FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Next Day

"Well Row, what's the initial verdict? Asked Admiral Gates. She shook her head.

"When he left my office, he was nervous Admiral. His story matched the file he gave us, but something felt wrong. Mr. Brokarr could smell that he was sweating bullets."

He nodded. "So what did you do?"

Rowan smiled with absolutely no mirth. "I put him in a cabin between my helmsman and my ship's counselor. I then had that file gone over again with a fine-toothed comb."

"That file was some piece of work. The information was correct, but it hid a program that would have given control of the Goldcrest to Sanders, or should I say Connors. That's his real name.

Softthoughts and Blackpaws were able to get past his defenses and..."She was interrupted by Gates.

"Defenses? What defenses? Humans don't normally have any ratings, "E" or "T"!' He exclaimed.

She nodded. "I know, but he has a solid T1 rating according to Softthoughts. Anyway, they got into his head and learned that the real Sanders was caught, interrogated, and killed. Connors was run through a transporter and..." Gates interrupted again.

"The Hegemony doesn't have transporter technology!"

"That's just it. Connors is a member of Humans First. Not the Hegemony. H1 intercepted Sanders enroute to the scrap yard and Connors replaced him after they were done with him. He then did Sanders' mission. So the report was everything he said it was...plus a malicious takeover program." She sighed

"It was set to take over the Goldcrest when we were enroute back to Naval HQ with Connors. H1 has a ship standing by to crew the ship when it happened. Part of the program would have flooded the ship with Anesthizine gas to incapacitate or kill the crew."

Gates looked shocked. "How did you catch it?"

She grimaced. "We almost didn't. It mimicked a request from Security about the amount of Anesthizine gas was onboard. Just like a monthly inventory check. The thing is the inventory was already done."

He nodded. "It had already been logged, right?"

"Fortunately yes. The main computer traced the path of the request and it originated in my ready room! That's when we really dug into that report. We were able to isolate and destroy the program."

"Does Connors know that you're on to him?"

She shook her head. "He doesn't have a clue what is going on yet. We've given him the exact amount of freedom onboard that his stolen identity gives him and he is being observed by security and Softthoughts. The ship is watching him also." The admiral looked puzzled.

"How is the ship watching him?"

Rowan chuckled. "As part of a physical that he was given he was injected with a harmless radioactive dye. Even if he leaves his Com badge behind we'll know where he is."

"Well the ship that I sent for him should reach you tomorrow your time. We should have him in a week's time and then we'll pull everything out of him that he knows or thinks that he does." She stopped him before he signed off.

"What about the rest of the crew from the stolen ship?"

"See if the planet you're circling needs them or wants them. If not, set them back in the escape pods and send them toward the Hegemony. Gates out."

"Captain Rowan." Came out of the darkness in her cabin. Moira raised her head and replied sleepily, "Rowan here."

"Captain, we're being hailed by the planet. They insist on speaking to you. I explained to them that you were not available for three more hours but they insist." Replied First Officer Brokarr.

She muttered choice curses under her breath. "Inform them that I'll be on the bridge in twenty minutes. Rowan out." She said "Lights" as she swung herself into a sitting position.

She wiped the sleep from her eyes as she made her way to the shower. Once in it she woke up completely. It was precisely twenty minutes later, that she arrived on the bridge, and the look on her face was not a pleasant one. "Have they hailed again yet?"

"Twice so far in the last five minutes, sir." Replied Ensign Rutan at communications. "Put the next one through then." She was answered almost immediately by an "Aye, sir patching it through now."

General McElroy appeared on screen. Gone was the sneering, superior look. In its place was a troubled one. "Captain Rowan. I apologize for my repeated attempts to contact you. We need your help. The warheads that we...appropriated from Cerberus were...bait." His shoulders dropped.

Her perturbed look shifted to really annoyed. "You could have told this to my First Officer. He has just as much experience in the Navy as I. It's only personal loyalty to me that keeps him from his own command." She glanced at Brokarr. "That and sheer pig-headedness due to his being a male." Brokarr grinned. Moira calmed down. "And...?"

