FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Well, here is the rewrite. A lot of the smaller details have changed, and been edited. The plot remains largely the same though. Hope you enjoy it!

I do not own Start Trek or stuff. I don't claim to. My characters are my own though.

Rewrite, chapter 1

The numbness gave way to shearing pain, but I still wasn't aware of my surroundings. My brain tried to make sense of what I was feeling and hearing.

"Doctor, he's awake!"

"He is metabolizing the drugs at a greater rate than I've seen before. Give him sixty cc's anaprobaline. Make sure he stays sedated!"

"Yes ma'am!"

The hiss barely registered as I slipped once again into a forced nightmare.

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Light flared in the dim hangar. I looked up out the hangar force fields to see a light frigate crumple under fire. The explosion bloomed outward, the shockwave hitting the assault ship as we ran to our drop ships.

"Move!" I yelled, managing to stay on my paws as the ship lurched from the shockwave. My platoon clambered into our drop shuttles, quickly taking our places and pulling the straps and braces down over us.

"Here's the situation ladies and gentlemen!" I said, looking at the 25 men and women in turn. "The Genji are over running the planet. We have already lost two settlements and the main marine base. Octav is the last city to remain. We're going to drop into the main spaceport where the remaining city police and marine garrison have set up an FOB. We, along with the rest of the company, are to hold out against the Genji until the fleet can break the blockade and send more marines. We're to be receiving orders from the CO of the remaining marines. Let's give these Genji shitheads something to be afraid of! Let's show them that they can't conquer us! OORAH!"

"OORAH!"

"Dropping in five seconds ell tee!" The pilot signaled us.

Five seconds later, the drop bay doors opened, and with a hydraulic hiss, we dropped from high orbit. It wasn't the first time I had dropped from an assault ship, or the first time doing so in a battle, but, as I gazed out the viewport, I could never get over the silence as I watched capitol ships exchange broadsides and the fighters duke it out as they buzzed between their parent ships. It was eerie, every explosion, every shot fire was done so in pure silence. Movies show space battles to be loud affairs, but you only ever heard anything if you were in one of the ships, as it vibrated with every shot fired and received.

It was silent until we hit the atmosphere. The ship lurched and vibrated, as the hull screamed from the friction and heat. After what felt like an eternity, but was less than thirty seconds in reality, we cleared the upper atmosphere and the ship slowed. With a bump, we landed on the rubble strewn permacrete landing zone of Octav's spaceport. The straps disengaged, and the hatch dropped open. The acrid stench of battle and destruction and death filled my senses. I bucked up, focused, and stepped out of the drop ship, knowing I could easily die here, light years away from home, while my mother's fleet attempted to break a much larger blockade.

*******************************************************************

This time, the dream didn't end in fiery pain, but fogginess only pharmaceuticals could manage to induce. I inhaled slowly, knowing from experience that waking in a hospital bed should be a slow affair, less chance of painfully discovering what was injured.

"Ssshhhh....take it easy. You are safe. We're taking care of your wounds." A female voice said gently, as my ears swiveled to track it. I opened my eyes, finding myself staring into a kind face, a human face.

"Who are you?" I said, my voice slightly hoarse. "Humans died out two centuries ago."

"It's ok. You're safe. And yes, I'm human. My name is Doctor Sanders." She said, her hand on my forearm. I groaned as I sat up, finding no pain, just stiffness.

"What happened?" I said, my brain still slightly foggy from the drugs.

"Well, you were shot. We treated your wounds, and used about half the pharmacy to keep you sedated." Sanders said with a chuckle, tucking a stray blonde hair behind her ear.

"I remember being in a gunfight. Someone had shot a patrol officer after robbing a bank. We were the closest unit. We confronted the suspects and they opened fire. We exchanged gunfire, I was flanked, then there was an explosion......"

"We dug a bullet out of your shoulder, and one out of your thigh. Three more were in your vest."

"Where's Constable Bondarenko? Tanya? Is she okay?" I asked. If I had been shot, she might have been too.

"She is okay. She'd like to see you." The doctor turned and walked out of the room. That was when I noticed that not only was she human, but she was wearing a blue and black uniform I did not recognize. She might be part of a private firm, or organization, but certainly not anyone in London. No humans there, let alone on earth.

"James!" Tanya said, running up to me. "You're okay!"

"Yeah. I'm fine. I feel fine." I said, returning her hug. "But, where the hell are we?"

"Um. Long story..." Her ears drooped a bit, but her tail had not lost its blurring speed. "Somehow we ended up in a different planet, universe whatever. The commander will-"

The doors in the sickbay opened with a light hiss, and another woman walked in. She was tall, had black hair, and an intense gaze that made me not want to mess with her.

