FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Itico pulls the last of the canisters from the cache into the ship and shakes water from his thick fur. He says to Randa in his mental voice, "Well, at least we won't need to eat anyone."

Randa swipes him playfully across the ears. "Come on," she says heading out of the spacious cargo hold of Zuhumi's ship, "he's figured out how to get more than language data off that cube from the collar."

They slipped through the cramped passageways of strapped down cargo as the moved to the front of the ship.

As Itico struggled to navigate the tight twists and turns of the irregular passages he complains, "Of all the aliens we've seen in the galaxy you wreck the ship of one of the smallest."

As Randa makes it to the hatch she says, "What can I say, it takes a talent."

Zuhumi looks up as the pair of tigers slip into the next room which serves as his office, rec. room and bedroom. As he speaks, his translated words come from speakers hidden in the ceiling. "Thankfully, my ship is not wrecked. I will be able to fabricate the parts I need and the fuel I lost is being replaced as we speak.

"You are one of the artifact dealers?" Randa asks.

Zuhumi nods. "We like to call ourselves scrounges."

Itico wiggles his way in and sits back on his haunches and places his forepaws on the largest table in the room. "A map of this planet," he says to Randa.

"Itico notices that you have found a map to the planet.," Randa tells Zuhumi.

"Yes," says Zuhumi as he shifts to look at the projection on the table's top. "The collar that you were forced to wear not only gave you access to their language database but also a catalog of planets, their maps and basic summaries. I suppose so anyone wearing them would already know what places were being talked about and would not wear a snow suit to a beach resort." He raises and hand to emphasize, "Plus, everything was unencrypted. They never thought about what would happen if these fell into the wrong hands."

Randa sits on the edge of the bed and looks carefully at the map. "I guess," she says contemplatively, "I had no need to know this yet. None of this looks familiar."

Turning to Randa, Zuhumi looks a little worried, nervous but excited too. "In most of the known galaxy, what was done to you is not permitted. Not only that, there are people who live to ruin operations like this. I imagine you would want to destroy these collars but if you permit me to sell the data from them we may be able to help free more people who are still in the situation you just escaped."

From the ship's control room comes a bright flash and they all turn to look into the next compartment. Zuhumi squeezes past the larger tiger and sits in the pilot's chair. He taps a few times on a touch screen and says to the others. "Over the last few hours, the ship has tracked several incursions into the atmosphere. I have put the data on the table."

The other two turn to see the map of the planet overlain with trajectory arcs and landing sites.

"Notice how some of the impact sites also show something lifting off." Zuhumi turned to looks at the other two. "On my way down, my ship tracked several other pods like the one that struck my ship. Some of the lift offs correspond to where those other pods landed."

Itico bristled, "Who is collecting survivors?"

Randa turns to look at Zuhumi and asks, "Is it one of theirs?"

Zuhumi reaches back and touches a control. "I have never seen anything like it before."

On the display is the image of what appears to be an asteroid burning on entry to the atmosphere. The object is irregularly shaped with dull pitted surfaces and incongruous spikes at odd angles.

"This image was captured just now. It going directly over us was the flash we saw."

Leaning on the table a little, Itico says to Randa, "remember what I said about the creature who first escaped?"

Randa turns to Zujumi who can't hear Itico's mind voice. "Itico believes he knows what, who it is," and relates Itico's escape story.

Zuhumi nods, "It is near impossible to hide when entering an atmosphere but I bet that ship has been following that creature ever since it was captured. That ship looks like it was made to hide in space."

As they watch, the display changes again to show another launch from the planet. "That makes 40 launches that the ship has been able to follow," states Zujumi.

"We have no idea how many pods that ship carried," says Randa.

"Only enough for the important people is my guess," adds Itico.

