FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

CHAPTER 6

Not much of a plan

“For eons, the unfathomable vastness of space, the sheer scale of the galaxy, had been an insurmountable barrier to travel and colonization. Until one day, without warning, the Seraph gate appeared in orbit around the Sun. Legends from Earth claimed it had emerged from nowhere, a relic of impossible technology and as the inhabitants of the solar system soon realized, only one of the many, many such gates that had mysteriously appeared throughout the galaxy, all interconnected, all operational.

No one has since ever uncovered their origins, who had built them, or how they functioned. They defied every known law of physics, yet worked with effortless precision: a seamless, perfect teleportation network linking the galaxy's farthest reaches. Where a ship traveling at light speed would take hundreds of thousands of years to cross such distances, the gates made it instantaneous.

The galaxy was colonized."

Oma switched off the datapad and threw it on her bed, before getting up to clean her plate. No amount of reading could distract her, it was time to come clean. They'd been at the gate for almost a day and would soon pass through it, on their way to one of the few places where the Empire couldn't find them. Everybody had to know.

She got dressed and made her way to the control room once again where the entire crew was already waiting.

“Sorry, I'm a bit late. Time to tell you all what we're doing and why we're all here."

“It would be great to know what to expect, yeah. The pay tells me it's not gonna be an easy job." Said Jok.

“Nobody here knows anything. The pay was just to convince all of you. Ayra's idea but even she doesn't know."

“And I'd love to know just as much as anybody else." Said the Karys, sitting patiently in her seat.

“Right. I spent the last decade trying to find a place in this galaxy that would make it impossible for the Empire to find me, just as a precaution. The idea that I'd leave one day kept me sane but you can't easily escape the grasp of the Empire, and it left a small number of candidate destinations. That was before I learned of one in particular, “Phora Minor", a moon of “Alacor Phora Z49D", a planet about twice the size of Jupiter in a far away system. Ironically, the place is a hotbed of anti-imperial sentiment, but also one that the Empire has shown no interest in for thousands of years.

“Isn't the Empire usually extremely violent when it comes to that kind of stuff? They leveled planets for less than that." Said Ayra, her curiosity clearly peaked.

“Yes, but the people over there have a bargaining chip, their economic value. The Empire can still have symbolic control over them but effectively, the entire system is controlled by a group called the Alacor Trade and Defense Effort, a trade union that has elevated itself as rather impressive military and economic power through the exploitation of the rich minerals on Alacor. It has made the Empire willing to only take a cut of the activities on the system and let the ATDF thrive."

“So that's where we're going?" Said Tymi, already looking up information on his console.

“Yes. The planet is safe, the union let's people from all over the galaxy come there and the Empire has very little control or influence of the system itself, which will make hiding from them a lot easier."

“Should I set gate coordinates already?"

“No, before that there's one more thing you all need to hear. I said I would talk about everything so I am gonna do just that. While Phora Minor being a great place to escape the Empire surely placed it at the top of the candidates list , I didn't choose it for that fact alone." Oma paused for a moment. “I think I have found something big. Something that could allow us to defend ourselves from the Empire if they ever try to come for us."

“Defend ourselves? Oma, this isn't about any of that. We're going to someplace where the Empire won't ever find you to lay low. This is the plan, no way I'm letting you embark on a mission to find something that could make things worse. If the Empire comes for us, we hide, and if that doesn't work, we leave. That's it."

“I tried to leave and it almost cost me my life, Ayra. I want to be sure my actions won't cost anybody else theirs."

“Sure, but you're not in the army anymore Oma, you don't go on missions, you hide. You lay low and make sure you don't fuck everything up.

“Respectfully, you don't get to tell me what I can and cannot do. On top of that, there's very little chance any of this could go wrong.

“Ever heard of World Crystals?"

“The stories only, I guess. The Empire looked for them all across the galaxy, extremely rare, seemingly not formed naturally." Said the black-furred feline, now furrowing her brows slightly as she stared at the Hargen.

