FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 3

"Two more to go!" Derek slammed the throttle of his ship forward, growling slightly as the sudden acceleration pushed him back in his cockpit. His lying down position allowed him to take most of the force in his legs, giving him major advantages when it came to maneuvering.

"Ease off or you'll burn out your maneuvering thrusters!" The voice in the com was starting to annoy Derek more and more, but he had more to concentrate on then a whiny rabbit. Another quick movement of the throttle and a torque of the control stick and Derek was around the last course marker.

"Great! Now bring it home and we got this one sewn up!" Derek rolled his eyes and growled a bit in annoyance. A quick burst of machine gun fire across his starboard wing got Derek concentrating on the race again.

After a few quick barrel rolls and a tap of his rear maneuvering thrusters for an extra bit of boost, Derek crossed the finish line in first, much to the annoyance of his fellow competitors.

"Looks like I do know what I'm doing out here Hos..." He taunted into the com as he throttled back and headed for the ship.

"Yeah, but you still dam near killed that thing."

"Both of you shut up and get that ship back here!"

Hos and Derek both winced at the harsh yelling of the captain, forgetting that he had also been given a com for the race.

"So, you've just won the indi five hundred..." Chain joked, holding a wrench to his muzzle like it was a mike. "What are you going to do now?" Derek acted like he was thinking about it for a moment, then gave a wide grin.

"I'm going to Disney land!" He joked, causing almost everyone within ear shot to bust out laughing.

"I bet you think you're funny huh?" Derek turned slowly, his hair on end and eyes wide, hoping beyond hope that the voice behind him wasn't the captain.

"Shit..."

The human who ran his life, in Derek's eyes at least, was staring down at him with an obviously angered look.

"That was some really stupid shit you pulled out there Derek..." He began, his voice just loud enough to convey his anger but not quite yelling. "You could have gotten your ass shot off and then who would train the rookies or run our covert ops? You have the only ship small and fast enough to get through the Vetan radar gun defenses."

Derek gave a sigh before looking back up to the captain.

"I may have the only ship, but that's because you won't allocate a budget to build more. It's not my fault your cheep..." Most of the other people in the room grew silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"And I suppose that paying for your food and keeping you out of a research lab isn't worth my time or money?" The captain and Derek stared each other down for a few more moments, neither one flinching from the other.

"Come on cap... He just flew his but off out there. Give him a break..." Both the captain and Derek turned to look at Chain, nearly staring through him. "Wow... Sorry for interrupting." He offered, backing away with his paws raised in defense.

A low rumble had all of their attention drawn to Derek's stomach just as the two were going to begin arguing again. Chain could barely hold back a laugh, along with most of the people standing around, while Derek just gave his belly a pat.

"Oh yeah... It's chow time." Derek muttered without even looking back at the captain, walking past him and heading for the mess hall. Chain and the captain stood and watched him go, both a bit confused, and the captain still quite annoyed.

"Remind me again why I put up with him Chain?" The captain asked as a hand came up to rub at his forehead.

"Cause if you didn't he'd be strapped to a table with needles and tubes shoved into him..." The panda offered, knowing where the captain had found him a short time ago.

"You know, if he wasn't still so young I'd have left him there..." The captain sighed before finally heading off towards his own dinner.

"I know sir..." Chain answered to his back, watching as the captain rounded a corner and disappeared from sight.

Chain gave a deep sigh and shook his head, walking over to where Hos had already begun working on Derek's ship.

"Tell me something Chain..." Hos asked when he noticed the panda standing nearby. "Why would you stick your neck out for him like that?"

Chain actually had to give it some thought, a paw absentmindedly scratching at his chin while he pondered. Hos watched him for a moment before a large grin split his muzzle.

"You're sweet on him..." The rabbit chuckled, nearly falling off his perch on the port wing.

Chain's eyes grew wide and shot over to Hos, a mix of confusion and fear in his eyes.

"Do you really think so?"

Hos chuckled again for a moment, until he realized that Chain was seriously asking. This time he did fall off the wing.

"Come on man it was just a joke." The rabbit chuckled after picking himself up and dusting himself off.

