GALACTIC UNITY

By:  Mark J. Hadley

 

*        *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

 

CHAPTER 13:

“Security”

 

 

The rest of the trip to the checkpoint station was mostly uneventful.  Buttercup managed to figure out how to cook using the equipment on board, and was able to make a broiled ilyae root for everyone.  Or rather, charbroiled, because she cooked them a little too long, and the outer skin of the roots ended up a crispy black color.  Still, it was edible, and not bad at all for her first try.

Checkpoint Station 41 was situated near one of the borders of the territory protected by galactic law.  This would be the last stop before heading out into the uncontrolled regions.  Blossom carefully docked the ship at the entrance.  She had no difficulties doing so; these maneuvers were quickly becoming second nature for her.

The three of them entered the station, passing through the terminals and giving their names and species, as they did before.  Thankfully, they were now on record, so they didn’t have to go through the classification procedures again.  As the entered the heart of the station, they tried to decide what to do next while they waited.  Mojo wasn’t due to show up for a while yet.

“Hey, look at this!” Blossom exclaimed, flying quickly over to a bank of terminals against the side of the ‘lobby’.  The other girls followed as Blossom started typing at it.  “Information workstations.  Kind of like a mini-library.  Maybe we can learn more about some of the species around here.”

“Do they have the Centraxians listed?” Bubbles asked.

“I’m sure they do, but we already know all about them,” Blossom said.  “I’d like to see if the Gyahembu come up in a search though.”  Punching it up, an image of a species similar to the one they saw at Paradise Fringe was displayed.  “Yeah…they’re comprised of lots of different species, but most of them are these kind of guys.”

Buttercup nodded, and pointed curiously to a list in the corner, “What’s this?  It looks like a bunch of names…”

Blossom said, “Hey, yeah, you’re right!  I think it’s a list of people that have come through this way.  See the numbers next to them, how each one is larger than the one above it?  It’s probably some kind of date or time.”

“Cool,” Bubbles said.  “Try putting Alyxk’s name in there.”

Blossom entered it, and a list of numbers rolled by.  “Heh…well now, if only we knew how to read the dates…”

“At least we know he came by this way,” Buttercup pointed out.

“Yeah, you’re right…say…”  On the offhand chance, Blossom punched in the name Ghoraan, and was surprised to see that there was an entry for it.  She smiled, “Ghoraan’s been this way!  He must still be alive!”

“Maybe,” Buttercup said.  “Who knows how long it’s been since that time, though?”

Bubbles was looking away from the screen and pointing, “I’ll bet he would…”  The other girls looked in the direction she was pointing, and saw another familiar face.  Alyxk was crossing the lobby, walking towards them.  The girls left the terminal and met him halfway.

“Powerpuff Girls,” he greeted them, with his usual telepathic buzz.  “It’s good to see you again.”

“You too, Alyxk,” Blossom said.  “Hey, you know, we were just looking for you…we could use your help…”

“You’re attacking the Gyahembu?  Of course I’ll help,” Alyxk told them.

Blossom was startled for a moment, then remembered about him being telepathic.  “Do you have anything that can help us?”

Alyxk thought about it, “I can find you weapons on the market, if that’s what you want.  You three have abilities better than most of the weapons I could probably find, though…”

“We don’t need any weapons,” Buttercup said.  “Our ship might, though…”

“You’re still flying that Centraxian ship, are you?”  When the girls nodded, Alyxk continued, “Then you definitely need armament.  Ship-type weaponry will be easier to come by.  They have some at this very station.  It’s illegal to use, except in self-defense, but you’ll be outside the borders of galactic law anyway.”

“Let’s do that, then,” Blossom said, nodding.  “Can you take care of it?”

“Sure, just give me a few hours to collect and install the equipment,” Alyxk replied.  He grinned, “Don’t worry, I’ll include non-lethal weapons as well.  I figured that you don’t like just destroying everything in your path.  I’ll install ion cannons and EMP disruptors in addition to the normal blasters.”

Bubbles, though, seemed a little concerned, “What’ll this cost you?  How do we pay you back?”

Alyxk waved it off, “You’re attacking the Gyahembu.  I still owe you a huge debt for rescuing Ykrsk.  Consider this payback.”  He glanced over at the docking area, “I’d better get to work, then, if I want to get done before you leave…”

“That’s okay, take your time,” Blossom said.  “We’re waiting for someone, anyway.  And thanks again for all your help!  It’s great to have someone else we can count on out here…”

‘Certainly, anytime,” Alyxk said.  He gave a small bow, and headed off to begin the enhancements.

“The more help we get, the better this is gonna go,” Buttercup said, watching him enter the docking bay.

“Yeah, five heads are better than three,” Bubbles agreed.

