Skipper's Military Days

Episode 4:

Chapter 1- A Nobody

Steak Knife managed to find land about an hour away from the Andes mountains. He had never lost so much dignity. His magnificent plan to get military plans was a failure and he needed those plans. He was wanted all over the world and couldn't get to Arctica if everyone was after him. Well, even though he was driven away by TJ and his team, there was more than one way to get military plans. Perhaps he could get one from the nearby village. There had to be someone there that knew… He had been to Ecuador quite a few times and knew that a village of otters lived there. They were of pretty high standard and probably knew a lot about world power.

The Red October was safely parked in a peninsula somewhere out of sight. The ship was recovering from the tar incident and was ready for duty. The village was somewhere about a mile away. A village containing mostly otters meant that he would stick out no doubt. They would probably recognize him too so he made sure to smooth down his feathers over most of his scars to look somewhat normal. Well, these days penguins lived in places that weren't Antarctica.

Steak Knife thought that the town was ahead, but apparently he was wrong. Instead there was a murky pond. It was so…filthy, but there was no way around it. It seemed to go on forever in both directions. Desperate times call for desperate measures. He was about to dive in when something rippled in the water. He froze himself from jumping in and watched the ripple. What on earth was that? The water kept rippling and then a green FIN stuck out of the water. He stared and watched. It was just unnatural for something so alien to be here. Then a fish head appeared out of the water.

Oh, it was just a fish. He was about to dive in again when the fish jumped out of the water and landed on the shore. He leaped back with alarm and saw that the fish didn't land. It was FLYING like a flying fish. It landed in a nearby tree and then leaped down at him. He felt the sharp familiar teeth of a Parana sink into his wing. He froze and retrained from pulling it away. Pulling away would just make its teeth just rip off his wing because they wouldn't let go easily. He held out his wing and watched it suck hungrily at his blood. This wouldn't be a problem. He tried to carefully pry it off. This little monster would pay alright.

Then another one sprang out of the water and fastened itself to his shoulder. He fought to try to free himself and then another one was stuck to him. They were crawling out of the water by the many and they crawled on to shore, ready to attack. How would he get out of this one? He would have to go the hard way out. Steak Knife slowly backed away until they all sprang at once. He reached out and jabbed at one so it fell off. Where that one fell off, another ne replaced it. There were just so many and the sharp bites from each one were so sharp that he could barely think straight. He had never seen Piranhas that jumped out of the water before and attacked on land. There had to be some way to get them to let go. There was only one thing left to try now that never failed. Perhaps these monsters could understand him.

"One penguin just isn't enough for dozens of hungry piranhas, now is it?" Steak Knife said in a relaxed tone. "One can easily turn to four, yes?"

Apparently they did understand. They didn't let go, but their eyes concentrated on their prey instead of where they were biting. He looked at each one in turn and they were just as dazzled as anyone else.

"I know where there are four penguins you can very well enjoy," he continued. "And only I know where they are. I can show you if you let me go, yes?"

Still, they didn't let go. They couldn't care less about what he had to say. This was surely the end. They would just keep sucking until he was too weak to stand.

All their brown eyes turned to the right and they stared at something. Steak Knife looked too and saw a penguin standing there, watching everything. At first he thought with alarm that it was one of the four that were after him, but he looked quite different. He looked curiously at Steak Knife and then down to the Piranhas. He held up a wing and the Piranhas were suddenly loosening their death grips. They all let go and slithered like snakes back into the water. That was all it took to keep them off. They looked at this other penguin like he was a savior. The penguin regurgitated a smaller fish for them and tossed it to them. All of them mobbed each other for it and disappeared into the water.

Steak Knife rubbed the bites that were all over his body and was relieved to see they weren't very deep. That little penguin just saved his life. He didn't normally feel gratitude to anyone, but that was because no one ever thought we was worth saving.

"Piranhas that fly are common here, yes?" he said coolly. "They seem to know you."

The penguin nodded.

"Then you must be a native. Why are you a native here in a village of otters? Alone, yes?"

He nodded again, not because he was shy, but for some other reason.

"So you might possibly know about the military around here. Is there a base nearby?"

The penguin seemed to think and then just shook his head no. Steak Knife lost interest in the little penguin and focused back to the Piranhas. They were such deadly fish and could have easily killed him if this little silent waste of space hadn't come along. Maybe he wasn't much of a waste of space after all since he could control those Piranhas. All they needed for a bribe was food. What if that food just happened to be four military penguins that were tracking him down all over the world? Surely he could send them a little surprise party… What a brilliant idea! If they got anywhere near this pond they would be doomed. All thanks to this little penguin for saving him. Wait a minute. The sun was dawning on a new idea. Perhaps this little penguin could assist him in a gruesome new plan. These flesh eating piranhas could take out four enemies once and for all. He knew that the four of them survived that dynamite explosion. At first he thought it was just a stupid feeling, but it nagged at him all night so he couldn't sleep. The feeling wouldn't go away and to back up correct instinct, he barely saw the Well Deserved on the horizon when the Red October was blocked up with more tar. He managed to put plenty of distance between them and then parked the ship here in a tiny area where a huge freight ship couldn't even dream of landing. They were tracking him down all right and interfering with everything he had been trying to do. Since this little penguin was the only one that could control them, there would be no chance of them surviving when he nearly didn't. This time, this little silent penguin wouldn't be there to save them.