“All of this is true, yes but it's not just that, it's what the Empire doesn't mind people knowing. They indeed searched thousands and thousands of planets for them, but not to use them, to destroy them. The biggest special forces undertaking in imperial history."

“Destroy them?" Said Joyneen, “For what?"

"I don't know everything about them, some of that information was way above my pay grade. But within the Empire, the common belief wasn't just that they were rare, they were dangerous. They spent a fortune studying them before destroying them and discovered they were made of the same material as the Seraph gates. But unlike the gates, they didn't just appear out of nowhere; they seemed to have always been here. And every single one was found deep underground on planets that had, at some point, sustained life."

“Okay, I'm lost, that's it," Jok said, throwing his hands up. “So there's one of these things on that planet you mentioned? And we're looking for it?!"

“Yes, as the Empire destroyed more and more of them, they became harder and harder to find. Given how unfathomably complex the process was, the search eventually stopped. The Empire spent thousands of years doing this all across the galaxy, seemingly getting nothing in return. When they finally abandoned the operation, no one questioned it. And guess who discovered the last known one about thirty-five years ago, long after the Empire stopped searching?"

“The ATDF." Ayra said without hesitation.

“Right on," Oma nodded. “The ATDF found one by accident after mining Alacor Phora Z49D for centuries. The Empire had no idea one was there or they never completed any planetal scans, for some reason. And if my information is correct, once they discovered it, the Empire simply told them to leave it be and quarantine it. So there's a chance it's still down there, somewhere deep inside the planet."

"This is the most insane plan I have ever heard." Tymi said, flabbergasted. "So if I understand correctly, you're gonna go INSIDE an already inhospitable planet to find one of those crystals that's maybe a weapon, maybe not, just because there's a small chance you could use it against the largest, most powerful civilization to ever exist, all in an attempt to put an end to it after you became a wanted fugitive in the eyes of said largest, most powerful civilization to ever exist?"

“Yes. That's the idea."

Ayra sighed, “I can't let you do this Oma, this is way too risky and…"

“This is what you need me for, I get it now." Said Aidan before Ayra could say anymore, seemingly lost in thoughts up until now.

“Yes and no… It's not just that Aidan."

“There's something you two are not telling us." Said Albus who had been quietly listening up until now. “Aidan?"

“My people had stories about the World Crystals. Many believed that only a human could do something with them. That they were made for us, you know, the usual bullshit stories people tell themselves so they can hold onto something. But this is all just that, right? Stories. There's no way these things have any ties to us."

“Wrong. One of the things that was never classified, surprisingly, is that World Crystals contained something. They were all perfectly smooth geometric shapes with seemingly no way to open them or any trace of them ever being assembled. They're solid, with the exception of a small spherical piece inside of them. Something they're containing, protecting. What is it exactly, that's the part I couldn't access. But there is one more thing that I think is the key to the mystery. The shape of a human hand carved on each and every one of them. No matter how far away the planet they were found on was from Earth, they all had one."

“Wait so it was true?!" Exclaimed Aidan.

“You can't be serious…" Mumbled Ayra.

"I am. The information sparked rumors, but since no human had ever seen one, they never amounted to much. Think about it, why is Earth the only planet humans are allowed on, yet never truly part of the Empire? Why, while our ancestors expanded across the stars, did theirs retreat underground? Why did we give them their own borders, as long as they stayed on Earth, despite nearly wiping them out to the point where only six billion remain, most of them on Earth? Meanwhile, any of us can travel to the farthest reaches of the galaxy and still find others like us. They can go anywhere in space, but Imperial law is clear even though it is ridiculously hard for them to enforce, no human can set foot on any world beyond Earth. Why?"

“Because they can do something with the Crystals. Something the Empire clearly doesn't want to happen."

“Precisely. And that's also why the Empire destroyed every single one it could find, starting with the very first one they found on Earth. They found out exactly what those things are all about and it scared them."

“And what then?" Asked Albus, seemingly a lot less calm than usual. “You said they're dangerous, what if this thing blows up the second a human touches it?"

