Note: BlueSky509 brought this to my attention. All the plays mentioned in the last chapter; they're not real. I made them all up on my own. By the way, sorry again for the wait. I've been really busy. On the 24th, I start college, and tomorrow I'm moving into my dorm. I'm actually excited about it, though!

Just then, Victor came running over to the two of them. He called out to Growltiger "Captain! Captain!"

Growltiger turned around and watched as the cream and brown tabby approached him and Tumblebrutus. Once he was standing right before him, he asked "What is it, Victor?"

"We've just arrived at our destination," Victor reported, "Are you ready for the meeting?"

"Yes, just give me a moment," Growltiger answered, "I want the landing party to be composed of you, me, Grumbuskin, George, Bill Bailey, Dominev, and Placondgo. Tell George to bring a crate full of olive oil, flour, dried fruit, spearheads, gunpowder, med kits, and other basic supplies. Have Carbucketty meet us at the entrance as well."

"Yes, sir," Victor agreed.

The navigator turned and went to assemble the landing party.

Growltiger turned to Tumblebrutus and said "I don't suppose you would be interested in doing something other than guarding the bridge?"

"Like what?" said Tumble.

"Would you be interested in joining me and the others in the landing party?" Growltiger simplified.

Tumblebrutus only thought for a moment. Then he shrugged and answered "Sure. A little variety wouldn't hurt."

"Come with me."

Tumblebrutus followed the Bravo Cat to the entrance of the boat. The crew had already set up the walkway between the dock and the bridge. Grumbuskin, Carbucketty, Victor, Bill Bailey, George, and two toms Tumblebrutus had not met yet were assembled there. One of them was ginger and white; the other was grey with black stripes. George was standing in front of a wooden crate.

The unknown toms had belts with assorted weapons, such as knives. Bill Bailey had a belt of assorted weapons, too, but he was also holding a copper-headed spear. Victor, George, and Grumbuskin were unarmed.

Grumbuskin introduced the two toms to Tumblebrutus. The ginger and white one was Placondgo; the grey ones with black stripes was Dominev. Both of them looked rigid, but they appeared a little friendlier to Tumblebrutus than the others had originally appeared to be.

"I am glad to see you gentlemen are taking some precautions," Growltiger remarked to toms, "But I am not anticipating too much trouble here tonight."

"Right, boss," said George.

"Form up!" Growltiger ordered everyone except Carbucketty. The six toms got into a straight line. Tumblebrutus quickly joined them.

Growltiger looked around at them and started to pace the area in front of them. He announced "Gentlemen, I expect this to be a good, clean mission. It's a simple meeting with an old friend of mine who will be providing us with information."

"What sort of information?" asked Victor.

"The location of a shipment of supplies and weapons, along with some… precious cargo," answered Growltiger.

"'Precious cargo?'" said Grumbuskin.

"I will explain all of that afterwards," Growltiger guaranteed his First Officer, "For now, here is the plan: we will travel across the docks until we reach the mainland. Then we will go to the alleyway located between the two main buildings of the marina. Dominev, Placondgo, and Bill Bailey will stand guard at the entrance to the alley. Everyone else will stay with me during the meeting, unless instructed otherwise. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" replied all the toms.

"Excellent," Growltiger grinned, "Move out!"

Bill Bailey, Placondgo, and Dominev filed off the bridge and onto the docks. Victor, Grumbuskin, and Tumblebrutus helped George carry the wooden crate down the walkway. Before joining them, Growltiger told Carbucketty "You're in charge while we're gone. Keep the engines warm."

"I will, Captain," replied the Chief Engineer.

Growltiger followed the landing party down the walkway. The eight toms proceeded down the docks in an orderly fashion.

"So, Boss, what exactly is the crate of goods for?" inquired Victor as they walked.

"It's payment for the information, Victor," Growltiger answered him, "The person we're going to meet with is very strict about this part of the deal."

"I see," said George, "I must say, I cannot recall any negotiation where we gave the other party an entire crate of supplies for information."

"This information is of the utmost importance to me, George," Growltiger enlightened him, "My contact knows that, so he expects to be paid generously."

The toms did not talk as they moved on. Finally, they arrived at the end of the marina. They came to two buildings which were two stories tall each. One was a fish packaging factory, the other was a boating supplies shop. Both of them were closed for the night and devoid of its human worker population.

