FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

There was a small crowd around her canon where she left it and a few people were trying to pick it up. It was moments like this that Sam was thankful she set a biometric grip safety so it couldn't be fired accidentally by anyone after she sets it down. Most people didn't have her grip strength to squeeze the trigger anyways let alone pick the thing up.

"Alright alright, that thing isn't a toy. Let me take my gun home." Sam shooed some of them away and went to pick up the gun from a strap she had hidden in the top. She pulled it out and looped it over her shoulder, hefting it off the ground and heading off towards her landing craft. A couple of kids followed at her heels and circled around her as she walked. It was such a foreign thing yet it seemed so... human. She missed this. It warmed her heart to see happy, giddy children running around. Well, truth be told she never really did like kids, but it was still nice to see happiness after everything that had happened between Trenton and today.

Then Sam started to get worried. She was walking past the downed ships and the kids were still following her. Not that she was out to hurt any of them, but she worried their parents would be concerned for their safety. She knew her parents would've been concerned when she was young being out of sight for so long.

Sam stopped and crouched down to get their attention, "are your parents worried you are following me?"

The smallest of the group was the only one to stop, "today is play day! We play all day until stardown then return home! It is still early, we have lot of time to play!"

Sam looked up at the star their planet orbited and indeed it was only a quarter the way up in the sky. These kids would indeed have a long time to play today, "well I am heading to my ship. I won't be able to stay with you for long, but you can dance around me as long as you like until I get there."

Sam stood back up and continued her walk. If they wanted to play, they could play. She just hoped they didn't try to sneak on her ship. That wouldn't bode well for her, at least, she didn't think it would. She didn't know how lax they were with their kids and really didn't want to find out.

The back of Sam's shuttle opened up as she walked up to it and all of the kids ran up the ramp into the shuttle. She sighed in frustration and followed them in. They ran around like this was a normal occurrence and Sam just stashed her canon in a side compartment for later use and to charge. Thankfully the inside of the craft was just a big empty space with chairs lining the sides for people to sit in so the kids running around was no big deal.

"Alright, I need to leave now. Off you go. Shoo shoo! Go back to town now!" They giggled the whole way and ran around a bit more but actually complied, running out and heading back in the direction of the city. They had boundless energy, as cute as they were, but Sam had business to deal with and couldn't have them running around her ship. She definitely didn't want one of them getting hurt on her watch and have to bring them back to their parents.

With the kids now running off towards town, Sam closed up the shuttle and headed back to her ship. She relaxed on the forward seat she had designed so it accommodated her large tail and contemplated on a few things. Cordon 3 was certainly much different than Trenton was. The people were more welcoming, friendly even, where the ones on Trenton were ready to murder her just for her appearance. She did wonder, though, if they would have accepted the Vey'Ral with the same blind acceptance. It was dangerous. Nice, but dangerous. You really needed a good middle ground: acceptance with wariness. Trenton was the exact opposite of Cordon 3 and just had blind hate towards Sam even though she was not what they thought she was. It was all so confusing. Maybe other worlds would be a mix of the two.

Sam floated up into her docking bay and breathed a sigh of relief as the door opened to her Corran, "ah, there you are! You should come back down with me! I need to do a trade for some material I found at a merchant and these people are very friendly."

"It would be nice to be off the ship again. What are we going to do with the little stowaway, though?"

"Hmm?" Sam turned around to look in the direction her Corran was looking to see the small girl who talked to her earlier peeking out from behind a locker door. Her little fox ears were folded back against her head and she looked about ready to cry. Sam rubbed the bridge of her nose and gestured for the little girl to come forward, switching back to a language she could understand, "come on out of there. She isn't going to hurt you."

When the little girl didn't come out, Sam sat down and gestured for her Corran to as well. The girl seemed to like this a little better and came out of the locker, fiddling with her hands. She probably was just playing a game and didn't realize Sam was actually going to fly off with her still on the ship.

"I'm sorry. I was looking for things to play with and got shoved in by another kid and when I got it open again the back door was already closed. I didn't know what to do."