"I see you are awake. Good. I wanted to talk to you Mr. Matrix. My name is Commander Neven. I have already explained everything to Ms. Bondarenko here, but I thought I would explain it to you as well, and answer any questions you have."

I stared at her a bit longer. She was human looking, but had ridges on her nose, making her stand apart from Dr. Sanders. She wore a similar uniform, only red and black, instead of blue and black, along with three silver pips on her collar. Behind her a young man stood, same ridges on his nose as well. He wore a yellow and black uniform, same badge as the commander. He wore a weapon though, obviously security.

"Well, let's start with where I am." I said, eyeing the commander with suspicion; something just didn't feel right.

"The Federation colony on Elesin two." She answered immediately.

"What's the Federation? The only federation I know of is the Alliance Banking Federation, they don't have colonies, they have buildings and an endless supply of annoying bureaucrats."

"The United Federation of Planets is a union of member planets, all part of a common law, trade privileges, protected by Starfleet, a peacekeeping armada."

"Which you are a member of I take it?"

"Yes."

"How'd I get here?"

"We don't know." She said matter of factly.

"Well, I guess I have no more questions." I said sarcastically,

"Mr. Matrix, I don't have time for foolishness."

"And I don't have time for your shit either. Look lady, I don't know where Federation colony Elesin two is, who you are, and why the hell my doctor is a human. They went extinct a century ago. I'm tired, I've been shot, and I'm frankly in a really bad fuckin' mood. Now tell me what the hell is going on here." I said, glaring at the commander, as well as the silent guard, who now had his hand on his weapon now half holstered, and was taking a few steps closer. "What? You gonna shoot a cop in the middle of a hospital?"

"James." I had almost forgotten Tanya was there, her firm voice, as well as her paw squeezing my arm gently, calmed me down a bit. "What she is saying is true as far as I know. During that gunfight, we got flanked, and you were shot. I killed the man who did that, but sometime in the exchange, a truck flipped over, dumping military grade power cells everywhere. Before they exploded, I got us into the rover and put up the energy shields. Somehow the resulting explosion dumped us here. We don't get it, and neither do they, but they are going to try to figure it out."

"Well, what about a shuttle?"

"Earth.....It's different. No furs, just humans, and a lot of alien species I don't recognize. I can recognize a few, and a few are missing as well. The Alliance doesn't exist here either. I can't explain it, but it seems we are in a parallel universe of some sort."

"Really? From a gunfight with bank robbers?"

"Somehow, the shields and power cells reacted, and *poof*, here we are." She said with a frown.

"Are we in a cheesy sci-fi story or what? It's not like explosions are uncommon in a galaxy, but we aren't exactly missing a bunch of people. I've seen plenty of explosions, and something is always left, things don't just vanish, especially two cops and a patrol car."

"No they don't Mr. Matrix, there is always a reason. One we will try to figure out. In the meantime, you can stay here as guests. We will have some quarters set up for you while we try to figure this out. Meanwhile, I have some reports to file, and calls to make. Lieutenant Devin here will escort you to your quarters. Later today, once you have settled in, we'll have a tour of the colony and outpost arranged." Then she finally left. Bitch.

"If you will follow me." Devin said, walking up to us. I reluctantly hopped off the hospital bed, when I realized I was no wearing my uniform, and neither was Tanya. Both of us were wearing very simple shirts and pants.

"Where's our uniforms?" I said, pointedly asking Tanya and not this Devin guy. I was being childish, but I wasn't in the mood, and these people were not doing a satisfactory job of explaining anything. Nor would they win any awards in hospitality. Sure they patched me up, and did a damn fine job of it, but I still did not like the situation I was in with Tanya.

"They are being cleaned and patched up, and will be returned." Devin said, not earning even a glance or ear flick from me.

"He IS right." Tanya confirmed, giving me that "stop being a stubborn ass" look. But I didn't want.

"Well that's dandy." I said, walking to the door, Devin quickly followed. "Thanks doc!" I said, as the doctor walked back in from another door. I kinda liked her, she didn't seem like a bitch. Plus, I got a smile back from her. Devin passed me, and turned back to us.

"Follow me please."

"Only if you will keep that damned thing holstered." I said, scowling, and getting a second look from Tanya.

"Lead the way!" Tanya said cheerfully, following the young human. I followed, still scowling, and realizing I never got my morning coffee. Being shot, transporting to the United Federation of Trigger Happy Guards Bitchy Female Officers and Cute Blonde Doctors of an Extinct Species (UFTHGBFOCBDES for short), losing your uniform and equipment, and missing your morning coffee has a way of ruining my day. Who knew? Since these oddly uniformed aliens were being so serious and pretentious, they would be my target for letting off some of my annoyance.

