FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Shattered: Redux

Chapter VI: New Friends

Every new friend is a new adventure....the start of more memories...

-Patrick Lindsay

With a satisfied grunt, Alex leveraged the metallic panel back onto the hull and sealed it with the plasma torch he had in his RIG storage banks. As the glowing steel cooled, he turned away to look out into space, sighing in the way one does when they had just finished a particularly rewarding and difficult task and they could now look at their work with a pleased grin.

It was third day aboard the carrier that housed the team. He was told that it was a temp job, until the Great Fox was fixed. They also told him that it needed a lot of work.

They were underestimating the problem.

He didn't know the first thing about these cornerian ships, but he did now that this one was on its last leg. He had spent a majority of his time aboard the ark as an engineer, as many were in short supply and they needed to train as many able bodied hands as they could in keeping the ship running.

And so in the three and half years before the fall of the ark, he had learned quite a bit in that trade. And with Slippy's help, he was beginning to understand what it was that made these ships tick.

Since his addition to the crew, the ship had almost instantly begun to turn from a pile of scrap into a hunk of junk. It was extremely slow work, especially since there were only two people in the team that new a lick about engineering. And since he had the best EVA equipment, the jobs had been split in two.

He would handle the exterior modifications and maintenance, and Slippy would do his best to get the inner mechanisms on par with what a ship of this class should have. They both had been working almost nonstop for the past three days and it showed. Most of the surface repairs had been complete on the inside, and several missing panels on the hull had been replaced. Lights were swapped, paneling was fixed, holes patched, wires stripped and replaced, and they even managed to tweak the drive core for some much needed calibrations.

But there were still countless tasks to complete. The ship was far from a shining example of naval pride that it could be.

Alex turned from the newly fixed panel and looked to his wrist, checking his air supply. The suit had a little bit less than an hour left before he had to head back in so he began to traverse the outer hull, walking along a predetermined path that would take him to his next objective.

Space was silent, so he filled his helm with ancient music, from the far back in humanities past. The old music was nice, and helped to pass the time as he worked. There was not much else to do when out on the hull, and it helped to prevent the ever crushing weight of boredom, or worse...his memories. They always seemed to find him when he was alone or when there was nothing going on. That was actually one of the main reasons he threw himself into his work with such dedication, the harder he worked, the farther off the memories lay. As he began the process of repairing another panel, listing to the soft orchestral work of a renowned German composer, he caught two small lights in his peripherals, shining bright in the backdrop of space.

He turned his head and watched as the lights soon morphed into ships, a small pair that looked a lot like arwings, with a few differenced in their structure. He knew that everyone was in the ship, so he had no idea who they were. The two ships flew into the carrier's hanger and disappeared. His curiosity was peaked, but he wanted to get the repairs done first, after the oxygen went down he would make his way back and find out. With a shrug, he focused back on the panel, grabbing his plasma torch and getting back to work. Whatever this was about, he was certain Fox could handle it.

**********

A pair of boots thudded to the floor and the owner turned to the other ship parked beside her own and shouted impatiently. "Come on Fay, what's taking ya?"

"I'm coming I'm coming!" The other women hollered as she tugged herself out of her ship without nearly as much grace as her friend. "Just give me a second!"

"I knew that only one person would be as audacious to just fly into someone else's ship without calling first." A voice muttered in exasperation from behind the woman. "Miyu Lynx."

The identified feline twirled around to face the voice and flashed a sultry smile. "Feather brains! It's great ta see ya!" She drawled as she scratched at an ear absently with a paw.

Miyu was wearing a baggy green and red outfit with an equally baggy bleached jacket. There was a large golden hoop in her ear and she had a few other pieces of jewelry dotted onto her person.

Falco scoffed and crossed his arms at the use of her old teasing nickname and looked over the feline's shoulder. "And it looks like you dragged Fay along as well, poor girl, traveling with a crazy woman."