"Hey, it's okay. I'm heading back down to the planet soon, anyways. I was just coming up to collect some material from my ship then heading back down to make a trade with a merchant for some soul steel. I'll have you back to your friends in no time, then you can kick the one who shoved you in the locker in the shins. Deal?"

She sniffled a bit but brightened up knowing Sam was going back and wasn't going to kidnap her, "okay."

"Good. So you have two options. Follow me or stay here. I can't have you wandering my ship. It is quite large and you could get lost or hurt. I know it's no fun staying with me but if you ask I'm sure the Corran will let you ride her."

Sam got a bit of a glare from that but even her Corran would agree that anything to keep a young kid content would be agreeable in this situation. Of course the girl did ask and the Corran agreed, leaning her front down so she could climb on. They walked off through the ship a short ways to where Sam kept her less dangerous supplies. The door opened for them and the girl looked around in awe at all the shiny objects around the room. It was a treasure trove to anyone her age, or anyone for that matter since there was a lot of materials in there, and she was itching to grab some of it. Sam found her roll of Khalar fabric and grabbed the thread and cutter that went with it when she saw the girl trying to grab a golden looking crystal on a shelf next to her. Sam chuckled and handed it to her, watching as her eyes lit up at the new shiny she just got. Sam wouldn't say anything but that was actually a triellum crystal. She had a bunch more but didn't mind parting with one. Hopefully the girls mother didn't make her part with it. It could make for a nice souvenir and a great way to make some money if she ever hit a rough spot when she was older.

Now that the girl was swooning over her new toy, they shuffled out of the room and headed back down to the shuttle, "now take good care of that crystal. It is very valuable! I actually suggest taking it straight home before you go off playing with your friends again. You wouldn't want one of them trying to take it from you."

"Nuh uh." She shook her little head and hugged the crystal to her chest. She was a cute little thing with a bit of sass now that she wasn't bottled up and scared. Sam rubbed her head as they got back into the shuttle and this time they all sat down on the chairs. Well Sam and the fox girl sat on chairs. The Corran laid across a few of them like a bench. Sam disembarked and hailed the planet to get actual landing procedures this time and to find out where to land officially for that city. It was quite a bit further from the merchant with the soul steel but was actually closer to the fox girls home so that made it at least a little convenient.

The landing itself was easy enough as they flew into a large docking port that was easily a half mile tall. Since her craft had ground skids, she landed all the way on the bottom which was fine. It just meant less going up and down stairs or elevators. They walked through the port to where they were directed, getting odd looks because of the fox girl riding the large red and green tiger. From what Sam could tell, they were being directed to a customs counter. Sam sighed and walked up to see what they needed.

"What are your declarations."

"I have no idea how this works." Sam just shook her head looking to the officer.

He leaned over his post and pointed to the roll in Sam's hand, the crystal in the girls hand, and the Corran, "what is that, that, and that."

"This is Khalar fabric I am trading a merchant. That is a crystal I gave as a gift to that girl. And that is my friend who doesn't appreciate being called 'that'." The Corran gave a growl to accentuate the point.

"Beasts need to be kept on a leash and you need to pay royalties if you wish to bring that fabric onto this planet."

"For one, she is not a beast and is completely sentient. I'm sure you have laws against discrimination. Just because she can not speak your language does not mean she can not speak. The biggest problem is I do not have money, just materials. I can't pay royalties. For that matter why do I have to pay royalties when I haven't done anything on this planet yet. Why should I pay you to bring something here. I should have to pay you after I've sold it and that's if I do."

"That is our laws. Obey them or leave."

"Fine. I'll meet you guys out front. I'll put this stuff back in my ship." The Corran nodded to Sam and walked out further through the dock much to the customs person's dismay but Sam headed back the way she came. When she was back in the docking bay she leapt and climbed her way to the top and hopped down with her wings out to slowly descend the outside of the building and meet up with the two on the other side. A few individuals who were coming out got startled by winged individual landing next to them but just gave Sam a glare as they continued along their path.