"You have captured my attention and I was wondering if you could help me with something," Steak Knife explained. "Tell me your name, yes?"

First, there was silence. Then the penguin strained to say "Rico." At least, it sounded like Rico.

"You don't talk much, that's for sure," Steak Knife said lightly. "Unlike me of course."

Rico walked a little closer and then stared directly into Steak Knife's eyes, looking for something. Steak Knife found that to be a little odd. No one ever just stared into his eyes unless he told them to do so. He accepted the staring for about ten seconds or so before he felt uncomfortable and looked away.

"I need some help getting rid of a few penguins that have really been on to me. They are really starting to annoy me because they are trying to catch me all the time. Perhaps you could help me get rid of them."

Rico blinked with confusion.

"I mean give the piranhas a little snack," he explained with annoyance. "Certainly you could do that for me, couldn't you? They are very… worth getting eaten and certainly don't look like a softie. You could do this task without problem, couldn't you?"

Rico nodded. He folded his wings and looked at Steak Knife, obviously wondering what was in it for him. Steak Knife already knew how to solve this problem. It would be easy because all Rico's attention was already on him to start.

"I want you to relax and just think about this wonderful offer," he said in that soft voice that made Rico's eyes droop a little. "There are only advantages. To see all these advantages, just…just…"

He trailed off when Rico looked away and tried to jump on a butterfly that flew by. Steak Knife had never seen anyone refuse his hypnotic stare and assuring words, not even Skipper. Rico looked away just for a butterfly. He tried again after he got Rico's returning attention, but then he looked away again. Obviously this penguin had a tiny attention span and wouldn't listen to hypnosis because he didn't concentrate on it. He would have use another method of getting what he wanted that suited Rico more. He quickly grabbed Rico by the shoulder as he ran after another butterfly.

"What is something you like?" he asked. "Something that you want more than anything?"

"KABOOM!" Rico screamed and pretended that a bomb exploded. Steak Knife was trembling from Rico's loud outburst and he understood what this penguin wanted and he had exactly that.

"Follow me to my ship," he instructed. "I think I have a bomb or two for you. Remember, give me what I want and you can have lots of…ahem…kabooms."

Rico nodded excitedly. Steak Knife led Rico through the woods and back to the ship. This was working out better than he thought, even though this penguin was extremely annoying and obnoxious. Leading him back to the ship would be a big risk in case Rico knew who he was, but the piranha attack unruffled all his feathers so all those scars were noticeable again. Rico would have recognized him by looks. In more obvious thoughts, Rico couldn't talk and give away anything. He only said a random word every once in a while. Finally, they made it back to the ship. It was still in its tucked away place on the peninsula and untouched. Rico stared at the ship with excitement for a few moments before turning away with lack of interest.

"Well, come on," Steak Knife said and climbed up the rope ladder.

Rico inched up shortly after and paid little attention to the animal pelts lining all the railing on the bow of the ship. He looked directly into the fierce eyes of a wolverine and instead of fear, he just cocked his head curiously and then moved on to the next one. Didn't he even wonder why all those pelts were there? Skipper sure did for sure. Oh, he forgot. This penguin didn't have a brain in his head, just a bunch of cotton fluff. When he did think, what was he thinking of? At least a brainless idiot like this wouldn't question the task Steak Knife laid out for him.

"Come on, Rico," he pressed and pulled Rico downstairs when he wouldn't come. "Kabooms are down here."

Finally they reached the back room. Steak Knife opened the door to the bomb storage of the ship. There were lots of empty boxes and almost all the ammo was still in the Andes. There was only one box left with the remaining boxes. Rico pounced on the remaining box and pulled out what was inside. All that was left from the bombs were useless fireworks. They even came in a cute little package with pretty colors on it. Fireworks were still explosives though, right? Rico was completely absorbed in his own little game and pretended to light off all the fireworks at once.

"Kaboom!"

Steak Knife snatched up the fireworks and Rico whined with protest, begging like a dog to get them back.

"Not yet," he held them close and slipped a few that fell out back in the package. "Remember what you have to do. Find the four penguins and eliminate them. They go by the names of TJ, Austin, Skipper, and Kowalski. The younger ones are about the same age as you. One of them is trim and the other, Skipper, is a little short and fat. TJ is blue and white and Austin only has one eye. Impossible to miss and even someone like you could eliminate them, yes?"

"Uh-huh," Rico replied and kept begging.

"Do not disappoint me," Steak Knife ordered and then handed Rico the fireworks. He looked at them excitedly and then shoved them down his throat and swallowed them without a problem.

"You ate them?"

Rico then regurgitated them back up without a problem. This penguin had a very…strange abnormal talent which made him by far the strangest penguin Steak Knife had ever met. He thought perhaps he was wasting his time with this idiot, but then Rico headed towards the exit of the room with a purpose.

"Remember to eliminate them," Steak Knife called after him.

Rico nodded and then went to find these four penguins.