The eight toms soon came to an alleyway between the two buildings. Bill Bailey, Placondgo, and Dominev stood at the entrance. Growltiger led the others down the dark passage.

Thirty feet away, they could make out a figure standing in the center of the alley. As they got closer, they realized it was a ginger and brown cat.

This cat was old; not as old as Old Deuteronomy, but certainly older than Growltiger. Small bits of his fur were missing in a few places. He was rather thin, and he seemed fatigued.

When the group was about five feet away, Growltiger gestured for the others to stop. They set down the crate and stood in place.

Growltiger and Grumbuskin continued to approach the tom. When he was less than a foot away from him, he stopped and said "I am glad you came, Baltrow."

"You shall be, Growltiger," replied the old cat, Baltrow, "I only hope my information will satisfy you."

"As long as you tell me where the shipment and the precious cargo are, I am sure it will," remarked Growltiger.

"Let us begin with the shipment," Baltrow decided, "My contacts informed me that one part of it was recently imported. It should be in pristine quality."

"Good, I believe that that is the part that you ordered, Grumbuskin?" Growltiger told his First Officer.

"Indeed, sir," agreed Grumbuskin.

"You two may discuss this by yourselves for the moment," Growltiger said to the two of them, "I need a word with the others of my crew."

"Certainly," Baltrow nodded.

As the two of them continued talking, Growltiger went over to George, Victor, and Tumblebrutus. He had the three toms move closely together in a huddle and whispered to them "Something's not right here."

"Why do you say that, Boss?" asked Victor.

"Recently, Baltrow has looked as if he was sick or ill," Growltiger explained, "That is why he appears so weak. But now, I notice something more."

"Like what?" said George.

"He seems very nervous," Growltiger responded, "He looks slightly jittery, he's perspiring a little, and he has a bit of a twitch. I've never known him to be afraid of anything, even death."

"So, you think something's wrong?" asked Tumblebrutus.

"Well, I definitely smell a rat…" answered Growltiger.

"Whoops, I guess I should have brushed my teeth after lunch," commented Victor.

"Very funny, Victor," Growltiger sarcastically remarked, "But I do suspect that something is not right. So we'll have a slight alteration to the plan. Tumblebrutus, I want you to go speak with Bill Bailey. Tell him to have Placondgo and Dominev search the surrounding area and to look for anything suspicious. Then I want you and Bill Bailey to monitor the negotiation from the entrance of the alley. Victor, George, stay with me. But keep your guard up."

"Yes, sir," the three toms replied simultaneously.

Tumblebrutus turned and ran over to the front of the alleyway. Victor and George stood close by the crate as Growltiger reentered the negotiations with Baltrow and Grumbuskin.

As Tumblebrutus approached the entrance of the alley, he whispered "Hey… Bill!"

The security chief turned to Tumble and sharply replied "That's 'Bill Bailey' to you!"

Tumblebrutus rolled his eyes and said exasperatedly "Whatever."

"What do you want?" asked Bill Bailey impatiently.

"Growltiger – I mean, the Boss –" Tumble quickly corrected himself, "tells me that something seems out of place to him. He wants Placondgo and Dominev to search the surrounding area for anything out of the ordinary."

"Oh, he does, now does he?" said Placondgo.

"Yes, he does," Tumblebrutus replied.

"How do we know those are his actual orders and you're not trying to get us in trouble?" queried Dominev.

Tumblebrutus could tell that the two of them did not trust him. However, he had noticed that they seemed to respect people when they were stern and serious.

Tumblebrutus deepened and raised his voice a little and told them "Are you questioning the Boss's orders? Should I tell him about this?"

Placondgo and Dominev both shook their heads nervously.

"Then search the damn area like he ordered," Tumblebrutus told them.

The two toms nodded, held onto their spearheads, and went to investigate the vicinity.

Bill Bailey turned to Tumblebrutus and, nodding, told him "That was quite impressive."

"I've already learned a few things from the crew and the ship," said Tumblebrutus.

"Indeed you have," said Bill Bailey, continuing to nod.

The two of them kept watch over the five times in the alley as the negotiations went on.

"Now that we've got everything about the shipment settled, we can discuss the most important items," Growltiger was saying to Baltrow, "How are they?"

"They're in fine condition," answered the old tom.

"Did you take all the precautions you were told to take?" said the Bravo Cat.

"Yes, I did," replied Baltrow, "We made sure that no one knew too much, in case any of your enemies went looking for them."

