FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The air of the desert planet is arid and dry, nothing but sand, salt and rock makes up the surface as the thin air of the planet heats to a very high point of around 180 degrees fahrenheit. The steps from Magnum's suit and machines clang against the dense salt-sand mix as the enviro-suit equipped vixen and weasel tag along with their similarly equipped security force accompanying them. The group advances with guidance from Elvo, who's guiding them across the surface with data from the scanner, based on the gathered data, there are some mountains made up of dense granite, if anything on the planet had a chance of surviving the disaster all that time ago, it would be there... or so Magnum and Elvo believe. The rocky terrain offering them some pretty steep resistance to where any vehicles would be useless, though at Magnum's request Elvo has sent some mining drones to begin to excavate the ore, thinking it can be sold at a premium though he wants a sample scanned as well.

Marouge says "Geez, you pick quite a planet to explore."

Magnum says "It all in the name of trying to figure out just what's going on here, besides exploring an unknown planet is always interesting."

Porralla looks around at the jagged rocks, their hard surface baring eroded scars of their own as many look like giant black teeth, some with dull serrations while others are cracked clean through. It gave a vibe of dread, something felt off about the rocks, the weasel couldn't figure it out but her instincts were telling her to run.

The mystic says "According to the scans, there is an entrance close by.", he looks to see a pile of rocks that look to have caved in and he says "Over there."

Porralla says "But how do we get in?"

Magnum glances to her as he says "That's the easy part." as his helm hides a humorous smirk, as it'll be but child's play.

The rocks begin to move as Magnum focuses the air around them, one by one they each float and are tossed away, the two ladies and their security detail become stunned at the display, they were just expecting him to call his drones to dig the rocks out or to force it with his suit. They had only heard of his powers up until now, they had thought they were exaggerations... now they didn't know what to think. The group enters the very claustrophobic environment with Magnum taking point as two mining drones join them, Elvo helping them navigate the tunnels, the hums from the drones and Magnum's suit echoing throughout the darkness.

Magnum says "Any idea what we are looking for Elvo?"

The a.i.'s voice comes through "I am not sure, based on the reports, the Metal Howlers thought that this world had some place of note."

Magnum scoffs as he says "All I see is rock and dust."

Elvo says "According to the scans, the tunnels that you have been going through look like they connect to some chamber, roughly half a kilometer underground, though I can't confirm due to interference from the granite's make up."

Magnum orders the drones to take point and they begin to light the way with some coverage from their mining lasers. The exploration having gone quiet as they keep an eye out for any hazards, they eventually make it to the chamber Elvo was taking about, the walls lined with ancient gold with stone statues that are heavily damaged. The statues are in the form of some kind of armor that look to rival an exosuit in size rather then power armor, the floor is made up of slabs of iron covered in rust and gravel, the tread caked in ancient dust. The back of the chamber is far more interesting, shattered glass of different colors are sprinkled on the floor, it's frame now a pile of blown apart junk, a massive chest sits on top of an alter, the chest looks to be made of iron, gold plates and red diamonds that rival the sanguine color of fresh blood.

Porralla says "Looks like we found treasure!" with excitement.

Magnum looks all over the place, he doesn't see any traps but he can't be too sure "Yeah, but what kind of treasure?", he motions everyone to stay put, they nod back as he advances towards the chest, no traps trigger much to his surprise but he really starts to examine it as he motions everyone to come over.

The language printed on it is made of the same symbols found in the locations that once belonged to the mystic civilization, the ancient dialect in the color of copper.

Marouge looks over the exotic item, other then a thick coat of dust and what looks to be some scratches, it looks near pristine, her curiosity having been sparked as she gently grazes her hand across the surface "Just think about it, if what we found is around fifteen million years old... just how old is this?"

The weasel kneels "Since it was buried, could be even older then that."

Marouge looks to the wolf "Magnum, any theories?" as she puts a hand on her hip.

The mystic says "Porralla is more then likely correct, those rocks must've formed one heck of a seal though, because there is no rust on anything in here. Though I won't know what's in it until it's open... and how to open it I don't have a clue as it looks to be locked but no key hole."

The vixen sighs "I can't risk having this on my ship. But you Magnum can have virtually anything on yours for study, is that correct?"

The mystic sees her point as he doesn't want to raise any questions either and he says "Of course, as soon as I figure anything out I'll let you know. But I am curious to see what images these glass panels once made up, I'll have the drones take some 3-D images and task Elvo with trying to reconstruct it."

