FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

From the deck of the Archie, Yskra observes the small, sleek craft he paid more than he cares to admit getting the charted path of, setting a trap. It’s made almost entirely of metal and hurtles through the stars on a complex and rotating single thruster design that allows it to blast full power in any direction on a dime. And due to this, it can angle itself to block attakcs targeted at said engine, which will more likely than not bounce off the armor.

Such is the challenge in capturing the Moonstone, the courier ship used by Sunbeam Silver to transport especially valuable cargo. His solution, or more accurately Valkyrie’s after experimenting with rope play, was several large net cannons that fire adhesive coated steel nets, much to the lost fur of the crew who worked on testing them. These are placed in key places across an asteroid belt the Moonstone must pass through to keep course.

This is in stark contrast to the Aquilla, a ship only a bit larger than the Moonstone, equally as well crafted, and with a much different plan: ramming speed. With electrothermal propulsion, several large guns, and a titanium chassis, it’s a stolen military prototype and an old marvel of engineering. As it blasts out from behind an asteroid and masterfully slams against the prow of the Moonstone, sending it spinning like a top with its engine a sitting duck to the practiced aim of the Aquilla’s gunners, the fighter craft is hit with several nets drenched in industrial bonding agent.

The Moonstone escapes this fate by spinning out and then careening wildly into a partially hollowed out asteroid before the crew manning the net cannons can swivel fast enough to even attempt a shot, proving their helmsman is either an untold legend or the collared pet of lady luck herself.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” Yskra growls as he mutters a chain of swears in the process of wrenching open a spyglass to identify the Aquilla and watches as their crew slashes through the netting with plasma sabers to throw it off. “It’s the Godbloods. Truly, what a wonderful time to pop in!”

“Didn’t their captain’s sidepiece hold you down an–” Zaryl begins before Yskra cuts him off by pulling a wrapped pastry out of his pocket and shoving it, wax paper and all, into the hydra’s mouth.

“Speak of that in front of the holes and they’ll start thinking they could get away with a second attempt,” Yskra snorts, gesturing to Desty and Robyn leaning on a nearby railing.

At being referred to as such, Desty looks over her shoulder at the raptor with a squinting, wry look and flips him the bird before returning to looking at the pigeonhole, saying, “Captain, there’s no tunnel through the asteroid, so we have the Moonstone cornered.”

“Ah! At least this is salvageable!” Yskra sighs in relief.

First things first, he needs to make sure the Aquilla doesn’t fire at his ship or crew once they’re free and quickly writes a note in his cabin before giving it to one of his scouts on a lightsail, a sort of tiny sailboat glider that fits one person, to deliver it. It’s not long before a familiar figure steps out of the shadow to the doorframe of his cabin, revealing a tall, dark dragoness with black scales, a more lightly colored underside, and a pattern of blue and magenta scales coloring just below her eyes, reminiscent of an exotic lizard. They also grow down the sides of her neck and along the torso, though this is hidden under a leather coat and pants. Four horns sprout from her head, so black they seem to suck in the light around them, and her eyes have a similar effect. She has in the past claimed to be a creature of shadow, and now more than ever, Yskra is willing to half believe that. The other half believes she is simply skilled in smoke and mirrors and likes to fuck with people in both senses.

“My my, so eager to turn the tables after all this time still, Yskra?” She chuckles, holding his letter. “You should have just called or sent flowers, honey.”

“Yeah, captain! This all seems a little overly dramatic on your part…” Desty interjects.

“To be clear, in the event my script was too hasty to read,” Yskra replies, ignoring the mutinous harlot’s comment, “This was an accident. We are both, it would appear, after the Moonstone.”

“Evidently. You ruined our paint job. The least you can do from here is to stay out of our way, yeah?”

“And cut my losses? You know as well as I do that’s not my style.”

“Hah! I figured as much,” She smirks, fingering the hem of his shirt. “As did Aso. We propose a little game, with rules of course. Care to hear it out?”

“We haven’t thrown you off the ship yet, have we?” Zaryl notes sarcastically.

“Heh, true enough! The first to get to the Moonstone’s loot takes all. Just no firing on one another, killing each other’s crew, that sort of thing. Our gear is hard to replace and…” She motions around the Archie widely. “You can’t really afford to fix any of yours.”

“Ouch,” Yskra remarks dryly. “But I like these terms. Let’s play.”

“Fantastic! Oh, and a third rule: I’m keeping an eye on you lot to make sure there’s no ulterior shenanigans. That, and this would already be over if I stepped in, and, well, that’s just no fun!”

“I’m sure Aso enjoys that,” Yskra chuckles.

“An excuse to cut loose and start slinging his artificery around? He’ll be a kid in a candy shop. Besides… he just told me to deliver the message, not come back.”

