GALACTIC UNITY

By:  Mark J. Hadley

 

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CHAPTER 16:

“Deception”

 

 

“…and so, we take this day to honor Xianea, and elevate her to the status of ‘Grand Procurer of Knowledge’, for her acquisition of the data contained within the long-sought Hkratth Library.”

There were hundreds of thousands of Centraxians gathered at the base of the Repository of Knowledge, and they were all applauding with great enthusiasm.  There were also a large number of off-worlders in attendance, as such an event on Centraxia was rare, and the Centraxians gladly accepted anyone to join in on the festivities.  At the front were a few key individuals on Centraxia, and standing in the lead were Xianea, with the Powerpuff Girls, Mojo Jojo, Alyxk and Ykrsk standing next to her.  Except for Mojo, they were all smiling…this was a joyous occasion for all of them.  Mojo looked a little uncomfortable standing out with them, but maintained a sense of cordiality anyway.

The speaker continued, “We also honor her guests to Centraxia, the off-worlders named Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, Mojo Jojo, Alyxk, and Ykrsk.  Without their own efforts, this great success may never have happened.  Thanks to them, Xianea is safe, and back with us once again.”

The speaker concluded his speech by saying, “May your name live on forever in Centraxian history, and be honored amongst even the great Ilxanye, whose great sacrifice will always be remembered.”  All the Centraxians bowed their heads at the mention of that name, only for a moment, before the speaker finally announced, “Let the celebration begin!”

The roar of the crowd was almost deafening.  Light displays shot overhead, looking almost like fireworks, but look as though they were projecting lasers instead of pyrotechnics.  The Repository of Knowledge itself was lit up in dazzling colors, like a prism, and glowed like a beacon to commemorate Xianea’s deed.

Buttercup was astounded by the reception they had been given.  These people really do love knowledge! she thought.  The way they’re celebrating, you’d think they’d won a war or something.  Heh, actually, in a way, they did…they’ve been tryin’ to get the knowledge in that library for a long time.  I guess this really means a lot to them.  Well, that’s cool…at least we’re getting a party out of it!

 

*              *                *

 

                The festival that was thrown in Xianea’s honor was in full swing.  Although most of the ‘food’ that was supplied was in energy form, as the Centraxians usually consumed, there were enough other forms of food specially provided for the off-worlders.  Most of it was exquisite, and even the girls found it to be the best food they’ve ever tasted.

                They were seated at the lead table in the great hall that was being used for this event.  As they ate, Blossom asked, “So you’re a ‘Grand Procurer of Knowledge’ now?  What exactly does that mean?”

                “It’s our highest honor,” Xianea explained.  “It’s reserved for people that gather information on a scale far beyond that of an average Centraxian.  The Hkratth Library alone represented more than a lifetime’s worth of information.”

                “That’s great!” Bubbles said.

                Blossom had something else on her mind, too, and asked, “Xianea…who is Ilxanye?  I noticed everyone’s reaction to the name…”

                Xianea took a drink from her glass and set it down.  She explained, “Ilxanye was the most revered Centraxian in our entire history.  He was the first to establish ties to other planets, to gain information from them.  He personally gathered data from thousands of worlds.  No other Centraxian has ever even come close to such a large acquisition of knowledge.”

                “Not even you?”  Bubbles asked.

                “It would have required a hundred libraries like the one on the Hkratth homeworld to equal his efforts.  And also, in traveling to so many worlds, he helped bring peaceful resolutions to many a conflict…sort of like what we did with the Hkratth and the Sanhreni.”

                Blossom nodded, but said, “What was this ‘great sacrifice’ they mentioned?”

                Xianea looked a little solemn, and said, “Once long ago, our world was invaded by a group of terrible creatures…they sought only destruction, and would listen to no reason.  And worse, we were powerless to do anything to stop them…but a great warrior who had befriended us came to defend us.  With his great skill, he defeated the creatures single-handedly.  Were it not for this warrior’s courage, the Repository of Knowledge would have been destroyed, and all within it lost.”

                “He must have had incredible courage,” Buttercup remarked.

                Xianea nodded, “However, it was not without a cost.  He was badly injured, and unfortunately, did not survive…”

                “Ohh…how sad…” Bubbles said, softly.

                “Yes, the Centraxians were heartbroken,” Xianea said.  “Ilxanye walked over to where he lay, and as the other Centraxians gathered around him, he said, ‘This warrior is more noble than any of us.  My own efforts pale in comparison to his bravery.  I could never see such a pure spirit perish, not while I live…’  And with that, he laid a hand upon the warrior.  He used his own internal energy to heal the warrior’s wounds and restore his life force, but in doing so, it cost him his own.”

                “That’s…that’s so…what a sacrifice…” Blossom said, a little overcome by the story.  The other girls looked similarly affected by it.

                Xianea lifted her head and said, “Ilxanye was our greatest ideal.  He did wondrous things for us, but gave no less to any other species.  His kindness was truly legendary.  All of us can only hope to live up to his example.”

