FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

A young anthro canine floated gracefully through space, her wildly splotched fur and small frame masked by a simple spacesuit, as gray and dull as the space station to which she was tethered. The finesse with which she leaped across the station's exterior showed off her experience in microgravity. With each gentle push of her legs, she would soar through the stars, as free as the nimble spacecraft which zoomed in and out of the bustling spaceport each day. Soon after, as sure as gravity, the springy tether would once again pull her back to the hulking metal box in which she lived.

She stretched out her arms as she reached the peak of her current arc, enjoying the ephemeral weightlessness until she was pulled back down. Then, aligning with the wall of the station as though it were the ground, she gently landed near one of the station's large observation windows. Her smooth touchdown was followed by an audible click, her boot magnets locking her in place as they engaged.

There were several on-lookers just beyond the thick glass of the window. A few smaller ones even waved at the suited figure, and she gleefully waved back. Though they couldn't see beyond the spacewalker's opaque visor, it was apparent that she wore a silly grin as she indulged in the freedom which she now enjoyed.

"Cut the antics, Ms. Rawley. You've got a job to do out there," a harsh tone crackled over the radio, interrupting her fleeting moment of joy.

"Yeah, yeah." She sighed, reaching around to grab the cleaning equipment on her tether. "Hold your horses, I'm gettin' to it." Focusing back on the chores of real life, she charged up her electro-brush and began scrubbing away at the window, sweeping across the surface as though she were using a broom. With each stroke of the brush, the electrically charged bristles picked up stray particles, leaving the transparent window squeaky clean for the on-lookers inside.

But it was a large window. One of the station's largest, in fact, designed to impress and flaunt the wealth of an age long past. If she didn't hurry, she wouldn't be able to finish before her oxygen ran out. Then she'd have to go back for more, and heavens knew her boss would chew her out for the expenses which that would rack up.

"Maybe I oughta just let myself float free. Make even more of a mess for the bastards to deal with." She sighed wistfully, looking back up to the stars above. A sleek, winged starship soared overhead, one of the military's starfighters out on exercise. Though there was no noise in space, she could almost hear the roaring of the engines as they spat out burning blue exhaust, and the hum of the avionics as she imagined herself in the pilot's seat. She followed it with her eyes longingly until it joined up with the rest of it's squadron. What she wouldn't give to be as free as them, flying through space with nothing to hold them back.

"What was that, Ms. Rawley?" The harsh crackle on the radio returned.

"Nothing, Sir."

"Good, keep it that way. Can't have you wasting oxygen, now, can we?"

The canine grumbled to herself as she bitterly returned to cleaning the window. She let herself zone out, stewing in her anger. But as she swept back and forth, boredom finally caught up with her. She brought up the suit's computer with subtle twitches of her fingers, and after flicking through the various options, she brought up the radio dial. A few days ago, a friend of hers had rigged up the suit's transceiver to patch into the military's training frequencies. Curious to see if it would work, she hit the button and looked back up at the flying ships above her.

"Kael 5, this is Kael Leader. Take Kael 6 over to sector Alaf for a mock dogfight. Over."

"Roger Kael Leader, proceeding to sector Alaf. Follow me 6. Loser has to buy drinks."

"Oh it's on. You won't be fooling me with that braking trick this time. I'm on to you."

The lone figure standing on the space station smiled quietly to herself at the chatter. She watched as two of the fighters peeled off, veering towards one side of the station. When they reached a safe distance from the rest of the squadron, they began twirling and dancing around each other, each vying for a better position behind the other.

"Guns, guns, guns." More chatter came over the radio as one of the fighters managed to make a pass at the other.

"Damn it, not again. Best two out of three!" There was a pause as the defeated fighter took up position by his wingman, and then once again, they were off, pirouetting through empty space. The victor lined up for another pass, but this time, the other fighter braked hard, causing the first to overshoot.

"Ha! Got you with your own move. Now get a taste of this missile!" There was a momentary flash as one of the oblong cylinders under the wings of the craft was lit. It quickly accelerated, leaving behind a gray trail of smoke which rapidly dissipated into the vacuum.