“Then by all means, eye away all you like,” Yskra grins, turning to the helm and barking out commands. “Full sail, thrusters to full, and easy on the cannons; fire on the Aquilla or hurt her crew and we’ll be stardust! The Moonstone is our one and only target in a bit of friendly competition! Prepare boarding crews and get the satchel charges prepped! Zaryl, make sure our gunners below know to hold fire!”

“Aye, captain!” He nods before rushing below deck.

Desty has already hurried off to make sure there’s no open ink bottles laying near her ledgers and Robyn climbs into the crow’s nest, the ship hurtling forward.

Asogorath rolls his eyes from where he stands on the deck of the Aquilla, dressed in a journey-worn leather overcoat and vest with padded pants and bladed boots. With glowing orange horns and eyes and jet-black fur across his body, save for the glowing feathers along his tail, his snout is edged with a hard obsidian beak in place of rows of teeth.

He can’t see the Archie from here but recognized the crew when they fired nets at his ship. Their letter only confirmed that. He also knows, given that she has not already come back, Nef used monkey paw logic on him, which she does from time to time without warning, and notifies the rest of the crew below of the situation. The Aquilla operates more along the lines of a submarine with no one on deck while it’s in flight, and they rocket towards where the Moonstone is hiding now that the nets have been cut away and no longer inhibit their forward guns or vision. Some are still stuck to the sides of the ship, but that’s a problem for later.

Rae, their technician, appearing mostly as human with long brown hair, purple eyes, feet more fit for a rat, sharp elven ears, and a long whip-like tail, is the first to spot the Archie sailing through a cluster of smaller rocks and pushing them out of the way.

“Aso, we’re going to have to full throttle it to beat them,” She notifies him through the ship’s voicepipe system.

“Hit it and use the booster while you’re at it! There’s no way in seven hells that smug bastard is going to ruin several weeks of careful tracking.” Aso replies as he enters the armory to grab his space harness: an armored suit with a collection of grappling hooks for traversing asteroid fields.

“What do we do if the Moonstone escapes? We won’t be able to catch them without it.”

“They’re not getting away stuck between the Archie and us,” Tam rumbles from where he waits next to a deployment hatch in an armored suit. “And I’m going to hatefuck whoever screws that up…”

“Pfff. Fine, have it your way big guy!” She says.

The ship lurches forward, Tam audibly falling to the floor at the sudden movement and giving Rae no small sense of satisfaction. Aramon’s laughter can be heard from where he stands besides Tam, grasping the safety ropes hanging from the ceiling and avoiding a similar tumble.

“Give me that look all you want! You deserved that!” Aso’s brother guffaws.

The Aquilla, blue flame roaring from her engine, swiftly overtakes the Archie, leaving the Wicked Gold awestruck at the sheer speed it reached in a few short seconds and narrowly beats them into reaching the hollow where the Moonstone is hiding. At the last moment, Rae yanks the control stick to the side, and they drift to a stop just short of hitting the smaller craft in the interior of the asteroid, grappling hooks on the side of the Aquilla automatically hurling themselves over and around the Moonstone with uncanny coordination.

In her office, Rou sighs in annoyance as she uses one arm to pin down the few loose papers on the desk and reaches out with the other to casually catch a book launched across the room by the maneuver. Inside the hollow of the asteroid, a large shadow comes over the Moonstone and the Aquilla, trapping the area in relative darkness with a few shafts of sunlight poking through where the Archie parked its bulk in front of the asteroid’s entrance. Waves of the Wicked Gold’s colorful and varied crew come streaming through the cracks off of ropes, climbing the sides of the wall, or simply hurling themselves forward and flying forward on wings. Yskra bodily throws Zaryl, holding a very large sack he slams with no small amount of vicious joy onto the deck of the Moonstone.

There’s a loud FOOMP of an instant, small explosion, and acrid smoke fills any and all lines of sight. Tam and Aramon find themselves overwhelmed when they exit the hatch, bodies colliding with them and grabbing on to weight them down. Tam is large enough to throw off anyone’s cloying grasp, but Aramon is bogged down immediately. There’s sounds of the Wicked Gold cheering and filling the area as they climb over the Moonstone and Aquilla, forcing closed doors of the latter and preventing Aso from leaving, so much to his annoyance his patience snaps and he blasts the doors off the hinges.

The smoke is suddenly sucked into a small orb by a powerful vortex of sudden wind as he walks out, holding the ball in his hand as he surveys the situation: that being the crew are mid handing satchel charges to Desty and distracted by the sudden clarity of their surroundings, a flash of gold fur disappearing through one of the gaps between the rock and the Archie.

“Really?” Aso snorts. “You think some bombs will cut it?”

“Oh, fear not, we have plenty more where that came from,” Zaryl laughs, planting a large bag on the Moonstone’s deck.

“Of course,” Yskra adds in, “You’ll need to move your ship out of here or it might get some scratches. On account of the high explosives, that is. I’m sure you understand.”

“Won’t that damage your vessel too?” Aso asks with a raised brow.

“The Archie?” Yskra scoffs. “She’s made of thick iron along the prow. What’s a little bit of blackpowder to rust and stardust?”

