FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

June 2nd, 2030

1100 Hours

Airbase Andrews, State 11

Slams of locker doors, footsteps entering and exiting the room, the soft clicks and clacks of gear and weapons being grabbed, and more all combined to indicate that the squad was gearing up for their next mission. Among these troops was the team leader, Staff Sergeant Gary Altman, an anthro red and black furred red panda. Having been the last to enter the room due to clearing up additional details with the commander of the base, he entered the armory and made his way over to his designated locker. After inputting the number combo, the door popped open, allowing the red panda access to his weapons and gear. As he reached out to grab his vest, he looked to his right to see the other side of the door. On it were pictures that were held up by clips that magnetically stuck to it. Gary would glance at the pictures as he began putting his gear on. One picture showed him in a group photo with his family after the graduation ceremony at the end of training. Another showed him taking a selfie in his full combat gear during a break in a firefight between his squad and enemy forces.

"Maybe that was an inopportune time, now that I think about it." Gary thought to himself with a chuckle as he finished putting on the rest of his gear.

As he reached to grab his MA43 Carbine, he looked over to a third picture. This third picture stood out among the others he had on this door. Even though he saw this picture every time he opened this locker, it never failed to put a smile on his face. It was a picture of Gary and his significant other at their wedding. For obvious reasons, this single picture was cherished by the Airman more than any other of the photos here. It also helped that the circumstances in which he first met this person was quite extraordinary.

---

June 9th, 2028

0945 Hours

Entering State 9

Senior Airman Gary stood tall and firm alongside the other Airmen as they got ready for the mission ahead. The sounds of the plane's engines were reduced to an echo from inside the cargo bay, serving as an eerily calm background noise to set the stage for their jump. Staff Sergeant Fireback, the team leader for this deployment, had just finished checking the final Airman's parachute to make sure that it was in working order. The last thing anyone wanted was a dead Angel right off the bat, let alone in such a gruesome fashion. While waiting for the order to get ready to jump, the black and red furred red panda went over the mission objectives once more in his head.

A few hours ago, an Air Force fighter pilot, one Second Lieutenant Carter Richards, was sent on a reconnaissance mission behind enemy lines. Unfortunately, he was shot down due to Surface to Air Missile batteries in the area. The latest intel confirms that the pilot is still alive, but trapped, with the enemy having formed search parties to locate him. So far the pilot had remained undetected, but if a search and rescue force wasn't sent soon, his luck would run out. The search and rescue force that was being sent? Angel Team 5, part of the Air Force Angels.

These special operations Airmen specialize in dangerous search and rescue operations. Whether it be the extraction of a VIP, rescue of a downed pilot such as this operation, humanitarian relief, or something else that involved relieving a pinned down ally force. No matter the terrain, no matter the time, no matter the weather, if someone needed rescuing, Angels were the go-to force. These warriors were armed with not just cutting edge weaponry, but also knowledge on maneuvering through treacherous terrain and weather, along with extensive knowledge of first aid to treat any injuries on the flight back home, Gary took great pride in being able to call himself an Angel, as only around 15% of any candidate class makes it to the end of training. Being able to save lives and bring much needed light to someone's darkest day is something that he was happy to do for a career. People may ask what the point is in putting so much effort in rescuing sometimes just one person. To put it simply, leaving fellow soldiers to die is something that cannot be afforded.

"Angels, be advised, we're one minute out from the drop point." The pilot announced over the radio.

"Affirmative." Firebreak said. "We're ready for the cargo bay door when you are."

"Roger, opening it now."

Gary turned to watch the large door open up, a huge gust of wind bursting into the bay that caused him and the other Angels to be blown back a bit. Not enough to knock them down, but enough to cause them to take a step or two back. The wind died down shortly after, the morning sky clear and visible due to the team being above the clouds from how high the plane was.

Speaking of the plane's height, due to the SAM network down below, the Angels were inserting via a High Altitude Low Opening, or HALO, drop. They would leave the plane at high altitude, outside of the anti-air's detection, and deploy their parachutes at low altitude. Upon landing, the team was to create a hole in the enemy's anti-air network by disabling a SAM launcher, then they would extract the pilot and head back home via helicopter. On paper, it sounded quite simple. However, Gary and the others knew full well a mission was rarely ever so simple.