With aid from the mining drones, they get the chest to the shuttle Magnum's drones were brought down in and both groups return to their ships, after gathering some of the granite rocks down below, The Howl of Silver and the Briggette Armada depart with Magnum's captured prize in tow to be sold for parts at the port they are heading to. The symbols are being run through the translator as Magnum examines it, the symbols jumping out at him as uses a magnifying glass to look over the chest.

The coyotes projection looks to the wolf "I have finished going over the granite, it contains a natural and unnatural composition. Based on the materials present, whatever crashed into planet generated enough heat to instantaneously fuse it's composition to that of the granite, however this is only present in the outer-most layers."

Magnum looks over the data and he says "Any luck putting that puzzle together?" as he takes the information in.

Elvo says "I am still working on the framework of the portraits, so far I haven't been able to identify anything." with a sigh.

The mystic eyes his scan of the box which doesn't even give a clue to what's in it, though he can faintly tell this chest has some kind of hook-based lock, but it isn't conventional at all and it is sealed so well, not even wind can move in and unlock the chest... much to his annoyance. And with no key hole, no combination system to be found, it's just a dead end at this point.

Magnum says "Alright, we'll just let the translators try to do their thing and we'll look at the charts later. Right now, let's shift gears and work on prototype number X103-B."

Elvo nods in understanding, I'll bring it out in the workshop as well as pull up it's blueprints."

Magnum makes his way down the halls to where he suited up for his operation, he makes it to a large work station, complete with an advanced computer suite and an array of tools, the whir of elctro motors can be heard as a metal case arrives by a special carry drone, it opens, revealing a decent sized weapon. The weapon resembles a powerful-looking if somewhat skeletal rifle, the weapon is about 50 inches long, a rail system making up the barrel as a side handle sticks out on the right that is fixed, the stock having two circular ports and on top is a custom scope system.

The a.i. appears and she says "Should I also break out prototypes V203 and H589?"

Magnum shakes his head "No, we're going to focus on the buster rifle for now, the other two can wait until we get close to the desired threshold." as he boots up his computer.

Elvo says "Understood, but do you really need another gun?"

The mystic says "With the buster rifle I can pack a lot more fire power, the wrist plasma blasters will only go so far. The mercury should handle it if we figure out the issues we have and if doesn't go that far, then we'll bring out H589. With this thing, I can use a weapon that'll rival my beam in power..."

Elvo intervenes "Provided we fix the issues first."

Magnum gives a chuckle "That's why we have simulators, that way we can keep this a secret and still make progress." readying some tools.

The coyote looks at the weapon, taking everything into account if this buster rifle works out, it'll be thee most powerful weapon ever handled by a suit of power armor... and that alone scared her, lockouts or not. This weapon has been a thing since Magnum created the tesla suit and tried to figure out a way to make the two work together, but this resulted in the falcon suits beam cannons instead, it was tried again when the prescience was rolled out and still failed. But now with the mercury at Magnum's disposal it may just be the platform the mystic needs.

Magnum says "Hmm, reduce stabilizer null-field by 3.7% and increase rail conduction by 5.9%." his eyes glued to the screen as he looks over the data.

Elvo nods as she inputs the information in the simulator, she thinks about the other prototypes and their performance being tied together, she knew she didn't have to ask what he was working on. With H589 having been a thing since the falcon suit had been created and V203 having started almost as long as the buster rifle has been in the prototype stages, it was the logical conclusion.

Meanwhile in Magnum's treasure hall, the warhammer that Magnum claimed from Wejo the Mechanic, sitting proudly in it's display, glows a faint blue for a moment, revealing the same symbols found on the chest.

..........................................

Marouge and Porralla are laying on their bed, their nightgowns being a little loose after tossing and turning in their sleep. The vixen and weasel staring lovingly into each others eyes, joining their lips in a kiss, the ladies are really looking forward to getting their pay and some rest and relaxation as they begin to think of what they'll do on their shore-leave at the station.

The vixen stretches as she sits up and yawns "We should be arriving at station Nyx in a few hours."

The weasel does some stretching of her own, she her eyes looking to the vixen "Three days of rest, I can hardly wait."

Marouge says "Enjoy it while you can, after that we maybe heading back to the kingdom." as she gets a uniform ready.

Porralla sits herself in front of a mirror and begins to brush her hair "Don't spoil it hon." in a teasing tone.

Marouge giggles "You wanted to know what it was like to be a privateer."

Porralla switches to the hair on the other side of her head and she says "Maybe while we're on the station we can find a wedding planner."

The vixen picks up a data pad which has priority reports on it from the crew "Well, it would be a good start and we can wrap it up when we get back.", she takes a sip of coffee and she says "How far out should we place it though?"

The weasel gives a thinking "Hmm", she glances to her wife to be and she says "How about eight months from now?"

