FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 24

Her Corran was right on her heels as she ran, aiming down an alley to head off the person who was walking with the staff. They had stopped nearby and Sam wanted to try to talk them out of the staff. She really wanted it. Coming out of the alley she made a right and slowed down outside of a building that her scanner said housed the metal. It looked like an office of sorts but she couldn't be sure so she tried knocking. A tall woman answered the door, close to seven feet tall with a wedge shaped head and sharp teeth. She reminded Sam of a race of furry a person created back on Earth.

"What business do you have here little girl."

"Ick, little girl? How rude. Someone came in here with a staff of soul steel a moment ago. They bought it before I could. I want to speak with them."

"Go away. We do not bargain with children."

A voice came from inside, "Alma, who is at the door?"

"Just a pest I am trying to send away."

"Well that is not very nice. What do they want?"

"It wants your staff."

"Oh! Well that is interesting. I think this warrants my attention."

The woman in the door rolled her eyes and stepped from the doorway as another imposing figure stepped up. This one stood over seven foot tall and was much more muscular and had wings much like Sam did but they were a bit shorter. He had golden eyes and laughed at Alma's expression as she stepped away. His laugh died away quickly once he saw who stood on the other side of the door though.

"Oh! And who do we have here? I didn't know someone was able to make a hybrid that looked much like ourselves. Tell me, how old are you?"

"I'm 37. Why is this relevant and why did you call me a hybrid?"

"I ask because most of my brothers have been in hiding for centuries. It is rare to see a hybrid in the flesh and I do not know of any of my brothers being out to make any of them in that time frame."

"Yeah well you can blame Maza for making me."

"Maza!? Maza lives!? Oh fantastic days! Tell me, where is he?"

"He was on Earth 36 years ago, I know not where he went after that. I have not seen him since."

"Surely he would have raised you? He was a great caretaker in the old days."

"No. I do not think he even knows I am alive. He cast me aside when--wait, why am I telling you this? I came to ask about your staff you just bought."

"Oh fine, the soul steel staff. Very rare stuff. Very expensive. I paid a mint for this thing." He grabbed it from behind the door and held it out to examine it, frowning a bit, "I can not get it to do what I want, though. I do not have the strength to change it at will."

"I tried to buy the staff from the merchant as well. I was heading there to purchase it myself but you beat me to it. Well, not quite purchase. I do not have money. I was going to trade."

"Trade? Trade what? Fabric? That better be some very expensive fabric to trade for soul steel."

"I think Khalar fabric is expensive enough."

"Khalar fabric? For a soul steel staff? Interesting trade. You would be losing a lot of credits. Why do you want the staff so bad?"

"That is none of your concern. I just want it."

"Surely there must be a reason. No one just "buys" soul steel unless they wish to test themselves."

"I do not need to test myself. I know what I can do."

"Show me"

"I have nothing to prove to you."

"You are a feisty one! You apparently do not know who I am if you speak to me in such a manner. There are not many who would get away with it."

"And there are not many who can stop me from speaking my mind. Now are you willing to trade for the staff or are you wasting my time?"

He looked at the staff, concentrated, and frowned, clearly not pleased with the results of whatever he attempted, "I can agree to a trade. This staff is no more useful to me than a steel staff. It was expensive though. Honestly, though, I would rather have the money back than a product I need to try to sell."

"I have no money. I have stores upon stores of expensive materials but I have not had the chance to sell anything to get credits."

"Well go sell your fabric. Once you have your credits we can do an exchange. I have a trade device so we do not need to go to a bank."

Sam paused for a moment, confused, "trade device? You do not use token money out here?"

Troy looked like he was about to say something sarcastic before he realized something, "you're serious? Are you off a world that does not have intergalactic commerce?"

"Yeah. My world actively sends aliens off world through some program with Trenton and I was one of those aliens."

"Ah! I have heard of those programs. They are supposed to get you started for a life off world though. ID, credit chip, starter amount of credit, and send you off to your designated home region. What happened that they did not for you?"

Sam shook her head a bit, "when I came through they sounded the alarm thinking I was a Vey'Ral. I had to escape before I got anything so I have no ID, credit chip, or credits."

"Well this complicates things a bit. Without ID you have no way to get a new credit chip and without a credit chip you have no way to sell your fabric or trade."

Sam set down her roll of fabric on the ground with a thud and ran her hands through her mane in frustration, "okay, but how would I get ID? Who would I talk to?"

"Is there anyone who could confirm your story and say you are who you say you are?"

She gave it some thought and nodded, "yeah. Ally admin Fren. He knows who I am."

"I... what? How do you know him? I haven't even been able to get an audience with his deputy, let alone one of the four admins themselves. Getting the secretaries at his office to believe you and contact him will not be an easy trick."

