GALACTIC UNITY

By:  Mark J. Hadley

 

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CHAPTER 14:

“Rescue”

 

 

Xianea’s ship came out of faster-than-light travel, coming into view near Paradise Fringe.  As the girls looked out of the window at the station, they saw that there weren’t any ships waiting for them.  The plan had succeeded…they hadn’t detected their presence, and were unprepared for the assault.

Mojo, you did it, Blossom thought.  Way to go!  “All right,” she said, “I’m bringing the ship in.  We don’t want to waste any time…as soon as I dock, let’s roll!  Remember, head straight for the detention center, and then straight back once we rescue Xianea.”

“Ready when you are, Bloss,” Buttercup said.  Her expression was fierce and determined, but she was smiling, like she was anticipating the fight.  Bubbles, next to her, nodded and prepared herself for the battle as well.

The ship soared across to the docking module, and Blossom carefully moved it into position, slowly attaching the ship’s airlock to the station.  There weren’t any other ships docked at that particular module…Blossom thought that was a little odd, but didn’t give it much thought.  After a few moments, the maneuver was completed, and the ship was secure.  The girls immediately flew over to the airlock, passing through into the station.

There were alarms going off.  Other than the steady buzz of the alarms, though, things were fairly quiet.  They saw no one in the corridor, not even any guards.  This caught them a little by surprise.  “They must know we’re coming,” Blossom said.  “They probably all pulled back to guard the detention center.”

“We can take ‘em,” Buttercup said confidently.

“Right!” Bubbles agreed.  “So what are we waiting for?  Let’s go!”

Without any further hesitation, the girls burst into high speed, flying through the corridors of the station in a hurry, leaving brightly colored trails of pink, blue, and green in their wake.  The station really looked empty…not a single person was around.

They must have done more than just pull the guards back, Blossom thought.  They must have evacuated this entire module.  Probably didn’t want anyone getting in the way of the fight.  But that doesn’t really sound like the Gyahembu for some reason…so why did they do it?

A thought suddenly occurred to Blossom and she stopped dead in her tracks.  “Girls!  It’s a trap!  Quick, back to the ship!”

“What?” Bubbles and Buttercup said together.  Blossom shot back the way they came, and the girls followed.  As they started back up the corridors, they became aware of a rumbling sound in the distance.  She’s right, it is a trap, Buttercup thought…what are they doing?

They were quick to find out.  As they reached the row of airlocks leading back to their ship, they were seized by a powerful wind…the other airlocks along that row, and likely all over the rest of the module, were wide open…the air was being sucked out of the module and into space.  Yelping with surprise, the girls struggled against the heavy pull of the vacuum outside.

Blossom managed to make it to the opposite wall and grabbed hold of a pipeline running along the side.  Buttercup grabbed hold as well, and Bubbles hung onto her legs.  Carefully, Blossom worked her way hand-over-hand, inching towards the airlock for their own ship.

Buttercup struggled, however, just to keep her grip, “Can’t…hold on…hurry, Blossom!”

After a few more moments, Blossom made it to the airlock door that lead to their ship, pulling herself through.  Buttercup gritted her teeth, trying to hold on, but one of her arms slipped.  She still held on with the other, but the sudden change in position caused Bubbles to lose her grip on her legs.  With a shriek, she was pulled towards the airlock…

“No!” Buttercup shouted.  Bubbles stuck an arm out at the last instant, grabbing hold of the airlock’s edge.  Her feet dangled out of the airlock in space.  “Hang on, Bubbles!  Don’t let go!”
                “Help!” Bubbles screamed, “I’m slipping!  I’m slipping!”  Buttercup looked around for something, anything…but there was nothing around that could help her out.  While she tried desperately to think of something, the airlock leading to their ship opened, and Blossom flew out, wearing her spacesuit.  She had the other two spacesuits tucked under one of her arms.

