Rayman: Return of the RoboPirates

by Lachimax

The first fanfiction I ever wrote, from way back in 2006. I was only 11 at the time of writing and my skills have improved a lot since then, so maybe try skipping to the next few fanfics. But still, enjoy!

Hey all. This is my first Rayman fanfiction from way back in 2006. Since then my writing has improved a heck of a lot, so you may like to skip to my later fics. Enjoy anyway!

Deep Space, Near Polokus's World.

Silence. Emptiness.
Not for long.
A fleet of ships appeared. There were thousands of them. Some were huge, others not so huge. But they were all marked, on the sails, with the same symbol.
A skull-like, robot head above two crossed spanners.
The ships fell upon the nearby planet like a swarm. They entered the atmosphere above all the main cities.
It was not an invasion. It was too late for that.
It was already a victory.

The Woods of Light

Ly the Fairy sat cross legged in the Woods of Light, meditating. She was hovering just above the ground, as she always does when she meditates. She could sense something was happening, something important, but she didn't know what.
She was about to find out.
Then she was rudely interrupted by the Robo- Pirate warship hovering above the trees. A feeling of terror gripped her. The Robo-Pirates were back.

FLASHBACK: Deep Space, Near the Robo-Pirate Homeworld
A tiny, orange ship whizzed erratically through space. It was running out of fuel, and could not last much longer. In the co ckpit sat a mechanical figure, its white metal hands gripping the controls. His sharp, angular beard-like extension glittered in the light shining on him from the distant sun.
He was close to his goal. But he was having second thoughts.
The penalty for failure on his homeworld was demolition.
And he had failed so miserably.
He had lost an entire planet.
But one thought drove him one. Maybe, just maybe, because he knew so much about that planet, they might keep him alive for information.
Maybe.

Polokus's Planet

All over the planet, all over Polokus's planet, Robo-Pirates flooded the world. They poured into Picture City, blasting everything. They violated the Tower of the Griskins, capturing all ghosts within.
They nearly captured their worst enemy, near the Fairy Glade.
Nearly.

The Woods of Light

Ly the fairy was running as fast as she could. which was considerably fast. But not when your pursuers can fly.
Behind her flew three jetpacks spewed orange flames. They were close to catching her.
But she only needed one more minute. In one minute, she would be in range.
One of the Robo-Pirates fired ten red shots at her. These Robo-Pirates seemed to be equipped with rapid fire guns, unlike the last type.
Ly dodged behind a tree, then leaped into its branches. She jumped from tree to tree, never looking behind her.
Then... Yes! She was in range.

The Henchman 5000 chasing Ly was jetting along as fast as he could. This fairy was fast. But not fast enough. He reached out with his hook to grip her on the shoulder.
And she disappeared in a burst of white light.
Next time he returned to a Prison Ship, he had his optical sensors checked.

Garden of Polokus

Polokus sensed great turmoil. He could sense old enemies returned. He could sense the cold, emotionless will of millions of mechanical brains.
He could sense living beings dying.
And he knew he must put a stop to it.
He began to gather energy, reeling it in, absorbing the positive energy of the world around him.
And then, all of a sudden, hundreds of red projectiles flew at him. They exploded against him, creating miniature firecrackers on his skin.
He immiediately fell unconsious.

Henchman 5000 K962 lowered his gun. The so-called god was seemingly unconsious.
The ring of troops closed in around the slumped form, ever so cautiously. It could still be some trick. Following behind one of them was a hovering platform. Two Robo-Pirates grabbed Polokus by the armpits and threw him onto the platform. A shimmering cage of blue energy immediately sprung up around him.
It was an Anti-Parapsychological Activity Cage, similar to the one used on the Fairy called Ly during the embarassing Razorbeard incident, only much stronger.
The cage and its ring of heavily equipped guards began the journey back to Mega-Warship 7.

Emergency Meeting Place, The Precipice

An armless, legless and neckless creature sat at a circular table. His jacket body was purple, marked with an irregularly shaped O symbol. A red hood sat behind his non-existant neck. His yellow and white shoes tapped the floor impatiently. His white-gloved fingers drummed on the table. His large yellow nose and hair bobbed slowly up and down as he breathed.
The most famous being in all of the known world.
The many-powered one.
The one known only as Rayman.
He was not the only one around the table. A huge, muscled being, who looked immensely uncomfortable in the small room. A short, pointy nosed being wearing a golden crown and long robes. A hovering, green-coloured fellow wearing matching robes to the short being and sporting a set of ever-working wings.
A flash of white light. The feminine figure of Ly appeared, taking her place next to Murfy, who, for the first time in his life, looked genuinely worried.
"Ly! You made it!" exclaimed Rayman.
Indeed, Rayman. answered Ly telepathically. But there are many who didn't.
"It looks like they must have got Polokus, otherwise we'd have already one." offered Murfy, in a hushed tone.
"Betilla and the Magician were taken, to." interjected the Grand Minimus. "I was there. All of the other Grand Minimuses have been captured, to."
"By now they will have imprisoned or killed almost every being on the planet." replied Rayman."I saw them take Globox up to one of their warships. What can we possibly do?"
Have faith, Rayman. We can find Globox.
Rayman smiled, but he was still worried. Betilla had always been there if he needed advice. She was the one who had originally given him his powers. And now she was held, captured by an army of mechanical beings.
"I have an idea." said a deep, slow voice. All heads turned to Clark in surprise.
Clark was not normally the thinking type.

Desert of the Knaaren, Nighttime

A single Robo-Pirate ship swept across the desert, its sail limp with the absence of wind. Inside, Henchman 5000s pushed buttons and gripped controls. On the outside of the ship was written: Megawarship 3.
Its cannons were loaded. Its laser beams were armed.
It was ready for battle.

Rayman, Ly and Clark ran light-footed(except for Clark) across the desert sands. The sand was not scorching, as it was in full daylight, but it was still fairly warm.
Ahead of them was the huge skull of some massive creature. Its eyeholes glowed green from the glowing acid behind it.
Ly ducked into the skulls mouth, Rayman and Clark close behind. But, as Clark wouldn't fit through, he made the hole bigger.
When they hit the bottom of the hole behind the skull, Rayman lectured him: "We're trying to go for the more stealthy approach, not the smash-everything-I-can approach, Clark. There may be Robo-Pirates here."
He just finished the word "Pirates" when a huge Warshipslid into view above the canyon they had just landed in.
They ran behind a nearby rock and hid, which was not easy for Clark. He had to crouch down. But Ly was suddenly extremely happy. She tried to find the source for this sudden, newfound ecstasy. Then she realised.
Rayman was now very, very close to her.

"Commence X-ray scan" creaked a gravelly, mechanical voice, inside the ship. Outside the ship, a blue beam shout out of the bowsprit, and spread until it covered the whole canyon wall.
Inside the ship, instruments beeped. Then, on a table, appeared a perfect, three-dimensional, holographic map of the Knaaren tunnels.
"Life forms detected." said a Robo-Pirate emotionlessly. "There are several hundred unidentified lifeforms within the tunnels."
Another Robo-Pirate, with an orange band on its chest, answered: "All soldiers, prepare for departure."

The bottom of the ship opened, and at least two hundred Robo-Pirates jetpacked out. They all flew towards a single tunnel.
"Jump on my back!" said Clark in his dumb-sounding voice. Ly and Rayman obliged. Clark, revealing an unknown power, jumped. Right onto the bridge that was at least twenty feet up from their hiding place. He jumped again, and then they were standing on the very place Rayman had first enered the tunnels.
The darkness swallowed them as they jumped down into the hole.

The Knaaren Tunnels

A single Knaaren patrolled the room, watching carefully, its claws clicking on the stone floor. Stalagmites stuck out of the floor, next to the sloped sides of the narrow walkways.
This room had become known as the Antechamber among the Knaaren, because of it being the way that Rayman originally entered the tunnels. A watch shift had been placed there, and there was always a guard patrolling ever since.
The Knaaren froze. It had heard something. Then the cavernous room filled with the sound of active jetpacks.

Rayman dropped right into the middle of a battle. There was one Knaaren. And two hundred Robo-Pirates. The Knaaren was blocking shots with its magical shield, but a lot were still getting through.
The Knaaren grabbed a Robo-Pirate by the throat and pulled its head off. It then punched a Pirate in the chest, causing it to crumple.
Then Clark dropped down, crushing several Pirates under his feet. He began to swing his arms, smashing Pirates in every direction. Ly threw balls of flame, melting Robo-Pirates to molten slag. Rayman was throwing punches everywhere, transforming working robots into spare parts left, right and centre.
But no matter how hard they fought, they were losing.

On the surface, the flaming wreckage of Megawarship 3 cast an orange glow over the dark sand. A ship that looked like a warship, but wasn't, slipped into the canyon. In the place of the Robo-Pirate symbol was a lum, crossed with a spear and a rifle.

A Knaaren, a limbless being, a fairy and a giant fought for their lives in the Knaaren Tunnels. One hundred and sixty Robo-Pirates fired shot after red shot into their enemies.
And then, a bullet whizzed from the hole in the roof, shooting right through the skull-like head of a Henchman 5000. Then the tide was turned.
Down came about twenty creatures, all holding weapons of some sort. Some held swords, some held rifles, some held handguns, and one held a long spear.
They launched themselves into the fray, stabbing and shooting and slashing. Soon all that remained of the two hundred Robo-Pirates that had entered the tunnels was a smoking pile of twisted metal and gears.
Rayman collapsed, breathing har d . one of the people who had turned the tide of the battle against the Robo-Pirates helped him up.
"Who-who are you?" breathed Rayman. The being, at first sight, appeared to be a Knaaren. But then, if you looked closer, you would notice he had a set of gossamer wings sprouting from his back. Then, if you looked again, you would notice that his head was not that of a Knaaren.
It was a Teensie head.
"My name is Lachimax." replied the creature. "I am the founder and leader of the Crossroads of Dreams Elite Fighting Squad."
Rayman stared. Lachimax was wearing a Knaaren hood. Ly looked amazed.

Gumsi's Throne Room, The Knaaren Tunnels

The party was marched into the cavernous room. It was more of a stadium, really. The seats could house the entire Knaaren population at once. Some of the floor could slide away, leaving only a circular island in the middle of the lava which was currently underneath the floor.
That was where Reflux had defeated countless Knaaren.
That was where Reflux had been defeated by a single "runt".
Gumsi immediately jumped to his feet. "Rayman! What are you doing here?" he cried in surprise. Then surprise quickly turned to anger when Lachimax stepped out from behind Clark.
"You! You-you-mutant! You were banished forever. How dare you return?"
Lachimax answered.
"I come with Rayman. I will leave when he does."
Gumsi, still fuming, turned to Rayman. He had grown a few inches since Rayman had last seen him. But he was sill not half as tall as a normal Knaaren.
"Why do you come here?" he snapped.
"I come here to ask for your help." answered Rayman. This caused a murmur among the other Knaaren. "You may not have been informed, but a battle was just happening on your very doorstep. Have you ever heard of the Robo-Pirates?"
Gumsi was at once listening attentively.
"If you do not join us, they will return, and next time they will bring a much larger force. They may not wipe you out in one go, but, unless you leave and join us, they will eventually capture or kill all of you."
Gumsi looked shaken to the bones.

Marshes of Awakening

Five Robo-Pirates waded through the thick, murky water. Their guns were shining light on where they were going.
Robo-Pirates do not feel emotion.
But this group was very high-strung.
Suddenly, one disappeared, pulled under by something...
The rest spun around, shining their lights on the spot that had, a few seconds ago, held their comrade.
Then, suddenly, another was thrown into the air. One's feet were swept out from under him.
They had awakened it.
There are two things Sam hates: Robo-Pirates and being woken up.

Candy Chateu

The Candy Château was swarming with Robo-Pirates. They patrolled all over it, using it as a base for attacking the rest of that area. They built a factory there, which turned out more Henchmen every day. Dozens of Warships hovered above the Chateu, flashlights blazing.
Some Pirates thought they had caught glimpses of a black cloak whisking around a corner, or a white hand. One unlucky Robo-Pirate found and kept a broad rimmed hat with corks dangling from it. That particular Henchman disappeared the next day.
Some Robo-Pirates fielded reports of stable cliffs collapsing on top of their groups.
Robo-Pirates are progammed against superstition, so they did not suspect that the Chateu was haunted.
Which was true. It wasn't haunted.
There was something darker than Robo-Pirates on that Chateu.

The Fairy Glade

Rayman and Lachimax ran silently across an empty field, leaving a sparking pile of detached mechanical limbs behind them. Lachimax had a single Red lum hovering at his shoulder. He carried an intricately carved spear with a red tip. His Teensie head bobbed up and down as he ran.
Rayman decided to break the silence. "Who are you, Lachimax? Gumsi seemed furious at you in the Knaaren tunnels. Why?"
Lachimax replied: "My father was a Knaaren. He was a weakling among the Knaaren, never winning fights, always being picked on."
"Then one day, a creature appeared in the Tunnels. The creature had the head of a Teensie, and had the body of a fairy, wings and all."
"My father fell in love at first sight. He took her in, protected her. She eventually had a baby."
Rayman gasped.
"The baby was me. When the other Knaaren found out, my father and mother were killed for this treason, and I was banished. I was only six years old when this happened."
"For, some reason, I did not inherit any powers from my mother or father. I cannot produce a Knaaren shield, nor can I teleport or do anything magical. I trained myself to use this spear, and founded CODEFS."
They had reached an old Pirate facility now. A single guard patrolled the perimeter. Rayman and Lachimax attacked both at once. Lachimax threw his spear and Rayman launched a fist simultaniously. The Robo-Pirate erupted into a shower of sparks instantly.
"Why does the Lum follow you?" asked Rayman as his fist returned to him.
"Darnan is a loyal companion. He is much smarter than other Red Lums. He found me in the Desert, lost, alone and dying. He directed me to an empty hut, where there was water and food."
Rayman suddenly remembered something. "I have a loyal companion to."
Trying something he had not tried since the original invasion, Rayman lifted his hand to his mouth, and whistled. The whistle echoed throughout the Fairy Glade, bouncing off trees and hills. Pirates, who could not hear such high-pitched sounds, were oblivious.
Rayman stood waiting for a minute. Just when he was about to give up, though, he heard a sound.
ding ding ding ding ding
In the distance was a yellow dot, rapidly getting bigger. It shot towards the Knaaren/fairy/Teensie, the limbless being and the Lum. It skidded to a halt next to Rayman, breathing heavily.
It was shaped like a torpedo. On its back was the Robo-Pirate symbol. Its nose was jet black. Smoke puffed out of its rear end.
Rayman climbed on. "Now, let's go rescue some Teensies."

The Fairy Council

A Grand Minimus sat in a cage, hunched up in the corner. Around him were many other cages, containing all the Teensies that had been in the Fairy Glade when the Robo-Pirates attacked.
The Teensie was in despair. There was no way anybody could rescue them. Even Rayman could not possibly have escaped the iron grip of the Robo-Pirates.
The Teensie was soon to be proved wrong.
The cage was suddenly jolted. A Pirate was lifting it. The cage began to move towards a nearby warship.
It was finally happening. They were getting shipped up to a Prison Ship.
Then the Teensie was dropped. He peeked out between his bars. And there, as if by a miracle, was him.
It was Rayman.
He was riding a yellow and black steed, and was throwing punches every where. Another creature was there, spinning a long spear and killing just as many Pirates as Rayman.
Rayman began punching at the cages, while Lachimax fended off the Robo-Pirates. A fist hit the Teensie's cage, and he was free.
All the guards were heaps of twisted metal by yelled: "Someone open a portal to the Precipice!". One Teensie, an opener, did his dance, and a portal opened before the former prisoners. The Teensie jumped in, swirled around...
And jumped up next to the Teensies's worst natural enemy. He had been greeted by a Knaaren.

FLASHBACK: Blue Mountains, The Original Invasion

A single Robo-Pirate warship descended into a purple-walled canyon. That was the pilot's first mistake.
The warship set down on an extending ledge, and five Henchmen 800 jumped out. They began to explore the area, guns at the ready.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, jumped Lachimax, spear whirling. He quickly dismantled all five Pirates.
Three more members of the Fighting Squad dropped onto the ship. One held a rifle, another held a curved sword, and the last was a Robo-Pirate. Lachimax climbed up to join them.
As a team, they reduced the entire crew of the warship to scrap metal.
The rebel Pirate grabbed the controls of the ship and piloted it out of the canyon.