Miyu smiled beatifically at Falco. "You know me too well!"

"She told me that we were invited." Fay countered as she finally made her way over to the other two.

Fay Spaniel was a snowy white canine and the antithesis of her friend. Where Miyu was tomboyish and aggressive, she was soft spoken and the epitome of feminine etiquette. Fay almost always wore the same style of clothing, a red and white jumpsuit with a pair of goggles strapped to her head, and a pink bow atop that. She was also one hell of a mechanic, much like Slippy and now Alex.

"Yeah, she does tend to lie, a lot." Falco grumbled. "Whatever, I suppose you wanna see Fox yeah?"

"You got it in one bird brain!" Miyu yowled, slapping him on the back playfully.

Falco just growled and turned, leading the pair to Fox, who was someone on the bridge. As they walked along the hallways, Miyu tried to make small talk. 'So, Fay and I were back on Zoness doing some easy work when we heard about this alien debacle. Tell me Falcy, is it true? Are there aliens among us?" She asked, leaning against him with a grin.

"Yep, it's true." The avian replied simply, taking satisfaction in her dumbfounded expression.

"Really, there are aliens?" Fay said excitedly; tail wagging along with her in sync with the female canine's delight. "I always wanted to meet an alien! How many arms do they have? Do they have eyes?" She gasped in wonder. "Do they have legs?"

Falco chuckled at the canine's exuberant reaction. "You'll figure out for yourself soon enough."

Meanwhile, Miyu was taking in the state of the carrier; it was looking leagues better than it had been last they visited. "Wow, looks like Slippy's been on his game recently. How did he get so much work done?"

Falco opened the elevator and the trio walked inside and the doors closed, taking them to the bridge. "It's not just Slippy; the new guy we hired is pretty good at repairs too. In fact he's doing some EVA work right now. He should be back any minute."

"You guys got a new hire?" Miyu asked in surprise. "Who does Fox think is good enough to take Peppy's place? Did Bill quit the CDF?"

Falco shook his head. "Nah, you could say that this guy made quite an entrance and earned his way aboard. He's pretty hardcore, even by my standards."

"That's pretty high praise from you Falco. He must be a real stud. I can't wait to meet him!" Miyu said expectantly, salaciously licking her black lips and meowing.

Falco chuckled at that. "Well, he certainly is exotic. I doubt you've seen a man like him before."

Fay just ruefully shook her head at her friend's antics, she had gotten used to the feline's rather forwards ways a long time ago. So it didn't really come as a surprise. Instead she was still focused on the big picture. "So, where are these aliens now? The ship is gone and we haven't seen the news since the story first aired."

The avian actually frowned at that. "It's complicated. And I think that there's someone else who could do a better job of explaining it."

The elevator door opened and the trio stepped out onto the bridge.

Fox was standing by the viewport, staring at the stars with a paw propped on his muzzle, making him look rather dramatic. Behind him Krystal sat at one of the chairs and was doing something on the monitor.

Upon seeing Krystal, Fay squealed excitedly and ran over to her, startling Fox and making the vulpine jolt as his fur puffed out.

Krystal slowly looked up from the screen and smiled. "Fay!" She said happily, standing up to hug her friend. The two soon descended into an incomprehensible speech pattern of two girls reuniting after a long time.

Fay and Krystal had become close friends almost as soon as they had met for the first time. Miyu had more control over herself and so she didn't run over in the same way. But she did wave and smile, happy to see her friend as well.

Instead, she walked over to Fox and shook his paw vigorously. "Long time no see Mccloud."

He smiled back at her. "Looks like you show up whenever you want to...as usual eh Miyu?"

"Oh you know how it is, when I want to see my friends I just go." She replied with a husky chuckle.

"Oh, I think I know." He chuckled back, shaking his head mirthfully.