"Itico says likely not enough to get everyone off and I agree," Randa tells Zuhumi. "The greatest show of wealth and power was to be surrounded by living creatures, the more exotic the better. There were few robots on these ships. Almost everything was done by a person. Not everyone wore a collar, cooks were hired for example, but just about everything else." She shudders, "I was exotic enough that I was spared the worst of the duties. No one wanted to mar my white hair or perfect shape. I was made to be admired, lusted after."

Zuhumi ducks his head and nods, "Which is why you were unclothed."

"Exactly," replies Randa. "There were literally hundreds of people on that ship. I may have killed many people to achieve my escape." She tears up al little and Itico leans over to lean on her. Randa puts her arm around the larger tiger and sighs. "I could have even killed the only friend I have right now. I did not know we were on the same ship."

Zuhumi reaches over to touch Randa's hand and softly says, "Maybe not as many as you might think."

The two tigers look up at Zuhumi who is back working at his console. Zujumi turns back and points at the table. "I make a living tracking objects in space where a lot of things explode. My ship may look like it is about two jumps from the recycler but that's because I put much of my money into the tracking capabilities. This ship can track over 500 objects the size of you large friend here and up." The display showed a map of debris blossoming out above the planet. He points at four paths in particular. "These red traces are large, the size of my ship or larger, and they are thrusting hard away when the ship explodes." The image steps backwards until there is only 5 traces. "They exited a few seconds before the mothership exploded."

Randa relaxed a little, "One of those is the shuttle I got some of our own kind to. I had hoped that they had made it but am still afraid that they did not."

"What I can say is that these ships stayed together. I can not say how well anyone fare who was onboard," Zuhumi stated.

Randa strokes Zuhumi's hand, "Thank you for that much."

Zuhumi clears his throat and looks embarrassed as he says, "I am not used to being so close to people for so long. I need a break."

The two tigers slip out of Zuhumi's space and head back into the cargo bay where they move stuff around, strapping the new canisters in where they could with the cargo which was already there. They set up one of the shelters on the deck and pull in a few other supplies before Randa crawls in to take a nap.

Itico figures out how to control the loading ramp and sits near the edge, using it like a flat deck rather than a ramp. The edge where he is seated lifts him about ten feet off the ground.

After a while Zuhumi walks out and sets the portable heater next to the tiger, followed by a plate of sandwiches and the translator. He then sits with his small feet dangling over the edge. He gestures at the plate and offers, "If you can eat any of this, please feel free."

Itico chuffs softly and uses a forepaws and claws to carefully pull one of the sandwiches off the stack so he could grab it with his teeth and swallow it whole.

Zuhumi laughs softly, "Yeah, I had not thought about that. The whole idea of the sand which is lost if you don't have hands." He picks up a sandwich and eats it with careful, small bites.

The two sit for a while just looking out at the grassland and it's smattering of trees through the silver gloom of the single, small moon.

Zuhumi picks up another sandwich, offering it to him on the flat of his palm.

Using his teeth, Itico lifts the food from the offered hand, tilts his head back and swallows that one as well. The other takes his time with his own second sandwich, picking at his food.

"I feel bad. I'm mad that my ship was damaged. I put so much into this thing I hate to see it damaged." He pauses, "I'm mad that I never thought to sit like this before too." He pats the ramp they are both seated on.

Itico huffs a kind of chuckle.

"I'm mad that I was trading with such despicable people. The more Randa tells me the more mad I get."

Itico reaches a forepaw over to rest it on Zuhumi's knee.

"Thanks," Zuhumi says, patting the paw. "I am especially mad that I find her so attractive and she tells me that her body was made to be that way. It makes me feel so dirty and manipulated."

Itico flexes claws into the other's leg briefly.

Zuhumi laughs and heys. "I know. She has been through so much. It is unfair for me to think of her that way. That is one reason men are not allowed to see women naked in our culture."

Itico huffs and nods.

"Not that being locked up and experimented on is a walk in the park," says Zuhumi.

Itico leans over and noses Zuhumi's shoulder and Zuhumi leans over and hugs Itico with one arm.

They lean together for a bit like that until Randa flops down on the other side of the tiger. She reaches over to grab a sand which, stuffing it into her mouth.