A thought suddenly occurred to Blossom, and she said, “Girls, we need to come up with some new attack plans.  We don’t have any involving a spaceship, you know.  I have a few ideas…”

Buttercup smirked, “Of course you do.  So do I, though.  Let’s see whose is better!”  The girls all huddled together at one of the seats in the waiting area, each of them giving their suggestions for their new battle strategies.  Even Bubbles had a few good ideas that were included in the final plans.  This work took them a few hours, passing away the time until Mojo would arrive…

 

*              *                *

 

                Why am I doing this? Mojo thought.  These are the Powerpuff Girls…they are my worst enemies.  I would finally be accepted into the Gyahembu, simply by turning them in.  So why am I helping them?  Mojo puzzled over these thoughts as he docked his ship at the checkpoint station.

                He emerged from the airlock, and thought, Perhaps the loss of my home planet has softened me.  I would not like to think so…no, I am bad, I am evil…but Mojo also always keeps his word, and I was foolish enough to give it to the Powerpuffs.  But this is irrelevant…I am getting rewarded for this, so perhaps I am still on the course to becoming the mercenary that I had originally planned for myself, only not in the same precise method.

                He passed through the checkpoint station, saying, “Mojo Jojo.  Earth.”  Thankfully, the Galactic Monitors didn’t stop him this time.  They previously did not recognize his species the last time he passed through, and he had to undergo a brief examination.  They had recognized his planet, though, and he thought that to be a little strange at the time, although now he surmised that it must have been because of the Powerpuff Girls.

                As he entered the heart of thee station, he spotted the girls waiting for him.  They immediately flew over, and Blossom said, “Hey, Mojo!  Glad you could make it!”

                “Yeah,” Buttercup said, “though I’m almost surprised you actually showed…”

                “That makes two of us, Buttercup,” Mojo growled.  “It would have been child’s play to turn you over to them, but perhaps there is something to this reward you promised me.”

                “Don’t worry, you’ll get it,” Blossom assured him.

                “I had better,” Mojo insisted.  “This is as risky for me as it is for you.  Riskier!  In your case, it is simply defiance, but in mine, it is treason.  However, I do not plan on being discovered, so we’ll see how everything goes.”

Bubbles nodded.  “So, what’s the plan?”

                Mojo explained, “It is like this…I will fly ahead to Paradise Fringe, where I shall temporarily disable their long-range sensors, leaving them blind to what is occurring outside the range of their station.  You will still have to confront or evade their patrol ships, which will be undoubtedly watching for you, as they are already expecting your arrival to rescue this friend of yours.”

                “That doesn’t sound too bad,” Buttercup said.  “What next?”

                “Next, you shall dock at Module 2,” Mojo continued.  “It is the closest to the detention center, and will be the fastest way there.  By that time, I will have disabled their short-range sensors as well.  You must hurry, because I will only be able to mask their sensors for a short time, since a complete sensor grid shutdown such as I will be attempting will not go unnoticed by them.”

                “Great!” Blossom said.  “When do we start?”

                “Right now…I will depart for Paradise Fringe at once.  Give me an hour to prepare before you begin your assault.”  Mojo stuck out his hand to shake and said, “I never imagined I would ever utter these words, but…good luck, Powerpuff Girls.”

                Blossom shook his hand, “Thanks…you too, Mojo.”

                Mojo gave a *hmmph*, and turned around, heading back for his ship.  He thought to himself, I must be losing my mind.  This is not like me at all.  No, forget it.  Just focus on the reward…

 

*              *                *

 

                “How are we doing?” Bubbles asked.

                Blossom continued piloting the ship towards Paradise Fringe, the stars streaking past the window in front of them.  She said, “Not bad.  We’re halfway there, and they haven’t picked us up yet.  It looks like Mojo must have done it.”

                “Cool,” Buttercup said.  She and Bubbles were already wearing their spacesuits, in anticipation of the first part of their plan.  “What about the patrol ships?”

                “They’re still ahead,” Blossom replied.  “I’m going to slow us back down again before we hit them.  They’ll pick us up for sure at our speed, but if we take it easy, we might be able to sneak past them without a fight.”

                They watched the navigational screen, as they pulled closer to the defense line.  Finally, the ship was almost within their range, and Blossom initiated a reverse singularity to slow them down.  Everything lurched forward momentarily as the ship dropped out of faster-than-light travel.

                “Ok, you two better get to the airlocks.  I’ll signal you when you need to go,” Blossom ordered.

                “Right,” Bubbles nodded.  She and Buttercup flew out of the cockpit, heading for the airlock, while Blossom armed the new weapons that were added to the ship.  The blasters and ion cannons came online, and the EMP disruptors started charging.

                Buttercup’s voice came through the radio, “We’re all set!”

                Blossom was about to respond, when the patrol ships came onto their scanners.  Immediately after getting within sensor range, the ships began an intercept course with them.  “All right, this is it…they’ve spotted us.  Launch!” Blossom said back to them.

                Buttercup and Bubbles opened the airlock and flew out, just as the small ships came into view.  They were tiny fighters, ten of them, and the computer immediately identified them as computer-controlled drones.  At least that meant they could use lethal force.  Buttercup said, “Launched!”