"So, do you know where they are?" inquired Growltiger.

There was a short silence in the alleyway. During that silence, Tumblebrutus happened to look up. On the roofs of the buildings, he could have sworn he saw a figure moving on each one.

He wordlessly pointed this out to Bill Bailey. When the security chief took a look, he saw that there was in fact someone on the rooftops.

"You keep an eye on them," Bill Bailey whispered to Tumble, "I'll go tell Placondgo and Dominev to check it out."

Tumblebrutus nodded and kept his eyes fixed on the ledges of the rooftops.

At that point, Baltrow gave his reply "That was part of the system we established. I do not know exactly where they are."

Growltiger looked very disappointed right then, but Baltrow quickly added "But I do know a person who knows where they are."

"Well, tell me." Growltiger almost demanded.

By that time, Placondgo and Dominev had climbed their way to the top of the two buildings via the fire exits.

Tumblebrutus could definitely make out at least two figures standing by the ledges of either building. They were also cats, but it was too dark for him to make out their appearances. He noticed that they were holding something in their arms. When he looked closer, he realized what they were holding. They were archery sets!

Each of the figures had notched an arrow onto their bows and pointed them directly at Growltiger. They pulled back the strings quietly and took aim.

Thinking quickly, Tumblebrutus shouted down the alley "Boss, above you!"

Growltiger looked up and saw what Tumble saw.

"Get down!" he shouted to the others.

Just as Growltiger, Grumbuskin, Victor, and George dropped to the ground, the four figures released their bowstrings. Four arrows flew downward into the alley below. None of them hit Growltiger or any of his crew, but one of them struck Baltrow just beneath his right lung.

"Baltrow!" Growltiger shouted in alarm. He ran over to his friend's aid while Grumbuskin, Victor, and George took defensive stances.

On top of the right building – the boating supplies shop – Dominev snuck up behind one of the attackers, who were about to fire a second round. He slowly raised his spearhead into the air and, with one swift thrust, plunged it directly into the assailant's back.

The assailant shouted in agonizing pain and dropped his weapon. Dominev extracted his spear out of his back and kicked him over the side of the building. The figure was dead before he hit the ground.

By then, the other three attackers snapped to attention. A fourth one came out of nowhere and appeared at the end of the alleyway opposite of Tumblebrutus' position.

"Pull back!" the new apparition ordered the others.

The four of them started to make a hasty retreat.

Victor went over to the corpse of the figure that had fallen off the roof. He turned him over to get a good look at him.

Then he growled and informed the others "It's the Siamese."

"Shit," Growltiger muttered under his breath. He turned to the end of the alley that faced the docks and shouted "Tumblebrutus, there's a gate that leads to the streets on the other end of the marina! It's the only way in or out of this place! You have to get there before the Siamese do and lock it up!"

"What if they escape by the river?" Tumblebrutus responded.

"They won't!" Growltiger assured him, "There are no other boats here tonight! Besides, my crew could handle that! But you must seal off the gate!"

"Yes, sir!" answered Tumblebrutus. He turned to the open area and ran as fast as he could to the other end of the marina.

At that same time, the other cat on the roof of the boating supplies building had made it to the ground. But he was ambushed by Victor and George and quickly knocked out.

On the roof of the fish packaging factory, Placondgo was hiding in the shadows. As the two Siamese cats on the roof ran past him, he dove out and waved his spearhead at them. One of them was struck directly on the throat. He immediately started bleeding and collapsed onto the ground. A minute later, he bled to death. But in that minute, his partner did not stop running. He just headed to the fire exit and climbed down it to make his getaway.

Growltiger turned to Victor and George and told them "Stay here with Baltrow. Do whatever it takes to keep him alive. I need that information."

Victor and George nodded their heads and turned their attention to the wounded tom.

"Grumbuskin, come with me," Growltiger ordered his First Officer, "We can't let them escape. Even if Tumblebrutus manages to close the gate in time, he won't stand a chance against two grown Siamese toms."

Without another word spoken, the two toms quickly started to make their way to the other end of the marina.

At that same time, Tumblebrutus ran as fast as he could to that same destination. He was among the fastest runners in the Jellicle Tribe, but he did not know if he could outrun the Siamese.