She saw the position that Bubbles was in, and realized she had to act fast, crossing the corridor quickly.  Bubbles lost her grip, but less than an instant later, Blossom grabbed hold of her arm.  She braced her feet on the ground and slowly started taking a few steps backwards, pulling Bubbles back into the station.

It was finally becoming easier to move, now that the air in the station was getting thinner, but it was becoming more difficult to breathe as well.  Bubbles and Buttercup both took a deep breath and held it, before the last of the air was sucked out of the station.  Thankfully, their physiology protected them from the vacuum of space, but they still wouldn’t be able to hold that air for long.  Now that they were no longer being pulled towards the still-open airlocks, they were able to hastily don their spacesuits.

Able to breathe once again, the two released the breaths they were holding, and leaned up against the wall thankfully.  “That was way too close,” Buttercup remarked.

“Yeah,” Bubbles agreed, panting.  “I thought I was a goner…”

After a few more moments of rest, Blossom said, “All right, let’s get moving…with any luck, they’ll think the trap worked, and they won’t be expecting us to attack…”  No sooner than she had said that, but she noticed what looked like security cameras on the corridor ceiling.  “Nevermind, they probably already know…let’s not waste any more time, c’mon!”

 

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                The three guards in front of the detention block had their weapons raised and aimed down each of the corridors at that intersection.  Their orders were to shoot at the first sign of trouble…but so far, it had been quiet.

                “Maybe the trap worked,” one of the guards said to another.

                “Maybe,” the second guard replied, “but we’re still not moving until Belfiust gives us the okay…”

                The third guard shushed them, “Quiet…do you hear that?”  As the guards strained to hear, they became aware of a sound far off in the distance…it sounded like some of the airlock doors, and it was coming from the direction of the module where the girls landed.  They tightened their grips on their weapons, keeping a close watch.

                Everything remained amazingly quiet after that…only the constant buzz of the alarms.  Then, suddenly, they heard another sound…it was a scurrying sound, like something crawling across the ground, but it was coming from the walls, and seemed to be coming from different directions.  It sounded crazily like something was crawling along the walls, but was invisible somehow.

                “What’s going on?  Show yourself!” one of the guards shouted.  The scurrying sound continued, until suddenly three different vents leading to the ventilation shafts kicked open simultaneously.  The Powerpuff girls leapt out from them, mere feet from each of the guards.  Each of them was still wearing their spacesuits, but their helmets were off, each tucked under one of their arms.  The guards tried to swing their weapons around, but the girls were upon them in less than an instant.  With a quick shot of eyebeams from each of them, the guards’ weapons were blasted right out of their hands.

                The guards staggered back, and tried to draw a second weapon, but the girls followed up their eyebeams with a quick flurry of punches and kicks, knocking them flat on the ground, unconscious.  Buttercup dusted her hands off, and said, “Three down…none to go.”

                “Now, come on, I’m sure that wasn’t all of them…” Blossom reminded her.

                “I know, I know,” Buttercup said.  “Let’s just break Xianea out of there and get going before more of them show up.”  All three of them left their helmets on the ground outside the door, and opened it.

                As it slid open, they saw someone standing in the middle of the detention center.  They recognized him instantly as Drax Kanard, the bounty hunter who had deceived them and captured Xianea.  A large laser rifle was in one hand, and another strange looking pistol-like device in the other.  He looked up as the girls entered with a crafty grin.

                “It’s you!” Bubbles said.

                “That’s right,” Drax replied.  “I see you’ve come to rescue your friend.  I’m afraid I can’t allow that.  You’ll have to get past me first.”

                “Fine!” Buttercup shouted.  “You asked for it!”  She charged forward, fists at the ready.  Drax just stood there as she approached, not budging a muscle.  She was across the room in less than a split-second, but at the last moment, Drax dropped down to the ground, raising the pistol and firing it at point-blank range.

                A blue sphere of energy struck her dead-center, and when it did, it expanded and surrounded her, trapping her within it.  The sphere bounced across the ground a couple of times before rolling into a corner of the room and coming to a rest.  Buttercup, still inside it, blinked a few times in surprise, then started punching at the sphere, but it wouldn’t give.