Sam's Corran came strolling out with the fox girl still riding her. Sam wished she could give the Corran a name but every time she refused. It was annoying in the least but she had to deal with it for now. In this moment she needed to get the fox girl home so she could drop off the super expensive crystal that she was carrying around like it was her new pet.

Her home was actually really close to the port. Within a few minutes they were walking up to her door. Everything in this area was rather nondescript and plain more like cheap apartments. Sam didn't like the feel she was getting from the area nor the smell. The little girl went up to a door and turned the handle and tried to push. It was cute how she barely reached the doorknob but not so cute when she couldn't push the door open when obviously she was used to being able to. Sam gave the knob a twist and another push herself and felt something blocking the door. A chair maybe by the sound of the clunk. Sam braced and pushed harder, hearing the chair splinter under the strain.

Inside, Sam saw a fox woman in the corner passed out and a large cat-like man standing over her. From the look in his eyes it looked like he had been doing drugs of some kind and wasn't all there. He was holding some rope for some purpose Sam didn't know but she didn't care. Sam grabbed him and hogtied him on the floor with the rope before going over to the woman to see how she was doing. She was alive at least but she looked bruised. Probably was beaten until she passed out. Sam picked her up and went over to her child.

"Climb into your mom's lap and don't move. Corran will watch him to make sure he doesn't move and I will be back for him. Let's get her to the hospital."

The girl did as she was told and climbed into her mom's lap, sitting still as Sam picked up speed to fly. She looked around in awe as they flew over the city but Sam directed her flight towards the blue signs she saw in the distance. She really didn't understand how they could only have one hospital in a city this large. The ability to get to this place was few and far between unless you were close or had wings. Sam at least had the benefit of wings and got there in just a few minutes, touching down outside the entrance and walking in.

Inside there was a few people in the waiting room who didn't seem to have any obvious ailments, either they were minor or they were visitors, so she walked up to the counter with the fox still in her arms, "she was attacked in her home. Beaten unconscious it seems. Can you help her?"

"Let me see her scanner"

Sam didn't know what the person was talking about so she looked at the kid who pointed to her right wrist. Sam crouched down so the girl could hop off and stood her mom up so they could access the "scanner" in her wrist. They waved a wand over her wrist before wrinkling their nose.

"Ick. She is a class three citizen. She does not get treated here. She needs to go to the clinic near the docks."

Sam just looked at the person behind the desk. This was so completely outrageous to her that she froze up for a second, "so you're telling me you refuse to treat her because she is not of a high enough class for you?"

"She does not belong here. It would be best if you left. Riffraff are best left on the streets."

Sam damn near blew up right then and there. She had to take a calming breath and remind herself that she was not on Earth. They did not do things the same way as they did back home. She collected the girl and flew them both back towards the dock. There she saw a small clinic with a blue sign out front. This time as she walked in there was a warm welcome and people immediately moving to help the woman in her arms, no questions asked. Sam realized the difference was in the people. She would have to go to the upper class district later and see how they reacted to her presence.

With the woman quickly being taken care of, Sam decided it was time to go back and see to the man that had attacked her. She flew back to the apartment to see he was still out of it on the floor and looking around, almost unaware of what was going on. Sam picked him up fireman style and walked with him back down to the clinic. When she walked through the doors this time she noticed a red light on top of the doorway go off and everyone go silent.

"He should not be here. He is class one! Take him to main hospital."

"Actually, I wanted to know where to take him because he beat the woman I brought in earlier and he is high on something. He is still out of it or I would do something about it myself."

The person behind the counter actually hissed, "take him to police. It is two blocks that way," she pointed to her left, "he will probably get away with the attack but they will get him for the drugs."

Sam looked at the guy on her shoulder and contemplated if it was worth it dumping him out in the wilderness or not. Probably not, but it was a fun idea. She settled for flying him over to the police for the meantime. The police were actually hard to find, particularly since she couldn't read and because they weren't labeled with a color like on Earth. Blue was cops on Earth. Here they were designated by a cross actually. It was confusing. Sam at first thought it was a church until she saw someone bound being brought in. She ventured to think that might be where she wanted to go and landed outside. She could see inside what looked similar to a police station on Earth with people at desks and an area with a lockup towards the back. Strange to use a cross but she just shrugged and walked in with the guy on her shoulder.