The Summit Beyond the Clouds

The Crossroads of Dreams Elite Fighting Squad's warship whizzed across the snowy landscape of the Summit Beyond the Clouds.
And in hot pursuit were four Robo-Pirate warships. These warships had been upgraded so that they could fly much faster than the old version. They would have already caught up, if it wasn't for the Fighting Squad's own mechanical work. The boosters had been upgraded, and it had been made more sleek.
At its controls sat Bucket, the rebel Robo-Pirate. His chest was orange, and his weapons had been upgraded by a CODEFS weapons technician.
During the original invasion, Bucket had been an experiment. He had been programmed to feel emotions, so as to make him more inventive. But the experiment had gotten out of hand. Bucket had been given emotions that were to powerful. He had rebelled against his masters and escaped, because he thought it was wrong to invade and take over other planets. He found his way eventually to the Fighting Squad, where he helped them capture and pilot a warship. He was now always the pilot on missions involving the warship.
Right now, he was sitting at its controls, dodging rocky walls and icy spires.
The gunman at the back of the CODEFS warship aimed his turret carefully. He fired. laser bolts sprayed across the sail of one of the pursuing warships, shattering its mast. It veered off, straight into a cliff.
Bucket flew the CODEFS warship towards a cliff. From the bow, Lachimax yelled: "Watch out, Bucket!"
But Bucket knew what he was doing. He pressed a button, and the sail rolled up into the crossbar. The crossbar snapped, on hinges, to the side of the mast. The mast began to retract.
The warship flew into a hole in the cliff, just wide enough for it. A Robo-Pirate warship followed, getting its mast snapped off in the process. The sail flew back and hit another warship, blocking the pilots view. It slammed the brakes, and the warship behind flew into the warship who's view was blocked by a sail. The resulting explosion left a black mark on the cliff.
But there was still one Robo-Pirate warship left in pursuit. Inside the tunnel that both ships had entered, the CODEFS warship's boosters flared. Bucket could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Literally.
The CODEEFS warship shot out of the tunnel. It was now near the Precipice.

The Precipice

Rayman and Ly stood on a viewing platform, overlooking the camp. It was packed with Knaaren and Teensies, both of which tried to avoid the other.
Murfy flew up next to Rayman.
"We can't stay like this much longer." Murfy said. "The Knaaren are just not getting along with the Teensies. One Teensie almost got eaten yesterday."
Rayman answered: "We have no other choice, Murfy. Unless they want the Robo-Pirates to kill them all, they had better learn to get along."
Murfy sighed, then flew off, back down into the camp.
Ly looked at Rayman. Murfy is right, though, Rayman. We cannot stay like this forever.
Rayman looked Ly in the eyes. "Lachimax and the rest of CODEFS will be back soon. They have been scouting out new areas. We will be able to build new camps, and keep the seperate species seperate."
With that, the CODEFS warship whizzed over Rayman's head, closely followed by a Robo-Pirate warship. The CODEFS warship was firing back at the Robo-Pirate one, and vice versa. Neither were gaining the upper hand.
But then, out of the camp, jumped Clark. He leapt right up to the low-flying Robo-Pirate warship, and punched its hull. It flew out of control into a nearby cliff.
"Ah." said Rayman. "There they are now."
Rayman ran down to meet them. Ly watched him go. She had been stealing glances at him this whole time, watching him work.
She could not stand him not knowing about her feelings towards him, but neither could she pluck up the courage to tell him. She was trapped.
A single wet tear slid down Ly's cheek.

Rebel Campsite, The Precipice

Rayman skidded to a halt next to the CODEFS warship, just as Bucket slid down a rope. Rayman, despite his shock at seeing a Robo-Pirate here, began to charge his fist. As he was about to launch his fist, Lachimax leapt down in front of Bucket.
Rayman spoke. "Move, Lachimax, so I can destroy this Pirate."
"Bucket is no longer a Robo-Pirate, Rayman. He was given emotions as an experiment, but he escaped, and he is now a member of CODEFS," replied Lachimax.
Rayman snorted. "He could be passing information to them even now! You are putting us all at risk, Lachimax."
"Bucket is more trustworthy than your Knaaren. I will not let you destroy him."
Rayman let it go. "What did you find? Are there any suitable places nearby to set up camp?"
"Not for a few dozen miles. The closest inhabitable place is the Desert of the Knaaren, and that is now swarming with Pirates."
"What about the Dream Forest?"
"To close to the Fairy Council, and that was the first place they attacked."
"Hang on. What about the Marshes?"
Lachimax thought for a moment. "The Marshes of Awakening and the Bog of Murk haven't been touched. We could move there. But how can we get so many Knaaren and Teensies there without the Robo-Pirates noticing?"
Rayman thought about this. "I know someone who can make our army all but invisible."
"Old friend?" asked Lachimax.
"Old enemy," replied Rayman. "But I need to be able to get to the Candy Chataeu…

Candy Chateau, Night-time

In the air above the Candy Chateau, a Robo-Pirate two-in-one walking/flying shell flew through the air. On its back, it held Rayman. Beneath him swarmed tens of thousands of Robo-Pirates. He was too high up for them to see him, but he could certainly see them.
He could see one empty-looking valley, made of cotton candy. That was his best bet. He directed the shell downwards, corkscrewing to avoid the Pirate floodlights. The shell touched down, skidding to a halt.
Rayman yelled out. "Dark! I know you are here, Dark!"
A dark, shadowy voice answered. "Rayman. Why do you disturb my rest? You know I hate being woken up."
And out from a hollow in one of the soft, pink walls, stepped a limbless being, just like Rayman. One unattached hand held his cloak around his body. His corked hat shrouded his face in darkness.
There, in front of Rayman, stood Mr. Dark, in his full, shadowy glory.

Mr Dark's hideout, Candy Chateau

"I can kill you easily, Rayman. I can bring the shadows down to crush you, with the energy of lifting my hand."
Mr Dark laughed.
Rayman replied: "But you won't, will you, Dark? You know I have something important to say."
"Spit it out, Rayman, before I lose my patience."
"You have been hiding from the Robo-Pirates these past weeks. You would like them gone, yes?"
"Yes."
"You could help us destroy them. By joining forces with our small rebel force, you could help us defeat them."
"And after they are defeated?"
"You come back here, we leave you alone, unless you go back to taking over the world."
Mr Dark considered this, his yellow eyes glowing beneath his hat. He reached out his hand, which was identical to Rayman's. Rayman shook it. "Deal."

The Bog of Murk

Begoniax the witch slushed through the murky water. She looked around, and spotted a purple toadstool with bright green polkadots. She picked it up and put it in her bag. It would come in handy later. Then she was shoved out of the way by an invisible hand. Begoniax jumped with surprise. She began to listen intently. She could now hear the tramping of hundreds of invisible feet.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of red lensed glasses. She put them on. She could now see the blurred shapes of hundreds of Knaaren and Teensies through her Reveaspecs, which she created herself.
And at the head of the army was him. The one who had defeated her all that time ago.
Rayman.

The Bog of Murk

Rayman, Ly and marched at the head of their invisible army. Mr Dark was focusing most of his power on their army, so he couldn't possibly hurt Rayman or Ly without releasing the spell, which would take a few minutes. But, after hearing so many stories from Betilla and Rayman of Mr. Dark's evil, Ly could still not help feeling nervous.
Rayman had also told her about his adventures in the swamps. About how he had accidentally dropped into a witches outhouse, and how a Swamplands being had tried to turn him into a trophy.
Mr Dark had also erected a shield against piranhas, which were very plentiful in these areas. Which is why they weren't now fish food.
Ly waded around a tree sticking out of the water.
And the grey-skinned form of Begoniax dropped on top of her, knocking her down. Ly tried to struggle, but Begoniax held a pitchfork to Ly's throat.
Then, Rayman was there. He grabbed the pitchfork, and began to grapple with Begoniax. Begoniax flipped Rayman over her head into the water. Rayman leapt up and launched his fist at the witch's face, knocking her red glasses off.
Suddenly, Begoniax could no longer see Rayman.
"Come on, Rayman! Come and fight like a man! Reveal yourself!"
Then Begoniax was knocked unconscious by a blow to the back of her head.

Commander Steelwill's Flagship

A single Robo-Pirate walked towards the door of Steelwill's cabin. He marched past the guards, and the doors slid open, admitting him.
"What is it, lieutenant?" asked a cold, mechanical voice from the shadows at the end of the room. "I was in the middle of interrogating the prisoner."
Out of the shadows emerged the prisoner. The criminal who had failed to conquer this world.
Ex-Admiral Razorbeard.
Two guards entered the room and marched Razorbeard away to his cell.
"What did you wish to tell me, Lieutenant?" came the voice from the shadows.
"We have narrowed the rebels' location to one possible place. Footage from a warship in pursuit of a rebel vessel just came in."
The Lieutenant pressed a button on his hand-held remote, and a screen appeared on one wall. It showed a city of tents in a stone valley.
"What's more, there is someone there you might be interested in. The one who Razorbeard keeps babbling about." He pressed another button, and the image focused in on the bottom-left hand corner. And standing on the screen was Rayman.
"The warship was destroyed, but the footage was sent just before it blew up."
"Where are they, then?" asked the mechanical voice.
"In the mountains, on the one called the Precipice."
"Send all available warships to the Precipice. Destroy everything there."

The Precipice

A fleet of at least one hundred warships and Megawarships flew towards the Precipice, lead by Commander Steelwill's flagship. They converged on the Precipice, firing all ther weapons at the mountain. The mountain was shattering under the pressure of thousands of lasers and cannons. Cliffs exploded. The peak was knocked clean off. A canyon collapsed into itself.
The valley that had previously held the rebel camp exploded.
The Precipice, the mighty mountain that was millions of years old, began to melt.

The Bog of Murk

Razoff the Hunter lay down on his (fake) tiger-skin couch, his rifle leaning on the side. He started to nod off, thinking about how he had once almost killed Sam the serpent. His head drooped, and he began to snore.
Next thing he knew, he was tied to a Knaarens back. He yelled angrily.
"You scurvy dog, let me down so I can fight! I'd rather like a Knaaren head mounted over my fireplace!"
The Knaaren just grunted.
"Its no good, Razoff. They won't let us down."
Razoff looked up, and there was Begoniax, tied to another Knaaren. And if he stretched his neck, he could see over the Knaarens shoulder.
And there was the enemy he had sworn to kill.
Rayman.

The Marshes of Awakening

Rayman led the Knaaren through the Bog, into the Marshes of Awakening. They had left the Teensies in the Bog of Murk, with Ly, Murfy, and Begoniax, who had finally agreed to help just after Razoff had been captured. Razoff, on the other hand, was still struggling.
"Die, Rayman! I'm going to mount your shoe in my Clock Room!"
Rayman sighed.
"Are you sure you don't want me to destroy him, Rayman?" asked Mr. Dark for the umpteenth time.
"No! He can help us. He is a good marksman."
Rayman had not trusted Mr. Dark enough to leave him with Ly. If she died, he would hold himself responsible.
Lachimax and two other CODEFS members walked beside Rayman. One, Rayman had recognized earlier.
It was a Baby Globox.
Well, not a baby anymore. He sported several impressive scars, and was now slightly taller than Rayman. He carried a rifle, which Rayman was certain he had stolen from a Hoodlum.
Rayman remembered their earlier conversation.
"Globox? Baby Globox? is that really you?"
"Yes, Rayman. I am not a baby anymore, though. It is hard for two parents to keep track of six hundred children. I never got much attention, so I ran away. They never noticed. I found CODEFS, learnt to use the rifle, and now I am an expert at it."
Rayman, Dark and Lachimax with his CODEFS members finally stepped onto dry land. Well, dryish. It was an island, just big enough to hold the Knaaren.
They begin to set up there tents. Rayman sat down, resting.
Then he noticed a pair of white eyes, sticking out of the water. He jumped in shock. Then, realising what it was, laughed.
"Come out, Sssssssssssam. I know it's you."
A black head and long neck popped out of the water. Around the neck were several silver rings.
Sam said in a rattly voice: "Finally, you come to visit me Rayman. But you bring such an army! Why?"
"Make yourself comfortable, Sam, and I'll explain..."

The Bog of Murk
Rayman stood at the bow of the CODEFS warship, watching the scenery flash by. They were on their way to the Teensie camp, to check up on things.
The Shell trotted up to him, and stood next to him. Rayman patted it on the nose.
The warship began to descend, into a particularly deep patch of murky water. Warships can float as well as fly. Rayman climbed down, onto the island. Ly stood there, waiting.
Rayman jogged over to her. "How are things going here?" he asked.
Not to bad, Rayman. she answered. The Teensies are adapting well to this environment.
Rayman nodded. "Good. Lets just hope the Pirates don't find us here."
Ly sighed. "Whats wrong?" asked Rayman.
Oh, nothing. Are you going straight back to the Marshes after this?
"No. We're going on a recruiting mission to the Dream Forest."
Who do you plan to recruit there?
"I guess you'll find out." he answered. "We're about to leave. I just had to make sure everything was fine here."
Well, goodbye then. Ly looked into Rayman's eyes. Then, impulsively, before she had time to think, she kissed him on the nose. And, for the second that her green lips were pressed against his large nose, she was content.

The Swamps of Forgetfullness, The Dream Forest

The CODEFS warship descended past the canopy of the Dream Forest. It passed several Flying Flowers, and a few Plum vines, to hover just above the forest floor.
Above the warship, hiding in the trees, was a Ray, the same species as Rayman. He was naked, except for a leopard skin loincloth that covered most of his torso. He watched as Rayman jumped and helicoptered off the edge of the ship. He saw the yellow and black object jump down after Rayman. The Ray began to swing in closer.
Lachimax jumped down next to Rayman. "Who were you planning to recruit here?" he asked.
"Don't worry." answered Rayman. "He should be here any minute now."
Lachimax didn't look satisfied.
"Don't worry so much. It will be worth it, trust me."
It began to rain, the tiny drops of water pattering against the ship.
A sound attracted their attention. It was the sound of a Robo-Pirate laser going off.
Tarayzan swung over their heads, closely pursued by three jetpacking Robo-Pirates. They were firing at him, trying to get him. One shot hit Tarayzan's vine, and he fell onto the CODEFS warship. The warships guns aimed. The Pirates began to descend.
One shot was all it took.
The three Henchmen were vaporised instantly. Tarayzan jumped down, looking shaken.
"Hey, Rayman!" he said loudly. "Who's this?" asked Lachimax.
"This is Tarayzan. He knows this forest better than anyone. He would give us a big tactical advantage if we ever had to fight here."
"Alright then. Climb aboard."

Moskito's Nest, The Dream Forest
On the way to Moskito's Nest, Rayman filled Tarayzan in on the Robo-Pirates. After he finished, Tarayzan asked: "So, these Pirates, they have invaded before?"
"Yes." said Rayman impatiently. He had already explained this.
The warship began to descend, touching down near a giant, fallen tree.
Lachimax, Tarayzan and Rayman all climbed down. "This place gives me the creeps." said Tarayzan. "The Moskitos live here."
"Which is why we are here, incidentally." answered Rayman.
One of my members came from around here." said Lachimax. "He is rather insectlike. I think he mentioned being called something like Moskito. If we had an army of them, it would be excellent for the rebellion."
They all looked up. They had heard a crashing sound from above. They all leapt in different directions, just before a gigantic, red, spiked fruit hit the ground, right next to the warship. All of a sudden, it was raining spiked fruits. One knocked Rayman on the head, and he knew no more.

Rayman woke up, tied to a log and surrounded by huge-eyed, spike-nosed Moskitos. They were many different colors, from purple to red to a murky brown color.
Next to Rayman was Lachimax, also tied to a log, and Tarayzan, both still unconscious. Rayman could see, across the many buzzing Moskitos, on the other side of the clearing, the CODEFS warship, which held several disdruntled CODEFS members, held down by more red Moskitos. Rayman, Lachimax and Tarayzan began to fly, carried by several airborne Moskitos. The rest parted, creating a pathway towards a particularly large Moskito. It was colored bright gold, and carried a large staff. Rayman, Lachimax and Tarayzan were being carried right towards it.
It began to talk.
"You invade our territory, armed with big ship and guns. Why? You speak now."
Rayman began to talk. "We come here to ask for your help. You may not have heard, but..."
He was very rudely interrupted by the sound of ten Robo-Pirate warships descending into the Nest.
They began blasting their lasers, throwing the Moskitos into panic. They flew in every direction, dropping the three rebels. Rayman leaned over and started his helicopter hair. It sawed through the vines binding him, and he was free. He released Lachimax and Tarayzan in the same way, and they ran towards the CODEFS warship.
Several Henchmen 5000 dropped down in front of them, guns blazing. Tarayzan jumped over them, and Lachimax and Rayman fought through them.
The Moskitos began to organise themselves. A group of them swarmed towards one of the warships, attacking the Pirates. Rayman whistled, and his shell appeared, charging a path through the Pirates and Moskitos. Rayman jumped onto it, and they took off. They landed on a warship, demolishing the Pirates one by one. Ten Moskitos flew over to help out, and soon the warship was under their control. They flew it towards another one, which was empty of Moskitos and full of Pirates. They jumped off, letting the two warships crash togethor. BOOM!
Eventually, there were no Pirates left, although several Moskitos had been killed.
The big, golden Moskito began to talk again. "You bring bad machines. You die."
"No!" protested Rayman. "We are fighting them! If you come with us, you can help us fight them! If you stay here, though, they will come back!"
Lachimax nodded. The big Moskito thought for a while.
"We come with you. Fight machines."
The entire tribe of Moskitos lifted off.
Rayman turned to Lachimax. "Lets go."

Above the Swamps of Forgetfullness, The Dream Forest

The CODEFS warship flew through the air, on the way back from Moskito's Nest, accompanied by hundreds of many-coloured Moskitos. The gold-coloured one, who had turned out to be supreme leader of the Moskito tribe, rode on the warship with Rayman and Tarrayzan.
The rain that had begun earlier that day had turned into a flash flood. The water had risen close to the canopy, frothing and churning in the rain.
Suddenly, a white lightning bolt flashed from the grey clouds. It arced in front of the warship, blinding all aboard. The thunder was deafening.
Bucket slammed the brakes automatically, because he had been blinded to.
Lachimax and Rayman, who had been sitting at the bow, were thrown forwards, off the ship. Rayman grapped the bowsprit, just managing to hang on. But Lachimax fell down, into the hungry waters below.
Rayman hauled himself up. "Lachimax!" he called down. But he knew.
Knaaren can't swim.