"Hey boys, what are you two hatching?"

Zuhumi chuckles. "Just enjoying seeing the stars from this angle for once," he answers. "I was born in space. I grew up in space. If someone had not figured how to make artificial gravity I would not be able to walk on a planet at all."

Randa nods, "We we're both born on a planet but rarely saw the stars due to how cloudy our planet was."

Zuhumi nods. "Now, though, who knows. Probably stripped of everything useful."

Randa nods.

"I feel so evil for even associating with this race. I had no idea."

Randa reaches over and pats Zuhumi's hand. "I doubt there is a race out there that has never done something evil. Give people big enough brains and they figure out a way to use them to hurt people."

Zuhumi thanks Randa and turns his hand to squeeze hers.

Randa leans back and looks down at the translator. "Do you want to tell him or shall I?"

The little avatar lights up on top the device and looks up at Zuhumi. "You did not ask me to disconnect my output from the ship's speakers."

Ducking his head, Zuhumi let's his long hair fall over his face as if he could hide the deep blush that can be seen from neck to ears, even under his dark brown coat. He stammers but the translator says simply, "I am so sorry."

Randa moves around next to Zuhumi and hugs him, which only makes him blush even harder. She says, "Well, at least you feel guilty for it. I do not need to do anything else."

Itico chuckles but only Randa can hear his amusement.

Randa leans back and looks down at the other's long face, "It is okay for me to hug you, isn't it?"

Zuhumi, still hiding in his hair replies, "Yes, oh yes."

Randa hugs him tight again, resting her chin atop the more diminutive male's head. "So, I finally looked at the map and this planet has only one major feature, one city. It's not a guess to say that was where we were going."

"How far?" Itico asks.

"Too far to walk," replies Randa.

Zuhumi reluctantly pulls back from Randa and combs his hair back from his face. "I will start repairs after I get some sleep."

Nodding, Randa says, "We will help as much as we can but we can only ask you for a ride there. After that, this isn't your problem."

Zuhumi shakes his head in the negative, "I may only be here because of an accident of physics but I owe it to you and others for assisting in the continuation of practices like this. Which is why I asked you about the language library cubes. If I sell them to people who fight against people like this, it gives them an advantage they did not have before."

Randa asks, "Does it have to be sell?"

Zuhumi nods, "In our culture, you give stuff to friends and family but if they aren't either of those and you give stuff away it must be untrustworthy or broken. So, to be taken seriously, I have to sell them and sell them at extraordinary prices."

Randa nods, "Can I help?"

Zuhumi blushes again but replies, "If we record you explaining the purpose of the collars that will greatly increase their value." He pauses and ducts his head before continuing, "If you do it unclothed we may be able to get six times more for each collar."

"We?" Randa asks.

Zuhumi pulls a small object from his pocket and shows it to Randa. "This contains a standard cooperative contract between the three of us. You let me sell these collar components and I'll give you two sixty percent and take forty. I know you two only get thirty percent each so this contract is in my favor. If I am right though, we will all be quite rich and myself I have far more debts."

Itico asks, "Where would we spend all this money?"

Randa nods and asks the question to Zuhumi.

"We are in a sector of space that overlaps with my species reach into the galaxy. Any station or ship that is ours or has business with us will take the credit," explains Zuhumi.

"We may need the resources. We don't know for certain how many of us there are out there and we certainly may not have a planet to go home to," explains a Itico.

Randa relays and adds, "When I get my body back, this one will be as good as dead. How will that affect the contract?"

"Not at all. We will seal it with DNA. I will get a hair from each of you. You when your in your natural body again.."

Itico opens his mouth and snaps his jaws closed quickly. "Back of the neck," he says to Randa.

Zuhumi jumps.

Randa nods, looks to Zuhumi, "Itico either wants me to accept the contract or bite your head off." She grins and offers a hand to Zuhumi. "We will do it. Let us make some money."