"I know but do you really think that I could be getting sweet on the little guy?" Chain asked as he picked up a part from Hos' work table and fiddled it in his paws before turning to the mechanic for an answer.

Hos and Chain stared at each other for a moment, neither daring to say another word, then both giving a nervous chuckle.

"No way man... You're too much of an ass to fall for that kid..."

Chain gave a nervous nod, then quickly turned to leaveafter dropping the part back onto Hos' work table. Hos watched him go, wondering himself what the panda must be thinking about. Especially to put himself on the chopping block for Derek like he did. He climbed back up and continued his work on Derek's ship, trying to keep himself from thinking about it any more.

"Come on kitten... You know you want to have some fun..." Derek sighed deeply and continued to fill his tray with food in the mess hall. He couldn't help but growl a bit when he felt Lex's tail work it's way up between his legs and prod at his tail base a bit.

"Move it or I'll take it." Derek growled, his fur begging to stand on end.

Lex chuckled a bit, then began running his tail all over Derek's rump.

Before he even had a chance to react, Derek whipped around, grabbed Lex's tail with one paw, and hooked two claws of his other paw into the dragon's nose.

"Listen up Lex... I've been putting up with your shit long enough. Well, it ends now! If you don't back off when I tell you too again I'll make sure you regret it,"

A slow tug with his claws had Lex bending down to look Derek in the eyes so the Liger could finish his point.

"And if I ever see your dick again if I don't want to..." Derek's eyes narrowed to just slits, but Lex could still see the anger in them. "...I'LL TEAR IT OFF!"

With his final threat done, Derek unhooked his claws from Lex's nose and shoved the dragon back a bit before returning to his food try.

Lex stood dumbfounded for a minute before he realized that half of the cafeteria had seen him be put in his place finally. He growled a bit, making most of the others turn back to their own business, then grabbed his own food tray and sulked off into a corner of the lunch room to eat.

Derek walked over to his own usual table, his tray making a clatter as he dropped it, then plopped down and began to tear into the pitiful excuse for a meal that the ship's cooks had barely even warmed up.

"What the hell was that all about?" Derek looked up from his meal to see who had asked the question. He nearly laughed when he saw the bear looking across at him.

"Nothing really... I just got tired of being his bitch..." A quick jabbing into the meat dish with his fork made the overly large brown bear jump a bit, then shy back when Derek looked at him through the top of his eyes. "Is that a problem, Grant?"

The bear held up his paws and shook his head, a slight look of fear in his eyes. Derek couldn't help but chuckle a bit at that, causing the bears look to turn amused as well.

"It's nice to see you finally grew a pair..." Grant answered, starting in on his own food. "I was wondering if you were ever gonna stop being the ships designated boy bitch."

Derek gave a snort to the nickname, having just stuffed a forkful of some weird green vegetable paste into his muzzle. "Better the bitch and get laid then not and have to settle for a paw..." He teased when his muzzle was finally empty again.

Grant gave him a "fuck you" grin, then shoved his own muzzle full of food.

"So what are we gonna do with him now?" Derek could barely hear the people talking, his mind still foggy from the drugs they had knocked him out with.

"Well, I've had offers from certain people looking for anthros to experiment on..."

"You can't be serious"

The arguing in the background aside, Derek was still not sure just what the hell had happened. He tried to rub his forehead, but for some reason his arm wouldn't come up. It took him a few moments to realize that there was something on his wrist that kept him from moving it.

He leaned up as best he could to get a better look. He knew that something was wrong the moment he looked at his arm. His brain took a few moments to proses that his arm was white and had black stripes on it. It took a few more for him to realize that it wasn't supposed to look like that.

"Just think about the money man... It would take us years to make what we could get selling him. Plus he had no family so nobody's gonna miss him."

As soon as Derek realized that something was wrong with his arm he began to struggle in his bonds. While he thrashed, he couldn't help but look around more. He noticed that his other arm looked wrong too, but he still couldn't figure out what was happening.

"I don't know man... I mean he's still just a kid...."

About that time Derek happened to thrash off the blanket that had been covering his legs. The combination of seeing his limbs and the fact that he was restrained for no apparent reason to him had Derek scared out of his wits.

"Shit... Do you hear that. He's awake!"

