FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

One month of hell... A full month had passed since the forces of the Galactic Federation had crushed the last human resistance in the colony they had found in the Sade system. With the deaths of Marshal Begundi and Inquisitor Superior Antonius the rest hadn't had much of a chance, hiding as best they could in the winding tunnels dug underneath he colony.

Some two dozen people, vast majority of them just civilians, huddled close together around the single heater they had. The heater was hooked up to the miniature fusion reactor inside the moderately sized shelter: a reinforced cavern with a cleverly concealed and camouflaged entrance. The thick Durasteel III blast door had provided the survivors scant peace of mind; they had been on edge constantly ever since they had sealed themselves in.

Supplies were running low, but at least they hadn't heard any sounds of search parties in over a week. The one engineer, a completely hairless man somewhere in his mid-forties, among them had assured the others that the entire shelter had been designed to be practically invisible to scanners.

The fact they hadn't been discovered thus far lent credence to the man's words.

A soft groan from the shadows drew everyone's attention. The sheet-covered figure slowly rose to its feet accompanied by the sounds of whirring servos hissing hydraulics. At over seven feet tall the heavily augmented Zealot was a fearsome sight to behold.

Almost instinctively everyone huddled a bit closer together as the injured Zealot regarded them with one regular and one gleaming red cybernetic eye. Zealots were cyborg warriors made from the most psychopathic and deranged killers and convicts the Terran Imperium had to offer. Their limbs, most of their internal organs and at least one half of their brains were replaced with cybernetic implants, an armored exoskeleton attached to their altered frame, turning those formerly loose cannons into highly effective shock troopers.

"How long was this unit nonfunctional...?" The Zealot's mechanical voice droned as it -formerly a Caucasian man by the looks of it- regarded its battered and dented armor.

A bearded man in a dirty and badly worn black soldier's uniform -the markings of a sergeant barely visible on his sleeve- stood up and approached the towering Zealot. The sergeant's eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and the scant rations had left him skeletal and emaciated; much like everyone else in the group.

The sergeant threw a salute to grab the Zealot's attention. All Terran troopers of corporal rank or higher were taught at least the basics of handling the cyborg soldiers; just in case.

"At ease, Zealot." The sergeant said and the cyborg automatically obeyed "You have been... Been uhhh... Nonfunctional for over three weeks. Status report?"

The Zealot was silent for a moment, its head cocking to one side as it diagnosed its current status "Biological components in need of sustenance, communications nonfunctional, weapons..." a compact, wrist-mounted SMG attached to a mono-edged blade slid out of each of the cyborg's mechanical arms amid a series of whirrs and clicks. "Weapon systems functional. Ammunition reserves at 38%. This unit is combat capable after refueling."

The sergeant nodded and pointed towards a stack of metal containers, most of which lay currently empty, and said "You are authorized to a ration of one can of nutrient jelly. Carry on, Zealot."

"For Terra..." The Zealot muttered and stomped off.

The unenthusiastic answer made the sergeant lift an eyebrow in surprise, but he shook his head and disregarded the incident. The cyborg had been unconscious for a long while. It probably didn't have the energy for full voice functions.

Linda Jacobs -whom everyone called Lizzy because she preferred that- looked at the Zealot, who currently was dismantling a tin can and devouring the contents with mechanical precision, and then at sergeant Lance Aderfell who had just joined the rest of them.

"Lance... I'm... I'm still not sure I approve of the fact we're keeping that _thing_around and functional. Who knows what might've broken or whatnot when it took that blow to the head whilst we... Whilst we ran from those furred bastards..."

Lance mustered up his best smile -a taxing feat considering how hungry he was- and gave a little shrug at the veterinarian-turned-medic "It's responsive and obeys commands. I think we'll be better off with him around than without."

Linda was silent for a moment and then let out an amused snort "You called it a him."

The sergeant shrugged again nonchalantly "It or he was a full human at some point. I know not everyone sees them like that, but... You know."

Linda was about to answer when a loud boom coming from the door -like a battering ram had slammed into it- caused everyone to jump up and grab what weapons they had available.

Hushed cries of "Oh shit..." and "They've found us!" could be heard from the survivors, but Lance quickly silenced them with a sharp and stern hand gesture.

