FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Damn this turret is heavy." Talking to myself while I set the combination sensor and gun emplacement on the ground facing a natural cave entrance that seems to serve as a game trail for the local wildlife. This gives the device a clear line of sight to the cave opening, but shields it from being found by anyone who walks by. After all we want to know if the Maximals show up as soon as possible so we can give them a proper greeting. After all their ship was in better shape before we fell from orbit from what I saw, so it is reasonable to assume that they survived as well.

My new alternate mode doesn't help me in this task either, stubby little arms and legs along with blades coming out of the sides of it's mouth that get in the way of anything I do with my hands. On the plus side it is well armored with a thick hide and those same blades seem to stay nice and sharp with minimal effort. At least I did not end up having to settle with a horrible looking one like Needlegear did, even though she seems to enjoy it. Personally I think she has a few missing chips in her head. If I was allowed the full choice that the CR tank gave me I would've chosen something along the lines of what Averis chose, but he forbid us from choosing similar forms. I am honor bound to follow his orders since he is my superior, but that doesn't mean I have to like every order he gives.

"Adjust the antenna by three degrees to the left Flacky dear." And here I thought I would not have to hear her and her little nicknames for us for a few deci-cycles.

Still, there is no point of placing it here if it can't connect to the rest so I turn it three little degrees to the left. A light on it goes from yellow to green on the antenna followed by the anchoring spikes shooting into the ground making the turret irremovable short of using explosives.

"There we go, sensors and auto-turrets are all up and running. This valley is ours." Needlegear comments smugly over the com-link.

Personally I think it might have been better if our communication network wasn't trashed in the crash. If it wasn't I would not have to come out here and do this. Still the turret is placed, and I now have some free time for the rest of the cycle before my shift starts again tomorrow. So rather than stick around here stuck in this odd alternate mode on an alien planet, I decide to go back to the ship where I can relax in my quarters. Before I even step foot onto the path I hear the turret activate which is something it should not do since I am on its friendly list.

"Oh neat a Fraxure! One that is a little large, still it's a dragon type and just what I need to round out my team." Looking at the cave entrance where the noise I am hearing is coming from I see a native standing there in strange garb. I guess that is what triggered the turret to activate and yet it won't fire with me in the way.

I think the native is female considering her overall shape is similar to that of Needlegear, yet she is made of pinkish organic flesh rather than sleek attractive metal plating. Quite a loss, I could use a pretty body to look at that is not attached to a lunatic spark. Over her odd looking body lays fibers woven into coverings that seem to encompass most of her form other than the head, hands, and feet. It's a strange mix between inorganic materials, animal hide, and organic fibers that cover her feet with the inorganic part on the bottom obviously protecting the feet from the ground. The fibers growing out of her head seem to be tied in a long rope like braid on the back of her head, maybe to keep it from blocking her optic sensors? On her back is a bag made of some artificial material of unknown make and within it I can detect an electronic device connected to some wireless network. I lack the hardware to eavesdrop on its connection sadly. Other spherical electronic devices are attached to an animal hide strip wrapped around her waist.

The organic grabs one of the spherical devices off her waist, it's a small red and white orb and to my surprise it expands in size when removed. She then points the face of it at the ground in front of me before pressing the sole stark white button in the center of the front face of it.

"Ivy. Let's capture a new teammate!" A red beam of light coalesces in front of me while my sensors register some kind of teleportation device being used.

The red light fades as fast as it appeared and in its place a bluish green skinned quadruped creature with a large half opened flower on its back stands in front of me. It stares me down with its red eyes before turning to the female organic behind it.

"Sure thing master Erica." Wait what? I have no idea what the organic named Erica behind this creature is saying and yet I understand perfectly what this one says?

"Explain to me organic, how can I understand you and not the organic Erica behind you?" The creature in front of me returns his attention to me showing a confused face to my surprised one.

"Organic what? You sure are strange, still my trainer has decided to add you to our family so I got to weaken you so she can capture you." His words have a tone of confidence that I find odd but I do not know if it is unfounded or not. I move towards this organic hoping it will back off.