Derek thrashed a bit more until something painfully pinched his rump. He sat up as far as he could and looked behind him, nearly screaming when he saw something squirming under part of the blanket that was still on the bed.

It was about that time that the door burst open, scaring Derek and making him jump, then yelp when the thing under the blanket pinched him again. The two men that burst in rushed over and pinned Derek down before he could even ask what was going on. A sharp jab later, and blackness filled his vision again.

"DEREK!" Grant slammed his paws down on the table to get the Liger's attention. "God I hate it when you space out like that..."

Derek just shrugged at him for an apology, then scooped the last of his food into his muzzle, picking up his food tray and walking away. Grant watched him for a moment longer, then shook his head with a sigh.

"What'd he do this time?" Grant jumped a bit, then turned to see Chain staring down at him.

"Spaced again..." Was his answer before he turned back to his food and began stuffing his face again. Chain grunted in acknowledgment and plopped down beside him, his own food quickly disappearing into his muzzle.

"Hey Grant... I got a question for you." Grant looked over to Chain mid scoop, his arm hanging in midair as he waited to see what it was that the panda wanted.

"Do you think you could fall for Derek?"

The question hung in the air for a moment before Grant burst out laughing.

"Come on dude! You know I'm not gay..." Grant went back to stuffing his face as Chain set his fork down on his tray, his expression one of a person deep in thought.

"I know man, but if Derek was a girl could you fall for him?"

Grant stopped to ponder the question a moment, then shook his head with a short laugh.

"I guess I could... I mean if he wasn't such a ho and everything. He does have a nice body and all.... But I still don't see why it matters. I'm strait and he's a guy so the point's kind of mute...."

By the time that he finished talking it had finally donned on Grant why Chain was asking.

"So if he didn't sleep around so much you could see yourself with him?"

Grant didn't bother answering the question, this time asking his own.

"So how long have you been fawning over him like this?" Chain turned to Grant with a deep blush, his breath catching in his throat.

"D-dude... What makes you think I have the hots for him?" The panda finally managed to stutter out before turning back and shoving more food into his muzzle.

"Well..." Grant began. "The fact that you're acting like a cub with his first crush is a dead give away." Chain looked back up to Grant, a nervous look to his eye.

"Relax man. I won't tell him..." Grant's assurances weren't all that comforting to Chain, his embarrassment at finally realizing that he wanted to be more then bed mates with Derek quite obvious.

"Dude... Why would I wanna be with him? You said yourself he's too much of a ho." Grant nearly fell backwards laughing when Chain choked on the last word, almost like he didn't want to call the Liger something so degrading.

Chain glared at him until he regained his composure, then went back to eating.

"He wouldn't sleep around anymore if he had a boyfriend Chain."

The panda nearly choked on his food, making Grant bust out laughing again.

"How the hell would you know!?! That kid's a sex machine!" Grant patted Chain's back a bit, trying to reassure the panda and calm him down a bit.

"He told me that he'd settle down if he found someone worth his time..." Grant finally answered. Chain starred at him a moment, then looked down to his tray with a glare.

"Yeah... Worth it. Like I'd have a chance then..." Grant could see the confusion in his fellow ursine, the panda's crush like candy for the other.

"You won't know until you ask him now will you?"

Chain's gaze shot up to Grant's, his muzzle working slightly but no words were coming out.

"You know the captain forbid us from being together cause we're both pilots..." Chain finally answered. Grant just shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, that does present a problem..." He retorted, going back to his food. "But if you want to be with him then you're going to have to find a way around it. That and actually ask him out..."

Chain starred at his friend while the other bear began to stuff his muzzle again, then turned to stair at his own tray for a few more moments. He gave a huff finally, picking up his tray and patting Grant on the shoulder with his other paw.

"I owe you one man..." Grant didn't bother looking up, just waving a paw at Chain is if to tell him good luck. Chain gave Grant another pat, then quickly left the mess hall, dumping his tray off as he went.

"What's up" Hos asked as he hopped down from the wing of Derek's fighter, wiping his paws on an already greased up rag.