We followed Happy through the corridors, receiving a few curious looks, and even a few polite smiles. For a people who have never seen tall, walking huskies and foxes, they didn't seem to be all that startled. They must've treated new species to their lovely hospitality before.

We soon came to a pair of neighboring doors. I gave the guard a blank look, waiting.

"These are your quarters, if you will step inside I can-"

"You first." I said cheerfully, receiving the third "look" of the hour from the vixen.

"I can show you the amenities and how they work. Once you get settled in, I can take you on a tour of the colony and facility." He said, ignoring my comment, and walking into the first apartment, followed by an annoyed vixen and a mischievously smiling husky. Devin proceeded to show us how the showers and replicators worked.

"Maybe they can replicate us a way to get home. I'll even settle for a cup of hot coffee." I said, getting a fourth "look". I was on a roll.

"Or something to get that stick out from your fuzzy grey butt." Devin said flatly.

Tanya and I both stared at him in slight shock, our muzzles hanging open. Tanya recovered first, and started laughing, even my scowl turned into a poorly hidden smirk.

"He got you good!" She said still chuckling.

"Touche," I said, giving an exaggerated bow. "Nice to see someone loosen up here. I was beginning to think everyone had steel rods attached to their spines. Sheesh."

"Neven runs a tight ship. We have ways to blow off steam." The dark haired young man said, still looking too stiff and proper for my taste. To me, there was a balance of professionalism, and natural freedom. You cracked down when there was work to be done, but that didn't stop the good natured ribbing, or foam balls being tossed across the squad room, or even light pranks. The Jell-O pranks got old fast, and the inspector put an end to that when his perfectly lined up pens were individually put in Jell-O and neatly placed back in an equally Jell-O-ed pen holder.

"Later tonight, a tailor will swing by your quarters and get some new outfits made for you, as well as bring your uniforms back. Ready for that tour?"

"Lead the way." I said, not receiving a look from Tanya this time.

The tour went well enough. We visited the mess hall, gym, sickbay, and a few other places. What stood out to me though were the two holodecks. They could form an artificial replica of an environment, its people, even the temperature and weather.

"We don't have anything like this in the Alliance. All our resources went into fighting off the Genji." I said, still looking in wonder at what the black box had turned into, my ears and nose twitching and trying to decipher something that shouldn't be there.

"Genji? Never heard of them." Neven said turning back to me.

"Yeah. Nasty bunch. Just dropped on in to known space, carved a path through three empires. The entire quadrant rallied to fight them off. Fought them in a few battles myself, a couple colonies they attacked. We never really knew their reasons. Never could open a dialogue with them. The Alliance and our allies always speculated they were looking for something. Sometimes they'd attack a seemingly random colony, wipe most of it out, turn it upside down, dig up the ground then leave. Never taking resources, loot, or prisoners. Then again, they'd sometimes drop in on a fleet, wipe it out, then leave the planet untouched and vanish again to attack something else. Almost like it was a sport to them. Hard to fight someone who's motivations are unknown."

"You fought them off though?"

"We won some battles, retook colonies, pursued their ships. The war itself was never won. Hundreds of planets later, they just left. Survey ships have found planets in previously unknown regions that have excavations on them, fresh ones. We assume it was the Genji because they did the same things on planets they conquered."

"Huh. Here we kinda have a group like that. The Borg. They advertise their motivations though. Right before they blow you up, they flood the communications, 'we are the Borg. Your technological and biological uniqueness will be added to our own. Prepare to be assimilated.' They too wiped out a lot of ship and cities, but not before turning every person into a drone for their collective. They adapted to our weapons and technology fast, used knowledge from assimilated officers against us. We soon realized the threat and put a lot of effort into battling them. Still do, they adapt to our stuff, so we have to change it."

"Sounds like a fun bunch." Tanya said. "Hopefully we don't run into them."

"So does everyone else. There is a lot of tension in the galaxy, but we can all agree that we dislike the Borg very much." He said, looking around the artificial fields and grasslands.

"So, Devin," I said after a long pause, "you from Earth?"

"You can call me Orias, and yes, I am. From America. Grew up in California, just outside of San Francisco. Parents were both enlisted, as was theirs. I became the first in my family to serve as an officer. You?"

"I grew up mostly in London, England, though I spent a lot of time on stations and military instillations, army brat so to speak."

"I assume though since you're a London cop that you stayed though?"