'So, where's Slip? And what's this I hear about a new guy on your team? He even has Falco's respect! I just have to meet him!" She said excitedly, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"Slippy's down in the engine room, fiddling with things and trying to get this ship in shape and as for the new guy, he's outside if you want to see him." Fox then brought his communicator up to his muzzle and spoke into it. "Hey Alex, call it quits for the day and swing by the bridge. There's an interesting pair I want you to meet."

"Got it Fox I'll head over right now." A soft but strong male voice answered shortly before disconnecting.

'So Fox, where did you find this guy?" Miyu inquired curiously.

"He was a....interesting addition to the team. I've only known him for a few weeks, but he's already a great friend, although he is a little different, and he can be a little timid around strangers." Fox added.

Miyu contemplated that for a few minutes as she and the others waited for Alex to arrive. She watched as Fay and Krystal talked to each other happily, yapping away about everything from clothes to the newest advances in firearms.

Ten minutes later, the bridge door opened and a tall figure ducked in. He had broad shoulders and his armor conformed to his physique in a way that Miyu approved of. He was clad head to toe in a suit of segmented black and blue armor of overlapping plates with a strange helmet design. Instead of the blank faceplates that most armor tended to have here in Lylat, it instead was separated into four V-like slits that glowed with an easy blue light. The feline also noticed that the boots were large, almost entirely encased in metal, and she similarly did not see a tail peeking out behind him.

The man entered the bridge and thudded to a stop beside Fox, the vulpine was around 5'10 and this guy was easily almost a foot taller.

"There you are Alex, meet Miyu Lynx and Fay Spaniel. They are old friends of mine." Fox informed the large man, gesturing to the fascinated pair.

Fay, who had been talking with Krystal, stood up and walked over, staring at him in surprise. He must have been quite a bit different then what she had been expecting.

The man inclined his helmet. "Hello."

"Hiya there big guy, woo wee! They grow you big from where you come from!?" Miyu yowled with a chuckle as she took in his height and build.

"They did." He replied, with a hint of sadness that startled her.

"What, what did I say?" She asked in confusion, looking to Fox.

At that Fox stepped in. "Perhaps full introductions are necessary. This is Alexander Jäger, and he is one of the alien from the news."

As the vulpine said that, the man's helmet hissed as air filtered out and the soft clatter of armored plates resonated as the helmet split apart into pieces and folded back into the suit. Miyu and Fay stared in wonder at his face.

The man had a pale flat and broad face with a square jaw and a deep scar that ran across the left side of his face and looked relatively fresh. He had startling golden eyes much like Miyu's and a thin cut of fur on his head with some residing on the rough landscape of his cheeks. All in all, he was indeed exotic as Falco had promised.

"I think you have some explaining to do." Miyu mumbled, turning to Fox with a raised eyebrow.

**********

Fox told the story, leaving out the necromorphs at a swift negative shake of Alex's head. They were gone and he wanted to keep it that way. They didn't deserve to be remembered, it was best that those horrible creature would fade into galactic ambiguity. Seeing the denial, Fox quickly switched to the official news story.

Once the tale had been concluded, the vulpine sighed. "And that's the whole story. The Prime Minister allowed him to live in our society and Peppy offered him his old position."

Miyu and Fay nodded, looking to the human.

"Sorry about you people." The puffy white canine said sympathetically.

"As am I..." He responded. "And I will carry that weight for the rest of my life. But that's my problem." The man said with a lighthearted chuckle in an attempt to make light of the situation. "So don't bother yourselves with trying to carry it as well."

Miyu smiled at that. For someone who had lost everything, he was doing a pretty nice job of keeping it together. She could respect the amount of inner fortitude that must take. "So, all that sad stuff aside, how is life treating you now?"

Alex grinned, thankful that the topic had changed. "I will say it is actually an improvement from before. And while it hasn't exactly been a walk in the park but it is better than where I was heading."

"That's good then!" Fay said cheerfully.

