hold her off long enough for you to get out of here."

" . . . You're a bold kid Jeeve. A bold kid." Shirlene turned around and quickly scurried aboard her ship. Jeeve and Kira continued their stare off, until the C Wing powered up and began to lift off the ground.

"Just like a prey to run in the face of adversity. But even though I don't know what you are . . . I can tell you're not a prey. You're a predator like me, top of the food chain."

"If you're trying to recruit me or something? It won't work!"

"I will teach you right here and right now that your allegiance is misplaced." Kira drew her weapon and readied to attack. Jeeve readied himself, but stopped when he heard Shirlene's shouting "GET OUT THE WAY KID!!" Just then the C Wing began firing a barrage of laser at Kira, forcing her to fall back. "Well what are you waiting for?! The ship can't hold her back forever!"

Jeeve looked at the height of the ship and shook his head. The C Wing had to be at least 20 feet in the air, and the highest he had ever jumped had been like 3. Jeeve looked to Ethos and said "I hope you gave me some super jumping ability too!" Getting a running start the hero leapt the distance with grace and unparalleled agility. Stumbling a bit as he landed, Jeeve looked back to the ground and sighed. He didn't know which was scarier, the fact that Kira was still alive or the fact that they would definitively run into her again.

Jeeve ran to the bridge to see a very happy rabbit. "Why are you so happy?! We just almost died!"

"Well . . . We also scored a CRATE full of Renegade Rubies! How can you not be happy!? We're pretty much set for life!"

"Shirlene. Can you tell me something?"

"Yea hold on a sec. HEY COMPUTER!"

"Yes Captain?"

"Set the ship in autopilot mode. Me and the kid gotta have a little heart to heart."

"Understood Captain."

_ _

"So kid. What do you wanna know?"

"Who is Kyoto Kydon? I've been hear on this planet not even a day and I've heard his name like hundreds of time." Shirlene poured herself a glass of wine, then sighed.

"That's a good question kid. Kyoto Kydon is . . . Well he's pretty much king of the world here."

"I-I don't completely follow. So he's like president of the world or something?"

"Kinda kid. Let me give you a little geography lesson. Alright so the planet we're on is called Alteria and there are ten countries, but the locals call em' kingdoms. Each kingdom forms a piece of a circle, with Kyoto's kingdom being in the middle."

"Okay I think I'm getting it, but what does that have to do with Kyoto?"

"Well I'm glad you asked. A couple decades ago there was a war between the outer kingdoms, something about the patriarchs or . . . Look kid I don't know all the details, but here's the take away. Dissent fell over the world and the marvelous Kydon kingdom 'took control and saved the day!'"

"So what is Kyoto?"

"You mean like what animal? Oh he's supposed to be some kinda mystical wolf or something. He hardly ever shows himself in public anymore. You really don't even hear about him anymore."

"So here's my next question . . . Why are there so many canines around? I haven't really seen many other animals."

"Oh that's simple . . . Animals that aren't predators don't last long here. You have to be pretty rich or extremely lucky to survive in a predator based world like this."

"So how did you do it?"

"Whoa pal! One pow wow at a time! My heart isn't built to handle this level of emotional stimulation."

"Well what are we going to do about Kira? She completely blindsides us!"

"Nah don't sweat it! We got you and your mystical sword buddy!"

"Well I really don't know how to use Ethos. I mean just three days ago I was watching Sci-Fi movies and now I'm living them . . . It's a pretty jarring experience." Shirlene seemed lost in thought for a second before saying "Don't worry kid! There's plenty of mystic hoo hahs and spiritual looneys around that can show you the ways of the force!" Jeeve chuckled and said "Well I guess, but what happens now?"

"Well I got some rubies in the ole' C Wing, so now we can travel anywhere in Alteria! I'll call up some of old contacts tomorrow and see if we can score some work. In the meantime, you and your d- I mean wolf should get some rest. I'll patch up some more things around the ship."

"Uh . . . Thanks. And Shirlene?"

"Yea what's up kid?"

"I just wanted to say thanks for the save earlier . . . I would've been creamed by Kira without you."

"How many times I gotta tell ya kid? Don't sweat it! I wouldn't be much of a captain without my crew, though you really should thank your little wolf pup. She's the one who got the crate here without any problems and that took guts!"

"Yea you're right! Thanks again Clover! Without you, we'd be a sitting duck." Clover yipped happily and rubbed herself against Jeeve's leg. Jeeve bent down and rubbed her ears contently. "Shirlene? Will Clover grow up to walk and talk like you?"

"Are you kidding? Of course she will! Though I'm guessing she'll be all soft and feelsy like her alien father."

"Eww Don't call me her father! I'm barely 18 years old, most certainly not old enough to be anyone's father."

"Aww don't be shy. Plenty of animals have litters when they're your age, besides the kid's gonna need a father. I mean who else is gonna feed her blood?"

"Yes I suppose you're right . . . WAIT BLOOD?!"

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