"We detected a signal coming from the warhead container. When we had ascertained that, it was a homing signal and tried to open the container, A message appeared on the locking mechanism's screen warning that any further attempt to open the container would begin a chain reaction explosion." He paused.

"We then decided to load it back onto the Raider to jettison into space when we received a similar message. This thing is broadcasting the location of our world to Cerberus and any other Hegemony World within hearing range.

On top of this word has leaked out to the general population and we are starting to have demonstrations bordering on riots. Captain, PLEASE! Help us!" He pleaded.

Moira spun her chair around. "Cmdr. M'rann, scan the container please." She said.

"Aye, sir...scan indicates that there are no warheads in the container." She replied.

McElroy looked dumbfounded. "What?"

"The container has no warheads within. Instead, the entire container is one large nuclear weapon. It is broadcasting a homing signal on frequencies used by the Hegemony." She used her station's controls for a few seconds. "Any attempt to physically move or open the container will cause the devise to detonate." She turned to Cpt. Rowan.

"However beaming it into orbit of the sun should cause it to be pulled in or explode harmlessly." She turned back to her station.

Moira nodded. "Make it happen. Mr. Rutan, transfer the General to my ready room. Mr. Brokarr." He followed her off the bridge.

Once there, Rowan asked McElroy, "How did your ships come to be at Cerberus, General?" He started to say something, and then paused as if being prompted by someone out of view and hearing.

"We have spies on several Hegemony worlds." He said grudgingly. "Several on Cerberus contacted us with the news that an attack on the Morphocracy was being planned using that 'container of nuclear warheads'. While our two Raiders attacked the planetary defenses, one of them was to get close enough to the planet to drop a shuttle. The crew and our spies were to load the container and the shuttle would be recovered.

The container was successfully...appropriated and the shuttle escaped. Then the Raider that dropped it was destroyed and the other Raider was just able to recover it and escape from the area."

Moira nodded and tapped her com Badge.

"Mr. M'rann?"

"Aye, sir?" She replied.

"Can the container be safely transported?" She asked.

"It appears as if could be successfully done. Since the Morphocracy doesn't have transporter technology, the trap doesn't appear to be designed to foil it." She answered.

"Then do it and send me what you have from the scans of the Cerberus battle site. Have tactical do the same." She ordered.

"Aye, sir."

The bomb was encased in the sparkly effect of the transporter beam that broke it down into its constituent molecules and then reconstructed them in near orbit to the sun. It immediately began to melt and then explode spectacularly in the silence of space. Meanwhile Rowan and Brokarr went over the scans from Cerberus, after also sending them to McElroy.

Moira nodded. "Thought so." She said. "General, check the amount of biological material detected at the site." McElroy's reply was an astonished "The only biological remains were from our Raider?"

"That is correct sir." Replied Brokarr. "It appears that your Raiders were probably fighting remotely controlled or robotic ships." Moira gasped suddenly as a thought struck her. "Tactical!"

"Aye, Sir?" replied Malverk.

"Long-range scan back our route here!" She ordered.

McElroy looked concerned." What..." She held up a hand to forestall any questions.

"Sir, long-range scan shows clear of anything out of the ordinary." She was answered.

"Launch a probe and have it stop at the far edge of our scan." She then ordered.

"Probe away. ETA is one-and-a-half hours."

"Very good. Keep me informed. Rowan out." She replied.

General McElroy again asked, "Captain, what is going on?"

"If what I suspect is correct, then the manned ships that Cerberus has are on the way here in response to that homing signal. Have you any more Raiders?"

He shook his head. "No. We only had two that were finished and space worthy. Six more are in various stages of construction, while ten more are being built in our sister system." He paused again; this time quite obviously being prompted by another. He "drooped" visibly, and then nodded.

"Captain our Prime Minister has instructed me to 'hand' the rest of our dealings with each other to him." He was replaced by an ancient-looking human.

The man had wrinkled, age-spotted, pale skin. His hair, what was left of it, was snow white, and he was obviously having mechanical assistance breathing. His height couldn't be determined from the view Moira had, but she saw a resemblance to the captain of the first Hegemony ship.

