FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Resting his chin against his clenched fist, Gabin's amber eyes scanned over the data pad built into his chair's armrest. Occasionally tapping a tab that caught his interest or, with a flick of his wrist, moving on to the next bit of information he read over what was known about their destination.

In his chair the captain of the Connacor struck a posture that was at once relaxed and tense, like an officer in at ease but still ready to leap into action at a moment's notice. He wore a pair of black boots with patches of lighter shades of grey, dark green pants and a thick leather belt. A simple white shirt and black suit jacket with coat tails that trailed down his back to stop at thigh level covered the rest of him. As for the man himself, his face was more slender than others' and had a slight feline shape to it, a pair of long slender furred ears, and a thin tail that curled down to lay against the side of his leg.

His crew was heading to a planet that for all intensive purposes held no interest to the various powers that be as it currently was a barren rock stripped bare by the misuse of the native inhabitants' technology. Its past wasn't that pretty either; as they delved into summoning beasts of ever greater power for who cares what reason. Be it for conquest, resources, or just to test the limits of their abilities, in the end all that was left was the shattered remains of a civilization. Yet, it was this mystery of the unknown that made him want to explore the planet just to see what the natives were like.

Some of his newer crew would say it was the feline genes in him that drew out the curiosity to burn their shore leave with pointless adventures. The end result they saw was their equipment in a constant state of disarray and their pockets nearly empty having to pay for the repairs. The older members of his crew would claim the captain was always like this and retort saying the newbies would have new stories to tell. To which, they had to grudgingly agree since riding with Gabin was anything but boring.

However, Gabin's oldest friend and first mate, Kit, took the middle ground saying both sides were right but that it wasn't until the captain lost the bet that his curiosity went into overdrive. Almost as if she knew the captain was thinking about her, Kit spoke up, “Captain, we're about to arrive. Get ready for us to come out of hyperspace in three… two… one."

Gabin flicked his amber eyes up from his data pad just in time to watch the view screen at the front of the bridge go from streaking points of light into a solid image of a ruddy brown and black planet. The planet had never been given an official name, just a number JXY34, and then filed away in the ever growing database of discovered planets. Once a lush jungle planet, it was now stripped bare with the most notable features being various black craters.

With a grin that parted his lips so the tips of his feline fangs shown, the mostly-human captain flipped his data pad to stats about his ship and his crew. “Excellent," tapping a few icons to give a final once-over to make sure everything read normal or the closest to it, “So who's going to join us for the ride down?"

Kit tapped a few keys from her station and sent the list, “I just sent the roster but you'll find it's the usual group. Pasong, Jenna, Eddon, and you."

Gabin smirked as his gaze settled on Kit and he leaned over slightly to rest against the opposite side of his chair, “So you'll be staying home once again to keep things in order? Why don't you join us to get some fresh air, real sunlight, and see the sights? It'll do you some good to get out of that dingy console you call a work station."

Leaning back in her chair the dark skinned human swiveled it around to look at her captain, “Because this planet was marked, 'stay away' for a reason and I would like to stay in one piece, thank you very much."

Gabin waved this off, “Oh details, details. I've read the reports and the only reason why they want our little war to stay away from this planet is because neither side wants to let the natives mix their kind of magic with our tech. But think about it," gesturing at the planet through their view screen, “That is a world with who knows what kind of loot waiting for us and all we need to do is reach out and grasp it. But," leaning back in his chair with a sigh, “If you're determined to sit things out once more then so be it. Make ready for the time jump." Based off of the records from past exploratory missions, Gabin picked a time when the world was just coming into its renaissance so they shouldn't run into too much trouble. Plus, if what else he read was true then they would need their tech advantage to make it out in one piece.

A few of the crew members on the bridge began entering the coordinates while Kit sent out a message to everyone on board to prepare for the time jump. “Calculating time and space vectors… engines normal, shields holding, all lights green, preparing for jump." As the countdown timer appeared in the corner of the view screen, Gabin stared at it with his cheerful attitude giving way to a stern look. As the seconds ticked by the world in front of them began to darken and grow hazy as thin streaks of light began bending and warping in front of them. Tightening his grip on his chair for a moment, Gabin took a slow breath to calm himself. Even after all the times they had jumped and with all the safety precautions in place, there was always that one chance something would go wrong. A momentary failure in any of their systems or a miscalculation on their end destination and they would be torn apart and scattered across time forever adrift without form or end.

But then in a blink as the timer hit zero, the barren rock in front of them vanished to be replaced with a lush green and blue world so different from that of the future that it was hard to believe both were one and the same. As they came out of it, Gabin breathed a slow sigh of relief in as subtle a manner as he could to prevent his crew from noticing and relaxed his grip on the armrest. With a final flick of his data pad to lock it, Gabin stood up with a flick of his tan and dirty brown spotted feline tail as it uncoiled from behind him, “Kit, scan the planet for a city and find us a field big enough to land our ship." Within moments the planet in front of them was covered in a grid pattern with each square shimmering for a second before turning clear as the computer scanned for a suitable landing spot.

Soon enough one square began flashing, “Captain, we've got it, though you'll need to take the hovercraft since the settlement is about ten miles away from where we're going to land." It went without saying that they also needed the distance to keep the city they were about to visit from growing panicked at seeing a spaceship descend from the heavens and see aliens come out of it. Granted, their entrance would be unusual in and of itself.