"Oh shit! It actually fired!" The cleaning canine frowned as she watched the missile soar towards the other fighter. Something seemed wrong about the situation here.

"I see it, launching flares." Her visor automatically darkened as intense lights shot out from the other spacecraft, bursting forth like the wings of some fantastical creature. The bright specks of moving light confused the guidance system on the weapon as it wobbled for a moment. Then suddenly, it veered off course, no longer headed for it's former victim.

"What the hell! They were supposed to load training dummies, not live weapons!"

But the young woman didn't hear the rest of the angry chatter which proceeded over the radio. Instead, she was left looking up into the starry sky, watching the missile as it swerved off track and started to home back in on the next largest signal. Her eyes widened, and she tuned out the rest of the world as she watched it make a course straight for the space station. Straight towards the large window under which she now stood.

She looked down beneath her feet. Inside, there were still plenty of on-lookers, obliviously enjoying the sight of the speeding spaceships coming and going, unaware of the oncoming danger. Scanning the crowd of faces, her yes locked on to a small child standing with his mother, just a few meters away. He was a shepherd by the looks of it, his creamy brown coat not unlike the colors of her own, though much more neatly arranged than the erratic patterns of a wild dog which she herself possessed. The pup raised his finger to point at one of the spaceships, bouncing up and down excitedly as he shouted out with glee. She had to do something.

Without hesitation, she turned and grappled with the attachment point on her tether. Warning bells and alarms buzzed in her helmet as she undid the connection. "What the fuck are you doing, Rawley?!" That cursed voice came on over the radio again, even as her own suit did it's best to plead with her to stop, warning messages flashing in her helmet. She ignored them all.

Looking up, she judged the trajectory of the oncoming missile as best she could. It was coming in fast, and she only had so much maneuvering fuel in her suit. She lowered herself into a crouch, tensing her muscles. She would only have one shot to get this right, but with all her experience outside the airlock, she knew she could do it. She _had_to do it.

With all the might she could muster, she leaped into the void. And in that moment, she was free. No tether to keep her down. No shitty job holding her back. No asshole of a boss to make her life miserable. Just... Alexandra Rawley, soaring through the stars, about to do what she knew was right.

Like a missile herself, she homed in on her target, small jets of air puffing from her suit to make corrections. She was hurtling forward at a breakneck speed, but in the vast emptiness of space, she felt motionless. Time itself seemed to stand still. She was at peace, even as the small dot before her grew larger and larger.

Then, the adrenaline subsided, and as it did, reality came crashing back. Angry voices were shouting over the radio.

"Kael Leader, you do not have clearance to..."

"...the hell does she think she's doing..."

"No! You can't..."

"...down, I repeat, stand down.."

"Echo's going to..."

"...get the AMS online!"

"I can, and I will..."

Alexandra was overcome with confusion. At first, she thought someone might have spotted her and realized what she was about to do. But then, out of nowhere, one of the starfighters overtook her from behind, passing her with more speed than she could imagine. Its sleek steel exterior was a flash in her vision as it zipped by, exhaust plumes leaving her view obscured. It could only have come from the hangar on the station, as none of the other ships were in the right position to respond to the situation. The pilot must have come to the same conclusion as her when she heard the radio chatter.

The deep black of space was punctuated by a brilliant, white flash, and she gasped. The light subsided, and in it's wake, there was nothing but an expanding cloud of metal debris, drifting further and further away.

Alexandra continued to drift as well. Her eyes were locked on the slowly departing wreckage, a thousand-yard stare on her face. She shook herself out of her stupor when another starfighter pulled up along side her, a black number six stenciled on it's side. It was close enough to make out the pilot, even with their face obscured by a large helmet; a black male wolf who gave her a two-finger salute. Not knowing what else to do, she returned the salute as best she could in her bulky cleaner's spacesuit.

She was a mix of emotions right now, unsure of how to feel. But one thing she knew for certain. To whomever it was that intercepted that missile, she owed her life. And after experiencing the freedom of flight, there would be nothing left for her at her old job, or her old life, forever trapped inside a box. From hence forth, she knew her life would be dedicated to the same cause which drove that pilot's sacrifice. She owed them that much. She would join the Imperial Starcorp, and soar among the stars.