                Blossom smiled…she couldn’t help but feel inspired by this story.  After all, she always tried to do her best to further the cause of good…now she knew she would strive to do what’s right.  And it occurred to her: isn’t that what they were doing out here all this time?  They could have given up looking for a way to restore the Earth, but even with such a slim chance, they pressed onward…and now, it looked like their perseverance was going to be successful at last.  It just goes to show, Blossom thought, that sometimes the greater good can be worth the risk to yourself…

 

*              *                *

 

                Now with their supplies loaded up, Xianea’s ship left the surface of Centraxia.  As it blased off into orbit, Mojo and Alyxk’s ships followed close behind them.  Mojo, with his reward, was lining his ship up to head back to Paradise Fringe, while Xianea was preparing to head for Vahlexei.

                “I can’t wait!” Bubbles said, hopping up and down in her seat with anticipation.

                “Yeah, this’ll be a snap,” Buttercup claimed.  “We’ll just waltz into this old temple, get the Omega Particle, and we’ll be home in no time.”

                “Don’t forget, Ghoraan said something about a guardian,” Blossom reminded her.

                “Ahh, we’ll be okay,” Buttercup said, waving it off.  “We’re superheroes, remember?  We fought all sorts of giant monsters and stuff.  How tough could this guy possibly be?”

                Blossom shrugged, but said, “We’re still not going to let down our guard.  This guy might be tougher than all of us.  We just barely handled a fight against an ex-Galactic Monitor, so even if only as strong as him, he’ll be a challenge.”

                “Yeah, yeah,” Buttercup said.  “Whatever…”

                “Just don’t rush into this, okay?” Blossom ordered.  “We don’t want to do anything stupid, especially when we’re so close…”

                Buttercup folded her arms, “I said, all right!  Sheesh…I know better than that.”

                “You don’t always show it,” Bubbles remarked.  Buttercup shot her a glance, and she looked away innocently.

                The ship finished turning to face the proper direction for their jump.  “This is it, girls,” Xianea said.  “Are you ready?”

                All three of them nodded enthusiastically.  As Xianea was preparing the final calculations, the communications screen lit up once again, and Alyxk’s image appeared.  His words printed out across the screen as before, “I wish you well on your journey.  Have you found any leads on this fellow you were looking for?”

                “Actually, we’ve already spoken with him,” Xianea answered.  “He was at the last checkpoint station.”

                “Really,” he said, leaning forward in surprise.  “So he really exists.  Incredible.”

                “Yes, the last of the Zadron,” Xianea said.  “He was a wise old man…I wish to talk to him again when this is all over.  His wisdom would be of great value to the Centraxians.”

                “I’m sure it would be,” he replied.  “I’ll keep an eye out for him, then, and let you know if I see him anyplace.  It should be fairly easy.  But that’s not important…did you find out what you needed from him?”

                Xianea nodded, “Vahlexei is where we’re heading next.  And it looks like it’s our final destination, this time.”

                “I see,” Alyxk said.  “Well, in the event that our paths never cross again, let me tell you that in all my travels, and in all the people I’ve known across the galaxy, I have never had the pleasure of meeting a bigger bunch of fools than you.”

                His words almost didn’t register due to the casual way he said it.  After few moments of shocked silence, Xianea said, “What…?”

                The ship suddenly shook violently.  The girls all grabbed hold of their seats to steady themselves, as a number of small explosions ripped across their ship.  The lights flickered and then dimmed, but the communications screen stayed active.  Buttercup shouted, “Wh-what’s going on?!”

                “Allow me to explain,” Alyxk said.  “When I installed those weapons onto your ship, I took the liberty of installing a number of small explosive devices around it as well.  Very small, or else your systems would have detected them.  It wasn’t enough to destroy you, unfortunately, but it was enough to disable you, so you won’t be going anywhere.”

                The girls flew up to the front, staring at the screen.  Bubbles said, “But why?  Why did you do this?”

                Alyxk leaned back nonchalantly and said, “Simple…I want to rule the universe, and the Omega Particle is the way to do it.  I had this planned from the start, and I knew you suspected nothing.”

                Blossom though furiously, and said, “You mean…you’ve been setting us up the whole time?”

                “That is exactly what I’m saying,” Alyxk said.  “I helped you along the way so that you could find the Omega Particle for me.  You don’t think I was doing this because I liked it, did you?”

                “What about Ykrsk?  I thought it’s ‘cause we saved him!” Buttercup asked.

                Alyxk seemed amused.  “My brother?  He put himself in that position intentionally.  That way, you would rescue him, and we would become ‘friends’.”