Gabin hoped that the natives would be more curious than hostile at these strangers visiting their homeland. “Good, take her down, I'll be in the cargo bay getting ready. Kit, the ship is yours for now." Turning on his scuff marked booted heel, Gabin strode out of the bridge and made his way towards the cargo bay. The ship rumbled around him as they made their descent and his long, slender furred ears caught the rumbling of the engines kicking in to soften their landing. At times he considered his heightened hearing both a gift and a curse since on the one hand it let him be more in tune with his ship and tell when something was wrong. But on the other, it made falling asleep a hassle at times and he would wish to have his old human ears back just to keep from hearing Pasong snore; gods that taur had some lungs on him. Even through the hum of the ship, the thick metal flooring separating the captain's quarters from the engineer's bay, and whatever else might be going on, somehow Pasong managed to be heard through it all just enough to keep him up some nights. Next time they were back at their headquarters he would need to invest in thicker floors or get the lupine to see a doctor to do something about that.

After a few steps of silent musings he decided it would be infinitely easier and less expensive to get thicker floors than pay that doctors' own medical bills after Pasong had finished with him. Gabin didn't know why his engineer had such an aversion to doctors and didn't bother asking since if it was a necessary inspection, then Pasong would play along. Anything else and you were looking at a broken office, doctor, and a ban to never set foot within that building again.

Ah well, one can dream. Perking his ears up at the sound of the heavy footfalls which signaled that the lupine taur in question was coming down the adjacent hall, he slowed his pace to make sure they didn't collide. The first thing to catch his eye was the thick, black body armor covering Pasong's upper torso and more feral half followed by the plasma pistols sheathed onto his sides; each of which were big enough to completely fill Gabin's smaller hands. Gabin whistled low, “We're going to see some primitive natives Pasong, not go into a warzone."

Turning to look at his captain, the lupine's silver and black eyes settled onto Gabin as he let out a short huff, “You've read the reports and so have I. This planet was marked, 'avoid' for a reason and I don't take any chances with members of my clan." Were it not for the faint silver ring distinguishing Pasong's pupil in the otherwise black hole that made up the center of the taur's eye, it would have been hard to tell exactly where he was looking.

Gabin waved this comment off with a synchronous flick of his tail, “Oh relax, your clan of crewmates will be fine. The reports said something about magic and rituals but we don't need to worry since the first explorers made it off this planet in one piece," but with some bruises and deeper wounds that required hospital time. “In the worst case scenario we have better weapons than them and some flashy shots here, a stun grenade there, and they'll scatter."

Pasong's response was another huff and gesture with his head towards the loading bay, “You first, captain." Knowing from experience that he wasn't going to get anything else out of his companion, Gabin headed to where the rest of his crew were gathering. As soon as they arrived it looked like so far it was just himself and his navy and white furred engineer. Pasong moved over to the hovercraft to give it a final inspection while the rest of his team mates arrived, though the next one to arrive was almost immediately turned around. Eddon, or Eddy as almost everyone called him, made it about three steps into the bay on his cybernetic legs before Gabin turned him right back around, “We're entering a younger time and we'll look out of place enough as is. Those," he pointed to the four clawed metal feet, “Will tip them off that we Really don't belong. Put on some pants and boots to cover it up."

The snake hissed, “Fi-ine~" and turned around only to almost collide with Jenna but the jackal took their near collision and used the momentum to slide around him with a small twirl before landing on her feet. “Wa-hey, woah there, you may have some metal bits but I'm all cute flesh and bone." Turning on her sandaled heel to stride into the launch bay, Jenna was dressed the way the crew had expected her to dress, fitting to blend in with wherever they were going. Of the entire crew, Gabin looked forward to seeing her the most just to see what extravagant outfit she put together for each of their missions and this one was no exception.

Jenna had taken what she had read up about the little known natives they were going to visit along with pictures of the local wildlife and put together a ceremonial dress that wrapped around her slender frame. Her skirt went down to her feet and was mostly shades of green that blended with stripes of red and orange the closer they drew up to her top. As a finishing touch, she had decorated her top with various tiny balls of light colored fabric to imitate beads. Gabin chuckled briefly, “Well I'm glad to see at least one of us is getting into the spirit of the mission. Are you sure you'll be able to move in that get up? You know we may have to run and I'd hate to see such a pretty dress slow you down." To answer this question, Jenna crouched down slightly and lunged from the doorway towards where Gabin was sitting. Pausing for the briefest of moments before kicking out with one of her legs, she covered the distance of several feet in a few long strides. Smirking at the display and leaning back slightly as she drew close, “Alright, I get it; I'll stop doubting your choice in clothing."

Jenna stopped just in front of her captain with a big smile and bounce in her step, “Good, and between all of us it'll come down to me to smooth talk the natives. Who knows, they may think I'm their long lost queen and you're my bodyguard." Raising her hands in mock defense as she took a few steps backwards towards Pasong at the sight of Gabin's momentarily narrowed eyes, “Just kidding captain, that role is yours alone. Gods know what I would do if I was put in that position and had all that responsibility." Turning to face her fellow canine and settling her gaze on his wrist bands, “Hey Pasong! Why not let me add some more color to what you've got going on around your paws. It'll help you blend in."

The cold look the engineer gave her was enough to shatter stone and stopped her in her tracks, “Affect your own dress if you wish but I'm fine with how I look." Setting down his data pad to let it run its own diagnostic, he settled down so he was a little more level with her and softened both his expression and tone slightly, “But thank you for the offer." Around each of Pasong's wrists and ankles were thick leather bands with various beads and colored ropes woven together which served as a quick visual of his family and class in his culture. His front feral paws each had two bands rather than one which were around the rest of his wrists and ankles.

No sooner had the two of them finished speaking then the last of his members arrived, and in more appropriate attire this time around. Eddon, the light orange and green back scaled snake had put on a pair of dark cargo pants and boots to cover his robotic lower half. Seeing everyone was in order, Gabin patted the holsters of the pistols in his belt and hopped up from where he was sitting just as the ship vibrated and settled down to signal its landing. “Alright people, let's get going. We're burning daylight." Tapping the side of his ear to establish a connection with Kit, “Hey Kit, keep the door open and let in some fresh air, it'll do the crew some good."