Lachimax was underwater. How far underwater, he didn't know. Water was pressing him from all sides. He couldn't breathe. He tried kicking, and, to his immense surprise, he moved forward a few metres. He started up, or at least he thought it was up.
His brain was screaming for air. He was blacking out.
And then, his head broke the surface of the water. He took in great gulps of sweet, humid air.
Darnan flew down next to him. "It's okay." said Lachimax. "I'm alright."
He swam forwards, towards a tree that was poking out of the water. He dived underwater, gracefully turning and kicking. The experience was new to him, but he knew. It felt natural. This was his element. Not fire, or air, or stone. Water.
Lachimax, who had never swum before in his life, began to swim in the relative direction of the Swamps.

(Writer's Note: This is based on me, when I discovered my swimming skills.)

The Bog of Murk

The CODEFS warship descended towards the island that held the Teensie camp, surrounded by a hoarde of Moskitos. All on board were feeling rather depressed.
Tarayzan, sensing the emotion on board, asked Rayman: "That person... the one that fell off the ship... was he your friend?"
Rayman sighed. "Almost, Tarayzan. Almost."
Tarayzan, who was now rather confused, sat down.
The ship landed in the murky waters of the swamps. Rayman jumped down.
Ly, who had been extremely anxious ever since Rayman left, ran forward. You're back! she exlaimed, letting out a sigh of relief. Then she noticed the depressed look in Rayman's eyes.
What's wrong? She had to stop herself from adding "honey" to this sentence.
"Lachimax." said Rayman simply. "He's dead."
Oh! What happened?
"On the way back from Moskito's Nest, he fell from the ship. He fell into a flash flood."
But... if he can swim, then maybe he's alright.
"Knaaren can't swim, Ly. There is no water for them to swim in."
Oh.
Ly suddenly felt a wave of empathy towards Rayman. He had seen so much sorrow in his lifetime. And now, almost everything that mattered to him had been taken away from him. Globox. Betilla. His home.
Everything except Ly.
Oh, Rayman. I'm sorry I took so long to tell you this.
"Tell me what?" asked Rayman, confused.
I love you.
Rayman was stunned. "You... love me?"
Ly bent down and kissed him. Yes.
"Ahem."
Rayman and Ly both spun around. There, still dripping water, stood Lachimax.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

That night, the rebellion hel a council of war. King Gumsi, Mr. Dark, the Moskito leader, The Grand Minimus leader, Rayman, Lachimax, Clark and Ly all sat around a table that Mr. Dark had drawn out of thin air, while Murfy hovered above the table.
"We now have enough forces to start a guerilla movement." started Rayman.
"Yes, but how do we start?" said Lachimax.
"We must retake the Fairy Glade!" exlaimed the Grand Minimus.
"We are not yet strong enough for that." said Lachimax.
"We should attack Candy Chateau and retake that." Mr. Dark said quietly from beneath his hat.
"And have you abandon us? I don't think so."
Ly spoke up. There is a place that would certainly give us an edge in the war. she said telepathically. If we can capture it, then we would be able to many places easily.
They all stared at her for a moment. Then Rayman smacked his forhead. "Of course! The Teensie Highway!"
"And once we have that, we can enter the Hall of Doors, and then we will have access to every part of this world!" said the Grand Minimus excitedly.
Rayman stood. "We should all get some rest. And then, not that I'm trying to sound cliched or anything, we attack at dawn."
"Hear hear!" shouted the council as one.
Hear hear. said Ly, smiling.

The Heart of the World, The Fairy Council

A Grand Minimus stood, shivering, next to the Heart of the World. He was guarded by five Henchman 5000, all of which were staring at the only entrance.
The entrance slid open. Steelwill's lieutenant marched in, flanked by two Henchmen. His upgraded weapon glittered dangerously as he walked towards the Teensie.
"We know about your little highway, Teensie." he said in his mechanical voice. "And we also know that there is an entrance in this very room. Now, you will open it for us. Or," He clicked the fingers on his left hand, and another Pirate walked through the door, dragging a fairy behind it. "Or Betilla gets it."
The Teensie gulped.

Near Begoniax's house, the Bog of Murk

A gathering of Teensies, Moskitos and knaaren converged around the house of Begoniax. Begoniax herself, accompanied by Rayman, Lachimax, Ly, Mr. Dark and a Grand Minimus, stood outside Begoniax's outhouse. They were all looking up, above the outhouse, at a glowing, hovering stone, with an eye symbol stamped onto it. It was a portal. A portal to the Teensie Highway.
"The warship will never fit in there." clarified Lachimax.
"The portals shrink anything to big to fit into them, and then unshrink them at the other side." replied the Grand Minimus. "You could fit an entire Prison Ship in there."
"Which is why we must get in there first." said Rayman. "Minimus, could you make the portal come down a little bit? Because theres no way the Knaaren or Teensies could get up there."
"Certainly, Rayman."
The Grand Minimus lifted his hand, and the portal stone began to drift down towards them. It flipped onto its side, allowing them to enter.
Rayman grinned.

The Teensie Highway

Disco music played. Weird colours swirled and danced around glowing, yellow platforms.
In one part of this magnificent place, a single Robo-Pirate warship was zapped into exsistance. It was followed by several other warships, and then a Megawarship. They formed into a squadron, and began to follow the yellow platforms forwards.

A walking shell appeared in the Teensie Highway. It carried two beings. One was Rayman. The other was Ly, her arms wrapped around Rayman's torso and a rather scared look on her face. The shell was followed by the CODEFS warship, with Lachimax and the rest of the squad, as well as Clark, Mr. Dark, King Gumsi and a Grand Minimus on board. Then came the Moskitos, swarming around the warship, and Murfy, who was attempting to maintain order among the Moskitos.
The Knaaren burst into exsistance, surfing on the Funky Boards that the portals provide for non-flying creatures.
A sudden blast rocked the platform that several knaaren were surfing on. The knaaren fell. Since the teensie-piloted helicopter that normally caught falling users was out of business, they all fell to their deaths.
The blast had come from a Pirate warship. It began to fire on the Moskitos, burning several of them.
The battle for the Highway began.

Commander Steelwill's flagship, above the Fairy Council

Admiral Razorbeard sat in his cell, head drooped down onto his chest. Two Robo-Guards stood inside the door, watching him. The Robo-Guards were equipped with extra-heavy duty plasma cannons, capable of blasting through the hull of a Prison Ship, as well as stun tasers, just in case Razorbeard tried something.
Razorbeard had been questioned over and over again by Steelwill, with the methods used to question him growing ever more painful. Razorbeard had told Steelwill everything, yet Steelwill insisted that he was holding something back. Well, almost everything.
Razorbeard's head snapped up, suddenly alert. A blast could be heard from outside the ship. A siren went off inside the ship. Something was happening. The Robo-Guards raised their weapons, just in case.
Razorbeard smiled. "My friends are here." he said. Then he lept to his feet. He ran between the Robo-Guards. The Robo-Guards pointed their tasers at him and fired simultaneously. Razorbeard jumped, and the taser heads's steel teeth buried themselves in the guards's armour, delivering 10,000 volts of pure electricity. The guards sank to the ground.
A tearing sound came from the wall of Razorbeard's cell. A section of the wall began to glow bright red, then white. It then melted down, leaving a huge hole, showing the air outside. Hovering outside the hole was a warship. Razorbeard lept across the gap, landing safely on the deck of the warship.
A plasma blast pulsed from the flagship. A glowing red sphere suddenly appeared around the warship, deflecting the blast back upon the flagship, disappearing once its job was done. It was a shield, capable of taking almost anything, which Razorbeard had ordered installed personally in the original invasion.
Razorbeard turned to the pilot, smiling. "Head for the Iron Mountains."
The pilot turned the ship around, and it disappeared over the edge of the valley, away from the flagship.
It would take several minutes for the flagship to launch a chase, and by then it would be to late.

The Teensie Highway

In the Teensie Highway, the place that is not a place, battle raged. Red laser bolts erupted from warship guns. Cannonballs blew holes in sails and rigging. Live Knaaren jumped from platform to yellow platform, fighting desperately for their lives.
Creatures died.
Somewhere amongst this chaos, the walking shell flew. On its back was Rayman. He had left Ly on the CODEFS warship so that it would be easier to maneuver.
Rayman lifted his hand to his mouth. It held a communicator, with an antennae and speaker. It had been provided by the CODEFS technical advisor.
Rayman spoke into it. "All Moskitos, follow me."
The entire Moskito horde turned in midair and followed Rayman, towards the Megawarship. It was firing plasma blasts everywhere. A single burst tore into the Moskitos, obliterating one forever.
"Spread out!" yelled Rayman. "It'll be harder for them to shoot you!"
The Moskitos obeyed, spreading out as they flew. They converged upon the Megawarship. They stormed onto the deck, grabbing pirates and throwing them overboard. One buzzed into the Crow's Nest, impaling the pirate there on its nose.
Rayman and his shell hit the deck running. They charged across it, knocking down Henchmen as they went. They headed for the back of the ship, where Rayman knew the ###### would be. They skidded to a halt in front of two reinforced steel doors with the Pirate insignia on them. There was no way they could break through them by themselves.
Rayman spoke into the communicator again. "Moskito in the Crow's Nest. Blow this door open."
On top of the Crow's Nest, the green Moskito there grabbed the controls of the plasma cannon that sat on a tripod above the Crow's Nest. It aimed the barrel at the eye of the skull-like Robo-Pirate head in the insignia on the door. It hesitated for a moment. Then, with a floating green hand, it pressed the big red button. A pulse of plasma rocketed out of the cannon and through the reinforced doors, blowing them apart.
Rayman jumped off the shell, and entered the #######. Inside was a single Pirate. It had a hand instead of a hook, and a large-looking gun at the end of the other arm. It was pointed at Rayman's head.
It spoke. "Move and I blow your head off, scum."
Rayman smiled. "I don't think so."
The Pirate fired. Rayman ducked and threw his fist. It hit the Pirate full in the chest, knocking him back. It swore and fired again. This time the shot ricocheted off the wall and hit the control console, fusing the joystick. Rayman launched another fist. This time it blew the Pirate's head off. The decapitated Pirate collapsed on top of the controls. Its gun, by sheer chance, hit a large red button. Underneath the button was a small screen with the number 20 on it. This number changed to 19 after one second. Also, engraved in the metal above the button, were two words.
"Self-Destruct."
Rayman swore.
He leapt out onto the deck, where battle was still raging. Rayman could see the CODEFS warship flying past, firing at another warship.
Rayman climbed onto the shell, and spoke into his communicator.
"All Moskitos, fall back!"
Every Moskito within range heard this through the earpieces on the back of their heads. They peeled off the Megawarship, abandoning the various Pirates they had been butchering.
One Pirate yelled: "Victory!"
That was his last word.
Explosive packs built into the deck, walls and hull of the ship were detonated by an electric charge. They exploded simultaneously and violently. The huge ship blew to pieces, scattering flaming debris across the battleground. Rayman watched this from above, letting out a cheer. Then he flew away, towards a group of jetpack Pirates hovering above a warship. There was still a battle to be won.

The Teensie Highway

The CODEFS warship flew through the Teensie highway, guns blazing. Lachimax stood on the deck, spear in hand, Mr. Dark and Ly at his side and Darnan hovering over his shoulder. King Gumsi was hiding in the cabin, coward that he was, and Clark had jumped up into a Pirate warship.
A squad of Robo-Pirates with jetpacks flew over to them, firing their weapons. Ly and Mr. Dark both conjured fireballs out of thin air, launching them into the Pirates. One caught a Pirate's jetpack, causing an explosion, while Mr. Dark's fire ball hit a Pirate's laser, rendering it useless.
Lachimax charged into them, spear flashing. He took down one Pirate, impaling it on the end of his spear, spun around, and kicked another in the chest. His claws dug into thhe Henchman's armour. Lachimax squeezed, crushing the Pirate's chest.
Another Pirate raised his gun, aiming for Lachimax's chest. And then... it was gone. Simply gone. Disappeared. Lachimax turned around to see Mr. Dark lowering his hand.
One of the remaining Pirates flew towards the back of the ship. It forced the door open with its hook. Lachimax raised his spear to throw, but there was no need. A circular hole had appeared in its back where Bucket's plasma bolt had shot through.
The warship drew level with another Pirate warship. Lachimax leapt aboard, followed by Mr. Dark. They threw themselves into the mass of waiting Pirates. Henchman burst into flames wherever Dark walked, and any Pirate that got near Lachimax was instantly impaled.
They quickly dispatched all of the Pirates on deck, then proceeding to the back. Lachimax jammed his spear into the door, trying to force it open. Mr. Dark lifted his hand, and the door disappeared. The pilot was suddenly destroyed by Lachimax's spear. Lachimax reached over and flicked a switch, and the ship began to fly sharply down.
They both climbed back aboard the CODEFS warship, just in time to watch the other warship colide with another one. Both of them were suddenly and violently deactivated.
Clark landed on the deck of the CODEFS warship, with Murfy standing on his shoulder.
"There is only one warship left." reported Murfy. "And I think the Knaaren are taking care of it."
Sure enough, several Knaaren were hanging off the ship's hull, tearing at the wood. One Knaaren pulled a bunch of wires out, and the ship began to jerk. All of the Knaaren jumped off, to be caught by waiting Moskitos. The ship that they had just left was now smoking, thick clouds pouring out of the hole. It then exploded,
Rayman and his shell landed on the deck of the CODEFS warship, skidding to a halt.
"The battle is won." he said. "To the Hall of Doors."

The Hall of Doors

In the lush, magnificent garden that is the Hall of Doors, yellow portals swirled in the crystal clear River that Leads to Nowhere.
Out of one of these portals, a walking shell burst forth. Rayman and Ly were on its back.
They were followed by Knaaren, Moskitos, most of the Rebellion.
The CODEFS warship, when it emerged, created a wave, which washed over Rayman and Ly, who were standin on the side of the river next to the shell. They looked at each others wet faces and laughed.
Lachimax quickly took command. "CODEFS members, guard the portals, one member to each portal."
The CODEFS members quickly sprang into action. Bucket stayed in the ship, which was hovering above the trees, and the rest of CODEFS ran to the different portals, weapons at the ready.
Lachimax turned to Rayman. "We must return to the swamps for the rest of the Rebellion. Come with me, and we will go back."
"Coming." Rayman said.
He turned to Ly. "I won't be long."
Do come back. Ly leaned down and kissed Rayman on the forehead. And then Rayman was gone, climbing aboard the warship, followed loyally by the shell.

The Bog of Murk

Above the Bog of Murk, a warship hovered. Begoniax, Razoff and the Teensies watched in awe as it descended. Begoniax gathered up her power, preparing to throw it at the warship. She unleashed a spell of fire and destruction, aiming for the back of the ship, the engines.
The spell didn't even get there.
A glowing sphere appeared around the warship just before the spell reached it, reflecting it into the murky water. Several piranhas boiled in the resulting steam.
The warship landed in the water.
Two outdated Henchman 800 jumped out.
Behind them, walking stick in gloved hand, was Admiral Razorbeard.

The Marshes of Awakening

Sam watched the portal at the start of the jetty, waiting. Its yellow, swirling depths were entrancing, almost hypnotising. Sam could not enter the portal until it was open at the other end, which was in the Hall of Doors. If Rayman succeeded, then he would enter.
He was concentrating so hard (for him) that he jumped when Rayman and Lachimax erupted from it.
"Rayman!" he said. "How did the battle go?"
"We won, Sam. We have returned to fetch you and the rest of the group."
Sam had wanted to tell Rayman something, but now he had forgotten. He began to think hard about it. Then he remembered.
"Rayman… you may be too late. A warship flew over here jussssssssst a minute a go. It wassssss heading for the Bog."
"What?!"
"I said, that it wa…"
"I heard you, Sam." Rayman turned to Lachimax. "We must hurry to the Bog. Now!"

The Bog of Murk

Just like old times.
Rayman was waterskiing, his fist connected to Sam's scarf by a stream of energy. Lachimax was hanging onto Rayman's waist for dear life.
As Sam dodged Piranhas, discarded crates, and Zombie Chickens, Rayman began to charge his fist, the one that was not connected to Sam's neck. It span around and around, gathering energy.
Together, they crossed the border between the Bog of Murk and the Marshes of Awakening. They sped past Razoff's house, past several wrecked boats. Rayman could now see the warship, hovering above the base island. He prepared for battle.
Sam stopped right next to the island. Rayman jumped, flying forward onto the island. He let fly with his fist. Lachimax landed next to him.
Rayman's fist hit a pirate in the leg. It made it fall over, landing face first in the mud. Lachimax threw his spear at a particularly short Pirate who had his back turned.
The Pirate turned around and caught the spear with his white gloved hand.
Rayman gasped.
"Razorbeard!"

