FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Vanara led Lana into the freight elevator to the basement, which creaked ominously under their weight as it lowered. What is she doing? Lana thought in shock as Vanara turned on music and looked like she was about to speak... before the Huscanid's eyes lost focus, a look of surprise on her face. She can't be... oh no!_Lana gasped as she watched Van rush over to monitoring controller in the room, knowing that tampering with the device was a punishable offense and as a Leonin soldier she'd have to- _wait... it's... offline? But how? A look at her comms unit told Lana it wasn't just the monitor, but also her own radio.

"Apparently my benefactor can temporarily disable your transmitters..." Vanara said with a slight grin as she looked at the radio, "they also say they're feeding a fake transmission of you questioning me vigorously and searching the place, but you'll find nothing prohibited."

"Wh-what? But how? Why?"

Vanara just shrugged, and gestured for Lana to take a seat as she poured some coffee. "Apparently we're going to need your help, for us to escape and..." Van groaned, rolling her eyes as she handed Lana a mug of hot coffee, "to 'liberate Zern for the Huscanid people.'"

"You know I'm Leonin," Lana chuckled in confusion, "right? And isn't the liberation of your world something you'd want?"

"You're not a normal Leonin, and I would... if I believed it possible."

"As much as I appreciate the confidence," she sighed, sipping the coffee as Van got her own, "I don't understand what you want me to do."

"That part is simple," Vanara replied with a grin, "you just have to give our new prince friend a very special tour..."

---

Sabre sipped tea as he looked over the local "news", if one can call such blatant propaganda and fabrications news. One of his ears swiveled as he heard a loud bang and whinny coming from Aria's console, and he looked over to see what she and Herbert were doing that was causing such a racket.

"Ahh sorry Herbie," she purred innocently as Herbert backed out of the booth she sat in, "it's just cramped up here, didn't mean to poke ya with a claw."

"I-it's f-fine A," Herbert stammered, blushing even more once he noticed Sabre was watching, "it'd be much easier to show you SoS character creation from my station. It's not like I've got much more to do aanywaaay."

"I have to monitor comms..." She giggled, practically licking her lips, "if you want to show me something, big guy, it's gotta be in here~"

"You need not glue yourself to your console," Sabre groaned, rolling his eyes and contemplating retuning to his quarters, or perhaps heating the leftover snow rabbit in the mess, "let Herbert show you the rulebook from his console."

"Thanks S," he sighed in relief, making his way back to his much more open station as Aria shrugged and followed, "also, didya hear Tallia wants to join the game too?"

Ancestors, what have I done? Sabre groaned inwardly, knowing this meant a lot more balancing on his part now that he was officially the party leader - he'd need to look hard for high experience, low risk modules most higher leveled players found boring... and they'd have to spend months worth of in game time having characters engaged in "intensive training." It really wasn't that bad, especially since the party had just wrapped up their last "real" quest last session. "No Herbert, I hope you did not plan on us taking another major quest anytime soon..."

"Commander Blackpaw?"

Sabre's ears twitched as he heard Marla's voice calling him by his now reinstated rank. "Marla, we have had this discussion before," he sighed, suddenly feeling his age once again, in spite of the nanites, "I may be officially active duty once more, but apart from specific occasions I would prefer that title to be behind me."

"Does a communication from Lupin Command to you count?"

"Whaaaa?" Aria meowed as she rushed back to her console, searching screens frantically, "Marla, are you short circuiting? I don't see anything."

Marla's hologram was in the bridge now, looking at all of them with a somber face. "That's because it's on Sabre's quantum pair unit, or that's what I expect that transmission I detected was."

"Quantum pair transmission is supposed to be impervious to any outside detection or manipulation," Sabre grumbled as he got up and rushed off towards his quarters, still speaking to Marla, "I know I told you and the crew of it, but how can you know a message was sent?"

"Let's just say my son once inadvertently discovered they have a barely measurable effect on shift drives, even dormant ones. It happens every time you get or send a transmission from it, and is quite noticeable to me at this point. Before you have a heart attack, no, I cannot tell anything about the messages, just that they occurred to or from a unit on the Snowlit Dawn."