After everyone climbed into the ship's hovercraft with Pasong taking the controls, the taur pressed a button on the craft's console to let the bay door slide down. Wincing at the grinding metal of the doors opening, therush of hot, humid air into the cargo bay made up for it and Gabin breathed deeply to savor the fresh air and warmth. Letting it soak into his body, he looked out at their landing spot up close for the first time to see it was a fairly open field with a ridge in front of the ship and jungle just behind them. The long grass had been flattened for several feet all around them from the ship's landing but as the hovercraft shot out towards the ridge and their intended destination, it gave little more than a ripple to mark their passing.

Leaning back in his seat and enjoying the scenery, Gabin looked over at Jenna who had her phone up snapping pictures as they flew past a heard of wildlife grazing peacefully. The four legged beasts were twice the size of a man, covered in thick rugged fur, had four curling horns, and were heavily built to the point that it looked like one charge of a bull would be enough to knock their hovercraft out of the air. After a few minutes of flying they caught sight of their first sign civilization as they passed a dirt road with a sign pointing in two different directions. It took a second for their built in personal translators to decipher the text but the markers pointed out the name of the city they were going to; Relda.

As they drew closer to the city and saw further signs of life, they slowed down to make their approach less noticeable. In between the scattered homes and fields of crops that looked ready to be harvested, they caught sight of a few of the locals. But, by the time the natives saw the strange contraption moving through the air, it had already flown past to be little more than a dwindling metallic shimmer. As Pasong slowed down and looked for a spot they could park their craft, he motioned towards a stable with the beasts they had passed in the fields tied up; some with plain saddles on their backs, others with white paint streaked across their hides in a wavy pattern. Other than letting the rest of the crew know where he was aiming to park, more specifically he was pointing at the old man overseeing the stables who was staring at them. Looking to Gabin for his approval, the captain nodded, “It'll be fine. Jenna, you're up for putting the old guy at ease, everyone else just keep quiet and let her work her magic."

Coming to a halt on the far end of the stables, Pasong kept one hand on the throttle and the other lightly on his pistol in case they needed to make a quick escape and tracked Jenna with his eyes as she hopped out. Jenna put on a cheery smile and brushed off some non-existent dust from her dress before making her approach. Resisting the urge to wrinkle her nose at the fresh scent of manure wafting from the tied up animals, she looked the old man over to get an idea of what to expect. He was an old canine bent with age and his once black fur was turning as grey as the outfit he wore which was soiled with dirt and other unmentionables. With long pointed ears and a long whip-like tail, the canine's eyes were clouded with cataracts to the point of being near milky white. Jenna was a little surprised that he could still track her so well despite seemingly bind.

Coming to a stop in front of him, she spoke in a cheery tone, “Good day to you sir! My band and I were heading to Relda for the festival. We've travelled a long way and you look like you know your way around, so could you tell me if it's better to find a room in the city or in the outskirts?"

Smelling of unwashed fur and a scent that was even stronger than the stables he cared for, the old man's voice had a horse tone to it as if he had spent most of his life yelling and quivered faintly as he spoke, “You'll want the city priestess, but do take care as it is the festival of the nightfell today and your companions would strike quite the price in the city."

Jenna paused since while slavery wasn't unexpected on any planet, especially in its earlier years, there was something about this festival that put her on edge. Still, keeping up the appearance of nothing being wrong and remembering their mission of finding something valuable to bring back to the ship, “Yes, that would be best, but as you can tell I'm not from around here, so is there anywhere special we should visit or someplace to eat that you'd recommend?"

The old man remained silent for a few moments as he considered how to respond. Licking his dry lips that were cracked with age, “Well… the main temple is the biggest building in the city so you'll want to stop by there to pay your respects. I don't know which village you come from but the high priest will want you to add your rituals to his tome. You'd better do it if you want to make it through the festival since one way or another, he will get them." Clearing his throat with a dry cough, he turned his head to hack and spit out a glob of black bile before wiping his mouth with the back of a dirty sleeve and turned back to Jenna, “After that you'll be free but do take care, you're companions will want to be indoors before nightfall. As for you, you'll want to check out the holy district and pick up something there. If you could spare an old man a blessing I could use a new gem." Reaching into the tattered clothing that looked like it could scatter to the winds with a good breeze, he pulled out a crystal that was almost black but there was a very faint glimmer to it in the sunlight, “I would go myself but I have to watch the heard. Oh, this is a gem to keep me healthy," he must have caught sight of the open curiosity on Jenna's face. “What kind of rituals does your clan have? I have yet to see any wander through here that has not some experience with these."

Jenna played this off with a wave of her hand, “Oh this and that, we don't use a gem since we use a flat rock covered in an enchanted glass. It lets me communicate with any other clan member who has one and it helps us draw upon knowledge on command. We use it as a divining tool though it doesn't hold its potency for as long as we would like but it's always improving. Next time I come back here I'll be sure my companions bring theirs so you can see how it works. Thanks for your advice but my crew and I must be going." Giving a short curtsy before she left, Jenna started to turn only to stop, “Oh, and I'll look about getting you a new gem. Bye!"

And at that, she turned on her heel and strode with her head held high towards the rest of her crew. Upon reaching them and their expectant faces about what they talked about, she said in her familiar friendly tone, “It's going to be a dangerous city so watch your backs boys, there's something called the nightfell ritual going on and the head temple is supposed to have some big shot that wants all of our secrets. If we're going to find anything really valuable it should be there. Oh, and apparently being a priest makes you be treated like royalty so," standing up straighter with a haughty sniff which she immediately regretted due to the smell, “You shall be my followers to be safe here."

