FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

A couple weeks have passed ever since we found Star. The days were pretty normal though: We returned the scanner to the KDPS, went out for dinner a few times, travelled on the Quick Tail a couple times to either Earth or Arenan, and we also had some clothes bought which Star can wear. Star hadn't remembered anything more about her origins, which was disheartening, but we all insisted that she don't give up. Star insisted on staying at our home instead of heading out into space though, i'm not sure why, but I never pried into it. But now, Star has been gazing off into space at night for the past few days. I'm not sure why, and I let her be for the first couple days, but I finally got around to talking to her at around midnight as she was watching the stars. I walked up next to her on the balcony, leaned on the railing, and tried to spot what she was looking for.

"Star?" I asked

"Yes?" She responded.

"You've been out here all night for the past couple nights... Is there something on your mind?"

"Well, it may sound odd to you, but I think there's something out there, or someone, who's been calling my name for the past few nights."

"Your real name?"

"I'm not positive, but I think it is my real name. It was never spoken, or written in the stars, but it's just... there, calling me." She then pointed to a star, which I couldn't exactly pick out, as there were so many, but it gave me a sense of where she was talking about. There was a short pause after that.

"Do aasariin believe in gods?"

"It's hard to say... We do believe in a god, but we don't worship them. We believe that the god is simply there. I never really understood it."

"Interesting." There was another short pause. "Do you think the calling you're hearing is from a god?"

"Possibly, but unlikely."

"If you want, Niari and I can take you out there, if you believe that it's a good idea."

"Sure, if you're up for it. I wouldn't mind the chance. I might even remember a little more of my past."

"Awesome. We can lift off tomorrow, hopefully, if you're up for it."

"Definitely."

"Okay, cool. I'm gonna head off to bed for now then."

"Okay i'll see you in the morning."

"You too. You should try to get some sleep too, you've been out here for most of the night the past few days."

"Don't worry, I will."

"Okay, goodnight then."

"Goodnight." I then left the balcony, and walked over to the bedroom. Niari was in the bed waiting for me.

"How'd that go?" She asked, very tired.

"Pretty good." I said, closing the door.

"Find out why she was up?" I joined her in the bed, and she wrapped her arms around me, which I reciprocated.

"Yeah. She's claiming that something, or someone, is calling out to her."

"Sounds a little odd, don't you think? Like something out of a fantasy novel."

"Maybe, but anything can happen in an infinite universe. I told her that I would take her out in the direction which she believes the calling is coming from, you want to go?"

"Of course, you need me to take care of you."

"Oh really?"

"Yes really." She insisted, emphasizing her point by tickling my sides.

"F-fine! just please stop!." I giggled.

"Good. I'm really tired now, and you owe me for waiting here for you."

"You could have gone to sleep without me."

"Not an option with how long I've been sleeping with you."

"Alright," I sighed, " I'll be the big baby's plushie again.

"That's the spirit." She giggled, hugging me tighter. "But don't make me tickle you again." I rolled my eyes, and nuzzled her gently, resting my head against her chest as she rested her on mine. We soon enough fell asleep together again.

The next morning seemed to come early, and I was tired out of my mind for staying up until midnight. Niari had me cuddle with her for an extra hour before I managed to persuade her to getting up and taking a shower, so then she gave me no choice as she practically carried me out of the bed and to the bathroom.

"I'm not that tired, Niari...." I yawned.

"That yawn disagrees." Niari insisted.

"Whatever, just get the water running."

"As you wish, your majesty." She played, making me giggle. Quickly enough, she got the water running, and we both got under the stream of water. I could feel all of my muscles slowly relaxing over the time we spent in the shower, as well as my whole body starting to wake up. Niari teased me through most of our time under the water, which also served to wake me up. Eventually though, we were clean and awake, and we got out of the shower to dry ourselves. It didn't take too long, but we still needed to brush each other's fur, so we did that, which took much longer. Once we were both presentable, we walked back to our room with our towels wrapped over ourselves just in case. Quickly dressing with our nanomaterial as we closed the door behind us, we were out a few seconds after we got in, and we headed down to the living room once again. As we were walking down the ramp, I already had my phone out to text Aielle in case she wanted to join us on the trip, which she later responded with: not this time. Star was pacing around the living room when we arrived there.

"Hey star, something on your mind?" Niari asked.

"Not much, no. Just have nothing else to do." She responded

"Well, goodmorning anyways." I said.

"Goodmorning." Star responded.

"About that trip to wherever you thing the calling is from, we can leave pretty soon if you'd like."

"Whenever you're ready, I'll be good."

"Alright then, let's at least have some breakfast first though."

"Sounds like a plan. C'mon Iria, you're helping me with it." Niari ordered.

"Alright fine." I agreed. I could hear Star chuckling at us as we left the living room and entered the kitchen. What we cooked up together wasn't anything special, but it was good enough to be called breakfast, but of course, for the time we spent on making it, there was only the short time of enjoying it, and the long time of cleaning up to do afterwards as well. When we were finally finished, it was around 10am. Shortly after that, and a few other preparations, we were out the door, and Niari drove us to the spaceport once again.