Two minutes later, he arrived at the end of the walkway. He turned on the corner and came to the gate. It was wide open, but he quickly found a console that would close it. Unfortunately, the key needed to operate the console was not in its slot. Tumblebrutus quickly looked around in an open room and found the key hanging on a bulletin board.

Working quickly, Tumble took the key, returned to the console, activated it, closed off the gate, and removed the key. Then he hid it in a very small hole in the wall.

Tumblebrutus hid in the open room and waited calmly for something to happen. Before long, the remaining two Siamese cats arrived at the gate, but they were surprised when they discovered it was closed.

"What the hell?" said one of them, "I thought I told you to leave this thing open!"

"I did," insisted the other one, "I made sure of it myself!"

"Well, go get the key," ordered the first one, "And hurry! We cannot linger here!"

Tumblebrutus hid on the other end of the room as the second cat came in. He looked all over the bulletin board, but he could not find the key.

"The key's gone!" he told his colleague.

"What?"

"It's gone!"

"How can it be gone?"

"I don't know; we left it right here."

"Well, we don't have time to look for it now," said the first one, "We have no choice but to wait here and ambush anyone that comes by. Then we'll look for the key."

"Sounds reasonable," commented the second tom as he stepped back outside.

The moment he stepped back outside, Tumblebrutus attacked him from behind, making him land flat on his face.

The other tom quickly took action. He ran over to Tumblebrutus and tried to strike him several times. But Tumblebrutus managed to dodge each of his blows.

At one point in the fight, Tumble jumped into the air and kicked the tom in the side. The tom collapsed and held his side while Tumble struck him again to ensure that he would not retaliate.

The other tom slowly rose to his feet and glared at Tumblebrutus when his back was turned. He ran towards him with his claws raised.

But at that exact moment, Bill Bailey arrived around the corner. With the incredible speed, he took a small blade out of his belt and flung it at the tom that was approaching Tumblebrutus from behind. The blade struck him directly in the forehead, killing him almost instantly.

Tumblebrutus quickly noticed this. Looking back and forth from Bill Bailey to the dead Siamese tom, he said "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Bill Bailey gruffly responded.

Soon, Growltiger and Grumbuskin arrived. They looked around and saw that both of the Siamese cats had been disabled.

"Good work," Growltiger told Tumblebrutus and Bill Bailey.

"Sir, I believe that this one is the leader of this small group," Tumblebrutus informed his Captain, gesturing at the tom on the ground in front of him.

Growltiger approached the tom on the ground, grabbed him by the part of his head between his ears, and lifted his head into the air.

This Siamese tom was part gray and part tan. He had a rigid glare and a cold expression across his countenance. Growltiger knew who he was.

"Nihaar…" he hissed.

The Siamese tom smirked and spoke in a deep voice "It's been a long time."

"Not long enough," said Grumbuskin.

"What are you doing here?" Growltiger demanded.

"We've been watching that contact of yours for a long time now," Nihaar answered, still smirking, "Old fool thought he was not followed. We knew he was meeting with you, so we set up an ambush."

Growltiger dropped the Siamese tom and told him "You will regret this night."

He then turned to Tumblebrutus and ordered him to open the gate. Tumble was a little confused at first, but he did not want to question Growltiger's orders. He retrieved the key, used it to activated the console again, and reopened the gate.

Growltiger turned to Nihaar and told him "Get out of here."

Nihaar raised an eyebrow and said "What?" in disbelief as if he did not understand.

Growltiger told him "We need someone to send this message to Genghis: 'We will not tolerate these unprovoked attacks. What you have done tonight is a wanton act of war. Be prepared.'"

Nihaar slowly nodded and ran off as fast as he could. Growltiger, Grumbuskin, Bill Bailey, and the others watched him disappear in the distance.

After a brief interval of silence, the four toms returned to the key to the bulletin board, threw the body of the dead Siamese cat into the river, and returned to the alley on the other end of the marina.

Victor and George were using one of the med kits from the crate in an attempt to stabilize Baltrow. They had managed to extract the arrow, but he was still badly wounded.

Growltiger had the others back away so that he could speak with Baltrow. He kneeled in front of him and said softly "I need you to tell me where they are."

Baltrow spoke softly to conserve his strength: "I d-don't know w-where… exactly th-they are, b-but I can t-tell you what p-part… of the city."

"Is there someone there who can lead me to them?" asked Growltiger.

"Y-y-yes, th-there is someone who… c-can help you," Baltrow weakly responded.