“I’m not going anywhere. Neither is my ship. And certainly not Tam with the starbore,” Aso frowns. “You can’t use methods of violence against us, and we’re in detonation range, after all.

Casually yanking the glued door open, Tam retrieves a heavy drill with a diamond tip and begins lumbering towards the Moonstone with it.

“So, what you’re saying is we’ll use your gear instead?” Valkyrie questions.

“I’m not sharing, if that’s what you mean,” Aso replies.

“Really? I don’t distinctly recall a rule against that…” Zaryl frowns, making an exaggerated thinking pose. “What do you think, Yskra?”

“I think we use their fancy drill,” The captain grins. “Come on, lads and lasses, let’s give ‘em a hand!”

The Wicked Gold stream forward again, Aso weaving some sort of light in the air, Aramon readying a net gun, and Tam more than ready to violate the rules by swinging the drill with blunt force intent, when the Archie suddenly pulls away and begins to back up.

“What the hell? Did one of you order that?” Yskra asks, looking from Valkyrie to Zaryl.

Both shake their heads, and sweeping his eyes across the room, the raptor realizes he made an error in his haste: NOT ordering at least a few of his brawl-loving crew to stay on the ship. But then who’s driving it?

“Nef!?” The captain barks. “Lying witch!”

“Rude!” She growls behind him, nearly giving everyone in the general vicinity a heart attack at her sudden appearance. “It’s not my fault you idiots didn’t see one of the doors on the Moonstone open and close.”

“Say what now?” Valkyrie queries before suddenly realizing the situation. “Ah, shit! They’re on our ship! ALL HANDS TO DECK, NOW!”

In the chaos that follows the Wicked Gold exodus from the asteroid, a sound that can be heard over their rushing and shouting is Tam with an uproarious laugh, slapping his knee and the flames spewing from vents on the back of his armor cooling down.

“AND HERE I THOUGHT YOU IDIOTS HAD A CHANCE,” He guffaws, revving the drill and stepping towards the Moonstone.

Its engine appeared to be bent at a broken angle, but that was a clever ruse, and it suddenly snaps back into position upon the pilot sighting the newly made clearance and the engines roar to life.

“No no no!” Aso snarls, hurling bolts of energy at the engine in the hopes of knocking it out.

He succeeds in denting it, Tam also bringing the drill down on the base of the thruster, Aramon firing a few shots from a gun into it, but they simply do not have enough time to react in a meaningful way as they’re all blasted onto their backs by a wave of air by the engines revving. The grappling hook’s steel cords snap one by one until the Moonstone promptly looses clear of its prison, leaving nothing but hot air and carbon as it weaves among the asteroids and disappears out of site.

Pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a deep breath, Aso decides to simply sit down and take a moment to process his feelings. Tam on the other hand slams his fist into the rocky wall of the asteroid repeatedly, smashing an alarmingly big hole in it very quickly as flames begin to shoot white hot out of his suit.

“Woah, woah! Easy now! You’ll melt your armor!” Aramon reminds him. “You know. Again. Remember how long it took to get you out last time?”

Ripping the helmet off, Tam fixes him with a glare, green irises with a flaming pupil core boring into him. “I’m VERY well aware.”

Taking it off piece by piece, he throws the pieces aside and steps out of it with nothing else on but a single undercloth that begins to smolder. Standing over 8 feet tall before settling back into a mild hunch, he has a long snout that gets thinner towards the nose, two perked, triangular ears, a long, thin tail, and digitigrade legs with vicious, clawed hindtoes. With a full body coat of fur, his is primarily colored a dusky greenish gray streaked with black and a cream colored underbelly, the coat growing especially long across his arms. Most notably, flames hiss along his crown, down the spine, all the way to the end of his tail in a mane of heat, growing more agitated and crackling with his mood.

“I’m going to go beat whoever is responsible for this now…” Tam huffs, walking towards the opening of the asteroid.

“Tam,” Aso calls out as he hops off the Aquilla. “Their ship is made of wood. Go cool off.”

“Nearly a month of my damned life strapped into this metal coffin the entire time… for nothing? And you expect me to just LET IT GO?” He bellows, his voice echoing in the strange acoustics of the room.

“This was dumb chance with a mixture of incredible fumbling. No one deserves to get incinerated for that or I would be leading the charge.”

“Fucking FFF-INE,” Tam snarls with incredible annoyance, picking Aramon up around the waist and carrying him back to the ship like a sack of potatoes.

“What did I do?” The smaller male yelps, knowing what’s to come the moment Tam drags him to their bunks and Tam completely ignoring him. “ROU, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, I NEED THAT LUBE!”

The cries of Aso’s brother are cut off as the hatch door slams shut behind Tam.

“He’ll be fine. Probably,” Aso chuckles to himself, noting Tam left his armor behind and resolving to grab it on his trip back before taking a running jump and launching himself towards the Archie.