"No what do you think is out there, Star?" Niari asked Star as we started to drive away from the house.

"I haven't the slightest idea." Star responded. "It could range from a deity to an odd frequency I'm coincidentally able to detect."

"Hopefully it's not too far away either, I'd rather not use the entirety of the ship's fuel tank." I said.

"Who knows. Do you still hear it Star?" Niari asked.

"I do, yes." She responded.

"Well, we're already on our way, so let's just see what lies in store out there."

"To think you were nervous about space travel a few weeks ago." I said.

"Oh be quiet." Niari said. Within the hour, we arrived at the spaceport. We were soon enough on the platform, and walking towards the Quick Tail. I unlocked the ship as we were close enough to it, and we all walked inside. Barely a minute passed before the Quick Tail was already in orbit.

"Shall I direct the ship?" Star offered.

"Yeah, go ahead. You're probably the best to do it right now." I agreed. Soon enough Star was driving the Quick Tail manually, which hadn't been done before. When we were at the proper alignment, the Alcubierre drive was activated, and we were on our way. The way Star used the console was really amazing. Thanks to her consciousware, she was able to think to the ship, and it went where she wanted it to go. It was all connected via a few million nanobots jumping into the console from her fingertips and back.

"How close do you think it is?" I asked a little over a minute later.

"Not sure, but it seems to be about ten to twenty minutes away from here at this speed. Does this ship go any faster?" Star asked.

"No, 1 MegaParsec a second is the fastest it can go."

"Alright then." I stayed in the chair next to hers and Niari stood between both chairs with a hand on each.

"How's it going Niari?" I asked ten minutes in.

"Good, why?" She answered.

"You haven't said a thing since we left."

"A thing since we left." she joked.

"Whatever," I chuckled, "as long as you're good."

"I can feel it getting closer now, definitely." Star said suddenly.

"Really?" Niari asked.

"Yes, it's much clearer to me now."

"That's great, hopefully we won't be too far out by then." I said. "Otherwise we're going to need to dock somewhere for fuel that isn't at home."

"What's wrong with fuel from somewhere else?" Niari asked.

"Our fuel works better in our ships." I explained.

"Ah, alright." another few minutes passed with small talk.

"It feels like we'll be there in a minute or less now." Star said.

"That's great!" I cheered. Niari was now holding me as I sat on her lap. Very suddenly after me saying that though we stopped abruptly, and the starfield went completely black.

"What just stopped us?" Niari asked.

"This console is telling me there's something in the way." Star explained.

"Yeah, the ship stops moving forward when something is in front of us no matter what." I explained. "But what is in front of us, I don't see anything." And then just as if on cue, a tear in space cracked open. a few seconds later, that tear was actually a docking bay for small ships. the rest of the area around the blue lit bay was suddenly lit up, revealing a ship of massive proportions. We all stood up, getting a better look at it. Before anything could be said though the ship jerked, and we were being pulled towards the docking bay.

"Why are they pulling us in?" Niari asked, both panicked and angry.

"I don't know, but get your blaster ready just in case." I suggested. by the time we were forcefully placed on the ground of the dock, Star, Niari and I were ready by the door. Niari and I had blasters, but Star kind of just stood there. I wasn't able to tell her to get something to defend herself with before a loud sound was heard right above the ship. The sound of a small explosion rumbled through the ship, and quickly enough, as if the ship was filled with holes, gas started to pour into the air through the ship hull. The gas burned my throat and eyes, throwing me into a coughing fit, same with the others. My eyes watered, and I had difficulty breathing. The door was quickly opened by either Niari or Star, I couldn't tell, but I threw myself out of the ship right after them. I instantly felt relief as I was out of the gas, but I could barely move. I don't know where my blaster went, but I managed to get on my hands and knees to look around but that was short lived as someone stomped on my back, and I fell unconscious.

The next time I woke up, i felt the cold, hard metal floor against my fur. I tried to get up, but all of my muscles felt like they were filled with glass dust. I tried to take a deep breath, but my lungs burned. I couldn't scream out in pain, because i had no air in my lungs. Finally though, i forced myself to breathe deeply through all the pain, and I felt all of the pain suddenly go away. I was still extremely sore, but i managed to sit up. I was completely naked, and inside what looked to be a prison cell. The room was barely 2 meters by 2 meters, and the cell was blocked off by three walls, and a fourth wall which looked like a field of red glass. I went to touch the field, and was severely shocked when I went near it, and i recoiled, flailing my hand in pain, and then licking my finger. I looked outside the red field, and saw several other cells just like mine. One of the other's house Niari, whom was still asleep, and Star in another, whom was pacing around in the small cubicle of a cell.

"Star?" I groaned, my voice grainy.

"Iria? you're awake!" She said, breaking out of her trance.

"Where are we?"

"I don't know, I woke up a couple minutes before you."