"Thirty seconds!" The pilot then declared.

Gary took position along with the others, ready to sprint out when the command was given. The red panda's stomach was filled to the brim with butterflies, the Airman always getting nervous for jumps such as these. This didn't stop him from being able to leave the plane, but he hated how nearly every HALO deployment got him nervous inside.

"Fifteen seconds!"

Gary closed his eyes, took a silent deep breath in, and then let it out softly as he opened them again, staring out towards the sky with a determined look. The nervousness of this jump would be nothing in comparison to the gratification he would feel upon saving this pilot's life.

"Five...four...three...two...one...GO, GO GO!" The pilot then ordered.

Whatever hesitation Gary had was immediately thrown out the window as his body and training took over, the Airman sprinting towards the sky along with the five others. As soon as he reached the edge of the cargo bay, Gary took one last step and then extended his arms and hands out, now in free-fall. He glanced back a little to see the other Angels behind him jumping out in unison, watching the plane begin to turn around to head back to base before he looked back down towards the ground. Right now the ground was obscured due to the clouds, but with time passing, the team's destination would be in sight soon. The wind blew against the team rather sharply, but not enough to deter them or otherwise put them off course.

Gary and the others then decided to pick up the pace and fasten their descent. They all tucked their arms to their sides and legs together as they pointed themselves towards the ground, the air now having much less resistance due to it coming into contact with less of their bodies. Given that a pilot's life depended on their speedy arrival, this move was more necessary than anything else.

With this move, the fall time was cut down, and resulted in the ground coming into view minutes later. Gary looked down to his vest and placed a hand on the handle that he would pull to deploy his parachute.

"Alright, chutes!" Firebreak commanded, pulling his handle to deploy his chute.

Gary heard the command over the radio and pulled his handle as well. The red panda's body jerked upward as the parachute was fully deployed, slowing his fall speed drastically. He then grabbed onto two other handles on either side to control the steering of his descent, the Airman aiming for a clearing in the wooded area down below. Soon all six Airmen were slowly descending onto the opening, contact with the ground being imminent. Gary readied himself for the landing, seconds later coming into contact with the ground. The red panda did a roll forward and stood up on his paws, detaching the now used up chute and letting the bag slide off his back. He then grabbed his MA43 and was now fully armed and ready to go. The others followed suit, the team of six Angels now ready to commence the operation.

"Everyone good? No broken bones on landing?" Firebreak asked, the anthro wolf getting shaking heads as a response. "Okay, good! Let's start moving!"

The team of six Angels then began their march into the woods.

Gary looked around and made multiple slow 360 degree turns as he kept moving forward, all while having his weapon raised as he and the others kept moving. Although it was easier to see thanks to it being early in the morning, this also meant the enemy would be able to see them more easily too. Traditional battle doctrine says that if you can see the enemy, the enemy can see you. Therefore, even if it was night time, Gary and the team wouldn't be any safer.

"Any update from the pilot yet?" Gary asked.

"Negative. The last update from him was eight hours ago." The squad leader said.

The fact it had been some time since the last update wasn't necessarily a cause for concern. Long breaks in-between communications like this was to be expected. The pilot couldn't just make any update out in the open, lest he give the enemy his exact position based on the coordinates from his transmission. Any updates from him were concealed. What would be more alarming is if the pilot did make a transmission that was so sudden.

"You think he's still alive? This area's pretty brutal even with it not being a part of the enemy's front line." A cheetah in the squad then commented.

"Let's focus on what we can control, Marlon." The squad leader replied. "Starting off with this SAM battery. Shouldn't be much further."

"Yes sir." The cheetah responded.

Gary and the others made sure to keep their eyes peeled and ears open. Only the sound of their footsteps could be heard for the moment. However, a minute later another sound was added into the mix. Mechanical whirring. This sound perked everybody's ears up. The wolf held up his left hand into a fist, telling the squad to halt. Gary stopped moving, waiting for his squad leader's next orders. The wolf turned to his team and simply held a finger to his lips, then extended his hand forward slowly. Gary nodded. Approach the source of the noise slowly and quietly. Everybody's footsteps slowed down. Gary assumed a combat ready stance as he peered through his weapon's sights, restricting his zone of scanning for targets to his immediate front for the time being. Up ahead was a clearing. Slowly but surely everyone took position, hiding in bushes or behind trees that served as cover to look out towards the opening. Sure enough, there it was. A Surface to Air Missile battery. And it was surrounded by an enemy patrol. No doubt the operators of the thing were inside the vehicle too.