In doing so I give the turret a clear shot at them yet it doesn't fire, it doesn't even give off the sound of it preparing to fire. Don't tell me that Needlegear deactivated it to watch what was going on here for her own amusement? Just slagging great, that leaves me to deal with these two native organics rather than enjoy my free time which I get so little of when I am on ship rotation. Well slag her. I am not going to do this for her entertainment so I turn around and start walking down the path back to the ship ignoring the two organics.

"Alright Ivy, start off with Razor Leaf!" The organic called Erica shouts something and a milli-cycle later my sensors give me an incoming projectile warning.

At this close of range and at their current speed it also informs me that I will only be able to dodge a few of them, the rest will hit me. The ones that do hit cause a surprising amount of damage to my body from what just looks like a simple organic leaf yet it has an edge as sharp as some of my finest blades. Surprise though fades to anger they attacked me with my back turned. Doing so shows them I had no interest in fighting and yet they attacked anyway.

"You attacked me while my back was turned? I had no intention of attacking you organic. In fact I was heading to my home." It is this action by them more than being damaged that makes me angry. It is a dishonorable behavior and a sign of a weak warrior to attack when your opponents back is turned after he or she refuses a challenge.

"Of course I did. My trainer ordered me too and as her Pokemon I attack with what moves she tells me to use." Wait, so the larger of the two organics doesn't participate in the fight. Yet she starts them and orders others to fight for her?

"So your trainer does not participate in a battle personally but orders you around however she feels like?" Asking the smaller organic while turning around to face him or her. I'm not to sure on which really as there is nothing I can reference to give me an idea on what to call the organic.

"Well when you put it that way Fraxure, it does sound pretty bad. But it isn't like that at all." This smaller organic shrugs with a strange mix of acceptance and dismissal. I guess organics too can compartmentalize two competing concepts as well.

"What are you talking about with this Fraxure Ivy? Has he decided to join us after feeling the power behind your attack?" The trainer walks up to and kneels next to the other organic as she talks. Her posture and tone of voice ooze confidence even if I can't tell what exactly she is saying. But I can tell with the shaking of its head the smaller one disagrees with what she did say.

You know what, slag it! I am just going to think of the smaller one as a him because it is easier than guessing what gender that one actually is. And besides many dishonorable fighters at least do not deserve to be called an it.

"Okay Ivy lets hit it with another Razor Leaf and follow up with a Vine Whip while he is distracted with the first attack!" Again the trainer speaks in a language I do not understand and this time while she is pointing at me. The smaller organic though turns his stance to a more aggressive one as he stares at me.

He doesn't speak to me, instead two vines extend from behind the stalk to grab leaves off the flower before flinging them at me with a quick flick of the tip. Each leaf is tracked the moment it leaves the vines grip and it's trajectory calculated by my sub-systems. Giving me an instant read out on where to stand to dodge each one he throws. The ease of which I happen to do this seems to drive him into anger by his facial expression, yet the larger one's expression seems more shocked than anything. As soon as the last leaf passes by me he extends those same vines at me like one would fling a whip. The one on the left I side step it causing it to strike the ground with a viscous crack. I reach out and grab the right one out of the air before it would hit and I wrap it around the elbow of my forearm preventing him from retracting it. Is this the best he can do?

"Please tell me your name organic, I want to know what to call you." A request really, if I have no choice but to fight him I want to know his name.

"My master named me Ivy, and stop dodging my attacks!" He spits angrily at me while tugging on the vine in a futile attempt to pull it from my secure grasp.

"It would be harder not to dodge your pathetic attempts to attack me than to dodge them. Now let me ask an important question. Ivy, are you holding back on me?" I need to teach these organics a lesson yet it disgrace me if they were not going all out when I am doing the same.

"You think I am holding back? I give it my all when my master asks me to fight! It's my duty as her starter Pokemon to do so." Thats all I really need to know about all of this.

"Good because I am not holding back at all." Without warning I yank on the vine hard enough to pull Ivy off his feet and into the air flying towards me.

Followed by a bone cracking punch to his head when he is within reach before the vine as it goes slack from knocking him out. This is an example of how weak organics are compared to us. A simple blow to the head kills or knocks them out cold while we cybertonions would only be dazed and confused for a short while. Without looking at Ivy's master I grab him by the fore feet and with a swinging throw I toss him back at Her.