"I suppose it is. Now if you would excuse me, I have to go talk to Slippy. It has been a pleasure meeting you both." Alex ducked his head in farewell and was quick to depart the bridge.

Miyu watched him go and looked at Fox with a confused muzzle. The human had been quiet for the entirety of the explanation, and had only said a few words before leaving.

"He is a little quiet around strangers, but once he warms up to you he can be a fun guy." The vulpine explained.

Miyu bobbed her head in understanding. "And what about...." She mimed the fresh scar with a paw.

"That is a story that he rather keep to himself. And I'll respect that wish. If you want to know you can ask him, but I think I know what his response will be."

It seemed like there was more to that wound then was being told. But Miyu let it go for now, she could ask later.

"So, what brings you back here? Last I heard you found steady work on Zoness." Fox inquired interestedly.

Miyu shrugged. "Well, I actually thought that you might want to help Fay and I with something." At the sound of her name, Fay's floppy ears perked up and she looked over from her conversation with Falco and Krystal.

"Are you talking about the job?"

"Yeah, we were wondering if you would be interested in a lucrative partnership. Some concerned big spenders on Zoness are looking for some mercs to help keep the venomian remnant in line. The local force of the Cornerian Army is overworked and could use the help."

"What would we need to do?" Falco jumped in.

"Some of the outposts in the system have been hijacked by venomians, and they have a few cruisers. Not enough to pose a major threat, but enough to make it too costly to remove them in the conventional fashion." The lynx replied.

"Sounds like an easy job." The avian muttered. "What's the catch?"

"There's no catch." Fay answered. "We just need the extra help. And we know that with you guys, it would be an easy job."

"I think it would be nice to work together again." Krystal said with a smile. "It has been quite some time."

"So Fox, what do ya say, for old time sakes eh?" Miyu said excitedly, nudging the vulpine.

Fox chuckled. "I suppose we could lend a hand. There's nothing else going on here anyways."

Miyu whooped, raising a paw as her tail began to pace behind her happily. "Yeah, the gangs back together!" She turned and high fived Fay, black and pink padded paws colliding. "This'll be great!'

Fox and the others smiled at their antics. It had been a while since Miyu and Fay went solo. And it would be nice to have them back around again. It would have been just like old times if it weren't for the fact that Peppy was no longer there. But with Alex, perhaps they could all make some new memories.

**********

"They seem nice enough Slip. Yet I'm not sure if they'll like me." Alex replied as he lifted a large rectangular section of steel with his enhanced strength so that the toad could go underneath and fiddle with a brace of wires.

The man had retreated from the two new people and went down to help and talk with Slippy. They had become each other's sound boards over the course of his stay, voicing their worries and thoughts as they worked. So far it had helped the human get more comfortable with his situation, and the toad now had someone to share his gripes with.

"Of course they'll like you. You're a cool guy!" Slippy's voice retorted, muffled by his location under the steel.

Alex sighed. He was worried that they would think he was weird because he looked different and that he was quiet. But maybe he was just overthinking things. "Oh yeah, how exactly am I a cool guy?" The man asked.

Slippy finished plugging the wires back into the system and crawled out from under the large segment of deck plating as the human lowered it back down. "Well for starters, you can fix just about anything and you make a mean chilidog." The toad reasoned, patting his belly in testament to that fact.

Alex chuckled and grinned. "That doesn't qualify me as an awesome guy. It just means that I can fix a ship and a meal."

Slippy laughed and then smirked, pointing an oil-stained finger at the human. "See, you can also be pretty funny."

"I would hardly call that hilarious." Alex refuted grumpily as he began to fiddle with a console near the center of the engine room. As he ran a diagnostic on the drive he shifted his helmetless head to look back at Slippy.

The amphibian huffed, disgruntled by his friends self-deprecating demeanor. "Stop being such a downer Alex. If they can get along with me, a short stumpy toad that's better at fixing a machine then holding a conversation. Then I'm sure they could stand a tall brawny alien with a penchant for helping people."