                “Buttercup!” Bubbles exclaimed.

                “Well now, that was easy,” Drax said confidently.  “So who’s next?”

                Bubbles was about to attack, but Blossom said, “No, Bubbles, wait!  Plan Sigma-Delta-12, ready?”  Bubbles nodded, and faced Drax, smiling.  He frowned back and raised his rifle, waiting for them to make their move.

                They each took off in separate directions, circling around Drax.  As he watched, they continued circling him at a high speed, barely visible except for the pink and blue trails they left behind, surrounding him like a tornado.  Though the move was meant to confuse him, his expression became disdainful, and he said, “Oh please…”  With that, he fired a shot from his pistol at the blur, striking one of them with another energy sphere.

                Bubbles came to a stop and watched in dread as the second sphere bounced to the ground.  Blossom pushed against it, but she was trapped.  “Oh no!” Bubbles said.  “Blossom!”

                “Hmph,” Drax scoffed.  “I thought you three would be a challenge, but I see I am sadly mistaken.  Ah well, a job is a job.”  He holstered his pistol and raised his rifle instead, “Now, for the final Earthling…”

                A narrow beam of bright orange energy shot out from the rifle, and Bubbles dodged it with a cry of alarm.  She flew down and took cover behind a small console.  Drax laughed and said, “I can’t believe Belfiust was so worried about you Earthlings.  You’re nothing!  You’re a joke!  A bunch of little children, nothing more…”

                Bubbles clenched her teeth, as a rage built within her.  She leapt out from behind cover and let loose a piercing sonic scream, which caused the whole room to shake, and caused Drax to throw his hands over his ears in shock, dropping his rifle in the process.  It did more than that, though…the force of the soundwaves disrupted the energy spheres surrounding Blossom and Buttercup…they rippled strangly, and suddenly shattered like glass, dissolving into the air and freeing them.

                Drax was still reeling from the attack, when all three girls flew towards him at the same time.  Eyes widening in alarm, he jumped up high, reaching the ceiling in a single leap, and grabbed hold of one of the supports.  The girls stopped beneath him and looked up at him.  Before they could do anything else, though, Drax had clicked a button on his belt.

                A greenish field of energy surrounded him, and he became transparent.  “It’s time for me to return to my ship,” He called out.  “I could continue fighting you now, but I’d probably lose, given the circumstances.  Next time we meet, however, you won’t be so lucky.  Enjoy this brief victory while you can!”  The girls tried to fly up after him, but before they could reach him, he vanished.

                “Nuts!  I owe him a good wallop in the face…” Buttercup said angrily.

                “Let him go for now,” Blossom said.  “We still have Xianea to rescue, and he won’t be in our way anymore.”

                Just as she said this, Xianea’s voice called out from one of the cells, “I’m in here!”  The girls rushed over and looked through the window on the cell…sure enough, it was Xianea, up against the glass and looking back at them.  They both looked overjoyed to see each other.

                “Xianea!  Are you all right?”  Bubbles asked.

                “I’m fine,” she answered.  “Girls, it’s great to see you again!  I knew you would come to rescue me…although I was afraid, too, because you were walking into a trap on my account.  I would never have been able to forgive myself if you were hurt because of me…”

                “Same with us,” Blossom told her.  “That’s why we had to rescue you.”

                Xianea smiled, and stepped back from the door, so that the girls could break through it.  Buttercup fired her eyebeams and cut a large hole in it, the section she cut away landing on the ground with a loud *CLANNG*.  Xianea climbed out of the opening, happy to be free at last.

                They all had so many things to say, but Blossom decided that they could talk about it later, and said, “We need to get out of here before more guards show up…”

                “Right!” Xianea and the other girls said together.  Hurrying out of the detention center, they began back for their ship, the girls scooping their helmets up from the ground where they had left them as they went…

 

*              *                *

 

                “They what?!” Belfiust shouted, enraged.