Sabre dashed to his quarters at a breakneck speed; true to her claims, he heard the familiar high pitched whine tone of a received priority message as he entered. Once he took the device out of his desk's drawer he gasped at what it said:

-[PRIORITY DISPATCH TO ALL AGENTS: CODE ECLIPSE IS IN EFFECT - FOLLOW STANDARD CONTINGENCY PROTOCOLS UNLESS OTHERWISE INSTRUCTED. CONFIRMATION CODES FOLLOW...]-

"It's that bad?" Marla asked, as Sabre realized he'd not even bothered to engage privacy mode after entering. There is no point in hiding information at this juncture.

"Calling this bad would be the understatement of the millennia. Homeworld is under attack."

"We did know that was going to happen," replied Marla flatly, "as did your Government. All we can do is hope and pray they've done enough to prepare."

Sabre grimaced, no longer feeling any appetite for snow rabbit, as he knew full well they had not been willing to withdraw the fleet to defend against a wormhole strike.

---

To say Dorrin was uncomfortable was an understatement - not only had "Ellen" dragged him out to "see a Leonin occupied world firsthand", though they were ostensibly looking for sites "Prince Garret" might find of interest, but it was so. Damn. Cold! I've seen pictures of what happened when the occupied Tigra, he thought to himself and to her as he gently held her hand, is this really necessary? We all know they're being oppressed, and anyone who stands up or speaks out is taken away or killed.

{Maybe it's more for me than you,} she thought giving him a brief look as her now Huscanid ears drooped slightly, {I know you're cold hun, but I'm feeling a lot more than temperature. Plus, well... I'm not exactly safe here, and I need someone to protect me if they get suspicious.}

A pair of Huscanid locals, seemingly picking through the burned skeleton of a building were eyeing Dorrin and Ellen suspiciously as they walked by. Ellen squeezed Dorrin's hand a moment as she looked at them with an expression of melancholy, and a flood of sensations seemed to flow from her into Dorrin, feelings that were not his own, and yet he understood them as though they were - feelings of loss, desperation a hopelessness and quiet rage... he froze momentarily and winced at the unexpected sensations.

{From a data search I performed, their home - which was built during the initial colonization, was burned by a Leonin agent. They were lucky they weren't there at the time.}

Dorrin halted, skidding slightly in the light snow covered trail. Why? He bit his lip, trying not to let his own now building rage reach the surface.

{They have a lumber business, and the Leonin are requiring half of their livelihood, as usual...} Ellen paused, gritting her teeth, {which they provided... but some noble wasn't satisfied with the quality.} This time, the anger Dorrin felt was Ellen's, as she seethed with barely contained righteous fury. {This is why I'm doing this. If I'm going to advocate for people, I need to do more than understand their history, culture and circumstances - I need to feel what they feel, in the way they're feeling it.}

Dorrin nodded, finding he was clenching his fists tight enough he could feel his claws starting to extend prodding his padded palms sharply. He took deep measured breaths, and counted to 10, using a Lupin technique to force himself to calm down. "I don't think the prince would be interested in visiting this place," he said with a calm he barely felt, "where are we heading, Ellen?"

"I can't say." She muttered in reply as they continued down the remote trail, deeper into the hills, which at one point had been densely wooded, but now had large swaths of blackened burn scars. The ground was rough and several places that weren't burnt had signs of clear cut trees and buried foliage. {This world has a climate similar to Rageria... we may not largely live there, but I have visited many times. I can't help but see in my mind something similar happening there - it's horrific, and sickening, just as is what the Vulpin have done to Tigra. At least here it's not too late for natural recovery, yet.}

As they moved past the former treeline, a fence topped with razor wire came into view, with signs in Standard and Leonin declaring it was electrified. The path winded to a guard post at the edge of a fence. Outside stood two heavily armored Leonin guards, who stiffened and raised their plasma rifles at Dorrin and Ellen. "Halt! This area is restricted! No civilians permitted, turn around and crawl back into whatever hole you came out of!"

Both Dorrin and Ellen stopped approaching, turning to leave. Once they were out of sight, Ellen nodded to Dorrin. "I believe that is a site Prince Garret will very much wish to visit."

---

"Lana, I'm starting to think you should just shoot me and get it over with." Prince Garret grumbled as he scratched at the collar of his robes, which seemed unbearably itchy.