"Don't beat yourself up now Slippy. I think that you can take a lesson out of your own book." Alex suggested as he finished up the diagnostic, all systems in the green. "There's more to a person then what they look like. It's about what's in here." He rapped a gauntlet on his armored chest loudly, just above the heart. "Looks won't get you anywhere if you care more about them than what's on the inside."

"See!" Slippy said in satisfaction. "That's what I'm talking about!"

At that Alex backtracked and then smiled. "You got me there Slippy, I guess you are right."

The toad beamed in vindication. "Ha! Someone finally appreciates my genius!"

That outburst triggered a chuckle out of the human, and soon both were laughing mirthfully as they finished up in the engine room.

"Now, let's get out of here. You owe me a few of those chilidogs." Slippy said as he wiped his webbed hands with a rag.

"Sure thing, seeing as it is what makes me a cool guy." Alex accepted with a smirk as he pressed a few buttons on his armor and it popped open with the familiar resonate shifting of plates. He climbed out of it, now clad only in his bodysuit, and fiddled with a device he attached to his wrist. In a few moments a set of clothing materialized in his hands.

"One day you'll tell me how that stuff works." Slippy vowed as he watched Alex retrieve his clothes. The storage technology fascinated the toad to no end. And that was not including the telekinetic devices.

"Sure Slip next chance we get to sit down and talk for a few hours I'll run the layout over with you." The human agreed as he walked out of sight and began to shift into his clothes. In short order he was dressed into a set of black clothes with a black military cap dashed onto his head. The cap and clothes were decorated in red patches with S.C.A.F. in bold black lettering with a large shadowy bird of prey clutching a golden sword in its talons.

The pair walked out of the engine room and headed towards the mess hall. The trip was long, considering that it was several decks above the core, but it was not too much of a time absorber, especially with the thought of food spurring the toad on.

Alex walked in ahead of Slippy as they entered the hall. And he saw that there were already three people there. Fox, and the feline and canine he had been introduced with.

"Hey Alex, come on and have a seat!" Miyu yowled, motioning him over. "And Slippy, how are ya doing squirt?"

Alex looked to Slippy before walking over and taking a seat next to Fox and the Lynx. Slippy took a seat next to Fay, and the canine hugged him fiercely. "Slippy! It's great to see you again!"

"Hi Fay, good to see you too!" Slippy managed to choke out from the spaniel's tight embrace. When she released him, he tediously fixed his jumpsuit and tried to gather himself and his dignity. "Nice to see you as well Miyu, I hope things have been well."

"Sure has." Miyu affirmed, grinning as she played with her tail, running a paw down its reedy brown and black spotted length. The feline then turned her attention to the human. "Looks like you and Slippy hit it up."

I suppose so." He responded quietly, a little uncomfortable at her closeness, the feline was sitting just close enough that her soft fur lightly brushed against the bare skin of his arm. It was a pleasant and yet correspondingly uncomfortable sensation.

She frowned at his introverted response. She was trying to get him to open up, but it was proving to be harder than she thought. Miyu tried to find something that they could talk about. She ran her amber eyes up and down his body. He was tall, and he had a good-looking amount of muscle, yet it was not overly apparent. She also saw a few scars on his arm that looked like they were earned in combat. The man also had a soft yet stern expression and he sat with a rigidity that could only be found in veterans. "Rifle or shotgun...?" She asked suddenly, making everyone but him look at her in confusion.

Alex on the other hand, turned to her and responded. "I prefer rifles, but you can't beat the stopping power of a shotgun. Both weapons are suited for different situations. But I use a rifle more often than a shotgun. What do you like?"

Miyu grinned triumphantly. She had found her way in! "I like rifles, but I'm not averse to getting down and dirty with a good old-fashioned scattergun."