She certainly got a few strange looks, walking into a police station in the middle of the day with someone on her shoulder, but she walked up to the closest desk to speak with the person, "hi, this man beat a woman unconscious in her own home and appears to be high with some substance, I have no idea what it is. I tied him up but he has been out of it for a good twenty minutes now since I first found him over the woman."

The badger behind the desk got up with a pen light and walked to the head of the guy over Sam's shoulder. He shined it in the guy's eyes and tsk'd a few times, whistling and gesturing towards some people in the back.

"Thank you for bringing him in. Hack leaf is a good high in small doses but this guy had way too much of it. He went off the deep end and will take a few days to recover. You said he assaulted a woman?"

"Yeah. Fox woman with a young daughter. Lived a few blocks away. I don't know specifics... not from around here. She is in the clinic up the street though."

"We will send someone to take a look into it. In the meantime this guy needs to rest in the tank for a while."

"Alright. I will be around town if you need me. I'm not hard to find."

The people the badger whistled at finally came and took the guy off Sam's shoulder with some effort and dragged him off to the tank. Sam took that as her cue and walked from the station. She still needed to collect her Corran and fabric. A quick hop and she was back up in the air headed to the apartment where she left the Corran and fabric. Once she got there she saw someone trying to get past her Corran and into the apartment. The Corran, though, was growling at the man and keeping him away.

"Stupid cat! Let me get that fabric! It's worth a fortune! I could get out of this shithole and live in high society!"

"That 'stupid cat' is here to guard said fabric and apartment." The badger startled an looked at Sam, "she is also not happy with being treated like a beast. You should have heard her cursing at you. Anyways, that fabric is mine, and I will be taking it with me. You should leave before I have to talk to the police about another situation."

"You can not prove it is yours!"

"I don't need to because neither can you. The only way you could get it is through thievery. I can actually possess it. The choice is yours."

The badger huffed but stood back to let Sam pass. She walked into the apartment, grabbed her roll and walked back out past the man. As she passed him she felt the sharp sting in her back as she stumbled forward a step. She looked over her shoulder at the knife next to her shoulder blade that was only held up by the guys shaking hand and back at his face.

"Not the wisest of moves. Trying to kill for a roll of fabric is a bad idea. How about you take your little knife and go bother someone else before you hurt yourself. I don't have time for this."

Sam just continued walking as the badger stood there shaking, realizing that he just tried to kill someone over money and failed miserably. What was more was that the person he tried to kill could obviously have tried to kill him as well. His apartment was only two doors down and he warily went in to lay down and reconsider his priorities. Sam, though, shook her fur out and rolled her shoulder that now had a sore spot because of that knife. The badger had been pretty strong, but not strong enough to shove a knife through her sub-dermal layer. You would need to be really strong for that. Doesn't mean that shit didn't hurt though. Her skin was still just as easily cut as any skin.

Sam carried the roll down through the streets, using her AI and a projected map in her eye to find her way back to the merchant. It was quite a bit later in the day when she finally made it back to the merchant who seemed surprised to see her. He seemed a little nervous as well.

"I made it! I had to deal with a lot of crap, but I finally made it back with the roll of Khalar fabric as requested."

"Oh! Um, I didn't think you were actually going to come back. Someone actually just came by no more than ten minutes ago and bought the staff. Paid in credits and everything! Wait, is that the roll you were going to trade me? You mean to tell me I was going to get THAT much fabric for that staff? I could have made a fortune from that much fabric! Hoi... well nothing I can do about that now. He went in that direction if you want to catch him and try to trade." He pointed back the way Sam had just came so she had her scanners set to pick up the different metals like she would for scanning a meteor to mine. A strange metal showed up in the shape of a staff not far off and Sam headed off to try to catch the person.