"Ungh... I feel terrible...."

"Try walking like I am, it should help your body get used to moving again." I did as she said, and paced little circles around the tiny room, making sure to never get too close to the forcefield. After a few minutes of this, someone eventually walked by the cells. They were dressed in the same black and crimson armor we've seen before.

"Hey you bastard! Where are we?" I demanded.

"Shut up, scum." They said, and continued walking. A couple seconds after that, before i could vent at him again, someone else walked by. a girl with white fur, brown hair, and red fur sleeves. I could also see gentle rainbows on the insides of her ears. She was wearing some sort of torn clothing which i couldn't really make out what they used to be, but they covered her well enough to look decent in public.

"Hey, can you tell me where we are?" I demanded. The girl looked at me bashfully, never really looking into my eyes.

"This is... this is the Black Hole...." she said shyly.

"Why are we here?"

"I.. I don't know... I don't know why i'm here... I just... I work."

"You work?"

"Yes... work." she ended, and then left.

"Hey! what's your name?" I called out, but she didn't look back. The sight of her leaving like that saddened me, so did her monotonous speaking. I don't really know what was up with her, but she didn't seem... normal. Right then, i saw Niari stirring in the other cell. "Niari! wake up!" I called out. She didn't seem to move at first, most likely going through the same thing I had to when I woke up. It made me want to cry, seeing her struggle like that, not being able to do anything behind my own forcefield. "Niari! Just breathe! You'll feel better once you do!" I waited another endless moment, and she finally looked up at me. By then, my eyes were watered with tears for not being able to be by her side.

"Iria... what happened?" I heard her say faintly.

"I don't really know, but we're on a ship called the Black Hole if what the girl told me is right." I said through my tears.

"Girl?"

"Yeah, some sort of servant girl." Just then, another person walked through the hall.

"So i see you're all finally awake." She said, and i instantly recognized her voice.

"You! You were the one who hijacked the Alc VI!" I exclaimed. "You're with the Fallen Void!"

"Well, well, someone's been doing their homework." She said. "Bonus points to you if you remember my name."

"Varea." I said as if the name itself was cursed.

"Well done. So, you look quite familiar yourself. Were you one of the two who happened to get off the Alc VI by chance?"

"I was."

"That was quite an impressive feat. One of my men told me that you took an arc round in doing so. So, where's the other."

"How should I know?"

"Oh, never you mind. You're not what i care about right now." she said as if i was merely an object. "What I care about right now, is you, my friend." She turned around, and faced Star.

"What could you possibly want with me?"

"Oh, there's so many things that i want from you, aasariin."

"You... know what I am?"

"Oh, certainly. I know all about your race. The aasariin, ruling the stars millennia before the anyone else, but never interfering with others. Almost like playing god, in some people's minds."

"Playing god?"

"Yes, very much so. With the power you had, you could have easily governed a race like the ziscal as if you were gods. Not like they knew any better. Of course, that could have happened if some group of brats ended up destroying the whole operation. So now that chance is spoiled, since they now know about the whole universe."

"As much as it may be in your interest to become a god, it's not in mine, and i don't intend on making you one."

"Who said anything about actually becoming a god?"

"You did. Your behaviour speaks for itself."

"Ah," Varea sighed, "You aasariin are impossible to fool."

"Have you met others?"

"Oh yes, plenty. I have a few more aboard this very ship as well. They're all... irrational at times though."

"Have you-"

"Anyways!" varea interrupted. "Back to you kaithians, i believe you're called. I suppose you're wondering why you're here, since I'm only interested in the aasariin. Have you met Tsutsukii already?"

"Tsutsukii?" I asked.

"Tsutsukii! Come over here please." The little white furred girl from before then walked over to Varea. "That's a good girl." She placed a hand on Tsutsukii's shoulder, and Tsutsukii seemed to shrink slightly. "You're both going to end up like Tsutsukii."

"Servant girls?"

"Precisely. You're really good at noticing things, you know that?"

"You're really good at pissing me off, you know that?"

"You're also going to end up with your ass out in the vacuum of space if you don't behave yourself!" She exclaimed, making Tsutsukii flinch a little. "Anyways, if that's all settled-"

"Commander Varea, we have a problem that needs your immediate attention at the bridge!" Someone called.

"Damn it, Cross, I'm in the middle of something here." She shouted. "Ugh.... you three aren't going anywhere anyways." With that, she stormed off again, leaving Tsutsukii behind.

"What was that all about?" I asked myself. Tsutsukii started walking after Varea. "Hey, Tsutsukii, come here for a minute please?" I asked nicely, hopefully trying to get on her good side. She turned around, and came back to my cell. "That's your name right? Tsutsukii?"

"Yeah...." She responded softly.

"How long have you been on this ship?"

"I... I don't remember anymore."

"What about the last thing you remember before you were here?"

"I don't know...." Do I really need to deal with a second amnesiac?

"Tsutsukii." Star called. "Are there really other's like me on this ship?"

