FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

[This is my first attempt at a story post for sofurry, so constructive criticism and comments are very welcome and appreciated. The next chapter will be much longer, but enjoy!]

Log Date: 5-22-2156

"It's been three days since I boarded the GCV Oceanus. I've never been out of the Sol System before, and I was extremely excited when I got the chance to do so. I'm a pilot fresh out of the academy of course. The Oceanus is a beautiful ship, a full naval frigate and one of the best in the navy. It has at least 8 floors, not including the hangar and bridge of the ship. My bunk is in about the middle of the ship, that way I can get to the hangar quickly and get to the bridge just as fast. Along with all my excitement I'm also very nervous...you hear lots of rumors when you are in a naval academy. There was this one rumor I heard about specifically where..."

"Private Thompson, please report to the bridge."

I looked up from my journal in annoyance. It was in the middle of the night for petes sake: not to say there is really any difference between night and day except for what the clocks say. I stood up and pushed in my seat, stretching my back. I was agitated, but at the same time very excited. My door slid open with a "swoosh" as I stepped through it. It was hard to believe that some doors still opened manually in the universe when you were around automatic doors every day of your life. The hall outside of the room was cramped and filled with people like always, because everyone had duties to attend to 24/7. Being a pilot I had less responsibilities but more was required of me during combat situations than anyone else, except maybe the captain.

I marched along the hallway military style as I had been taught, but I began to notice that the other military personnel did not. In fact they were very relaxed and casual compared to anything I had learned at the Academy. It was just another classic case of schools not preparing you for the way things actually were. I'd have to adapt quickly if I wanted to fit in at all. I made another turn down a second hallway before finally seeing the elevator. The issue with this big of a ship is that it was easy to get lost. One of the elevators was still on this floor luckily, so with a few steps and a press of a button I was shooting up to the bridge.

"Thompson! Took you long enough to get here," a gruff voice called out to him the moment the elevator door opened.

"Sorry sir," I said automatically, definitely feeling like I was speaking to a superior just based on his voice and attitude. My suspicions were correct as I noticed a man in Captains uniform approaching me rapidly. He was an older gentleman with a grayish white beard. He stood directly in front of me and stared into my eyes, analyzing them for a moment. Finally he spoke, and his breathe smelled of tobacco.

"Thompson. I need you to run reconnaissance in front of us with your fighter. We're detecting faint signals of a ship so were slowing down to sub-light speeds. Don't screw this one up private, Il be watching," He said this briefly and matter-of-factly, not even waiting for a response before walking away.

"Must have a lot on his mind..." I mumbled to myself as I walked away from the captain, my tail swishing frustratingly behind me. As I marched towards the elevator I saw a fox leaning against the wall. He nodded at me as I approached and lifted his head. I recognized the man as my wingman Spade. He had his arm draped around a standard issue helmet worn by most pilots except his had a custom designed heads up display. He lifted up this helmet and placed it on his head, tapping the side of it. Spade never talked much and you really didn't know what he was trying to tell you until you get used to it. In this case he was telling me I'd better gear up in case it got rough.

We descended down the elevator shaft immediately. My anxiety and stress only grew and grew with each flash of light that spilled through the door of the elevator from the shaft lights. This was my first actual mission and it was in uncharted territory. Finally the elevator slowed to a halt, a hissing sound being released as the door slid open to reveal the hangar bay. In front of us was a catwalk made of metal. I stepped out onto the catwalk and looked below and then above. All around me I could see branching off walkways leading to landing pads which held thousands upon thousands of fighters. Spade knew the way and grabbed my arm lightly as he guided me along the catwalk, our military boots clinging with each step on the metal.

We reached our fighters and I smiled as I saw my bird. It was a GCV Hawk-Fire reconnaissance and response fighter. It was armed with 4 heat-seeking rocket pods and two turbo-laser cannons. The wings angle upwards at a 75 degree angle at the very tip and the body of the plane is rectangular in a shape, angling inwards as it approaches the front with a squared off tip. Two blue sub-light engines are attached to the rear. A flaming hawk is painted on the left side of it, showing the type of fighter and on the right is a sword over a blue shield, the symbol for our squadron.

I climb up the ladder mounted on the side of the fighter and drop down into the cockpit of the bird, my hands gripping the familiar controls. I press an orange button on the console and the ladder slides away and the lid closes shut, sealing with a hiss. I glance over at Spade who nods and gives me a thumbs up. I lift up my helmet and place it on my head, turning on the basic HUD before tapping the side of it, turning on the headset.

"SHIELD you are clear for go, good luck out there."

I feel my fighter hum to life and the console light up as the flight controls unlock. I begin to flip all the ignition switches and I can feel the power coursing through my hands as it turns completely on. The ship slowly rises up from the platform with a slightly nudge of the control stick. I lift up from the platform completely and move the stick forward, my fighter edging its way slowly and smoothly through the hangar bay. The massive blast doors slide open slowly, leaving the energy shield in its place. I move my fighter onward, passing through the shield before flipping one last switch. My engines flare to life and propels my ship forward with extreme speed as I rocket away from the frigate. Spade's bird pulls up right beside me, wingtip to wingtip.

I flank to the left and Spade follows me, maintaining formation as we fly away from the secure and safe ship and enter the dark confines of space. After several minutes of silence we have gained quite a bit of distance ahead of the ship, almost out of sight. On our left is a dull glow from a strange desert like planet we only know of from its codex name, T7-51. "Any visual on any ships Spade?" I asked through my headset.