"I have a favor to ask you... I have something to ask you but I need you to keep it between us." Derek sighed as he leaned back against the fuselage, his paws crossed behind his back. Hos gave Derek a sideways look as he walked over to his parts and tool table, picking up a wrench to clean off while he listened.

"Go ahead and shoot, as long as it don't have to do with your last romp in the hay..." He sighed when Derek stayed quiet, realizing that it was exactly what Derek wanted to talk about. "Fine, go ahead, but let's keep this P.G. shall we?"

Derek gave Hos a smirk, then nodded.

"Well?" Hos asked impatiently, looking back over his shoulder as he worked a second wrench through his cleaning rag.

"I umm.... I had a pilot in bed with me and I think it was a mistake..."

Hos gave a knowing smirk, having been well informed about Derek's restrictions from pilots.

"And you're scared the captain will find out?" Hos asked after a long silence.

Derek shook his head, keeping his eyes down to try and hide at least some of his shame. "No... It's just... I've had pilots before and I've never gotten caught or anything, but this is different."

Hos turned a bit more, his ears rising slightly to make sure he caught everything Derek was saying in his hushed tone.

"So what's the big deal? As long as you aren't falling for the guy..."

Hos dropped his wrench when Derek didn't answer.

"You're kidding right?" He asked nervously, bending down to pick up his wrench before leaving it and his rag on the table and turning to face Derek more. He sighed deeply when Derek shook his head.

"I didn't even want it at first but after he..." Hos held up a paw to stop him, another covering his eyes in annoyance.

"P.G. remember..." Hos muttered, looking through his fingers at Derek.

"Sorry." The Liger answered, a light blush on his muzzle. "It's just... Something about him... After last night I can't get him out of my head. It's like I have a crush on him or something..."

Hos shook his head with a deep belly laugh, "You, a crush? Not possible..."

"Tim this is serious! Derek finally whimpered. The rabbit quit laughing as soon as he heard his real name. It wasn't often that Derek called him by it, so he knew that Derek wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"Alright..." He walked over and leaned against the fighter next to Derek, looking over to him after a moment. "So who is it and why does it have you so hung up?"

Derek couldn't bring himself to meet Hos' eyes as he told the rabbit, so he kept his eyes locked on his footpaws while he gave the name.

Hos' eyes grew wide as soon as he heard the name. Not only because he was surprised about who it was, but because that person was standing right in front of them.

"What about me?" Chain chuckled, hopping up onto Hos' bench.

Derek immediately flushed deeply, then slowly let his eyes travel up to look at the panda.

"Well, what is it you guys were talking about that involved me?" Hos was the first to answer, cutting off Derek's attempt at a lie.

"He was worried about you catching up to his flight scores..." The rabbit offered, rushing over and shooing Chain off of his bench.

The panda hopped down annoyed, then chuckled over to Derek.

"Come on kitten... Nobody's even come close to your scores yet. You ain't got nothing to worry about." Derek just chuckled and nodded his head, a stray paw coming up to scratch the back of his head.

Chain was about to say something more, but all three of the furs froze as an alarm began to wail.

Derek looked around nervously, having never been in an attack other then the ones he started. The captain's voice made the Liger jump, the harsh grating noise seemingly coming from all around him.

"Hos! How many birds are ready to go and support the c.a.p.?" Derek turned to look at the rabbit as he hurriedly shoved his work bench away to a far corner and took off down the line of fighters in their bays.

"We have seven that just need pilots and another five that can be in the tubes before we need umm..." Derek looked around confused, looking between Hos and Chain as the two flew back and forth in the hanger.

"What are you doing Derek?" Chain finally hollered to him. "Get over to your locker and get suited up. We're under attack!"

Derek was finally able to shrug off his confusion, darting over to the locker next to his fighter and tearing it open to reveal his combat flight suit.

It didn't take long before both Chain and Derek were suited up, helmets in paw as Hos prepped their ships.

"You ready for your first space dog fight kid?" Chain joked, jabbing Derek in the ribs with his helmet.

"Just make sure you stay out of my gun sights...." He shot back with a smirk, pulling on his helmet. Hos motioned the two of them over and they climbed into their ships, both strapping in and readying themselves for the fight ahead.