The Bog of Murk

"Seize them."
A beam of red light shot out from the warship's crow's nest and created a bubble around Rayman and Lachimax. The beam connected the warship and the bubble. The bubble rose into the air. From here Rayman could see the Teensies, Tarayzan, Begoniax and Razoff. They were all tied up on the ground. Rayman banged his fists against the sides, trying to get out.
"Let us out!" he yelled, looking down at Razorbeard through the transparent floor of the red, glowing bubble.
"Relax, Rayman." Razorbeard called up to him. "I have know intention of killing you."
Lachimax answered this time. "Why not? Are you to cowardly? To afraid to hurt a living thing?"
Razorbeard laughed at this with his rasping voice. "I have killed hundreds of beings personally, fool, and ordered the deaths of thousands more. Who are you, anyway? The head of a Teensie and the body of a Knaaren? Not to mention wings. You really are an odd one."
Rayman spoke again. "If you won't kill us, you must need us for something. What?"
Razorbeard ignored him, and shouted up to the warship. "Bring them into my private quarters."
The bubble they were in floated towards the warship. A hatch slid open like a huge mouth, and they entered. The hatch closed, swallowing them.

Rayman and Lachimax were tied to two chairs in Razorbeard's cabin. Razorbeard was talking, and they were listening.
"You may be surprised to learn that I am not in fact behind this invasion. It is, in fact, my rival, Commander Stellwill, who is commanding this fleet."
"Your rival?"
"Yes. I was imprisoned for my failure, which was because of you, I might add. I escaped, but now, I need your help."
Rayman and Lachimax looked at each other.
"What for?"
"To defeat Steelwill, and to prove him for the imbecile he is. If you can defeat me, Rayman, you can beat him "
The two companions looked at each other again. Lachimax nodded.
Raymnan said "We will help you, Razorbeard, if you help us."
"How?"
"Join our rebellion. Help us drive back Steelwill's forces. You and your band of Pirates can be of help."
"From what I have seen, your army is fairly flimsy." Razorbeard replied, gesturing out the window at the tied up Teensies below.
"Oh, don't worry. They are not even half of our forces."
Razorbeard and Rayman stared at each other fro a minute. Two old arch enemies, face to face. Glowing yellow optical sensor met white eye. Then Razorbeard spoke. "Deal."

FLASHBACK: Before the original invasion, Unsurveyed Planet LV-426

A scouting party of Robo-Pirates.
An unsurveyed planet.
A derelict spacecraft that crash-landed millennia ago.
The ultimate bio-weapon.
Ten Henchman 800 ventured into the crashed craft, guns at the ready, torches shining from the tops of their weapons.
They reached a deep pit within the ship, next to the colossal, fossilised skeleton of a dead creature. They activated their jetpacks, hovering down to the bottom.
Thousands of leathery eggs, covered by a thin mist.
Within one of the eggs, sensing vibrations, a spider-like creature stirs. A creature with the potential to destroy an entire galaxy within it.

The Teensie Highway

A person who is a Ray, but not a Ray. Who possesses a dangerous weapon, but prefers not to use it. The last surviving member of a species from a different solar system.
Christian the Semi-Ray.
Christian was similar to the Ray species in that he had no neck and a similar head. He still had arms and legs, though. He was wearing the black shirt and jeans that he had been in for months, ever since he had been captured by the Robo-Pirates. The Form Baton, the last remnant of the amazing technology of his people, was attached to his back, keeping him in the air above the infinite depths of the Teensie Highway.
What's the point? he thought. No-one will come to rescue me. I'll just stay floating here until I starve to death. Might as well make it quick.
He reached over his back to turn the Form Baton off. He pushed down the top part and pressed the A button.
He fell.
Right on top of a warship that had just materialised.
And found himself face to face with another of his species.
That can't be! he thought. And then he realised that this ]one was not of his species. Possibly related, but not the same.
This one had no arms or legs.
"Who the bloody hell are you?" said Rayman, an expression of shock on his face.
Christian looked around the deck of the warship. Standing around him were Rayman, Lachimax…
And a Class-5 Robo-Pirate Admiral.
"No!" he screamed, drawing the Form Baton and pressing the A button. "You will not take me again!"
A yellow beam of light shot out of the remote-control shaped Baton, turning it into a beam sword. He charged at Razorbeard, ready to slice him into scrap metal.
"Restrain him!" shouted the admiral, and suddenly pain shot through Christopher. He knew no more.

The Hall of Doors

Christian awoke in a beautiful rainforest. He was lying on thick, soft grass. He lifted his head, and saw the Razorbeard and Rayman talking by the crystal-clear river, there backs turned(He didn't know their names, of course).
"Ah, so this is the famous Hall of Doors," came Razorbeard's voice. "Quite magnificent. Is this how you were getting around so quickly in the original invasion?"
"Obviously."
Christian felt in his pocket. The Form Baton was gone!
"No!" he yelled, leaping to his feet. "Give it back, you son of a xenomorph!"
Rayman and Razorbeard span around.
"You oosharax destroyed my family! My friends! My entire freaking planet!"
Lachimax ran over, spear in hand. "Don't hurt him!" cried Rayman.
Two Knaaren grabbed him from behind. Christianstruggled for all he was worth, but to no avail.
"Go to hell!" he screamed, as he was dragged off to one of the two nearby warships.

"Who is that being?" said Mr. Dark, watching Christian go as he walked over.
"More to the point, who are you?" replied Razorbeard.
"Me? I am Rayman's old arch enemy, Mr. Dark."
"No, I'm his old arch enemy!"
"Who are you then? You look like someone's idea of a clockwork idiot."
"Yeah? Well I attacked Rayman with a giant robot!"
"A giant robot? That's so cliché. I almost defeated him with an evil version of himself!"
"I invaded the entire planet with Robo-Pirates!"
"I used an army of Antitoons to steal the Heart of the World!"
"Ha! Stole it!? I blew it up!"
"I can create monsters! Ever heard of Mr. Stone?"
"And I can destroy them! Ever heard of the Characarz?"
"I'm eviller than you!"
"No, I'm eviller than you!"
Rayman smiled as he watched them debate who was eviller.
"I bent Mr. Sax to my will!"
"I caused the Zombie Chickens to be created!"
"Zombie Chickens? What sort of monster is that?"
"A very dangerous one!"
Rayman left them to it.

Razorbeard's warship, The Hall of Doors

Christian sat in his cell, fuming. He had already examined every corner of the wooden walls, and even the electric door. There was no way out.
If he had his Form Baton, he would have been out of there in minutes. He could have just pressed the 1 button, and the wooden walls would have crumbled. But it was sitting beyond the steel bars, on a table, well beyond his reach.
Christian heard a sound, and looked up.
The limbless being who he had met earlier walked into the room where the table was. He picked up the Form Baton and examined it. He then sat downin front of Christian, just beyond the bars.
"What exactly is this weapon?" he said.
Christian stayed silent.
"Where are you from?" the being continued.
Silence.
"Okay then, if your going to be like that." Rayman pressed the A button, and a beam of light erupted from the Baton, transforming it into a Beam Sword.
"Quite amazing. What will happen if I press all the buttons at once..."
"Don't." Christian spoke finally.
"What did you say?" said Rayman, looking up.
"Don't press all the buttons at once." replied Christian.
"Why not?"
"Ever heard of an atomic explosion?"
"No."
"Just don't press them."
Rayman looked at Christian again.
"Who are you?" he said in a curious voice.
Christian decided that it wouldn't do him any good to stay silent. Besides, what did he have to lose?
"My name is Christian," he said. "I used to live on another planet. That planet is no longer there. My people are no longer there."
"Why? What happened?" asked Rayman.
"The Robo-Pirates came. At first our advanced weaponry and defence systems were enough to keep them back. But then, something happened.
"We were betrayed. We had a long-lasting alliance with a species from our neighbouring planet. But they turned against us, in return for an alliance with the Pirates.
"The other species, the Darax, disabled our defenses, and the Pirates swept in. They took everything, stripping our planet to the bone. Then, they flew out into space, leaving everybody behind on the planet.
"They had brought a secret weapon with them from another world they had conquered. They call it a CBHG, or a Controlled Black Hole Generator. It creates a Black hole within an immensely strong force field.
"The force field was around our planet. The Black hole sucked it in, and crushed it and everyone on it.
"I was taken with them, because I have the Form Baton. The Pirates cannot use it themselves, as it only reacts to a living thing. So they took me with them, onboard one of their warships. I was forced to do their chores, scrubbing the decks, oiling their joints.
"Then we came to another planet. An amazingly beautiful planet, teeming with life, far surpassing my own in beauty. This one. I looked upon it and was sad, for I knew that its fate would soon be similar to my own planet's.
"I was aboard one of the warships that entered what the Pirates called the Teensie Highway. We met a band of rebels along the way. I believe you were leading them. Anyway, the warship I was on was attacked by a group of those tall, brown-skinned creatures. In the confusion I managed to grab the Form Baton and fight for my life. Finally, I had my chance to wreak revenge on my people's slayers.
"The warship blew up, but I jumped clear just in time. I tried to reach your ship, but you were already disappearing into the distance. I floated around for a while, using the Form Baton as a jetpack. That's when I met you."
Rayman looked at him for a while. "You have been through so much. I'm amazed that you don't hat every single cell of my body for working with even a rebel Robo-Pirate."
He extended a hand through the bars of Christian's cell. "I'm Rayman." Christian shook it.
"Welcome to the Rebellion."

Commander Steelwill's flagship

A person walked down one of the many corridors of the flagship. He wore a purple top. His wide chest was adorned with medals and badges, bouncing up and down as he walked. His face was also purple, shaped like a rectangle, on which he wore a military general's cap. His armless, white-gloved hands were huge, and he wore white shoes on his legless feet. He carried a briefcase in his right hand.
He stopped outside Steelwill's cabin. One of the two Henchman 5000 guards entered a code into a number pad on the wall, and the door slid open. The limbless man entered.
A grinding voice said from the shadows: "What have you got for me?"
The man began to talk in a deep, quick voice. "As you already know, I represent Evil Genius Incorporated, the creators of the GrolgothTM and the Instant Hero MindScramblerTM. We have recently developed a new product."
He dropped the briefcase to the ground, and it sprang open. A blueprint design unravelled from it, perched on a steel stalk.
"This is the Orbital Laser 7000TM. It orbits around the planet of your choice, you can direct it over any place on said planet. All it takes is the press of a big red button, and all of your enemies in that place will fry. Totally hero proof. Comes with this free washing machine. Batteries not included."
From the shadows at the other end of the room, Steelwill considered. If what this being said was true, then he would easily be able to destroy any rebel base at his leisure. He thought for a while. Then he said:
"I'll take it. You will receive your pay on the way out."
The salesman said one last thing. "As part of our special bonus Tyrant pack, the laser will be shipped up immediately, ready for your use."
"Good. I look forward to doing business with you in the future."
"So do I."

Picture City

A single Prison Ship, surrounded by warships, descended from the sky. It's belly was full to bursting of prisoners, and it needed somewhere to dump them. Picture City was an ideal location. Infinite streets of rubber and paper, pencil towers, and lots of wide, open spaces.
The labyrinthine streets would make it hard to attack.
The huge pencil towers could have guns mounted on them.
The open plains would be the place to set up a base, where the prisoners would be kept.
The Prison Ship stopped, hovering just fifty metres from the ground. Its hangar door, on the bottom of the hull, opened. A huge ramp slid out, reaching down to the ground. Ten Henchman 5000 marched down it, guns at the ready. Seeing that the coast was clear, one gestured back up at the hangar.
Prisoners were marched down the ramp at gunpoint. Teensies. Fairies. Birdmen. Finally, last in line, came two upright, frog-like beings. One was violet, the other blue, except for their white bellies and hands. They were surrounded by miniature versions of themselves, children of all sizes.
Globox and Uglette.

Watching from the shadows behind a large, erect eraser, hovered a purple Moskito. He carried a small pistol in one hand, and there was a communicator attached to the back of his head. He disattached it, and spoke into it.
"This is Purple Terror speaking. Purple Terror to Fighting Squad. Come in Fighting Squad."
The communicator spurted static for a few seconds, then Purple Terror received an answer.
"Fighting Squad to Purple Terror. We read you loud and clear. This is Hybrid Knaaren speaking. What's your situation?"
"I'm at Picture City. A Prison Ship has landed here, and is unloading its prisoners."
"Thank you, Purple Terror. Stay where you are, and alert us of further developments."
Purple Terror reattached the communicator to the back of his head, and sat down on a nearby sharpener.

CODEFS warship, The Hall of Doors

The rebellion War Council were discussing their next move when Purple Terror's signal came in. Lachimax quickly ran to the ship's communicator and replied.
"Fighting Squad to Purple Terror. We read you loud and clear. This is Hybrid Knaaren speaking. What's your situation?"
Rayman and the rest of the Council, which had been joined by Christian and Razorbeard, all listened intently. Christian stared at Razorbeard with utter hatred, until the radio conversation finished. Then they all started speaking at once, except for Christian and, funnily enough, Rayman.
"We must act immediately!" said Gumsi in his squeaky voice.
"We can use a portal to reach Picture City quickly!" said the head of the Grand Minimuses.
"No! We should wait until the Prison Ship leaves!" It was Razorbeard this time.
And the argument went on. Through all of this, Rayman remained silent, caught in his own thoughts. He had his own reason for wanting to attack, but knew it would be foolish to be too hasty.
Then Christian spoke. The whole room fell silent to listen to the newcomers words.
"I know that we should be careful. I have seen first hand what the Robo-Pirates can do. But these prisoners have suffered long and hard at the hands of the Pirates. I think we should rescue them with all haste."
The Council listened in awe to this short, inspiring speech. Then, as one, they cheered.
"Hear hear!"
All except for Razorbeard.
That's when the communicator spoke again.
"Purple Terror to Fighting Squad. The prisoners have all disembarked the Prison Ship, and it is lifting off. It appears to be leaving approximately two hundred Henchmen and five warships behind."
Once again, Lachimax replied.
"Fighting Squad to Purple Terror. Hybrid Knaaren speaking. Return to base of operations immediately."
Lachimax looked up at the Council.
Rayman spoke. "What are we waiting for? Let's go."
The Council cheered, and stood up, leaving the room. But Rayman held Lachimax back.
"Who exactly is Purple Terror?"
"One of CODEFS field agents. That's just his codename. Hi real name is Foilarak."
Rayman recognised that name from somewhere, but he couldn't remember where.
"Okay then. Let's move."

Picture City

At the top of a huge pile of paper, erasers and discarded ink bottles, a yellow portal swirled.
Out of the portal leapt two warships. One had the CODEFS symbol printed on its sail. And the other had the Robo-Pirate symbol.
Two CODEFS members jumped off their warship. One was the Young Globox. He had a small Gatling Gun straaped over his shoulder. The other was the same species as Razoff, and had a rifle in his hands. They quickly looked over the immediate area. Then, seeing it was safe, the Young Globox spoke into a communicator attached to his gun.
"Area secure."
Out of the portal came more of the rebellion. Knaaren, Moskitos, Teensies. Clark Ly, Rayman. Mr. Dark, Christian, Razorbeard.
They continued pouring out until their was no space left at the tip of the garbage heap. Then they swept down the sides, silently. They made their way through Picture City, ever so quietly. As one, they reached the edge of a wide, paper plain. There they could see the prisoners.
Rayman caught his breath. As he had hoped, there he was.
Globox.
Clark wanted to charge straight out into them, but Ly and Mr. Dark held him back. Privately, Rayman wanted to do the same, to throw caution to the winds, to attack them straight out. To hell with the plan.
Instead, he let Lachimax do the directing.
The plain was surrounded by a ring of erect erasers, and then, another ring of Pencil Towers. Half of the rebel army, the Knaaren and some CODEFS members, as well as Rayman and Clark, crept past the huge Pencil Towers and hid behind the erasers. The other half stayed behind.
Inside the CODEFS warship, Bucket pressed a button.
A the deck of the warship opened up, revealing a rocket, which was pointed upwards.
Bucket pressed another button.
The rocket flew up into the air, propelled by a blue flame. It shot up into the sky, then exploded.
That was the signal.
The Knaaren surged forward, charging onto the plain, led by Rayman on his shell and Clark, while the Pirates were distracted by the rocket.
At least, that's what the plan was.
The Henchmen were only pretending to be distracted.
Rayman heard an explosion behind them. He turned the shell around in time to see flames licking upwards from the base of one of the Pencil Towers.
Then that tower began to fall. It fell towards the Tower next to it, hitting it. This Tower fell as well, knocking the next one over. They all fell, like a pack of dominoes, surrounding the plain in a wall of wood and graphite, separating the two halves of the rebellion. The Robo-Pirates had planned it to perfection.
They had known the rebellion was coming.
And this was not all.
Everywhere, on the outside of the ring, what had first appeared to be old, discarded barrels began to move. They rolled towards the Teensies and Moskitos, as if they had minds of their own. Which they did.
Barrel and Gorilla Pirates were both a form of Henchman, both outdated even before the original invasion. Although they were both much stronger than the newer Henchman 800, they were both clumsy and slow. The Gorilla Pirate didn't even have any onboard weapons.
But they had been selected for this task because of their sheer strength and power.
Out of each barrel emerged two mechanical legs. White eyes lit up behind the rectangular slits, and a turret poked out of the tops of the barrels.
From inside certain barrels that had not moved, blue-and-white striped shirted Gorrila Pirates emerged. Monkeys in a barrel. They ran forward and propped the Barrel Pirates onto their feet. Then they charged, howling with excitement.
The battle began.