"Varea keeps saying yes... but she never let's me see them. She says that they'll hurt me." Tsutsukii responded.

"I swear, when I get out of this cell... that bitch is on my hit-list." Niari growled from her cell, not necessarily talking to anybody. "Tsutsukii, tell her that the next time you see her."

"Niari!" I chastised.

"What?" She responded.

"Tsutsukii isn't a tool. She's a person. She doesn't remember anything, just like Star."

"S-sorry... Tsutsukii... I'm just frustrated...." In that small conversation, Tsutsukii was looking at Niari and slowly backing away. She accidentally bumped into the forcefield, giving herself a nasty shock, which made her yelp.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"I... I..." Tsutsukii then fell onto her butt, and hugged herself gently. "No one... now one ever cared if i was hurt... no one ever called me a person...." Tsutsukii repeated the past again.

"You are a person, Tsutsukii. And all four of us are going to get out of here."

"Out?"

"Yeah. We'll get out soon enough." Niari said.

"I promise you, Tsutsukii, We'll get you out and take you back home as soon as we can. No one should have to serve some bastar pirates. Just don't tell anyone what happened here, otherwise we can't get out."

"O-okay."

"You might want to go follow Varea now, in case she wonders where you are. Just try to keep an eye on us."

"Okay...." She then got up, walking in the direction Varea left. The next several hours passed with random topics to pass the time. I was never given any sort of indication of the time passing, so i started counting the seconds that went by as best I could. I stopped somewhere around 3000, since the names were getting far longer to say than a second lasted. By then, I was bored out of my mind, and I could only think about the past, and worry about the future. At some point during the long, endless time, I remembered about the operation displacement, which we found on Arenan a while ago. Eventually, Varea walked by again to taunt us once more.

"Operation displacement." I declared. Varea finished her stride, and talked without turning to me.

"Where did you hear of that?" She demanded coolly.

"Remember those brats that ruined your plans on Arenan? I was one of them." I explained. "It must have been pretty important too, seeing as your men cut the power to the facility when we managed to open the computer."

Varea crossed her arms, and chuckled evilly. "Oh, the fun things you're going to experience, kaithian." She slammed her fist into the wall, and my vision instantly went black. the last thing i heard was Niari's muffled voice calling my name.

I opened my eyes again, and saw... white. Only white, and that's it. I sat up sorely. what happened...? What did she do to me?

"Oh great, you're awake." Someone said over a microphone, which I couldn't see. "If you know anything our operation, this will definitely get it out of you."

"What makes you think that?" I asked.

"You kaithians are really easy to break. Just remove them from anything they're familiar with, and they shatter like glass." The microphone then fizzed out, and I could tell that the transmission was cut. The bad part is... they're right. I sat in the corner of the room, and hugged my knees, wrapping my two tails around my body to try and comfort myself. I was already scared. Away from Niari, my friends, my home, and out in the middle of space with no one to talk to me except the very people keeping me captive here....

I stayed in my curled up position for what seemed to be hours. I tried to keep myself occupied by counting again, but i was too frustrated to. I started to look around, wondering if the room was actually completely white. After a while, I also noticed that the room was completely anechoic. After my few hours of being in here, i started to hear my heartbeat as if it were in my ears. I started to shiver, feeling cold, but it wasn't cold, it was actually pretty warm... or is it? I started to hear strange sounds, and i swear i saw things moving in the room.

"You still intact?" someone laughed through the microphone. The sound terrified me, it was so loud.

"J-just... just...."

"Just what? i'll come back later, hopefully you can speak properly by then." and then the mic cut out. I was terrified now. I could have gotten out then... i just blew my only chance of seeing Niari again... why... why....? I started to feel as if nothing really existed, like my little white room was actually infinitely large, but smaller than me at the same time. I looked at my hands... my feet... and the tips of my tails... my hair even... completely mesmerized by them. They were the only things in the room that weren't white. I started to practice talking again.... If i can talk... maybe they will let me out? the amount of times i repeated please let me out was almost palpable. I started to flinch at things that were thrown at me... things that tried to grab me... but they weren't actually there... at least that's what i tried to convince myself. Nothing is in here! it's just me in a white room! I battered myself in my own mind. just me.... just me.... It felt like several years passed in this white box of no sound. I found myself crawling around the edge of the room, searching for colors, but it was just completely white. nothing but white.

"Maybe...." I whispered. "Maybe... i can get red...." I extended my claws, and was about to cut myself when i was startled by the microphone again.

"Have you gone insane yet?" someone asked.

"Where are you?!" I screamed. "SHOW ME WHERE YOU ARE!"

"Yeah, she's lost it." someone said.

"Hey, kaithian." I heard Varea over the microphone.

"WHAT?!" I asked, extremely flustered.

"You want out, right?" I was suddenly choked up a little.

"P-please! let me out!" I begged. It was more of me instinctively reenacting what i was practicing though.

"Well, I can let you out, but you need to tell me about what you know about our operation."

"Operation?"

"Yes, operation displacement."

