FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

CHAPTER 17 The Blue Comet: Part V

Deep into the void we walked after miraculously being able to reactivate part of the illumination system of the mine... As we got deeper, we found ourselves with places that were still in absolute darkness. Some of the lit places held a fight between the abysmal darkness and the weak light produced by the eroded light reflectors, resulting in a disturbing flicker that only helped on disorienting us away from the correct path. Even with at least fifty percent of the lights working, the place's atmosphere was very unsettling.

Because of the reflective surface of the walls, we could sometimes see strange deformed figures that walked by our sides. We knew these were created when our lights reflected in the icy walls, but still our defensive instinct was at high alert. The guttural eco that persisted as we got further inside added to the already disturbing atmosphere. The thin helium gas in the atmosphere combined with the acoustic properties of the mine created all sorts of distorted high pitched screams in the distance. I could feel the fur in my neck pressing against my armor every time this happened.

"It is strange..." Titan wondered. "This breeze... There must be another access to the exterior."

There was a strange breeze that never desisted. This breeze was probably the cause of that nerve wrecking wail.

"If they had this mine pressurized, they needed C02 extractors." Doko suggested.

"You're probably right, Doko. If the C02 extractors failed, a valve that probably blocks the exterior atmosphere might've gotten jammed in the open position, depressurizing the whole mine."

_ _"It makes sense, Titan. The concentration of helium here is almost the same than outside."

Almost twenty minutes after we got into the mine, we got to a point where there was only two possible routes to take. One of them would take us directly to the center of the mine, and the other was very odd; it looked like an improvised tunnel. According to the Eco Scanner, this tunnel followed a path of almost one hundred meters, until it abruptly stopped in a chamber of some sort... It was a dead end.

We didn't think too much about this sub-tunnel, but we couldn't help to feel something sinister about it.

"Strange... The ice layer in this tunnel looks like if it formed after the ice in the rest of the mine." Titan noticed. "This tunnel was excavated at a later period."

It was indeed strange. The thing that caught most of our attention was that there weren't any ventilation or illumination systems going into this sub-tunnel. Also, this tunnel was much narrower than the rest. It could have been a new tunnel that leads to more mineral that never was finished... So we thought.

"This tunnel was excavated in a hurry..." Zonda said. He walked around close to the entrance of the tunnel and inspected it for a while. He is a very experienced Retcan and knew that there was something different about this place. "Something passed through here really fast... The symmetry of the tunnel does not match the rest of the mine."

"What do you mean, Zonda?" Titan asked.

"I don't know. I have a feeling..." Zonda looked lost in his thoughts. He was indeed feeling that something happened there. Something bad... Retcans are very sensitive and some individuals are able to perceive a reminiscent of energy left by other living beings over time.

That didn't make us feel too comfortable, added to that was the disturbing message that Rika sent us not twenty minutes ago about what happened with Hasky when she found Jade behaving strangely. But after a quick discussion we decided that proceeding into that tunnel would let us know more of what happened in that place, and if it was indeed abandoned.

Very cautiously we got ourselves into that tunnel. Visibility was almost none due to our night vision enhancers malfunctioning due to electrical interference caused by the Blue Mineral. We relied only on our armor's lights.

After a few minutes walking, our lights started to reveal a strange and ghastly figure at the end of the tunnel. As we got closer, a strange machine appeared in front of us.

"Everybody in high alert." Ordered Zonda as he took the lead. He deployed his side arm which caught us by surprise. Retcans won't ready themselves that way with no reason. Zonda was feeling something about this vehicle, and that wasn't good.

Once we were next to this machine, we noticed a huge disc attached to it. This disc had the same diameter of the tunnel. We concluded with no doubt that this was a tunnel excavator.

Because of the ice layer that surrounded the excavator and the tunnel walls, it was obvious that this is where the excavator had stopped working for the last time. But something strange appeared in the scanner... The tunnel went for another fifteen meters further beyond where the excavator was. While Titan was trying to uncover what happened there, the rest of us where around the big machine. Doko and Tech climbed in the machine to reach what they thought it was the cockpit. Tech was the first to reach it... immediately we saw the she almost fell back down, as she was startled by something.

"You two, back off!" Zonda yelled firmly. "Everybody on your guard!" Zonda then climbed on the machine. He seemed to be frozen for a while when he reached inside the cockpit. Immediately he went back down. Zonda placed away his weapon and approached us. "Alien life form confirmed..."