"Yup, after enlisting. Became an officer when I was twenty, then I spent five more years in the Alliance Marines. Then settled back in London, became a Fire Arms cop, and enjoyed being on soil."

"Yeah, being on a ship, or even a different planet takes time to get used to. What about you?" He said, looking at Tanya, curious.

"I grew up in London. Lived in the same flat my childhood. Went to college, for a couple years, then joined the Metropolitan Police like my parents and siblings. We all live in the same neighborhood, and people always comment how there are five cops living on the street, making it one of the safest."

"You met in the force then?"

"Yup, In the academy." She answered, right as my stomach rumbled.

"Sorry, hungry." I said, feeling a lot more relaxed then I did even a few minutes ago. I was starting to dislike Orias less, now that he wasn't all business.

"Me too, and since I'm still assigned as your escort, lets grab a bite." Orias said, moving to shut down the program. I couldn't help but notice how the uniform slightly outlined his muscles.

*cough* Tanya gave me another look, this one different.

"What?" I asked aloud, knowing full well what it met. The younger vixen just rolled and her eyes and walked out, her fluffy red and white tail wagging lazily a bit. "Don't give me any attitude senior constable, I may be your partner, but I am a sergeant." I said, messing with her as I followed her and Orias.

"So you're a sergeant?" Orias asked, his roguish features alight with poorly masked mirth.

"Yup. Have, had? Have a Fire Arms Squad under my command. Tanya is my partner and my second."

"Interesting. The Metropolitan Police in London was disbanded years ago, and absorbed into the United Kingdom Security Force."

"Yeah, even with the Alliance, and all that's happened over the centuries, we've clung to tradition. In a way, clinging to our humanity." I said.

"You said earlier humans are extinct?" He asked, bringing up a topic I wasn't really sure how to explain.

"Sparknotes version, a few centuries an evolutionary virus got out and forced humans into anthros. Most died, but about a billion anthros woke up to a changed world. Cities left unattended for weeks while they were in comas burned, planes had fallen from the sky, ships ran aground, leaders were wiped out. What followed was decades of chaos as the surviving population tried to come to terms with what happened, while simultaneously trying to sort out who was in charge, how to keep the peace, who was who. Drivers licenses showed human faces, while the holder, still that person, was a fox, or a gecko, or an eagle. Many world leaders were dead, many claimed to be world leaders. Eventually, things fell into place, and centuries later we've recovered. In a way, the virus not just changed us physically, but mentally. With humanity change so vastly and suddenly, we banded together, the remaining billion, to fix things. Still, history shows that the fires, the disasters, had all sorts of environmental, sociological, and psychological impacts. One of the good things is our increased stature and health, disease was rare, yet also we eat a lot more." I said, realizing even the Sparknotes version was long.

"My Earth has a long history too. Early twenty first century, World War Three ravaged the world. Entire countries fell, both anarchy and tyranny took hold. It was a dark time, but we recovered, and Earth is a peaceful place." His version was a lot shorter. "Well, here we are again, the mess hall."

We quickly got our meals. I had three burgers and a large helping of fries, and Tanya, wanting something lighter, had two bowls of soup and two sandwiches. We returned to the table with our weighted down trays, receiving amused looks from several people.

"Got enough there? Or is that just the appetizer?" Orias said, looking amused. He had a full plate, but that was easily dwarfed by our portions.

"Told you we eat a lot. Cheers!" I said, lifting the burger in a salute, then taking a bite. My canine teeth easily ripping a quarter of the burger off, filling my muzzle with the amazing taste of a medium rare beef patty, extra pickles, no mayo, and lots of mustard.

"Not really a British meal." He said, taking his own bite.

"More like, Earth." I said. "When you spend your time on ships with people from every nation, it starts to blend together. You identify more as from the Alliance, aliens don't identify you as British, or even Earthling. Many people are from the colonies, hence we all identify as citizens of the Terran Colonial Alliance. Accents aren't really noticed either by people who don't naturally speak our languages. People knew I was British from my accent, I had a Spanish Medic, a man from India, a Texan sniper, and the rest were from various colonies with their on mish mash of accents. Eden Prime is a mix of a Chinese English accent, with some Russian and British and a hint of American thrown in. You get used to it." I said, chewing the last quarter of the burger, and grabbing the second.

"It's similar here too. In my parents day, it was easy to tell who came from where. Less colonies, and national integration was still fresh. Now it's hard to tell if someone is from America, or from a colony with an American heritage."

"Well, even names hardly to justice. Bondarenko is distinctly Russian, but my family has been in England since before the evolution." Tanya said, finishing her last sandwich and moving on to the last bowl of soup.