"Gary, how many do you count?" The wolf asked.

Gary kept his weapon raised as he counted. He kept on adding one additional hostile in his head until he came to a total number. The enemy patrol, plus the number of occupants inside the SAM vehicle based on the design. "I count six enemy riflemen. Plus the three enemies inside the SAM, and that makes nine."

"Okay." Firebreak said. "Double check to be sure. Once we destroy this SAM, their QRF team isn't going to take long to get here."

Gary nodded and double checked, recounting all of the enemies. He mentally tallied up the targets back to nine once again. "Confirmed, six riflemen, three SAM operators inside the vehicle."

"Roger." The wolf nodded. He then looked over his right shoulder to a coyote in the team. "Doyel, ready with the rocket?"

"Yes sir, just say when." The Airman First Class responded with a grin. On the Airman's back was an ATR-9, a light anti-vehicle rocket launcher that's capable of knocking out light vehicles and inflicting strong damage against heavy ones with ease. As a single shot rocket, meaning it can't be reloaded, Doyle would need to make sure his aim was true. Luckily, the team only needed to disable the vehicle. Just so long as it couldn't shoot down the helicopter when it arrived.

"Alright. Six of us, six of them. Call out which target you've got." The wolf said. "I've got the one having a smoke."

"I've got the one on his phone." Gary called out.

The four other PJs called out their targets to the leader. Weapons raised and with targets acquired, things were about to get hectic.

"Everyone ready?" The squad leader asked, getting nods in response. "Okay. On my mark. Three...two...one...mark!"

Gary pulled the trigger in unison with the five others. The group of hostiles had no time to react as they were all taking hits from the coordinated effort from the Airmen. The coyote fired his rocket at the same time, taking aim at the missile launchers that were mounted onto the vehicle. In time with the gunshots, the rocket slammed into the launchers, dealing irreparable damage that deemed the vehicle as incapable of performing its assigned duties. When the enemies hit the ground, more shots rangs out to ensure they would stay there. Now came a split second decision the Staff Sergeant needed to make. Either wait for the crew to climb out to see what was going on, or charge the vehicle.

"Hold here. Wait for the crew to come out." The wolf ordered. "Don't want anyone getting reckless and charging into an open field."

"What if they radio for backup inside?" Gary asked.

"A QRF is going to be here anyway. That's just them calling them in." The squad leader said with a shrug of his shoulders, unfazed.

"Fair enough." The red and black furred red panda said with a shrug of his own shoulders.

Seconds later, one crewmate decided to peek his head out to see what had happened. Gary took aim and sent a few shots his way, two of the bullets bursting right through the SAM operator's skull. A few of the Angels gave soft "whoa" whistles as they watched part of the enemy's head disappear, his body sinking back into the vehicle.

"Nice shot!" The coyote whispered.

"Thanks." Gary said with a grin. He then turned to the Staff Sergeant. "Where to now, sir?"

"According to the latest intel, our pilot isn't far from here." The wolf said. "It's to the left of here." He then got up and began to speed-walk, the others taking the hint of urgency and doing the same. "Let's move fast. Our enemies aren't stupid."

Gary and the Airmen were now on the clock. They had to find that pilot quickly. Otherwise they'd be overwhelmed by the enemy force sent to investigate what was going on. Silence returned among the group as they advanced. This silence hung in the air for a solid two minutes before their radios would break it.

"Anybody receiving, this is Dagger 2!" A voice on the other end said in a hushed whisper. "Anyone?"

"Is that our pilot?" Gary asked. "What the hell is he doing on an open channel?"

"Shit hit the fan for him, that's why." Firebreak said. "Dagger two, this is Angel Team 5, we read you."

The pilot gave an audible sigh of relief. "Thank God! Look, I've got enemies advancing on my position, my cover's about to be blown! Where the hell are you guys?!"

"We're a quarter of a mile away. We'll be there shortly."

"You guys are closer than I thought, phew!" The pilot said. "Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we'll have to fight our way out of here."

"Whatever it takes to get you out of here." The squad leader said. "We'll meet with you shortly, stand by."