"Captain Rowan, I am Boris Roslov. I founded this Morphocracy close to 100 years ago by Confederation standards. By the counting in this system, it was 110 years ago. I am an old man whose past is coming home to roost. That first Hegemony ship that you destroyed was captained by my grandson, but don't feel the need to apologize. He was as cruel and inhumane to his crew and other humans as he was to morphs and other furred aliens. He was what the norm in the Hegemony is.

I grew up on Hades, and have been to virtually all the Hegemony worlds. Growing up I saw nothing wrong with having morphs as slaves. All of the ones that I came into daily contact with were...limited in intelligence. My schooling on Hades never mentioned that there were any morphs that were as intelligent as humans, or the furred alien races that we were exposed to infrequently.

It wasn't until I traveled to Federation controlled space that I came into contact with intelligent morphs, ones that controlled their own destinies. Ones that had equal rights with human and aliens. It was a shock to say the least.

It was while I was visiting what used to be Russia on Terra that I met the morph that really changed my life. My ancestors were from Latvia originally but became what was termed Russified when the area was taken over by the Soviet Union. When it fell, my ancestors had already moved to the area that became known as the Russian Republic. Their descendants moved off world just after the Gene War began to escape the 'murder and mayhem' as they put it.

There I met Anna. She was an Arctic Fox morph. She was also a geneticist. At the time, I was thinking of becoming one so we had a mutual interest. She was well into her career so she was way smarter than I was...and I DID NOT CARE! I was already indoctrinated into the racist views of the Hegemony at this time. The fact that deep inside me I did not care that Anna, a non-human, and a morph was smarter than I was, probably stronger than me, and definitely a better person than me, sent me into a dizziness that she saw and asked me what was wrong.

When I finally stammered out this 'revelation' to her, she wanted nothing more to do with me! It took literally months to convince her that meeting her had caused an epiphany within me. I saw that the Hegemony worlds were so very wrong in their beliefs, and wrong in what they do to the morphs that they create." He sighed

I won't say that they are inhuman, for we as a race have proven time and time again that they are acting very 'human'! However, it is inhumane.

When I graduated from the university on Earth, Anna and I were madly in love. Her parents, while not overjoyed with our relationship were at least glad that I was making their daughter happy. We agreed that my family never find out about us. We married in St. Petersburg and she began to teach at the university from which we had graduated. Between family moneys and grants, I was doing hard research. I was trying to find a way to reverse the stupidity that the Hegemony 'hardwired' into the genetic makeup of the morphs it produced.

It took much of my lifetime and Anna's to do this. She died ten years before I made the breakthrough. I had to return to the Hegemony worlds to make that breakthrough however. For whatever reason, the Hegemony is light-years ahead of the Federation in the area of genetics.

Since then I have worked to reverse the damage to the morphs that I could either buy or steal away by any means necessary. I then sent them here. I had discovered this system when young and had not yet traveled to or within the Confederation. No one had been told about it though, and no one had found out about it until about five years ago." He paused for breath.

"Tactical to Cpt. Rowan."

"Rowan here." She answered.

"Captain, the probe has detected a small force of five ships, probably Hegemony, enroute here. Their ETA is three hours." Malverk replied.

"Acknowledged. Communications raise HQ. Get me Adm. Gates, and allow three-way conferencing."

"Aye, Sir." Replied Ens. Rutan. Prime Minister Roslov continued.

"You see, the Hegemony is so paranoid about the Confederation getting upset about everything that happens among their member worlds that they don't really pay any attention to what is in their "backyard" as it were.

But five years ago, the family that I had started after my Anna died found me after I had faked my death and disappeared. I won't go into that bit of history except to say that my attempts to convert them were failures.

One of my old files on this system had been found by my son. He followed the clues here and my first prototype Raider challenged him. He blew it out of space. I had the ground-based defenses destroy him. He had, however, gotten off a message to my grandson who was part of the Cerberan space fleet.