Eddon hissed and the thick green scales on his back stood up slightly to make him look bigger and show off his agitation about the whole thing, “I don't like it, something feels wrong about this place." His scaled hands came down to rest over the pockets in his pants where the lumps of his plasma pistols could be faintly seen. “Captain, is this really worth it?" Turning his gaze to Gabin who had hopped out of the hovercraft and was stretching as if this was just another typical day, the captain shook his arms for a moment.

Settling down and looking at his crew expectantly, “Yes it is, the first crews to explore this planet never got into the cities proper and all we have are aerial photos of them. They looked like typical towns with markets and the like. Besides, we aren't that far away from the ship so we can call in a rescue if absolutely necessary."

Pasong settled the hovercraft down and shut it off before following his captain. Though the lupine taur towered over Gabin, he followed without question and merely gave a short huff at the rest of the crew, “Let's go." As everyone filed in, Pasong's nose twitched as he took in the scents of the area and scanned for anything that seemed out of place. Outside the usual rancid scent of livestock, he could detect the scent of bloody meat but filed it away in his mind as someone freshly slaughtering one of those beasts. Being taller than everyone else he also served as the makeshift scout. Gazing over the flower filled fields that lead up to the city, it took him a few minutes to realize why it seemed out of place. There were neither bugs nor the sound of birds in the air as if they had gone still in anticipation of something to come. Bearing his fangs in a silent growl, he placed his hands over the guns tucked away underneath his body armor and continued scanning the area in case they were walking into an ambush.

His grimace turned into a low rumbling growl as the scent of excrement and bloody meat didn't go away but only grew stronger, more potent and rancid to his heightened senses as they caught sight of the city and drew near. While most of the city was obstructed by the heavy stone walls ringing the city, the most visible structure was a towering white and gold streaked temple in the center of the wood and clay roofed buildings. There were dozens of people in ceremonial garb wandering around outside of the city, soldiers in heavy leather armor with iron tipped spears, and slaves chained up either following the priests or lingering about outside of the city looking like the weight of their current life had crushed any hope of something better.

As much as Gabin wanted to interfere and help the slaves, it was neither the time nor their place in this world to make such steps. Looking over at Eddon's lips as they curled back in a grimace and the scales on his back began to rise, “Stand down Eddy, remember we're the outsiders here and we have a mission." He could sense the agitation coming off Eddy in waves even as the snake worked to master his body to mask his anger at the sight of the slaves. Undaunted at the discomfort of his crew and knowing they would trust his instincts on this mission, he pressed on. Whatever it was Gabin was after, he was bound and determined to get it.

The closer they drew to the city the familiar signs of a more normal society began to appear. The scent of raw meat was coming from the butchers lining the entrance of the city. They flanked the thick wooden gates opening into the city and were a short distance away from the large wooden pens outside the city that held more of the beasts they had seen earlier. Over the rustle of noise coming from the city, they could hear the cries of auctioneers shouting into the crowds of bidders aiming for the most prized meats. Seeing this normality made some of them breathe a collective sigh of relief they didn't know they were holding. Before they got within hailing distance of the gate guards, Gabin turned to Jenna and waved her forward, “Jenna, you take point. As you said, you're the most welcome here so we'll be your escorts for this mission. Everyone else, act casual and follow her lead."

Jenna could only stare at her captain for a moment before opening her mouth to object, “But captain, I don't know how to lead-“ before she could go any further Gabin cut her off with a smirk, “It's simple, just walk in front of us and we'll follow you. We'll be your backup so just relax and have some fun."

Jenna moved to the front of their group and despite all her studies of various cultures, how to interact with natives, and everything that was known about this planet, that first time stepping in to the real thing was always a gamble. Doing her best to keep her strides even, she walked with the kind of confidence a priestess would wear when leading members of her clergy. Even if on the inside she could feel her heart beating faster both from anticipation and excitement of encountering the unknown. To her relief, she found that though the other priests weren't wearing the same outfit as her, the coloration and design was close enough to pass as being of native design. Theirs was more of a blend of red with brown and green streaks and smooth cut. Though their group got some odd looks, the wide assortment of other species gathering at the city made it so they more or less blended in.

Now that they were closer they could see that what they initially thought were plain collars around each of the slaves were more than that. Each slave wore a heavy collar made of leather, iron, or rope but each bore a gem at the front. The healthier looking ones had the newest leather collars but as their health began to decline or they seems to be too old to serve much use, the smooth collar went from a fresh, crisp tan to more worn and dirtier until finally it became a plain metal or rope collar wrapped around the least desirable of the slaves.

When they reached the gate the guards merely looked over Jenna and her party before turning back to the crowds streaming into the city. Jenna did her best to look them over without seeming too obvious about it since for guards they had the oddest gear. Though they wore heavy leather armor with metal rings woven in, aside from daggers at their sides and their spears, they had a collection of multi colored diamonds on their waists. Some were hardly the size of her fingernail while the biggest could have filled her hand. Clearly something to investigate later and, if possible, see if she could get some of the gems for herself since they were quite pretty. Now that they were past this initial obstacle and they hadn't been mugged or otherwise hindered in their journey, Jenna was starting to enjoy herself and let her excitement overcome her initial unease.

Winding their way through the streets they had to move single file to squeeze through the crowds; some of whom were gathered around the butcher stalls trying to get a cut of meat, others were entertainers trying to earn some coin by performing various acts. One rather gifted pair of performers was performing a one-handed hand stand while his partner balanced on his raised foot juggling four balls at once. As much as Jenna wanted to stay and watch, the press of the crowds forced her deeper into the city and towards their intended goal of the temple. Though they could have broken off from the main road and taken some of the side streets, Jenna figured it would be best to go with the flow since as smelly and packed as it was, who knows what they'd find off the beaten path on this planet.