Picture City

There was only one option.
They charged.
Rayman, Clark, and the Knaaren surged forward on the paper plain that had become their prison. The sight of Globox, a look of surprise on his face, inspired Rayman.
"Chaaaaaaaaaaarge!"
The Henchmen in the Prison camp were already firing. They concentrated their fire on the front lines of Knaaren, picking them off one by one. Then, out of the sky, swooped a warship. It dropped bombs into the disorganised ranks of Knaaren, blowing them apart. There wasn't much hope.

The rest of the rebellion, trapped on the other side of the pencil wall, fought for their lives.
Lachimax danced among the Gorilla Pirates, his spear moving so fast that it was a blur. He kicked a Gorilla over with his clawed foot, then brought his spear down on it for a killing strike. It barely pierced its thick armour. It grabbed the spear, and wrenched it out of Lachimax's hands, throwing it away. Then it leapt to its feet and grabbed his arm, twisting it slowly around. Lachimax groaned with pain. The Gorilla howled with mechanical laughter.
Then it stopped laughing suddenly. It's expression changed from one of enjoyment to one of shock. It looked down at it's chest, where a yellow, glowing, blade was sticking out. Then it collapsed with a final howl of pain.
Standing over its body was Christian, Form Baton in one hand and Lachimax's spear in the other.
He tossed the spear to Lachimax. "Thanks," said Lachimax. "I thought I was dead."
"Don't mention it," replied Christian, smiling. "But next time you pick a fight with a monkey, I might not be around to save you."
This moment was broken up by a round, black projectile landing between them. They leapt out of the way just in time. It exploded, creating a skull-shaped cloud of gas.
Lachimax looked towards the source of the bomb. There stood a Barrel Pirate, cannon primed and ready.
It launched a beam of electricity from its cannon, barely missing Lachimax as he rolled out of the way and scorching the inky ground. Three more gas bombs sprayed out of its canon, landing around Christian and surrounding him in a cloud of poisonous gas. Christian used some sort of air blower on his Form Baton to sweep it away. The Barrel Pirate threw another electrical beam from its cannon. Instead of dodging it, though, Christian pressed the 1 button on the Form Baton. The electricity danced into the tip of the Baton, disappearing to within the Baton. All three beings, Christian, Lachimax and the Barrel Pirate, stared at the Baton for a second. Then the electric beam struck out from the Baton, this time redirected at the Barrel Pirate. It hit the Pirate's cannon, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke.
Then Lachimax jumped forward, and shoved his spear into the Pirate's eye slit. It's eyes blinked out, and flames erupted from the slit. The whole thing blew apart, spreading wood and rivets across several metres.

The battle was spreading throughout the entire Picture City. On the Eraser Plains, Moskitos combated Barrel Pirates. In the Pencil Pentathlon, Teensies and CODEFS members fought Gorilla Henchmen.
In the small plain of paper, Rayman's army was desperately trying to get through to the prisoners. They were just outside the wire fence surrounding the camp. Pirates were picking them off from watch towers. A warship was killing more Knaaren every minute. And Clark was locked in mortal combat with the huge, locked, steel gate. Finally, in desperation, with all his strength, he slammed his huge fists into the hinges of one of the gates. The hinges snapped, and the gate collapsed.
They were in.

Lachimax and Christian battled, back to back, inside a twisted maze. There were mirrors lining every wall, so it was impossible to tell what was a real enemy and what was simply an illusion. Everywhere laser bolts and gas bombs flew.
Suddenly, one of the Barrel Pirates was lifted off its feet by some invisible force, along with several of its mirror images.
There, behind it, was Mr. Dark, his hands raised to the sky.
"Excuse me, gentlemen," he said. "While I teach this overgrown beer mug a lesson."
The Barrel Pirate began to spin around and around in mid-air, gradually getting faster and faster, until, finally, one of its bolts jiggled loose and flew into one of the mirrors, cracking it. A plank of wood tore itself away from the Barrel and knocked the head off an advancing Gorilla Pirate. The Barrel continued spinning until it was completely in pieces.
Then, Mr. Dark joined their little group, and fought the Pirates with them.

Gilly, which was the name of the Young Globox who had joined CODEFS long ago, was fighting madly. The barrels of his Gatling Gun never ceased spinning, and the bullets he launched tore ferociously into Gorillas and Barrels alike.
At one point he found himself fighting side by side with Lachimax, Christian and Mr. Dark. Together they fought, working as a four-man team.
Finally, they became cornered. They huddled together between a bottle of black ink and a rubber wall. They were totally surrounded.
A mechanical voice rang out around them.
"Surrender, rebels, or you will die."
The four looked at each other, and reached a silent agreement. They would rather die fighting then be prisoners of war to be played with and exploited.
Lachimax nodded. Then, leaping up, he jammed his spear into the lid of the ink bottle, using it as a pole vault, propelling him forward into the mass of Pirates. Ink sprayed up like a fountain from the hole he had left.
"Showoff." Gilly said. Then he turned around and fired into the glass of the bottle, smashing it and spreading ink everywhere. Together, he, Christian and Mr. Dark charged forwards, yelling.

[B]The Bog of Murk[/B]

Rayman stood at the bow of the CODEFS warship, watching the scenery flash by. They were on their way to the Teensie camp, to check up on things.

The Shell trotted up to him, and stood next to him. Rayman patted it on the nose.

The warship began to descend, into a particularly deep patch of murky water. Warships can float as well as fly. Rayman climbed down, onto the island. Ly stood there, waiting.

Rayman jogged over to her. "How are things going here?" he asked.

[I]Not to bad, Rayman.[/I] she answered. [I]The Teensies are adapting well to this environment.[/I]

Rayman nodded. "Good. Lets just hope the Pirates don't find us here."

Ly sighed. "Whats wrong?" asked Rayman.

[I]Oh, nothing. Are you going straight back to the Marshes after this?[/I]

"No. We're going on a recruiting mission to the Dream Forest."

[I]Who do you plan to recruit there?[/I]

"I guess you'll find out." he answered. "We're about to leave. I just had to make sure everything was fine here."

[I]Well, goodbye then.[/I] Ly looked into Rayman's eyes. Then, impulsively, before she had time to think, she kissed him on the nose. And, for the second that her green lips were pressed against his large nose, she was content.

[B]The Swamps of Forgetfulness, The Dream Forest[/B]

The CODEFS warship descended past the canopy of the Dream Forest. It passed several Flying Flowers, and a few Plum vines, to hover just above the forest floor.

Above the warship, hiding in the trees, was a Ray, the same species as Rayman. He was naked, except for a leopard skin loincloth that covered most of his torso. He watched as Rayman jumped and helicoptered off the edge of the ship. He saw the yellow and black object jump down after Rayman. The Ray began to swing in closer.

Lachimax jumped down next to Rayman. "Who [I]were[/I] you planning to recruit here?" he asked.

"Don't worry." answered Rayman. "He should be here any minute now."

Lachimax didn't look satisfied.

"Don't worry so much. It will be worth it, trust me."

It began to rain, the tiny drops of water pattering against the ship.

A sound attracted their attention. It was the sound of a Robo-Pirate laser going off.

Tarayzan swung over their heads, closely pursued by three jetpacking Robo-Pirates. They were firing at him, trying to get him. One shot hit Tarayzan's vine, and he fell onto the CODEFS warship. The warships guns aimed. The Pirates began to descend.

One shot was all it took.

The three Henchmen were vaporised instantly. Tarayzan jumped down, looking shaken.

"Hey, Rayman!" he said loudly. "Who's this?"

[B]The Hall of Doors[/B]

In the lush, magnificent garden that is the Hall of Doors, yellow portals swirled in the crystal clear River that Leads to Nowhere.

Out of one of these portals, a walking shell burst forth. Rayman and Ly were on its back.

They were followed by Knaaren, Moskitos, most of the Rebellion.

The CODEFS warship, when it emerged, created a wave, which washed over Rayman and Ly, who were standin on the side of the river next to the shell. They looked at each others wet faces and laughed.

Lachimax quickly took command. "CODEFS members, guard the portals, one member to each portal."

The CODEFS members quickly sprang into action. Bucket stayed in the ship, which was hovering above the trees, and the rest of CODEFS ran to the different portals, weapons at the ready.

Lachimax turned to Rayman. "We must return to the swamps for the rest of the Rebellion. Come with me, and we will go back."

"Coming." Rayman said.

He turned to Ly. "I won't be long."

[i] Do come back. [/i] Ly leaned down and kissed Rayman on the forehead. And then Rayman was gone, climbing aboard the warship, followed loyally by the shell.

[B] The Bog of Murk [/B]

Above the Bog of Murk, a warship hovered. Begoniax, Razoff and the Teensies watched in awe as it descended. Begoniax gathered up her power, preparing to throw it at the warship. She unleashed a spell of fire and destruction, aiming for the back of the ship, the engines.

The spell didn't even get there.

A glowing sphere appeared around the warship just before the spell reached it, reflecting it into the murky water. Several piranhas boiled in the resulting steam.

The warship landed in the water.

Two outdated Henchman 800 jumped out.

Behind them, walking stick in gloved hand, was Admiral Razorbeard.

[B] The Marshes of Awakening [/B]

Sam watched the portal at the start of the jetty, waiting. Its yellow, swirling depths were entrancing, almost hypnotising. Sam could not enter the portal until it was open at the other end, which was in the Hall of Doors. If Rayman succeeded, then he would enter.

He was concentrating so hard (for him) that he jumped when Rayman and Lachimax erupted from it.

"Rayman!" he said. "How did the battle go?"

"We won, Sam. We have returned to fetch you and the rest of the group."

Sam had wanted to tell Rayman something, but now he had forgotten. He began to think hard about it. Then he remembered.

"Rayman… you may be too late. A warship flew over here jussssssssst a minute a go. It wassssss heading for the Bog."

"What?!"

"I said, that it wa…"

"I heard you, Sam." Rayman turned to Lachimax. "We must hurry to the Bog. Now!"

[B] The Bog of Murk [/B]

Just like old times.

Rayman was waterskiing, his fist connected to Sam's scarf by a stream of energy. Lachimax was hanging onto Rayman's waist for dear life.

As Sam dodged Piranhas, discarded crates, and Zombie Chickens, Rayman began to charge his fist, the one that was not connected to Sam's neck. It span around and around, gathering energy.

Together, they crossed the border between the Bog of Murk and the Marshes of Awakening. They sped past Razoff's house, past several wrecked boats. Rayman could now see the warship, hovering above the base island. He prepared for battle.

Sam stopped right next to the island. Rayman jumped, flying forward onto the island. He let fly with his fist. Lachimax landed next to him.

Rayman's fist hit a pirate in the leg. It made it fall over, landing face first in the mud. Lachimax threw his spear at a particularly short Pirate who had his back turned.

The Pirate turned around and caught the spear with his white gloved hand.

Rayman gasped.

"Razorbeard!"

[B]The Bog of Murk[/B]

"Seize them."

A beam of red light shot out from the warship's crow's nest and created a bubble around Rayman and Lachimax. The beam connected the warship and the bubble. The bubble rose into the air. From here Rayman could see the Teensies, Tarayzan, Begoniax and Razoff. They were all tied up on the ground. Rayman banged his fists against the sides, trying to get out.

"Let us out!" he yelled, looking down at Razorbeard through the transparent floor of the red, glowing bubble.

"Relax, Rayman." Razorbeard called up to him. "I have no intention of killing you."

Lachimax answered this time. "Why not? Are you to cowardly? To afraid to hurt a living thing?"

Razorbeard laughed at this with his rasping voice. "I have killed hundreds of beings personally, fool, and ordered the deaths of thousands more. Who are you, anyway? The head of a Teensie and the body of a Knaaren? Not to mention wings. You really are an odd one."

Rayman spoke again. "If you won't kill us, you must need us for something. What?"

Razorbeard ignored him, and shouted up to the warship. "Bring them into my private quarters."

The bubble they were in floated towards the warship. A hatch slid open like a huge mouth, and they entered. The hatch closed, swallowing them.

[b]FLASHBACK: Before the original invasion, Unsurveyed Planet LV-426[/b]

A scouting party of Robo-Pirates.

An unsurveyed planet.

A derelict spacecraft that crash-landed millennia ago.

The ultimate bio-weapon.

Ten Henchman 800 ventured into the crashed craft, guns at the ready, torches shining from the tops of their weapons.

They reached a deep pit within the ship, next to the colossal, fossilised skeleton of a dead creature. They activated their jetpacks, hovering down to the bottom.

Thousands of leathery eggs, covered by a thin mist.

Within one of the eggs, sensing vibrations, a spider-like creature stirs. A creature with the potential to destroy an entire galaxy within it.

[B]The Teensie Highway[/B]

A person who is a Ray, but not a Ray. Who possesses a dangerous weapon, but prefers not to use it. The last surviving member of a species from a different solar system.

Christopher the Semi-Ray.

Christopher was similar to the Ray species in that he had no neck and a similar head. He still had arms and legs, though. He was wearing the black shirt and jeans that he had been in for months, ever since he had been captured by the Robo-Pirates. The Form Baton, the last remnant of the amazing technology of his people, was attached to his back, keeping him in the air above the infinite depths of the Teensie Highway.

[I]What's the point? [/I] he thought. [I]No-one will come to rescue me. I'll just stay floating here until I starve to death. Might as well make it quick. [/I]

He reached over his back to turn the Form Baton off. He pushed down the top part and pressed the A button.

He fell.

Right on top of a warship that had just materialised.

And found himself face to face with another of his species.

[I]That can't be! [/I] he thought. And then he realised that this ]one was not of his species. Possibly related, but not the same.

This one had no arms or legs.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" said Rayman, an expression of shock on his face.

Christopher looked around the deck of the warship. Standing around him were Rayman, Lachimax…

And a Class-5 Robo-Pirate Admiral.

"No!" he screamed, drawing the Form Baton and pressing the A button. "You will not take me again!"

A yellow beam of light shot out of the remote-control shaped Baton, turning it into a beam sword. He charged at Razorbeard, ready to slice him into scrap metal.

"Restrain him!" shouted the admiral, and suddenly pain shot through Christopher. He knew no more.

[b]The Hall of Doors[/b]

Christopher awoke in a beautiful rainforest. He was lying on thick, soft grass. He lifted his head, and saw the Razorbeard and Rayman talking by the crystal-clear river, there backs turned(He didn't know their names, of course).

"Ah, so this is the famous Hall of Doors," came Razorbeard's voice. "Quite magnificent. Is this how you were getting around so quickly in the original invasion?"

"Obviously."

Christopher felt in his pocket. The Form Baton was gone!

"No!" he yelled, leaping to his feet. "Give it back, you son of a xenomorph!"

Rayman and Razorbeard span around.

"You oosharax destroyed my family! My friends! My entire freaking planet!"

Lachimax ran over, spear in hand. "Don't hurt him!" cried Rayman.

Two Knaaren grabbed him from behind. Christopher struggled for all he was worth, but to no avail.

"Go to hell!" he screamed, as he was dragged off to one of the two nearby warships.

"Who [i]is[/i] that being?" said Mr. Dark, watching Christopher go as he walked over.

"More to the point, who are you?" replied Razorbeard.

"Me? I am Rayman's old arch enemy, Mr. Dark."

"No, [I]I'm[/I] his old arch enemy!"

"Who are you then? You look like someone's idea of a clockwork idiot."

"Yeah? Well [I]I[/I] attacked Rayman with a giant robot!"

"A giant robot? That's so cliché. [I]I[/I] almost defeated him with an evil version of himself!"

"[I]I[/I] invaded the entire planet with Robo-Pirates!"

"[I]I[/I] used an army of Antitoons to steal the Heart of the World!"

"Ha! [I]Stole[/I] it!? [I]I[/I] blew it up!"

"I can create monsters! Ever heard of Mr. Stone?"

"And I can destroy them! Ever heard of the Characarz?"

"I'm eviller than you!"

"No, I'm eviller than you!"

Rayman smiled as he watched them debate who was eviller.

"I bent Mr. Sax to my will!"

"I caused the Zombie Chickens to be created!"

"Zombie Chickens? What sort of monster is that?"

"A very dangerous one!"

Rayman left them to it.

[B]Razorbeard's warship, The Hall of Doors[/B]

Christian sat in his cell, fuming. He had already examined every corner of the wooden walls, and even the electric door. There was no way out.

If he had his Form Baton, he would have been out of there in minutes. He could have just pressed the 1 button, and the wooden walls would have crumbled. But it was sitting beyond the steel bars, on a table, well beyond his reach.

Christian heard a sound, and looked up.

The limbless being who he had met earlier walked into the room where the table was. He picked up the Form Baton and examined it. He then sat downin front of Christian, just beyond the bars.

"What exactly is this weapon?" he said.

Christian stayed silent.

"Where are you from?" the being continued.

Silence.

"Okay then, if your going to be like that." Rayman pressed the A button, and a beam of light erupted from the Baton, transforming it into a Beam Sword.

"Quite amazing. What will happen if I press all the buttons at once..."

"Don't." Christian spoke finally.

"What did you say?" said Rayman, looking up.

"Don't press all the buttons at once." replied Christian.

"Why not?"

"Ever heard of an atomic explosion?"

"No."

"Just don't press them."

Rayman looked at Christian again.

"Who are you?" he said in a curious voice.