"I don't know anything!"

"Alright then. Let's see what another day or so will make you say." and then the mic cut out again. I was crying the second the mic shut off, because I knew a day was the same thing as a year. I lied on my side, and curled up, pulling my tails between my legs and hugging them tightly. I tried to sleep, but it was too loud. The blue on my hands, legs, tails and hair turned white, and i couldn't bear it any longer, and only a few seconds had gone by. Then I remembered about red. i bore my claws again, and sat up. I found myself shaking way too much to actually break my flesh open, and my arms weren't even there anymore, so I couldn't. all there was was white. Now my legs were gone too, and my tails, and my hair.

I passed out.

"Hey! Wake up!" The voice was so loud it made me cover my ears and cringe. "Do you know what operation displacement is?" They demanded.

"No.... I only ever saw the name. the computer was off before anything else showed...." I said, crying profusely. I must have been in here for a century and i knew by now that they wouldn't let me out, so i gave up. There was a sigh over the microphone.

"You're just wasting our time. Open the door, i'm going to drag her back to her cell." they said, but i didn't hear them. The hissing of the pneumatic door pierced my ears as it opened.

"Come on, you're going back before you bloody up my torture chamber." Varea said. She pulled me up, and started pushing me out of the white room. The brilliant colors of outside the white box were amazing. I tried to stop and look at them, but i kept getting pushed. Very quickly enough, we arrived at the same hallway which the cells were located. As amazed as i was with all the colors, my face was still completely passive... broken. At the end of the hall, there was a small commotion. I tried to see, and i saw flashes of white, gold, black, and blue. We were about halfway down the hall when i finally recognized the flashes as Star and Niari. I struggled desperately in Varea's grip, but she wouldn't let me go.

"Quit your- AGH!" She was interrupted when I whipped my head back. She let me go, and i was running full tilt within a second.

"Niari!" I called, crying. By the time i managed to finish her name, i had already tackled her to the ground.

"Iria?! Get up, we need to go!" She said but i didn't actually hear her. I hugged her midriff tightly, shaking terribly. "Iria!"

"She's not herself right now, Niari, we need to lead her out!" Star explained.

"Not if i have anything to say about it!" Someone screamed. There was suddenly a loud noise, which scared me so much that i was torn from Niari to cover my ears and curl up. I don't know what happened, but I was grabbed by my hair, and turned around violently, looking face to face with Varea's deformed face. "You're going to pay... pay for ruining my eye with that blasted horn of yours. I should just break it off right now, but don't worry, i've got some more things that should break you into tiny pieces." she growled, dragging me away at the same time. I tried to struggle, but the grip she had on me was unreal. A few seconds later though, a horrible pain shot through my entire body. I screamed, all of my fur standing on end with electricity. This pain lasted forever, but when it finally ended... I felt... good. The feeling of... pain. It made me feel sentient again. But it was still pain, which i still regretted having to feel. I fell to the floor, follow by Varea, but she was actually unconscious. I was then picked up by someone else.

"I've got her! Come on, we need to leave, now!" Niari commanded. The next several minutes were of confusion, blurs of movement, muffled and loud voices... at some point, i noticed that i was clothed again. Eventually, i was put down on a flat, soft surface, and i was instantly asleep.

My ears were ringing horribly, and I had a splitting headache when i next woke up. I whimpered, barely able to handle the pain.

"Iria! You're awake!" Niari said, her head entering my field of vision. "What did she do to you?" She asked.

"White... nothing but white, and silence...." I said.

"White and silence?"

"That sounds like something called white torture." Star explained from somewhere. "It's a method of psychological torture, mainly based around sensory deprivation. Also, she might have been in an anechoic chamber as well, which is quiet enough to hear your blood pump through your ears."

"Will she be alright?" Niari asked.

"She should be, just comfort her while she recuperates. Since we're already out so far, i'm going to finish the journey to our old destination."

"Alright.... Iria, how do you feel?"

"I...." I couldn't finish my sentence at all. Niari helped me sit up, and she hugged me, wrapping her tails around me to keep me close to her. I started to cry again, and i trembled violently.

"Nevermind... just relax Iria... I won't let you go." She said. My ears drooped backwards, and I submitted to her care. She ran her fingers through my hair, and gently stroked my fur. I leaned against her chest, and closed my eyes, focusing on her heartbeat.

"Is she okay?" Someone asked. I half-opened my eyes for a split second, and saw Tsutsukii in the ship too. I didn't really process that she was there though, i was too distracted by Niari's heart. Eventually, i stopped trembling. Niari whispered sweet little nothings in my ears, and i smiled weakly

"She's going to be fine... just give her some time." Niari said.

"I'm... i'm really sorry i did what i did...." Tsutsukii apologized.

"It's alright. I hate that it had to happen, but we'll all be fine because of it."

"We're going to arrive in a few seconds." Star called.

"Okay then." Niari responded. "Iria?" I opened my eyes, and looked up at her. "Are you able to walk?"

"Maybe...." I whispered.