Now that they were past the entrance and made their way into the slightly less crowded shopping district, they were greeted with an assortment of new sights and smells. Passing an incense shop, Jenna couldn't stop her curiosity from getting the better of herself and made a quick detour to lean over and sniff at a bundle of incense on display. For a moment the sweet aroma completely washed out the scent of the butchers they had passed and the press of poorly washed bodies lining the streets to leave her feeling like she was walking on air. Lowering her ears, she sighed contently as a smile crept across her lips and leaned in to take another whiff before she noticed the shopkeeper. The black furred canine was a heavyset woman who seemed extremely pleased that a priestess had chosen her street stall to stop at, “Do you like it? Take as many as you want." Jenna was about to graciously say 'thanks but no thanks' when she caught herself. If this woman was so eager to please then this must be a common practice with the other priests visiting this city. And the way this woman was looking at her you would think the reincarnation of their god had come down from the skies to grace her with his presence. Well… as long as she didn't abuse it why not?

Flashing a charming smile, Jenna picked two up from the bundle and nodded her head “Thank you and a blessing upon your home. May you have many sales this festival." With a small curtsey she blended back into the swarm of other patrons and wound her way up to the rest of her crew. They had slowed their pace but kept moving forward to prevent a backup though when she passed Gabin he chuckled, “Smooth job, but remember we have a mission so do try to stay on task." Jenna tucked the incense sticks behind one of her ears with a shy smile, “Yes captain," and moved back to the front of their line.

Continuing their trek, the shops were what they expected to find in every city such as bakeries, clothing stores which Gabin had to all but tear Jenna away from before she slipped inside to look over every article of clothing with a simple, “Later." There were bookshops filled with all sorts of tomes and scrolls which Gabin himself felt tempted to have Jenna charm some copies of. Were it not for the planet's seedy reputation, he could see breaking the rules just a little and let his crew enjoy browsing the shops and buy what they wanted.

But, as they drew closer to the temple the shops took on a more ceremonial and unnerving tone. Soon they came across shops featuring various feathered headdresses, symbols made of stitched together wood and bone, and many, Many gems. Jenna made a quick trade of the incense sticks she 'blessed' for a handful of gems which she pocketed just as quickly as the deal was made. It wasn't until she took a closer look at some of the bones that she felt a chill run up her spine and the fur on the back of her neck begin to rise. Some of the skulls and bones looked uncomfortably familiar to that of the natives and while most of the skulls were bare bone, a few had gems inlaid in the hollow sockets or teeth replaced with the glittering rocks. One shop offered pickled eyes along with various body parts she did her best to not look at for too long lest she lose her nerve and make the shop keepers question why a priestess would get sick at what should be a common sight.

Suddenly the words of the old man about how her companions would strike quite the price took on a whole new meaning. Thinking to herself, “Ok, just get through this and we'll be able to go home, the temple is right… there… " the jackal came to a dead stop at the sight of the temple. White marble stone steps lead up to the open iron gates which were etched with runes and motifs of priests raising objects to the sky and what looked like creatures coming out of a sickly tear in the world. But what stopped her in her tracks was the sight of highly detailed stone faces of open mouthed snarling demons lining the outer walls of the temple with glittering black gems for eyes. All of these had blood either dripping out of them or flowing like a river into massive cauldrons underneath them. Biting her tongue as a mouth went from trickling droplets of red liquid into a gushing river as if vomiting the stuff, she immediately wanted to turn tail and get out of there.

Before fear could settle too deeply into her, a pair of strong blue furred paws came onto her shoulders. Looking up, Pasong was looking at her with his silver and black eyes, “Breathe Jenna, we're with you every step of the way." He always seemed so calm regardless of the situation and under his firm, yet comforting grip and deep steady tone, she felt enough courage return to keep going and her hackles relax by a few degrees. With a nod she straightened herself up and continued forward. Now that she had gotten over her initial shock, Jenna was taking in a better look of the temple. Every carving and sculpture surrounding the temple or composing its walls had eyes made of gemstones that varied in color from purest white to the darkest ebony.

A wave of heavy incense tinged with the scent of blood, other bodily fluids, and death wafted from the open doors of the temple in such an intensity that it alone could have served as a barrier to entry. The inside of the temple wasn't much better. As soon as their eyes adjusted to the dimmer light they could clearly see that lining the walls were multiple sacrificial tables with crevices to drain the blood out of their unfortunate victims. The channels went through a series of pipes that undoubtedly led out of the mouths they had just seen. A miasma of death and despair mixed with that same incense Jenna had smelt earlier filled the room that made her stomach turn at thinking it had once been pleasant. The smoke was heavy thanks to a combination of poor ventilation, large braziers burning for light, and ample amounts of burning incense to leave the room with a faint cloud hovering just above the squirming bodies of poor souls who were strapped to the alters. Doing her best to block out the chanting of the priests and the whimpers and cries of pain, it was at moments like this where she wished her universal translator didn't work. Then she wouldn't be able to understand the victims' pleadings for mercy or feverish prayers for salvation from their gods.

Turning her gaze forward, she spotted the high priest who wore a robe that was split open with a V to show off his chest scarred with ritual markings and various piercings decorating his flesh. As if realizing he was being watched, his cold gaze settled on Jenna and her companions and he beckoned her forward with a wave of his hand. His pierced lips broke into a grim smile revealing yellowing teeth, some of which had fallen out or were cracked but worst of all were his eyes. They were not that of a living thing but more like a predator looking through a puppet to survey his latest meal. Drawing closer, Jenna could sense the tension building within herself and her teammates as they prepared for what was to come next and dearly hoped that what they had come for was here. Stopping at the base of the steps leading up to the high priest and his alter, she could see a heavy ceremonial tome spread out in front of him. From where they stood she could see the cover was composed of a deep brown leather that was heavily stained with the spine starting to fray. Yet for all its wear, the face of the book had strands of gold fiber winding its way into an immaculate copy of this temple's holy icon. If ever there was something special which their captain would want for gods knows what reason, this book clearly was it.