Back in R105, Cobalt followed our progress closely. "They have found one of them, Captain." She immediately let the Captain know of what we had found in that tunnel.

"Darn it." Silver grunted in the shadows of R105's bridge. "Open communications with Titan, Bo. Cobalt, I want an image on screen." Silver ordered silently but with her always intimidating tone.

"Right away, Captain." Both Retcans obeyed.

The screen on R105's bridge separated in ten different sub-screens showing what we saw through our helmets back in the comet.

"Titan. Please confirm what you've found. I need to see it myself." Silver stood from her seat and approached the screen.

"Right away, Silver." Titan obeyed, though not really wanting to.

The screen that showed Titan's visor took the center of the main screen. At R105's bridge they saw how slowly Titan approached the machine and climbed to reach the cockpit. Silver frowned and her pupils closed as she focused on what was about to appear. Bo and Cobalt felt shivers down their spine due to the suspense.

After second of watching the unstable image caused by Titan's movements and the interference of the Mineral's energy field, they saw how Titan focused on one spot. They couldn't make out what they were seeing. Titan's vitals display showed an increase in their rhythm.

"Focus the light on the creature." Silver ordered.

Without answer, the light moved to reveal two black hollow orifices in what appeared to be a face distorted by a severe frost bite. Two huge and eerie eyes gazed at the light.

"An Unfurred..." Silver muttered in disbelief.

"It appears to be." Titan replied nervously. "There might be a lot of tissue degradation due to the ice and the time that It has been here, but there is I high chance that this is an Unfurred."

"Darn!" Silver struck her chair forcefully with her fist after throwing herself back on it. "I want you to retreat immediately. This operation is over."

"Silver, please. There is a lot at stakes here. We can't just go and leave all this Blue Mineral here."

"No, Titan! This is over. I don't care if this place is abandoned or not. We are dealing with Unfurred Beings' territory. You know the implications of interacting with these types of intelligent life forms. We have gone too far now."

"Please consider it Silver." Titan nervously objected. "Just let me investigate further. You know we can't leave just yet."

Strangely, Silver didn't reaffirm her authority immediately. Instead she held silence as she thought her decisions through.

"Silver..." Bo surprisingly stepped forward. He almost immediately regretted his decision to speak up. "I... I think that we should..."

"What, Bo?" Silver demanded him to speak up.

"Titan is right. We should follow on with the exploration. Until now, there isn't any indication that there is activity in this mining outpost or in the comet itself. We can't leave the Mineral. Like we agreed before, this would not only help the Evos but also it would avoid our premature return to Lusceonis..."

Cobalt almost felt like Silver would admonish Bo's suggestion. She didn't. This was somewhat not a surprise as Silver always acted less severe when interacting with Bo.

"Titan." Silver said in a calmer demeanor. "Just find what you need to find, and get out of there." She ordered.

"Yes, Silver."

Ending communications, Silver stood up again and walked outside the bridge. Cobalt and Bo knew how different Silver was after what happened thirteen years ago when they met us. She had changed. She never felt comfortable with any decision she took and most of the times she over reacted by the most simple of things. She was obsessed with not making mistakes, which ultimately lead her to commit them.

Bo stood up.

"Wait, Bo. Leave the Captain. She needs some space now." Cobalt stopped him.

"No. I must go."

"Please, Bo. You will only worsen things."

"Trust me, Cobalt. I know Silver better than any one else here." Bo's response wasn't intended. He looked like if he regretted revealing what he just said. Cobalt went back on what she was doing without taking Bo's words out of her mind.

Bo desperately looked for Silver through the Bridge Deck of R105 until he found her on the Official's Lounge. No one was there but Silver. She stood in front of a massive window illuminated only by the reflection of that mysterious planet on one side and the blue glare of the comet in the other.

"I can't deal with this anymore..." Muttered Silver. She knew of Bo's presence even though she didn't notice him entering.

"Why, Silver? What's wrong?" Bo asked softly.

"I've lost control, Bo. I don't know what to do..."

"Ever since we found the Evos you've been behaving like this. Is there something that made you change?" Bo stood next to Silver. He gently placed his hand-paw on her shoulder. Both Retcans looked awfully alike.

"Do you really have to ask? You know what happened. I already discussed with Titan this morning regarding this, by the way. I really don't know if I want to do it again."

"Your brother is worried for you. I am too. What ever happened a decade ago it was not your fault. We encountered a situation which was highly unlikely to occur to any R Series cruiser. You dealt with the situation the best way you could. You took the right decisions that day. Proof of it is the wonderful creatures that travel by our side to this day."