Christian decided that it wouldn't do him any good to stay silent. Besides, what did he have to lose?

"My name is Christian," he said. "I used to live on another planet. That planet is no longer there. My people are no longer there."

"Why? What happened?" asked Rayman.

"The Robo-Pirates came. At first our advanced weaponry and defence systems were enough to keep them back. But then, something happened.

"We were betrayed. We had a long-lasting alliance with a species from our neighbouring planet. But they turned against us, in return for an alliance with the Pirates.

"The other species, the Darax, disabled our defenses, and the Pirates swept in. They took everything, stripping our planet to the bone. Then, they flew out into space, leaving everybody behind on the planet.

"They had brought a secret weapon with them from another world they had conquered. They call it a CBHG, or a Controlled Black Hole Generator. It creates a Black hole within an immensely strong force field.

"The force field was around our planet. The Black hole sucked it in, and crushed it and everyone on it.

"I was taken with them, because I have the Form Baton. The Pirates cannot use it themselves, as it only reacts to a living thing. So they took me with them, onboard one of their warships. I was forced to do their chores, scrubbing the decks, oiling their joints.

"Then we came to another planet. An amazingly beautiful planet, teeming with life, far surpassing my own in beauty. This one. I looked upon it and was sad, for I knew that its fate would soon be similar to my own planet's.

"I was aboard one of the warships that entered what the Pirates called the Teensie Highway. We met a band of rebels along the way. I believe you were leading them. Anyway, the warship I was on was attacked by a group of those tall, brown-skinned creatures. In the confusion I managed to grab the Form Baton and fight for my life. Finally, I had my chance to wreak revenge on my people's slayers.

"The warship blew up, but I jumped clear just in time. I tried to reach your ship, but you were already disappearing into the distance. I floated around for a while, using the Form Baton as a jetpack. That's when I met you."

Rayman looked at him for a while. "You have been through so much. I'm amazed that you don't hat every single cell of my body for working with even a rebel Robo-Pirate."

He extended a hand through the bars of Christian's cell. "I'm Rayman." Christian shook it.

"Welcome to the Rebellion."

[B]Commander Steelwill's flagship[/B]

A person walked down one of the many corridors of the flagship. He wore a purple top. His wide chest was adorned with medals and badges, bouncing up and down as he walked. His face was also purple, shaped like a rectangle, on which he wore a military general's cap. His armless, white-gloved hands were huge, and he wore white shoes on his legless feet. He carried a briefcase in his right hand.

He stopped outside Steelwill's cabin. One of the two Henchman 5000 guards entered a code into a number pad on the wall, and the door slid open. The limbless man entered.

A grinding voice said from the shadows: "What have you got for me?"

The man began to talk in a deep, quick voice. "As you already know, I represent Evil Genius Incorporated, the creators of the GrolgothTM and the Instant Hero MindScramblerTM. We have recently developed a new product."

He dropped the briefcase to the ground, and it sprang open. A blueprint design unravelled from it, perched on a steel stalk.

"This is the Orbital Laser 7000TM. It orbits around the planet of your choice, you can direct it over any place on said planet. All it takes is the press of a big red button, and all of your enemies in that place will fry. Totally hero proof. Comes with this free washing machine. Batteries not included."

From the shadows at the other end of the room, Steelwill considered. If what this being said was true, then he would easily be able to destroy any rebel base at his leisure. He thought for a while. Then he said:

"I'll take it. You will receive your pay on the way out."

The salesman said one last thing. "As part of our special bonus Tyrant pack, the laser will be shipped up immediately, ready for your use."

"Good. I look forward to doing business with you in the future."

"So do I."

[b] Picture City[/b]

A single Prison Ship, surrounded by warships, descended from the sky. It's belly was full to bursting of prisoners, and it needed somewhere to dump them. Picture City was an ideal location. Infinite streets of rubber and paper, pencil towers, and lots of wide, open spaces.

The labyrinthine streets would make it hard to attack.

The huge pencil towers could have guns mounted on them.

The open plains would be the place to set up a base, where the prisoners would be kept.

The Prison Ship stopped, hovering just fifty metres from the ground. Its hangar door, on the bottom of the hull, opened. A huge ramp slid out, reaching down to the ground. Ten Henchman 5000 marched down it, guns at the ready. Seeing that the coast was clear, one gestured back up at the hangar.

Prisoners were marched down the ramp at gunpoint. Teensies. Fairies. Birdmen. Finally, last in line, came two upright, frog-like beings. One was violet, the other blue, except for their white bellies and hands. They were surrounded by miniature versions of themselves, children of all sizes.

Globox and Uglette.

Watching from the shadows behind a large, erect eraser, hovered a purple Moskito. He carried a small pistol in one hand, and there was a communicator attached to the back of his head. He disattached it, and spoke into it.

"This is Purple Terror speaking. Purple Terror to Fighting Squad. Come in Fighting Squad."

The communicator spurted static for a few seconds, then Purple Terror received an answer.

"Fighting Squad to Purple Terror. We read you loud and clear. This is Hybrid Knaaren speaking. What's your situation?"

"I'm at Picture City. A Prison Ship has landed here, and is unloading its prisoners."

"Thank you, Purple Terror. Stay where you are, and alert us of further developments."

Purple Terror reattached the communicator to the back of his head, and sat down on a nearby sharpener.

[b]CODEFS warship, The Hall of Doors[/b]

The rebellion War Council were discussing their next move when Purple Terror's signal came in. Lachimax quickly ran to the ship's communicator and replied.

"Fighting Squad to Purple Terror. We read you loud and clear. This is Hybrid Knaaren speaking. What's your situation?"

Rayman and the rest of the Council, which had been joined by Christian and Razorbeard, all listened intently. Christian stared at Razorbeard with utter hatred, until the radio conversation finished. Then they all started speaking at once, except for Christian and, funnily enough, Rayman.

"We must act immediately!" said Gumsi in his squeaky voice.

"We can use a portal to reach Picture City quickly!" said the head of the Grand Minimuses.

"No! We should wait until the Prison Ship leaves!" It was Razorbeard this time.

And the argument went on. Through all of this, Rayman remained silent, caught in his own thoughts. He had his own reason for wanting to attack, but knew it would be foolish to be too hasty.

Then Christian spoke. The whole room fell silent to listen to the newcomers words.

"I know that we should be careful. I have seen first hand what the Robo-Pirates can do. But these prisoners have suffered long and hard at the hands of the Pirates. I think we should rescue them with all haste."

The Council listened in awe to this short, inspiring speech. Then, as one, they cheered.

"Hear hear!"

All except for Razorbeard.

That's when the communicator spoke again.

"Purple Terror to Fighting Squad. The prisoners have all disembarked the Prison Ship, and it is lifting off. It appears to be leaving approximately two hundred Henchmen and five warships behind."

Once again, Lachimax replied.

"Fighting Squad to Purple Terror. Hybrid Knaaren speaking. Return to base of operations immediately."

Lachimax looked up at the Council.

Rayman spoke. "What are we waiting for? Let's go."

The Council cheered, and stood up, leaving the room. But Rayman held Lachimax back.

"Who exactly [i]is[/i] Purple Terror?"

"One of CODEFS field agents. That's just his codename. Hi real name is Foilarak."

Rayman recognised that name from somewhere, but he couldn't remember where.

"Okay then. Let's move."

[b]Picture City[/b]

At the top of a huge pile of paper, erasers and discarded ink bottles, a yellow portal swirled.

Out of the portal leapt two warships. One had the CODEFS symbol printed on its sail. And the other had the Robo-Pirate symbol.

Two CODEFS members jumped off their warship. One was the Young Globox. He had a small Gatling Gun straaped over his shoulder. The other was the same species as Razoff, and had a rifle in his hands. They quickly looked over the immediate area. Then, seeing it was safe, the Young Globox spoke into a communicator attached to his gun.

"Area secure."

Out of the portal came more of the rebellion. Knaaren, Moskitos, Teensies. Clark Ly, Rayman. Mr. Dark, Christian, Razorbeard.

They continued pouring out until their was no space left at the tip of the garbage heap. Then they swept down the sides, silently. They made their way through Picture City, ever so quietly. As one, they reached the edge of a wide, paper plain. There they could see the prisoners.

Rayman caught his breath. As he had hoped, there he was.

Globox.

Clark wanted to charge straight out into them, but Ly and Mr. Dark held him back. Privately, Rayman wanted to do the same, to throw caution to the winds, to attack them straight out. To hell with the plan.

Instead, he let Lachimax do the directing.

The plain was surrounded by a ring of erect erasers, and then, another ring of Pencil Towers. Half of the rebel army, the Knaaren and some CODEFS members, as well as Rayman and Clark, crept past the huge Pencil Towers and hid behind the erasers. The other half stayed behind.

Inside the CODEFS warship, Bucket pressed a button.

A the deck of the warship opened up, revealing a rocket, which was pointed upwards.

Bucket pressed another button.

The rocket flew up into the air, propelled by a blue flame. It shot up into the sky, then exploded.

That was the signal.

The Knaaren surged forward, charging onto the plain, led by Rayman on his shell and Clark, while the Pirates were distracted by the rocket.

At least, that's what the plan was.

The Henchmen were only pretending to be distracted.

Rayman heard an explosion behind them. He turned the shell around in time to see flames licking upwards from the base of one of the Pencil Towers.

Then that tower began to fall. It fell towards the Tower next to it, hitting it. This Tower fell as well, knocking the next one over. They all fell, like a pack of dominoes, surrounding the plain in a wall of wood and graphite, separating the two halves of the rebellion. The Robo-Pirates had planned it to perfection.

They had known the rebellion was coming.

And this was not all.

Everywhere, on the outside of the ring, what had first appeared to be old, discarded barrels began to move. They rolled towards the Teensies and Moskitos, as if they had minds of their own. Which they did.

Barrel and Gorilla Pirates were both a form of Henchman, both outdated even before the original invasion. Although they were both much stronger than the newer Henchman 800, they were both clumsy and slow. The Gorilla Pirate didn't even have any built-in weapons.

But they had been selected for this task because of their sheer strength and power.

Out of each barrel emerged two mechanical legs. White eyes lit up behind the rectangular slits, and a turret poked out of the tops of the barrels.

From inside certain barrels that had not moved, blue-and-white striped shirted Gorrila Pirates emerged. Monkeys in a barrel. They ran forward and propped the Barrel Pirates onto their feet. Then they charged, howling with excitement.

The battle began.

[i]Picture City[/i]

There was only one option.

They charged.

Rayman, Clark, and the Knaaren surged forward on the paper plain that had become their prison. The sight of Globox, a look of surprise on his face, inspired Rayman.

"Chaaaaaaaaaaarge!"

The Henchmen in the Prison camp were already firing. They concentrated their fire on the front lines of Knaaren, picking them off one by one. Then, out of the sky, swooped a warship. It dropped bombs into the disorganised ranks of Knaaren, blowing them apart. There wasn't much hope.

The rest of the rebellion, trapped on the other side of the pencil wall, fought for their lives.

Lachimax danced among the Gorilla Pirates, his spear moving so fast that it was a blur. He kicked a Gorilla over with his clawed foot, then brought his spear down on it for a killing strike. It barely pierced its thick armour. It grabbed the spear, and wrenched it out of Lachimax's hands, throwing it away. Then it leapt to its feet and grabbed his arm, twisting it slowly around. Lachimax groaned with pain. The Gorilla howled with mechanical laughter.

Then it stopped laughing suddenly. It's expression changed from one of enjoyment to one of shock. It looked down at it's chest, where a yellow, glowing, blade was sticking out. Then it collapsed with a final howl of pain.

Standing over its body was Christian, Form Baton in one hand and Lachimax's spear in the other.

He tossed the spear to Lachimax. "Thanks," said Lachimax. "I thought I was dead."

"Don't mention it," replied Christian, smiling. "But next time you pick a fight with a monkey, I might not be around to save you."

This moment was broken up by a round, black projectile landing between them. They leapt out of the way just in time. It exploded, creating a skull-shaped cloud of gas.

Lachimax looked towards the source of the bomb. There stood a Barrel Pirate, cannon primed and ready.

It launched a beam of electricity from its cannon, barely missing Lachimax as he rolled out of the way and scorching the inky ground. Three more gas bombs sprayed out of its canon, landing around Christian and surrounding him in a cloud of poisonous gas. Christian used some sort of air blower on his Form Baton to sweep it away. The Barrel Pirate threw another electrical beam from its cannon. Instead of dodging it, though, Christian pressed the 1 button on the Form Baton. The electricity danced into the tip of the Baton, disappearing to within the Baton. All three beings, Christian, Lachimax and the Barrel Pirate, stared at the Baton for a second. Then the electric beam struck out from the Baton, this time redirected at the Barrel Pirate. It hit the Pirate's cannon, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke.

Then Lachimax jumped forward, and shoved his spear into the Pirate's eye slit. It's eyes blinked out, and flames erupted from the slit. The whole thing blew apart, spreading wood and rivets across several metres.

The battle was spreading throughout the entire Picture City. On the Eraser Plains, Moskitos combated Barrel Pirates. In the Pencil Pentathlon, Teensies and CODEFS members fought Gorilla Henchmen.

In the small plain of paper, Rayman's army was desperately trying to get through to the prisoners. They were just outside the wire fence surrounding the camp. Pirates were picking them off from watch towers. A warship was killing more Knaaren every minute. And Clark was locked in mortal combat with the huge, locked, steel gate. Finally, in desperation, with all his strength, he slammed his huge fists into the hinges of one of the gates. The hinges snapped, and the gate collapsed.

They were in.

Lachimax and Christian battled, back to back, inside a twisted maze. There were mirrors lining every wall, so it was impossible to tell what was a real enemy and what was simply an illusion. Everywhere laser bolts and gas bombs flew.

Suddenly, one of the Barrel Pirates was lifted off its feet by some invisible force, along with several of its mirror images.

There, behind it, was Mr. Dark, his hands raised to the sky.

"Excuse me, gentlemen," he said. "While I teach this overgrown beer mug a lesson."

The Barrel Pirate began to spin around and around in mid-air, gradually getting faster and faster, until, finally, one of its bolts jiggled loose and flew into one of the mirrors, cracking it. A plank of wood tore itself away from the Barrel and knocked the head off an advancing Gorilla Pirate. The Barrel continued spinning until it was completely in pieces.

Then, Mr. Dark joined their little group, and fought the Pirates with them.

Gilly, which was the name of the Young Globox who had joined CODEFS long ago, was fighting madly. The barrels of his Gatling Gun never ceased spinning, and the bullets he launched tore ferociously into Gorillas and Barrels alike.

At one point he found himself fighting side by side with Lachimax, Christian and Mr. Dark. Together they fought, working as a four-man team.

Finally, they became cornered. They huddled together between a bottle of black ink and a rubber wall. They were totally surrounded.

A mechanical voice rang out around them.

"Surrender, rebels, or you will die."

The four looked at each other, and reached a silent agreement. They would rather die fighting then be prisoners of war to be played with and exploited.

Lachimax nodded. Then, leaping up, he jammed his spear into the lid of the ink bottle, using it as a pole vault, propelling him forward into the mass of Pirates. Ink sprayed up like a fountain from the hole he had left.

"Showoff." Gilly said. Then he turned around and fired into the glass of the bottle, smashing it and spreading ink everywhere. Together, he, Christian and Mr. Dark charged forwards, yelling.

I know. Cool, isn't it?

[b]Picture City[/b]

The shell charged forward into the Pirate camp, rocket flaring, Rayman on its back. The Knaaren and Clark streamed in behind him, smashing anything in their way.

But they were outnumbered.

The camp was absolutely packed with Henchmen. They swarmed forward, lasers firing madly.

But Rayman didn't care. He was so close to his goal now. Some weird fire within him had taken him over, pushing him on, throwing caution and sensibility to the winds. He leaned forward on the shell, urging it to go faster.

A laser bolt hit the shell in its knee joint. It collapsed with a shriek of pain. Rayman jumped clear just in time. It exploded in a ball of yellow flame. A piece of shrapnel flew out of the explosion, decapitating a Robo-Pirate.

But the shell was not dead. Its hard drive and personality program were transmitted wirelessly back to the closest Generating Station, where an identical copy, all affections and memories included, would be constructed almost instantly.

Rayman rolled as he hit the ground. He leapt to his feet and charged forward, towards the prisoners, oblivious of the projectiles whizzing around him. He ran past a Henchman 5000, punching it in the chest with so much force that it span around. He kicked another in the head, making it fall backwards onto another one. And then, like magic, he was at the prisoners.

They were inside Anti-Parapsychological Activity cages. Blue energy danced around them, lighting their faces up. Rayman walked past one cage. Inside was a family of Teensies. They huddled together, watching the battle outside. One of the children was crying. It pained Rayman to have to leave them there. But he didn't have time to free them all.

He jogged to the last one. There, sure enough, was Globox and Uglette, together with ten of their children.

Globox jumped to his feet. "Rayman! I'm scared! Get us out of here the Pirates are gonna kill us their gonna throw us into a lake of lava their going to fry us with their lasers their gonna…"

"It's okay, Globox! We're gonna be okay."

Rayman scanned the cage for some sort of switch, anything that might turn it off. He found a slot that looked as though a key card might fit into it. But he didn't have the key.

He was distracted by his thoughts by a Baby Globox yelling: "Look out, Rayman!"