The high priest motioned for Jenna to step forward, his eyes never breaking from her face ever since they had caught sight of her. “Where do you come from? I have seen much but never before in summons or tribute have I seen anything like that of your... 'companions.'" His voice immediately put her on edge since it wasn't so much the tone as it was the way in which he spoke. While most were able to speak smoothly, his voice had a deep rumbling grind like he had all but torn his vocal cords out by screaming incantations. Worst of all, she could detect a second voice underneath his own, as if two different beings were speaking at once.

Clearing her throat, Jenna stood as tall as she could and steeled her emotions to appear as calm and relaxed as she could, “We have travelled very far over many hills and valleys. We've come so far that you could all but say that we're from another world. My companions and I have heard of your wonders and how you gather all spells into your tome. I humbly ask that you allow me to add my own knowledge to that of your own." There was a long stretch of silence between the two of them as the high priest studied her. While externally she kept up a calm appearance, on the inside she was crossing every finger in hopes that he wouldn't guess what their true purpose was. With a flick of his hand he closed the book with a 'thump' that reverberated throughout the room that had grown mostly silent apart from some final gurgles of victims.

Clasping his hands on top of the book and leaning forward to loom down at Jenna, “And what spells do you have to add to my manuscript? Give me a demonstration so I can gauge its worthiness." The area around them had grown deathly quiet, even the nearby priests had stopped their chanting to turn their attention fully onto the newcomers.

Looking down to rub her chin thoughtfully to break their eye contact as if contemplating which spell to show, Jenna wondered what she could show that would work as a spell when suddenly it hit her. Bringing her head up again with a smile, “Yes, this is a spell which my companions and I use to communicate from afar. You use crystal but we use a different sort of catalyst; metal and glass." Reaching into her robes she fished out her phone. The flat square was a clear piece of glass with a band of metal lining it and she held it up for her audience to see. Bringing her hand onto the front of the screen she waved her fingers and muttered a few words as if preparing a spell and at the same moment she went from clenching her fingers together to spreading them wide, she pressed the power button on the side and immediately the device sprung to life. Brighter than any torch they had seen, a few of the priests gasped at this display of magic. It was covered in such odd symbols and icons, one of which looked like a blue bird in flight which some immediately figured was the way her clan communicated.

Keeping her phone up for a few more seconds, she raised her hand back to the front and closed her outstretched open fingers with a quick snap to turn it off again before stashing her phone away once more. “Does that meet your approval to be added to your tome of spells?" With a nod the priest drew back and took a few steps away from where he had been standing. Motioning to the ink well and quill at the base of his podium, “Add your incantation and be gone, I will find you once we're through today's sacrifices to further discuss your clan and how we can start using your spell."

Jenna offered a small bow before mounting the steps. Looking down at her crew, she met Gabin's gaze who gave her a barely visible nod as he laid his hand over the pistol tucked away into his belt while Eddon and Pasong followed suit. Laying her hands on the mighty tome, she slid her fingers over it as if admiring the holy icon she was about to affect. Taking a long breath, the next few moments happened in a blur of motion as she grabbed the book with both hands and shoved the wooden podium out of the way so it clattered off down the stairs before making a bee line for the door. Simultaneously her crewmates drew out their weapons and fired over the heads of a few priests to get them to duck down and get out of the way. Taking aim, Gabin shot at several braziers or burning candles to make them explode in a shower of wax, flame, and sparks to make any near them duck for cover to escape the flames. Yet, above it all could be heard the high priest scream, “Thief! Seize them!"

Not even bothering to look behind her, Jenna kept running straight through the center of her crewmates who had left her a gap before they too turned and began running for the exit. But not all of the priests were so easily cowed by the flash of plasma fire and the room started to fill with a tinkling sound like glass being crushed underfoot. The next thing they knew, hellbeasts began to solidify in the air around them and it only took a moment to see that the crystals held by the vendors outside were what contained these beasts. Before she could admire them too much, they were put down with a few plasma shots so in her mind they were in the clear.

In Gabin's mind such was not the case since he had expected two things; one was that their gunfire would have been enough to keep the natives cowed long enough for them to escape. But the speed at which the priests recovered and were able to retaliate proved how frail an expectation that was. The other was that whatever defenses they came across would have easily been taken care of by their weapons. The fact that it took several well placed shots to kill one of the snarling monsters spawned by the priests' dashed that other hope. Suddenly it was becoming quite clear, sacrifices aside, why this planet was given a big, “Stay away."

As they burst out of the temple they found that rather than there being armed guards swarming the stairways, everyone was scattering into their homes or doing their best to get behind something. It didn't take long to see why since at first their hair and fur began to stand on end as if the air around them was filled with growing electricity. As the sky darkened, Gabin stole a glance over his shoulder to see that the eyes of the sculptures were glowing to form a network of multi-colored stars dotting the temple. The cauldrons of blood began to boil and a thick, acrid smoke billowed up into the sky where it coalesced into an ever growing sickly black cloud that flared with crimson bolts of arcane lightning. Pained moans filled the air and grew to a crescendo as the smoke solidified into a ghastly form with rust colored shadows dripping from the beasts claws. All too soon to Gabin's liking, the clouds began to solidify into a massive monster perched on top of the temple.