"At least then I know I'd not be in trouble..." she muttered, her armor clanking as they walked thru the woods, "but I'm not going to. Whoever it is seems to know something about what they're doing it seems, even if this plan is absolutely nuts. Apparently Command is only hearing what this person or group wants them to from my comms."

"Good thing," Lia groaned softly with a slight shiver, checking her field jacket was fully zipped and buttoned up and tightening the bun her floppy ears were in, "because you're blabbing like a total moron! This is an op, not winter camp, dangit!"

Ostensibly, Lia's my bodyguard, Garret thought, they're gonna find this hilarious, for half a second til she kicks them in the nuts. I'd have preferred if we could have brought Sabre too, but given recent happenings that's a baaad idea. "Oh yeees," he groaned, rubbing his face, "that's exactly how I'd describe what our 'friends' are having us do now."

"We're almost there," Vanara grunted as they neared the treeline, "you'd best start acting like you're a Prince who asked me to give you a tour, then decided to go off the planned route."

"We shall go up this path." Garret declared with a slight nod, as Vanara started walking down a branching trail, which circled back through a slightly more scenic area towards town.

"P-prince Garret," Vanara stammered out loud, either truly nervous or faking it well, "th-that area is restricted, they'll-!"

"Nothing is restricted to a Prince, mutt!" Lana snapped at Vanara, grasping her arm in a manner meant to look rough but not be so. Still Vanara got a brief but apologetic wince from Lana for it.

"Very well..." Vanara growled, "but you'd best go first, I'm not about to get shot just for doing a job."

"Halt!" The guards shouted as they approached the gate the guards readied their weapons with a glare, then gasped as they saw the royal robes. "A-a prince!?"

"You there, open the gate!" Garret called out, with confidence he didn't feel. Baaad enough pretending to be a prince, now I'm entering a secure facility. Will my disguise actually hold up?

In spite of his fears, the now quivering guards quickly opened the gate with a bow, falling in behind the party to escort them into the facility. They entered a room with a scanner and an internal blast door seemingly made of thick metal, and several scanning beams swept over them.

Lia's gotta be armed, and I'm preeety sure Vanara has implants that'd be illegal for vassals... Gerard thought, trying to hide his concerns and doubt with a bored looking scowl, of the same kind he'd seen plastered over the faces of any other noble. Lia and Vanara for their parts, seemed to be completely unconcerned, only Lana seemed jittery, and she is the one most likely to have her presence excused!

Once again, contrary to the fake prince's fears, the scans completed and they were waved in. Awaiting them was a rather put out and embarrassed looking commander of the base, who turned towards Gerard and bowed politely... then gave his companions a skeptical look. "My liege, this is a secure facility, your escorts may wait in the outer com-!"

"They will remain with me!" Garret roared mightily, surprising even himself with the outburst.

The commander winced, and looked like he wanted to insist, but nodded. "Very well, does sire wish a tour of our facility or merely to inspect the troops?"

"I understand this facility uses non-Leonin technology," Garret answered, thinking back to the quick briefing Vanara gave him, "that it houses an Otterian sensor control system, is that correct?"

"S-sire," he the commander stammered nervously, "it is true that we utilize an inferior Otterian sensor network, and it is controlled from here - that is because it was intact after the annexxation, and is sufficient for defending a... lesser territory such as this system."

"Indeed..." Garret muttered, _even though everyone knows Leonin sensors are far inferior to Otterian designs, and you're using it since it would be a foolish waste to replace it. Of course they'd never admit such to a noble, and undermine the illusion of Imperial Truth._Nonetheless, he kept his musings to himself, he had a mission to complete after all. "I wish to see it for myself, inferior or not."

"As you wish, sire. I will personally show you-!"

"No," Garret interrupted again, though less forcefully, holding up a hand, "I took the liberty of reviewing your base layout and can find the way myself. You may take your leave, commander."

The Leonin gave Garret a curious look for a moment, then saluted, leaving them alone in the corridor as he walked away at a brisk, purposeful pace.

Lia couldn't help but snicker, mouthing the word "smooth" and giving Garret a wink and a concealed thumbs up as they made their way to a very specific control station. Garret just groaned inwardly, shaking his head. That went better than expected, now comes the hard part.