The crew, having reclaimed their ship after bounding across asteroids to get back on board, sit currently anchored with several of the crew circled around and pointing guns at a short, golden furred man. With a few orange markings across his eyes and arms, he’s dressed in only a long red sash tied across the waist with dozens of small piercings in his ears, rings on his fingers, toes, and several larger, thick bands across a long, fluffy tail. It’s all made of pure, polished silver.

Getting back to his ship only just before Aso, Yskra quickly picks the captive up by the scruff and examines him with scrutiny before dropping them with a small sigh. There’s an approving call from the crew, all of them ready to settle the score after losing out on their prize.

“Alright. I’ll admit I don’t quite understand what’s going on. Are you a loyal dancer that gave their life to save your employer?” Yskra demands, confused.

“Interesting question. I’m usually the one employing!” He replies smoothly.

“Spare us the wit and martyrdom bravery. We’re not going to kill you,” Yskra snorts. “But if you waste my time, I might just be amenable to the idea of letting my crew use you to their heart’s content after I work out some of my own frustration first.”

“Fuck yes! Do I just keep talking to make that happen?”

Yskra narrows his eyes at the man, at first thinking he’s just bluffing. However, the dancer is not just adamant, his eyes are literally bright and excited at the idea. This would be the point the raptor would rail him against the nearest solid object to break any sense of ego or pride, but that’s nearly impossible to do against someone with no shame. That, and the fact that he’d like it takes some of the satisfaction out of doing it.

“I must be a lodestone for brats,” Yskra remarks, rubbing his temples. “Zaryl. You deal with this. I already have two.”

With that, he lets out a short whistle signal to Robyn, the bird quickly flitting through his cabin door as he opens it before he disappears inside and turns the lock. A surprised yelp turning to a moan can be heard from Desty not long after.

“So…,” The prisoner says in the deafening silence that follows. “What’s the plan?”

“Answer our questions in a straightforward manner and you’ll be let off at the nearest port in one piece,” Zaryl states. “Don’t, and I promise I’ll find a way to ruin exhibitionism for you.”

“Ah. Well. That’s sufficiently less fun,” The dancer pouts.

“There’s at least one person here that’ll use you like a breeding mount in the meantime, if that strikes your fancy,” Valk chimes in with a chorkle.

“I suppose that’s the best I can ask for,” He smirks in a self-depreciating manner. “Alright. You got me. I’m Sunbeam, of the Sunbeam Silver company.”

This causes both a wave of joy and disbelief to go through the crew, some thinking they might strike it rich after all, some thinking this is just a desperate ruse.

“As in the founder, just out here in the middle of space, dressed like this?” Zaryl scoffs, “If that’s true, then we ought to check our larder for any fresh beef that might have magically conjured itself out of the ether.”

“He certainly fits the descriptions I’ve heard of him,” Valkyrie muses, reaching out to tip his chin up to get a good look at his face. “And the attitude matches. I don’t care for paying any attention to the aristocracy, but I do remember something about him getting banned from most of their balls and parties for refusing to wear dress clothes.”

“Any clothes at all, actually,” He corrects her.

“That sounds about right. He’s the real deal. After all, where do you find anyone else with a coat of fur like this?” She laughs. “So, you sacrificed yourself for your crew, then.”

The attitude of the Wicked Gold shifts. They’re still frustrated, to be sure, but there is a grudging respect for the man that foiled their plan for the sake of his shipmates’ lives. Or mostly foiled it, that is; the Aquilla’s intervention certainly didn’t help.

“I needed the vacation anyways if I’m to be honest. Paperwork piles up faster than my quill can ever write it away!” He smiles back. “And I got to say, I could have never done it without that lovely smokescreen.”

“And I’m so glad I did it!” Zaryl states excitedly, “We’re going to make so much more off a ransom than whatever was in that ship!”

“Weeeeelllllll…” Sunbeam trails off. “So, here’s the thing.”

“Why do I feel like you’re about to ruin this for me all over again?” Zaryl sighs.

“My company is on a strict ‘no rescuing me’ policy. No ransoms, no hiring mercenaries, nothing. They contact the proper authorities and leave it at that, in a situation like this.”

“What the hell would’ja do that for?” One of the crew calls out.

“Seconded. I too would like to know!” Valkyrie adds.

“It cut all kidnapping attempts on me to, like, a tenth of what they were,” Sunbeam answers. “That is, the first successful go at it actually happened shortly after when I made that rule, and they ended up freeing me when they realized they weren’t getting their money.”

“They let you go?” Zaryl sputters.

“I can be very persuasive!” Sunbeam replies with a wink and a subtle lift of his tail.

“Ah. I see ,” The hydra observes wryly.

“It is remarkable you lot get anything done around here with the efficiency of your interrogations,” Aso comments from where he hangs grappled to one of sail’s luff.

“My dear,” Nef snickers as she materializes next to him. “You do realize what this means about the game, right?”