"True. In a way its good, but in another it's easy to lose your heritage when those all around you are from vastly different places, and as you said, in a place where what country you come from doesn't matter to those outside your faction. They identify you as Starfleet, sometimes not even human, or Vulcan, let alone American or Colonial." He said philosophically. "We gain so much by becoming a galactic member, and, while losing most of that old Earth prejudice, we also lose a bit of our heritage."

"Exactly. That's part of the reason I moved back to London and joined the Met. I wanted to be in a place where I was British, where me being a Londoner set me apart from those from the countryside, where all that still mattered. It's comforting to feel a little more significant, like the tide of the galaxy isn't swallowing my identity. Now I'm in a new one, where I'm an enigma."

"It happens to us too. A lot of people in Starfleet struggle with that identity. It's harder for those who come from families with such strong traditions. For me, Starfleet is a tradition, but what about those whose families have lived in the same house for centuries? Whose familial traditions have weathered the wars and famines and disease, simply because their relatives refused to give up? You lose all that the minute you slip on the uniform."

"Yeah. Everything comes at a price. Some things never change." I said, before washing down the last of my meal with the last of my milk. "That was good."

"Yeah it was." Tanya said, similarly done. "I'm stuffed."

"I hope so, I think the replicators might need retuning after the work out you two gave them."

"You saying I'm fat?" Tanya said seriously.

"Uhhhh....Not at all. Just saying you eat a lot." Orias said, clearly unnerved.

"Tanya..." I said, trying not to laugh. "Stop scaring the man."

"I was just messing. You should see the look you had on your face!"

"All this technology, alien knowledge, centuries of work and women still confound men." I said to Orias with a laugh.

"Some things never change." He quoted me with his own laughter.

After a bit more chatting, we made our way out of the mess hall, and back to our quarters. There we parted with Orias who had to return to his security duties for the rest of his shift. We also met the tailor, who was giddy with excitement about designing us new clothes, ones for such a unique species. For about an hour, we picked colors and designs that worked with our fur color. My grey and white fur was easier than Tanya's red and white fur, but to my relief, the Tailor, a tiny energetic woman, scuttled off to get the clothes ready.

In all that time, we hadn't noticed our uniforms were neatly set on the beds. No trace of the blood or tears or anything. They were crisp and pristine. The shirts, jackets, vest, ID badges, insignia, were all exactly in their proper place. They would pass even the worst inspection.

We both dressed in the uniforms, and felt some sense of normalcy returning. Tanya knocked on my door, and entered with my confirmation to the door computer.

"I still feel naked without the radio, and all our stuff." She said, one hand holding her cap, the other fidgeting with an empty equipment belt.

"Me too. At least they gave us back our badges. Still, even if we don't get them back yet, I need to make sure all our equipment is being taken care of properly. I don't want to get back, then get written up because a spare radio was left behind in another dimension."

"Inspector McClyde would do that too." She said, dropping her arms to her side in a bit of a huff. "Now that we've stopped moving around, my brain has time to think about all this shit. What about our families? Our coworkers? Our lives and jobs? Hell, what about the cop who was shot? Did we get the bastards that shot him? Did they die in the explosion? Will anyone realize what happened? I mean your mother is a Fleet Admiral, maybe she will have someone look into it? Will they give up? Will we even get back? What if-" I embraced her there. Her ranting coming to an end with a light sob. I just kept her in my arms as she cried quietly.

"Sorry sarge." She said, pulling away and wiping her facial fur full of tears. "I'm trained to deal with so much, and all this is just TOO much. I mean, at least you were a marine, you've dealt with being away from home for so long. I haven't."

"Well, it helps a bit, but even I'm overwhelmed. All we gotta do is stay calm, stay sane, and do our best to live. We'll get home eventually, I'm sure of it. If not the Federation being responsible for us getting home, than the Alliance will." I said, taking a deep breath. "People will miss us, people will look. It could take time, but we never leave behind others. If one thing has come from the Evolution and wars, it's that we don't leave anyone behind, a sense of survival. They will look. It will take time, but it will happen. I know that when a ship goes missing, we look until either we find evidence, or it's clear there isn't any yet. Even then, a ship declared lost is still in the minds of the Fleet."

"I know. It's just sucks." She let out a gasping laugh, "to say the least."

"Yeah, it does, but together, as partners, and as friends, we will get through this." I said, making Tanya smile a bit.

"Orias sure is a looker isn't he?" She said grinning now. It was my turn to give Tanya a "look".

Hope y'all enjoyed it as mcu has I enjoyed writing it. Comments and feedback is welcome!