                “But how could you be so sure?” Xianea asked.  “You put a lot of confidence that these girls would be able to handle these situations…obviously they could, but that still had to have been a gamble on your part…”

                “Not at all,” Alyxk continued.  “As I said, I had this planned from the very start.  I’ve been watching Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup in secret for some time now.  I knew what they were capable of…I could see all their exploits on Earth.  The question was, how to convince them that they needed to find the Omega Particle.  I puzzled over this for a while, and then it hit me.  Or rather, hit you…”

                Bubbles gasped, “Y-you mean…”

                Interrupting, Alyxk said, “I admit…it was rather difficult to find the time, equipment, and energy required to change the course of an asteroid that size, but it was worth it…oh yes, indeed, it was worth it…”

                Alyxk’s statement began to sink in, and a furious Blossom yelled, “You…monster!! YOU did this to the Earth?!”  Her fists shook with rage.  It was all because of him…the Earth, the loss of everyone they ever knew and loved…billions of people…all because of him.

                “It was necessary,” Alyxk said.  “It got you looking for the Omega Particle, didn’t it?  Now, I would love to talk further, but I must be going.  Vahlexei and the particle awaits.  Goodbye, ‘friends’!”

                “Wait!” Buttercup shouted, but not soon enough.  The communications line was cut, and before they could do anything, his ship made a singularity jump, disappearing from view.

                The girls stared out of the window, speechless.  Even Xianea was at a loss for words.  After a long moment of silence, Bubbles said, “Now what?  He’s gonna get there first…what do we do?”

                “I don’t know…” Blossom whispered.  “He got us.  We’ve been doing his dirty work this whole time…and we didn’t even know…”

                Buttercup clenched her eyes shut and growled, “If I ever get my hands on him…I’ll…”  Buttercup couldn’t finish her sentence…she was too shaken with rage.  If it hadn’t been for Alyxk, they would still be on the Earth right now, instead of the Earth drifting away across the cosmos in a trillion pieces.  She wanted nothing more than to make him pay for what he did.

                Xianea checked the control panel and announced, “Self-repair systems are still operational…but it’ll take an hour before we’re back up and running again.”

                “An hour?!” Blossom exclaimed.  “If Alyxk has an hour lead on us, he’ll find the particle way before we get there!”

                “I know, I know,” Xianea said, “but he was careful to make sure our singularity generators were taken offline.  We’re stuck here until we can get repairs.”

                “No…” Bubbles said, “No no no…we’ve come this far!  We can’t give up now!  Isn’t there anything we can do?”

                Xianea lowered her head sadly.  The ship fell silent as they realized just how hopeless their predicament was.  Alyxk would get to the particle first, and would probably make himself the most powerful being in the universe.  And worse, the planet Earth would be lost forever…

                There was a sudden *clunk*, and the ship shook slightly.  Confused, Xianea said, “What was that?”

                The communications screen lit up again, but this time it was Mojo’s image that appeared on it.  He said, “Do not be alarmed, for I, Mojo Jojo, have merely attached a temporary docking clamp to the upper part of your ship.”

                “Mojo?  What are you doing?” Blossom asked.

                “I do not have time for a lengthy explanation,” he said quickly.  “I have been monitoring your transmissions, and have learned about Alyxk’s deception.  I am infuriated that he was the cause for the destruction of our home planet, and as such I have decided to help you out further so that you can make him pay for his transgressions!  Also, you mentioned that wherever you are going, it is a way to bring back the Earth, and I would like for you to succeed in this as well.”

                “So why attach your ship to ours?” Buttercup said.

                Xianea spoke up, “I think I understand.  Our singularity generators are offline, so you’re going to use your ship to ‘boost’ us up to speed, right?”

                Mojo nodded, “That is correct, Centraxian!  I must activate my own singularity generator and detach my docking clamps at precisely the same time…this way, your ship will be propelled into a faster-than-light speed of travel, and my ship will remain where it is…this is necessary, because both of our ships together would be too much for my small singularity generator to advance within a safe margin of error.”

                “I agree,” Xianea said.

                “Mojo,” Blossom said, “We really appreciate what you’re doing here…”

                Mojo narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “I am only doing it so that you can bring back the Earth, as of course it would give me the chance to conquer it once again…”

                “Admit it, Mojo,” Bubbles said.  “You miss the Earth as much as we do, don’t you?”

                There was a lengthy pause, then Mojo said, “I…I…we must hurry, or else this will be a moot point.  I trust that you will be able to repair your own singularity generators before you reach you destination, as without them you would not be able to slow back down again, correct?”

                “They should be repaired well before that time,” Xianea said.

                “Good,” Mojo said.  “Then I will act now to send you on your way.  Farewell, and good luck, Powerpuff Girls!”

                “Thank you again, Mojo!” Blossom called out.

                With a nod, Mojo’s image disappeared from the screen.  The singularity generators on his ship activated, and at the same moment, Xianea’s ship was released.  Mojo’s ship floated back to avoid being pulled forward by the singularity as well, while Xianea’s ship shot forward, propelled into faster-than-light speed, on its way to Vahlexei, and Alyxk…

 

TO BE CONTINUED…