"You both better make it back here when this is over..." Hos growled to himself as he watched both ships shoot off down their launch tubes. "I'm not about to play messenger for the other one.

As soon as Derek was clear of the Leviathan he fired his main rocket. The sudden burst of speed had him in the middle of the fray of friendly and enemy ships in seconds.

"HEY!" Chain shouted into his com. "There better be some for me when I get there!"

Derek couldn't help but chuckle into his mike, his forward guns roaring to life as he began to mow his way through the crowd of ships in front of him.

"Watch your fire!" Derek jumped as the captain's voice cam over the com. "This is your first real combat and I'm not about to have you blowing friendlies out of the sky."

Derek rolled his eyes, barely looking forward again in time to dodge a stream of tracer fire.

"I'll be fine out here if you'd just shut up!" Derek hollered back into the com, his muscles tensing as he flew through the debris cloud of a destroyed enemy ship. "And tell Hos the ship's probably gonna need a paint job."

Derek could hear the rabbit groan even without a com set, much to his amusement.

"Keep your eyes open!" Chain growled as he fired on and destroyed the ship tailing Derek. "I'm not gonna be here to cover your ass all day!" A few snickers from the other pilots and a loud annoyed groan from the captain later Derek and Chain were flying side by side, swerving off from time to time to pick off enemies.

"Not too bad kid..." Chain chuckled into the com. "But let me show you how a pro does it..." Chain pushed his fighter into a tight turn, his ship shaking violently from the G forces, before he pulled out and shot a stream of led through an enemies ship.

"And that's the end of it.." Another pilot sighed as what remained of the enemies ships pulled off and flew away, most with at least some damage.

"Alright you maggots..." The captain grumbled into his com set. "Get your asses back here and get your ships down. I don't want you wasting any more time out there."

Derek made sure to hang back and fly in behind Chain, hoping that the panda would be in and out of the showers before he was done getting yelled at by Hos and the captain for his flying.

"And just what do you expect me to do with that?" Derek couldn't shake off the haze in his eyes, the new sedative he was given being just strong enough to keep him docile.

"As soon as the drug wears off he'll be more then adequate for your experiments..."

The man who would soon be Derek's new master stared at the Liger through the bars of his cage. "And you're sure that nobody will be looking for him?"

The two doctors nodded, looking through the bars at Derek as well. "His mom died in the car accident. He's got nobody left so you shouldn't have to worry."

The buyer sighed once more, then tossed his briefcase to the two. "He better be what you say he is or I'll do my research on you two next..."

The two doctors rushed off without even answering, their greed getting the better of them.

"Alright boy... Let's get a few things strait." The man who bought Derek was leaning against the cage, making sure that Derek was paying attention. "I payed a lot of money for you and I'm not going to put up with any shit. You do what I tell you and I'll try to keep your pain to a minimum..."

Derek looked up to the human, his muscles barely able to hold his head up for a response. "F-fuck off...." Derek whispered, his throat to dry for anything more.

The human just chuckled, his mouth twisted in a sadistic grin. "Have it your way..."

"...And another thing... What in the world made you think it'd be a good idea to try and fly through the middle of a combat zone. You could have been shot to ribbons you dumbass!"

Derek rolled his eyes in frustration, the berating of the captain and other higher ranking pilots getting on his nerves quickly.

"If you ever try anything that stupid again, I'll pull your wings and you'll be scrubbing deck plate for the next twenty years, you get me?"

Derek nodded to the captain, glad to see that his ranting was finally over.

"Good. Now get in the showers and get to bed. You got a lot of cadets to train not to mention your own practice drills to finish. Now move."

Derek could barely hold back his growl as he passed the captain, knowing full well that training the cadets WAS his punishment for all the little stunts he had been pulling over the last few months. He made his way to the showers mumbling obscenities under his breath, almost running into a broad furry chest because he wasn't paying attention.

"Took you long enough..." Derek nearly groaned when he saw the monotone chest, following it up to see Chain grinning down to him. "I was seriously about to leave."

"I wish you had..." Derek grumbled to him, pushing past the nude panda with a slight blush.

"Aww come on..." Chain whined back. "You can't tell me you didn't enjoy last night." Derek tensed, his body reminding him of the way Chain felt pressed against his body.