"Where?" Growltiger inquired "Where are they?"

Baltrow struggled to keep his breathing up. Finally, he was able to answer his friend.

"Hampton," gasped Baltrow, speaking with a little more ease "You'll find them at Hampton. When you go there, ask for… for Roshedam. He'll take you to them."

"Hampton, Roshedam," Growltiger quickly repeated the place and name, "Okay, I've got it! Now hold on. We'll get you some help."

"Don't… bother," whispered Baltrow, "I'm a d-dead tom, anyway. Genghis will s-stop at nothing until I'm gone."

"I can't just let you die!" Growltiger protested.

"Please, Growltiger, d-do this f-for me," Baltrow pleaded, "I was already suffering of a terminal illness beforehand: liver cancer."

Growltiger looked down at his friend as if he had misheard him. Then he just asked him "For how long?"

"Several weeks," answered Baltrow, "I would have thought that you'd be able to recognize the signs of the disease."

"You mean, the weight loss, the fatigue, the loss of appetite… that was liver cancer all along?" the Bravo Cat asked, but somewhat rhetorically.

"Yes," said Baltrow, "You may have also noticed that the areas around my eye pupils are yellow."

Growltiger looked closer and noticed that the sclera of Baltrow's eyes was in fact a bright yellow. He asked him "Is that jaundice?"

"It certainly is," confirmed Baltrow, "I visited the precinct doctor a few days ago. He told me I would have been dead in about a month. Even if you manage to save me, I'll only last a few more weeks. Just let me end my suffering here and now. Please…"

Growltiger stood in utter silence for a few moments. Then he whispered "Alright. I will do it for you. But only because you're my friend."

Baltrow slowly nodded his acknowledgement of Growltiger's statement. When he was finishing nodding, his head froze in its position. His eyes were staring into nothingness.

Growltiger closed his eyes and bowed his head in respect for his friend. The other toms behind him did the same.

Growltiger slowly stood up and turned to his company.

"We'll bring his body back with us," he told them, "Baltrow has a younger sister, who has a mate and three kits. They're the only family he had, so we'll take his body to them."

"What about the crate, Boss?" asked George.

"We'll take it to them as well, so that it may compensate them for their loss," answered Growltiger.

The other toms found this to be a reasonable arrangement.

Victor and George informed Growltiger that they managed to capture one of the Siamese cats alive. Growltiger decided to take him to the ship to question him later.

The group quickly made their way back to the ship. Grumbuskin, George, Victor, and Tumblebrutus carried the crate with them. Placondgo and Dominev carried the unconscious Siamese cat. Growltiger and Bill Bailey took Baltrow's corpse.

Soon, everybody was back on board the Demagogue. Dominev and Placondgo took the Siamese cat to the brig. Bill Bailey took Baltrow's body to the morgue. George went to return the crate to the cargo hold, and Victor went to navigations room to get the ship underway again.

That left Tumblebrutus alone with Growltiger and Grumbuskin. He turned to the former of them and said "Sir, there's something I would really like to know about that negotiation."

"What might that be, Tumblebrutus?" asked the Bravo Cat.

"When you were talking about the 'precious cargo' with Baltrow, you and he only referred to the cargo as 'they' or 'them,'" Tumblebrutus noted, "I would like to know, just what exactly is this 'precious cargo?'"

"Yeah, Captain, I'd like to know about that, too," said Grumbuskin.

Growltiger did not answer immediately. But then he sighed, meaning he had decided – though reluctantly – to give Tumblebrutus and Grumbuskin the truthful answer.

"Come with me to the Officer's Lounge," he instructed them, "I'll tell you there. I don't feel comfortable talking about it out here in the open."

A few minutes later, the three toms were settled in the Officer's Lounge with Griddlebone. Growltiger had told her that his explanation concerned her somewhat, so she had agreed to speak with him.

Grumbuskin was still a little on edge from the ambush. To calm himself, he took his small box of catnip and tried to open it up. But his paws were shaking too much for him to concentrate. Tumblebrutus went over and opened it for him.

"Thanks," Grumbuskin said softly. Tumble just smiled in return. Grumbuskin took out a few leaves from the box and inhaled them quickly. After a moment, he felt at ease. He and Tumblebrutus stood in front of the Bravo Cat, and waited for him to begin.

Growltiger gazed at both of the toms before stating: "The precious cargo I was referring to is my children."