“Don’t say it,” Aso growls.

“Hah! I guess we did fuckin’ win!” Valkyrie cackles, pumping a fist in the air and the crew letting out a cheer swiftly after and clapping each other on the back. “Only one of us got anything off the Moonstone after all!”

“You have the manager of the most prestigious jewelry manufacturer on your ship, and THIS is how you’re spending your time?” Aso fumes.

“Hmmm. I guess I could use a new necklace,” Valkyrie grins mockingly up at him.

“Vault codes, locations of raw and or processed precious metals and gemstones, banking information, he has ALL OF THAT,” The rival captain shouts. “If you won’t get it out of him, I will! You owe me for damaging my ship!”

“I distinctly recall that wasn’t in the rules,” Nef reminds him.

“For the love of – Rae, you deal with this. I don’t have the headspace right now,” Aso grumbles, leaping off and grappling away.

“Aye aye, cap’n,” She replies dryly, knowing he can’t hear her with how fast he left. “Could have just left without blowing my cover…”

Her body suit turns from sail white to black as she sits down on one of the spars, taking off the accompanying face mask and kicking her feet gently in the air.

“Wha… how did you do that?” Zaryl asks.

“Do what? Camouflage? It’s a suit made from cuttlefish tissue,” Rae answers.

“Gross. And cool.”

“Oh, but when I do it, no one makes a fuss. I see how it is,” Nef complains in mock indignation. “I should probably make sure our captain doesn’t throw himself into the nearest sun. Please, do be nice to Rae you all! She’s very shy.”

With that, Nef disappears into a shadow made along the mast by the rigging.

“So. Uh. We haven’t seen you before. Or, at least, I certainly haven’t. Has anyone else?” One of the crew pipes up and receives agreement and nodding heads.

“Ah. Hi. I’m Rae. The whole point is you don’t see me before I, y’know…” She introduces herself before making a finger gun with an accompanying pew noise.

“I love your hair by the way,” Sunbeam says, noticing the crew pointing pistols at him are alarmingly paying very little attention to him or where their fingers are on the triggers of their guns.

“Aw, thanks! Yours is nice too,” She replies.

This leaves another moment of awkward silence neither party knows how to break before Sunbeam does so.

“So, if we could stop pointing loaded firearms at my head now, that’d be great,” He implores.

There is an accompaniment of apologies from the gunners as they holster their weapons, the crew in general settling down, before being startled by a loud throat clear from Zaryl.

“Did I order you to put your armaments away?” He questions, scoffing as two of them begin to pull them back out and waves for them to step away. “Just get out of the way and remember next time who’s in charge when the captain isn’t present. That goes for the rest of you! Get back to your stations!”

The crew mostly clears, leaving a few left standing to watch while both Valkyrie and Zaryl lean against the railing.

“So, about that nice captive ya got there,” Rae interjects, now hanging from the aft by her knees like a bored child. “Any chance you could let me know any extra info? You know, for anything that comes up you can’t use?”

“That’d certainly be a conversation to have with Yskra… and he’d probably upcharge you for it,” Zaryl hums thoughtfully.

“As much as I don’t want to disappoint you all, I know staggeringly little about my own tax or banking info off the top of my head,” Sunbeam informs them. “That is also on purpose.”

“No, but you certainly know something about the estates and locations of vaults in a bunch of crooked noble’s homes. How many personal pieces have you had to measure in person, eh? What have you seen doing so?” Valkyrie replies. “And I think Desty could probably pull the most blood from a stone with any shreds of personal information you can give her.”

“And ruin the lives of former clients? How could I possibly want to NOT do that?” Sunbeam chuckles. “Serves some of the grouchy bastards right. We can start with the Leckmans first, if you’d like.”

“That’s the spirit! For now, though, I’m afraid you’ll need to go in the brig. Prisoner and all that,” Zaryl says.

“Oh, you going to tie me up too?” Sunbeam croons as Zaryl turns him around.

“Just the hands for now,” Zaryl snorts, “Can’t be having you running around after nearly slamming our ship in between two space boulders.”

Sunbeam makes it much more difficult as he bends down, lifting his tail and grinding back into the hydra’s hips provocatively, hitting a lot of buttons the first mate discovered he likes being pushed when experimenting with the cook’s assistant behind closed doors. He struggles to properly tie a restraining knot and not default to a much more gentle, easy to break out of one in the current position.

“You’re used to this, I can tell,” The smaller man taunts him before Zaryl finally throws his hands in the air and Valkyrie takes his place.

“Alright, you golden harlot, down the stairs. If you’re a good boy, we might let you ‘play’ with the crew later,” She orders, taking him below without a fuss.

“So…” Zaryl says.

“So?” Rae echoes him.

“I should probably tell the captain the good news, in that case.”

“I can see that vastly improving his mood, yes.”

“But if I interrupt him right now, I don’t think I’ll get the chance to before he shoves something in my mouth. It would be for the second time today, come to think of it. Though, it wouldn’t be a pastry.”