She is unprepared to catch Ivy and falls flat on her back, and as she does four more red flashes of light appear like the one in which brought Ivy. When it fades one strange rock with arms and three more organics now surround her. Each one looking very different from Ivy yet one of them does look similar but not identical to the beast mode Terraflash decided upon earlier. Next to that one is a four legged organic that has red; orange, yellow, and white fur covering it. A smaller organic with an odd zig zag tail and mostly yellow fur with brown and black highlights quickly jumps onto the trainer's fallen body before hopping up to her chest. She groans and props herself up on one elbow while patting this organic on the head with a dazed expression on her face.

"Get off of me Sparky." She gently pushes the yellow furred one off her chest and back onto the ground while sitting up. A few centi-cycles later as she gets back up onto her feet with the help of the other organics Ivy wakes up groaning from where he landed after hitting her.

"It's your still alive Ivy. I would have been disappointed if that was all it took to beat you. It would mean I could not teach you a lesson on why you don't attack someone who is not willing to fight." I speak out loud for my own amusement, but it does get the attention of all the organics around the trainer.

"Teach me a lesson on that? But I did not attack you." The yellow furred organic asks curiously.

"Who does he think he is?" Comments the larger organic with red, yellow, and orange fur.

"He's pissed that I attacked him because our master wanted me too." Ivy groggily replies as he unsteadily places himself between the me and the other organics in an act of defiance.

"No I am angry because I have to deal with such dishonorable beings such as yourself. Attacking after your opponent refuses your challenge and working for someone who refuses to work themselves as hard as those they have command over are very dishonorable acts where I come from." While I reply I take a step towards them followed by altering my stance to a more combative posture, in response Ivy followed by the rest of them take a nervous step backwards.

"You can't fight all of us at once!" The rock with arms yells at me and I have to wonder if it is more of a warning for me or a statement to reassure himself and the others.

"I can and I will." Replying flatly before they look back at their trainer who is cowering behind them.

"I don't care about capturing this fraxure anymore. Just get him away from me!" Ivy and the others turn their gaze back to me.

Immediately my sensors warn me of a build up of electricity from the small yellow organic as sparks fly from the creature's red cheeks. This is followed by a huge temperature spike from the red and orange fur covered organic next to him. And of course Ivy grabs more of those leaves from the half bloomed flower while rock with arms gathers up stones from the ground. Oddly the organic that looks similar to Terraflash's new alternate mode perches on the shoulder of the trainer as if that will defend her.

"Sparky, Flare, Lets hit him with our attacks at the same time to knock him out quickly." Ivy quickly and more coherently says to the two behind him. So I guess the small yellow organic is Sparky and the red orange organic is Flare if their names relate in any way related to what I am detecting.

All three charge at me a moment later simultaneously and while I prepare to easily dodge those leaves Ivy is about to throw, a bolt of electricity from Sparky hits me before I realize it. The sudden influx of electricity paralyzes me as my systems focus more on preventing my circuitry from being fried over anything else. This allows Ivy's attack to hit me but in all honestly it doesn't damage me that much, what does come close to doing so is the jet of flame that Flare spits at me a moment later. When I do regain control I am warned about the near critical temperature I am at because of Flare's attack.

"Did we get him? Did he feint?" Flare asks that after he finishes blowing flames onto me. I have to wait for a few short milli-cycles for my temperature to go back down before I decide to act and while I do so the embers and smoke from the attack clears away. When it does I see them standing there stunned at the fact I am still standing as well.

"How can he still be standing! That was one of my strongest Flamethrower attacks!" Flare spits out a moment later in growling anger.

"I'll show you why I am still standing after your attack. Flackload, terrorize." And with my command phrase the transformation subsystem activates and starts to switch my beast mode with my normal robot form.

My beast mode's body opens up and my robot mode's arms and legs unfold from inside. Then the arms, legs, and tail of my beast mode fold into the body cavity just vacated by the robot mode body parts folding out. Once this part finishes my beast mode's head relocates to my robot mode's chest revealing my normal head. During this process I never loose sight of the organics and their reaction to my transformation vary between shock and horror. When my transformation completes I now stand taller than the organic that is Ivy's master allowing me to look down at them literally for the first time.