"I'll help you then. Once we land you might want the chance to walk for a bit."

"Okay...."

"Alright, we're about to land! five seconds!" Star called.

"Right!" Niari responded. one.... two... three... four....

I woke up some time later, and it was completely black... but i recognized the scent of Niari's fur, and she was still hugging me. I don't know if she's awake or not, but i didn't think to try and wake her. Something was covering us, but the second i realized that, the sky revealed itself to me again. What was covering us was long blades of grass and vines. When the light hit her face, Niari stirred, and opened her eyes.

"Mmph... what happened? Are you alright Iria?"

"I'm okay...."

"C'mon... let's get up and see where we are." Niari then helped me up, but the extremely low gravity made the motion far too violent, and we floated in the air for a few seconds afterwards. I held onto her arm the whole time we were standing, and walking was made extremely difficult due to the gravity. Every step was a jump.

This... gravity is going to get on my nerves...." Niari said flustered. The area around us was lush with bluish-green fauna and flora, all very peaceful, and quiet. The grass rose up to my thighs, and the few trees around were all dead still. "Is anyone else there?!" Niari called out. No one responded. "Where'd everyone else go? Where's the ship?"

"Niari... look over there." I said quietly, which actually stood out over the silence. I pointed to an odd looking path that seemed to form in the grass.

"Should we go?" Niari asked.

"There's something at the end of the path...."

"Alright then, let's go. Maybe it's the ship." We began walking along the path formed out of the grass. The whole planet we were on... it seemed to all just be sleeping. Nothing moved or made a sound unless we touched it. It was all very... nice. The silence, unlike that of the torture chamber, was comforting. I almost fell asleep while we were walking, so Niari insisted on carrying me, so she did. I hugged her neck as she held me by my legs. We walked along the path for nearly half an hour before the object in the distance actually became distinguishable. As Niari had predicted, it was our ship. At the same time which we got there though, I also spotted Tsutsukii appear on the opposite side from us, and Star already at the ship, sitting on top of it.

"There you three are!" Star called as she spotted us, jumping off the ship and floating gracefully down to the ground. We eventually all met up near the ship.

"What happened...? We were about to land and i suddenly woke up in the middle of a glade." Tsutsukii asked.

"Same here." Niari said.

"I woke up right here. I don't know what caused us to fall asleep though. But that presence i've felt from all the way on Reatha, it's on this planet, i can feel it. I... I was scared to approach it alone though." Star explained.

"We'll go with you then." Niari said.

"Thank you."

"What presence are you feeling?" Tsutsukii asked.

"That's the problem, i don't know Tsutsukii. I've been feeling it for a while though, and that's why we're here." Star said.

"Okay then...." Tsutsukii accepted.

"Anyways, it's over here. I'll lead the way there." Star offered, and began leading the way to where she thought the presence was. It look much longer than it should have to walk there due to the frustratingly low gravity, but after passing many odd looking trees, carved rocks, and grass that grew up to our chests, we eventually found a clearing. The clearing was almost a perfect circle, and at the very center was a pedestal. Sitting on that pedestal was an aasariin playing an instrument which made very soft, beautiful music.

"You have arrived, my old friend!" They said. "But you have come with company. I'm sorry, but we need to speak in privacy for now." His music then played some odd sounding notes, and i fell asleep.

"Iria? Niari? Wake up!" Someone said softly. I opened my eyes, and looked around. Despite passing out, I was still in Niari's arms. The grass and vines which covered us during our sleep receded as i started to move. I groaned, feeling scared. Niari shifted, and hugged me tightly.

"Star...? What happened?" Niari asked eventually.

"I'll explain once everyone is wake." Star said. Niari helped me sit up, and she hugged me as we sat on the ground. I felt... vulnerable... like anything could just... take me from Niari.

"Iria?" Niari asked.

"Yeah...?" I said.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"I am... just... please stay with me...."

"Okay, i will." Star eventually woke everyone up, and we all sat in a small circle. Niari never left me the whole time.

"Okay... i'm sure you're all very curious about who that was with the instrument. Well, he doesn't want his named revealed to anyone but me right now, but he's an old friend of mine." Star explained.

"An old friend of yours?" Tsutsukii asked.

"Yes."

"Does that mean he told you about your past?" Niari asked.

"He did, yes. Not a lot of it, but enough to help me keep myself together. My real name is one of the things he told me. My real name is Cassia, Cassia Cuara. He told me about the advances of my race, and the reasoning for me being hidden away in a star." Cassia explained.

"Hidden in a star? Is that even possible?" Tsutsukii asked.

"Oh right, you weren't there." Niari said.