The Zealot had dropped the decimated remains of the tin can and had turned towards the door as well, a faint grin barely visible in the corner of its mouth as it readied its weapons.

Several tense seconds passed before there came another similar boom, then another that was accompanied by the creaking and groaning of twisting metal. Finally, with a loud bang, the massive door was flung off its mounting, landing a good ten feet into the cavern.

Sergeant Aderfell tried to peer through the dust and rock debris floating in the air to see what was coming for them. He gripped his pulse assault rifle tightly, cursing the fact they only had solid projectile weaponry -and even worse, they were knock-offs based on the wretched, thrice-cursed Edenians' design- at hand.

With the dust settling a single figure walked casually through the doorway. The intruder was clad from head to toe in a matte-black armored bodysuit of some sort, the green lenses of vision enhancers lighting up on its helmet; a helmet from the back of which spilled a bunched-up bundle of cables like mock dreadlocks. In its hand the intruder carried what looked like an ordinary longsword with no other weapons visible. And behind it... Swished an armored tail.

"Edenian contact! Open fire!" Sergeant Aderfell yelled and, as one, the survivors and the Zealot obeyed.

The intruder continued its casual walk through the storm of bullets that all seemed to miss it, occasionally swinging its sword as if casually swatting a fly and every single time there was the pinging sound of a bullet deflecting from metal.

"FOR TERRA! FOR THE IMPERIUM!" The Zealot bellowed in mechanical voice and then lunged at the intruder like a lightning bolt, the cyborg's enhanced legs propelling it at blinding speed towards the enemy.

The Zealot stabbed at the enemy, but the Edenian intruder ducked the blow easily. The cyborg swung again with a trio of slashes, but his foe evaded every last one of them with almost mocking ease.

The cyborg roared and slashed quickly at abdomen height, his other hand drawn back ready for a second blow. Just as the Zealot thrust his second blade forward, the Edenian finally responded by parrying the sideways sweep with his blade and weaving to the side to avoid the thrust aimed at its head. Using the force from the Zealot's swing, the intruder stepped sideways and slipped behind the cyborg.

Before the Zealot had time to turn around, the Edenian drove his sword two-handed in an upwards angle to where a normal human's kidneys would be. The blade slid effortlessly through the Zealot's armored exoskeleton, causing the cyborg to howl in pain.

"It will take more than that to fell a warrior of Terra, abomination!" The Zealot roared and swung behind himself with an elbow strike so swift it actually connected with the side of the intruder's head, sending the dark-armored figure stumbling and rolling in the dusty ground.

A mechanical, almost whisper-like laughter filled the cavern as the intruder rose up on one knee, the Zealot turning to face his foe once more, ready for another charge against his now unarmed foe. Everyone else was either out of bullets by that point or simply mesmerized by the duel between the two beings.

"More? Then... Try _this_on for size!" The intruder said, thrusting his hand out with fingers spread. The instant he did that, electricity practically exploded outwards from the blade still stuck in the Zealot's back; as if a bolt of lightning had struck it.

The Zealot howled again in agony, the mechanical scream distorting as its innards were cooked and burst. The human survivors could only watch in stunned silence as the cyborg slumped onto its knees with a heavy thud and then collapsed onto its face with another.

Still as casually as ever the intruder walked over to the cyborg's smoking corpse, planted a boot onto its back and pulled the sword effortlessly out, the blade glowing white-hot with some trace electricity still crackling on its surface.

Those with bullets left snapped into action and emptied what ammo they still had at their assailant, cursing and swearing as they did. Just like before none seemed to find its mark, pinging off the ground and walls around the intruder but never coming even close to connecting.

"Are you pathetic creatures finally done?" The intruder asked in an almost conversational tone as it raised its sword and pointed the tip towards the remaining survivors "If so, then here's a message from my masters... Die!"

That said the intruder charged forward with its blade raised.

The dying screams of the last surviving humans on Sade were mercifully short...

His job done, Geist walked out of the shelter, the gory remains of his enemies a testament to the brutal efficiency of the Shade operative. Geist cast his senses out as far as he could reach, but sensed no other sentient minds anywhere near. That could only mean his task was finally done and his hunt was over.

His masters would surely be pleased!