"What in the Arceus are you?!" Ivy yells! The rest of them take a fearful step backwards while I take out a blade which pops out from the side of my chest before holding it in my right.

My weapon preference is more for close in blade weapons over firearms but that doesn't mean I don't have them. A small plasma pistol is stored on my back which I retrieve and hold in my other hand. Armed and ready I take a step forward only to have my sensors warn me of an incoming stone thrown by that strange boulder with arms. It only dents my exterior plating when it hits me and I guess from that creature's reaction it was not as effective as he thought it would be. Wiping the dust off I consider my options. Attacking it with my blade is out of the question as that would only dull the edge, so I just aim the pistol and fire off a bolt of plasma. The pistol is more effective than I thought it would be causing the boulder with arms to explode into little pebbles. At the site of the creature's demise Ivy's master runs over to the remains while screaming something. All but the one on their master's shoulder rush to put themselves in between me and her.

"Master run! We won't let this, this monster hurt you!" Flare glances behind himself at the trainer before looking at me and growling.

My sensors detect a temperature spike inside Flare again and the same power build up as before with sparky only it's Ivy who attacks first. And it's as predictable as ever, those same old leaves. This time a whole storm of them, does this organic know any other way to attack someone? While the few that do hit me damages my armor the rest are easily avoidable allowing me to approach him. Every time I dodge some I take a few steps forward when I am a few yards away he switches to using those vines again out of desperation.

"Get away from her monster!" Ivy screams at me and tries to hit me with them.

I sidestep one vine and slice through the other one eliciting a howl of pain from Ivy and coating my blade in his blood. His attacks do have the effect of making me focus on him alone and not the other two organics. Smart move because as I watch him retract his vines I am hit by another bolt of electricity from Sparky. Only this time my body is more prepared for the electrical surge that results. It shunts the current away from any vital circuitry sending what it can into capacitors and the rest down my feet harmlessly into the ground. Again they seem shocked at the lack damage the attack had on me and with that I close the few feet between myself and Ivy. Aiming to deliver a mercifully quick and fatal blow to Ivy I am surprised again when he manages to move fast enough to dodge it. My blade strikes and lodges its self into the bare earth where he just was.

A split mili-cycle later Flare tackles me from the side knocking me down into the dirt. I am surprised at how strong and agile he is as we grapple in the stirred up dust. As he tries to pin me to the ground and get at the gaps in my armor I try to get at my other blade stored in my chest which he is blocking. A scream followed by the sound of another plasma pistol going off is enough to distract Flare enough so I can grab my other blade. I sink it between the forelegs and up into the neck of Flare killing him when it severs his spine. Ivy and Sparky savagely scream 'No!' as I push Flare's body off of me and then the blade out of Flare.

Ivy rears up and aims that half bloomed flower towards me while in the center a ball of light forms, it reminds me of the charging of a high powered beam emitter on a ship. I don't know what he is trying to do but I don't want to give him a chance to finish this so I throw my blade at him. It hits with a sickening thunk as it embeds its self into his skull dropping him dead to the ground in a mili-cycle flat. Sparky just tries to full on rush at me his eyes full of rage but barely gets a few feet before several plasma bolts from behind him reduces him to a chard husk on the ground.

"Sorry about that Flackload. I am sure you wanted to just kill that organic with your bare hands but I would rather not spend any more time out here. Especially when I have a prize like this!" Turning to look at who said it only to see it is, sigh, Needlegear.

In one hand she has her own issued plasma pistol, the other one is holding onto the organic that Ivy called Master slung over her shoulder unconscious. One chard carcass of the organic that looked similar to Teraflash's alternate mode smokes showing that it was the first target of her blaster.

"I had this situation under control Needlegear." Commenting as I retrieve my blades from both the ground and Ivy's body, then with just a mental flick I return to beast mode.

"You did, but I was getting bored waiting for you to kill all these new organic specimens. I want to learn about them and by extension our new beast modes. What I don't want to do is wait here watching you satisfy your petty honor." She gestures to the corpses of the organics I killed with a creepy smile.