"If you don't want to get us it trouble then I suggest that you keep your muzzle shut about that..." Derek whispered, looking around the showers to see if anyone could have overheard.

"We're alone in here..." Chain whispered as he wrapped his arms around Derek from behind. This time he made no attempt to grope or tease Derek, just held the Liger close and nuzzled him slightly.

Even that touch was enough to make Derek shiver, this time from something other then sexual arousal. The feelings that Derek began to experience scared him slightly. He wanted nothing more then just to be held by Chain.

It took Derek a moment before he was finally able to think again. He shoved Chain away, refusing to look back at the panda while he spoke.

"Chain... The captain had a good reason for his orders for us to stay apart. If one of us develops feelings for the other it could compromise us in combat."

Derek had to fight to keep his voice steady, his mind screaming in protest of every word.

"We need to stay away from each other so that doesn't happen..."

Chain watched Derek as he spoke, the Liger's shivering almost un-noticeable. When he couldn't take it anymore, Chain rushed up and grabbed hold of Derek's shoulders, spinning him around so they were face to face.

"I don't care what the captain says kitten..." Chain said softly, using a paw to pull Derek's muzzle up till they were looking eye to eye. "I want to know how you feel."

Derek looked into Chain's eyes for a moment, his own thoughts clouded with a mix of arousal and attraction.

"W-what do you mean how I feel?" He finally managed to get out. Chain just gave him a wide grin, then leaned down and kissed him.

Derek's eyes shot wide with surprise, his paws instantly pressing into Chain's chest fur, then gripping it while his eyes slid closed, almost as if he didn't then the panda would disappear.

When the kiss finally broke, Derek was left panting, his eyes still clamped shut.

"I want to know how you feel about me..." Chain finally asked.

Derek could do little more then pant as he slowly looked back up to meet Chain's gaze.

"Oh fuck the rules..." Derek finally growled before pulling himself up with an arm around Chains neck and meeting the panda in another long kiss.

Chain's arms found their way around Derek's waist and pulled the Liger closer to himself, not wanting their contact to end before both of them were ready.

"You see sir... I told you those two were disobeying your orders."

Derek's heart froze in his chest, not even daring to beat as he turned to look over at the entrance to the lockers.

Both he and Chain could have been frozen in a block of ice for the way they felt when they saw the captain staring at them, a look of total amusement on the muzzle of the dragon next to him.

"They must have been doing this a while from the way Derek's bunk smells..." Lex finished, the malicious grin never dissipating.

Chain slowly let Derek down, quickly covering his up till now un-noticed erection.

"Sir I can explain..." Derek started, but quieted when the captain held up his hand.

"Save it Derek... Both of you are to get yourselves cleaned up and report to my ready room in ten minutes." With that said the captain turned and walked away, leaving Derek, Chain, and Lex alone in the small shower locker room.

"You son of a bitch..." Derek growled to the dragon, his claws slowly extending as he gave a death stair to the ruby reptile.

"Don't bother... Neither of you can take me and you know it. You should have just let me have my fun with you. Now you better hurry up in those showers. You two have an appointment to keep."

Derek growled as he stood there, every nerve in his body struggling against his minds overwhelming urge to tear the dragon apart. Chain was in the same position, only he was a little less calm.

"I will make you pay for this Lex." He growled to the dragon, his voice barely above a whisper.

Lex just gave a loud chuckle before walking off, his agenda completed.

"So what do we do now?" Derek asked, breaking Chain's concentration on the dragon.

"I don't know babe..." He whispered back before pulling Derek into a hug. "But you're bound to figure something out with that smart ass brain of yours..."

Derek gave a light chuckle to Chain's joke, hugging himself to the bear.

"Come on kitten..." Chain finally sighed, pushing Derek off towards the showers. "We better hurry up or we'll piss the captain off more." Derek nodded and quickly stripped, following Chain into the showers.

"Fine mess you made for yourself this time..." Derek grumbled to himself, tears already forming in his eyes.

Well, that's that for that chapter... Let me know what you think.

P.S. I know it's getting a bit confusing but hey, it's part drama. Those are always confusing.