"I said the rest of the info the Empire had is classified, doesn't mean there's not more interesting stories about this," Oma continued. "There's a human prophecy that talks about 'vessels of the gods' left for humans to find. That they would find many, and that each of them had the power to turn them into gods. To make them strong enough to defend their people against the oppression that others have exerted upon them for so long. I don't need to tell you how many humans believed that those 'vessels' are the World Crystals."

"Prophecies." Tymi scoffed. "We're working with prophecies now? This is what you're gonna settle for when deciding to risk your life? And not just yours, Aidan's too. Ever thought about that?"

"Because if that were the case, the Empire wouldn't have spent ages trying to destroy so many of them and made galaxy-wide laws to ensure that no human could ever stumble upon one by accident. The Empire has nothing but disgust for humanity. No, they contain something big. Something only a human is meant to find. And whatever it is, it's powerful enough that the Empire fears it. Whatever that thing is, the galaxy needs it."

"What if it's something I don't want?" Aidan suddenly asked, visibly shaken.

"Then let me have it." Oma said without hesitation. "Someone has to start something, to show the entire galaxy that resistance is possible, that there's a chance. And I believe whatever the Crystals hold, it might be powerful enough to make that happen."

“What if it's something that I can't give away?"

“Nobody knows this for sure. If it can change the course of history, don't you think it's worth a shot? What if your hand is just the key?"

“And you think you could do that alone, fight the Empire I mean?" Said Ayra.

“No. But a lot of people would fight them if they knew that what they think of the Empire, it's not real."

"What do you mean? It's a galaxy-wide force of oppression, the most powerful in the known universe, ruling with an iron fist over everyone. I don't see what's 'not real' about that."

"It's a machine so massive that it's riddled with cracks and holes that nobody can fix. It's slow to react, incapable of truly maintaining control over an entire galaxy if anything serious were to challenge its authority. The Empire isn't nearly as strong as it pretends to be, it just plays its cards well and has always been incredibly effective at using propaganda and stories of past conquests to maintain its image. Don't get me wrong, it's ruthless, it's powerful, but it's also old and sluggish. It's already in decline, just not fast enough for any of us to live to see its end. I want to speed that up and I'm sure I'm not alone."

“So all we have to do is get you there and all I have to do is put my hand on that thing and then, what? You leave us?" Asked Aidan, her voice wavering. “You don't have to fight them. If this is about redemption again…"

“Stop, Aidan, I won't leave, but if I could help fight the Empire, I…"

“We could just live there. We don't have to fight the Empire, we could just run away and hide from them. You could just do that. We could just do that."

Oma fell silent. She knew things would be hard to explain, but now that all was said she felt like she greatly underestimated how hard exactly.

Joyneen sighed. “How long can you pay us for?" she asked Ayra.

“I have a lot of money stored on Venus and still accessible to me. I could pay you all as long as you want to remain my employees. Not much the Empire can do about it either, unless they want to destroy their own cold funds by destroying and banning the use of DSSS. That will never happen. Even my entire fortune is a drop in the ocean compared to what the Empire has stored on those systems."

“Well, problem solved." Said Joyneen.

“Oh yeah?" Said Jok.

“Yeah. Four hundred credits a day working on this ship while living somewhere on the edge of the galaxy? That's enough to live like fucking royalty. Would just need to find a reason for Ayra to keep us employed if the Hargen leaves, but I'm sure we'll find something."

“Well, when you put it like that, sure sounds a lot better than whatever I had going on on Earth." Said Tymi.

“I'm now almost certain I'd need a full time crew on the Alliance regardless of what Oma decides to do, and I'm willing to make sure whoever's good at their job wants to stay. I'm talking about raises and job security as well as taking care of health expenses. Anything else I could add on top, I'm willing to hear about. I'm not gonna stay on an alien planet without building back some of what I had on Earth. Depending on what that ends up looking like, I could have other jobs to offer. If you're interested, Aidan, It could also include you."

Aidan stood frozen, staring at Oma, her eyes glistening. "You're going to get yourself killed for nothing." she said before turning and striding toward the exit.