"It's obvious that you say that because of our past, Bo. If I ask a neutral individual, his response would be different."

"No, Silver. You are underestimating yourself too much." Bo's arm now held Silver tightly. "I've been looking after you since the beginning. I've learned from you all that I know now. You are my heroine. I know what you're capable of and how great you are... and I'm not saying this because we..."

"Bo... We agreed that subject wouldn't be mentioned for as long as both of us are aboard this ship..." Silver interrupted.

"I know... I'm sorry. But you know what I mean."

Both Retcans held silence for a moment while they held on a light but very warm hug.

"I don't know how to put myself together, Bo. I just can't. I don't know if I'm capable of being R105's Captain anymore."

"You are demanding too much of yourself, Silver. You can't be perfect."

"I promised Kassaar I would follow his dream. I feel like I'm not complying with it."

"What are you talking about? You went from being a simple scientist apprentice to fight alongside the last reserves in the last battle of the Great War. Silver, the squad that you belonged to were responsible for our race's victory. And look at you now; you're Captain of an R Series Cruiser. How many have accomplished something like that? I think you've fulfilled you promise more than you think... My father would be pleased of your success..."

Silver didn't respond to that. Her mind was still full of doubts but Bo's words seemed to have some positive effect on her.

"I will always be by your side, Silver. No matter what..."

Silver looked right at Bo's eyes and held him in a hug.

"I'm sorry, Bo... the life that you've had..." Silver suddenly stopped in silence. "Never mind... You know what I mean. We shall not talk about that aboard R105."

The beeping of the ComPod suddenly brought them back to reality. It was Cobalt.

"Captain. I'm sorry to interrupt. Titan has found something."

"I'm on my way." She said. "Let's go, Bo."

"Understood, Captain."

It didn't take long for Bo and Silver to return to the bridge.

"Status." Silver demanded.

Back in the mine, Titan had theorized that the tunnel went further beyond from the position of the excavator according to the information of the Eco Scanner. This theory was correct. After a brief discussion, Zonda agreed to follow further into the tunnel. Zonda took out a strange device called a Heat Grenade. After he placed the small device close to the massive perforator disc of the excavator, he ordered us to retreat. After we achieved a safe distance, Zonda activated the device.

An intense glare filled the tunnel for a few seconds. There was no explosion or any vibration of any type. As we got close to the place, we noticed a huge hole in the disc as well as in the walls and floor close to it. It seemed like if an invisible sphere virtually vaporized everything that it touched, leaving a print of its shape. You could notice the metal of the disc and the rocks glowing red right were the energy sphere touched it.

We cautiously made our way through the hole into the other side. Indeed the tunnel continued further that we might've thought.

Zonda always kept his guard and leaded the group further inside the tunnel. Tech watched our backs. It didn't take more than fifteen meters to make it to the end. What we saw intrigued us.

Built around the tunnel, it looked like some sort of provisionary refuge. It definitely wasn't any supply depot since we already confirmed those were at the entrance of the mine shaft. Then what was this place?

The refuge had a tightly sealed door. It didn't look sturdy enough to keep us from checking, so following Titan's orders, we did.

Zonda ordered us to keep away as he approached the entrance very carefully. The door wasn't really a problem and Zonda quickly cut through the three hinges that held it in place. The door fell down to the inside of the room. The deep thud startled us as a cloud of a strange pinkish dust came gushing from the pitch black room to where we were.

Tech threw her last flare to Zonda, and he immediately threw it inside the room. Weapon in hand, Zonda waited for the chemical to react and show him what lied inside the darkness of that refuge.

As the flare started to react, the interior of the refuge made itself visible...

"Yes, Silver. This is what we found." Titan replied after Silver's demand for status. "Apparently they built some sort of refuge at the end of this tunnel. There are crates that apparently hold in remains of organic material... We found thirty corpses in this room."

"Why?" Silver asked instinctively.

"I ask myself the same thing, Silver. Apparently they were escaping from something. They found refuge in this mine."

"Could it be that they are not the ones that built and controlled this outpost?"

"My thoughts lingered on that possibility. But then I realized that the mining suits we found earlier match the physical characteristics of these creatures. This mine belonged to them, there is no doubt. Why were they hiding here? Or more importantly, what they were hiding themselves from? I don't know... Our answer might be lurking in that planet in which this comet passes close to. I will submit to your orders now, Silver. Again, it's your choice of what our next step will be..."