"It's worth a shot. So where is his office? The sooner I can get this over with the better."

Troy pointed off to the east, "his office is about an hour walk in that direction. The second tallest building, not hard to spot. I would like to go with you though. It would be interesting to see if you actually know the admin."

"Second tallest building in that direction? I can manage that. I am not walking though. I am not wasting that much time."

Troy looked around then looked at her quizzically, "I see no transport. How do you plan to get there without walking?"

Sam spread her wings a bit, "what do you think these things are for, show? I fully intend to fly there."

"You... what? Fly? We Kor'Ran can barely fly for a few minutes and you act as though you fly everywhere!"

"That's because I do. What do you mean you can only fly for a few minutes? That's it?"

"Yeah? It is strenuous and exhausting. Why? How long can you fly?"

Sam looked at him deadpan, clearly unimpressed with this knowledge, "I've flown for eighteen hours without stopping before. Look, this is going nowhere. I need to get an ID and credit chip. I don't want to sit here and chat about the failings of a race."

"Failings?! We are one of the strongest races around, one of your parent races, and nobility! You should treat us as such!"

"No. I'm leaving now. If you want to come with, keep up."

Sam hunched over and her Corran hopped up onto her back and wrapped their paws around her neck. Sam ran and took off into the air, still carrying the fabric and headed east towards the second tallest building.

"He is trying to follow us. He is not a very good flier."

Sam just chuckled and did not look back. She didn't need to. His struggles to catch up were loud and clear in his haste. Hour walk her foot. It took barely two minutes to fly the distance and she was taking her time! The landing was going to be interesting, though, with how many people were wandering around outside. She was going to have to time this with a gap somewhere. Near the entrance a good gap formed in the crowd and Sam quickly landed in it, folding her wings once she was on the ground. People around her were startled to see someone landing from the air but she shooed them away as the other one was barreling in. He did not look like he was going to have a gentle landing.

It certainly was a rough landing. He nearly collapsed once he was on the ground, panting in exhaustion. Sam just leaned on her roll of fabric with a smile, "are you alright there? Was that a little more than you are used to?"

He was gasping for air but he tried to respond between gulps, "you... are fast. How?"

"Don't worry about it. Anyways, hurry up if you want to come in with me. I have business to attend to."

He limped after her, the crowd of people staring after them as they walked into the Ally forces building, "how are you not tired? You look like you just went for a walk!"

"I will let Fren explain that if I can get him to talk to you. First I need to get an audience with him." Sam looked around the inside of the building and saw a desk a short ways off with a secretary behind it. She walked over and got her attention, "hi there. I need ID and I was told I can get it here. Can you direct me where to go?"

"We do not just hand out ID." She didn't even look up from what she was looking at.

"I figured as much. I'm not asking that. I came in from Earth and barely made it off Trenton with my life. I never had a chance to get my ID or credit chip. I was hoping to get them here since your planet seems more friendly."

She finally looked up at Sam, giving her a once over, "do you have the folder you came in with? That should have the information needed to register your ID."

"Ah, that. It was destroyed shortly after I left Trenton. Fren knows who I am. He could verify my identity."

"Who is Fren? This one?" She pointed a pen of sorts at the guy next to her.

"Hmm? Him? Oh, I have no idea what his name is. Fren is the admin."

She coughed, sputtered, and looked at Sam incredulously, "hah! No one just "knows" the admin. He is much too busy to spend with commoners."

"Ugh. I knew this was going to happen. Look, is there any way you can just call him? Just ask if he knows a Sam Pedersen."

"If I make a call up to his office and it is a waste of his time, I will get in trouble."

"If I get you in trouble, you can punch me in the face. Deal?"

She eyed Sam for a moment and picked up a phone of sorts, "hello sir. I have a Sam Pedersen down here who wants to speak with the admin. She says they know each other. He's in a meeting with the other admins? How long until he's-- oh they're done now? Yes. Oh. Okay." She paused for a moment and looked at the phone. She looked at Sam this time with confusion now, "he would like to see you? The elevator is over there. Sixtieth floor."

Sam nodded, "well, I did just want to get my ID but it looks like I am meeting all of the admin now."

The male next to her had recovered from his exertion to get here now but seemed to be having a different problem now, "how? Just how?! They don't see just anyone and here all four want to see you?"

"Hey, I don't make the rules out here. These four have been after me for six years now. They may as well meet who they've been after. Are you coming?"

Sam started walking towards the elevator with her fabric and Corran in tow. She really didn't care to get the male's name; it wasn't worth it. He may have been her species but he automatically believed her beneath him. Called her a hybrid. Ignorant prick.