"Roger!"

The wolf then switched radio channels to the helicopter that would pick them up. By now their ride out of here would be right next to the combat zone. "Helix One, this is Angel Team 5, do you read?"

"Loud and clear! Status?" The pilot, a hyena, asked.

"We're about to grab the pilot! Get ready to enter the combat area!"

"Affirmative! Waiting on your order!" The pilot replied.

The squad leader then turned back to the team. "Alright, get yourselves ready. Things are about to get a little hectic."

Gary and the others nodded, ready for whatever would be thrown their way. A minute of walking later and the team would see an abandoned hut up ahead. To their right in the distance was an enemy patrol. Whoever intercepted that radio transmission was quick about it, that was for sure. While they weren't aware of the helicopter, the enemy was aware something was up.

"Contact! Enemy patrol dead ahead." The wolf said as he held up a hand in the air and clenched it into a fist, telling the others to stop. Gary and the others did as ordered, looking to see the patrol closing. "Hit the dirt, now!" He then added. Gary was quick to go prone, trying to get as much concealment from the grass and trees as possible.

Silence then took over as the team watched the enemy patrol move up to the hut. They all had weapons raised, ready to eliminate whoever was inside.

"Angel Team 5, is that you outside to my right?" The pilot then asked.

"Affirmative, you've got an enemy patrol at the front." The wolf advised.

"Already got a solution to that. Be ready to engage when the claymores go off."

"Claymores?" Gary asked. "Where did he get those?"

"You can ask him later, Gary." Doyle replied.

"Roger, we're waiting." Firebreak then replied.

Claymores were anti-personnel mines that were triggered when an enemy stepped into its proximity. Widely known and used by many nations and their militaries, anyone who comes into contact with them has a high likelihood of an explosion being the last thing they see before they're brought to the pearly gates. Due to their portable size, they were great for placing in hard to reach areas along with being the perfect ambush tool.

Gary watched as the first set of claymores went off, obliterating the front of the hostile patrol. Shocked and dazed, the remaining patrol that wasn't in the blast radius quickly ducked to find whatever cover they could place themselves in. More claymores awaited them, the pilot having thought about where the enemy would retreat as well. On cue, Gary and the others got into crouched positions and opened fire, further adding chaos and confusion for the enemy. A textbook example of an ambush. The first group of enemies went down quick, but were quickly replaced by a second group that was close by.

"Where'd they come from so quick?!" The cheetah asked as he reloaded his MA43.

"Must be another patrol! They must've been doing a separate search close by!" Gary said. It was after he said that out loud that he realized the gravity of the situation. "Oh SHIT! Staff Sergeant, we're gonna get-" The black and red furred red panda began before he was cut off by enemy gunfire that whizzed by his head. He reacted by taking aim and downing the hostile that was peeking out behind the tree. As if nothing happened, he went back to calling out to his squad leader. "We're gonna get flanked if we stay here! These patrols are converging on us!"

"I know!" The squad leader replied. "Gary! Get in there and retrieve the pilot! We'll cover you! I'll call in Helix One!"

"Roger!" Gary replied over the gunfire as he stood up, keeping his head ducked down. The cracks of gunfire continued to ring out, more bullets flying around the red panda as he sprinted towards the hut. Despite the immediate danger he was facing, Gary was hardly concerned about his safety. Of course he wanted to remain alive, but for the sake of the pilot. So long as the pilot got out of here, he would be content. This mindset was the core of any Air Force Angel.

The anthro made it to the back door of the hut, knowing that trying to go in through the front would expose him to even more fire, and most likely a swift and untimely death. Adrenaline coursing through his veins, Gary opened the door.

"Friendly coming in!" Gary announced as he entered the hut. That didn't stop the pilot from reacting on instinct, however. The red panda was met with the barrel of a standard issue M91 pointed in his direction, but only for a brief moment. Upon realizing this was his rescue, the pilot let out a soft and quick sigh of relief, lowering his weapon. It was here that Gary got to see the pilot, his mission, who he was sacrificing life and limb for, for the first time. And it was absolutely worth it.

Gary considered every deployment and every rescue to be worth it, given that his line of work involved literally saving lives. But this pilot in particular. There was something about him...