Marouge says "April? Not a bad month, especially since it's when everything begins to bloom." having a romantic thought.

Porralla's mind begins to fill with all kinds of wedding ideas, picturing her dress and what Marouge would probably wear. The vixen however gets the shower going, her mind at first going to the wedding she and the weasel are planing but her mind shifts to their mystic ally, now that she thinks about it, outside of her and Porralla the only other woman Magnum seems to have had any interaction with is Elvo and he's never mentioned having a relationship with anyone and given his reputation word of such a thing would spread like wild fire. She knew Magnum's battles and skirmishes were back-to-back and he had an array of tools at his disposal, but now she was wondering how he was mentally, he seemed tired and even a little sad even though it was only hinted at.

Marouge thinks 'Magnum, outside of Elvo... is there anyone else actually in your life?'

..........................

Around four hours later, the armada and Howl of Silver arrive at station Nyx, a massive station made from a hallowed asteroid that was once a major player in mining operations but has since became a heavily populated construct, serving as a hub for this sector of space and known for it's trading ports and influence on numerous neighboring sectors. The ships dock and almost everyone disembarks with Elvo beginning to instruct the stations salvage crews on taking apart the looted ship, so that it's parts can be sold for resources or credits with whatever being left over sold for scrap with magnum's drones taking the rarer materials and for himself.

The fox, weasel and wolf meet up with Magnum's face all but buried in a data pad as he goes over different sales and keeping track of the stock from the ship. The ladies become almost mesmerised by the sheer speed his eyes move and the commands he inputs, almost like his taps and hums forming an improvised rythem... it's uncanny to see the least.

Marouge says "Magnum, are you a cyborg?"

Magnum says "I have some implants in my brain and my eyes, nothing too major, just some stuff to help my vision, memory and skills.", he finishes with one last tap on the pad and he says "Just some small stuff to help me out." as he finally puts the data pad away.

Porralla is looking over a map of the place "Hmm, I think I found what we're looking for Marouge." as she shows her where a wedding planner is.

The vixen smiles "Excellent, after we grab a bite we'll head there."

The weasel looks to the wolf and she says "Is there anything you want to do while we're here?"

A woman's voice says "Maybe have a good time?"

The trio looks to see a grey fox head their way, her outfit is black and somewhat revealing as eyeshadow masks her yellow eyes and her miniskirt adding diminsion to her hips.

Magnum says "Sorry, not interested." trying to be nice, knowing full well he was talking to an escort of some kind.

The fox says "Aww, come on sugar... someone as exotic as you needs an exotic woman like me." as she gets a little too close as her hand extends to the mystics neck.

The mystic retreats defensively "I said NO!" pain shooting through his heart as he backs up.

Marouge snaps at her "Look it, he's obviously not interested and you are now at two strikes.", she puts a hand on her sword "Do you want to have a third?" as she steps forward.

Time freezes as Porralla takes this all in, Magnum looked like he was protecting himself from an attacker as her fiancee made ready to draw her sword. Thinking back to when Magnum displayed his powers earlier, they had heard of his ability to control water and ice and his beam attack was something of legend in how powerful it was. Now to see him retreating from a woman...

The escort eyes the both of them for a moment and she says "See ya buzzkills later." with a condesending smirk as she walks away.

Marouge and Magnum watch the grey fox as she disappears into the crowd, the red fox looks to the wolf to see him still in a defesive stance, she glances to her fiancee who looks concerned at what just happend.

Marouge says "Magnum, are you okay?" as she faces the mystic, her eyes scanning him.

The mystic takes some deep breathes as he relaxes his heart and tries to get into a more relaxed position, he says "I'm fine, just give me a second." with his eyes closed.

Porralla goes over to him, she gently takes his arm which earns a glance from him "It's okay Magnum, let's walk around and occupy your mind."

The trio begins to head out as the grey fox watches them from a corner tucked away, she smiles as she leans back "Ahh Magnum...", she takes in a whiff of the air "Nice to see that the trauma I put on you still exists." and her eyes glow red.

...............................

Back on the Howl of Silver, Elvo is examining the box recovered from that cave, so far her translations have come up short, the language the mystics used was turning into a tough nut to crack, especially since almost no one have been successful and those who 'have' went mad and she still can't figure out how the box is suppose to open. The a.i. suddenly detects a small power surge from Magnum's trophy room, in a flash she arrives there and sees nothing present, a blue light occurs behind her for a second. After a quick turn around she sees the warhammer that Magnum had taken, she approaches it and examines it, her sensors don't detect a power source and yet it was putting out an energy signature of some kind.