I'm afraid that they're going to keep coming after us. Every fur on this planet is either an escaped slave or their descendants. They're seen as a threat to the Hegemony. My knowledge is seen as a threat for I can reverse the genetic stupidity they put into their morphs. I need, they need the help of the Confederation." He gestured around him to signify that he meant the entire star system. Then began coughing, great, tearing coughs that shook his whole body. When he stopped, he slumped, panting.

Moira asked him, "Would you like me to send down my Chief Medical Officer? The Hegemony and you may be ahead of the Confederation in genetics, but we are far ahead of you in the rest of the medical fields." He weakly shook his head.

"Not unless he or she can cure old age and a failing body." He replied.

"Cure it no. But we may be able to postpone it for awhile." She tapped her com badge. "Rowan to medical."

"Medical, Blue here Captain." Came the reply.

"I need you to make a house call planet side." Moira told her. She was interrupted from further explanation as Admiral Gates appeared on-screen. "Row...I mean Cpt. Rowan, what appears to be the situation? Who is this gentleman?"

"Admiral, may I present Prime Minister Roslov of the Roslovian Morphocracy. Prime Minister this is my immediate superior Admiral Gates of the United Confederation of Planets." The two acknowledged each other, and then Moira explained the situation to Gates.

"I see." He replied. "Your thoughts on the situation Cpt.?" He then asked.

"Sir, I would like nothing better than to jump in with both feet and help a possible future member of the Confederation. However, with a force of five ships of yet undetermined size and power on their way here, I may be outgunned. The destruction of either this ship or theirs could be the opening shots of a war that the Confederation doesn't need at this time. It might even cause the destruction of said future member of the Federation." When she finished a satisfied smile spread over Gates' face.

"It is that type of thinking from my best front-line officer that makes me look forward to the end of your tour captain. How far out is that Hegemony force?" She tapped into the tactical readings coming into the Goldcrest.

"They are approximately two hours away. In thirty minutes I should know exactly what I'm facing." She replied.

"Let me run this by Rapier. Don't start a war while I do so. Gates out."

Roslov asked Rowan, "Who is Rapier?"

"Rapier is both a 'who' and a 'what'. Replied Brokarr who answered for Moira, as she appeared to be deep in thought.

"Rapier is both Admiral Rapier, head of Naval Intelligence, and is also the nickname given to the Intelligence Service by the rest of the Navy because of the Admiral. If Adm. Gates had meant Naval Intelligence as a group, he would have said "The rapier". Since he only said Rapier, he meant the Admiral."

"Tactical to Captain Rowan." She jerked out of her thoughts.

"Please wait Prime Minister Roslov." He nodded.

"Rowan here." She answered.

"Captain, the probe has updated the ETA of the Hegemony force and it is approximately two hours away. Scans now indicate three vessels of Hegemony configuration, and two vessels of Confederation configuration."

"What?! Have the probe stop and use all of its power to give us a better read on those ships." She ordered.

"Aye, Sir." Replied the Tactical officer.

Rowan turned her attention back to Prime Minister Roslov. "In a few minutes we'll know exactly what's going on Sir." She paused. "In fact if it's what I think, it will prove to be advantageous to us."

Roslov's eyebrow rose. "Pray, enlighten me Captain." he asked.

"The first ship here was a stolen Confederation vessel. It had been removed from a scrap yard and records falsified to show that she had been scrapped. I think that these two also are stolen and records will show a similar discrepancy." She replied with a grim smile.

"How will this fact prove advantageous?" He asked.

"It will again allow me to open fire if they refuse to yield stolen Confederation property..." She was interrupted.

"Tactical to Captain. New results show that the two "Confederation" ships are Merced class vessels. Records show them to have been scrapped ten years ago in scrap yard 3D56. They were the Requiem and the Dauntless."

"Thank you Mr. Dobbs." She turned back to Roslov.

"Prime Minister we'll handle these ships. I just need to borrow your raider for some subterfuge, and I'll send Doctor Blue down to you." He nodded and then logged off.

Her grin had no mirth in it at all. "Scramble the Dominion pilots." She told Brokarr. "After you do that go to the launch bay and wait for the Morphocracy Raider. When it arrives let me know and I'll inform you of what is going to happen."

"Aye, Sir." He replied.