The pilot in question was a Serval, who was currently against the wall across from the Airman. He had a plentiful amount of bandages on his left arm, along with a few more small cuts and scrapes all over his body. But despite those injuries, he struck Gary like no man had done before. Seeing this Serval served as a very strong reminder that what he did for a living was absolutely worth it. The red panda quickly snapped out of his mindset and was back to reality in a millisecond.

"Second Lieutenant Richard?" Gary asked.

"That would be me." The Serval replied. "And you?"

"Senior Airman Altman." The red panda replied. "We're here to get you out of this hellhole. Any injuries I should be made aware of?"

The Serval nodded. "Got a bad cut on my left arm. Sharp tree branch cut into me on my way down. Messed up my ankle too while avoiding an enemy patrol, I can't walk too well."

The red panda nodded. "Got it. Both of those we can start treating on our flight back. Right now, let's get you out of here."

Gary holstered his rifle, the Serval holstering his pistol as well. Gary extended a hand out, the Serval taking the offer and firmly grasping the Angel's hand with his own.

"Ready? One, two, three!" Gary said quickly as he pulled the pilot up.

Carter winced as the sharp pain from his cut and broken ankle returned, the pain transitioning from a sudden sharp one to a radiating one after he was pulled up. The Serval knew that enduring this much pain would reward him with relief of these wounds later. The pilot soon found his life in the literal hands of the Angel, Gary holding onto him with a firm yet warm grasp as he carried him in a simple one person lift position.

"Staff Sergeant, I've got the pilot!" Gary informed over the radio.

"Good! Okay people, we're getting the hell out of here! Helix One is on their way!" The squad leader replied. "Toss some smoke to cover our retreat!"

As Gary and Carter both made their way out of the hut, the gunfire returned to full volume for the two of them. Behind them, some of the Angels had thrown smoke grenades, which created a thick layer of smoke that the enemy couldn't see through. Only if they had thermal optics, scopes that could see through things such as smoke due to them looking for heat signatures, could they keep up accurate fire. However, based on the fact the gunfire reduced and was less accurate, the smoke was working. Gary kept on sprinting towards the extraction point, the other Angels circling the Airman and the pilot as they were also double-timing it.

Carter had one arm wrapped around Gary's neck while the other was gripping onto the red panda's combat vest. Gary paid no attention to his vest being grabbed onto, too focused on getting the pilot out of here.

"Angel Team 5, this is Helix One! I'm close! ETA 60 seconds!" The pilot called out over the radio.

"Affirmative! Our LZ will be hot, enemies are in pursuit!" The wolf replied.

"Understood. Our gunners will be ready."

Carter overheard the pilot over Gary's radio that was on his vest, feeling a wave of relief wash over him. Although he wasn't out of trouble yet, he was all but certain he would be able to live to see another day.

"You hanging in there?" Gary then asked.

"Yep!" Carter replied.

Gary kept on sprinting towards the LZ, soon spotting a familiar clearing in the woods along with the faint sound of helicopter blades cutting through the air.

"You hear that? That's our ride out of here!" Gary then told the pilot.

"Gotta say, never thought I'd get a VIP escort like this in my life!" Carter said with a chuckle. "Didn't think they'd send such fine men like you out to get me either!"

Gary heard the second half of the Serval's sentence and tone, and needed to take a second to think about how to respond. On the one hand, this could have come off as a simple compliment from one Airman to another, as military folks often do in situations of distress. On the other hand, that could've been the Serval's attempt at flirting. A damn good one too, given that he was testing the waters if it was the latter case. Given that Gary was looking for a guy as well, he took it as the latter. Now it was time for him to test the waters back with his response.

"Didn't think the pilot we were sent to rescue was such a gentleman himself." Gary replied with a grin.

The Serval gave a grin of his own along with a chuckle. "Daw, stop, you're being too sweet now."

Now that the Serval thought about it, being in this Airman's grip felt kind of nice. Not just in the sense of being rescued, but just in general. Though the radiating pain from his cut and ankle sprain would shift him back to reality.

The helicopter was now in view and rapidly descending, the noise of the helicopter blades cutting through the air growing louder now, the heavy breeze from the rotors being felt on the ground. Gary looked up to see and hear the gunner on the left side of the aircraft opening fire. The hostiles that were in pursuit were either gunned down by the insane power of the minigun on the side of the vehicle, or stopped to take cover or fall back. Helix One made their landing, with Gary and Carter being the first ones in line to get aboard.