A massive wedge shaped head grew on top of the hulking body and with a shake of its head, its six eyes snapped open to show a burning crimson filled with an unholy hatred for the ones foolish enough to tempt the wrath of its master. The beast's two hind legs settled on the temple with thick claws digging into the tiled roof to crack them; though whether that was from applied pressure or the growing weight of the beast as the rest of its body came into this world he couldn't tell. Next, a long whip-like tail ending in a wicked series of spikes cracked into being to scatter the smoke around it with the sound of space tearing and the moans of the souls sacrificed to bring it into being. The beast stood on its hind legs and had two arms ending in serrated claws but the gaze was quickly torn away from that as the beast snapped its fanged mouth close and gave a long exhale of black smoke. In the shadowy light over the temple they could see the hide was covered in black and deep red scales.

At that moment the team rounded a street corner and ducked into an alleyway to get out of the beast's view and hopefully its reach before running for their lives through the rapidly emptying streets. As they ran past they heard one civilian moan in dread, “It's the Nightfell, beg to the high priest for your lives." No sooner had they gotten out of sight then an ear-splitting roar split the air that chilled them to the bone and then the world shook as if an earthquake hit from the sound of the colossal beast smashing down onto the ground. Pots fell, windows were jarred open, and he almost lost his footing but Gabin caught himself right before he fell forward in a heap. Looking at Pasong he yelled over the ringing in his ears, “Get the hovercraft and get back here!" With a quick nod the taur stopped keeping pace with the group and crouched for a moment before releasing the pent up tension in his legs in a forward lunge. Sailing forward six feet with as much ease as the rest of his crew had with taking a single step, Pasong dug his claws into the ground and was soon lost to view as he crashed through the fallen debris and went to get their means of escape and survival.

Turning to his remaining crew, Gabin came to a halt and looked back to see the head of the Nightfell over the rooftops and making its way towards them regardless of what buildings got in its way. As if the homes were little more than blades of grass to pass through, the monster stomped his way through them not caring who was crushed underneath. Trying to think what they could possibly do to slow it down and in turn last long enough to make their escape, in a moment of either brilliance or insanity, he yelled, “To the front gate, we'll let loose the cattle!" Just as the Nightfell came into their street and began to charge, they ducked into the nearest ally and back onto the main street. The animals in their pens outside of the city were abandoned and all straining to get free and escape the imminent danger in front of them. The threat of this demon from beyond had scattered the crowds and handlers to leave the cattle completely unprotected.

With a mighty rumbling crash, the Nightfell tore back through the buildings and now that the way was clear, was quickly catching up to the rest of the crew. Claws flexing with the promise of fresh meat to devour, so focused was his attention on the crew members that he didn't notice the flashes of light from their pistols as they shot at the gates to the pens keeping the livestock at bay. No sooner had it gotten through the main gate then was it set upon by a tide of heavily built livestock all charging in a panic to get away and through the opening presented to them. While posing no real threat to the beast, the tide was enough to slow its pace and put a mass of bodies which the Nightfell had to tear through like a scythe cutting blades of grass. While the cattle were little more than particularly juicy bugs to be crushed underfoot, there were a lot of them. For every one crushed another two were there to bash against its feet and hinder its goal of reaching the defilers who had so angered its master.

Over the bellowing cries of the livestock dying or running for their lives, a loud humming could be heard as the hovercraft shot out and down towards the rest of the crew who all piled on. Without bothering to strap in, they grabbed onto whatever was firmly attached and Pasong punched the throttle forward to send them racing back for the ship.

As they sped away, Gabin tapped his communicator and said in as calm a tone he can, “Power up the main guns and aim for the ridge we left over. We'll be there soon." Hearing the strain in his voice and a loud yet muffled thumping noise in the background, Kit narrowed her eyes for a moment, “Captain, what's that noise?"

Their connection was interrupted for a moment by the crackle of plasma bolts, “Oh, it's a six eyed giant hellbeast that's pissed because we took a book." There was a brief pause on the other line before Kit sighed, “Gabin, really?" Ending her com link, she swiped her hand over the control pad in front of her to bring up the ship's engines and with a press of a button connected herself with the ship's coms. “Attention everyone, we've got a large hostile inbound. Everyone get back on the ship and hold on." Doing a quick check of the cargo bay doors to watch the last of the crew that had been lingering by the doors head inside; she didn't bother closing them since it would take too long and swung the ship to face towards their impending target.

With both hands sweeping over her console, Kit felt the ship rumble and heard the faint roar of the engines as they kicked in and angled downward to lift the ship up just enough for her to maneuver into position. Aiming the forward guns directly at the ridge, she held her hand at the ready and wondered what her captain had gotten them into this time.

At that moment, Gabin was firing at the Nightfell as it thundered after them. Now past the herd of cattle that had gotten in its way, the beast was coming after them with lunging strides that shook the earth beneath them. Even at the hovercraft's max speed the beast was gaining even with a hail of plasma fire raining down on it. Every stride brought it just a few inches closer and soon it had grown from a monster far enough away to be intimidating but not too life threatening to getting so close they could hear each of its heated breaths and all but feel the hellfire that burned within its gut as it exhaled. As it opened its mouth to roar with enough force to leave their ears ringing and shake their very bones, Gabin grew tired of his gun being near useless. Drawing his arm back he took aim and whipped it into the beast's open mouth. Crunching its mighty jaws down onto the trinket, there was a brief blue flash as the gun's core was breached and went out in a tiny explosion. But even that did little more than to piss the beast off more.

Snarling as he twisted the steering wheel to avoid a ditch that could have pitched all of them overboard, Pasong yelled over his shoulder, “What was that you said about them scattering after some shots!?" To which Gabin grunted and took another shot with his remaining pistol, “Our weapons must be defective. We need bigger guns."

