FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Wake up, Perp."

His eyes flicked open. His paws were wrapped around simple controls, and his body was trapped within a tight metal tube. He glanced down slightly, noting the time and the distance to the drop target before groaning slightly.

"Perpetuum, you there?" His ear rung slightly as the voice, thousands of miles away, tried to raise him through his code name.

"Yeah, I'm here, Lux. Got some news for me?"

The display in front of him flickered slightly, showing a map, his progress marked by a simple line across it, with the dot at the end blinking.

"Very funny, Perp. Scripta, Astra, and Nihiolo are all ready to go. We're just a few klicks out from the target, so I thought I'd rouse you. They're ready to go."

The fox nodded slightly before chuckling to himself, realizing the voice wouldn't have seen him. "Well, since we're all ready, why don't we get started?"

A click sounded in the tube as his pod detached from the plane, unseeable above him. The pod shook a few times before he felt his stomach start to turn. No matter how much training he had, he would never get used to that sudden bout of freefall right after the drop. He clenched tight to the sticks as he closed his eyes, counting off in his head as he felt the first shake, the first barrier of sound broken.

____________________

He woke in a sweat, his scars burning from a mere phantom of a day many years ago. He grabbed onto his side and groaned, sitting up and looking at his blinking console, New message? He jumped over the pile of debris lining his bed, grabbing his aspirin and giving himself a pill, trying to null the pain as he rubbed his eyes. Either something went well, or... He sighed, sitting down and shaking his head, knowing what the news would probably hold. Nothing good had come of the invasion, and there was no such thing as a mission going well. He swallowed, thinking to stall as long as possible for the news, finding a shirt nearby in a pile of salvaged clothing and pulling it on, ensuring top and bottom were at least covered. He flicked the console on, navigating to the message center and reading slowly.

Ptrt. Aeterno,

I am so sorry to report that the __Lapillus team is formally MIA. We knew the mission would be rough and intensive, but we could have never guessed decimation would be their fate. We managed to get one last transmission from them before they fell off our grid, likely self-inflicted to prevent them from knowing about our resistance cell. The transmission was full of data, from troop movements to equipment stores, so at the very least, we can at least subvert them a bit longer. Their last act, to inform us fully before falling away, is what we need to teach anybody who wants to join us in the future.

-Str. Rhod

The cross fox sniffled slightly while reading the report, knowing that he was responsible for their demise. He inhaled deeply as his hands shook, slowly scrolling to the second message in his queue.

Khopesh,

Please, we need to talk about Lapillis team falling. I'm sending this in a separate message just in case our friends in tech get pokey. Yes, I'm talking about you, Copp. So, KP, meet me at Kelly? Say, bit past one? I'll be there.

-Jak Rhod

Khopesh Aeterno stood fully, stretching in his room, his only bit of privacy left in this world, before finding some jeans and a t-shirt in his dresser. He went and grabbed a quick shower, drying himself off and pausing from dressing to look in the mirror. At 6 feet, 2 inches, he wasn't short, and he carried his weight well, keeping an eye on himself to max at 200 pounds. He looked at his markings and traces his eyes along his body, seeing onyx black mix with gunmetal gray mixed with rust orange along his features. His eyes gleamed an emerald hue as he slid on his glasses, specially made Vegas gold squares resting comfortably along his snout. He pulled on his clothing, taking a minute to brush his ashy black hair, already showing his... Age isn't the right word. Old, but not that old. Stress, maybe? He smirked to himself, heading back to his room to put on simple boots and tying a black and red shemagh around his neck. He finished his outfit with a holster, sliding his pistol into it before heading out the door and across the street.

Their base was made out of one of the two abandoned high schools in the area. To the South were most of the offices -- and, by proxy, where most of the paperwork for this ragtag militia was processed. To the East was a training center, where new recruits learned how to fire a gun and patch a wound. "Balance," Khopesh tells the new recruits, "is more important than luck or strategy on a battlefield. Learn to wound, but learn to heal." The West held most of the barracks, not just for the officers and leaders but also to the volunteered, unproven soldiers. The suburbs had been abandoned swiftly in the first days of the invasion, and as such, provided a wealth of comfort not afforded elsewhere in the region. The center of the base was the heart, soul, and mind of the operation, where Copp and Sill ran the electronic aspect of their type of warfare. And to the North, Khopesh smiled to himself, were mere fields to play in. Wide stretches of space where it was possible to forget about the war going on if you were under the age of fifteen. He stepped into the cold parking lot on the West side of the base, shivering slightly and checking his watch. Eleven and half, I'm early.

He worked his way to the former football field, settling into the bleachers facing East and scanning over the crowd for a long while. As he sat, a collie sat next to him. She was five and a half feet tall, speckled in black and white and wearing a pale green dress. As Khopesh watched the playing kids, she turned to him with a wide smile and a foil-wrapped sandwich.

"Lunch, KP? You eat today?"

He woke from his stupor and looked over, slowly grabbing the offered food and unwrapping it with a slight grin. "Thanks, Palla. Jak been around?"

Palla shook her head slightly. "No, she hasn't been here. Something about compiling data from Lapillis?"

Khopesh sighed softly, nodding slowly and realizing that's why Jak had called the meeting so late. He liked the meetings of the day to happen before noon. "Sounds exactly like her."

Khopesh ate the sandwich slowly as Palla rested a paw on his shoulder with a squeeze. "If you ever want to talk about Am-"

"THERE YOU ARE!"

Khopesh turned his head, watching a smirking jackal wander her way down to him and Palla. Jak was taking two steps towards them in her golden-brown fur, with olive drab pants, black boots, and a black shirt on her. She was holding a file, stretching out her arm towards him. "Thought I'd never find you. I said 'near Kelly', right? Not 'basically, in the damn field'."

Khopesh snatched the file with a sigh. "Lost track of time, is all, Jak. Anything interesting?"

Jak shifted slightly, giving Palla a kiss before muttering quietly, "Get Tanz and take him to classes, please?"

Palla and Jak embraced for a moment before Palla made her way towards a horse near the middle of the field. Khopesh turned fully to Jak and sighed. "Accurate?"

"As it ever will be. You know how I feel. Eagle Rock would be safest."

Khopesh shook his head firmly. "No evidence. Last thing we need is false hope caused from a myth. We need no Atlantis."

Jak sighed and nodded slightly. "Sleep on the decision. You know everyone will support you anyways, sir. If you want to break the line..."

Khopesh nodded slowly, taking the file and standing. "It will be a few days anyways, if it happens. Take time off with your family."

Jak shook her head. "I wasn't going to ask."

Khopesh laughed loudly, shaking his head. "It's an order. You will take time off or you will be court martialed. Clear?"

Jak smirked and saluted. "Aye, sir. Your form needs work though."

Khopesh returned the salute, nodding and making his way back home for a night of reading. "Tomorrow, tomorrow, Jak. Love your family."