The crew remained silent for an uncomfortably long moment.

“I know Aidan and she really likes you, it's clear as day." Said Joyneen “ She doesn't want to see you die and if I understand correctly why Ayra and Albus are here, she's not the only one that cares for you."

Oma's ears flipped backwards. “I know, but I can't… stay idle and do nothing, I can't sit with what I've done without trying to make things better. If nothing's ever gonna be the same and I'm gonna be a fugitive all my life, I might as well make the best of it."

“What if we just get that… thing the Crystal is supposed to protect and then we give it to whoever is willing and capable of taking on the Empire?" Asked Ayra, rising from her seat before walking calmly towards Oma. “What if that was your contribution? Aidan is right, you don't have to fight to do something good, you could just help someone else start their fight and live a peaceful life hidden from the Empire after that, away from all that violence. What you've done in the past is done, nothing will change that. Fighting isn't always the answer Oma, you deserve peace regardless. The Empire taught you the contrary but isn't that what always bothered you, isn't that what led you where you are today?"

“But… what if it's not enough?"

“What if it is? Who decides what is enough? All I know is that there's a place for you here with me as long as you want it and that Joyneen is right, the human clearly likes you. She did everything she could to save your life, Oma. I wouldn't be the only one devastated to see you throw your life away."

Oma let out a long, deep sigh before speaking again. “I guess we could find this weapon and give it to the ATDF. They only dream about one thing, a way to make their system truly independent and they could have that with something strong enough to scare the Empire. Then we see where we go from there."

“Sounds a lot more reasonable to me." Said Albus.

“Then I guess I can be happy with that."

"Thank you." Ayra said, placing a hand on the Hargen's shoulder. "I know you want to do good, but this, this is good enough, Oma. Now go tell her what the plan is."

"For what it's worth, I've never seen that girl act like that over anyone," Joyneen added, amused. "You should talk to her. She's clearly expecting something, and no matter what you want, you should make that clear."

“I agree." Said Ayra, "If we're gonna do this, we can't have anyone not on board with the plan or distracted by feelings they can't deal with."

Oma knocked on Aidan's door, waiting silently for it to slide open.

"If you're here to convince me, don't bother."

"No, that's not why I'm here. I just want to talk. Can I come in?"

After a moment of hesitation, Aidan stepped aside. “Fine."

Oma entered cautiously, the door closing behind her with a soft hiss. Aidan leaned against the door, arms crossed. “So." she said, voice low. “Talk."

"Once we have what we're looking for, we'll hand it off to someone else and figure out our next move from there. You're right, nothing I've done can be undone by recklessly throwing my life away, and if the plan works, we'll definitely need some rest afterward after all we've been through already. I'm sorry if I've hurt or scared you in any way."

“Thank you." Simply answered Aidan.

"And that's not all. I've been avoiding something for a while, probably because everything has been so tense that I couldn't bring myself to think about it correctly. I'm sorry I let it get to this point."

“What do you mean?"

Oma stepped in close, her blue eyes locking onto Aidan's. “I like you too. You're not here just because we need a human hand to place on the World Crystal, you're here because I need you by my side if we're going to do this. Because when you were in the hospital, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Because when my uncle said he'd have you killed, I couldn't let that happen." Said Oma, her tone was as soft as she could make it. “I've seen a lot of death and destruction without being disturbed by it, but the thought of someone hurting you made me furious. It was unbearable. I would have left my old life behind regardless but meeting you made me realize how urgent it was."

Aidan couldn't even find the words to respond, just staring at the Hargen before realizing she was definitely waiting for an answer.

“If I could've timed it better, trust me, I would have," she said, a hint of warmth breaking through. “I feel something, and I can't lie to myself and pretend I'm not scared when I hear you talk about taking risks like this. I don't even know you that well. A few months ago, I would've thought everything I'm feeling right now was completely ridiculous, and yet here I am, just the same as for you, as soon as you're in danger, I just can't take it."

They both smiled at each other.

“Want me to make some food for the both of us and talk some more?" Asked Aidan.

“I'd love that."