Suddenly Pasong swerved the ship to the side to avoid the Nightfell's snapping jaws as it came down on the spot where their rear fender had been a split second before. Except, rather than straightening out his steering, the taur pulled a hard right to turn away and shoot off in a different direction. For all of the Nightfell's strength, it couldn't stop itself from careening forward thanks to the amount of momentum it had built behind its lunging legs and the next thing it knew it launched over a ridge where it had a moment to contemplate what this strange giant metal bird was before there was an electric crackling noise and its body was shredded by the ship's main guns.

Twisting around, Gabin was able to catch the very end of the Nightfell's existence as its remains splattered against the front of the ship in a mixture of blood, smoke, and charred gore. While the bigger pieces began to dissipate back into the oily back smoke they had originated from, the blood remained to which the captain silently mused, “ I really hope that comes out when we take off ." Undoubtedly, Kit was going to have a fit since cleaning up what didn't burn off as they left the atmosphere would fall to her. Sure other crewmembers could be assigned clean up duty but Kit took it as a point of pride in how clean the exterior of the ship was. As the hovercraft leveled out and headed back to the cargo bay, he breathed a sigh of relief and with a cheery smile turned to the rest of his crew, “That wasn't so bad now was it?" While Jenna looked aghast at their near death experience and Eddy gave him a look as if to say, “Really captain?" Pasong merely gave a quick snort and seemed calm as ever, “If you say so captain."

Looking at Jenna, Gabin pointed to the book tucked between her legs, “I'll want That to stay off the records. The same goes with the gems you got so no posting about it online." The jackal gave a grumbling sigh as her hand was halfway to her phone ready to send out pictures and make a string of posts about what she had run into on this planet, “Fiiiine~ but can I keep them?" At her hopeful look and figuring she was the best among the crew to decipher what the book contained and how the gems worked, he relented. “Sure, just be careful and let me know what you find out about that book and the gems."

As the hovercraft settled down inside the cargo bay with a softening whine ending with a gentle thud, Gabin tapped into their coms, “Kit, we're all aboard and ready to take off whenever you are. Everyone made it back safely though I'm short a pistol." There was a loud metallic clanking followed by a grinding noise as the cargo bay door began to seal itself up again. Gabin immediately tilted his head to smash one ear into his shoulder and grimaced as his heightened hearing made sure he heard every subtle moment of the metal sliding over metal. His ears had just stopped ringing from the Nightfell's roar too. With a final whisper of a breeze making its way inside, the iron doors shut to once again cast the cargo bay in the glow of artificial light. Rubbing at one of his long ears since the grinding metal had completely blocked out anything his first mate may have said, he spoke a little louder than before, “What was that? I didn't hear you." Kit replied louder in turn, “I said welcome back captain, headquarters called while you were out and want to know why we came to this planet despite all the warnings. Also, they have our next assignment but want us to head to HQ to get our orders."

Gabin's hand moved from his ear to the back of his neck in a smooth motion as he tilted his head up and looked at the ceiling as if to pray to the gods for guidance. With a hint of a sigh as he began planning his defense to the council, “Alright, I'll be up in a minute. Take off and head to home base." As the ship's engines rumbled to life and it began to gain lift, he was about to start heading for the bridge when he noticed Jenna kneeling down and moving her head from side to side looking between some crates. Flicking his ears curiously as he turned to face her, “Jenna, what are you doing?"

But the jackal ignored him and held out her hand towards a space between the crates with a gentle coo, “Come out little guy, don't be afraid." After a pause, there was a soft snuffling sound and a dirty brown furred nose crept out of the crates. Pasong and Eddon stopped what they were doing to watch as a thin bodied yet long limbed furry creature began to emerge. The amber eyes on its ferrety face scanned the room to quickly take in everyone else and assess their threat though Jenna's welcoming hand and calm demeanor helped put him at ease. As more of its body came out, they could see it had large pointed ears and its fur was a mixture of dark brown, tan, and black. Its hands had short claws, dirty brown paw pads on the tips of its fingers and around the palm of its hands. Its legs were slender with large feet though most of its weight rested on the balls of its feet while the rest of its foot was arched up off the ground as if ready to spring in any direction. There was a tuft of tan fur on the tip of its tail and its slender body was roughly the size of a medium earth dog from what Jenna had seen in some pictures.

Though what quickly caught Jenna's eye was the sole piece of clothing on the critter's body, a leather necklace with an emerald gem on the front that immediately reminded her of the slaves they had seen in the city, each of whom bore a similar collar. But it looked too weak to be a slave, probably at best a pet or at worst a sacrifice.

As if rallying its courage, the critter wiggled in place for a moment with its body half out of the safety of the crates before bounding forward to leap into Jenna's lap and purr curiously up at her. Giggling down at her newfound pet, Jenna hooked am arm around it to cradle it in the crook of her arm and pet it with her free hand before standing up to face the crew, “See? It's nothing to be afraid of." Whether she was talking to the crew or her newfound pet, nobody could say. Looking up as if noticing everyone's stares for the first time, Jenna chuckled, “What? I know the procedure; I'll get him checked out by Vick for any bugs and," looking directly at Gabin, “When we get to the home base I'll make up a story that I bought him in one of the markets there before I post about it. I'm sure the big guys won't care That much about an exotic pet."

To this Gabin merely shook his head and turned to leave since this was one thing he'd never be able to keep Jenna from showing to the universe, “Yes, just remember you're cleaning up after that thing's messes. Keep it out of the bridge and it can stay," as Jenna gave a pleased yip and spun around with the critter in her arms which also began to chirp in confusion, not quite sure what it had gotten itself into, Gabin couldn't help but crack a smile.