Elvo says "And what is going on here?", noticing the same symbols that are on the box are on the weapon too though near microscopic in scale, she processes this for a few seconds, comes up with a theory "Do you and the box have something in common?" as she begins to re-examine the logs, searching for any that mentions the hammer in front of her, after scanning for a few minutes a look of intrige crosses her features and she says "When Magnum gets back, I need to present this."

..................................

Marouge, Porralla and Magnum are at the weddng planers office that the weasel had found, Magnum was unsure if he should be with them in such an intimate setting but given what happend earlier he can understand why they want to keep an eye on him. He mentally kicks himself, he thought he had beaten his personal demons back into nothing, he sighs to himself, there was no point in trying to cover it up, though he wasn't sure about opening up... he was just hoping they wouldn't press. To help occupy his mind, he was busy crunching some numbers in his head, thinking of his prototypes and trying to run the simulations in his mind for each one, two at a time or all three. But his mind slowly drifts to the box, it contained something and whatever it was the Metal Howlers were declared renegade over trying to find it and try to put together a galaxy or possibly universe-sized puzzle. He did ask Elvo to keep studying the box and see what she could possibly uncover, what sucked for him was that now it was a case of decryption and one where translation was all but useless, he was a mystic and even he can't read his own peoples words. He also often asks himself why he was the only mystic it seemed? Why was he born this way? Why become marked and become a curiosity of a civization that hasn't existed in forever? He didn't have the answer to any of these questions and he doubts he ever will, he would admit that while he has done some good and his powers are increadible and while he has put them to good use... he has never embraced being a mystic and with how much attention many give him just for baring him has only helped lead him to self isolation.

Marouge and Porralla appraoch the mystic, noticing just how deep in thought he was, they have no idea what could be thinking of but whatever it was it had his full attention.

The vixen says "We're all set Magnum, how about we go grab something to eat?"

The mystic looks to the two ladies and he says "Sounds good." as he quickly returns from his thoughts.

The fox and weasel decide to occupy the mystics mind with small talk, it was refreashing to see him actually talk and after a few minutes seeing him smile, though it didn't change the fact they witnessed something from him earlier, one that they can't fully push to the back of their minds but they decide not to press as they don't want to give him the wrong impression or anything and they just want to hang out with him anyway.

For Marouge though, she feels that she may have answer for her question... though she fears if she has the right answer or not.

The next couple of hours involves the trio just milling about, the two women keeping the mystic occupied as they explore the station, browsing the shops with the mystic finding some interesting stuff. However a guy comes up to them, a tiger wearing an outfit that vaguly resembles either monk or a priest of some description. Charms adorne his uniform with mystic script, the letters embedded in gold as his white robes gleam, the ladies can hear a sigh from the mystic as he gets close.

The tiger says "It, it is you! The archangel from the heavens, our savior!" as he gets on his knees in front of the mystic and attracing a whole lot of attention.

The ladies look to Magnum as he rolls his eyes, more people appraoch as they focus on the ancient species in front of them, some of whom even join the preist.

The tiger look up at the knight and he says "Everyone, we hail the ancients in the flesh as he blesses us with his pressence. A being who weilds water and air, two things that bring and take life, his light casts his wrathful smite as he judges the wicked. He is the crusader among the stars, the blue shooting star... revere our savior... Anubis!" showing every ounce of praise he has to offer.

Magnum looks at the gather crowd, taking it all in as people either stay put or kneel, he finally breaks the silence "First, my name is not Anubis... it's Magnum. Second I am not an angel nor a god for that matter, I am flesh and blood just like you, I may be god-like because I am a mystic, but I am still mortal.", his attention goes to the priest and he says "And when it comes to that script... do you know what it means?" as he crosses his arms.

The tiger says "No, I don't." as he shakes his head.

Magnum says "Neither do I, simply because I don't understand my own races language. I am simply a knight that just so happens to be a mystic."

The fox and weasel take it all in, these people were litterally kissing the ground he stands on and he was telling them he wasn't what he seemed he was, if anything Magnum hated it when people did such things. The crowd now really eyes him as those on the floor look up at him as silence once again claims the atmosphere, but now the mystic wasn't sure what was going to happen.

The priest puts on a smile which surprises the mystic "Everyone, Magnum is a mortal angel, may his divinity guide you. All hail Magnum!"

The mystic slowly face palms as the crowd says "All hail Magnum!" while the ladies just stare in amazment at the crowd.

....................

The grey fox watches the scene from the darkness, her red eyes flash as she heads down the hallways, she enters a room, she activates communications unit "Magnum is at the Nyx station, which means the Metal Howlers are no more. With any luck their broken clues were destroyed and we can proceed.", she eyes a curved seven on the wall, smiling that the plan can be set in motion now.

To be continued...