"Oh, and be a dear. Take these corpses to my lab won't you? Thats an order from a superior officer by the way Flackload." Needlegear commands in a friendly but don't you dare say no kind of tone as she casually walks down the path.

Grumbling I transform again into robot mode and go about collecting the corpses for her little shop of horrors she calls her room. Really, I don't want to think about what she is going to do with the organics in there. It's disturbing enough knowing what she would do to 'US' if she was allowed free rein. Averis keeps her in check most of the time but not through the use of fear or force like Megatron would have. I think Needlegear may owe him something and he is using that to keep her in line as well as have her serve as our 'medic'. I would rather just use the cybernetic recovery tank instead than let her touch any of my vital circuitry.

In a short few centi-cycles I reach the crash site of the Shikari, our ship and now our home here, nestled in its crater surrounded by the trees of the valley floor. It's a shame that such a beautiful ship will never fly again. The bottom is missing an entire deck and a nacelle broke off during re-entry, the Maximal ship must have hit its support pillar during the skirmish. I would not even be out here if it wasn't for the fact that the sensors and communication equipment were shattered in the crash landing. But I thank what ever god is out their that the engines are still working providing the ship with ample power. Power to use the internal systems and the exterior weapons, well once I get the targeting system fixed that is.

The main entrance is now the rear cargo bay door as the planet side loading platform is missing along with that entire deck around it. From there it's a short walk through minimally decorated corridors and doorways dragging Ivy's and the others corpses to Needlegear's quarters. Barely spairing a thought about whose job it will be to clean up the blood. I notice that she already has the other organic on a table strapped down without any coverings while she examines her. Without saying a word I just drop the bodies into a rough pile by the door before turning and leaving the room with polite haste heading for my own quarters. My own refuge from the others.

Opening the door I step through the entryway to my quarters and the lights automatically activate. As the door closes I walk over to the far wall of my quarters and place my blades into a small cleaning sharpening machine. After all a dirty blade is a dull blade. Turning around I head straight too my console and it turns on when I sit down in the chair in front of it. Normally it would then connect to the ship's network followed by the inter-system predacon network, but that doesn't happen this time. Only now realizing I did this out of habit. With us being stranded here that means the ship can't connect to the main predacon network. Let alone the internal network is down as well. Which makes using the console rather pointless except for watching it trying and failing to connect to the ship's main computer. And I can't relax in the training room, that was shut down so we could gut it for parts.

So really I have nothing to do other than stare at the walls blankly or go into standby for a while. Other predacons and even maximals who have been stranded all state that it was the boredom which was the worst part about their predicaments. It hasn't even been two cycles and I can begin to understand what they mean by the boredom part. The walls won't offer me any entertainment which makes my decision simple. Getting up out of the chair I head on over to my stasis bed before laying down and activating it.

Time passes and something wakes me from stasis and it takes a mili-cycle or two for my systems to come back on and allow me to see what actually roused me. That something knocks on the door again.

"If that is you Needlegear then you can go to slagging hell." I yell as I raise myself off the stasis bed. With my systems back up and on-line I walk over to the door opening it only to find it's Spinstorm standing there and not Needlegear. Parts of his purple and white furred beast mode hanging off his frame.

"As you possibly already know the ship's internal com-net is malfunctioning. Possibly a severed cable somewhere so lord Averis has ordered me to hand these out to everyone other but Needlegear." Taking it from his hand I look it over.

"Why exclude her?" With a glance I toss it onto the table my console is on.

"I guess it's because she was the one that compiled the information on it. It has everything the organic knew or had on her about this place." With that he turns and heads back down the corridor. I just close the door and turn my attention to the console and this disc.

This seems more interesting to me at the moment than going back into standby. Retrieving the disc I insert into the reader slot on the console and wait for it to load up. When it loads I search through the files for the one named after what Ivy called me, a Fraxure eager to find out what it is. It's a tough little organic so it seems I did reasonably well in choosing it as my alternate mode even though this thing called a 'Dragon type' confuses me. After reading through that file I browse the others available to me for the information on the beast modes of my comrades and it does surprise me that Averis's is among them. I also wonder what this evolution thing is and how it will affect me as the file on my beast mode states that Fraxure does evolve. What perks my interest even more is a file among the rest labeled 'Pokemon battle information'.