Alex gave off a warm chuckle and looked at the lynx with a smile. "I couldn't have put it better!"

The two then began to talk about weapons, discussing the advantages and drawbacks of energy and ballistic arms. Somewhere in the conversation, Miyu moved closer to him, leaning into his side as she began to animatedly explain that a laser didn't travel as far as a bullet but with the flash boiling effect, it carried its own weight.

Alex froze at first at the contact, but let her stay where she was. It was nice to have someone that was enthusiastic about guns as he was. Falco was not exactly the most stimulating and friendly person when it came to talking.

At last Miyu's rant finally ended and she sighed wistfully. "Man, I wish that I had a slug thrower. But the last one I had fell apart a few years ago and I had to scrap it. The pistol served me well, but I just couldn't keep it together."

Alex gazed at her melancholy muzzle for a few moments before he had an idea. He reached into the holster he had strapped to his waist, pulling out a large dark black pistol and placing it on the table in front of the feline. At the sight of the weapon her eyes widened and she delicately ran a paw over the darkened steel. "That's the Azariah Securities ODIN Personal Defense Handgun. It fires .50 AE and it has built in reinforcements, allowing it to be fired by just about anybody."

Miyu grabbed the gun and lifted it up easily, looking it over with a keen eye. It was obvious that she was a respectable critic of firearms. "It's beautiful." She mumbled in awe as she moved to put it back down reluctantly with an air of longing, and Alex placed a hand on her paw, stopping her.

"Keep it." He told her with a smirk and a twinkle in his eyes.

At that her muzzle dropped open. "I couldn't." She said with a frown. "It's yours; she moved to push it back to him."

His smile persisted as he shook his head and urged her. "I insist, I have another one, besides, I think it should go to someone who appreciates it. And if you need ammo, I can make it."

Miyu stared at him hard before she smiled widely and shocked him with a solid hug, wrapping her warm fuzzy arms around his chest and nuzzling into his neck. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She repeated over and over again as she squeezed him tightly.

Alex awkwardly patted her back. "Sure, no problem, but you might want to put the gun down."

She pulled back and looked at him in confusion before her ears peeled back and she squeaked out an apology. She removed her paws from his back and placed the gun onto the table. It had been resting on his back, barrel pointing at his shoulder. He would rather not get shot by one of his own guns again if he could avoid it.

After that gift, they all began to talk. And this time Alex did not feel as out of place as he had before. And it seems that Miyu had changed as well. Whenever she was quiet, she would look between Alex and the gun with a low smile. Her tail also traveled from her side to his lap where it bounced playfully.

Alex found that Fay was also a person of mechanical expertise, and he found that he, she, and Slippy had formed an engineering trifecta that baffled Fox and Miyu. After a rather enlightening discussion on mechanics and metallurgy Fox cried out.

"Alright enough spare me please! This is nice and all, but let's talk about something that Miyu and I can follow okay."

The trio nodded and postponed their conversation.

"So Alex..." Fay began as she shifted her muzzle to the human. "What was life like where you lived?"

Alex took a minute to answer. "Well, to be honest. I don't remember much, or at least the good things."

"What was your family like?"

"I.....can't recall." He said with a frown. "I remember that I had a mother and father, and sisters. But beyond that it gets a little hazy. When I was fifteen years old, something happened and it all becomes a jumbled mess of memories." There was truth to his lie. Everything was hard to remember in the early years of the war, but he did remember his family. Yet he refrained from telling them, as it would be too much to dredge back up anything about them.

He rather not get flashbacks, it took him years to come to terms with what happened on Charon IV. And he still suffered from night terrors.

"Oh, I'm sorry for bringing it up." Fay apologized.

Alex brushed it off as well as he could. "It's alright. I try to not let it bother."

Miyu rested a paw on his shoulder. "How about we actually get something to eat huh?" She suggested, changing gears.

"That sounds like a good plan to me." Fox said, his stomach grumbling in agreement.