As I expected a get a crackle of static followed by a simple cold, "No," in return from my wingman. I sigh and lean against the side of my cockpit, my head resting against the lid. In the distance I can see absolutely nothing except for the usual distant twinkle of stars and a nebula or two. So far this mission was turning out like a routine training exercise back in Sol. I see a twinkle that is a little bit brighter than the rest and I find myself blinking and rubbing my eyes.

"Spade, I think I see something..." I begin to say over my headset as I instantly go rigid and grip the controls. My ship rocks from side to side as it is hit from a sudden jolt. A flash of sparks spring up a little behind my view and a bright flash passes by the cockpit all at the same time. All the years of training weren't required to tell me I had just been shot at. I jam my stick to the left as I roll away from the previous blast. Just as I am leveling out a blur passes between me and Spade, a fighter of some kind. It rockets past me and flips around, heading straight for my tail. "Spade I've got a bogey, 6 o'clock, I'm going to try and shake him!" I call into my headset before hitting the throttle at full blast, my fighter zooming ahead. Flashes of light fly past my ship, an occasional laser striking the side of my ship prompting a jolt and a shake. On my right I can see Spade dealing with an unknown fighter of his own.

I pull the stick back and the nose of my fighter points directly up, flying high above my original position. The enemy fighter takes the bait and pulls up right behind me, following my descent as it continues to shoot. With a quick flick of a switch I kill the engines on my ship. I continue to move upwards but at a 100% slower rate. The other fighter rockets past me as I flip my switch again, now behind him. The predator became the prey as I armed my missiles and began to lock on to him. There is a loud sequence of constant beeps as I lock on before turning to a solid beep. I pull the trigger and a rocket launches from underneath my wing, leaving a smoke trail as it heads straight towards the fighter. The bird rolls to the left as it tries to avoid the missile, but is unable to dodge it as the warhead crashes into the hull of his ship. There is a loud bang and an explosion as debris from the destroyed fighter flies past me.

I post the nose of my ship down, flying through the debris field and away from the explosion. Below me I can see Spade being chased by the other bogey. I point my nose towards the fighter, and squeeze the triggers on my control sticks, green lasers firing from my ship in rapid succession, glancing off of the sides of the ship. The bogey flanks to the left and Spade immediately follows it. I angle myself to follow as well but the moment I do I see a flash as a missile fires from Spades bird, crashing into the bogey in a fiery explosion. I pull beside him and glance over at him from my cockpit.

"You alright Spade?" I ask through my headset. I see Spade nod and tap the side of his lid. I glance in the direction he's pointing and see the frigate coming into view. I turn my ship towards the frigate and begin to fly towards it in formation with Spade. "This is Private Thompson and Spade en route to the Oceanus. We encountered two unknown hostiles which have been eliminated," I say via com-link to the bridge.

As I send the transmission I see a Junker of a ship warp in near the Oceanus. Parts of it are floating away as it moves and sparks fly off. Its out-dated engines flash as they attempt to still function, propelling it towards the Oceanus. I can merely blink in confusion as I try to understand what is happening before I realize it is on a direct course with the frigate. "Oh shit!" I yell to no one specifically as the ship collides with the Oceanus. There is a bright flash and a ripple of energy and pressure as an explosion rips through space. The Junker disintegrates on impact with the frigate, and a large hole appears in the opposite side of the frigate as an explosion rips through that entire section of the ship. Through a series of chain reactions smaller explosions rip across the ship, and then time seems to stand still. I only have time to close my eyes as I feel a massive wave of energy collide with my ship and the metal cabin heating up rapidly. I'm tossed around like a rag-doll as I feel my ship spinning out of control. I open my eyes to see I am falling rapidly towards the planet, its gravitational pull ripping me out of space and into its atmosphere. I desperately reach for the controls and try to level out as I spin, flip, and roll around like an idiot. The fall only gains speed and more speed as I get closer and closer to the planet. Finally with a stiff pull of the controls I lift the nose of the ship, only to break through the clouds...and collide with the desert floor. I jolt forward and a large pain fills my entire body as a roaring sound overpowers my ears. Someone turned out the lights, I can't feel anything, I can't think..I can't feel.

I feel like a lifetime passes by before I wake up again. A loud ringing sound is in my ears and my head is throbbing in pain as I slowly lift my head up. My eyes open painfully slow with a stinging sensation. I place my hand on my head and feel a wet sticky liquid on my forehead and even down my face. As my vision clears I lift my hand up into view to see blood all over it. On the control panel in front of me I can also see blood. I realized that I must have crashed and hit my head on the control panel. I groan and sit upright in my seat, which is at a slight angle. I needed to get my bearings if I wanted to survive. There were cracks all along the lid so I knew the crash must have been brutal. Not only were they cracked but completely covered in sand. I couldn't even see out of my ship. I unlock the lid with a press of a button and push up on the lid, trying to push it open the old fashioned way. With a lot of strength and effort I am finally able to push it open. Sand sprinkles down into the cockpit as a blinding light hits my face. After a few moments my eyes adjust and I am able to make out the barren wasteland of sand around me. I stand up in my cockpit and look around, seeing nothing for miles. As I stood there questions raced through my mind. Where was I? Where was Spade? What happened to the rest of the crew? Would I ever get home? And then, when I didn't think it could get any worse, I felt the ground shift...and then I was falling.

To be continued...