“You shove pastries in each other’s mouths?”

“More often than not it’s another thing, but yes!”

“Uh-huh.”

“So. I’m going to go get something to eat from the canteen. Do you want anything? Are you going to leave? You’re the first person from the Godbloods I don’t want to immediately walk the plank.”

“I’ve been stuck in a metal echo chamber of horny guys for the last month. I think I’ll stay a bit longer, if you don’t mind me joining you.”

“By all means! Just don’t let the crew’s looks or jabs get to you.”

“Can’t be any worse than hearing Aramon screaming Tam or Aso’s name through our voicepipes.”

This makes the hydra laugh, unsure if she’s kidding or not, and waving to her to follow down below the deck to the canteen.

Several hours later, Yskra emerges from his cabin, his two bed companions left to rest as he seeks out Zaryl. He finds him leaning over the railing along the bow, chatting back and forth with several members of the crew and Rae.

“Glad to see you all managed to find a better mood as well!” Yskra nods as he walks up. “And… you. I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“That’s Rae,” Zaryl replies. “Godblood pilot of the Aquilla and more.”

“Suuup,” She says with a wave.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance! I find it a little strange it took this long for us to meet. Not that I encounter the Godbloods often as is. Why are you here, of all people?” Yskra asks.

“Aramon was busy and is probably now recovering from being Tam’s stress ball. Tam was busy using Aramon as a stressball. Aso was here and then left. Nef is checking on Aso after he left. And Rou… is being Rou,” Rae begins to shortly explain, “And honestly, I’m having a good time here. A bit jealous you got Sunbeam, but, hey, can’t win ‘em all!”

“Sunbeam? Wait…,” Yskra questions. “You mean to tell me that small puffball of slutty fur is the founder of Sunbeam Silver!?”

“Correct…” Valkyrie answers, sitting down on a nearby barrel and preparing to enjoy the following conversation.

“HAHA! That means WE WON!” Yskra declares, quickly disappearing into his cabin, and trading his dour demeanor for glasses and vintage rum he begins handing out liberally.

Robyn and Desty were also co-opted into helping carry glassware and join them in drinking.

“Hah… so, what do you plan to do with him? I know what Valky and Zaryl would do, but they seem to wait for your opinion,” Rae says as he fills her glass.

“With a man like that, there is no end to the possibilities! My first thought is sending ransom notes to every noble he’s ever made a piece for,” Yskra beams. “The aristocracy might not like him, but they love his work! And, oh! – what his own company would pay to get him back.”

“They won’t do it,” Both Valkyrie, Zaryl, and Rae say at the same time and then exchange amused looks before continuing.

Valkyrie quickly explains the situation pertaining to Sunbeam Silver company policy on rescuing their own manager.

“Very odd, but certainly not unwarranted,” Yskra shrugs. “A shame, but it’s not like we can spend much of a motherlode anyhow floating about in space. Speaking of which, where is he? The brig?”

“Aye,” Valkyrie nods.

“How… cooperative was he?”

“Amenable to the idea of screwing over anyone who’s wronged him in the past. And last time I checked, he was being spit roasted through the bars by the crew.”

“He would have to be in the small cell for that. Why not put him in the bigger one?”

“I tried but he wanted the one with ‘full access’. If it floats his boat and improves crew morale at the same time, who am I to say no?”

“Fair enough!” Yskra says after a mouthful of rum. “By the way, Rae, how do you plan on getting back to your ship?”

“I can teleport,” She answers casually. “Besides, I’m pretty sure none of them bothered to learn how to drive the Aquilla, so it’s not like they’re going anywhere regardless.”

“You can teleport!?” Zaryl exclaims, nearly choking on his rum.

“To the Aquilla, yes. That’s the extent of it.”

“How did you figure that out?” Valkyrie asks.

“You guys chose to be pirates. I chose to be a scientist and inventor before becoming a pirate.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Valkyrie snickers.

“By any chance, can you make a rocket that runs off of rum and space dust?” Desty asks.

“Off of rum alone? Sure. Space dust too? Nah. Too much impure carbon and trace mineral particulates,” Rae replies, taking another drink. “This is good rum. Where’d you get it?”

“It’s a plantation reserve. A black-market contact always gets me a bottle or two,” Yskra replies candidly. “I was a charlatan and racketeer before I became a pirate.”

“I was a clerk before I became a pirate,” Desty adds in.

“I was a navy officer before I became a pirate,” Zaryl continues.

“I was a guard before I became a pirate,” Valkyrie says.

All eyes turn to Robyn.

“I wasn’t into rope-play before I became a pirate!” They answer, finishing the circle.

“Hah! To piracy!” Yskra raises his glass, the group sharing a cheers.