So I load it but within a few centi-cycles all my curiosity turns to disgust at myself as I see my recent battle in a new light. The report basically describes Pokemon battling in a nutshell showing I was wrong in assuming how the large organic acted. It was I who was acting dishonorably even if they were a little overzealous in wanting to fight me in the first place. In the set rules for fighting the trainer is not a direct participant of the battle, that role is for the Pokemon themselves. The trainer has a more important role which is guiding the Pokemon in battle, working on strategies, and giving the Pokemon another pair of eyes during the fight allowing their combined presence to accomplish more than either could alone. An efficient division of labor during a fight if their ever was one.

The fact that I killed all but one of the organics for the wrong reasons pains me immensely. Still their has to be something I can do to make up for what I did and it's not like I can bring the dead back to life. Not that I would want too after seeing Needlegear's last attempt at that. But there is still one of them alive and yet she won't be after a few more cycles in Needlegear's care if I don't act quickly. So I retrieve my sharpened blades and head too Neddlegears quarters with deliberate haste. Killing her would draw Averis's wrath onto my head, but he has laid no rules down preventing us from say mildly hurting each other. As long as we have a good reason too that is and I think this qualifies in my opinion.

I don't bother trying to be stealthy when entering her quarters. Needlegear can get a little too wrapped up in what she is doing when it happens to be something completely new to her. And that is where I find her hovering over a bank of consoles with her back turned to me while the organic that was Ivy's trainer lays strapped to the nearby table. In addition to the bruises from our fight I can see some fresh cuts on her body as well as some small patches of her skin missing as well. The only noises in the room are my footfalls and the organics soft crying and whimpering. A thought crosses my mind that if it wasn't the organic laying on the table it might have been one of her fellow crew mates, like me, she would be experimenting on. This makes what I am about to do all the easier for me. The organics eye's go wide and pulls against her restraints as I walk by her while taking out of my blades.

"Oh calm down Erica. That last sample I took shouldn't have been 'too' painful." She pauses while I absorb the fact the organics name is Erica. "At least compared to what I have in store for you. I would like to see if your species will accept or reject tissue grafts from others. But the question is, which part of you will have the best chance for a successful graft?" When she speaks I stand perfect still expecting her to turn around but she doesn't. Her optics are glued to the screens in front of her pouring over data.

When the only sound in the room returns to being the organics whimpers I quickly lunge forward thrusting my blade into Needlegear in the exact spot needed to just send her instantly into stasis lock. Erica goes silent as she stares at me while I pick up Needlegear dragging her over to one of the cybertnetic recovery tanks. It won't do to have our only medic stuck in stasis lock so I dump her body into one of them after removing my blade. Once she is completely submerged in the nano-machine fluid I unceremoniously hit the power button and turn my attention back to Erica who understandably starts to vigorously struggle against her bonds. If I was in her position I would be thinking I may be next so I just store my blade away and hold my empty hands up.

I would also tell Erica to calm down but I know she can't understand me so I let my actions speak for me. I walk on over to the control console for the table and press the release button to open her bonds. The mili-cycle they release she tries to get off the table but her legs fail her from fatigue causing her to fall to the floor before I can help her up. When I get closer she starts screaming at me while hitting me with her hands but I ignore it and help Erica to her feet. Then I have to nearly drag her to where Needlegear tossed her coverings, or whats left of them as she refuses to walk. The annoying thing is I then have to wait for her to stop hitting me with her hands so she can see where I led her. Once she does she just stares at me with a dumbfounded expression on her face before grabbing the few remaining garments that are in one piece and covering herself with them.

No encouragement needs to be made on my part to get her to follow me out of Needlegear's quarters though I do have to hold onto her arm to keep her from running off and getting lost in the ship. Which Erica stops trying to do once we enter the cargo bay of the Shikari seeing the still open door to the star filled night outside. She follows me outside but before she can run off I grab her shoulder and point in the direction of the cave entrance where we fought. She pauses and blinks at me before slowly nodding and running off in that direction. As I watch her go I can't help wondering what my punishment will be for doing this or what is going on in that organics head. All I do know is that helping Erica escape makes me feel like I have at least done something to redeem my honor.