"Get on that bird, we're getting out of here!" The squad leader said as he turned back and crouched down, providing covering fire along with the others who were waiting to get on. Gary sprinted to the chopper first with Carter in his hands, entering the vehicle and setting the injured pilot flat on the floor softly. On the floor was a stretcher that was laid out in advance so the jet pilot would have some comfort on the trip home. Much better than just laying on the cold, hard floor of the aircraft. Gary then turned and pulled his MA43 out, providing additional covering fire for the other troops as they boarded the aircraft. Most of the work repelling the enemy forces was done by the gunner and their utilization of firepower that a minigun bud. Staff Sergeant Firebreak was the last to board the aircraft, turning to the pilot.

"We're all aboard! Go!" He commanded.

"Roger that! Lifting off!" The pilot said with a nod as they began to ascend.

As the helicopter was lifting off, an enemy with a rocket launcher peeked his head out of the shadows and took aim. After doing his best to adjust for the helicopter's direction of travel, he fired. Gary was peeking out the open door when he spotted the projectile zooming towards the vehicle.

"ROCKET!" He screamed to the pilot.

The pilot reacted on instinct and jerked the flight stick hard to the right, Gary holding onto the sides of his seat and bracing for the worst. The rocket kept on approaching until it was set to strike! Gary watched as the projectile near missed the helicopter, giving an audible yell out of panic along with a few others with how close it was. Seconds passed and the realization that they were all in one piece hit the red panda. He let out a quick sigh of relief before he closed the door, the helicopter now out of harm's way.

"That was too close!" The helicopter pilot commented, relief in their voice. The hyena then contacted HQ to inform them of the good news. "HQ, this is Helix One. All Angels are accounted for and we got the pilot. Mission accomplished, we're coming home."

As Helix One was contacting HQ, Gary and the others were focused on tending to Carter's wounds. As the PJ's began their treatment, Carter looked around at each one.

"I know you guys probably hear this all the time, but thank you." The Serval said.

"No worries, we don't get tired of hearing it." Gary reassured the pilot. "It reminds us why we risk it all daily."

Carter and Gary locked eyes, the jet pilot simply giving a reassuring nod before returning to a relaxed position. He then let Gary and the other Angels begin their treatment of him while they all made their way back to base.

---

Gary smiled softly as he finished recollecting the tale to himself. By now he had left the armory and was inside the V-44 Harbinger plane/helicopter hybrid, waiting for the other Angels along with the pilot and co-pilot of the vehicle to get here. The red panda heard footsteps approaching. He turned to see someone enter the aircraft. The Airman who was present? None other than Carter. Gary smiled softly.

"Carter? What are you doing here?" Gary asked.

"Well, seeing as how this is one of the few operations we deploy on together, I wanted to stop by and wish my special Angel some good luck!" The Serval said as he stepped into the vehicle.

For this deployment, the Angels would be receiving aerial cover from Carter and his squadron. A pretty rare circumstance for most search and rescue missions like this.

Gary made a cute little "Dawww" noise along with a soft smile. "Babe, you shouldn't have."

"I know. But I just couldn't help myself!" The Serval said with a soft giggle, leaning in for a kiss.

Gary smiled and leaned in for a kiss as well. The Angel and jet pilot knew they didn't have long, but the two reached an agreement that some kisses were needed before their mission. After the first kiss, the two leaned in for a second kiss, both of them giggling softly. After the second kiss, Gary cupped Carter's left cheek with his right hand.

"You stay safe out there, okay?"

"I will if you will." The feline replied with a smile.

"I will." Gary confirmed. "Let's go rescue this squadron, yeah?"

Carter nodded. "Yes, sir." The feline then began walking out of the craft, turning back to the red panda quickly to say, "Love you!"

"Love you too!" Gary replied before the Serval was out of his sight.

Gary then looked to his right hand, his eyes darting to his ring finger. Although he had his combat gloves on, and therefore couldn't directly see it, the mere fact that ring was there gave the red panda a confidence boost. He was married to an amazing man. And that amazing man would be providing air support for this operation. He simply smiled before looking up to hear the footsteps of his team coming towards the vehicle. It was time to save the lives of more troops.