"It is possible with our technology, yes. It all has to do with emitting very high energy quanta from the stasis pod i was in. But aside from that i know more of my past. I already told Iria some of this, but my race, the aasariin, have two clans. The Ari, the white furred clan which stands for the light energy, and all that can be perceived in the universe; and the Dal, the black furred clan which stands for the conscience of the mind, and all that can be imagined. The two clans tolerated each other, but never really enjoyed each other's company. There was once a great war, named the acquisition of light. in this war, the Ari and the Dal clans fought for years upon end after the Dal clan kidnapped the leader of the Ari clan. Partway through the war the leader was returned safely, but the grudge continued the war for years to come. Eventually the war ended on the agreement to join both clans, or else both clans will eliminate each other, and to do this, two of them, one Ari and one Dal, were to mate and produce an offspring of both clans descent. The marriage was celebrated by some, and berated by the majority, but it happened. When the child was conceived, the public became uneasy, unsure whether or not it would work in the end. the war had just ended, so the times were very tense. Finally, after many tense months, the child was born. The child was of both clan's descent, but bore the fur of only one, the Ari. This caused major unrest among the Dal, and soon, the another war was at hand, named the the war of dominance. During this war, the Dal managed to take the child, and hide her away inside the core of a far away star. The war of dominance continued for many years, destroying the aasariin race until only a few of us remained." Cassia finished her story on a solemn note. "That's all i was told by my friend." There was a long pause.

"That's... wow." Niari said, awed.

"You went through a lot, Cassia." Tsutsukii said. "I don't really know what to say."

"It's alright, i was in awe as well when i was told."

"I would be too, if i was told that that was my life." Niari said.

"Mhm. But aside from this, i think we should stay on this planet for a little while. I fear for the Fallen Void still being out there waiting for us, and I'm sure Iria needs the peace here. I was also told that this planet is inhabited only by harmless plants, so there's no need to worry for danger." Cassie explained.

"Alright... I think i'll take her for a short walk to give her some time to recover. Are you okay with that, Iria?"

"Yeah... that'll be nice...." I said.

"Alright then... I'll take her now, unless anyone has an objection?" NIari asked.

"No, go right ahead." Casse said.

"Okay, c'mon Iria."

"We'll get back to the ship while you're out, so head back there when you're finished."

"RIght." Niari helped me up, and supported me with her arm and tails as we walked away from the group. Our walk continued for a couple minutes in serene silence, quiet enough that i could almost hear Niari's heartbeat. Niari eventually stopped us, and pulled me down to sit with her against a tree. I sighed, happy to sit with her, but that was short lived, since she then pulled me to lie on top of her, and rest my head on her breasts. I didn't complain, i didn't really mind.

"Iria... your horn... it has blood on it." Niari said softly. I felt her gently rub my horn, presumably cleaning it.

"that was... that was from when we were still on the pirate ship." I said.

"Okay... It's gone now." She stroked her hands through my hair, and down my neck as i listened to her heartbeat. I started to become tired, but i was roused again when i felt something drop on my head. it was warm, and Niari hugged me tightly, and trembled.

"Iria... I'm so sorry... I should have been able to protect you, but i couldn't...." She cried softly. i looked up at her, and a tear dropped onto my forehead. "When we get home... i just want to stay with you... and forget about everything for a few days... I don't want to worry about losing you... i don't want to worry about you being hurt... I just want you to stay next to me so i can keep you safe...."

"Niari...." I whispered. As of then, the strange plant of this planet started to cover is like a blanket. "I know... I want you to stay by my side always... whenever you're hurt, i'm hurt.... I promise... when we get home, we'll have a long, nice time to ourselves...."

"You promise?"

"I promise...."

"Thanks... Iria.... I love you."

"I love you too, Niari." I lifted myself up to her level, and kissed her. She accepted, and her ears drooped, as did mine. As we kissed, i felt all her emotions flow through to me, and i'm sure she felt mine. There was nothing cold, or hateful, only warmth. Our kiss lasted far longer than it should have, but it was worth every instant it lasted. I felt much better, and i gave her a warm smile. "Come on, shall we go back to the others?"

"Yeah, let's." We both took our time getting up, and then walked hand in hand back to the ship. I could still hear her heartbeat through the silence of the planet.

It took us a couple minutes to find the ship again, but even in that time, it had become dark as the sun set. When we arrived, Cassia, and Tsutsukii were sitting there silently. Either from boredom or nothing to talk about, i didn't know.

"You're back!" Cassia said as she noticed us.

"Yeah, we are." I said.

"Well, how are you two feeling?"

"Much better." Niari said. "What've you two been doing?"

"We talked for a little while, but nothing really happened other than that." Tsutsukii explained.

"What about you, Tsutsukii? Have you been feeling any better?" I asked.

"Well... I feel like there's nothing for me out here... I don't remember much of my past life, i only know that i've been serving the Fallen void for a few years...."

"Really?"

"Yeah... Whenever i try to remember anything, i get this weird... buzzing in the back of my head...."

"Buzzing?" Cassia asked.

"Yeah."

"Hold on... would you mind if I take a look at you?"

"Umm, i guess I don't mind. What are you going to do?"

"It'll only take a second, i assure you." Cassia moved herself over to Tsutsukii, and touched her shoulder. A couple seconds later, Tsutsukii sneezed, and shook her head to shake it away.