Back on the Aquilla, it is less rum and dancing and much more cleanup, pulling the nets free, sanding down the bonding agents, and painting back over the damage to seal the hull against corrosion. It doesn’t take long for people like Godbloods with above average strength and a myriad of ways to heat the goopy stuff until it becomes much easier to scrape off, but it’s still an annoyance. Aramon would help, but his legs are so shaky he can barely stand, let alone haul around metal netting.

“Feeling any better?” Aso asks Tam as he hucks the last net off into space.

“I’m not on fire still, am I?” The bigger man scoffs. “I could ask the same of you. Heard you made a scene on the Archie.”

“Did you hear who they have captive?”

“No.”

“The head of Sunbeam Silver, Sunbeam himself.”

“… Mother-fuck,” He growls. “They could all cut off their sword arms and still get by just as well with all that luck.”

“He’s a waste on them.”

“I’m aware,” Tam snaps. “Wait a moment. Yskra owes us one for knocking those destroyers off his tail a few years back; use that to get something worthwhile out of him! We need to get something out of this.”

“Knowing Yskra, he’d send us on a wild goose chase for a laugh.”

“I can’t tell if I want to punch his starlights out or rail ‘im in front of his crew, but he has stood by his word in the time I’ve known him and pays his dues.”

“Honor among thieves isn’t real.”

“Aso, just fuckin’ try. You were telling me to cool my shit less than six hours ago because it wasn’t worth the consequences.”

“If it’s so easy, go apply that silver tongue of yours and do it yourself.”

Picking him up by the back of his pants to bring him eye level, Tam locks a blazing gaze with Aso’s. “Did I shoot our ship? Lose the target? Show any lack of effort in general? No, I did not! If you want to be too proud to try and salvage this, fine. But don’t take that attitude with me; I have done nothing to deserve it.”

The fact there were no threats in that statement, including any directed at wrecking his ass, shows Tam is serious.

“I apologize,” Aso nods. “I’ll… give it a shot.”

“That’s all I ask,” Tam grunts, setting him back down. “I’ll take care of the rest of this. Just make sure Rae comes back with you this time or we’re stuck here entirely.”

Aso stops briefly by the medical bay and finds Aramon laying down on Rou’s examining bed with a bandage on his hand. Whereas Aso is draconic, Aramon took a more aquatic appearance with fins along his head, arms, and shark-like tail and gills along his neck. Though, he still has horns like his brother in addition to a dagger like one growing out of the top of his head, dully glowing a darker red. In place of fur, he has firm, smooth skin.

In response to Aso’s questioning look, Aramon clarifies, “Got some of that glue on my hand. Yeah. It… it didn’t come off easy.”

“Ah. You holding up with all this? I realize I haven’t been checking up on everyone.”

“Well. It would have been nice to have someone to play tag team with earlier when Tam was slam fucking me. But I’m doing alright now!”

Indeed. Be more careful,” Rou tuts. “I only have so many supplies here in deep space.”

Of average height and thin with snow white fur that turns to black along her extremities and tail, she has long ashen hair two long ears and a unique set of angular horns poke out through. Dressed in casual, revealing clothing that leaves little to the imagination, she is calmly drinking coffee at her desk. The room itself is dense with cupboards and shelves and sectioned areas for equipment, leaving not much walking room.

“And you Rou?” Aso asks.

“I’m fine,” She answers without looking at him, cracking back open a book. “I had to do some cleanup after that booster got used. Give me five minutes warning before doing that next time.”

“Will do. Either of you want to come with me to the Archie?”

“Eh. I’m a little sore yet. Next time?” Aramon says.

“Sure. Rou?”

“No.”

“There will be large men there…”

“I have a large man here should I require it.”

“But you could have multiple large men.”

She looks away from her book to think for a moment and then closes it with a sigh. “Why not? But I reserve the right to leave.”

She does not want to change clothes, so it’s an easy trip to retrieve the small dingy kept in storage they drag outside and use to reach the Archie. They’re not given any trouble and able to dock against the ship easily enough, and Rou disappears quickly the moment she steps on board, mingling with the crew. Aso was hoping she’d keep him company a little longer, but that’s something he can easily ask for in private as well. If her mood is amenable at that point, anyway.

Finding Yskra down in the ship canteen, he is only mildly surprised to find him and part of his crew, including Valkyrie, and Rae as well playing strip poker. Rae herself is fully dressed with a large pile of winnings in front of her whereas the rest of the participants are at least missing a few articles of clothing. And judging by a pangolin woman’s head in between Valkyrie’s legs, very different kinds of bets are made once someone runs out of clothes.

“I thought you ran a civilized ship,” Aso comments as he walks up near Yskra.

“The rules can be broken once or twice on a good enough occasion!” The raptor smiles back, wearing a shirt and only a shirt. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? I do hope it’s not more shooting ‘magic’ with my crew around.”

In this moment, Aso wants nothing more than to stuff his mouth with something, but instead steels his nerves and grabs a nearby chair to sit down on. Across the table, Valkyrie lets out a gasp as her debtor more fervently begins to pay back.