Rayman spun around. A Robo-Pirate was before him. Instead of a gun, attached to its arm, was a sword.

Rayman dodged as it slashed at him. He grabbed its arm and tried to force the sword back onto the Pirate. But the Pirate was to strong. It pushed Rayman to the ground, and went in for a killing blow. Globox shrieked with terror.

Rayman rolled away, just as the blade entered the ground where his body had been. He flipped himself backwards, off the ground. While he was in the air, he grabbed the Pirate's face, and squeezed with all his might, crushing its head. It collapsed to the ground.

Rayman dropped to his knees, searching the Pirate's body. He found, clipped onto its belt, a key card. Praying to Polokus, he inserted it into the slot on the cage. The blue energy disappeared. Globox cheered.

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Four companions fought for there lives. They kicked, punched, shot, used every bit of fighting skill they possessed. But they could not keep it up forever.

Lachimax stabbed his spear into the cannon of a Barrel Pirate, just as it was about to shoot. The electricity reflected off the spear tip, and electrified the entire machine. The wooden planks caught fire, and it burnt to a crisp.

He turned to face another opponent, A Gorilla Pirate this time. It beat its chest, howling.

And then it disappeared in a hail of laser bolts. Lachimax looked up in astonishment. There, hovering above the battle and blasting Pirates with deadly precision, was a warship. It was not the CODEFS warship, because it bore the Pirate symbol. It destroyed all of the Gorilla and Barrel Pirates, and left Christian, Mr. Dark, Gilly and Lachimax standing alone amongst the wreckage of the destroyed Pirates.

The warship descended to the ground. There, on the deck, was Razorbeard.

"Need a lift?"

In the centre of the paper plain, battle still raged. The Globoxes huddled behind Clark, shivering. There did not seem to be any hope left.

Then Globox started dancing.

Out of nowhere, black storm clouds began to appear. They descended to about fifty metres above the ground. Lightning lanced from it, striking only Pirates.

But this still did not help them much.

But then, like an angel sent from heaven, Razorbeard's warship appeared. It flew down in front of Rayman. Rayman, Clark and the Globoxes climbed aboard. Then, the warship created a force field around the Knaaren, lifting them up. It flew off.

The battle had been far from a victory. It had been a bit of a waste, of troops and time. But Rayman had succeeded in his personal mission. Globox, his best friend, was safe.

[b]The Hall of Doors[/b]

A single, lonely warship emerged from the River that Leads to Nowhere. Water dripped from its sail, and its movements were slow, as though weighed down by sadness.

Not far behind, squads of Knaaren came through, clambering onto the banks of the river.

From the deck of the warship, Rayman watched, with the shell sitting beside him.

Globox walked up behind him, and patted him on the back. "You did a good job, Rayman. You rescued me and Uglette. Some of our children are safe."

Rayman replied: "Yes, but at what price? Half our army is either dead or captured. The Fighting Squad hasn't returned. And Ly, Globox, what about Ly?"

"Don't worry, Rayman. We'll get them back. Every war has defeats as well as victories."

Lachimax and Christian had come up beside them.

"And besides," Lachimax continued, "I just got a radio communication from the CODEFS ship. Most of them are okay. They're on their way back."

"Good. Then maybe we can get out of this place and get some rescuing done!" All of a sudden, Rayman found the total tranquillity of the Hall rather frustrating. He just wanted to get out!

[b]The Orbital Laser 5000, Outer Space[/b]

Above the magnificent orb of the Crossroads of Dreams, a colossal satellite orbited, gliding across the sky at a thousand miles an hour. Its solar panels glinted as it continued its trajectory around the planet. Smaller ships buzzed around it like bees around a hive, adding parts, fixing others.

And, heading towards the hive, the queen bee returns.

Commander Steelwill's flagship flew majestically towards the Orbital Laser, its sails rippling in the solar wind. It flew up to the side of the Laser, extending a docking port out to it.

Inside the Laser, the Salesman waited, riding crop in hand, watching the airlock.

The airlock door slid open, revealing the figure of Steelwill's assistant.

"Where is Commander Steelwill?" asked the Salesman.

"He chooses to remain in the safety of his ship," replied the assistant, climbing out of the door. "He sends me in his place. Why is the Laser not operational yet?"

"The Orbital Laser 5000 requires three triple Z lava batteries before it can work."

"Why doesn't it have these batteries?"

"Because it quite clearly says on the package 'Batteries not included.'"

Steelwill's assistant sighed with frustration. "Where cam we get one of these triple z batteries?"

The Salesman pressed a button on the wall, and a screen appeared. It showed a perfect map of the areas surrounding the Minisaurus Plains. The Salesman pointed with his riding crop. "This area here is known as the Sanctuary of Stone and Fire. You will find what you are looking for there, buried beneath the main temple. If you wish I will accompany your troops to help find it."

Steelwill's assistant stood there for a few seconds, mulling it over in his metal brain. Then he said: "Alright. A fleet of warships will land in that area. You will be with them."

[b]The Hall of Doors[/b]

The CODEFS warship had just arrived. On board was a dejected-looking Fighting Squad. Their weapons were slung, and they had been greeted by an unenthusiastic Gilly.

From the deck of Razorbeard's warship, Globox watched his child talk to them, coaxing their spirits. Globox could not face his eldest son today. It is hard to talk to someone who you have not seen for five years, who ran away because he hated your cowardly ways, who had risen to become Lieutenant of a small, disciplined army.

Razorbeard walked out from the cockpit of his warship. He had a communicator in one hand. "It's for you." he said, handing the communicator to Lachimax.

The speaker crackled to life. "This is Purple Terror speaking. That was a terrible battle. I watched the whole thing, and even killed a couple of Gorilla Pirates myself. You guys were hopeless!"

"Get to the point," said Lachimax, annoyed.

"Yes sir! A Prison Ship arrived at Picture City about ten minutes ago. It's picked up the prisoners, and it's getting ready to lift off."

"Can you tell us where it's going?" replied Lachimax.

"Hang on…"

They all crowded around Lachimax, waiting for a response. After about ten minutes, a reply came.

"The ship's computer says it is about to go to The Sanctuary of Stone and Fire."

Rayman was horrified. "You're not actually [i]on[/i] the Prison Ship, are you?"

"Sure am. Uh oh. Here comes the pilot. The ship's about to take off. I'll stow away and see if I can ride it all the way to the Sanctuary."

"Be careful."

Lachimax smiled.

Gilly started yelling.

"All crews to their battle stations. Move!"

[b]The Sanctuary of Stone and Fire[/b]

The CODEFS warship thundered forward, above the Sanctuary of Stone and Fire. Immense lava flows flew by underneath. Intricate carvings of fire and heroes come and gone flew by unnoticed.

Inside the warship was the entire Fighting Squad, including Rayman, Mr. Dark and Christian.

Bucket directed the ship up, above the harsh cliffs. He looked at the radar screen, showing where they were. "Approaching battleground," he yelled out onto the deck. Out on the deck, Lachimax yelled: "Detract mast!"

The warship's sail ravelled back into the mast, and the mast retracted into the deck.

"Prepare to disembark!" shouted Lachimax over the sound of the wind. The members on the deck hoisted their weapons. Christian activated the Beam Sword on the Form Baton. A member who looked something like a Livingstone drew his swords from the two scabbards crossed across his back.

The warship drew nearer to the centre of the Sanctuary. The Form Baton started making loud beeping noises.

Christian looked down at it. "According to the Form Baton, there is a huge power source nearby."

"That must be what the Pirates are after. Whatever it is, we must stop them from getting it.

"Battleground visible!" shouted Bucket from the cockpit.

And indeed it was. In a vast sinkhole in the rock was Razorbeard's warship, shield activated, laser cannons firing. It was surrounded by enemy warships, all weapons trained on Razorbeard's shields. Knaaren were spread across the islands of rock, systematically destroying Henchmen.

"About time you people showed up!" said Razorbeard's voice from the communicator in the cockpit. "Two Prison Ships arrived about half an hour ago. The rest of the rebellion must be on one of them."

"Where did they go?" yelled Lachimax over the sound of laserfire.

"To the main temple complex. You can't go the same route, though, all you'll be blasted to pieces out in the open before you get near."

Lachimax didn't have time to answer. One of the Pirate warships peeled away from the battle and flew towards the CODEFS warship. Bucket launched a rocket from a small pocket in the side of the hull, and it hit the enemy warship head on, turning it into a ball of flame.

Lachimax shouted to Bucket: "Fly down into the cliffs. The Prison Ships won't be able to get a shot at us there."

The CODEFS warship descended into a narrow canyon, followed closely by two Pirate warships.

The CODEFS warship dodged and weaved, missing sheer cliff faces narrowly, making its way through the huge maze that is the Sanctuary of Stone and Fire. The two Pirate warships copied its every move. One of them fired a cannonball at the cliff ahead of the CODEFS warship, showering it in rocks.

The three battling warships finally reached a point where they could go no further. The CODEFS warship was trapped, backed up against a cliff above a river of molten lava. The Pirate warships had caught up, and were slowly, carefully, closing in.

Lachimax scanned the cliff for a way out. He found one, in the form of a narrow ledge leading off into a tunnel. The tunnel wasn't big enough for the warship, though.

Lachimax gestured to the rest of the Fighting Squad, and climbed up the ladder to the top of the warship's cockpit. He backed up, and ran forwards, leaping of the back of the ship. He landed perfectly on the ledge he had spotted.

Rayman was quick to follow, as well as Mr. Dark and Christian. Soon the entire Squad was gathered on the ledge and in the tunnels.

Except for Bucket.

Lachimax spoke into his communicator. "Sorry, Bucket. Looks like you're going to have to hold ship."

Bucket replied: "That's okay, Captain. I picked up one or two tricks while I was part of your squad."

One of the Pirate warships was almost at the CODEFS warship. Bucket pressed one of the many buttons on his dashboard. Out of the front-mounted turret, a dart flashed out, attached to a very strong steel cable. It buried itself into the hull of the Pirate ship, creating an unbreakable bond between the two warships. Bucket jammed the joystick to the left, and his warship span around very fast, and swinging the Pirate warship around, into the cliff, just below the ledge, blowing it up.

The second warship, though, had a hidden weapon. It fired a net from on of its cannons, pinning the CODEFS warship to the cliff. Bucket hit the accelerator, but to no avail. He was stuck fast.

The Pirate warship pulled up next to the cliff. Twenty of the Henchmen onboard activated their jetpacks and flew down the tunnel, after the retreating Fighting Squad.

Gilly was protecting the Fighting Squad's rear with his minigun, firing into the oncoming ranks of flying Pirates, and literally tearing them apart.

The Fighting Squad reached the end of the tunnel, which came out onto a paved path between two cliffs. They continued running, straight down the path. The Pirates followed.

Rayman looked around to see how close the Pirates were, and almost fell down the huge hole in blocking the path. He looked down it. He couldn't see the bottom, but he knew it was their. He had been here before.

The Pirates were gaining. "Jump!" Rayman yelled.

The Fighting Squad happily obliged, leaping into the hole, just as the Pirates reached them. Rayman's hair began to spin, slowing his descent. Each of the CODEFS members pulled a string connecting to their backpacks, and parachutes emerged. Christian attached his Form Baton to his back and pulled off the top part, turning it into a jetpack. Mr. Dark created a cushion of air below his feet.

The Henchmen were not far behind.

They, to, leapt into the hole without hesitation, jetpacks flaring. They fell to the level of the Fighting Squad, and began to fire. Rayman charged his fist up and released, punching through the chest armour of a Robo-Pirate hovering next to him. He reached through the wires of the Pirate's inner workings, and pulled out the CPU, rendering the Pirate a useless hunk of metal. Lachimax was defending himself wildly, a formidable fighter even with both feet off the ground.

They were reaching the bottom of the pit. Below, Rayman could see a river of lava coming out from just below a stone platform. An upward-sloping tunnel lead off from the platform, to steep and smooth for climbing. Yes, he thought. I have been here before.

Rayman stopped his hair spinning, and fell onto the platform, just as a plum bounced out of the tunnel. He grabbed it with both fists and jumped onto it, just as it fell over the edge into the lava.

There are two varieties of plum inhabiting the Crossroads of Dreams. Both are extremely fast growing, growing back within minutes of being picked. The first variety is much heavier than the second variety, and is also next to useless, dissolving even in normal water. It does, however, produce delicious juice. The second variety, however, has a much tougher and bouncier skin, withstanding contact with molten lava. It is not much good for eating, though.

It was this variety that Rayman rode on now. Down the river of lava, just like he had done all those years ago. The Fighting Squad followed his example, grabbing any plums that came down the tunnel. One person was not quick enough, and was shot in the back by a Pirate. His body fell into the volatile stream, burning to cinders in an instant.

Lachimax looked away with regret. He hated loosing a soldier.

Further down the river the plums bounced, followed closely by the flying Henchmen. They bounced over a waterfall of liquid rock, barely fitting through the narrow gap in the wall beyond it.

That's when the Thorn Roots appeared.

Out of a hole in the wall, just in front of Rayman, a brown, thorn-covered tentacle emerged, swishing around, searching for prey. It found a surprised Robo-Pirate, and dragged it back into its hole.

Sensing much prey, the creatures behind the wall pushed. Hard. The entire wall fell out into the lava, revealing a squirming mass of Thorn Roots. They reached out, grabbing anything that came close. Which meant CODEFS members and Pirates.

The Pirates stopped chasing the Fighting Squad in order to eliminate this new threat. The Fighting Squad bounced away, leaving the Pirates behind.

Finally, they reached another platform, with a round hole leading off from it. They walked through it, one by one.

On the other side, in all its glory, was the Temple of Umber.

The ceiling was gone, ripped off and vaporised by the combined firepower of two Robo-Pirate Prison Ships, the work of a hundred generations of Ancients destroyed in an instant. There, above the hole, were the Prison Ships in question. And, in the Temple, some heat-proof equipment was siphoning the strip of lava that ran through the Temple away.

Guarding the equipment was what must have been a hundred Henchman 5000s.

[b]The Temple of Umber, The Sanctuary of Stone and Fire[/b]

The Form Baton's beeps increased in urgency. That's how Christian knew that they were close. Close to the power source.

But he had no time to speculate on what that source might be, as the hundred or so Pirates inside the Temple swarmed towards him, Rayman, Mr. Dark and the Fighting Squad. Rayman charged forward to meet them, fist spinning faster than ever. Christian and Lachimax followed, weapons at the ready.

They were to late to get any destroying done.

Umber, Guardian of the Sanctuary of Stone and Fire, was never killed. He lived on, beneath the surface of the lava. Unneeded, uncalled for, waiting for the moment when his temple would be breached a second time.

That moment had come.

The whole Temple shook, knocking Rayman to the ground. The strip of lava that ran through the centre of the temple began to shift and bubble. Like a huge leviathan from the depths of a lake, the stone colossus that was Umber rose from the molten rock, dripping. Its mouth worked open and closed, exercising after so long standing still. His stone eyelids slid open, revealing the red, glowing eyes beneath. The two eyes looked around, searching for the people who had so clumsily destroyed his temple. They found what they were looking for.

Umber began to wreak havoc.

His stone fists smashed Robo-Pirates and CODEFS members alike. He crushed targets with his huge feet. He roared with fury at the destroyers of his beautiful home.

Umber was about to smash Rayman into the ground with his hands, when Rayman was lifted off his feet. He was flying through the air, on…

His walking shell!

He patted it on the back. "Good boy."

One of the Prison Ships above, seeing what was happening, sent another warship down to stop Umber. The warship flew right into the Temple, weapons armed and ready. It tried shooting him down with a barrage of laserfire, but that only made him madder. Umber charged forward at the warship, only to be pinned to the ground by a net of steel cables.

The Pirates returned their attention to the Fighting Squad, only to find that they were no longer there. They had disappeared.

The lava in the centre of the room was all gone by now, run up entirely heat proof hoses to the Prison Ships, where it would be used to power the ships by heat. In the groove where it had been, there was an entrance to yet another cave. One of the Henchmen ventured into the entrance. Inside, filling most of the cavern, was the battery.

The Henchman climbed out of the groove, then talked into his communicator. All of the Pirates cleared away from the entrance.

A huge blast of plasma pulsed down from one of the Prison Ships, ripping a hole in the floor. Umber could only watch in horror as even more of his temple was turned to dust.

The Prison Ship which had shot the blast fired a tractor beam down to the battery, lifting it up and out. It carried it into the belly of the ship, just below the cockpit.

This was a mistake.

When all the Pirates were gone from the storage room, a small hatch on the battery slid open. Lachimax rolled out, spear ready. Seeing that no danger was near, he stood up and gestured to the other people inside the battery.

The Crossroads of Dreams Elite Fighting Squad had come to the Prison Ship.

[b]Prison Ship 05916, Above The Sanctuary of Stone and Fire[/b]

Admiral Clawhand sat inside the cockpit, piloting the Prison Ship. He preffered to do it himself, instead of those bumbling fools who called themselves Henchmen.

He heard the door to the cockpit slide open behind him. Without turning around, he said "Excellent! You can leave my oil on the table." That's when he felt the cold tip of Lachimax's spear against his neck.

The other Prison Ship never expected an attack from one of their own. They were caught completely by surprise when they were hit by a million different weapons at once, and fell to the ground, morphing into a huge ball of ignited gas.