"What are you doing?" Tsutsukii complained, obviously uncomfortable.

"Hold on, dear, just a moment." Cassia reassured. A few moments passed, Niari and I sat down near Cassia and Tsutsukii, watching with interest and worry. Tsutsukii bore through much more discomfort, but after less than a minute, she looked exhausted, and then fell against Cassia's shoulder, fast asleep. Cassia then laid her down on the grass.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"This was implanted into her brain." Cassia then showed us her palm. a very small device was there, and several long and very thin wires came out of it. it looked disgusting. "It's some sort of neural reconfiguration chip. From what I can tell, it's what was preventing her from remembering her past. It was also disturbing her sleeping patterns, whereas she was only getting a few minutes of sleep every so often." Cassia explained.

"That's terrible!" Niari complained.

"It is, yes. But her body is no more than exhausted. It seemed to completely replace the area of her brain responsible for her choices, sleep, and memories, but it never actually made her tired either. She'll have no long term affects from it, but she needs rest."

"Okay. We aren't leaving this planet for a little while anyways while the pirate ship is still out there anyways, and it's really peaceful here, so we might as well let her sleep here." I said.

"We should get some rest as well. The days don't last very long here, so let's get it while the dark lasts."

"Alright." I agreed. With that, we tried to get some sleep on the sleepy planet.

We slept for a long time. it's hard to say how long, but when we finally got off of the planet and into our ship again, the amount of time that had passed was staggering. At least 2 days on reatha had passed. The peaceful planet was indeed a great spot for rest, but I started to wonder if it was dangerous here for that sole reason. Tsutsukii was still asleep in the crew quarters of the ship as we finally took off. Her sleeping cycle had been ruined, and desperately needed to be reconfigured by her brain. Cassia ensured that she'd be awake again in time, no more than a day now on reatha. After a seemingly endless amount of time, we finally reached the spaceport on near where we live on Reatha again. I ended up carrying Tsutsukii out of the ship, and into Niari's waiting car in the parking lot below. Before long, we were back at our place. We put Tsutsukii in our bed for now to give her some peace, and i texted Aielle that we were back. She almost instantly replied, saying that she'd be over in a few minutes, which was more than true, since she was at our door in five with Fey'sel and Crystal. We slowly explained to our worried friends about what happened while we were gone, answering their questions, and assuring them that we were all fine. They wanted to see Tsutsukii, but we insisted that she be left alone until she wakes up on her own. There was a short lull while everyone took a moment to soak in everything that was brought up.

"Iria...?" Niari whispered to me.

"What?" I whispered back. I hadn't noticed until now, since i was distracted with questions, but Niari looked very tense, and uncomfortable. She hugged me gently, pressing her forehead to mine.

"Can we... can we go for a walk? i want to show you something before it could be too late...." She spoke without words. I nodded in response.

"Niari and i are gonna go for a walk," i said softly, "we'll be back in a little while."

"Okay then, be safe." Aielle bid, still a little nervous. Niari took my hand, and led me out of the house. We didn't get in the car, but she led me along the sidewalk. We walked hand-in-hand for a few minutes in silence.

"Niari?"

"Yeah?"

"Is something on your mind?"

"Well... kind of. I'll explain it to you when we get there...." After another ten minutes, we reached a park. The same park which in which Niari kissed me for the first time. I smiled at the memory.

"Why take me here?"

"Iria... you know... ever since you got that ship, we've gotten into more danger than we ever would have if we could have just stayed here at home. I know we got this nice, beautiful house, and awesome sights from it, but it's been worrying me ever since we started to run into trouble with it."

"Okay...."

"I know you've been really obsessed with space travel and space itself, being the kind of person you are," she giggled, "And i wouldn't change that for anything, but i wanted to do something for you which i've been trying to do for a few months now, but i couldn't work up enough courage for. Stand right here for a second would you?"

"Okay?" Niari slowly walked forward, and then crouched down at the base of a tree. I recognized that tree, it's the one she kissed me under for the first time. I stepped forward a little bit, despite her asking me not to, and saw our little initials carded into the tree with a heart next to each. I smiled happily. Then the initials were blocked when Niari stood up. Her ears were folded back, and she actually seemed to look shorter than me for a second. She then turned around, and looked into my eyes as i looked into hers.

"Iria...," in her hands was the most beautiful flower i've ever seen. near the center of it's five, long petals was a deep black, dotted with little white spots, and trimming them was a rich blue. reaching out from the center was a few yellow stigmas, contrasting around the rest like a sun surrounded by a field of space. It was beautiful, and it confused me as to how it was grown like that. It took me a few seconds to figure out what kind of flower it was though, but when i did, my whole face flushed, and i was shocked. the flower was an Erishan losus.

"Niari...."

"Iria... I wanted to say this for a long time, but i've never had the courage to. But now, after both our lives have been threatened more than once, i need to say this before it could be too late...." She offered me the flower, and i couldn't believe it.

"Iria... will you marry me?