                His aide cowered slightly and said in a meek voice, “Th-they got away, sir…the Centraxian was freed by the Earthlings, a-and apparently Mr. Kanard has fled…”

                “Prepare my ship at once!  And send all  fighters with it!” Belfiust ordered.  As the aide rushed out, he clenched a fist and said aloud to no one in particular, “Must I do everything myself ?”

 

*              *                *

 

                Xianea’s ship, now with Xianea back at the helm once again, rocketed away from the station and made a singularity jump, starting them back on their way to controlled galactic space.  Xianea breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I’m amazed that you could overcome all those defenses to rescue me…”

                “We had some help,” Blossom said.  “We ran into another survivor from Earth…”

                “Really?” Xianea said, surprised.

                “Yeah,” Bubbles said, “and he turned off their sensors so they couldn’t see us coming.”

                Buttercup nodded and pointed at the control panel, “Plus, we ran into Alyxk again, and he installed some weapons on your ship…I, er, hope you don’t mind…”

                Xianea was a little disconcerted at that, but said, “No, it’s okay.  If it was necessary for the rescue, then it’s all right with me.”

                Before another word could be said, their sensors picked up a large number of ships approaching them from behind, almost fifty of them, also moving at faster-than-light speeds.  “Uh oh, we’ve got company!” Buttercup exclaimed.

                “Gyahembu ships…” Xianea said.  “That one in the lead looks like Belfiust’s ship.  I guess he’s not going to just stand by and watch us leave…”

                “What now?” Bubbles asked.

                Xianea smiled slightly and said, “Now, we drop out of faster-than-light travel.”  With that, she activated the singularity generators, pulling their ship to a stop once again.  The girls weren’t prepared for this, and were jolted forward a little by it.

                “Hey!  What…” Blossom began, but then saw outside the window where they had stopped.  They were almost upon one of the checkpoint stations that bordered controlled galactic space.  What’s more, the Monitors must have detected the Gyahembu’s approach, because at least a dozen of their ships were scrambled in preparation.

                The Gyahembu fleet appeared into view in a burst of singularities, and they could see Belfiust’s ship starting to come about, like he had realized his error and was attempting to flee.  Before he could, however, the Monitors were upon them.  Even though they were greatly outnumbered, the Monitors were far more powerful, and in no time, their ion cannons had disabled all of the ships, including Belfiust’s.

                They watched this from the window of their own ship, and Blossom asked, “What’s going to happen to them now?”

                “They’ll be arrested under Galactic Law,” Xianea replied.  “Belfiust is a wanted criminal to them.  They haven’t been able to do anything about it in the past, because he’s always stayed outside of their borders, beyond their jurisdiction.  He was so concerned with catching us, though, that it probably slipped his mind for a moment.  He’ll regret that mistake.”

                As the Monitors began apprehending the ships, towing them back to the station, Xianea maneuvered the ship into docking position at the station’s entry port.  They went through the usual procedures, exiting the ship and passing through the security terminals, moving into the station.  As they did, Blossom made a beeline for one of the information workstations, typing into it.

                Xianea walked over to her and asked, “What are you looking for?”

                “The last time we were at one of these stations,” Blossom explained, still typing, “we looked up Ghoraan’s name, and it actually showed up.  I wanted to see if he’s been by this way, too.”

                The other girls hovered over as well, looking over their shoulders to see the results of the search.  His name was indeed brought up on the list.  Xianea peered carefully at the date and said, “This is strange…that’s today’s date, and the time of his arrival was barely five minutes ago….”

                Reflexively, the girls looked around the lobby, in case he was nearby.  They didn’t immediately see him, but then they spotted a small figure seated off to one side, wearing a heavy cloak and sitting there staring at the ground, as though lost in deep though.  They couldn’t see his face from behind the hood of his cloak, but the size and shape of him was perfect…it looked like their search for the last remaining Zadron was over almost before it started…

 

TO BE CONTINUED…