                “Plan Lambda-Beta-1!” Blossom shouted, kicking the speed up a little, flying directly towards them.  The other girls flanked the ship as it approached.  The drone ships opened fire on Xianea’s ship, but Blossom rolled it to the side, and the blasts harmlessly passed around it.  She opened fire with her own blasters, striking the lead two ships dead-on.  The ships exploded, and the other patrol ships broke from their formation, flying to the left and right.

                Buttercup and Bubbles were prepared, however, and intercepted the ships from each side.  They each managed to grab hold of a ship as it flew by them.  They couldn’t hold on for long, because of the thrust the ships were putting out, but they had enough time to twist them around so that they were facing each other.  They both released, and the ships shot forward, both of them colliding and exploding.

                The remaining six ships circled around and began another attack run.  One of them got on Blossom’s tail, and she said, “Plan Lambda-Beta-4, hurry!”  A few blasts nicked the rear shields, causing the ship to shake up a little.  She weaved around to dodge the other blasts.

                Moments later, Blossom and Bubbles had circled around and approached the ship from the sides.  They each grabbed hold of one of its wings, pulling it to a halt.  While they did this, Blossom spun the ship around quickly, and fired a quick series of shots directly at the ship that they held.  At the last instant, the girls released and flew back, just before the shots impacted, destroying the ship.

                Buttercup grinned…so far, the new Lambda-Beta plans were working flawlessly.  Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted three of the remaining ships coming in, and said, “Blossom…think maybe Lambda-Beta-9 would work here?”

                “Good call…go for it!” Blossom said.  Buttercup flew off away from the group and headed for the three ships.  They took shots at her, but didn’t even come close to hitting something as small as she was.  They were prepared to change course, when Blossom fired a shot from the ship’s EMP disruptors.  The brilliant blue wave of energy passed through all three fighters…they were disabled, electricity sparking across their frames.  That was all that Buttercup needed…charging forward, she smashed right through all three ships shoulder-first, and they exploded behind her.

The remaining two ships turned and looked like they were ready to flee back to the station, to warn the Gyahembu that they were coming.  Bubbles had already flown around and blocked off their escape, though.  As they passed by her, she punched the side of one, knocking it slightly off-course.  It was just enough to cause it to crash into the other, and they exploded in a final bright display.

“Way to go, girls!” Blossom congratulated them.  “It should be smooth sailing from here on in, at least until we reach the station.”  She lined up the ship for the singularity jump and added, “Let’s get moving, we need to get there before they find out that their patrol ships are gone.”

Bubbles and Buttercup returned to the ship, flying in through the airlock.  As soon as they were safely on-board, Blossom made the singularity jump, continuing on their way.  That was almost too easy, Blossom thought.  I just hope that Mojo manages to disable those sensors, or we’ll be flying right into a trap…

 

*              *                *

 

                In the control room at Paradise Fringe, the two technicians manning the controls frowned at the readouts.  “This is strange,” one of them said.  “We haven’t heard back from Patrol-2 yet.  They were due for a report five minutes ago.”

                “Probably just some interference,” the other one said.  “Some ion storm or…possibly a…”  He trailed off as he noticed something else.  One of the ships departing the station from the other side passed out of short-range sensors, and simply vanished.  “Something’s wrong…why aren’t the long-range sensors following that ship?”

                The doors slid open behind them.  They turned to look, but no one entered.  Shrugging, they returned their gazes to the console, and the first one said, “Run a complete diagnostic of those sensors, and contact Belfiust imme—“

                Before he could finish, the doors started to slide shut, but a figure dashed through the opening just before it did.  A beam shot out from the weapon in his hands, striking the two technicians from behind.  A green energy surrounded both of them, and they collapsed out of their chairs, immobilized.

                Mojo dropped his weapon to the ground and hurried over to the control panel.  With a grin, he punched a few buttons and said, “And now, they are blinded.  My work here is completed…I must return to my ship and escape before anyone discovers that I was the one responsible for helping the Powerpuff Girls…”

                Alarms started going off, as Mojo expected.  By the time they got here, though, Mojo would be long gone.  He turned and hurried out of the control room, scooping up his weapon and taking it with him on the way out.

 

*              *                *

 

                Belfiust, who was seated behind his desk in his office, heard alarms going off around him.  Raising an eyebrow, he checked his display panel, and gritted his teeth angrily.  “What is going on here?”  He opened the communications channel to the control room and said, “Control!  Why are our sensors all offline?”

                There was no response.  He blinked a few times, then opened a different channel and said, “Drax, I believe we’re under attack, or will be shortly.  Prepare all security personnel as expected.”

                Drax’s voice came back, “Right away.”  Belfiust nodded and turned to look out of the window.  The attack had begun on them, as they had expected, but it turned out that the Earthlings were craftier than he had predicted.  He was confident that they still wouldn’t succeed.  After all, he had a trick or two for them along the way…

 

TO BE CONTINUED…