The other warships battling Razorbeard were caught even more by surprise when the only warship left standing after the Prison Ship came was Razorbeard's. Razorbeard's warship picked up the Knaaren, then flew up into the Prison Ship and docked with it. The Prison Ship also picked up Bucket in the CODEFS warship.

Inside the Prison Ship, all the Pirates had been switched off by remote control, and all of the prisoners had been released, including the rebellion members captured at Picture City.

Among them was Ly.

She and Rayman found each other inside the complex corridors of the ship. They embraced each other, kissing like there was no tomorrow. They walked, hand in hand, into the cockpit, where a huge screen was displaying the depths of space. In the centre of the screen was the malevolent Orbit Laser 5000. They watched, silently, as it grew ever closer, accompanied by the faint hope of victory.

[b]The Orbital Laser 5000, Outer Space[/b]

Ten minutes before the Prison Ship was about to dock with the Orbital Laser, a discovery was made onboard the ship. It was the Salesman. He had been hiding inside one of the prison cells, but the Moskitos' careful searching had found him.

He was dragged into the cockpit and dropped onto the floor at Lachimax's feet.

"Who is he?" Rayman asked.

"He represents Evil Genius Inc.," answered Razorbeard. "Remember the Grolgoth? You're looking at the very person who sold it to me."

Lachimax looked at the Salesman with disgust. "You are a traitor to your own planet, you know that?"

"I'm just trying to make an honest living…" started the Salesman.

"Yeah!? Well you're honest living almost cost me my life!" interrupted Rayman. "And it could be about to be the destruction of thousands more. What is that satellite, you… you… salesman!? We know that you know."

The Salesman, crushed and dejected, answered: "That is the Orbital Laser 5000, copyright Evil Genius Inc. Its lowest setting is able to melt through rocks within seconds. Its highest setting is potent enough to destroy an entire planet."

"And you gave it to the Robo-Pirates. You idiot!"

Razorbeard cut in. "Listen. That Laser might be useful to us."

"How could it possibly be useful to us, Pirate?" challenged Christian.

"Do you know where the Robo-Pirates come from?" asked Razorbeard to the room at large. When everybody shook their heads, Razorbeard continued: "No. I thought not. The Pirates were originally built as mechanical soldiers by a race called the Rachara. They were programmed to think, to be smart.

"They made one special Robo-Pirate, an even smarter one, who was programmed to be a commander, to further the future of the Pirates by any means necessary.

"This one Robo-Pirate became the undoing of the Rachara. He commanded the Pirates to destroy them. Thus began the Robot Empire.

"The planet Rachara remains the heart and centre of the Robot Empire to this day. From a city in the very core of the planet, the same High Commander that ordered the destruction of the Rachara, directs our every movement, our every improvement. Destroy him, and the entire Empire will creak to a halt."

"But… how are we supposed to get into the core of the Robo-Pirate home world?" asked Rayman.

"Don't you see? We don't have to. We have an Orbital Laser!"

"I don't like it," said Christian. "Why are you so keen to destroy your own home world?"

"I cannot go back to Rachara now. I have two counts of High Treason, for which the penalty is death. It's better for me if the entire Empire is destroyed."

Lachimax nodded. "Good enough for me. Let's do it!"

Inside the Orbital Laser, a mechanical voice rang out throughout the corridors. "Prison Ship 05916 to dock with Docking Port 5. Cargo is one triple Z lava battery."

Steelwill's assistant marched towards the docking port, two Henchman 5000 at his back. He approached the airlock, waiting.

"Prison Ship 05916 has docked."

The airlock hatch slid open.

Inside was Admiral Razorbeard.

He was holding a gun.

He fired three shots: Each one hit a separate Robo-Pirate in the chest, before they even had time to process the fact that it was an enemy inside the airlock.

Razorbeard stepped out of the airlock, followed by Rayman, Christian, Ly, Mr. Dark, Lachimax and Clark, who was a very tight squeeze.

They were on board.

A security camera saw the whole thing. It relayed its information back to a screen in a security office, where a Robo-Pirate saw everything as well. That Pirate pressed a button.

Sirens started screeching, and red lights started flashing.

"Red alert. Red alert. Enemy in satellite. Repeat. Enemy has breached the satellite."

Lachimax grinned. "This is where the fun begins."

A squad of Knaaren, "led" by Gumsi (who was actually in the middle of them), marched out of the Prison Ship, onto the Laser. They formed a ring around the other people, and held their arms forward. In their hands appeared round, colourful shields of energy.

Henchmen marched towards them, lifting their guns, and peppering the Knaaren with constant laserfire. The shields held. These were the shields, after all, which made Teensies believe they were invincible.

The ring separated, just for a second, to let Rayman and Christian out. They charged forwards, into the masses of Henchman. The ring separated again, to allow Clark, Mr. Dark and Lachimax into the fray.

Out of the airlock came the entire assembled Crossroads of Dreams Elite Fighting Squad, including Bucket. They surged forward to join their Captain. Together, they, Rayman, Christian, Clark and Mr. Dark made their way gradually forward through the ranks of Pirates.

[b]Steelwill's Flagship, The Orbital Laser 5000[/b]

Commander Steelwill heard the alarm. He knew what was going on. There could only be one person behind it.

Razorbeard.

Steelwill rose from his chair and emerged from his shadows. He was ready for battle.

[b]Corridor 1587, The Orbital Laser 5000[/b]

Rayman punched the head off a Robo-Pirate, then span around and delivered a fierce blow to another's chest, throwing it back, where Lachimax finished the job, impaling it on his spear. Christian was melting a Pirate with his Form Baton, using it as a flamethrower. Mr. Dark had a Pirate by the neck, even though he wasn't actually touching it.

The battle carried on.

Commander Steelwill emerged from the airlock connected to his ship. The faint sounds of battle floated down the hallway to greet him. He walked towards them.

Rayman saw Steelwill walking towards the battle. Steelwill was very tall, taller than Lachimax. He had a head like Razorbeard's, only smaller relative to his body. His feet were claws. His chest was covered by thick armour. The most noticeable part of him, though, was not his height, or even the ominous air he seemed to carry around with him. It was the fact that he had four arms.

Each arm had a different attachment. One arm had a sword at the end. Another arm had a hook. Yet another arm had a mechanical hand on it. And the last hand had a laser gun, with a nasty looking rocket attachment above it. [IMG]..JPG[/IMG]

Rayman tried to move towards him, but was blocked by a Pirate. It shot at his head, and he rolled to the ground, bringing his foot around to trip it over. It fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Rayman finished it off with a punch to the head. He looked around for Steelwill. He saw where Steelwill was going, and ran to block him off.

He was not quick enough.

Commander Steelwill waded through the battle, slashing and shooting. He sliced the head off of a Moskito, spraying green blood everywhere. He stabbed a Knaaren through the heart, proving that they weren't so invincible after all.

Steelwill grabbed an enemy by the neck with his hand, ignoring its shrieks. He scanned it once with his red optical sensors, taking in everything, from the purple and yellow stripes, to the ant-like abdomen, to the green lips. He analysed its DNA, and found that it was a type of fairy. All of this took exactly two nanoseconds.

"Let her go!" screamed a voice to Steelwill's left. He turned his head towards the sound. It was the enemy that Razorbeard had talked of before he escaped, running towards him.

Steelwill felt a hot pain in his hip. The fairy had shoved a fireball into his side!

He brought his laser up to the fairy's head, relishing the sheer terror on its face. He fired one shot, straight into the fairy's head.

Rayman watched in horror as Ly's limp body fell to the ground.

"NO! YOU BASTARD!" he shrieked, charging forward ever faster.

Steelwill chuckled, melting into the battle, quickly losing himself amongst the chaos.

Rayman, filled with grief, hate and sheer fury, charged after him, bowling Henchmen over, completely ignoring the pain as a Pirate's hook cut his hand. He could see nothing but Steelwill, feel nothing but his raging emotions. His vision was clouded over with red.

He chased Steelwill down the many corridors of the Orbital Laser, leaving a trail of destruction behind him, until they had left the battle far behind.

Steelwill entered a doorway that headed away from the corridor they were on. Rayman followed, hot on his heels.

They had entered a huge room, so big that Rayman couldn't see the ceiling. It was full of tall towers and platforms and walkways, all joined together above the ground.

Which was covered in molten lava.

Steelwill ran backwards up one of the walkways, firing continuously at Rayman. Rayman charged after him, dodging and weaving on the narrow walkway. Steelwill fired a rocket from his wrist, only not at Rayman. He aimed for the base of an immense tower, which promptly collapsed, smashing through the walkway that they were on, and separating the two enemies. Rayman jumped off the walkway just as it began to collapse, onto a nearby platform. Steelwill did the same, somersaulting onto a platform that was jutting out of a tower, just above Rayman's platform. Rayman leapt up as high as he could, grabbing onto the edge of Steelwill's platform and hauling himself up. He launched a fist into Steelwill's chest, which didn't seem to have any effect. Steelwill sliced at him with his sword. It passed harmlessly through the gap where Rayman's neck would have been if he'd had one. Steelwill grabbed Rayman's fist with his metal hand, twisting it around.

The battle continued.

The Green Lum is a very rare species of lum. The only time when it was ever remotely common was when the Heart of the World was destroyed, throwing the cosmic balance off and causing creatures to breed that aren't supposed to. The Green Lum was one of these creatures. When the Heart was repaired, the lums stopped breeding and retreated back to their hiding places at the edges of civilisation.

The Green Lum has possibly the most potent powers of any lum. It is the only living thing, including Polokus, that can resurrect living things from death.

It was sheer chance that the Pirates had stumbled across one in the Fairy Glade. It was even luckier that they happened to put it aboard the Prison Ship that the Rebellion had captured. It was this Green Lum that hovered through the battle, dodging laser blasts that would have been painful even to it. It came across the body of a fairy, lying on the ground, trodden carelessly on by Pirates and Rebellion alike. It hovered down next to the fairy's head and began to work its magic.

Steelwill and Rayman continued to fight inside the lava chamber. They were on an elevator together, trying to destroy each other. Steelwill swiped at Rayman with his hook, scratching his cheek. Rayman retaliated by grabbing the hook and, with the power of raw fury, ripping it clean off. Steelwill looked down at it in disbelief. That's when Rayman cannoned into him, knocking him backwards off the edge of the platform. They fell together, straight down. Rayman's hair strained to slow his fall, but Steelwill grabbed his foot. Rayman felt a sharp pain in said foot, and then it was gone. His foot had been pulled off. He watched Steelwill's metal body fall into the lava below. He hovered down after him, his fury dissipating now that the job was done, leaving behind an uncontrollable sense of loss. Rayman sobbed. He landed on a walkway that was just above the lava. There was his foot, completely intact. It hopped over to him and reattached itself.

Rayman sat down and cried uncontrollably.

[i]Don't cry, Rayman.[/i]

Rayman looked up, startled. It couldn't be…

It was. Ly hovered down to him, her legs crossed, a Green Lum hovering at her shoulder. She landed lightly next to Rayman, and Rayman stood up. They embraced, hugging each other tightly.

Behind them, the lava bubbled. Something began to emerge.

The walking shell trotted towards the entrance of the lava chamber, following the scent of its master. It walked into the door, and beheld the vast room. It looked down, and saw its master near the floor, hugging Ly. It also saw the tall Robo-Pirate that was emerging from the molten rock. It knew what it had to do. Its master's life was its priority. It jumped off the edge of the platform and fired its boosters, aiming for Commander Steelwill's back.

Lava dripped down Steelwill's side as he climbed onto the metal walkway. He lifted his sword, ready to destroy this annoying couple.

The last thing he ever felt was the explosion of a walking shell colliding with his back.

Ly and Rayman jumped back as Steelwill collapsed onto the walkway in front of them. For a moment they were speechless. Then they laughed with relief. The shell had saved them.

Outside, the battle was nearing its end. CODEFS had taken control of the security centre, and with it the Automated Defence System. They swiftly reprogrammed it to fire only at Robo-Pirates. It made short work of them. They now had complete control of the Laser.

Rayman and Ly joined them at the bridge as The Salesman typed in the co-ordinates for Rachara. "This satellite is equipped with a time-space disruptor," he explained to Lachimax. "Which means we can get straight to Rachara without years and years of space travel."

"Good. Let's get going, then."

The Salesman pulled back a switch with the label "Safety" above it. Then he pressed a big, red button.

On the outside of the Laser, a huge metal door slid open slowly, silently. Inside, complex machinery came to life.

For almost a minute, nothing happened. Then, quite suddenly, a huge, pure white beam of light erupted from the trapdoor, lighting up space for miles around. The people aboard the Laser were protected from being blinded by the tinted radiation filter over the bridge.

The beam stopped, as suddenly as it had begun. Then, just in front of the Laser, something began to happen.

A rip in the space-time continuum is a thing that is very hard to describe. How to tell of a door opening in the very fabric of reality? How to describe the swirling vortex consisting of every colour imaginable, and some colours that have never been seen on planet Earth, let alone imagined?

Let's just say that the Laser fell into the rip, taking everybody onboard with it. For ten of the most exciting seconds of Rayman's life, the satellite was outside the universe itself, floating through the Void. Then, the rollercoaster was over, and they were in space again. Through the viewing window, the people onboard the Laser could see another planet below them. It was completely grey, devoid of life. It was almost completely covered with city. The only places not inhabited by huge, metal buildings were barren deserts. Rayman doubted that there was even any air on the surface.

But, in place of life, there were machines. Huge mechanical monsters roamed the deserts, working on roads across the plains. The cities were literally swarming with Robo-Pirates. And, above the planet, just below the level of the Laser, were the Pirate ships. There was a constant traffic of them to and from the planet. Warships, Megawarships, Prison Ships, Flagships. They were amazing to watch.

Two warships broke off from the swarm, heading towards the Laser. A speaker inside the Laser suddenly uttered a burst of static, and then the voice of a Robo-Pirate.

"Stop! Please do not proceed! You are violating Robo-Pirate airspace…"

The voice was silenced by the Laser's starboard guns, firing at the warships.

The Salesman typed a command into the keyboard in front of him. An answer flashed onto the screen. "Password Accepted. Begin firing?"

The Salesman's answer was yes.

"Laser Strength?"

The Salesman's answer was "Full Power."

In the very middle of the satellite, a huge satellite dish poked forward. Its tip began to glow. Inside, the Rebellion watched in anticipation, some of them almost faint at the thought of destroying an entire planet.

The largest, strongest laser beam ever fired in this galaxy shot out from the dish, and for a moment time seemed to stand still. The laser beam made no sound during its speed-of-light journey to the planet below, as there is no air in space for the sound to travel on. Its collision with the planet was also silent, as there was also no atmosphere on Rachara. The laser beam continued straight through the planet Rachara, coming straight out the other side. Leaving a hole through the core. Around that hole, the entire planet began to crumble. Cities collapsed. Pirates fell. And, in the centre of the planet, the High Commander was blown to a million pieces.

The Robo-Pirate Empire had been stopped in its tracks. And with it, the last remnants of a civilization spanning 100, 000 years were destroyed

[b]Outer Space, Near Polokus's World[/b]

The Orbital Laser 5000 emerged from the Void, its job done. Inside, what had once been the Rebellion celebrated.

Inside the bridge, the leaders of the once-Rebellion patted each other on the back. They cheered happily, their jubilation full of life.

Except for Razorbeard.

Admiral Razorbeard made his way quietly towards the door. He slipped quietly past Rayman and Ly, who were kissing. He got to the door, and began to open it.

"You're not going anywhere, Razorbeard."

Razorbeard turned around. It was Mr. Dark.

"I believe you are mistaken, my dark friend," replied Razorbeard, drawing a gun from a holster on his back. "If you try to stop me, you can say good-bye to your head."

Mr. Dark lunged forward. Razorbeard fired. The shot rang out throughout the bridge. The talking stopped.

Mr. Dark was clutching his blood-soaked hand.

Razorbeard was gone.

"Stop him!" yelled Rayman, running after him.

He was too late. Just like Steelwill had been, back in the Flagship.

All it takes to depopulate an entire planet is an egg. A single leathery egg.

Tarayzan was wandering around the corridors of the Orbital Laser. He was amazed by how absolutely huge it was. Such a thing. And yet, it had a dark side. It was nothing like the jungles back home. Everything was metal, artificial. It felt almost like the walls were closing in.

Without realising it, Tarayzan wandered into the place where Razorbeard had docked his warship. All of a sudden, he found himself inside the wooden walls of a warship. In front of him was one of Razorbeard's Henchmen.

"You cannot be here!" the ex-Pirate said. "This is Admiral Razorbeard's ship!"

Tarayzan ran. But not out of the warship. Further inside, he ran, pursued by the Henchman.

He reached a metal door. He opened it, and ran inside.

He found himself sharing a room with row upon row of round, leathery objects. A thin layer of mist covered them.

[img].com/archive/prey_[/img]

The top of the nearest one to Tarayzan opened, like some sort of trapdoor. He turned around, and found the door behind him closed. Through a window in the wall, he could see Razorbeard. Watching and laughing evilly.

Tarayzan turned around again. Something was moving inside the open egg. He peered inside.

A spider-like creature leapt out, propelled by its strong tail. In the split second before it attached itself to Tarayzan's face, he saw what it looked like.

Eight legs. Two external lungs. One long tail.

Facehugger.

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One egg. That's all it takes.