“A while back we helped you get away from a house fleet detachment. Now we could use some help in return. Did Sunbeam have any extra information you can’t use but would be willing to part with?”

“A great deal, in fact, but I have a better idea. He knows the location of the Lancanaster house vault, and I think between both of us we would have the manpower and specialized equipment needed to pull it off. We could then split what we’re able to make off with.”

“And I suppose you would be leading this?”

“But of course. It is my plan, after all!”

“Those feathers must grow directly out of your brain if you think I would follow your lead.”

“Oh, really now? With the meticulous planning and discipline, you showed today, I wouldn’t trust you to scrub my boots!”

“I can make you kiss the floor just like them if that’s what you’d prefer!"

Standing, the two men face each other with wild grins on their faces, their shared frustration formed by years of run-ins finally coming to a boil and the room going silent to the scene unfolding.

“With what, your magic little light shows? I can knock you down just by using your head as an arm rest!” Yskra jabs.

“Those magic light shows melt steel beams and immolate men!”

“A real pirate can take a ship and capture its crew without half blowing it up, and then more often than not, they’re blowing me! What tact have you got to show?”

“Enough I can smash and grab from military shipping convoys instead of being content with the scraps of lone traders!”

“And yet the name Captain Yskra is known far and wide while you’re just a footnote that pops up every once in a blue moon!”

“Rrrrh! I’ll put that tongue of yours to better use!”

“You could fool everyone into thinking you prepped yourself just for me with that big of a stick up your ass!”

“You’re the one who’d get bent over in a fight between us!”

“Ah, take your ‘arcane’ gimmicks and go fuck yourself! You can’t get anything done without them!”

“Fuck me yourself you coward!”

“Pick a time!”

“Right-fucking-now!”

Blood rushing through their faces and breathing heavily from shouting, the two suddenly kiss passionately, Yskra pulling off Aso’s pants as the smaller dragon hangs onto him and allows himself to be picked up. The raptor swiftly pushes Aso down onto the poker table and raises a taloned paw onto the surface for leverage before thrusting into his ass. They do not break their embrace or kiss, Aso moaning into Yskra’s mouth as the raptor’s large length spears his depths, slick with precum from plenty of eye candy while playing cards.

At the sudden explosive display of lust, the rest of the players look at each other before stripping and joining in, quickly devolving into an orgy of fur, feathers, and wet, slick noises. This attitude spreads like wildfire throughout the canteen, only driving Yskra’s irritation higher at the breakdown of discipline. Rae quietly excuses herself from the public display with a sudden twist of her pocket watch, disappearing in a muted blue flash and her earnings.

“Look what you made me do! I’ll be catching these idiots fucking around the ship for days!” Yskra growls.

“You’re the one doing all the work right now! How unwilling does that make you?” Aso snipes back.

“All the work?! You’re gripping my cock so hard it’s a wonder you weren’t begging me for this before!”

“It’s impossible not to cringe so hard at your smug face I shame a neutron star!”

The two go back and forth like this until finally Yskra drags him up onto all fours and presses his weight down on top of Aso, mounting him doggy style and thrusting with the entire length of his dick in each hump. The sheer assault on his prostate temporarily silences the Aquilla’s captain and the two hatefuck one another, Aso slamming his hips back into each pounding strike of Yskra’s until orange, fluorescent cum streams from the dragon’s neglected, knotted length.

Close behind, the raptor spurts shot after shot after cum into him, thrusting throughout his orgasms and only pushing his cream deeper and making a bigger mess that spills out over the table in the process. Winded and breathless, Aso puts up with Yskra collapsing on top of him while they recuperate. Nearby, Rou can be heard deepthroating Zaryl’s cock as he uses her horns like handlebars to fuck the dragoness’s maw, the cook assistant’s manhood firmly burying itself in his tailhole from behind. Valkyrie has since pulled her strap on out of a bag and wields it against the pangolin woman in revenge, leaving her gasping and begging for her to go harder.

In the haze of warm bodies in a breeding rut, the two captains pick themselves up and retire to Yskra’s cabin, finding both Desty and Robyn sharing a two sided dildo. Casually ignoring them, the raptor offers Aso a seat and the two share a glass of rum.

“So… partners?” The dragon asks.

“In what sense?” Yskra smirks wearily.

“Yes.”

“As long as you don’t mind being regularly used as a sleeve.”

“I could say the same for your throat.”

“Heh. We’ll see if you even want to use your dick after getting used to mine.”

“I need you two to either fuck again and let me ride whoever’s on top or put a sock in it!” Nef chides as she puts and hand on either of their shoulders from behind, the two turning their heads to see she is very serious and very naked.

“I’m good for a round two,” Yskra smirks.

“I can’t let you go outdoing me already,” Aso says back.

Several moments later, Aso is bent over Nef, balls deep in her vent as Yskra takes him from behind again, each thrust of the raptor threatening to knot the two dragons together and keep them to himself for the night.